Thanks to all for your positive reviews, and for reading/favoriting this story! And now we've made it to chapter 10 and things are heating up, in more ways than one...

Chapter 10
The Thrill of the Chase

After spending the night at Derek's, Meredith strolled into the office in the morning, her sunglasses in place, and coffee cup clutched firmly in hand. It had been dawn when she'd managed to slip away from his bed, feeling thoroughly sated and physically exhausted, along with slightly hungover from the combination of tequila and Shiraz. It had taken a long hot shower and an extra large cup of Starbucks strongest coffee to make her feel anywhere near ready to feign alertness.

She slipped into her chair, and turned on the computer, just as Mark joined her. "Well, good morning Meredith, how are you this morning?"

"Go away, Mark, I'm not ready to be cheerful," she muttered, taking a large gulp of coffee.

"Judging from the dark glasses, and large coffee, I'm guessing it was a late night?"

"Hmm…you could say that."

"I take it the evening went well?" Mark grinned at her as he perched one hip on the edge of her desk. "Nice bruise on your throat."

Instinctively, she put her hand up to the spot in question. "Fine, it went great."

"Don't keep me in suspense, Grey. Did you find out anything useful?"

Meredith shook her head. "I tried to look in his desk, but it was locked. And then I got, um, distracted."

"He took you to his home? I'm impressed, he must trust you."

Meredith frowned. Even if she could, she wasn't sure she wanted to expose Derek any more. While she still had some questions about his past, he had been far more relaxed with her than she expected. "Mark, I'm a little conflicted right now."

"C'mon, Grey…he's playing you! I know how it works," Mark said. "He's a player; he'll do his best to use you to make himself look good in the press. I told you not to fall for him."

"I'm not falling for him. I just have doubts about his guilt. There could be a lot of other explanations about his brother's death."

Mark rolled his eyes. "Sure. Well, you can keep an eye on him at the charity ball tonight. It's a fund raiser for the new museum, and I know he'll be there. He's on the board, as one of the main contributors."

"What? He never mentioned anything about an event…" Meredith protested.

"Maybe he already has a date."

"He can date whoever he pleases," she muttered, staring at the computer screen, trying to ignore her boss.

"So you say. I'll be your date tonight, Grey," Mark smirked.

"You're so sweet, Mark. What would I do without you?"

"You'd think of something, I'm sure. After all, we broke up because you were able to do without me," he reminded her with a wink.

"No, we broke up because you didn't want to be monogamous."

"I'm not the only man that thinks that way. Shepherd isn't exactly known for being monogamous either. Just keep that in mind, Grey."

Derek looked at the calendar on his laptop, realizing that the charity fund raising dinner was that evening and he had promised to be there. The museum was raising funds to build a new wing, and as a board member he would need to put in an appearance. With everything else going on, he'd completely forgotten. Belatedly, he recalled telling Anya that he would take her as his escort and she would likely hold him to that. Especially since he still hadn't talked to her since Gareth's funeral, he realized. As far as she was concerned, they were still seeing each other.

He picked up his phone to call Anya, and then hesitated. It was unlikely that Meredith would be attending the ball, and what difference would it make if he showed up with Anya? He wasn't exclusive with Meredith, after all, and it was better that he kept up with his appearance of dating the leggy model. If his mysterious blackmailer was watching, it might deflect some interest away from Meredith. Whoever it was was being smart, nothing had showed up on the surveillance cameras at the front of the restaurant, only a nondescript young guy handing over the note to Alicia. His cell phone interrupted his chain of thought, and at first he thought it might be Meredith, but of course it wasn't. "Hello Addison," he answered quickly.

"Were you going to tell me about the life insurance policy?" she demanded.

"Damnit, I meant to call you, I forgot."

"You forgot about buying it? Or telling me about that? I just had a call from Det. Hunt and he seems very interested in the fact you are benefiting from your brother's death. I need to know these kinds of details, Derek, so I don't sound like an idiot!"

"Addi, calm down. I didn't take out any policy; it was a complete shock to me as well."

"If you didn't do it, then who did? And why?"

"It's a long story, but I think someone is trying to frame me for murder. This is just another means to that end," Derek said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything before, but I'm trying to take care of it."

"Derek! You can't be serious!"

