Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy belongs to Shonda. Meredith belongs to Shonda. Derek belongs to Shonda. Basically everything belongs to Shonda. Natalie belongs to me. And I think that's it. Oh and in my dreams Paddy definitely belongs to me.
So this chapter has no Meredith and Derek interaction. Sorry. But it has a lot of fun other things. And some weird things that were never addressed are finally address. And they're both in this chapter just well not together.
And expect this one to get updated a least once a day. Because I was at work the other day and came up with an amazing idea for my next fic, so this one has to get finished up. Hehehe.
Enjoy!
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Natalie walked into her office early the next morning, having just hung up on her baby brother telling him she didn't feel like dealing with the mess him and Meredith were at the moment. And there was half of the mess sitting at her desk. At least it was the half that she wasn't related to. Of course, if her plan worked it probably wouldn't be too long before she was.
"Meredith!" Nat exclaimed, forcing herself to look surprised. "I didn't expect to see you today." That was a complete lie. Even though it was Meredith's day off Natalie had fully expected to see her today.
"You're maiden name is Shepherd." Meredith said in a flat tone.
"That it is." Natalie said with a small smile on her face, refusing to meet Meredith's eyes.
" He's my Derek," Meredith said. Natalie had expected anger. Or shock. She didn't expect the sadness in Meredith's voice.
And now she couldn't help but to tell the truth.
"I know, Mer," Natalie said gently, pulling a chair up beside her.
"You knew?" Meredith's head popped up and anger flashed in her eyes. Natalie was her one friend in New York and this is what she did. "You knew? And you didn't tell me?"
Meredith went to get up and head towards the door, not wanting to hear more, but Natalie grabbed her arm and forced her to sit down. "Hear me out," Natalie pleaded with her.
Meredith looked down at her arm, still held tightly by Natalie's hand. "Your family sure likes grabbing arms," she said with a small laugh.
Natalie shrugged. "We're pushy when we need to be."
"Don't I know it." Meredith looked at her friend, seeing the pleading eyes and she realized why they had always been so familiar. Derek had Natalie's eyes. The same expressions, the same colour. The same way of making her stop dead in her tracks. "Fine, I'll listen. It better be good."
Natalie sighed. "I knew. It's why I never told you his last name. Or what he did. Or too much about him. I knew you wouldn't go out with him if you knew."
"But why? Why did you set me up with . . .him? He hurt me."
"My brother is an idiot." Natalie said with a laugh.
"Oh there's something we most definitely agree on."
"When Derek moved home nearly 2 years ago, I knew something had happened in Seattle. Besides the divorce, besides the slutty intern. He wasn't Derek anymore. I guess you could say he was broken."
"He's the one . . ." Meredith started to cut in.
"Mer, I know." Natalie said, squeezing her hand. "The rest of the family assumed it was nothing serious, just adjusting to being divorced and back in New York. But Derek is my best friend. I couldn't leave it at that. So I harassed, and harassed and harassed. And then one day he told me about you. He told me about your first night together. He told me how he fell head over heals in love with you not even realizing it. And how Addison came and ruined it all. And prom night. And Finn. He told me everything. Mer, Derek and I we've always been close. His first word was Nat, not mom or dad. And I've seen him in love too many times to count. I've never seen him that enraptured by anyone. I knew you were it for him."
By this time tears were streaming down Meredith's face, as her shoulders shuddered with repressed sobs. "He, he left me."
"I know. Idiot, remember?" Natalie said, giving Meredith a quick squeeze around the shoulders. "He was still so madly in love with you when he got here. I expected him to be gone again within a month. And then a month became 6 months, and still he was here. So I started thinking he'd start to move on. He never did. Last night was his first pseudo date since he came home. He was just happy being in love with you, even if he couldn't have you."
Meredith shook her head. "Why, why didn't he come to me?"
"Because he loves you, he loves you so much that I don't think he quite knows how to deal with it. And he didn't want to hurt you again. He'd rather live without you then hurt you again."
Meredith drew in a shaky breath, and tried to pull herself together, but she knew it was impossible.
Natalie continued before Meredith had a chance to say anything. "And then I saw you looking lonely and broken in the cafeteria. I sat with you because you made me think of him. You were the same he's been since he got back. I couldn't help him, so I figured I might be able to help you. It didn't take me long to figure out who you were. And, well, two birds with one stone as they say."
Meredith jammed at her eyes with her hands, willing the tears to stop. "But if he was scared . . .why did you?"
"Because he's my baby brother. And he's scared shitless but I believe you're the only person who will ever make him happy. And Meredith, I haven't known you long, but I see why he loves you. You deserve to be happy too."
"We just hurt each other, I don't see . . ."
Natalie cut her off. "He loves you. And you love him."
Meredith looked at her, panic filling her read and wet eyes. "I . . .I . . . He kissed me." Meredith said, deciding not to deny a fact she knew was true.
Natalie's face burst into a smile. "He did?"
Meredith nodded back, a small, reluctant smile playing on her lips. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, Nat."
"Meredith, if I'm right about what you and Derek share, I don't think you're supposed to be ready for it."
"Meri. Meri is Meredith."
