And here we are at chapter 10! As always, thanks to those of you kind enough to leave your reviews...the story may be moving a little slowly, and no sex yet (except for a little mention in an early flashback), but really would you want them to jump right back into bed without any kind of resolution to their past issues? The heat and the steam will happen in due time! As for the rest of it, I hope that at least some of you will be there till the end with me.

Chapter 10
Flying and Falling

Derek watched Meredith confidently take the stage, her smile lighting her features with the joy she always had when she was singing. The song was upbeat and the crowd was right there with her, clapping and singing along. He could feel the infectious enthusiasm of her performance, and he was completely mesmerized by the sight and sound; there was no doubt that she owned the room when she was out there. Unable to stop the grin from spreading on his own face, he was caught up in the moment, thinking of happier times. She was the Meredith of his past, now highly polished and professional but with a grace and charm that had always been uniquely hers. And he couldn't deny the desire that had bubbled up in his body after spending a few moments with her; that was still there, still palpable, but was he only wishing for the same feeling on her side?

The applause exploded as she finished the song, then the lights dimmed, leaving her alone in a single spotlight. She took the microphone in hand and took a seat on a stool that had been placed beside her. "Thank you so much, I'm glad to have the opportunity to sing for you tonight. This is a great cause, and on behalf of the charity, I appreciate you all being here with your generous donations. Now, I'd like to slow things down a little. This is a ballad that will be on my new CD coming out very soon, and I wanted to preview it for you."

The crowd was respectfully hushed while Meredith closed her eyes briefly. Derek could see her gather herself, and he held his breath for a moment, waiting along with everyone else for the words. The opening notes on the piano hung in the air as she began to sing.

First you fall, then you fly
and you believe that you belong
up in the sky.
Flap your arms, as you run,
every revolution brings you closer to the sun.
You fall asleep in motion, in uncharted hemispheres,
and you wake up with the stars
fallin' down around your ears.
And when they hit the ground,
they're nothin' but stones
that's how you learn to live alone.
That's how you learn to live alone.

Bit by bit, you slip away,
you lose yourself in pieces
by the things that you don't say.
You're not here, but you're still there
The sun goes up and the sun goes down,
but you're not sure you care.
You live inside the false,
till you recognize the truth.
People send you pictures,
but you can't believe it's you.
Seems forever since your house
has felt like home
that's how you learn to live alone
that's how you learn to live alone

If Derek had felt mesmerized before, this song caught him off guard by how emotional it was. The lyrics reminded him sharply of everything they had gone through in the past, and the fallout of his addictions.

It don't feel right, but it's not wrong.
It's just hard to start again this far along.
Brick by brick, the letting go,
as you walk away from everything you know
When you release resistance
and you lean into the wind,
till the roof begins to crumble,
and the rain comes pourin' in,
And you sit there in the rubble,
till the rubble feels like home
That's how you learn to live alone
that's how you learn to live alone

The last note faded away, and for a moment there was complete silence before the audience began to applaud and surge to their feet. Derek felt an overwhelming need to rush on stage and wrap his arms around Meredith, hold her close and tell her again how sorry he was about everything. How stupid he'd been, how selfish and insecure he'd been to get lost in the whiskey time and time again, hurting her more than he'd ever meant to. He didn't know if words could ever make up for that, or if he'd ever have the opportunity to make up for his actions. They say time heals all wounds, but the greater the loss, the deeper the cut, making the healing process more difficult. The pain fades, but the scars remain as a constant reminder of what was lost, and how much you don't want to get hurt like that again.

His throat felt tight, and he wondered if he would be able to sing after this, swallowing the sudden lump. "She's good, isn't she?" Someone spoke up at his elbow, and he looked around to see another woman there. He nodded shortly, not trusting his voice at the moment. "That's gonna be her next number one hit, I just know it! I'm Cristina, by the way, Meredith's manager. You must be Derek, she's told me a lot about you."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "She has?"

"Sure..." Cristina's tone seemed to speak volumes, but before Derek could say anything else, the stage lights were back up and his name was being announced as the next performer.

"Guess I'm up, nice to meet you," he said, before striding out into the bright lights. He managed to exchange a brief look with Meredith as they passed by each other, and her mouth curved into a small smile. It made him wonder again at their tentative new friendship and whether it would last.

