Here's the big reveal chapter... it's probably pretty obvious because I've been leaving not-so-subtle clues in the last few chapters about it. Oh well. I hope you enjoy!

XxXxX

"Do not make a sound." The voice rattled around in Meredith's brain like a bullet bouncing off of every thought she tried to process.

She threw her attacker to the ground and ran as fast as she could to escape. His knife caught the skin on her face as he fell and she felt warm blood dribbling down her neck. A strong hand clamped around her ankle and she collapsed, screaming in pain as her wrist took the brunt of the fall.

Before she could think, he was on top of her, a dark shadow cast across his face and his bright blue eyes shining with pleasure. He leaned closer to her and whispered gruffly in her ear.

"This is what you get, sunshine." His breath tickled her ear and sent a shiver down her spine as she squirmed to escape him, but it was no use. His large, muscular body easily overpowered her tiny frame and his weight crushed her abdomen with every breath he took.

She was helpless as she was forced to watch him stab her multiple times, screaming in agony and earning a hard slap across the face, one she had felt once before. Her shirt had turned from a light grey to a dark burgundy as blood poured from the wounds.

Satisfied that she wouldn't be able to escape, her attacker stood up and towered over her, a smirk on his face. He kicked her once in the ribs and she cried out in pain. He kicked her again and she felt tears flinging from her eyes. A loud crack echoed through the room as his boot slammed into her once more and she felt her entire body shift from the contact.

Meredith stared up at him, begging him to stop as tears leaked down her face. She coughed suddenly and felt blood splatter on her face. He smirked at her. His foot reached back again and he kicked her temple, sending her straight into unconsciousness. A final groan escaped her lips as the pain slowly dissipated.

XxXxX

"No! No! No!" Derek jumped awake when Meredith started thrashing in his grip and trying to escape him. Her voice was breaking with fear and he immediately released her, still in slight shock.

"Meredith. Meredith. Wake up. Wake up!" He gently shook her and tried to wake her but she was immersed in her nightmare. She froze suddenly and her breathing quickened for a few seconds before she went back to thrashing.

"No. No!" She screamed. Derek shook her a little bit harder, still cautiously gentle with her fragile body. "No! No!" She continued to cry.

Her hands grabbed her abdomen and she writhed in only mostly imaginary pain. A loud scream seemed to jump directly from her throat into the air as she squirmed in the bed. Derek was frozen in fear, watching her relive her worst nightmare. Finally, he gave her shoulders a final shake and she shot up in bed, her face soaked with sweat and tears and her breaths uneven and jagged.

"Derek?" She gasped. He looked at her, his face painted with concern.

"Are you okay? What were you dreaming about?" He asked worriedly. Her face hardened and her eyes filled with fear.

"Finn." The single word seemed to be painful for her to say and he raised his eyebrows.

"Finn? The last time he laid a hand on you, I hit him so hard he couldn't remember which way was up." He said. More tears filled her eyes and she broke down in front of him.

"That wasn't the last time." She cried softly. Derek's face transformed from confusion to shock to anger.

"He did this to you?" He asked. Meredith only nodded. Derek was filled with burning rage. "I'll kill him. I'll kill him!" He clenched his fists and Meredith shrunk away slightly. He immediately calmed down and turned back to her.

"He told me I deserved it. For cheating on him. He said, 'this is what you get'. I can't... I didn't think he was capable of hurting someone this badly." She whimpered. Derek wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"He's not going to hurt you again. I'm gonna make the police search every inch of this planet to make him pay. He's going to pay, Meredith. This isn't over." He assured her.

"He was looking for me. He was looking for me and he found me and now when he finds out I'm still alive... he's going to come back. He's going to find me again and he's going to kill me, Derek." She sobbed. He pulled her closer to him.

"I'm going to protect you, Meredith. No matter what happens, I'm going to protect you. I won't let him hurt you again." He promised.

"Really?" She asked softly.

"Really. He comes back and I'll hit him so hard he won't know his own name anymore." He smirked. She smiled, feeling slightly safer in his arms.

"I love you." She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"I love you too." He whispered back.

XxXxX

About a week later, Meredith was discharged. Derek brought her home and they stepped into her bedroom. She froze.

"Oh, my god." He whispered. "I forgot... I'm so sorry Meredith." He looked at her for a reaction. She stared straight ahead in shock.

The tribute that her friends had built for her still sat on her bed and flowers and gifts filled the room. She looked around for a few seconds.

"They did this for me?" She asked softly. Derek nodded.

