Teach Me Tonight Part Seventeen
Title: Teach me Tonight, Part Seventeen: Portions for Foxes
Pairing: Derek/Meredith
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: These characters are property of Shonda Rhimes/ABC and Grey's Anatomy. They do not belong to me. Reimbursement is not received for fictitious works.
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I know I'm alone if I'm with or without you
but just bein' around you offers me another form of relief
Baby you're bad news
I don't care I like you
- Portions for Foxes, Rilo Kiley
Meredith couldn’t find Christina that night, so the next morning she dropped by the coffee shop on her way to Derek’s, knowing she was sure to find her friend holed up in the corner surrounded by books and coffee cups. She was right. Christina waved vaguely at Meredith to come over, yawning and pushing her black hair out of her face.
“Sit down I need someone to test me.”
Meredith perched on the edge of the seat trying to show she wasn’t there to stay. “I was actually just getting some to go...I have a study session booked.”
Christina frowned over her cappuccino. “You have study sessions with persons other than me? Do you have secret flashcards I should know about?” she glared, looking fierce, and Meredith laughed, she reminded her of Derek.
“No secret flashcards just a secret...study location.”
Christina looked even more puzzled. “Meredith my head is too cloudy with revising right now to decipher your cryptic clues. Can you just save us both the trouble and tell me what’s going on?”
Meredith sighed; she wasn’t sure the best way to tell Christina this. She really wished the coffee in front of her was tequila in that moment. “Ok. Here’s the thing. The thing is...I’m going to see Derek.”
Christina looked shocked. “That’s still going on? I had the impression it was a...y’know..just a one night thing.”
“Well it’s turned into more of a night and day, and any other time in between thing.”
“So is it just sex or...what the hell are you doing Mer?” She looked torn between admiration and horror.
Meredith put her head in her hands. “I don’t know! I just can’t help it. I can’t stay away from him and I don’t want to! Maybe it’s weird and it can’t go anywhere, but I can’t stop thinking about him, or seeing him...or wanting him.”
Christina listened hard, trying to understand Meredith’s babbling. “You like him. This is really weird. You realise if he hurts you I will hunt him down and kill him right?”
Meredith looked at her. “Why would he hurt me?” Even as she said the words she heard reasons forming in her own head... he’s damaged, he has issues, he’s your teacher...
Christina went on. “Please, just be careful. The moment things start getting heavy, leave. Don’t think you can’t because he has power over you.”
“Oh Chris it’s not like that”! Meredith protested. "Listen...you’re my friend and I respect your opinion. Is this an incredibly immoral and slutty thing to do?”
Christina shook her head. “I’m not judging you but you should know Mer...some people might..and George is gonna go crazy.”
“What does George have to do with this?”
Christina rolled her eyes. “You must be completely blind Meredith. He’s in love with you!”
“He is?” Meredith looked blank. She had suspected George had a crush of some kind on her, and was weirdly jealous, but she had just figured it was a male-friend kind of thing, she’d never had many male friends before.
Christina answered solemnly. “Maybe you should find time to talk to him, break it to him gently.”
Meredith nodded thoughtfully. “I will. But for now...I have..other things to do.”
Christina snorted. “I’m sure you do. God, why didn’t I find me some hot lecturer who could help me study huh?”
Meredith glared, picking up her bag of coffee and muffins for Derek. “Because the only hot one around is taken, that’s why.” She poked her tongue out of Christina, walking to the door, but came back five seconds later and quickly kissed her friend’s hair.
“Thanks Christina.”
Christina looked up, surprised, eyes briefly softening before waving her off. “Ok...go away now to sir, with love!”
Meredith giggled and ran off, deciding she would deal with telling Izzie and George later.
-------------------------------------------------------
Derek’s coffee table was littered with empty Starbucks cups and the remains of their donut and cookie filled study boost. Meredith had arrived at his house after seeing Christina and they had been working for hours straight since then, or rather, Derek had watched while Meredith worked.
Derek was sitting in his leather chair reading the Globe, Meredith was sitting at his feet, surrounded by notes and scraps of paper.
“Does Liz Kowalczyk have anything interesting to say today?” She asked, poking at his ankle with her pen to get his attention.
