I'm thrilled and grateful at the response to the first chapter - thank you all so much for the reviews, and for favoriting this story! I hope I can keep your interest as the story goes forward.

This chapter brings Derek and Meredith together, and how will that go..?

Chapter Two
It's a Free Country

By the time Derek pulled into the parking lot at the building that housed the morgue and police station, he was angry and confused. He was still thinking about the call from Gareth that had come while he was in the shower. There hadn't been any voicemail, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had taken it, would his brother still be alive? If he had gone out to meet him, would things be different? Not to mention the small problem of the painting Gareth admitted to stealing; how did that fit into this mess? And worse, did the police think he had something to do with Gareth's death? With all of this on his mind, he stepped out of his Porsche, and immediately a horde of reporters descended on him.

"Mr. Shepherd! What happened to your brother?"

"Anything you can tell us?"

"No comment." He pushed past them, avoiding their outstretched microphones, keeping his sunglasses in place, and his expression neutral. At the door, he could see Det. Hunt waiting for him, and he dashed inside, where it was quiet compared to the babble outside. "Can't you do something about them?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Freedom of the press." Hunt shrugged, apparently unconcerned. "Come with me." They were silent as they made their way along the corridor. It only took a few moments to reach the sterile room where the coroner waited for them. Derek felt almost disconnected from the situation, until the moment the sheet was pulled away from the body. Nothing had prepared him for seeing Gareth lifeless and pale, his expression devoid of the usual smirk that meant he was up to no good.

"Yes, that's him. That's Gareth," he said quietly. "Did he suffer…?"

The coroner, a short black woman, looked at him across the table. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Shepherd. I'm Dr. Bailey, and I did the autopsy. Your brother was found in the water, but he wasn't drowned. Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Yes, I need to know."

"All right. There are marks on his neck to indicate that he was strangled first and then left in the water. There was no fluid in the lungs. The killer likely assumed the body would be in the water longer before being found. The storm didn't work in the killer's favor, however; the waves were stronger than normal and washed Gareth up on the shore sooner. He was found early this morning by some kids out walking their dog on the beach."

"I see. I just can't believe this…"

"It's understandable, and I'm sure Det. Hunt will do his best to find who did this," Dr. Bailey said gently. "There are still some procedures we need to do before we can release him to the funeral home. But you can rest assured we will treat him with our utmost respect."

Derek nodded, but felt suddenly nauseous, from the smell of the room to the shock of seeing his brother's body. "I need to leave, are we done here?"

"We still need to talk. We can do that in my office, two floors up. I'll be right there," Hunt said, as he nodded to Dr. Bailey, who pulled the sheet back up over the body.

"Fine." Derek gave his brother a final look, and then turned on his heel and walked out into the hallway, keeping a firm control on his emotions. Thankful to be away from the scent of the morgue, he found the elevator, and pushed the call button impatiently several times.

"It won't come any faster that way." The soft feminine voice came out of nowhere, and he jerked his head around to see who it belonged to.

"It makes me feel better," Derek said, taking in her appearance. She was petite and slim, with delicate features and blonde hair that framed her face. Her outfit of a short black skirt, and figure hugging green sweater seemed out of place at the county building.

"I guess if you're in this building, you're not having the best of days anyway," she offered, giving him a little smile.

The elevator doors slid open, and Derek motioned for her to step in first. "That's an understatement. Going up?"

"Yes."

"Are you here for a meeting with one of the detectives?" Derek asked, feeling a need to take his mind off his reason for being there. "Or do you work here?"

"Mmm…neither, really," she said non-committally.

"Oh, you just hang out at police stations for fun?"

"Something like that. You meet the most interesting people," she laughed softly.

He leaned a little closer to her, enticed by the light fragrance of her hair, just as the elevator lurched to a stop. The sudden stop caused him to bump into her, catching her arm to keep his balance. For a split second, their eyes met; there was a sultry invitation there, and he could have sworn her breasts grazed his chest. His body tightened in immediate response, before he regained his usual control and backed away. Even though his blood pounded in his veins, and his thoughts were going places that were wrong at this time and place. "I'm sorry. This is my floor." He straightened his shirt cuffs, and stepped into the corridor, ready to dismiss their encounter.

"Mine too." Meredith followed him, admiring the impeccable way his suit was cut to fit him. He was even more devastatingly handsome than his pictures had made him out to be; his blue eyes were almost hypnotizing, and he exuded masculine confidence with every move he made. Being a reporter brought her in contact with a lot of men, most of them so full of their own importance they left her cold. This one might prove otherwise.

"I'm supposed to meet with Det. Hunt, so if you'll excuse me," he said, looking around for the right office.

"His office is down that way."

"Good, thanks."

"I can walk with you." They were quiet for a few paces. "You're Derek Shepherd, aren't you? I recognized you from the article about your restaurant in the last Life & Style magazine." She had also read the dossier that Mark had prepared for her; the bio, the background on education and career (which had been rather vague) and she tried to come up with something intelligent to say to keep him talking to her.

"Yes. Have you been there?" Derek knew he would have remembered seeing her come through the doors.

"Sadly no…little out of my price range!"

