[Wow. I really lost track of time. Between a heavy workload and Shonda killing my interest in the show, my fics got away from me. I appreciate everyone reading, and those leaving comments. As usual, I wish I owned a piece of the show, but I don't.]
"Gimme an espresso, and throw it on Grey's tab." Mark directed the coffee clerk. Since he funded the tab, he figured he was entitled. Especially since Brian, with his trip delayed, asked him to cough up another hundred bucks to refill Meredith's coffee.
"Can't afford your own coffee?" Derek grumbled from his place in line behind Mark. Last thing he wanted early in the morning was to be reminded of Bagman's existence.
"I don't have any cash on me, and besides, I fronted Bagman the money for this so it's really my coffee." Mark grabbed his cup and stepped aside, waiting as Derek ordered his coffee. "Do you think 40% interest is too much?"
"Large black coffee, and unlike Dr. Sloan, I'm paying for mine." Derek tossed a couple of singles on the counter. "On what?"
"$200 bucks." Mark watched his friend, waiting for the significance of the amount to sink in. He didn't hide his grin when a frowning Derek turned to him. This was too much fun.
"Two hundred..." Derek paused. "That's her coffee tab times two."
"He begged me to give her a refill." Mark sipped his espresso, savoring the caffeine rush too much to give any thought to his miniscule twinge of guilt at needling Derek. Besides, he liked Meredith and Derek deserved a kick in the ass for being an ass.
"Hell, charge him double." Grabbing his coffee, his anger pushing Derek towards the elevators at the end of the lobby at a rapid speed. "Better yet, quadruple it." He could care less if Mark kept up with him or not.
"And it's been three days since you've ditched the candy-sucking, meatloaf-making nurse." Mark commented, his long stride easily keeping up with Derek's rapid steps. "I thought you and Meredith would be patched up and horizontal by now."
"I'm working on it.' He really was. Since Rose tearfully left his trailer the other night, his thoughts had been full of Meredith and how he could win her back. But he was still stuck on how to undo all the damage his impatience caused, pondering how to ask a woman you've walked away from twice for a third chance?
Mark's low whistle attracted some attention. "I hope you are. You've got some serious groveling to do. You didn't tell her about the kiss. You took Rose out to dinner a few hours after you dumped her, and I bet she's heard how you pushed that surgery back for Rose." His grin was wide. "The list goes on."
"I appreciate the support, Mark." Picturing Brian's face, Derek knuckled the elevator call button. Hard. "You've been very helpful throughout it all."
Noticing the growing crowd of people also waiting for the elevator, Mark pulled Derek aside, away from the metal doors. "How bad do you want this?"
"What?"
"Meredith. The house. The little rugrats, including a boy named for his Uncle Mark. How badly do you want it?"
"I want Meredith more than life itself." His time with Rose confirmed this. Hell, he knew it before Rose. He knew it before Addison's arrival in Seattle. House and kids would be icing on their cake. But he wanted Meredith. Why or how he lost sight of that, he'd never know.
"Are you sure?" All hints of humor left Mark's expression. "Are you absolutely sure?"
Derek couldn't understand Mark's change in tone or the grave look on his face. "I can't believe you're asking me this."
"You've walked away from her twice. That's not the behavior of wanting someone 'more than life itself,'" Mark slowly sipped his espresso, pausing before asking his next question. "Are. You. Sure?"
"Yes!" Derek's gaze narrowed, his eyes hard as he met Mark's frowning glare. "What the hell is your problem?"
Mark counted to three before opening his mouth. "The problem is that I've grown a little fond of Meredith. I like her. I don't want to see her hurt. Again. And if that happens, I'll have to hurt you."
"You've grown 'fond' of Meredith?" Derek's voice caught on the word. "You like Meredith? And you'll hurt me if I hurt her again?" He carefully sniffed the contents of his coffee cup, wondering what alternate universe he had fallen into. "You're actually telling me - to my face - that you like my girlfriend when we have a bad history with women?"
"Yes." Mark's response was immediate and strong.
"Just how 'fond' are you?" Derek bit out. "And when did you become so 'fond'?" A vile and incomprehensible image filled his head. The thought brought a surge of rage so intense, so complete, Derek was seconds away from splitting open Mark's skull with his bare hands.