Derek grunted. “Nothing you need to learn about, go back to your studying Meredith”
She growled a bit, hugging her knees to her chest, glaring at a flash card about Pulmonary Embolisms. She had been studying for so long the words seemed to have gone all blurry, her brain was taking nothing in.
“Derek...” She whined, moving herself up to kneel up beside his legs as he stayed firmly buried behind the pages of the newspaper.
“I’m bored...I need to take a break...talk to me...”
Derek still ignored her, turning a rustling page to the A & E section. “There’s a new fish restaurant open in town, we could go to when you pass your final boards.”
Meredith was too much in a mood to notice and be grateful that he said when instead of if.
“But I want to do something different right now!” She put her hands on his knees, a plan forming in her head. If she couldn’t get his attention by whining...well, there was other ways. She ran a couple of fingers up in the inside of his thighs, smiling in gratification when she heard his hiss of indrawn breath.
“Just what are you doing?” Derek stayed hidden behind the paper but his voice had dropped an octave to the husky, throaty tone that Meredith both adored and slightly feared.
“I’m....taking a break.” Meredith decided playing with fire was better than trying to cram any more facts into her reeling brain and let her fingers trail up to rest on Derek’s belt, flicking it open deftly.
Derek shifted in his chair, suddenly uncomfortable and feeling the air heat up around him.
“Meredith...stop that.” He brought one hand down to her wrist to still her movements just as Meredith tried to slide her hand into his pants. Derek let the paper drop to the arm rest and looked at her.
“You’re trying to wind me up. Don’t you know by now it can’t be done?”
Meredith pouted, knowing it would infuriate him all the more and not caring. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist her puckered bottom lip offered up to him like a gift. She was right, Derek leaned down to her and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, quickly moving to claim the other one afterwards. Meredith closed her eyes and let herself melt into his wonderful kiss, the swipe, swipe of his tongue as he soothed where his teeth had grazed the inside of her lip, the taste, of coffee and sugar and want that was purely Derek.
She pulled back, gasping for air and knowing her face and eyes displayed how badly she needed him, but still, she wanted the upper hand.
“I’m just trying to amuse myself...because you find articles on the Big Dig stimulating...must be that you’re getting old Derek...I guess I should go...find myself a younger model...”
Her last words pitched into a yelp as Derek flashed her a dark look and hoisted her right off her knees, off the floor, grabbed her round the waist and onto his lap. He held her, her ass resting precariously on his thighs and his hands gripping her arms to balance her.
“You really think I’m fucking old?” he said, breath rushing forward against her nape, harsh and heated.
Meredith felt the rush that came with his attention suddenly, powerfully, intensely focused on her and her alone. She groaned a bit and parted her own legs, trying to get some kind of friction between them. Derek let go her arms to clamp his hands down on her thighs, keeping her captive where she was.
“Oh no, you don’t get to drive this one...you need to learn.”
“I need to learn?”Meredith squeaked breath catching as he pulled her flush against his chest suddenly. Her breath came in pants, Derek was so unpredicatable and it thrilled her, she really didn’t know what lesson he would try and teach her next.
“Yes you need to learn...your human anatomy.”
Oh. So he was in teaching mode
“Most particular...your Osteology”
Derek moved his hands up her thighs, teasingly slow and almost lazily. Meredith felt a burning trail ignite in every place he touched. “What are these bones called for instance?”
“F...femur” She murmured, stumbling on her words.
“And these?” She could hear the smirk in his voice as he traced her hips, fingers splayed out against her pubic bone and sending darts of pleasure towards her core.
“Sacrum...Ilium..Ischium...” Meredith whimpered, letting the words fall together like a desperate prayer. She wriggled a bit, wanting him to stay there and sounded her wish in a moaning whine. But Derek moved on, caressing her rib cage and up under the swell of her breasts. Meredith could tell he wasn’t immune to touching her, she felt his erection pressing up against the small of her back and when he spoke again his voice was thick with desire.
“No bones here...” he let his fingers skim over her nipples, lightly, but over and over, until she was keening and writhing down against him, trying to get him to stop the sweet torture and let her turn around, rip off his clothes and sink herself ontop of him.
But Derek must have gone to the place where self-control was in endless supply, either that, or he was trying to prove a point about her old comment. His hands moved up, up across her shoulders, kneading there a while to melt the knots of stress out of her. Meredith felt herself melting under his powerful touch, closing her eyes and surrendering to the fact that all she could feel was him.
