Originally this update was four separate updates, but I moved into one longer update, so I apologize if it seems to move by quickly. A lot does happen in this update, but it's all for the best! Hope you enjoy it :)

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They lay comfortably in bed, their legs intertwined. Meredith rested her head on his chest, the front of her body pressed to his side. She played with the hair on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Derek had his left arm wrapped around Meredith's shoulder and his right hand resting on her hip. Their bodies were still humming from making love, and they were both tired, but didn't want to waste a moment with each other to sleep. Derek felt her shiver slightly. He pulled her closer, and then pulled the thin sheet all the way up her body, covering her.

The silence was comfortable. They enjoyed the few moments they had after sex, where they could just lay against one another, their bodies still covered in a fine sheen of sweat. His fingers barely grazed her skin, making every inch of her hum. Meredith cuddled up closer, feeling completely safe.

"What's your best childhood memory?" She whispered.

Derek chuckled softly. "What?"

Meredith positioned herself so she could look up at him. "You heard me." She giggled. "What's your best childhood memory?"

"Why do you want to know?" He whispered, pushing her hair back off of her shoulder, exposing more of her luscious skin. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her warm flesh.

"Just humor me." She smiled, capturing his lips.

Derek settled back against the pillows and smiled. "I went to the Statue of Liberty with my parents." A smile graced his face, one she had yet to see. "I was seven, maybe eight. I always wanted to go there, and they surprised me with the trip. We lived in New York and I had seen the statue a million times, but standing below the Statue of Liberty, I don't know it was just… I don't know." He smiled. "I just remember that day really well."

"That's nice."

"Hmm, what's nice?" He whispered into her hair.

"Spending time with your parents – doing things with them; it's nice."

"You didn't have that?" He asked.

Meredith turned to look at him. "Not talking about our pasts, remember?"

Derek chucked. "I do remember that rule, but you are the one that brought up 'your best childhood memory' question."

"Hmm…true." She giggled.

"Well what's yours?"

"My what?"

"What is your best childhood memory?"

Meredith thought for a long time and then smiled. "I went to the park once with my best friend and her mom. It was so much fun. We had ice cream and went on the swings."

"Your best childhood memory was the park?"

"Is that bad?" she asked.

Derek smiled warmly. "I just wish your best childhood memory was something amazing, not just a day at the park with someone else's family."

"I'm okay with it." She smiled, looking up at him.

"Well I'm not okay with it, but there isn't anything I can do about it."

Meredith turned, almost rolling her entire body on top of him. Derek smiled up at her, as her body stretched over him. He pushed her hair back behind her ears, clearing her lovely face. Meredith leaned down and pressed her lips to his, enjoying the taste of his warm lips. She moved her hands down his chest and along his sides.

"You're trying to distract me Miss Grey." He said breathlessly.

She giggled, kissing his jaw line. "And why would you say that Mr. Shepherd?"

"Because you're doing all of my favorite things." He groaned.

Meredith smiled, continuing with her movements. She kissed along his chest, dragging her tongue across his warm skin. Derek watched her for a moment before flipping them over so she was beneath him. She giggled loudly, turning underneath his arms.

"Tell me about your past." He kissed the top of her left breasts.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "We decided that we weren't going to talk about our pasts. You decided we wouldn't talk about them." She quipped back.

Derek nodded. "I know. But I want to know."

Meredith dropped her arms, sighing softly. "I had a different childhood than most. It's fine. I missed a lot, but none of that matters now. I have my friends and I've made a name for myself. I love my life now, so nothing else matters, right?"

"I guess you're right." He smiled, kissing the side of her neck.

"I'm always right."

Derek chuckled. "Is that so?"

"You should know that by now Mr. Shepherd."

"I guess I need to be told again." He lowered his lips to her chest, feathering kisses over her soft skin. Meredith gasped as his tongue rolled across her nipple. She was lost under his touch once again, and loved it.

---

Derek woke up to Meredith talking softly. He turned over in the bed, noticing her walking around the kitchen, a tub of icing in her hand, her phone pinned between her shoulder and ear. He couldn't help but chuckle as she dipped her finger into the tub of chocolate icing and brought it to her lips, giving a satisfied smile. Derek couldn't tell who she was chatting with, but he did hear his name once or twice.

