Warning: I've never ever ever written before; fanfiction or otherwise. This is my first time. Please go easy on me if it's bad.

Chapter 2: For the First Time

"Your music sucks," Meredith peeved as she sat dejectedly in the passenger's seat of Derek's Porsche, going through the gazillion buttons to try and change the song. It was only after arguing for 30 minutes in front of her home about whose car they should take to the immigration office did she oblige to let Derek drive since he agreed to pay for lunch after.

It'd been 24 hours since they'd officially agreed to their little scheme, and news of their engagement already spread around the hospital like wildfire. HR liked to talk. Meredith's cheeks had started to hurt from all the fake-smiling she had to do in response to the equally fake-congratulations she received from the nurses. Her sweet responses started to sour, her face twisting like she had just tasted a slice of lemon. And when she wasn't looking, the nurses had been giving her dirtier looks than usual, mourning the loss of their McDreamy and whispering about how he was way too good for her.

"Hey, will you stop that," he swatted her hand, switching between the road and fixing the controls that Meredith had messed up when she pressed a bunch of buttons. "That's The Clash, and you'd have to be tone-deaf not to like them."

Her face scrunched up. "They sound like nails going through the garbage disposal! Change it."

"No, we're almost there. Just sit and be quiet," he said, rolling his eyes. She mimicked his words under her breath like a five-year-old but silenced anyway. Pulling down the visor to check her reflection on the mirror, she tried to fix her hair once more,

When he picked her up from her apartment this morning, she had her blonde hair resting loosely against her shoulders. She then tied it into a ponytail as they drove away, and then abandoned the ponytail and went for a half-up, half-down. And now she was taking it off again. Her restlessness grew the closer he drove to their appointment for a preliminary interview to make sure their situation was legitimate.

Seeing her leg quickly bounce up and down and continue to fidget as she closed the mirror, making sure she looked suitable for their interview, he asked her if she was nervous because he was.

"No," she lied just a little bit, "We're gonna be fine as long as we play our part."

"I know how to play my part. It's you who can't get past a minute without being mean to me." Meredith looked at him with disbelief. "I'm being mean to you? I'm sorry. Are we in kindergarten? Did I take your juice box and steal your toys too?" She didn't even hear the irony in her response.

"You literally just proved my point, Grey."

She scrunched her nose and sighed, looking out the window and resting her chin on her hand. "Fine. Point taken. I'll be nice."

The drive only lasted a couple more minutes before Derek parked by the building and turned off the engine. As Meredith was halfway out the car, he reached into his pocket.

"Before I forget," he called out to her to get back in the car before producing something from his pocket and holding the object out in front of his eyes, pinching it with two finger.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she sat back down the car and took the tiny object from his hands. "Where did you get this?" she giggled as she held on to the fake engagement ring that had a sparkly fake diamond set into it.

He smiled at her amusement, admiring how unguarded she looked around him for once. And he'd probably never heard her laugh like that before. It was definitely a nice change from hearing her screech at him all the time. "Claire's. They were having a sparkle sale and it was `buy three get three' for $6, so if you lose that, I've got spares," he chuckled showing her the other rings studded with tiny stones still attached on the cardboard.

She looked at him incredulously and couldn't help breaking out into a soft snicker. "Well, it's definitely no Harry Winston. Jeez. Who knew you were such a cheapskate, Dr. Shepherd," she joked, putting the cheap circular metal on her left ring finger, flexing out her slim hand to admire the fake diamond reflecting in the light. "Thanks," muffling her laughter as she smiled at him for a second then looking at the other rings, still charmed by his gesture.

He smirked to himself. She looked different when she seemed happy. Her eyes were two shades lighter when they didn't look like they were trying to turn him to stone, and she just exuded warmth. Something told him life could be sweet if you were on Meredith Grey's good side. "You're welcome. Now let's do this thing."

