So what's happened to Jack...? Well, I had this idea from the very first time I came up with his character, and his fate is sealed...
Also, there is some McStizzy for you crazy fans in this chapter.
Thanks for all the support and wonderful reviews!
Chapter Twenty-nine
It was Fate...
"Mr. Shepherd…?"
The officer at the door was solemn when Derek opened it. It was early in the morning, his first day back after Florida. He was still riding the high of his guest star experience, and the proposal to Meredith. The sight of the LAPD officer was a sobering sight.
"Yes…what's wrong?"
"We have some bad news, sir. Your brother, Jack Archer, was involved in a fatal car crash last night."
Derek clutched the door frame, absorbing the news. "Fatal…he's dead? Jack's dead?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but yes…his car left Mulholland Drive, landed several yards below. By the time a witness saw the flames, it was too late. We were able to ID the body by the remains of his wallet. You were named as next of kin."
"Oh my god…" Derek gulped, running a hand over his face. It brought back the time his parents died, and no matter what had gone on between himself and Jack, this wasn't the end he wanted for his only brother.
"It was instant, from what I understand, if that helps at all. There was a witness who placed him in a bar not long before the time of the accident, saying Mr. Archer was drinking heavily. I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you."
"Aw shit…is there something I need to do…?"
"There will be a formal hearing, you'll be notified. The coroner's office will be in touch." The officer nodded and turned to go, leaving Derek conflicted over his emotions.
"What is it?" Meredith asked, coming down the stairs in her nightgown, belting a robe around her. "I saw the police cruiser outside...it's bad, isn't it? Did Jack do something again?"
"Honey, it's worse than that…" Derek took her hand. "He's dead."
Her eyes went wide, and she stared at him in disbelief. "Dead? When…how?"
He led her towards the kitchen, thinking they both needed some coffee right now. "A car crash…I don't know much more than that."
"Oh, god, Derek…your last link to family…" Meredith tried to feel bad about Jack, for Derek's sake. Her own feelings were not sad at all, only relief that he wouldn't bother her again. She leaned against him, as he kissed her temple.
"We weren't ever family in the way we should've been," Derek said softly. "He was difficult to be around, no matter how much I tried." Yet he felt a small ache of sorrow at the loss, no matter what.
"He was lost, but you did all you could." Meredith tried to find words to comfort him, to make things better. She smoothed his hair from his forehead, looking into his amazing eyes. "I love you, Derek. We'll get through this." She pulled him closer, meeting his mouth in a soft, sweet kiss.
Derek surrendered to her embrace, her sweetness, accepting the love between them. He was lucky to have her, lucky to be in love with a woman who believed in him. "The funeral…we'll need to arrange that."
"He wanted to be cremated. I think he mentioned that once," Meredith offered.
Derek nodded. "Okay, well, that's probably best. I don't think an open coffin would work in this case."
Meredith shuddered, thinking of accident victims, the twisted and burnt wreckage you see on the evening news all too often. This would likely be featured prominently once word got out. "Be strong, honey…I'm here with you."
One week later, the funeral was just wrapping up, and Derek was walking with Meredith across the still dewy grass of the cemetery. Mark and Izzie trailed behind them, with Alex and Eric beside them. Everyone was quiet and wrapped in their own thoughts. From along the perimeter of the driveway, he could see a phalanx of paparazzi snapping pictures of the funeral goers. There was a large group of mourners, ranging from the celebrities that had flocked to Moonglow to some of the staff that had gone on to other jobs since the restaurant had been closed. Derek had noticed Zara loitering around at the edge of crowd, draped in black, with a veil hiding her face. Everyone had been stunned at the death, and he was only wrapping his head around it now. After all this time, his brother was truly out of his life forever.
"You okay, honey?" Meredith asked, looking up at Derek.
"Yeah," he replied, squeezing her hand that rested on his arm. "I just hate funerals."
"Let's go have a drink," Mark suggested, looking around at the group around him.
"Can't – we have to meet with the lawyer about Jack's will. Thanks for coming today, though," Derek said.
"I should get back to the salon, anyway," Alex said, checking his watch. "Take care of yourself, Meredith. Don't worry about a thing at work – I'll be there." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and shook Derek's hand briskly. Eric did the same, and the two of them headed for their car, giving the paparazzi a rude salute along the way.
"Good luck with that then, man," Mark said. "We'll drop by the house later then."
