Chapter Twenty-four: The Gambler

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

Meredith was not a gambling person. She'd been to Vegas once when she attended a wedding for a college friend, and after loosing only one hundred dollars, she gave up and stayed in the hotel bar for the remainder of the evening, chatting up the bartender and a few bar patrons that sat to her right. She tried explaining how awful she was to Derek, but he and Mark insisted she join them anyway in the weekly poker game held every Wednesday night at Derek's house. It had become a tradition since Derek's return to Monterey five years ago, that he and Mark, along with a close group of friends, meet up every Wednesday night to play a few games of poker (unless there was an emergency that took Derek away to the hospital, in which case the game was canceled and resumed the following Wednesday).

Over the past two weeks, Meredith had joined them and had lost, if she was counting correctly, four hundred twenty-eight dollars, and was now supposed to wash Derek's and Mark's vehicles, plus bring snacks for this weeks game. She almost hadn't come this week because she knew she'd just loose her money again and have to agree to do some other random chore for someone else. But, since she was supposed to bring the snacks, she felt sort of obligated. She'd witnessed Mark's rising temper when Derek had forgotten to pick up the pretzels last week, and she really had rather not have to see that again, so she stopped at a store on her way to Derek's house and purchased two bags, just in case.

She entered the house, not bothering to knock. Derek had made it perfectly clear, on her fourth visit to his house to attend last weeks poker game, that she didn't have to knock. Plus, she was carrying two big paper bags full of snacks this time, so it's not like she actually had the capability. She walked through the living room on her way to the kitchen, pausing to say hello to Derek's sister, Molly, who was setting up the chips and cards in the living room. When she walked into the kitchen, she found Mark opening a fresh beer and Derek stood at the stove heating dip on the stove for the chips Meredith had agreed to bring.

"Something smells good." She commented, dropping the bags down onto the kitchen table. Derek looked up and smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite poker player!" Mark said with a wide smile as he made his way over to where she stood.

"You only say that because you've been taking my money for the past two weeks." Meredith said, cutting her eyes at him.

"You're just so... easy." Mark replied slyly, nudging her lightly in the ribs. "What's in the bags, sugar plum?" He craned his neck to peer inside.

Meredith snatched the bag away from him and glared at him. "I don't think I should show you. I mean, I can't have you thinking I'm that easy." She snipped.

"Come on, what'd ya bring?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Meredith placed the bag down and reached inside, grabbing the two bags of pretzels out and holding them up for him to see. Just as she expected, his eyes widened and he reached out to take them from her, but Meredith held them back, just out of his grasp.

"Uh, uh." She shook her head. "I don't really think you deserve these after calling me 'easy'." She smirked.

"I'll tell you what..." Mark smiled, "if you give me both bags, I'll take it easy on you tonight."

"Are we still talking about poker?" Meredith asked. She had to make sure to keep her conversations with Mark very specific. He tended to lean towards the gutter side of every conversation.

"Yes." He laughed.

"And you promise not to take all of my money?" She questioned seriously.

"Scouts honor." He replied, cutting his eyes at Derek who snickered from his spot near the stove.

"Fine." Meredith shoved the bags at him. "But, I'm holding you to that promise. Or else there will be no pretzels if I'm present. At any game hereon out for the rest of... forever." She nodded firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Whatever you say, sugar plum." Mark said, a triumphant smile on his face as he left the kitchen carrying the pretzels delicately in his arms.

"Why does he keep calling me that? And what are you laughing about?" Meredith asked, turning to Derek as she began to take out the rest of the contents of the bags and place them on the counter.

"Nothing." He chuckled. "I just don't think Mark knows the definition of 'scouts honor', but that was a great bribe, Mer. Mark loves pretzels. If you threaten to take them away, I doubt he'll try to take your money again."

"I just don't understand why I can't win sometimes." She sighed, pulling herself up to sit on the counter next to the stove. She watched Derek stir the pot again, a slight grimace on his face. "What?" She asked curiously.

Derek sighed and placed his spoon down onto the stove. "Well, Mark and I were talking, and we think we know what you're problem is." He said, his voice a little hesitant.