"I wish I weren't. Look, I don't want to get into specifics now, over the phone. I promise I will tell you everything soon, in person. For now, is there any way you can dig into this policy? Find out who might have set it up? I'm sure you must have private investigators that can do that sort of thing."

For a moment, there was complete silence on the line, and Derek took the phone away from his ear to check that he was still connected before speaking again. "Addison?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute, Derek. It's not every day someone tells me something like this. I'm not a criminal lawyer, maybe you need to talk with someone who deal with stuff like this. I can recommend..."

"We'll discuss everything later, all right? Just see what you can find out about the policy first...please?"

"Fine. I have someone that has a lot of contacts in the insurance business; he should be able to dig something up for me. But promise me you won't do anything dangerous, Derek."

"I swear, I can take care of myself, Addison. Call me when you have some news."

"I will."

At the police crime lab, Owen was waiting impatiently to find out if there had been any trace evidence recovered from Gareth's car. Along with that cufflink that had been dusted for fingerprints, there had to be something to point him in the right direction.

"Detective Hunt, you aren't going to make this process any quicker by hovering over my shoulder," the technician muttered, trying to analyze the fibers under the microscope. "The prints are being run through the system, and I can only work so fast here. You're lucky we can even get to this stuff today."

"I know, I know," Hunt agreed. "I just need to get moving on this case soon, or the captain will pull me off it. Call me if you get a hit on those prints?"

"Don't worry. You know I'm good at what I do here. You think it's the brother?"

"If it is, it's almost too convenient, but there's no other suspects at this point," Owen commented. "So long as the evidence is good, I'll have no choice but to arrest him."

Derek adjusted the cuffs on his Armani tux again, wishing he hadn't decided to attend the charity ball. He hadn't given much thought to the fact he would be under scrutiny by everyone there, thanks to the media coverage of Gareth's death. Beside him, Anya glanced at him in concern.

"You're fidgeting, Derek. You never fidget," she commented. "Let them stare, what do you care?"

"I'd rather not be the object of gossip," he muttered, glancing at his watch. "How much longer before we can leave?"

"Derek, for god's sake, we've only just got here," she pouted. "I didn't buy this hideously expensive gown for a five minute appearance! Don't be a bear, let's stay and have a good time."

Derek looked at her over the rim of his glass of Scotch. "You look lovely, Anya, it's not that." He couldn't fault her appearance in the long ice blue sheath that fit her like a glove, cut low to bare a large amount of cleavage, and cut high on the skirt to expose her long legs. Her dark hair was styled perfectly, and she looked stunning.

She slipped her hand under his arm and gave him a dazzling smile. "Darling, I know I look amazing. And I know you're not yourself because of Gareth, but you need to have some fun."

"Anya, remember at the funeral I told you we needed to talk?" he reminded her. He was suddenly wondering what he'd seen in her, besides the perfect looks.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you breaking up with me at a party, Derek?"

"It isn't..." he started to say, when there was a pause in the music playing and he glanced towards the door where several people were still coming in. "Damnit..." he muttered, realizing the evening just took a turn for the worse.

"What is it?" Anya looked over at the cluster of people chatting together across the ballroom. "Is there something wrong?"

"I just saw someone I wasn't expecting," he said, his voice cool as he stared at Meredith who had just arrived in the company of a tall, well built man. She was wearing a slinky green dress that made his libido jump into overdrive and he suddenly wondered if she was naked under it. At the same time, he felt a sharp twist of jealousy that took him by surprise, thinking about Meredith with someone else. They seemed to be well acquainted as they made their way through the crowd, and she was laughing at something the other man said.

"Who is she? Are you dating her now?" Anya asked quietly, observing Derek's reaction.

"She's a reporter, that's all," Derek said curtly.

"Ohhh…the one who wrote the articles in the Seattle Enquirer?"

"One and the same."

"She's cute, I suppose. Not really your usual type of woman though, honey," Anya purred, sizing up Meredith's attributes in one glance. "Now what was it you were about to tell me?"

Derek shook his head. "This isn't the time, Anya. Let's just have a few drinks and get through this evening first."

"Whatever you say, darling."

