Derek weaved his way through the occupied tables in the busy cafeteria before finding an empty table on the outskirts, away from most of the people. He dropped his tray down on the table and collapsed gratefully into the chair. Thanks to a massive pile up on the freeway, Derek had performed several surgeries, keeping him effectively too busy for a break all day. Other than a few caffeine fixes, with big thanks to the scrub nurses, he had not eaten at all.

Reaching for the bottle of water sitting on the tray, right beside the large salad, Derek unscrewed the cap and took a large gulp. And then another. And another. After downing half the bottle, he replaced the top and set it back down with a sigh. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired, wanting nothing more than to go home, curl up in bed with Meredith in his arms, and get some sleep. Their conversation that morning had done some good in settling his nerves and his mind. He believed her when she told him she was happy. He believed her when she said she didn't blame him. And most importantly, he believed her when she told him she loved him.

He removed his hand, opening his eyes and blinking at the onslaught of the light, trying to blink away the developing tension headache. He only had a short time for a breath and bite to eat before he would be back in surgery. He would perform at least one craniotomy this evening, maybe two. There was one patient from the crash they were keeping an eye on. He had a slow bleed, very minor. Hopefully it would clear up on its own. Derek was very hopeful. He didn't want to be here all night. He wanted to sleep. And he knew he and Meredith still had to finish their talk. And although they were still new to the 'talking thing,' as Meredith called it, he was certain she would want to continue that talk tonight. He hoped they would have a chance.

The headache was rising again, at the mere thought of explaining himself to her. This morning he had been ready to tell her everything, but now that he had a chance to mull over it, he was horrified at the thought. He shook his head, as if that would rid his mind of the negative thoughts. Glancing at his watch, he pulled his tray closer, knowing he had to eat now if he wanted the chance.

Closing his mind off to the distractions and white noise of the busy lunch room, he picked up his fork and dug in to his salad. He was halfway through it when a tray was set down in the space beside his. He was surprised, having not heard anyone approach. With a mouthful of lettuce, he glanced sideways, smiling as he immediately recognized the tired form collapsing into the chair next to him.

Meredith smiled back to him. "Hey," she spoke, exhaustion evident in her voice.

He swallowed. "Hey. Long day, huh?"

She sighed and nodded. "You can say that again."

Derek smiled. "Long day, huh?" He repeated. Earning himself a glare from his girlfriend. "What? You told me to say it again."

Meredith shook her head. "Why do I put up with you?" She laughed, shaking her head.

Derek's throat went dry and he swallowed, knowing she was joking, but unable to stop the onslaught of emotions that came from the simple joke. He didn't respond; he couldn't come up with anything to say, so he stuffed another forkful of salad into his mouth.

Meredith titled her head, just slightly. "You okay?"

He nodded, swallowing his bite. "Just tired."

Her eyes tightened, suspicious. He suddenly felt naked, as if she could see through everything, could read his every thought. He knew she knew he was lying. They remained staring at each other for several seconds, before she nodded and turned to her plate. She knew she had hit a nerve, but she was going to let it go. For now. This was hardly the time or place, especially when neither of them were done working with patients for the day.

He hesitated, glancing around for any possible source of conversation. His eyes landed on her plate and he smiled. "Healthy dinner." He commented.

She rolled her eyes, plucking a fry from her plate and plopping it in her mouth. "What's wrong with my dinner?" She challenged.

He shrugged. "Well, it is better than left over pizza and grilled-cheese."

She laughed and shook her head, swallowing another fry. "I bet it tastes better than your salad."

"I happen to like my salad, thank-you very much."

She reached over, grabbing a single lettuce leaf between two fingers. She made a face as she held it in front of her face. Scrunching her nose, she opened her mouth and started chewing, making a big show of swallowing. "Disgusting," she muttered.

He laughed aloud. "At least you're trying, that gives me hope. It may have taken a year, but we have progress." He swung an arm out and rested it lightly around her waist. "There's hope for you yet."

She snorted, but leaned in to his body. "Who says I'm the one with the problem?"

"Are you kidding me?" He questioned. "You're a doctor. You know what that stuff is doing to your blood vessels."

"My cholesterol is just fine," she countered. "And I enjoy my food."

He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this one. "Whatever," he muttered.

She smiled, somewhat triumphant, and her smile widened as he reached across her to grab a fry off her plate.

