16. Chapter 16: What You Will Have

A/N Thank you so much for every comment! I appreciate each and every one more than you can imagine. Enjoy!

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Mark Sloan got out of his car and straightened his shirt, careful not to drop the bottle of the best wine he could find in his favorite liquor store in Seattle. Normally, nothing would perturb his bliss at the prospect of spending an evening with a girl he liked at her place. But normally, he wouldn't have to have dinner with his girlfriend's best friend that was also his boss.

Thank god, Addison said there would also be Dr. Grey's date. Come to think about, that must be one poor fellow. Meredith Grey was a scary woman with an even scarier mother. Although, the sex might make up for the disadvantages.

He almost kicked himself. He wasn't supposed to think like a manwhore any longer but hell, he was horny. Addison allowed him closer to her but was still keeping him on distance in one respect. Unfortunately, nothing pointed that something might change after this evening.

The door opened and he sent a charming smile at his chief, "Dr. Grey."

"We're not at Grace, are we," she chuckled. "So it's Meredith."

"Mark," he nodded and relaxed a little. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

"Mark," Addie came over offering a chaste kiss on his cheek. "You're just in time! You brought wine. We have to open it later. We're eating in the dining room, it's just this way," she put a hand on his shoulder and steered him out of the hall when he was met with the most unusual sight.

He stopped abruptly near the door, his slack jaw falling down. Derek was standing at the table with a small smile and was opening a wine bottle.

"You've finally graced us with your presence," he shot merrily at his best friend.

Mark gaped at him openmouthed, looked at his two female hosts and then back at Derek, realization hit him like a speeding train.

"You son of a bitch!" he growled and lunged himself at Derek.

Derek hastily put down the bottle with a thud and tried to escape behind the table but Mark was quicker. He hooked his arm around Derek and tried to beat the shit out of him mostly for show though.

"You've been… messing with me!" he panted through gritted teeth. "And I was worried sick!"

Derek howled with laughter blocking Mark's ineffectual hits.

"Kids, you think you can stop playing now and join us at the table?" Meredith's question made them still abruptly and rearrange their clothing, clearing their throats.

"Hot," whispered Addie into Meredith's ear putting the cutlery on the table. "You think you can order them to resume that after dinner?"

Meredith giggled, "We'll see."

The four of them sat down at the table in tensed silence, though it was rather caused by stifled hilarity than awkwardness.

Mark kept shaking his head at Derek, awe mixed with bewilderment when he couldn't hold on any longer. "So how long has this doctorcest been going on?" he groaned making the rest of the table erupt in laughter.

"I'm sorry, Mark" Derek said seriously, "I didn't want to lie but-"

"But I told him to," Meredith cut him across firmly. "It was my condition."

"I bet you're walking on a tight leash," Mark snickered at Derek.

"We're good?" asked Derek.

"Yeah," Mark rolled his eyes. "What would you do without me? If it hadn't been for me, you'd have been dead on your first day in high school, you and your af- Ouch!"

Derek kicked him in the shin under the table preventing embarrassing memories from resurfacing.

"You'd like a moment alone, perhaps?" asked Meredith innocently.

"That joke's got old," snorted Mark. "No one questions the manhood of Mark Sloan, you should know that by now."

"I think no one here can say much about that," chuckled Addison.

The evening passed pretty quickly and in good atmosphere. It turned out they made up a pretty merry party. Meredith furtively observed her best friend and the man beside her. It was clear they were very taken with each other. She hoped Mark would be Addison's version of Derek, reliable and caring. Even though he used to like ladies too much.

She gave the red-head a discreet wink. Addie stifled a smile and excused herself to carry off the dirty plates.

"I'll help you," offered Mark, slightly out of breath.

"That's not necessary, Dr. Sloan," Meredith warned him to stay in his seat.

Addison trotted to the kitchen while Mark decided to stay behind in the dining room under the steely note in his chief's voice.

"What are your intentions towards my best friend?"

Mark stared at her astonished and shot a quick hopeful glance at Derek who just smirked at him.

