Today was especially hot Derek noted as he loaded his truck with his and Meredith's overnight bag. As he shut the door of his vehicle, he turned to see the girl who owned every second of his summer standing with her hands on her hips and a grin on her face. She was watching him suffer in the heat and had a light bead of sweat on her brow from just how hot it was. She laughed as he groaned about how much she had packed in her duffle. He couldn't be mad at her though because her giggle was like music, and she wore the tiniest pair of shorts he had ever seen. He couldn't take his eyes off her lean legs fully on display and he had to stop himself from the immediate hard-on she always gave him. Their faces wore matching smiles and as always, they seemed to be caught up in their own world in the Shepherd's driveway.

"So where are the two love birds headed?" Michael Shepherd asked coming from the side door of his home and walking down the driveway towards his son and the girl he had seen as a daughter for years. They hadn't even seen or heard Michael coming and both visibly had to untangle from whatever unspoken moment was going on between them.

"Maine. Meredith has never been Whale Watching." Derek informed his dad coming over to where Meredith and his dad were standing. His blue t-shirt already stained with sweat.

"Well, that's quite a drive just to see some whales." Michael commented without judgement crossing his arms over his chest as he watched his son look over at the girl he had come to think of as a daughter.

"Plus, the lobster. Derek says I need to try Maine Lobster at least once in my life." Meredith supplied with a light giggle.

"Now you're talking." Michael chimed giving Meredith a wink.

"We need a few days away after a week of dealing with Amy." Derek told his dad dropping the hint that something had to be done about her.

"Oh, so you're leaving me and your poor mother alone with her. That's not fair. You two did the crime and I have to take all the punishment." Michael joked lightly. He was in a good mood today and was more than happy that their secret was out even if it meant his youngest daughter was in a mood all week long.

Amelia had been so angry at them all week, refusing to speak to them, throwing temper tantrums in their presence, letting everyone know they were sneaks and liars and refused to talk to Meredith when she begged Amy to hear her out. It sucked and Derek could see the toll it was taking on Meredith, and he hated seeing her so upset when she didn't do anything wrong.

"Sorry Michael" Meredith told him sheepishly.

"Oh, you don't worry, we both know this is Derek's fault." Michael told her with a grin, and she smiled back at him. He always made her feel at ease for the most part.

"This is Amelia's fault. You and mom need to tell her how ridiculous she is being." Derek told his dad furrowing his brow. He was hoping that someone would talk some sense into his sister because her reaction was over the top and he was over it.

"Derek, I made you and Meredith some brownies for the road." Carolyn announced coming out of the house and walking towards the group stopping Michael from whatever his next sentence was about to be.

"Hi honey" she said to Meredith who greeted her back.

"Thanks mom." Derek told her taking the plate from his mother as Michael wrapped his arm around his wife.

"Seems our son and Meredith are taking a trip up to Maine." Michael informed his wife

"I know. I suggested it. They could use a break from Amelia and to be honest, so could I." Carolyn told everyone.

"In that case, maybe we'll join you." Michael joked

"Michael let the kids have fun. You and I need to work on Amelia and let her see that there's no harm in Derek and Meredith spending time together." Carolyn told them giving a knowing look to Meredith. She knew Meredith was devastated that her best friend wasn't speaking to her.

"Don't worry honey, I'll talk to her. It'll be better again." Carolyn said softly to Meredith as she patted her shoulder.

"Thanks Carolyn." Meredith told her with a small smile. She really hoped that Carolyn's super mom-ness would kick in and things could actually be fixed.

"We should get going Mer."

"Sounds good. Bye Michael and thanks Carolyn for the brownies and for talking to Amy." Meredith breathed turning her attention to Carolyn.

"It's my pleasure sweetie." Carolyn told her

"You two drive safe and be safe. You know what I mean." Michael told them and Meredith blushed profusely.

"Michael!" Carolyn exclaimed.

"Dad stop." Derek groaned and Michael laughed deeply.

"I'm just messing with you two." Michael explained with a laugh as Derek rolled his eyes and Meredith stared at anything other than Michael or Carolyn embarrassed by what Michael insinuated.

"Let these two get on with their trip" Carolyn told Michael sternly but there was a playfulness to the exchange that perfectly summarized Derek's parents and Michael relented waving at the two kids as they got buckled in and began taking off.

A few hours later and they were Kennebunkport Maine. Derek explained how his family used to visit back when his grandpa was still alive and how many good memories it brought back. It had been years since they visited, and Derek was happy to be back in the quaint town with Meredith.

