A/N: Sorry about the wait, I got a really mean review that was totally off base and it just discouraged me from writing for a few days but then I realized there were plenty more people who liked this so, here you go. So, thank you to all my wonderful reviews.

Disclaimer: So, April is scaring me a bit. I mean, she looks like she's going to go postal 'cause Derek doesn't love her. If I owned the show Derek would have a big flashing pin that he could were everywhere that said "I love Meredith Grey" AND he'd have the most shiny wedding band every so no on gets wrong ideas, including Little Miss Psycho.

***

Derek sat in his office filling out the extra paper work; he'd never gotten around to, during his free three hours before his second surgery of the day. Being a surgeon was busy and full of surgery but no one ever told him about the paper work.

There was a light knock at his office door. "Come in!" he called.

The door opened to reveal a man most likely in his late 60's clad in expensive suit.

"Dr. Shepherd?" he asked.

"Yes," nodded Derek.

"I'm Jeremy Sloan," the man said, walking towards Derek.

"Sloan? Any relation to Mark Sloan?"

"I'm his father."

"Oh you mean the one who walked out when he was five?" asked Derek deceivingly nicely.

"You know nothing about my family," he gritted through his teeth.

"I actually do. Derek Shepherd," he told him, extending his hand to Jeremy to shake.

"I've been your son's best friend since we were seven."

"Oh. Well, on to business," said Jeremy professionally. "I have an aneurysm and I want you to operate. You're the best so, here."

Derek took the CT and MRI results that were thrust towards him and held them up to the light, carefully examining them. It was a minimally invasive cerebral aneurysm. "So can you do it?" he asked. Derek nodded. "Can you please schedule surgery ASAP? I'd like to be in this hospital as little as possible."

"I'll admit you and see what I can do," told him Derek.

"Thank you."

***

"Mark!" called Derek after his friend in the hallway.

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"You're father was admitted today," he told him carefully.

"My what?"

"Your father has a cerebral aneurysm and asked me to operate."

"Oh, fine," said Mark nonchalantly.

"Mark, you don't want to see him?"

"The man left when I was five. He's not my father."

Derek nodded. "Room 1236."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just...nothing."

Derek walked away towards his office. Even though he refused to admit it, Jeremy Sloan was Mark's father and operating on someone so close to someone he was close to wasn't easy. Reaching his office he found Meredith sitting at his desk. "Can I help you?" he smirked.

"Nope. Just checking in on you and enjoying the privacy of your office," she shrugged.

"Hmm."

"And…. enjoying your office laptop."

"Ah. There it is."

"Got any good cases? I've been trolling for two hours already. I had one patient this morning but, that's about it."

"I'm operating on Mark's father," he told her, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"What?"

"Jeremy Sloan was admitted today for a cerebral aneurysm."

"Oh... wow," said Meredith, her eyes wide.

"Yeah."

"Did you tell him the room number?" she asked, the fact that no matter what he said, Mark had a lot of pent up anger at his father, dawning on her.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You're immensely stupid. You know that, right?" said Meredith punching Derek in the chest.

"Ouch, Mer," he groaned, rubbing his chest where she'd hit him. "When are you going to realize your tiny ineffectual fists…aren't ineffectual?"

"When you learn not to be an idiot," she shrugged.

"How am I an idiot?"

"You told Mark his father's room number not stopping to think that a guy with an cerebral aneurysm doesn't need an estranged son yelling at him."

"Mark doesn't even care that his father is here."

"Could you be any stupider?" groaned Meredith.

"What?"

"Of course he didn't tell you he was going to go yell at the man!" she breathed. "That would have been stupid! Under his rugged 'I don't give a shit' exterior, he's like little dog that got kicked really hard in the gut when it was a puppy and never recuperated."

"I…" he started, realizing what she meant and abruptly stood from his chair. "Come on."

Meredith followed him as they cut though the halls of Seattle Grace. As they neared they heard loud yelling.

"You're just an asshole! And now you're shacking up with this bimbo who's four years older than me? Is this a joke?" they heard Mark yell. "And you tell me she's your wife? That's disgusting!"

"Mark!" Derek stopped him. Mark looked to him then at Meredith before pushing his way out of the room.

"I'm very sorry Mr. Sloan," apologized Derek.

"Can you move the surgery up? Today?"

"I have two other surgeries today. They won't be over until ten."

"Do it then, please."

Derek sighed. It'd be a late night but, he'd tackled ten car pile-ups before, he could do it. "Okay…since I'm going into surgery soon, I probably won't be able to explain the procedure later, so, would you like me to explain it now?"

"Yes please," nodded Mr. Sloan's wife.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sloan, Mr. Sloan has a saccular cerebral aneurysm. I'm going to use a procedure called micro vascularclipping involves me cutting off the flow of blood to the aneurysm. I'll remove a section of your skull and locate the aneurysm. I'll use a microscope to isolate the blood vessel that feeds the aneurysm and place a small, metal, clothespin-like clip on the aneurysm's neck, halting its blood supply. The clip remains in your brain to prevent the risk of future bleeding," he informed them. "Any questions?"

