CHAPTER THREE

"I think they bit my eyes," Meredith moaned as she and Derek sat in the chairs that they had bought along for their camping trip. "Everything hurts." She looked over at Derek who had a wet towel covering his head. "Are you alive?"

"No," Derek replied woefully from under the towel. "This was not supposed to happen." Meredith pulled the towel off Derek's head to see him looking miserable and covered in tiny pink lumps. Meredith couldn't help laughing. "You're so cute," she said lovingly. Seeing Meredith laugh made Derek smile. "Come on. We can't just sit here," Meredith said.

"Why not?" Derek asked. "We're surgeons. We never get to just sit. I like just sitting." Meredith stood up gingerly. "What did you wanna show me out here anyway?" she asked. "We didn't drive into the middle of no where to sit in chairs and cry about ants."

"Well," Derek said, with a glint in his eye. "There's a beautiful lookout about two miles away. We could be there before the sun sets and have a picnic at the lookout." Meredith smiled.

"Now you're talking," she said. "You get some food. I'll find a map."

"We don't need the map," Derek said.

"You also said you didn't need the instructions for the tent," Meredith said with a smirk. "I'll get the map."

"Ready to go?" Derek asked after he had prepared a picnic basket full of food and wine for their dinner, making sure that no ants had found their way in. Meredith nodded as Derek took her hand in his and they started walking. For a while they didn't say anything. It was enough to just be in each other's company without the distractions of pagers, patients and gossip that seemed to surround them every day.

"Look," Derek said eventually. He pointed into a tree.

"I can't see anything," Meredith said, following his gaze.

"Eastern grey squirrel," he said.

"Oh yeah!" Meredith said, seeing it now. "It's cute!" She pulled her camera out of her satchel and took a photograph.

"Look at us," Derek said as they continued walking hand in hand. "Picnic basket, camera. We could pass for normal."

"Good one," Meredith said with a laugh.

Derek checked his watch as they reached the spot. It was as beautiful as he remembered it. They had arrived just as the sun had begun to set.

"Come and sit over here," Derek said, taking Meredith to the edge of the lookout. The view was spectacular. They sat down and Derek opened the picnic basket, taking a bottle and two wine glasses out. He poured the wine and took out the food from the deli that he had prepared.

"I feel like a princess," Meredith said watching him.

"Good," Derek replied as he made them sandwiches. "I feel like a housewife." They looked at each other and laughed.

"This sunset is amazing," Meredith said in wonder. She took another photograph.

Derek and Meredith ate, talked and laughed as they watched the sun set together, enjoying good food and wine. Then they relaxed on the grass and watched the stars begin to come out.

"We should get back," Derek said when it was dark. "It's getting cold." Meredith nodded and stretched out on the ground before sitting up. She pulled the map out of her satchel and squinted to try and see it. "Can you pass me the torch?" she asked.

"I didn't bring the torch," Derek answered.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"I bought the picnic basket," Derek said. "You were supposed to bring the torch."

"No, I was supposed to bring the map," Meredith corrected him. "What are we gonna do?"

"I have a light on my watch," Derek said, switching the faint light on. He laughed at the glare Meredith shot him.

"This isn't funny!" Meredith said, hitting Derek on the arm. It's freezing cold out here. She searched through her satchel hoping that a torch would magically appear. "I knew it," she said moodily.

"Knew what?" Derek asked. He didn't appear nearly as stressed as Meredith was.

"Tonight was nice. Tonight I thought my luck was changing. This is the story of my life. Just as I start to relax and enjoy life, despite the ants, something bad happens."

"Aww Mer, relax," Derek said sweetly, massaging her shoulders with his hands. She was shivering. Derek took his warm coat off and wrapped it around her, kissing her on the cheek and neck. "Better?" he asked. Meredith nodded.

"Well, we have two options," he said. "We can sleep out here all night."

"No," Meredith replied. "I've already died once and I don't plan on doing it again for a long time."

"The other option is to walk back with my watch light. It's only two miles. The walking will warm us up and I know this place like the back of my hand."

"Fine," Meredith sighed. She looked through her satchel again. "I suppose the compass won't help in the dark." Derek pulled her up off the ground and gave her a hug.

"No sweetie. Where did you find a compass?"

"In your backpack," Meredith replied.

"Oh I forgot about that. I must have left it there from last time. It's my good luck charm. It was my grandfathers."

"You have a grandfather?" Meredith asked as they started walking back through the darkness, hand in hand.

"Had," Derek replied.

"I never knew that," Meredith said.

"Really?" Derek asked. "Because most people have at least one." Meredith shot him a look that he didn't see in the darkness.

"How did he die?" Meredith asked.

"He was attacked by a wild animal one night on a camping trip." Meredith stopped suddenly. "I'm kidding," Derek said laughing.

"That is so not funny," Meredith said.

"He had a heart attack," Derek said.

"Some good luck charm," Meredith said bitterly

"I think you're scared," Derek said.

"Yes I am," Meredith snapped. "I'm in the middle of no where. I'm freakin' freezing, I don't know what's out there, I-" Derek interrupted her with a passionate kiss.

"We're alone, we're not being bothered by anyone, we're together, we're in a beautiful part of the country. I've seen you smile and laugh more times today than I have in ages. It's all about how you look at it, Mer." Meredith didn't want to admit it but she knew he was right. They walked in silence for awhile. "And we're back," Derek said. Just as he'd promised, they had arrived back to the camp site in no time.

"I'm ready for bed," Meredith said, yawning. "This is way too much excitement for me."

"Sounds like a plan," Derek agreed. Thankfully they could see due to the light of the fire that Hank and Rita had lit outside their tent. They unzipped the tent only to remember the ants that had moved in.

"Ah crap," Meredith said. "We didn't get to clean the tent out." Derek shrugged.

"So we'll sleep under the stars," he said. He went to his car and pulled out their sleeping bags and some blankets. They set them up on a piece of tarp. Derek then lit a small fire for warmth and they got into their sleeping bags and snuggled in together, looking up at the stars.

"This is nice," Meredith said with a satisfied smile.

"Yes it is," Derek agreed as they shared a kiss.