Out in the audience, Hunter leaned back in his chair, applauding along with the rest of the crowd. He felt a surge of possessive pride, seeing her there, and seeing the effect she had on the audience. There was a good reason she was the favorite female country singer several years running. His cell phone vibrated, indicating an incoming text message, but for the moment he ignored it. It vibrated again, and this time he pulled it out of his pocket, as Thatcher glared at him. "I'll be right back..." he muttered, pushing away from the table. Then he stopped in his tracks, listening to the emcee announce the next singer. "What the hell?" he snapped, looking over his shoulder. Derek Shepherd was walking out on stage, with just a guitar in hand as Meredith slipped past him. They exchanged a short glance, and Hunter frowned, seeing that look. Why didn't Meredith tell him about this?

He glanced at Thatcher, and it seemed to be a shock to him as well. So obviously Meredith hadn't mentioned anything yet to her father about Derek being in town again. For a moment, Hunter debated what to do, but he couldn't make a scene. Instead, he kept walking, looking at his phone again. Then he tapped out a brief message to respond to April's note. She could wait; right now he was headed backstage again.

Meredith stopped in the wings to listen as Derek started singing, feeling a little drained after the emotional outpouring of the last song. The look she'd exchanged with him as they passed by made her wonder if he'd felt the personal tug of the lyrics. The moment she'd heard the demo of the song she knew she had to record it, it was so raw and haunting.

Cristina came up beside her then, and handed over a bottle of water. "Great set, they loved you, and that new song is going to be a rocket on the charts!"

"Thanks," Meredith responded, her eyes still on Derek. He was at ease, guitar in hand, looking confident. His song was upbeat, and yet the lyrics were still personal.

Here I am feeling lonely
Here I am feeling blue
Think about picking up the phone
And
Think about calling you
Ought to be a little more careful
After what went down last time
Cause you got my heart playing tricks on my mind

"You should be out there with him," Cristina smirked. "Just think of the crowd reaction you'd get."

"God, don't say that. You might give Alex ideas again. Not to mention Hunter's reaction." Meredith rolled her eyes at Cristina's suggestion.

Cristina peered around the edge of the curtain. "Speaking of the devil, he just walked away from the table, and he looks pissed."

"Lovely. I'm getting a little tired of his accusation that I'm not going to be able to handle seeing Derek. I'm not the same girl I was back then," Meredith said, frowning slightly.

"Between you and me, there is some serious sizzle going on with you and Derek, I could see it from yards away. I bet Hunter picked up on it too. You better be careful, Mer."

"Cris! I'm not about to do something stupid! For Mia's sake, remember?"

"Right, but are you happy?" Cristina asked quietly.

Meredith took a slow swallow of water as she evaded the question. At the moment, she didn't have an answer to that.

Derek finished his song, and took a moment to savor the applause as he stood up. He gave the audience a wave as he headed off stage, where he discovered a small crowd had gathered. Besides Meredith and Cristina, he saw Hunter and Thatcher had joined them, and Richard was also at the edge of the group, giving him a discreet thumbs up.

"Well, well...isn't this interesting," Thatcher spoke up first. "When did you get back? And how long are you staying?"

"Don't start," Meredith said quietly, putting her hand on his arm.

"Start what? I think he should explain his presence here, Meredith. After all this time, he must have a reason."

"I don't owe you an explanation," Derek said evenly, keeping his tone light, even as he gripped his guitar tightly. "This is a free country, if I want to be here in Nashville, I have that right."

"You didn't exactly leave on the best of terms."

Derek eyed the men grouped around Meredith protectively, as Richard moved closer to him. "I didn't mean to stir up anything. I just felt it was time to come home."

"It's all right, Dad," Meredith spoke up. "Please don't make a fuss."

Thatcher slid her a look that spoke volumes, and Derek realized suddenly that her father obviously had stepped in and had a hand in her marriage to Hunter. Back then, Derek had been too messed up to figure that out, but it was pretty obvious to him now.

"I should just go," he said, nodding towards Richard. "Do you need to stay?"

"Did you get him into this?" Hunter asked, glaring at Richard.

"Just as a performer tonight. I had no idea that it would cause a furor," Richard commented. "But seeing how good a job he's done, I think I'm going to have him perform at my next fundraiser. You're all welcome to attend." He flashed a sly grin at all of them.

Hunter frowned. "Not likely. You should just step aside, anyway, save yourself the embarrassment of losing."

"Don't be so sure of that yet. I'm still in the running."

"Let's not get carried away now," Thatcher spoke up. "This isn't the place for mayoral posturing. This is a charity function. I just wanted to make sure that Meredith was all right."

"Why wouldn't I be all right?"

