-1The man standing before her held little resemblance to the man she had met years ago. Back then he had looked like one of those American Eagle ads. Sun bleached hair almost to his shoulders, button downed shirts over t shirts, and a cocky grin that said he knew you wanted him. The grin was still the same, although it was no where in sight at the moment, and he still looked as though he had walked out of an advertisement, only now it was one of those sultry Vodka ads.

"We don't really have anything to say, Meredith." Mark's low voice sounded gruffer that usual, harder. She raised her chin slightly, issuing a silent challenge. There was plenty that needed to be said. "You said you wanted to get laid, no strings attached. That's what you got."

"No strings? Mark…" Meredith stared at him, stunned. There was a mess of strings attached to their one night together, the least of which was her indiscretion with Derek. "It wasn't no strings, and it wasn't just about having sex. It was more."

"It wasn't more, Meredith." Mark insisted. He was so cold, so distant. This wasn't her best friend, her Dickhead One. This was some stranger.

"Really? If it wasn't more, then why did you look so hurt when you found Derek and me together?" The hurt had been real. She hadn't imagined it. He could deny it all he wanted, but the fact remained that he had been hurt.

"I wasn't hurt. Just a bit shock. Really, Meredith, I knew you were slutty, but two guys in less than twenty four hours, and your friends to boot…now that just tops the cake."

Crack. The sound of her palm connecting with his cheek quieted the bar. Tears burning her eyes, Meredith bolted around him and headed toward the door. She could hear Izzie calling after her, but she ignored her friend. She had to get out of there.

The decision to come to work as though nothing had happened hadn't been an easy one. For most of the day Derek had debated on whether or not to call in sick. It wouldn't have been a lie. He was sick.

Meredith had taken him by surprise, offering him something he had dreamed of for years. The dream had been better than reality. At first she had been overly eager, then something had changed. Her body had stiffened, as though she was just doing a duty. He should have seen that as a sign and stopped. He hadn't though, he had over looked it, along with her tears, and made himself believe she wanted it as much as he did. Until he seen the pain on her face when Mark walked in.

It had never been him. It had always been Mark. Meredith had always been in love with Mark. It was almost laughable since he knew for a fact Mark had always loved Meredith. The only people who hadn't seen it had been Meredith and Mark.

The sound of sobbing pulled him from his confused musings. Standing just outside the side door leading into the bar was Meredith. She was bent over, heart broken sobs shaking her body.

"Meredith?" He hurried over. Curving one hand around her upper body, he pulled her against him, holding her tightly. He stroked her tear dampened hair off her face. "Mere, you need to calm down. Talk to me." She shook her head, sobbing harder, babbling something about being a slut and Mark. His jaw tightened. He didn't have to hear the whole story to know what had happened. "He didn't mean it. He is mad and hurt. Give him time to cool off."

Again she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I was just another girl. Just another notch in Mark Sloan's belt buckle." If she believed that she was a fool. He could imagine Mark told her that, anything to save face. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

"You're not stupid, Meredith." Derek said firmly. Meredith's lack of self esteem had always been a constant annoyance for Mark and him. She refused to see anything good about herself. Quit before she failed, that was Meredith. Not this time though, he wasn't going to let her. "And Mark…he's an ass. He is a stupid, sorry ass, but he didn't mean it. He loves you Meredith. I think…no I know…he always has. Which is why, no matter how I felt about you, I shouldn't have let last night happen."

"You didn't let anything happen. I was there to. And Mark doesn't love me. Not like that." Meredith shuddered. She looked so much like a lost little girl it was heart breaking. Even more heartbreaking was knowing he was partially responsible. "I did it again. I let myself confuse sex with something more."

"You didn't," Derek insisted. It was painful, seeing her this way. So thoroughly broken and emotionally bleeding. "Listen to me, Mere, you didn't confuse anything. Mark cares. He loves you." She shook her head. Again. He growled in frustration. "Stop. He does. Believe me, I know."

Her wounded green eyes raise to meet his. "How?" So much hope in that simple question.

Derek hesitated. He would be betraying Mark even more by answering, but Meredith needed his loyalty a bit more at that moment. Screw Mark and his twisted sense of coping. "He told me. The night you two…well after you left…and before he…he told me he loved you."

"He told you? He actually used the words I am in love with Meredith?" Derek nodded. A small smile tipped the corners of Meredith's eyes. It didn't last long. "It doesn't matter. He hates me now. Thinks I'm some dirty slut who screws two guys in less than twenty four hours."

"He doesn't hate you. He's just hurt. Us guys, we don't deal with hurt the same way you chicks do. We tend to act like asses." Derek slung an arm around her shoulders, steering her toward his car. "The key is getting us to admit that we were in the wrong too and that we cannot live without you. And that key, my dear, is jealousy." He opened the passenger door of his silver Mustang. Meredith hesitated, then climbed inside. He slammed the door shut, grinning as he rounded the car. He glanced in the direction of the bar. The silohette of a man standing in the doorway caught his attention. He didn't have to see his face to know it was Mark. He gave him a small wave before joining Meredith in the car. "And we are going to make Mark so jealous that he eats those words."

"We are?" Meredith stared at him, confused.

"We are," Derek repeated, before capturing her mouth in what he hoped appeared to be a passionate kiss.