I wanted to update yesterday. And the day before that. And...Okay, it was a long day and tomorrow I have to take the TOEFL. Be kind and understanding.

Song for this chapter is 3AM by Gregory Alan Isakov. Definitely one you should listen to.

It's Grey's Thursday for those of you who live in the States! Enjoy the night and please, no spoilers! :D

Chapter 10 – Riding That Hope Was Like Catching Some Train

The best day they had spent so far was in. If the first day of actual traveling with Meredith had been this amazing, Derek wondered what whole weeks could turn out to be like.

They had walked and seen a lot of places so far, sitting down only for dinner, but despite his exhaustion, his life felt full to the brim. It had been a long time since he had taken a vacation in the real sense of the word and he now noticed how much he had missed the feeling of it.

He was as excited as like a kid in a candy store for this upcoming weeks.

Their train was due to leave later that night, bringing them to Brück an der Mur before six in the morning. Then they had to switch trains and would reach Graz by eight. Meredith was fascinated by the clock tower in the city and since they had just renovated it, she felt like it was worth a little detour from Vienna. Her plans had never disappointed up to this moment.

"I can't believe you're leaving already" Amelia sighed, resting her drink on the nicked, wooden table of the bar they were sitting at after dinner, breathing in the salty air of Venice, their conversation blending into the buzz of the night. It was a nice summer night, chilly enough to bring a long sleeved top but not cold enough to actually wear it.

"I had a really good time with you" Meredith agreed, mimicking Amelia.

"We should exchange numbers, e-mails, to keep in touch. Add me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter" Amelia blurted eagerly "Skype, maybe?"

"Maybe" Meredith grinned at her enthusiasm "You too, Cristina"

"Me?" Cristina joined in the conversation after lowering her empty shot of tequila on the table, surprise etched on her face.

"Yeah. We might get into the same school too" Meredith stated, a hint of hope in her tone.

"True. But we won't have to do the thing, right?" Cristina frowned

"What thing?" Meredith's eyebrows knitted together.

"You know, the thing where one of us squeals and there's hugging..."

Meredith snorted. "No, definitely not" she said, sipping the last drops of liquor from her drink.

"Good"

"I can do the squealing and the hugging" Amelia butt in, before bursting into laughter. The other two followed suit.

"I'll never understand girls" Derek muttered to himself

"Really? You lived most of your life surrounded by them" Meredith snickered and they laughed even harder at his expenses.

"Aren't you going to miss this, Derbear?" Amelia grinned, locking eyes with him, and Derek noticed a well-hidden sadness there.

"I surely will. Well, until Meredith reminds me of all I went through..." his eyes darted towards Meredith and she smirked mischievously, the gleam in her eyes proof that he wasn't going to escape the teasing anytime soon.

"So, Derbear," she started, his nickname stressed just to make Derek groan "You bought a backpack, and you discarded most of your button downs and slacks. I believe you're ready" Meredith grinned at him, keeping up with the teasing.

"I am more than ready" he smirked back at her, gulping a mouthful of his scotch and letting it burn down his throat. The world was warmer with the right amount of alcohol.

"Good, because I have a lot planned" Meredith smiled softly then took out a little notebook from her tote bag, along with a pen. She tore a page from it, divided in two and wrote down her e-mail and cellphone number, passing it around. Cristina and Amelia did the same with their own contacts.

"It's time already, uh?" Amelia sighed, passing the paper to Meredith and then to Cristina.

"Yep" Meredith bit her lip.

A small part of her was disappointed that they had to leave. She could have comfortably gotten into a routine with Amelia and Cristina if they all didn't have other plans. She wished she'd had such roommates in college; at least they wouldn't have spent entire afternoons painting their nails and debating which dress was quicker to take off.

Meredith never looked at boys; they were attracted by her lack of inhibitions, her freedom, and her fake mask of happiness. They'd all wanted her at some point. Some of them had even had her, but she had never been the girl her roommates had been. Her pink hair had scared people away before the third drink.

"If you go to college on the East Coast we have to see each other as soon as I get back!" Amelia grinned, but her eyes were glassy and Meredith felt the same sadness seep into her being.

