A week at the Shepherds had been a dream, but it was back to the reality of school and it was harsh. They had three weeks left of classes and then finals, and then they were free December 22nd for a few weeks. They had to be back January 13th but they were free, at least. Meredith wanted to go to Boston for a few days and Derek had agreed to go with her, even if it meant running into Ellis.

They four of them ran around like they had their heads cut off until December 17th, when classes were over. Cramming for finals was crazy; they all holed up in Addison and Meredith's room and only left for food or bathroom breaks. Meredith was sick of flashcards and medical terms, along with the poetry she was spewing back at everyone. At least French came easy to her, and she and Addison were able to carry on conversations with one another, talking about the boys and giggling like crazy.

Finals week came and went in a blur of tests. Meredith felt like she knew nothing on her exams, but managed to get straight A's. In celebration, the four of them decided to head out to parties and get drunk that night.

Dressed in a sparkly black dress with black tights and black ankle boots, Meredith straightened her hair and put on more makeup than she had ever imagined owning in her entire life, guided by Addison. As a final touch, Addison handed her a tube of red lipstick that she carefully applied in the mirror on the back of her closet door, as Derek walked into the door.

"Who are you and where's my girlfriend?" he teased as she placed her hands on her hips. She looked like a dream, her hair falling towards her waist, her eyes highlighted by the makeup, the red lipstick making her look like a seductress.

"Mmm, right here," she grinned, reaching up and kissing him deeply before pulling away, grabbing her coat. "Come on, guys! We're going to miss the good parties," she giggled, tugging Derek out the door. Soon they were trudging through the snow to one of the other colleges where they knew there was a huge party going on. Flashing their school ID's was enough to get them in, and soon they were all settled with drinks, Meredith and Addison doing tequila shots with some of the other girls while Derek and Mark were set with Scotch.

"They're going to regret that in the morning," was all Mark said as Meredith and Addison pounded back their seventh shots. Derek winced and looked away.

"I see a long night of both of us holding back long hair in adjoining stalls," he joked, shaking his head.


Derek's prediction proved to be right, with Meredith's head in his lap half the night, the other half with her head in the toilet.

"I'm never drinking tequila again," she moaned, her famous last words as she managed to gulp down some Gatorade. The pounding in her head was terrible, and Derek handed her three advil, which she managed to gulp down. She laid back in his arms and closed her eyes. Everything was spinning and suddenly she felt like she was in the air. She cracked open an eye and Derek was carrying her, presumably to her bed. Once she was there she sighed. "Don't leave me Der," she whined. Apparently she was a needy drunk.

Biting his lip, he went through her drawers and pulled out a tank top and pajama pants, slowly easing her out of her dress and tights and easing her into her pajamas.

"I'm going right across the hall to change but I'll be back in five minutes okay?" Meredith nodded and put her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes; everything was spinning and she was afraid if she didn't close her eyes she'd throw up again. But Derek came back quickly and curled up around her.

"Shhh go to sleep, Mer," he whispered, kissing her cheek. She nodded slightly and grabbed his hand, quickly falling asleep.


The next morning was a rude awakening. The sun filtering through the blinds hurt her eyes and the room was still spinning. Her head was pounding and she moaned, turning onto her stomach and burying her face in her pillow. Her hair hurt, what the hell? And she still had to pack for break. She hated everything right now. Forcing herself to sit up she crawled out of bed, dragging a few bags out of her closet and starting to throw some of her clothes and such into it. A few cute dresses made their way into it, along with jeans and sweaters for running around in the cold with Derek. After Boston they were heading down to his house for Christmas and she wanted to be prepared for everything. Addison was awake but both boys were still asleep, and she looked about the same as Meredith felt.

"I'm never having tequila again," she whispered across the room, taking a drink of water. She felt like she was going to vomit again and she zipped up her makeup bag and tucked it into her duffel. Shoes went into a pocket in her suitcase as she tucked in anything required for snowy adventures. Addison groaned as she packed her own bags; she was going home just for Christmas then coming down to New York with the rest of them.

