So I want to start by saying I have 100 reviews for this story, which makes me happy. The support has been fantastic. To be honest I never really thought anyone would enjoy a story that involves Derek cheating, or support people are particularly touchy about I would just like to say Thank you to all the people who have read this story and to let you all know that I truly appreciate the support. Anyway here's the next chapter, it's a bit different. -Lumae

For Derek life was starting to click. Things were working, his marriage, his job, his whole life were finally working the way he wanted. The other night when Meredith had asked for sex, he had been blindsided, but ultimately happy. So as he sat in his office, studying a perfectly simple scan, thinking about his perfecting life, he did not hear his sister come in.

"What are you looking at?" Amelia asked, shaking him out of his mind and sitting down beside him.

"Just a patient's MRI that I was asked to consult on." Derek said, they where a simple second opinion, really just a confirmation of the first doctors views. It was a spinal cyst, one of the more common ones. It was small, not really impinging on any nerves or compressing any vessels, although if Derek had to be perfectly honest, it did look like it may one day, eventually do so. However at the moment it was just harmlessly chilling in the spinal canal of the patient.

"Let's see." Amelia said, peering down at the images.

"Nice, so when are you operating?" Amelia asked.

"I'm not." Derek said surprised that Amelia would even consider an operation.

"It's a cyst in a person's spine." Amelia said.

"I know that, I can read these you know." Derek said

"Well clearly not very well." Amelia prodded.

"It's a cyst, a small cyst, it's not hurting anyone, including the patient." Derek said.

"But you could operate." Amelia said

"Why would I?" Derek asked, it was standard procedure to just observe these kinds of cysts, watch them, carefully but not aggressively.

"Derek how old is the patient?" Amelia asked

"Twenty-Four." Derek said.

"So why aren't you operating?" Amelia asked.

"Because there's no need to, I mean come on Amelia, you can clearly see that the cyst is harmless at the moment plus it barely has any of the co factors that would make it seem at all sinister, but surgery, spinal surgery, is fraught with dangers." Derek justified, he still couldn't see why Amelia was so hell bent on operating on a patient who clearly in his o pinon didn't need surgery.

"Derek, how can you be so short sighted, you know these types of cysts can grow and cause problems at the drop of a hat. Why leave it until it can do damage to the spine why leave it until this patient ends up with permanent damage to their spine." Amelia said as Owen walked into the room.

"What's going on in here?" Owen asked, seeing that the two siblings were clearly at odds.

"We are having a professional disagreement on a patient, on my patient's treatment plan." Derek said looking to Owen, for support. This was Derek's patient, the patients doctor had asked him to consult not Amelia.

"I am the head of neurosurgery, so any patient of yours are still my responsibility." Amelia countered.

"It's fine to have a disagreement." Owen said, trying to calm the situation down.

"It is, what is not fine, is advocating for a procedure the patient does not need right now." Derek said.

"You know just as well as I do that, that cyst is a ticking time bomb of nerve squishing, spinal cord pulverizing, expansion." Amelia said.

"I know that it is doing none of that right now and that like with any surgery there is always the chance for complications. Why risk that, for the possibility of problems further down the track." Derek said, this was getting tiresome, Amelia had no right to hijack his consult and try and force her treatment plan on a patient who at the end of the day didn't belong to either of them.

"Derek, if we wait and this patient's cyst does expand it could do irreversible damage. Do you really want to be responsible for that, because you just wanted to play it safe?" Amelia said annoyed, Derek was back to his old tricks trying to run the department that he no longer had control over.

"Enough." Owen said.

"You two are behaving like children, what does the patient want?" Owen asked.

Derek paused, he had the notes, he knew they would fall in Amelia's favor but not for the right reasons, he was not going to lie.

"The patient is anxious, understandably." Derek admitted.

"And would prefer to have the cyst taken care of." Derek muttered. It was not right, you did not do prophylactic neurosurgery, which in a lot of ways this was.

"See." Amelia said.

"Just because the patient is vulnerable, and does not quite understand the situation does not mean we get to offer him potentially risky surgery. He needs the situation to be explained, and to be monitored." Derek said, looking at Owen

"Owen," Amelia said, looking at him.

"I" Owen stuttered.

"I think Amelia is right Derek, if the patient wants surgery and Amelia thinks it is required, I think you need to let her operate, she is the head of neursurgery." Owen said as Derek's face fell.

"That doesn't mean my opinion is any less valid, this isn't right." Derek said, annoyed and defeated, he was suppose to be advocating for this patient and in the end he had failed.

"You can go and talk to the patient Amelia tell them they can have their surgery in 12 hours." Owen said, as Amelia smiled at Derek.

"It is not a victory Amelia." Derek said, before walking away.

For the first time since he had gotten back from DC he found himself resenting his new job. It was not because he did not love his job, but because his position seemed to be belittling him. How was it that his opinion was not as valid as it was before he took the job. Derek spent the rest of the day, charting and checking up on his post ops. Meredith texted him to ask what time he would be home for dinner, he called her back.

"Derek." Meredith's voice rang through the phone, she was surprised usually he never called, only texted.

"Meredith." Derek said, just hearing her speak made his day better.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.
"Yes, no. Amelia well she stole a patient of mine, with Owens help and is now going to do an unnecessary procedure." Derek admitted.

"Derek, everyone steals patients all the time, you've stolen her patients before. And we don't always agree with each others surgical opinions" Meredith said.

"I know, but it's not that she stole the patient, or had a different opinion. It was that my opinion, Owen made it feel like it was less worthy because I wasn't head of the department. That somehow my surgical opinion didn't hold as much weight as it did before." Derek said, it felt good to be able to talk to Meredith.

