Author's Note: The updates will likely slow down for a few days as I am out of town this weekend and I'm not having much time (or desire to spend time) with my laptop. Sorry! But I did a lot of outlining on the plane, and I'm excited about where this is going. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.

I would also like to say a special thank you to Entertainment Weekly for publishing the oh-so-fabulous spread of PD which provided much inspiration for this chapter. :-) And thanks for all of the continued reviews. They seriously brighten my day!

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Meredith followed quietly behind Derek as they tiptoed through the upper level of the house towards Derek's old bedroom. When he finally opened the door and turned on the light, Meredith was stunned by its appearance. It was definitely not what she had expected. The walls were a creamy yellow color, and several windows lined the back wall behind the headboard of a queen-sized bed. The bed was made neatly with a red, cream, and brown striped comforter and matching pillows, and a simple neutral rug covered a large part of the hardwood floor.

It was not the bedroom of a young man at all. Meredith eyed Derek curiously as she tried to make sense of it.

"Mom redecorated once I got married," Derek explained quickly.

"Oh. It's nice," Meredith commented.

Derek nodded as he dropped their bags in a corner of the room near a red, cushiony chair. Meanwhile, Meredith closed the door behind them and went to sit on the bed.

"Sarah and Anna seem nice," Meredith continued, trying to strike up conversation. "I haven't decided about Kathy and Nancy yet." Meredith grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly, fidgeting with the seams.

Derek didn't respond. He just started unpacking their clothes into a large closet. He frowned as he took out his black suit and placed it on a hanger on the empty clothes rack. Meredith's most conservative black dress soon followed.

"Do you want to talk?" Meredith asked cautiously.

"Not really," Derek sighed. "Not tonight."

He stopped unpacking and unbuttoned his shirt, staring at Meredith with a completely conflicted expression. He wanted to reach out to her, but he didn't know what to say so he chose to say nothing as his fingers attacked the buttons quickly. He placed the garment neatly on the back of the chair, creating a strong contrast between the red upholstery and the indigo of his shirt.

Meredith watched as he continued to kick off his shoes and socks to start getting ready for bed. "Okay," she agreed sadly. He would talk. Eventually. She hoped.

She stood up and walked over to the suitcase to pull out her own pajamas only to have Derek reach out to intercept her along the way. He pulled her close to him, enveloping her in his arms. He wanted to feel her heart thump quietly in her chest as it circulated life-giving blood throughout her body. He wanted to feel how her temperature would rise from his touch. He wanted to feel the silky softness of her hair as it cascaded over her shoulders and the sweetness of her mouth still laced with remnants of cocoa powder from the tiramisu an hour earlier. But most of all, he wanted to feel very much alive they still were.

His body was tense against her as he kissed her passionately. He pulled gently on her lower lip, tugging on it with his own full pout, before starting a trail of sweet, soft kisses down her neck and back behind her ear.

"Derek," she whispered as she ran her fingers through his dark curls, feeling the soft wisps slide and move with her touch.

"Shhhh…I don't want to talk. Not tonight," he continued. "I just want this." His hands slid under her shirt as he guided her back towards the bed. She could feel how aroused he was getting as he pressed against her, and she knew how turned on she was getting herself. He was being incredibly attentive and gentle in his seduction, nothing like how he behaved the night before.

Meredith carefully pulled his white undershirt off his body, exposing his strong, muscular torso. She moaned softly as he continued kissing her neck and massaging her breasts through her bra, and she reciprocated by dragging her fingers delicately along his chest, tracing every soft contour as her hands worked lower. She felt the thin tuft of hair in the center of his chest, flanked on each side by his taut pectoral muscles. She teased the delicate, sensitive skin of his nipples, noticing that they hardened to her touch as she grasped them between her thumb and forefingers. Her hands flittered lower, following the dark path of hair across his abdomen, feeling it feather out around his navel, before thickening in a trail that continued beneath his pants.

