Derek awoke the next morning to hear Meredith getting sick in the bathroom. He had heard her leave her room later in the night after he had gone upstairs and he suspected she had finished off that bottle of tequila. He debated on whether or not to check on her, but realized he had no choice. Quietly, he made his way to the bathroom and pushed open the door that was already ajar. There she sat kneeling in front of the toilet, one hand holding on to the side of the toilet while the other was trying to hold her own hair back.

He grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet and ran it under some cool water before joining her on the floor. One hand wove into her hair while the other gently wiped the cloth over her face. She flashed him a look of gratitude before turning her attention back to the toilet. He set the washcloth down and settled himself a bit more comfortably on the cold tile and began to rub soothing circles on her back. Minutes ticked by and still she didn't get sick again. Realizing the worst was over, he pulled her to her feet and turned the shower on. Then, he left her in the bathroom and made his way down into the kitchen.

She joined him about twenty minutes later. He was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper. She didn't say anything to him, just merely poured herself a glass of ginger ale and took the seat across from him. Finally, unable to stand the silence any longer, he set the paper down and looked straight across at her. He felt a wave of sympathy wash over him as he took in her appearance. She was wearing a baggy t-shirt and her eyes were bloodshot. Oh yes, she was in hangover hell. Still, he decided to bite the bullet and face the situation head on.

" So we have two options here the way I see it. We can go our separate ways and pretend it never happened. Or we can take the road less traveled and see where this goes. What we've been doing isn't forbidden , Meredith. There's no actual rule that says attendings can't date their interns, " Derek watched her closely as he waited for her to answer.

" See this? This isn't easy for me. I don't let people in. Yet, here I am, letting you in and I realize that I am so to blame for a lot of this because I should have asked. I didn't. Now, maybe it's fate's way of laughing at me or something, but I am not only sleeping with a guy who is very soon to be my boss, in a career that I have worked my butt off for, but I am also living with said boss , " Meredith rambled on nervously and Derek found himself trying not to smile.

" Meredith , " Derek tried to cut her off as she launched into her next ramble , but she wouldn't have it.

" And on top of that, I just had dinner with your boss whose going to be my boss, but is also the man that used to change my diapers. So I'm kind of freaking out here because I don't want to be the girl who gets ahead in her career because she's sleeping with her boss. "

" So you think I'm the kind of guy who shows his girlfriend favoritism? Meredith, I haven't seen your abilities as a doctor yet. I don't know if you're good or not. I'm not about to risk my career as a doctor or my mortality rate just because I think it might get me into your pants later that night , " Derek told her seriously.

" Did you just call me your girlfriend , " Meredith seemed to disregard the rest of his response.

" Would be girlfriend , " Derek told her hopefully.

" Seriously."

" Seriously."

Meredith was quiet for a while before spoke again.

" I have two rules , " She said.

" Let's hear them , " Derek leaned forward.

" Professionalism. We aren't seen together inside the hospital. Unless it's directly related to a patient. Inside the walls of the hospital, you're Dr. Shepherd and I'm Dr. Grey, " Meredith stated seriously.

Derek didn't look happy but he nodded.

" Don't request me as your intern. It'll just make both of us look bad if anyone were to find out we're sleeping together. "

" But Richard already knows , " Derek reminded her.

" Exactly. He's going to the only one who knows. "

" Okay. I have a rule as well , " He responded.

" I'm not making any promises , " Meredith warned.

" Inside this house, we are simply Derek and Meredith. What happens at the hospital, stays at the hospital. No grudge holding over the events of the work day , "

Meredith looked relieved.

" Agreed , " She looked as surprised as he did that it was that easy for her.

" Now, there's something else we need to discuss , " Derek switched topics and Meredith blinked. What on earth could they have to discuss now?

" We need to discuss how much I'm going to be paying in my half of the bills. If I'm going to be living here, I'm going to take care of my part of the expenses. No arguments , " He continued on.

" Derek- , " Meredith tried to interrupt, but he held up a hand to stop her.

" Look, we're still very early into all of this. I don't care where I'm sleeping, but as long as I'm sleeping under this roof and living here, I'm going to contribute to the bills."

