Chapter 2

The One with the PLAN

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Shonda Rhimes (I hope I'm not mistaken)

Background: Starts from the beginning of season 1 with their first meeting at the bar. AU from there. Derek is looking for a fresh start, one-night stands and mostly- oblivion from his carefully built life back home. Meredith is a virgin but still hotheaded and stubborn to no end. When her one-night-stand attempt ends up her boss, she's mortified. Still, not as mortified as overhearing him talk to another attending asking him is she was frigid and Derek agreeing with him. Now he's determined to forget about her, and she will do anything to prove his words wrong. None of them expected to fall for each other in the process.

Most of the regular characters will be there, though I may give them slightly different stories. Christina is with Owen from the start, I was never much into Burke. Lots of drama because writing is my way to vent.

Note: Thank you for the reviews!

It is so enjoyable to see that someone else is reading and liking this. As far as angst goes, it seems that Meredith did have a lot of it in the show at first and it wouldn't be her if there wasn't some of that too. There will be happiness too, 'cause, it's them and they were always somehow meant for each other. In my opinion.

1.

It's somehow a universally accepted rule that growing up somehow means facing uncomfortable truths and life facts. That this acceptance somehow makes you a better more well-rounded decent human being. Not surgeons through. We are thought and thought facts and information and all the knowledge possible, to challenge facts, to challenge diseases. The surgeons that are remembered in history are those that find new ways to look at death and say- not today...

Meredith stared at the ceiling until her clock started buzzing and then a little longer. The happy chatter in the kitchen made her want to crawl in bed and never get out. They all had rounds today, and she dreaded having to make small talk before 6am in the morning. It was too early to be pretending to be one of the happy shiny people. One more day to pretend to be like everyone else, without any secrets to keep, about herself, or her family(if she could even call it that).

There was, however, one good thing about being awake now. Something.

If she could just remember what it was from the thick fog of another post-tequila hangover mixed with exhaustion... And then it came back to her. Rounds. They had rounds. Which- with all of its annoyances also meant that they were doctors now. Interns. But nevertheless doctors. They got to assist on actual surgeries, have real cases. This, was her third official day of being a real doctor. And she wouldn't let anything spoil it. Even happy shiny people.

She braced herself, got dressed, and headed for the kitchen to drown in a cup of good, burning-hot, steaming, black coffee.

At least Izzy made freakin' amazing coffee, she reminded herself.

2.

'Should we update doctor Brown?' asked Meredith to doctor Bailey, or the Nazi, like everyone called her.

'What? No, Katie's a neuro case now. She's Shepard's, go update him. End of the hallway and then right, he should still be there.'

'Absolutely.' said Mer a bit too fast.

'Right away, m'am.' said Christina, one step behind her.

'Bailey. Doctor Bailey. And don't be too eager, it's nauseating. If there is any procedure that needs to be done, it's not me you'll have to impress, it's Shepard.'

'Yes m- Doctor Bailey!' Christina and Meredith rushed down the corridor, pretending not to be speeding up. Dr. Miranda Bailey, who was entrusted with guiding them from their transition from students into fully formed doctors, rolled her eyes and prayed they didn't trip on the way there.

They turned the corner and were few feet away from the 2 doctors talking there when one of them caught Meredith's eye. She pulled Christina back safely behind the corner, and her friend stared at her like she had lost her mind. Which in all fairness wasn't out of the question yet.

'It's him!'

'What? He who?'

'The guy- the - you know, the doctor, it's him. From the other night.'

'Mer, we've been at work 2 days already. Don't you think that if it was him we would have met him already?' Always her analytical self, Christina peaked at the charts. 'On the other hand, it says, D. Shepard. You know, D. Like, for Derek.'

'I can't go out there.'

'What? Yeah, you can. You have history, so I'll let you have the first moment to say hi, but if there are any surgeries I want in.'

'I'm not going.'

'Yeah, you are.' Christina unceremoniously nudged her friend back in the corridor towards the doctors. 'God, why don't I have popcorn when I really need it?'

3.

When Mer got closer, Derek was facing away from her and talking to another doctor. While she was uncomfortably shifting in her place, she wondered if it would be polite to interrupt. She coughed low to announce her presence, but it was apparently too low. They kept talking, and suddenly she found herself listening without wanting to.

