A/N- This is way longer than usual, my apologies, it was originally going to be split, but it didn't quite work as two separate parts, so it's long instead! The second half was the first part of the fic I ever wrote, so even though the story would survive without this chapter, I decided to put it in anyway! Big thanks to those that review and put me in their alerts, it makes me a very happy person.

Disclaimer- I don't own Grey's Anatomy, if I did, there would be a lot less intern time in the new season!

As the week wore on, Derek had gathered everything he needed to make the proposal happen. He had a date to pick up the ring, and he'd begun the long process of talking to the relevant friends and colleagues that he wanted to be part of the event. The chief had been a godsend, arranging for OR schedules to be changed so that they were empty for brief spaces of time, and patient rooms and trauma bays were to be left clear unless absolutely essential. Bailey had done an amazing job of keeping Meredith occupied with work, dreaming up brilliant cases with all the attendings, and allowing her to scrub in regularly, leaving her little time to ponder her friends increasingly excited glances, as they each found out their part in Derek's proposal. Derek's excitement only grew as time went on, and he began to count down the days until he would ask Meredith Grey to be his wife. He was trying desperately to stay calm around her, but the frequent death stares and questioning if he really was ok told Derek that he wasn't hiding his excitement quite as well as he'd hoped.

In the little free time she had outside of the hospital, Meredith found her self spending long periods of time poring over the blueprints of their dream house, changing and rearranging things until finally, she found a place for all of the rooms, and the perfect measurements for each feature of her fairy-tale house in the woods. Every detail in every room was meticulously planned, and she'd found a sudden passion for interior design, nurtured by Izzie and a half a dozen furniture catalogues she'd brought for 'inspiration'. As Friday came to a close she showed her completed plan to Derek, showing him the places their kids would sleep. Where they would eat, play and study as well as the places that would allow Meredith and Derek a little space of their own, as well as the places where they would be together. Derek studied them in awe at how much of Meredith was hidden in the plans, from the porch swing to the nursery window seat. It made his heart melt when she numbered the bedrooms as though planning where each child would sleep. He looked up at her expectant face and kissed her passionately, laying her down on the bed ready to undress them both, stopping only when Meredith's stomach began to grumble.

"You need to be fed Dr. Grey." Derek announced as he took her hand and led her down towards the kitchen.

"But what about my plans?" she asked. "We need to take them to the guy."

"I'll call him in a while." Derek said, "He has a copy of the original plans, and I told him to hold off until you'd finished adjusting them before he made them permanent. He's the best Meredith; he'll do whatever you want however you want it. I've seen some of the stuff he's designed, we're lucky to have him. He puts the people into the house, never are any two plans the same. Our house is one of a kind and it's all ours. " He leaned in and kissed her, holding her tightly as they descended the stairs and entered the kitchen.

Alex pressed the end call button just as the pair reached the kitchen.

"Mer!" he exclaimed "Cormack is gone!"

"He is?" she asked jumping into the seat next to Alex "does this mean Joe's?"

"Hell yeah! Cristina just called, said she'd meet us there in half an hour, Lexie's showering then we're going, you in?"

"What's that?" Derek questioned the pair confused at their delight in a fellow resident's dismissal. "Are you celebrating the fact that Cormack got fired?"

"Not really." Meredith assured him "it's just like a tradition, when one of the surgical residents leaves or gets fired, we head down to Joes and have a few drinks, you know like a wake or whatever."

"So is Cormack gonna be there with you?" Derek looked puzzled.

"God no," Alex confirmed "we hate that guy." He and Meredith grimaced at each other, united in their dislike of their former colleague.

"Okay, well I think I'll give it a miss then." Derek told them. "Have fun." He added giving Meredith a peck on the cheek before gathering the ingredients to make her a sandwich, something that was more important now that she was going to be drinking.

"Well it's kind of a residents only thing anyway." Meredith informed him. "I'll see you when we get home. Don't forget to call the guy." She pressed a kiss to his cheek as she ran past him and up the stairs to change, Alex following behind her. Derek looked blankly at the stairs, now devoid of residents. He put the finished sandwich on a plate and followed them to the stairs.

"Meredith?" He called, and she came rushing back down the stairs, in just her camisole and panties. She looked at him expectantly and he passed her the plate. "Eat please." Meredith picked up one half and took three big bites, chewing quickly and swallowing before kissing his cheek again.

