Thank you again for the reviews! For those of you that review as guests, I can't thank you personally, but I appreciate the time you take to leave your thoughts here. Also I was remiss last chapter in thanking the guest who commented on Ch10, saying it reminded you of the golden age of Hollywood - I appreciate that comparison! I do watch some of those old movies now and then, so maybe it's rubbed off unconsciously.

Now here we are again, new chapter, even though I'm a little late and it's a little shorter than some of the last few. Real life has such a way of interfering with the writing process. But we have Derek's revelations to Meredith, and some glimpse of the villians (so to speak), so I hope you enjoy it enough.

Chapter 12
Thief of Shadows

"What's going on, Derek?" Meredith asked again, and he stalled for time by taking another swallow of wine. He glanced around the small bathroom, intimate and cozy with the candles flickering, where Meredith had made it a place of warmth. For him. No one had really done anything like this for him before, and it touched him. Not to mention, she had become very special to him in the short time they'd spent together. She deserved to know at least something of what was going on, if not everything.

After a few moments, he put the glass down, and pulled her back against him, enjoying the feel of her warm body next to him. "There are a lot of things going on, Meredith, to be honest. I'm not even sure I know where to start."

"Start at the beginning…"

"You may not like how the story goes. I've had my share of trouble but I managed to make something more out of my life."

"Derek, none of us is perfect. I'm not going to judge what you've done. I just want to help you deal with whatever is happening. I don't want to keep secrets if we're going to have this kind of relationship."

"This kind?"

"Emotionally involved, intimate late night bubble baths with wine and candles…" Meredith waved her hand to indicate where they were. "Or am I wrong about that?"

"No, you're not wrong." Derek dropped a quick kiss on her temple. "I feel like we have a definite connection in ways I never anticipated when we first met."

"So talk to me."

"Do you remember reading or even maybe reporting on art theft during your career?"

"My area has normally been gossip or lighter stuff, until your story. But I know there have been a few unsolved cases around the city, and even the country. Why?"

"Have you heard about unsolves cases done by someone the police called The Shadow Thief?"

Meredith was quiet for a moment. "I think so. There was one in New York, and maybe even a few around here. No one has any idea who it was, and the artwork wasn't recovered, as I recall."

"Very good."

"What, are we having a lesson on this?" Meredith asked, smiling a little.

"I'm going to tell you something now, and I want you to listen and don't ask any questions until I'm finished, all right?"

"Of course, Derek. I asked you to tell me."

"Good, because I'm a little nervous about telling you this. You see, I am, or rather was…the Shadow Thief." He felt Meredith tense against him, but he gave her credit for not saying a word. "It started when I was younger, and trying to make money to help my mother. I found I had a talent for theft, and the man who ran the art gallery where my mother worked ended up being my mentor. It wasn't long before I was able to tell the difference between a forgery and the real thing, how to break into a place and disarm the alarm system quickly, take what I wanted, and rearm the system when I left. I slipped in and out like a shadow.

"Gareth was also involved, but to a lesser extent. While I always knew I wanted more out of life, and kept a low profile, Gareth spent money like water, and wasn't as careful. Which is why he has a criminal record, and I don't. I used aliases and kept my face covered if I was dealing with someone. My mentor was responsible for selling items for the most part, and finding some of the location that had the items to steal. As I got older, I branched on my own. For the record, I wouldn't steal from someone who couldn't afford to lose the items, or if it had sentimental value. I didn't destroy any property; I was only after the artwork.

"When I finally had enough money to buy the restaurant and start a new life, I was determined never to get involved with crime again. I did my best to give back to the community, fund some charitable projects, help the museum when I could; but really my main goal was to make my mother comfortable while she was alive, and then to live my dream of running Ravish. I can't say I was entirely altruistic, money was a big part of what motivated me.

"Gareth, unfortunately, always needed cash, and he came up with a scheme to end schemes according to him. Before he died, he got involved in a deal to steal an extremely valuable painting, and he swore it would pay off enough to pay off all his debts and he could go away somewhere and keep out of trouble. I didn't want any part of that, and I told him so. He went ahead with it, and he was killed over it. I regret not going along with him, maybe I could have saved him." Derek paused to take another swallow of wine, and Meredith looked up at him.

"Or maybe you would have been killed along with him."

