Derek entered the large lecture hall in the science building the next morning, fully ready to sit through his first college class. Abnormal psychology was a class that was usually reserved for upper-class pre-med students, but AP credits had allowed him to bypass the usual introductory courses that future medical students usually had to take. Mark was beyond pissed that Derek had been aware of what he wanted to do when he was in high school that he was able to bypass the first year classes, since he had to sit through both bio and chemistry 101.

As Derek settled himself in a seat in the middle of the auditorium, the scent of a familiar flowery perfume swept over him, and he snapped his head forward to see the honey blonde hair of Meredith Grey a few rows ahead of him. With a sly smile, he grabbed his backpack and stood, moving to slide into the seat beside her.

"Well, it looks like we're of similar breeds, Meredith Grey," he said, smiling as he felt her body tense before she turned to look at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Wow, I'm glad I know how you feel about me," Derek nodded.

"Seriously, Derek, freshman aren't supposed to be in this class," Meredith argued with wide eyes.

"Ah, yes, but it seems that yours truly did well enough in his AP classes that he could skip those boring classes to move into things that really matter," Derek said as he placed his feet on the chair in front of him and folded his hands behind his head.

"And what really matters?" Meredith asked.

"Psychobio," Derek replied, a gleam appearing in his eyes. "I'm going to be a neurosurgeon."

Meredith stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" she asked. "You're just playing some mean joke because you've been stalking me and you don't really want to be a neurosurgeon, do you?"

Derek frowned. "Okay, first of all, I am not stalking you," he said. "It's not my fault that we live across the hall from each other. And second…I'm a neurosurgeon. Or I will be one in about ten years."

"Seriously?" Meredith asked.

"Okay, I'm missing the problem here," Derek frowned. "My dad's a neurosurgeon, and I've wanted to be one ever since I learned the meaning of the word. The brain…it's amazing."

"I know it's amazing," Meredith snapped. "That's why I'm going to be a neurosurgeon."

"You're…" a small smile played over Derek's lips as the words sank in. "You're psychobio too?" He couldn't help the excitement he felt at the thought that he and Meredith would be on the same track for their entire four years at college.

Before Meredith could answer, the professor began to speak, causing them to fall into a concentrated silence. Derek smiled to himself as he took notes on the professor's lecture, feeling strangely comforted by the feeling of Meredith sitting beside him.

When the class was let out, Meredith shot out of her seat, bolting towards the door so fast that Derek practically had to run to keep up with her. She rolled her eyes as she noticed him walking next to her and asked, "Are you ever going to leave me alone? Because I should know now if I'm going to have to transfer over winter break."

"Hey," Derek said, grabbing her arm. "What's wrong with you? I thought we were connecting."

"That's what's wrong with me," Meredith rolled her eyes. "We can't connect. Because I'm here for school. And you want things, things that I can't give you and I don't have the energy to keep turning you down. So it would be great if you could just stop annoying me all the time."

She turned and stormed away, leaving Derek standing stunned in the middle of the science center lobby.

XXXXX

"Dude, what the hell did you tell her you want?" Mark asked. "Because if you told her you want sex, it's over."

"Of course I didn't tell her that, Mark," Derek snapped from his desk. "I'm not stupid. And I didn't tell her that I wanted anything from her. She just assumes that she can't give me anything that I want, but I don't even know what she thinks I want."

Mark shook his head. "You've got yourself a mess there," he said.

"She's not a mess," Derek said defensively. "She's just skittish."

Mark shook his head. "Whatever, man," he said. "Addie…she's amazing. I'm totally winning."

"I don't understand what the competition is," Derek frowned.

"Power, Shep," Mark rolled his eyes. "I'm totally going to have the power in the relationship. I finally convinced her to go out to dinner with me Friday night."

"Well, good for you," Derek replied. "Some of us are at a loss of what to do."

"At least she's in a class with you," Mark offered. "Maybe she'll be in one tomorrow too. Between class and living on the same floor, she'll be seeing you a lot, whether she wants to or not. So now's the time to turn on the charm and make sure she knows that you're irresistible."

Derek opened his mouth to reply, but was quickly cut off when they heard the sound of a loud crash from across the hall, followed by a loud scream. Without hesitation, Derek and Mark both jumped up to run across the hall to Meredith and Addison's room, Derek's heart stopping at the sight before him as they swung open the door.

"Meredith," he gasped, moving towards her from, sprawled across the floor. "Are you okay?"

"My ankle," she gasped.

"Can I see?" he asked, gently, moving towards her foot and rolling up her pants leg to reveal an already swelling ankle. "Oh, Mer," he breathed. "It's swollen. I think it might be broken."

She whimpered slightly, and he moved back to gather her into his arms. "What happened?" he asked gently, running his finger through her hair.

"I was trying to set up the shelf," Meredith replied. "And it broke. And I fell and my stupid ankle is broken."

"I'll get you to a doctor," Derek assured her softly. "Mark, can you pull the car up?"

"Sure, man," Mark said as he hurried out of the room.

"Don't worry, Mer," Derek said softly, lifting her into his arms as he sat down on the bed and cradled her in his lap. "You're okay. I've got you now."

"Derek," she whimpered, turning her head to bury it in his shirt. "It hurts, Der."

"I know," he whispered, pressing his nose into her hair, desperate to find a way to distract her from the pain in her ankle. "Hmmm...your hair smells good," he murmured.

Meredith frowned at him. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Mmhmm," he whispered. "I'm trying to distract you, Mer, to get your mind off the pain."

"Oh," she winced, settling against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around him. "Um...it's lavender."

