"So, which West Coast city are you in again?" Derek asked curiously in their last phone conversation.

"Um, Seattle," Meredith replied tentatively.

"Ah, Seattle. Ferry boats. I have a thing for ferry boats, you know." Even across thousands of miles, his charm was palpable.

"Really?" was the depth of response Meredith could manage.

"Yes, and as a matter of fact, I'll be in Seattle next week for work," Derek added.

"Seattle, Seattle? Like, my Seattle?" Meredith stammered.

"Um, I'm not familiar with Seattle, Seattle," he teased, "let me check my tickets…oh, sorry…I'm going to Seattle, Washington." His voice trailed off as he laughed.

She wondered if he could detect her blushing through the phone.

"Meredith, would you like to meet up while I'm there?" he asked expectantly.

"I don't know," she mumbled. "Maybe we should keep this professional."

"Professional? So you've given your phone number to other neurosurgeons you've met online?"

"And what if I said that I did?" Meredith flirted.

"I might become insanely jealous," Derek shot back.

"Emerald City Bar. It's downtown. I can meet you there around eleven on Thursday. Does that work for you?" Meredith finally conceded. She could go and if he looked like a complete loser, she'd just make up some excuse and pretend she never made it. No real risk, she supposed.

"Emerald City Bar. Thursday. Eleven," he repeated. It sounded like he was writing in the background. "I'll be the good-looking one in the red shirt."

"I'll be the judge of that," Meredith teased.

Meredith sighed as she recalled the last time she heard his voice. It had been almost a week – the longest they had gone without speaking since they initially met online at a neurosurgical discussion board. Meredith had been researching hemispherectomies, and Derek had slowly steered the conversation away from medicine and into a more personal realm. And because she was tired, lonely and temporarily giving up three-dimensional men, she let him.

But now he was going to become a real person with a last name and a face, and her stomach was tied in knots at the prospect. She'd already spent five months chatting, texting, writing, and calling, building him up to be the ideal embodiment of a man, and she wasn't sure she was ready to watch that fantasy come crashing down as she learned that the real life version was less than she imagined. She was starting to regret agreeing to meet him.

She pulled a black dress and heels out of her locker and began changing out of her scrubs. While her encounter with Derek wasn't scheduled for a few more hours, she did have other things to do. The chief had encouraged her to come to a reception being held for some presenters at the symposium the following day, and she couldn't exactly get out of it. Seattle Grace was hosting some of the foremost surgeons in the world for a series of presentations, and Meredith was certainly interested in what they had to say.

Still, the transition from scrubs to a dress was a challenging one, and Meredith struggled to finesse the zipper on the back, tangling her long hair in it in the process.

"Jesus, Mere, dress yourself much? Here," Cristina interrupted as she came into the locker room. She pushed Meredith's hair off to the side and slid the zipper the rest of the way up. "What's got you so dressed up?" she asked.

"Surgepalooza," Meredith responded. "Chief wants me to stop by the reception."

Cristina stuck her tongue out at Meredith, clearly jealous. "My shift doesn't end until after the reception. Have fun with that. Drinks later?"

"Um, maybe. I'll have to see," Meredith evaded.

"What? Expecting some hot doc to whisk you away?" Cristina teased.

Meredith spun around and stared at her nervously. She wondered what she had heard.

Cristina's eyes grew large with surprise. "Did I touch a nerve or something?"

"No. I'm fine," Meredith replied awkwardly. "Just, uncomfortable being dressed up and stuff…I, um, I might just want to go home and change rather than going to Joe's," she lied. "That's all I meant."

"Okay, well call me if you want to go," Cristina instructed before grabbing an apple out of her locker and heading back towards the door.

"Okay," Meredith agreed. Relief flooded over her as she realized that she had covered up her plans with Cristina. She wasn't ready to explain her online affair – certainly not yet and definitely not to Cristina.

Meredith finished brushing her hair and applied a little lip gloss before closing up her locker and heading towards the reception area. She couldn't say that she was terribly excited about going, but it sure beat watching the clock tick away the hours in anticipation of meeting Derek.

The private reception area was nicely decorated with white table cloths and trays of hors d'oeuvres. A man in a black tie and vest stood in the corner pouring glasses of white and red wines, and jazz music played softly in the background – a stark contrast from the beeping and pulsing of machines throughout the rest of the hospital. There was a good sized crowd present – close to 50 people – and within moments Meredith had scanned the room and located the chief standing in an area talking to a few men. She took a deep breath and started off in that direction, deciding that she may as well make her presence known to him so he knew she had listened to his suggestion and stopped by. Even if she decided not to stay, he needed to know that she was there.

"Good evening, Dr. Webber," Meredith interrupted politely as she stood behind the chief. Two of the men in the conversation moved off towards the food table, leaving Richard with an attractive younger man beside him.

"Ah, Dr. Grey, I'm so glad that you could join us," he smiled as he gazed upon the younger image of Ellis Grey. "Dr. Grey, meet Dr. Shepherd, one of the foremost neurosurgeons in the country."

Meredith's eyes caught the intense blue eyes of the stranger before her, and they didn't let her go as he reached for her hand.