"Uhm… my intentions… are always of the best quality," he tried to quip but his smile came out more like a grimace.

Meredith fixed his scowl at him, "I'm really glad to hear it. I'll be happy to see Addison happy and as you know, I see everything," she put a stress on the last word.

Mark's eyes went wider.

"I think you scared him," Derek whispered into her ear when Addison got back to the room. Although the red head gave him now her undivided attention, Mark kept glancing furtively at Meredith.

"That was my plan," she mouthed back. She turned her head left, bumping her nose into Derek's. "And I am scary."

"Nah," he looked at her under his half-closed eyelids longingly. "Not scary at all."

"Not scary?" she cocked her head slightly, making it just convenient for a kiss but kept her lips at a distance.

"Nope, you're sweet and cuddly," he chuckled inhaling deeply her enticing lavender scent.

"Dr. Shepherd," she grinned smugly and snaked her hand up his thigh.

His breath hitched while his whole body tensed anticipating her next move.

"If you haven't yet, you will learn that I'm no honey," she blew air over his pulse point. "I'm strict and I like to keep men by their balls."

Her fingers clawed tightly over his crotch without a warning, bringing both pleasure and pain to her lover. He tried to control his reactions, minding the fact that they were in front of their friends, but a half yelp, half moan already escaped his throat.

"You all right, Shep?" Mark arched his eyebrow knowingly.

"I don't think he is," frowned Meredith. "He'd better lie down."

Mark and Addison bit their lip not to laugh as Derek stood up meekly, with misty eyes and a bulge in his pants and hurried upstairs behind Meredith.

"Uhm, are they always like this?" asked Mark, his irritation at his best friend returning. It looked like Derek and Dr. Model were fucking like rabbits while he was fruitlessly pining after his red-head.

"Well, yeah, pretty much," she chuckled. "Which is our cue to put an end to this evening."

"Is it?" he sounded halfhearted. Life wasn't fair…

Suddenly a loud moan filled the air, "Ohhh, yessss…!"

"Yes, it is," commented Addison dryly. "And they're just starting."

"Er, you're staying here?" he looked at her pitifully.

"Well," she smiled sweetly, "I hoped you'd offer me a place for the night."

Mark grinned back. "Let's get out of here," he muttered as the house was ripped by the headboard banging against the wall repeatedly.

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Derek poured himself a cup of the strongest coffee Meredith possessed. He stretched his tired limbs and yawned. Last night was a complete success, a double one. Mark didn't hold against him his secret relationship and then he and Meredith took a complete advantage of the fact that the house was empty.

Right now, she was taking a shower, unfortunately alone. They knew that she would undoubtedly be very late for work if they had stepped under the water together. He didn't have to arrive at Grace until later so he could blissfully slack around the house just in his boxers and with his hair tousled… well, no, not from sleep.

Derek saw a paperboy ride off on his bike and he decided to pick up the post. It was time for the latest edition of the journal of neurolinguistics. Despite the fact that it was early morning the air was hot and humid so hopefully he wouldn't cause a sensation walking out in front of the house half naked.

He bended to collect the press from the lawn when he saw a pair of shoes before him. He returned to his full height to face the newcomer, craving the ground to swallow him whole as he realized who it was.

"Richard," Derek breathed out enthusiastically. He decided to play the dumb card. How ironic, his teacher, mentor and former chief caught him in his underwear at his current boss's house… What was Webber doing here at this time of day? He lived across the city, much closer to Grace. "What a surprise, I haven't seen you in ages!"

"What a surprise indeed," said Richard dryly.

No, he apparently knew well enough it was Meredith's home. Derek tried to cover his exposed chest but it was a futile effort. His both hands were busy holding the coffee mug and newspapers. They stood in prefect silence, Richard chewing his tongue and Derek covering in more and more crimson blush.

"I came to see Meredith," sighed Richard finally. "I… figured she might still be at home this early."

