Where You Belong

85

Clutching to Derek's hand as if it was a lifeline, Meredith followed him down the stairs, trusting him to believe when he told her everything was okay that he truly meant it, but thinking realistically about how differently they had grown up. Derek probably didn't know what it meant to have your family not really be a family.

Meredith didn't know what it felt like to have family be...family-like.

"This house is huge," she commented as they set foot on the ground floor. The stairs ended at the corner of a large living room that was, thankfully, empty of people.

He nodded. "The house I grew up in was about a quarter the size. Mom moved here when she and Brian got married. "I only ever lived here during the summer." Jane and Brian had gotten married in the summer before Derek had left for college.

"Did you miss the old house?" She asked. The concept of forming an emotional attachment was still relatively new to her. A house had only ever been a house to her. It wasn't until she had shared a house with Derek that she had come to understand the concept of having a home.

He offered her a small smile. "Sometimes. I guess I felt like we were leaving my dad behind. But it was good for my mom. She and dad had never planned on staying in that house, especially after having five kids. And there's no way we all would have been able to fit in the old house with all the kids."

She returned his smile, warmed by how much he cared for his mom. "Right. You and your massive family. That I have to meet..."

Derek chuckled and dropped her hand to hook his arm around her waist. "It's going to be fine," he assured her for the umpteenth time. "They're going to love you."

"I still think you're biased."

"I am not," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"You so are."

"Maybe," he relented, pressing a second kiss to her cheek. "But I have very good reasons to be biased."

She rolled her eyes, but silently allowed him to lead her across the living room to the door of the kitchen.

He came to a stop a few feet shy of the door and turned to her. "You ready?"

Despite the fact that her heart was now beating furiously against her chest, her throat was dry and she felt like her hands were on the verge of shaking, she nodded. "As I'll ever be."

"It'll be over soon," he comforted. "And I'll be right beside you."

"Okay; then I'm ready."

With one last reassuring smile, he pushed open the kitchen door and stepped into the room, pulling Meredith behind him.

Meredith sucked in a deep breath as she clutched tightly to Derek's hand and followed him trustingly into the kitchen. If he said it was going to be okay, it was going to be okay. He loved her; that was the most important thing in her world right now. No matter what happened, he would still be there with her tomorrow. And that was all she needed for the strength to get through what had to happen now.

With the hand that wasn't clutched in his shaking ever so slightly, Meredith stepped into the kitchen, prepared for stares and judgmental glances, and questions, questions and more questions.

Instead she was greeted with...

Nothing.

The kitchen was empty. Not one set of questioning eyes looked up to greet them. A few empty plates were scattered around the large kitchen table, surrounded by several empty chairs.

"Hmm," Derek murmured, tugging her towards he counters. "I guess they moved on. Do you want some coffee?"

"I...I...what? No. Where...?"