She smiled. "We definitely should"

"Keep my brother all in one piece, okay? My mother is worried enough as it is and she has no idea he'll be traveling with you from now on"

"And it should remain that way" Derek warned "I'll tell her at some point, just not right away. It's bad enough that she was already thinking about Shepherd grandchildren and now I've gone missing. If she knows I'm traveling with a girl she'll think I'm on the rebound already"

Amelia sighed, scratching her forehead "I can't promise you I won't cave. You know how persistent Mom is"

"Do your best, Amy" Derek pleaded

"You know I will" Amelia smiled, then stood up to hug both her brother and Meredith.

"I won't hug you" Cristina snorted at the scene, drowning another tequila and making the other three smile widely.

Both girls were going to be missed.

After the last goodbyes and more promises to keep in touch for real, Meredith and Derek left for the train station with their backpacks and their smiles. They walked side by side, hand in hand at some point as so not to lose one other, until they were seated in the train car, settling their stuff.

Derek did all the lifting and the game of Tetris to put away their backpacks like a real gentleman. Meredith was grateful for the welcome change from all the other men she knew. He was atypical in her story and she was curious to get to know him more.

They were both really tired at the end of the day and as soon as their tickets and IDs had been checked, their backpacks secured and their shoes discarded, they let themselves fall into a much welcomed sleep.

It didn't last long though; as soon as they neared the border with Austria and stopped at the last Italian station, they both woke up and exchanged groggy smiles.

"Sorry about taking seats and not a couchette" Meredith mumbled, rubbing the sleep off her eyes and adjusting the makeshift pillow she arranged with her hoodie.

"'s fine" Derek mumbled "I'll go with it" he yawned widely, before falling back to sleep.

They woke up at almost every station, but Derek was always the first to fall back to sleep. Meredith had time to observe him sleeping then, how his features relaxed, how his hair messed itself up as he turned his head once in a while.

He was indeed very cute.

When five thirty rolled around and Meredith woke up for the fifth time, she gave up on sleeping and took a walk to the bathroom. After, she gathered her things again and kept staring out the window as the world woke up. The sun was already peeking shyly through the clouds but the small towns they passed by were empty. A few cars showed up here and there like little ants as the train ran fast on its tracks.

Derek grunted from the couchette, groaned and then woke up as well.

His morning routine turned out to be similar to Meredith's; after it was finished, he came to stand next to her in a rumpled t-shirt and cotton sweats, smiling sleepily as he ran a hand through his messy hair, not caring to style it just yet.

"Is this how you look after a night shift?" she asked, smiling sleepily

"More or less" he smirked, but it soon turned into a yawn.

"Your patients will fall out of love with you" she teased and he feigned hurt, leaning against the railing and looking outside in a similar fashion.

"I take good care of them. They will survive my bad hair"

"Probably" Meredith bumped his shoulder, then they let the thrum of the train lull them into the day. It wasn't an annoying sound after all those hours, it kept them company as they stared outside and properly woke up.

Things could be said later.

The breakfast cart rolled by them and they each bought a cup of coffee, before they felt the train slow down and retrieved their luggage, getting ready to disembark.

The Austrian morning was chilly, a cool breeze swept through the compartment when the door opened and they were enveloped in it as soon as they stepped down.

"We have to run now" Meredith sighed, checking the timetable on a digital board to see which track their train for Graz was on.

So they ran, smiling.

At some point Meredith even giggled, sensing the freedom of it all.

They both were free.

They finally slumped in two seats in coach, panting and grinning like fools, having left their backpacks on the holders and secured them nicely. Once again Derek had done the honors.

"It's the least I could do" Derek smiled, noticing how Meredith kept staring at him and his chivalrous actions "You're offering me the trip of a lifetime, after all"

"I like chivalry, sometimes" she smiled sitting in front of him and putting her legs up on his seat in the space he made for her, socked toes to touching his thigh.

The ride to Graz was uneventful, but pleasant. They chatted a little about nonsense as they watched the scenery roll past them, content to just be in each other's company.

