Meredith sat on the shoreline, looking out on the ocean as she thought about the past year of her life. So much had changed, yet everything was still the same. Intern year had been… exhausting. Which was an understatement. Long hours, a hectic schedule, being the bottom of the surgical food chain. She'd be thankful to never be put on scut again in her life. The time that passed felt like a lifetime, rather than just a single year in her residency lifetime.

As suspected, everyone knew who her mother was, but the only special treatment she felt like she was getting was from her Chief of Surgery, Dr Richard Webber, although she couldn't figure out why. The most that she knew, they'd done their residency together up until Ellis moved Meredith with her to the other side of the state to Boston. Her resident, Dr Miranda Bailey, made sure to never give her any special treatment.

She heard from her mother on the odd occasion throughout the year, although hadn't seen her. Her mother had called after the bomb incident. Apparently, it had been featured on the news, and Ellis had called Richard, as a fellow chief of surgery, to ask about her daughter's safety. When Ellis realised just how involved Meredith had been in the situation, it was safe to say she wasn't happy with her daughter. She almost threatened to come all the way out to Seattle, or drag her daughter to New York, but she had managed to assuage her mother's fears and neither event had happened. Both Greys had spent the holidays working, as was usual for Ellis, so Meredith figured she'd do the same, much to the dismay of Izzie Stevens, a fellow surgical intern. A friend, maybe? I guess she could squeeze Izzie into that category. She felt like the only person who actually understood her was Cristina Yang. They were each other's person.

Cristina was the reason she had even taken a holiday abroad during their two weeks off before they officially became residents. Cristina had become involved with the Head of Cardiothoracic surgery, insisting initially that it was purely to fulfil her sexual needs, but by the end of the year they were engaged to be married. Until he left her at the altar anyway. Hence, the reason they were in Hawaii, might as well not waste the honeymoon that had been booked and paid for. Cristina spent most of the time drunk, however, and was currently hungover back in her hotel room as Meredith, who only suffered from a slight headache, roamed the beaches, until deciding to sit facing out at the ocean, where she was now.

They were due to head back to Seattle the night after next, and both were itching to get back to surgery and the fast pace of the hospital. If Meredith had ever doubted wanting to follow her mother into a career of surgery, she definitely didn't now. Her focus, however, was still on neurosurgery, unlike her mother's career choice of general surgery, much to Ellis' constant disapproval. The only thing her mother seemed to approve of was that she had come out top of her class in the surgical intern exam – not quite 100% but 98.5% was still acceptable. As she thought about that conversation with her mother, her eyes rolled.

A strange sensation began to creep over Meredith, a chill on the bare parts of her skin, despite the scorching hot sun that she bathed in. A feeling like she was being watched, although the beach had appeared pretty empty when she arrived. It was probably around midday now, as she noticed more people were making their way down to the beach, so she figured that must be it. She kept her gaze out at the ocean, anyhow, currently debating as to whether or not wade into the water for a moment before heading back to the hotel and getting Cristina up for lunch.

Just as she was about to stand up from the sand, a hand rested on her shoulder, causing her to physically jump, and she heard his low voice, laced with surprise, "Funny seeing you here."

Only think about him on the weekdays and weekends,
Only in the mornings and evenings,
Only when I wake up and sleep in, oh my God

He couldn't believe he'd let Mark drag him out here for the last week of their two-week break before the real residency race began back in New York. True, he welcomed the break, but he'd spent most of the vacation on his own, roaming the small town and the beaches, while Mark was off with a new girl each day, each night even. He couldn't deny though, it was peaceful, and that particular late morning he was drawn to taking a stroll along a stretch of quiet beach he hadn't yet explored.

As he walked along beside the rocks that lined the meeting place of the sand and the pavement, he could only see a few people dotted along the shore. He was particularly intrigued by the silhouette of a woman, who faced the ocean away from him, seemingly deep in thought. Her eyes were covered by dark sunglasses, a see-through beach dress barely covering the sun-kissed bare skin that wasn't covered by her navy coloured bikini. As he focused on her more, his mind wandered back to that night, the night of the intern mixer. He definitely recognised…

He squinted a little and started to walk a little closer to the woman. He definitely recognised that hair, that body, that had been imprinted in his mind since that first night. No other girl could have compared, hence why he hadn't been involved with anyone during his internship, much to the relentless teasing of Mark Sloan, infamous man-whore. Was it simply a coincidence that she was here?

