Derek lifted his glass, only to realize it was empty. He shrugged and glanced at his wild party of four: his new semi-friend, his ex-best friend, his ex-wife and himself. He shrugged; it was the best he could do on such short notice. Richard wanted to stay with Adele and everyone else had been busy. He had even invited Alex and George. Alex had seemed interested, but pulled out when he heard Addison and Mark would be there, and George had been scheduled to work that night.

Looking around the small table he noted that one, everyone's drinks were low, and two, it was his turn to buy. He mumbled his intentions and got up to head towards the bar. He was almost not the least bit wobbly on his feet. They had only had two or three rounds so far. Maybe four, but no more than that. All in all, it did seem to be going well. It was nice to be out with these people again. Addison occasionally sent him concerned glances, likely from their conversation earlier, but seemed intent to let it go, which he was grateful for.

And then there was Mark. As much as he hated to admit it, he did miss his friend. And ever since that fateful day where Mark had sat beside him on the floor for an hour, not speaking, simply belaying his support...well, it seemed to Derek that they had turned a corner. He found himself less angry at Mark, less motivated to cut him out of his life. He wasn't ready to forgive and forget quite yet, but the alcohol was definitely making him think that maybe one day...

Upon reaching the bar, he signalled to Joe for another round. The bartender nodded and motioned it would be a few moments. It wasn't until he felt a form bump his elbow that he was aware of a presence beside him. He glanced sideways and nodded a polite greeting.

"Hi," the brunette beside him said, smiling.

"Hi," he returned, glancing at Joe to see if there was any progress on the drinks front. Joe was busily mixing some sort of drinks that Derek couldn't make out from the opposite end of the bar, but he definitely wasn't pouring beer.

"Can I buy you a drink?" She spoke.

He was taken aback by her question, unsure of how to respond. "Wow, that's very forward."

The brunette shrugged. "Bad day," she said. "I get to be forward today."

"I know the feeling," Derek said. "I've had a bad day too. I've actually had quite a few bad days..."

She smiled. "So, what do you say, one drink?"

Derek blinked, trying to gauge how the conversation had led him here. Maybe there had been more rounds than he originally thought...or maybe he hadn't eaten much today, making the alcohol to food ratio far higher than expected. He shook his head slightly and offered the girl a small smile. "I'm actually with some friends," he tried to let her off easy. "It's kind of a bachelor party."

She nodded. "That's too bad."

Derek suddenly felt compelled to continue. "And I'm kind of in love with my girlfriend." A smile came unwittingly to his mouth at his own words. He would never tire of using the word love in relation to Meredith. He would tell the whole world if he could...she would kill him, but he would still do so.

The brunette seemed taken aback. "Oh, I'm sorry, you just seemed... kind of sad."

"Like I said, I had a bad day, actually kind of a bad week...month...year." He muttered the last two. "For the most part, anyway."

The brunette laughed gently. "Trust me, I know the feeling, at least about the last week. I could give you a run for your money." Her tone had changed, he noted, from one of enquiry to more camaraderie. He may be somewhat intoxicated, but he was pretty sure she wasn't a threat.

Derek scoffed. "Oh yeah, give me your best shot."

Then, before brunette had a chance to respond, something hard collided with the back of his head. "Owe!" he cried out as he whipped his head around to meet the glare of his ex-wife.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded.

He held a hand to his head. "Owe," he repeated, ignoring her question. "What was that for?"

"What do you think you're doing?" She repeated, motioning at the brunette, who had a stunned look on her face, her eyes wide.

It was then that Derek understood. He rolled his eyes. "Addy, this is so not what you think."

"It really isn't, we were just talking," the woman offered. She turned her attention to Addison. "I take it you're the girlfriend?" She asked, as if making sure Addison knew that she was aware this man she was talking to in the bar had a girlfriend.

Derek almost laughed at the stupidity of the situation. How he got himself into these situations, he would never know... And they had definitely never happened before he met Meredith. She had quite the influence on him. However, he forced himself not to laugh. He knew it would end badly for him if he did.

Addison didn't respond.

Derek rolled his eyes. "No, she's not my girlfriend. She's..." He trailed off, deciding not to explain further. The stranger in the bar that he would probably never see again didn't need to know about his awkward relationship with his ex-wife. He changed his tone. "I don't date people who hit me for no reason," he joked, trying to make light of the situation.

Addison glared at him and he cringed, angry-Addy had always been intimidating; apparently a divorce certificate did not change that. "Tell me again what you were doing?" She demanded.

"I was waiting for drinks and started talking. Just talking, nothing more."

"Have you even ordered yet?" She challenged.

Joe chose to show up at an opportune moment, placing four beers down on the bar. "Here you go, sorry about the wait." And then he was gone again.

Derek smirked. "Good timing, Addy, you can help me carry the drinks." And with that he nodded a farewell to the woman at the bar, grabbed two of the beers and headed back to his table, leaving Addison fuming at the bar with the last two beers.

Addison, of course, lectured him back at the table, in front of Mark and Preston, who at least stood up for him. Having Addison lecture him on cheating seemed hypocritical, but he bit back any comments he thought of, not wanting to destroy the party. He simply repeated time and time again that he loved Meredith and would never, ever cheat on her. The conversation had been innocent. Soon, Addison was called away anyway, when the woman who was carrying Joe and Walter's potential child passed out at the bar. And then soon after, Preston bid his farewell, not wanting to be tired and/or hung over for his wedding the following day. He had had a few more drinks by then and when Mark suggested they stay for another round, Derek could think of no reason not to.

