Timeline for Part 7:

This chapter sets throughout the events of episode 11x07. One detail about it is that EVERY dialogue this chapter contains was taken from the episode. So it's one hundred percent canon, I merely added impressions, thoughts and feelings.

The Journey – Part Seven

Owen opened a bottle of beer and took a long sip, hoping it would relieve some of the stress he was feeling. His eyes traveled around the spacious backyard of Derek Shepherd's land and the trauma surgeon spotted the light inside one of the bedrooms on the top floor to the right.

He knew it was Amelia Shepherd's room and immediately Owen felt guilty for so flagrantly diverting his thoughts to her again. One week ago, during an unpretentious evening, the two of them had shared one of the most intense physicals moments he'd ever experienced. They hadn't had sex or even kissed but for some reason, Owen had left the house feeling more sexually charged than he could ever remember feeling.

But then came guilt. He just couldn't seem to get the rebellious neurosurgeon out of his mind. She was Derek's little sister and yet all Owen could think about was how touching her had made the blood rush inside his veins. It was all very confusing. At the same time he'd become strangely protective of Amelia and didn't even know why, Owen also wanted to lock himself in a room with her and get lost in the gracious curves of her feminine body. For some reason, it felt like he was walking into forbidden territory. Derek was one of his best friends. Owen wasn't exactly returning his generosity and loyalty by constantly fantasizing about his baby sister.

The intensity of his feelings and desires were troubling the trauma surgeon so much that all he could do was to stay away from Amelia as much as he could. At work, Owen would talk to her the strict necessary and at home, he would avoid crossing paths with the woman at all costs. A couple of nights before, he'd waited until the Shepherds had turned in for the night and kept his promise to change the engine filter of Amelia's car. At the hospital, she'd made sure to thank him between surgeries and it was then that Owen realized she must have been feeling as awkward as he did.

Every time he remembered how closely they'd stood and the way she had closed her eyes but he'd backed away, Owen felt like punching himself. Even though rationally he'd made the best choice, avoiding a strain to their professional relationship, Owen also couldn't believe he'd missed out on the chance to kiss her. The memory haunted him every time he saw the woman and for that, the trauma surgeon became even more determinate to avoid seeing Amelia Shepherd as much as he could, despite really enjoying her company.

.

Amelia had started off her day on a very positive note. Everything at the hospital seemed to be working out perfectly. Except for the fact that her boss didn't seem much interested in talking to her.

A few weeks before, she and Derek had had awful discussions about what they both wanted and needed for their careers, sending Amelia on an annoying depressed mood. Later on, her frustrations had vanished when, unexpectedly, the chief had assured the neurosurgeon that he had no reason to fire her. Owen Hunt had proven with statistics and official hospital data that Amelia was thriving at the job but what had touched her most was the amazing feedback he'd given her with his own words.

Amelia hadn't been working for Owen for long but she'd already quickly grown to admire him. As chief, he was fair and inspiring. The guy was always interested in reaching out to his employees, took suggestions well and ran a tight ship under his strong command. It was a general opinion around the surgical floor that Owen Hunt had all the qualities of a great leader. He rarely made mistakes and when he did, the man was humble enough to apologize and try to fix them, setting the example for his employees to do the same. While he was confident and inspired order and security, he was also noticeable humane and understanding. All those traits added together made everyone on the floor respect and look up to him.

And Amelia was no different.

Owen had been one of the few people in her life who had took a leap of faith with her and believed she could do something good, even when Amelia herself wasn't fully sure she could. Sure, he reprimanded her when he saw it fit, but Owen also made sure to compliment and encourage her and that's more than Amelia had ever been given before from an authority figure. In her past, a lot of people had treated her with decency and kindness, but never had she seen anyone expect the best from her on a first impression. The friends she had in LA were incredibly supportive and respectful, but before their bond and even professional relationship had developed, they had already known Amelia on a personal level.

