Hi! Sorry it took me a few days to update. I had a basketball tournament all weekend. Hope you all like this chapter :)


The day came for Meredith to start working at Mass Gen. The past couple of days, all she did was explore the city, trying to distract herself from the impossible obstacle right in front of her. Boston was nice. Definitely nicer than she expected. She genuinely liked it here. That fact was only adding to her problems.

All she could think about was the message that Derek had left for her. He obviously didn't get to finish what he had to say, considering that the phone cut off his call. But he hadn't even bothered to call back, to try again. Did that mean that he didn't care enough to finish what he had to say, or did it mean that he cared enough to leave her alone while she was in the midst of a gigantic decision? That's what kept her thinking.

Massachusetts General was a pleasant hospital. Meredith began to round on a few cases after their chief of surgery had showed her around the hospital. This workplace most certainly did not have nearly the amount of drama that Seattle Grace possessed. It seemed as though no one even really cared about each other beyond their professional ties. No one looked like they had made friends with their colleagues, and there was no tension between anyone romantically. That meant that if she moved to Boston, there would never be another Meredith and Cristina, or another Meredith and Derek. But maybe a drama free work environment would be better. It would give her more time to focus on work. But then, would she turn into her mother?

Meredith couldn't help to realize the parallels between her life and her mother's. Sleep with the married guy, then he chooses his wife over you, and now you're running to Boston. It was all so similar. Meredith couldn't stop thinking that maybe her mother hadn't been so cold before she ran to Boston. If she wasn't, maybe she would become the same way – the only thing she would even remotely care about would be her job.

But Meredith didn't want to end up like that. That couldn't be her life, not when she experienced the effects.

She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard a friendly voice that snapped her back to reality.

"You're Meredith Grey, right?"

"Yes," Meredith smiled, trying to act normal, like she wasn't broken, "I'm here from Seattle for the next few days to check out a job here."

"You're just the person I'm looking for."

Meredith looked at her questioningly. She was confused, really confused. She had known a lot of people from Boston while she was in college, but she couldn't seem to recognize this woman, but she did have familiar brown hair and striking blue eyes.

"Oh right. You don't know me. I'm Lauren Shepherd, and I'm pretty sure you dated my brother."

Oh crap.


Derek had basically buried himself in work since Meredith had left him alone that day at the airport. He couldn't stop picturing the look of sadness and pain on her face as she boarded the plane. But he was almost certain that he had seen a glimmer of hope in her eyes as well. At least he wished that was what he had seen.

This had been a long couple of days for him. They were filled with boring surgeries, the emptiness of being alone, and sleepless nights. He wondered how Meredith was feeling at this moment. Probably doing some intense surgery that she would never have the opportunity to do here in Seattle. Probably doing something that was luring her closer and closer to deciding to stay in Boston.

Being so alone made him realize all he had left behind by moving to Seattle. His friends, his practice, but especially his family. The only sister he ever talked to anymore was Lauren. She was closest to him growing up, being a year younger, and Derek was always extremely protective of her. She had decided to become a general surgeon and was completing her fellowship at Mass Gen.

Mass Gen. Lauren was at Mass Gen. He thought to himself how stupid he was for not noticing this undeniable fact until now. What would Lauren do if she saw Meredith? Derek told Lauren that Meredith's mother was the general surgeon legend, Ellis Grey. If Lauren even ran into a Meredith Grey from Seattle, she would definitely be smart enough to know that she was meeting the woman who Derek always talked about, the woman who made him happier than he ever had been in his life, the woman who was the love of his life. He should probably call Lauren to warn her.

The phone rang a few times before his sister frantically answered.

"Derek? Why are you calling me?"

"You're my sister. Can't I call to see how you're doing?" he replied sarcastically.

"Well, if you haven't realized, you don't really call that much anymore. It made me think that something might be wrong. You sound like you're hurt."

Derek sighed. His sister had always been able to read him so well.

"Meredith and I broke up. And no she got a job offering at Mass Gen, and she might leave Seattle forever."

"Meredith's in Boston?"

"Yeah. She left a couple days ago."

"Maybe I can find her and talk to her about you. What does she look like?"

"Lauren, I'm not telling you. The last thing that Meredith needs right now is you harassing her about me."

"Fine. I'll just have to ask around. I'll find her eventually. Don't worry; I won't say anything bad or embarrassing about you."

"What have you ever said about me that isn't bad or embarrassing?"

"Maybe I'll just tell her to stay in Boston. Hopefully, you'll have enough common sense to chase her, and you'll finally move back closer to home."

This comment made Derek feel bad. He was aware that his family missed him. After an entire lifetime of almost daily dinners and family gatherings, Derek had picked up his things and moved to Seattle with no warning, and he never bothered to call or see how his family was doing every once in a while. The only reason he came to Seattle was to escape from Addison. He never expected to meet the love of his life and become the best neurosurgeon on the west coast. But why was he staying in Seattle now? If Meredith left, nothing would matter anymore. His home was wherever she was.

"Lauren, please don't do anything to influence her decision. I just want her to choose what makes her happy."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You're really in love with this girl, aren't you?"

"Of course I am."

"Der, I could tell from the beginning that you loved her. The few times that you actually bothered to call me when you were dating her convinced me that you had never been happier. And now I can tell that you're more depressed that she's gone than when you found out that Addison had cheated on you. If I see Meredith, I won't say anything bad, trust me. I'll probably just tell her what I just told you. I'll make sure she knows how much you love her."

Derek was silent. His sister was so mature. She knew exactly how to deal with these kinds of things. He trusted that she wouldn't mess it up.

"Thanks, Lauren."

"No problem. Now, you should probably get some sleep. You sound like crap."

"Thanks, Lauren," he said in more fun-loving tone than before.

"Bye, Der."

"Bye, Lo."

"I told you not to call me that ever again!"

Derek just laughed and hung up the phone. He hadn't realized how much he missed his family until now.

But their absence didn't leave the same gaping hole in his heart that the emptiness seemed to carve when Meredith was gone.


Hope you liked it.

Please review :)