Chapter 25

Derek really couldn't help himself as the pair approached the ferry terminal as pictures of Meredith covered in mud kept creeping into his mind and he felt little smiles crossing his face as he bit his cheeks to stop from drawing attention to his amusement.

'Stop that'

'What?'

'You know what?'

'I'm driving'

'Stop with the smirking it's not nice'

'You think I'm smirking, wait till Cristina finds out'

'You wouldn't?'

'Wouldn't I?'

'Please...'

'Well how are you going to explain the new additions to your wardrobe?'

'She might not be there.'

'And if she is'

'Oooh look the ferry is in, let's go'

'Stop changing the subject'

'I'll think of something ok, I'll think of something'

'Are you coming in?'

Derek looked surprised at Meredith's offer, after his teasing the whole way over and the fact they had already spent nearly 24 hours together, he really wasn't expecting to be asked in.

'Urm...yeah...yeah I will thanks'

'Derek surgeons don't say urm' she laughed as she got out of the jeep and called back for him to hurry up. He looked up towards the drive that she was walking down and took a deep breath. He had wanted to know where she lived for a long time, he has wondered what her house was like, what she liked to surround herself with and now he was about to find out.

He couldn't explain it but he felt nervous, so far her own house had remained at a distance from him. But now, just the offer for him to go in was her letting him in a little bit more, she trusted him and as happy as he was about that, he was petrified too as he didn't ever want to let her down.

When he got to the door he was relieved to see it open for him to go in and as he stepped into the hallway he could just see Meredith disappearing away at the top of the stairs, probably desperate to get back into her own clothes!

'I'll be right down' she shouted 'the kitchen is at the end of the hall...coffee?'

He laughed and called back up the stairs 'I should have known'

'Known?'

'Yeah invite me on for coffee, make me make my own'

'Well might as well make yourself useful' she called back.

He smiled as he walked down the hall towards the kitchen, he passed the living room on his left and was taken aback by its bareness... a couch, a chair, a TV, a couple of photographs, a small coffee table and that was more or less it...it was stark and cold, it didn't really look lived in. He continued back to the kitchen wondering what he would see in here. He hadn't been expecting to see bare and blank, he figured it would be bright and cluttered. But there were no personal things, not really.

He couldn't help but smile as he walked into the kitchen and realised it was like something an architect would design, it was beautiful! He already knew from Alex that she couldn't cook so it surprised him when this amazing, beautiful space filled the back of her house and he couldn't help but wonder how many times the stove had been turned on for anything other than reheating! He would love to cook in here, it was bigger that his whole trailer!

A gorgeous old oak table stood on one side by a door leading out onto to what Derek expected to be a porch and the garden and a huge side board took up nearly one wall and appeared to hold enough plates and saucers for about 25 people!

He hunted out the coffee and got it onto boil just as Meredith appeared back at the door, her hair now wet again and a robe covering her body.

'You showered again?' he asked

'Yeah, I smelt of man' she laughed 'don't get me wrong I appreciated the shower I really did, but the products where all for you and your a man, so it meant I smelt like man...and it just wasn't very me!'

'It's ok you don't have to explain' he smiled as he opened the cupboard doors looking for mugs.

'There is something wrong with this picture' she said as she sat down at the table and looked over at Derek

'Wrong?' he asked as he continued searching for mugs

'Top left cupboard' she offered before continuing 'you, in my kitchen, making me coffee'

'A surgeon's work is never done'

She smiled at the scene in front of her as he turned around and poured the coffee before returning to the table and placing in front of her

'Black, straight up' he offered as she lifted the mug up to her lips and blew over the top of the hot liquid to ensure she didn't burn herself

'Mmmmm perfect, you remembered' she smiled as she enjoyed the caffeine fix that the coffee was providing for her

'Are you hungry I could fix you something to eat? She asked as she got up to take the now empty coffee mugs to the sink.

Derek panicked at the thought of Meredith cooking as his mind turned back to Joes a couple of nights earlier when he had shared a beer or two with Alex. Karev had very firmly said that Meredith couldn't cook and last time she had he had broken out in some crazy kind of rash across his face

'No, no, honestly please don't put yourself out for me...I'm not even that hungry, really. .' he paused as his stomach rumbled and Meredith looked up to face Derek

'Was that your stomach?'

'Was that my what? No must have been something outside' he blurted out as his stomach rolled again, louder this time

'Derek your stomach is rumbling please let me fix you something'

'It's ok, honestly, I can't wait, and I'm fine' he offered hoping that she would accept he didn't want anything.

'I really don't mind, I owe you or something! You cooked breakfast and that was hours ago now'

He really didn't know what to say, he didn't want to hurt her feelings, but the thought of a body covered in an itchy rash was also not very appealing as he looked up with a guilty look upon his face.

