Summary: Derek Shepherd, famous actor and Meredith Grey are seemingly platonic best friends who do everything together. After a night of cuddling and watching a movie together, Derek's feelings overwhelm him and he picks up a guilty habit of kissing her in her sleep. This continues for some time until he is caught.

000

I haven't been able to act like a normal person in years. Every person I associate with is brought into question; everything I do is watched and twisted into some headline news story. Each time that I take time and go out with any female friends, people speculate if I'm in a romantic relationship with them.

There is one person that I feel completely free around, though, because she never puts stock into what the media says. Her name is Meredith Grey. Meredith always acts as if I'm just a normal person—which I am, if that isn't already clear. She acts as if the fame doesn't exist, unlike most people. I hated asking her if we could keep our friendship quiet, but I didn't want her to be dragged into this massive mess.

Tonight, I was going over to visit Meredith after a long absence due to filming a new show. We hadn't seen each other in months, and I was dying to be in her arms, once more, even if I could only do that as a friend when I wanted so much more. The last few times that we'd spent our evenings together, she'd fallen asleep on my shoulder when it had gotten late. I didn't mind, though. In fact, I enjoyed having her so close to me; her lavender scent surrounded me and made me feel whole again after all the turmoil this life had to offer. I would never admit it to her or anybody else, but the last time she fell asleep next to me, I'd leaned over and stolen a gentle kiss from her lips while she slept. When Meredith shifted in my arms and moaned my name, it was all I could do to carry her to her bedroom and tuck her in before heading back to the guest bedroom alone. I always felt guilty about having kissed her when she was sleeping and vulnerable, but that didn't stop me from wanting to do it again.

You shouldn't do it,my brain scolded me.Just because you got away with it once doesn't mean that it's a good idea. If Meredith catches you, she'll probably never speak to you again, and you don't want that, do you?No, I most certainly didn't. I felt like I'd die without her smiles, her laughter, her eyes that sparkled as brightly as two emeralds…I was hooked.

So this evening when she opened her door for me, I vowed that I wouldn't let it come to that again. The way she hugged me in greeting made me seriously question my choice to visit her, because all at once I realized that there was no way that I'd possibly be able to control myself around her. I'd watched over the years as the men that she dated one by one showed their true colors and turned out to be complete assholes.

I'm not like them,I desperately wanted to tell her. I wanted to hold Meredith in my arms and protect her from the rest of the world, but most of all, I wanted her to feel loved.I would never hurt you.

As it was, we were nothing more than friends, and I didn't think she'd ever see me in a different light. All my worries disappeared, though, when I saw her laugh; I loved making her laugh more than anything. Her giggle is everything i need to make my whole day better. So as we sat around the coffee table in her living room eating her favourite pizza, I imagined what it would be like to have all those giggles to myself, for my ears only. So many men hurt her in the past with their words, their actions, their tempers…I vowed never to be one of them, and keeping that vow became easier and easier as we chatted away and ate together before curling up on the sofa and trying to think of a show we could watch.

"Have you seen any of the current season of'Grey's Anatomy'?" She asked, and I shook my head. "I know you liked the previous season, so do want to watch that?"

"I'd love to, Mer," I said, and she used the remote to access it on her cable menu. I loved to curl up with Meredith and watch this, because she was easily disturbed by the surgeries and injuries, but she would never admit it. She only ever buried her face in my chest until it passed. If she truly didn't like it, she wouldn't have suggested that we watch it; I think Meredith only liked the show for the plot. Every time there was a scene that implied anything sexual, I would catch her biting her lower lip and blushing as she pointedly didn't look at me. It was as if she was afraid that I would judge her, or something.

Tonight, we made our way through two episodes before we both started to nod off. I turned off the television for her and carefully gathered her sleeping form into my arms. "Let's get you to bed, little one."

She mumbled something unintelligible against my shoulder, and her arms wound their way around my neck. My lips stretched into a smile as I carried Meredith to her bedroom. I took off her shoes and tucked her in, but when I turned to leave I felt Meredith's hand catch my wrist. I swiveled to face her and saw that she was awake.

"Please, don't leave," she whispered, and I smiled gently at her. "Please, Der. Please, stay with me."

