And we're back...! I appreciate your reviews to the last chapter, and your patience in waiting for this one.

I'm feeling like I was losing the MerDer focus of this story, so I'm going to move things along a little quicker here. I'm not sure how much longer this fic will go on, but you know I won't leave you hanging!

Chapter 18
Learning the Truth

The painting is mine. Don't bother looking for me.

For a moment, Derek stared at the note in his hand, shaking his head at the realization that Richard had broken into the office and taken the painting. "He's taken it," he said resignedly. "Maybe it's for the best."

"You're going to let it go, just like that? What about the Gareth's murder? You're still the main suspect, until you can clear your name," Meredith reminded him. "You can't let him get away with this. Don't you have security cameras here? You can give that to Hunt for evidence."

For a moment, Derek hesitated, before nodding decisively. "Of course, I have cameras...let me check the computer. I don't hold out a lot of hope, though. Richard is far too clever to be caught on tape. He'll have expected that." Derek went to his desk, just as Alicia, the evening hostess, staggered across the threshold, holding her head. Meredith gasped and rushed over to help the girl into a chair.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm not sure...oh god, I'm sorry he got by me," Alicia sighed. "I tried to stop him, but he pushed me and I fell and hit my head."

"It's all right. Just relax," Meredith said, checking for lumps. "This is getting to be a common occurrence. I can get some ice for that."

"We should take her to the hospital," Derek said, quickly glancing up from the monitor. "I'll just download these files and we can leave. After what happened to me, I think it would be better to go straight there."

"You're right, let me call Cristina, and see if Dr Brooks is there."

Derek tapped a few more keys on the keyboard, and then pulled out the flash drive. "Alicia, I'm sorry you were caught in the middle of this," he said, getting to his feet and slipping the drive into his jacket pocket. "Nothing is worth getting hurt over."

"I didn't think, it all happened so fast. I was out front, going over the reservation list for this evening when he surprised me."

He stooped to look at her. "Could you identify the man if you had to?"

"I'm not sure, he was wearing a mask."

"Of course, and wearing all black, including gloves?"

Alicia nodded. "Yes. He was tall, with big shoulders. He seemed to know exactly where he was going. I should have just called the cops..."

Derek touched her shoulder. "Don't worry. Let's just get you to Seattle Grace."

"Dr Brooks will be there, and she can check you out again too," Meredith said, helping Alicia to her feet. "Wait, we won't all fit in the Porsche!"

"Alicia, can Meredith drive your car? I'll follow and meet you there. I'll take care of all the bills at the hospital."

"Thank you, Mr Shepherd." Alicia leaned against Meredith as they headed outside. "What about the dinner crowd?"

"Let me worry about that," Derek assured her. "Now go."

Detective Hunt sat at his desk, staring tiredly at the paperwork in front of him. Richard Webber was out on bail, and he wondered if that was going to prove disastrous. The man was kind of an enigma; successful art dealer, retired from the business, who had not been known for any kind of criminal activity prior to this. There was something going on here that didn't make any sense, and if there was anything Owen hated it was something that didn't make sense.

He looked up as one of the uniformed officers caught his attention. "Someone here to see you, Hunt." The officer waved Callie Torres forward, and Owen stood up to greet her. She was wearing her usual outfit of plain white t-shirt, paint stained jeans, and scuffed boots, with her hair back in a messy ponytail.

"Ms Torres, what brings you here?"

"I'm not sure, I try to avoid cops like the plague," she admitted dryly. "But I heard about Richard Webber being released on bail, and I thought it was time I stood up for myself and told you the truth. And you should probably be aware that he's going to try to leave the country. No, make that...he's definitely going to leave the country."

"Seriously?" Hunt suddenly felt awake, and he grabbed his pen and notepad.

Callie fidgeted for a moment. "What kind of deal do I get if I help you?"

"Tell me what you know, and then we can discuss that. You've been in trouble before, Ms. Torres," Owen pointed out, shuffling through the papers until he found he file. "Yes, here it is...art forgery; selling stolen goods...how did you get involved with Webber?"

"Fine. He came to me, wanted me to make a copy of a painting he was interested in. Said he could get the original for me to study, and we would make a pile of cash by selling the copy as the original. He said he knew someone that could steal the real thing, but it would help if I sweetened the deal with the guy."

"I see, and that guy was Gareth Shepherd?"