Meanwhile, Owen had granted her privileges to work at the hospital upon her brother's request, but then against expectations he'd hired her as chief of department, affirming he believed she had what it took to do it. When he'd first met her, the chief hadn't focused on the fact she was young, impulsive or simply Derek's sister. Instead, he'd chosen her because he'd seen Amelia as her own person, acknowledged the merit in her work and believed in her capacity to perform the job. Ever since that day, the neurosurgeon had been determinate not to disappoint him.

And yet today, for the first time, she'd felt like she had.

After a busy morning helping out with traumas in the ER, Amelia had humbly offered to go update the patient's family. That had been the worst decision she made that day.

As she approached the old couple's daughter, Amelia had the darkest secrets of her life exposed by a total stranger. Breaking every oath in the book, the distressed young woman had shouted to the entire floor about Amelia's addiction. It all happened so fast and unexpectedly that the neurosurgeon felt numbed, out of reaction. It was like she was living one of her worst nightmares in bright colors, exposed for everyone to watch. Her recollection of the moment included her boss stepping up in a matter of seconds, taking the woman away from the scene to prevent more damage. And then her brother coming in her direction.

Amelia fully expected Derek to come to her aid, say words of comfort and show support. But instead, he'd given her an icy, judgmental glance and completely ignored her in front of the entire staff. In the eyes of the spectators, Derek might as well have said that he fully agreed to the woman's impressions about his sister. The patient's daughter had requested another doctor to the case and even when Owen Hunt had already removed the woman from the scene, Derek had gone on and showed everyone where exactly he stood. The way he'd then closed the curtains on her face hit Amelia like a punch to the stomach without a warning.

That was it. The final act to the sad show she kept reenacting all her life, everywhere she went. Soon after, as she walked through the halls, she could hear people whispering about her and pointing fingers. Not for the first time in her life, Amelia heard that she'd only achieved something because she was Derek Shepherd's sister. The young neurosurgeon had lost count of how many times before she'd found herself in that very same scene. Somehow, for Amelia, only screwing up was never enough. It seemed like life made sure that on top of it, she had exposed her traumas, failures and losses to the world.

Coming to Seattle had been one last attempt at starting over with a clean slate. One final attempt at not letting what had long before happened dictate her future. But once again, her past caught up with her and hit the young surgeon right on the face.

"I need to talk to you."

Amelia had been so nervous that she'd gone to the one person she knew could understand her. Talking to Richard Webber was a wise decision because Amelia was able to expose her fears and insecurities. After she'd guaranteed Richard that she was sober, he was of fundamental help by saying she was under no obligation to tell anyone. Webber had been the chief of surgery for a long time and Amelia valued his insight. According to the man, as long as she wasn't doing anything that compromised her ability to do her job, Amelia's private life could remain private. Even though she still felt the weight of everything that had just happened, including her brother's betrayal, the neurosurgeon was finally able to hold her head up high.

With a deep breath, Amelia left the room. No one was entitled to know. Her past was in the past and she didn't have to defend it to anyone. Later that day, she would go to a meeting and do exactly what she needed to be done. She would follow the instructions by the book, because the woman had long before learned that that was the only path to maintain her sobriety. Just like it had happened every now and then, life had knocked Amelia down.

And just like always, she would once again rise even stronger.

.

Owen paced back and forth inside his office, trying to set his head straight. It felt like his day had taken a full turn. Just earlier that morning, he'd been thinking about the chance he'd had to kiss Amelia Shepherd and how he'd missed it. But now, his concerns were of a much deeper level.

Like everyone else on the floor, Owen had been surprised to hear a strange woman shouting that his head of neurosurgery suffered from drug addiction and had once woken up next to her dead boyfriend. At the moment, Owen hadn't hesitated. He'd spotted the initial shock on Amelia's face and before everyone else could regain their composure, he'd already gotten the woman out of the room, preventing the situation from getting even worse. Because of that, Owen hadn't been around to watch what'd happened afterwards, but unwillingly, he'd heard all the gossip.