The tension was high and Meredith was having a harder time keeping her cool. She felt like her stomach could drop any moment now when they led the couple from room to room for follow-ups, indicating that they were suspicious of something. As they sat in silence, side-by-side, inside a little office waiting for their interviewer, she looked at her surroundings and crossed her legs, her high-heeled foot starting to shake. Her fingers then tapped increasingly fast on the chair handle until Derek reached out to put his hand on top of hers to stop it.

Before she could pull her hand away and give him a disgusted look, the interviewer burst through the door and she instead laced her fingers through his, trying to hold on to anything to mask her nervousness.

"So," the interviewer eyed them carefully, not bothering to introduce himself and sitting in front of them behind his desk, "You two are getting married?"

"Yes, sir," Derek affirmed with a fake smile, looking quickly at his hand enclosed into Meredith's as she tightened her grip on it. "Yeap," Meredith added.

"Right. And this has nothing to do with the fact that Ms. Grey here is on a denied visa and facing deportation?"

It's Dr. Grey, jackass. "Absolutely not," Meredith quickly replied, irritated by the tone of his voice and look on his face.

"You know, we get a lot of sham marriages here. People will do just about anything to stay in the country. So, let me explain to you the process of how this is going to work," the odd man said, obviously doubting the timing of their engagement to Meredith's expired visa. "There's going to be a scheduled interview. I'm going to put you each in a room and ask you questions only a real couple would actually know about each other. Next, I talk to your co-workers, your family, friends, neighbors. If I find out this is a sham," he pointed a finger at Meredith, "You will be deported and blacklisted by the American government, and you," pointing a finger at Derek, "Will be charged with fraud and a $250,000 fine, and a five-year stay in federal prison," he threatened with smug smile.

"So, is there anything you want to add?" looking at Derek's wide eyes.

Derek stared at the man unblinking until he finally let out words. "The truth is...the truth is Meredith and I never expected to fall in love. We were competitors at first, actually, but I guess love is just always unexpected," he said looking at Meredith, who in return looked at the interviewer and nodded cheesily at Derek's answer.

"We didn't tell anyone at work yet because...because technically, I'm about to be Meredith's boss, you know? I'm being promoted to chief of our department, it's no big deal," he brushed off and smirked inwardly at Meredith's face now trying to hide her annoyed stare. "We just didn't want people to think it inappropriate."

"Right, and does your family know about your secret love?" The interviewer looked doubtingly at them.

"No, my mom's dead," Meredith said.

"And yours, Mr. Shepherd?"

"Nope, not yet. We, uh," he struggled to continue on until Meredith interrupted. "Oh, we were gonna tell them when we go to his family's place. Yeap. We've actually been planning this three week leave to visit them for a while now. Tell the parents, meet the family, you know…"

"And where is this happening? Where's Derek from, again?" The man tried to quiz Meredith.

"Alaska," Derek answered hastily.

"Alask...aaa?" Meredith tried to say the same time he did but surprised by his answer.

"You two are going to Alaska for three weeks?"

"Yes, we are. Alaska. That's where, uh, that's where my Derek's from," she said sweetly at the man, letting go of Derek's hand and patting him on the shoulder.

"Fine then," he challenged, "I will see you in three weeks after your trip to Alaska. And your answers better match up. You're good to go." He handed Meredith a Post-It note with the date and time for their scheduled separate interview, looking at them knowing something was obviously up. "Nice ring," he called out sarcastically, noting the diamond resting on Meredith's finger when she took the little paper from him, knowing they were bringing their A-game to faking this up.

They sat beside each other in the corner booth of a diner in the middle of Seattle, finally allocating some time to get their stories straight. "Alaska? Seriously?" she asked him in a soft surprised tone. She knew she didn't know much about her fiance, having only ever argued and bickered with him, but she definitely didn't expect him to be Alaskan. She was aware he moved to Seattle from New York but never thought anything beyond it.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," he said nonchalantly. "You?"

"Canada, you moron. That's how we got into this mess in the first place."

"I meant where in Canada," he remarked rolling his eyes.

"Oh. Vancouver. But I practically grew up in Seattle. My mom used to do visitation consults and stay here six months at a time, which happens to be the limit on my visa as a child. I'd have private tutors growing up. We'd go back to Vancouver for a while and just come back to Seattle as soon as we could."