"I hate my life. Like I actually hate my life right now." She said, pulling at her messy, dirty hair. She needed a shower she realized as she pulled out things she wanted to bring home and to the Shepherds. Meredith sighed and looked at the things she was packing, actually pleased with herself. She'd chosen cute clothes and an especially pretty dress for Christmas Eve and for Christmas. Finally satisfied with herself she turned to her bed.

"Rise and shine sunshine," she smiled, gently kissing Derek on the forehead. "You have some bags to pack, we have to go to Boston today," she said with a small smile. Derek's eyes flickered open and he looked up at her, smiling.

"You feel okay?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"I've felt better but you know. I can deal," she shrugged again. He nodded, giving her a kiss. "Go pack, we have to get to Boston, I want to grab things from the house before Satan herself realizes I'm here," she smirked as he left the room.


An hour later they were in Meredith's car and on their way to Boston. Meredith wasn't thrilled about needing to go there, but she needed more of her winter clothing and some other things, and she couldn't trust her mother to do it, and didn't want the staff to poke around her things. Not that she didn't trust them, they were just her things and she wanted what she wanted. The trip was two and a half hours and the whole ride they talked and laughed, fighting over the music like always.

Finally they pulled up to the house and Meredith parked in the street; they were staying over two nights and heading down to New York in time for Christmas Eve festivities with Derek's family. Meredith climbed out of the car and looked up at the house that had seemed like a prison for so long. Derek looked up at the house with wide eyes, wondering how anyone could feel trapped here.

"Come on let's grab our things and go inside, it's freezing," she said, popping the trunk and grabbing just her duffel bag and pillow, holding onto her keys as they headed to the front door of the imposing townhouse. Once inside Meredith dropped her bags by the door and Derek followed suit, looking around. He'd always known Meredith was privileged, just like Mark and Addison, but looking around the house gave him a sense of awe. It was absolutely stunning, decorated meticulously (and certainly not by Ellis herself), and he was sure it was done so to make a statement to others that Ellis herself was rolling in money as Chief of Surgery.

"You grew up here?" he asked her, slightly incredulous. Meredith turned around with an eyebrow raised and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah…it's not exactly my cup of tea but it's home," she said with an apologetic shrug, as Derek walked around the first floor. On the mantel of the fireplace were carefully spaced out medical awards and several Harper Avery's. Derek reached out and touched one slightly with a grin before turning around.

"I'm standing in Ellis Grey's house," he smirked. She had to laugh at that and shook her head.

"Yes, yes you are," she teased him, following him into the formal living room and embracing him. She both loved the house and hated it. It was elegant and oddly formal, and the Meredith he knew didn't seem to fit in the opulent extravagance that oozed out of every room he had the chance to peek into. "Do you want food? I can get our cook to make something. Or we can just head on up to my floor of the house and we can settle in?" she asked him, shrugging her shoulders.

"You have a cook? Of course you have a cook, your mother can't cook and somehow she has the sense to not let you starve," he teased her as they walked towards the kitchen. Sure enough, the Grey family cook Francis was there.

"Hey Francis," she said with a smile, as the cook embraced her with a tight hug.

"Miss Meredith! We've missed you around here," he said with a smile. Leaning in closer he laughed. "Your mother has been most insufferable," he said, his English accent thick.

Meredith had to laugh. Of course she had been.

"Oh, Francis, this is my boyfriend Derek. We'll be here until Christmas Eve and then we're going to his mothers house," she said with a wide smile. Francis positively beamed. At last, Meredith has someone to be with on the holidays. "We were wondering if you could whip us up something to eat? Mmm, perhaps fettucini alfredo?" She asked, and he nodded.

"I'll make it and bring it up two as soon as possible. Now shoo!" he laughed, pushing them out of his kitchen.

Meredith didn't have to think twice.

