A Huge Thank You as always to all of you who reviewed the last chapter, and apologies for the lateness of this one. I have no excuse except for RL has seriously got in the way of being able to spend time writing this past week.

Now a few different people asked about Flashback's to the affair, so it seems easier to say here, there will be some in future chapters, I just didn't want to weigh down the start of the story with them.

So please ignore any glaring mistakes, and Read, Enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Part Two

There was no need for Meredith to look at her sister, to know Lexie was staring at them both with a look of confusion, and was waiting for some kind of explanation for Derek's unexpected arrival. One of them needed to say something, anything to break the silence that had fallen, however all Meredith felt capable of was to keep staring up at the man stood in front of her.

The smile on Derek's face told her he was content to do the same, it was the smile he seemed to save solely for her, and all she wanted was just for a minute longer to stay here, right now with Derek. To forget Lexie, to forget everything, and just have this, because Meredith knew the instant this moment ended, it would be back to reality. A reality where their past was as complicated as the future that lay ahead of them, now he was here in Seattle.

There was so much to do before they could have the start she wanted for them. Just as much as Derek had said he did, Meredith wanted everything out in the open, no sneaking around, no more lies, or having to hide how she felt. To reach that point though, Meredith knew would mean hurting someone who had done nothing to deserve the way he had been treated. Right from the start Josh had been a support, a source of comfort, whilst unbeknownst to him she had been trying, and failing to get over another man. This would break his heart, she was going to break his heart she knew that, and hated herself for it.

Now more than ever Meredith wished she had stuck to her first instinct when Josh had first asked for more commitment from her, and ended it then, because he deserved better than any of this. He deserved someone who could love him, and Meredith knew she never could, despite how much she had tried too.

That was the crucial difference between the two men, she loved Derek, she always had, it wasn't a choice, or something she had to work at, it was just there, and if the past two years had proved anything it was that she probably always would.

"Mer, I can't believe you never said anything! Does this mean there is a big Neuro case coming in? It must be something, if they have flown you out, will you need an Intern?"

Meredith tore her eyes from Derek, and tried to remember at least one of the explanations for why she hadn't mentioned his arrival that she had spent last night in the on-call room coming up with.

"She couldn't. I swore her to secrecy, Richard wanted it that way."

Derek stepped in seamlessly, and came to her rescue.

"And sorry to disappoint you, but there's no big case. I am wanted for a consult, but that's not why I flew out here, I came to sign my contract."

"You're moving to Seattle?"

"I am,"

Derek nodded, and when Lexie threw another glance at a still silent Meredith, he decided to divert her attention.

"And, if your interested I'm pretty sure Mark will probably end up following me. He never does well..."

"You told him? You told him what we talked about?"

Lexie cut Derek off, and swung around to stare accusingly at Meredith. All talk of Derek's move forgotten, and Meredith could happily kiss him for what he had just done. It was a lot easier to deal with an indignant Lexie, than a curious one. It was a move she had seen him pull with his own sisters countless times over the years, but never had she appreciated the skill till now.

"I never told him that your heart lives..."

"Meredith!"

"I'm just saying, I didn't tell him that! I only told him to make sure Mark knew you were off limits."

"Well, actually you threatened to remove a certain piece of his anatomy, one Mark is very attached too."

"God you're so embarrassing."

"Your my little sister Lexie, this is what big sisters do."

"They humiliate them?"

"No, they protect them."

Everything Meredith knew about how to be a sister she had learnt from Nancy, Kate, Lizzie, and Amelia. From years of watching how they treated each other, and how they treated her, Meredith had learnt that being a sister meant you protected each other, and you were there even if they didn't know they needed you. You cared enough to try even when it wasn't wanted. It had taken her years to fully understand it, but one of the biggest lessons had been, how it didn't matter if you were in the middle of the biggest fight, if they were hurt, or threatened in anyway, then you would walk through fire to help them, and they would ultimately do the same for you.

