Derek looked in the mirror as he ran his gel covered hands through his hair. It was Saturday night, his first real weekend night at college. The night before had been filled with talks by the administration and lectures about alcohol policies, so this was the first chance they had to go out and have fun at college. He'd put on his good looking red shirt, and was now working the gel into his hair to create the suave look he had perfected over the summer in a desperate attempt to no longer be known as afro boy, like he had in high school.

"So I heard about a party across campus," Mark said as he came into the room, wearing his robe and running a towel through his hair. "I figure it's probably our best bet."

"Sounds good," Derek replied, wondering whether the girl from across the hall would be there. He had to find out her name. Right now she was the nameless enchanting beauty from across the hall, and he had to find out her name. Maybe if he saw her tonight, he could find out her name.

"So that blonde chick just came out of the girls' bathroom in her robe," Mark said as he shrugged into a dark green shirt. "Shortest damn thing I've ever seen in my life. If only it had been the redhead..."

Derek swallowed hard, torn between jealousy and pure desire as he pictured Meredith in a robe. "You think we'll run into them?" he asked.

"Maybe," Mark shrugged. "Remember, Shep, the key is to not be completely desperate. Play hard to get. It will make her want you more."

"Of course," Derek nodded. "Because that's gotten you so far."

Mark frowned. "She'll break," he said. "I saw her this morning and she winked at me. Winked, Shep. Soon as the girl gets some booze in her, she'll be begging me."

"Keep telling yourself that," Derek laughed as he reached for the door. "Ready?"

"Yup," Mark replied.

Derek pulled the door open and felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw the girls stepping out of their own room. She looked beautiful in a short black dress, her wavy hair falling in soft curls around her face. He allowed his gaze to roam over her toned arms and curved hips, down her long legs and black high heeled sandals before back to her eyes, which were sparkling as they met his.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," Derek replied.

She turned to her friend and giggled slightly before they started to walk down the hall. Derek and Mark exchanged a glance before they turned to hurry after them, silently ageing that tag teaming would work best.

"Where are you going?" Mark asked Addison as he appeared at her side.

"No where that you're invited," Addison replied.

"Well, that's just hurtful," Derek said. Looking at Meredith, he asked, "You want me to come, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't even know you," she said.

"You could know us," Mark said.

"You could," Derek agreed. "You need to know us to love us."

"We're very lovable," Mark added.

Meredith and Addison glanced at each other before they stopped walking and looked at the two men who had stopped a few feet in front of them when they'd realized that they were no longer following anyone.

"We're gonna go," Addison said, pulling Meredith along with her. "And I do believe it could be considered sexual harassment if you followed us."

They walked into the stairwell, their giggles traveling back to Derek and Mark as they stood defeated in the hallway. "This is war," Mark said, charging down the hallway, leaving Derek to stumble after him to catch up. "That girl cannot resist me. I refuse to give up."

Derek sighed. "They're not interested," he said.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Have I taught you nothing, Shep?" he asked. "They totally want us. We just have to play along with their little game for awhile, and then they'll give in. We have to make sure we don't break first. If we do, we'll never have any power in the relationship."

"Fine," Derek said. "Where are we going? They never told us where they're going."

"We're going to the party," Mark replied. "It's the biggest party on campus, they have to show up there at some point."

Derek sighed as he followed Mark down the street. He wasn't sure why he wasn't even interested in the party anymore. All he wanted was to talk to the blonde across the hall, to find out her name and everything else there was to know about her.

XXXXXX

Meredith and Addison walked into the party, looking around with wide smiles on their faces. "This is awesome!" Addison yelled over the music. "Do you want a drink?"

"Yeah, I'll get a beer," Meredith replied. They made their way to the table of drinks and opened a couple of beers, looking around the crowded house. "We should go dance," she said after a few minutes.

