Thank you again to those of you that that left your reviews on the last chapter, I appreciate each and every one! And I appreciate that you will be here till the end of this fic, which I promise not to abandon. I like to write and if I can entertain a few of you along the way then that's a bonus. Maybe activity is a little slow, and reviews are down, but hey, it could be worse. (I forgot to mention last chapter, the song Meredith sings is truly haunting, if you have a chance to listen to the Nashville version, sung by Avery on the show aka Jonathan Jackson in real life.)

So on to this chapter, things are going to start to unravel for Hunter, Meredith finds out about his infidelity, plus she and Derek find themselves drawn together despite their best intentions not to. Still moving slowly, but moving forward!


Chapter 11
The Storm is Just Beginning

Life on the road wasn't exactly the stuff of dreams, Meredith mused as she sat in her dressing room, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. When she'd been starting out, it was all long bus rides and budget motels; now it was private jets and limos and luxury hotels in every city. The dressing rooms were better, with more amenities and flowers and a bevy of makeup artists, hair stylists and costume wranglers to attend to her every need. Still, after a few weeks, it all blurred together. She loved the performances, and the rush of the moments on stage more than anything. Even watching Izzie strut and pout didn't bother her as much as she'd anticipated; she even found herself singing along to some of the songs after hearing them several times.

And she was right about what she'd said to Derek; Izzie played to him, standing close several times as she sang, their voices blending. It was a good showcase for him, even if watching it made her twitch in jealousy. Of course, the fans loved it, and Derek was gaining a lot of his own fans who screamed loudly when he was introduced. He even started signing autographs after the shows alongside Izzie and Meredith.

So far, they had done their best to keep their relationship professional, without giving any indication of their former emotional attachment. They kept their distance off stage, going their separate ways after the concerts, but she found herself constantly aware of him. It was the sound of his voice, the way he walked across the stage, the slight smile on his face as he played his guitar, the way his black hair was just disheveled enough to remind her of running her fingers through it; it all added up to make her slightly distracted. She couldn't fault him for anything; he was charming, professional, willing to work hard, and friendly with everyone. He didn't hang out and drink after the shows, but he still kidded around with the rest of the band and maintained a good relationship with them.

There had been one occasion when she and Cristina had gone out for a late dinner, arriving back a little giddy from wine and laughter, and bumped into him in the elevator. He had been amusedly tolerant of their giggling, pushing the button for their floor before leaning back against the wall, arms crossed. For a moment, Meredith could've sworn she could see the familiar smoky look of passion in his eyes before she looked away, flushed. Another time during rehearsal, she'd found herself next to him backstage, hands reaching for the same sheet of music; they'd shared a brief laugh before backing away. Just the other night, she'd stumbled slightly exiting the stage as the heel of her shoe caught on one of the cables and he reached out to catch her before she fell. The breathlessness she'd felt hadn't been entirely due to the near fall; the look in his eyes and the feel of his hands turned her into a melting glob of goo.

She wrinkled her nose at her reflection in the mirror. Derek was just being friendly, as he was with everyone. She still had a family in Nashville, after all. One that she kept in touch with as much as possible, even managing a few face to face calls with Mia via Skype. There had been a couple of brief overnight stops in Nashville, to coincide with mayoral race dinners so that she could lend a supportive presence for Hunter. Still, it wasn't as good as being there full time, but it would have to do. She hated being away from home for too long, and on the last phone call, Mia had been especially despondent. Even the presence of the puppy wasn't enough to make her smile more than a little. Hunter hadn't been home, and Meredith wasn't happy about that either. She would need to discuss that with him as soon as she got to talk to him; the last few days he'd been avoiding her calls, or just been too damn busy. The mayoral race was nearing the conclusion, she was well aware of that, but he needed to make time for their daughter as well. Leaving Mia alone with the babysitter on a regular basis just wasn't right. She'd texted her father, who assured her that everything was under control but he would check in again with Hunter if it would help.

It ate at her motherly instincts, made her feel guilty about being away. She picked up her phone and looked at Thatcher's text again. "Under control...?" she muttered, tapping in another message to Hunter this time. "Where the hell are you?"

