Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Honestly just wasn't feeling it but I liked this chapter a lot! Enjoy...

Chapter 4

Before another weekend rolled around, Derek finally secured his position as captain on the varsity team along with Owen Hunt, and his mind was running a million miles per hour with everything he had to take care of. Whether he was helping his coach start-up practice or staying after practice to go over game plans, he didn't seem to have too much time for himself. But as this Friday came to a close, he had Saturday off from practice and he was able to let loose. Derek and Mark were going to another one of Jake Madden's open house parties that he has, and Derek was hoping to finally relax after the treacherous week he had (with the exception of the kiss he shared with Meredith Grey). Does he think about her too much? Eh, probably. But, it's not like he can help it. Look at her!

Knocking himself from his thoughts, Derek glanced over at the clock from the dinner table he ate at with his family, seeing that the clock struck 7:30, meaning that Mark and Weiss were coming over in a half an hour to meet up before heading over to Madden's lake house. He frantically started to clean his plate up and scrape off the leftovers from the steak dinner his mother made.

"Derek, will you please take it down two notches?" His mother said pleadingly.

"Sorry Mom, but I have to be ready in time for Mark and Weiss. They're meeting me here before we walk to Jake Madden's house."

"Jake Madden from the baseball team? I love his mother. Will she be there?"

"Um, sure…" Derek said with confusion spreading through his eyebrow region, both of his sisters following the conversation with content.

"Derek, you know that you should have an adult's supervision when you hang out with big groups of kids."

"Please stop freaking out. There aren't that many kids going, just baseball guys!"

"So, that's how you got hickeys all over your neck from your last baseball hangout, right? I'm sure Jake Madden's parents weren't hanging around you when that happened. Am I correct?"

Amelia and Liz started to snicker as Derek's hand flew to the hickeys that were now reduced to a couple of light green marks on the base of his neck. A blush crept over his face and he was at a loss for words. He finally thought he was in the clear from last weekend with Meredith, his mom not even mentioning anything when he walked into the kitchen the morning after with the exposed bruises.

"What? I… I don't know what you're talking about, I swear!"

"Oh. Come on, Der. Everyone with eyes could see what it was," Liz told him.

Derek audibly groaned and sat down at the kitchen counter, away from two of his four sisters and his mother. He looked back up at his mom and sheepishly grinned at her, not even trying to deny what happened anymore.

"So, when will I be meeting the lucky young woman, mister?"

"Mom… I'm not bringing her over. It's nothing… no one," yet his eyes still flashed at the thought of her name and the possibility of Meredith eventually meeting his family.

"Derek, I know you well, better than you think. And when you're comfortable admitting it, she will be here for family dinner."

"Alright, Mom. I understand," Derek sighed before leaving the room to get ready before his friends got to his house in fifteen minutes, not realizing that his younger sister, Liz, had followed him out of the room.

"Tell me who the girl is," Liz pried as she was trotting up the stairs after him.

"Ugh…" Derek said as he felt his sister's presence in the doorway of his room, "Why would I do that? I don't think I want you in my business."

"Because I haven't bothered you all week about it when Amelia and I noticed the hickeys on Saturday morning before Grandma's. Definitely not a good look for a nursing home visit, brother. Plus, I could just tell Mom that you were barely at Jake Madden's last Friday night and you ran off somewhere without telling her where you would be. That can't be too much fun, Derek," she said with a look of victory on her face. Liz was definitely known for the mind games she was able to play.

"You were at Jake Madden's! What the fuck, Liz? You're a sophomore!"

"Chill, I was there with his little sister. I left at 10:30 and I didn't see you once."

"Fine. I'll tell you who it is. As long as you don't run that big mouth of yours to anyone in or out of this family," Derek said with a stern voice, to be met with an understanding nod from Liz. Yes, she's a pain in the ass, but loyal when she knows what's at stake.

"It's Meredith Grey… Just please don't say anything to anyone," glancing at her as he threw on a collared golf shirt before fixing his hair in his bedroom's mirror.

"Meredith Grey! You really are playing out of your league. I have to say, I was not expecting that. I was thinking of someone more in Rose's ballpark. Regardless, you have the girl that every guy wants!"

"Well, as of right now, it was a one-and-a-half time thing. I'm still trying to convince her to go on a date with me," Derek said, completely ignoring the fact that Liz insulted his type before Meredith came along.

"I'm not going to even ask what the half thing is, but instead I will congratulate you on the improvement from your last girlfriend," Liz stated before the doorbell rang, and Derek shook his head at her before he went back downstairs to greet his two friends at the door and head off to the lake party for the second weekend in a row.

xXx

Hours later, the party at the lake was still going strong. More people started to come after the word was spread that Madden was throwing again, definitely something that Derek was going to thank him for later. Derek was pulling another Bud Light out of the cooler when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He shook off the condensation from the can and turned to see who was waiting behind him.

"Hi," the familiar female voice softly spoke at him.

"Couldn't stay away from me?" Derek said back with an annoying grin.

"No, you're just standing in front of the cooler," the fond voice of Meredith responded.

"You know how to make a guy feel good!"

"So I've been told," Meredith giggled. Oh, how he loved her giggle.