However, until Lexie had started here they had never really had the chance to share this type of relationship. They didn't have a shared history, years of fights, and laughter to reminisce over, and sometimes Meredith felt that they had only become real sisters since Lexie had returned from Harvard. It wasn't that she hadn't loved her before, Lexie had been the only appealing thing about coming to Seattle during the enforced visits, but there had never been enough time to really get to know each other. Three weeks a summer, and visits at Thanksgiving where Meredith would spend most of the time avoiding Thatcher hadn't left a lot of time for sisterly bonding. It had only begun to change once Lexie had started college, and had started to visit New York on her own, but even then before any progress could be made, it was time for her to leave again.

"I don't need protecting, and telling someone to stay away from me is embarrassing!"

"Mark didn't think it was, he was more offended I called it 'Little Sloan'. He even offered to send me photographic evidence to prove how wrong I was! Like I don't already know the size, shape and angle it bends..."

"You, and Mark?" Lexie asked horrified, and this time Meredith did laugh.

"No, of course not! I heard all about it from..."

Meredith came to a stop as she glanced quickly towards Derek who was looking queasy.

"Please don't go any further!"

"If it makes you feel better Liz never has either, we made a pact!"

"It doesn't!"

"I think it became like a right of passage..."

"Mer, please."

"Right...Anyway, Lexie what I did is in no way embarrassing. I grew up with the masters of how to make your siblings lives hell. Believe me, what I did is nothing compared to what I've witnessed! I could tell you stories that would make you get down on your knees, and beg me to tell any more man-whores who come in your vicinity to stay away from you!"

"For the second time Lexie if you haven't realised, your sister is alluding to my own charming sisters."

"How do you know I wasn't talking about you too?"

"Well firstly I haven't slept with Mark, secondly, and most importantly we both know I am, and have always been your favourite Shepherd!"

There was a wink, and a smug smile full of innuendo that thankfully escaped Lexie's notice completely, but not Meredith's.

"Do you remember Duke?"

"My dog?"

"Yeah, he was always my favourite Shepherd!"

"Liar! He used to hump your leg, and you cried for like a week when he stole that ratty teddy you used to sleep with. When Dad finally found it, half buried you said you would never forgive him."

Derek laughed, dodging the slap Meredith aimed at him as he turned back to a now smiling Lexie.

"Honestly Mark didn't give it a second thought, but Mer was right to do it..."

"For the last time, I don't like him."

"See that look? Right there. Take note as her future boss Derek, because that is what Alexandra Caroline Grey looks like when she lying."

"I hate you."

"You love me!"

Meredith laughed, and Derek couldn't help but note just how much had altered since he had seen them together last. It was a lot more like watching Meredith with his own family, she was open with her affection, where as before it had always seemed no matter how obviously fond of Lexie she was there was always something holding her back.

Perhaps it was the time spent together since Lexie had started her internship, or it was something similar to what his father had said. Away from his family, the only real family she had known it had left Meredith no choice, but to form new ties, ones that weren't so interwoven with him, and their history.

"So, I have to go to Richard's office, fancy playing tour guide?" Derek suggested edging round closer to Meredith.

"Lexie I'll see you later."

Meredith managed as with a hand to her back Derek was already propelling her away towards the elevators.

"You know we don't actually need to use these?"

"I know. Patricia sent me a very detailed map, but out there I can't do this..." Derek murmured pulling her closer to him once the doors had closed behind them.

"What are you doing?" Meredith demanded with a laugh as he reached past her, and pressed the emergency stop button.

"I'm saying hello," Derek said, and bent his head to press his lips to hers. "Hello."

Over before it had began, Derek resisted the temptation to forget all his good intentions, and kiss her how his whole body screamed out to. Instead, he took a deep breath as he reluctantly put space between them, and pressed the red button to get the elevator moving again.

"I … You can't do that here."

"Are there camera's?" Derek asked raising his eyes to the ceiling. "I hope not, otherwise future plans of mine are in serious trouble."

"No, but somehow the nurses know everything anyway. I am not becoming fodder for the gossips in this hospital Derek, not for you, or anyone. So inside this building no hello's, got it?"

"So you're saying I am not allowed to say hello?"

"You can say hello, just as long as it doesn't involve physical contact."