There was no doubt that she enjoyed the attention that he lavished on her, but tonight she was more concerned with alleviating his tension. She unfastened the button at the top of his jeans and unzipped the pants, creating more space for her to slide her small hands between the fabric and his warm body. She snaked her hands against his skin, feeling as his hair thickened and became more wiry before meeting the base of his thick shaft. She wrapped one hand around it firmly while allowing her other hand to drift lower still to stroke the delicate skin underneath. His jeans and boxers slid low on his hips as he moved into her touch, and a loud groan escaped his lips. Meredith began stroking the length of him, sliding her hand up and down and letting it linger slightly against his wet, sensitive tip before repeating the process again.

Derek's eyes rolled back into his head as he gave into the amazing sensations rippling through his body. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily, biting his lip so that he could try to contain the sounds fighting their way out of his throat. Eventually it became too much for him to handle and he buried his head against Meredith's body, trying to muffle his moans against her skin. He peeled off her shirt and bra, and guided her down against the bed, his fingers kneading her breasts the entire time. His mouth licked and sucked the soft skin along her collarbone, and she released him from her grip so she could remove her remaining clothing.

Derek followed her lead and slid his pants off the rest of the way before assisting her with hers. His fingers slid nimbly along her skin as he stroked her wetness, and she spread her legs wider apart to give him better access to her aching pleasure points. He dragged his thumb along her clit, barely grazing it with his fingernail, before sliding two fingers inside her. She groaned softly, trying to contain her desire for more.

"I want you inside me," she finally moaned softly into his ear when the teasing was too much for her to handle.

Derek kissed her passionately before hovering over her flushed, naked body. His eyes locked with hers with an intensity she had never experienced before as he slowly pushed into her. It was as if he were peering into her soul, and even as he moved his body in and out of her, the blue oceans of his irises never lost their focus. He didn't need to use words tonight to tell her that he loved her more than anything. His body was saying it all for him.

Meredith closed her eyes, trying to stop a flood of emotions from breaking out as she experienced the thrill of their interlocked bodies. She knew that she needed him for much more than sex, and the thought was terrifying to her. She slid her hands along his back and down to his gluts, pushing down on his ass as his rhythm intensified.

The headboard began banging a little against the wall, and Derek paused momentarily to try and grab hold of it, cushioning the noise some as he resumed his steady grind against her.

"I…I can't hold on…" Derek groaned breathlessly.

"Then don't," Meredith encouraged back.

Derek let go of the headboard and pounded into her feverishly, not even caring about the noise of the bed or the loud moans that he could no longer stifle. The repeated thrum of his pelvic bone against Meredith's clit sent her into ecstasy, and she pulled a pillow over her face to try to cover her own uncontrollable noises as she squirmed against him. She felt him tightening inside her, signaling his own impending release, and she clenched her muscles around him so she could sense every pulsating quiver. The feel of her grip immediately triggered his orgasm, and he bucked wildly until the sensations ran their course throughout his body, leaving him exhausted and glistening with sweat on top of her.

She lifted his head off her shoulder and cradled it in her hands so she could look directly at him with her own dewy eyes. His jaw was scruffy from a couple days worth of stubble, and his face was flushed from the exertion of their lovemaking. She smiled warmly at him, feeling like everything for the moment was blissfully perfect between them. The whole world could tumble down around them, and she wouldn't care. Not right now.

"Are these walls soundproof?" she asked playfully as her heartbeat steadied and her breathing became more regular.

"I don't think so," Derek grinned. He swept his hands along her forehead, brushing away wisps of hair that clung to her damp skin.

"And how many children are staying here?" she continued, already dreading the looks she was certain they'd receive in the morning.

"At least six that I know of," Derek smirked. "I can't help it, Mere. Sometimes I can't control myself with you," he sighed as he moved off of her. He leaned on his side so he could continue looking at her, and he traced little patterns with his fingers against her sternum. He looked completely relaxed and at ease, all thoughts of what brought them to Connecticut evaporated from his consciousness.

"Okay. Just remember that it's your lack of self-control if anyone says anything at breakfast tomorrow," she half-joked.

