Pleasant Surprises

Chapter 11

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Here is chapter 11. I had not included Derek for a few chapters…well since he's been gone and MIA. There has been talk about him but he had not made an appearance…until today! Here is a synopsis of his thoughts about Meredith and his attitude towards…well, life! Here is an insight as to what his jumbled thoughts must be now that he is alone and all his thoughts can be centered on where his life is going. I am happier with Derek on the show now and I can forgive him anything but I still want Mark and Meredith in this story. Can't fight that. He can't compete with Mark and win…at least not in Pleasant Surprises. However, that is not to say that he won't try once he gets his head on straight. LOL and he will.

Let me know your thoughts! Once again I want to thank everyone for your kind reviews.

Happy Reading!

GA…GA…GA…GA

Derek looked out at the water and the beautiful scenery that was before him. He was nestled in the hills of Roanoke, West Virginia. He had decided to come to this place because he knew that they had one of the best golf courses and fishing was great in Roanoke. He had tried to golf but found that he was a bit distracted and golf was a game where focus was of the essence. He would try to play again another day but for today he basked in the glory of being in a beautiful lake with a fishing pole floating in the water…waiting…waiting…for a fish or a couple of fish to bite.

Derek closed his eyes and felt himself relax as thoughts came into his mind. Waiting…hadn't that been his eternal flaw? Waiting? Waiting for the right time to tell Meredith that he loved her and it ended up being the wrong time anyway. Waiting to see if his marriage would work out? In the end it was burned down to the ground. Waiting to see if maybe Meredith would choose him over Finn and in the end he had ended up walking away from her and what she was apparently willing to offer. The Chief's words were still fresh in his mind but he had realized in the past day or so that he had used that as an excuse to do what he did best: walk away from issues that he couldn't deal with. Meredith was right. Addison was right. Even Mark was right. He ran from his problems and he couldn't stop himself. What was wrong with him? Was he afraid that in the end Meredith would choose someone else? He had done just that. Why not her, right? Maybe in the end – just the thought of finally knowing that he had lost her -- made him more fearful than she had ever been of him choosing Addison.

It was not that he was scared of seeing himself in the mirror and have the actions that had caused her so much pain come back full force to him. After all karma was what kept the world going round and round and what goes around, eventually comes around. The problem was that he never stopped loving her and he feared that she would stop loving him if he chose someone other than him. He knew that when Meredith decided who she wanted to be with; that person would be the one to occupy her thoughts, her heart and her soul and to think that if he was not the one that was chosen by her, his life would be emptier than when he was in New York.

It still made him feel like a coward though. As he reflected back on his actions of the past couple of days he had to admit to himself that he had run and that – although one of the hardest things to do – he just might have to go back and rectify things. But how to do that, how could he now go back to Seattle and tell Meredith that possibly he had made a mistake? The conversation they last had was fresh on his mind. She had been furious at him and she had told him that running away was not the answer and that it was her decision to make whether to stay with him or with Finn. She was right; he had just been too stubborn to accept that and too prideful to admit that he was jealous of Finn and the way that Finn seemed to know Meredith at a level that he didn't – they were friends first.

Add on his marriage to Addison which had left a sour taste in his mouth and finding out – through her no less – that she had lived with Mark; that their rendezvous had not been a one time deal but something that had progressed over an extended period of time had made his mind and his heart reel. He couldn't come to terms with that and he had said some terrible things to Addison. He now regretted them but he did not regret the outcome of that meeting. That had put the final nail in their coffin, guilt included. He had felt so bad at misleading her into believing that their marriage actually had a chance. Truth be told it was doomed from the start. He knew that he was not entirely into making things work because he had never given up on Meredith, no matter what he had Addison believe. But now with this newfound information he was able to let go of all the guilt he had and now he knew that he was completely free from whatever hold Addison still had on him but for some reason he couldn't give himself entirely to Meredith either.

He needed some time alone and he was going to do just that. He knew that this involved the possibility of losing Meredith and the way he had left – without saying goodbye to her – was another big risk that he took. She at this point would be furious at him and he didn't blame her but how could he have gone to the hospital and said goodbye? He had already walked away from her and he had said his goodbye. He knew it was a copout but it was true. Wouldn't he have sent mixed messages if he had said goodbye? Yet he could not tell her that he was leaving town. So he had told the Chief to tell her that he was leaving and he knew that he would be brought to the ringer as soon as he came back to town.

He didn't know what he was going to face when he went back to Seattle but for now he would try to put his thoughts in order and try to relax. He needed time to settle things in his heart, in his mind and in his soul and this was the perfect place to do that. Hopefully Meredith would understand and be waiting for him.

GA…GA…GA…GA…

Cristina walked into Meredith's room and looked at her as she smiled at her: "Cristina. Your shift over?" Meredith questioned, her smile still on her face. "Come sit." She said, excited to see her best friend. She was bored to tears and needed someone to talk to. Mark had left a while back and before Cristina came in through that door she was actually hoping that he would stop by because she always had a good time with him. But now that Cristina was here she would be okay.