"What kind of physical contact are we talking? For example, is this okay?" Derek asked, bumping her shoulder with his, forcing a smile to her lips.

"Yes,"

"What about this?"

Derek moved behind her, his body flush against hers as his head bent to her neck, his lips hovering millimetres from her skin. The lavender scented conditioner she had been using for years filling his senses. He heard the small sigh she gave almost in defeat when her body began to relax against him, her neck arching to give him more access as his hands came down to rest on her hips, anchoring her to him.

Interruption came in the form of the elevator coming to a stop, the doors sliding open causing Meredith to jump away from him as a petite Asian woman stepped on to the elevator. She looked between them with the beginnings of a frown, that quickly morphed into a wide grin. Her brown eyes looked him over from head to toe with a quick assessing gaze, that would have left Derek feeling decidedly unsettled if Mark hadn't already described Meredith's best friend to perfection.

"Look at you getting McDreamied in elevators, whilst I'm trying to prevent your Interns from killing people...Where's your sister? I swear she's the only one out of the whole bunch with any sense."

"I just saw her, and I am not getting…"

Meredith stopped as she looked between the two.

"Oh Derek this is Cristina Yang, Christina this is Derek."

Derek only had a chance to say a brief hello before Meredith was talking again.

"And McDreamy?"

"No…?"

Derek with absolutely no idea what they were talking about suddenly felt as if he was on exhibition in a zoo, both women were now staring at him, Meredith's expression now matching Cristina's.

"Yes..."

Meredith emitted unable to deny her best friends very accurate appraisal of the man stood on the other side of her. Yet, if she knew Cristina at all, there was definitely a hint of sarcasm in her words, as there was with most things. As the elevator came to a stop again, Meredith gave a push to Derek's back.

"Your stop."

"Your not coming?" Derek asked following her instruction regardless, as he squeezed past the people waiting to get on.

"You have a map, and I have interns to babysit."

"Lunch?"

He suggested, and watched Meredith glance back at the other women who was now leaning against the back wall of the elevator.

"Okay,"

"And, what about the second hello?" Derek teased as the door began to shut.

"Definitely not allowed!"

Meredith called before going to the back, her voice lowering to a hiss to make sure she wasn't overheard by the other occupants.

"Don't look at me like that. Nothing happened."

"So he wasn't sniffing you?"

"He wasn't sniffing…He was…. breathing me in."

Meredith fell back on the description Derek had used when she like Cristina had accused him of sniffing her, what seemed like forever ago.

"Like that's any better… It's creepy."

"It's not creepy."

"Deny it all you want, but it is. So sniffing aside, how good is he? I mean he looks like he'd be good..."

"No."

"Better than Josh?"

"Cristina..."

"I knew it." Cristina's laugh echoed behind her as she walked off the elevator the instant the doors opened again, and Meredith could do nothing, but follow.

The map Richard's assistant had emailed him was just as good as Derek had told Meredith, and he had no trouble in finding his way to his office. However, what delayed him from making his presence known was the view from the walk way looking out over Seattle. There was nothing like this back East to compare it too, and as Derek stared beyond the city limits he felt a certainty settle in his stomach. All nerves from earlier had disappeared the moment Meredith had smiled at him, but this feeling was different. He didn't know how, but he knew this was where he was meant to be, where they were meant to be, both him, and Meredith. There would be no going back to New York no matter what difficulties were thrown in their path, his mother had been right, home was where ever Meredith was.

"There you are, I thought you had stood me up."

Derek turned away from the absorbing view to greet his old mentor who had appeared through the door he had originally been heading for. He matched Richard Webber's wide smile, holding out his hand for the older man to grasp.

"It's good to see you Shep!"

"It's good to see you too Richard. This place is not what I was expecting..."

"Well you would have known that sooner, if you had taken up just one of my many offers to come out here, and take a look… Lets get the contracts out the way then how about a tour, show you what you really have been missing? I can introduce you to a few people too."

