Edited A/N: So I had a look at this again the other day and realised there were a few errors and sentences that didn't make sense so I've edited it a bit. Nothing major though and the story remains exactly the same with a few name changes. And as always, I hope you enjoy. :)
A/N: Hi guys. This is (clearly) my first time writing and publishing a story. I've read a lot of awesome stories on here and I thought I'd give it a shot. This fic takes place without any of the Covid situation happening, although I did realise that some timings don't make sense (those of you who are hockey fans might notice). Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it as I had a lot of fun writing it, so please stick with it and give it a go :). I also hope to update every couple of days, but I can't make any promises. Although I can promise I'll try! Enough with my rambling, onto the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of Grey's Anatomy. Not the characters, not the plot, not anything. But it would be pretty cool if I did.
Meredith Grey was exhausted, and it wasn't even 9 o'clock yet. She had surgery with Bailey in less than an hour that she could be crucified for if she was late, despite being a resident, it didn't make the wrath of 'The Nazi' any less, and she was exhausted. She was completely flustered because her son still wasn't ready, and she would have to break speed limits if she was going to be able to scrub in, but that would be something she could deal with because if she didn't she would more than likely be dead in a few hours anyway; Dr Bailey was a scary woman.
"Aiden! Get down here, I'm late for work and I need to take you to daycare," she called up the stairs as she stuffed her keys in her bag. The pause between the thumping of her 4-year-old son's feet rush down the stairs nearly made her yell again but thankfully he seemed to be co-operating today.
"Your breakfast is on the table, I only had time to get you cereal this morning," she said, running a hand over his blond hair.
"Awww. But I wanted pancakes," he pouted, his gleaming green eyes that could get him anything if he tried hard enough staring up at her.
"I know you did sweetie, but we don't have time," she sighed.
"Fine. But can we have waffles tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.
"Of course," she laughed.
Aiden Grey was the best thing that had ever happened to her. The one-night stand that brought him into existence, not so much. She wanted Aiden to know his dad but after months of trying she had given up, he had yet to ask about his dad, but when the time came, she would tell him the truth. Well, maybe not the whole truth, that could wait until he was older.
He sat down at the table, his Philadelphia Flyers shirt pulled over his head and his shoes somehow already on. It was true that her son could be more organised that she was at times, maybe his dad had been some sort of neat freak. And he was obsessed with ice-hockey. She wasn't quite sure where he had picked up the obsession from, but he already knew how to skate and was an avid watcher of the sport. Apparently, the Flyers rule all and it's either fly or die, whatever that meant. It confused her quite a bit, but it was her son's passion, and she loved that he had one at such an early age.
He almost inhaled his cereal, hopped off the stool, grabbed his backpack and marched towards the door. Meredith trailed after her son, locking the door behind her and walking swiftly towards her battered Jeep that had seen more than a few scrapes over the years.
She made it to the hospital fairly quickly with a bit of speeding and she dropped him off at the hospital daycare before running down to the resident's lounge. She got to surgery with enough time, on her way finding Lexie who was also scrubbing in, even as an intern, due to her photographic memory and her talented surgical skills.
"Hey Lex," she smiled.
"Hi Meredith, how's Aiden this morning?"
"Upset that he didn't get his waffles."
"I should have guessed," she laughed.
"I can't really blame him, I would have waffles every day if I got half a chance."
They chatted amicably as they scrubbed in, finding a rhythm they had created a while ago. Meredith was used to Lexie by now, and she felt much more like a big sister than she had done when she'd first met her, the thought had grown on her and somehow she had morphed into the big sister Lexie deserved. And she had to admit, having a little sister was nice.
xxxxx
The surgery went well, and as the patient recovered, Meredith was able to finish her shift early enough to pick up Aiden, she loved it when she got the time to do that. She hated that Aiden spent so much time with babysitters and at daycare long into the afternoon sometimes when a surgery ran late, but it was the best she could do.
She grinned as she took her son's hand and settled him into his car seat to get him back home, it was a good feeling.
"Mom?"
"Yeah sweetie?" she responded, looking in the rear-view mirror to see him.
"Can we have pizza tonight? And can we watch the Flyers game, they're playing the Canucks so there's less time difference."