"No chance I could forget," he murmured back before kissing her softly on the lips.

"We should get some sleep," Meredith whispered when he pulled away.

Derek located his boxers on the floor, pulled them on swiftly, and turned out the light before crawling back under the covers with Meredith. He tucked her long brown hair under her head a little and aligned his body perfectly with hers as he held her close. Even their breathing was in sync.

"Mere," he whispered beneath the cloak of darkness.

"Yeah?" she replied tentatively, already fighting to stay awake.

"Do you really think we might have kids someday?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.

Meredith sighed a little, debating how to handle the question. The answer wasn't obvious to her. She didn't know if she could be a good mother – god knows she had a bad example of one – but if anyone made her want to try, it was Derek. "I used to think definitely not – my childhood was so miserable, I'd never want to make anyone else go through that. But now, I don't know…maybe…" she confessed quietly.

"Okay," Derek whispered. His voice sounded much more optimistic than before. He hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek one last time before succumbing to sleep.

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Meredith wasn't exactly sure when it happened – when her body became programmed to wake up before six in the morning regardless of how late or early she went to bed the night before. It also didn't seem to matter how little sleep she had in days prior or that she had flown across the country – her internal clock knew to adjust itself for the time zone just like her cell phone automatically updated when she traveled. It just happened naturally, and this morning it was particularly annoying as she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed as long as humanly possible.

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light in the room. She realized that it was too early for the sun to be shining yet, and the light was actually coming from a lamp on Derek's nightstand. She rolled over to face him, startled to find that he was wide awake and watching her. His eyes were red-rimmed and it looked like he was crying – a fact that he quickly tried to cover up as he rubbed his hands over his eyes and wiped away all remaining evidence of tears.

"You're awake," she stated groggily. She had a knack for stating the obvious when she was really tired.

"I think you forgot to pack my earplugs," he mumbled back.

"Oh," she groaned guiltily. She definitely had forgotten. Bad Meredith! Bad! But that's what you get for leaving me to pack all on my own. "I'm really sorry," she continued. "I hope that's not why you were crying."

Derek exhaled quickly, realizing he was caught. "No – but it didn't help," he admitted.

"Do you want to talk?" Meredith pulled the blankets firmly around her. She hadn't bothered to change into her pajamas before falling asleep, and now the room was a little chilly around her.

"I'm fine," he lied. He leaned in to kiss her, pulling away with shock when she resisted.

"I did remember to pack your toothbrush and toothpaste," she teased. She held up her hands in front of her face to block him out.

"Ouch. It must be bad if you're even complaining when I'm all vulnerable and stuff," he huffed defensively as he got out of bed. He located their toiletry bag and disappeared for a couple minutes in the adjoining bathroom before running back in and diving onto her side of the bed.

"Is this better? Is this what you wanted?" he joked as he breathed all over her and started tickling her.

She tried her best to squirm and twist free underneath him, but he had her pinned down pretty well. She screamed and giggled and begged him to let her go, apologizing for telling him his breath was so bad, and eventually he released her. Her breathing was heavy from the struggle, but slowly she was able to calm down again as he watched her.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" she asked when she could finally piece together a string of words without needing to stop for air.

"A little," he sighed. "I'm fine," he insisted as he crawled back under the covers next to her.

"You know, I'm an expert in being fine," Meredith remarked dryly.

"I know, but that's not the particular area of your expertise that I'm interested in right now," he argued as he slid closer and began kissing her neck. His hand drifted below the sheets to caress her naked body.

"Derek, what are you doing?"

"I'm coping," he responded honestly. Sex with Meredith was the one thing that made him feel like he wasn't unraveling at the seams.

His fingers danced in the crevasse below her left breast. His eyes were glassy – like he was there, but he wasn't.

"I see," she whispered. She bit her lip anxiously as she felt his hand continue exploring her soft skin. "Do you maybe want to 'cope' with me in the shower? I feel kinda gross from the flight and last night and everything."

"Sure," he agreed. And within moments they were coping loudly in the steamy mist of the shower.