Thanks for being so patient with me! I'm really glad that you're all excited about this story, and I've got a lot of ideas of where to take this. I'll be around for the next couple days, and on Thursday I'll be in Europe for a few weeks, so...enjoy the updates while you can! Thanks for all the support and enjoy!

"Katie, don't eat the paste sweetie," Meredith sighed as she moved quickly around her classroom, helping her students to clip their artwork to the clothesline running through the classroom. Feeling much better today, she was enjoying the entertainment her students provided her with as they put together collages of their favorite things.

She past by Meg Scott's desk, glancing down at her collage briefly and smiling softly as she saw a magazine cutout of a doctor. She knew her parents were both doctors, but that damn uncle of hers was in med school as well.

She hated that she'd spent her entire weekend thinking about that stupid arrogant man that had been trying to pick her up in the middle of her classroom, in front of his niece. But she hadn't been able to get that smirk out of her head, and she knew that there was a small part of her that was attracted to his clear blue eyes and his perfect wavy hair.

But she couldn't date him. Not when his niece was in her class, and not when she had any self respect. The man was obviously way too in love with himself, and she wasn't sure where she would fit into that picture.

"Great job, Meg," she said, crouching down beside the little girl's desk as she picked up the collage. She chastised herself for being a horrible teacher as she felt the desire to pump her for information about her uncle.

"Thanks Miss Grey," Meg exclaimed, taking the picture from her hands. "You want me to tell you about it?"

"I would love that," Meredith nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, so that's a golden retriever, just like my dog Pip," Meg said. "And that's Dora, cause she's the bestest. And right there is a doctor cause Mommy and Daddy are both doctors, and so is Aunt Nancy. And Uncle Derek and Aunt Liz are in doctor school."

"Wow," Meredith nodded. Med school. She had to admit that was impressive.

"And that's a Christmas tree," Meg continued. "Cause we love Christmas at my house. There's lots of presents."

Meredith smiled as she patted the girl on the back. "It's a wonderful collage, Meg," she said. "Why don't you go hang it up on the clothespins to display for everyone to see?"

"Okay!" Meg cried, giggling as she ran over to the windows.

"Walk please," Meredith said automatically as she stood, frowning when she saw Derek Shepherd standing in the doorway. She rolled her eyes as she looked over the class for a moment, then said. "Alright, everyone, I'm going to step into the hall for one minute. I want you all to use your big kid behavior and inside voices. Got it?"

She was met with a series of nods, and she walked out the door, leaving it open so she could see and hear everything that was going on.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "It's the middle of the day."

"I needed to ask Meg something," Derek shrugged. "It's first grade."

Meredith narrowed her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. "Are you saying that first grade doesn't matter?" she asked.

"No…" Derek said softly. "I just…she can take a couple minutes out of adding and making shapes to talk to her favorite uncle."

"That's not the point," Meredith rolled her eyes. "The point is that there are a bunch of six year olds in there that still aren't adjusted to the idea of school. We can't have relatives just waltzing into the classroom all day. We need to teach them stability. And what could possibly be so important that you can't wait three hours to talk to her? She's six."

Derek smiled softly as he leaned in to whisper, "I need to know what her adorable teacher thinks of her charming uncle."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "If we weren't in the middle of a first grade hallway, I'd be more than happy to answer that honestly," she said. "If you need to see Meg, come back at three."

"You don't even want to talk to me?" Derek frowned.

"I'm working," Meredith exclaimed. "Apparently you think first grade is completely useless, but it is important. And if you can't understand that, then maybe you should have one of her aunts pick her up from now on."

"I never said that," Derek rolled his eyes. "You really shouldn't put words and people's mouths."

"And you shouldn't barge into people's places of work and act like an idiot," Meredith said. "Good-bye Mr. Shepherd."

Derek frowned as he watched her step back into her classroom, closing the door firmly behind her. He definitely hadn't been expecting that. But he couldn't deny the definite attraction he felt towards this woman, and he knew he had to get to know her better. He just had to figure out a way to do it so she wouldn't say no.

XXXXX

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Mark frowned as he looked at Derek over a beer later that night. "You've been moping around all day. Is Daisy holding out on you?"

"That's not her name and you know it," Derek rolled his eyes as he took a long pull on his beer. A sudden rush of guilt washed over him as he thought of Rose. He had a girlfriend, someone that he was perfectly happy spending time with and seeing casually. But he couldn't see a future with her, and he couldn't help feeling guilty at the way Miss Grey had completely dominated his thoughts. He didn't even know the woman's first name, and he was already depressed that she had turned him down. He was a mess.