Her little brother stood in front of her desk, right beside the chair that the aforementioned woman had only vacated less than an hour before. Although right now he didn't look so little. He was mad, and somehow Derek always managed to look bigger when he was mad. And according to her friends sexier, but that was beside the point.
"Yes, I know."
"What? You know?" Derek said. Okay, maybe her friends wouldn't think he was all that sexy right now. Red faces usually aren't flattering.
"One, she already told me you were here Derek, so one can assume she's your Meredith. Two, and more importantly, do you really think I would set up my brother with a woman not knowing everything about her?" Natalie said with a smirk on her face. Now that she knew for sure Meredith's feelings, she was going to have fun with this.
"You knew before you set me up with her?" Derek looked, well, confused.
"That I did. Didn't you think it was odd I never told you where she was from? Or what she did?"
"I thought, I thought . . .I don't know what I thought." Derek said running his hands through his hair. He was far too young to remember our dad, but somehow he had managed to pick that mannerism up from him.
"On the subject of that wonderful lady that stole your heart, next time you want to tell me the sob story that is your life, make sure you get the details right."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Derek demanded to know.
"She didn't choose the other guy. You walked away. She never chose the other guy."
Derek sunk into the chair to his side, the one that Meredith had been sitting in. "She should have, she should have stayed with Finn."
"You're an idiot."
At that Derek looked up and stared at his sister. They had been close their entire lives. Every time he made a mistake she was always on his side. She never judged him. The rest of the family doubted all his decision and were far to protective. Natalie had always been on his side. She never called him an idiot.
"Excuse me?" Derek asked incredulous.
"You left Addison because you loved Meredith. And don't try to convince me of anything left. And when she leaves her vet for you, you think she shouldn't have. Because seemingly you're free to make your own choices, but Meredith has to live the way you want her to. Well she didn't. She left him and risked getting hurt again by you. Which you managed to do quite beautifully. Don't blame any of this on her. It's you who created this mess. And no Derek, this time I'm not on your side."
"But you set me up with her . . ." Derek looked really confused now. If she wasn't on his side, she was sure trying to fix things for him anyways.
"Because I do love you. And you love her. You love her probably on levels you don't even comprehend. And that's why you stayed here hurting and broken, because you were far too terrified to go back to Seattle and risk all of that again. So you took the coward's way out . . . and god knows you don't deserve the woman but I want you to be happy. And I want her to be happy. And seemingly you need each other to be happy." Natalie finished with a shrug.
Derek however was shaking his head in disagreement. "No, Meredith deserves . . ."
Natalie cut him off, crouching down in front of him and resting her hands on his knees. "Meredith deserves to be with the man that she loves to the point that not being with him destroys her. The first time I met her I chose to sit beside her because she reminded me of you. Sitting alone, looking lonely and scared and broken. She was the female version of you Derek. And being around you so much, made me want to fix her. As it turns out the only way I can fix her is to fix you as well. You're pretty damn connected."
Natalie looked at her brother's face, not sure what she was expecting to see but was taken back by the tears streaming down his face. "I never, ever meant to hurt her, to leave her broken. I never meant that."
Natalie leaned forward and gave her brother a quick kiss on his forehead. "I know you didn't. You love her."
"Did she tell you about Chris?" Natalie could hear the disgust in his voice at the name.
"She did, and that wasn't your fault."
"I should have been there." Derek said, disgust still in his voice.
"You should have. But you're an ass who wasn't. Be there this time." Natalie said with a shrug. "She said you kissed her."
"I shouldn't have."
"Yes you should have. She smiled, Derek. The whole time she was talking to me she was in tears. Hell, the whole time I've known her I don't think I've seen her smile. At least not like that. The kiss made her smile."
"It did?" And the thought of that made Derek smile. "She's it for me, Nat. I'm just . . .scared."
"I know. So is she. Take your time. Just remember you love each other."
With that Derek smiled again, and got out of the chair and gave his sister a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Nat. For knowing what I need."
"Don't mess it up, I'm not bailing you out this time." Natalie said with a laugh watching her little brother walk towards the door. It was the Derek walk she had grown up watching. Maybe still a little shaky around the edges, but better than she had seen in the last two years.
As he reached the door he paused and looked back at her. "How did you know it was her? How did you know it was my Meredith?"
"She got misty eyed anytime we heard a song by The Clash. She had a very strong dislike of ferry boats. And the first time I said the name Derek a sparkle came to her eyes that quickly faded to a frighteningly level of sadness. I know the signs of a woman who's had her heart broken by my baby brother. Besides, I checked her file, which I must say included a glowing review from a certain Dr. Shepherd."
"She's a great surgeon." Derek said smiling. "I never meant to break her heart."
"I know you didn't. Now go tell her."
Derek laughed and left the office.
First off, yes, someone did guess right. Natalie set them up knowing that they had a history. How wonderfully conniving and evil of her? But really, they needed someone to meddle in a good and positive way. And Natalie just wants to see them both happy and they make each other happy. So she was doing what needed to be done. But it explains why she left out vital information about each of them.
I liked this chapter. It was cute. And there I go complimenting myself again.
I plan to update tomorrow night. Possibly two chapters, because I think the first one is going to be shortish as it's a lot of thoughts and not a lot of talking. Though it might end up lengthy. I'll have to see. Number of update will depend on how long the first one is.
Read. Love. Review.