The weather took a turn for the worst the closer they got to the city and by the time they were at the station, dark gray clouds were already thick in the sky.

"Looks like we need to look for our umbrellas" Derek sighed

"Umbrella? No need for that" Meredith smiled, pulling out a folding raincoat "Then again, I wasn't born in Manhattan"

"You can be very mean, you know that right?" he joked, his eyes sparkling

"People say that to me quite often" she smiled back, keeping up the teasing.

Over the speaker, they heard a voice announce that the next stop was Graz, interrupting their conversation. They gathered their stuff and headed for the exit.

They quickly climbed down the train and onto the platform their legs a little shaky and unsure on solid ground after all the traveling.

"Our hostel is not far" Meredith smiled, leading Derek to a traditional looking building where they left their stuff and checked in.

They had two separate rooms, since Meredith was sharing her room with only girls and Derek was only with boys. At least they were going to sleep on a bed that night.

By the time they met, after settling their stuff, it was drizzling lightly outside.

"What about having a real breakfast?" Derek suggested, checking his watch and noticing that it was almost ten in the morning.

"Yeah. My head is buzzing, maybe food will dull that"

"Is food the answer to all your problems?" Derek took this opening to get back at her for the teasing.

She smiled widely. "You got me" she said, faking a serious expression, before bursting into laughter.

They walked towards the city center and sat down in a bakery. They ordered a pretzel to share and a cup of coffee each, sitting cozily side by side.

"So, your mother is going to hunt you down when she finds out you're here. Why?" Meredith asked "I mean, apart from the obvious reason that you should be on your honeymoon"

"I'm her only son, she just thinks I need more protecting. If I were the one who won the scholarship she would have personally accompanied me to Rome and then flew back" he chuckled "Okay, maybe not, but surely she would have stayed at the airport until my flight was in the air, even without seeing me"

"Mama Bear, uh?"

"A little, but I don't mind it"

"She packed you food and used to wash your stuff when you were in college. Admit it"

"All the time, when I came home for the holidays. It was crazy. If I went there for a weekend she still managed to wash everything." he smiled.

"Must be nice" Meredith mused

"Yeah, not always but, -" he interrupted himself, lost in his little world of memories "What about your mother?"

"Total opposite of yours. Her life is her work. I barely saw her when I came home from college. She was always busy with a patient or on a consult or operating..."

"Your mother is a surgeon?"

"Yep" Meredith sighed, dreading what came next

"Wow!" Derek exclaimed, before he could contain himself.

"Yeah sometimes"

"Is she the reason why you are not sure about Med school?" he asked quietly, regretting his big mouth when she revolved back into her self.

"Maybe" she admitted reluctantly. This was the first time she'd ever admitted it out loud.

"Why? Favoritism?"

"I want...more out of life, you know?" she began tentatively "Like a bunch of friends, someone to come home to. Well, someone to come home to who doesn't hate me" she sighed

"You think you won't be able to have time for a family if you become a surgeon?"

"I know I wont" she sighed

"My oldest sister, Kathleen, she's a cardiothoracic surgeon. She's going to give birth to her fourth child at the end of the month" he smiled and Meredith's eyes widened "She got pregnant right after high school, married her sweetheart and had twins, a boy and a girl. She got through college and had her second son during her first year of med school. She finished her residency and now she's a fellow and having a baby"

"Wow" Meredith sighed

"Her husband owns a mechanic's shop, so he has flexible hours, but she still completed all the requirements. Maybe it took her a semester more to finish, but she did finish. I know many surgeons who have children, Meredith"

She took a moment to really take in the information, then mumbled "I won't be able to balance. And a kid will turn out screwed up with me as a mother"

"Maybe you have been a bit...wild" he chuckled, making her crack a smile "But I'm sure when the time comes, you'll figure it all out. You'll be a great mother someday, Mere"

She swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable, then managed a small smile "'Mere' is a new one"

"I...It just came out that way. Do you like Mer more?" he hesitated

"It's...strange. You're the first one who has called me Mere since, well, forever" she sighed "I've been Meri, Mer, Death, -"

"Death?" he grinned

"Long story" she smirked back "Sadie, the friend who ditched me, she was Die"

"Your friendship must have been all rainbows and sunshine" he chuckled and she swatted him with the menu on their table.