"The town is situated on the Kennebuck River so there's tons of fishing and most of houses here were built back in the 18th and 19th centuries. My grandpa's house was one of the oldest ones in the entire town." Derek told Meredith as he drove the familiar path to the Bed and Breakfast they were staying at.

"That's interesting. Does your family still own the house?" Meredith asked continuing to take in the atmosphere.

The entire town so far was nothing but quaint charm. It was clearly a coastal town as all the houses were of typical New-England style with nautical references throughout and on the other side was a beautiful beach that was lined with fishing boats and signs about renting kayaks, fishing and whale watching.

"It was amazing, but my dad and aunt sold it when my grandpa died." Derek told Meredith as he moved one hand off the wheel to touch her bare knee and she grinned at him and placed her hand on top of his.

"Derek?" Meredith asked turning her full attention to him

"Yeah Mer?" he replied turning his truck into the Bed and Breakfast's parking lot and parking quickly looking at her once the car was parked.

"Amy is my best friend and I'm choosing you over her."

"You're not. She's the one who's making the choice, Mer. We're not doing anything wrong just by being together."

"I know, I just feel guilty for some reason."

"Don't feel guilty. Amelia will come around and we've spent all week in her line of fire. I think we deserve a break to ourselves this weekend."

"We do and I know that you're right, I just…" Meredith trailed off.

Derek turned his head to the side and smiled at the girl who bewitched him body and soul day by day. He wished he could help her understand that his sister would come around to this and that they didn't do anything wrong. Meredith loved his sister, and he was grateful Amy had a friend who cared so deeply, but he was falling for her, and he wasn't about to let Amy tear them a part just because she was throwing a tantrum.

"Just trust me that this is going to work itself out." He told her pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear and leaning in closely.

She smiled at him, and he grinned back ready to stop thinking about the situation with his sister and just enjoy every second of Maine with the beautiful girl beside him.

"I want to make the most of every single second of this trip with you." He told her softly and she leaned in closely to him closing the gap as their lips brushed. He deepened the kiss and pulled her body towards him. Everything faded away, the drama with Amelia, the fact that they were in a car in public, uncertainties about the future, just everything as their tongues danced and their bodies reacted to the other.

Meredith felt Derek's hands go under her top as he found the mounds of her breasts and he began pushing her bikini top aside so he could take them in his hands. Meredith moved over so she straddled his lap feeling how hard he was for her already as she deepened their kisses further igniting the passion between them as Derek moaned out her name.

"Sex?" Meredith asked in-between kisses as her mouth refused to stay away from his lips for even a full second.

"Sex" Derek confirmed kissing down her neck and sucking gently as his hands moved to unbutton her shorts.

"We're a little out of control" Meredith breathed as she helped Derek slide down her shorts and underwear and began working at his. It was tricky being in the car, but they were making it work as they always seemed to when it came to being intimate.

"You started this by wearing those tiny shorts." Derek muttered positioning Meredith on top of him better so that he could enter her. She gasped at the connection between them as Derek's hands moved to her ass giving it a hard squeeze and pulling her down on his erection.

Meredith began riding him as they knew they had limited time and were basically in public.

"Fuck Mer" Derek breathed as she rode him up and down both making loud moans at the feelings they were able to elicit in the other. Derek's hands pulled Meredith's face to him as he kissed her evenly as she rode. He felt himself close to release and moved his head in between her breasts sucking at the skin that was visible as he emptied into her. Meredith moaned at the feeling of the warm cum shooting through her. Derek moved his hand to her clit helping her finish and she moaned his name over and over until she felt her own release. They came down from their high with Derek still inside of her and Meredith smirked at how long it was taking Derek to come down from his orgasmic state.

"I have never done this." He told her with a grin as they came back down to earth together.

"I took your virginity!" Meredith exclaimed with sarcasm

Derek rolled his eyes. "I'm far from a virgin and no one knows that better than you." He told her playfully as she carefully slipped her underwear and shorts back on.

"I know, you're too easy." She teased.

"You don't seem to mind when you're screaming out my name begging for more."

"I don't beg."

"Maybe not today but most of the time, you beg "Please Derek. Faster Derek-"Derek mocked and she playfully hit him in his arm.

"You're annoying." She told him

"I am not" he breathed as he moved over to the passenger side and wrapped his arms around her leaving a kiss on her lips.

Meredith rolled her eyes "Can we please go check in?" she asked, and Derek was happy to oblige anything she wanted.