"She's… uhm," stammered Derek uncomfortably. "She's in the shower…"

"Right," Richard cleared his throat and balanced at his heels.

"Would you… would you like to come in?" Derek pointed at the house.

"No, I… I wouldn't like to… interrupt," refused the older man his eyes sweeping involuntarily over Derek's wardrobe, or strictly speaking, the lack of it.

"You wouldn't-"

"It's nothing important," cut him Richard, followed by another pregnant silence.

"So, you and Meredith?" Richard's voice was now sharp and authoritative. "How did that happen? I've heard you're sworn enemies. She didn't pick for the deputy job."

Derek felt defensive, how many times would he have to explain himself?

"We don't flaunt with our relationship," he explained patiently. "And… we had initial disagreements but it's all in the past."

Richard nodded his head and remarked, "She's young."

"Because I'm ancient," Derek bit back.

"She's your boss, Derek!" argued Richard openly.

"Trust me, I'm completely aware of this," the neurosurgeon gritted through his teeth. "But I don't see the problem."

"That's why you're hiding?" asked Richard sarcastically. "Because you don't see the problem?"

"Richard, we're both adult responsible people who don't need to explain their actions to anyone!" said Derek harshly.

"She's too young!"

"You're repeating yourself. Isn't her age partly why you chose her for the job?"

"I didn't choose her for an affair on the job," growled Richard. "She can only get hurt!"

"Are you insinuating I could hurt her?" asked Derek disbelievingly and continued callously. "By the way, how's Adele?"

Richard looked suddenly deflated, "I don't know… I…"

"I know, you've got divorced," he finished quietly, slightly ashamed for his outburst. He was Webbers' friend for years since his intern years. "I should have… I should have called when Meredith told me but I was…" he raked a hand through his hair.

"I understand," shrugged Richard. "I was young and in love myself a long time ago. But I was a coward… and I let work come before anything."

"I won't make that mistake," assured Derek. "She's… my priority."

Richard nodded and turned to leave.

"You're not going to see her?" asked Derek.

"I'll catch up with her later," replied Webber and walked away to his car.

"Richard!" Derek shouted after him. "We can count on your discretion, can't we?"

"I know a thing or two about a romance in the workplace," he grumbled not turning back.

Derek let out a deep breath and returned to the house. Meredith was already in the kitchen, devouring leftovers from yesterday's dinner.

"Where have you been?" she asked through full mouth. "Went for a jog barefoot and naked?"

"I went out to pick up the post," he smiled. "Jealous much?"

"Jealous?" she snorted and turned to the coffee machine. "I don't get jealous."

"You don't?" he smirked, put away his load on the table and pressed his body tightly against her back. "What would you do if one of your neighbors kidnapped me to be her sex slave?"

Meredith giggled, "There are only elderly ladies living around. The most they could do to you is cough at you. Provided they didn't die of a heart attack at the sight of you."

"That good, eh?" he nuzzled his nose into her neck.

"Nope," she swatted his arms away. "Get off. I'm all fresh and ironed whereas you're sweaty and smell like sex."

"Like sex and you," he quipped. "Anyway, Richard was here."

"Richard?" she exclaimed. "Richard Webber? He saw you?"

"Yeah, and he wasn't happy."

"What did he say?" asked Meredith nervously. "What do you mean by not happy? Angry, disappointed, scandalized? Why would he even care?"

"I got the impression that he was quite protective of you," answered Derek pensively.

"Why would he be protective?" Meredith scrunched her face. "What did he want?"

"He didn't tell. He said it was nothing important but…"

"But he troubled himself to come to my house…" she got lost in thought. "Maybe he heard I want to say goodbye to Campbell?"

"You want to do it today?"

"I've waited long enough for her to hand in her resignation," shrugged Meredith. "She has to go, she's a dinosaur!"

"Meredith!" berated her Derek.

"What?" she shrugged innocently. "You know it's not ageism on my part. She botched a simple procedure."

"I don't think Richard came to stick up for her," Derek shook his head.

