As they were finishing up breakfast, Amanda started to clear the table. Derek was quick to jump up and help.

Mark sat his napkin on his plate and got up to take his plate to the kitchen sink, "That was great."

Amanda turned around and looked at Mark, "I'm glad you liked it. Now, we want you to come back and visit as soon as you can."

Mark smiled . . . thinking about the reason he had to come back and visit . . . one sexy blonde named Izzie Stevens, "Oh, I plan on it. Matter of fact, I have the weekend off in 3 weeks and I was planning on coming back and visiting my good friend Derek here." Mark patted Derek on the back while Derek rolled his eyes knowing . . . really why he would be coming back to Laramie.

William liked Mark and thought he was good for his son, "Well, that is great Mark and I will tell you what. We will switch our Sunday night dinner with the Sullivan's to Saturday night so you can join us."

Derek looked over to Mark, "Yeah and maybe we can invite the Karev's, Izzie, and Hannah." Derek said.

Amanda thought it was a great idea, "And we can have Meredith make the apple pie again . . . she did a wonderful job with it last time."

Mark leaned against the counter, not as excited. Spending time with Izzie was one thing, but he told Derek that they wanted to wait to have him meet Hannah. As he glared at Derek, he tried to put on his best Mark Sloan smile when he looked at Amanda, "That sounds great."

Once the dishes were done and put away, Mark said that he had to go. He really would like to stay a little longer but, he had a phone call he had to make the second he got in the car.

Mark and Derek were heading out to Mark's car and he hit Derek in the arm.

"What the hell? What did you do that for? Why do I keep getting hit? That makes 3 times in 24 hours." Derek was puzzled.

"Do what for . . . Invite Izzie and Hannah for dinner . . . That's what."

"Wait . . . I thought you wanted to see more of her. Mark, don't start playing games with her already. I told you she is my sister. You can't go around playing games with her head." Derek finished loudly.

Mark shook his head, "I am not playing games with her. But, I told you . . . we talked about this and we want to wait . . . before I meet Hannah. Izzie was very clear with that and believe it or not, I agree." He looked seriously at Derek.

"I just thought that it would be a nice way for you to meet Hannah without having her know that you and her mom are . . . whatever you are."

"Now . . . you tell me . . . you really think that Izzie is going to be able to be in a room with me and I won't be able to touch her?" Mark was still very serious.

"Mark, it is one night . . . I think you can handle it." Derek rolled his eyes.

"Oh, like you are going to be able to handle yourself tonight with Grey with your parents and the Sullivans tonight. You are going to be in the same room with her . . . after you guys spend the afternoon together. They are going to see it . . . the connection. And after last night, I bet it is even stronger."

Derek took a deep breath. He had no clue how he was going to manage tonight. He asked what they were and Meredith . . . didn't really answer. "Yeah . . . we'll figure it out."

He gave Mark a hug as he got in the car. When Mark was out of sight, Derek turns towards the barn. He wanted to have things ready for them when she got there.

Once finishing getting the saddles on the horses they were taking for the day, a momma and her son, he went back up to the house. It was a cold day with a good chance of light snow. He knew they would need hot chocolate and he knew he didn't have a thermos or any hot chocolate at his place, but he knew his mother would have it.

When he walked in, his dad was watching TV, but looked up at him the second he came in the door. Derek knew the second he walked in, William wanted to talk to him.

"Hey son . . . do you have a minute?" He asked.

"Actually . . . this isn't a good time."

His father gave him the look, "I just thought . . . your mother is not here and I thought we could just talk . . . man to man."

Derek knew he wasn't going to get out of this and he didn't have much time before Meredith got there. His dad always had something good to say and he loved their conversations. "Sounds good dad, what is on your mind?"

"Well, Mark had some interesting comments this morning." He said watching Derek.

Derek could kill Mark right now and knew his dad would pick up on everything Mark said. "Dad . . . Mark . . . he just talks out of his ass. You can't take him seriously." He knew this wouldn't be sufficient to his dad, but he would try.

"Then, why did you give him a look . . . basically tell him to go to hell when he said anything about you and Meredith? You went to TJ's last night . . . " William stopped to watch Derek.

"We did. Izzie was there too." Derek said not wanting to mention Meredith although he knew his dad remembered what happened a week ago at her house with Steve.

He wanted his son very closely, "That is where Meredith was going . . . I hope . . . Derek, that you didn't go there to . . . interrupt or anything."

Derek sighed. He knew his dad would find out, Mark couldn't keep his damn mouth shut, but Derek knew if it wasn't Mark, it would have been someone else. "Dad . . . I am going to be honest with you because . . . I have always been. I like her dad . . . I may even . . . I like her a lot and I want to get to know her. I know you told me to take things slow with her, but I am not going to stand back and watch her date other people . . . and take a chance on losing her. She is . . . I think she is coming around and I will take this part slow."

William watched his son closely, "how do you know she is coming around?" He wanted to know more of exactly his son was talking about because by the way Derek said the last part, he saw something a little new in his eyes.

Derek leaned back on the couch. He looked at his watch. Meredith was going to get there in about thirty minutes, so he had a few more minutes he could spare. He breathed heavily and looked down at his hands before starting, "I did go to TJ's . . . It was more Mark's idea and I tried to fight it although deep down, I did want to go and be there . . . it was with Steve. I knew it would be . . . interesting for her. Mark and Izzie talked me into calling her and rescuing her . . . and she needed it. She was out very fast and into my car. The next thing I know, we are in her kitchen, cooking dinner. We stopped by the store on the way home to get steaks."