"Shut up, Derbear"

They laughed together, easing the tension, but Derek's words weren't forgotten and somehow Meredith was sure they would be remembered for a long time.

Being with him made Meredith think that applying to all those medical schools hadn't been a waste. She knew she could do it, academically speaking; personally speaking was another story entirely.

Derek made her believe in lots of things, but mainly in herself.

She smiled, drinking her last sip of coffee then waited for Derek to do the same. They then stood up and started to wander through the city.

It wasn't raining yet, but the dark clouds in the sky warned them that it was about to start. The clouds accompanied the two tourist as they visited the main square with City Hall and the Landhaus where the regional parliament resided. They visited then the largest armory in the world, pretending to be old cavaliers and damsels and getting immersed in the Middle Age and Renaissance.

They fooled around during their aimless roaming, walking alongside the Mur -the river passing through Graz- and hopping on the artificial Murinsel, before getting a good look at the bean-shaped building where the Modern Art museum was, the Kunsthaus.

Last, but not least -and not until they had some food in their stomach-, they saw the Uhrturm and the Schloßberg. Schloßberg was the hill in the middle of the old city, on top of which there was the clock tower, an UNESCO World Heritage site, and the main reason why Meredith had been so fascinated by Graz during her planning in the first place.

"So, we should climb those stairs and then we'll be on top, right?" Derek asked, as they stared up at the Uhrturm clock tower from the bottom of the hill, his head cocked to the side doubtfully.

"I guess" Meredith frowned, grabbing the small map they had found at the tourist information office in the main square.

"Too bad it's a cloudy day"

"In all the photos I saw the gold was sparkling" Meredith sighed, shrugging, before she began the climb.

The staircase was steep, postponing their conversation.

"We're going to die on this staircase" Meredith muttered

"We're not"

"They're going to need to drag our bodies down and ship us back to the States" she groaned and Derek chuckled, shaking his head as she grunted and muttered obscenities with each step.

They arrived at the top panting and feeling a little out of shape, but the view was worth the trek.

The entire city lay at their feet, while up above them, thick gray clouds muffled the air and sounds. They couldn't see very far due to the fog, but it was indeed spectacular.

"Wow, this is great! I didn't even know this city existed and look at this!" Derek exclaimed, a big smile plastered on his face as he caught his breath a little.

"Tell me about it! Google found this for me" she grinned back, "We didn't die either!" she giggled, and then frowned. A deep, slightly pissed off frown.

"What?" Derek inquired, puzzled.

"There was a freaking railway to get up here" she glared, pointing her finger to a group of happy tourists like them strolling out of a cabin with their toddlers in tow.

"Seriously?" Derek groaned and Meredith did the same, before they burst into laughter.

"God. It was better this way though, right?"

"It was nice to hear you complaining about it the whole way up, yeah" Derek grinned

"Shut up. You complained too!"

They both smiled as they roamed the top of the hill, snapping photos of each other with the tower behind them or with the city at their feet.

A light breeze messed up their hair as they walked close to one another and smiled, proud of their first real stop on their trip.

They kept laughing and smiling as they watched the city and the people around them, the dark clouds unable to dampen their moods while they were together.

Okay, my Beta MusicWritesMyLife did a wonderful job for this chapter. It was kind of a mess and I feel like I should thank her for all the hard work, not only on this but also in the rest of the story. You should thank her too, my stories sound ten times better than how they did before her trims and edits.

I went to Graz during a weekly exchange in high school. I have good memories of the city, I strongly believe it deserves a visit, which is mainly why I included it in here. The Wikipedia page on the city is quite good, if you need more information.

Anyways, I might post another one shot, post S7, themed with the same song I used for this chapter. It will be strictly connected to it so if you enjoyed the song, let me know if you want the one-shot too. I need to stick to 29 Years and Hope but as an interlude...

Thank you for stopping by! Your support is greatly appreciated!