"And your dad?"

"He left when I was five," she shrugged. "Can we get some food in here please?" she called out for a waiter, wanting to change the subject.

After Meredith had listed off the mountains of meals she wanted, taking advantage of Derek paying for the food, and Derek opted for a simple salad, the waiter scurried off to get their orders ready.

"Anyways, here is everything we'll need to know about each other to get our shit straight for the interview," Derek pulled out a blue folder with the list of questions they could be asked. "And I'm gonna have to call my family to tell them you're coming with me to Alaska."

"Three weeks there is kind of a stretch. How does a doctor even think of taking three weeks off?" she cringed at the thought of having to leave the hospital for so long.

"I haven't been home in almost four years, it's been a while since I've seen my family," he explained, getting lost for a second at the fact of how long it's been. If he was being honest, he'd been avoiding going home for a reason. He loved his family to death, but they'd always been pressuring him to figure out the whole relationship and future thing. Aside from that, home just reminded him too much of something, or someone, that...hurt him.

"Why? Are you scared of them or something?" she teased, bringing the glass of ice water to her lips. She sensed his nervousness at having to see them. Weren't people supposed to be all lovey-dovey and sentimental when thinking about their families? Then again, she wouldn't know. Her mother was the only family she had and she was as nurturing as a steak knife.

"No! What the hell would I have to be afraid of?" he quickly denied too defensively. Derek knew they would flip out if he told them he was marrying someone when they didn't even know he was dating. Over the last four years, he could only keep in touch through a few conversations months apart, never wanting to talk about relationships or mentioning a girlfriend. It helped that he spent all his time and energy competing with Meredith, making him too busy to call his family anyway. His mother practically had to beg him to finally come see them in Alaska this year.

"Really? Prove it," Meredith challenged him, "Call your mom right now and tell her about your new doting fiancee."

"Fine!" he said, pulling out his phone and dialing his mother. He held it up between the both of them and put it on speaker, eager to prove Meredith wrong.

"Derek! Sweetie, are you all packed up to leave yet? We can't wait to see you! Nancy, Kathleen, and the kids are already here," his mother said through the phone. "Lizzie and Amelia should be coming in the day after you do."

"Hey, Der-Bear," Nancy and Kathleen, his sisters, called out, causing Meredith to hold in a snicker at his nickname.

"Hey, you guys. Can't wait to see you too. Umm, mom, so I actually have some news for you," he stammered nervously and glared at Meredith, who in turn, arched her brows and leered smugly at him, "I actually wanted to introduce you guys to someone while I'm there."

"Honey, that's great! I'm so excited. A new girlfriend, perhaps?" his mother asked with equal parts excitement and relief that his son finally had someone to bring home.

"No, no, she's actually my…" he paused for a second, " I want you guys to meet my fiancee. I'm getting married, ma."

"You're WHAT?" Derek's mother echoed through the phone.

"Derek, you didn't even tell us you were dating anyone and now, all of a sudden, you're getting married?"

"Did he say fiance?" other voices followed through.

Derek panicked and rubbed his temples apologetically, "I know it's sudden, Ma, and I'm sorry I don't call enough to tell you what's going on, but I'd really love for you guys to meet her. She's coming up there with me to meet you guys." He tried to appease while Meredith covered her mouth with her hand, no longer able to hide her amusement at how flustered Mama Shepherd made Derek.

"Okay, dear. I guess we understand," his mother tried to sound supportive. After a second of silence, "Is this about Addison? Because you-"

"Ma, no," he said quickly before Meredith could hear more. "This is about me. It's about me and Meredith wanting to get married. Nothing else."

"Mer- Meredith? Grey? And is this the same Meredith Grey you said made you want to do a lobotomy with no anesthesia on yourself? The same one you said may as well be the Ruler of All That is Evil?" his mother asked, her little understanding disintegrating into thin air. Derek must've forgotten the times he'd ranted to his family about his coworker who drove him up the wall. His few calls always consisted of complaining about how he isn't the head of neuro because of her and how she just drove him batshit crazy.

