This chapter continues with the aftermath of Meredith's encounter with Jack, and Derek's subsequent venting of his own anger with his brother. I promise there will be Mark & Izzie coming up in the next chapter - I didn't want to throw it into the mix with this scenario. Thanks so much to all of you for your positive reviews so far...and patience...there will be hot MerDer coming up too, just not quite yet!

Also, from time to time, I'm going to throw in references to movies/roles that Derek is involved in, that are from PD's real life roles - if you're up on the trivia of his career, you may recognize some of these!

Chapter Twelve - The Aftermath

"Oh my GAWD..."

Derek sat up, blearily looking around in confusion for a moment, before realizing he was on the couch at Meredith's. Focusing on the guy standing next to him that was the source of the voice, he frowned slightly.

"It IS you...right? Derek Shepherd?"

"Yeah, and who the hell are you?" He ran a hand over his face, trying to wake up, as he pulled himself into a sitting position. After Meredith dozed off, he'd extricated himself, and returned to the couch, falling into a fitful sleep of his own, haunted by her sad eyes.

"I'm Alex Karev..." Extending his hand, grinning like crazy, Alex moved closer. "I'm such a big fan...god, I sound like such a fanboy...but I've seen most of your movies..."

"Alex, right..." Derek muttered, shaking hands warily. It wasn't what he had expected of Meredith's best friend. For starters, Alex was a guy, dressed in tight white jeans and an oversize sweater; his brown hair spiked, with a moustache and goatee, one diamond stud twinkling in his ear.

"Where's Meredith?"

"Bed..." Derek answered shortly.

Alex frowned. "So why are you here on the couch? Didn't you bring her home from the party last night?"

"Not exactly." Derek swung his legs over the edge of the couch, and stretched, getting the kinks out of his neck and shoulders. "I need coffee before I can function."

"A man after my own heart," Alex murmured, leading the way into the kitchen. It was a cozy, sunny room, filled with plants. With the ease of familiarity, Alex fussed with the coffee pot, grinding the beans and pouring water. "So...Meredith left a couple messages on my cell phone. Eric had me all tied up last night, and I turned my phone off, didn't check my voicemail till this morning. Is she okay?"

Derek crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the edge of the counter, his shirt half unbuttoned over his faded jeans. Morning stubble darkened his jaw, and his hair was in a mass of unruly curls, but it only made him look sexier. Lucky Meredith...wonder if he's bi? The thought flitted through Alex's mind idly.

"She had a rough time with Jack after everyone left. He beat her up and damn near raped her," Derek said, a hint of ice in his voice. "She phoned me after she couldn't reach you. She was in her car in the driveway, crying..."

"What?" Alex whirled around, nearly dropping the coffee pot in his shock. "That bastard...I told her he was no good...sorry, he's your brother..."

Derek nodded silently, muscles twitching in his jaw. "Something I don't like to acknowledge. Bastard is the correct term."

"Did you call the cops?"

"Meredith didn't want me to. She wants to drop it, and move on."

"But, he can't get away with that..."

"Well, maybe you can talk her into it. I didn't want to push it last night, she was freaked out enough."

Alex nodded. "Damn it, I should have made her leave with me. Fuck, I've never liked him from the start, but Meredith seemed to think she could handle him."

"Yeah...I should've stayed too."

The two men stared at the coffee maker in silence, until the machine gurgled and hissed to a stop, emitting the intense aroma of fresh coffee. Alex grabbed two cups from the cupboard and filled them, handing one over to Derek. "She likes you, you know..." Alex said, watching Derek carefully.

Derek grinned a little, sipping the rich brew thankfully. "I like Meredith too, very much..."

"So you know you're gonna have to be careful with her."

"I mean to. Whatever she wants, is fine with me."

"Good, cuz I can't stand to see her hurting, and she's had enough pain."

"Alex...I know you just met me, but believe me, I have her best interests at heart. I'm a patient kind of guy, I can wait for her to make up her mind."

"She seemed pretty happy after you kissed her last night," Alex smirked. "I'd say that's a good start."

Derek raised one eyebrow in surprise. "She told you?"

"I ran into her after she left you."

"Damn, it was stupid on my part, but..."

Alex held his hand up. "It's okay. I think if anything, it made her realize just how bad her relationship had been with Jack...god, what an asshole."

"Still, not one of my best moves," Derek sighed. But his body tightened again, remembering her slender body pressed against him, her mouth so inviting and warm under his. Then he glanced at his watch, and swore under his breath. "Hey, I have to go. I'm doing this movie, and they're expecting me on set this morning..." He gulped the rest of his coffee.

"No worries, Derek. I can stay with Mer today. The salon is closed today."

"Great. Tell her I'll call her later or I'll come by if I can, okay?" Derek hated to leave, but he had no choice.

"Will do. What movie are you doing?" Alex asked curiously, admiring the ease of Derek's movements, as he walked towards the door. And that ass...seriously fine...

"Don't ask - it's a dog, but it pays the bills..." Derek groaned. "Devils and dirty dancing...god help me..."

