Chapter 7

'Trouble is...'

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.

'Trouble is a Friday night when I'm feelin' lonely
Trouble is too much time on my hands with you in my head
Trouble is one more fireball when I'm already lit, and it's last call
Trouble is nothing good ever happens after 2 A.M.

Stumble outta that red door, hop into a cab
Feelin' a little bit crazy, feelin' like I wanna be bad
Ain't goin' home til I check a few more sins off of my list
If you're lookin' for me, I'm gonna see, I'm gonna be

Where trouble is'

Nashville Cast- Trouble is

Note: Thank you everyone, I love getting new comments! And I love that you are all enjoying the story. I wish I had some more time, because I can see the next few chapters ahead. But, as it goes, I can only continue providing these short chunks of the story- and I will continue doing so as long as people are enjoying it.

More soon! And to everyone reading, thank you!

1.

The words echoed in her head. 'Woman my husband is screwing this week'. This week. She was just another flavor, entertainment until he got a better offer. At best, a challenge- something she had been in the past, which left a bad taste in her mouth. She wanted to melt into the ground under her and disappear. Without a word, she spun around and walked out of the hospital. Somewhere far she heard him call her name and ignored it.

Christina, Izzy, George, and Alex were sitting at Joe's with a line of shots in front of them. Meredith walked in, dressed in a flowy silk dress in deep purple color, with fabric that was belted around her tiny waist, accentuating her hips. She was wearing strappy high heel silver sandals and had her eyes carefully done in purple smokey eyeshadows. She walked in, as a woman on a mission, flashing a confident smile as she walked in.

'Weren't you staying at Shepherd's tonight?' said Christina confused.

Meredith downed one of the shots in front of her friends, coughing a bit at the burning sensation.

'Married' she said and downed another shot.

'Is that my dress? I want it back' Izzy inquired, still amazed at her friend's appearance. She'd known that Meredith knew how to make herself more put together, but this surpassed her expectations. And made her wonder why she'd been suppressing it until now. 'On second thought, you look hot. Keep it, wear it.'

'He's married?' repeated Christina, unbelieving.

Meredith was about to down another shot, but Christina held onto the glass. 'Meredith? Are you sure?'

'His beautiful, redhead, hot, wife told me to my face. He didn't deny it.'

'How hot are we talking?' inquired Alex, and Izzy elbowed him. Christina took the next shot glass and gave it to her friend. She'd earned one night of pure blowing off steam.

'I love that song.' Said Meredith, ignoring any other comments. 'Let's dance!'

Christina followed her to the tiny dancefloor, followed by George, Alex, and Izzy soon after.

2.

When Derek walked in a few hours later, she was in the center of the dancing floor, grinding on some guy that looked like he came out of a model commercial. She was dressed in a short revealing dress and heels, and the way she was moving her hips seemed to have attracted the attention of most of the male population of the bar. The colorful lights around the dance floor made her golden curls reflect in dancing glimmers of pink and purple. The back of the dress was open until her waist, revealing more than he wanted others to see from her. He watched enchanted the way she was moving, free and lost in the music, her beautiful eyes closed and her lips stretched in a seductive smile. She looked like a goddess.

He had to stare for a while, to make sure it was her. Nothing about the way she was dancing right now seemed innocent right now. Neither did her make up or smile. It was like she was suddenly a different version of herself. Then the guy started sliding his hands lower from Meredith's waist, and Derek felt the anger starting to bubble within him. He started walking towards her, but someone bumped into him, slowing him down- her black-haired Asian friend. Then a guy he'd seen in the interns.

He was going to lose her in the crowd.

And then he saw that the guy whispered in her ear, and they walked away towards the bathrooms of the pub.

Derek felt the anger rise and bubble over within him, making it impossible to think of anything else other than getting to her.

By the time he got to her, she was sitting on the marble counter next to the sink in the bathroom, with that stupid guy was wrapping his hands around her and kissing her. Suddenly he found himself pulling the guy off of her and pushing him against the wall. Meredith kept looking at the scene wide-eyed, still trying to feel sober enough to comprehend anything. The moment Derek pushed him, the guy went white and Derek saw that he seemed young himself, maybe her age.

'Don't you fucking touch her.' he hissed at the guy, holding him from moving by pressing his arm horizontally against his chest.

'What the f**k is this, I did not sign up for jealous boyfriends...' mumbled the guy.

'He's not- anything,' weakly protested Meredith, feeling too woozy to get off the counter.

Derek let go of the guy, and he flew out of the bathroom like it was on fire.

'Chicken.' mumbled Mer angrily. What if Derek wasn't Derek but someone that had meant harm to her? That guy would have made it so easy. Anyway... her attention suddenly snapped back to Derek, and she slid off the counter very un-gracefully, pulling the bottom of her dress as lower as she could. She started pushing him and hit his chest with her tiny fists few times, only resulting in herself swaying a bit in the drunken haze. He held her in a standing position by gently holding her elbow.

'You're no better! A**hole.' She hissed at him, drunk, woozy, and angry that he had not allowed her the brief absolution from her pain that fooling around was providing. 'What the hell are you doing here?'

'Saving you, clearly. Do you really want to wake up in the morning not remembering what you had done?'

He'd wanted to apologize to her, to explain, plead, beg her to understand. Her blind disregard for her own safety made that quickly disappear from his mind. She hit his chest again.

'And what do you know? Why dunt ya go backwards- back- go to... You looooust- you lost the moral highground- moral playground- moral- you have a wife!'

His eyes glimmered in recognition of the pain he'd caused, hating himself for it. That was never part of the plan. She was never a part of the plan. And now she was quickly starting to eclipse all his thoughts. He pulled her against his chest in a hug with her reluctantly quieting for a moment. 'I know I did, I know and I want to talk about all of this when you're sober... But please don't use me as an excuse to do something you'll regret tomorrow. You wake up tomorrow, you want to date 12 guys while sober, I promise I'm fine with it... Okay, not really.'

She looked up at him, a bit more sober, her tone softer.

'Derek?' He lowered his head, stealing a soft kiss from her. She hung onto him, unable to retract herself from the kiss. It was the first time tonight that she finally felt like herself again.

All of a sudden George and Cristina barged into the bathroom as well.

'Meredith, if you want us to get rid of him- oh, maybe not...' said Christina, looking at them confused.

Meredith exchanged silent glances with her friends, getting soberer by the minute. And hating how much she loved the feeling of his hands surrounding her. He wasn't hers. He felt like he was, but unknowingly, he had made her the other woman. He'd made her a cheater, an awful, disgusting... Her chest tightened with feelings she was trying to ignore.

'Cristina? George? Please get me home?'