Seated behind the wheel, in the back of the parking lot, Derek sighed as he stared out the windshield to the beautiful, but ominous building before them. The crowd of people waiting patiently for entrance had almost all passed through, and he knew that meant it was time for them to wander out of the car. He glanced to the passenger seat to where Meredith was seated, his right hand in her lap, clutched tightly in both of hers.

He cleared his throat. "I think it's time."

She nodded her agreement, but made no move to leave the car or release his hand, her lightly touched up eyes filled with sadness. Her hair was pulled back, revealing her face for the first time in days, but the dulling bruise was covered up well and only noticeable to those who knew to look for it. Derek couldn't help but focus on it every time he looked at her.

"Are you ready?" He asked gently.

She took a breath. "Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice," he answered, his eyes conveying nothing but love and support.

She hesitated, staring down at their entwined hands. She took a breath. "I just feel like I shouldn't be here. They don't want me here."

Derek tilted his head, not needing to ask who they were. "Oh, Mer, your father..." Derek sighed. "Your father shouldn't be handling things this way. You deserve better."

Meredith nodded her head, but remained silent. He knew she didn't believe him.

Squeezing her hands tightly in his, he spoke the most comforting words he could. "You really do deserve better, Mer. You should have had a father who was there for you, is still there for you. Parents shouldn't get to pick and choose when they're there for their kids. Susan understood that. She wouldn't want him to do this. She wouldn't blame you." He paused to allow her to speak, but she remained silent. "It wasn't your fault," he repeated for the umpteenth time in the past three days.

Meredith finally responded by nodding her head, gripping his hand tightly. "I know, but I still feel guilty."

"I don't know how to make that go away for you," Derek admitted softly.

"He doesn't want me there." She repeated.

"That's why we're going in as late as we can," Derek reminded her. "We'll sit in the back and leave as soon as it's over. Thatcher doesn't need to see us. We're here for Susan. To say goodbye."

Meredith nodded, her teary eyes meeting his. "To say good bye."

Derek's heart went out to her. Her downtrodden tone caused a lump to form in his throat. "I love you," was all he could think to say.

She met his eyes, as if searching for any reason to doubt him. Then, to his surprise she smiled. It was small, but it was there. "I love you too," she whispered. "Derek, I'm scared," she admitted, an intensity in her voice that he rarely heard.

He offered a comforting smile, tilting his head slightly. "You can do this." He gave her his best McDreamy smile.

Meredith nodded, more to convince herself than him before releasing his hand and opening her door. Derek quickly stepped out of the driver's side and met her in front of the car, taking her hand as they silently approached the funeral home.

000

The ceremony was just beginning as Derek sat uncomfortably on the hard bench of the back row, Meredith tucked in close, his right arm wrapped supportively around her waist. With his left hand he pulled at the tie that suddenly seemed too tight around his neck. He hated funerals, always had; ever since he attended his father's funeral at the young age of eight. Although he had been young, he could still remember the horror of losing a parent. As he glanced at his girlfriend, he tried to imagine what she was going through. She had now lost two parents in less than two months; three if you counted the father with whom she had been building a relationship.

Meredith sat quietly through the ceremony, taking comfort from the man next to her. The service was nice, and before she knew it she was in tears again. They sat together quietly, tears slowly sliding down Meredith's cheeks as she said goodbye to the only mom she had ever known. The tears came down stronger as her half-sister Molly gave a heartfelt goodbye to her mother during the eulogy. And then suddenly, it was over and people were filing out to the reception in the front lobby.

Meredith jumped in surprise at the solemn people moving past them. She glanced over to meet Derek's worried eyes. She offered a sad smile, motioning to him to slide off the bench, knowing they had to go before Thatcher and his real daughters made their way past them. Meredith nodded to Derek, motioning she was ready to leave and he silently took her hand and led her out of the pew and through the lobby to the doors.

As they stepped out into the sunlight together, Meredith felt her heart lighten more than it had in days. She had said goodbye to the only person had ever really wanted to be a parent to her. And maybe, just maybe it really wasn't really her fault that Susan was gone. She squeezed Derek's hand, both to assure him she was alright, and to remind herself that he really was there. Maybe, just maybe, not everyone leaves.