"Come, let's go upstairs, I have the entire fourth floor to myself," she smile shyly. She felt spoiled, showing him her house and the world she lived in, the extravagance of it all but really it was all her mother just showing off. She liked her own space; when she was 13 her mother had given in and let her have the entire floor to do what she wanted with it. She grabbed her bags and began dragging them up the winding staircase towards the fourth floor. It was a hike but it was worth it. Once they were there she took a rest, leaning against the baulustrade. "My room's at the end," she nodded, as they dragged their things to her room and stepped inside.

Her room was typical of a formerly teenage girl, with a queen sized four post bed against one wall, two dressers facing each other against opposing walls, and a small vanity opposite the bed. The walls were painted a light teal color, and her comforter was white with black flowers, the center of them matching the teal walls perfectly.

"This is so not how I pictured your bedroom," he teased her, dropping his things and sliding an arm around her waist with a smiled. She couldn't help but giggle and look up at him.

"How did you think my room was going to look?" she laughed, crinkling her nose.

"Judging by the rest of the house, very opulent and extravagant," he laughed, swooping in to kiss her. Meredith shook her head vigourously.

"My mother likes to show off, especially when it comes to entertaining people from the hospital in her home. I'm very much not a part of that life, despite what's attached to my name in her will," she said matter of factly, taking a seat on her bed and looking around. "I haven't been here since August. Nothing's changed, but I have," she said pensively, knowing she was a much different person than the Meredith who had left here in August. He sat down on the bed next to her and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I'd like to think I'm part of that," he smiled, holding her close.

"Of course you are silly," she giggled, kicking off her boots and standing up again. Her bedroom faced the street and she gazed out the window absentmindedly, humming a song to herself. "It feels so weird to be here again," she said, turning around and shrugging. "Come on, let's go watch tv while we wait for food, we never actually do that," she giggled, taking his hand and guiding him down the hall to the lounge she had to herself, complete with a big screen tv and whatever game consoles she wanted. They flipped through the channels, finally settling on Love, Actually, one of Meredith's favorites, and she curled up to Derek.

Soon enough, one of the housekeepers brought up their food, and a message that made her miserable.

"Miss Meredith, your mother has informed us that she's going to be home in time for dinner." Meredith's face fell immediately and the housekeeper quickly left the room, not wanting to be the person who pissed her off. Taking a deep breath she turned to Derek, setting her fork down.

"I'm sorry you're being fed to the wolves," she said in a small, scared voice. She hadn't wanted this to happen, she wasn't ready for Derek and her mother to meet and now it was forced upon them. He merely pulled her closer and sighed.

"Mere don't apologize, it was bound to happen sometime when she knows I'm here. I can handle her," he promised. Meredith just hoped he was right.


Later that evening, after both Meredith and Derek had changed for dinner, per Ellis's request, they made their way downstairs to the dining room. Meredith was dressed in a pale blue dress, matching Derek's blue button down, and a pair of soft black flats. Her hair was pulled back from her face and she sighed; this was the last thing she wanted to be doing right now. She took a deep breath and rounded the corner to the dining room, where Ellis was sitting at the table, furiously scribbling in a black-bound journal.

"Mother," Meredith said, stiffly and quite formally. Ellis looked up and plastered a smile on her face, one of delight at seeing her daughter.

"Meredith, it's so good to see you after all this time, I'm so glad you decided to come home for a few days, luckily I had some spare time, you know I'll be working over Christmas." Meredith merely nodded, staying in the spot where she was. "And who is this?" she said, gesturing to Derek. Meredith sighed slightly.

"This is my boyfriend, Derek. He actually lives across the hall from me at Yale and is pre-med as well," she said, slipping her hand into Derek's for moral support. Derek, for his credit, was all charm and smiles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Grey. Meredith has told me so much about you," he said with a smile. Ellis seemed pleased by him and she waved them towards the table.

"Come sit down, they're preparing dinner," she said, and Meredith hesitantly stepped towards the table, taking a seat to Ellis's right, while Derek sat to her left. "Now tell me about Yale, Meredith dear," she said. Meredith couldn't stand it, she knew everything was an act. Her mother didn't give a crap about what she was doing in school.