Richard hadn't waited for an answer, before he was leading Derek back the way he had just came, and within ten minutes Derek was signing his name to paper without one ounce of regret. The following tour pretty much covered the whole surgical wing, and he met most of the surgeons who would one day make up his department, including the current Head he would be working under. Despite how interested he was, most of it had seemed to pass by in a blur. Instead, of remembering names, faces, or the rooms Richard had shown him, he had been too busy trying to imagine how the different places, and people had fitted in to Meredith's life here.

There was so many questions he had wanted to ask, but he doubted Richard would be any help with the day to day life of one of his residents. Nevertheless, it seemed his old mentor has sensed at least some of his detachment as he brought the tour to a close in a gallery above an empty O.R.

Whilst Derek took a minute to study the room beneath them, Richard took a seat on one of the chairs. Silence fell until Derek leaning back against the glass, waited for what was to come. He had known Richard for far too long, to expect him to just accept him asking for the job he had been offered, and refused countless times before without some kind of explanation from him.

"You realise Bartlett is more than a little pissed that I've stole you from underneath him. Especially, after I explained it was you who had come to me."

Derek was well aware how much of a blow it had been to his old Chief of Surgery when he had announced his resignation, Mark hadn't been exaggerating yesterday when he had called him Bartlett's 'Golden Boy'. Everything thrown at him to keep him there, from a pay rise, to a new office, to increased funding for the department, but there had been nothing that could compete with what Seattle had.

"Did you tell him I had no choice, but to come to you? You haven't offered me anything to lure me out in a few years now Richard, I can't believe you gave up."

"Hearing the same old excuse about being genetically designed to hate anywhere apart from Manhattan, got boring very fast."

"Well I have to tell you my feelings were a little hurt, I had begun to think you had found someone better."

"There is no-one better, it's the only reason I was able to find room in my damn budget for you, and your two million dollars a year hands. So are you going to tell me what did change your mind?"

"Ferryboats, you never told me Seattle has them. I have a thing for Ferryboats." Pushing himself away off the glass Derek crossed the short distance, and sat down.

"Funny Shep... Was it the divorce? I was sorry to hear about that."

"No, it was a long time coming. I just needed a change."

"You just needed a change?"

"Well yeah, and Meredith is here too so I thought why not give my old mentor what he has always wanted."

"Meredith, Meredith Grey?"

Derek nodded as Richard shifted in his seat, twisting around to stare at him with a puzzled expression.

"Surgical Resident here. Blondish, about five foot six, bossy, very bossy in fact, and..."

"I know who Meredith Grey is, Derek. What I didn't know was that you knew who she was."

It wasn't posed as a question, but Derek could see Richard expected some kind of explanation.

"My parent's took over as her legal guardians when her mother died. Although they considered her their daughter long before then. Mer's the apple of my dad's eye, has been ever since my sister Lizzie first brought her home."

"Then it was your Dad I saw a few months ago, I thought he seemed familiar, I just couldn't place him…"

"Most likely, they come out as often as they can. Before Mer none of us have ever lived more than a few hours in a car away, so you can imagine how much they worry."

"I can't believe it..." Richard shook his head "So you must have known Ellis?"

"I did, though not well. We saw less of her than Mer did which you can imagine wasn't a lot. I never realised you knew Ellis Grey, I mean more than knowing of her."

"We did our residency together here… She's the spitting image of her mother, it was like seeing a ghost that first day."

"Be careful the last person who told Meredith that had a piece of toast thrown in his face on Christmas morning."

Richard let out a deep chuckle before his face grew serious

"Do you know why she never went to Thatcher after Ellis passed? I always just assumed..."

Richard trailed off leaving whatever he was planning to say unfinished, and for a moment Derek couldn't help but feel there was something more going on here. It wasn't something he could put a finger on, or readily explain, it was just something about how Richard's expression, and voice seemed to change with each mention of Ellis.

"Not really… All I do know is Meredith wanted to stay as much as my parents wanted her too, so the lawyers hashed it out with Thatcher's to make it happen."

Derek did know why Meredith had chosen to stay with his parents, he would never forget the heartbroken fifteen year old he had found at the docks, but that was between them. It would stay private, as had every moment they had spent together there, it wasn't meant to be shared with Richard, or anyone else.

