We have the arrival of a new character in this fic, once that you already know so well. It is coming closer to Meredith and Derek seeing each other again. And a bit more background on our favourite couple Enjoy!

Derek arrived at Seattle Grace for his first day, he had to see Richard. He was impressed at what he saw. He knew that the hospital had a very good reputation, and a good neurological department, and he knew that he could make it one of the best in the country. Richard was his mentor from college, and he was also Meredith's step-father. He was sat in the waiting area, waiting to see Richard, when he heard his name being called.

"Shep" he heard, he knew who it was, there was only one person that called him Shep, and Derek stood up,

"Mark" he said, Mark came over and gave him a manly hug.

"I heard a new head of neuro was starting, never thought it would be you though. Addison actually agreed for you to put your career first, for once" Mark said.

"We are divorced, Mark" Derek told him,

"You finally left Satan, what made you leave her?" Mark asked,

"She lied" Derek tells his one time best friend. Richard came out of his office and smiles at Derek,

"Derek I will be just a few minutes" Richard say before heading back into his office.

"Why don't we go for a drink after you finish your shift, to catch up Derek" Mark says to him,

"Yeah it will be good to catch up" Derek says,

"There a bar across the road, Joe's. I'll meet you there at 8" Mark tells him.

"I finish at 8, so I'll see you then" Derek says.

Derek's first day goes pretty quickly, it is mainly paperwork, he got to meet most of his department, being told that a new neuro attending will be starting in a couple of weeks, but no one knew who it was, even Richard wasn't saying. He had no surgery's himself, so it gave him a chance to watch his attendings and residents in action in the OR, so he could assess the strength of his team. He could see that he had some of the best, that his predecessor had left him a good team of surgeons. It was a nice and welcome change to private practice, and Seattle was a nice place, even though it had done nothing but rain since he arrived in the city. He had wondered what happened to Mark, after he married Addison, he had lost contact with Mark, he knew that he was still in contact with Meredith after she left him, she had told him that when they first met up again 7 years ago.

Derek was at a medical conference at Boston General Hospital, it was his second day at the conference, which was suppose to last a week. He felt a bit guilty because he was missing his and Addison's wedding anniversary; they had been married for two years. It was an important conference, and he was actually enjoying his time away from her. It was nice to go back to the hotel after the conference and relax, rather than going home and getting ready to go out to the parties that she insisted on them attending. He decided to sit in the gallery watching a surgery, which was being performed by an old teacher of his Dr Owens. He was sat watching him, when the whiff of lavender came to his attention it reminds him of Meredith, than he heard someone giggle, it sounded like Meredith, he closed his eyes, thinking that he was hearing things. Then, he heard it again, he opened his eyes and whipped his head to the direction it came from, his blue eyes met her green. She still had the same effect on him, even though he had not seen or heard from her in four years. He saw her leave the gallery; he followed her out trying to be as discreet as possible. He wasn't about to let her disappear again, he missed her and still loved her; he wanted her to know that. He saw her disappear into an on-call; he hoped that she hadn't locked the door, which she hadn't. When he entered he saw her sat on the edge of one of the bed, he went and sat down next to her, he sat there until she was ready to look at him. After a few minutes, Meredith lifted her head out of her hands and looked at him, for the first time in four years, she felt alive, he took her breath away like he always had, and left her in no doubt that she was still in love with him. She looked down at his hand and noticed the wedding band on his finger. She knew that he had married her, Mark had told her, but to actually see that ring on his finger hurt her so much. It was suppose to be her ring on his finger,

"You're married" she said, it was suppose to them who was married, tears ran down her face, has Derek put his arm around her, pulling her close to him, while she sobbed into his chest.

"Yeah" he put simply.

"Mark said you married her" she told him. He felt the tears running down his face; it felt so good to finally have her back in his arms.

"I've missed you" Derek says, he feels her stiffen in his arms, than relax

"Me too" she says, she sits up and looks at him. Just than her pager goes off, it a 911,

"I've gotta go," she says before leaving the on-call room. Derek saw her around the hospital a lot that week, but he never got to talk to her, he knew that she was avoiding him, he tried to get her to talk to him, but she wouldn't. On his last day in Boston, he saw kissing some guy in the lobby; he guessed that it was her boyfriend. Across the lobby, their eyes met only briefly, but enough to haunt Derek for the next year. The look of sadness in her eyes bowled him over, he mouthed "I love you", and she smiled and disappeared out of the hospital.

Derek didn't feel really up to going over to Joe's, he just wanted to go home to his trailer, but he promised Mark that he would meet him for a drink. He got over to Joe's and ordered himself a scotch, before joining Mark over in the booth where he was sat.

"Hey Shep, didn't think you were going to come tonight?" Mark said,

"Running late, paperwork, I'm not staying for long Mark, I'm not in the mood" Derek says to him.

"I know it hard for you today Shep, which is why I invited you out for a drink" Mark says knowingly.

"You remember" Derek stated simply.

"Yeah", he motions to Joe who brings over a couple more glasses of scotch.

"Have you heard from her recently Mark, I know you kept in touch with her" Derek asked him

"No I haven't Derek, I haven't spoken to her since she married Russell" Mark tells him, looking closely for a reaction, he was surprised to see none. Mark assumed that he didn't know Meredith was married. Mark had no idea about Derek's affair with Mer.

"So, Addison?" Mark asked, wondering what brought his best friend to finally divorce her.

"What did Meredith tell you about Addison, Mark?" Derek asked, wandering how much his friend actually knew.

"That she saw you and her kissing at my party, I trying telling her to talk to you, that you wouldn't cheat on her, but she was so upset. When I spoke to her the next day, she was coming to see you, I think she realised there was more to the story. She left to see you, and I never saw her after that until just after you and Addison married" Mark tells him,

"Addison told Meredith that I had been cheating on her for six months" Derek tells him, seeing a look of fury in Mark's eyes.

"She what" Mark exclaimed.

"Yep, that why Meredith left" Derek tells him.

"How did you find out?" Mark asked.

"Meredith told me, I saw her a year ago. Can you believe it took her all these years to tell me" Derek said sadly.

"Well considering you hadn't seen her in years" Mark said, wandering what he was talking about. Derek shook his head.

"I'd been having an affair with her, Mark. I know, it was wrong, but I couldn't help myself, I love her so damn much Mark" Derek tells him

Derek knocks back his drink, while Mark goes and orders some more drinks for them, he tells Joe to leave them the bottle knowing that Derek probably could do with it.

In L.A, Meredith just got home, she went for a few drinks with some work colleagues, not really wanting too, she just wanted to curl up with a bottle of tequila, and forget this day. Kathleen had come out to look after Adam, knowing how hard this day was for her, he was at the hotel with Kathleen. She got through half a bottle of tequila, before she dialled his number, she knew that she shouldn't ring him, that his wife wouldn't be happy but she just wanted to hear his voice, she was glad went it when onto voicemail, "this is Derek Shepherd, I'm probably in surgery, so leave a message and I'll get back to you soon" she hangs up, and she stumbled over to the drawers and got out his old NYU sweat shirt that she still had, his smell had gone a long time ago, but it was still Derek's. she laid back down with Jose, and picked up her phone again, and hit the redial number, just hearing his voice made her feel a little better, if only for a moment.

Please R&R