She tucked her phone in her pocket, and did her best to concentrate on the moment at hand. They were in Dallas, doing a run through for their last stop before a brief break in the tour. Izzie was on stage, and as had been her usual practice since the start, was unhappy with how things were going. Every rehearsal seemed to take more time than the last, leaving Meredith with less time for her own run through. For the moment, she watched the other woman as she stopped singing, and turn to the band behind her.

"This doesn't sound right. What the hell is up with the acoustics in this place?" Izzie demanded, throwing her hands up in the air. She was wearing cutoff jean shorts, beat up boots, and a tight white t-shirt, with her hair pulled up in a messy topknot. The snap in her voice didn't bode well for anyone.

Derek glanced towards the wings, where the technicians were still gathered, and shrugged. "Sounds okay to me, Izzie." He set his guitar across his knees, and looked at her calmly. "Let's just give it another go, or you're going to run late. Meredith still needs to..."

Izzie held her hand up, not letting him finish. "This is MY tour, and MY practice time! Don't try to tell me to hurry up, are we clear?"

"Crystal," Derek said lightly, but Meredith could tell from his expression he wasn't happy about it. He always had been a consummate professional when he was sober, and she knew this was irritating him. But he picked up his guitar again, and nodded towards the rest of the band, so they picked up where they left off.

"Ah, the diva is in the house," Cristina said behind her a few minutes later, the tone a combination snort and anger. "She'll take forever if we let her. Just go out there and assert yourself."

"Just give her some time. I know my stuff, and the guys are professional enough to deal with a delay."

"You're too sweet sometimes, Mer. You need to be more of a star, you're the one with the awards and the gold records."

"She's still trying to make her own mark on things..."

"She's a bitch, and she knows it," Cristina observed. "Don't let her take over. She's only a step removed from American Idol, for god's sake."

Meredith smiled, before checking her watch again. "You're right, as usual. I need to get out there. Wish me luck!" She stepped out onto the stage, prepared to do battle, as Izzie finished her song.

"I think this is my rehearsal time, Izzie," she said, approaching the other girl. "You sound great."

"What? Oh for god's sake...this is a disaster..." Izzie snapped, thrusting the microphone at Meredith. "I'm done. Maybe you can deal with this, but I can't."

Meredith nodded, taking the mic. In all her days on the road, she did her best to be friendly with the technicians and the crews at the various venues they played at; it only helped her in the long run. "Thanks, Izzie, all right, can we take it from the top?" She glanced back at the band, where several of the guys had switched seats from Izzie's band to hers, some were the same but most weren't. Still, Derek was sitting in the same spot, guitar in hand, waiting for her to start. She gave him a questioning look, and he just smiled, shaking his head. It felt right, having him back her up, and her pulse quickened slightly, before she turned away to start the first song. She closed her eyes briefly and concentrated on the music to steady herself. It always helped to remember why she was here. This was her life, the thing that made her happy, no matter what else happened.


Hunter stared at the envelope in his hand, a feeling of dread in his body. Plain white, with his name and address in bold black letters, no return address; this couldn't be good. He slit it open, and a stack of black and white photos slid out onto his desk. They were all of him and April, obviously in an intimate situation. And not only one location, but several shots of them together in different places. "No, no, no..." he muttered. "This isn't happening, not now, dammit..." The mayoral election was in two days, and this wasn't going to help his cause any. People in this city loved Meredith Grey, and they wouldn't be happy to see him betraying her. The note inside with the photos was quite clear that these would be leaked to the press. There wasn't any indication of a blackmail threat, just the obvious fact that this would cause trouble. Who the hell was behind this? Did Meredith have suspicions and have him followed, or worse, was Thatcher pulling strings here? Damnit he knew he should have kept April at arms length.

He grabbed his cell phone to call Meredith before any of this reached her, and then set it down. This couldn't be dealt with on the phone, he needed to talk to her in person. He checked his watch, her show in Dallas would be over soon; a flight on the private jet would get him there before she went to bed. It was time to do some damage control.


"Mer, you need to see this…" Cristina said, just as Meredith stepped off the stage later that night. The applause from the crowd was almost deafening, and Meredith had to strain to hear what she was saying.

"See what?" She grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler that was positioned close to the sidelines.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I wanted you to be prepared for the worst before this hits the media."

"You're scaring me…"

Cristina held her phone out. "I just got this email, it's about Hunter."