According to the voices that got to his ear, Derek Shepherd had walked past his sister with a look of despise on his face. He'd taken over the case and left her there under everyone's scrutiny. When he'd first heard it, Owen felt like punching his friend. How could he leave his own sister in a position like that and simply do nothing? Owen could never do the same. But the more chief thought about it, the more alarmed he felt.

If Derek had not stepped up to help Amelia or even deny the accusations that had so violently been thrown to her face, it could very well mean he agreed to everything that was being said. When the senior neurosurgeon had first appointed his sister to replace him, Owen had felt that, even though Derek clearly trusted her abilities, he still had reservations about the younger sibling. Slowly, a lot of thoughts were starting to alarm him and Owen felt a sick feeling to his stomach.

His gut had told him that Amelia Shepherd could be trusted, but was it possible that for the first time in his life, his instincts had deceived him? If her own brother hadn't stood by her, was it possible that the woman really was a risk? It made sense that Derek wouldn't openly wreck his sister's reputation by sharing that information about her, but his silence also spoke a lot.

Owen spent the following minutes reminiscing about the time he'd spent in the company of the woman and the way he'd carefully inspected her work. Was Amelia Shepherd really a drug addict? Why had no one told him about it when he'd first hired her?

And worse, was it possible that she was still using?

Amelia had always been full of energy but up until now he'd never found it particularly intriguing. If she was indeed consuming illicit substances, it could very well increase her performance and explain why she spent so many hours loaded with so much hustle, going back and forth and working all the time. It could also explain why she sometimes acted so impulsively. Even though never had she done anything exactly reckless, Owen had noticed Amelia took more chances and engaged in more risky behavior than any of the other surgeons. She pulled stunts like awake craniotomies on infants. Just the previous week, Amelia had had a very suspicious domestic accident and after admitting she'd spent two days straight at the hospital, she had remained seated beside him awake and alert, interacting for hours without the slightest sign of being exhausted. And the fact Owen knew virtually nothing about her past or the reason why she'd moved from Los Angeles also added to his now long list of doubts about her.

All signs pointed to a reality Owen wasn't ready to acknowledge. But before trusting assumptions and making speculations, he knew what he needed to do. Talking directly to the woman was the only way to go and the least she deserved was the benefit of the doubt.

Picking up his white coat from the back of his chair, Owen put it on and quickly left the room, determined to go find her.

.

Amelia had just heard another round of hateful whispers when she heard the unmistakable voice of her boss startling her.

"Dr. Shepherd… Uh… Can we go somewhere private and talk?" Owen asked considerately. At the same time he needed to hear the truth from her, there was absolutely no need to submit Amelia to public judgment. What she had to say was no one's business.

"I'm busy right now, actually." Amelia replied evasively.

"This is important. Listen." Owen hoped with everything that she would cooperate. He had spent long minutes pondering about the situation and unfortunately, considering all the information he'd gathered, it wouldn't be that surprising if Amelia was indeed everything she'd been accused of. "Is there anything you want to tell me? To clear this up?" He added, anxious to hear it from her. Owen realized he was almost hoping she would explain everything because he really didn't want to change his mind about her. Amelia was doing a remarkable job ahead of the neurosurgery department and he had believed in her from the start. Not only did Owen not like to be wrong, he had just realized that he'd also come to genuinely care about the woman.

"I don't. I think you heard all the facts." Amelia replied. She remembered what Richard had said and held her head up high. The neurosurgeon didn't owe anyone explanations. As long as she was doing her job well, and Owen had stated not long before that she was, no one was entitled to knowing anything.

It took a lot of effort for Amelia to hold herself together. At the same time Richard's advices had helped her stand her ground, she couldn't help feeling like for some reason, she wanted to tell the chief of surgery the truths about her past. Amelia had always kept it hidden, afraid to talk about it because people never reacted well.

