Second chances

"Chapter 17"

Derek had been holding Meredith now for the last 30 minutes watching her sleep and listening to the soft snores which her body was emitting. They were still naked from their earlier activities and Meredith's body was tangled with his their arms and legs intertwined as Derek laid spooning her from behind.

This was the position that they had always fallen asleep in many years ago, Derek couldn't help but smile at the way they had so naturally fallen back into it together and at how perfectly their bodies still fit. He could have lain there all night just watching her sleep but she had already been sleeping for an hour, he had slumbered briefly but the growing anticipation of the talk he knew they had to have prevented him from staying in a deep slumber. He hated it but he knew he had to wake her; if he didn't, the chance for them to talk that evening would be lost as she would need to get back to her daughter.

"Mer, baby," he gently breathed into her ear as he moved her hair and began to trail soft kisses over the back of her neck moving over her shoulder. He was desperately trying to ignore his erection, which was growing harder by the second.

Meredith was having the most contented sleep she had had in as long as she could remember. She was suddenly roused from her sleep by Derek's hot breath in her ear and his mouth, which was wandering over her neck and her naked shoulder. She didn't want to wake, she wished that she could have laid there sleeping in Derek's arms forever, pretending that the world outside did not exist, that she was 15 years old again and her and Derek were living back in the time when they were happy. She didn't want to have the conversation they were going to have as she was at a loss as to what she was going to say. "Still sleeping..." she mumbled.

"No, you're not, the snoring stopped," Derek chuckled as he lightly tickled her side with one hand whilst the other remained tightly wrapped around her waist. He was unconsciously trying to keep things light between them.

"You Ass," she giggled attempting to turn in his arms. She slapped his biceps but his strong hold around her waist prevented her from turning. She scooted her ass back slightly more into him and at once became aware of his arousal that had made itself more than known. "Der, do you have a stethoscope down there or are you just happy to see me?" she asked with a giggle.

"What do you think?" he asked as lips made contact with her neck once again.

"Hmmm..." she moaned in satisfaction as she tried to turn around again in his arms, and this time Derek allowed her to.

"Hey..." he breathed out as their eyes connected.

"Hey," Meredith returned. She desperately wanted to pull her eyes away from him but found she was too deeply locked into his gaze and was unable to look away.

"Mer, we need to talk," he said gently and immediately felt her body tense in his, she began to relax slightly as he tightened his hold even more on her and started brushing over her hair.

"I know..." Meredith replied in a tone which tokd Derek that it was the last thing that she wanted to do. "When did we become grown ups and how do we make it stop?" she asked.

"I grew up that day in your parents' house nineteen years ago," Derek said as he pushed some hair out of her face.

"Der..." she said softly as she put her hand to his face.

"Earlier when I was lying in your arms, I was imagining back to when we were 15, before I fell pregnant... when everything was so much easier..." she took her hand away from his face so that she could brush away a tear that had fallen.

"You know if I could make it stop, I would," he assured as he looked into Meredith's eyes seeing the torment which was running through her.

"I know... I missed you so much."