"Yes. I really needed the cash; my business wasn't going all that well, so I agreed to the plan. Gareth was a great guy, and that part of the deal was easy to go along with. I really liked him, and if we hadn't been involved in this scam I think we could have actually had something together. Of course, he didn't know I was just playing him," Callie sighed.

"This is all very fascinating," Owen said, just as his cell phone rang. "Just hold on, let me get this." He picked up the phone. "Ah, just what I need...yes, Karev?"

"My client, Derek Shepherd, has some evidence you might want to see. Someone has just robbed his office, stealing the painting out of his safe."

"I see, and this was Webber who did this?"

"Well, you need to see the security file. I think this proves my point that my client is innocent."

"Tell him to bring it by. I have Ms Torres here as well, perhaps we can sit down together and clear up this whole thing." Owen nodded decisively as Alex agreed, and then set the phone aside.

Callie looked at him. "The painting was taken from Derek?"

"So he says."

"Then Richard took it, but he doesn't have the original."

"What?"

"I did some experimental paintings of the canvas after Richard told me his plan, just to get a feel for the job, you know? I thought if nothing else I could sell them as fakes in the shop – someone's always wanting a fake Monet, or Picasso..." Callie shrugged. "So when the shit hit the fan in my shop that night, I managed to switch the real painting that Derek brought in, for one of the fakes I'd done. In all the confusion, it was easy. When the ambulance attendants took Derek away, Meredith grabbed the bag with the fake and I stashed the real thing."

"So you're telling me that Webber thinks he has the real thing, but it's a fake? If he really is the one who broke into Shepherd's office," Owen said slowly.

"Yeah, and he won't be happy when he tries to sell it."

Derek ended the call with Alex, just as he pulled into the parking lot at Seattle Grace. Alex had convinced him that the security recording would be best presented to Hunt with legal counsel present, of course. So after this he would head over to the police station where Alex would meet him. He hurried inside, where Meredith was waiting for him.

"Dr Brooks took Alicia up to run some tests, but she seemed confident it's not serious," Meredith said, after he'd pulled her in for a quick hug. "And she wants to see you, too."

"Fine, but we don't have a lot of time. Alex wants to meet with Hunt so I can turn over this flash drive." Derek guided her towards the chairs in the waiting room that was deserted at the moment. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Not hospital coffee." Meredith grimaced at the thought as they sat down. "I could really use a drink. This day has been insane."

"I know. We need to think about getting away for a few days once this is all done," Derek said, lacing his fingers through hers. "At least I'm just visiting the hospital this time, not staying."

"Thank god, that was too scary."

Derek looked at her, tilting his head as he considered her words, before giving her a slow smile. The smile warmed his eyes, and she squeezed his hand a little tighter. "What? You're doing that sparkly eye thing..." she said with a little smile.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about," he said innocently, leaning a little closer. He paused for a heartbeat. "Is it working?"

"Oh yeah, it's working," she replied softly, lifting her face to him. For a brief moment, they shared a kiss that promised more once they were alone. Then the reality of their surroundings came crashing in, when Dr Brooks cleared her throat behind them.

"Well, Mr. Shepherd, I can see you have recovered from your head trauma," she said brightly.

"Yes, absolutely Dr. Brooks," he replied easily, getting to his feet to shake her hand. "It's been traumatic all around lately, just needed a moment…"

"I understand." She consulted the notes in her hand. "The woman you brought in is doing well, no concussion, thankfully. We've run the tests and she's good to go home and rest."

"Thank god," Meredith said.

"I hate to ask exactly what is going on in your life to bring on these kinds of situations," Dr. Brooks observed. "I had no idea that the restaurant business was like an action adventure movie!"

"Long story," Derek sighed. "I'm glad Alicia is fine. We'll be sure to get her home safely and I hope we won't be in need of your services anytime soon. Not that you're not a lovely person…"

"I should really give you a quick check up while you're here, just to make sure…"

Derek checked his watch, shaking his head. "Sorry, but we have to be somewhere soon."

"Fine, but maybe I should prescribe a hard hat for you to wear in the meantime," Dr. Brooks said with a little laugh.

"Good point, I'll consider it," Derek agreed.

"All right, then. Alicia will be brought down shortly. Nice to see you both again."

Meredith shook her head. "She let you off way too easy."

"It's my charming personality."

"Oh god..." Meredith sighed. "You're hopeless."

Owen was waiting at his desk when Alex walked in with Derek and Meredith behind him. Callie was still sitting in the chair, and they looked at her curiously. "Well, now that we're all here, I have some news to share," he said. "Sorry, we're short of chairs here; we can go into one of the interrogation rooms. We'll have more privacy."

