Hi everyone. So here's chapter 8. It's just a little interaction between Derek and Addison.

Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters.

Please, enjoy and review.

Chapter 8

Derek gripped the brass door knocker, the cold metal cooling his sweaty hand. He banged it against the door two times and then waited, wishing with all of his heart to be anywhere but there. Finally, a maid opened the door and ushered him in.

"I'd like to see Addison, please," Derek told the maid.

"Yes, sir, right away," the maid replied and quickly backed away from him. A few moments later, Addison strode into the foyer, her hips swaying and a confident smile on her face.

"Derek," she said in a lavish tone, as she wrapped her arms around him. He gave her a light peck on her cheek, but even that small affectionate gesture left a foul taste in his mouth. If he couldn't even give her a kiss on the cheek, how was he ever going to be able the marry her, make love to her. He shuttered at the thought. He had been there less than two minutes and already he was aching to leave.

"Addison, how are you today?" Derek asked as he pulled away from her, trying to get away from her touch without making his discomfort known. But Addison wouldn't have that. She hooked her arm in his and walked him into the parlor, her other hand on his. She led him to two chairs secluded in the corner. He didn't even have Mrs. Montgomery to ease the situation. He reluctantly sat down and Addison sat across from him, smiling a ridiculously huge smile. He felt uncomfortable sitting there under her gaze and he pulled at his collar, his tie suddenly strangling him.

"I'm fine, actually more than fine, thank you for asking. And you?"

"Oh, I'm fine also."

"So, what brings you here today?"

"Can't a man visit his fiancé?" Derek forced himself to joke with her. "This may be the hardest lie I have ever had to keep up," he thought to himself, as he watched Addison's smile widen even more.

"Well, of course he can," Addison almost squealed, as she clutched his arm. "But are we going to stay in this stuffy parlor the whole time?"

"We can go to Central Park, if you wish."

"Oh, Derek, that would be wonderful."

"Then, will you honor me with your company on this outing?"

"Of course I will," Addison said as she got to her feet and practically dragged Derek into the foyer once again. The maid in there stopped dead in her tracks and stared at them, her eyes wide.

"Don't stand there like an idiot, Aggie. Get me my cloak and hat and get Mr. Sheperd his hat."

"Yes, Miss," the maid stammered, as she rushed to do as her mistress commanded. Addison glared after her and looked back at Derek.

"It's so hard to find good help these days," she complained to him. Derek stood there, speechless at her prima donna attitude. Living with her was going to be harder than he had imagined. A few moments later, the maid returned, stumbling over herself when she tried to give them their things. She accidentally dropped Derek's hat and cringed in anticipation of the reprimand Addison was sure to give. And give it, she did.

"Aggie, you clumsy fool! You can't even handle something as simple as fetching a hat and cloak. I don't even know why Father hired you. But consider your days here numbered."

The maid remained crouched on the floor, her eyes turned down, unable to look at Addison for fear of her seeing the tears spilling from her eyes and reprimanding her further. Derek's heart broke for the young girl. He kneeled down next to her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Shh, you're alright," he murmured soothingly to her. "It was a mistake; it wasn't your fault. You will not be fired over dropping a hat."

She turned her head to look at him, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. Derek smiled gently at her.

"She's only a child. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this," he thought to himself. Addison fell even more in his eyes. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to the girl. She hesitated to take it, glancing briefly up at Addison.

"It's only a handkerchief and I won't bite, I promise," he laughed lightly. The girl smiled at him weakly and took the handkerchief out of his hand. She wiped the remaining tears off of her face, handed it back to him and stood up. He straightened as well.

"Thank you, Mr. Sheperd," Aggie said, as she handed him his hat.

"Thank you as well, Miss Aggie," he said, as he reached out for the hat and flashed her a smile. "And please call me Derek."

"Well, thank you again, Derek," Aggie said, as she turned and walked from the room. Through this whole ordeal, Addison had just stared on in wonderment.

"What was that?" she asked Derek, as he returned to her side.

"I was just trying to make the poor girl feel better, after you yelled at her so," he said, his voice hard.

"Derek, she's only a maid, she doesn't matter. And since when do you let a maid call you by your first name?"

"Since a close colleague of mine made me realize that the maids and servants that we hire are no less of a human being than we are."

"And who was this close colleague?" Addison asked, suspicious that it wasn't a colleague at all.