Mark ignored the terse questions and finished his espresso. Crushing the cup in one hand, he tossed the remains into a nearby trashcan. "You don't know how many times I've had to listen to Yang discuss the different ways she will disembowel you with a ten blade. All I'm saying is you hurt Meredith again, I'm scrubbing in...." Movement at the end of the hallway drew Mark's attention.
Incredibly pissed, Derek moved forward. He wasn't letting Mark off the hook, and he wouldn't be ignored. "Just how fond of Meredith are you?" Derek looked for a flat surface to set his coffee so he could grab Mark by the neck and shake him hard. Preferably against the wall. "What have you been doing...?"
"What have I been doing with Meredith after you walked away from her and off into the sunset with Rose?" Mark shook his head. "Look, just worry about how you're going to make it up to Meredith for all that crap you put her through, and if she's going to let you do it." His attention turned again to the far away figure, now growing closer. Tall, slender, elegant and feminine. He knew her.
"Dee!" Mark called out, causing heads to turn. He politely brushed Derek aside so he could move forward to greet his friend. "What are you doing here?" Mark enveloped the older woman in a hearty hug, regardless of her stylish designer suit and high-heeled pumps. "How's my favorite shrink?"
"Mark? Why aren't you in New York." Nonplussed, the mystery woman straightened her suit jacket. "And do you have more than one?"
"He needs more than one." Derek muttered. Surprised at hearing Mark once visited a shrink, he wondered when Mark acquired the one. Unless it was a euphemism for something else…? "Just what kind of a 'working woman' are you talking about Mark?"
Mark backhanded Derek's midsection. "I've been out here for about six months."
"I stopped hearing from you because...?"
"Well, I've been a little distracted." Mark turned to the silently fuming Derek. "Dee, ignore the foot in his mouth, but this is Seattle Grace's neurosurgical golden boy and department head, Dr. Derek Sheperd. Derek, this is Dr. Danielle Nicholas, she..."
"Hello." Smiling, Derek stepped forward to shake hands with Dr. Nicholas. "I'm aware of your excellent reputation, Dr. Nicholas. Welcome to Seattle Grace." Her hesitation was so brief that Derek missed it as her hand clasped his. He also missed the equally brief enquiring look Dee directed at Mark.
"Dr. Sheperd, hello. I've heard a lot about you too."
Derek's surprise at her knowledge of him was genuine as the surprise at hearing about Mark's therapy. "Really? I hope it's all been good."
"I'm sure you'd understand patient-doctor confidentiality." Dee's refusal to elaborate was softened by her cool smile. Derek's grin dimmed as he continued to wonder her about her comment. What the hell did it mean?
Mark chuckled as he nudged Derek out of the way as they followed Dee into the waiting elevator. "So, Dee, are you here for business or pleasure?" Mark pressed the surgical floor button as Derek selected a different destination.
"A bit of both. I have a consult and am catching up with an old friend." Dee trained her attention on the floor numbers above the door. "May I assume you selected the surgical floor, Dr. Sloan?"
"Yes you may, Dr. Nicholas." Mark glanced at his wristwatch. "My shift ends in about 8 hours. Can I interest you in dinner? I can bring you up to speed on all things Mark over a nice juicy steak."
"Could we play it by ear? I'm not sure how the rest of my day is going to unfold," Dee replied. She stopped herself before saying more, and appeared to consider something before leaning towards Mark and addressing him in a softer toner. "Unless you need to talk to me tonight?"
Lifting his coffee cup to his lips, Derek smiled and shook his head, as if telling himself his witty comeback would be too easy. Recognizing the look, Mark leaned past Dee to puncture Derek's happy balloon. "Save it Shep. Keep your humorless bits of humor to yourself. I'd keep all my mental energies fixed on Meredith, if I were you. You have a big mess to clean up."
"Not as big as you, my friend." Derek continued smiling, though with a tightly clenched jaw. "You brought Brian in. You will take him out, or I will hurt you. And I don't need Cristina Yang to do it." The elevator stopped, giving Derek the perfect exit line. And as the doors slid shut, he could hear Dr. Nicholas asking the question 'who is Brian?'
[Thank you for reading.]