"So you grew up like brother, and sister that's nice... I'm glad, she deserved a family."

"Meredith isn't my sister."

The rebuttal was out of his mouth before Derek could soften the harshness of it, and he watched the older man's eyes narrow.

"You want to tell me now why your really here Shep?"

"I told you why. I needed a change. Look Richard I could have gone anywhere we both know that, I chose here because of our relationship, and because I have friends here."

Before he had even rang Richard, Derek had looked around at other options available to him in case Richard hadn't been able to find room for him. A part of him had even debated whether it would be better for Meredith if he was at another hospital. Not only because of Josh, but because to add to all their other complications he would be her boss. The last thing he would want would be for people to assume that he might favour her for any other reason than the skill he was sure she possessed.

"I suppose you know this friend of yours is in a relationship with one of my most promising Cardio fellows?"

"I do…"

"That's it, that's all your going to say?"

Derek knew there was a line between talking to your old mentor, and talking to the Chief of Surgery. It was one thing for an old friend of Ellis's to be interested in what happened to her only child, but when that man was also Meredith's boss it changed everything. Meredith had already mentioned the gossip mill here, and though he didn't think Richard was exactly a part of that scene, it would only take one slip up for things to change.

"That's all there is to say."

"You are a bad liar, you always have been."

"There is nothing to tell."

"Don't make me regret this Derek, I do not want my hospital turned upside down."

"It won't be."

"Good. Now, how about we grab lunch? If it looks like I'm in a meeting it might stop anyone approaching,"

"I can't. I said I would have Meredith paged when we had finished here."

"Well come back to my office now, then I'll get Patricia to hunt her down for you."

To Derek's disappointment there was to be no lunch with Meredith, and if it hadn't have been for her text message he would have ended up sitting alone waiting for her to answer Patricia's page. One of her patients had had to go back down to surgery so instead of the cafeteria Derek hunted out another gallery, this time above the O.R she was in.

"See Tinkerbelle wishes do come true."

Was the first thing Derek heard when spotting an empty seat near the front he made his way down to find Cristina, and a blonde woman with their lunches balanced on their laps.

"Cristina..."

The blonde mouthed before she transformed her face into a wide welcoming smile, and aimed it fully at Derek.

"I'm Izzie Stevens, Meredith's room-mate. Derek Shepherd right? Carolyn, and Michael's son."

Derek remembering the phone call from yesterday smiled at the mention of his father.

"Izzie, right yeah Meredith has mentioned you, and so have my parents. It's nice to finally meet you."

"So is it true your going to be working here? I can't believe Mer never said anything,"

"Maybe because you were too busy making inappropriate comments about..."

"You knew? Of course you knew...Typical!"

Izzie butted in with a swift glance in Derek's direction, and for the sake of not wanting Meredith's house mate to feel too embarrassed to ever speak to him again he played along that he knew nothing. It wasn't hard to do, not when he was getting his first real sight of seeing Meredith in an O.R.

Stood on the opposite side of the table to her attending, her whole focus on the body open before her Derek was suddenly struck by how long those two years had been, and just how much had changed. No longer was Meredith the eager med student sitting in a gallery just like this one in New York to watch him operate whenever she got the chance. Nor was she the same woman he had stayed up all night with helping her cram before finals, and using every possible distraction he could to tear her away from the books, and in to bed. This was Meredith, a second year resident, and now more than ever he felt every day of those twenty-four months he hadn't been a part of her life.

For an instant he felt lost, uncharacteristically unsure of himself until she looked up as if sensing his presence, her eyes searching the gallery until they rested on him. The surgical mask hid most of her face from him, but that didn't matter when those eyes that he had seen shine, and darken with every emotion lit up now with happiness at the sight of him. The grin that lifted his lips in response was automatic, and she returned his wink with an arch of an eyebrow before her attention returned to the patient.

"So you must have loads of stories about Mer growing up." Izzie drew him back, and with a short laugh he shook his head.

"None I'd be stupid enough to tell."

"I like a man with a healthy fear of the women in his life."