"When did you get here?"

"Literally five minutes ago. You're the first person that I saw coming into the backyard."

"I guess it's just fate…" Derek said sheepishly.

"You wish, Derek. Cristina wanted to come because Owen's here. Did you know that was a thing?"

"Kind of. I play baseball with him so I've heard her name tossed around. Lucky for me, it means I can see you too."

"Because you couldn't ask me this morning during our lab? You've managed every other week," she said with a grin. She knows she's playing with him and her effect on him, she was having fun with how red his face got.

"Very funny, Mer. Maybe this week I didn't want you to… Uh. Reject me?"

"You like it, last time I checked. In the fall, I remember you saying, and I quote 'Meredith, I hope you know, you rejecting me just turns me on' much to my dismay," she claims with a flirty, seductive voice. Needless to say, this verbal relationship was starting to become two-sided after all.

"Fine! You got me," he said as he held his hands up in surrender before saying, "So… would you want to go talk down by the lake?"

"I guess I can tolerate you for a little bit longer."

"And I'm grateful for that."

The pair made their way down to the edge of the water, finding themselves sitting on the dock with their legs hanging down. They talked about anything and everything, as groups of kids splashed together in the distance. Meredith and Derek could've joined the group, but they were content in the happy bubble they created for themselves. The progression of their relationship was interesting to say the least. All of the sudden, Meredith seemed to want Derek back, something that he thought he would have to chase after for a much longer period of time. In the back of his mind, he knew that what they had tonight wasn't an accurate description of what she actually wanted. He had heard from people that she was a complicated girl, but he still pushed the thought of her not wanting him after tonight away.

As she told Derek about the numerous stories about herself and her friends, Derek found an opportunity to snake his arm around her petite waist. He heard a quick hitch in her throat, but it was small and she even scooted a little closer to his body as he gripped her side. He was extremely comfortable with this moment, wanting to savor any touch he can have with Meredith Grey. As he was deep in his own content, he was met with silence from his counterpart.

"Derek, are you okay?" Meredith smiled at him.

"More than okay."

"Oh, so that was why you didn't answer my question."

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking. What was your question?"

"It doesn't matter, but what were you thinking about?"

"You," Derek whispered as he turned his head so their faces were almost touching.

"Me?"

"I like you, Meredith."

"Oh."

"Yeah," he nodded as he looked out onto the moonlit water, the sounds of other kids now diminished.

"You're drunk, Derek," Meredith insisted as she followed his gaze.

"No, I'm actually not."

"You can't like me. We can't like each other."

"I don't see why not. We're lab partners, we obviously have a connection, we can talk for hours," he said, noting how long they've been sitting on the deck. The conversations have spanned two hours, the time approaching midnight.

"Derek, trust me. You don't want me."

"But, I do! You can't tell me that I don't want you. You know how much I want you."

Derek's statement was met with silence, so he took his hand and caressed Meredith's cheek, moving to her chin and using his fingers to tilt her face towards him.

"I want you, Meredith," he assured her before meeting her lips in a sweet and soft kiss. The kiss was different from the two they had shared before. There was no less passion, but it was more a declaration of what he wanted, needed.

"Okay."

"Get breakfast with me tomorrow."

"Ask nicely," Meredith teased with a giggle.

"Meredith Grey, do me the pleasure and please share a breakfast sandwich with me?"

"If you insist…"

"Hmmm," Derek hummed with satisfaction as he leaned down to her lips again and showered her with kisses, "let me walk you home?"

"I'm actually sleeping at Cristina's, so I should find her. Come with me?" she propositioned.

"All right."

Meredith stood up before Derek, grabbing his hands to help him up. Once Derek stands straight up, Meredith pulls him by his collar, down to her lips again. He runs his fingers lightly down her arms, to her back, and finally lets them rest on the small of her back. They explore each other's mouths for a few minutes then Derek feels her pull back, leaving him breathless.

"We should get going if we want to get back soon."

"You're right, my mom is going to kill me if I'm not home soon," Derek says as he glances down at the watch that read it was a quarter after midnight, "Anyways, I'll pick you up at Cristina's tomorrow morning? You can send me her address."

Meredith eagerly nodded and put her number into his phone so they could exchange details about their next morning together. After the quick interaction, the two make their way towards the glow of Jake Madden's house, grins defining both of their features. Never did Derek think that he would have a night like this when he left his house earlier in the night, but he was thankful that it happened. As Meredith and he approached Cristina who was sitting with Owen around the firepit, they quickly said their goodbyes, and Derek leaned down to steal another kiss from Meredith. Derek turned around and started to walk around the exterior of the house.

"Did he just kiss you right in front of me?" a snarky voice said and Derek identified Cristina's voice with a smirk tugging at the corner of his rosy lips.

"Cristina! We can talk later but I'm not doing this right now."

There was some more muffled conversation that Derek made out before he was finally out of earshot. To him, if Meredith talked to Cristina about their night together, he knew he definitely had some sort of chance. Before she wouldn't even waste a breath on him, but now she felt it was worthy of a late-night conversation with her best friend. He walked down the dim streets of their New York town, kicking rocks along the way, completely satisfied with where he was right now.

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