"Whatever," Mark shrugged. "You know she's no good for you? Too much candy. And with you being the health freak you are, it just wouldn't work out."

"I'm not a health freak," Derek insisted. "I took Meg for ice cream last week."

"And I bet you got that low fat dairy vanilla crap," Mark replied.

"Shut up," Derek said, not wanting to admit that he was right.

"Thought so," Mark nodded. "Seriously, what's going on?"

Derek sighed as he set his beer on the bar. "Miss Grey," he sighed.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "You've got some kinky fantasy I'm not aware of, Shep?" he asked.

"Meg's teacher," Derek continued, ignoring Mark's comments. "She's…completely enchanting. I went to pick Meg up the other day and now I can't stop thinking about her."

"Hold on," Mark frowned. "You want to fuck your six year old niece's teacher? Maybe you're not as boring as I thought."

"It's not just that," Derek shook his head. "I mean, yes, I'm definitely attracted to her. But it's also…I want to know everything about her. I want to make her laugh. I just want to know…her."

"Are you serious?" Mark asked.

"All I know about her is that she loves strawberry ice cream and doesn't have a boyfriend," Derek sighed. "And when she gets mad…her eyes turn this amazing shade of green that I've never seen before."

"Are you going to ask her out?" Mark asked.

Derek sighed as he finished the last of his beer in one sip. "I want to," he sighed. "But I don't know if she'll say yes."

"And there's the Plant you have to worry about."

"Don't call her that," Derek snapped.

Before Mark could respond, a loud giggle pierced through the bar to meet Derek's ears, and his head snapped up to match the face to the sound. When his eyes landed on Miss Grey in the corner of the bar, his eyes widened, and a slow smile spread over his features. Mark frowned as he watched Derek set his beer on the counter, moving towards the corner of the room. His eyes followed Derek's across the bar to rest on four girls giggling in a corner booth, his breath suddenly leaving his chest. He watched in interest as his best friend moved towards the table of beautiful women, intrigued by what he was about to see.

"So," Derek breathed as he leaned into Meredith's ear. "Is this a good place to hang out?"

He could feel her freeze as she recognize his voice, and she slowly turned to stare at him as her eyes took on the same angry quality they always did when she saw him. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"You know him, Mer?" the blonde asked from across the table. "She knows McDreamy," she whispered to the Asian sitting beside her.

"Shhh, I'm trying to listen," the woman replied, leaning towards Meredith.

"McDreamy, huh?" Derek asked, leaning against the table. "I think I want to hear more about this."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "My friends are crazy," she said. "And you're annoying."

Derek frowned. "I think I'm hurt," he said.

"You never answered my question," Meredith ignored him.

"Last time I checked this was a free country," Derek shrugged. "A man can come to a bar if he wants."

"This is my bar," Meredith replied.

"You're a teacher, isn't bar hopping frowned upon?" Derek asked.

"You're infuriating," Meredith snapped, standing. "Lexie, help me with the drinks."

"I'll help," Derek offered, moving to walk with her towards the bar.

"Actually, you know what, we're leaving," Meredith said, reaching for her coat.

"What?" the girl named Lexie asked. "We just got here."

"Well, we're leaving now," Meredith said.

"Don't leave," Derek sighed. "I'll leave you alone. As long as you let me know your name."

Meredith stared at him for a long moment before she turned and stormed out of the bar, leaving her three friends staring after her in shock. Lexie moved towards the door with the Asian woman, and the blonde smiled slightly at him as she slid into her coat. "It's Meredith," she said as she pulled her bag over her shoulder. "Her name. It's Meredith." She smiled softly as she walked out of the bar, not giving him a second glance as he stared after her.

"Meredith," Derek breathed, testing her name on his lips. "Meredith Grey."

He made his way back to the bar, grabbing another beer and sipping it as he collapsed back beside Mark. "Dude," Mark shook his head. "Is that the hot teacher?"

Derek sighed as he nodded slowly. "That's her," he nodded.

"She's hot," Mark said. "Didn't think you had it in you, Shep."

"She hates me," Derek shrugged. "Why should I ruin something I have with Rose for something that could be with Meredith?"

"You're asking me for relationship advice?" Mark laughed. "You might want to get your head checked out, Shep."