"Oop, nope, that's not-," Derek cut her off and quickly took them off speaker and put the phone to his ear, chuckling tensely at Meredith, "No, no, that's, uhh, a different...," he laughed nervously, "Meredith and I are...She's great, ma. Really great. Just...great," he cringed, out of positive adjectives to describe Meredith. He watched her shake her head and smile in amusement, simply unoffended by how he initially described her to his family. After all, Meredith's bartender, Joe, had gotten an earful about what she had to say about Derek too.

He tried reminiscing about how the blonde sitting to his left actually made him feel, staring at how Meredith's face erupted into an infectious grin, attention now diverted to the waiter as her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree watching their meals arrive, and guiding the waiter on where to put her plates.

"She's beautiful. And she's absolutely intelligent," he said to the phone, not realizing he was being genuine. "She's very very bossy. It keeps me in line. She's a great doctor and she's challenging. In a way that makes me wanna be better. She's a strong woman and she's got a sense of humor and she's just...she's just great."

"Wow, Der, she sounds like a fine woman. I can't wait to meet this lady. You sound like you really love her," his mother's tone softened with a beam, the "L" word snapping Derek out of his trance.

Love was a strong word. Tolerate now, maybe? "Huh? Oh. Yeah, yes. I do. Can't wait to see you guys. Talk soon." he said, trying to sound convincing then hanging up the phone.

"Very smooth, McDreamy," Meredith said sarcastically, popping a French fry into her mouth. "If I had a dollar for every time you told her I was great, I could probably pay for my own food."

"Shut up." He groaned as he poured dressing all over his bowl of salad.

They spent the next two hours trying to learn each other's basic background. She learned that he had four sisters, Kathleen, Nancy, Lizzie, and Amelia. He had a herd of nephews and nieces. His favorite being Lizzie's 5-year-old named Grace, who he last saw when she was only 2. His dad died when he was 12 and his mom raised them on her own. He grew up in Alaska and went to Bowdoin for undergrad in Maine, then Columbia for medical school in New York. He stuck to his answer of wanting to move to Seattle for "a change of scenery" whatever the hell that meant.

And so far, so good. They were talking without hostility for once and Meredith even found herself laughing at a couple of the childhood stories he recounted. She had to admit, he was an easygoing person, their newfound ability to be civil to one another catching them by surprise.

Meredith kept her family background sweet and simple. She was an only child growing up between Seattle and Vancouver. Her mother was the great Dr. Ellis Grey. She died of Alzheimer's a few years back. Her dad ran off on her when she was 5. She went to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver for undergrad then Dartmouth in New Hampshire for medical school.

She left out the part where she saw her mother drag a scalpel across her wrists, and he never mentions how he actually witnessed his father's life disappear in front of him by the pull of a trigger.

"Whose place do we stay at? Yours or mine?" Meredith read off another one of the questions from the folder, covering up her mouth whilst burping silently. Part of Meredith's tolerance for Derek Shepherd this lovely noon was probably because of the food she'd stuffed her face with. Courtesy of Derek, of course.

"Yours." Derek couldn't have answered quicker, pushing his empty bowl further towards the table and taking the other half of a sandwich Meredith couldn't eat anymore. Great. He completely forgot about that little detail. Because how was he supposed to tell this woman that he lived a ferry boat ride away in a giant tin can in the middle of 40 acres of land in Bainbridge Island? She'd have another reason to cackle her ass off at him.

"Umm, okay. And why not yours?"

Meredith found herself intrigued every time Derek became defensive. Partly because it was fun riling him up and partly because she never realized how little she knew about him despite seeing him almost everyday for three years. "Come to think of it, you've seen where I live when you picked me up this morning. It's only fair I get to see your house."

"Absolutely not," he finalized as he stole the last onion ring from one of her plates.