"Well, I had three classes to meet my major requirement, and two to meet the general education requirement. The science classes were fascinating but I knew a lot of it, from growing up in the hospital," she said, her voice quiet and hesitant. She looked over at Derek, biting on her lip. Ellis nodded gently.

"Well I'm glad you're finding your way in college, it's certainly an improvement over high school, not to mention so is your appearance." Ah, there it was, the biting remark. Meredith rolled her eyes and gazed across the table. This was the part of the meal where she zoned out, just as the kitchen staff brought all of the food out. Meredith toned out her mother, as Ellis and Derek spoke. She sat there and stuffed herself full with food until she could hold no more. Suddenly she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Excuse me," she mumbled, pushing her chair away from the table and bolting from the room. The nearest bathroom was just down the hall but she couldn't go there. She ran upstairs to the second floor and slammed the bathroom door shut, leaning over the toilet and emptying the contents of her stomach. She couldn't believe she thought it had been a good idea to come here. She had wanted to get more of her things but she should've known that Ellis would've deliberately made up an excuse to come home, despite the fact that for the past thirteen years of her life she had never, ever come home to see Meredith. Once everything was out of her stomach, she flushed the toilet and rinsed her mouth out with water, sitting on the bathroom floor with her head between her knees. She wanted to go to New York, she wanted Carolyn and her sisters.

Soon enough she heard a soft knock at the door.

"Mere? Are you okay?" It was Derek. With tears rushing down her face she picked herself up on the floor and opened the door, sighing.

"I'm fine," she said apologetically, wiping away her tears. Derek wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly.

"I love you," he said, pulling her towards the staircase and upstairs to her room. Once the door was shut, she broke down again, curling into a ball again. It had been years since she'd cried over her mothers neglect, her biting words, her harsh demeanor. Derek curled up next to her and simply held her, understanding now why she had felt so strongly for his family, why she loved being with them, why she never came home. "We can leave tonight or in the morning, Mere. Grab what you want and we'll go. I'll drive your car," he said soothingly, rubbing her arms to comfort her.

Meredith, to her credit, nodded slowly and sat up. She sprang off the bed and grabbed a few bags out of her closet, whirling around in action. She packed a bunch of sweaters into one of the bags, along with a few wintery dresses she'd missed when she first moved out. A few coats came out of her closet, with hats, scarves and gloves, and a few pairs of shoes flew out as she threw everything into a heap in the center of her room. Turning around she put her hands on her hips.

"I'm done. Just have to fit it all into things," she sighed. She was stressed and close to a panic attack again. "Let's just get out of here," she said, changing out of her dress and pulling on jeans and a sweater, braiding her hair quickly and neatly at the nape of her neck. She managed to pack her things into a few bags, tucking some of her jewelry into a small tote bag, before she stood up. "I'm ready," she said, taking a shaky breath.

Together they got their things together and outside to the car. It was snowing heavily but Meredith didn't care as she hugged her heavy coat tight to her body; she was escaping the ice queen herself and that was all that mattered. As Derek closed the trunk and back seat doors on their small mountain of bags, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her tenderly and warmly. "I love you Meredith, never forget that. Always remember that you're better than that, you're stronger than the years you put up with her. You're stronger than the crap you've endured because of her. You always told me she was a horrible person and tonight I witnessed it for myself. She tore you apart and she sucked up to me to make herself seem less horrible and I'm not going to take that. You're always spending breaks with me, okay?" he told her, kissing her forehead. She managed a small smile, swaying in the heavy snow. It stuck to her hair and her coat, it melted against her warm skin as she reached up, brushing it out of his dark hair and giggling a bit.

"Come on, let's go before we get snowed in in Boston and are forced to be here with Satan," she said, climbing into the passenger side of her car. He climbed into the drivers seat and started the car, slowly maneuvering the snow-covered streets, taking them away from Meredith's own personal hell.


So I figured a stop in Boston for Derek to meet Ellis might be 'fun' and it sort of just wrote itself, hah.

Next chapter will be Christmas Eve with the Shepherds!

To Patsy: I will NEVER abandon any of my fics! Scouts honor ;)

Please read and review! I love your reviews and reactions