"Let's go," Addison giggled, grabbing Meredith's arm and dragging her to the middle of the room. As they allowed themselves to get lost in the music, Meredith felt herself lose a little bit of her self consciousness, allowing herself to show more of who she truly was as she moved to the music.

After a couple songs, she looked around and noticed that Addison was nowhere to be seen. She sighed as she turned back to the drink table, freezing when she saw Addison in the corner of the room, leaning against a wall and laughing as the blonde man from across the hall leaned close to her. That could only mean that the hot one was here somewhere, and he would probably corner her as well. She swallowed hard, telling herself to keep control and not let herself sink into who she used to be. She couldn't sleep with him, as much as she wanted to.

She reached for a beer and moved outside, sitting down on the steps as she looked up at the sky. The moon was bright, and the stars were glimmering, and she found herself slipping into daydream mode as she stared at the vast darkness above her.

"Well, you look awfully lonely out here," she heard a familiar voice say, and she closed her eyes as she reminded herself to act normal.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes to see the familiar blue eyes smiling at her. "Hi," she said softly.

"So I've been thinking," Derek started. "We're living across the hall from each other."

"We are," Meredith agreed with a smile, curious to see where he was going with this.

"And we're going to be living across the hall from each other all year," he continued. "So I feel that information about each other is essential."

"You do?" Meredith asked. "What information are we talking about here?"

"Well, we could start with names," Derek replied, holding out his hand. "Derek Shepherd."

Meredith stared at him for a moment, considering her options in her head for a moment before she gently took his hands. "Meredith Grey," she said softly.

Derek flashed her his best smile. "Well, Meredith Grey, it appears that we have reached a new plateau."

"Oh, really?" Meredith asked, giggling slightly. "Which plateau is next? Learning where each other is from?"

"Hmm….I could handle that," Derek nodded. "New York. Born and raised."

"I'm from Boston," Meredith said with a nod. "Although, I moved out there from Seattle when I was five."

Derek nodded. "I'm glad I know things, Meredith Grey from Boston," he said.

Meredith giggled, unable to completely resist him. The man was completely and totally cheesy and corny, but there was something else about him, something safe, and…homey. She felt like he was home, which was weird and insane. People couldn't feel like home, especially annoying, curly haired boys with amazing eyes who lived across from her. But Derek…there was something perfect about his name and his eyes and his hair and just…him.

Before their conversation could go any further, the front door of the house burst open and Addison stumbled onto the porch.

"Mer, thank God," she said, reaching to pull her best friend to feet. "We've got to go. Mark's driving me crazy?"

"Who's Mark?" Meredith asked.

"The hot one from across the hall," Addison replied, causing Derek to frown. He definitely didn't want to be known as the hot one's roommate.

Meredith glanced over her shoulder at Derek as Addison dragged her away. She smiled brightly and shrugged helplessly, as if saying that she would talk to him later. He nodded and smiled in return before he stood and walked back to the party, preparing to kill Mark. When he laid eyes on his best friend at the drink table, he made his way over to him and grabbed his arm.

"Thanks a lot," he said.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Mark asked. "We're at a party. Loosen up, have a beer."

"I don't need a beer," Derek snapped. "I was actually getting somewhere with Meredith, and you had to go and ruin it."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mark demanded.

"I was talking to Meredith," Derek sighed. "And she was…amazing. And then her friend came out and demanded that they leave because you were annoying her."

Mark frowned. "That's totally not what happened," he said. "I tried to kiss her and she freaked out."

"I wonder why," Derek muttered under his breath.

"You know what this means, Shep?" Mark asked, a sly smile on his face.

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me," Derek rolled his eyes.

"It means that they're going to give in earlier than we thought," Mark said. "I'm telling you, Shep, they'll be ours by the end of September."

Derek didn't say anything, but he couldn't help hoping that his idiot of a best friend was right, that he would be dating Meredith by the end of the month. There was something enchanting about her, something that made him feel complete, and he barely even knew her. He couldn't wait until he could know her more.