January 21, 2014

Jar of Hearts—Christina Perri (4:32)

The Dirty Mistresses

Derek

He wasn't sure why he'd come here. It had taken a lot of research and wheedling to find out where she'd gone after she'd disappeared. It was only because Richard was still angry with her for leaving that he'd been able to get the older man to finally tell him where she was.

She'd been gone for nearly a year already and he still couldn't get her out of his head. He'd tried to patch things up with Addison but they were both too different now. So he'd tracked Meredith down to ask her for another chance. He should never have chosen Addison over her in the first place.

Meredith was a forgiving soul though so he was sure once he explained things to her she'd forgive him and take him back. It wasn't as though she hadn't made mistakes as well. If he could forgive her then she could forgive him.

He parked his rental car across the street from the house that he'd found the address for in the phonebook. The address she'd given Richard had been wrong. She had moved from there three months ago. The landlady had refused to tell him the new one so he'd checked the phonebook.

He eyed the house critically. It was pretty in that quaint beach side way. Didn't seem like a place Meredith would willingly live though. And there were cars all over out front. Apparently Meredith's party girl ways hadn't abated.

Suddenly he saw her. Her back was to him as she backed away from someone he couldn't see on the side of the house. "Don't you dare, Ellie!" Her voice floated to him on the wind. "I'm serious! Noel already threw me in the pool. I don't need to be more wet than I already am!" She continued to back away. "Uncle Ro! Save me! Mark! Mike! Eric! Josie! Somebody!" Her laughter belied her desperate words and then she raced around the front of the house to the other side.

"Dammit!" Another female voice yelled. "She went around!"

Derek shook his head at the strange actions and headed across the street. Meredith's parties were notorious for being rowdy though at one o'clock in the afternoon on a Sunday he hadn't expected to find a bunch of drunks already littering her lawn.

He rang the bell and waited for what seemed like hours before the door finally opened. The child was a surprise. "May I help you? Miss Meredith didn't say anyone else was coming." The little girl who couldn't have been more than ten told him.

He gave the girl a charming smile. He could handle this kid. Kids liked him. "I'm a friend of Miss Meredith's. I'm here to surprise her."

The girl frowned suspiciously. "No you're not. I know all of Miss Meredith's friends. They all work with my mommy…well, except Mr. Alex but I met him at Christmas. What's your name?"

Derek frowned now. "Um…Derek."

The girl glared up at him. "You stay here and I'll go tell her you're here…maybe." The girl latched the screen door so that he couldn't open it and turned around. "Mr. Mark!" She yelled into the house. "There's a strange man here to see Miss Meredith! I think he's a witness!"

The male laugh that followed that statement was familiar but Derek couldn't place it until the man spoke. "It's Jehovah Witness, Careen." That was Mark Sloan's voice. What the Hell was he doing here? Derek heard the footsteps coming to the door as the girl turned back to regard him evenly. The door opened a bit wider and he heard the short gasp Mark let out. "Hello Derek," he said flatly.

"Mark," Derek fumed. "What are you doing here?"

Mark smirked. "I live here," he announced and leaned against the jamb on the other side of the screen. "Careen, can you go get Mer for me?"

The girl nodded and looked up at him sternly. "Okay, but don't let him in until she gets here. She won't like a bible thumper in her house. And you live down the street, dummy."

Mark only laughed again. "As many nights as I spend here I may as well move in." Careen flipped her hair and disappeared. "Why are you here?"

Derek stayed silent.

"Mark?" He heard Meredith's voice behind Mark. "Careen said there's a witness here?"

"Nope," Mark popped the 'p'. "A bit of our shared history decided to make an appearance." He gestured to Derek as Meredith stopped beside him.

"Derek," Meredith said in a dull monotone. "What are you doing here? Where's Addison?"

Derek swallowed, suddenly nervous. "Addie's…er, L.A. I think. We…um, split up for good."

Meredith's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

Derek ignored the man beside Meredith and concentrated the full power of his charming smile on Meredith. "I was hoping to talk to you. Maybe see if…"

Meredith leaned into Mark's side. "I can't today," she said off-handedly. "It's Uncle Ro's birthday and obviously the party is here. I can't leave my guests and it's a family only thing."

Derek cocked his head to the side. "I thought you didn't have any family besides your mother."

Meredith straightened and grabbed the door. "Well, obviously I do now. If you're still in town tomorrow we can talk then. We have a lunch break about one or so. Come by the hospital and we can have lunch…so long as an emergency doesn't pop up."

"What I have to say will take more than your lunch break," Derek said tightly.

Meredith shrugged. "You're lucky you get that much. Take it or leave it." She wrapped her hand around Mark's elbow and pulled him away from the door. "I have a busy, fulfilling life here and I'm not going to rearrange it because you finally decided that you needed to see me. I gave you months and you never gave me a glance after she showed up. I'm not willing to let you disrupt my new life." She started to push the door closed. "Good bye, Derek." The door clicked shut.

Derek stood looking at the wood with a frown. What had just happened?