"Does it matter who the colleague was, Addison? All that matters is what he taught me, right?" he asked, his voice raising an octave. Addison shrank back slightly. He had never raised his voice with her, or anyone that she had seen him, for that matter. There was a reason why he felt so strongly about this, she just couldn't figure out what that reason was. She walked at his side, as she mulled the thoughts through her head. As they entered the park, though, she pushed those burdening thoughts form her mind. She was there to spend time with her future husband. They walked along the paths in silence, as all eyes turned to them. Finally, Derek decided to break the silence.

"Did you enjoy the ball the other night?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could pull them back. Why did he ask her about the ball at which he slept with another woman, at which he placed another nail in the coffin that was his doomed marriage?

"Yes, it was quite enjoyable. I don't particularly like the family that threw it, but they can throw a party, I will give them that."

"Why don't you like the family?" Derek asked, trying to mask his rising anger.

"They just seem so… fake," Addison replied.

"No, you're the fake one," Derek thought to himself, as he gritted his teeth.

"And, the daughter, Meredith, I believe her name is, she craves attention and does everything she can to get it. I mean, did you see that dress she was wearing the other night? It made her look like a tramp, but I'm sure that's what she wanted."

"But don't you do the exact same thing?" Derek started to say, but bit his tongue. How could she even say that? How could she think that his angelic Meredith was a tramp? She was the tramp. He could feel his blood pressure rising, but knew he couldn't say anything. He just reverted in on himself, giving simple answers to all questions and pretending to listen, as Addison talk on and on about the wedding. That was, until he heard it, that contagious laugh that he would recognize anywhere. He looked to his left and, sure enough, there was Meredith, sitting on a blanket with her father, a picnic basket between them. Even in such a simple setting, she was breath-taking. The breeze gently moved her hair, the sunlight making it look like gold. She looked happy, happier than he had ever seen her. And that made him love her even more.

"Are you listening to me?" Addison impatiently asked moments later. Derek had to tear his gaze away from her to look into Addison's blazing green eyes.

"Yes, of course I'm listening. Please, continue."

Addison didn't fully believe him, but continued on anyway. Derek was already gone, though, lost in her green eyes. She hadn't noticed him, but he didn't want her to. He just wanted to watch her in secret, see the fleeting family moment she was having with her father. He watched her get to her feet and gather up the picnic things, placing them back in the basket. Her father then picked up the basket, wrapped his arm around her, and they proceeded to the path. He continued to watch her and soon realized that they were coming straight at Addison and himself. He looked over at Addison, trying to make his infatuation unnoticeable. He felt Addison tense next to him, as the two groups came upon each other.

"Miss Montgomery, Mr. Sheperd, how nice to see you," Thatcher said, a delighted smile on his face. Derek smiled at the man, trying to avoid Meredith's eyes. Shame choked him, as he thought of how Meredith must feel, standing there, looking at her lover and his fiancé.

"Mr. Grey, how are you? I see you've finally recuperated after your ball, as have you, Meredith," Addison said, as her eyes moved between the two Greys.

"Oh, yes. It was exhausting, but I do believe it was the party to be seen at."

"Oh, it was. It was all over the papers the next day. And it was such a fitting way to show you into the city. You are most definantly known as a force to be reckoned with now."

"That was my goal," Thatcher joked, his dramatic smile creasing his eyes. Addison laughed at his attempt at humor, as Derek and Meredith stood next to their partners, staring at the ground. Addison then turned to Meredith, forcing her to tear her eyes away from the stone that had captured her interest.

"And Meredith, your dress was absolutely breath-taking. The feathers were a nice touch. What exactly were you supposed to be portraying?" Addison asked, masked mockery in her eyes.

"It was supposed to look like a peacock," Meredith replied, looking straight into Addison's eyes, "one of the most magnificent birds in nature."

"Yes, of course," Addison said, looking back into Meredith's eyes just as firmly.

"What were you again, Addison?" Meredith asked, her eyes flashing, telling Addison that she wasn't easily intimidated.

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just a masked beauty, I guess," Addison said lightly, laughing as she turned to Derek, who just smiled weakly back at her. They were competing, over him. In any other situation, Derek would have been overjoyed, like any other red-blooded man, but he could not find any joy in this. He didn't want Meredith to have to compete, he wanted her to be able to be with him with no hindrances.

"Oh, that's too bad. It's always more fun when you put some creativity into it."

