Holiday in Handcuffs

Chapter 14

"What are you talking about?" Meredith asked as she gave Derek a confused look.

"Well," He began as he rolled onto his back and settled himself against the comforter, "there must be more to you than just being a failed kidnapper, the daughter of Ellis Grey, and the black sheep of the family. What's the other side of Meredith Grey?" He asked as his eyes sought hers again.

Meredith sighed wearily and flopped down beside him on her back as they both took to staring up at the ceiling in the dark room. "There is no other side." She whispered. "I don't have sides... I'm just sort of.... existing in an amoeba-like sort of way."

"An amoeba?" Derek snickered. "So, you're an indefinite form consisting of a mass of protoplasm containing one or more nuclei surrounded by a flexible outer membrane?"

"It means I have no structure, asshole." Meredith shot back as she turned her head to glare at him.

"Right." He laughed, receiving a slap on the shoulder. "OK. Sorry." He flinched. "I get it.... you're unstructured. Why?"

"Why?" Meredith echoed his question.

"Yes. Why?" He asked again.

"I don't know why.... I just know that I am." She replied. "Maybe it's some twisted way to get back at my mother, I don't know."

"How is that getting back at your mother? I don't understand." Derek whispered.

Meredith sighed again and folded her hands under her head. "My mother has always been structured and on a schedule. The hospital's schedule. My life depended upon that schedule when I was younger. Her time at the hospital was the guideline to the schedule here at home. I hated it. Everything was marked down and scheduled to the minute; her surgeries, her meetings, meals, my piano lessons, my studying hours... even my play time was mapped out, which wasn't very much time, I'll tell you that. Everything was calendered and planned. I guess I've made it a point to have everything in my adult life be unplanned."

"Hence the spontaneous kidnapping." Derek commented as he peered at her again.

"I went sort of overboard with that one." Meredith winced as she turned her head to meet his gaze.

"Really? You think so?" He asked with a bit of a scowl.

"It's OK if you hate me, you know. I wouldn't blame you. And I certainly wouldn't be lying next to me at this moment if I were you." She replied.

"Why is that? Are you about to handcuff me to the bed again, because I'd like to not be kept in the dark about these things any longer. Current darkness excluded." He smiled. "Where'd you even get those handcuffs anyway? They're the real deal. Or do I not really want to know the answer to that question?" He asked apprehensively.

Meredith laughed as she shook her head. "Remember Brian?"

"Oh, yes... the imaginary boyfriend?" Derek replied.

"That's the one." She nodded. "About six months ago, we took a break from our relationship and I had a brief fling with a police officer. He found out about it and the police officer guy decided to really piss him off, so he left that pair of handcuffs in my car for Brian to find. It wasn't pretty."

"So you came out of it single, with a pair of handcuffs in your possession?" Derek chuckled.

"Eventually." Meredith laughed.

Derek shook his head as they stared at each other and laughed. "Wow." He breathed. "You're a pretty interesting woman, Meredith Grey."

"Never a dull moment." She agreed.

"I'm starting to get that." Derek replied as he chuckled again.

Suddenly, the sound of fireworks outside popped and cracked all around them. Derek lifted his head to peer out of the window, but he couldn't see anything.

"Where are those coming from?" He asked as he slid off of the bed and walked over to the window.

"Every year my family and the next door neighbors get together and pop fireworks at midnight to celebrate the start of Christmas." Meredith replied gloomily as she sat up and watched as Derek looked out of the window.

He turned to face her, a smile lighting up his features. "Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's go out there!"

Meredith gasped at him. "Seriously? You want to go outside in the cold and snow with people you don't know, and a crazy almost kidnapper who handcuffed you and made you out to be someone you're not?"

Derek contemplated her words for a minute. "You're right." He said solemnly. "I probably shouldn't go out there. But, it's Christmas, Meredith. And if I have to celebrate it with strangers and an amoeba-like, black sheep, not-so-great kidnapper who fights with her mother and despises the rest of her family, then that's what I have to do." He laughed as he made his way back towards the bed. "So, let's go before they run out of fireworks!" He said as he reached for her hand and pulled her up from the bed.