Meredith hung up the phone after a brief goodbye and set it onto the counter. She continued to dip her finger into the icing, moaning softly as she brought it to her lips. Derek was entranced by her.

"Are you going to share?" He asked.

She jumped softly at his voice, and turned to him, trying to hide the icing. "Share what?"

Derek smiled. "The tub of icing you are devouring. Are you going to share with me?"

Meredith blushed, picking up the icing. "You weren't supposed to see me eating that." She walked around the kitchen to towards her bed, where Derek leaned against his palm, holding up his head. She sat down on the bed, her legs crossed beneath her.

"Why am I not supposed to see you eating that?"

"Because, it's a girl thing. We eat gross food and guys aren't supposed to see it."

Derek laughed, "Well I caught you. And I want you to share."

Meredith smiled, dipping her finger into the icing and bringing it to his lips. Derek took her finger between her lips and swirled his tongue around it. Meredith couldn't help but moan softly, her eyes glazing over.

He pulled back. "Delicious." He said huskily. "Who were you on the phone with?" he asked, dipping his finger into the icing.

"Cristina – she wants to visit."

Derek nodded, "Oh really?"

"Try not to sound too enthusiastic, Derek," Meredith teased.

Derek smiled and shook his head. "No I am enthusiastic. You should have your friends come out and visit you."

"Well, not friends, just friend, and she's not sure yet. She said if she can catch a flight in the next few days – a cheap one – she'll come out for like a week." Meredith shrugged and licked more icing from her finger. She peaked up at Derek through her eyelashes. "I told her she didn't have to come visit me, you know, since I'm not here for much longer…" Derek looked up. "But she said she wasn't necessarily coming for me, but for Paris itself."

Derek nodded, "I think it would be excellent if Cristina came to visit you."

Meredith knitted her eyebrows together. "You do?"

"Yes. You're only here once, right? And Cristina and you could have a lot of fun together."

"You wouldn't be mad?"

Derek shook his head immediately. "No, never. I would be more disappointed if she didn't come out here. You two share a bond and I think you'd have a lot of fun here."

Meredith smiled. "Why are you so perfect?"

Derek shrugged and grinned. "I have no idea, but aren't you lucky to have found me," he said with a playful chuckle.

"Yeah, I really am," Meredith said seriously.

Derek picked up on her tone and reached forward to cup her cheek. "I'm lucky, too."

Meredith turned to kiss his palm and broke the moment with a heavy sigh before they became too emotional. "More icing," she offered.

Derek nodded. Meredith spooned some with her finger and fed it to Derek. They continued this, back and forth, until the entire container was empty and neither of them was able to think of anything past how bloated they felt.

---

Impatient. Meredith and Derek sat watching the flight board while every other flight was on time. Friends and lovers ran to hug their arriving guests, glowing smiles adorning their faces. But Meredith and Derek sat still, their faces not glowing, and their bodies achy from the uncomfortable plastic of the chairs. Cristina was said to arrive at four, it was now eight. They had tried to pass the time, grabbing a bite to eat, catching up on the latest French gossip at the newsstand, but everything had failed to quench their boredom. Derek had even suggested a quickie in the bathroom, which Meredith wrinkled her nose up about, stating that she didn't want to look freshly screwed when seeing her best friend. So they sat with Derek's hand on her thigh, hers atop his. People passed by quickly, not taking a second glance at the couple. Meredith had called Cristina four times, each going straight to voicemail. Derek was being patient; he didn't complain or sigh a ridiculous amount of times, unlike Meredith. He just sat still and gave her an encouraging squeeze every now and then.

A voice continued to announce arrivals and departures. Meredith listened for New York, but either they weren't saying anything about it, or Meredith just really knew that little French. The board scrolled through flight after flight, and finally, after four hours and ten minutes, the arrival from New York was listed as landed. Derek smiled softly at Meredith, knowing how excited she was.

Meredith's phone rang from inside her jeans' pocket. She flipped it open and smiled. "Hey, are you in yet?" She glanced around the large room, scanning faces.

"Plane just landed. Fucking sat idly on the runway in New York for two hours." Cristina grumbled into the phone. Meredith could hear all the voices behind her. "Oh, and the guy next to me smelled like feet, and spilled his diet coke on me."