"That's how desperate I am," Derek sighed. "I just need to figure out a way for her to get to spend some time with me without hating my existence. I need to know her."

XXXXX

"So you met him at school?" Izzie asked as she followed Meredith into their house later that night.

"Izzie, drop it," Meredith rolled her eyes, throwing her jacket over the railing and moving towards the stairs.

"Mer, we just want to know more about him," Lexie said as she followed her up the stairs. "What's his name?"

"What's he do?" Izzie asked.

"Why do you hate him? He obviously likes you."

"Seriously?" Meredith asked. "Why does that matter? I don't like him, he's annoying and crazy, and I don't want to talk about it. Just leave it at that."

"But Mer," Izzie insisted. "He's cute and charming and he likes you. And you wouldn't give him the time of day."

"Because he's stubborn and pig headed," Meredith rolled her eyes. "And his niece is in my class. So I can't date him. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, so it doesn't matter."

"I think you're lying," Lexie stated. "You like him. Don't you think she likes him?" she asked Izzie.

"She does like him," Izzie nodded, turning back to Meredith. "You like him. And he likes you. So you should go out with him."

"I have an idea," Meredith rolled her eyes as she stood in the doorway to her bedroom, her body blocking them from entering. "How about the two of you leave me alone and go to your own rooms and think about your own love lives instead of imposing on mine?"

With that, she slammed the door shut, ignoring the murmurs of her friend and sister as they made their way down the hall towards their own rooms.

She flung herself onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow as she tried to push Derek Shepherd out of her thoughts. She couldn't believe that she'd had the unfortunate luck to run into him twice today, and she hated the way he was completely dominate her thoughts as soon as she laid eyes on him.

She wasn't sure what it was about him that was so completely captivating. He was attractive, she'd give him that, but not any more so than other men that she'd met. And he was completely annoying and egotistical, and she hated the fact that he didn't understand the importance of what she did. It was as if first grade wasn't important to him, and that was one of her biggest pet peeves.

Derek Shepherd was completely crazy, and she was sure that if she ever saw him again, it would been too soon.

XXXXX

"Look, I know it's a lot to ask, Liz," Derek heard his sister say as he walked into his parents house at the end of the week. "But I promised I would help with the fall picnic, and they need me at the hospital. Can't you just go in for an hour?"

"I've got a date," Liz argued. "I can't."

"You're the worst sister ever."

"Girls," Emma sighed as she set a plate of bread down in the middle of the table. "You are not children anymore. Please don't make me treat you like ones."

"Mom, she's totally being unfair!" Liz cried. "She wants me to drop my date with Shawn because she's too lazy to ask for time off when she needs it."

"What's going on?" Derek asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Derek," Emma smiled, moving closer to her son as he reached to pull her into his arms. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Derek nodded, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Hi Dad."

"Hi Derek," Michael said from the stove. "How's school?"

"It's school," Derek shrugged, clapping his dad on the back as he moved towards the fridge for a beer. "How's the store?"

"Business is good," Michael nodded. "I've got a new model of guitars coming in next week."

"I'll come check them out," Derek said as he popped the top off of his beer and looked at his sisters as they stared at each other from across the table. "What's with them?"

"Well, no one's taken the time from arguing to tell me exactly what's going on," Michael sighed. "But from what I gather, Kathleen was supposed to do something for Meg's classroom, but then she was scheduled to be on call. She asked Liz to go in her place, which apparently started World War Three between the Shepherd Sisters."

Derek nodded as he took a sip of his beer, wondering if he should do what he wanted to. He hadn't heard from Meredith since she'd stormed out of the bar the week earlier, but he had been trying to figure out a way to get her to talk to him without causing physical damage to himself. Meredith was small, but he was pretty sure she could hurt him if she really wanted to.

"I'll do it," he heard himself saying as he moved towards his sisters and caused everyone in the room to stare at him.

"What?" Kathleen asked.

"I'll take care of your volunteer stuff," Derek shrugged. "I'm a good uncle."

Kathleen smiled slowly as she glanced at her sister and parents. "I don't know," she said. "I think this might have something to do with Meg's hot teacher."

Emma gasped and Liz giggled, causing Derek to bury his hands in his hair and wonder why he ever told his sisters anything. As his mother burdened him with questions and his sisters gently teased him, he couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was going to get to see Meredith Grey again. And maybe this time it would be in her good graces.