"Yeah. We can move it... to sleep... if you want." He mumbled, still not sure how she was feeling. Izzie walked up behind them.

"Oh. I was just coming to help take it apart... I can wait." She said awkwardly. Meredith looked up at Derek.

"I... I feel bad. All of this was because you thought I was dead... now I'm still alive and I feel like... I don't know... like I shouldn't have it anymore. I lied to everyone for months... I don't deserve all of this." She shook her head. Derek placed his hand on her cheek.

"You do deserve it. And you weren't lying. You were scared. Something horrible happened. That's okay. No one is mad at you for that. We're all just happy you're alive." He insisted. She nodded.

"Maybe... maybe we should just move it. For now. Take it apart later." She said. Izzie nodded and they all stepped forward to move the large display.

"We've got it, Meredith. You take it easy. You're still healing." Izzie stopped her. She crossed her arms and made a pouty face much like a toddler.

"I'm perfectly capable of lifting a picture frame. It's not going to kill me." She argued. Derek gave her a pleading look and she huffed, stepping out of their way grudgingly. They moved all of the gifts out into the hallway quickly and the room looked almost exactly the same as it did when Meredith left. There were new sheets on the bed and the carpet had been replaced, but otherwise everything looked the same. Meredith was excited to be home.

"I'll uh... leave you two alone." Izzie giggled awkwardly and then closed the door and disappeared down the hall. Derek turned to Meredith and she smiled seductively.

"Finally alone..." She breathed, thankful that she had him on his own for the first time since she had disappeared. They had plenty of time to themselves in the hospital but people were still checking in on them all the time. He approached her slowly.

"Finally." He repeated. Before any more words could be spoken, he had advanced, placing his hand on her cheek and kissing her passionately. His other hand wrapped around her waist and she tangled her fingers behind his neck.

He ran his hand down her back and lifted her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around him and placing her gently down on the bed. She pulled his shirt over his head quickly and they reconnected their lips as he climbed onto the bed on top of her.

His fingers wrapped around the hem of her shirt and began to lift it but he stopped suddenly. She looked down at him and her eyes filled with sadness.

"I'm sorry... I've just..." He choked, his eyes shining with fresh tears.

"Never seen them before." She finished for him. He nodded and rolled off of her, the heat in the room having dissipated quickly. She pulled her shirt down over the scars on her stomach and turned to him. "They're just scars, Derek. They're not going to go away." She reasoned.

He couldn't get the image out of his head of Meredith, laying in her hospital bed the day he found her, beaten and broken. He remembered how her tiny frame looked like it could blow away with a single soft gust of wind and how he could see her bones through the hospital gown hanging from her body and her face had sunken slightly from the lack of fat. Even though she was there in front of him and he could feel her skin against his, he couldn't stop thinking about how pale she had been that day from the blood she had lost and the bruises covering her face and body.

"I know. I know they're just scars but... I can't stand looking at where he hurt you." He sighed. She reached down and intertwined her hand with his.

"It wasn't your fault." She repeated for what felt like the millionth time.

"I still feel like I should have protected you. I should have looked harder... I shouldn't have given up or hidden in the woods." He shook his head.

"I left a note telling you not to look for me. That fact you did anything at all shows that you care." She argued.

He was silent for a moment and then he reached over to the nightstand and opened the drawer. She watched him pull a piece of paper out and look at it.

Don't waste your time looking for me.

"You kept it?" She gasped.

"I don't know why. I just wanted to believe you were out there, alive." He said. They stared at the paper for a few seconds. Their eyes locked and he crumpled up the paper, throwing it to the ground.

He kissed her again and this time, nothing stopped him from lifting her shirt over her head. He kissed from her cheek down to her neck, where he hovered for a moment and sucked softly on her skin where he knew he drove her crazy. His head traveled to her stomach, where he kissed every one of her scars gently.

"Derek..." She cried, needing him more than ever. He moved his head back up to kiss her and his hands caressed her soft skin.

"Mmh... Meredith." He panted as they both shed the rest of their clothing. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him toward her, capturing the last syllable he spoke inside her mouth.

"No more talking." She ordered. She was tired of talking. That was all they had done. Talking and little snippets of kisses. She wanted more. She wanted him.

"You're cute when you're bossy." He whispered. She bit his lip just hard enough to hurt. "Ouch!" He yelped.

"Shut up." She giggled.

XxXxX

So Derek finally knows who's behind all of this... what will he do in response? Can he protect Meredith from Finn? Find out soon.

Don't forget to review to let me know what you think of this chapter!

Kisses!

-E