000

Meredith awoke and tiredly tossed and turned on the couch, trying to get comfortable. By the clock on the wall, she hadn't been asleep long. She had expected to party well into the night, but the bachelorette party had wrapped up just after midnight.

Cristina had disappeared sometime during the party, and once they realized she was gone, had found her passed out, draped across Meredith's bed. As much as Meredith loved her best friend, she didn't want to spend another night fighting for covers and space on the bed. Izzy, of course, had her own bed and somehow when Alex had failed to return from the hospital, Callie had gotten his bed. Meredith could remember playing the gracious host, but now was regretting it. She was uncomfortable and turned over again, suddenly realizing there was still toilet paper wrapped tightly around her torso in the form of a dress. Obviously they had gone through more alcohol last night than she had previously believed. She laughed at herself and made to sit up when she heard movement on the stairs. Maybe it was Cristina and she could make a play for her bed and barricade the door.

A familiar form stumbled into the front hallway, and she smiled. When he had failed to show up, she had assumed he had crashed at the hospital, or gone home. But by the late time, and his uneven steps, she could tell that his wild bachelor party had been wilder than expected.

"Derek," she called as quietly as she could, sitting up straighter.

He turned towards the sound of her voice, groping his way into the living room. "Meredith? Is that you?" He said a little too loudly.

She giggled at the tone of his voice. "I'm right here, on the couch."

He paused for a moment, eyes adjusting to the darkness before he smiled and moved to sit beside her.

His weight collapsed onto the cushion beside her, and an arm snaked out to pull her close. He kissed the top of her head, whether he meant to, or because he missed her face, she didn't know. "Thank god," he muttered, pulling her close. "I almost got into bed with Cristina. And let me tell you, she was not very happy."

Meredith laughed at the thought. "Derek, you're drunk," she accused, her tone light.

He shook his head and scoffed, his eyes closed. "No, I'm not."

She continued laughing. "Oh, you so are."

He shrugged. "Okay, maybe a little, but it's okay, because I took a cab," he explained proudly.

She rolled her eyes. "Do you think you could have even found your car?"

He opened one eye and glared at her before closing it. "Prolly not," he muttered.

She laughed. "Well, I'm glad you're home."

He sighed, pulling her in tight. "Me too." Even in his inebriated state, he failed to miss how easily the term home rolled off her lips. He smiled.

"I take it, it was a good party."

He nodded. "I guess. Addy and Mark came. Addy left pretty early, then Preston. Then it was just me and Mark. He suggested another round, though I'm pretty sure it was more than one more round." His pressure on her relaxed as he leaned his head back on the couch, his eyes remaining closed, an arm still draped loosely over her shoulder.

Meredith shook her head. "You and Mark got drunk together, just the two of you?"

Derek shrugged. "Yep, we did. I guess I'm forgiving him. Can't stay mad forever, especially when what he did led me to you."

Meredith smiled at his words, knowing he may not know or remember what he was saying, but it meant something to hear them.

"Oh," Derek said suddenly. "If Addy tells you I was hitting on a girl, it isn't true."

"Excuse me?"

Derek shrugged, not moving his head from the back of the couch. "I was waiting for drinks and this woman started talking to me. End of story. She said she had a bad day. I told her I had a girlfriend. Nothing happened between us, but then Addy hit me, and then she was sure I was cheating on you. But I wasn't, I swear. I would never."

Meredith had to smile at the matter-of-factness of his words. She shook her head at his state and decided to let the subject go for now, she would get better answers tomorrow anyway.

"Do you believe me?" He asked gently.

Meredith almost laughed. "Of course I believe you, Derek."

"Good, now can we get to the whole Best Man, Maid of Honour thing?"

Now Meredith really laughed. "Derek, it's like three in the morning and you're drunk."

He barely shrugged. "So?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are you up to the Best Man, Maid of Honour thing, Derek?"

He seemed to contemplate this for a few moments. "No, probably not. But can we tell people I was if they ask?"

She had to shake her head at him. He was drunk and barely conscious. And still he was worried someone would think less of him as a man. "Of course," she answered, wanting to ask him who he thought would be asking about their sex life the next day, but refrained.

"Good, can we go to bed now?"

Meredith smiled. "I hate to tell you this, but the couch is bed tonight."

"Why?"

She laughed. "Cause Cristina usurped my bed. Remember almost getting in bed with her?"

Derek took a moment before responding. "Right, I forgot. Hey, don't tell Addy by the way. She'll hit me again."

"I won't," she comforted him, laughing slightly. "Now come on, Derek," she said as she pulled him down beside her, pushing her back up against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. She smiled as he tightened his embrace by himself. She lay quietly as he shifted against her, adjusting to the couch, and then slowly drifted off to sleep. She then let his even breath against the back of her neck lull her to sleep as well. She didn't wake up again until morning.

AN: Look at me, three updates in the same week! lol. I'm totally on a roll. So, this was another lighter chapter to brace some of the not-so-light stuff. And I know there was at least one request to exclude Lexie Grey, but I want to stick with the actually show as much as possible, just changing what would have happened should Meredith and Derek had handled things differently. Anyway...