Derek smiled as he propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at Meredith as she slept soundly beside him. They had spent the past day and a half together in her bed, and now she was dozing quietly beside him as the rare winter sunshine streamed through the blinds and landed on her face. He couldn't believe how adorable she was as she slept, curled tightly around him, and he was pretty sure that he could watch her sleep forever and never get bored.

"You're staring at me," she murmured, her eyes still closed.

Derek smiled as he leaned over to lace his fingers through his. "You're cute," he said.

"You're weird," Meredith sighed as she rolled closer to him.

"I'm not weird," Derek laughed. "What else am I supposed to do while you sleep?"

Meredith giggled as she rolled on top of him. "You could make me food," she said.

"You're hungry?" Derek laughed.

"We never actually ate breakfast," Meredith pointed out.

Derek laughed as he held her closely. "I believe that you're the one that initiated the sex on the kitchen table," he said.

"It's a good thing I hid those condoms in the cookie jar," Meredith giggled. "But now I'm hungry."

"Okay," Derek smiled. "Anything in particular?"

"Something quick," Meredith murmured, burying her face in his pillow. "Come back soon."

"Alright," Derek smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too," she whispered.

Derek smiled as he pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt. He couldn't believe how much he loved being here with her, in her house and feeling like they were really living together. He hated that Meredith was going back to work the next day, and he hated even more that he had to start his last semester of med school the next week. He wasn't sure he was ready to lose this, to have to make plans and work to see Meredith. It was so much easier now, when they didn't have any responsibilities and could just spend all their time together.

A knock on the door made him look up from the stove, and frown. Izzie was still with her mother, and Lexie was out with some friends, but he knew Meredith hadn't been expecting any visitors.

He flicked the stove off and moved into the hallway, frowning when he saw an older woman standing impatiently on the other side of the door. "Can I help you?" he asked as he opened the door.

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

"Excuse me?" Derek asked.

"What are you doing in my house?"

"I'm sorry," Derek frowned. "Your house?"

Before the woman could respond, there were footsteps on the stairs and Meredith's voice asked, "Der, who's at the…oh."

"Now it's all making sense," the woman rolled her eyes as she looked at Derek. "Honestly, Meredith, are you still going through men like normal people go through water?"

"Mom," Meredith sighed, and suddenly it all began to made sense to Derek. "That's not true."

Ellis Grey rolled her eyes as she pushed between the two of them into the hallway. "I'm not interested in hearing about your love life," she said. "I'm in town for a conference, and they've called me in for a consult at the hospital. I thought I'd check in and make sure that my house is still standing, especially with those people you call your roommates."

"They're my friends," Meredith whispered, and Derek frowned as he watched his strong, confident girlfriend transform into a meek girl who could barely even speak above a whisper.

"Who are you?" Ellis asked, focusing on Derek.

"I…" Derek frowned as he glanced at Meredith, reaching for her hand. "I'm Derek Shepherd. It's a wonderful pleasure to meet you, Dr. Grey."

"Derek's my boyfriend, Mom," Meredith said meekly. "He's going to be a surgeon, in the fall."

Ellis looked Derek up and down for a moment before she shook her head. "You won't make it," she said. "You're not strong enough."

"Mom," Meredith frowned. "That's not true."

Ellis rolled her eyes as she reached for her purse. "Honestly, Meredith, just because you live in a happy fantasy world surrounded by children, but there's a real world out there that you really should be aware of." She turned to Derek as she clicked a pen open. "How much do you want?"

"Mom," Meredith said softly, fear filling her voice as she moved closer to Derek.

"What are you saying, exactly?" Derek asked.

"How much do you want," Ellis sighed. "To stay away from my daughter."

Derek frowned as he turned to meet Meredith's eyes, tears and fear filling her eyes. "Dr. Grey," he said, pulling Meredith closer to him. "There is no amount of money that would ever make me leave Meredith. She's my everything, and with all due respect, I'm insulted at the way that you're treating her."

"Oh, for God's sake," Ellis rolled her eyes. "I'm needed at the hospital. Meredith, I expect to see you at the hospital for lunch tomorrow."

"I have to work tomorrow, Mom."

"Nonsense," Ellis rolled her eyes. "You can take some time away from your useless job enough to have a little time with your mother."

"It's not useless," Meredith whispered, but Ellis was already reaching for the door handle.

"Meredith, you need to learn to stop mumbling," Ellis snapped as she opened the door. "You'll be at the hospital at twelve thirty tomorrow, this isn't negotiable."

"Fine," Meredith sighed, turning and moving towards the stairs. Derek frowned as the door slammed behind Ellis before he quickly moved after Meredith.

"Mer," he breathed, entering her room and watching as she walked into the bathroom and began brushing her teeth. "Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about," Meredith replied around a mouth full of toothpaste as she moved the toothbrush violently in her mouth.

"That woman," Derek breathed, leaning against the door. "Mer, she's awful."

"I know that," Meredith rolled her eyes as she spit into the sink. "Did you not believe everything I told you?"

"I did," Derek nodded. "I just…how did you turn out so amazing being raised by a woman like that?"

"I'm not amazing," Meredith rolled her eyes as she moved past him and reached for her bag. "I have to do some lesson plans, you should just go home."

"Mer, don't," Derek shook his head, moving closer to her. "I know she's horrible, but you can't push me away like this."

"I'm not pushing you away," Meredith rolled her eyes as she reached for her phone. "I have to find someone to cover my class tomorrow during lunch, adjust my lesson plans for a sub."

"It's your first day back at work," Derek pointed out. "Aren't your students going to want to see you?"

"Of course they are," Meredith sighed. "And I hate that I have to leave them, but it's not like I can say no to her."

"Meredith," Derek said, reaching for her hand. "I thought you said you didn't talk to her anymore."