"Please, just call me Derek," he spoke.

Meredith's heart began to race and her palm felt sweaty as she slipped her hand in his.

I'll be the good-looking guy in the red shirt…

"Derek?" she repeated, certain that she must have misunderstood him.

He flashed a swoon-worthy grin at her and nodded, expecting her to reveal her own first name.

"I'm, um, Meredith. Meredith Grey," she stammered. She heard the words coming out of her mouth, but she had no idea what she had said or if she even knew her own name anymore. This was too much of a coincidence.

Derek's eyes sparkled with recognition as she announced her full name, and he held onto her hand, shaking it a little longer than normal introductory protocol would dictate.

"Derek is going to be our keynote speaker tomorrow," Richard explained, completely oblivious to the sparks flying before him. "You could learn a lot from him, Dr. Grey."

"And I'd love to have the opportunity to teach you," Derek smiled mischievously.

"I'm sure," Meredith shot back, still in shock. She could feel heat spreading through her body, turning her cheeks a deep crimson that almost certainly matched Derek's shirt.

"If you'll excuse me, I see someone else that I need to talk to, but Derek – we'll continue this conversation later," the chief announced politely as he started off across the room towards another group of doctors.

"So, Meredith," Derek started as a smile spread across his lips and reached the outer corners of her eyes.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded awkwardly. She bit her lip and rolled onto her tip-toes nervously as she searched for something to say.

"I have to admit that I'm surprised to see you here," Derek confessed. "I expected that I would be suffering here at least three hours in a room full of old men before I got the reward of seeing you."

"You know, you could have mentioned that you were speaking at this conference," Meredith argued.

"Would you have wanted me more if you knew that in advance?" he asked.

"Who says that I want you now?" she replied quickly, trying to diffuse the conversation before it went anywhere too awkward.

"You do. I'm irresistible," he commented arrogantly as he leaned towards her. A brief scent of his crisp aftershave radiated from his body and overwhelmed Meredith's senses, making her attraction to him build.

"You're pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?" she asked, trying to regain her composure.

Derek shrugged and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I'm just sure that I'm glad I suggested we meet," he beamed. "What do you say we duck out of here early?"

Meredith flashed a lopsided grin at the suggestion. "I don't know…"

"C'mon, you've already been spotted by Richard. How many other people did you want to talk to here tonight?" Derek persuaded. He moved in closer, to a level that definitely violated her personal space and made it look like they were more than colleagues, but Meredith didn't bother to step back. If anything, she was tempted to push the boundaries and move in even closer.

"I guess we could go," Meredith whispered.

"Great!" Derek responded. He moved his hand to the small of her back, sending electric chills through her body as they walked towards the door. "Do you have a coat or anything?"

"Um, it's in the locker room, I think," Meredith recalled.

"Okay. Lead the way," Derek encouraged as he followed behind her.

Meredith walked through the corridor towards the elevator. The hallway was relatively empty for a Friday night, and she was relieved that they had some privacy as she tried to regroup herself. She pressed the button to go down to the second floor, and shifted nervously as the elevator made its way up to them. Derek continued to let his hand linger against the fabric of her dress, and the nearness of his body to hers made her pulse race.

"You know, you never mentioned how stunningly beautiful you are," Derek flirted. "I told you that I was good-looking, but you never said anything about yourself." He leaned in closer to her, hovering so closely that she could feel his warm, moist breath against her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

Meredith smiled uncomfortably, trying not to melt at the compliment.

The elevator doors opened, and Meredith broke away temporarily, moving into the empty steel cavern. Derek strolled in confidently beside her, his gaze completely fixed on her body. The feel of his eyes on her was enough to take her breath away, and she found herself having to remember to inhale and exhale – the actions weren't involuntary anymore.

"So, when you're out on the prowl," Meredith started as she leaned against the pillows of her bed, the red sheets caressing her skin as she held the phone to her ear.

"On the prowl?" Derek repeated mockingly.

"You know…trying to pick up women and woo them with your charms…"

"Definitely lots of wooing. I'm good with the woo," he teased.

"Would you let me finish my sentence?" Meredith pouted.

"Of course. Fire away," he sighed amusedly.

"What attracts you to someone?" she inquired curiously.

"I wish I could pinpoint something," Derek admitted. "It's just – a spark, something indescribable. I just know…which is probably not very helpful in answering your question…" he stammered.

Meredith frowned, slightly disappointed that he couldn't give her more insight. "Have you experienced that a lot?" she wondered aloud.

"No, actually. Only once or twice. It's just…there's a moment when I realize that I'm incredibly attracted to someone, and I can't stop thinking about her. It's like I'm living in a different atmosphere, and I need her to breathe. The world stops, and she's all I want."

"Sounds intense," Meredith responded. She twirled the long strands of hair around her finger longingly as she tried to imagine feeling that way about someone.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Derek replied. She could tell that he was smiling by the tone of his voice.

They sat on the phone in temporary silence, both thinking the same thing, but neither ready to say it first. Finally Derek broke the silence.

"What do you think would happen if we met? In person."

Meredith exhaled loudly, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. "I don't know," she avoided.