He debated a moment whether he should approach her or leave her to her own thoughts. Whatever arguments his mind was making were drowned out by his intense need to just be near her again, to feel the energy and electricity that had so obviously been between them that night. He slowly approached her, and she didn't even seem to realise he was there. Well, until he crouched beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder, and she almost jumped out of her skin as he spoke, "Funny seeing you here."

Should have read the warning on the label, I don't,
Said proceed with caution, but I won't,
Guess I do it often, I know,
I'm already gone.

He watched as her hand flew to her chest, a light blush colouring her lightly freckled cheeks as she looked at him, not yet saying anything as she lowered her sunglasses slightly to look at him properly. They both stared at each other a moment, and she tilted her head to the side a little as she spoke, "Derek? What are you doing here?"

He chuckled softly, "My friend, Mark, he dragged me out here," he played with a strand of her hair between his fingers, moving into a more comfortable sitting position beside her as he spoke, directing the question back at her, "What are you doing here?"

He watched as her lips pressed together, thinking about her answer as he searched her green eyes, having missed the familiarity he felt the first time they met. "I guess, technically, I'm on a honeymoon?"

This took him by surprised, being lost in her eyes he simply heard the word honeymoon and withdrew his fingers from her hair as he furrowed his brow in confusion, "You're married? I'm sorry, I didn't – "

She cut him off with her melodic laughter, which only confused him more and he watched as she lay back in the sand still laughing, wiping at a tear under her eye before covering her eyes again with the sunglasses with an amused sigh. He looked down at her, still greatly confused at her reaction. What was so funny? Her head turned to look at him after a short moment and she finally let him in on the supposed joke, "I'm not married, no one is married, or involved. My friend was supposed to get married, and they didn't get married, so we're on her honeymoon."

He laughed softly, relieved, and moved to lay beside her in the sand, keeping his eyes on her, "I see, well to even the playing field, I'm neither married, nor involved." He reached his hand to her hair again, running his fingers through it and then over her cheek as he studied her face. He thought again back to that night, or more specifically the morning after, when he woke up alone. She hadn't said goodbye, not directly to him anyway. She'd left a note, a note he still kept in his locker at the hospital. But she didn't even leave a name, never mind a number to contact her on. He spoke in a soft whisper, unable to keep his eyes off her as his fingertips brushed against her sun-kissed cheek, "I missed you, you know. You didn't even say goodbye."

It's sad but true,
I'd go to hell and back,
If I could go there with you,
What do I do?

She couldn't believe who lay in the sand beside her. She didn't expect to see him again, and if she did, she always assumed it would be back in New York when her mother would inevitably her to visit the hospital. She definitely didn't think she'd see him in Hawaii, of all places. Her brow furrowed at his accusation of her not saying goodbye to him, trying to ignore the feeling running through her at the touch of his fingers brushing against her cheek. She reached her own hand forward to run through the hair on the side of his head as she spoke, a small smirk playing on her lips, "I left you a note."

He shuffled closer to her, leaning forward so that his lips were close to her ear, and a chill ran through her at his low voice, "I wanted to at least kiss you goodbye, you didn't even leave your name, a number…" His voice trailed over as he pressed a soft kiss under her ear and then along her jawline, and she closed her eyes to focus on his gentle touch.

After an agonising second, his lips eventually touched against hers with a slight pressure, which she returned with a little more force. At her instant response, his arm slid around her waist and pulled her closer against him, not once breaking their kiss as she half lay on him, her hair draping down the side of her face and brushing his bare chest. His free hand brushed into her hair, pushing it back as their lips moved in synchronisation, portraying an unspoken need between them.