'Spit it out Derek, you obviously want to say something' she walked around to the middle work unit and sat herself up on the cupboard, letting her legs swing freely underneath the breakfast bar below.

'Ok if I tell you - you have to not shout, or get mad we are friends and friends tell each other things, yeah?'

'Yeah yeah friends whatever just tell me' she laughed

'It's just...Alex said...to avoid your cooking at all costs...' he looked up apologetically

'He said what! That cheeky...that's the last time I rescue him up from some random psychos house in the middle of the night, or make him his favourite omelette for his breakfast!' She gasped as she jumped back down of the counter top and stomped out of the kitchen

'Meredith wait, I'm sure he is just joking...come on, come back we can make food together'

'No it really doesn't matter I'm not even that hungry, it's just your stomach was...and I wanted to do something nice to say thanks or something'

He hadn't expected her to be so sensitive to his cooking admission and knew he had to fix this as soon as he could

'How about a game? A compromise?' he asked as the stood at the entrance to the living room.

'A game? Really Derek now is not the time for a quick go around the game of fricking life board!'

'No not that sort of game.' He said as he walked past her into the living room and sat himself down in the arm chair nearest the fireplace. She looked over him as he made himself comfortable and couldn't help but smile at how at ease he was, as if he had been here a hundred times before.

'When we are at college it started as a drinking game but as I got older I tried to use it for important decisions too, which sounds silly, but sometimes...sometimes it helps.'

'A drinking game sounds good to me 'she smirked

'Another time this can definitely be the drinking version but for now it's no ok?'

'Ok. But I'm still none the wiser what is this game...?'

'Option A or Option B' he offered as she looked at him confused.

'What?'

'It's a simple concept really I present you with two options and you have to pick one, there is nothing difficult to it!'

'And this can be a drinking time how?' she smiled as she noticed him relax further into the chair

'If you don't pick you drink...simple really'

'Sounds like my ideal game, put a straw in my tequila and I'm done' she laughed

'So anyway Option A – we cook, together in that amazing kitchen back there, and then I least know everything is cooked through enough...'

'You cheeky...' she moaned as she threw a couch cushion over at him, he caught it and laughed at her feeble effort to hurt him

'And Option B – you get dressed, dry your hair and we go into town for the afternoon and I buy you dinner and we enjoy the rest of our day off.'

He looked over at her and smiled as he waited for her answer.

'what I don't get is how that would be much fun as a drinking game I mean who wants to talk about food or eating out when at a party involving drinking games?'

'Meredith you have to pick A or B and I promise whichever one you pick I will fill you in on a few examples of options from the party version...'

'Ok but what about C...'

'There is no C' he laughed

'Well new rule...Option C...it's just a slight alteration to b anyway so that counts or something'

'Ok ok let's hear it whets C?'

'Option C – I get dressed, dry my hair and we go into town for the afternoon and I buy YOU dinner and we enjoy the rest of our day off'

He smiled as he realised what she was saying 'I like the sound of C...your treat I get it'

'To say thank you' she said as she stood up and headed towards the bottom of the stairs.

'Just give me a few minutes to get ready and we can get going. The TV control should be around there some place unless Cristina had it then it's probably lost forever' she laughed as she ran upstairs eager to get ready.

Derek looked around the room from the arm chair he had gotten so comfortable in; the room really was pretty scarce and blank – like an empty canvas waiting for its first splash of colour. His eyes focussed on the coffee table not far from his feat and he smiled as he noticed the frame held a picture of Meredith, Cristina and Alex from a good few years ago – college maybe? He leaned forwards on the chair and picked up the photograph and laughed as he realised that Alex had the V sign held up behind cristina's head (who was oblivious to the fact) and Meredith had obviously just noticed out of the corner of her eye as she was smiling and laughing in a way he had never noticed before! She looked so young, so innocent, worry free...

He gently placed the frame back on the table before getting up and walking over to the top of the fireplace where another couple of pictures stood.

The first one held a picture of cristina and an older lady he assumed was her mother, the second was Alex and 2 younger children (siblings maybe he didn't know) but they were all standing in the back garden of a house Alex kitted out in wrestling gear and the smaller children running circles around him!

The third made him stop still in his tracks as his eyes fell on a picture of Meredith sitting between a man's legs, his arms draped around her shoulders, his knees bent upwards capturing her close to him and the smiles on both their faces as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek radiated from the photograph...

'That's William' he heard quietly from behind him as he jumped and nearly sent the photograph crashing to the floor in shock as he turned around and saw that Meredith was now leaning on the door frame, tears pooled along her lashes

'Shall we go?' she asked as she spun around and walked towards the door

'Meredith?' he called after her as he ran to catch her up

'I know...I know what you are going to say, just not now ok, can we please just go and enjoy dinner, but soon I promise' she spoke softly as she turned to look at Derek and he couldn't miss the sadness that was written across her face, or the pain that was in her voice as she spoke

'I promise soon'