"Given the history..." Thatcher shrugged, looking at Derek. "I think it would be a good idea if the two of you kept your distance."

Meredith clenched her fists. "That will be a little difficult, Dad. He's booked as the lead guitarist for Izzie on our tour."

For a moment, there was complete silence, before Thatcher found his voice. "Why didn't you tell me about this before, Meredith? Obviously you had knowledge Derek was in town."

"It didn't exactly come up in conversation."

"Did you know about this tour business?" he demanded, looking at Hunter.

"I just found out myself this morning."

"And you're fine with that?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Meredith asked, glancing around. "This isn't exactly the best place to be trotting out family problems."

"Look, I'm just here to do a job, nothing more," Derek said firmly. "I've moved on from the past, and you have no reason to be concerned about my presence in Meredith's life." He managed to keep his tone of voice even, hoping to convince everyone that he meant every word he said. "Now, much as I'd love to hang out here and rehash old arguments, I have things to do."

"Of course, just take off when you can't handle the pressure," Hunter smirked. "Seems to me you do that a lot."

Taking a deep breath to control the anger that threatened to explode, Derek looked at Hunter. "You don't know me, or anything about me, so just stay out of this." He nodded towards Meredith, and then turned on his heel and walked away before saying anything else he might regret later.

Richard caught up with him. "Do you need to talk? I have time before going home, if you want to grab a coffee? That was pretty intense."

Derek kept walking, until they were outside, where he finally stopped and raked one hand through his hair. "No, I'm fine, Richard. I meant what I said back there; I've moved on from the past and it's obvious I should stay away from Meredith. I'll stay out of her way on the tour as much as possible, and once that's over we won't have to see each other again."

"That sounds sensible. But just remember to keep in touch while you're away, call me or text me anytime you need to."

"I will," Derek assured him. "Now I think I need to go home and get my dog and go for a nice long run."

"All right. Talk to you soon, Derek."

As Richard walked away, Derek closed his eyes briefly, willing away any memories of Meredith. He had to shove them all into a mental compartment, slam it shut and keep it shut. For his sanity, and his sobriety, he didn't want to go down that road again.

Meredith watched as Derek disappeared, before letting Hunter guide her back to her dressing room. Thatcher and Cristina trailed along behind her, not saying a word. Derek had certainly made it clear that he wasn't interested in getting involved on any kind of personal level; any kind of vibe she'd gotten in that regard before was gone. And that was good, really it was, it would be awkward to be on the road with him otherwise.

By the time she sat down in front of the mirror again, she was in control of her emotions. She kicked her shoes off and met Hunter's eyes in the glass. "Are you happy now?" she asked.

"Ecstatic."

"I told you there was nothing to be concerned about. You didn't need to make such a scene out there. God, the gossip doesn't take long to start in this town, you know that!" she said quietly. "He was just here to perform, the same as me. Get over yourself."

"Meredith, you have to admit it's a little difficult to see him around you," Thatcher spoke up, pouring a drink from the bottle of bourbon on the side table. He glanced at Cristina then. "Maybe you should give us a moment here."

"No, she can stay. I told her all the sordid details."

"All of them?" Thatcher raised his eyebrows before he took a sip of his drink.

"All of them."

"And I plan to keep her secrets," Cristina said, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm her person."

"Her person?"

"Yeah, you know…person to call in case of emergency…"

"Wait, I'm your husband," Hunter commented, a puzzled look on his face. "Shouldn't I be the person to contact?"

Meredith shrugged slightly. "Maybe for some things, but not everything."

"I won't even pretend to understand that." Hunter crossed the room to pour a drink as well, and then a glass of wine for her.

"I appreciate everyone's concern here, but seeing Derek isn't going to cause any problems. And if Alex wasn't being such an ass about the CD launch I wouldn't even need to go on tour with Izzie. But it's going to be fine." Meredith took the glass from Hunter, and took a sip. "He's sober, he's civil and he's plays damn fine guitar. Can we drop the melodrama?"

"Hey, maybe Izzie will make a play for him!" Cristina grinned, with a wink at Meredith. "I heard she's had a few flings with the guys in her band. Must be a little awkward after awhile, but hey, consenting adults and all that."

Meredith tightened her grip on the stem of the wineglass, tamping down the irrational surge of jealousy at the idea of Izzie in bed with Derek. She knew Cristina was likely just trying to defuse the situation, but it still rankled. "You never know…" she managed to say lightly, before taking a deep swallow of wine, letting the icy cold chardonnay slide down her throat.

