Hello! Long time no see! :)
I'm afraid I'm not here to provide you with the exact update that you wished, but I am not dead and I do have a semi-happy update!
So, a little about me- I am a big nerd, which means I take extra classes compared to the average person my age so I have a huge workload with revision, coursework and essays. My massive, important exams are in a few months, and they are determining my entire life, hence the hiatuses. Unfortunately, revision trumps writing, fun, and life.
Previously I wrote this note to say 'I'd love to say I've secretly been writing a backlog for the next few months, but I haven't' - but I do actually have a few chapters written now! I gave myself a week off of work after some practice tests were done with, and wrote as much as possible. I'm thinking one post a week for about 2 months? Then I'll probably have to stop for a few weeks (as I will probably run out of time for writing) and then continue again once my exams are over. I'm assuming we would prefer slow posting over me posting frequently and then running out really quickly.
Most of you know that part of the reason for my hiatus is writers block. Some chapters are now gone and, as of now, there is no Ethan and no Sebastian (other than his name being mentioned in a brief lunch with Aaron). I'm not saying Ethan will or won't exist in the future, but chapters mentioning him, and more about who Sebastian is, are now removed. So, recently, for context, Merder met Aaron when shopping, Meredith had a pregnancy scare, and Merder just made an attempt to open up to each other in the last chapter...bringing us here!
Stuff is definitely happening in these chapters, but not too much for me to dig myself into a big hole. Besides, I've made a plan that I really do think I'm happy with now so hopefully writers block won't be a problem again! :)
Anyway, I thought I'd start by cheering you up with this chapter, featuring a fun character that people normally love when she's dropped in.
Enjoy! :)
"So um-" Derek swallowed, hard. He wasn't expecting me this. Well, he was. He had been expecting it since the day they met. She asked eventually, when he had just suffered a rather severe cramp in the on-call room, but she was perfectly happy not to have an answer. Then they had become friends and he expected her to push. Then they had become partners and he expected her to push. But she just...didn't. Until today.
"Do you want me to go first?"
"No, no-" He sighed. "I don't think waiting is going to help me get it out."
"Sure?"
"Probably better...better if I just-"
"Blurt." She finished for him. "You just...gotta say it in one or something. Well...I don't imagine that you can fit it all in one sentence but- you understand."
He nodded, but failed to do what she suggested, although she was right.
"How about some prompting? Would that help? Or do you just want-" She paused at the sound of the front door unlocking.
Derek had given Meredith a key (a step in their relationship that hadn't really been a big deal, surprisingly, which both the pair were glad of) and she knew that Mark and Carolyn both had keys but that was it.
So, when a young, rather gorgeous, dark-haired woman with prestine fashion sense and beautiful hair entered, she wasn't quite sure what to think.
Well, she couldn't think anything other than 'crap', to be truthful.
"Hey." She greeted as she stepped in.
"Hi." Meredith breathed, looking between Derek and the woman. "Um- I'm sorry, have we-"
"No, no." She shook her head as she stepped in. She was so...comfortable in his house, and it made Meredith shiver. "We've never met."
"Right." Meredith agreed shortly, not quite sure what else to say. "So...you're-"
"Oh, I'm Liz. Liz Haygate."
Meredith stared at the woman with just as much confusion as before. She didn't know a Liz Haygate, and she didn't know that Derek even knew of a Liz Haygate either.
"AKA the bane of my exsistance from age zero to...well, I was going to say eighteen but even that's a little generous." Derek muttered. "Well- joint bane, I think; Amy, Kath and Nance weren't any better."
"Oh. Right. You're a sister." Meredith replied, standing now.
She smiled. "I am a sister. One of what I know feels like a hundred to my brother, as he just so kindly demonstrated with his comment."
Meredith smiled. "Right. Sorry." She agreed, supposing she should have guessed that. She even knew one of his sisters was called Liz.
"That's okay." She reassured her. "I'm guessing you're Meredith...unless my brother has gone from a lonely sod to a professional cheater in a few months."
"I am indeed Meredith." She agreed with an awkward smile. She didn't think he was with anyone else, but she was glad for the confirmation that Derek hadn't, as she had phrased it, gone from a so-called 'lonely sod' to a professional cheater since meeting her.
"Well it is-" She paused very abruptly. "Oh, my God. Hello, gorgeous girl."
Lucky pushed her nose against her leg affectionately as Liz stroking her fur.
"This must be Lucky?"
"Yeah. She's very friendly." Meredith observed, only for the dog to then get bored and leave. "Well- very friendly for about thirty seconds."
