Perfect strangers

Chapter 28

Meredith walked in from her long shift at work, her body completely exhausted as she all put collapsed through the front door.

"Derek." Meredith shouted as she kicked her shoes off and walked into the living room, pulling her hair down out of her ponytail.

"Hey Mer." Derek said rather enthusiastically as he stepped out the kitchen and walked over to press his lips against hers.

"Why do you look like that?" She frowned.

"Like what?" He asked confused but continued to smile at her.

"You are all smiley." She said poking his cheek.

"I'm just happy." He shrugged before moving to press his lips firmly to hers causing her to moan before he pulled back. "Come on."

"You're definitely up to something Derek Shepherd." Meredith laughed before yawning as she followed him into the kitchen.

"Well..." he sighed.

"I knew it." Meredith pointed at him accusingly before moving to pop a grape in her mouth.

"Alright." He laughed. "But basically, I'm thinking of having both of our families round for dinner, like my mom and sisters. Mark, Lexie and Noah obviously, then I've told Lexie to invite your dad..."

"You did what?" Meredith snapped as she turned to glare at Derek.

"What? I told her to invite your dad." Derek said with a confused look on his face.

"You had no right to do that. None." Meredith snapped as she turned and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Meredith." Derek followed after her. "What's going on?"

"I don't have a relationship with my dad alright. Is that what you want to hear? Or the fact that when I was 5 years old he walked out one morning and never turned back. Never tried to get in contact with me or spend a birthday card, nothing. He forgot about me, like I never existed. It was only few years ago that I found about Lexie, at first I pushed her away but then I realised it wasn't her fault. So yes that's why I am so close with Lexie now but my father, no. Just no." Meredith held back the tears that threatened to spill down her face as she turned away from Derek and headed upstairs.

"Meredith, please..." Derek reached out to grab her hand.

"No Derek, not all of us grew up with perfect little happy families." She pulled her hand out of his grasp and stormed upstairs and slammed the bedroom door.

Derek sighed to himself before deciding to head upstairs after her. He always knew family was a sensitive subject and she didn't like taking about it but he never knew it was that bad.

"Hey Mer..." he opened the door slowly and found Meredith curled up on his side of the bed, her back to him. "Look, I'm sorry."

"Please, I can't do this right now." Meredith cried as she curled into his pillow tighter.

Deciding not to say another word, Derek simply moved and lay behind Meredith, pulling her back into his body and held her tight.

"My mother didn't want me either. She always told me I held her back, that if she didn't have me then she would have gone further with career. I mean, all she did was work, she was never there for me. I was brought by nannies and then by myself from the age of 13. I know family is everything to you Derek but I was brought up different to you, it was a second thought to my family. So please, don't invite them." Meredith turned in his arms and buried her face into his chest.

"Ok, I won't, it's alright." He leaned down and kissed the top of her as he ran his hand up and down her back lovingly. "Do you want to get married?"

"What?" Meredith gasped as she leaned back to look at him. "No I don't want to get married especially if that's how you are going to ask me."

"Yeah, but it distracted you didn't it." He said as he smirked down at her.

"Hmm." Meredith giggled. "I do love you, like a lot, you know that right?" Meredith reached up and cupped his face in her hand.

"I know." Derek then reached his own hand up and placed it on top of hers. "I love you too." He smiled before leaning down to brush his lips against hers.

"You should still invite your family round for dinner, even if my family is complete messed up." She laughed but Derek could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah, we will sort something, will have to be on the weekend because of the kids. I hope you're ready for the madness." Derek laughed as Meredith moved to rest her head on Derek's chest.

Deciding not to say another word, he wrapped his arms around Meredith's body and held her until she finally feel asleep. She was completely exhausted after her shift, so once he was sure she was asleep, he moved out of the bed and headed to the kitchen and started making them dinner.

Derek was in his own little world, humming along to the radio as he stirred the sauce to stop it from burning. That was until he felt a pair of hands wrap around his waist.

"Hey, you're awake." He said as he turned to face her.

"Yeah, the smell woke me up, what is it?" She leaned over the stove and took a deep breath in and sighed happily.

"Chicken pasta bake, but I decided to do the sauce from fresh as we had all them fresh tomato's that ma dropped off." He smiled before stirring the sauce again.

"Smells delicious." She said giving the top of his arm a squeeze. "I'm going to go take a shower, I still smell like the hospital." She pulled a face.

"Yeah you do." He pulled a face back and then laughed as Meredith slapped him. "Go shower, dinner will be on the table when you come out." He placed his lips against hers softly before watching her walk into the bathroom, the door shutting behind her.

After she had opened up to him, Derek was even more determined to give Meredith the best birthday she had ever had. He was going to go all out and make sure that the day was all about her. She would probably hate it, call him cringe but honestly, he didn't care. He was going to show her what life was really all about, how it should have been growing up.

Never again would she have to celebrate her birthday alone. Not as long as Derek was around.