Meredith scanned the party guests, as she and Mark made their way towards the bar. She couldn't spot Derek and wondered if he had decided to skip the event. He hadn't called her during the day, and she felt a little disappointed, but she was determined not to let it bother her. It wasn't like they were dating, after all. He'd made it quite clear, his relationships were physical, nothing else.

Mark leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Are we having fun yet?"

She laughed a little. "We just got here, Mark. Get me a drink and we can work on the fun part." Then she caught a glimpse of Derek and she sucked in a breath. "There he is, with that woman from the funeral."

"Where?"

"Over there, by that large painting."

Mark whistled softly. "Looks expensive."

"What? The painting?"

"I mean, it looks like his date has expensive taste, very high maintenance," Mark grinned. "Like all of Shepherd's women, as I recall. Way out of my league, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to try!"

"They look well matched," Meredith said, "and he has enough money to keep her happy, I suppose." She tried not to think about him in bed with someone else, not after spending the night with him. He'd seemed so different when they were alone together, and here he looked like the aloof and arrogant alpha male again.

"Well, let's keep circulating and take some notes. We're here on business, remember?"

"Yes, boss," Meredith smirked.

"And we're not bidding on anything in that silent auction either."

"Oh c'mon, you know you want to!"

They managed to catch the attention of the bartender, and get two glasses of champagne. Meredith was still smirking about Mark buying some of the artwork, when she turned around and found herself face to face with Derek and his date. "Oh, well good evening, Mr. Shepherd," she managed to say smoothly.

"Ms Grey, I had no idea you attended charity events," he commented, just as smooth, even if his eyes were stormy.

"Work related, you know…"

"Are you always working?" Derek raised his eyebrow at her, the hidden meaning of his comment not lost on her.

"Not always."

Mark stepped closer to her, and slid his arm around her waist. "Everything all right?" he asked, giving her a mischievous smile.

"Just great," Meredith said, rolling her eyes.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Mark, this is Derek Shepherd. Derek, this is Mark Sloan…"

The two men shook hands, each of them assessing the other. "You're the notorious man of the evening," Mark smirked.

"Obviously my reputation precedes me," Derek replied coolly. "You have me at a disadvantage." He turned towards the woman next to him. "Anya, this is Meredith Grey, that reporter from the paper. Meredith, this is Anya Stewart."

Now it was Meredith's turn to share an assessing look with Anya, shaking hands with the other woman. "Charmed to meet you," she said brightly.

"Likewise, Ms Grey," Anya said. "I've read the articles you wrote about Derek. You're wrong, you know."

"Just reporting the story, Ms Stewart."

Mark stuck his hand out to Anya. "Nice to meet you. I've seen the photos of you, the ones in Vogue, right? For that perfume campaign, wasn't it?"

"Yes, you're right," Anya beamed. "How sweet of you to remember!"

"I always remember gorgeous women," Mark assured her with a wink.

Meredith bit back a giggle. Mark was certainly turning on his charm. "All right, we should move along. It was nice to see you both."

Derek nodded. "I'll try to behave myself tonight so you don't have anything salacious to write about tomorrow."

"Oh, Mr. Shepherd, what fun would that be?" Meredith asked sweetly, before pulling Mark away with her.

Derek watched Meredith walk away, the gentle sway of her hips in the green dress making him remember just how sweet she had been in bed. As if it hadn't happened, she was acting cool and professional and yet he couldn't blame her. He realized he had been just as remote. Still, he had an almost uncontrollable urge to punch Sloan in the face for being close to her.

"Derek, you're looking positively jealous," Anya murmured, linking her arm through his. "Considering you said you aren't dating her, you act like are."

"Anya…"

"It's all right, Derek. I know how you operate, after all. We had a lot of fun while it lasted, but I know you don't feel that possessive about me, darling."

"I'm not…"

"You are, Derek. And I can't wait to see the fallout," she laughed softly. "Forgive me if I'm enjoying this." Her own eyes were on Mark, admiring the way his suit fit him.

"I think you're enjoying this a little too much."

"It's just amusing. You're always the one in control and I think you're out of your element with the sweet little reporter. Maybe you should just leave her alone, you're far better off with me. I know how the game works. You'll only end up breaking her poor little heart, and then just imagine what kind of nasty things she'll put in the paper about you."