They exchanged another look, and Alex nodded. "Fine, but if you bring up anything about arresting my client..."

"Don't worry, I think you'll be interested to hear this."

Without another word, Owen led the way into a small room where they took their places around a scarred wooden table. He spread out a few folders in front of him. "All right, Ms Torres has come in to tell me about her concerns that Webber will be fleeing the country, along with some other details about what happened."

"Oh my god, Mark was right..." Meredith murmured.

"What?" Alex glanced at her sharply.

"Sorry, just my boss...he said he wouldn't be surprised if Richard left the country."

"Yes, well, he wasn't considered a flight risk," Owen said, reviewing the file again. "But if you believe that he was the one that broke into your office and took the painting, he could very well be on his way out of the country."

Alex passed the flash drive to Owen. "This has the security film showing an intruder breaking and entering, then opening the safe and taking the painting. It has to be Richard Webber, no one else would be interested."

"Ah, yes, the painting," Owen agreed. "Did you look at it carefully, Mr. Shepherd?"

"Not really," Derek admitted. "Meredith had grabbed the bag before I was taken to the hospital, and we stopped by the office to put it away after I was discharged. Quite honestly, I didn't have time to study it in detail."

"And you would know if it was a fake?" Owen asked.

Derek shrugged nonchalantly. "My mother was a painter, as you recall. I grew up around art."

"Uh-huh. Well, Callie has admitted that she made a forgery copy of the painting and switched it for the real thing the night Webber kidnapped Meredith." Owen leaned back in his chair, and watched the reactions of the people in front of him.

"Are you serious?" Alex demanded, looking from Owen to Callie, and then at Derek. "So where the hell is the painting now?"

"I have it," Callie said. "I don't even know why I switched it that night. It just seemed to be the right thing at the time."

"So you're telling me that Richard broke into my office and stole a forgery..." Derek said slowly. Then he grinned slowly, considering the implications of this. "He's going to be extremely pissed when he realizes that."

"He will, but what is he going to do about it?" Meredith asked.

"If he's smart, he'll keep his head down," Owen said. "Callie has also admitted her involvement with your brother, Derek. Richard hired him to steal the painting, and Callie was part of the plan to keep Gareth interested. Unfortunately, things started to unravel apparently…"

"I guess that's when he phoned me that night," Derek said quietly. Meredith laced her fingers with his, and he closed his eyes briefly. "Did Richard kill him?"

Callie shifted in her chair, before meeting Derek's eyes. "They were arguing when I got there. Gareth had tried to make a break for it, but Richard caught him and brought him back to the parking lot where I was meeting them. When Richard realized that Gareth didn't have the painting with him, he was mad. He wasn't shouting or waving a gun, but it was the ice in his voice that made me scared. I think Gareth was a little shocked, especially when Richard said that he'd been in love with your mother…"

"He what?"

"He said he loved her, but she never returned the sentiment. I think it made him kind of bitter," Callie said slowly.

"I had no idea he felt that way, all these years…" Derek muttered. "So this was some sort of twisted plan to get back at my family?"

"I have no idea, but when Gareth tried to reason with him, Richard seemed to lose control. He grabbed Gareth, and started choking him. I swear, I had no idea it would happen, and he pushed me away when I tried to stop him. Then it was too late, and Gareth was dead…" Her voice broke, and she wiped away tears with the back of her hand. "I'm so sorry…I really liked him…"

For a few moments, everyone sat in shocked silence. "Why didn't you come forward about this before?" Alex asked finally. "You could have saved my client a lot of heartache, and the police a lot of time."

"I was afraid he would kill me too. He was ranting about getting even with your family, Derek, and framing you for Gareth's murder in order to bring you down."

"My god, I had no idea he was so unbalanced," Derek said, his voice shaky. "And you're telling the truth about this?"

"I swear to God," Callie replied. "How could I make something like this up?"

"We'll need you to write this all down, Ms Torres," Hunt said. "And should Webber be brought to trial in the future, you will need to testify. Are you willing to do that?"

"Yes."

"And you will need to turn over that painting so that it can be returned to the rightful owner," Hunt added, scribbling more notes to himself.

Callie nodded, and Derek wondered briefly if the person who had it before was truly the rightful owner. Not that he was about to bring that up at the moment, he decided. Thankfully his past life hadn't been revealed, and whatever he'd confided in Alex was lawyer/client privilege. He didn't feel like explaining that to Det. Hunt any time soon.