So much for Mr. I'll-just-have-the-salad. She eyed him carefully. What's his deal? Was he homeless? Secretly an ax murderer? Did he run a crystal meth lab in his basement? "Seriously. Don't be such a pansy. Be reasonable, Derek. You really think a normal couple wouldn't know what each others' home looked like?"

"I live far from the city…" he tried to excuse himself out of having to show Meredith his trailer.

"So? We have the rest of two days off until we leave for Alaska on Friday."

"You actually wanna see where I live? Right now?" Derek said disbelievingly.

"What are you hiding? I thought you said you could play the part of the fake fiance? This happens to be part of the part," she threw back at him.

He looked at her challengingly. She always knew where to poke him; by playing at his need to prove her wrong. He beckoned for the waiter to bring the check and left a couple fifties before getting up on his feet. "Let's go." Meredith Grey always gets what she wants.

He started to navigate his car towards the port, rationalizing that he didn't have to care what Meredith thought if he lived in a trailer. So what if she laughed at him? He loved how he was living despite his family's incessant teasing of his current living conditions. A wood-chopping, flannel-wearing fisherman, they called him. As Derek drove through the streets, they started to quiz each other on what they learned in the diner, trying to perfect pretending they were the dream couple.

"My mom's name is?"

"Carolyn."

"And my dad?"

"Christopher?" Meredith replied, unsure. Derek's family was chock full of people, it was hard to keep up.

"Michael. I'm Christopher. It's my middle name."

"Right, right. I knew that," she exclaimed, knowing that name had something to do with him. "When's my birthday?" she inquired.

He clicked his tongue, trying to remember, "November...uhhhh...10th?"

"Impressive. Good memory, Shepherd." She looked outside the window, realizing they were at the dock. "Where the hell is this place? We've been in this car for 20 minutes now," The car was now moving at a turtle's pace, waiting behind a line of other vehicles trying to enter the giant ferryboat in front of them.

"Are we...getting on the boat?" she said, her eyes widening as the car came closer to the ramp.

"I warned you I lived far from the city."

Meredith had been living in Seattle for years now and she had to admit, she'd never been on a ferryboat before. As they parked the car in the dark lot, and the boat now departing, he ushered her to get out so they could go sit by the outdoor deck. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunshine once they left the dark tunnels of the boat and went through the door leading to the deck.

"Wow," she laughed freely as the strong wind blew on her blonde hair, the light hitting the golden strands to look like it was shimmering in some places. Derek looked at her amused and confused as she quickly paced to the front of the deck, holding on to the railings and looking down at the foamy waves of Elliot Bay and hearing it sloshing against the tip of the boat. She said looking back at him, eyes disbelieving in wonder. "Oh my god, this is amazing!"

"Have you never been on a boat before?" he leaned on the railings beside her.

"As a matter of fact, no. Remember that little detail, fiance," she answered still in awe of where she was right now. The water that surrounded them was so blue and the weather was just perfect, seagulls flying by them every now and then. "Oh, look! The Space Needle!"

"Okay, stop. It's embarrassing," he teased, chuckling at her delight, earning a quick glare and eye-roll from her, "It's like I'm with a five-year-old right now."

She deeply breathed in the fresh air, smelling the sea. She looked out at the water around them, smiling in amazement at Washington's beauty. "Damn. I can't believe you get to ride this everyday. No wonder why you like that ridiculous scrub cap of yours so much. It was a nice print, by the way, " she mocked, reminding him of the time he furiously tried to get her to give it back to him when she hid it away.

"Haha, very funny," a sarcastic tone evident in his reply, "I still haven't gotten back at you for that, you know. So watch yourself," he threatened playfully.

"Bring it on, Shepherd," a playful grin playing at her lips.

They descended into a comfortable mood, Derek not being able to help himself from staring and smiling at Meredith as she continued to point out what she could recognize from Seattle's skyline. The whole day flashed before Derek's eyes. He couldn't help but be in awe of this woman in front of him. This couldn't be the same Meredith Grey that he'd engaged in countless screaming matches with. This one could make him laugh, fluster him, outwit him, irk him, amuse him, surprise him, and just about every other feeling all at once. Confusion overcame his head. Nobody changes their mind about another person that quickly. He felt a funny feeling cross his chest. Maybe, just maybe, they could even come out of this whole marriage shenanigan as friends?