Hunter set his glass down, fishing his phone out of his jacket pocket, and glanced at the display with a frown. "I've got to take this, be right back…" Without another word, he walked away, his fingers already tapping out a message.

"Work? Or campaign stuff?" Meredith asked, just idly curious. It seemed like Hunter's phone was constantly ringing, or vibrating with text messages. Before anyone could answer, he was back at the door.

"Sorry, babe, gotta run. I'll see you at home later. Kiss Mia good night for me."

"Must be campaign stuff, at this hour," Thatcher observed, but he checked his phone and didn't see anything in that regard coming to him. "I'll be on my way too. Good show tonight, honey. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before. I let myself get riled up over Shepherd. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"I get that, but please give me some credit for being an adult about this." Meredith lifted her cheek for his kiss. "I'll talk to you before I leave. Mia's excited about spending time with you while I'm gone."

"And she should be. I plan to spoil her shamelessly." Thatcher hugged her quickly. "Talk to you soon." He nodded at Cristina and then left them alone.

"Oh thank god…" Meredith sighed, joining Cristina on the sofa and reaching for the dish of chocolates. "I love my father, but sometimes he just wants to control everything too much…" She popped one of the truffles in her mouth.

"They're both control freaks," Cristina snorted, taking a chocolate for herself. "You need this tour, I think, to get a break. We'll make sure to go out and have girls night once or twice."

"Sounds good. But we're not taking Izzie…"

"What? I thought you two could bond…"

In response, Meredith tossed a pillow at Cristina's head, ending that train of thought effectively.

As for Izzie, at that moment she was looking at her mother, who had passed out on the sofa in Izzie's living room. A bottle of vodka was on the table, along with a nearly empty vial of pills. Since the woman had arrived on Izzie's doorstep, there had been nothing but trouble. Lorraine Stevens had threatened to tell the media all of Izzie's secrets, main of which was the fact that Lorraine wasn't dead. Now that Izzie was moving up in the country music scene, selling records and doing endorsements, her wealth had increased, something that her mother was determined to get a part of.

In order to keep her quiet, Izzie let Lorraine move in with her, until she could figure out what to do. Now she had Alex on the phone, as she glared at the prone form on the sofa. "What the hell do I do with her? I can't leave her at home while I go away; god only knows what she'll do!"

"Calm down. I think the best thing to do is get her into some nice quiet rehab facility, under an assumed name. She can get some help, and you can go on tour without any fear she's going to expose you."

"She'll talk to the staff," Izzie hissed, twisting her free hand in her hair. "And they'll leak it to some hideous gossip website faster than you can say scandal."

"Not if we pay them enough. Trust me, I know how to handle crap like this."

"Good, because I don't want to find my picture plastered over the front page of the Enquirer!"

"Like I said, trust me…you'll just owe me big time," Alex said smoothly.

"Oh I'm sure I can think of a way to repay you that you'll enjoy," she laughed. "Just do it fast, she's driving me crazy. This is why I told you she was dead, it's easier."

"I'll call you with the details as soon as it's arranged, and then we can discuss payment. Talk to you later," he said, before ending the call. Izzie set the phone down, looking at Lorraine again. She might regret asking Alex for help, but there wasn't much choice at this point.

Hunter slid into the driver's seat of his car, and turned to look at the woman waiting for him. "April, this is not what we discussed. You shouldn't be here."

"Then you shouldn't have given me a set of keys," she reminded him, her eyes snapping with irritation. "Look, I told you I'm pregnant, and I'm not giving it up. Please, Hunter, don't push me out of your life like this. I love you!"

"April, you knew when we started this that it was just casual. I can't divorce Meredith; her father will hang me out to dry by my balls." He glanced over his shoulder; feeling paranoid after his talk with Thatcher. "I'm willing to pay you support, I'm not that unfeeling, but there can't be any hint of this in the media. I thought you understood. In fact, you need to leave now. If someone sees us together like this we'll be in trouble."

Tears leaked down her cheeks, before she spoke. "Hunter, I know you're not happy with Meredith. Don't you want to be with someone that loves you for the man you are? Someone who understands you, and your ambitions? At least think about this, please? I promise not to say anything about the baby, just don't push me away…" She put her hand on his thigh, and despite himself, he covered it with his own. And leaned in to kiss her, forgetting for a moment that he needed to keep his distance.

Out in the darkness, there was a soft click of a camera, as the private investigator snapped pictures with a night vision lens. "Gotcha…"

Song lyrics from Nashville "How You Learn to Live Alone" & "Playin' Tricks"