Light On

Try to leave a light on when I'm gone

Something I rely on to get home

One I can feel at night, a naked light

A fire to keep me warm

The morning went as planned, they all made breakfast together, took Emma to park and now Derek was packing his bag for his shift later that night. Emma adjusted quickly to her new surroundings and was contently coloring at the kitchen table.

"Em, what kind of sandwich do you want?" Meredith asked as she navigated the kitchen. Derek made it very clear she should feel at home during their stay, he showed her the grand tour and made note to her of where everything was so that when he was at work she could find everything. So here she stood in his kitchen making lunch for everybody.

"One that goes gobble gobble" Emma giggled

"Turkey it is" Meredith said going to the refrigerator "Derek" Meredith called

"Yeah" Derek answered from his bedroom

"Did you want a sandwich? I'm making lunch" She called back to him

"Yes please" Derek said as he walked into the kitchen "That is a very pretty picture Em" Derek said sitting next to her

"Judging by your selection I'm going to guess Roast Beef Sandwich with provolone, light mayo and olive oil drizzle" Meredith said pulling everything out to make his sandwich

"Right on the money" Derek chuckled getting up to help her with lunch

"Some things never change" Meredith said as she continued making sandwiches. Derek smiled as he got the plates, it's funny how they both remembered the little details about each other such as her remembering his favorite sandwich and the fact that he liked his cut right down the center and not diagonally.

"Apple juice or Orange juice Em?" Derek asked

"Apple Juice, Duh" Emma laughed causing Derek to chuckle at the adult like tone coming from his three year old

"Alright you monkeys, lunch is ready" Meredith said bringing over the plates to the table

"Hey I'm not the monkey, Emma is" Derek laughed behind her as he carried a plate of fresh veggies as a side to their lunch

"She had to get her monkiness from one of us, and I'm certain it wasn't me" Meredith giggled sitting down on one side of Emma

"Oh I beg to differ, I believe you were the brains of shenanigans back in the day" Derek chuckled sitting on the other side of Emma

Flashback

The music was blaring through the club, clubs typically weren't Derek's scene but Meredith had convinced him to let loose after a long week. Derek was sitting at the bar with his scotch in his hand and smiled when he saw his friends returning from the dance off on the dance floor. Derek Shepherd never danced in public.

"One dance Derek?" Meredith whined. There was no doubt she was drunk,, she was long gone about an hour ago

"Mer, you know I don't dance" Derek said standing and giving his girl a kiss

"For me?" Meredith asked batting her eyes and biting her lip knowing that she usually got her way if she did so. Derek looked at his girlfriend and sighed

"I need another tequila and a scotch" Derek called to the bar tender. Meredith was wearing a short fitted black dress that plunged in the front and basically had no fabric to cover her back. Derek protested the outfit when he saw her emerge from the room earlier that evening but she reassured him that men can look at her all they wanted but he was the only one able to see where the dress left others to use their imagination, and he was the only one touching and getting his way with her. The whole night men had made passes at Meredith on the dance floor and asked her to dance but she simply turned them down. The bartender handed him his drinks and he and Derek both downed their drinks before Meredith dragged him to the middle of the dance floor.

Derek stood as Meredith began to sway her body to the beat of the music, grinding her body against his getting a reaction from both of them. Derek slowly began to move; holding her close making sure everybody knew she was his. As their bodies continued to grind and both of their hands began to roam Meredith reached to and pulled Derek in for a kiss

"Hmmm" Derek moaned against her lips

"Let's get out of here" Meredith smiled as she took his hand and led him towards the exit. As soon as they were out Derek noticed Meredith had taken a different route and was not heading to the car but to the alley of the bar

"Where are we going" Derek asked only to be cut off by Meredith pinning him against the wall and kissing him. Derek smiled against her kiss and quickly turned so that she was against the wall

"Derek" Meredith whispered looking into his eyes. He knew those eyes, she wanted him and wanted him now

"Mer, are you sure you don't want to at least go to the car" Derek asked fearing they could get caught

"I can't wait" Meredith said before unbuttoning his shirt "So you can either drop your pants or I can fly solo" Meredith said raising her eyebrow leaving Derek no real option but to be adventurous. This is why he loved her; she brought so much adventure in his life.