But somehow, Owen had always given her the impression that he wouldn't judge if he knew. He'd never refused to listen to her and now he was actually asking. During the past month, even when Amelia had acted out, he'd never treated her like he was dealing with a child or patronized her. Slowly, she developed the impression that maybe this guy actually respected her as a woman and as a professional. That was something Amelia wasn't very used to.

But a lifetime of disappointments after trusting people prevented Amelia from taking that leap of faith with him.

From there on, Owen dealt with her refusal to say anything else. Her reaction alarmed him even more. If Amelia didn't have anything to hide or be embarrassed about, why wouldn't she explain? The chief of surgery had made sure he wasn't accusing her of anything. He had been pretty clear he only expected to hear her side of the story in an attempt to help her. But even then, Amelia refused, making Owen's suspicions only increase.

.

Later that day, after updating the patient's daughter with Derek, Owen found out a bit more about the situation he was having a hard time managing. The woman in front of him apologized, making sure they knew she was aware she'd just broken an oath. It became clear then that Amelia was indeed a drug addict, considering she went to meetings. But what added to Owen's stress was Derek's remaining silence.

"Derek, what am I looking at here?"

And just like before, Derek kept his mouth shut, refusing to give out more information. Even though Owen didn't want to believe it, he was left with no choice. If there was any chance that Amelia Shepherd was a risk, Owen couldn't keep her on as chief of department. If she really was using drugs, Owen knew he would also have to revoke her privileges. Until he was sure Amelia was clean, he needed to make a decision about her, but up until now, there were merely suppositions. And Owen hated that. What he really wanted was to hear something concrete, so he could act on it. By keeping their silence, the Shepherd siblings were pretty much leading him to believe that Amelia really couldn't be trusted and as chief, Owen had to put the hospital's best interest ahead of anything else. Regardless of how much his gut told him there was more to the story, Owen couldn't force the neurosurgeons to talk. And no matter how personally affected he felt to see Amelia Shepherd in such distress, Owen knew that at that moment, his professional side would have to win the battle inside his heart.

Without a second thought, Owen decided to call a board meeting.

.

Amelia didn't for a second consider that day could get any worse until she was alone with her brother inside one of the hospital rooms. She'd already had a hard time processing that Derek hadn't stepped up to help her.

But when Amelia figured out it was her job he was after, she felt like she'd lost her ground completely. Apparently, their chief of surgery had had the decency to go after Derek for an explanation, probably after he'd unsuccessfully tried to hear it from her. But instead of helping her case, her brother had made it even worse.

"How can you do this to me?" Amelia raised her eyes to meet his gaze, feeling destroyed.

"I will…" Derek tried to explain himself before being interrupted.

"To me?!" Amelia shouted, unable to hold it back any longer. Her own brother had not only failed her, he'd also betrayed her. Derek had let her reputation get ruined on purpose, because he thought it would increase his chances of getting his old job back. Her brother knew how chronically Amelia struggled with her addiction, how much hurt and loss it had given her and how hard she worked every day not to be defined by it. The fact that he'd put the position inside the department above her personal well being and feelings made Amelia not only angry, it made her disgusted. She knew in her heart that in his place, she would never have done the same, no matter what in the world they were going through.

"I will fix it!" Derek insisted.

"How can you do this?" Amelia felt her heart breaking in a thousand pieces. Derek had always been her reference. Amelia had grown up without a father but since she could remember, her older brother had been someone she could look up to. In the past, she'd disappointed him over and over and her entire family made sure she knew it. But now, the concrete realization that Derek wasn't at all the super hero figure Amelia had always imagined him to be completely shattered her. When their father had died, she'd felt like she'd lost her security figure. But now, after what Derek had done, it was like her entire support system was not only gone, but it had also turned against her.

"I will talk to them! I will talk to all of them, and I will fix it." Derek assured her, looking genuinely distressed.