He plopped the fry in his mouth and made a production of chewing and swallowing, just as she had done with the lettuce. She laughed. It was music to his ears and put him at a sense of ease. He took a deep breath before pulling his arm away to finish his meal. He really needed to get his patient into surgery as soon as he could. Anything that would get him home sooner. Meredith sighed as the pressure of his arm around her lifted, but she remained close.

Shoulder to shoulder, the pair ate in comfortable silence, only broken by Meredith's light laughter every time his fingers strayed towards her plate of fries. Derek soon finished his salad, but found himself unwilling to leave the quiet atmosphere of the table. He replaced his arm around her waist, smiling to himself as she breathed and leaned back into him.

"How much do you have left tonight?" Meredith questioned.

"At least five or six hours," he answered. "I have one craniotomy left for sure, one maybe, and I need to check my post-ops."

"So, we're looking at midnight?" She asked.

He nodded. "At the earliest. You have anything left today?"

"I'm going to scrub in with Callie as soon as an OR clears up."

"So, does it feel different?" He asked.

"What?"

He smiled, proud for her. "Being a resident."

This brought a bright smile to her face. "No, not really," she laughed. "Now I answer to Callie instead of Bailey. And I still can't do anything by myself. I don't get grilled for questions as much as before... although it's been really busy today. Ask me about the questions another time."

Derek laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"It is nice to know, though," she continued. "You know? To just know I'm not an intern anymore."

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember." He smiled. "Congratulations, by the way. I don't think I've told you that."

He was rewarded when she smiled back at him. A large smile; unguarded. Something he wasn't used to seeing from her. Something he had barely been on the receiving end of for the last several months. "You have, actually," she answered, still smiling.

He smirked. "Oh, well then, I take it back."

She laughed, pulling away and gently shoving his shoulder. "Don't be an ass, Derek."

He was about to retort, but was cut off by a third tray slamming down onto their table.

"McDreamy being an ass again?" Cristina asked, dropping heavily into the chair beside Meredith.

Derek sighed. The mood was effectively broken.

Meredith rolled her eyes, pulling closer to Derek again. "Just a little," She said lightly. She sighed. "What's up, Cristina?"

Cristina shrugged. "I've been in surgery all day. Bailey said she wouldn't let me in on her appy until I had something to eat. So I'm eating."

Derek remained silent, not sure of what to say to comfort the younger surgeon.

"Obviously you're hungry," Meredith was saying. "Or you wouldn't have let Bailey blackmail you with an appy. Maybe something bigger, but definitely not an appy."

Cristina glared at her and the two best friends were locked in a stare war for several seconds, before Cristina snorted and broke contact. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I am hungry. But I want to get in as much as I can today, so I don't go through withdrawal."

Meredith laughed, turning in Derek's grip to face Cristina better. "Why would you go through withdrawal?"

"Because," Cristina said, reaching her hand into her lab coat pocket, and pulled out a small, rumpled folder. "You and I are going on vacation."

Derek snapped his head at Cristina's words, his grip tightening on Meredith's waist without thought.

"We're what?" Meredith demanded.

Cristina slammed the folder down in front of Meredith. It had an airline logo on it. "We are going on vacation. I have two first class tickets. Fully paid for. So we are going on an anti-honeymoon."

"An anti-honeymoon?" Meredith questioned. "Come on Cristina, seriously?"

Derek felt like he was holding his breath.

"I am serious, Meredith. Free, first class ticket to sunny paradise." Her tone was sarcastic. "We have two weeks off, why not? It will save us from getting yelled at for sneaking into the gallery and stuff."

"Cristina-"

"Please, Meredith." Cristina cut her off. "Please. I just need to," she trailed off, glancing at Derek, clearly uncomfortable. Her voice dropped to a near-whisper. "I just need to get away. Please."

Derek felt Meredith tense. He knew she was torn between him and her best friend. And Cristina needed her more than he did right now. "First class, eh? You can't say no to first class." He made his voice sound light and joking.

Meredith turned to face him, questioning, her eyes asking whether he was serious, whether he was okay with this. He smiled, and nodded, just a little, very discreetly. Her mouth tightened she nodded back, silently thanking him. She turned back to Cristina and took a breath. "When do we leave?"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

AN: Okay, so I totally asked in my other story, but I'm asking it again. Did anyone else know that if you click on the little arrows beside the title it would take you to the most recent chapter? Seriously? Am I the only one who didn't know that? lol