Meredith stocked her purse in her locker and stuck her hair in a ponytail. Derek had dropped her off at the hospital early this morning. She made sure her locker was closed and locked, she had a god knows how much it cost ring stashed in her change purse. She was a little early, so she headed out to the nurses station to check charts and see what they had today.

Hunched over a chart reading, she didn't hear anyone walk up behind her, "Hey." Derek said as he stuck his arms around her waist. She jumped.

"Dr. Shepherd!" she hissed.

"Dr. Grey." He said archly. He gave her his irresistible grin.

"Not here!" she told him. "Not in the hospital."

"Meredith, we are engaged." He told her quietly. He glanced at her hand, which was bare.

"Seriously, do you think I could wear that doing rounds or surgery?" she asked him before he could comment.

He nodded, she had a point. "But you are going to show everyone afterwards, and we are letting them know right."

Meredith shifted. "Uhhhhh."

"We aren't?" he asked her exasperatedly.

"Well, if you won't I'll tell them." He said after a minutes pause.

"Tell who what?" Cristina asked as she sauntered over to see the chart Meredith was reading.

Meredith started, "Ohh.. nothing. Nothing." She smiled at her friend, and tried to give Derek the evil eye at the same time.

"Okay Meredith, seriously, you suck as a liar. Tell who what?" she asked again.

Derek looked at Meredith with a smug look, before he turned to Cristina with a giant grin. Meredith sunk her face into her hands, defeated.

"Dr. Grey here, has agreed to become my wife." He said.

Cristina snorted. "Don't you have to be divorced, or are you doing the mormon thing?"

Derek laughed. "You people are anal about the divorce thing. For your information Dr. Yang, the papers are signed and will be processed in eighty seven days."

"And Meredith agreed to marry you?" she looked at her friend for confirmation.

Meredith looked up, and glared at both of them. "Why don't we just take the damn magic marker and write it on the OR board so EVERYONE can know as soon as possible. Oh wait, what about sky writers? Or a newspaper ad? SERIOUSLY!" she huffed and stormed back to the locker room to stew.

Derek looked at Cristina and shrugged. "How much do you think Sky writers cost?"

Cristina chuckled. "Wow, some happy blushing bride you have there, congratulations Dr. Shepherd." She headed back to the locker room to finish harassing Meredith.

Meredith was parked on the bench, staring at the lockers in front of her stewing.

"So what, so you're engaged. Deal. You want to marry him, so don't act all coy."

Meredith sighed. "It's not that, it's the whole homewrecking adulterous whore gossip thing."

"But if you're engaged, you aren't an adulterous whore anymore. Homewrecking yes, but not a whore."

Meredith stared at her friend. "As always I can always count on you to make me feel better."

"Meredith, it's not a big deal. If they want to gossip, which they will, screw it. You are happy, you're marrying the man you love, and if anyone has a problem with it, who cares?"

Cristina had a point. Who cared. Was she going to hide it forever? Stop her life because people might talk about her.

"You should see the ring. It's like a baseball." She grinned, standing up to unlock her locker and show it.

"Holy hell batman, it's a softball. I wonder how much that thing cost, we should get it appraised."

"Cristina!" Meredith exclaimed.

"Seriously. If Burke ever decides to propose, not that I want him to… but if he did, he has some major competition."

Meredith laughed and tucked it back away. "I just feel weird letting people know."

"I get that, but they are going to know anyways with the way gossip spreads. May as well get it out so it can die down faster."

Meredith nodded, agreeing, and they headed back to the nurse's station to wait for Bailey and the others.