"What do we do about Richard's whereabouts?" Alex inquired. "I assume you'll be contacting Homeland Security to be on the watch for him."

"Yes, of course. And the charges against Derek will be dropped, as well," Owen assured them.

"Thank god for that," Meredith sighed. "But what if Richard decides to come back and try something else?"

Callie's eyes went wide. "Shit, you're right! What about witness protection, or whatever?"

"This isn't exactly a Federal case, and as you said so yourself, he's likely going to make a run for Bermuda, or Tahiti. But we'll make sure to keep you under watch, until we know where Webber's taken off to. It's only a matter of time. He can't hide forever."

"So we're done here then?" Alex confirmed, getting ready to stand up.

"For now, yes. Thank you for coming in. And on behalf of the Seattle Police Department, my condolences again about your brother, Derek, and my apologies for the arrest. All of the paperwork will be in order, Mr Karev, once the DA's office has processed it."

Much later, Meredith curled up on the sofa in Derek's living room, watching the lights of boats in the bay twinkle outside the big windows. He was behind her, his arm around her, glass of champagne in his other hand. The evening dinner crowd at Ravish had been handled, and now they finally had a chance to relax. Kissing the top of her head, he contemplated the way the day had gone. "I can't quite believe Callie's story," he murmured, resting his cheek against her head.

"You had no idea about how Richard felt?"

"None." He took a sip of champagne. "Even though I should be celebrating the fact that we know what happened, it seems too good to be true. If I recall that night Gareth called me, he was scared someone was following him...if Richard was the one who hired him..."

"Gareth should have known who was chasing him..." Meredith finished, tilting her head back to look at him. "You're right, it's strange. But Callie seems to be sure about what she saw."

"I know, maybe I'm just too cynical," he sighed. "I should just let it go." He tightened his arm around her. "I'm just glad we're here together, after all of the things that have happened...nothing else matters. Trust me when I say I've never felt like this before."

"I trust you," she sighed happily, setting her glass aside before turning to face him. She straddled his legs, and then he pulled her down to meet his lips, kissing her deeply, sucking on her tongue, consuming her. She kissed him back fiercely, winding her arms around his neck, as passionate urgency took over, and she was suddenly desperate to have him inside of her. Her hands moved down his muscled torso, pushing his shirt open, while he pulled her sweater up over her head. Pushing her bra aside, his mouth and teeth found one nipple, while the palm of his hand covered her other one. Meredith needed to feel him naked against her, and he felt the same urgency for her. Somehow they managed to undress, between sharing kisses and touches that inflamed their passion further. Rising up, he fell forward against her, and she gasped when their skin made contact. She could feel the head of his cock pressing into her, and she arched into him, making him groan with need.

Derek kissed her again, biting her lip softly over and over, while his hands drifted lower. He rubbed the palm of his hand across her wet folds, and the sensation made her head fall back, her body limp with pleasure, her clit tingling with a delicious ache. As she watched him, he pulled away for a moment to admire her in the soft light of the lamps, before he returned between her legs, lifting her hips to meet his, pulling her leg up around him. A tidal wave of heat washed through her, as he slid into her slowly, possessing her, enthralling her. It felt perfect, yet every time felt like the first time; every time he found something new to make her hotter, make her pleasure spiral higher. He thrust into her again, his soft groan of pleasure making her hotter and wetter still. She could feel him everywhere, buried so deep inside of her, his mouth teasing her nipples then, his chest against her hand, feeling the hard muscles flex beneath her soft touch. Feeling his heartbeat, pulsing, sending a message to her soul.

He lifted his head to look at her, his hair in a sexy mess of curls, and her breath caught in her throat. He was so sinfully handsome, so perfect – she touched his face and traced his lips with her fingers. Sucking her finger seductively, as he pushed harder into her, joined in heated passion, eyes devouring each other, they moved as one. Faster and harder then, she met his every stroke, deepening their connection, as the heat built to a shuddering peak in her. She spasmed around him, pulling him in. "I love you," he breathed, his voice hoarse with need, "I love you so much, Meredith."

"I love you, too," she replied softly, and the love and his body finally took her over the edge into sweet release that took her breath away. He let his own climax take him away, spilling into her hotly. "This is all we need, isn't it?"

Derek cradled her against him, running his hand along her back. "It is, Meredith...it is..."