(Thank you again for reading and commenting. I wasn't planning on having this update ready so soon, but it flowed the right way. I had a lot of fun with this.)
"Derek, we need a new hangout, a new routine. We're in a rut." Mark commented as he and Derek stood outside the Emerald Bar. It was the end of another late shift, and a routine they had fallen into over the past two weeks. A drink before they parted company – Derek to his trailer and Mark the hotel. Derek always alone, and sometimes Mark got lucky. Nurse lucky.
"What are you talking about?"
"Haven't you noticed we spend most of our time between the hospital and Joe's?"
"Yeah. We're surgeons." Derek stated the obvious.
"Let's find a new bar. Starting tonight?" Mark grabbed Derek's arm and dragged him back from Joe's door.
Derek regained control of his arm. He looked at his friend as if he had spouted a second head. What the hell was wrong with him?
"Seriously Derek, let's go somewhere else," Mark cajoled. "I'm buying."
"We're here, might as well stay," Derek said as he pulled open the door, spilling the bar noise into the quiet parking lot.
"I don't think this is a good idea..." Mark mumbled to Derek's back as they entered Joe's.
The missing piece to the strange puzzle that was Mark's behavior dropped into place when he spotted Suit Guy and Meredith in the back corner booth. Coincidently, the same one he had been sitting in the night Meredith met the jerk. Mark grabbed his arm again, steering Derek to two empty stools at the bar.
"You knew they were going to be here tonight, didn't you?" Derek asked. He already knew Mark's answer.
"Yeah. But I didn't remember until 60 seconds ago."
"Dr. Sloan, Dr. Shepard, the usual?" Joe greeted, his eyes trained on the back booth for a second before smiling at Mark and Derek. At Derek's nod, Joe turned away to prepare their order. Derek turned back to the booth. He didn't like how Meredith was smiling at Suit Guy. Didn't that idiot wear anything besides Versace?
"Yeah, Armani."
Derek didn't realize he had spoken his last thought out loud. "Arrogant jackass."
Mark laid a comforting hand on Derek's shoulder. "I know."
No matter how hard he tried, Mark couldn't shake Derek's attention from the back corner booth. Somehow, Meredith's giggle floated above the crush of bodies and noise to torture Derek's ears. He tried to ignore the harsh clenching of Derek's jaw each time they heard it. Mark had to admit he didn't know his investment banker was such an entertaining guy.
Derek lost count of how many times he heard her giggle. Each one fed the fire burning in his belly.
"Mark, how's the beautiful people business?" The newcomer set two empty glasses on the bar and motioned for refills. The male voice was a little too close for Derek's comfort. He had a nasty feeling about who the voice belonged to.
"What does my stock portfolio tell you?" Mark turned around to shake hands with Suit Guy. "Derek, this is Nic Gleeson, my investment banker. Nic, this is Dr. Derek Shepard, He's head of Neurosurgery at Seattle Grace."
"Dr. Shepard." Nic stuck out his hand.
Drink in hand, Derek slowly turned around to face his nemesis. The jackass was tall and solidly built. His dark hair had a few strands of grey. Though he earned his living at a desk, he clearly didn't live behind it. His sisters would probably call him good looking. Derek stared at Nic's offered hand, thinking about whether or not to shake it. He decided against it. He didn't like the smile on the guy's face. Obviously the jackass knew who he was. An uncomfortable silence stretched between the three men as Nic lowered his hand.
"Well, isn't this awkward," Nic rocked back on his heels, hands in his trouser pockets of his dark grey Versace suit. "Mark isn't my only client at Seattle Grace, Dr. Shepard. I've heard the whole story. How's your nurse?"
"I don't have a nurse. I have a surgical resident, and her name is Dr. Meredith Grey."
"Not any more. Your loss is my gain." Nic reached between Derek and Mark and grabbed his refills. "Gentlemen," with a nod Nic sauntered back to Meredith. Derek stared at his retreating back, wishing he could suspend his Hippocratic oath. He caught the look on Meredith's face as Suit Guy slid into the booth opposite her. The warning shake of her head didn't improve his mood. Fully shifting around on his bar stool, Derek leaned back against the bar to watch. He might as well make his agony complete.
"You do realize I'm never going to forgive you for giving him the B&B info." Directing his comment to Mark, Derek raised his glass in greeting to Cristina, Izzie, Alex and George sitting at a nearby table. Only Izzie and George waved back in acknowledgement. As Meredith giggled again, Mark nodded and sipped his scotch. It was going to be a long night.
Meredith couldn't contain her sigh of relief as Nic seated himself opposite her. Why couldn't he have gone to the opposite end of the bar to get their drinks? She accepted her shot of tequila from him with a smile.
"I'm disappointed," Nic commented.
"About what?" Meredith glanced at Derek. Luckily Nic silencing his vibrating cellphone caused him to miss the negative shake of the head she gave Derek. He had no right to pull this crap. She hated the fact that he was seated watching them. And her friends looked on as if they were viewing a tennis match.
"I thought for sure there was going to be bloodshed. I was looking forward to you tending to my wounds."
Meredith giggled. "Being bloody is not a good thing."
"It is if you're my doctor." Nic touched his drink to Meredith's shot glass.
"Just ignore him."
"I am," Nic grinned, imagining how much it was pissing off the neurosurgeon.
Meredith sighed. Usually she enjoyed after shift drinks with Nic. His company was very pleasant. Though she still declined his dining out invitations. He kept up his invites, claiming it never hurt to keep asking. Usually, their paths never crossed with Derek. So much for keeping her fingers crossed that they never would.
Cristina bumped Meredith over so she could slide in next to her. "Ok, enquiring minds want to know."
"About what, Dr. Yang?" Nic asked.
"You look like you could be a physically fit person. How muscular are you? How do you stay in shape?"
"Cristina!" Mortified, Meredith elbowed her. She had an idea where her line of questioning was going.
"What? We're placing bets on who is going to win at ass kicking, McDreamy or Suit Guy. I need some inside information."
"Oh God!" Meredith hid her face against Cristina's shoulder. "Please don't start another pool."
"I kick box, lift weights and jog." Nic laughed. "I forgot I'm 'Suit Guy.'"
"Don't encourage her!" Meredith reached across and gently smacked Nic's arm. Before she could pull back, Nic grabbed her hand and held on before releasing it.
"What? All McDreamy does is fish. Easy money!" Cristina scooted back over to their table. Meredith could see Alex awaited Cristina's return while Izzie shrugged an 'I'm sorry' as she and George dug out their wallets.
"Your friends are an interesting bunch."
Shaking her head at Nic in apologetic reproach, Meredith excused herself and hurried over to Derek. She had to stop this madness and not give the hospital staff more gossip to talk about. Meredith tried not to read too much into the smile growing on Derek's face as he watched her approach.
"Don't start this crap, Derek." Meredith warned. She jabbed a finger at Mark. "Don't let him do this."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Meredith." Derek stated quietly.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Meredith insisted. "You lost the right to be territorial over me."
"I love you. That gives me the right to be territorial." The expression on Derek's face was serious, intent.
"Bullshit!" Meredith's tone was vehement.
Derek reached for Meredith's hands, pulling her alongside his bar stool. Her lavender scent wound its way around him. "I love you." His grip was secure, threading his fingers through hers. Meredith stared back at Derek. The head tilt and smile had nothing on the intent in his eyes. He was willing her to accept what he was saying. He wanted to kiss away the pain and fear in her green eyes. Wordlessly, Meredith disengaged her hands and returned to her booth.
A/N: I forgot to mention my model for Suit Guy is George Clooney...