"Lavender," Derek whispered, burying his nose in her hair. "I love it."

"What else?" Meredith asked, trying to ignore the pain. "What else do you want to know about me?"

"Middle name?" Derek asked.

"Alyse," Meredith whispered.

"Favorite ice cream?"

"Strawberry."

"Favorite band?"

"Duran Duran."

Derek frowned, his hand pausing in her hair. "I'll give you that one because you're in pain," he said. "But seriously? Duran Duran?"

"What's wrong with Duran Duran?" Meredith asked.

"Nothing," Derek replied, hiding his smirk in her hair. "Mark should have the car pulled up by now. Are you okay if I carry you down?"

"Yeah," Meredith whispered, her fingers clutching his shirt. "Don't leave me, Derek. Please...stay with me."

Derek swallowed hard as he moved to carry her down the hall. He wasn't sure where this sudden neediness was coming from, especially since she'd told him an hour ago to stay away from her. He wasn't going to question it though; there was something seriously appealing about taking care of Meredith, helping her when she was sick.

"I'm not leaving," he whispered. "I promise."

The ride to the hospital was quick, only about twenty minutes, but Meredith clutched Derek's hand in pain every time the car went over even the smallest of bumps, causing pain to radiate from her ankle to the rest of her body. Derek whispered gently in her ear, trying to distract her from her pain as tears streamed down her face. When they finally reached the emergency room, Derek helped her into a wheelchair and walked with her into the waiting room, his hand never leaving hers as they waited for her name to be called.

Two hours later, Meredith hobbled out of the emergency room doors with Derek at her side, his hands stretched out and ready to stabilize her if she fell. He'd called Mark a half an hour before, and he was already waiting at the entrance. "Hey Shep," he said as he got out of the driver's seat. "Meredith...looks like you're going to be a cripple for awhile."

"Mark," Derek rolled his eyes as he leaned forward to open the backseat door for Meredith, gently taking her crutches and helping her in.

"Sorry," Mark said. "Addison said she's sorry she couldn't come, but she's still in class. She was going to get everything in your room ready."

"Okay," Meredith said softly. "Derek?"

"Yeah?" he asked, leaning down to look her in the eye.

"Can you...sit in the back with me?" she whispered.

"Oh, Mer," he replied as he moved her to the side gently so that he could sit beside her so that she could lean against him. "Of course. I'll do anything you need."

"Thank you," she whispered in relief as she relaxed in his arms. "I'm...thank you."

"Of course," Derek replied, a smile playing on his lips as he met Mark's eyes in the rear view mirror. This was a big step. She was starting to depend on him, and he was going to be able to spend some time with her getting to know who she really was as he helped her recover. He hated that she was hurting, but he couldn't help the feeling of anticipation that ran through his body as he thought about getting to know her better.

XXXXX

"And I got some frozen food," Addison stated later that afternoon. "Mark said we could leave it in their fridge, and whenever you want anything, I'll go put it in the microwave so you don't have to get up."

"Thanks, Addison," Meredith smiled from her bed where her ankle rested on a prop of pillows. "You really didn't have to do all of that."

"Of course I did," Addison replied, a frown on her face. "I did tell Mark that I would eat dinner with him, though, so..."

"It's fine," Meredith said with a wave of her hand. "Go have fun with him. I'll just get ahead in my reading."

"Do you want me to heat some food up for you now?" Addison asked. "Before we go?"

"I'll do it," Derek said as he walked into the open door. "I'm staying with her."

"Derek," Meredith frowned. "You've already done enough. Go have a fun dinner with Mark and Addie."

Derek waved a hand in dismissal. "You really think I want to eat with Mark?" he asked. "Think again. I'd much rather eat with you."

"Okay," she said slowly. "Ummm...I guess you're good to go, Addie."

"Alright, I'll go get Mark," Addison said. "I shouldn't be too long."

"Take your time," Derek supplied for Meredith. "I'll take good care of her."

"I'm not an invalid," Meredith rolled her eyes at him as Addison walked out of the room.

"I know," Derek nodded as he reached for her ankle, moving it from the pillows to his lap. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," she whispered. "But it will be better in the morning."

"Good," Derek replied. "Do you want me to call someone?"

"For what?" Meredith asked. "Do you want take out instead of frozen food? Cause I could totally go for pizza, but I hate Chinese, so..."

Derek laughed slightly. "That's not what I meant," he said softly. "Although if you want pizza, we can get some. And I'll make sure that I'll never feed you Chinese food. But I was wondering if you want to call your parents or anything."

"Oh," Meredith replied, and he could see a visible change in her demeanor. "Um...No, it's okay."

"You don't want to call your parents?" Derek asked. "Mer, I think they'll want to know."

"Not they," Meredith shook her head. "She. I don't have a father. And my mother...she doesn't care."

"She doesn't care?" Derek asked.

"She's a doctor," Meredith shrugged. "She just loves the job more than she loves me."

Derek thought for a moment. "Ellis Grey?" he asked.

"That's her," Meredith nodded.

"My dad's worked with her," Derek murmured. "He wasn't too fond of her."

"That's surprising," Meredith replied. "She's the best surgeon in the country."

"Yeah, but according to my father she had no compassion," Derek said. "I'm sorry, Mer, that you had to grow up with someone like that."

"It's okay," she shrugged as she dozed off to sleep. "I don't...it's fine."

"Someday," Derek whispered. "Someday, Meredith Grey, I will take you home with me, and you can see what family is really supposed to be like." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek lightly, allowing him to slip into a daydream of what it would be like to bring her home to his family.

She would fit perfectly.