So, I wanted to update on Thursday but it was a no-go. Friday I got busy and the Olympic fever somehow clouded everything. I'm not good at keeping promises :D The update is here though.
Song for this chapter is the same title, by Angels & Airwaves. I think I used it already in another story, but I hope you won't mind.
Enjoy!
Chapter 4 – Everything's Magic
The airport of Roma Fiumicino was pure chaos. Not the ordinary, people-filled chaos New York was, it was chaos with the Greek meaning. Narrow and crowded. The perfect welcome to Italy.
"Permesso!" a man with a business briefcase shouted as he walked quickly past everybody, almost knocking down an elderly woman and a couple of bags.
"Oh, I love this place" Meredith grinned, even though she already had a headache from the constant swarm of people.
"You're one of those people, then" Derek grinned, watching her take in the noisy crowd, grinning like a fool.
"What people?"
"'It's cool 'cause it's Italy.' Those people"
"Oh, no I just...It's like I'm living in a dream" she smiled, softly, kindly, like he had never seen her do before and she hardly remembered such smile as well.
"Derek!" they heard a voice yell and a petite, dark-haired, blue-eyed woman in her twenties reached them, a skip in her step and a wide smile on her face.
"Amybear!" he grinned, and she launched herself in his arms, engulfing him in a bear hug.
"Don't call me Amybear, idiot" she smiled, kissing his cheek "How are you holding up?" she said, a little more seriously and Meredith watched the interaction, fascinated.
"Just getting by, you know" he smiled, but it was a little forced "How's Italy treating you?"
"A-ma-zing, Derek, just amazing" she smiled "I have so many things to show you!"
"I gather that you have on-going projects"
"Gosh, I got so many ideas! I can't believe how easy it is to find inspiration here!"
"You have time for your older brother, right?" he smirked
"Of course" she mocked him
"Good, 'cause I have a friend to introduce you" he turned towards Meredith, who suddenly felt scrutinized. "This is Meredith"
"Rebound girl?" Amelia cocked her head amused and Meredith blushed, extending her hand.
"I met her on the plane. God, don't you know me at all?" Derek immediately defended Meredith, a little irritated.
"I never thought you could propose to the candy-eating plant either, so..."
"Amy -" he sighed
"I don't wanna hear it"
He gave up and watched as Amelia stared at him and Meredith, standing side by side, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"I thought she could join us on the tour of Rome. She's traveling alone and I'm gonna tag along for a little while, until we'll get on each other's nerves"
"Pretty soon, Meredith, pretty soon" Amelia grinned; the bitterness towards her brother was quickly forgotten.
"We'll see. I know he's chatty so maybe we won't last a couple of days" Meredith grinned back and Derek was taken aback by how easy it had been for Amelia to accept Meredith. She had never been this open with any other female friend he brought home, not even Addison, Mark's girlfriend, who had been around for years.
"So, Derek, does she have someplace to get to?"
"Actually, I need to find an hostel or something to crash" Meredith spoke before he could answer
"I have a pull out couch, if you want"
"Really?" Meredith's eyes widened. It was weird for her to have such kind people around.
"Yeah, no biggie. It's a couch and my house is small. I'd put you in Derek's bed, but he hogs the covers" Amy smirked
"I do not!"
"Do too"
"Do not!" he retorted, then noticed an amused Meredith staring at the two of them, trying her hardest not to laugh.
"Derek, I was stuck with you when we went to the Hamptons and we had to share the bed. It wasn't pretty"
"Oh, shut it. You slept sprawled on me"
"I was cold, you were warm, and you had the covers!"
"Kids" Meredith smiled, feeling like a kindergarten teacher. She wondered how she got stuck with those people in the first place. God, she missed having someone to be this silly with.
"Ugh" Derek recovered first, his cheeks tinted with a pinkish hue, behind the slightly unkempt stubble "Sorry about that"
"Still sure you want him to tag along?" Amelia grinned mischievously
"Oh, it will be fun. I'm gonna break him" Meredith challenged
"We're on!"
They reached a battered red car that Amelia had parked in the third line and she ushered them in quickly.
"Cops" she pointed in front of them, backing away from the parking spot and speeding to the highway surrounding Rome, the GRA.
"So, you really parked like that?"