"I don't," she said. "But she calls every once in awhile, maybe when guilt takes over. Since she was in the city, she must have thought that it was necessary to make sure that I haven't burned her house down. It's fine, she wasn't that bad."

"Meredith, she wanted to pay me off so I would leave you," Derek pointed out.

"That's what she does," Meredith shrugged. "And you're…actually the first one that's said no."

"Because I love you," Derek whispered. "But Mer, that doesn't mean that it's okay for her to treat you like this."

"Well, if you're strong enough to stand up to her, then go for it," Meredith sighed. "But I'm not, so I just have to wait until she's gone to be happy again."

"You can't let her have this much power over you," Derek said softly. "Meredith, you're a great person. You're amazing, and you can't just let her completely destroy your life, who you are."

"She's not destroying my life," Meredith said. "Derek, seriously, if you're going to keep talking about this, can you please just go home? I have a lot to do."

"Mer, half an hour ago you were willing to spend the rest of the night eating dinner and having sex," Derek pointed out.

"And now I have to work," Meredith replied. "Can you please just let me work?"

"Fine," Derek sighed, reaching for his jeans. "Mer, I'm not going anywhere. No matter what your mother tries to do to push us apart, I'm not leaving you. I love you."

"I love you too," Meredith whispered. "And I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Derek shook his head, leaning down to kiss her softly. "Will you call me later?"

"Of course," Meredith whispered, pressing her lips against his one last time.

"Bye, Mer," Derek sighed as he walked out of her bedroom, slowly making his way down the stairs. He couldn't believe that she let her mother have this much control over her, and he knew that Meredith was probably going to retreat back to the timid girl she'd been when he'd first met her, and he hated that he would have to break through all those barriers again. They'd finally been in a good place, where she could trust him and they could feel completely comfortable together. And now Ellis Grey had completely ruined that.

He just hoped that Meredith was strong enough to stand up to her mother and defend her life more firmly than she had just done downstairs.

XXXXX

"Alright, everyone, Miss Green is going to come in for a couple hours for reading time and lunch time," Meredith sighed as she slid into her coat the next morning. "And she's going to give me a report when she gets back, so you better all be on your best behavior, alright?"

"Where are you going, Miss Grey?" Meg asked.

"I have to have lunch with my mommy," Meredith sighed. "So you should just be on your best behavior, and at the end of the day maybe I'll have a surprise for all of you, okay?"

"Uncle Derek!" Meg cried, her eyes lighting up as she jumped out of her seat and ran towards the door.

"Meg Scott, no running," Meredith sighed, frowning at Derek as he scooped his niece into his arms.

"Whatcha doing here, Uncle Derek?" Meg giggled, ignoring her teacher's orders.

"I had something to give to my favorite niece," Derek laughed. "It seems that you forgot your lunch at home this morning. Your mom asked me to bring it in."

"Thanks, Uncle Derek," Meg sighed.

"Alright, now I think that you might need to sit down now," Derek said. "Miss Grey," he smiled as he met Meredith's eyes.

"Mr. Shepherd," Meredith rolled her eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I've got somewhere I need to be."

"I'll walk you out," Derek smiled, gesturing for her to walk through the door in front of him.

"Alright everyone, be good," Meredith sighed as she walked through the door. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed as soon as the door had closed behind them.

"I was bringing Meg her lunch," Derek said.

"I'm not stupid, Derek," she said. "You were trying to be there so you could come with me to the hospital."

"That's not true," Derek sighed. "Meg really did forget her lunch, and Kath was working, so she asked me to bring it over. I'm not exactly okay with my niece starving to death."

"Fine," Meredith sighed. "Now you can go home."

"Meredith, please don't do this," Derek sighed.

"Look, Derek, I just hate doing this," Meredith sighed as she opened the door to her car. "I know you're worried, and I appreciate that, I really do. But there's no reason for you to come with me to suffer through lunch with the vindictive Ellis Grey. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Fine," Derek said. "I love you, Mer."

"I love you too," Meredith whispered. "I'm sorry for freaking out."

"I just want to help you, Mer," he murmured.

"I'll tell you everything that happened tonight," Meredith smiled, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. "Just…let me do this, okay?"

"Okay," Derek nodded. "Good luck."

"Bye, Der," Meredith sighed as she slid into the driver's seat of the car and backed out of her parking spot, leaving Derek standing in the middle of the parking lot as he watched her drive away.

XXXXX

"No, I have plans to meet with Dr. Grey," Meredith rolled her eyes as she stood at the nurse's station.

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Grey has been pulled into an emergency surgery that will last a few hours," the nurse replied.

"She doesn't even work here," Meredith replied. "How could she possibly be called into an emergency surgery?"

"She volunteered for it," the nurse replied.

"Of course she did," Meredith rolled her eyes. "Can you page her?"

"She asked that she not be disturbed," the nurse said.

"Great," Meredith sighed, turning to look at the ceiling. "I took off of work so I could see her and she's the one who blows me off. Typical."

"Is there something that you need?" the nurse asked.

"No," Meredith sighed. "Just…be sure to tell her that her daughter stopped by and she was ready to have lunch with her."

"Of course, Miss Grey," the nurse nodded.

Meredith turned to walk towards the door, her eyes widening before she turned back to the desk and buried her face in her hands. "This can't be happening."

"Miss Grey," the nurse frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Just…don't say anything," Meredith hissed. "And definitely don't say my name."

"Are you okay?" the nurse asked.

"Meredith?" a man's voice asked from behind her, and she squeezed her eyes closed tightly and willed herself to wake up from a terrible awful dream. "Meredith Grey, is that you?"

Meredith took a deep breath as she rested her head against the counter for another moment. She stood up and turned to look at the man before she asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"