"Do you think we'd have that connection? That spark?" he prodded.

"Maybe."

"I wish we could find out. I definitely feel the emotional and intellectual connection," Derek confessed.

Meredith closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like to meet him and have a physical dimension to their relationship. It was frustrating to feel completely strung out on his texts, emails, and phone calls and not have any tangible relationship to show for it. If she ever decided to start dating again, she feared that she'd be ruined for all other guys.

"Meredith, are you okay? You seem a little distracted," Derek asked, interrupting her thoughts. The elevator door closed in front of them, giving them complete privacy.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just…you're here," she murmured.

Derek turned towards her, bracing his hands against her arms gently and caressing soft circles of warmth up and down her bare skin. His eyes gazed on her longingly, as if they were asking a million questions but hoping for a single answer.

Yes.

After what seemed like years, Derek leaned in and kissed her, nipping softly at her lower lip to test her interest in his physical gesture. Her body relaxed and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him towards her and inviting him to intensify his kiss. She spread her lips and felt his tongue press eagerly into her mouth, triggering a wave of sensation throughout her body. It was as if she were floating away into a world of complete bliss, and she never wanted to land. It was passionate, erotic, and personal, and when the elevator door announced their arrival and swung open, it was over.

Meredith stepped back, trying to catch her breath. Her skin was flushed and incredibly sensitive, and Derek smiled warmly, a combination of pleasure and surprise mixing in his features. He reached for her hand, as if he was unwilling to eliminate the physical contact between them as they started walking towards the locker room.

If this wasn't the indescribable spark Derek had alluded to, then Meredith wondered if she'd ever find it. This was certainly the most intense first meeting she had ever experienced, and she was secretly thankful that they were starting the evening together so much earlier than they had originally planned.

"So, this is the legendary Seattle Grace," Derek observed as he escorted Meredith through the corridor. More than a couple nurses craned their necks and arched their eyebrows at the mystery man accompanying Meredith Grey. If Cristina hadn't suspected anything before, she certainly would after the gossip trickled back to her in some discombobulated mess of facts and speculation.

"It is," Meredith replied awkwardly, the kiss in the elevator still rendering her relatively speechless.

"Do you like it here?" Derek inquired.

Meredith turned to look at him, trying to sense what kind of information he was looking for.

"I like it a lot, actually. The program is excellent, and I've met some wonderful people," she explained as she pushed her way into the locker room, relieved to find it empty.

Derek surveyed the surroundings as he followed Meredith to her locker. Posters and stickers littered the walls as if it was an extension of high school and not a serious realm for students practicing medicine.

"I hear that the locker rooms for residents and attendings are much nicer," Meredith interjected, reading his mind.

"No, this is fine. It has a certain charm about it," Derek replied.

Meredith withdrew her hand from Derek's to work the combination lock on her locker. She always wondered why she even bothered to have it. It wasn't as if she ever kept anything terribly valuable at work anyway, and right now, it seemed to be holding up her contact with Derek. She quickly yanked the steel door open and retrieved her coat and purse, draping each over her arm so she could close the locker again.

Derek smiled at her, perfectly reflecting her own feelings of giddiness. He took the coat from her arm and opened it up for her, guiding her arms through the sleeves and gently smoothing the fabric over her shoulders. The sensation of his fingers gliding over her body provided far more warmth than the dark blue trench coat. She spun towards him, hair flurrying behind her, and was surprised when he grabbed onto the ends of the belt, using them to pull her towards him. He tied the belt snugly against her waist, watching how the fabric hugged her slender curves. His line of sight trailed up her body burning a path of desire along the way before meeting her eyes. He silently slid his hand around the nape of her neck, lifting any stray hairs trapped below her collar.

She wondered if he could feel the hairs standing on end at his touch. She had never felt so entranced by anyone. If this continued, they'd never make it through the night without ending up in bed together…not that she had firmly decided that was a bad thing.

"Okay, you need to stop," Meredith asserted firmly.

Derek withdrew his hand, his expression dropping in disappointment. "Stop what?" he pouted.

"The looks," she huffed.

"What looks?" he replied, still confused.

"The looks like you're imagining me naked. In bed. With you."

Derek grinned guiltily.

"There will be no sex tonight. We just met, and you're apparently some hot shot neurosurgical god who is amazingly attractive, but there will be no sex. Not tonight," she insisted. She wondered if he could sense from the tone of her voice that her proclamation was more to convince herself.

"Whatever you say, Meredith," he replied. She detected that he was mocking her, but she couldn't confidently call him out on it. She couldn't confidently do much of anything right now.

"So, I was thinking we could head over to Joe's," she suggested, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Joe's?" Derek asked as he followed her back out into the hallway.

"Emerald City Bar. Joe is the owner. It's just across the street," she explained. "They have good food and darts and music."

"Sounds fine with me," Derek agreed.

The two walked side by side down the stairs to the lobby level of the hospital and through the main entrance. While they tried to remain casual as they walked, they invariably found themselves bumping into each other, as if there was some magnetic attraction drawing them closer and closer. By the third time that it happened, Derek simply laughed nervously and reached for her hand, rationalizing that they could steady each other.

