Three's a Fantasy

10) Mark and Meredith and Derek

The boys followed Meredith into her sitting room. They glanced curiously around. It was mostly empty. Her laptop was on an old table with a kitchen chair pulled up to it in front of the window. Three books and a notebook with pen lay open all around it. The screen was filled with medical text and surgical images. That was all.

Derek frowned and Mark looked puzzled.

They said as one, "What the hell...?"

They turned to her.

"This is why I don't want a key. This."

"Meredith, I don't understand. Honey, I gave you my credit card to fill this suite with whatever you wanted. You said you had everything you needed months ago."

Derek rapidly walked from the sitting room to the bedroom. Meredith's pull suitcase sat on the floor as a dresser. There was another kitchen chair and clothes hung in the closet and were folded in the built in shelves. Two comforters and two pillows made a pallet on the floor.

Mark goggled, "Sweetheart, what in the world were you thinking?"

"Meredith?!"

"Derek, I don't need your credit card. I have my mother's house. I live there. I'm not using you. I'm not taking your money," Meredith said frantically to Derek, "I don't need your money."

"Mark, you too. I don't make enough to pay rent here. I can't stay here. I have a place, I do. I never asked either of you to pay for anything for me. I stayed here because I thought you wanted me to visit. But, I don't have to. I'll go home now, okay? I'll see you both at work. We're good."

They watched astounded as she scrabbled around, packing her suitcase to leave.

Derek, completely floored, said cautiously, "Honey, I never said you were with me for my money. Neither has Mark. Where in the world...? Who said that to you?"

"Everyone! God, Derek, don't you pay attention!? Everyone says I'm nothing more than a prostitute... a slut... a whore!" stress tears streamed down her face, "They're wrong, I don't need money. I have a house. I do. I work hard at the hospital. I've paid every way Dr. Bailey could think of for loving you. I don't ask for surgeries from you. I never have."

Derek and Mark were getting a much clearer picture now. As wealthy men, and bosses, and prestigious department heads they were insulated to an enormous degree from the gossip. Not much could be done to punish them. But Meredith was a lowly, bottom of the barrel intern, a nobody. They tended to forget that, since she meant so much to both of them.

They knew that she'd lost friends over them. They knew Bailey had been strict. They'd thought it was the attending thing or the sex aspect only. Now they realized that a young woman dating not one, but two very rich men was a huge target in a different way. Geez!

"God, Mer, I've been a dope," Mark said, with astonishment, "Which intern do I need to destroy?"

"Honey, I'm sorry, so sorry. I should have realized this was going on," Derek was ashamed of his blinders.

Meredith had seemed so happy to be with them. She'd seemed to ignore all the criticism with aplomb. She never spoke of her personal life to anyone but them. She always seemed insulated by her love for them. Now that Derek thought about it, he realized she'd refused to go to Joe's for months, claiming she was too tired and would rather stay with them either at the bay or the lake. She did her job, that was it. No wonder she'd started changing clothes in his office every day. Derek called himself an egocentric idiot for thinking it was to titillate him, rather than to avoid the other interns.

Derek wrapped his arms around his girl and held her tight. He knew she'd struggle to pull away. She thought she had to do this alone. She thought she was weak if she let them help her.

"Baby, it's your mother that drilled it into you that you have to do all this alone. Alone for you is in the bad old days along with my Satan ex and Mark's bloody sarcasm."

"Hey!" Mark yelped, helping to lighten the mood.

Meredith's resistance faded and her body softened against Derek's. She scrubbed her wet face against his soft shirt.

"Are you using me for a tissue?" he asked smiling softly at her.

"Uhuh," she sniffled.

"C'mon."

Derek took her by the hand and pulled her down the hall to his own suite, plunking her on his sofa. Mark brought her a box of tissues. The two of them sat around her looking at her with acceptance. Several emotions swirled among them. This was so typically Mer. She wouldn't say anything about something horrible, until they'd pried it out of her. Damn Ellis anyway. Her mother was living major karma for the crap she'd done to her daughter.

Derek kissed the hand he held and grinned when his cock jerked at her familiar fragrance. God, even now he wanted to fuck her to calmness and forget about everything else. Der knew Mark probably felt the same way when he sat on the floor at Mer's feet and laid his head on her lap. She brushed her hand lightly over Mark's hair and beard and eyebrows, stroking him like a cat. Derek sat next to her and stroked her arm. A small peace descended again.