"I always knew how to take care of myself. I had my share of fights growing up, with the scars to prove it."

"Ah, that explains the one on your stomach…"

"Yes," Derek grimaced. "I always looked after him when he was younger, and we drifted apart over the years. I should have been there for him."

"You couldn't know it would turn out like that. Do you have the painting now? So is that what the photos are about?"

"Along with the notes left for me, and the fact my cufflinks were stolen, yes. Whoever is behind this seems to have a way to get at me. I have the painting, but I'm hoping to return it to the owner, rather than give it to the killer."

"Why would someone kill Gareth over it? And try to frame you? It doesn't make sense."

"I suppose I've made my share of enemies over the years, but no one but a few trusted friends knows my real name. Someone is trying to make this personal, and I really have no idea why."

"And now I know your secrets," Meredith said quietly, turning to look at him finally. She ran her fingers over the tattoo on his chest, and then lower into the water to trace the line of his scar. He searched her eyes for any kind of disbelief, or accusations, but she was just looking at him steadily. His pulse quickened as she touched him gently, and then she leaned in to kiss him. Just a soft brush of her lips against his before she backed away again. "Thank you for being honest and telling me. I can understand why you want to keep your past life secret, and I swear none of this will ever be printed in the paper. I'm part of this with you, ever since I got grabbed in the parking lot. I want to help you find who's doing this to you."

"It's too dangerous, obviously. You could be hurt," he said firmly, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"And it's okay for you to take chances?"

Derek shrugged. "I have no choice."

"Do you know who Gareth stole the painting from? Maybe I can do some digging into that."

"Richard is trying to look into that."

"Richard Webber? I met him tonight after you were taken away. He seems nice."

"He was the one who taught me everything I know."

"Oh my god!" Meredith's eyes went wide, thinking of the urbane gentleman he'd seemed to be.

"Appearances are everything, and discretion is key."

"It seems like something out of the movies, the gentlemen thieves who fool everyone."

"I won't lie to you, Meredith; it was a thrill to plan the job, to execute it perfectly, and to get away with it. Almost a sexual rush sometimes," he confessed, caressing her cheek. With her straddling his lap in the tub, his arms went around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Sexual hmm…?" she murmured, raising her eyebrows at him.

His body responded to the feel of her wet skin sliding against him, but he wasn't sure if this was the right time to be thinking about making love to her. "Are you sure you want to be involved with me now?"

"Derek, I told you I wasn't going to judge you. You did what you had to do to survive, and you came out of it as a better man, I think."

"Thank you," he said, feeling relief at her words. This time he didn't resist the allure of her body, kissing her hungrily. Her legs wrapped around his waist as the kiss deepened, as if they needed to affirm the connection between them. Meredith trailed her fingers through his wet hair, along his jaw and down to his chest. Breaking the kiss, Derek took her hand and kissed her fingers, and then pressed his mouth into her palm.

Her body trembled slightly, and her free hand slipped beneath the water, down until it closed around his cock. The sudden contact made him groan, and she leaned in to press her lips to him in another soul searching kiss. His hips lifted against her, as she stroked him slowly, while her tongue met his in a passionate duel.

Reaching down, he eased her hand away from him, and thrust into her quickly, so quickly she gasped in surprise. He kept his arm around her tightly, as though everything would fall apart if he let her go. The water eddied around them, still warm, still fragrant, while he tried to take his time and make the moment last. Meredith clung to him, her mouth everywhere on his neck, his face, his temple and he gave up trying to control anything. They rose and fell together, until she shuddered against him and the climax tore through him instantly as well.

Meanwhile, across the city in a dimly lit bar that had seen better days, another man and woman were having an intense discussion and sharing drinks. But their tone of voice was more conspiratorial, and not at all sensual. Callie Torres grasped her glass of wine and took a sip, grimacing at the taste. "Damn, couldn't we meet somewhere they have decent wine, at least?" she asked.

"This place is out of the way, no one comes here but hard core drinkers."

"Ha, I can understand why."

"Seriously, can we forget about the wine? We need to discuss getting the damn painting away from Shepherd. He's not going along with the plan."

"And whose idea was the plan? You swore to me that Gareth wouldn't get hurt," Callie hissed. "He didn't need to die."