Liz smiled. "Mmm. I'd love one but I have a kid - Lucas - and he's enough as it is, as much as I love him."
"Totally understandable." Meredith agreed. "She's enough for us as it is as well and all we do is feed her and take her for one walk a day."
"She's hot, you know?" Liz observed, glancing to her brother. "Meredith, I mean, not the dog."
He smiled. "Yeah. I know. And I don't think I needed the clarification."
"So, what did you do?"
"What do you mean, what did I do?" He asked as he pushed himself to them.
"Drugs?" She suggested.
"What do you mean- drugs?"
"No? How about hypnosis? Slow and progressive manipulation?"
"Manipulation?" He repeated.
"How did you get a girl like her, to date a guy like you?" She finally clarified, eliminating Derek's rather confused expression. "If you didn't use drugs, hypnosis or some kind of torture, what did you do?"
"I promise, there were no drugs, hypnosis or torture involved in our relationship." Meredith reassured Lizzie. "Well, at least that I noticed or remember. I suppose I might have forgotten if those things did happen, realistically."
He smirked. That was a good point.
"Are you sure? Because I can get you outta here right now if he's holding you captive. Helping people who have been kidnapped is more important than supporting my brother in this one specific case."
Meredith smiled. "I'm sure. I am here 100 percent consensually."
She nodded. "Good. I'm glad, but honestly surprised, to hear it. So...are you guys gonna invite me to eat with you or what?"
"So, tell me about you two. How did you meet?"
"Oh- uh-"
Meredith smiled. "Yeah, long story."
"You're gonna turn around now. And I'll give you one chance to apologize."
"Why would I apologize to you?" She asked, now making the best effort she could not to look at him. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't actually looked at the man since he entered the room, simply because she was too busy with her patient.
"Turn. Around." He demanded.
"Fine." She sighed as she turned. "But I'm not going to apolo-"
Crap.
Fuck.
Shit.
In fact, she was pretty sure she thought of all the swear words she knew.
"So I'm going to assume you just said all of those things because of ignorance, not because you're ableist, judging by the look on your face?" Derek said through a smirk. This was too funny; he couldn't help it.
"You're..." Meredith started, mouth open, dumbstruck. She glanced to the nurses in the room, and could tell that they all knew.
"A paraplegic, yes, Dr Grey."
"Oh, God-" Liz cringed. "That's horrible."
Derek laughed. "Hence why I always skipped that bit when talking about her. But I promise she redeemed herself."
"No offense, Meredith, you really do seem so lovely- but how did she redeem herself from that? I'd think you'd never want to even see her again, nevermind have enough interactions to fall in love."
"No, Derek was kind. I think I almost got fired but he made sure the board knew it was a misunderstanding." She explained. "We just kind of...ran into each other and talked, with most conversations including him making jokes, and then- there was this day in the bar-"
"Boo!" Heckled a low voice from behind her.
She turned around to see who had just, rightfully, insulted her darts skills, to see the last man she expecting. "I'd like to see you do better Dr Shepherd."
"Give them here then." He said, moving towards her.
She sighed as she passed them over. "Do you need me to lower the board for you?" She asked in a purposefully, but jokingly, offensive way.
His eyelids dropped, and he raised his middle finger to her.
She giggled. "Swearing at students now? Don't think that's allowed."
"Shouting at paraplegics for being lazy? Don't think that's allowed."
"Hey, hey- you forgave me for that. You knew it was an accident."
"I did. But I'm also a teaser, as well as a joker." He explained as he looked over to the dart board. He raised his hand and-
"Jesus!" She exclaimed when the dart hit the bull's eye.
"See that-" He started as he pointed at her. "That's discrimination right there. Being surprised that I'm good at things is discrimination."
"You're head of neurosurgery, I think you're good at an awful lot of things." She pointed out.
He smirked. "Well, that is true."
"Arrogant." She noted. "How are you so good anyway?"
He smirked. "For some reason, no one seems to want me on their football team."
She couldn't help her giggle. "Good point."
He smiled back, but didn't have anything else to say back. Well, anything interesting at least. "Would you like a drink?"
"Woah, woah, woah- harassment!" She exclaimed, although he could tell she was joking.
"Oh- no. Sorry. I mean...I'm being nice. I'm...trying to be nice but it's clearly not working well as now you think I want-"
"Dr Shepherd-" She attempted to interrupt, but she knew her voice was far too soft for him to hear, even if he wasn't in a rambling chain.
"-sex with which I most definitely do not because that would be-"
"Dr Shepherd." She repeated. This time, she was sure he heard her. Or would have, if he wasn't freaking out quite so much.