She pulled back after a moment with a soft laugh as her sunglasses fell forward onto his face, and he grinned back at her, pushing them on to the top of her head so that he could look into her eyes. Before she knew it, he had moved her on to her back as he hovered above her, one arm supporting him at the side of her head as he leant down to brush his lips over hers in a chaste kiss. She raised an eyebrow at him, noticing the slight darkening of the blue in the iris of his eye, "What are you planning?"

"How we can make up for the past year in one night," he murmured softly as he pressed kisses down her neck, and she felt that shiver run through her body again. You wouldn't think it was almost 85 ͦ Fahrenheit outside. She felt his body press down familiarly on hers with a gentle pressure, and she pushed slightly back up against him, her fingers tangled into his hair as she felt the pool of desire between her thighs at the feel of his arousal pressed against her.

A soft murmur just about audibly left her lips as she moaned softly, "Maybe we should go somewhere else to make up for the lost time."

His teeth gently nipped the skin of her neck, enticing another soft moan from Meredith's parted lips, and his face reappeared in front of hers with a slight smirk on his lips. "Good idea," he moved off her and stood up, holding his hand out for her.

She shook her head with a soft laugh, not taking his hand as she stood up and returned her sunglasses over her eyes at the harsh light of the sun, sliding her shoes back on. She felt his arm slide around her waist as he watched her, and she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, "I have to go make sure Cristina is still alive first. I was supposed to take her to lunch before you showed up."

"I'll walk with you, I'm not letting you out of my sight anytime soon," he gave her a grin and she rolled her eyes at him before they set off walking, his arm still around her, making their way back to her hotel. They stayed quiet as they walked along the sand, just enjoying being in each other's presence, not that Meredith would admit that out loud. She figured Derek probably would though, he was prone to slightly romantic outbursts, as she recalled.

As they reached the pavement, she gave him a quick glance before speaking, "So, how's your first year of residency been treating you?"

"It's been… exhausting. Which is probably an understatement, as you know. Everyone is very competitive, but I survived relatively unscathed," he looked down to her inquisitively, "You never actually told me where you were doing your residency?"

She looked up at him with a playful grin on her lips as she spoke, "I thought you liked the mystery," she shrugged her shoulders a little, "I'll just say that I live in Seattle."

He laughed at her playfulness, "Well that narrows it down to about six different possible places I'd be able to find you."

"Such a stalker," she shook her head, returning his laugh as they walked into the hotel and she led him over to the elevator. "We're on the top floor," she told him as she pressed the corresponding floor button and the doors closed behind them.

Her eyes met Derek's as he faced her, his back to the doors as he studied her face. She raised an eyebrow, her lower lip trapped in her teeth, fully aware of the effect it seemed to have on him. He released a low chuckle and stepped closer to her, leaning forward as though he was about to kiss her, but only pressing a soft kiss to the tip of her nose just before the doors opened again on her floor.

He stepped out of the elevator before her while she recollected herself a moment and then followed him, stepping in front of him to lead him down the hall to her room. She opened the door and let him in as she spoke, "We have adjoining rooms. Stay here, I'll be right back."

She watched him a moment as he moved on to the bed, leaning against the headboard with his legs out in front of him. She shook her head at his playful grin, unable to stop smiling herself and went through the door into Cristina's room, closing it behind her. She approached the bed to find Cristina still asleep, lay face down on the bed with the curtains still closed shut, her wild hair strewn across the pillows.

She walked over to the window and opened the curtains, causing Cristina to groan loudly and exclaim, "What the hell are you doing?"

"You can't stay in bed all day, Cristina, it's our last full day," she moved to sit beside her friend on the bed who reached over to push her weakly, but Meredith just laughed, "You asked me to do this! It's almost 1pm, go and do something productive with your last full day here."

Cristina turned to look at her this time, "I thought you were about to drag me to go eat like you normally do, why do I have to entertain myself?"

"I might have plans…?" Meredith looked at her sheepishly, biting her lip as Cristina laughed out loud.

"You have plans? And what are those plans?" Cristina teased her, having previously been told two weeks before that Meredith was swearing off boys after the whole incident with the vet.

