This isn't easy, as Derek said at the end of the last chapter...this mystery/crime drama writing is challenging, and I hope you're still enjoying where this story is going. There will be more romance in coming chapters, and I'm trying to balance both elements - your reviews are what give me the motivation to keep going.

This chapter has a blend of investigation, and a bit of a crisis for Meredith...

Chapter Ten

"Chief, there's something we need to discuss," Derek said, catching Richard getting a cup of coffee. "We think there's someone else beside Westlake behind this."

"Are you sure?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Meredith spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest. "He doesn't seem bright enough, now that I think about it. There's got to be someone else pulling the strings."

"Or setting him up for a fall..."

"Well, he's got a lawyer. He's not talking now." Richard sighed. "See if you can find something to break his silence. He won't want to go to jail for someone else. Get Sloan to check the apartment building where Westlake lives - see if anyone remembers seeing him around that night, and you keep checking the connection between him and those girls. Bailey's working on the ID of the last victim, so we should have something soon."

"Yes sir..."

As Richard stalked away, Meredith sighed. Derek poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. She wrinkled her nose at the burnt smell, but took a small sip anyway. Caffeine was caffeine, after all.

Derek smiled. "I know it's not as good as Starbucks…"

"Not even close…" Meredith glanced at her watch. "I should call Mom, see how she's doing."

"Yes, I'm sure Ellis will be waiting to hear what's going on." He was close beside her, the length of his body next to hers. In the small space, it felt intimate and warm. "D'you think she's okay by herself...maybe you should look into having someone check on her during the day."

"She doesn't want to admit she needs help...so I try to let her have that illusion…"

"I could tell that the other night," Derek agreed. "She's tough."

"Stubborn, you mean."

"Just like you."

"Oh, thanks..." Meredith rolled her eyes, taking another sip of bad coffee. "You weren't complaining the other night." She bumped his hip with hers.

"I'm not complaining now." Derek winked at her, managing to kiss her temple quickly, just as Mark appeared at the door to the small lunchroom.

"Sorry for interrupting this tender moment, but Webber says you need me?" He rested one shoulder against the door frame, his hands in his pockets.

"You need to do some apartment canvassing, see if Westlake was telling the truth about being home. There might be someone else involved."

"Oh, that's interesting. Well, I've got another case on the go, but I'm willing to do what I can."

"Good...what's the other case?"

"Nothing major. Home invasion a couple days ago...husband and wife were roughed up..."

"Damn..." Meredith grimaced. "I have the folder with Westlake's information at my desk. You can check that out while we take another look at the Facebook connections."

"What if there is another guy?"

"That's what we need to discover," Derek said, his voice calm. "And we will. There was someone checking out the apartment before we got there. It's only a matter of time before he tries something else."

"Okay, I have my mission…" Mark smirked, as Meredith brushed by him, heading for her desk. "Nice ass..." he murmured, watching her.

"She's with me," Derek told him. "So don't even think about it..."

"So it's serious again?" Mark glanced at Derek. Since arriving in Seattle, Mark had heard the stories about Derek and Meredith, and heard some of the history from Derek in bits and pieces during their partnership.

"Maybe...it's hard to say for sure. Meredith is the most complicated woman I've ever known." Derek's cell phone rang, and he scowled at the number. "Damn, Addison again..."

"Ah, and she's the most uncomplicated woman in your life...she just wants to have the best story, and she'll do whatever it takes to get it."

"You don't have to remind me..." Derek ignored the last ring, letting it go to voicemail. "Maybe you should go after her..."

Mark shuddered. "No thank you...now if you were talking about Callie in IT that might be a different story, she's seriously hot…maybe you should check out the alibi and I'll work with her…"

Derek laughed, slapping Mark on the shoulder. "Not this time, Sloan – just get at it. We need to stop this idiot before someone else gets killed."

"I'll touch base with you if I have something."

Meredith watched Mark and Derek for a moment, shuffling through her paperwork for the information on Westlake's alibi. She pulled out the notes from the SGH personnel manager, and reviewed what there was listed for family. There was an address for his parents, living in Tacoma. They might need to contact them.

She put her hand out to the phone, ready to call her mother when it rang and she snatched it up. "Grey here..."

"Oh, Meredith...thank goodness you're there."

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"I felt dizzy and had a little tumble down the stairs," Ellis admitted, her voice shaky.

"Are you okay? I'm coming home right now..." Meredith stood up, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair. "You need to go to the hospital, Dr. Yang should check you over."

"Meredith...don't be silly..."

"Humor me, Mom. I'll be there before you know it."

"Okay..."

Meredith slammed the phone down and headed for the door. She bumped headlong into Mark, and he steadied her. "Whoa...did someone else get killed?"

