It's Not Over

27.

Derek exited his room, showered and shaved. He found Meredith looking out of his huge picture window. The sky was rich with hues of orange and purple as the sun set over the New York skyline. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him and held her closely breathing her in.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked quietly, not wanting to ruin this very intimate moment, but wanting to know what was on her ever churning mind.

"I am thinking...I am just...I am confused and conflicted." She responded just as quietly.

"How so?"

"When I am here with you, everything is so simple...as long as I am not thinking. I am forced to face what might have been had Addison not shown up in Seattle. If you had been honest with me. And it is killing me, knowing I have to leave this in two months..." Derek opened his mouth to respond, but she put a soft hand to his mouth, effectively shutting him up. "No...let me finish. I have to go home to Seattle. I don't belong here. It is just disconcerting to face...what I should've had...with you if things would have been different, that's all." She gazed at him through his reflection in the window.

Derek sighed and gripped her tighter.

"Do you want to..." Derek cleared his throat. "...Stop this."

"No. I couldn't even if I wanted to. But can you really let me go?" She asked.

"I will do what ever it is you want." He hedged, not really answering her question.

She nodded and turned into his arms, hugging him close. He rocked them back and forth and they reveled just in being close, even if for a short time.

***********************

They arrived hand and hand the next morning to the hospital, ignoring the looks of speculation that it caused. They were both used to being the fodder of gossip. They entered the elevator and moved to the back, allowing room for entering people. Chief Gregory entered and was so engrossed in his newspaper, he almost didn't notice the occupants. He did however let the lavender fragrance alert him to Dr. Grey's presence in the elevator. He pasted a smarmy smile on his face.

"Dr. Grey, how are things goi..." He stopped as he took in his head of Neurosurgery holding his interim resident's hand. His eyebrow shot up into his hairline.

"What the hell did I miss here?" He asked.

"Nothing sir." Meredith said sweetly. Derek just silently gloated. He knew Gregory had the hots for Mer, hell half of the hospital did, men and women included. But he was the one who got to go home with her.

"I don't condone personal relationships in the hospital Dr. Grey. I don't know how it is where you come from, but here at Mount Sinai we do things differently." He said obnoxiously.

Derek moved an intimidating step forward, but Meredith squeezed his hand causing him to stop and look at her questioningly.

"Bernard, may I call you Bernard? You say that intra hospital relationships are off limits yet Derek was, until recently, married to Addison and Mark Sloan screws everything with a pulse. So am I to believe that you don't allow them unless it benefits you?" She asked.

Chief Gregory tightened his jaw but didn't say a word.

"Well your silence says it all, doesn't it?" The elevator stopped and the door opened. Meredith tugged on Derek's hand and they moved to exit the elevator leaving Greogry standing there. "Oh and by the way, if it makes you feel better, you didn't stand a chance with me anyway." She winked as the doors closed on 'Bernie's' reddening face.

Derek kissed Meredith deeply right there in the hallway in front of everyone.

"I so love you right now." He said gleefully. "The look on that windbags face when you told him off..." He realized she had stiffened in his grasp. "Mer? You okay?"

"You can't love me...I have to go...change...and work...I have work." She pulled out of his embrace and disappeared down the hallway.

Derek watched her go.

"Damn it."