what i'm here for

Chapter 2: Home

Derek pulled his car up to the house and turned off the engine, glancing sideways at his silent girlfriend. Her dark mood had brightened briefly during their rainy drive home, but she had withdrawn back into herself and become silent once more. After brief contemplation Derek had allowed her to remain quiet, deciding she needed some time to process all that had happened. No one had vocalized the events of the past few hours, but he felt it safe to assume that she had not only lost her new 'fake mommy,' but also any chance she had of forming a relationship with her father.

"Hey over there," he said lightly. "We're home."

She turned to meet his eyes, her own bloodshot eyes in stark contrast with her pale face in the dim light of the car. However, instead of the dull stare he was expecting, she surprised him with the finest wisps of a smile. He cocked his head slightly, returning the smile without grasping its causation. Much later that night, when he was holding an exhausted, finally-sleeping Meredith protectively in his arms he would realize just how easily the term 'home' had rolled across his tongue.

She didn't look away, but their shared gaze was weakened when she blinked several times. Derek's expression turned sympathetic as he watched her eyes fill with water, holding the maximum volume before a single drop finally gave way to gravity and spilled over her lower lid, initiating a steady flow trailing down her cheeks. He reached a hand out to cup her face, wiping a tender thumb across her cheek.

You okay over there?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Meredith opened her mouth to respond with her usual 'I'm fine,' but something stopped her. She shook her head. "No, not really," she finally admitted.

Derek nodded his head, not really knowing what to say to make her feel better. Before he could conjure up something deep and supportive he saw a shiver run through her form, still wet from her rainy nap. With the car, and with it the heater, now off the effects of the rain and cold were getting to her.

He reluctantly pulled his hand away from her cool face. "Let's get you inside."

Meredith allowed him to help her out of the car and lead her up to the door. Her body was in autopilot, simply doing the motions necessary and nothing more.

With one arm around Meredith's shivering form, Derek pushed open the door and guided her into the front hall. He helped her remove her soggy jacket and was in the process of hanging it up along with his own when he heard footsteps coming out of the kitchen.

"Hey Meredith, we're out of-" Alex's voice cut off as he took in their dark appearance. "What happened?" He questioned.

Derek glanced at Meredith whose shattered expression left his heart aching. He knew she wasn't up to explaining the situation, and he definitely wasn't about to do it in front of her. "Just had a bad day," he told the younger man.

Alex didn't seem sure, especially when Meredith made to move past him towards the stairs and he caught sight of her left cheek. "Hey, are you okay? What happened?" He repeated.

Derek shook his head at Alex, motioning not to push the issue at this time, but Alex's eyes flashed at him in a way he had never seen and an arm snaked out to grab his wrist as he tried to follow Meredith. He was taken aback by Alex's actions, especially when the young doctor would not loosen his grasp as Derek tried to pull away.

What the hell did you do to her?" Alex practically hissed at him, anger quite evident in his eyes.

I didn't do anything to her," Derek answered as he tried to pry his arm away. Meredith stopped at the stairs, realizing he was no longer behind her. She turned to face them, a quizzical look momentarily overtaking her numbed expression. Derek didn't want to deal with Alex right now. All he wanted to do was get Meredith upstairs.