Meredith showed no signs of resistance.

Joe's was moderately crowded, but Meredith managed to find a table near the bar. She quickly scanned the room for her friends and was relieved to see that they weren't there to witness her first date with her mystery man. Joe smiled and waved at Meredith, nodding in Derek's direction, and she quickly smiled back, appreciative of the encouragement. Meanwhile, Derek waited patiently beside her, oblivious to her telepathic conversation with the bartender.

"What can I get you to drink?" Derek asked as she removed her coat.

"Tequila," Meredith replied instinctively. "No, wait…just a water with lime," she concluded.

Derek tilted his head curiously at her, surprised by her request. "You're not going to drink?"

"No, we might drive somewhere later, and I want complete control of my faculties with you," she explained.

"Okay, one glass of water coming right up," Derek announced as he ambled toward the bar. Meredith watched as Derek reached the bar and struck up a conversation with Joe. She detected from their occasional glances in her direction that they were talking about her, but she couldn't quite make out what was being said.

Derek took two glasses from Joe and walked back towards her, meandering through the crowd. She quickly grabbed a couple peanuts to shell so it didn't look like she had been watching him the whole time.

"Your water," Derek said as he placed the tall glass in front of her and sat in the chair beside her.

"Thanks," she mumbled awkwardly. Whenever they were on the phone, Meredith felt like they could talk for hours. Now that he was inches away from her, she was at a complete loss for words. Maybe it's a sign…

"Did you have dinner already?" Derek asked as he looked at the menu of bar food at their table.

"Yeah, I had a bite at the hospital cafeteria before the reception," she answered as she swirled the ice cubes in her beverage with the long red straw.

Derek nodded and set the menu down. "Yeah, I guess I ate too. It wasn't anything terribly exciting…maybe we can get pizza or something later?"

"That sounds good," she agreed. She looked up from her glass and made eye contact with him, watching as an equally nervous smile stretched across his lips.

"This is weird isn't it," he admitted.

"A little," Meredith nodded.

"It's like it's our first date, but I already know you so well. I just can't get my bearings," Derek confessed.

"Me neither," Meredith sighed, relieved that he felt the same way.

"And we've already had our first kiss, so we know that the physical chemistry is there," he continued, swirling his scotch around the sides of his tumbler.

Meredith blushed. Saying they had physical chemistry was the understatement of the century. Now that they were together, she couldn't abate the conflicted feelings welling inside of her. On the one hand, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and ravage his body in what would certainly be mind-blowing sex. On the other hand, she didn't want a sample of something she couldn't keep. Derek would be back on a plane soon, and the goodbye would be difficult enough without sex thrown in the mix. Still, she couldn't help but entertain the possibility despite her protestations to the contrary.

Derek took a deep breath and reached for a couple peanuts of his own. His fingers worked nimbly at the shells, breaking them open and exhuming the contents in record time.

"So, how long have you been in Seattle?" he finally asked.

"Most of my life, actually. I grew up here, but I went as far away as possible for college, and I travelled a bit," she explained.

"Do you still have family here?" Derek prodded. She never really talked about her family in their previous conversations, a decision that wasn't unintentional. She just never felt comfortable bringing it up.

"Um, my mom is here still, but I don't really know my dad," she admitted.

Derek nodded, clearly deciding not to push the daddy issue. "Well, I'm sure your mom is happy to have you back in Seattle. And proud of your neurosurgical aspirations," he grinned supportively.

"You obviously don't know my mother," Meredith laughed uncomfortably.

He looked at her, surprised by the reaction.

"She was a surgeon as well, and she leaves some pretty big shoes to fill," Meredith admitted. She took a long swig of her water, watching Derek's reaction.

His expression glossed with confusion before brightening with realization. "Grey…Grey…Ellis Grey?" he stammered.

"You got it," Meredith nodded.

"Wow, I can't believe I never made the connection that you are Ellis Grey's daughter. I met her once, you know," Derek confessed.

"How did that work out for you?" Meredith asked, terrified of the horror story potential of anyone's encounter with the unstoppable Ellis Grey.

Derek laughed. "I was younger and perhaps a bit too arrogant about my skills – eager to show off. She was quick to put me in my place," he recalled good-naturedly.

"That sounds like my mother," Meredith admitted.

"Huh. So what's it like to grow up the daughter of a legend?" Derek interrogated. He seemed genuinely curious.

"It's about as miserable as you might expect. And to get me to say more, I would clearly need to be drinking," she teased.

"I can fix that, you know," he grinned back.

"Maybe later," Meredith flirted.

They continued to banter and talk about places to go and things to do in Seattle while they finished their drinks. They had clearly managed to break through the awkward conversation phase of the evening, and before long they were laughing and joking like old friends. It was only ten o'clock, and the bar was starting to crowd with hospital workers finishing their shifts. Meredith and Derek concluded that they should move on and find somewhere else to go. Derek paid their tab and walked her back to the hospital parking lot.

"So where are you taking me next, Meredith? For all I know, you could be taking me back to your place to keep me hostage," Derek joked.