"No, it's my Mom...I have to get her to the hospital." Meredith pulled away, her eyes searching for Derek. "I'm okay..."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, just tell Derek I had to leave. I'll be back as quick as I can."

Mark nodded. "Sure...do what you have to. We've got this."

"Good..." Meredith hurried away, all thoughts of Westlake temporarily gone out of her mind. She raced down the stairs, unwilling to wait for the elevator. George looked at her in surprise as she dashed by the front desk, but she didn't stop to explain. Her heart was thudding, worrying that things were not as good as her mother made them out to be. "Back soon!" she called out.

By the time she got to the house, she was imagining terrible scenarios, but she found Ellis sitting calmly on the sofa in the living room. "Mom...you're okay?"

"Just a little shaken up," Ellis said. "Maybe I can just stay here..."

"No, you're going to Seattle Grace. Cristina can take a look at you and make that decision." Meredith took her arm. "Let's go."

"If you insist." Ellis conceded, letting Meredith take her out to the car, feeling a little light headed after all. She settled into the passenger seat, closing her eyes. "Just don't drive too fast..."

"Mom..." Meredith sighed, pulling away from the curb. "Just relax."

"I'm sorry to take you away from your work..."

"They can do without me for awhile." Meredith hurried through the traffic, finding the quickest route to the hospital. "You're the main thing right now." She resisted the urge to put the bubble on the top of the Jeep and clear the traffic out of the way. Luckily it wasn't too busy, and they were making good time. Just to be on the safe side, she dialed Alex's cell phone, and explained the situation once he answered. She pulled into the emergency bay, and she spotted Alex hurrying outside to meet her, followed closely by Izzie, pushing a wheelchair.

"Hey, Mer..." he greeted her. "You made good time..."

"I know, thank god..."

Meredith helped Ellis step out of the Jeep, as Alex held the door open. "Dr. Grey...you shouldn't be here..." he chided her.

"I know, Alex...but I was a wee bit careless..." Ellis admitted, taking his arm and sitting down in the wheelchair. "Is Cristina here?"

"Always..." Izzie smiled. "You know she's married to her work."

"Well, take me inside...I want to get this over with..."

Meredith trailed along behind them as they walked inside, checking her cell phone. There was a text from Derek, and she quickly replied as they headed into the elevator. "We can take it from here, if you have to be somewhere..." Izzie said gently.

"I can stay..."

"Okay. She might need to stay for awhile."

"I'll wait."

The elevator deposited them at the cardiac floor, and Dr. Yang was already waiting for them. Her thick black hair was piled into a haphazard bun, and the expression on her face was concerned. The dark blue scrubs were rumpled, indicating she'd had a busy day already. "Well, Ellis...what are you doing back here?" She took charge of the wheelchair, heading towards one of the exam rooms. Izzie had the chart ready, and Alex was calling for one of the nurses to clear the room.

"Just a dizzy spell, you know how it is..."

"You're lucky you have Meredith here."

"I know...but it was foolish of me to be careless..."

They moved Ellis to the exam table, and they hooked up the heart monitoring equipment quickly. Within moments, there were several people surrounding her, taking blood pressure, and monitoring her vital signs. Meredith backed away, letting them do what they had to do, feeling a little helpless. Her own heart contracted. Despite her feeling like she was living at home like a kid, she didn't want her mother's condition to worsen.

"Mer, you should go wait outside," Izzie said, taking her arm.

"But..."

"Just go, we know where to find you."

Meredith walked away slowly, her fingers on her cell phone in her jacket pocket. She knew she shouldn't use it in here, but she realized that Derek had texted her a couple of times now. She fingered the smooth edges of the phone carefully. "Look...I'll be out front, okay?" she called out to Izzie's retreating back.

"I'll find you...!"

"Sure..." Meredith murmured, heading to the elevator. She flipped her phone open and scanned the messages, smiling despite herself to see the notes from Derek. As she exited the elevator, she glanced up, and found him looking at her in person, walking through the front door of the hospital. The warmth of his blue eyes melted her, and she walked right into his embrace. "You're here..."

"I came as quick as I could. How is she?" Derek stroked her hair, feeling her small body fit against him perfectly.

"Okay, I guess...they're checking her now."

"She's tough, she'll be fine," Derek assured her, kissing the top of her head. "You did the right thing, bringing her here."

Meredith nodded, but felt the sting of tears in her eyes anyway, and a little sob escaped her. "It's just so difficult...seeing her like this..."

"I know, honey." He knew what she was going through, remembering the pain of his father's death as clearly as ever. Losing a parent was the hardest thing a person had to endure, and he hoped for Meredith's sake Ellis wasn't even close to that point. "C'mon, let's go outside and get some air. They know where to find you."