"You're my brother." Amelia sustained his gaze, trying her hardest not to lose control. She wanted to hide in a corner and cry, but life had taught her better.

In silence, she watched as Derek assented with a head nod and putting on his best empathetic face, he left.

Amelia never hated him more than she did at that second.

After watching her brother leave, she sat back and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Somewhere inside those hospital walls, their chief of surgery had probably decided to fire her and Derek was the one to blame for it.

In a matter of seconds, a movie ran through Amelia's mind and she felt sick. She thought about the time she'd gone over to apologize to Derek after crashing his car and he'd refused to see her. And how worried she'd felt after hearing he'd got shot. During that time, her brother had completely ignored her calls. When Amelia had heard from Addison that Derek was often in touch with his ex-wife and yet refused to talk to his own sister, her world had collapsed.

Unlike most people in her family, Amelia wasn't resentful or excessively proud. So she'd taken a plane and gone over to see him. Her brother had once again humiliated her, making her feel unworthy in front of his wife she'd just met. And later on, he'd kept the recurrent act of not talking to her, lecturing his sister like he'd do to a young kid until his anger built up and he exploded, saying hurtful things. Derek had repeatedly done it because he knew he could get away with it. Amelia was his little sister and at some point, she would forgive him. Especially after years of developing an unbalanced notion that she needed him more than he could ever need her.

That was their circle. Amelia realized. That newly found grasp of reality hurt like hell. After doing and saying a lot of things that he knew would hurt her feelings, Derek would simply move on to making a sweet, heartfelt speech. Amelia would buy it, and eventually she'd forgive him. The young neurosurgeon didn't doubt her brother spoke from the heart and that he really loved her. But even though she understood where his actions, anger and fear came from, it didn't give him the right to treat her like his personal punching bag. That unfair circle would stop right now.

Amelia was sure that, when the entire situation was fixed, Derek would redeem himself. He would lower his walls, control his ego and apologize. She would be angry for a few days but because she was uncapable of holding a grudge much longer, soon enough, she would forgive and forget. That's what they always did. But somehow, now it felt different. This time, the idea she'd had of him had shifted completely.

Because Amelia had just realized that not only her lifetime super hero was flawed and wouldn't always defend her, by taking advantage of her feelings and vulnerability sometimes Derek could actually act like her personal enemy.

.

Owen looked around and saw all the board members gathered around the table. Arizona Robbins was the only one missing but since she was stuck in surgery, he proposed they started the meeting without her. And yet before they could even start, Derek Shepherd barged into the room, clearly distressed.

"I know you're trying to figure out what's going on. I know you've heard some stories about Amelia. I let you believe something. I let you believe that…"

Owen heard the words spoken by the neurosurgeon and frowned in confusion, interrupting him before Derek could continue.

"Shepherd, you were pretty clear when we spoke, so..."

"She's in recovery. She works really hard at it. She's been successful in recovery and… " Derek closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Owen kept gazing at him, eager to believe every word the guy was saying. "This hospital should have protected her. This woman should have protected her. And… More importantly, I should have protected her."

Owen noticed how the neurosurgeon stopped again, taking a deep breath, as if he had a hard time saying the words that were leaving his mouth. The chief of surgery turned in his chair, puzzled. Owen didn't want to jump to conclusions so he wouldn't be disappointed again but if what Derek was saying was true then it meant he hadn't been wrong about Amelia, after all.

"I didn't. And I didn't because I wanted her job. I wanted my old job back. So now we're here. My fault."

Owen noticed how everyone around gave Derek a baffled look, having a hard time believing he had actually done that to his own sister. When Meredith spoke, the neurosurgeon quickly interrupted her, gazing straight at the chief of surgery.

"She should stay where she is, Owen. She can do the job. She is doing the job. I couldn't do it any better."

