Thank you for those you who reviewed, I appreciate them all, good or bad.

I know the last chapter wasn't the best, but it only gets better from here, so please stick with me.

Also, I'm trying something new here, so please, be nice.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any part of Grey's Anatomy.

"Chips, beer, apples, bananas..."

Meredith

Derek stopped abruptly in the middle of the aisle, surprised at the fifth item on his list. He was in the supermarket shopping for the week, trying to remember what he wrote down on his list he forgot at home. It has only been about four days, but it seems like four months since the last time he saw Meredith. He thought he was over her the minute he found out about Finn, but she always seemed to pop up in his thoughts.

But she didn't tell me about her "boyfriend." I can't believe she didn't tell me.

He missed her. He missed the way she giggled, the way she sat in his arms while they watched a scary movie. He was just so mad at her. She had a boyfriend! She hurt him, and he didn't want to stick around her. He thought she was different.

That always seems to happen to me. With Addison, and now Meredith. Maybe I don't deserve love.

He made a silent vow to himself to not think about Meredith anymore, he didn't want to hurt any longer. He wanted to move on, and he wanted to stop moping around. However...

He would lick his lips every so often to see if he can still taste her on his lips, he tried to smell her on his shirt she slept in that first night. When his two senses of taste and smell failed him, he would rely on his sense of sight. All he had to do was close his eyes, and he saw her radiant face, her sparkling eyes, her wide smile. But, reality came crashing down around him when he opened his eyes, and Meredith's form escaped him.

He sighed and moved on, pushing his cart, when he heard it from one aisle away. His grey eyes returned to the indigo blue they once were, his ears perked up and his spirits raised. Even though what he was hearing were curse words, nothing else seemed to beautiful to him in his life.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

He was over in the next aisle in a matter of seconds. He didn't know what he would do when he came into contact with this person in stress, but he knew he had to be there, just next to her. He saw her sitting on the ground trying to pick up cans of soup that fell. There she was, on the ground, surrounded by about thirty cans of soup. Her hair was in her face, but he knew it was her. He abandoned his cart, and walked slowly to where she was, ignoring the stares of the other customers. His heart was pounding in his chest. He looked down and his hands were shaking. When he was close enough, he bent down and picked up a can of soup. As soon as he did it, he regretted it, and felt a pang of guilt shooting through him.

What the fuck am I doing?! She has a boyfriend, and I come here and try to talk to her?

Right when he put his hand on that can of chicken noodle soup, her head shot up. She looked him in the eye, and right then, the world stopped for him. He looked back into her grey eyes. They had a conversation, without words. They said their apologies, their acceptances, and professions of love. His face was glowing, as was hers. They were finally interrupted by angry customer trying to get to the rest of the canned soup.

"Excuse me, go do that somewhere else, so we don't all have to witness the eye-sex." The woman said, then walked away.

The two put the soups back where they belong in silence, then turned to each other when the task was done. Just then, Derek finally noticed the shiner that "graced" Meredith's right eye. He gingerly reached up and touched the swollen part surrounding her eye.

"Who...?" Derek finally got out.

Meredith looked at him, she was going to answer him, and truthfully this time, when, they both heard a shrill voice cutting through the silence that surrounded them.

"Meri! Where did you go?"

Meredith looked down, ashamed of herself and of Finn. But Derek knew better. He knew who did that to her.

That goddamn son of a bitch...

"I'm gonna kick his ass..." Derek muttered under his breath, but Meredith still heard it. He started to move towards Finn's voice, but Meredith stood in his way, her tiny fists on his chest.

"Derek, please..." Meredith pleaded.

"Meredith! Look what he did to your eye!"

Then it dawned on him, all those bruises and cuts all over body weren't from running into a table, or a door. They were from him.

He looked at her agian, and saw pure exhaustion, and hurt. She looked haggard and worn. "Oh, Meredith..." He whispered. "Why didn't you-"

"Meri! Where's that soup, hon?" Finn said, rounding the corner. "Meri-" Finn was cut off by a hard, rough punch to the face. He went down like a sack of potatoes. He lay on the ground in the fetal position, still in shock from the force of the punch.

"You son of a bitch!" Derek spat, from his position standing above him, his head reeling full of adrenaline, anger, and hatred. He was shaking his hand out, it was hurting from hitting Finn in the bone just below his eye. "How do you fucking like it, asshole?!"

Finn just lay on the ground, his hand raised to his face in defence, crying his eyes out. He was lying on the floor, crying like a little girl. He didn't answer Derek, and he didn't look up at Meredith or the other customers crowded around to see what all the commotion was about.

Meredith stood to the side, no longer holding Derek back. It's not like she wanted Derek to punch Finn... well, she did want Derek to punch Finn, but she knew there was no holding him back. And anyway, she knew she coldn't hit Finn back, so why not let the man she loves do it?

Then, the next few moments all happened in a flash. A security guard came rushing out, manhandling Derek, throwing him out the store. On the way out, he grabbed Meredith by the arm and took her with him. When they were finally outside, Meredith found her way into Derek's arms, crying those unshed tears that welled up in her eyes for days.

Derek stood there, with Meredith in his arms, trying to calm her cries, smoothing back her hair, giving her the occasional kiss on the top of her head.

"Shh..." Derek whispered in her ear. "Mer, it'll be all right."

Meredith sniffled and buried her head into his chest a little more, reveling in his scent. She cried harder for what she did to him, what Finn did to her, and what was to come.

Okay, so here is the next chapter. I hope it was better than the last.

Please review. Thanks!

-Mary