Meredith and Addison sat on Meredith's bed the next evening, munching on popcorn and giggling as they watched a movie on TV. Addison had refused to speak to Mark earlier that day, which had led Meredith to reluctantly turn down Derek's offer to dinner so that she could be there for Addison whenever she felt the need to curse Mark's existence. It was nice to spend some time with her best friend, but she couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that she'd had to turn down an evening with Derek.
"Why can't love really be this easy?" Addison sighed. "It looks so simple and wonderful in the movies."
"Yeah, but it's not real," Meredith sighed. "The movies...they don't show how messed up people are, how complicated relationships can be."
"I know," Addison sighed. "I just wish that Mark would understand how important it is to me that he takes me somewhat seriously."
Meredith opened her mouth to speak, but before she could do so the door burst open and Mark walked in. "Get dressed," he said to Addison, whose eyes narrowed and darkened.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"If you want to go out to dinner with your parents, I doubt they'll be impressed by your pajamas," Mark replied.
Addison's face went from angry to confused before a slow smile spread across her face. "Mark, what did you do?" she asked.
"Well, I was thinking about how much it must mean to you that I meet your parents if you got that upset over it," Mark shrugged. "So I called them, and they'll be here in an hour."
"You called my parents?" Addison asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Mark said. "That okay?"
Addison laughed as she launched herself off the bed and into his arms. "I can't believe you did that," she said happily.
Mark pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he held her close. "Well, I only did it because I knew it would get me laid tonight," he said.
Addison rolled her eyes as she pulled back and slapped his arm, a sparkle in her eyes. "You're terrible," she said.
Mark laughed as he pushed her towards her closet. "Get dressed, we're meeting them in an hour."
"Okay," Addison giggled as she rushed over to the closet. Mark walked over to her bed, winking at Meredith. "Hey, Grey, I think Shep might be getting lonely across the hall."
Meredith couldn't suppress the smile that came over her lips any more than she could help the nervous ramble that followed. "Okay," she said. "Um...what should I do about it? I mean, other than go keep him company which is what a friend would do, except that I'm not sure we're really still friends, we might be more, but that shouldn't mean that I avoid him. But I'm not sure if he thinks we're more than friends, which might make it awkward if I go over there thinking we're more than friends and he thinks we're still just friends..."
"Oh God," Mark groaned. "Seriously, Grey, you both know that you want to tear each other's clothes off, so why don't you just go over there and do it already?"
"What?" Meredith snapped, trying not to focus on what Derek would look like naked. "I don't...we don't do that. We're friends. Friends, definitely friends, and friends don't do that, because they're friends."
"I don't think I've ever heard the word friends uttered so much in one sentence," Mark declared.
"Mark," Addison warned, rolling her eyes. "Mer, I'm sorry about our movie night. Maybe we can do it tomorrow?"
"Sure," Meredith replied with a shrug.
Addison paused for a moment before she said, "Maybe you can go out with Derek now. I know you turned him down because of me, but now...you're free."
Meredith sighed. "I'm getting the feeling that I'm being kicked out of my own room," she frowned.
"And she finally gets it," Mark said with a nod. "Thanks, Grey, I appreciate it."
Meredith rolled her eyes as she stood. "Whatever," she said as she walked out the door and through the open one across the hall. "Hey," she said as she walked in and collapsed onto Derek's bed.
"Hey," he said happily, turning away from the textbook spread out in front of him on his desk. "So Addison bought Mark's plan?"
"Apparently," Meredith frowned. "They're going out with her parents."
Derek shook his head. "I can't believe Mark's doing this," he said.
"Doing what?" Meredith asked. "Sleeping with Addison?"
"No, that I believe," Derek said with a laugh. "It's the relationship part I'm surprised about."
"Why?" Meredith asked curiously.
"He just...he grew up alone, his parents were always gone. By the time we met, my mom always made me bring him home so that he wouldn't have to be in his house by himself, but at that point there was a certain amount of damage that was already done."
"Oh," Meredith said softly. "Is he...do you think..." she bit her lower lip, trying to figure out how to phrase her question.
"What, Mer?"
"He's me," she said softly. "He...grew up alone, without any parents or siblings or friends. Except he was lucky enough to find you."
Derek looked at her closely for a moment before he sighed and moved to sit on the bed beside her, putting a gentle arm around her. "You found me too, Mer," he whispered gently.
"I know," she nodded. "I just...it's hard for me to be in a relationship. And Mark's the same way, and I don't know if Addison knows about that and she probably wouldn't have pressured him if she'd known..."
"Mer, it's okay," Derek whispered softly. "You don't need to worry about Addison and Mark. That's their problem."
"Yeah," she whispered. "Um...I guess I should worry about me?"
"That would be good," Derek nodded.
"Okay," Meredith breathed, taking a deep breath. "Um...so what does my romantic life look like?"
Derek inhaled sharply, not having expected her question so quickly. "Meredith," he said softly. "You know how I feel about you. We're going at your pace, so whatever happens next is your call."
She nodded, thinking for a moment before she whispered, "Slow."
"Hmmm?" Derek asked, ignoring his pounding heart at the thought that he might get exactly what he wanted from Meredith.
"Can we just take this slow?" Meredith asked. "Because I want to be with you, Derek, I do, but I'm not sure I'm entirely ready to just throw myself into a relationship when I've never been able to trust anyone before."
Derek leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We can take it as slow as you want," he replied.
"So where does that leave us?" she asked.
Derek was silent for a moment before he whispered, "How about this? We don't change anything about our relationship, but we'll say that we won't date anyone else."
"Okay," Meredith replied. "I can do that."
"Good," Derek replied. "Because I'm pretty sure I couldn't be held responsible for what I did to anyone you dated anyways."
Meredith giggled. "Of course not," she replied. "You're my big strong cave man."
Derek smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "I just don't think I would be able to control my rage at seeing you with any other man," he said.
"I wouldn't be able to do that either," Meredith admitted quietly. "Watching you date another girl...I would have hated that."
"Good," Derek nodded firmly. "Now that that's settled, what do you want to do tonight?"
"I think you said something about dinner earlier today?" Meredith questioned.
"I did," Derek said with a nod.
"Is that offer still on the table?" Meredith flirted.
"I think I can manage it," Derek smiled. "You think you're allowed back into your room to get dressed yet?"
Meredith shrugged as she looked down at her pajama pants and T-shirt. "You mean we can't wear pajamas?" she asked with a dramatic sigh.
"Well, we can stay in if you like," Derek laughed as he squeezed her gently. "I don't mind cooking for you."
"Mmmmm," Meredith breathed. "Lasagna?"
"Of course," Derek replied, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "Mer?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're not dating anyone else."