"Well you're here now. Did you get your luggage?"

"Yeah, I'm coming down an escalator now. Where are you?"

Meredith looked around. "Um…we're sitting by the west exit – in front of the flight board."

"Okay, see you in a few."

She snapped her phone shut and turned to Derek, her hand slipping into his. "She just got her luggage. She'll be here in a few minutes." She relayed the information to him, settling back in the chair.

Derek smiled. "Excited?"

"Very. Are you nervous?"

"To meet Cristina? No." He shook his head.

Meredith giggled. "Well I told you she's kind of intense."

Derek smiled. "I can handle intense."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, savoring the taste. Meredith cupped his face with her left hand, her fingers dragging along the stubble of his jaw line. Derek squeezed her thigh once before trailing his fingers up and down her thigh. His tongue pushed against her lips, gaining access to her mouth, slipping it inside. Meredith moaned, sucking on his tongue gently. The gentle kiss was turning triple X quickly. Meredith pulled back, nearly out of breath.

"I'm glad you two still have your clothes on after a kiss like that."

Meredith turned and smiled. "Cristina!" She practically yelled, jumping up from her seat. Going against Cristina's rules, Meredith wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, pulling her close. Cristina groaned and patted her on the back twice before pulling back. "I am so happy you're here," Meredith gushed.

"Okay, did you turn all cheerleader on me? Calm down."

Derek stood up, finding his opportunity to introduce himself to the short Asian woman. "Hi, I'm Derek Shepherd." He held his hand out to Cristina politely.

"Cristina. And I don't shake hands." She scoffed, turning back to Meredith.

The women began to walk away, gossiping loudly about the people on the plane. Derek nodded, feeling slightly out of the loop. He picked up Cristina's suitcase and another bag she had left on the floor and followed behind them. He decided right then and there, that these five days were going to feel like a lifetime, but he was going to smile through them because they were exactly what Meredith needed.

---

"So, what do you want to do first? We could go to the Eiffel Tower. Oh, or the Seine River. I love it there." Meredith said as she walked around her apartment, helping Cristina to get settled. "Or we could go shopping. I know some of the best stores. My friend Forrester owns one. He could get you a great bag, maybe for free."

Derek leaned against the counter of the kitchen, watching as Meredith and Cristina quickly and efficiently unpacked the few bags, placing items every which way. Cristina seemed to keep up with Meredith's fast pace talking and suggestions. Within minutes, the bags were unpacked –clothes and toiletries put away, other items stacked on the bedside table, or the dining room table, not like she used it anyway. They now sat on the bed, contemplating what to do next. They argued back and forth, neither able to make a final decision because the other would quickly beat down the suggestion.

"Why don't you two go to a late dinner?' Derek suggested from his spot.

"Oh, that sounds good." Meredith agreed. "I know a great place on the river."

Cristina shrugged. "I guess I'm hungry. I just need a few minutes to get ready."

Meredith nodded. "Sure."

Cristina walked off to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Meredith walked into the kitchen and smiled as she wrapped her arms around Derek's waist, laying her head against his chest. "Well aren't you smart." She giggled. "We could have sat there until tomorrow deciding what we wanted to do."

"No problem." He said softly.

Meredith pulled back and looked him in the eye. "Are you okay?"

Derek nodded. "I'm fine. I should get going so you can enjoy dinner."

"What? No, you need to come with us."

"Meredith, we both know Cristina doesn't want me there." He said in a hushed tone, not wanting her to hear them talking about her. "Just go and have fun. Enjoy your time with your friend; you only have a few days."

Meredith shook her head. "She wants you there. And I want you there. Please come."

"It's fine Meredith. I should go."

"Derek…"

He smiled reassuringly. "Enjoy dinner. If you need directions tomorrow, call me."

Derek walked towards the door, grasping the handle.

"Derek…" She said again.

"Enjoy dinner." He smiled, before closing the door tightly behind him.

Cristina opened the bathroom door just in time, walking out looking freshly pampered and obviously much happier. "Okay, ready." She announced, gathering her things and walking towards Meredith. "Ready to go?" she asked.

Meredith stared as the door and then shook her head. "Yeah, ready."