"What?" she snapped her finger in front of him, trying to bring him out of his daze.

"Huh?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You were staring."

"Was I?" he played dumb. "Sorry. We should get back to the car. We're about to dock soon."

They drove for another 15 minutes before Meredith groaned annoyingly for the second time since docking, "Are we there yet?"

"No, and the groaning isn't making it any nearer. Just sit tight, we're almost there," he said impatiently.

The town became more scarce and scarce of buildings and civilization itself, trees and land dominating their field of vision, making Meredith just a wee bit nervous. "Shepherd…" she stated slowly with a confused tone.

"Just wait," he responded simply, finally pulling up to a dirt road that led up to a giant hunk of metal.

Nerves overtook him. I thought you wouldn't care what she thinks? He let out a deep breath as he put his car in park. Before he could even turn the engine off, Meredith quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the Porsche to walk towards the land. She took in the entire view with her mouth wide open. As far as her eyes could see was just miles of green land and trees beneath the blue sky. A charming trailer with what looked like a self-built deck was the only thing before her eyes that was not of nature.

Derek walked shyly towards her, her back still turned to him. He gazed at his feet, waiting for her to burst into a degrading peal of laughter. Instead he was met with silence, Meredith still unable to recover from her dumbfoundedness at everything before her; at every new layer she kept discovering about Derek freakin Shepherd. She turned around and looked at him with a smirk, waiting for him to meet her eyes. When he finally did, she caught her bottom lip with her teeth with a grin, pointed at his Airstream with her thumb with her eyebrows raised, silently asking, "This is your home?"

He searched her eyes for any sign of sarcasm or condescension but all he could see was wonder and bewilderment. He smirked timidly and gave her a little nod. She slowly erupted into a sweet smile that reached ear to ear.

"Derek Shepherd, you live in a trailer in the woods," she stated the obvious, walking around it, observing. Behind his trailer, a small dirt road between the trees caught her attention. "Is that a hiking trail over there?"

"Yeah. It leads to the lake." he looked at where she was looking. "Wanna go for a walk?" Meredith had never said yes to anything quicker in her life.

She left her purse and her coat on the table by his deck after he assured her that no one within a 35 mile radius would be wandering out here. As they walked the small path side by side, Derek told her about how he sold everything in New York to come to Seattle. When he'd arrived, he saw the ad for this land on the same brochure that had the penthouse he was going to buy. He bought all forty acres of it, inclusive of a small lake, and purchased an Airstream to live in, saying he didn't really find a reason to start building an actual home yet but was hoping to someday.

"So I guess we do live at my place then," she giggled, suddenly remembering why they were here in the first place.

Meredith Grey was an eloquent woman, but she couldn't today alone, she could barely count the times she was left speechless. First, she got on her very first ferry boat ride. Then she found out her nemesis, hotshot New Yorker neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd, lived in a freakin trailer in the woods instead of some mansion in a gated community or penthouse bachelor pad in uptown Seattle. And now, she was in front of a lake that was mirroring the sky clouds above it perfectly; the silhouette of the mountains and trees identical to the ones reflected on the still waters.

"Holy shit," she said, not knowing what else could be used to describe the view in front of her. She walked up to the dock to see his little fishing boat anchored by the logs and laughed, "Charming," she commented.

Derek looked at her with his hands in his pocket and all he could think was there was probably no one on this earth like Meredith Grey. He swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling a flutter in his stomach, watching as she took off her shoes, rolled up her pants and sat by the edge of the dock, dipping her feet in the cool water. She just looked so goddamn beautiful. Sure, nobody could ever deny she was attractive, but today, she was...just fucking gorgeous. He shook himself out of his stupor and followed her suit. He silently sat beside her, thighs shy of a millimeter from touching, dipping his feet and kicking the water softly.

"I would kill to own a place like this. Doc would love it here," she broke the comfortable silence.