"Oh, you have to park like that in Rome. It's either that or you never stop the car" she shrugged. "Shit!" she cursed then, when they saw a wall of cars blocking their way "I forgot rush hour. Even if there's not a rush hour and it's always like this, but whatever" she groaned, leaning back on the seat and waiting for the line of cars to crawl to the next exit.
They managed to get home an hour later, after a couple of other deviations and quick routes changes, followed by a fifteen minutes walk. Derek carried his suitcase as he sweat buckets, while Meredith looked fascinated around herself, carrying her backpack.
Amelia's home meant an historical palace in the city center, far from the main sights, but close enough to be still part of the older, most famous part of Rome. It was the perfect position to visit the whole city and Meredith felt jittery.
"So, the scholarship is paying off" Derek commented, staring up at the big building they were about to enter.
"Totally" Amelia grinned, swinging open the huge oak door and leading them into a dim-lighted hallway. The temperature dropped, from the scorching hot to an almost freezing interior.
"Whoa, how high is the air conditioning here?" Derek let out casually
"No AC, Derek. Just historical building" Meredith commented and he looked at her with wide eyes "Don't tell me your sister, your architect sister, never mentioned this"
"She didn't"
"Oh, shut it, you were too busy making out with that nurse to notice" Amelia shrugged "Thank you for the support, Meredith. I believe we'll get along just fine" she smirked then and Derek knew that when two women conspired against him, he was doomed to failure.
He sighed reluctantly, then carried his suitcase up to the third floor, panting and thanking every saint he knew of for the fact that at least the place was freezing cold and he didn't have to do this under the sun. He definitely needed a backpack as Meredith had suggested.
Amelia welcomed them in a small but spacious apartment, the furniture traditional and well lit. It was strangely neat and not the usual mess Amy's room had been before she left for college.
"I had a roommate from Berlin, but she left for the summer, she didn't have classes and she decided to go back." Amelia almost read Derek's mind and he grinned "You were coming here so I decided to come home for Christmas, since my classes will be over and I have to come back anyways" Amelia explained "I'm glad you're here, Derek" she said softly, her tone foreign to Derek, but he welcomed it "Make yourselves at home" she gestured to the rooms then, smiling.
Meredith left her backpack on the floor next to the couch with a thud, then stretched her limbs, smiling gratefully.
"I'm gonna take the pull out couch" Derek stated, picking up her backpack.
"Derek, seriously, she's your sister, not mine" Meredith groaned
"Independent, are we?" he ignored her mild protest
"Derek, I'm twenty-one, I can take a few nights on a pull out couch"
"Are you implying that I'm old?" he faked to be hurt
"Maybe?" Amelia piped up, watching them bicker amused and wondering for a second how amusing they would be together, as a couple.
"I'm not old"
"In this house, right now, you are" Meredith flashed a smile.
That's what Derek was worried about as soon as he noticed how well Meredith and Amelia got along, and right then, he was knee-deep in a women versus Derek allegiance that was going to destroy him.
"Okay, fine, we can switch every other night" he gave in "But you start on the bed" he stood his ground.
"Fine" Meredith puffed, but she was smiling widely as she watched him carry her backpack in the room.
"Sorry about my brother, he's all chivalry and romantic crap most of the time. I thought Rose had changed that, but I'm glad he's still the same"
"If he's trying to seduce me, he got it wrong" Meredith commented, even though a small part of her enjoyed being treated like nobody had ever treated her.
"He's not. He's like that with me or my sisters too sometimes, if he's in a good mood" Amelia smirked, watching his brother come back, seeing the Derek she always remembered hiding there, somewhere. She wished Meredith could bring her brother back more than anything, put him back together after Rose left him in pieces.
Derek cocked his head, rolling up the sleeves of his summery, blue shirt, then smiled "What do we see first, then?"
I really hope you enjoyed this, because they're finally in Rome. This story won't go as slow as before, we'll spend about a couple of chapters into each city, sometimes more -or at least those are the plans. I hope it won't be disappointing for you.
If you want to send suggestions either about the trip or the storyline, send them without problems, I'll surely take them in consideration and maybe I'll try to fit them in somewhere, if it's possible.
Thank you to all the anonymous reviews I got in the last few chapters, they were a lot and it saddens me that I can't reply to them, especially if questions are asked. I'm really glad you're enjoying this story though and I hope you'll keep reading for a long while :D
Thanks for stopping by!