Derek's jaw clenched, and he pulled her towards a quiet corner. "Anya, I wasn't going to go into this with you tonight, but this isn't working between us anymore. You can leave here tonight any time you want, just not with me. I'm sorry to be blunt, but as you say you know how the game works."

"So I'm out, she's in...how fortunate for her," Anya smirked. "Maybe I should warn her about what she's getting into."

"If you know what's good for you, you won't do that," he said softly.

Awhile later, Meredith made her way to the ladies room, leaving Mark to his own devices for a few minutes. After drying her hands, she moved towards the mirror that was in the alcove, away from the more harsh lights at the sinks. She took her lipstick out of the small clutch purse and reapplied a fresh coat. Then she was aware of someone else joining her, and she looked into Anya's glamorous face. It wasn't often that Meredith let herself feel insecure, but the tall perfectly turned out woman next to her was someone she couldn't compete with.

Anya checked her hair, which was still in just the right amount of disarray. "So you really think Derek's guilty?" she asked, meeting Meredith's eyes in the mirror.

"Just writing the story."

Anya's perfectly groomed eyebrows arched. "Seriously? Judging from the way he was staring daggers at your date, I'd say it's more than a story."

Meredith laughed softly. "What makes you think Derek would care who I'm here with?"

"If you've spent time with Derek in any way, you know he's intense and dangerous." Anya applied lipstick slowly. "Believe me, I've known him for awhile now. He may be interested in you now because you're someone fresh and different, but it won't last. He goes through women like Kleenex. Once he's satisfied his desires, he moves on."

"Really?"

"Oh, he might express that jealous streak, but it's only because he doesn't like to share," Anya smirked. "He wants his women to be his alone, for the moment, anyway."

"I see."

"You're really not his type, anyway. He's likely just keeping you close to make sure you don't write anything else incriminating about him."

"I'll keep that in mind," Meredith said, as she started to back away. She'd had enough of this conversation. "Thanks for sharing."

"Look, Ms Grey, I'm sure you're a lovely person, and I'm just warning you for your own sake. He'll break your little heart if you let him," Anya smiled sweetly at Meredith, as if imparting true female-bonding advice.

"Well, Ms Stewart, I appreciate that, but I can take care of myself. And if Derek is sleeping with me, then that's your loss, isn't it? Because you know just how much pleasure he takes in making the woman he's with feel good, don't you?" Meredith asked, her voice just as syrupy sweet. "Enjoy the rest of the evening."

Derek had been circulating among the crowd, his eyes searching almost unconsciously for Meredith. Close to the bar, he nearly bumped into someone and he started to apologize when he realized it was the man who had arrived with her. "Sloan, right?" he observed coolly. "Lose your date already?"

Mark chuckled, before taking a sip of the Scotch in his glass. "No, she'll be back. Just gone to powder her nose, you know how it is."

"Enjoying the evening?"

Shrugging slightly, Mark let his gaze drift around the ballroom before looking at Derek again. "Not really my kind of thing; I'm just here to keep Meredith happy. My idea of a good evening is to stay in, have a little wine, and spend time in more physical endeavors..." he grinned suggestively, as if goading Derek.

Once again, Derek was seized with an irresistible urge to punch Sloan square in the jaw at the mental image of Meredith in bed with him. "I didn't realize you were a paid escort," he said instead, raising one eyebrow at Sloan. "I'm sure you must do well."

Mark laughed, noting the dangerous expression that was in Derek's eyes. "I've never needed to offer my services that way, Shepherd! I've known Meredith for a few years now, we're just friends." Still his tone of voice indicated there was more to their relationship than that.

"Sloan, I've just met you and I find it impossible to like you," Derek said quietly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need another drink." He stalked away, just before Meredith hurried up to Mark.

She looked at Derek's retreating back, and glared at Mark. "What did you say to him?"

"Just guy talk," Mark smirked. "I think he'd like to drag you away by the hair somewhere, though."

"Oh god, not you too."

"Me too what?"

"I just had a conversation with Anya. She's seriously bitchy, and basically warned me to keep away from Derek."

"Interesting. Because their body language together doesn't make me think he's involved with her anymore."

"I don't care."

"You say that now," he teased her, grabbing her hand. "C'mon, let's have one dance and let loose a little before we leave. I think it might push some of Shepherd's buttons."

