Morning broke and Derek found himself alone in the house. Meredith had slipped out of the house early, taking off to who knew where. He often wondered where she disappeared to some days. Whenever she'd come home, she looked as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and she absolutely would not talk about it. He was learning not to push her, as the only thing that accomplished was pushing her further away from him. Patience was a virtue. It was just a virtue he did not possess. Which made not knowing what was bothering her all the more aggravating.
She had made some progress in unpacking the boxes and making the house more livable, but Derek decided to give her a hand and clean up a little bit. They kept the kitchen clean for the most part, so really all he had to do was run the dishwasher. No, the major task was in the living room and the hallway. Boxes were stacked up and while he didn't want to go through her personal stuff, he was hoping he could at least make it easier to walk.
It became very obvious to him that Meredith was not an organized woman. Things that belonged in the kitchen were in the living room and things that belonged upstairs were in the hallway. He supposed it was because she didn't have anyone to help her take it upstairs. So he set about the task of making their house look more presentable, if for no other reason than to give them more space. It was an odd thought. Their house.
In all honesty, he hadn't even began to make plans for his own house. For the moment, he was okay with being here with her. It didn't make sense for him to build a house now, when he was rarely ever home anyways. When he was, he was generally holed up here with Meredith, something he didn't mind at all. It had occurred to him last night when she had came to the hospital that he just might be falling in love with this woman. Which was crazy right? After all, he knew so little about her.
Except it didn't seem to matter. He felt light and happy when she was around. Just looking at her made the worst of days seem more bearable. It had nothing to do with the fact that she could make him laugh or that the best sleep he had gotten in ages was with her tucked securely in his arms.
Shaking himself from such deep thoughts, he took a look around the living room and was amazed at the progress he had made. What boxes he didn't know what to do with were stacked up in a small pile, while the rest were put away nicely. He'd even carried some of the boxes upstairs and put them in the extra room at the end of the hall. Feeling pleased with himself, he sat down on the sofa and looked around at the room.
He was startled when he heard the front door slam. He saw a flash of blonde as Meredith tore through the hallway and into the kitchen. Derek was on his feet in a flash, following after her and calling her name. He was halfway into the kitchen when he realized what she was going for. The liquor cabinet. He approached her carefully from behind and was surprised to see her eyes were puffy and red. It looked as though she'd been crying.
" Meri? What's wrong, " Concern laced through his voice and he was even more surprised when she buried herself against his chest and began to cry in earnest. His arms came around her automatically, one hand stroking her hair and the other rubbing her back. He tried again.
" Meredith, what's wrong? What's got you so upset?" He gently pulled away from her and looked down at her. Tears were slowly tracking down her face. She shook her head at him and looked down.
" I can't tell you, " She whispered brokenly.
" Sure you can. Tell me the problem and I'll tell you how to fix it, " Derek replied simply.
" No. I mean, I really can't tell you. It's not that I don't want too...it's just that I'm not allowed too, " She clarified.
"Not allowed too? Meredith, what's going on," She heard the alarm in his voice and she felt horrible. He really wanted to help her, but she couldn't break her word to her mother.
" I'm sorry, Derek. I just...can't."
" Okay, well is it something I did?" He tried wracking his brain thinking of anything he might have done to upset her, but he came up empty.
" No, no. It's not you."
" Alright then. Are you hurt?"
" No."
" You just can't tell me?"
She nodded miserably. He let out a deep breath and pulled her back against him.
"It's okay. I know you'll tell me when you're ready," He said after a moment.
Sometimes patience really was a bitch.
She'd gone upstairs to shower, hoping to wash away the misery of the day. She'd been visiting with her mother who hadn't been having one of her better days. In fact, today was one of those days she didn't even know who Meredith was. She'd tried being patient with her mother, but Ellis had finally just snapped on her and Meredith had left the nursing home in tears. She knew logically it wasn't her mother's fault, but on days like this it didn't make it hurt any less.
Meredith had left Derek standing down in the kitchen, with promises that she was okay and that she merely had just had a crappy day. He'd been understanding, but she could see from the way he was looking at her that he knew she was lying. He'd told her to go take a shower and put on some comfortable clothes, that he wanted to take her somewhere. Too tired to argue, Meredith simply did as he asked.
Now, they were in his car, driving out to god knows where. They'd had to take a ferryboat to get wherever it was they were going. That alone had put a smile on Derek's face. She didn't quite understand his obsession with ferryboats sometimes, but seeing him smile made her smile. Civilization had disappeared a while ago and now they were out in the middle of the woods. She could see the moon reflecting off the water up ahead. Which made her even more confused when the car stopped.
" Where are we, " She asked as soon as he came around to open the door for her.
" I just thought you could use some peace and quiet after the day you had, " was all he said as he went around to the back of the car and popped open the trunk. He reappeared beside her a moment later carrying a blanket and a picnic basket. Meredith looked at him surprised, a slow smile spreading across her face.
" When did you have time to do all this?"
" While you were in the shower, " He grinned at her as he took her hand, tucking the blanket under one arm.
" You're sneaky. I like that, " She laughed as they began to walk.
" Well it's nice to know you like something about me other than the screaming orgasms, " Derek replied saucily.
Meredith stopped and turned to look at him.
" It's not about the screaming orgasms. I mean they're a plus. I like that you don't push I like that you're honest with me. I just like you, " She admitted quietly.
Derek smiled at her boyishly.
" I like you too."