“You need to answer me Meredith...what about these?” His fingers ran quickly over her collarbone, up her neck where he traced the line of her jaw almost reverently.
Meredith tipped her head back, whispering “Clavicle...Mandible” back to him, feeling this less of a lesson now, more of an exploration, as if Derek was trying to memorize every part of her with his fingertips.
He moved his fingers up into her hair, pulling out the elastic band and letting her dark blonde waves tumble loosely onto her shoulders. He went on, fingers against her scalp, firm and sure and rubbing every wrong answer out of her brain. Meredith felt as if he coaxing her into only remembering the right ones..and to being sure of herself that she could do this.
She really didn’t feel like she had any breath left by the time he paused, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her chest, pulling him to him, more tender now than angry.
“What you do to me Meredith...you could say anything, call me anything...tease me until I was red in the face and blue in the balls and I...” He laughed bitterly. “I would ask you for more because I’m just totally, and hopelessly yours...you understand that don’t you?”
“Derek...” she felt guilt wash over her now, wishing she didn’t always have to push him so far.
“I know, it’s ok.” There he was, reassuring her again, Meredith rested against him and tried to think clearly, tried not to give into the lethargy his touch had caused in her body. She knew she needed to say something now to make it right.
“It’s ok...” he whispered again, voice still raspy and low, as if it cost him effort to talk. He moved to let his fingers untie her drawstring pants, ignoring the faint pleas of protestation from her that she really should apologise first.
“You make it up to me like this...you make it worth it.” Meredith held her breath as his fingers skimmed her stomach and down inside the lace of panties.
“You’re so warm” he sounded wondering, after years of coldness, it was almost a shock.
“You make me like that Derek...so warm and wet and needing you...”
He groaned, letting her turn then, so she straddled his waist with her thighs, pants pushed down to her ankles, letting her cotton covered groin brush the bulge in his jeans.
She bucked a bit as he moved to lift her shirt over her head and get his mouth finally onto her breasts. Meredith bucked on him deliberately then, causing a flush to rise to his face, and his eyes flash, open and raw in his want for her.
“Meredith...” he whispered her name reverentially as he held her still with one hand with he got himself out of his jeans, hard and ready and all just for her. He guided her gently and gradually up and then down onto him, in a swelling wave that made Meredith gasp and pause before finding her rhythm, head tipped back and concentrating hard on hitting the angle just right.
“Not so old now right?” Derek managed to hiss, burning and hot inside her, almost too much, so she had to keep moving, keep feeling.
“No...Derek you’re...” words lay unspoken on her tongue, there was too much to say, you’re perfect, you’re so not perfect, you’re everything...He swallowed them up anyway with his demanding mouth, not letting her breathe never mind speak, and Meredith felt like she could faint any moment.
He groaned a bit, the look of her riding him and the feel of being inside her making him close to the edge already, but still he held out, determined to show he had stamina enough to tire her out first. He took control, wrapping his hands around her hips and shifting her in a figure of eight, jaw clenched and eyes dark and focused on watching her reactions.
She fell apart for him all too easily, screaming his name and melting into a spiral of gorgeous satisfaction. Derek made a few more desperate movements upwards then he spilled himself inside her, letting her fall finally onto his chest and keeping her there, gentle now.
“I didn’t mean to say you were old” she panted, eyes half closed...she wanted to sleep so badly.
Derek let his fingers comb through her messy waves, almost lulling her “I know that Meredith...it's just, it could be an issue with us...I wouldn’t blame you.”
She yawned a bit, knowing this was a very important conversation, but not sure she could give her full attention to it, exhausted as she was from studying and sex. “It’s not an issue...I could be too young...”
“Maybe you are.” He cuddled her harder still. “But I don’t think so...I suppose we’ll just have to see...if we want the same things, in the future.”
Meredith felt scared, she wasn’t good at forward planning, it made her panic. “There’s no way we can decide it now?” She was hoping he would say no, she really wasn’t ready for this conversation just now.
“No.” Meredith breathed a sigh of relief, feeling immediately guilty. She knew it must be harder for him, he was risking more for her, and he was older, with more to lose in general. But Derek didn’t seem too upset, he held her, lulling her to sleep, newspaper forgotten in a pile at their feet.