"I can be very creative when I want to be, Meredith. But with the wedding coming up, I didn't feel the need to put too much creativity into one ball," Addison said, her annoyance becoming hard to restrain. Noticing this, Derek decided it would be best for him to step in.

"So, Mr. Grey, how has business been lately?" he asked, as he noticed Meredith flash a grateful glance in his direction.

"Quite well. With all of the over-night millionaires coming in from California, the bank has never seen better business. My only hope is that it will continue."

"I'm sure it will," Derek said, looking at the man. His heart broke for him, as well as Meredith, as he noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the deep wrinkles starting to line his face. This had to have been a hard time for the two and they just now seemed to be beginning to breathe once again. But who said something wouldn't cause that to come crashing down again. Bile rose in his throat, as he realized that that thing that could ruin their relationship once again was, in fact, him. He shook his head a few times, as if to dislodge the unsettling thought from his head.

"Nothing will happen. We will be together and no one will ever know," he thought to himself. But looking over at Addison, he realized that the chance of no one ever knowing was one in a million. That was evident in the little spat she and Meredith had had moments before. His eyes came to rest on Meredith and, instantly, his pulse slowed; the stress he was feeling fell away. He was amazed at how large of an affect she had on him, but was not at all surprised. She was his calming force, just as he was hers.

"Well, Meredith and I must be on our way," Thatcher said. "It was a pleasure to see you both."

"The pleasure was all ours, Mr. Grey. You and Meredith have a wonderful day," Addison said, her fake smile returning to her face.

"You as well, Miss Montgomery, Mr. Sheperd. Good day," Thatcher said, as he nodded to them and he and Meredith set off down the path. Derek and Addison then set off in the other direction. They walked silently for a few minutes, but Derek finally had to break the silence.

"What purpose did that spat with Meredith back there serve?"

"That was hardly a spat, Derek," Addison said, disbelief in her voice. "She questioned my authority and I showed her what the truth was."

"I don't like you demeaning people like that. It's so… crude," Derek said, as Addison looked at him in shock. Not able to think of anything intelligent to say, Addison didn't reply and they walked in silence, until they reached Addison's home once again.

"Thank you for the outing, Derek. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon," Addison said quickly and slipped into the house, not giving Derek a second glance. He walked down the sidewalk and back to his own home.

The flickering candlelight was the only thing that lit up the room, giving everything an eerie glow. The sound of soft sobs came from the floor by the bed. A portrait of her mother lay in Meredith's trembling hands, as silent tears slid down her cheeks, falling onto the glass.

"Why did you have to leave?" Meredith asked the silence. "Why did you have to leave me here all alone? I don't know what to do. I don't know how to face this. What should I do, Mother? Please, please, tell me."

Meredith keeled over, painful sobs wracking her body, ripping through her chest, breaking her heart a little more. She struggled to draw in a breath, as the tears fell faster. She felt herself become lightheaded, but she no longer cared. All she could focus on was the pain that was suffocating her, ripping a hole in her chest. She slowly shifted into a laying position on the floor and drew her legs up, tears dripping off of her cheeks and onto the floor. The pain in her chest felt white hot, burning through all of the walls and defenses she had made, and her tears choked her even more. In that moment, she wished for nothing more than her world to go black and the pain to end.

After what seemed like hours of gushing tears, Meredith felt strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her up into her bed. Not having the strength to look and see who it was, she just lay in the stranger's embrace and let the tears fall freely. She felt the stranger's hand run through her hair.

"Ssh, it's alright. I'm here. Nothing can harm you." That soothing voice was like water falling over the fiery pain that burned in her chest. After her sobs calmed, she turned to find herself face to face with Derek. He smiled at her and gently caressed her cheek. Pulling out his handkerchief, he wiped away the tears that continued to trickle down her cheeks. He then kissed her gently on each cheek.

"Thank you," Meredith whispered, her throat raw.

"You're welcome," he whispered back. "Are you alright now?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"I'll go and let you get some sleep then," Derek said, as he unwrapped himself from around her and started to get up.

"Derek," Meredith said timidly, causing him to turn back around.

"Yes?"

"Will you just hold me?" A smile spread across Derek face and he walked back to the bed, laid down, and pulled Meredith into him. Within a few moments, both were asleep.

Ok, so I'm going on vacation for the next week, so I'm going to try and update a few more times before I leave, but I can't promise a ton.