"What are you doing?" Cristina asked, not beating around the bush and no sugar coating in her words. She was a little worried about Meredith and her so-called friendship with Mark. There was no way that she would not ask her. She needed to know what they had to deal with and once she knew they could tackle the problem accordingly.

"I'm laying in bed." Meredith said, her first attempt at a joke in a while. What was her problem? She didn't look too happy. Meredith wondered if maybe it had something to do with Burke.

"No Meredith. What are you doing with Sloane?" Cristina had heard all these little rumors…that he had spent most of the morning with her and that yesterday he had actually talked to her as well. This was not good. Meredith seemed to always fall for the types that would make her life miserable and Sloane was one of them. Sloane was worse than Derek! No way, no how would she allow her friend to be heartbroken by another man that was not for her.

"What do you mean?" Meredith questioned. What was Cristina talking about?

"I mean him being with you almost every waking moment. Your laughter could be heard all the way to the nurses desk this morning and gossip has it that it was Sloane who was making you laugh like that. So, again, what's up with Sloane?" she questioned, clearly annoyed at Meredith's lack of cooperation. She was only trying to help him.

"He's my friend. Why can't I be friends with him?" Meredith asked, finally realizing that Cristina was really serious about this.

"He's not your friend Meredith. He wants something else from you. Sloane doesn't do friends. He never has." Cristina pointed out.

"How the hell do you know?" Meredith asked defensively. Mark had been nothing but nice to her and now here was her best friend bad mouthing him and honestly she didn't like it – not one bit. "He has done nothing but be supportive of me and yes he was the one that made me laugh this morning but Cristina we were playing UNO." She commented as she smiled genuinely. "It was nothing more than that."

"You were playing UNO?" Cristina asked with disgust in her voice. "Get serious, please." She continued. "I haven't played that shit since I was in elementary school."

"I know!" Meredith exclaimed as she smiled. "That's why I was laughing. I need a good laugh Cristina. You as well as anybody else knows that Derek left me hanging and I don't know what to do with that. Mark…well Mark is just trying to make me feel better but he is not doing it because he wants something out of it. I believe that he is doing it because he is a nice guy." Meredith stated.

"A nice guy? Are we talking about the same man who slept with his best friend's wife?" Cristina asked, as she sarcastically put her index finger to her lips. "Yep. That would be the one. Give me a break Mere. He is trying to get into your pants and if he's not he will try. That's the way men like him operate."

"I know that you think you know his type but Mark he doesn't fit the exact prototype of man with no soul and womanizer. I'm not saying that he is not both of those things but with me it's different. We're different. I think he identifies with me and I identify with him."

"Different? Oh my God do you hear yourself? I think that's his game – to convince you that he is not the bad guy everybody is making him out to be. George thinks the same way I do." Cristina stated, trying to make her see that not only was she worried about her but also her other friends.

"George? How did George get involved in this?" Meredith questioned her and for some reason she knew that she probably was not going to like the answer.

"He told me that he went up to Sloane today and told him to leave you alone because he would only hurt you more than you already were."

"He what?" Meredith asked feeling anger rise up in her chest. "Who gave him the right to do that? What was he thinking?" she questioned, clearly flabbergasted. "Cristina I don't care what George or you think of Mark! What matters is what I think of him."

"What gives him the right?" Cristina questioned and answered: "The right that he has as your friend. We are all worried about you Meredith, including George. Don't you see? We're afraid that Sloane is going to make you fall for his game and in the end you will be one of his many conquests and you will be hurt by Derek and hurt by Sloane and maybe you won't be able to pick yourself up from it. So sorry but I do think that George has every right to tell Sloane how he feels. Besides who would have thought that George would get the courage to do that?" Cristina pointed out. "You should be happy he finally grew some balls and spoke his mind."

"You guys don't know Mark to pass such a judgment but you know what it's fine. I can see that my friends do not think that I can take care of myself. Thanks for stopping by Cristina but I need to take a nap. I'm tired." Meredith said, dismissing her. She could not believe this.

"Don't be mad at us for being concerned." Cristina stated as she went to the door.

"I can take care of myself Cristina. Tell George to not go about spewing at the mouth especially not to Mark. You guys could not be more wrong about him." She said as she laid back down against the pillows and closed her eyes. She did not want to talk to Cristina anymore.

It was official her day was shot to hell. What the hell was wrong with her and to just bring the point home she was actually wondering where the hell Mark was. Why? She decided not to ponder that for now.

GA…GA…GA…GA…

Mark heard his pager go off and instinctively pulled it out of its jacket and saw a room number – Meredith's room number. He smiled without even realizing it and got up and walked towards her room. What was wrong? Was something wrong? He did not receive the page with a 911 attached to it so she must be fine. He found himself picking up his step and was outside of her door in less than three minutes. He knocked slowly and smiled as he saw her come out of the bathroom slowly and her hand grabbing her side.

"Hey." He exclaimed, immediately going to her side and helping her to the bed. "Let me help you."

"Thanks." She said, as he helped her lay down. She looked up at him and motioned for him to take the seat closest to her bed. "I need to apologize to you." She began as she saw Mark scrunch his brow.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "You haven't done anything to piss me off – at least not yet."