Pairing: Derek/Meredith
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: These characters are property of Shonda Rhimes/ABC and Grey's Anatomy. They do not belong to me. Reimbursement is not received for fictitious works.
----------------------------------------------
I know I'm alone if I'm with or without you
but just bein' around you offers me another form of relief
Baby you're bad news
I don't care I like you
- Portions for Foxes, Rilo Kiley
Meredith couldn’t find Christina that night, so the next morning she dropped by the coffee shop on her way to Derek’s, knowing she was sure to find her friend holed up in the corner surrounded by books and coffee cups. She was right. Christina waved vaguely at Meredith to come over, yawning and pushing her black hair out of her face.
“Sit down I need someone to test me.”
Meredith perched on the edge of the seat trying to show she wasn’t there to stay. “I was actually just getting some to go...I have a study session booked.”
Christina frowned over her cappuccino. “You have study sessions with persons other than me? Do you have secret flashcards I should know about?” she glared, looking fierce, and Meredith laughed, she reminded her of Derek.
“No secret flashcards just a secret...study location.”
Christina looked even more puzzled. “Meredith my head is too cloudy with revising right now to decipher your cryptic clues. Can you just save us both the trouble and tell me what’s going on?”
Meredith sighed; she wasn’t sure the best way to tell Christina this. She really wished the coffee in front of her was tequila in that moment. “Ok. Here’s the thing. The thing is...I’m going to see Derek.”
Christina looked shocked. “That’s still going on? I had the impression it was a...y’know..just a one night thing.”
“Well it’s turned into more of a night and day, and any other time in between thing.”
“So is it just sex or...what the hell are you doing Mer?” She looked torn between admiration and horror.
Meredith put her head in her hands. “I don’t know! I just can’t help it. I can’t stay away from him and I don’t want to! Maybe it’s weird and it can’t go anywhere, but I can’t stop thinking about him, or seeing him...or wanting him.”
Christina listened hard, trying to understand Meredith’s babbling. “You like him. This is really weird. You realise if he hurts you I will hunt him down and kill him right?”
Meredith looked at her. “Why would he hurt me?” Even as she said the words she heard reasons forming in her own head... he’s damaged, he has issues, he’s your teacher...
Christina went on. “Please, just be careful. The moment things start getting heavy, leave. Don’t think you can’t because he has power over you.”
“Oh Chris it’s not like that”! Meredith protested. "Listen...you’re my friend and I respect your opinion. Is this an incredibly immoral and slutty thing to do?”
Christina shook her head. “I’m not judging you but you should know Mer...some people might..and George is gonna go crazy.”
“What does George have to do with this?”
Christina rolled her eyes. “You must be completely blind Meredith. He’s in love with you!”
“He is?” Meredith looked blank. She had suspected George had a crush of some kind on her, and was weirdly jealous, but she had just figured it was a male-friend kind of thing, she’d never had many male friends before.
Christina answered solemnly. “Maybe you should find time to talk to him, break it to him gently.”
Meredith nodded thoughtfully. “I will. But for now...I have..other things to do.”
Christina snorted. “I’m sure you do. God, why didn’t I find me some hot lecturer who could help me study huh?”
Meredith glared, picking up her bag of coffee and muffins for Derek. “Because the only hot one around is taken, that’s why.” She poked her tongue out of Christina, walking to the door, but came back five seconds later and quickly kissed her friend’s hair.
“Thanks Christina.”
Christina looked up, surprised, eyes briefly softening before waving her off. “Ok...go away now to sir, with love!”
Meredith giggled and ran off, deciding she would deal with telling Izzie and George later.
-------------------------------------------------------
Derek’s coffee table was littered with empty Starbucks cups and the remains of their donut and cookie filled study boost. Meredith had arrived at his house after seeing Christina and they had been working for hours straight since then, or rather, Derek had watched while Meredith worked.
Derek was sitting in his leather chair reading the Globe, Meredith was sitting at his feet, surrounded by notes and scraps of paper.
“Does Liz Kowalczyk have anything interesting to say today?” She asked, poking at his ankle with her pen to get his attention.
Derek grunted. “Nothing you need to learn about, go back to your studying Meredith”
She growled a bit, hugging her knees to her chest, glaring at a flash card about Pulmonary Embolisms. She had been studying for so long the words seemed to have gone all blurry, her brain was taking nothing in.