"Who now?"

"Oh," she laughed at how she never mentioned him yet, "My dog. Doc. I barely get to take him outside, poor guy."

"You know what, I love dogs," he said beaming at her, subtly hinting that he wanted to meet him.

"Mmhm, I'm sure you do, Dr. Shepherd," she said amused at his huge ass grin for some reason. "He'd chew on your fine Italian leather shoes the second he sees them."

"Good to know. And I'm guessing this is another thing we can tell the immigration office?"

"Oh yeah. You know, we should really start taking notes. My head is going to explode from the information overload today."

"We really did learn a lot about each other today, huh?" he said peering into her gentle eyes.

Meredith had to admit that this man took her completely by surprise. She was so blinded by her rage and jealousy and resentment all these years, she never actually got to know him. Sure, he was still an arrogant asshole but maybe, just maybe, they could actually be friends when this was all over. He is the reason she would be able to stay in the States after all. And they were about to get married. Sham and all, you don't walk away from that without being at least acquaintances.

"Me more than you, Shepherd! A trailer in the woods? Seriously. Who would've known?" she joked.

"You're actually not so bad...Derek," she looked into his eyes, just as light as the water earlier in Elliot Bay.

"You're not so bad either, Meredith."

All of a sudden, they were locked in a gaze that seemed to last eternity. Neither of them broke eye contact as Derek subconsciously leaned forward ever so slowly. Her face framed by her wispy curtain bangs and deep green eyes looking at him innocently was against the background of his land. God, she was so beautiful. He kept focus on her wide emerald orbs until his eyes shifted to her pink lips, pursed loosely reflecting at how all her intellectual functions were shut off at the moment. He leaned in close enough to feel her breath and his heart hammered against his chest wildly, causing his ears not to hear anything but his own heartbeat and Meredith's quickened breath. As he closed his eyes, ready to touch the skin of his lips against hers, her thought process turned on again and she erupted into a light cough, causing them both to break away.

He quickly stood up, chuckling nervously. "Okay, it's been a long day," pretending like that moment never happened. "We should probably get back to the trailer. It's almost sunset." He reached out his hand, offering to help her up.

Okay, I guess we'll play it that way. Good idea. "Yeah, of course," she pulled her feet out of the water and extended her hand to grip Derek's to pull herself up. She ignored the chill it sent her spine the moment she wrapped her long fingers around his palm, and steadied herself with his hand as she put on her sandals.

As soon as they reached his trailer, Meredith reached to frantically put on her coat. "Hey, Shepherd. I think I'm gonna call a cab. I don't want you to have to travel back and forth to drive me home," she said, not sure what to do with him after what just happened. She needed time to clear the awkwardness, she just needed that and they'd be good as new...or good as old- to their bickering and teasing selves.

His head popped out the trailer door where he went to get some water. "Don't be ridiculous, Grey. It's fine. I'll take you," Derek insisted, not wanting things to be weird between them. That was the last thing they needed.

"No, I swear. It's good," she said before Derek could argue, pulling out her phone for a taxi and confirming the location with Derek. "They'll be here in half an hour." Meredith told him.

"Alright, I guess...you wanna come in while waiting? We could go over some more questions?" He suggested innocently.

"Sure"

They went over some more questions from the folder, the awkward air between their incident at the lake slowly disappearing as he laughed at her story about Doc once chewing through five of her toothbrushes and she found his story about his pet frog in the fifth grade that his friend Mark threatened to microwave deeply entertaining.

When her cab arrived, Derek bade her goodnight and reminded her that he'd pick her up at 8am Saturday morning for their flight.

It was going to be a long three weeks in Alaska.

A/N:

Every chapter is named after a song just like in the show. For this chapter:

Song: For the First Time by The Script

This one is way longer than the first chapter. I'm still trying to gauge how to be more consistent for future chapters.

Thank you all for your reviews and favorites/follows. I really appreciate it so much. It really motivates me to keep writing; I'd never realized that until I was on the receiving end. Next, we're off to Alaska!