Alex choked on his coffee, nearly spitting the mouthful out. "Oohhh…that sounds kinky!"

Derek's answering snort of laughter faded away, as Alex grinned. The Corvette rumbled into life outside, and drove away quickly, leaving Alex to wonder what the hell he would say to Meredith when she woke up. Bastard Jack...

As soon as Derek was finished on set for the day, he drove directly to Jack's house on the beach. He pounded angrily on the front door, shouting Jack's name. "Open the door, you asshole!"

The door was jerked open, and Jack glared at him in the late afternoon sun. "What the fuck d'you want? Need a loan?" He was unshaven, his eyes red.

In response, Derek punched him square in the face, knocking Jack off his feet, sending him sprawling into the marble foyer. Then Derek was straddling him, hitting him again, until blood was pouring onto the pristine floor from the bloodied nose. Jack swung back wildly, making contact with Derek's cheek, narrowly missing his eye socket.

Derek jerked back. "Don't you ever...touch...Meredith...again..." he panted, getting to his feet, and raking his hair back. After all these years, it felt cathartic to be venting his anger finally.

Jack held a hand to his nose to staunch the bleeding, looking at his younger brother with a mocking smile. "I should have known she was fucking you...at least she kept it in the family..."

"Meredith was not sleeping with me, Jack. She has too many morals to do that - you're the one who was fucking around. Don't forget I worked at Moonglow - I know you were having an affair with Zara. Everyone there knew it."

"Fuck off, Derek," Jack snarled, getting to his feet. He wiped his hand on his pants, leaving a smear of blood. "Stay out of my life - Meredith will forgive me, she always has."

"Don't bet on it." Derek fought the urge to punch him again, his whole body shaking from anger. "You pushed her too far, and I'm going to see to it that you never lay a hand on her again."

Jack smirked, despite the pain of his broken nose. "Aw, such a hero to damsels in distress, aren't you? Just get out of here, before I call the cops. You assaulted me in my own home, who d'you think they're gonna believe?"

"Fine, I'm not interested in staying anyway, Jack. Dad would be so proud of how you've turned out - he's probably turning in his grave right now. God, you're an asshole...what did Meredith ever see in you?"

"Maybe she liked the rough sex...she always came back for more..." Jack couldn't resist throwing that in his younger brother's face, watching the dark blue eyes turn even blacker. "I'm not done with her yet."

Derek bit back the retort on his lips, and spun around, to storm out of the house, listening to Jack's mocking laughter ringing in his ears.

"Mer, honey..." Alex watched his friend, concerned at how slow she was moving around the kitchen. Despite his urging to stay in bed, Meredith was determined to try to act normal. Stormy watched her intently from his perch in the window, as Meredith stared outside, a cup of coffee in her hand.

"I'm okay, seriously, you can go home." Meredith winced as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"Sure you are. You can barely move without making a face. He should be shot...no, that would be too good for him," Alex grumbled. "Are you going to at least consider calling the cops? Derek's right - Archer shouldn't get away with this."

"I don't know..."

"You're not thinking of forgiving that creep, are you?"

"What are the cops going to do, anyway? You've read all the horror stories in the papers, how restraining orders don't do anything until it's too late..." Meredith rubbed her temples. "I just want to put this behind me, move on with my life."

"Babe, you really think Archer is going to leave you alone?" Alex asked, coming to give her a hug. "Not without some kind of official force behind it. At least think about it."

Meredith laid her head on his shoulder, letting him hold her for a moment. "I wish I had never met him, I wish things were different..." She felt her eyes brim with tears again, and she sniffed against Alex's sweater.

"It's okay, don't beat yourself up over it. Creeps like him aren't worth it."

The doorbell chimed then, and Meredith stiffened, worried suddenly that Alex was right, that Jack was coming back to talk to her after all. "I'm not here..." she whispered, shrinking against the counter, scooping up Stormy to cradle against her chest.

But Alex was already at the door, peeking through the window. "It's Derek!" he called out, undoing the locks and letting him inside. He whistled sharply, seeing the bruise forming on Derek's cheek. "Holy hell, dude, what happened to you?"

Derek grimaced. "Sorting out something between Jack and myself," he replied.

"I hope he looks worse than you do," Alex joked, inspecting the bruise carefully. "You're going to be sorry tomorrow." His gaze shifted to Derek's knuckles that were also looking worse for wear. "Does your producer know what you've done?"

"He won't be happy, but who cares? They can write something into the script, or give me a few days to heal." He shrugged, with a little grin. "It was worth it."

Alex clapped him on the shoulder, laughing. "I'm really beginning to like you. C'mon, Mer's waiting in the kitchen."

But Meredith had already come to the kitchen doorway, a little look of shock on her face, seeing Derek's bruises. She flew forward, coming to put her fingertips against his cheek. "What did you do?"

"It's nothing."

"He beat the crap out of Archer..." Alex offered, raising his eyebrows. "I'll get some ice for that."

