Disclaimer- I don't own anything.
Isn't this how it always goes? Just when things start to go normally something (hot passionate sex with your ex) comes up and scrambles it all. Adulthood is messy.
Two weeks had gone by with out incident. Every time she and Derek had a similar schedule Meredith would find him down in the lobby waiting for her. She would shake her head and he would schedule plans for the next day.
Tonight was no different. She got off of the elevator and there he was smiling at her.
"Aren't you tired of this yet?" She finally asked.
"My God, I'm blessed with words besides NO?" He asked walking over to her.
Meredith didn't want to smile at him but he just did that to her. Smiling she just stared at him.
"Derek,"
"Meredith."
"Derek,"
"I'm glad we know each other's names," Derek smirked at her.
"Let's got out tonight, we can have dinner, just a place where we can talk, not as a preface to a night filled with sex- good sex I might add,"
Meredith just looked at him. It had been two weeks, and he was being cute... I do want to have dinner with him. NO! I CAN'T! Then I throw all of my principles out the window. I need to prove to him that I'm not going to just jump back into a relationship with him.
"Fine," She stated.
Derek's smile widened as he led her out to his car and opened the door for her.
Meredith just sighed. What an idiot.
Once he had gotten into the car Derek turned to her.
"I was thinking steak?"
Meredith's eyes narrowed as she shook her head at him.
"You are impossible,"
"But you are going to dinner with me; I think I'm more stubbornly handsome than impossible," he grinned at her.
"Now you're just full of yourself,"
"Yet again though, you're the one going to dinner with me," Derek couldn't have been happier he really was starting to think she would never speak to him again.
"Yep and I'm stupid for it," Meredith turned towards him and smiled.
Dinner went smoothly. The conversation moved from work, to Burke and Christina, to Izzie and her shadow also know as Alex Karev, to George and his awkward relationship with Callie.
"We're such gossips," Meredith said as she got into Derek's car.
"Hey if everyone can talk about us the least we can do is talk about them," Derek replied starting the car and heading towards Meredith's house.
Once there Derek got out of the car and ran to the other side to help Meredith out.
"I feel like I'm 16," she said once they got to her door.
"Why?" Derek asked leaning towards her smiling
"You anxious to see if I'm gonna kiss you, or just say good night?" Derek whispered getting closer.
Meredith smiled at him,
"No, tonight was a date, I haven't had a real date it seems like since I was 16, even though that's not true," Of course it wasn't because like a normal functioning couple she and Finn had been on dates... well ok maybe delivering a horse wasn't a normal date but at least it was one.
Derek smiled and stepped closer to her. Meredith gave him a coy smile, maybe she had gone to dinner with him, but she was not going to kiss him goodnight. One step at a time.
"Thank you for dinner Derek," she said and reached for the door knob. Opening it she stepped in and looked back at him.
Derek shook his head and flashed the McDreamy smile,
Oh maybe I should've kissed him.
"Your welcome," he replied and turned away.
Meredith just shook her head and closed the door.
It had been two weeks since Burke had come home and Christina felt like a house wife. She hated it, and it wasn't even Burke's fault so the only one she could blame was herself.
She caught herself constantly asking him if he needed anything,
Can I get you this, are you comfortable? Do you need something else?
Who was she? Some wife from a fifties television show? She hated it! She had even picked up a cookbook and made him dinner! What was going on?
Meredith called it love. Christina called it some sort of malfunction. She even called to check on him when she had a break. What a wuss, a pitiful no good wuss.
"Christina?" Burke called from the bedroom. She walked in, she was NOT going to continue this, she was going to be unattached and emotionally challenged Christina.
"What time is my physical therapy session tomorrow?" He asked her once she had come into the room.
"Ten, but do you just want to come in with me at seven when my shift starts?" She asked picking at something under her nail.
"Yeah that sounds good, I'll be able to see how well everything is running," Burke answered.
"Ok, well can I get you anything?" Christina asked not catching herself. DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT!
"Water would be nice." Burke smiled at her and then went back to concentrate on his hand. He had improved greatly. His physical therapist had told them that his chances of operating again were very good. Burke spent every waking moment he could working with his hand and trying to gain back all control over it.
Christina walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard. Slamming it shut she yelled,
"DAMNIT!"
Burke called from the other room,
"Everything ok?"
Christina hadn't realized she had cursed out loud,
"Yeah I just... uh I shut my finger in the cabinet!" she yelled back grumbling to herself as she filled the cup.
Since when did I go soft? Since Burke told me he freaking loved me and I realized I freaking loved him. What a load of crap.
Christina handed him the water and stepped towards the closet where she put on her pajamas, walking over to her side of the bed she got under the covers and reached over to turn out her light.
Keeping her back towards him Burke looked at Christina with nothing but love. He wasn't quite sure what had set her off from the rest for him, she was beautiful and smart but her attitude for horrendous... but still he loved her.
Finishing his water Burke put the glass on the night stand and turned out his own light. Laying on his side he pulled Christina close and draped his arm around her,
"I love you," he said
"I love you too." Christina said sourly still upset at the fact that she seemed to have no control over her emotions.