"What? Did something happen? An accident?" Meredith took the phone, and scanned the message, a sinking feeling invading her core. Then she looked at Cristina again. "Is this for real?"

"I think so, Mer. I mean, gossip can be blown out of proportion, but I know the guy who sent me this. He wouldn't pass this along if he didn't think it was true. He thinks it's just a matter of time before it's out on the internet."

Her hands shook as she handed the phone back. "Damnit, no wonder he's not taking my calls. That bastard…" The message indicated that Hunter had been seen with a woman, in several compromising situations that left no doubt they were intimately involved. There were pictures, but she didn't have the nerve to open any of them. According to the writer of the article, this had been going on for some time.

"Having an affair is a pretty shitty thing to do," Cristina agreed, shaking her head. "I always knew there was a reason I didn't like him. What an ass!"

"The worst thing is how this will affect Mia. She adores Hunter," Meredith sighed. In a way, she felt strangely unsurprised by this. She even suspected this wasn't the first time he fooled around, but she'd always managed to push that thought aside. But for other people to notice, he was obviously being careless. That wasn't going to be easy to ignore, and it was going to be painful for all of them. Their marriage hadn't been the best, and she could weather the storm this would bring, but for him to do this to Mia was unacceptable.

"I'm sorry, Mer. You deserve better than this."

"I can deal with this, seriously..." Meredith murmured. "I just need a little time."

"The hell with that! You need a good divorce lawyer, I know someone who can take care of things for you. You want me to call him?" Cristina had her fingers poised to scroll through her contact list.

"Maybe later, Cris, okay?" Meredith looked towards the stage, where Izzie was belting out one of her big hits. Derek was standing close behind her, intent on his guitar work, a slight sheen of sweat on his face, his hair falling over his forehead. For the first time since he'd showed up in her life again, Meredith let herself wonder if she could let herself get involved with him again. Then she shook her head, unable to think clearly at the moment. "Let me process all of this, we'll talk later." She smiled briefly at Cristina before heading back to the dressing room.


At the hotel, Meredith had the limo drop her off at the back entrance, and she kept a low profile, managing to avoid the paparazzi that hovered at the front door. After walking away from Cristina, it had taken longer than she liked to get out of the concert venue, signing autographs and pasting a smile on her face for fan selfies. Despite all the diva drama during the rehearsal, the concert had gone well, but all she wanted at the moment was a nice hot bath, and maybe a really big glass of wine. Definitely a big glass of wine was in order, and then she could deal with Hunter's actions.

She pushed the button for the elevator, and within seconds, it arrived smoothly, and she stepped into it. Without looking for anyone else that might be approaching, she selected her floor and the close doors option. Just as the door started to slide together, a hand stalled it, and then Derek stepped inside.

"Oh, hey..." she murmured, sharply aware of the close quarters of the elevator car. "What floor?"

"Sixteen..."

She punched the button and stepped back, looking at him. "Good show tonight..."

"Yeah, after all the dramatics at rehearsal, but then it's not like we haven't seen that before," he agreed. He leaned one shoulder against the wall of the elevator, and gave her a slight smile before looking towards the floor indicator. In his faded jeans, and white button-down shirt, he looked almost younger than he should have. She felt older and wearier in some ways.

"Izzie manages to pull it together, I'll give her that," she said.

"She does have a good voice, and if she ditched the attitude it would make things easier."

"I know…" Meredith paused, unable to keep her thoughts on Izzie. That was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She was here alone with Derek, and the knowledge that Hunter had betrayed their marriage vows made her a little reckless. As if every heated glance, every touch in passing, every smile seemed to have led up to this moment.

As Derek turned to look at her, she moved a little closer, caught in the intense blue gaze of his eyes. It was familiar, and yet it was different. She caught a whiff of his after shave, mixed with the scent of his skin after the intensity of the stage performance. The combination was heady and sent a spiral of pure desire down to her core. Her head tipped back, just as his lowered and his mouth hovered over hers. It felt so right, so damn good, that she couldn't think of anything else at the moment but this. Without conscious thought, her body responded and she pressed against him. His arms slid around her, strong and sure.

