Chapter Five

Meredith let out a happy sigh as she snuggled up to Derek. She turned to him, who was still smiling. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" Derek laughed. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming. Because if it is a dream, I don't want to wake up. You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment."

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Derek said. "I wish I would have acted on my feelings sooner. I'm just glad I realized it before I exchanged vows with Addison."

Meredith knew the wedding would be brought up. "You are going to tell Richard and Ellis while you're here, right?" she asked. "You can't stay here without visiting Richard and Ellis."

"I know, but Richard has his hands full with Ellis. I don't want to burden him with my problems," Derek said. "Besides, I'm not ready to tell them. I want to enjoy this time with you." He gave her another passionate kiss. "Although, I'm still waiting for your answer."

Meredith tried not to laugh. "Do you really think I would be here next to you if I wasn't in love with you?"

"I need you to say it," Derek said. "That way, I know it's real." He could hear the hesitation in her voice and he stopped her before she could respond. "Meredith, we're not in high school anymore. We don't have to have your mother's approval."

"I know," Meredith said softly. How did he always know what she was thinking? "But I still feel like she's watching us."

Derek laughed. "We're out in the middle of nowhere. Believe me. Nobody is watching." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Come on. I know you want to say it."

Meredith finally managed a smile. "Alright. I'm in love with you too." Derek was right. It felt so good to say those words out loud.

Derek gave her another passionate kiss before they started their fun all over again. "I could do this all day with you."

Meredith groaned as she glanced at the time. "I wish I could, but I have to go." She started grabbing her clothes and started to put them back on. "I'm supposed to visit Mom since Lexie can't make it back for spring break."

Derek was quiet for a moment. He grew serious. "Meredith, there's something I need to talk to you. Something about Ellis."

Meredith turned to him for a second. "What about her?"

"Have you noticed anything different about her?" Derek asked. "Some people have mentioned to me that she seems to becoming a little too forgetful lately."

"Yeah, that's what Callie was telling me," Meredith said, remembering the conversation at the bar. However, she wasn't worried about it. "To tell you the truth, I haven't noticed. But I will certainly keep my eyes out for any signs of trouble."

"I think there's already trouble," Derek said. "I just can't seem to convince Richard to get your mother to go and see a doctor."

Meredith frowned. "Do you really think it's that serious?"

Derek nodded. "I do. That's partly why I wanted to come and start my practice here. If Ellis needs help, this is the best time to do it. She and Richard can both step down and retire. And Richard can take of Ellis and the law firm would be in good hands."

Meredith shook her head. "You know my mother would never go for it. She loves working at the law firm. Besides, that's a lot of responsibility on you, especially since you are just going to be out of law school. You are going to go back and finish law school, right? You really aren't going to drop out of law school in your final semester, are you?"

Derek shrugged. "I thought that was what I wanted, but now I'm not so sure."

Meredith still couldn't believe that Derek was willing to give up his dream of becoming a lawyer. "Are you serious? You have been working so hard. You can't give up now. Don't give up. You don't want to be like me."

Derek turned to her. "Like you? What's so bad about you?"

"I'm a college dropout," Meredith reminded him.

"Just because you dropped out of college doesn't mean you can't go back," Derek said. "I know people do it all the time."

"And what would I go to college for?" Meredith asked. "I didn't even know what I wanted to do when I tried it the first time."

"That's the whole point of going to college," Derek said. "You discover your talents."

"This is coming from a guy who knew what he wanted to do since he was five years old," Meredith said.

Derek smiled in amusement. "You were just a baby then. How would you know?" he asked. He let out a sigh as he leaned back to the wall. "If I make it my final semester, would you come to my college graduation?"

Meredith tried not to laugh. That had to be a joke. "I can't come to your graduation." She didn't even let Derek respond. "I'm the dirty mistress." She was annoyed by Derek's amused face. "How long has it been since you broke it off with Addison? A few days? A week? I am the dirty mistress."

Derek didn't seem to care. "You are anything but the dirty mistress," he said as he pulled her close to him. "Especially since Addison knew I was in love with you." They shared another kiss. "But if you really are uncomfortable with everyone knowing about us, then we'll wait until the moment is right. It might be best anyway since I have to go back and finish school." He let out a heavy sigh. "I wish you were coming with me."

"I know," Meredith said. "Me too."

"Are you sure you can't make an excuse with your mother and spend the day with me?" Derek asked. This time, he didn't let Meredith respond. "I promise I will tell Richard and Ellis I'm back in Seattle if you call your mother and cancel for today."