“Derek...” She whined, moving herself up to kneel up beside his legs as he stayed firmly buried behind the pages of the newspaper.
“I’m bored...I need to take a break...talk to me...”
Derek still ignored her, turning a rustling page to the A & E section. “There’s a new fish restaurant open in town, we could go to when you pass your final boards.”
Meredith was too much in a mood to notice and be grateful that he said when instead of if.
“But I want to do something different right now!” She put her hands on his knees, a plan forming in her head. If she couldn’t get his attention by whining...well, there was other ways. She ran a couple of fingers up in the inside of his thighs, smiling in gratification when she heard his hiss of indrawn breath.
“Just what are you doing?” Derek stayed hidden behind the paper but his voice had dropped an octave to the husky, throaty tone that Meredith both adored and slightly feared.
“I’m....taking a break.” Meredith decided playing with fire was better than trying to cram any more facts into her reeling brain and let her fingers trail up to rest on Derek’s belt, flicking it open deftly.
Derek shifted in his chair, suddenly uncomfortable and feeling the air heat up around him.
“Meredith...stop that.” He brought one hand down to her wrist to still her movements just as Meredith tried to slide her hand into his pants. Derek let the paper drop to the arm rest and looked at her.
“You’re trying to wind me up. Don’t you know by now it can’t be done?”
Meredith pouted, knowing it would infuriate him all the more and not caring. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist her puckered bottom lip offered up to him like a gift. She was right, Derek leaned down to her and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, quickly moving to claim the other one afterwards. Meredith closed her eyes and let herself melt into his wonderful kiss, the swipe, swipe of his tongue as he soothed where his teeth had grazed the inside of her lip, the taste, of coffee and sugar and want that was purely Derek.
She pulled back, gasping for air and knowing her face and eyes displayed how badly she needed him, but still, she wanted the upper hand.
“I’m just trying to amuse myself...because you find articles on the Big Dig stimulating...must be that you’re getting old Derek...I guess I should go...find myself a younger model...”
Her last words pitched into a yelp as Derek flashed her a dark look and hoisted her right off her knees, off the floor, grabbed her round the waist and onto his lap. He held her, her ass resting precariously on his thighs and his hands gripping her arms to balance her.
“You really think I’m fucking old?” he said, breath rushing forward against her nape, harsh and heated.
Meredith felt the rush that came with his attention suddenly, powerfully, intensely focused on her and her alone. She groaned a bit and parted her own legs, trying to get some kind of friction between them. Derek let go her arms to clamp his hands down on her thighs, keeping her captive where she was.
“Oh no, you don’t get to drive this one...you need to learn.”
“I need to learn?”Meredith squeaked breath catching as he pulled her flush against his chest suddenly. Her breath came in pants, Derek was so unpredicatable and it thrilled her, she really didn’t know what lesson he would try and teach her next.
“Yes you need to learn...your human anatomy.”
Oh. So he was in teaching mode
“Most particular...your Osteology”
Derek moved his hands up her thighs, teasingly slow and almost lazily. Meredith felt a burning trail ignite in every place he touched. “What are these bones called for instance?”
“F...femur” She murmured, stumbling on her words.
“And these?” She could hear the smirk in his voice as he traced her hips, fingers splayed out against her pubic bone and sending darts of pleasure towards her core.
“Sacrum...Ilium..Ischium...” Meredith whimpered, letting the words fall together like a desperate prayer. She wriggled a bit, wanting him to stay there and sounded her wish in a moaning whine. But Derek moved on, caressing her rib cage and up under the swell of her breasts. Meredith could tell he wasn’t immune to touching her, she felt his erection pressing up against the small of her back and when he spoke again his voice was thick with desire.
“No bones here...” he let his fingers skim over her nipples, lightly, but over and over, until she was keening and writhing down against him, trying to get him to stop the sweet torture and let her turn around, rip off his clothes and sink herself ontop of him.
But Derek must have gone to the place where self-control was in endless supply, either that, or he was trying to prove a point about her old comment. His hands moved up, up across her shoulders, kneading there a while to melt the knots of stress out of her. Meredith felt herself melting under his powerful touch, closing her eyes and surrendering to the fact that all she could feel was him.