Meredith gave him a very expectant look. "Oh, really? And just what exactly is my problem, then?" She asked curiously, her eyebrows raised as she waited for his reply.

"Well..." He hesitated again. "It's... your... face." He blurted out, wincing as the words pierced the air between them. "I probably could have phrased that better." He muttered under his breath.

Meredith's mouth fell open. "Wha... WHAT? My face? What in the hell is wrong with my face?!" She said, her voice rising a little. "And yes, you could have phrased that better." She added with a frown.

"Nothing!" Derek replied immediately, waving his hands as if they could erase what he just said. "It's not your face, face. It's just... your... poker face."

"My poker face? What's wrong with my poker face?" Meredith asked incredulously.

Derek winced again. "You... don't... have one?"

Meredith gaped at him. "I most certainly do have a poker face. I have a very good poker face!" She argued.

Derek's mouth twisted at a weird angle. He was trying his best not to smile, but it was no use. It only took a split second for the smile to form, and then he was doubled over in laughter.

"What's so funny?!" Meredith demanded to know. She crossed her arms over her chest and sat up straighter on the counter, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, but... seriously, Mer. You have the worst poker face I've ever seen!" And he was laughing again.

"Well, thanks a lot!" Meredith replied, her smile fading now. "That wasn't very insulting at all." She said, swinging her foot out so that it made contact with his thigh.

Derek stopped laughing abruptly and walked over to where she sat on the counter. "I'm sorry, it's just... it's not bad." He said seriously. "It's... kinda cute, actually."

"Now you're just trying to get on my good side again." She replied, still frowning at him.

"No, I'm being serious." He said, honestly. "Nothing about your 'poker face' is ugly. It's just... when you get a good card, we can tell." He shrugged. "You're very readable."

"How so?" She asked.

"Well, it's all in the eyes." He said, "When you get a good card, your eyes light up. But, when you get a bad card, you sort of... frown a little. And then... you get little crinkles... just in the corners... right here." He reached up and placed his fingertip near the corner of her right eye, showing her exactly where, "And your eyes turn a darker shade of green when you have a really bad hand." He told her.

He was standing really close now, his body pressing against the counter between her legs. Meredith opened her mouth to reply, but her breath seemed hitched somewhere inside her throat. She stared at him intently as he let his fingertip fall slowly, tracing the outline of her face, and she was sure that she had visibly shivered at his touch. She managed to somehow clear her throat.

"So... what should I do?" She asked in a quiet voice. As soon as that question left her lips, she inwardly kicked herself. What kind of stupid question was that? What should I do? She mentally kicked herself again.

Derek smiled at her softly and then took a step back to gather himself. "You can't let your opponent know what you're thinking, or give any indications that you may have a really good hand, or a really bad one. Keep your face expressionless. Your eyes... focused on the chips, or the cards. Even if you're holding a hand full of aces, never let your guard down and never let off that you're about to take away someone's money. But, at the same time, you have to keep your head in the rest of the game. And don't hold out for a good card every hand. You can't be afraid to fold once in a while."

"So... don't communicate with my eyes?" Meredith asked softly.

"Not when you're playing poker, no." Derek smiled. "But, any other time..." He trailed off, his gaze locking with hers as he let his eyes say the rest.

Meredith swallowed hard and tried to ignore the messages he was sending with his eyes. The air around her grew thick with heat and she found herself breathless for the second time in the past two minutes. She shook her head slightly and pulled her eyes away from his stare.

"How do I know you're not setting me up to take my money again?" She asked, looking back up and smirking at him.

"You don't." He answered saucily with a wink.

"Ooh." She grunted, picking up a dish towel and flicking it at him. The cloth snapped against his forearm and his mouth fell open in shock. He lunged for her, but Meredith quickly pulled her hands behind her back, hiding the towel from him.

Derek stood between her legs again, his arms encircling her waist as he reached around her to grab at the dish towel. Meredith erupted into shrills of laughter as his arms brushed against her sides, tickling her as he tried to get the towel. She stretched herself away from him, but he grabbed onto her shirt and pulled her forward again as he continued to grab the towel. They were both in the midst of this tug-of-war, laughing together, when the kitchen door opened and a woman Meredith had never seen before stuck her head in.

"Oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt." She said softly.

Derek and Meredith sprang apart, and Meredith jumped quickly from the counter top. Derek reached his hand out to steady her as her feet landed against the tile floor. Her face flushed a rosy color, but when she looked back up at Derek his face only held an amused smile and there was a playful gleam in his eyes.

"You didn't... interrupt. Anything." Meredith said quickly, straightening the front of her shirt and looking back up at the woman standing at the door. "I was just... I'm just going to..." Meredith reached over and pulled a few items from the table that she had taken out of the grocery bags she brought in. "Snacks. People need snacks."

She moved towards the door, but stopped when a man she'd never met before appeared behind the woman still standing in her way. She looked back and forth between the two and opened her mouth to say something else, but Derek cut her off.

"Meredith, this is Dr.'s Kelly and Michael Hott." His voice sounded awfully close to her ear, and when Meredith turned her head a little, she realized that Derek was standing right next to her, his smile still spread across his face, and his arm was now touching the small of her back.

"Oh. Hi." She greeted them, turning back to the pair still standing at the door. "Doctors. You work at the hospital with Derek?" She asked, trying not to think about how hot her skin felt underneath Derek's touch.

"No." Kelly replied. "We're both veterinarians. We own the local animal shelter and the adjacent animal hospital in town."

"Kelly and I went to high school together." Derek informed Meredith. She could feel his breath tickling against her ear as he turned to speak to her. She kept her head straight, though, looking at Kelly and Michael. She was afraid to move... afraid to turn her head and let her eyes meet his again. His close presence was making her nervous enough.

"It's nice to meet you both." Meredith smiled.

"You, too." The pair said in unison as they both smiled at her.

A small silence fell between the foursome, until Meredith held up the bags in her hands again. "Snacks." She repeated. And like a bolt of lightening, she propelled herself forward passed the other three and bolted into the living room.

When she was out of the room, Kelly raised her eyebrows and gave Derek a curious look, but he just shook his head and dismissed her expression. "Shall we?" He said, motioning for them to walk back into the living room where everyone else was gathering and talking in murmurs. Kelly let it slide this time, but she made a mental note to corner Derek later and interrogate him further about this Meredith person.

About an hour later, things were going well for Meredith. Although she wasn't winning a lot of money, at least she wasn't loosing very much. Her pile of chips remained at a comfortable level, and she was pretty pleased with herself. She tried her best to remember what Derek told her about her 'poker face', and she kept stealing sideways glances at him to see if he noticed any changes.

Derek sat to Meredith's right, and would nod his head discretely at her, hiding his smirk behind the cards he was holding in front of him. On a few occasions, like right now, for instance, Derek folded when his turn came up and then he slid his chair closer to Meredith's to get a better look at her hand. He leaned into her this time, something that he hadn't done before. She could feel his shoulder pressing into hers and her body tensed up automatically. Derek chuckled under his breath, but leaned in further, silently letting her know that he wasn't going to be moving any time soon. Relenting a little, Meredith felt her body slowly relaxing, and within a few moments, she was leaning into him just as much.

Derek's eyes shifted from Meredith's cards, to the other player's faces, and then finally settled on her face. She gave him another sideways glance and couldn't help but smile a little. He turned his head to the side and leaned his face closer to hers.

"Don't smile." He whispered.

"Don't look at me, then." She replied back in a hushed voice, trying very desperately to ignore the fact that she thought his lips had actually brushed against her ear.

"Keep a straight face." He whispered. Although she didn't look at him, she could just hear the smile in his voice.

"Keep away." She shot back. She tried to sound angry, but the smile on her face gave her away.

"I said don't smile." He whispered again in her ear.

She turned to face him this time, narrowing her eyes at him. "OK, seriously? Do you want to play this hand for me, or are you just going to keep distracting me?"

"I'm not distracting you." He said defensively.

"Seriously?"

"I'm helping you." He stated innocently.

"How?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I'm making sure you're working on the 'poker face'." He answered with a smirk.

"You're an ass." She stated. "And I think you need to work on 'your' face." She turned her attention back to the table, her eyes glancing around and taking in the faces of the people sitting with them. They were all staring at them. Kelly and Michael were snickering behind their cards, but Mark and Molly were openly laughing.