'Wait, what did she do?' She overheard and her heart sank. They couldn't possibly be talking about- 'Was she frigid?'

Derek looked at Pete, his sometimes very crass, one-night-stand-type new attending friend. Pete was about 5 years younger, and not necessarily someone he'd be friends with, but, it beat knowing no one so far. It also beat spending every night alone at his trailer, thinking about the life he left behind. He had to make friend with anyone he could, at least for now. He forced a laugh and said yes- he wanted to say no, but then he was afraid his new 'friend' might go after her himself, and something in him couldn't allow that.

Then there was a cough behind him and the conversation got a whole lot worse. He turned and looked straight at Meredith. He had seen her around, but hadn't yet had a chance to talk privately. Judging by her facial expression the likeliness of that happening now was fast approaching below zero. Pete pretended he was in hurry and got out of there before she had even spoken. And then it was just the 2 of them- and by the looks of it, her Asian friend, unsuccessfully pretending she was very busy at the end of the hall. He swore in his head. He didn't need an audience, too.

'Dr. Grey.'

'Dr. Shepard. You know my name it seems,' His eyes were burning through her. He wanted to say so many things to her, but he couldn't, not now. 'Dr. Bailey sent me to get you for the new case. It's Katie Grant, room 3802.'

She unceremoniously handed him the charts, making sure her face held no movement, although her skin got ashy. She'd be professional, she thought to herself, if it killed her. No falling apart in front of him. Derek took a look at the chart. 'I will be doing a craniotomy on Katie. Doctor Grey, would you like to assist?'

4.

They were all sitting in Meredith's living room, drinking beer, eating half of pizza leftovers from yesterday and half- Chinese food leftovers from the day before, and catching up. Her new roommates Izzy and George, Christina and somehow- even Alex, whom after being with Izzy the night before, had somehow started weezing his way into their new friend group.

'You said nothing?' Izzy repeated, flabbergasted.

'Well, I-ugh...' Meredith took few large gulps of beer, regretting not drinking something harder. 'He wanted me to assist him in a craniotomy, what was I supposed to say?'

'That's what she said.' Alex said, and George elbowed him, annoyed.

Mer shook her head. 'What do I do now? He freaking called me frigid, he doesn't get to just do that!'

'Well, are you?' Alex intervened again, and George elbowed him even harder. 'Aw! What is wrong with you, dude?'

'Mer... Alex has a point.' Admitted Christina, and Mer threw a piece of mushroom from her pizza in her friend's direction. 'No, I'm serious, did he have a reason to say that? You've been awfully vague about that night.'

Mer felt an ugly red color blooming on her cheeks and drank few big gulps. How the heck do I answer that?

'It's not my fault he doesn't know how to warm up a woman. I gave him a chance. Would you have a problem knowing what to do with all this?' She drunkenly gestured towards her body.

'Not at all.' said George, staring at her with puppy eyes.

'I would know what to do at any time you want me, baby.' Answered Alex at the same time and this time it was Izzy's turn to hit him on the back of the head angrily, causing him to choke and cough on his beer. 'Don't worry baby, I still have plenty of love for you, bella' He said to Izzy guilty, and Christina burst into laughter.

'Christina' Meredith hissed, angrily. They were all laughing and joking around and she was still at a loss. 'What the hell do I do now"

Christina took a look look at her friend's red face. Mer was already family, and no one messed with her family.

'Well, what are we talking about here? You... want to get back to him?'

'Yeah, I guess? I just... he can't just go around the hospital talking whatever.'

'Okay. Here's the plan then. One, you make sure he sees you. Two, you make sure he wants you. And last, you show him that he can't have you and other hot men can.'

'I can join for that last part.' Alex said, oblivious to Izzy, who got up and angrily stormed to her room. 'What? Izzy? Whatever you think I meant, I didn't mean it! Tell me what I did.' He shouts after her, and followed her.

'You don't actually plan on following that and chasing after him, do you?' interrupted George, not liking the direction this was going.

Mer thought for a second and braced herself for a very long week.

'I think it's a great plan.' She said, and gulped her beer down as if it was tequila shots.