Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, or Shrek.
Eventually, Derek stopped struggling and slumped over the girl's shoulders, looking bored.
"Another question, Doctor Shepherd" said Izzie. At some point they had turned Derek so he was facing forward, and Izzie had been chatting away to him ever since. He, unlike Meredith, didn't mind the constant wordflow from the blonde's mouth, as after years alone in an abandoned hospital it was nice to have somebody to talk to. "Suppose there's this guy that likes you, and he's actually kinda cool, but you don't like him the same way. How do you let him down really easily so that his feelings don't get hurt, but you don't get beaten to a pulp and killed?"
"That's easy" Derek replied. "Just tell him he's not your true love. Everyone knows what happens when.."The half of Derek that Meredith was holding slipped slightly, and she roughly hiked him up. "Watch it!" Derek snapped, annoyed. "The sooner we get to Mercy West the better."
"No arguments here" Meredith grumbled under her breath.
"Oh, you're gonna love it there Doctor Shepherd" Izzie grinned, not hearing Meredith's complaints. "They've had a few problems lately, but I'm sure you can help sort it out."
"And what about my bride to be, Doctor Herron.. what's she like?" Derek asked.
"Well, let's put it this way" said Meredith. She gestured to Izzie, and they set Derek down, confident that he wouldn't run. "Sydney likes to bring home the bacon.."
"There are those who've compared her to a pig!" Izzie added, as she and Meredith chuckled. Derek was once again growing very annoyed with his rescuers.
"Oh, stop it! I bet you two are just jealous that you could never measure up to a great Chief resident like Sydney Herron."
"Maybe you're right Derek" Meredith shrugged, as they continued along their current path through the woods. "But I'll let you decide that for yourself when you see her tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Derek yelped. "It'll take that long? Shouldn't we stop to make camp or something?"
"No, then it'll take longer" Meredith replied. "We keep going."
"But.. but, uh, there could be a private practice in the woods!" Derek cried desperately.
"Private practice?" Izzie echoed, panicking. "I don't like the sound of that Mer. An old mentor of mine joined a private practice a few years back, and I hear she's gone a little nuts."
"Hey, my mental state is much worse than anybody we'll find in these woods" said Meredith. "Now come on.."
"I NEED SOMEWHERE TO CAMP NOW!" Derek screamed.
"Okay, okay, we'll camp" Meredith relented, slightly startled by the attending's sudden outburst. "Geez, no need to get your scrub cap in a knot.."
--
After some searching, they managed to locate a cave with just enough room for one person to comfortably fit inside.
"There you go Doctor Shepherd" said Meredith, motioning for Derek to go inside the cave.
"Come on Mer, I think we can do better than that" Izzie frowned. "This just isn't fit for an attending. Maybe we should try and find that private practice, at least they'd have some beds or a couch maybe, and not everybody who works in them can be insane.."
"The cave is fine!" said Derek, glancing nervously at the setting sun. "It, uh, just needs a few homey touches."
"Homey touches?" Meredith frowned, confused. "Like what?"
"A door" said Derek. He picked up a large piece of bark, entered the cave, and laid the bark over the entrance. "Goodnight Doctor Grey, Doctor Stevens."
"Hey Doctor Shepherd" said Izzie. "I know your a grown man and all, but this is a strange new place, so do you want me to tell you a bedtime story? I know some good ones."
"I said goodnight!" Derek snapped. Meredith frowned. Why did she have to get saddled with a stuck up neurosurgeon like this guy? She spotted a nearby boulder and attempted to roll it over the entrance of the cave.
"Meredith!" cried Izzie, horrified.
"I was only kidding" said Meredith, stepping away from the boulder. "Kind of.."
--
Later that night, Izzie and Meredith were lying in the grass looking up at the stars. Meredith was pointing out some constellations.
"That's my mother, Ellis."
"Ellis.. you mean Ellis Grey, the famous surgeon?" Izzie asked. Meredith nodded, and Izzie's eyes widened. "Ellis Grey was your mom?"
"Yeah.. great surgeon, not really a great mother" Meredith replied. Izzie fell silent for a moment, for once seeming to respect that this was a sensitive subject, before moving on to her next question.
"So, what kind of future do you get from the stars anyway?"
"The stars don't tell the future Izzie, they tell stories" Meredith explained, pointing to another constellation. "That's the Alcoholic Chief. You can guess what he's famous for."
"Oh come on, now you're just making things up" said Izzie.
"No I'm not, look" said Meredith, pointing again. "There he is, and there's the group of board members coming to fire him."
"It only looks like a bunch of little dots to me" Izzie frowned.
"You know Iz, sometimes things are more than they appear." Meredith only recieved yet another confused look in reply, and sighed. "Never mind."
"So Mer, what are we gonna do when he get our house back?"
"Our house?" Meredith frowned, propping herself up on one elbow.
"Yeah" Izzie smiled, mirroring her actions. "After we get Doctor Shepherd back to Sydney and stuff."
"Izzie, there is no we, there is no our" Meredith found herself feeling a little guilty when the blonde's face fell, but tried to ignore it. "There's just me and my house. And the first thing I'm going to do when I get home is build a huge fence around my land."
"That hurts, Mer" said Izzie sadly. "It really hurts." She paused for a moment. "You know, I kinda think this whole fence thing is just a way to keep somebody out."
"No! You think?" said Meredith sarcastically, turning to face away from Izzie.
"Are you hiding something?"
"Forget it, I don't want to talk about it."
"Is this another one of those onion things?" asked Izzie confused.
"No, it's one of those 'drop it and leave it alone' things!" Meredith snapped, sitting up.
"Why don't you want to talk about it?" said Izzie.
"What made you think I wanted to talk about it?" Meredith shot back.
"You're blocking" said Izzie, catching on.
"I'm not blocking!"
"Yeah you are!"
"This is your only warning Iz.." Meredith growled.
"Who are you trying to keep out Mer?" Izzie cut her off. "Who?" For Meredith, this was the final straw.
"EVERYONE!" she screamed. Izzie paused for a moment.
"Well now we're getting somewhere!" She grinned. Just behind the two women, the bark door of Derek's cave slid open a crack, and a bloodshot blue eye peeked out.
"Just drop it, okay?" Meredith yelled, as she stood and walked a short distance away. Izzie followed her, concerened.
"Geez Mer, what's your problem with the world anyway?"
"I don't have a problem with the world, its the world that has a problem with me" Meredith sighed. "People talk about me. Whenever anyone sees me it's always 'ahh, help, run, a commitment phobic dark and twisty girl!' They judge me before they even know me. That's why I'm better off alone." Inside the cave, Derek, feeling a little guilty, let out a sigh, then slid the door closed.
"Hey Meredith?" said Izzie quietly. "When we met, I didn't think you were just a commitment phobic dark and twisty girl." A smile spread over the blonde's face. "I thought you were totally kickass." Meredith felt a small smile tugging at her own lips.
"Thanks Izzie." The two residents stood in silence for awhile. Izzie's gaze moved back to the stars.
"So, any bright and shiny people up there?"
"Sure" Meredith smirked. "There's my half-sister, Lexie, the small... and annoying."
"You have a sister?" Izzie asked.
"Yeah. I've never actually met her though." Meredith replied. Seeing that this was a difficult subject for her friend (now, more than ever, they truly felt like friends), Izzie looked back to the sky.
"Oh, I see it! It's the really big shiny one isn't it?"
"Izzie, that's the moon."
"I knew that" Izzie chuckled, giving Meredith a playful shove. "Just messing with you."