Meredith pointed out her car, unlocking the doors so they could get inside. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride, Derek, and I promise it will be worth it."

She turned out of the hospital parking lot, planning to take Derek to a place she visited often.

The ride was quiet. Derek sank back in his seat, staring out the window, lost in his thoughts. Meredith wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was. For once, the cosmos seemed to be rewarding Meredith Grey for her struggles.

Meredith turned into a parking lot and found an empty space. A sign for the Washington State Ferry hung overhead.

"We're here," Meredith announced as Derek continued staring out the window.

"You remembered," he sighed as he took in the sight of a gigantic ferryboat on the water. The salty sea air flooded his senses as he got out of the car and rushed to Meredith's side, helping her out of the car as well. He enveloped her in a hug, wrapping his strong, muscular arms around her thin frame.

"How could I forget? I don't know many people who have a thing for ferryboats," Meredith replied as she led him to the ticket counter and purchased two round trip tickets to Bainbridge Island.

The passenger deck was largely empty because it was so late on a weeknight. Most of the commuters had already gone home for the evening, and traffic to Bainbridge Island was particularly light at this time of night. It was a thirty-five minute ferry ride there, and they would only have a couple hours to stroll around the island, but she knew that it would be the perfect spot to continue their date.

Derek and Meredith strolled casually on the outside deck, hands intertwined as they talked. The night air was crisp and moist, but Meredith didn't even notice the goosebumps forming on her skin, and Derek was quick to draw her closer to him the moment he noticed.

"Do you want to go inside?" he offered as he blanketed her in his arms. Meredith had her back to him as they both stared out at the Seattle skyline, the wind blowing through her hair.

"I'm fine here for now, but maybe on the way back," she replied as she settled against his body.

Derek moved her hair off to one side, giving him complete access to the curve of her neck down to her collarbone. She felt her heart race as he leaned in and started a trail of moist, hot kisses under her earlobe, drawing her closer and closer to him.

Yours. All. Yours.

She tilted her head to the side, easing his access to her extremely sensitive skin, and closed her eyes. "Derek," she murmured.

"I can't help myself," he grumbled hungrily. "It's…you're…here."

"I am."

"I can see you and taste you and touch you," he growled between kisses.

"It's pretty great, isn't it?" she moaned. She broke away and turned around to face him, her eyes heavy with desire. He couldn't be the only one to see and taste and touch. She smoothed her hands over his chest, flattening her palms against his pectoral muscles and imagining the warm skin beneath his shirt.

His hands drifted along her body, settling on her hips as he eliminated all space between them. Their eyes met, and immediately, instinctively, their lips meshed and tongues tangled passionately. Meredith felt as if fire was flooding her veins as she pushed against him, sandwiched between this familiar stranger and the cold, steel rails of the platform. A million people could have been watching them, and she wouldn't have stopped. She was completely lost in his world, and she had no inclination to leave.

Eventually Derek pulled away, tipping his forehead down to lean against hers. "We can't do this…now," he panted.

Meredith sighed in disappointment.

"I want to do this, believe me. It's just…we're on a ferry, and you turn me on so much. I just…I really want to be alone with you," he explained.

"Okay," Meredith agreed. Did I really say there would be no sex tonight? It's not really a first date. We know each other. And it's not like the first date restriction has stopped me before. And he's only in town for a short time…Within moments she had rationalized exactly where the night was certain to lead.

The ferry docked at Bainbridge Island, and they casually strolled the nearby streets, settling on a coffee shop to pass the time until the last ferry back to Seattle.

"How would you compare New York and Seattle?" Meredith asked before Derek fed her a bite of his chocolate cheesecake. Her lips dragged against the fork, anxious to get every last morsel before Derek took the utensil away.

"No comparison, really. They're two totally different worlds," Derek responded quickly. "But if I must…"

"You must," Meredith teased.

"New York is obviously bigger and has a much larger nightlife – not that I'm at all complaining about our activities this evening," Derek quickly clarified.

"I hope not," she pouted as she washed down her dessert with hot coffee.

"Definitely not. This is amazing, Meredith. I never get to do things like this in New York – the city is so congested, opportunities for nights like this just don't exist."

"But you like the big city?" she prodded.

Derek shrugged. "There are some things I like about it. The night life and the proximity to my family are definitely upsides. But Manhattan wears on you after a while. And I'm more the outdoorsy type. I'd much rather live in a trailer on some tract of land with a lake and my fishing pole than fight traffic to my brownstone every night."

"Well, we certainly have plenty of greenery here in Seattle," Meredith responded.

"Are you trying to convince me to move out here?" he interrogated. He quirked a wry, reassuring smile in her direction as he waited for her answer.

Meredith blushed uncomfortably. She wanted to scream yes at the top of her lungs, but it was much too forward for her. She reminded herself to enjoy the time they had together, limited though it may be, and accept that there wouldn't be anything more.

Derek laughed at her reaction. She didn't need to say anything for him to know exactly what she was thinking.

"Have you ever been to New York?" Derek asked.

"I visited a few times when I was in college and med school. Weekends with friends mostly," she recalled.

"But did you have a tour guide as excellent as me?"