Present Day

Meredith smiled as she passed through the hallway of Derek's small apartment. On the walls were pictures of his family and Emma as she reached the end she noticed there was a picture missing. Derek had left for work and while his family offered to keep them company, she was still tired from all the travel. Emma had gone down pretty easy and Meredith now was tidying up the apartment from Emma's playtime earlier. She picked up a few scraps of paper Emma had torn that had managed to get on the floor and walked to the nearest trashcan in the living room. She noticed a picture frame in the trashcan, out of curiosity she lifted up the frame and a slight giggle escaped from her lips. It was a picture of Derek and Tiffany, it had to be taken a little less than a year ago as the background was a Christmas decorated time square. Meredith had never met Tiffany or any other of Derek's girlfriends after they had split except for Rose. He had dated her a few months after they decided to go their separate ways.

Flashback

"I'm looking for Derek Shepherd" Meredith said juggling a baby car seat in one hand and a baby bag and her purse in the other "I was called, he was in an accident"

"This way" The nurse said leading her towards a room and opening a door

"Meredith" Derek breathed "Before you yell and scream and say I told you so, I'm fine a little banged up but I'm fine"

"Oh thank god" Meredith said in relief as she put Emma's car seat down and walking over to Derek to look at his injuries. Her fingers traced over the stitching over his eyebrow where he had been cut and her other hand went to his cast

"It's broken, not major so no surgery but they say 6 weeks" Derek sighed "I'm sorry"

"How fast were you going?" Meredith asked. Since their break up Derek's driving had been crazy. He had been speeding down the streets of Seattle, of course when he was alone in the car. Meredith sought it to be his outlet from being a full time intern and new dad but begged him to get it under control. His behavior had been reckless lately and Meredith wasn't the only one to notice it, even his best friend Mark said he was scared to be in a car with Derek.

"100, hit a curb, sent me spiraling into a pole" Derek said guilty

"I came as so as I could baby, Mark told me" a woman said as she entered the room rushing towards Derek. Meredith figured this must be Rose, the new woman in Derek's life. It stung, it really did. It was hard to see Derek move on, but this was a mutual decision to split and just because she couldn't find somebody didn't mean he couldn't. But at the moment she knew she couldn't handle a relationship, she had to devote her time to daughter and school.

"They're keeping me over night" Derek said "Just for observation"

Emma began to fuss and Meredith gently rocked the car seat to soothe the baby

"Ma'am I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Visitor hours are over only immediate family is allowed" the charge nurse said to Rose

"I'm his girlfriend" Rose said

"And you are?" The nurse asked confused referring to Meredith

"Meredith Grey" Meredith said

"Oh okay, you're listed as in case of emergency, you can stay. You have to go" The nurse said leading Rose out of the room. Meredith smiled feeling a little victory but in the long run she knew she would have to get used to Derek being with other women.

Present Day

Meredith smiled as she uploaded pictures from her phone to her Facebook page. While Emma was a happy child, she did notice the slightly bigger smile and sparkle in her daughter's eyes when she was around her dad. She liked this, all three of them being together and from time to time throughout the day she let her mind imagine what it would be like if they were an actual family. She knew her heart would always have a special place for Derek, he was Emma's father and they had been through so much together. But what they had now was working and while she did wonder if they could ever be something more, she didn't want to risk the great relationship they had now. She closed her laptop and went to make sure the apartment door was locked. Derek wouldn't be home until 5am so she made sure she left a light on in the kitchen and she placed a bowl and the box of Museli on the table in case he had the munchies. She made sure to put the picture Emma left for him next to bowl before heading back to the living room for some sleep and hopefully to clear her head of her new cloudy thoughts.

Try to leave a light on when I'm gone

Even in the daylight, shine on

And when it's late at night you can look inside

You won't feel so alone

So Meredith has some feelings too. the next chapter is all about Emma and Derek and really where this story and adventure begins to take off. Please let me know what you think :)

-J