Meredith almost chuckled at his persistence, "Of course we can."
"Good. You know there's a chance we could win the Stanley Cup this year?" her son informed her.
"Oh there is?"
"Yeah. But it will all go really bad when Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan leave. They're getting traded, but I don't know where yet," he complained.
"Well I'm sure they'll still be really good," she reassured him.
"Yeah," he sighed, "but Shepherd is our star centreman and Sloan is our star defenseman, so I don't see how it's going to work."
"Maybe there will be some new talent or something. But you can watch the game tonight and make the most of your star players," she smiled.
xxxxx
Derek and Mark stood vigilantly on the sidewalk as the baking hot sun shone down on them, their jerseys only making them more uncomfortable as they stood their awkwardly, and in Mark's case, frustratedly.
"What is the freaking point?" he complained.
"I don't know Mark. Maybe it's because we're trying to get more fans for the team we're joining next season. Which is in, oh, I don't know, about 3 months?" Derek replied sarcastically.
"Ok, fine, but why do we have to stand on the freaking street when we could be training. Out on the ice!"
"You know we don't actually have to be there that long. Plus it's only tomorrow," he shrugged.
Derek hated that he was being traded, he had been with the Flyers for all of his professional career. But he liked Seattle more than he thought he would, and his family was here, he just didn't want to say goodbye to all of his teammates, besides Mark of course, but he was more his brother than anything else. He had bonds with the guys he played with, ones that he had built up through years of hard work and dedication to the sport he loved. But right now they were handing out flyers (yes, the irony wasn't lost on him) in the summer sun and it was downright boring.
The next day, they walked casually into the Climate Pledge Arena, they were looking to do some drills today just to get a feel for the ice that would become their home soon enough.
"You know they're holding the Stanley Cup final here? We can get an advantage," Derek smirked.
"Oh hell yes, we'll wipe the floor with the rest of them."
"Damn straight," he laughed.
After greeting the manager once again, they took a whole tour of the complex before hitting the ice. As Derek strapped his skates, he smiled to himself. He had been in the NHL since the age of 18, he was a good player, and Seattle Kraken wanted him. He was their first choice, he was good, and he knew it, but it was different getting encouragement from someone that wasn't himself. His mother still worried about him and Mark, he had had a few injuries, a few fights, but nothing worse than a broken arm and a severe concussion. He wasn't in a relationship, and his sisters kept trying to set him up, but he wasn't interested. He firmly believed that fate would intervene, and he would find the person he was meant to be with. Mark thought he was nuts. But right now, he had to go and play hockey, and hear the satisfying tap of the stick on the ice.
xxxxx
The next week, Meredith and Aiden were walking out a burger joint they had taken their lunch from, when her son stopped dead still, and stared at a point in front of him.
"What's wrong Aiden?" she asked, immediately worried.
Aiden just pointed ahead of him.
"There! There! That's Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan!"
Before she could say anything else, he had sprinted off in their direction, where they were standing idle on the sidewalk, nearly tripping over his Nike trainers. The men were wearing blue jerseys that she didn't recognize and appeared to be holding a bunch of flyers, ironic, she thought. She jogged after him, watching as he spoke to the two men, he looked so in awe; she had never seen him so starstruck.
"I'm sorry," she said as she came up behind them, "he saw you and just had to meet you."
She was about to come up with a better excuse when her breath was knocked out of her as she saw a pair of dazzling blue eyes staring at her, he seemed equally as breathless as he looked back at her. He had gorgeous raven curls that she just itched to run her hands through, something about him just made her rooted to the spot.
"Derek Shepherd! It's so cool to meet you!" Aiden gushed, "You too Mark Sloan, you know you're the best defenseman in the league right?" he went on with all seriousness.
Meredith drew her gaze away from Derek Shepherd when she heard the other man laughing, Mark Sloan, she assumed.
"That I do little man, that I do!"
Derek gained back his composure and crouched down to speak to her little 4-year-old, "Nice to meet you bud. What's your name?"
"Aiden Grey," he replied proudly.