"Derek, your opinion still matters, you are still the same doctor you were before, just because it didn't go the way you wanted it to, doesn't mean you lost, or that you are any less of a doctor than Amelia." Meredith said, her words of wisdom, providing Derek with the support and boost he needed.

"You're right." Derek said.

"What time will you be home tonight?" Meredith asked.

"I don't know, I kind of wanted to watch Amelia operate on the patient." Derek said.

"That's okay." Meredith said.

"Hey how did your session with Paul go?" Derek asked, because now they were at the stage where they talked about their therapy sessions.

"It was, it was good." Meredith said, she wanted to tell Derek she forgave him, but she didn't want to do it over the phone.

"That's good." Derek said.

"So I'll see you when I see you." Meredith said into the phone.

"You don't have to wait up." Derek said.

"I know but I will, I love you Derek." Meredith said.

"I love you to." Derek said with a smile as the line went dead.

Derek let out a sigh, the anger and emotion he had been carrying around regarding Amelia had disappeared while he was on the phone with Meredith. He decided he would watch Amelia operate, not to judge but to support his little sister who was doing well. As he sat in the Gallery, Owen walked in.

"Look Derek I am sorry I didn't side with you." Owen said.

"It's fine, no hard feelings." Derek said, not looking away from Amelia.

"Really I thought you'd be angry for like a week." Owen said surprised.

"I'm not angry you made a descison and it's the job, I am not angry." Derek said looking up at Owen.

"She's good, your sister." Owen said.

"I'm sure she is." Derek said, raising an eyebrow.

"I" Owen stuttered,"I meant surgically, she's good, with good instincts."

"You've changed Derek, a year ago, I would have ended up with a black eye at the very least and now, you sit here, content with life, it's impressive, you really have changed and I am glad." Owen said

"I am glad too, but can you shut up so I can watch my sister operate." Derek said, he was sick of Owen being all glad, he had cheated on his wife, he didn't deserve any praise for changing.

Half way through the procedure, the patient started to show signs of distress.

"He's reacting to the anesthetics." The anesthesiologist said much to Amelia's horror.

"Get it under control." Amelia's voice came through the intercom.

Derek and Owen sat there in shock.

"This isn't good is it." Owen said.

"The patients spine is exposed of course it's not good." Derek said standing up and moving over to the intercom.

Amelia looked up at Derek.

"Don't look at me, just focus Amelia, you can do this." Derek said.

The words helped Amelia gain control of the situation, they got the patients heart under control, unfortunately, he suffered spinal damage. After the surgery, Derek found Amelia sitting in the scrub room.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked, sitting down next to her.

"Why are you here, to gloat, to say I told you so?" Amelia asked.

"I am not here to gloat I am here to check on you." Derek said, he put all his opinions to the side, because Amelia was first and foremost his sister.

"I screwed up and now the patient is going to pay the price for my mistake for the rest of his life." Amelia said, tears flowing down her face.

"It was a complication." Derek said.

"A complication that could have been avoided if we didn't operate on him." Amelia said, shaking her head.

"I wanted to operate, and I thought it was because I truly believed it was the right decision but part of me feels it was about control." Amelia admitted.

"Amelia, you are just trying to blame yourself, yes maybe I disagreed with you but that doesn't make me right, it does not make you wrong either, we are different surgeons, with different opinions. It's okay." Derek soothed.

"Am I going to lose my job?" Amelia asked looking up at her brother.

"No, it was a complication, a medication reaction, it was unforeseeable, your operating skills were flawless." Derek said.

"Why didn't you want to operate?" Amelia asked.

"I" Derek paused.

"Because sometimes it is better to take a situation slowly, sometimes it is better to wait, before cutting." Derek said.

"It harder knowing when not to operate than knowing when to." Derek said.

"But that still doesn't make what you did wrong." Derek said earnestly.

"Thank you." Amelia said, getting up.

"Thank you for being here for me." She said.

"Anytime, do you want me to go talk to the patient?" Derek asked.

"No, you should go home to your wife, I hear you are sharing the same bed." Amelia said, with a slight smirk.

"We're taking things slow." Derek said getting up.

"I'm sure you are." Amelia said, the smirk getting larger as Derek's phone beeped.

Derek looked down at his phone, shocked to see who was texting him.

"Is that Meredith?" Amelia asked.

"No." Derek said gruffly, before swiping at his phone.

"Then who was it?" Amelia asked.

"I, it was Natalie." Derek admitted, feeling small, he blocked the number, and deleted the text.

"Wait, like Natalie, Natalie, why is she texting you?" Amelia asked confused.

"I don't know, maybe it's got something to do with the brain initiative moving here but to be honest I don't care." Derek said "And not my job to help the brain initiative."

"Don't mess up again Derek." Amelia said.

"I won't believe me." Derek said.

"I'm going home to my lovely, gorgeous, sexy, brilliant wife." Derek said.

As Derek drove home, he quickly forgot about the text, he couldn't wait to see Meredith and thank her for helping him put things in perspective with Amelia. He was glad to see the lights still on as he pulled into the driveway Meredith had waited.

He walked into the house, the scent of charcoal filled his nose, he saw Meredith sitting on the couch.

"I tried to cook, but it didn't end well so I order Thai." Meredith said motioning to the boxes of take out in front of her.

"What's the occasion?" Derek asked, despite Meredith's inability to cook, which he found endearing, she very rarely ordered take out, she would just heat.

"I forgive you Derek." Meredith said, as Derek looked at her with such adoration

TBC

How was that, I thought I would leave it there, because I do want to maybe go further into the forgiveness but I also didn't want the chapter to be 3000 words. So you get a taste and I will get back to you soon. Also this chapter was about Derek's growth not his destruction keep that in mind.

Cheers

Lumae