After the heartfelt confession, everyone quickly processed what Derek had just said and moved on with their obligations. One by one, the board members left, until the chief was the only one sitting in the room.

It took him a few minutes to realize he was clenching his own fist, so hard that his knuckles had turned white. Owen took a deep breath, trying to control his temper but even without a mirror, he could tell his face was entirely flushed with anger.

Derek Shepherd was an insensitive idiot and if Owen could, he would punch the guy in the face. Earlier that day, it had been frustrating enough to find out that the neurosurgeon had let his own sister down and failed to be there for her. But now, after hearing Derek had on purpose helped stain Amelia's reputation, nearly getting her fired just so he could get his old job back had made Owen start to wonder if he knew Derek as well as he thought he did. Thankfully, the guy had redeemed himself in time but to think he was actually capable of acting like that in the first place made the chief of surgery question all the impressions he had.

His thoughts shifted to Amelia and he couldn't help feeling his chest constricted. She didn't deserve what had happened to her that day. Even though it'd caught Owen by surprise to hear about her drug problem, something she probably should have disclosed when she'd first been hired, he understood why she had been secretive about it. He knew very well about being judged and scrutinized because of a personal problem. Many times before, Owen had had people questioning his skills and job performance because of his personal problems while refusing to look at him as a whole person. He had been reduced to being his PTSD and today, under his eyes, Amelia Shepherd had been reduced to her drug addiction.

But there was more to it, Owen noticed. Just like him, who struggled to maintain his mental health every day, Amelia Shepherd also refused to let her past define her. If he already admired her before, now Owen held her in an even higher regard. He didn't judge Amelia for having a problem; instead, he saw her as a stronger person for overcoming it and showing up to work with dignity and commitment every day, refusing to get any sort of special treatment or victimizing herself.

The way she had somehow gone from using drugs and losing a boyfriend to achieving the position of head of department by her own merit spoke a lot about her resilience and for the first time since he could remember, Owen felt the urge to go see her. They had more in common than he had realized and that day, as he left the hospital, the trauma surgeon hoped with all his heart that he'd run into her at home.

.

"You okay?"

Amelia heard the words as she entered the house and froze in response. She was more hurt than she would ever admit. Her first impulse was to leave the room without even looking at her brother, but she remembered what she'd just said and heard in AA and took a deep breath, anxious to avoid that conversation and go straight to her room.

"I was at a meeting." Amelia shared, watching as her brother asserted her words with a head nod. "I am moving out tomorrow." She informed him, determined to get out of his intoxicating presence. The younger neurosurgeon couldn't begin to explain how mortified she was at her brother's predicament.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry."

There it was, Amelia realized with an eye roll. Now that all the anger had cooled down a bit, it was time for that step in Derek's predictable moves.

"Don't, Derek. Don't even bother." She added, walking right past him. Amelia was in no mood to put up with his sensitive apologies, references of the past and guilt trips.

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

As she heard his voice, Amelia stopped walking and defensively stood in front of him, sarcastically replying:

"I'm sure you didn't." She slightly nodded her head in disapproval and met her brother's eyes, making sure he knew how she was not okay with the situation. "I am sure you didn't even think about me. You saw an opening and you took it."

"I have always wanted to protect you ever since dad died. I didn't want to… I'm sure you didn't want me to. But I promised."

Amelia looked up at her brother and for the second time that day, hated him. Derek had no right to once again bring their past into their argument just to win her over. He didn't need to remind her of the significance he'd had in her life and the way his words were sweetly disguised made Amelia's anger boil inside her chest. She stood in front of her brother, empty staring through him, waiting until he was done talking so she could finally leave his presence.

"Then you came up here, and I realized I didn't have to worry anymore. You were okay. You were fine. You were more than fine. You could take care of yourself now, and I didn't need to anymore."

At the sound of his words, Amelia lifted her chin up higher. How could he even believe she was fine? Using compliments to try to win her over also weren't going to work. She knew damn well she could take care of herself as she'd done for the past two years. But she also didn't need Derek to be testing her.