They reached Hunt's office, and before she could say anything else, Dr. Bailey hustled up to them, holding a sheaf of papers. "Ms Grey, what are you doing on this floor? You know you shouldn't be up here. Did that lovesick assistant of mine let you in the building?"

Derek looked at Ms Grey curiously for a moment, before glancing at the coroner. "Is there a problem, Dr. Bailey?"

"Damn right there is…she's a reporter for that trashy paper Seattle Enquirer. I'm sure she's up to no good."

"Mr. Shepherd, let me explain. I just want to ask you a few questions, get your side of the story. I swear, I'm not out to make you look like a villain!" Meredith was anxious to get something from him, before Hunt showed up. Just her luck that Miranda had spotted her first. And she hadn't counted on the fact that Derek was too damn hot and mesmerizing, making her a little tongue tied. She'd lost valuable time due to that.

"I have nothing to say, Ms Grey."

"You heard the man. You can leave now, and you can tell O'Malley that if he lets you in again, he won't be working here much longer." Dr. Bailey glared at Meredith; a look that made much lesser people quake in their shoes. Meredith was used to a lot of rejection in her line of work, and she stood her ground for a moment.

She fished a business card out of her purse and handed it to Derek. "Here's my card, call me if you want to talk to me about what happened."

Despite himself, Derek took the card, and their fingers touched for an instant before he pulled his hand away. He nodded briefly. "I'm sure there won't be any reason to tell you anything, Ms Grey." His eyes seemed cool as blue ice as he dismissed her, turning away to wait for Hunt. Whatever interest he might have had in her on a personal level was instantly gone in the revelation of her job.

"Fine. But things have a way of changing, Mr. Shepherd. You might want to talk, about anything…" Meredith turned away as well, silently berating herself for not getting anything from him.

At the main doors, she bumped into George O'Malley, the unfortunate assistant of Dr. Bailey, wearing green scrubs and a worried look on his face. He was obviously waiting for her, and stopped his nervous pacing as soon as he saw her. "George, you need to get back to the morgue. Bailey's not happy with you; she figured you let me in. I guess I shouldn't have talked you into it."

"Aw, crap…"

"Sorry, can I buy you a drink later? Make up for it?"

"I'll be at Joe's after my shift. See you then!" George sprinted away, before Meredith could say anything else.

"God, I blew it!" Meredith moaned to Mark when she got back to the office. "He was right there, and I completely lost it."

"You'll think of something else, Grey, I have faith in you. Just bat those big eyes of yours, use your feminine wiles on him."

"Seriously?"

"As I recall, it worked on me…" Mark smirked.

"Have I told you lately you're an ass?"

"So often I take it as a term of endearment." He grinned at her over his coffee cup.

Meredith resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. "Not only that, I owe George a drink for letting me into the building."

"Aw, you know he has a crush on you, Grey...that's why you take advantage of him."

"It's not really taking advantage," Meredith rationalized, "he's more like an inside source."

"Well, buy him that drink and see if he's got any information about the autopsy, we can run with a few generalities until you can get close to Shepherd. Stay on top of this, Grey."

Meredith stood up, and gave him a mock salute. "Whatever you say...and make sure to authorize my expense report when I hand it in!"

"Fine, just don't go overboard," Mark agreed, rolling his eyes. "We're on a budget, you know!"

"Did Bailey give you hell about me?" Meredith asked, once she and George were settled into a booth at Joe's bar. It was a small place, nothing trendy, but it was close to both the city building and Seattle Grace Hospital.

"Yeah, she chewed me out," George admitted.

"God, I'm so sorry, I didn't expect to run into her."

"It's okay. If she doesn't yell at me at least once a day I think there's something wrong!" George laughed, before taking a swallow of his beer. "Did you talk to Shepherd?"

"For a few minutes, but then Bailey butted in. I didn't get any information from him. I don't suppose you could take a look at the autopsy report and text me a few details?" Meredith coaxed him.

"I don't know. Bailey keeps everything on her computer, and I don't have access."

"No hard copies?"

"Nope, only in the case of court orders. I wish I could help you, Mer," he said, shrugging.

"You tried, and I'm buying your beer. Maybe something will come up later," she reassured him. Then she leaned in to kiss his cheek, making him flush in surprise.

"What was that for?"

"For just being a good guy, George." She knew he had a crush on her, ever since they'd bumped into each other when she'd been researching another story. He was more a like a little brother to her than anything, even if he was constantly trying to impress her in the vain hope she would go on a date with him.

"Thanks, Mer. You look great tonight, by the way." His voice was overly casual, but she grinned at him again, accepting the compliment. She'd decided to stop by Derek's restaurant after this, just to see what the place was like. Mark would likely give her hell over the extra expense, but it would be worth it. For the mission, she'd dressed in a clingy red dress, something she was sure would draw Derek's attention to her. Maybe then she could talk with him, without being intercepted.

"I'm heading over to Ravish, see what the place is like." Meredith tossed back the shot of tequila in front of her in preparation to leave.

"Wearing that?" George sputtered, nearly spitting out his beer.

"I hope to make an impression on Mr. Shepherd. You think he'll like it?"