"Sure, sounds good." Derek was just tired of it all already, but he smiled at Mark, and accepted Izzie's quick hug. Meredith exchanged hugs with them both and they parted. As they approached their car, one of the reporters bounded over.
"Any comments, Derek? There was no love between the two of you according to an inside source. Glad that he's gone now so you can inherit his money?"
Derek sucked in his breath, whirling around to confront the lies the guy was spewing. Meredith tried to hang onto him, afraid he would do something he would regret. She felt the muscles tensing in his arm, as he worked to control his anger. "You have no idea what you're talking about, so just leave, before we're both sorry."
"Oh c'mon, everyone knows Archer was a cold bastard...no one liked him."
"How dare you say things like that just when the man has been laid to rest?" Meredith spoke up. "Leave Derek to mourn in private, that's all we ask."
The guy shrugged, nodding to his photographer to snap one last picture. "Fine...but Shepherd's a rising star now...this comes with the territory."
As he walked away, Derek helped Meredith into the car, and she could tell the anger was still simmering just beneath the surface. "Forget him, Derek. It's not worth it. By tomorrow there will be someone else to talk about."
"I know...it just hurts..." The sadness in his eyes broke her own heart every time she looked at him. She hadn't realized just how much this would affect him. He kissed her lips quickly. "Let's go get this over with."
Derek and Meredith met with Tom Aiden in the sumptuous office that had a bird's eye view of Los Angeles. "Your brother's estate was left mainly to Miss Grey," Tom said, looking at Meredith. "He never changed his will, even after you broke the engagement to him. The restaurant was in the process of being sold, and he wanted any profits to go to you as you were previously aware. Also, his house and his bank accounts are all left to you."
Derek raised one eyebrow, and Meredith gasped in surprise at this news. "Seriously?"
"Oh yes. You will be very well off, Miss Grey. I'm sorry, but you weren't mentioned at all, Mr. Shepherd."
"I wasn't expecting anything."
"Do I have to accept this?" Meredith asked, looking at the lawyer and then at Derek. "I didn't want it before…I don't want, or need, his money."
"He loved you."
Derek shook his head angrily. "Not love, Mr. Aiden – obsession and lust aren't love."
"Can I give it away?"
Tom shrugged. "It's yours to do with as you please."
"Then I'll think about it." She squeezed Derek's hand. "We'll be in touch with you through my lawyer. She'll be able to make any arrangements we need."
"Good, I look forward to meeting with Ms. Yang once again," Tom replied drily.
A few weeks later....
From US Weekly:
Derek Shepherd, easy-going, unassuming charmer, has experienced both the highs and lows of Hollywood celebrity. His movie roles have played the spectrum from sexy bank robber to Dostoevsky's 'Crime & Punishment'. His latest projects have found him turning to the small screen, with excellent turns as guest star in several shows. His latest project will be a role for several episodes as a schizophrenic returning home in the TV series 'Once and Again'.
His personal life is also taking a turn for the better, as we learned he is engaged to Meredith Grey, the owner of trendy Salon Dolce here in L.A. Ms. Grey is also well known to the celebrity world for her talent and artistry at photoshoots and major events. She has also been recently named as Avon's new makeup consultant and will develop a new line of products exclusively for them.
We were able to sit down with Derek on the set where he is filming, and asked him a few questions, about the upcoming nuptials, and his career resurgence.
"So things are looking up for you – what do you attribute this to?"
"My fiancée, Meredith – she was the one who made me realize I needed to relax. For a long time, I was chasing too hard, couldn't even bear to watch the movies I had been trying for – it was too painful. Movies weren't an escape for me during that time – I had this bitterness inside of me."
"You've been married once before…"
"Yes, and I have no wish to discuss that at this time."
"And your brother recently passed away unexpectedly, our condolences go to you in that regard."
"Thank you, but that topic is off limits as well, I'm afraid. It's still painful to discuss."
"I understand. Do you believe that television is the right medium for you? Will you pursue movies besides doing this?"
"That depends – I'm enjoying this right now, my life is going in a different direction than I'd imagined just last year. I think meeting Meredith was fate, and has completely changed my focus. I want to make her happy, and proud, and start a family. And that means taking roles that my future children will be able to watch." Derek laughs a little, recalling some of his earlier roles.
"You sound happy, like this is the start of a new phase in your life."
"Absolutely. There are many things I'd like to accomplish, even besides acting."
"So when is the wedding?"