"Oh, but he did," her companion said smoothly. "He would have figured out what you were up too sooner or later, and told his brother. We can't have that. Now if Derek doesn't cough up that painting, he goes down."

"Why don't you just steal it back from him? You keep telling me you have the ability to do that."

"I may have to resort to that, but he's been a thief long enough to know how to protect himself. He's not going to keep it somewhere easy to get at, or easy to break into."

Callie fiddled with her wineglass again. "You brought me into this plan because of my talent at painting forgeries. You wanted Gareth to steal that painting so that we could make a perfect forgery and sell it and keep the original. What part of this plan involved all of this elaborate frame up? Gareth trusted you, he told me that on more than one occasion. How much he looked up to you, and how he knew you were going to pay him enough cash so that he could get out of Seattle."

"He was starting to get suspicious at the end that I had something else in mind."

"You mean you didn't want to do a forgery switch?" Callie asked.

"Oh, I still plan to do that once we get the painting, but it was just a small part of my plans."

Callie shook her head slowly. "Incredible. And you think you scared Meredith Grey enough to help you now? You saw them at the funeral, and the charity ball…she's in deep with him whether she admits it or not."

"Ah, yes, I realize that and I hope it works to my advantage. Derek will be caught up in trying to protect her and let his own guard slip. He can be quite the knight in shining armor, given the chance."

"So what do we do now? I hate waiting."

"Patience, Ms Torres. All good things come to he who waits."

"Yeah, well, I've never been patient."

Meredith woke up later, wrapped up in bed with Derek's arm around her waist. It was still dark and quiet, and she listened for a moment to his steady breathing beside her. Her bed was considerably smaller than his, and his presence there was distinctly masculine among the soft pillows and sheets. It had been a long time since she'd been with anyone like this. None of the guys she'd dated had ever been seriously involved; most of them were quick flings, just to have some fun and that had suited her just fine. Mark had been more than that, but even so, she'd realized quickly it wouldn't last either.

She turned slowly, and faced Derek, looking at his features in the moonlight. What was she getting into with him, she mused. He was so different from the other men she'd dated, and he'd come to mean more to her in a short time than she'd expected. Part of her rational mind was telling her that he was a thief, and she should stay away from him at all costs. The emotional part of her mind was telling her that he was a good man, despite his past; he was intense and passionate and obviously wanted to be with her. And the sensual part of her mind was screaming that he was hot and sexy and she should keep him in her bed as much as possible.

Smiling a little, she realized her lust for him was definitely winning the arguments. But was that enough to keep the relationship going for the long term? And what was going to happen with this whole mess of blackmail and stolen paintings and threats? Too many questions made her sigh and flop back against the pillows.

Derek's arm tightened at her waist, and she glanced over to see that his eyes were now open. "Bad dream?" he asked quietly. "Heard you sighing..."

"No dreams, just too much thinking," she confessed, rolling to face him again. She traced his cheek gently. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I usually don't sleep too deeply."

"Are we okay here? I mean, no one followed you here right?"

"Meredith, I know how to lose anyone watching me when I have to. No one knows I'm here." He propped himself up on one elbow and gave her a quick smile. "But I can leave if you're worried about it."

"No, please stay," she said, moving closer to him, so that their bodies were touching again. She tangled her fingers in his hair, kissing him gently. Unlike most of their encounters, she didn't feel like rushing this time. She wanted slow and sweet, with desire spooling in her core, as his hands caressed her. Still, the arousal kicked up between them as always, and the sheer joy of touching and kissing, finding each other hot and ready, took over. Derek slid between her legs, teasing her with his mouth until she whimpered for release. Only then did he slide himself into her, and she was lost again, looking into his eyes while the pure pleasure washed over them both. It was intense and sweet and they both wanted the moment to last as long as possible.

Derek kissed her before he moved away, taking her with him. He held her tightly, her backside against his groin, concentrating on the feel of her in his arms, where she fit perfectly. For the moment, he tried not to think about everything that might happen in the near future. He tried not to think about how she might hate him once everything was falling apart and he had to resort to his old ways in order to fix this mess.

He kissed her, just behind her ear, where he'd discovered she liked to be kissed and she made a little contented sound. Feeling her relax into sleep again, he closed his eyes as well, and let himself drift away with her.