Meredith didn't answer right away. She really did want to stay with Derek. It wasn't very often that she would make an excuse to miss a visit to her mother and Richard. She was a dutiful daughter who did what her mother told her and never stood up to her like Lexie did. Then again, Lexie was her favorite daughter and she was allowed to miss visits.

"No, I really can't. Lexie has decided to spend spring break with her friends so I'm the sister who visits instead," Meredith said in frustration. "I don't know why I go over there when she doesn't want me there. But I go anyway because I'm the good daughter." She stopped herself before she could rant any further. "I shouldn't be telling you any of this."

"Why not?" Derek asked. "You know I won't tell Richard. I have never told Richard anything you tell me."

That was true. That was what made Derek one of her best friends. He knew how dark and twisty Meredith thought she was. And he was the best when it came to keeping secrets.

"Because it's inappropriate," Meredith protested. "It was great when we were younger, but it's different now. It's unprofessional. You are going to be graduating from law school in a couple of months. And then you are going to working under both my mom and Richard at their law firm, remember?"

Derek tried to calm her down. "By the time I graduate law school, things will calm down and we can tell people that we're together. I'm not going to let Richard and Ellis stop us from being together. Besides, we're adults now. We shouldn't have to hide anything from them."

Meredith sighed. "What about your mother?"

Derek laughed this time. "Ok, we're not getting married. We're just dating. Besides, my mom likes you."

Meredith wasn't laughing. "Yeah, I think she likes me as your friend. I don't think she will like me as the woman who you dumped your fiancée for," she said. "And neither will Lizzie."

"I didn't dump Addison for you," Derek said. "Addison helped me realize that I didn't love her because I'm in love with you. And Lizzie has enough to worry about without lecturing her brother about his relationship with his new girlfriend. Besides, I don't think she will be surprised. Both she and Amelia has been badgering me about our relationship for years."

Meredith tried to hide her smile. "Really?" She knew Amelia was rooting for them, but she didn't realize Lizzie had too. "I guess you hid it well because I had no idea. Now I really have to go."

Before Derek could respond, there was a knock at the door. Derek quickly put his clothes on while Meredith hurried out of the bedroom. She ducked into the bathroom while Derek went to answer the door.

As she waited for the all clear, she stared at the bathroom mirror and took a deep breath. She had a chance to take it all in. Both she and Derek just admitted their feelings to each other. He dumped his fiancée for her. Well, it was an amicable split. Still, he came all the way back to Seattle to confess his love for her. And now, he was asking her to start a relationship with him.

It was what she always wanted. She wanted to pursue a relationship with him. They had a chance to take their friendship to the next level. Why was she denying them that opportunity? Because she was dark and twisty and nothing ever went right for her.

Meredith lost her concentration as she heard her name being called. She glanced at the mirror one last time before she opened the door. Walking into the tiny living room, she jumped back as she heard a fierce bark. Her fear came to delight as a dog approached her with a wagging tag. She smiled as she bent down to the dog, petting him.

"Who's this?" she asked, admiring the mutt. She didn't know dog breeds that well, but it certainly wasn't a purebred. The dog looked like it had a little bit of a terrier in him. "You're so adorable."

"I don't know. A neighbor found him wandering nearby and thought he belonged to me," Derek said. "He couldn't keep the dog so I told him that I would keep him until we can find the owner. So don't get too attached."

Meredith laughed as she remembered the days where she used to bring stray animals home. "You sound like my mother." She gasped as she came to a realization. "Oh my god! I'm late! I really should go." She began to check around the tiny trailer again to make sure she didn't forget anything.

"Alright. Go," Derek said. He was done trying to encourage her to stay with him. He could see that she made up her mind.

Meredith felt conflicted, but she wasn't going to break her promise to her mother. "I'm sorry. I really do wish I could stay."

"Are you going to stop by afterwards?" Derek asked, stopping her before she could go out the door.

"I'm sorry. I can't. I have to work," Meredith said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Besides, you should really go and tell Richard you're back in town. I'm sure he can break the news to my mother."

Derek just shook his head in amusement. "You're not going to let that go, are you? Answer this question first. Would you go out with me now?" He didn't let Meredith respond. He repeated the words he had said earlier. "If you're not comfortable with telling Richard and Ellis, we won't tell them yet."

Meredith lowered her voice. "We don't tell anybody," she said, making her tone serious as possible. "Not Cristina." It pained her to say it, but her best friend wasn't known for keeping her mouth shut. Especially when it came to stating her opinion. "Not Mark. Nobody can know."

Derek nodded. "It's our little secret."