Title: Fireworks

Authors: Sara And Lizzie

Rating: T for language, mild sex

Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.

Summary: This starts early in season two, episode 8, when Meredith and Derek are in the elevator and she says 'I miss you'. Instead of saying that he cant do anything, Derek asks her to meet him and an affair ensues. Angsty, but we loooove it.

Author's Note: oh how we have missed you all. We're back, we're writing, we'll update. Hope you missed us!

REVIEW.

Lights will guide you home…

"This is stupid." Mark said for the hundredth time. "So, so stupid. She's not going to want to see me. She's going to think that I betrayed her. That I'm on your side." Meredith winced and patted his arm.

"I left my job. And my friends. And most of my friends probably aren't my friends anymore because I lied to them and ignored them and blew off all of their problems. And if you think Addison isn't going to want to see you...." she trailed off. Mark looked down at her and offered a wry smile.

"You she probably wants to see." he said casually. "It's hard to rip out all of someone's hair and choke them with it without seeing them."

"This is so, so stupid." Meredith agreed. Derek and Kathryn came up behind them at the boarding gate for their flight.

"What is so, so stupid?" Derek asked. Meredith turned around and fixed him with a look. Mark just smiled weakly.

"Nonsense." Kathryn said. "Chin up, both of you." She was cut off by the announcement of the final boarding call. She embraced Derek and whispered something in his ear. She reached for Mark and kissed him on the cheek. "Wise up, Mark." she advised. "Glad to have you back."

"Thanks Mom." he said softly in her ear. Meredith stood awkwardly, wringing her hands together when Derek's mother opened her arms and enveloped Meredith in a hug.

"Lovely to meet you, Meredith." She said, pulling away and regarding the woman in front of her.

Meredith smiled, uncertain. "You too." she whispered. Derek reached for her hand, and the three of them boarded the plane. It was only after the wheels had come up and the aircraft was in the clouds that Meredith realized the full implications of what it meant to be returning to Seattle. "This is so, so stupid." she said again.


They reached Seattle at dusk; the skyline was illuminated and they could see the Space Needle from the plane. Meredith shivered as they descended from the sky, and felt a rush of anticipation as the plane hit the tarmac. Derek retrieved his car from where he had left it in airport parking months ago and they drove toward the city in silence.

"Where are we going?" Mark asked from the backseat. Derek and Meredith exchanged a glance. Neither of them had really thought about that.

"Trailer?" Derek suggested.

"I can't." Meredith said.

"Your house?"

"George and Izzie might be there."

"They're your best friends."

"Best friends that I abandoned."

"And ignored and lied to." Mark piped up. Meredith and Derek both glared at him. "Sorry."

"Hospital?" Derek asked, running low on options.

"What if everyone is there?" Meredith asked, sounding increasingly panicked. "I haven't even called Cristina. What if Addison is there?" Derek recalled the fury, the sheer outrage that had radiated from his ex wife before he'd left.

"What about this?" he said quickly, "You take Mark to Joe's. I will find Addison, and try to smooth things over. For both of you. For all of us." Meredith turned in her seat and seemed to engage in some kind of silent communication with Mark. She looked at Derek and nodded.

"Joe's." She said tentatively. "Tequila. That could be good." Derek nodded, glad to have a plan, a purpose. "Tomorrow I should go to Richard." Meredith said suddenly. "Try and get my job back." Derek smiled at her, reached over, and took one of her hands.


"It's a far cry from the St. Regis, huh Grey?" Mark askd as they stepped into Joe's. His eyebrows were raised but he didn't look at all disapproving.

"It's not exactly the King Cole Bar." she admitted. "But it's Seattle. And it's home."

Mark smiled. "I could get used to it here." Meredith looked around. It didn't look like anyone had noticed her yet, and none of her friends were here. Nodding to herself and feeling reassured, she motioned at Mark and he followed her to the bar.

"Do you still serve tequila straight up?" she asked, sliding onto a barstool.

"Meredith!" Joe exclaimed. "You're back! With a....friend. I guess Derek never found you." Joe looked Mark up and down, frowning.

"He found me. This is his best friend Mark. Mark, this is Joe." she said. Joe's eyes flickered with recognition and he smiled at Meredith.

"I knew he would find you." he said excitedly. He filled a shot glass with tequila and looked questioningly at Mark.

"Scotch. Single malt. On the rocks." he asked. Their glasses in front of them, Meredith and Mark looked at each other.

"Have you seen anyone?" Joe asked, "Any of the crowd? Bailey? Burke? Addison?" Meredith looked at Mark, each of them wearing a matching panicked expression. Glasses clinked together and drained.

"Keep them coming." Mark asked Joe. "We may be in for a rough night."


Addison's breath hitched in her throat when she saw him. The dark hair was unmistakable as he moved to the nurse's station on the floor below. He leaned over and asked the young woman sitting there something. She clicked on the computer a few times and pointed the board shrugging. Derek nodded and turned around.

Addison ducked behind a pillar, desperate to keep out of sight, and filled with questions. He was back, with no calls, no warnings. And he was alone. She was sure the first time she saw him again he would have Meredith glued to his side, but he was alone. And he didn't look happy. Addison felt a spark of satisfaction inside of her. Maybe they hadn't worked things out after all.

She walked away briskly and quietly before he came up the steps and saw her. She didn't want to face Derek. The mere thought made her want a drink. She deposited her lab coat in her office, picked up her purse and headed for Joe's. Hopefully Callie would be there.


They hadn't known each other for very long, but the nature of the situation that brought them together, the shared role of dirty mistress had forged a bond between them that allowed Meredith and Mark to sit at the bar, laughing at each other with a pile of empty glasses in front of them.

"Joe!" Meredith called. "Can we have another round?"

"You're not driving, are you Grey?" he asked dubiously. She smiled and shook her head back and forth in a childlike manner.

"Of course not. Derek will pick us up." She said, her voice taking on a rather sing song quality. Joe just nodded and poured them each another drink. The door bell chimed as someone entered the bar behind them, but neither of them bothered to turn around.

"You never drank like this in New York." Mark said, smiling at Meredith. She reached out and punched his arm lightly.

"I never needed to." She said. "Now I'm in Seattle. With you. And it's like a freaking battleground. There have to be apologies and confessions. It might get violent." She said in a loud, dramatic whisper, like she was telling a big secret.

Mark laughed. "You're drunk, Grey."

"And so are you Sloan." She shot back. He picked up his glass, having switched to shots long ago in order to keep up, and clinked it against hers.

"Cheers, Mer. And may good luck be bestowed upon us." She grinned and they each downed another, setting the empty glasses on the bar with twin slams. "Impressive." Mark told Meredith, eyeing the amount of glasses they had drained.

"I don't believe this." Came the low deadly voice of the person who had been standing behind them for some time now. "Derek just wasn't enough for you, was he?" Mark and Meredith both snapped to attention, and turned to face the woman behind them. Addison.