Unforgettable Chapter 1, a grey's anatomy fanfic

(Guess I need to remind everyone that I do not lay claim to anything GA- or Shonda-related.)

"Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole

Words and Music by Irving Gordon

Unforgettable, that's what you are

Unforgettable though near or far

Like a song of love that clings to me

How the thought of you does things to me

Never before has someone been more

Unforgettable in every way

And forever more, that's how you'll stay

That's why, darling, it's incredible

That someone so unforgettable

Thinks that I am unforgettable too

Unforgettable in every way

And forever more, that's how you'll stay

That's why, darling, it's incredible

That someone so unforgettable

Thinks that I am unforgettable too

Ch 1: In flight

His fingers drifted toward the scar. It was a recent habit he had developed. The sizable patch of new hair growth around his ear still felt strange. The faint pink line creasing it curved around his ear and toward the back of his scalp. He didn't think about the other scars. Sights and sounds of the automobile crash that caused them still filled his brain three months after the fact. It had been a fight to get the doctors' clearance to fly today.

Mark Sloan noticed the movement of Derek's hand. He recognized the action for what it was. "Derek."

"Hmm?"

Mark slid the report across the small table separating their seats. "Shep!"

"I can hear you." Derek reached out and pulled the report toward him. He didn't bother glancing at the cover or contents. Not yet.

"I couldn't stop Lindsey in time. The rag paid her $50,000 to spread her...knowledge and the newspaper's lawyers yawned when I threatened to sue." Mark accepted the glass of scotch from the flight attendant. He always enjoyed traveling with Derek He always served the best booze on his jet. Mark waited for the flight attendant to serve Derek his coffee and return to the galley before continuing. "You should think about having your one-night stands sign confidentiality agreements." Using his best lawyer's voice, he handed a manila folder to Derek.

"I'll think about it," Derek sipped his coffee. Accepting the folder, he opened it to see a tabloid article headlined 'My Night of Love with Derek Shepard.' He read the article, disgust rising at Lindsey's mercenary personality and the intrusion into his personal life. He had his fill of the media after the accident, and from the volumes of clippings his office maintained, apparently before it too. If he even glanced at a woman, their photo appeared in the papers. "Maybe you should draft something up."

"Already did," Mark held a half-inch thick stack of documents in his hand. "This should last you a few weeks. Let me know when you need more." Mark was familiar with the particulars of Derek's night with Lindsey from the bimbo herself. Attempting to scare the shit out of her with a lawsuit threat, her deposition had been informative. Having spotted Derek at a club, with dollar signs spinning in her eyes, she made a beeline for 'Moneybags' as she called him. The stenographer had coughed at the name as she had taken down her testimony. 'Moneybags' had been easy pickings. Lindsey was tall and curvaceous with short red hair, and she had known Derek preferred redheads and brunettes. Mark and his staff had talked a furious Derek out of suing simply by pointing out how the New York media had made him into a sexual athlete over the years. Lindsey could have tripled her fee if he had taken her to court. It had been poor timing on Derek's part that she bagged him the night before the accident.

"Excuse me gentlemen," the flight attendant set down a small Baccarat cut crystal vase of lavender on the table between the two men before refilling Derek's coffee cup. Mark declined a second scotch. He'd need a clear head once they were on the ground.

Their fragrance filled the air, giving Derek a curious sense of peace. "What is that?" he gestured toward the floral display. The scent settled into a distant corner of his memory. Distant enough where he was aware of it, but couldn't see it. For some reason, he wanted to touch it.

"Lavender, Mr. Shepard. And 15 minutes til we land." With a smile, the flight attendant moved away to another part of the cabin.