It's Not Over

10.

It was 12:45 and Meredith and Derek were on their way to the OR to scrub in and to mentally prepare for their 1:00 surgery. They were walking down the hall side by side pointedly ignoring each other. Well Meredith was pointedly ignoring Derek ,while Derek was sneaking glances at Meredith.

"Hey Grey." Alex said appearing in front of them.

"You call her Grey?" Derek asked.

"Yeah...and? She doesn't like honey, buttercup or snookie, so Grey it is. What business of yours is it anyway?"

"It's not. It just doesn't seem very...couply." Derek winced. That was not a word.

Meredith and Alex looked at him oddly.

"What? You rubbed off on me Meredith." He said defensively. He had never made words up until he met her.

"Well there will be no more rubbing with Mer...ever, if I have anything to say about it." Alex said warningly.

"Well you don't. That is up to Mer, now isn't it?" Derek said moving closer to Alex.

"Man, I will kick your ass."

"Bring it on, Evil Spawn. I can take you."

"Enough! Damn, I am drowning in testosterone over here. Cool it, will ya? This is a place of business. There are sick people here. They don't need to see two idiots battling it out over a woman. A woman who is dating one of them and was dumped by the other...three years ago. Now both of you back off. Derek, we have a surgery on a patient that does not want to die today and Alex, I will see you at home later when I get off. We will go out to dinner or something. Spend some time together. Okay?"

"Yeah Grey. That sounds really nice and if I am a good boy will I get dessert?" Alex said suggestively. Derek made a snort of disgust and Meredith smiled inwardly. She loved fucking with his mind.

"If you are a good boy." Meredith agreed. She reached up and kissed Alex gently on his lips and smiled at him. "Now, get back to work before I punish you."

"Well...now that could be even more fun. Damn, I think I left the handcuffs back in Seattle. No problem, we can improvise."

"Go away!" Meredith said laughing.

"Fine." Alex glared at Derek and let them pass. As Meredith walked by, Alex slapped her on her ass.

"Ooh! Will you behave?" She groaned.

"That is my ass and I will touch it when I want to woman." She shot him a glare. "Going...I'm going." Her laughter followed him down the hall.

Meredith started to walk towards their original destination and stopped when she realized she was walking by herself. She turned around and threw her hands up as to say 'what the fuck are you doing standing there'. He started moving towards her. He was trying to choke down the vomit that was threatening to expel from his mouth. He took a deep breath.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked. Okay, she knew what was wrong with him, but she didn't want him to know she knew what was wrong with him. She had to have that innocence thing going on. Yeah right. Like anyone would believe that.

"I just don't get it.'

"Get what?"

"When I knew you, you hated Alex. You tried to beat his ass in front of me. I had to hold you back. You used to hate him and love me. Now, you hate me and you love him. I just don't get it."

"Hold up. First of all, who said I loved you?"

"You did...in the scrub room."

"Oh right, I tend to block out painful memories and bad decisions. Whatever. That's not the point. The point is...it is not your place to 'get it' and it is not your place to pick a fight with my boyfriend. You don't own me. I am not a piece of property you and Addison are fighting over in your divorce. I am a person. Try to remember that before the two of you get into another pissing match over me. And I don't hate you."

"You don't?" Derek said hopefully.

"No, because that would insinuate that I feel anything for you at all. And I don't. Now if you don't mind, I don't want to be known as the surgeon who is late to her own surgeries. It may be normal for you, but I still have something to prove. So excuse me. Please feel free to join us when it is convenient for you." Meredith said sarcastically.

Derek watched her walk away. He shook off the devastated feeling reeling through his body and followed her. He had a surgery to do, everything else would have to wait until later.