"So, let's take this one step at a time. Some jealous people, who don't know anything about us, whom we don't give a shit about, have said something to you about dating me for my money, right?" Derek asked.

She nodded and sniffled again.

"Are you?" he asked calmly.

"No!" she exploded.

"What about Mark?"

"No."

"Are we dating you for your money?"

"No, Derek, don't be ridiculous."

"Honey, I don't see anything more ridiculous in asking that, than in asking the other," Derek raised a brow at her.

"How about using us? Wasn't that the phrase? Are you using either of us for surgeries, or status, or hell – my favorite red shirt?" Derek didn't let himself think too hard about the nasty bitches who'd fucked with Meredith's peace and security. If he did, he'd get boiling angry. Why couldn't people just leave each other alone?

"No... although I like your red shirt and Mark's green one," Meredith finally smiled faintly as she tried to make a small joke.

"All right then, that's taken care of. We know the truth and so do you. I refuse to bow to this crap, Mer, and I won't let you do it either. Second step. Mark and I know you have your own place and neither of us expect you to be here as a paying tenant or a trading whore... oh, please! Meredith, listen to the words out loud, instead of whispered all around you. They're nuts!"

Derek turned her face to his, "We want you with us as our girl, our family. We don't charge family rent. And we don't want you to have to stay in a home that has become awful for you," Derek gently rubbed her hand between his, "We want you to have a key to your home here, with us, Mer. And by the way, third step, girlfriend, you have two choices. Either Mark and I move your furniture from your Mom's house to your suite here or I buy new stuff for that apartment. You deserve the best, Mer, and I love you enough to see that you get it. No more nonsense."

Mark chimed in at that point, "They shamed you, Meredith. Worse, you accepted the shame. Then you guilted yourself and punished yourself. Enough, doll."

He raised his head off her lap and looked at her.

"And for the record! Who and what I spend my money on, is my business, and no one else's. If I choose to give you a gift you better damn well take it and not throw it back in my teeth. I don't give easily, so when I do, I want it to be accepted," Mark was being dead serious. Meredith smiled at him tremulously.

"I'm not patient with this crap. If someone says anything like that to you in future, be sure to refer them directly to me. I'll make damn sure it's not said again. This isn't something you're supposed to sit and suffer in silence. We've talked about this before with different things."

Then Mark looked at her sadly.

"You still don't trust us."

"I do, it's just that..." Meredith had a pained look on her face and then her voice petered out.

"You didn't trust either Derek or me or possibly both of us. You hid this because you were afraid we'd believe this crap about you and dump you, right? That's why you didn't even buy a bed with Derek's Visa. For God's sake, Mer!" Mark shook his head, disappointed in her.

Derek looked sad as understanding dawned on his face too. Meredith looked from one to the other in panic.

"No, I do trust you, I do, I want to," tears streamed down her face again.

"C'mere, baby," Derek opened his arms to her and Meredith crawled into his lap seeking sanctuary in his comforting arms. She buried her face in his throat not wanting him to see her face. He rocked her back and forth and she kissed him frantically.

"You're right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mark touched her back and she flung herself into his arms from Derek's, "I was afraid, Mark!"

"Of what, honey?" Derek asked her as Mark took his turn hugging her.

"I was afraid you'd leave me again. I was afraid this time I wouldn't have you and I wouldn't have my friends either. I'd be left all alone again."

"Sometimes, Mer, sometimes, you're just dumb. I already made the mistake of leaving you before and I won't ever make that mistake again. I've told you over and over. You have my word, okay?"

"Okay," Meredith said in a relieved whisper.

"Move in with us, take the keys, Meredith," said Mark, "You're home here."

"Okay," Meredith felt relief like a river run through her. She could make a home with her guys. She could leave her mother's house. She could escape the intern snow bank it had become.

Meredith raised her face to Mark's and kissed him. Then she leaned away and offered her lips to Derek.

"I love you both so much."

Derek raised an eyebrow and smirked, "And...?"

"And... I'm sorry I'm dumb about this stuff sometimes."

They almost crushed her when they both hugged her and kissed her at the same time for that. She squealed and laughed when they pinned her to the floor and rubbed rough beards on her delicate skin before kissing her to make it better.

Derek looked at his watch, "I think we have just enough time to get your stuff from your old place now, Meredith. I want you out of there as soon as possible."

"Now?!" she squeaked.

"Yeah, now," Mark growled.