Cristina piped in, but Izzie ignored her as she waved a hand containing a potato chip out in front of him in Meredith's direction.

"Oh come on! You can't be scared of Meredith, she's tiny..."

"She may be tiny with ineffectual fists, but Meredith grew up with my four sisters, she learnt psychological warfare from the best."

"What about if I tell you one first..? I know she never told your parents about the bomb, she point blanked refused to let us call anyone, how much is that worth?"

"The bomb? What bomb?"

"Shut up."

Cristina seeing the look on Derek's face could see the minefield Izzie was stepping into, and dragging Meredith along with her. With her elbow as the nearest, and most effective weapon she nudged the blonde sharply in the ribs.

"Ow Cristina."

"Shut up!"

Cristina hissed the second time, and Izzie shrugged backing down in the face of the fierce glare from the brown eyes.

"It was nothing… Not exciting at all… So no story sharing, Mark was the same, Mer has you guys well trained."

"Was she hurt?"

Derek demanded, not missing the helpless look Izzie sent Christina, and it was Meredith's best friend who answered.

"She was fine."

Though he believed her, and felt the immediate relief of knowing Meredith hadn't been hurt so far from home without any of them knowing Derek felt the unrest from minutes earlier settle over him again. His fathers words from just a day ago repeated over, and over in his head joining in with his own new insights.

Michael was right, though Derek had known every day that had passed he had never considered it in the sense of how much had changed for Meredith until he was here now. Meredith had had a whole life for two years that he barely knew anything of, and Derek had missed it all. In his absence there had been bridges built with her sister, new friends she classed as family who had stories he played no part in, and would only ever know second hand. He could now see exactly what his father had meant about not expecting everything to be the same as it always had been.

However, he wasn't jealous of her new friends, he was glad she had found them, because if it was one thing Meredith deserved, it was to know she belonged, and was loved. What he was envious of, was the time they had had with her, how they had been here to watch her grow, to be there when she needed someone. They had witnessed everything he had missed, and there was no one to blame but himself. It was him who had driven Meredith from New York, and it was his own stupidity that had let so much time pass before coming to his senses.

A tap to his shoulder brought his head up, only then did Derek realise he had missed the rest of the procedure, and Izzie was now stood nervously in front of him.

"Would you mind not mentioning to Mer about the bomb thing, I mean I know your technically my boss so I shouldn't really be asking you to lie, but if you could that would be great."

Derek nodded absently in response to Izzie, and saw the scrutinising look sent to him by Cristina as he rose to his feet. He wasn't sure of the question she was silently asking, but he nodded in reply anyway before he trailed after them.

With the help of a friendly red headed nurse he found his way to the scrub room where Meredith was still stood at the sink, and Derek waited till she was alone before entering. She turned instantly at the sound of the door opening, her face alight with the surgical high he had told her about, and she had never quite believed in.

"I'm glad you found me,"

What he wanted to do when she smiled at him like that was to surge forward, take her in to his arms, and kiss the smile from her lips. Today, more than ever he wanted to reassure himself of her presence, however remembering the rules she had laid down earlier he settled for taking hold of her still damp hand. He ran a thumb over her knuckles, when she returned the pressure.

"Me too..."

"Sorry about lunch."

"I will happily skip lunch any time to watch you, you were great."

"I barely did a thing."

Meredith laughed, and Derek tugged on her hand to pull her just an inch or two closer..

"Doesn't matter."

"Are you okay?" Meredith asked when he fell silent, there was something hidden beneath his smile, and raising a hand she touched his cheek, felt his weight as he leaned into the simple touch

"Still slightly hungover, I think last night with Mark is catching up with me."

"Why don't you go back to mine, I'm off at six so we will still have time to grab something to eat."

Meredith was sure he wasn't being completely honest with her, she just didn't know why. A horrible niggling thought that signing the contract might have brought forward the magnitude of what he had done started to rebound around her brain, killing her surgical high almost instantly.

"I'd like that. I'll go back to the hotel, then meet you at yours."

"Derek there is no need for a hotel. Mom, Dad, and Mark all stayed at mine, you can too till you find something more permanent."