"What's wrong with my face?" Derek asked curiously, looking worried as he sat up straighter and ran his hands along his cheeks and jawline. That had everybody at the table laughing openly now.

"Oh, I fold." Meredith stated gloomily, placing her card down on the table. "I need another beer anyway." She said, standing from her chair and trotting off into the kitchen.

"I need a drink, too." Kelly said, suddenly rising from the table.

Michael looked up at his wife confusedly. "You just had one." He commented.

"I'm thirsty. Whatever." Kelly said, rolling her eyes and walking towards the kitchen.

"She just wants to interrogate Meredith." Michael snorted.

"I heard that!" Kelly called, pausing to look over her shoulder and give her husband a scowl before entering the kitchen.

Meredith had half of her body hidden inside the fridge as she moved a few things out of the way to get a beer. "Freaking health nut." She muttered under her breath as she moved over a few containers of fat free yogurt and a bag of grapes.

"Derek's always been that way." Came a female voice behind her.

Meredith stood up quickly, hitting her head on the freezer in the process. "Shit!" She exclaimed, her hands coming up to press against the top of her head.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Kelly stated apologetically. She came speeding forward to check on Meredith. "Is it bad? Do you need me to get Derek?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Meredith stated with a slight grimace as her fingertips grazed over the small bump that was rising on her scalp.

"Are you sure?" Kelly asked skeptically.

Meredith nodded. "I'm a neurosurgeon." She replied. "I'd know if it were really serious."

"You're a neurosurgeon, too? Derek didn't tell me that." She commented.

"He didn't?" Meredith frowned. She didn't know why, but something twisted inside her gut. Was Derek not talking about her to his friends? And why would that bother her in the first place, she asked herself?

"He just said that you were visiting from New York, that you were a doctor, and that you met about a month ago." Kelly explained. Meredith couldn't help but smile. "He failed to mention that you two were dating, though." Kelly smiled slyly.

Meredith's smile faded, however, and her fingers sought the hem of her shirt and began fidgeting with it. "D-Dating?" She stuttered. "We're not... we're not dating." She said quietly, shaking her head.

"You're not?" Kelly frowned.

"No." Meredith replied. "We're just friends."

"Seriously?" Kelly asked, her expression full of surprise.

"Yeah." Meredith confirmed. "There was supposed to be a wedding, but then there wasn't, so I came here and went out, and Derek and I danced together, and then we became friends. There was also a fishing trip and swimming, too, but yeah. We're just friends." She rambled.

"Wait a minute. Derek danced with you?" Kelly asked incredulously.

Meredith frowned, "Well, I know I don't seem very graceful with the counter thing, and the fridge thing, but... I'm not bad of a dancer, really. Especially if there are drinks involved." She rambled again.

"No," Kelly laughed. "I didn't mean... I just," She paused and shook her head. "Derek danced with you?" She asked confusedly.

"Yeah." Meredith nodded.

"And he invited you to play poker with us, too."

"Yeah." Meredith repeated. Obviously one of them was missing something here and Meredith couldn't help but think that it was her.

"Hmm..." Kelly shook her head again. "OK."

Meredith frowned. "Why does that seem so hard to believe?" She asked.

A look of guilt crossed over Kelly's features. "I'm sorry. It's not that it's hard to believe that he would... I mean, Derek's just..." She sighed as she tried to explain things to Meredith. "It's just surprising, that's all." She finally said. "Derek's never brought a girl to poker night."

"I've noticed that Mark hasn't either." Meredith pointed out.

Kelly snickered a little. "There's a reason for that."

"There is?" Meredith asked.

Kelly nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. "Mark and Molly have a thing for each other. They've never dated, never slept together, but it's just been this ongoing flirtatious thing over the years. They both try to deny it, but everyone knows they want each other. They both date other people, especially around large groups of people, but when it's just our group getting together, they come alone. One of these days..." Kelly trailed off, her eyes completing the rest of the sentence for her.

"Wow. I had no idea." Meredith said. She leaned her back against the cabinet and crossed her arms over her chest.

"They hide it pretty well." Kelly replied with a shrug. "But, Derek... he's another story. He's always come alone. Until you." Kelly smirked at her.