"-weird and gross- I mean, not because you're bad at sex, I'm sure you're wonderful but I'm your attending and that-"
"Derek." She eventually named, a little sternly.
He finally paused. Crap. This is why he didn't talk to people. Well, except Mark and Addie. They could accept his flaws and deviations from 'normal people'.
"It's okay. Stop panicking." She breathed, a little alarmed. "I'm going to get us some drinks, okay? Something strong to stop that overthinking of yours, perhaps?"
"I can't drink. Squash...juice- whatever. It's fine."
She nodded. "Okay. One squash-juice-whatever coming up then."
"Do you still not drink?" Lizzie asked, interrupting the story.
He shook his head. "It's not really a good idea, I don't think."
Meredith couldn't help her smile. "Well..."
"Well what?" Lizzie pressed, intrigued.
"I drank once." He admitted regretfully after one very, very long second (it felt more like a minute, if he was earnest).
"You did?" Lizzie asked, almost excited. Derek didn't really have a reason not to drink. It wasn't like he was going to collapse on the floor at a shot or two.
"I did."
"How much?"
"Few shots of whiskey."
"Was that after this night?" She asked. "Did Meredith get you to drink?"
"No. It was this prom for a girl with cancer- Richard's niece, actually - and we- I-" He paused as he looked at Meredith.
"You had sex?" She asked, her voice deepened by her surprise. "You had sex and then you drank? Or...you drank and then had sex?"
"When did I say I had sex?" He replied. Unfortunately, his voice changed as a result of his emotions as well, becoming much higher in pitch. That ruined any plan he had of lying to his sister.
"Just then. With your eyeballs, Derek!" She exclaimed. "Jesus, I'm not blind. You've drank and had sex and have a girlfriend? Last time I was here you didn't even talk to anyone except Addie and Mark- maybe Miranda."
"It...it was sex first, if that helps?" He suggested. "The drinking was a celebration."
"With Meredith?"
"No, I've had five girlfriends and this is just my most recent-" He joked.
She sighed. "Crazy. This is...this is freaking crazy. Does Mom know?"
"No...I don't suppose so. I mean- not the kind of thing a grown man talks about with his mom, is it?"
"But you're missing the best bit-"
Derek turned to look at Meredith at that, seeing as he'd been so focused on his sister and her surprise for the last few minutes. "The best bit? What do you mean the 'best bit' I don't- Oh- crap, Meredith-"
"Oh- oh my god, I wanna hear the best bit." Liz begged.
"Someone forgot what a hangover is-" Meredith muttered, eyeing Derek purposefully.
"Seriously?"
"He said he felt like he was having a migraine, but he was confused because it didn't quite feel like it normally does- I reminded him that he may have done a little drinking, you know, the night before-" Meredith continued.
Liz couldn't help her giggle.
"Yeah, let's just say I've never seen him look so confused." She muttered. "Very funny though."
"Right- can we please get back to this story please? The story of how we fell in love- instead of starting the story of our breakup, due to teasing?"
She smiled. She knew he didn't mean that. "Mmm, yeah, fine."
"So...spine or neuro generally?"
"What?" He asked as she settled his drink on the table in front of him.
"Your condition- injury- is it a spinal thing or general thing that effects your nervous system?" She elaborated.
"It isn't a general neuro thing, but I do have general neuro problems...if that makes sense." He explained as he grasped his drink.
"You don't like sound." She observed.
He paused, and settled his drink back down before he could even try it. "How do you know that?"
"That side of the bar is really loud and you...kinda lost it over there." She explained, getting more tentative at the end of her sentence. "Then you chose to sit all the way over here, away from the music and all the people. I almost thought you'd abandoned me, but I think you were just really...overstimulated"
"Abandoned you? No. Hate sounds and people? Yes, definitely."
"Aren't I part of this 'people' thing that you speak of?"
"Well...yeah."
"So what are you doing having a drink with me?" She asked, taking a sip of said drink.
He smiled. "You're one of the nice people."
"I called you a lazy asshole, and we exchanged a funny joke in the elevator when I thanked you for not getting back me kicked out of the hospital over the said asshole-calling. You concluded from that that I'm one of the nice people?"
"I did."
"You seem pretty confident in that conclusion."
"Why, aren't you a nice person?" Derek asked suspiciously.
"Mmm. Guess you'll have to wait and see, huh?"
"So I'm guessing we concluded she was a nice person then?" Lizzie asked with a slight smile.
"Far, far better than nice." Derek said, squeezing her hand.