After checking into the Bed and Breakfast, they wandered around the town and Derek ended up showing her his grandpa's old house and they whale watched for a while before she began complaining about the fact that she was starving and needed to be fed.

Derek held her hand and walked her along the bank of the beach on the lookout for his favorite Lobster Roll Truck. Meredith had never had a lobster roll and he was dying to share this experience with her.

They smelled nothing but the salty air and felt the cool breeze coming from the ocean. They made their way to a quaint little seafood shack by the harbor, where Derek had eaten so many times. They both ordered a lobster roll and found a picnic table overlooking the water.

Derek watched as Meredith savored every bite of her lobster roll her full attention on her dinner and he grinned at how cute she was and how free she looked in the Maine air.

"You're watching me" she noted at last

"You're very cute." He told her and watched as she rolled her eyes.

"You're looking at me in that way you do sometimes." Meredith stated as they finished up their rolls.

"How do I look at you?" he asked as his fingers found hers and he scooted so that he could hold her from behind both looking out at the ocean.

"You just have this look sometimes. It's nice or sweet or whatever. It makes me feel like this is real." She told him keeping her eyes on the water.

"This is real Meredith."

"We go back to school next month and that scares me."

"Me too" he admitted catching her off guard and she turned and faced him.

"Derek-" she began to start but he cut her off with a kiss.

"Let's just be here. I don't want to think about school or the end of this summer. I only want to be right here with you."

"Okay" she breathed pulling him in for a kiss which he was eager to return as they cocooned looking out at the ocean.

They spent the next day exploring and laughing, grabbing ice cream, and hiking a bit too. Everything was going great, and they were sad to leave. They enjoyed every second together of salty kisses, messy sex, and genuine talks about how much this summer meant to them and how they were looking forward to even more moments together.

Towards the end of their trip, Derek packed up his truck with their bags and took in a final inhale of Maine air. It was raining and Meredith was still inside checking out the general store located inside their B&B wanting to bring home a gift to his parents for trying to help her with Amy.

He watched as Meredith skipped out of the B&B with a kraft bag swinging in her arms and her worn out white converse clad on her feet, her tiny shorts and flowy tank top. She loved the rain and was enjoying it beating down on her. She laughed out loud and stuck her tongue out catching the rain drops in her mouth and Derek was mesmerized. He let her do her thing as the rain poured down on them both and he watched from a short distance. Meredith did twirls and danced around puddles and surrendered to the down pour that was soaking her hair and clothes. She didn't care at all. She looked so free, and he knew in that moment, he could never part from her. He belonged to her, and he wanted this summer to mean something.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked pulling her out of her rain dance party.

"I did." She told him with a smile walking up to him. He was hovering near the passenger side of his truck with his arms crossed across his chest. He was soaked now from the rain too.

He wrapped her in his arms and pushed her softly against the passenger side door capturing her lips in his and enjoying the feel of the rain coming down harshly on their bodies.

He pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes and Meredith could see the guard fully lifting that he held onto with force.

She felt more vulnerable with Derek looking at her like this than she ever did when she was naked, and she could feel herself getting caught up in his gaze.

"I love you." He told her simply and smiled in awe as if he didn't expect to hear himself say those three words out loud.

"You? What?" Meredith heard herself ask in disbelief.

"I love you. I've been in love you for… forever. I have. I think I always have." He told her

"But what about school and when the summer ends and Amy, what about Amy?" Meredith began to rationalize.

"Despite all those things, I love you." He told her and it was the simplest thing in the entire world.

"I love you too." Meredith breathed and he grinned at her and she couldn't help the grin that overtook her too as Derek brought her in a for a deep lingering kiss.

"New York and Boston aren't that far from each other." Derek told her when their kiss ended.

"They're not." Meredith agreed.

"We could trade off weekends. I could drive down to New York, and you could drive up to Boston or we could meet in the middle. I don't care, I love you. We can make this work."

"You're serious?" Meredith asked.

"I am. I want this Mer. You're the only woman I've ever loved, and I don't want to walk away from this because we live in different states."

"I love you." Meredith told him wrapping herself around him as he held her back.

"Let's go home" he murmured capturing her lips again and she smiled against his mouth.

They drove the whole way back to Boston holding hands and talking about their future. They talked about Meredith's favorite spots in NYC that she wanted to take Derek to, and he talked about Harvard's campus and all the spots they could sneak sex. They talked about aligning Meredith's med school decision with Derek's residency choice and vice versa. They didn't want to get too ahead of themselves but neither could see this ending and it felt good to finally admit out loud how strong their feelings really were.

TBC

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