Meredith began to fidget with the hem of her shirt again. "Oh, well... it's not what you think. I mean, we really aren't dating. I think he invited me more out of pity than anything, really. He probably just felt sorry for me because of... well, never mind. He's just trying to include me."

"He likes you." Kelly stated simply.

"Oh, I don't think so." Meredith said quickly.

"You're here." Kelly smiled again. "And he danced with you?"

Meredith's face twisted into a slight grimace. "He didn't ask me to dance. It was more like we... crashed together and had no choice."

"Derek's a very headstrong man, Meredith. If he didn't want to dance with you, he would have let you know. Crash, or no crash."

"It was no big deal, really. It was just dancing. One dance. There was only one dance." She was rambling again.

Kelly shook her head. "This is Derek we're talking about. Derek... does not dance in public. To him, it was a big deal. Trust me."

"But we didn't even know each other." Meredith told her.

"Doesn't matter. He danced with you. And Derek hasn't danced with anyone since..." She stopped talking. She wasn't about to complete that sentence.

"You were going to say since Addison?" Meredith said. She obviously shocked Kelly, because her mouth fell open and she gaped at Meredith. "It's OK. He told me about her."

"He talked to you about Addison?"

Meredith nodded. "See? We are friends."

Kelly closed her mouth and gave Meredith a friendly smile. "Right." She nodded, and then just slipped out of the kitchen, leaving a still very confused Meredith behind.

Ten minutes later, when Meredith still hadn't returned to the living room, Derek went searching for her. The kitchen was deserted, so he continued on through the house. When he entered the sun room, he looked out onto the back patio and saw a dark figure sitting at the table outside near the swimming pool. He opened the glass doors slowly and stepped out into the night.

"Hey." He said softly as he approached the table and sat down next to her. "You OK?"

Meredith nodded. "I'm good. I just needed a little fresh air."

"Trying to think of a new strategy to win?" He asked with a sly smile.

Meredith laughed a little, but shook her head. "No. I think I'm done for the night."

After her conversation with Kelly, Meredith had a million and one thoughts running through her mind. She thought about everything Kelly had said about Derek, and she just needed to time to process everything. There was an attraction between them, she couldn't deny that. The attraction had been there instantly, from the moment they met on the dance floor. She just didn't understand what it meant, or what she should do with it. And there was no way she was going to be able to concentrate on a poker game, especially if Derek was going to continue to lean against her and whisper in her ear like that.

She had come out here to think, but Derek, of course, had found her and was now sitting just as close as he had been inside. Such an intrusion into her thinking time should have probably made her feel annoyed, but she felt just the opposite. Derek's presence actually seemed to calm her down and all anxious thoughts about what might be going on between them seemed to come to an abrupt stop. A warmness surrounded her, and it had nothing to do with the summer's night air.

"You mean to tell me that you're not going to let me win your money?" Derek was teasing her. She turned her head to face him just as he smiled warmly and tugged at her hand playfully.

Meredith didn't answer him, but she smiled back and let her fingers entwine with his. Her hand felt so tiny within his hand, and the warmth that radiated there, seemed to soak both of them to the bone. She scooted over in her chair and silently placed her head on his shoulder. Derek was taken aback by her gestures, but he didn't dare move a muscle. There was obviously something on her mind at the moment, and whatever it was, it was something that was making her feel like she needed more than just a friendly smile or a subtle joke. So, he continued to hold her hand in silent support as she worked through whatever was on her mind.

You mean you're not going to let me win your money? Derek's question lingered in her mind as she stared up at the night sky. She thought about the first night they met and the dance they shared. She thought about the fishing trip and the all night conversation that they had under that big oak tree. She thought about two weeks ago, when he had thrown her into the pool. She thought about all of the smiles and the looks he had been giving her over the past month, the small subtle gestures he had given her, the respectful distance that he had placed between them so that she could sort out the mess that her life had become.

All of these thoughts filled her mind and made her heart swell to unbelievable proportions. Meredith silently placed her free hand against Derek's bicep and squeezed it lightly as she snuggled further against him. No, she thought, I'm not going to let him win my money... because I think he might be trying to win my heart.