---

The summer night was warm, and their patio seat along the Seine gave them the perfect view of the entire city. Cristina took everything in, having never been to Paris before. She gasped when she had first seen the Eiffel Tower, and then again when passing Nôtre Dame. But as they sat in their cast iron seats, plates of brie and crackers before them, the events of earlier bothered Meredith and made her stomach churn uncomfortably. She took a sip of her water, opting for that instead of wine, wanting a clear head.

"So what did you think of Derek?" Meredith boldly asked.

"He's fine." Cristina said, turning quickly to look at the boat floating along the river. "Is that a tour boat? Oh that's cool. We should go on that tomorrow. It would be a great way to see the city." She turned back to Meredith. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, it would be. But you didn't say much to Derek. I kind of wanted you to get to know him while you where here." She said.

Cristina shrugged. "I will. What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Cristina…" Meredith sighed.

"Mer, I am here for five days. I want to see everything, and talking about your boyfriend is not something I want to do. So can we please focus?" Meredith sighed and nodded. "Okay, so what do you want to do tomorrow?"

After they finished their late night snack, they walked along the Seine. Cristina held most of the conversation, talking about home and the things Meredith was missing out on. Even as Cristina tried to joke, Meredith felt a twinge of hurt. She wanted to share Paris with Cristina, but with Derek included, but now he sat in his apartment alone while they strolled around the city. Meredith suggested they turn in, reminding Cristina of their early morning. Cristina agreed and followed Meredith back to the apartment. The women changed and Cristina sunk down into the bed.

Meredith tried to sleep. She closed her eyes, but each time, she imagined Derek in his apartment. She waited until she knew Cristina was asleep before climbing from the tangle of sheets and into the hallway. She padded along, tapping softly on Derek's door. She had forgotten a robe and slippers, leaving her just in her tank top and short pajama combo. She just hoped he opened his door before anyone saw her less-than-appropriate outerwear. When the door opened, Derek looked perfect, but tired. He ran his hand along his stubble.

"Hey." She whispered. "Can I come in?"

Derek nodded and stepped back, allowing Meredith to walk in. He pushed the door closed and turned back to Meredith, who stood in the middle of the room. She clasped her hands tightly together, arching her feet, giving her height and warming up her cooled skin. He couldn't help but see how adorable she looked in the moment.

"Shouldn't you be with Cristina?" He asked.

Meredith sighed. "She's asleep. Derek, I feel awful about earlier. I didn't realize Cristina was acting that way towards you. And when you told me, I should have said something. And I tried, but she kind of shut me down." She turned away. "I wanted to apologize. I really, really feel bad."

"You shouldn't. It's not your fault."

"I know, but she's my friend. And she shouldn't be rude to you."

Derek shrugged. "I can take care of myself."

"Derek…" She sighed.

"Meredith, really, don't worry about it. It's fine. It's only for a few days, and then things go back to normal. I can handle Cristina for a few days." He smiled.

Meredith shrugged. "It doesn't mean you deserve this treatment."

Derek crossed the room, his palms running over her arms slowly. She could feel the heat from his hands instantly warming her skin. He smiled warmly at her, pulling her a bit closer to him. Meredith rested her palms on his chest. She smiled. "Don't worry about me." He assured her. "Everything is fine between us. And maybe Cristina will warm up to me." He suggested.

"Maybe," she agreed, paired with a sigh.

"Okay, so go back to your apartment. I'll stop by sometime tomorrow."

She nodded.

Derek leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. Meredith sighed under the sensation.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She whispered.

"You too." He smiled.

Meredith turned and walked quickly out of the room, closing the door. She slipped back into the bed before Cristina even noticed she was missing. Meredith quickly text Derek, saying goodnight and received the same message back a moment later. She smiled, nestling down into her bed. It was weird falling asleep without his arms wrapped around her waist, his chest rising and falling against her back. But Meredith pushed through, willing herself to sleep so tomorrow she could see him again and make things better between Derek and Cristina.

---

Oh, and to address a few questions I received lately about my other fics: I will be posting all of them here on the site, I just need to revise all of them because honestly, my grammar and punctuation is atroscious. I hope to have all my fics up by the end of this summer. I have about 6 finished ones, so hopefully I'll get that done. I need to finish revising "Dreams" first, haha.