She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, "I may have run into somebody, who I may or may not have met in New York almost a year ago…"

"Meredith G –"

Meredith clamped her hand over Cristina's mouth, knowing Derek would be able to hear her from her room next door, hissing out her words, "Cristina! He doesn't know…"

"He's here?" she sat up now, looking around her room and then looking back at Meredith, confused, and then realising, "He's in your room?!"

"Yes, he is, and he doesn't know who my mother is, and I'd prefer to keep it that way," she spoke in an almost whisper, hoping Derek didn't hear their conversation. She climbed off the bed as Cristina just laughed at her.

"Oh, I'll find a way to entertain myself. Mer, go and spend time with your McDreamy," she said through her laughter. Meredith picked up a pillow and threw it at her as she used the dreadful nickname previously coined after Meredith first told Cristina the story, "Don't be late for the plane back!"

Meredith was pretty sure her cheeks had gone bright red as she shook her head, going back into her room and looking up at Derek as she closed the door behind her. He was sat in the same position but was now looking at her with a raised eyebrow as what she suspected was a pillow hitting the closed door behind her. She laughed a little nervously as she spoke, "Sorry about that."

He laughed softly and patted the mattress beside him, beckoning her over as he spoke, "There's nothing to be sorry for, Meredith."

"I'm going to kill her…" she muttered under her breath as she moved over to the bed, ignoring the invitation to sit beside him, as she sat in his lap, straddling his hips. She did enjoy the way he said her name, though. She didn't even fully realise she was still muttering until Derek placed a finger over her lips and she stopped, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks again as she mumbled against his finger, "Sorry."

"Stop apologising," his voice was soft as he moved his finger away to press his lips against hers in a gentle movement with a soft murmur of her name once more, "Meredith." She welcomed the touch of his lips against hers as her fingers ran through his hair as his hands gripped at her waist, and they got lost in each other.

You're so bad for my health
But I just can't help myself
I'm so stupid for you
(I'm so stupid for you)
I'm so stupid for you.

Later that afternoon they lay together in the bed, Derek's arms circling her waist as her head lay on his chest, his fingers stroking up and down slowly along her bare spine. After a moment of blissful silence, she looked up to him and he looked back to her as he felt her movement, she spoke in a quiet voice, "When do you head back to New York?"

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, inhaling the lavender scent of her hair, "Tomorrow night."

Her eyebrows rose as she looked up at him, "We have a connecting flight in New York, not much of a layover, though."

"Well, I'm glad we found each other today rather than on the plane to New York," he lowered his lips to hers in a soft kiss, capturing her there for a moment before pulling his lips back again, raising one hand to cup her cheek, "We should make the most of our time together."

She gave him a small smile, knowing she couldn't get too attached. Sure, he was good in bed, but surely that's all this was? That's all this could be. She shrugged a little, "What did you have in mind?"

"I mean, we could get to know each other a little better," at the grimace on her face at his words he laughed a little, "Or not."

She pulled back from him, wrapping a sheet around herself as she sat up to look at him lay in her bed, biting her lip gently. She hesitated a moment before speaking, "It's not… I mean, you're great, really, but this," she gestured between the two of them, "I'm not a long-distance kind of girl. I'm not even a short-distance kind of girl," she sighed softly at his confused expression, "I'm trying to say, I don't do relationships, I don't do whirlwind romance."

His eyes locked with hers a moment before he moved to a sitting position in front of her, the sheets covering the lower half of his body. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles before he spoke, "Meredith," the way her name rolled of his tongue was seriously starting to break her resolve, "I'm not asking for anything like that. Let's get some dinner. And then, we can do whatever you like, even if that's coming back here and spending the rest of our time in bed together," he dropped her hand and his arms slid around her waist and he moved closer to her, his legs on either side of her as he pressed his lips gently to the side of her neck. A soft moan escaped her lips and she melted into him as his teeth nipped her skin, and he murmured softly, "Let me wine and dine you, my mystery girl."

Ooh I wonder how you do it,
Make me feel stupid,
Try to fight it off,
But it's useless,
I'm so foolish, fooling around with you

Stupid – Tate McRae.