"No I meant I have to apologize for my friends…well George in particular. Cristina told me that he went to you and told you to leave me alone. I'm sorry."

Mark held up his hand and smiled. "I don't care what O'Malley says Meredith. I only care what you say. If you want me out of your life I will leave but if you want me to stay and keep you company and make you smile then I'll be here to do just that."

"George had no right…" she started again but immediately shut up as he saw Mark's hand come up to silence her. "I told you that it doesn't matter. What do you think? That I can't defend myself from O'Malley or anyone else that tries to tell me what to do? Meredith in case you haven't noticed I particularly don't care what people think of me – if they think I am a cad or a dick it doesn't matter to me. I am who I am and I show the people that I care about the true Mark. If O'Malley has issues, then he has issues and all I can say to that is screw him. As long as you're okay with you and me and whatever it is were doing then I'm fine with it." Mark finalized trying to the best of his ability to not show that this conversation was not only making him nervous but frustrated and mad as well.

"What are we doing Mark?" she questioned hesitantly. Maybe Cristina was right and he wanted something from her and she just had not picked up on it. "Mark?" she prodded. She needed to know. If he did want something other than friendship with her she didn't know if she could give that. She did know that she felt very comfortable with him and that she enjoyed his company but she didn't know where that led or what her feelings for him were out of the context of her protector and the person that apparently understood her better than anyone else. Was there something there? She didn't know. She hadn't explored that possibility.

Mark looked up at her and smiled. "I don't know Meredith. I would be lying to you if I told you that I didn't find you attractive but then again you know that. I would be lying if I didn't tell you that sometimes I wonder what it would be like if you had not met Derek and met me instead? I wonder about so many things and I just don't know what to do with that information. I know you love Derek and I know Derek loves you but I can't help but think what would happen if you and I would explore something other than friendship."

Meredith looked at him in stunned silence. He had actually voiced his thoughts out loud and she didn't know what to do with that. "I thought you wanted to make things better with Derek. How would this make it better?" she questioned putting him on the spot. "I don't understand."

Mark raised his brow and laughed. "I didn't say I was going to act on these feelings Meredith." He pointed out.

"Sorry." She smiled, as she felt slightly embarrassed. "I guess I got ahead of myself. Sorry your reputation precedes you and I thought that you were not going to care." Meredith shrugged her shoulders.

"I care Meredith. You should know better than that. If I have showed my true colors to anyone it's to you. I love Derek – more than you could realize. He is my brother. We shared so many things. We loved each other and there was nothing that I would not do for that man. I ask myself time and time again why I fucked up so bad with him and while I am sorry for what happened between us I have got to say that I can't stay away from you like he told me too. What does that mean? Where does that lead us? I don't know."

"He told you to stay away from me? Why?" Meredith stated, curiosity getting the best of her.

"He doesn't trust me and he shouldn't. Like you say not only my reputation precedes me but my track record with him is not that great. He told me that I was not allowed to be anywhere near you; that I was not allowed to speak to you and that I should not stand closer than 500 feet from you." Mark replied.

"But he left." Meredith stated. "I think he lost the right to tell you or me who to hang out with."

Mark laughed quietly at her response. "I think that you're mad at him and that's why you said what you said. Once you make up you will prefer his presence to mine."

Meredith smiled at him. "Mark I enjoy your presence…a lot. I really do." She couldn't fully tell him why she enjoyed his presence so much. He had made her feel human again. He had made her feel normal. He had made her feel that she was not the only one who had issues to deal with and most importantly he had told her that she wasn't the only one that was fucked up, that he was fucked up as well and that meant the world to her – to know that she wasn't alone had been a great source of comfort.

"Me too." Mark conceded. "I have had so much fun with you. You make me smile. You make me laugh; you have even managed to make me enjoy UNO again. I am more of a poker man, I'll have you know."

"Yeah well you just had some good luck."

"No, I'm just that good." He kidded back and laughed as she scowled at him. "Besides maybe if you practice a bit you'll get better."

Meredith laughed out loud. "What are you talking about? It's UNO! There's no science to it."

"That's why you lose Dr. Grey." Mark stated. "There's always a science to everything."

"Are we okay Mark?" Meredith suddenly asked, a serious tone in her voice. "I don't want George or Cristina; not even Derek to make you think that you need to stay away from me. I want you to come around." She said, honestly. "Even if you think you shouldn't because they have told you not to. I want you to come by if you feel like it or if you don't, don't; but let it be your decision."

Mark looked at her and smiled. "Be sure of what you say. You don't want to get into trouble young lady. I can be poison." He said, as he smirked. He could be telling her jokingly but there was an element of truth to that.

"I will take my chances." Meredith said and continued: "I am learning a great deal about you Dr. Sloan and so far I like what I see. You are a good friend to me. I don't want to lose that."

"You won't. Unless you kick me out of your life, I am here." Mark said sincerely. Wherever this relationship was headed he would encounter the problems as they came but for now he was going to enjoy Meredith and how much he made her laugh.

Okay guys let me know what you guys think.