Derek smiled at the pressure change around his hand and he easily returned the gesture. Things had gone better than he had expected. Not only had they avoided the family, but they had managed to avoid answering any questions regarding their presence at the funeral. If he thought about it, many attendees most likely assumed they were friends of Molly or Lexie. They were just about at the car, Derek reaching into his pocket for the keys when they stopped dead.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The unmistakable sound of Thatcher's voice shouted from behind them. Evidently they had not been as invisible as he had believed.

Derek spun around to face the man who was fast approaching them, Molly trailing behind him, calling him back. Meredith had released his hand and was now standing away from Derek, trying to face her father on her own.

"You shouldn't be here!" Thatcher boomed. "You killed her! You killed my wife! You don't belong here!"

"Dad!" Molly's voice cut in as Thatcher stopped for a breath. She tried to grab his arm, but he pulled it out of her grasp. "You killed my wife," he repeated. "She was everything to me, and you killed her. How could you show up here, after everything that you have done to me, to us? You took away my wife, my girls' mother, a grandmother." Thatcher shook his head, his bloodshot eyes widening even more. "Get the hell away from here."

"Hey," Derek finally cut in. Meredith was obviously mute, unable to defend herself against the cruel onslaught of her father's outrageous accusations, and he couldn't stand it anymore. "Calm down," he demanded of the older man. "This wasn't her fault," he stated, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

Thatcher turned his attention to Derek, taking a moment to focus, as if just now noticing his presence. He shook his head at Derek, and when he spoke, his voice was harsh. "Don't stand up for her. She doesn't deserve it, not after what she's done. She's just like her mother. Destroys everything good. My advice to you is to run for the hills."

Derek shook his head, anger welling inside of him at the shocked expression on Meredith's face. It was all he could do not to punch the older man, grieving widower or not.

"This wasn't her fault," he repeated, fighting to keep his anger under control. "Sometimes these things just happen-"

"No," Thatcher cut in, turning his attention back to his daughter. "They don't just happen, they always happen around them." He practically spat. "Just like her mother," he repeated.

"No, I'm not," Meredith had finally found her voice. Her eyes were brimming with tears, her nose red against the pale backdrop of her face, and she was quivering slightly. But she kept her voice even, no hint of a waver. "I'm not her." She repeated. "And I am so sorry about Susan, I-"

"Don't you dare say her name!" Thatcher yelled, stepping violently towards her, only to be intercepted.

"Don't even think about it," Derek stated, as he stepped in front of his girlfriend, blocking Thatcher's path. He would let Meredith take the lead as much as she could, but hell would freeze over before he would let Thatcher near her with that look on his face.

This only seemed to further upset the already unhinged man. He tried to push past Derek.

Derek grabbed Thatcher wrists and held them tight until the man ceased his struggling. "Look," he started. "What happened to you and your family was tragic, I feel for you, I really do. But this is not the way to handle things. I promise you, you will regret this later. Susan wouldn't want you to do this." This seemed to make an impact as Thatcher stopped pulling away from Derek's grip. "We just came to say goodbye, and now we're leaving. Okay?" The older man didn't respond, but his breathing slowed and he had completely stopped fighting to get away from Derek, who now, cautiously, released his grip on Thatcher's wrists.

Thatcher didn't make a move towards them, simply stood still as they began to turn back towards the car. "You aren't welcome anymore." He said quietly, no emotion in his voice as Meredith turned back for a moment. "You aren't part of this family, and you never will be. I don't want to see you anymore."

Meredith swallowed and nodded solemnly, parent number three permanently scratched off her already short list. She paused for a moment, eyes watery, red eyes and light blue cheek in sharp contrast to her pale face in the sunlight as she met his eyes and held the gaze for a short time. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Then she turned, avoiding Derek's sympathetic eyes as she opened the car door and sat herself down in the passenger seat.

AN: Sorry about the excessive delay. I have re-written this a few times, and it still doesn't seem right. I really don't like that she needs Derek to stand up for her, but from what we've seen in the show, she may in front of her father. And, of course, there needed to be a confrontation. Anyway, the next couple chappies are planned and should be up faster than this one.