Meredith sniffled, and nodded, letting him take her along to the small bench outside the hospital. Derek took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. She loved the way he was there for her, no matter what – no matter that she had run from him before. "Thanks for coming here, I know you're busy."

"Mark's helping. He'll call if he finds something."

"Damn...I didn't even tell Webber where I was going..." Meredith suddenly realized.

"I told him. He understands. He likes your Mom too."

"Yeah, still...I have things I should be doing..." Meredith sighed, leaning into his shoulder.

"And you will, once you know what's happening with Ellis. You wouldn't be concentrating anyway, you'd probably plow right into a tree or something if you tried to drive," he teased her. "Adding more bruises to this already lovely one you have." He touched her chin gently.

"Ass..." Meredith managed to giggle. She lifted her face to him, and he brushed his lips across hers gently. Her arms went around his neck, pulling him a little closer, needing the comfort and the strength he was offering her. Then she rested her cheek against his chest, inhaling that scent that was so Derek, hearing the reassuring beat of his heart. She lost track of how long they had been sitting there like that, until the sound of someone approaching made them break apart slowly.

"Hey...Mer..." Alex said, his usual smirk back in place on his mouth. "You can come see your Mom now. Yang's finished checking her out, but I think she's gonna stay for a day or so, just to be on the safe side."

"Hey, thanks Alex," Meredith murmured, getting to her feet. Derek's hand fell to the small of her back as they followed Alex inside.

"No worries, Mer. Good to see you back again – didn't have a chance to tell you that the last time." He glanced back at her. "Nice bruise..."

"Don't remind me. That kid had a helluva punch."

They paused inside the front doors. "Did he really kill those girls?" Alex asked, his voice low. "I mean, he never seemed to be the kind of guy to do that sort of thing. Kind of quiet, you know..."

Derek nodded. "I know. If you think of anything that might help, just call."

"Will do..." He led the way to the room where Ellis was resting, her face a little pale, but she seemed to be in better spirits. "Here you go...catch you later..."

"Mom...you scared the crap outta me," Meredith said, going to hug Ellis. "Are you really okay?"

Ellis waved her hand dismissively. "Just a little dizzy spell, but Cristina wants me to stay overnight."

"Probably a good idea. I'm sure I can manage on my own," Meredith grinned.

"Or Derek can stay with you..." Ellis added, raising her eyebrow. "You don't need to worry about being quiet if I'm not home..."

"Mother!" Meredith felt her face turn warm, thinking of the previous evening.

"I'm old, not senile..." Ellis pointed out dryly.

"You're not old, Ellis," Derek said, coming to kiss her cheek.

"Derek, take care of my little girl. Don't let anything happen to her out there...you know how it is."

"She's got my back, just like I have hers." Derek winked at Meredith. "And she's a good shot too..."

"Still...with this guy running around that punched her..."

"We have him in custody," Meredith pointed out, not wanting to worry her mother by mentioning the fact there could be an accomplice. "So you can rest, without worrying about me."

"And we should get going," Derek added, checking his watch.

"Yes, of course, dear. I'm glad you came along for moral support, though." Ellis sighed, closing her eyes. "I'm just going to have a little nap, and then Izzie is going to come play cards with me."

"Good, I'll call you later, kay?" Meredith squeezed her hand, before turning to go. "Just don't be doing any work while you're here..."

"Who me?" Ellis chuckled. "I'll be sleeping…"

Meredith shook her head, as they walked into the hallway, where they found Cristina in conversation with another doctor. They stopped talking as Meredith approached. "Meredith…Ellis will be fine, she just needs to rest," Cristina assured her.

"I tried to get her to rest as much as possible…"

"Don't worry about it. I know Ellis." Cristina paused. "I don't know if you remember Dr. Donnelly?" She glanced towards the woman next to her, also wearing navy scrubs under a white lab coat. "She's transferred from New York. She's just joined us as a general surgical attending."

"Elise Donnelly?" Meredith asked, recalling the woman vaguely. She had porcelain skin, and lustrous black hair that fell to her mid-back. Even in the drab hospital garb, she looked lovely. From what Meredith remembered, Elise and Ellis had been friends as far back as their own intern days.

"Yes, nice to see you again Meredith…you were quite a bit younger the last time I saw you," Dr. Donnelly said with a small smile. Her bright green eyes flicked over Meredith, and then Derek with obvious interest.

"Oh, sorry...this is Detective Derek Shepherd," Meredith introduced him, feeling a little twinge of possessiveness at her interest.

