Seattle Move

1. Seattle Move

Owen parked his car in one of the spaces of the small lot and looked up at the apartments above him. This was the place that had been described to him, he was sure of it. Taking a deep breath, he hopped out of the car and jogged up to the fourth floor, to stretch his legs from the long drive he'd made to get here. The humid, late Saturday afternoon air refreshed his lungs as he walked down the hall towards the flat. When he arrived at the door of the apartment, he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket before rapping his knuckle against the hardwood.

A few days ago.

"Meredith, I can't do that," Derek said with slight annoyance, "You know I can't just pick up and drive halfway across the country."

"Derek, she's your sister," Meredith reminded him, confused as to why he couldn't understand self-sacrifice.

"And you're my wife," he countered, "and these are my kids. You guys need me here and my job needs me here still."

"We don't need you, trust me," she snidely replied, rolling her eyes and looking away. The two were still reeling from another fight they had moments ago. Derek accepting the position in D.C. was putting a strain on his and Meredith's relationship, and even though he'd gotten Amelia to take his job, and keep Meredith company while he was away, the general surgeon seemed as though she wouldn't be letting him get off the hook that easily.

"Oh is this about the job again?" Derek exclaimed, rolling his eyes as well, "You told me to take the job, Meredith."

"Because I can't take you being all miserable and grumpy with me and the kids if you don't!" she retorted.

Owen, whom had gone momentarily unnoticed at the cafeteria table while the couple argued, piped up, "Everything okay?" Derek looked at Owen, silently bargaining as a glint came in his eyes.

"Hunt, you take vacation in a couple of days, right?" Derek sought to confirm. Owen nodded his head innocently.

"Derek," Meredith warned, knowing that look in his eyes.

"How would you like to take a road trip to Los Angeles to help my baby sister move over here?" he proposed.

"Derek," Meredith said through gritted teeth, elbowing the neurosurgeon in the arm.

"Sure," Owen shrugged. Truth be told, he'd planned to spend his vacation working. He couldn't simply stay at the trailer and lounge when the woman he loved was moving halfway across the world and leaving him here to wallow in his own self-pity. The long drive would thankfully give him something to do for a few days while he thought about where he wanted the rest of his life to go.

"Great," Derek grinned, "I'll write down the details and you can pick her up on Saturday."

Now.

He heard yelling, which was a bit off putting for a first meeting.

"Don't walk away from me," one deep voice said.

"I'm going to answer the damn door," another voice announced.

"I'll get it," the first voice said. There was a shuffling of noises and then sounds of deadbolts unlocking before the door opened and Owen came face to face with a dark haired man about a couple inches shorter than him.

"What?" the man asked harshly. Owen flinched, intimidated by his rude greeting. Whatever the two were fighting about, it had him wound up and ready to explode at the redhead.

"Uh," the trauma surgeon stuttered, looking down at the small paper in his hand, "Is, uh, is Amy here?"

"It's Amelia," the woman, whom Owen assumed to be Amy, said as she came to the front door, "Only Derek calls me Amy. I'm assuming he sent you." She was a lot shorter than he assumed she'd be, and her eyes were a brighter blue than Derek's. He could definitely see the resemblance between the two Shepherd siblings, though; it was too striking to go unnoticed.