Hello everybody!

This is a continuation of the AU episode If/Then. It's MerDer centered and is a one-shot for now, but depending on the feedback, could turn into a multi-chapter fic :)
So let me know what you think and if you'd be interested in reading more!

Enjoy!

"So, 'Girl in a Bar Who Drinks Tequila'," Derek started with a smirk. Meredith could swear she'd seen him smile more in the past 2 minutes than in her entire residency combined.

"What brings you to this bar and your tequila? I don't think I've ever seen you in here before."

"And how would you know?" she countered with a teasing grin. "You always here or something?"

"Here quite a bit actually," he admitted, staring slightly dejectedly into his almost empty glass.

"My fiancé has been cheating on me," Meredith confessed in one breath. What made her do it, she didn't know. If she were thinking straight, she'd realize this guy was her boss and her personal issues weren't something you were supposed to confess to over drinks. But she wanted to keep him talking.

Derek looked up from his drink with nothing but sympathy in his eyes and it took Meredith's breath away.

The dark blue eyes staring back at her had softened in a way she's never seen them do before. They bore into her own bright green eyes and made her feel exposed; like he could see every thought running through her head.

But she wanted him to know. She wanted to tell those eyes everything.

"I don't know how long it's been going on," she continued with a sigh. Tearing her eyes away from him long enough to finish off her shot, she waved over for a refill.

"I got engaged last night," she continued with a bitter smile. "This is supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life. But instead I've lost my fiancé and my best friend all in one day. Oh! You know how that happened? Cause that's who he was cheating on me with!" She threw back the shot as soon as Tom placed in front of her.

"My best friend," she laughed disbelievingly. "He was screwing my best friend right under my nose. How did I not see it? The two people I trusted the most in my life and they screw me by screwing each other. Can you believe that? Why would someone do that?"

"I wish I knew," Derek whispered.

The previous flirty nature of their conversation had vanished as they both remembered why they were drinking.

"My wife is 7 months pregnant with another man's child." He said it like he was stating the weather.

"That man also happens to be my best friend," he added, finishing off the last of his scotch. "So I know how you feel."

"I'm so sorry." The sincerity in her voice wasn't that of pity. And for that he was thankful.

"Why do people cheat?" Meredith asked in a defeated tone.

"That's a good question," Derek nodded, mirroring his drinking companion's pained expression.

"Why do you think she cheated on you? Were you a bad husband?"

"I, uhm, I've been a little…absent," Derek admitted, absentmindedly messing with the empty glass in front of him. "Not that that's an excuse for her," he sighed.

"What are you going to do?"

"Another good question," he chuckled to himself. "I don't know," he decided, nodding a thank you to the bartender refilling his glass.

"I do know that my marriage is over though."

"Mine didn't even make it to the altar," Meredith mused.

"We make quite a pair," Derek observed, watching as Meredith threw back her 4th (or was it 5th?) shot of the night like a champ.

"What are we doing? We're being dreary! We're not supposed to be dreary. This is a non-dreary night!" Meredith exclaimed, slapping the bar for emphasis.

Derek could tell that the alcohol was getting to her, as 'dreary' was clearly more challenging a word than it was 10 minutes ago.

"More drinks!" she announced loudly as Derek laughed to himself. Despite the severe crappiness of his day, he couldn't remember the last time he felt this light.

"What should we toast to?" she asked, handing him his own shot of tequila.

"We're toasting now?" Derek asked with an amused smile.

"Yes. Non-dreary people toast to things," she decided with confidence.

"How about…to girls in bars?"

The look he was giving her was captivating. Her head was starting to swim, but Meredith couldn't tell what was more to blame: the alcohol or the way Derek was gazing at her.

"Who drink tequila?" Her mouth curled into a small smile while her eyes danced in the low bar light.

"Only them," Derek teased back with a smile of his own.

They clinked their shot glasses together and allowed the burning liquid to slide down their throats. Derek coughed slightly at the harsh sensation and ordered another scotch to get the taste out of his mouth.

"I don't know how you've had five of those already. I think I'll stick to scotch."

"Six," Meredith corrected. "And it's growing on me I think. Will you do one more with me?" she asked with mock sweetness.

"And why would I do that?" He didn't know if it was the alcohol or what, but he never thought he'd be having this much fun flirting with a girl in a bar.

"Because we have another toast," she answered, not taking no for an answer and sliding the tumbler in front of him.

"We forgot to toast to guys in bars."

"Well we can't have that, now can we?" he conceded, picking up the shot.

"To guys in bars who drink scotch," she toasted lifting the small glass in the air.

"Only them?" Derek teased.

"Only them," Meredith confirmed, looking him straight in the eye before downing the liquor.

That last shot seemed to rid Meredith of whatever inhibitions she had left because before she could do anything about it, she found herself asking "Do you want to get out of here?"

Rational Derek knew there were a hundred reasons he shouldn't do this. Rational Derek knew they were both too drunk and hurting to be making this kind of decision. Rational Derek should say no.

Except right now, rationality was the furthest thing from Derek's mind. Right now the first woman to make him smile in a year was asking him if he wanted to 'get out of here', staring expectantly at him with the prettiest green eyes he'd ever seen.

And there was no way he was saying no to those eyes.

Don't forget to let me know what you think and if I should continue!
Thanks for reading!