"Just put it in a glass with some Scotch if you have it..." Derek called out.

"Gotcha!"

Meredith led him to the sofa, sinking down to take his hands, a little gasp escaping her to see his knuckles. "You didn't have to do that, Derek."

"Yes, I did. I just hope it sinks into his thick skull." Derek felt an overwhelming desire to hold her, just seeing her own swollen lip and bruises on her wrists. "It was a long time coming, honey. This was just the last straw. I put up with his shit for a long time when we were younger."

Alex came back with the glass, as well as an icepack. "Here, the combination of these should help a little." He glanced at Meredith. "I've been trying to convince her to press charges, but..."

Derek took a sip of the alcohol, welcoming the burn down his throat. "It would be a good idea."

Meredith sighed. "Stop fussing, both of you. If I promise to consider it, will you stop?"

Alex stood with his hands folded over his chest. "Cross my heart." He checked his watch then. "Gotta run, babe - I have to check in on Eric. You'll be okay?"

"I'll be here," Derek said, finishing his drink in a gulp. "Jack won't get to her."

"Good." Alex dropped a kiss on her cheek. "And don't worry about the salon - you can take a few days off for once."

Meredith grimaced, touching her lip. "Yeah, can't show up like this, can I?"

"Might cause a few rumors," Alex agreed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Take care." He exchanged a look with Derek, who nodded.

After Alex left, Meredith took Derek's hands again. "Thank you, again. For everything last night - I'm so grateful. Even though it's still kind of a blur." When she'd woken up, long after Derek left, it had seemed like some horrible dream, until she felt the aches in her muscles. But she was well aware of the feel of Derek's arms around her, and the way he had soothed her fears.

Derek squeezed her hand. He hated the lingering unease in her expression. "Can I do anything right now?"

"Just stay, talk to me. Take my mind off my problems." She leaned a little closer, drawn to his warmth, wanting it to ward off the chill she felt at the memory of Jack's anger.

Derek let her set the pace, as she carefully settled against him. "What do you want me to talk about?"

"Hmm....your family, besides Jack. Your parents...what were you like as a kid?"

"Ah, well, my mother was a dancer and singer, born in New York. She was doing summer stock at a resort in the Hamptons, where Dad happened to be staying. His first wife had died when Jack was five, and he had been taking a vacation with friends. According to Mom, it was love at first sight for both of them."

"Oh, that's so sweet. D'you believe that's possible?" Meredith found herself curling even closer to him, his arm draped over her shoulders. His warmth seeped into her.

"Yes, I do," Derek replied softly. He knew it in his heart - he'd always felt his parents had a loving marriage, and it was something he'd hoped to have himself. And he felt from the moment he'd heard Meredith's adorable little giggle at that party that she was the one he'd been waiting for.

"Did your mother encourage your acting?"

"She did - I was a bit of a performer no matter what - I even took up juggling for awhile, and I was going to run away to the circus," Derek chuckled at that memory. "Mom volunteered at all the school drama pageants, helped me with my lines. Dad too, but he was usually working a lot, which didn't help with Jack."

"So, you had a pretty normal childhood."

"Yeah, except for...well, I won't talk about him." Derek frowned, not wanting to talk about his older brother. "I left home as soon as I could after my parents died. Took off for New York." His voice was a little thick at the memory of the day his parents died. Jack had inherited the bulk of the family estate, and Derek was determined to make his own money, without his brother's help.

"I'm so sorry," Meredith murmured. "Still painful for you." She had her share of heartache in her own life, she recognized the emotional scars it left.

At that moment, Stormy leaped onto the sofa to join them, insinuating his furry little body between them. He purred loudly, kneading with his front paws for a moment, before curling into a ball. Meredith giggled softly at the intrusion. "You've made a new friend, Derek."

He stroked Stormy's head, and the purring intensified. "I think so, too." But his eyes met hers, and he wasn't thinking of the cat at that moment. His gaze lingered on her mouth, hungering for a taste again. "Meredith..."

"Shh..." She placed her fingers on his lips. "Give me some time, please, Derek."

He caught her hand, kissing her fingers. "We have plenty of that, honey. I'll be here, whenever you're ready to move ahead." His other hand cupped her cheek, and he brushed a soft kiss over her lips, feeling the response that she gave him. He drew back, smiling at her, his blue eyes warm and caring.

"How did you get to be such an understanding guy?"

"Just a talent," he teased her, wanting to make her smile again. "Now, why don't we see if there's some trashy reality show on TV?"

"Don't you have lines to learn, or something? Alex mentioned a movie...?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "No worries - the role doesn't involve much talking, just actions..."

"Oohh..."

"Not Oscar worthy material, but hey...I've done worse."

"Hey, speaking of that, maybe there's one of your old movies on cable somewhere..." Meredith giggled, reaching for the remote on the coffee table.

"Not funny, Meredith!" he groaned. Ending up falling against her, tickling her until she was giggling breathlessly, and completely forgetting for a moment all her aches and pains. Which is exactly what he had hoped to accomplish...