"You're an ass..." Meredith protested as he led the way onto the dance floor. "And I really can't dance..."

"Then just let me lead," he murmured, as the music started again, and she realized with a start it was something slow and seductive, with sax and other horns setting the tone.

"Wait, Mark, no..." But before she could protest any further, he had her in his arms and moving across the floor with ease that took her by surprise. As they swept past Derek, she caught his eyes on them, and the slow burning look he gave her made her stumble against Mark. Then Derek cut through the crowd, and tapped Mark on the shoulder, and they stopped in mid step.

"I'm cutting in, Sloan."

"Are you okay with that, Meredith?" Mark asked.

Meredith nodded and found herself caught up in Derek's arms, so tightly she could feel the heat of his body against her. She felt like everyone in the place was staring at them, but she looked up into Derek's blue eyes and it all fell away. The moves he led her through were charged with sensual tension, each sway of her hips against him, each retreat and advance made her inhibitions fade away. Derek's eyes were hot on her, as he maneuvered her towards the edge of the dance floor. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight, Meredith. Anya was already…"

"It doesn't matter about her, we had a nice little girl talk in the bathroom," Meredith told him. "She seems to think you're going to drop me after you have your fun. But I think I can deal with that since you've already told me how your affairs are managed. Just sex, no attachment."

"What about Sloan? He seems very familiar with you," Derek said quietly, as he guided her towards the exit. "Is he involved with you?"

"Mark? Seriously, Derek, you can't be jealous! Oh wait, Anya did say you didn't like to share while you were in the thrill of the chase, so to speak," Meredith said. By that time, they had reached the foyer of the hotel, and he pulled her in behind a group of large potted palms. "What are you doing?"

"Just this," he muttered, pulling her against him. He kissed her temple, her cheek, her lips as his hands tangled in her hair. His heart was racing unevenly, from the heat of the moment and the anger he'd felt at seeing her with Sloan. He felt wildly out of control as he kissed her mouth, like he was drowning in his need for her. It was deep and hot and fierce, and she kissed him back with the same ferocity. For a few moments, everything else faded away, as the kiss grew deeper and even more scorching. He finally lifted his head, breathing heavily. "It's not the thrill of the chase, Meredith. There's something I can't explain, when I'm with you it's different. I don't want to think of someone else with you, so if that means I'm jealous…" He shrugged lightly, as if suddenly unsure of himself. "Let's go somewhere more private so we can finish this conversation, all right?"

Meredith nodded, as he took her hand to lead her outside. The doorman was quick to wave at the sleek black limo idling in the curved drive, and as soon as Derek approached, the driver jumped out to whip the door open for them. She looked at Derek in confusion. "What, do you have him just wait for you?"

"I called him to make sure he'd be here. I like to make a quick exit," he replied smoothly. But before he could hand her inside, flashing red and blue lights arced across the drive, and an unmarked police car pulled up alongside them. Derek tightened his grip on Meredith's arm as they turned to see Det. Hunt jump out of the car and come up to them. "What's going on, Hunt?"

The detective's expression was serious, as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Mr. Shepherd, please turn around and place your hands behind your back."

"What? You can't be serious…" Derek protested, as chill descended into the pit of his stomach. Beside him, Meredith stiffened and he heard her quick intake of breath.

"I'm sorry, but we have evidence that places you at the scene of Gareth's murder. You're under arrest for his murder." Hunt slid the handcuffs in place, and intoned the legal rights Derek was entitled to. Derek said nothing else then, realizing that whatever he tried to say would only make things worse.

"Are you sure about this? Seriously?" Meredith demanded. Derek glanced at her, somewhat surprised at her outburst.

"It's all right, Meredith. It's all a mistake, I'm sure they have nothing. My lawyer will have me released in no time," he told her quietly, trying to reassure himself as well. After all the years of avoiding this very problem, it felt surreal to be in this situation.

"The evidence doesn't lie, Miss Grey," Hunt said shortly. "You should be thrilled; you have the inside scoop on the arrest."

By that time, several people had gathered to see what was going on. As Hunt led Derek towards the waiting squad car that had arrived, she couldn't believe this was happening. Hunt was wrong about one thing; at the moment she was far from thrilled.