"Well, I've never taken the Derek Shepherd guided tour," she joked. "I can't really compare."

"You'll have to try it sometime," he grinned.

"I will," she promised.

The final ferry back to Seattle left at 12:55, and they rushed back to the dock just in time to make it. They found themselves practically alone on the boat once again, but this time, they opted for the comfort and warmth of the indoor seating area. They settled in together near a window. Derek wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gently kissed the top of her head, breathing her in. If they hadn't had the caffeine infusion at the coffee shop, Meredith was certain she would have fallen asleep, as warm and comfortable as she felt nestled against him. But she was wide awake, and she had no intention of wasting a single second of their time together.

"Where are you staying in Seattle?" she asked.

"Some Marriott near the hospital. Pretty standard boring lonely room," he answered.

"Aww, that sounds so sad," Meredith teased. She wondered if he was intentionally pointing out that it was lonely. She suspected he said it on purpose.

"It is. Poor Dr. Shepherd, hiding his secret pain alone at night," he mocked himself.

"Secret pain?"

"Not really," he laughed.

She smiled, finding herself suddenly nervous. "Do you want to come over to my place?" she whispered. "It's no Marriott, but I have a fireplace and we could…hang out, or something." Jesus, Mere, are you fourteen? Did you seriously just ask him to hang out at your place?

If Derek detected her awkward nervousness, he didn't let on. "I'd really like that," he answered.

"Yeah, me too," Meredith sighed.

The remainder of the ferry ride and the subsequent drive home went by quickly. Meredith was relieved to see that none of her roommates were home, or, if they were, they weren't awake. She wasn't prepared to explain this relationship yet, and she wanted to keep Derek entirely to herself as long as possible.

"You live here?" Derek asked as she parked the car and fumbled to take her keys out of the ignition. "On an intern's salary?"

"It was my mother's," Meredith explained. She opened her door and led the way to the front porch, their path illuminated by motion-sensing lights.

Derek looked at her with concern. "Does she…"

"Don't worry. She doesn't live here anymore. I have a few roommates, but it doesn't look like they're home either. They all work at the hospital," Meredith explained as she unlocked the front door and flipped on the foyer light.

"Got it," Derek nodded.

Meredith gave him a quick tour of the main level and left him to start the fireplace while she found some beer in the refrigerator. Now that she had decided to let him come over to her house, she decided to give up her alcohol prohibition.

"So, not only are you speaking at the symposium tomorrow, but you're the keynote speaker?" Meredith questioned as she passed him a beer and settled on the floor next to him. While she always detected that he was brilliantly smart throughout their conversations, she didn't realize how highly regarded he was in the field. The symposium planning committee spent months choosing speakers, and selection for the keynote position was incredibly competitive. Meredith couldn't help but feel proud of Derek for being selected.

"Guilty as charged," Derek responded.

"What are you going to talk about?" she pressed, genuinely interested.

Derek held up his hands. "I'm not going to waste our time together tonight spouting off about brains when the only one I'm interested in right now is yours. If you want to know, you'll have to come and see me tomorrow."

"What time is your presentation at?" she inquired.

"It's later this morning…eight, I think," he mumbled.

"Derek, that's less than six hours from now," she pointed out, surprised at how unconcerned he seemed to be.

"So what are you saying? Do you want to call it a night?" Derek asked, his eyes falling with disappointment.

"No, I don't. But sleep…don't you think you should sleep?" Meredith prodded.

"I'll sleep afterwards," he replied coolly. "Have you ever been to one of these?"

Meredith shook her head no.

"You'll sleep too. Trust me," he teased. "Just not through mine," he quickly added.

"I haven't committed to going to yours yet," she pointed out.

"You're going. You wouldn't miss it," he replied confidently. He leaned forward and kissed her, using their chemistry to emphasize his point.

Meredith instantly melted like an ice cube held over a flame. There was no point in resisting him. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and tangled her fingers in his hair.

"When do you have to go home?" Meredith asked sadly as she pulled away. She could feel herself becoming overly attached already. She was falling far too hard for this man, and she knew saying goodbye would be difficult.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" Derek pouted smugly.

"Quite the contrary," Meredith admitted in a moment of emotional weakness. "I just want to know how much time we have left together before you leave."

Derek smiled warmly, his eyes sparkling radiantly in the glow of the fireplace. "My flight is scheduled for Sunday afternoon," he admitted. "And I'm hoping to spend the rest of the weekend with you…if you don't mind…"

Meredith blushed. "That would be good," she replied as calmly as she could muster. "I'll need to trade a couple shifts to get the time off, but I think I can work something out."

Derek slid his arm around Meredith's waist, pulling her closer to him. His head nuzzled against her hair softly, and she heard him take a deep breath, savoring her scent. Everything about the evening had been far better than she had expected. Never in her late night post-phone call fantasies or intermittent email breaks did she expect their first encounter to be anything like this.

"If you need to spend some time at the hospital this weekend, I don't mind. I'd like to spend some time there, too," Derek murmured. His voice was low and gravelly, dripping with apprehensive desire.

"Why would you want to hang out there? Are you that much of a surgery junkie?" Meredith asked. She turned towards him to gauge his reaction. An expression of amusement radiated from her face.