George hurried into the hospital his shift had started later than everyone else's and he was still late. Running through the lobby he dropped his bag. Bending down to pick it up he stood just in time to come face to face with Callie.
"Callie!" He exclaimed in surprise.
"Hi George," she mumbled
George watched her carefully,
"Callie what's wrong?"
"George, look maybe we should take a break you know? Step back, maybe even see other people," Callie said looking down at her feet.
"Wh- Wait, What?" George asked bewildered
"I know Izzie needs you and everything and I'm all for that, but it seems that despite that fact that she is here working and functioning again you are still being really distant..."
George tried to interrupt her,
"Callie I..."
"No George, I think I scared you by telling you I loved you and maybe I was too hasty with it, but I just don't think that it's good for either of us if we aren't at the same level, and obviously George you aren't at the same level as I am."
George just looked at her,
"I told you Callie, give me sometime! We can make this work,"
"We will never really know if we don't just take a step back and reexamine things," she said just as her pager went off.
"Look I have to go, I will call you later," and with that Callie headed across the lobby and up the stairs leaving a confused and bewildered George in her wake.
"Well Dr. Burke, you are showing wonderful progress! I would start reacquainting yourself with a scalpel and begin to practice suturing; I'll give you two more weeks before I give the ok for you to start performing surgery. You're chances of making a full recovery are excellent!"
Burke smiled at Christina who stood in the doorway of Dr. Kendal's (the physical therapist) office.
Smiling back she nodded and walked back out into the hall and headed for the elevator which would take her back to the surgical floor.
Getting on the elevator she looked up to find George standing in the far corner leaning on the wall his backpack slung across his shoulder.
"What's up?" She asked checking to make sure her pager's battery wasn't dead since in all of her resentment last night she had forgotten to check.
"I think Callie and I are done." George said from his corner.
Christina looked up at him from her pager.
"That sucks," she shrugged
"Yeah, I think it does," George replied.
"You can tell me about it, but I'm not promising I'll listen," Christina said bluntly.
George nodded and began his story. Once the two had reached the locker room George was almost done when they encountered Meredith, Izzie, and Alex who were all trying to get some sort of down time into their busy schedules.
Hearing the last part of George's story Izzie sat up from her position on the bench.
"What happened?" She asked.
Christina sighed and went to her locker for a hair band as George started his story over again for the other interns.
After he had finished his story the other three interns looked back at him.
"Yeah, your screwed O'Malley," Alex stated
"Alex! You aren't screwed George, just in a little bit of a situation," Izzie countered optimistically.
"No, I'd have to agree with Alex, she said she loved you and you didn't say it back, that's a big no no. Second chances are rare," Meredith replied realistically.
"Yeah says the woman who is dating her ex again," Christina said from her spot in the room.
"WHAT!" George and Izzie screamed at once.
"Score," Alex said laughing only to stop when Izzie glared at him.
"Meredith, you can't be serious! I mean come on!" Izzie said scooting closer to her friend.
"Yeah! I mean he really screwed you over," George put in.
"Hey! We aren't technically dating again ok?" Meredith said as Christina snorted and Meredith shot a look towards her,
"Besides, weren't we talking about George's problem?"
Just then Bailey entered,
"What the hell are you doing?" She asked only to receive guilty stares back at her.
"GO!" She pointed to the door as her interns scattered and ran out the door all except George who was still in his street clothes.
"O'Malley get dressed you are late!" Bailey walked out shaking her head and mumbling.
Meredith waited in front of the elevator, her purse slung over her shoulder.
So what if I may go out with Derek again tonight? So what if I may kiss him tonight? Everyone likes to be kissed.
Unaware of a person next to her Meredith sighed.
"Not tired I hope Dr. Grey; I was thinking spaghetti tonight," Derek's voice startled her as Meredith turned to see him punching in his daily notes on his Sidekick.
Meredith smiled at him.
"Spaghetti sounds good," she answered turning back towards the elevator.
"Fantastic," Derek smiled.
The elevator dinged signaling its arrival and the two got in.
Pressing the button for the lobby Meredith kept smiling as Derek continued,
"Then I thought we could go and watch the ferryboats, just because I love them so much,"
"Meredith turned to face him not realizing how close they actually were. Going against all of her principles she leaned forwards and started kissing him.
Derek smiled against her lips as he wrapped his arms around her kissing her back.
Breaking the kiss for a second Derek kept smiling,
"I thought you weren't some love sick fool?" He asked.
"I am a fool," Meredith smiled back as she started to kiss him again.
The two were so engrossed with each other that they didn't even realize the elevator ding and open its doors to reveal a young woman.
"Wow Derek, you really don't waste anytime do you," The young woman laughed as Meredith and Derek broke apart and turned to face her.
Meredith turned from the woman to Derek who was slightly red.
Great.
A/N: Chapter 11 will be up in the next few days! Again, thanks for all the great reviews they really do make me smile! If you guys have any additional ideas or comments let me know I'm open to anything! Thanks for all of your support!
-Loti
