You're Like Coming Home

18.

Derek Shepherd was an idiot.

Meredith had known this for about three months now, since the first time he'd tried to hit on her by telling her that she should let him hang the curtains in her room. But now, now she knew the full extent of what an idiot he was. As she stormed up the stairs to her room, her stupid boyfriend running after her, she was never more sure of what a complete idiot he was.

"Mer, just stop and listen to me," he groaned as he followed her down the hall.

"I don't need to listen to you," she snapped. "I already listened to you enough. I listened to you tell our professor that he needs to grade my papers easier because I have a sick mother."

"I didn't say that," Derek replied. "But if your schoolwork is being effected because of all of this, your professors need to know about it. And I know you well enough to know that you're sure as hell not going to talk to them about it."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Meredith asked. "You have no right to talk to my professors about my schoolwork! I'm handling this in my own way, and if I need your help, I'll ask for it."

"No, actually, I don't think you will," Derek argued. "You're too damn stubborn for your own good."

"That's not actually the problem here," Meredith snapped. "The problem is you and your egotistical, caveman, protect my girlfriend from everything because she's too weak to do anything for herself attitude!"

"I don't think like that and you know it," Derek shouted. "Just because you don't like it when people try to look out for you doesn't mean that you can bite my head off every time I try to protect you from yourself."

"I don't need protecting!" Meredith yelled back. "You think I'm some fragile weak thing that can't do anything for myself! Let me tell you something, Derek Shepherd. I basically raised myself. I've been by myself for my entire life, and I turned out pretty well despite that. And if you think you can keep doing everything for me, maybe we should just end this."

"What?" Derek whispered, feeling the breath leave his chest. "Mer...no."

Meredith sighed as she collapsed onto the bed. "I don't know what you want, Derek," she said. "I'm not the kind of girl you need to take care of and do everything for. So if you want that kind of girl...maybe we should end this."

"You don't mean that," Derek shook his head, rushing to kneel in front of her. "Mer, please, tell me you don't mean that."

"I don't want to break up with you, Derek, I don't," Meredith whispered, tears building in her eyes. "But if you want someone you can boss around...that's not me."

Derek inhaled deeply before he moved to sit beside her, pulling her into his arms. "I don't want someone to boss around," he whispered. "I want you. And everyone knows that you're the real boss."

"You say that," Meredith replied, pulling away. "And then you do things like today, telling people to watch out for me and threatening guys that even look at me. I can't deal with that, Derek, it drives me crazy."

"Okay," Derek nodded. "I'm sorry, Mer, I really am. And when I do things like that...yell at me, tell me I'm an idiot. I can handle all those things. But I can't handle you saying that you're going to end this."

"I told you I didn't want to," Meredith sighed. "But I just can't deal with you talking to everyone in my life about me. I control what I want my professors to know. I can handle school and my mom, and if I couldn't I'd talk to them myself. You have no right to do that."

"You're right," Derek whispered, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers. "You're so right and I'm sorry. But you can't tell me that you're going to break up with me just because you're mad at me."