"It will help me make an informed decision," he replied.

Meredith's brow furrowed with confusion. "Decision about what, exactly?"

"About moving to Seattle. Richard offered me a job as Chief of Neurosurgery," Derek confessed.

"What?" Meredith shrieked, pulling away from him.

Derek shrugged innocently. "I knew before I got here that I was getting the job offer. It's part of the reason I wanted to meet you – to see if there's any potential for us. I didn't want to say anything in case things didn't seem to work between us. But Meredith…" his voice trailed off into a whisper. "Tonight, with you…it's been amazing. I know we just met, but I feel like I've known you…forever. And I'd really like to give this a try – to move our relationship away from the online world and into one where I can see and touch you…"

Meredith relaxed back towards him. She wanted that too.

"Wow, Derek…This is…a lot…" she stammered. Her head was spinning at the possibilities.

"I know. It is a lot. Richard has made an incredibly persuasive offer, and I probably would have seriously considered it even if things didn't go well between us. But I have to admit, Richard holds nothing over you," he reassured.

"So you'll be moving to Seattle?" she voiced in shock.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice brimming with excitement.

"And you'll be Chief of Neuro…you'll be my boss, Derek," she realized.

"Well, only at work," he teased. He leaned in and kissed her neck, knowing there was no chance she'd resist.

"But…you…" she floundered, unable to form a coherent thought with him so close to her, kissing her.

"I'll explain it to Richard. It will be fine," he soothed as he slid the strap of her dress off her shoulder and ran his thumb against her soft skin.

"Okay," she breathed as his lips trailed along her collarbone and towards her sternum before dipping into the valley between her breasts. There was nothing she could say or do to resist him, and she knew with absolute certainty that she didn't want to anyway.

Derek's fingers located the zipper on her dress and carefully slid it lower, exposing the lacy black bra beneath as the dress started to fall towards her hips. Meredith closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, her heart racing in her chest.

"Are you sure about the no sex tonight policy?" he inquired. The coarse stubble on his jaw grazed her newly revealed skin, tickling her sensitive nerve endings.

"I'm not sure of anything right now," she murmured as she ran her fingers through his curls. "But I'm not saying no. I'm definitely not saying no."

"Good," he whispered. "Neither am I." He paused to grab a couple pillows from the couch and placed them down on the floor for Meredith to lean back onto. She reached for his shirt and started fiddling with the buttons, slowed by the fact that her eyes were entranced by his and not focused on the task her hands were working to complete. There was something luring her to his gaze, and it wasn't just the reflection from the flames in the fireplace.

Once his shirt was unbuttoned, Derek quickly removed it and threw it onto the couch. Meredith slid her dress off the remainder of the way and did the same. Her skin was flushed and warm, but the heat showed no signs of dissipating as Derek slid his hands around her body to work on unfastening her bra, drawing her closer in the process. She could smell the musky scent of his aftershave, and his skin was starting to glisten with sweat. Her lips nuzzled against his neck while her hands glided along his muscular back. Eventually he managed to slide her bra off each shoulder and toss the lacy black garment aside. He practically growled in delight at the sight of her naked torso, and she lazily leaned back against the pile of pillows, anxiously anticipating his further exploration of her body.

He cupped her breasts in his hands, drawing her nipples into hardened peaks with his tongue and mouth. She squirmed beneath him as the sensation rippled lower through her body, and her fingernails resumed grazing his back only to discover that his hips and waist were just out of reach. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she bit her lower lip, trying to stifle the longing moans from escaping.

Derek continued to drag his tongue lower, kissing a trail towards her navel and then lower still. She arched her back and splayed her legs further apart, inviting him to touch and taste and tease, but he chose to carefully circumvent her black panties and kiss along her inner thigh instead. She reached for the cushions under her head and balled the corners in her fists in an effort to resist touching herself. She was getting so worked up that she expected any touch of her wet sex could trigger instant orgasm.

Derek's hands slid along her hips, gripping the elastic of her panties. Rather than pull them off, however, he started kissing her through the garment, gently nudging her oversensitive nub through the fabric in a way that left her begging him to go further. He soon pulled away and accommodated, leaving her completely naked before him.

He wordlessly resumed kissing her, trailing circles between her clitoris and vagina with his tongue. She writhed against the carpet in ecstasy, longing for so much more than his tongue to dip inside her. He eventually settled into suckling her clit, and carefully slid two fingers inside her, building a rhythm that almost instantly sent her spiraling into orbit. Her hips bucked against him, and delighted whimpers escaped her lips before her body relaxed from its frenzy.

Derek pulled away and grinned with masculine pride. "I'm not done with you yet," he whispered.

"Good," she managed back as she sat up and helped him undo the pants that he was visibly straining against. She slid her hands beneath the waistband of his pants and boxers, easing them down his thighs and allowing his cock to spring out from the confines of his clothing. Her eyes grew wide with lust at the sight of him, and she quickly enveloped his shaft in her hands, circling its wet tip with her tongue. She watched as Derek located his wallet and withdrew a condom. He tore at the wrapper and pulled out a green condom. She quickly took it from him and helped him roll it on, falling back in shock when it began to glow.

