Sunlight streamed through the open curtains in Meredith's room and she groaned. She rolled over fully intending to find Derek passed out next to her, but she was surprised when her body met cold sheets. She opened her eyes and saw Derek's cell phone sitting on the nightstand, so he was obviously here somewhere. She sat up and wrapped the sheet around her tiny body before venturing out into the hallway. The shower wasn't running. Where could he be?

That was when the smell of fresh coffee and bacon hit her nose. Never one to turn away from coffee, she tiptoed down the stairs and journeyed to the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks at the scene before her. There was Derek, wearing no shirt, dancing around her kitchen and singing horribly off key to whatever he happened to be listening to. She leaned against the doorframe and watched him, amused. She tried to stifle the laughter she felt bubbling up in her throat, but wasn't successful. A giggle escaped and Derek looked up, startled. His face turned a faint shade of red and it was amazing to her how a man who was so cocky and self-assured could get embarrassed.

" Good morning, " Derek greeted as he pulled his earphones out.

" Good morning, " Meredith echoed.

" I, uh, thought you might be hungry. My mother always taught me that a good day started with a good breakfast, " he rambled, a hint of nervousness to his voice.

" Is it edible, " She asked as she approached the island warily.

" What? You think just because I happen to be a man I can't cook, " he teased her.

" Actually. Yes , " Meredith replied honestly.

Derek gave her that grin she had seen so many times. That " you can't help but love me because I'm so charming" grin. Scratch that. Like him. She most certainly did not love him. She didn't even know him.

" I'll have you know, I am fabulous cook, " he sassed her as he poured her a cup of coffee and slid it across to her.

" We'll just see about that one, " Meredith tossed back as she took a sip of coffee.

" So, I'm curious about something, " Derek said out of nowhere.

" Curiosity killed the cat."

Derek gave her a look.

" What? You already know my name. What else could you possibly have to be curious about," She replied teasingly.

" Boxes. There are all these packed up boxes. Are you moving in or are you moving out, " Derek asked seriously.

" Actually, this is my mom's house, but she's no longer able to take care of it. I haven't decided whether to sell it or not, " Meredith answered honestly.

He nodded thoughtfully as he took a swallow of coffee.

" What about you, Mr, Mysterious? Where do you live?"

" Currently? I am a guest of one of Seattle's finest hotels. I just moved here a few days ago, " Derek informed her as he moved around the island to sit next to her.

" Seriously? You're living in a hotel , " Meredith sounded disbelieving.

" Seriously. I haven't had a whole lot of free time to find a place just yet. I bought some land and I'm thinking of building a house, but who knows how long that will take."

" Okay, well, don't freak out on me or anything here, but you can stay here until you either a) buy a house or b) build a house. I'm going to be starting work next week and I'll hardly ever be home so you'd pretty much have the place to yourself, " She couldn't believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. Did she seriously just tell this guy that she had known for less than a week that he could live with her?

He looked surprised for a moment, before flashing her a smile.

" Do you often invite strange men to live with you, " He teased her.

" Oh, so you're admitting you're strange."

He laughed softly before playfully nudging her with his shoulder.

" Don't you even want to know what my last name is before you offer to let me stay with you? "

" Okay, I'll bite. What's your last name?"

" Shepherd."

" Well, then it's nice to finally meet you, Derek Shepherd."

" You going to tell me yours?"

" What made you think that this was a game of 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours?'

Derek leaned in close to her, eyes dancing with amusement as he ducked his head down to whisper in her ear.

" I've already seen yours. "

Meredith just laughed and rolled her eyes.

They had parted ways at lunch time and that gave Meredith time to think. She still couldn't believe that she had told him he could stay there. Yes, she had the tendency to be impulsive and irrational, but Meredith was what she liked to call a 'commitment phobe'. She didn't do relationships. If she knew their name, it was generally time for it to be over. Yet, she not only had slept with this man quite a few times, she knew his first- and his last!- name. First name was enough. She never ever got last names.

Still, there was something about him that she couldn't stop thinking about. Maybe it was his hair. He had great hair. It was all dark and silky, easy to thread your fingers through in the heat of the moment. Or maybe it was those eyes. She could drown in those eyes and never ask for a lifeline. Bad Meredith Bad! Do not fall in lust with the hot guy you've been screwing. Especially the hot guy you know little to nothing about.

Besides, there was nothing wrong with helping someone while they got on their feet right? No one had made any offers on her mother's house just yet and Meredith was actually considering keeping it. It was after all her home, even if she hadn't lived there for quite a while. It would save her the trouble of searching for a place to live and she could always get roommates later. It was just something for her to think about.

He'd been surprised when she'd offered to let him live with her until he got settled. After all, he had barely known her for three days, didn't even know her last name, It was a fact that he most certainly wanted to find out. She had a way about her that drew him to her and he wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was that behind that facade she had nearly perfected, he saw a world of hurt. She obviously wasn't the relationship type girl and that disappointed him. That was the upside to accepting her offer though. He'd find out more about her and maybe he'd be able to change her mind.

He was disturbed by that line of thought. Here he was , getting out of an eleven year marriage , and he was thinking about dating the girl he'd only had sex with a handful of times? Derek wasn't sure what to make of that. Was he just sexually attracted to her and lonely or did he really think there was possibility there? Whatever it was, he was going to find out.

So it was with certainly he gathered up what belongings he had from his hotel and headed towards her house after his shift. He made a stop to pick up a bottle of wine and some take out, as it didn't seem that his new roommate was all that inclined in the cooking area. He was relieved to see that she was home already, as she hadn't given him a key, saying she'd have one made that afternoon. He knocked on the door and waited awkwardly for her to answer it, his bag slung over one shoulder and the food in the other. No, this didn't feel odd at all.

His breath caught when he saw her bounding down the stairs in a ratty long sleeve t-shirt with DARTMOUTH printed across it and a pair of low riding jeans. Ah ha. Another fact about Meredith he could file away. She went to Dartmouth. Her hair was pulled up in a messy pony-tail, but he couldn't remember a time when he'd seen a woman look more sexy. Addison had never looked less than perfect, hair always in place and he sometimes wondered if she had her make-up tattooed on. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about Addison though.

She opened the door and greeted him with a smile.

" Hi , " Meredith said breathlessly.

" Hi. I come bearing food and alcohol, " Derek replied charmingly.

" That makes you my new favorite person, " She laughed as she stepped aside to let him in.

" Oh , so there was a favorite person before me? I'm hurt , " He teased.

" Well, I think you'll live. If you want to put the food in the kitchen, I'll take your stuff up to the room that will be yours, "

" How about I put the food in the kitchen and you show me what room will be mine , " Derek wheedled.

" Only if you promise to behave. I'm hungry, you know , " Meredith grinned at him.

" Don't worry, so am I, " Derek tossed back, but she got the impression from the look in his eyes he was hungry for something else besides food.