"I see you're a fan of the Flyers," the man chuckled, pointing to her son's shirt he had insisted on wearing this morning. She felt the wind knocked out of her again at how soft and beautiful his laugh was.
"Yeah," Aiden nodded, "I wanted to wear my hoodie as well, but Mom said I had worn it too many times, so it had to go in the laundry."
Derek did not miss out on his opportunity to find out more about the mysterious, gorgeous woman in front of him.
"And what's your mom's name?" he asked, stealing a glance at her from his crouched position.
"Meredith, she's a brain surgeon, it's so cool. But not as cool as hockey," Aiden obliged.
"Thanks Aiden," Meredith giggled, and Derek was sure he had never heard such a perfect sound in his entire life, not even skates on the ice, and that took something to beat.
When he had first seen her, he was sure he must have been speechless, her expressive green eyes spoke volumes without her saying a thing, and she held herself in such a way that made her look both confident and shy at the same time, it was endearing. And there was something else that he couldn't place, something he had never felt before.
"Of course not," he replied to the little boy, "Neurosurgeon huh?" he asked the woman in front of him.
"Uh, yeah," she replied, "Seattle Grace."
"Oh," he smiled, "You know I considered a career in medicine, but I decided to stick to hockey, I'm better at it," he chuckled.
"Apparently so."
"You don't watch," he feigned hurt, "your son does."
"I do, I watch all of them," the boy nodded, "but why did you have to leave? The Flyers are gonna suck without you guys!"
The two men laughed.
"Thanks bud. I'll remember that. We're both transferring to Seattle's new team, that's why we're wearing these jerseys."
"You're gonna play here? Like, in Seattle?" Aiden asked in astonishment as his mouth hung wide open.
"Yeah. You know, if you're mom lets you, I could get you tickets to our next game, front row, best seat in the house, before the end of the season," Derek stage whispered.
"Seriously?" Aiden screeched, "That would be so cool. Can you? Can you do that? Can we do that Mom? Please. Pretty, pretty, pretty please with cherries on top?"
"Hmmm. Well, if you do all of your chores properly, I don't see why not?" she smiled.
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes," her son danced around, all three adults laughed at the kid's antics, "I promise I'll do them all. Thank you, Mom, this is the best thing EVER!" he hugged her tightly, before barrelling into Derek.
"Thank you Mr Shepherd, I knew you were the best. There's a reason why you're my favourite."
Derek grinned, thankful he had won them both over.
"Call me Derek. And I don't think I've ever met a fan as clearly awesome as you are."
Aiden beamed at the compliment as Derek stood up slowly, facing the beautiful green eyes again.
"Aiden, why don't you go and get in the car and then I'll take you to Aunt Lexie's before I go back to work," Meredith suggested.
"But I wanna stay and talk some more!" he complained, but quickly saw the stern look in his mother's eye.
"Ok, I can tell Aunt Lexie everything and then that we're going to an actual Flyers game!" he grinned, bouncing off towards the car that Meredith had unlocked for him, his happiness restored.
"You didn't have to do that you know? I know he can be a bit much sometimes."
"Not a problem. I wanted to, he's a great kid, and clearly a hockey fan," he grinned.
"He is, he's amazing," she smiled softly, she was proud of his little boy, she hadn't even asked him to thank Derek, but he had done so readily.
"So," Derek cleared his throat, "If I could, um, just get your number, or an email or something, then I can tell you when and where the game is, and I can send you the tickets," he asked, though pretty shyly.
Meredith found it cute that such a gorgeous, handsome, famous man would have difficulty asking her for her number. With other men, she would find it pathetic, but Derek was different, and she didn't know how.
She held out her hand for his phone, and he hurriedly pulled it out of his pocket, handing it to her. She punched in her number and returned it to him. He was a nice guy, and clearly liked Aiden, but she couldn't hold a five-minute conversation as a basis for his entire personality. And it wasn't like it was going to go anywhere, he was doing this for Aiden, not for her, she barely even watched ice-hockey. She said a quick goodbye and strolled back to where Aiden was waiting.
A/N: So, let me know what you think. I know this meeting probably wasn't the best thing you've ever read but I'm hoping it will flow better next time. And if you liked it, please stay tuned for updates :)