“You need to answer me Meredith...what about these?” His fingers ran quickly over her collarbone, up her neck where he traced the line of her jaw almost reverently.
Meredith tipped her head back, whispering “Clavicle...Mandible” back to him, feeling this less of a lesson now, more of an exploration, as if Derek was trying to memorize every part of her with his fingertips.
He moved his fingers up into her hair, pulling out the elastic band and letting her dark blonde waves tumble loosely onto her shoulders. He went on, fingers against her scalp, firm and sure and rubbing every wrong answer out of her brain. Meredith felt as if he coaxing her into only remembering the right ones..and to being sure of herself that she could do this.
She really didn’t feel like she had any breath left by the time he paused, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her chest, pulling him to him, more tender now than angry.
“What you do to me Meredith...you could say anything, call me anything...tease me until I was red in the face and blue in the balls and I...” He laughed bitterly. “I would ask you for more because I’m just totally, and hopelessly yours...you understand that don’t you?”
“Derek...” she felt guilt wash over her now, wishing she didn’t always have to push him so far.
“I know, it’s ok.” There he was, reassuring her again, Meredith rested against him and tried to think clearly, tried not to give into the lethargy his touch had caused in her body. She knew she needed to say something now to make it right.
“It’s ok...” he whispered again, voice still raspy and low, as if it cost him effort to talk. He moved to let his fingers untie her drawstring pants, ignoring the faint pleas of protestation from her that she really should apologise first.
“You make it up to me like this...you make it worth it.” Meredith held her breath as his fingers skimmed her stomach and down inside the lace of panties.
“You’re so warm” he sounded wondering, after years of coldness, it was almost a shock.
“You make me like that Derek...so warm and wet and needing you...”
He groaned, letting her turn then, so she straddled his waist with her thighs, pants pushed down to her ankles, letting her cotton covered groin brush the bulge in his jeans.
She bucked a bit as he moved to lift her shirt over her head and get his mouth finally onto her breasts. Meredith bucked on him deliberately then, causing a flush to rise to his face, and his eyes flash, open and raw in his want for her.
“Meredith...” he whispered her name reverentially as he held her still with one hand with he got himself out of his jeans, hard and ready and all just for her. He guided her gently and gradually up and then down onto him, in a swelling wave that made Meredith gasp and pause before finding her rhythm, head tipped back and concentrating hard on hitting the angle just right.
“Not so old now right?” Derek managed to hiss, burning and hot inside her, almost too much, so she had to keep moving, keep feeling.
“No...Derek you’re...” words lay unspoken on her tongue, there was too much to say, you’re perfect, you’re so not perfect, you’re everything...He swallowed them up anyway with his demanding mouth, not letting her breathe never mind speak, and Meredith felt like she could faint any moment.
He groaned a bit, the look of her riding him and the feel of being inside her making him close to the edge already, but still he held out, determined to show he had stamina enough to tire her out first. He took control, wrapping his hands around her hips and shifting her in a figure of eight, jaw clenched and eyes dark and focused on watching her reactions.
She fell apart for him all too easily, screaming his name and melting into a spiral of gorgeous satisfaction. Derek made a few more desperate movements upwards then he spilled himself inside her, letting her fall finally onto his chest and keeping her there, gentle now.
“I didn’t mean to say you were old” she panted, eyes half closed...she wanted to sleep so badly.
Derek let his fingers comb through her messy waves, almost lulling her “I know that Meredith...it's just, it could be an issue with us...I wouldn’t blame you.”
She yawned a bit, knowing this was a very important conversation, but not sure she could give her full attention to it, exhausted as she was from studying and sex. “It’s not an issue...I could be too young...”
“Maybe you are.” He cuddled her harder still. “But I don’t think so...I suppose we’ll just have to see...if we want the same things, in the future.”
Meredith felt scared, she wasn’t good at forward planning, it made her panic. “There’s no way we can decide it now?” She was hoping he would say no, she really wasn’t ready for this conversation just now.
“No.” Meredith breathed a sigh of relief, feeling immediately guilty. She knew it must be harder for him, he was risking more for her, and he was older, with more to lose in general. But Derek didn’t seem too upset, he held her, lulling her to sleep, newspaper forgotten in a pile at their feet.