"Are their risks?" asked Mrs. Sloan quietly.

"I could get in there and if the aneurysm bursts it can lead to hemorrhagic stroke, permanent nerve damage, or… death."

"Oh god," she whispered, rushing to her husband's side.

"It's alright Hun, I'll be okay."

Derek smiled a little and walked out of the room. As he walked out of the room Meredith pulled him to the side. "Can you do it?"

He sighed. "I can… I've done more surgeries in less time."

"Der, you were on call last night…"

"I'll go take an hour nap in the on call room now."

"I'm going to troll for surgeries," smiled Meredith, walking away.

"Have fun with that!" he called after her.

***

Meredith sat in the gallery, which was supposed to be closed, as Derek began Mr. Sloan's surgery. Derek was visibly nervous. Not visible to most people but, Meredith had always been exceptionally good at reading him, as he was at reading her. It got irritating for both of them when the other wouldn't give up until they talked. But, it was what made their friendship stronger.

But, it was stupid for Derek to do the surgery at ten at night after 2 other surgeries when the patient wasn't in critical condition. He was Derek Shepherd, neurosurgeon and self-proclaimed superhero. It was against his nature to deny a patient something that it was in his power to do.

Meredith watched as he removed a piece of Mr. Sloan's skull and located the aneurysm. The surgery seemed to be going smoothly. It wasn't a very rare or complicated procedure. She'd done dozens before. Suddenly the machines blared. Meredith rose to her feet, nearing the window to watch more closely. She picked up the phone to hear what was happening in the OR.

"Crap," said Derek frantically. "Aneurysm burst. Bring in the doomsday sucker," he ordered the resident, Dr. Kepner. She quickly stuck the suction into the open skull and suctioned the blood out. "Shit," he muttered, trying desperately to evacuate the blood.

Derek stood still and Meredith watched, ready to intervene if she had to. "I have to cut out the frontal lobe," he announced as Mr. Sloan's vitals plummeted. Meredith's eyes widened taking out the frontal lobe was risky. She watched as Derek took out the piece of his brain and handed it to a scrub nurse with a metal container waiting. Mr. Sloan's BP continued to plummet.

"I need to cut out the temporal lobe," he announced once again.

"Dr. Shepherd, he's gone," said Meredith over the intercom.

"Stay out of this Dr. Grey," he snapped.

"Dr. Shepherd," she repeated warningly.

"Dr. Grey."

"Put down the scalpel Derek."

"Just get out."

Meredith walked out of the gallery and walked down into the scrub room quickly grabbing a mask and walking into the OR.

"Get out of my OR Dr. Grey," he demanded, continuing to cut.

"Derek put down the scalpel."

Meredith looked up at the monitors as the BP went further down, almost at the point of no pulse. The machines changed and there was one long beep indicating a flat line.

"Dr. Shepherd."

Derek looked up at Meredith, his eyes ice cold as he called time of death, ripping off his gloves and mask before walking into the scrub room. Meredith followed him out. "Der," she whispered.

"I have to talk to his wife," he told her in a monotone, walking out and slamming the door behind him. Derek walked solemnly towards the waiting room. "Mrs. Sloan," he sighed, sitting beside her in the waiting room. "We did everything we could."

"He's dead…isn't he?"

"I'm very sorry for your loss."

"No," she cried. "No! You killed him! You're a murderer," she exclaimed, walking out of the hospital. Derek sat, stunned and hurt in the hospital waiting room.

"I heard," whispered Meredith sitting beside him. "Come on."

She grabbed his hand and led him towards his office. They passed a nurses' station and Rose unfortunately was standing there and noticed Derek's sullen expression. "What's wrong Dery?" she cooed.

"He's fine," snapped Meredith.

"He's my boyfriend…I deserve to know."

"He's my best friend and I'm taking care of him just fine."

Rose groaned and walked away. Meredith continued to lead Derek to his office, in silence. He quickly changed and she sent him out to get in the car while she changed. He looked broken. His eyes were tired looking and sad. Derek Shepherd was not a murderer and yet he'd been called so 3 times recently which wasn't helping him. She reached the car and drove them silently back to her house. Derek immediately collapsed on the couch while Meredith walked into the kitchen.

When she returned she was holding two glasses and a bottle of Derek's favorite scotch. She handed it to him and he poured glasses for each of them, shoving hers into her hand. Derek quickly downed his while Meredith just nursed hers. He poured another glass for himself and downed it as quickly as the first.

Meredith rested her head lightly on Derek's shoulder, offering him as much comfort as possible. Drinking might not solve his problems, but it'd make him numb enough to relax for a while.

***

A/N: Two things. One, this isn't, or will I ever write a Der/Rose story. NEVER. In less than 5 chapters, they WILL be together. And plant will go away forever and ever. Two, i don't kno why Unlikely Lovers was so popular and Come Back to Me, isn't when it's the same story but with a different beginning…so if you read Unlikely Lovers and haven't started Come Back to Me, try it!