Leaning in Derek brushed her cheek with a feather light kiss.

"I can't. If we are going to do this right, do it properly this time then I can't, but thank you."

His words should have been enough to quash her fear, but she only had to glance at the blue eyes to see the distraction there.

"Sure? My couch is very comfy?"

"Absolutely. I won't be there for long, I'll get on to a realtor tomorrow."

"Okay. So I'll see you later then?"

"You will."

Derek assured pressing a kiss to her forehead this time, and it was only when the door had closed behind him that Meredith realised they had broken the one rule she had set earlier in the elevator. The problem was touching him, being touched by him came all too naturally even after all this time apart, yet Meredith knew it couldn't continue inside the hospital walls especially not when Josh returned.

It was a lot closer to eight when she finally parked her car in the driveway of what had been the only house she had shared with both Ellis, and Thatcher. The fact Izzie had managed to leave on time had meant Meredith hadn't been too worried about Derek, until she found him sat out on the old porch swing.

"Hey is no one home? You should have rang, there's a spare key hidden about somewhere from when George lived here."

He looked at her for a moment as if she had woken him from a trance, before he shook it off, and gestured to the empty coffee mug that was by his feet.

"Izzie is."

"Then why didn't you wait inside, in the warm."

Meredith said pointedly as she pulled her jacket tighter around herself, only to be pulled down on to his lap, his arms coming around her surrounding her instead with his warmth.

"She talks a lot."

Derek said in to the back of her hair, nuzzling his face closer.

"She thinks your hot, and your her new boss so she's probably nervous… Plus non nervous Izzie talks a lot anyway, your going to have to get used to it."

"So why aren't you more nervous, I know you think I'm hot."

"Every time it threatens to overcome me I remember pre hair product Derek, and the whole band geek thing… I'm soon cured."

"Ouch! Well we can't all be the cool teenage rebel can we?"

Meredith turned on his lap so she was sat sideways, with a finger she traced the small scar on his forehead caused by the motorbike crash when he had first started Med School.

"You did try to play the rebel."

"Hmm, and that ended well."

Meredith's dainty fingers continued to trace his forehead as if she was trying to stroke away the tension she could see in his face despite the charming façade he was trying to cover it with.

"Are you sure about not staying here,"

"I am… I can't live with you, and not touch you Mer, or hide how I feel around your room mates. This way we'll always have somewhere to go, and just be us. We're taking it slow remember."

"So your not regretting this?"

"What? No!"

"It's just earlier you seemed a little off, and I … … I thought maybe after you signed the contract, it sunk in, and you might have wondered if this was worth it, cos this is a lot Derek."

"No Mer no. You are worth this, we are... It's just I missed you..."

"You'd only just seen me."

"No, I mean I missed you. I've missed knowing you, I want to know you..."

His head tilted, an almost shy smile spreading across his face, much like the one he had worn at their spot at the docks when he had told her he loved her.

"You do know me. There isn't anything you don't know about the whole dark, and twisty history of Meredith Grey, you know me better than just about anyone else,"

Meredith slid off his lap, but didn't move far away. She sat next to him on the swing, and took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Where has all this come from?"

"In New York I didn't see it because it was home, you were finally home, and you just slipped effortlessly right back into the family… I was so set on making you see how I felt, making this right that none of this crossed my mind,".

Derek turned so he was facing her, his hand automatically reaching across to brush the hair back from her face.

"Then watching you today, seeing you here I realised how much I have missed, your not the same Meredith who left New York…"

"What does that mean?"

"It means I want to know you again, I want to us to know each other. I want to be a part of this life you have with these people... I don't ever want to be someone you leave behind again."

"So you want to know Seattle Meredith? You really do want to start over…?"

"Yes…" Derek punctuated the word with a kiss, and just when he would have deepened it Meredith showing more self control than him pulled away.

"I can do that."

"Yeah?"

"Yes,"

"So can you start by telling me about the bomb?"

Derek asked, and before he had a chance to stop her she was on the move, grabbing for her keys from her bag.

"I will kill Izzie."

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