Meredith gaped at him for a second, but slowly nodded. Even though the house was paid off and so were her expenses from medical school , she knew logically she'd still need help making sure the utilities got paid.

" I'll have to get back to you on that one , " was all she said.

Derek smiled to himself, pleased with his small victory.

Unfortunately, his victory didn't last long. When he got to the hospital, he was informed that Richard wanted to see him. Just as he had done with Meredith that morning, he decided to face the situation head on. He took his time getting to Richard's office though, mulling over in his head what he would say to him. He knocked on his office door after Richard's secretary assured him it was okay.

" Come in , " was the gruff reply he received.

" You wanted to see me , " Derek stated calmly.

" Take a seat , Derek. We need to talk , " Richard sounded serious and Derek was suddenly reverted back to high school. He was the seventeen year old boy getting scolded by the principal for bad behavior. He did as he was told though, taking a seat and doing his best not to be intimidated.

" You've gotten yourself into an interesting situation here , Derek. Although I'm not surprised, you always had a knack for it when you were in med school , " His boss told him, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

" Well you know me , " Derek replied flippantly, flashing an uneasy grin.

" Now, I can't tell you how to live your personal life, but I can tell you that your personal life better not in any way affect the way my hospital runs. Meredith is an intern. There's no rule that says you can't be involved with her, although I wish to god there was , " Richard warned him.

" Secondly, if you are going to continue this whatever it is with Meredith, you better know something else. Ellis Grey is a very near and dear friend to me. I practically helped her raise Meredith when she was young, so obviously she's very special to me as well. Don't think I'm in any way condoning this relationship either, Derek. Just know that if you hurt her... "

His meaning was clear.

" Look, Richard. Meredith and I actually sat down and had a discussion very similar to this one this morning. We're both going to be professional about this. Our work relationship and our personal relationship aren't to interact. We get that , " Derek assured him.

" Good. Now get the hell out of my office, Shep , " Richard shooed him away good naturedly.

Derek did as he was told.

Meredith felt like hell. She had gotten up for breakfast, but soon after found herself crawling back into bed. She'd stayed there for most of the day, trying not think about the complicated mess she'd just thrown herself into. It was bad enough she'd allowed herself to get close to him, but to find out he was going to be her boss and still continuing this...whatever it was. She must be insane. She must be completely and totally out of her friggin' mind. She blamed it on his eyes. And that annoyingly charming boyish smile.

That smile she was certain would be the death of her. It gave her gooey feelings and Meredith Grey did not have gooey feelings where men were concerned. Gooey feelings led to other feelings and other feelings generally just did not turn out well for her. Which brought her back to her original point. She must be insane. That was the only explanation that made sense to her. If she was sane, she would have ran screaming in the opposite direction, instead of willingly entering into her relationship with a man who was going to be her boss.

It was hard not to think about him when his scent still clung to her sheets. That had been the hardest part about last night. Eventually, it had driven her from her bed and into the rest of the tequila. She had finally managed to pass out on the couch when the nausea hit her and she had bolted upstairs. Meredith was surprised that he had managed to sleep through it as long as he did. He had certainly surprised her. No one had ever taken care of her like that while she suffered through her self inflicted hangovers. Of course, he probably felt guilty because he had been the cause of her drinking last night.

Good, she decided. It served him right for being all McDreamy like. It was all his fault with his charming smile and his...well everything. If he wasn't so damn perfect, she would have been able to tell him to take a hike. Instead, he was perfect and she was screwed. And not in a way she particularly liked.

Meredith pulled her pillow over her head and groaned. She was so screwed.

He came home to a quiet house. Meredith's Jeep was in the driveway, so he knew she hadn't gone anywhere. She was probably still suffering the after effects of her night with Jose' Cuervo

He ascended the stairs as quietly as possible, knowing she must have one hell of a headache. The door to her room was slightly ajar and he pushed it open the rest of the way. There she was , sprawled out on her bed with nothing but the same baggy t-shirt she'd been wearing before, and apparently passed out. Derek smiled in spite of himself. Then he slipped off his shoes and stripped down before crawling into the bed with her and gathering her in his arms. She grunted and then proceeded to bury her face in his neck.

" I'm never drinking again , " she whined.

Derek just laughed.