Headin' down south to the land of the pines,
I've been thumbin' my way into North Caroline,
Starting up the and pray that I see headlights,
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours,
Picking me a bouquet of Dogwood flowers,
And I've been a-hoppin' for Raleigh,
I can see my baby tonight

Nothing was better than a fresh start. She needed it. There were things that happened in her life that she just could not come to terms with in any way anymore. She didn't want to say she was running away. Okay. Maybe part of her was running away, but there was nothing to follow her. She was just a twenty-two year old in search of a new home to focus her career as a writer. That was it.

Blasting her music, in her tiny electric blue coupe, Meredith Grey pulled over to stretch her legs. She had been in the car since two am, as soon as she finished her last shift in her home state of New Jersey. Meredith walked over to the scenic view and almost lost her breath. She was staring into straight beauty. "Excuse me?"

The blonde spun around so fast, her hair twirled in front of her face. No. Now. Now she was staring into the beauty. "Y-Yes?"

"You popped your tire when you pulled in the parking spot. Knowing this area, I'm thinking you hit a nail," This stranger was absolutely breath taking. He had such dark brown, almost black hair, pushed back and to the side. His eyes matched the color of the ocean. In a tank top, she could see the outline of his muscles. "I uh, can help you, if you have a spare?"

Meredith shook her head, realizing she was just staring straight into his soul. "Oh, yeah! Sorry, I've been driving straight for eight hours. My spare is in the trunk," She paused, "Under all my luggage."

"Well, let's get started then," This stranger flashed his perfect smile at her.

Running from the cold up in New England,
I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band,
My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now,
Oh, north country winters keep a-getting me down,
Lost my money playing poker so I had to leave town,
But I ain't turning back to living that old life no more,
So rock me momma like a wagon wheel,
Rock me momma any way you feel,
Hey momma rock me

In the thirty minutes it took to unload Meredith's trunk, she had learned this stranger was twenty-six, lived in the outer banks, as well, and his name was Derek Shepherd. His name was even amazing. "You sure brought a lot for vacation, my friend."

"Oh, I'm not vacationing," Meredith shut her trunk, turning around. "I'm moving here."

"Ah," A smile spread across Derek's lips. "That makes much more sense, then."

"Yeah," She laughed, twisting her watch around in place. There was a moment of silence before Meredith broke it. "Can I pay you for helping me? I think I have some cash left over from the tolls."

"Definitely not," Derek shook his head. "Let me tell you what. When I run into you one night, you can buy me a drink."

She smiled, "That sounds perfect."

"Well, I'll let you get to moving again. It was a sure pleasure to meet you, Ms. Meredith Grey."

"You as well," She couldn't help but smile from ear to ear before stepping back into her car. She took a deep breath. Meredith could just not stop smiling.

So rock me momma like a wagon wheel
Rock me momma any way you feel
Hey momma rock me
Oh, rock me momma like the wind and the rain
Rock me momma like a south bound train
Hey, hey momma rock me