"Glow in the Dark condoms? Seriously?" she gasped.

He smiled impishly at her. "Just one more thing to make the experience memorable," he teased.

Meredith laughed. "It's just…"

"What?" he said, only slightly defensive as he lowered her back down onto the pillows and nudged her legs apart.

"Is there a light saber in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" she giggled uncontrollably.

"You better watch it or I'll pull you to the Dark Side," he chuckled back. Their eyes locked once again and Meredith's fit of laughter subsided. She bit her lower lip in anticipation as he hovered over her, and she found herself completely mesmerized by his deep blue eyes.

Derek gently gripped Meredith's hips and tilted her up as he slid inside of her, both gasping at the tight fit. It had been months since Meredith had been with anyone like this, and she felt herself involuntarily contracting around him, creating whole new levels of friction. His hands moved under her shoulders, pulling her down towards him as he kissed her neck and established a slowly building rhythm that let her feel every inch of him pushing in and slipping out.

"Oh god, I want to do this for hours," Derek grumbled, barely audible.

Meredith smiled, knowing full well that they'd be doing this several more times over the span of the weekend. She met his mouth with hers and began rocking her hips against him, intensifying the pace in the process. Within moments they couldn't control themselves any longer. Both climaxed amidst a flurry of excited moans and movements before Derek collapsed on top of her small frame. The weight of his body pinning her to the floor left her almost as breathless as the orgasm before it.

"Wow. That was…" she started.

"Yeah," he grinned as he cut her off. He rolled off of her, suddenly aware of his propensity to crush her, and basked in the flickering glow of the fireplace.

Meredith watched in awe as the shadows danced along his chest, tangling in the dark tufts of hair that cascaded along his sternum and feathered out around his stomach. She turned on her side and propped her head on her hand, unable to resist the temptation of running her fingers along his body.

"Well, I feel as though your no sex rule was successful," Derek teased as he intercepted her hand and drew it up to his mouth.

"Absolutely," Meredith murmured as she snuggled against him. "I think I'll have to extend that rule for the rest of the weekend."

Derek laughed. "You'll have to give me a few minutes to recover, at least. I've been out of commission a while."

"Out of commission? Really?" Meredith reacted.

Derek forced an awkward smile and exhaled. "Yeah, I haven't been with anyone in months."

"How long?" she pried. Ordinarily she wouldn't have forced a conversation like this on the heels of having sex, but she was genuinely curious. She didn't suspect that Derek Shepherd was someone who lacked opportunities.

"How long have we been in communication?" he asked.

Meredith shrugged. "Four months, maybe."

"Well, then it's been about six or seven," Derek replied. "And you?"

"Something like that," she replied vaguely. Although she had given up on men several months ago, she had no interest in creating the possibility for discussion of her string of one night stands leading up to that decision.

Derek smiled warmly and kissed her cheek before sitting up and searching for his underwear. "Can you point me towards the bathroom?" he asked as he snagged his boxers from the arm of the chair and stood up. The glow in the dark condom still glowed slightly against him, and Meredith once again fought to suppress a giggle.

"Through the kitchen, second door on the right."

"Thanks," Derek answered politely as he quickly followed her directions.

Meredith reached for the mauve chenille afghan on the back of the couch and wrapped it around her as she got up and wandered towards the kitchen for a glass of water. She found a clean glass inside the dishwasher, and walked over to the refrigerator to use the ice and water dispenser, carefully listening the whole time for signs that Derek would be on his way back to her. Within seconds she heard the bathroom door open and his footsteps through the hall, heading towards the kitchen.

"Hi," she said shyly as she leaned against the cold door of the refrigerator.

The sound of her voice apparently startled him as he jumped back slightly before smiling at her. "Hi," he answered, and he changed direction to walk towards her rather than return to the living room.

She offered him the glass of water, and he took a small sip, never taking his eyes off her in the process.

"It's after three," Meredith observed as she read the digital clock on the microwave. "What do you want to do?"

"Well," Derek sighed, "there's no real point in sleeping since I have to be back up so soon."

Meredith bit down on her lower lip, quelling her excitement that they wouldn't be ending their evening together yet.

"I'm going to need to go back to my hotel at some point to change. Maybe we could go back there now, catch a movie on pay-per-view…"

"What kind of movie?" Meredith challenged. She let the afghan slide down off her shoulders so that it barely covered her breasts.

"Any one you want," he stammered. She watched as the pace of his breathing escalated slightly and his skin flushed.

"I'll need some clothes," Meredith whispered, dropping the blanket to the floor.

"Yeah," he agreed half-heartedly.

She leaned forward and met his mouth with hers. Her body pressed against him firmly, and she could feel him becoming aroused again beneath his boxers.

"My clothes are upstairs in my bedroom," she murmured as she pulled away. She could feel his heavy, moist breaths against her face as she continued to hover close. "Do you want to come upstairs and help me find something to wear?"

"You lead, and I'll follow," he replied. His voice quivered with longing, and she answered with another passionate kiss before taking his hand and guiding him upstairs.