"Ah, I'm not going to give out any details. All I can say is that it will be small, private and soon." He grinned boyishly, his blue eyes gleaming with happiness. It's easy to see why he has garnered a lot of female attention over the years. From the start of his career to now, he has matured into the charming man we see today. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future, and this reporter will be keeping an eye on him. Mark my words; Derek Shepherd will be a major player, both on screen and off, that much is clear. We'll just be along for the ride…
Meredith peeked over the magazine at Derek, who was lounging beside her on the bed. "You realize we haven't talked about babies…?" she teased him.
"Um, well…that kind of slipped out. I'm sorry, I know we haven't discussed that yet," he said, taking her hand. She set the magazine aside, letting him pull her beneath him.
"Have you been thinking about that a lot?"
"Yeah, actually, I have - especially with you in my life. I know I wasn't ready for kids before, but it's easy to think of the future with you. I don't expect that right away, but I hope it happens someday…" He looked at her, his eyes warm, but she could tell he was a little nervous about her reaction.
"I hadn't given it a lot of thought, and I thank god I didn't get pregnant with Jack. That would have really made things complicated."
Derek kissed her, cupping her cheek softly. "I'm glad too. But we can discuss this after…"
"Derek…having our baby would be a good thing…" she smiled. "But let's get through the wedding first, okay? Is Mark ready to be paired with Alex as maid of honor?"
"Just that we shouldn't expect them to be dancing together, but Izzie will be happy to stand in for him. They're both in Madrid for a photo shoot, and Izzie is thrilled to be going with you dress shopping when she gets back next week. And he's looking forward to kissing the bride, but no kissing the maid of honor…"
Meredith giggled. "Eric would be jealous, anyway."
"And speaking of kissing…why don't we indulge in some of that right now…" Derek murmured, with a devilish glint in his eyes. He kissed her neck then, marking a trail from her ear to her collarbone, watching her skin flush and the points of her nipples stand out even harder. His hands moved higher, across her hips and over her navel, feeling her starting to tremble a little.
"Yes…" she breathed, "more kissing is always good…"
Mark stood behind the photographer as the guy checked the light levels. Izzie was in front of the camera, posing for the shot. Somehow they had both ended up in the same photo shoot, an ad for a new perfume by Givenchy, called Angel or Demon. Izzie was vamping it up as demon, dressed in black bustier, short black skirt and knee high boots. "Damn, she's so hot," Mark muttered to himself, nearly ready to drag her back to his dressing room. Then she turned and blew him a kiss, and he groaned silently. "You're in so much trouble, honey…"
"Okay, take a break, everyone. I need to adjust a few things…be back in fifteen!" the photographer called out.
Izzie hurried over to Mark, and he took her hand without a word, pulling her along behind him. "Mark…what…?" she asked, keeping pace with him.
"I have this need, baby, that only you can take care of," he murmured, as soon as they were in his dressing room, the door slammed shut with his foot.
"I could tell you had that look on your face…" she laughed, stroking the bulging erection pushing against her leg. "That 'oh god...fuck me now baby...' look..."
"Talk later, okay, babe?" he asked, unsnapping her bustier, and taking her breasts in his hands, with a sigh of desire, rubbing his palms across them. He stopped for a moment and threw off his own shirt and pants, tossing them away impatiently. He picked her up and held her, sucking on her throat and leaving his mark on her.
Moving backwards, he lowered her onto the table, sweeping away the papers and magazines he had been looking at, in a flurry of pages. Then he pulled away the short skirt, and dragged her thong down her legs urgently. He kissed her deeply, drowning in the taste of her, pressing himself between her legs. "God, Mark…."she moaned, caught up in his need, and she wrapped herself around him as his hand went down between her legs. She was as hot and wet for him, as he was hard and throbbing for her, and it was a matter of moments before he was thrusting deep into her.
He pressed into her, and she started to tremor around him, heat flashing through her body. He could feel the tremors inside of her, and his eyes darkened as he watched her. His head went back, and he moved faster into her, low and throaty growls coming from deep in his chest. Izzie writhed and moaned in ecstasy, wanting him just as desperately. His cock was hot and hard inside of her, and when he started to jerk from his release, she was right there with him, suffused in pleasure.
When it was over, and they were able to speak again, she looked up at him standing over her, and she laughed softly. "Wow…we need to be together on shoots more often…"
Mark pulled her up to a sitting position, and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "I think that would be an excellent idea. Let's work on that…" He glanced at his watch, with a little grin. "But for now…we still have some time left, and who cares it we're late…"