Time ceased to matter as he kissed her; a slow, mesmerizing kiss that was seductive and warm. He teased the corner of her mouth with his tongue, and she nearly gasped in response. She could feel his soul deep hunger, as if he thought this moment might be his only chance and meant to savor it. Her own response was just as hungry. Her arms slid around his neck, pulling him closer, giving in to the temptation for the moment. All too soon, the elevator slowed and she backed away from him reluctantly, attempting to control her sudden need for more kissing. Her breathing was erratic, matched by his own.

"God, Derek..." she murmured.

"I know, I'm sorry, Mer, I shouldn't have done that." Derek raked his hand through his hair, as the doors slid open on his floor.

For a moment, she touched her mouth, feeling the imprint of his lips there. "I wanted it as much as you, don't apologize. Look, things are a little bit of a mess for me right now, but I can't say more than that at the moment. Can we talk later?"

He nodded and paused the door. "You have my cellphone number...I'll be awake for awhile yet if you want to call me. Whatever is going on, I'll be happy to listen."

"Thanks," Meredith said softly, watching him disappear as the doors slid shut again. She sagged against the wall of the elevator as it whooshed silently upwards to her own floor. She made it to her room without even being aware of it, until she was there and standing staring out the windows at the city lights. Did that just happen? Her thoughts were completely scattered, and for a moment she glanced at the phone in her hand. The temptation to phone Derek and pour everything out to him was overwhelming, just as overwhelming as the desire to see him again.

She crossed the room to the bar and poured a glass of wine, and sank down onto the sofa. Maybe she should just call Cristina and get her to come by instead; that was a safer option by far. She took a swallow of wine and then picked up the phone again, resolutely meaning to call Cristina but somehow her fingers drifted over Derek's name on the contact list instead. The thought of the kiss they'd shared was obviously influencing her, and he was right here in the same hotel, just a few floors away.

But before she could select his name from the list, there was a sharp knock at the door and she dropped the phone as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. Maybe Cristina was there, bringing tequila and Chinese food to binge on...that would be so like her best friend.


Derek had paced the length of his hotel room a few times, too restless to sit down. He knew it had been the wrong thing to do, kissing Meredith like that had been completely impulsive and stupid. And yet it was obvious she had kissed him back, just as if there had been no time lost between them. Her hair still had the same soft lavender scent as it had before, something that had haunted him for a long time. It triggered too many memories that he thought he'd put away for good. He should have known that it would be like that between them. One kiss and he was lost to the feel of her in his arms, and the heady rush of desire that sent him spinning.

He paused, and looked at his cell phone, wondering if she was going to call him. It was madness, expecting something that shouldn't happen. They had managed to form a friendship again during the tour, even if seeing her on a daily basis again nearly killed him. Hearing her light laughter, listening to the emotion she channeled into her singing, and watching her move on the stage all made him question his sanity for doing the tour. Oh, he had to admit, it was good exposure for him, and he felt grateful for the response from the fans. And if Izzie was being a little too obvious about her motives when she got close to him on stage, he could handle that. Izzie wasn't Meredith and he wasn't interested in getting involved with a girl who was such a prima donna, no matter how much sex appeal she exuded.

Blowing out an exasperated breath, he sat on the bed and his glance drifted over to the mini bar. He pictured all the little bottles in there that would offer immediate solace to his frustration. He could almost taste the burn of the whiskey, and feel the warmth it would bring as it infused his system. Maybe just one, just to take the edge off...would he be able to handle just one? He stood up and took a step towards it, going so far as to put his hand out to open bar before he snatched it back. Instead, he grabbed his jacket and headed resolutely for the door. He would go for a walk, clear his head; at least, that was his intention, he really wasn't planning on doing anything else foolish, like stop by Meredith's room to talk to her.


Meredith threw open the hotel room door, smiling a little. "Cristina...you must be..." she started to say, but then her voice trailed off as she saw Hunter standing there instead. He looked a little more rumpled than usual, and the smile on his lips didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Sorry, not Cristina, babe..." he said, shrugging. "We need to talk."

"Oh you have no idea," she muttered, letting him step into the room.

Down the hallway, Derek stopped, watching Hunter disappear into Meredith's hotel room. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised and yet he couldn't help the twist of jealousy that went through him. As he walked away, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "Richard, sorry to call you so late but I need to talk to you..."