How could I possibly ignore her beautiful request? I took off my own shoes and climbed into the bed next to Meredith; I even remembered to reach over and turn off the lamp on her bedside table. As soon as I settled in next to her, she rolled over and wrapped an arm and a leg around me, and I prayed that she couldn't feel how hard I was. I put my arms around her in response, and I felt her sigh against my shoulder where she had laid her head.

"Goodnight, my beautiful girl," I whispered as soon as her breathing had evened out into the slow rhythm characteristic of a deep slumber. I, however, found sleep to be elusive and my bed partner to be alluring. I knew I shouldn't, I knew I would probably be kicked out of her house if I was caught, but I just couldn't resist. I tilted my head and cradled her cheek in my palm as I leant forward and placed my lips against Meredith's. I stifled a moan that rose in my chest at the feeling of closeness that our position afforded. And her lips! Oh, Meredith's lips! They were so soft, so warm, so responsive.

Shit, 'responsive'?! I thought she was asleep!

I pulled back as if I'd been burned and watched as her eyes fluttered open and focused on me. Meredith's free hand came up and stroked my cheek as I tried to form the right words, but all I could do was stammer and stutter like the moron I was. "I-I…You were asleep…You…I swear, I…How did…? I saw you! You were…sleeping…"

"Why'd you stop?" She asked, and I went silent. Meredith's brow furrowed slightly and she rolled me over until she was straddling me. "If this is a dream like all the others, then why did you stop? You never have before."

She thinks this is a dream. That's why she let me kiss her. I can't take advantage of Meredith like that.It took all of my willpower to draw in a deep breath and say the words that I was dreading.

"Because, this isn't a dream," I said quietly and she scoffed.

"Then why did you kiss me? The real Derek Shepherd would never kiss me. He'd just sit there like a gentleman, as sexy as he is, and be too polite to make a move even though that's all I've wanted since I met him," she said. "The only logical explanation is that this is a dream."

"But it's not! This is not a dream, I swear to you," I said, and I stopped a groan from escaping my throat as she rolled her hips against my hard-on. I gripped her hips tightly and stilled her movements. "When have I ever lied to you?"

This made her pause for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. She knew that I would never lie to her, but she also couldn't process that this wasn't a dream. I could see her warring with herself as my eyes pleaded with her to believe me.

"Then prove it. Pinch me," she said offering me her arm. I hesitated; I didn't want to cause her pain, but I had to show her that this was really happening. I sighed and took her arm gently in one hand before pinching her with the thumb and forefinger of my other. "Ow! Shit, that means…Shit! Derek, I'm so sorry, I just…I-I…"

She was stammering now as she climbed off of me and scooted to the far side of the bed. I turned the light on the bedside table on and reluctantly turned to face Meredith. She had her hands over her face and he knees drawn up to her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Der," she breathed and I moved to her side, quickly drawing her into my arms. "I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I said those things to you. I'm so embarrassed."

"Shh, Mer, it's alright. It's my fault, anyway," I said, and she pulled her head back. "What are you talking about? It's not your fault. You didn't ask for me to come onto you like that," she said and I kissed her forehead.

"No, but I was the one who kissed you. I started the whole thing. I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you," I murmured, feeling myself blush at my admission. "I'm so sorry if I've offended you or made you feel uncomfortable. I can go if you want me to."

"No, please, Der. You didn't offend me. Just…Will you stay?" she asked, smiling sheepishly at me. I looked at her hesitantly. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, after what I did. I just hoped that—"

Before I could think better of it, I leaned in and kissed Meredith's lips, cutting off her speech. After a moment's hesitation, she shocked both of us by kissing me back and wrapping her arms around my neck. This time I couldn't repress a light moan as she opened my mouth with her tongue. We explored each other for I don't know how long before we finally separated.

"Meredith, of course I'll stay, if you want me to," I said, and she nodded lying down and cuddling up to me. "You said you'd had dreams about us before. Would you like me to make one of those come true tomorrow morning?"

Meredith blushed before she nodded, and I nuzzled her ear softly. I couldn't wait for morning to come!

AN : I'm Back Guys! I know most of you are probably wanting a sequel for A Forged Wedding, well i don't know if i'd ever continue it. Been pretty hectic lately so i decided to stick to oneshots if i have time. This would be a collection of MerDer OneShots! So hope you guys like it! Tell me what you think! Review, Like and Follow ~