Sorry about the lack of updates, guys. I've been very sick. Here's an update for you. I hope that you're still enjoying this fic.
CHAPTER FIVE
Three hours later, Meredith and Derek were still in the water.
"Got any more brilliant ideas?" Meredith asked Derek, bitterly.
"You're so cute when you're pissed off," Derek said lovingly.
"Stop it," Meredith warned. "I'm tired, I'm naked, I'm cold and I've been in the water for so long that I'm more wrinkled than really old guy." Derek laughed again. Meredith splashed water at him and Derek splashed back. Soon they were engaged in a splashing match, Meredith's bitterness turning quickly to laughter.
"I'm getting out," Meredith announced.
"What?" Derek replied.
"Seriously, what are the odds that we'll ever see our friendly neighbors again?" Meredith asked. "So they see me naked. Who hasn't? I don't care anymore." Derek laughed, not believing that Meredith would get out of the water in full view of Hank and Rita but to his surprise, she did.
"Oh my," Hank said as Meredith got out of the water and ran over to the tent.
"Stop looking, Hank!" Rita shouted at Hank who was transfixed. "Hank!" Rita shouted again, hitting him on the arm with a spatula. "Stop looking at that ripe, young woman."
Derek swam close to the edge of the water.
"Meredith, pass me my towel," he said to Meredith who was wrapped up in a big towel, shivering.
"No," Meredith replied. Derek looked confused. "It was your idea go to skinny dipping and I had to do the walk of shame. You can do it too."
"Okay, Meredith, let's be mature about this," Derek said calmly, in a tone that he usually used on his patients. Meredith turned around and went into the tent where she picked Derek's towel up out of his bag and held it up. "Come and get it, baby," she teased.
"Fine," Derek said, less than amused. He jumped out of the water, kept his head down and ran into the tent to where Meredith was. She laughed and laughed as he took his towel from her. As annoyed as Derek was, he was happy to see Meredith laughing freely, even if it was at his expense.
"Rita!" Hank shouted at his wife as they sat on their camping chairs outside their tent. "Rita! You tell me not to stare at the young woman and you're gettin' all hot and bothered for the doctor over the there." He took the spatula from his wife and waved it in front of her face.
"I was not," Rita said, flushed in the face and obviously lying.
&&&
Once Meredith and Derek were dressed inside their tent they cleaned it out, removing every last trace of the ants that had inhabited it the day before. When they were finished, they moved their things into the tent and laid down, staring at the roof, side by side.
"Camping is exhausting," Meredith said.
"I don't ever remember it being this exhausting before," Derek said. Suddenly it started to rain. Derek yawned. "I need a nap. I never get to nap during the day."
"The wilderness hates me," Meredith said.
"Not quite. At least we got all our stuff in the tent before it started raining," Derek said. "The wilderness does not hate you. I need sleep," he said, rolling into his stomach and draping an arm lovingly around Meredith. He started to doze off. Meredith snuggled in closer to Derek and allowed herself to be enveloped by his warmth. It felt so good to have him close to her again. She had missed him. She fell asleep with his strong arms holding her comfortingly
&&&
Meredith awoke not long after to what sounded like someone in distress. The rain had stopped and she made sure that it wasn't the sound of a wild animal. It was Rita, she realised.
"Derek!" Meredith said, urgently, nudging Derek in an attempt to rouse him. "Derek!"
"What?" Derek murmured, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Do you hear that?"
"No," Derek said, rolling over.
"Derek!" Meredith said again, nudging him harder this time. "Wake up!" Derek sat up, upon hearing the noise.
"What's that?" he asked, suddenly alert.
"It's Rita," Meredith said. "I think she's in trouble."
"Wait… it stopped," Derek said. They heard a deep moan followed by a growling sound.
"Something's attacking her!" Meredith said, sounding panicky. "What if it's the squirrel from this morning?"
"It sounds like something bigger than a squirrel," Derek said, springing into action. "It could be a bear."
"There's bears here?" Meredith shouted louder than she meant to, sounding exasperated and full of dread. "Oh my God. The wilderness really does hate me." Derek peered out of the tent. He could tell that something was inside the tent with Rita. He wondered where Hank was. Derek picked up a large stick and inched closer to Hank and Rita's tent.
"Wait!" Meredith shouted after him. "You can't go in there. What If it attacks you?" Derek hadn't thought that far ahead.
"Well I can't just let her get eaten alive," he retorted. Meredith looked around and picked up a stick that was almost as big as she was.
"I'll follow you," she said.
"You have tiny ineffectual fists, remember?" Derek said adoringly as they crept closer to Hank and Rita's tent.
"Well maybe I'll distract the bear," Meredith replied, annoyed. "It can chew on me while you save Rita."
"That's very kind of you," Derek replied. They inched closer to the tent.
"Not really. It's the story of my life," Meredith replied. "It's what the wilderness wants. Why should I fight it?"
Derek and Meredith, clutching enormous sticks, reached Hank and Rita's tent. The zip was partially undone. Throwing caution to the wind, Derek, ripped the tent open and yelled out aggressively, waving the stick around to scare off the bear. He soon realised that there was no bear. Instead, they had interrupted Hank and Rita's noisy and steamy sex romp.
"Oh my God," Derek said, feeling as though he could die of embarrassment right there. "I… uh…"
"Hello there," Rita said back, not the least embarrassed, as Hank scrambled to find something to cover himself with.
Meredith, figuring that there was no threat after all, peered into the tent.
"Oh my…" she said, averting her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Derek managed to stammer to Rita. "I thought there was a bear."
"I'm that bear," Hank said, disgruntled.
"I see that," Derek stammered. "I'm gonna leave you two to… um… you know…" Meredith took Derek by the arm and led him away. She couldn't contain her laughter.
"This is your fault," Derek said, blushing with embarrassment as they went back to their tent. "You woke me up."
"I never said there was a bear," Meredith said though giggles. "That was all you."
"He sounded like a bear!" Derek said defensively. "I don't sound like that, do I?" he asked. Meredith was still giggling. "Oh I do not!" Derek said as they went back into the tent. He picked a pillow up and threw it at Meredith who laughed even more and threw it back at him.
"You do realise that after seeing you naked before Rita was thinking of you and not Hank," Meredith said through her laughter. Derek threw the pillow back at Meredith.
"Well I bet Hank was thinking of you. He did get quite a show before."
"Eww!" Meredith replied at the thought. She dived on top of Derek and squealed as he tickled her. Derek rolled Meredith onto her back and kissed her passionately. Meredith quivered with pleasure as Derek's lips moved to her neck.
"Let's give them some competition," he whispered into her ear.