Off the Carousel

Works When I Open It

Enjoy!

Eventually, Meredith regained her awareness and sat up, wiping her eyes with her palms. Derek's arm loosened around her and he brought it around his knees. "Oh," Meredith sighed again, shifting so that the blood recirculated to the numb areas of her bottom. "You came back."

"Yeah," he said, "You were yelling. What did you mean, everybody leaves you?"

"It's nothing." Sniffing, she turned to him. Derek's gaze was soft and pained. He really felt for her at that moment, she could tell. She hadn't seen that look on him since... Probably since the plane crash, when Mark and Lexie died. She cracked. "My husband, h-he died." Strange, to say that, looking at thirteen-year-old Derek.

His expression changed to grief. His hand found hers. "Mmm," he said, and it slew her. "My dad died."

This time, it was her turn to hug him. He shuddered and quaked in her arms. "It's not fair! It's not fair! They shot him!" he exploded, "They just shot him right in front of me! How could they do that? He didn't do anything... he didn't... do anything, and they just..." he trailed off, his lips forming a deep frown as he moaned. Unable to stop herself, Meredith cried too, pulling him closer, squeezing him harder. The world faded away, and it was just them and their raw grief. "I know... I know... I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," Meredith murmured over his shoulder while her fingers grazed his curly locks.

It wasn't fair.

None of it was.

Nobody should die. Nobody should be taken so suddenly.

But this was life.

And Bad Things happened.

They just held each other. Leaned on each other. It felt so good, she never wanted to let him go. Finally, Derek murmured something.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"You knew my name..." he said, "I've never met you before."

"Oh, um..." she just shrugged as she pulled away a little. "You just... look like someone I knew back home."

"His name was Derek?"

"Y-yeah," Meredith nodded. How do you tell a thirteen-year-old that he just hugged his future wife?

You don't.

So, they sat awkwardly along the stream until Derek noticed something. "Hey, what's that?" Derek pointed to the bronze glint of the compass among the rocks.

"Oh that," Meredith sighed. Did Derek know what it was? Could he help her?

He reached over and plucked it from the gravel. "It's a compass..." he dusted off bits of dirt.

"Yeah, but it's broken," Meredith said, frowning.

When Derek flipped it open, Meredith looked at it over his shoulder. It spun and spun for a second, and then it stopped, the arrow quivering slightly in place, pointing back toward the bridge. "Works when I open it," he smirked.

Goes faster when I press it. Meredith remembered.

She squinted at him and made a face, "Well, it got me lost." Some things never change.

"Maybe it can get us un-lost. Wanna try it?" He jumped up and stared across the stream, where the arrow was pointing.

Why not? She had nowhere else to go. "Help me up," she said.

xxx

Cassie set down her tea and stared into space. Something didn't feel right. The universe didn't feel right.