"Nice to meet you, I believe I saw you on the news the other day with Meredith," Dr. Donnelly smiled, shaking Derek's hand. She glanced back at Meredith. "I think I'll pop in and visit Ellis later, catch up on things."

"She'd like that…" Meredith said, "and it's good to see you too…I hope you're going to be happy returning here."

"Oh it's been interesting, to say the least. But I won't keep you, I realize you have a tough case right now."

"Is it as bad as that Montgomery woman makes it out to be?" Cristina asked, just as her pager buzzed.

"Don't believe everything you hear," Derek said, frowning.

"Still…" Dr. Donnelly said, "women are always the target in these kinds of things. Makes you apprehensive."

"We're doing our best."

"I'm sure you are, Detective..." said softly. "Keep up the good work."

Back at the station, Meredith saw Callie waving frantically at her from the doorway of the squad room. She had that look of urgency on her face that made Meredith cross the room to join her quickly. "Join you in a minute," Derek called out, seeing Mark motioning him over as well.

"I found something…" Callie said quickly, grabbing Meredith's hand and pulling her along to the tech lab.

"Something where?"

"In the Facebook pages of both Shelley and Michelle," Callie explained patiently, as she drew Meredith's attention to the two laptops open on the counter. "Here…on Shelley's page…you see this?" She jabbed one red polished nail towards a message.

Meredith leaned in closer. "Okay…so…there was a party? Apparently that was Shelley's big thing…"

"Not just any party, Mer," Callie said, her eyes bright with the thrill of finding something. "According to this, it's kind of an exclusive thing. But the really interesting thing is that the very same message was received in Michelle's email. They were both on the guest list…" Callie waved her fingers in excitement towards Michelle's open laptop.

"Ohmigod…" Meredith noticed, feeling a little tickle of interest. "According to this, they were both going to this 'Blue Moon' party the weekend before they were killed."

"I know! Maybe if you can find out where it was, someone might have seen them…"

"At least it gives us another link between them, if nothing else. They were obviously in the same place at the same time…" Meredith mused. "Maybe Mike got them invited, since he was friends with both of them…"

"What's a 'Blue Moon' party anyway?" Callie asked, grabbing her own computer keyboard and pulling up the Google search page. She typed in the words and several hits came up. "Here…this looks promising…hmm…according to this, Blue Moon parties are popping up in several cities. Usually it's something kept secret, with the location only divulged a day prior to the event. Everyone has to come dressed in blue, drugs and alcohol are involved obviously, and they are usually held in some obscure place like an abandoned warehouse…kind of like a rave, I guess."

"But these girls weren't killed at the party…" Meredith pointed out.

"Still…it's something, right?" Callie reasoned.

"Yes, it's something all right, "Meredith agreed, "I just don't know what yet. I'm gonna talk to Derek and let him know what you found out. Can you print off that info about the parties?"

"You bet, Meredith…" Callie quickly printed the page and handed it over. "I'll keep looking here."

Meredith headed back to the squad room and found Derek in conversation with Mark. "Hey…guess what? Got another connection between Shelley and Michelle…" She waved the printout at both of them. "Callie found a reference to this kind of party on both Facebook accounts..."

"'Blue Moon' party?" Derek asked, after reading the article. "Sounds kind of unusual...how does someone arrange all that?"

"Hey, I've heard of those," Mark said. "In New York, they were something that these kids attended out of the blue, so to speak…I know, bad pun…but there were a few incidents I recall hearing about. Kid getting smashed, or high, staggering around in places that were not so nice…blue make up, blue hair…"

"Nobody died that you know of?" Derek asked thoughtfully.

"No, but I can make a call, check it out if you want." Mark reached for the phone at his desk.

"Thanks, Mark…there's got to be some connection here," Meredith said. "Maybe something happened at the party…or they saw something they shouldn't have..."

"But what…?"

"That, honey, is the million dollar question..." Meredith smiled, touching his arm. "It's getting late, we should grab something to eat and talk it over."

"Meredith...since Ellis is going to be at the hospital for awhile, why don't you come and have dinner with me tonight?" he asked softly. "I can cook...some nice steak, good wine...what do you think?"

"Mmm...do the rules allow for that?"

Derek raised one eyebrow. "Perhaps the rules can be bent for this. We don't work 24/7, we can take a few hours to recharge, you know," he reminded her gently. "You've had an emotional day already. Let me take care of you for a little while," he urged her, tugging on her hand. His thumb rubbed a soft circle against her palm, and her breathing quickened, as she recalled the passion that had burned between them last night. "Please...?"

It was hard to resist the temptation of his offer, Meredith realized, realizing that she wanted him to take care of her again. "Okay...I will then..."