All of a sudden, Amelia felt guilty for feeling so bitter. Deep down, she knew Derek truly loved her and wanted the best for her. But today, he didn't get to be forgiven. Not yet.

Today, Amelia had every right to thoroughly despise him.

"I needed you today." She added, trying to sound indifferent while making a point. Amelia watched as her brother took in her words and processed them, obviously struggling to come up with what he had to say next.

"I don't know who I am anymore. Not anybody I ever thought I'd be. I try to make the right choices for Meredith, for the kids, you… And, um… I'm angry all the time. I'm miserable and I don't know what to do with it. All I do is hurt people. The last people I want to hurt. And I just can't get control of it. I don't know what to do anymore."

Amelia sustained his gaze, watching as her brother spoke the words with sincerity. She understood very well what he meant, because that day, Amelia had felt angry and miserable and a big disappointment too. Those were all things she could relate.

But right now, Derek didn't really deserve her sympathies or her shoulder to cry on. Not when he'd been the one responsible for making that potentially bad day into one of the worst Amelia had ever had. Gazing at her brother with her feelings stamped in her eyes, the neurosurgeon pulled herself back together and decided to go to her room, leaving Derek to lick his wounds. All his life, her family had pointed fingers at her for acting out when she'd felt hurt, lost and confused. Her brother included.

But today, Derek had discovered exactly what it was like to be in those shoes. And unlike Amelia, he'd let his ego get the best of him, hurting the people he loved the most.

"I know how you feel." Amelia gave him one last look before finally walking away with her head up high, knowing that that time, for a change, she was the Shepherd that had no reason to be ashamed. "We call it rock bottom."

.

Later that night, Amelia had a hard time falling asleep. Before she could realize what she was doing, she found herself by the windowsill, where she sat with her legs folded in front of her body. Amelia wrapped both arms around her thighs and rested her chin between her knees, idly gazing at the window outside.

Everything was dark and eerily silent. Not a single cricket was chirping and instead of feeling at peace with the lack of disturbance, Amelia felt lonelier than she'd ever felt. At that moment, she only had her own thoughts to keep her company. And for the first time since she'd broken off her engagement, Amelia wished she had someone to come home to.

Almost immediately, her head turned and the neurosurgeon spotted the only source of light her eyes could find. From a distance, she could see the dimly lit interior of the trailer where her boss lived in. It was nearly two in the morning and Amelia wondered what was he doing up. For a few minutes, she distracted herself, imagining if he also had trouble sleeping that night. Was he reading a book? Watching TV?

Reminiscing about the events of the day?

Amelia thought back about the way he had approached her by the OR board and considerately asked to hear her own version of the story. It was strange not being instantly judged. Amelia was so used to being frowned upon that having someone bother to hear her before deciding she was a disappointment had become the exception rather than the condition.

But then, there was Owen Hunt. With his understanding blue eyes that somehow felt like they could see through her soul. It would have been completely acceptable if Owen had reprimanded her for not going to him first with the truth but instead of censoring her, the guy had offered to listen and help her. Just the week before, he had showed up at her door when Amelia was home alone and entertained her with his presence at the same time he captivated her with his strength and integrity. She remembered the way Owen had touched her afterwards and how they had both been taken aback by the intensity of the contact.

The thing was, Amelia had somehow come to like him. To really like him. She respected the guy as her boss but above that, she admired him as a decent and considerate human being.

Taking a deep breath, Amelia pondered about her situation. The day after, she was going to look for the chief and explain everything, making sure he knew how she felt. That would be her first step towards regaining control of her life and resuming the plans she'd made when she first moved to Seattle.

For some reason, thinking about being in good terms with Owen Hunt comforted her and Amelia was finally able to go to bed, unaware that she had just made the choice to trust her heart with the only man who would never take her feelings for granted.