"B-but..." George had read enough about Derek Shepherd's lifestyle in the papers to know that the man was dangerous and far removed from his own reserved personality. If Meredith was going out to meet him there was no way he could compete with someone like that.

"It's okay, George, I can take care of myself." Meredith patted his arm. "But you're sweet to worry about me. I'll be in touch, and you be sure and call me if you find out anything more about Gareth's autopsy findings."

"Sure..." he sighed, watching her walk away, leaving the usual whiff of lavender in her wake.

Derek surveyed the evening crowd at the restaurant with satisfaction. It was still busy, even though some of the patrons were giving him sidelong glances. He wondered if the gossip had begun already. He had spent far too long with Hunt, being grilled about his own whereabouts last night. It was all very exhausting, and he wanted it over and done with. He'd come too far to let his past life come back to haunt him.

Across the room, he caught a glimpse of blonde hair and for a second he thought it was that woman he'd met earlier. He was two steps forward, when he realized it wasn't her, and he shook his head in irritation. What was wrong with him? It wasn't the time to be chasing after a woman he'd barely met, let alone a reporter on top of that.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out quickly, recognizing the ringtone. "Anya, this isn't the time. I thought we agreed you weren't going to call me at work."

"I know, darling, but you need to watch the news. You're the lead story, and it has nothing to do with the restaurant," she informed him. "What's going on?"

"What?" Derek headed into his office, and turned on the flat screen mounted on the wall. He quickly flipped to the local news report, and groaned inwardly. "Damn, I have to go. I'll talk to you later." There on the screen, was the news of Gareth's death, along with his own picture as brother of the deceased, and a shot of the exterior of the restaurant. Then it flashed to a shot of Det. Hunt speaking with reporters outside the station. He caught the end of the newscaster's words, intoning solemnly that the death was suspicious and no other information was available at this time.

"Godamnit..." he muttered, raking his hand through his hair before flicking the TV off and storming back into the bar area. He did a double-take again, seeing another fall of blonde hair and then he heard a familiar voice. Before he could stop himself, he stalked over to where she was talking to someone at the bar.

"Ms Grey, I see you've found your way here after all," he said quietly. She had exchanged her earlier outfit for a clinging red dress that was even more distracting than her sweater, and short enough to display a length of leg that should've been against the law. She tipped her head back to look up at him, her wide grey-green eyes fringed with lashes longer than he remembered. Then his gaze dropped to the cleavage of her dress, seeing the clear outline of her nipples beneath the fabric, and his body whipped into immediate desire. Just as she had calculated, he realized, noting her small smile of triumph when he dragged his eyes back to her face.

"Mr. Shepherd, I thought you had nothing to say to me," she observed, before sipping the glass of champagne in front of her.

"I don't."

"Then why are you?"

"Why am I what?"

"Speaking to me now... try and keep up, hmmm?" she teased him, running the tip of her finger along the rim of her glass.

"It's not the same thing, and you know it. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to come and get a feel for the place. You know, some background for my story about you. And may I say, it certainly lives up to the praise I've heard. These crab bites and brie are delicious," she told him, indicated the plate of partially eaten appetizers. "I assume you don't have a problem with me being here?"

"It's a free country, Ms Grey. You can do whatever you please."

"Really...? That sounds like an invitation to misbehave," Meredith teased him. "Are you sure I can't convince you to tell me your side of the story?" She rested her hand on his arm, and met his eyes again.

Derek shook her hand off his sleeve. "Quite sure."

"Then you might not like what I write."

His mood already annoyed, Derek clenched his fists to keep from grabbing her and pulling her against him. Something about her little taunt made his body tighten even further in erotic anticipation, but he leaned in closer without touching her. "Ms Grey, don't threaten me...you have no idea what happened with my brother, and you should be careful what you say. I can sue you and that gossip rag you work for so fast you won't know what hit you. Stay away from me." While he maintained an outwardly professional façade, his tone of voice was dangerously cold. He lifted his head, his piercing blue eyes raking over her, noting the flush that had risen on her skin. He caught the same floral scent on her skin, mingled with her own feminine essence, and the combination was intoxicating. Deliberately, he backed away, putting space between them to keep himself focused.

Meredith felt the hot swirl of his breath against her ear as he spoke, sensed the spark of desire that jumped between them, and it sent a delicious shiver down her spine. Oh he was dangerous all right, there was no doubt about that, but she was prepared to play the game just as much as he could. Despite his words of warning, there was no way she was staying away from him.

"As you said, it's a free country, Mr. Shepherd...and you don't scare me..." she said, just as quietly. "Whether you like it or not, your brother's death is news, and I will get the story...one way or another." Slipping off the barstool, Meredith paused next to him for a moment, invading his space again. "Now, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a story to write. I appreciate the hospitality you've shown me..." She stroked his silk tie with one fingertip. "Good night, Mr. Shepherd."

While I do have some chapters banked, I can't promise the updates will come as quickly as this one going forward. Most likely towards the end of the week on most occasions, due to the demands of the real world, and my fussy attention to polishing my chapters before posting.

As always, I look forward to your reviews!