"Why not?" she argued. "Campbell was already working when he and my mother started their internship. I know that, I checked her files. Like I said, a dinosaur."

"You picked that dinosaur from Cristina, didn't you?" chuckled Derek.

"I don't know what you're getting at," shrugged Meredith. "She gave me a professional opinion many, including you, shied away from."

Derek only smiled. He was glad the doctors of Seattle Grace were finally warming up to heaving strong headed Meredith Grey as their chief. Her ardent defense of them against her mother was clearly decisive in the process. Meredith's relations with Cristina were surprisingly good considering Yang's earlier attitude.

"I don't think Richard was very scandalized," Derek returned to previous topic. "He said keeping a romance on the job quiet was nothing new to him."

"Seriously?" frowned Meredith and got lost in thought. "Who would have thought…"

"Shit, I need to go!" she realized looking at the kitchen clock. She ran out to the hall but a second later she was back in with a coy smile on her face.

"I forgot about something," she shot, threw her arms around his neck and kissed the living daylights out of him. "See you later?"

With that she really exited the house and drove off. Derek allowed himself a wide smile. He loved how he snaked his way into her daily routine. And there was a common fact that routines were hard to break.

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Meredith was glad Dr. Campbell finally saw reason. After a conversation that seemed to drag into eternity, the older doctor decided to resign herself and Meredith felt relief. She could call her a dinosaur under her breath but she did hold professional respect for her. She was a pioneer, the first woman surgeon that ever took the scalpel at Seattle Grace.

"You look at me," took up Campbell before her departure, "like you won't wake up one day, not that far from now, so much faster than you can imagine, and find that you are me. When you can't cut anymore, what will you have?"

Involuntarily, Meredith felt a cold shiver run down her spine. What would she have? She didn't want to end up like Margaret Campbell, a surgical godess of the past, spreading prestige around, desperate to keep working instead of coming to her lonely solitary home.

"I was a god in here," Campbell went on gravely, seeing her past before her eyes instead of chief's office. "Holding a scalpel… I was a god. And now… What will you have?"

The dinosaur gave Meredith the last sharp look and walked out.

Meredith continued to sit in her chair and that was how Derek found her when he stealthily slipped into her office.

"Do you think I was a bully to someone who needed compassion?" she asked him at once.

"You're talking about Dr. Campbell?"

She nodded.

"Then yes," he answered promptly.

"Right," she grimaced.

"You know, you're a lot like her, stubborn, opinionated… smart.," he smiled at her and chuckled. "40 years from now, I'm gonna have to pry the scalpel out of your hand too."

"From my cold dead hands," she quipped.

"I think you missed the point somehow," he smiled leniently and reached across the desk to grab her hand. "I want to be around forty years from now."

She held his gaze. "Good… because… I might need you forty years from now and… now."

"Then I'm here," he assured her.

She cleared her throat, "I think I know what Richard came for. I asked him about my father when I ran into him in the store. And so I decided to get a grip…"

"What do you mean?" he watched her closely as her free hand disappeared in the drawer of her desk and pulled a piece of paper.

"It's my father's number," she informed him quietly. "You want to be around in forty years and I want to be whole and healed for you."

"Meredith-"

"Look, I know how much you're doing for me," she looked him square in the eye. "I'm not ready to come completely in the open but I can do something with my life."

He gently caressed her fingers when she dialed the number.

They waited. Signal. Signal. "Hello, Susan Grey speaking-"

Meredith quickly shut the receiver down and took a deep breath. Not letting go of her hand, Derek walked around the desk and took her in his arms, rubbing her arm.

"It's true… my mother was telling the truth," she muttered.

He brought her head onto the crook of his neck soothingly.

"He did replace me…"

"You don't know that," Derek whispered into her hair.

She lifted herself up a little to look at him. "Promise me you won't ever replace me."

He brought their foreheads together. "Meredith, never."

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A/N For now, you don't have to worry much about MerDer, they're getting stronger and stronger to be able to come into the open.

Tell me if you like where it's going or not, please comment!

Yours,

Em :)