Derek stopped and looked at his dad with a very serious look, "Dad . . . in the grocery store . . . it felt like . . . it was perfect. We held hands and . . . it felt like something I want to do forever. I can't even describe it."

His dad smiled. He knew this was huge . . . Meredith holding hands with him. She didn't seem like the type of girl to do that, but she did it . . . "It is the greatest feeling in the world, isn't it?" He felt the same way about Amanda the very first time they went to the store together. It was . . . just perfect.

"It was . . . dad . . . she . . . things happened last night, slow things, not anything too fast, but . . . she definitely . . . I think we are going to date or something."

William nodded, "Will we be telling your mother about this? She will be overly excited."

"She will be . . . and I know you are going to tell her, but please . . . I am not sure how much Mer can handle. We haven't really talked about exactly what we are. I just told her we would do whatever she was comfortable with."

"Maybe we will wait until after dinner or something until we tell your mother, she will be busy today anyway, so there probably won't be any time, but Derek . . . she sees everything . . . when Meredith is around . . . the looks."

"I know dad. She has told me many times." They both laughed before Derek realized he did need to get going, "I do need to go."

"I saw you carrying a saddle from the tack room, are you going riding?"

"Well, Mer is coming and we are going to go riding. She has never been." He said with a huge smile on his face.

His dad looked up with a raised eyebrow, "She will love it, make sure she has plenty of clothes and if not . . . get her something warm if she doesn't have it. It will be cool out, but a great day to go. I think it is going to snow."

"I actually came in to get the thermos, hot water, and hot chocolate packets." He started to walk to the kitchen before turning back, "Dad . . . thank you . . . you have taught me so much in my life . . . I love you."

"You too son . . . now get going." He said watching his son . . . starting to dig around for everything he needed . . .

--------------------

"I hope it does snow out here today." Meredith said riding through the trail beside Derek.

"It is beautiful when it snows. I love the way the trees look just after a fresh snow fall . . . there isn't anything like it." Derek looks up hoping for snow.

"In Boston, there weren't many trees in the city . . . So, we didn't get to see that side of it much. Just a big mess in a big city."

Derek watched her, she had kept a smile on her face from the second she got to the ranch and he knew he had one as well, "Did you like Boston?"

"Oh . . . um . . . I am from there and it is a nice city I guess . . . good sports teams and always something to do."

"Do you miss it?" He wanted to get to know her more and was curious why she left Boston.

"At times I do, but, I really like it here in Laramie . . . I have really grown to love it. I have a few family members there, but my mom is in Seattle with her husband and my dad . . . he is in Minneapolis."

"What do they do?" Derek asked wanting to know about her.

"My mom . . . she is a surgeon at Seattle Grace hospital with her husband, Richard Webber."

Derek gasped, "Your mom is Ellis Grey . . . the Ellis Grey . . . the Grey Method . . . Ellis Grey."

Meredith looked down, "Yeah." She said very quietly.

Derek sighed realizing this must be hard for her, "I am sorry . . . It just never occurred to me and we study about her."

"Yeah, she is great and I visit her as often as I can. She knows I am happy here and that is really all she has ever wanted for me. She was busy in her career, but she wants me to be happy."

"That is good. What about your dad."

"He has his Ph.D. and does research at the University of Minnesota. I don't see him much, but I do try to see him once a year." Meredith really liked this . . . she didn't talk tons about her family, but she wanted her and Derek to get to know each other . . . and this would qualify.

"What about brothers and sisters?"

"I have half siblings. My dad has two daughters, Molly and Lexie. My mom has one boy, Trey, he is a third Richard Alexander Webber."

Derek was excited to know these things about Meredith. He couldn't wait to meet her family. "I have four sisters you know."

"I knew you had Maureen and there have been mention of others with a lot of kids." She laughed.

"Tons of them . . . we Shepherd's are baby making machines apparently." He smiled hoping he would become one of them one day.

"There are pictures everywhere. Your parents really love it all."

"They do. I think they just wished they could see them more often. They see Maureen and her family the most because they are the closest, but they travel to see the others and they will all be home for Christmas . . . it is a zoo, but we love it. Thank goodness we have the room in the house for everyone and it will even be better when I get my house built." He smiled at her.

"Christmas . . . I bet your mom goes all out." She smiled.

"She does . . . she loves it and . . . dad too. We all open one present Christmas Eve and have been doing that since we can remember."

"I usually . . . the last years during my residency, I just picked up extra shifts at the hospital."

"The hospital?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, I was actually a surgical resident and fellow. I just . . . things happened and Darby offered me this and I am really glad he did. I love it, I needed it." She knew she had to tell him . . . today.

"I am glad you are here." He smiled and stopped his horse, Meredith doing the same thing with her horse. He was impressed she had taken so easily to riding. He gave her some quick tips and a very quick lesson and she was off and running.

"Are we stopping?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think we should stop and have some hot chocolate. I brought a small blanket for us to sit on to enjoy the scenery right here at this clearing. I just love it." Derek looked around, breathing in the fresh, cool, crisp air.

Meredith had been so wrapped up in watching Derek, she hadn't realized they hadn't come to such a wonderful place, "Oh . . . Derek, this is . . . really great."

He poured them both a cup as she sat out the blanket.

They sat quietly for a few minutes wrapped closely together. Meredith knew there were some things . . . she needed to tell Derek. When he left last night, she knew . . . she had to tell him. She didn't sleep well, thinking about it. She knew just from his questioning he wanted to know more about her . . . and she wanted to tell him. She needed to tell him because she was developing feelings for him . . . deep feelings . . . and needed things to be different this time.

"Derek . . . I need to . . . there is something I should tell you." Another step . . . she had no idea if she could take this step; but, she was sure as hell going to try.

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