"Thanks." she said jogging up a few more stairs.

"Aren't you going to finish it?" Derek said sternly, hoping that she'd pick up on his tone and come back for more.

"I'm good," She informed him. "I have to get ready, you can finish it if you want." She smiled and ran back up the stairs. Derek sat down on the couch and took a bite of the sandwich, mayo dripping out onto his shirt. He sighed, wiping at it with a napkin.

"Well isn't that just perfect."

It was a little after eleven when Derek got a phone call from Joe, informing him that Meredith had had rather too much to drink, letting him know that she would definitely need a ride home, as would Cristina. He'd only just gotten off the phone with the guy that was helping him with his house plans, a former patient's father who was giving him an amazing deal as a thank you for saving his daughter's life after a nasty collision with a tree. Joe had sounded flustered on the phone, which could only mean that Meredith had had just a few too many and needed rescuing from herself. He got to the bar soon after to find Meredith and her friend standing side by side against the bar in front of an uncomfortable looking Joe.

"Don't you know who I am?" Meredith questioned the bartender. "I am lady Tallulah of London, England and I wish to drink here at this establishment, so I suggest that you give us lots of tequila or I'll have to tell all my friends in England how terrible the service is here at Joes bar." She slurred in a terrible attempt at a British accent. Derek stifled a laugh. He'd seen her drunk before, he happened to enjoy drunk Meredith, but Lady Tallulah was new to him. He'd heard her mentioned once or twice, when Meredith had spoken briefly about her time in England, but he hadn't been lucky enough to meet her until tonight.

"It's not Joes bar, its Dorothy's," Cristina informed her "its Emerald City, Mer. That's why everything looks green."

"It's not green, Cristina, its rainbow colours and it's so pretty." Meredith began to spin around taking in the lights and the pictures surrounding the bar. "I think you must be drunk Cristina." Cristina stared at the ceiling, starting to dance alongside Meredith. Joe breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted Derek.

"Dr. Shepherd," he breathed. "I stopped serving her and took her keys about a half an hour ago, Lexie and Alex left in her cab, and dr. Grey was replaced with her ladyship here." He was interrupted by Meredith shouting at him again.

"Don't serve him before me. I am lady Tallulah. Lady Tallulah, Joe!" she stopped spinning long enough to point her finger at Joe before she stumbled towards the bar, Derek catching her and forcing her to sit down for a second.

"How many has she had?" he asked Joe, ignoring Meredith's protests. "Well there's a few here on her tab, and she paid six maybe seven with cash but that was a while ago." Derek pulled his wallet from his pocket and handed Joe several bills to pay for Meredith's drinks, filed away his change and proceeded to wrap his arms around the two ladies, one around each of their waists before throwing them over his shoulders, both girls groaning at the sudden loss of ground beneath their feet.

"Thanks Joe, I'll pick the car up in the morning!" he called as Joe raised his hand as a goodbye. "Come on your ladyship, let's get you home."

After managing to strap both women in the car, they drove back to Meredith's house, stopping just once for Meredith to be sick on the side of the road. When he pulled into her driveway, he opened Christina's door first, lifting her into his arms, putting her on the ground again as she began to gag, vomiting loudly over the gravel. He carried her inside, depositing her in the first floor bathroom where she hugged the toilet bowl, throwing up some more. He went back for Meredith, finding her asleep and drooling over his front seatbelt.

"Beautiful!" he whispered, unbuckling her and throwing her over his shoulder "come on lady Tallulah; let's get you out of these clothes." Rather than reply, Meredith grabbed a hold of his ass, rubbing circles with her hands.

"You have such a nice butt," she complimented. "d'you have a girlfriend?"

"I'm sorry your ladyship but I'm in love with a woman named Meredith Grey, maybe the two of you can meet sometime."

"That'd be good," she stated, patting his rear gently as he manoeuvred the pair of them inside, pressing the lock button on his keys before closing the door behind them. "What's your name?"

"My name? it's Derek. but Meredith likes to call me Mcdreamy."

"Derek," she groaned, "I don't feel so good."

He changed her, and set her on the floor in the bathroom adjoining their bedroom, holding her hair and rubbing her back as she vomited repeatedly into the toilet bowl. It seemed that they were there for the night, Derek didn't want to leave her, so he sat against the wall beside her, catching what little sleep he could, only leaving the bathroom to check that Cristina was also still ok in the other bathroom. He felt Meredith begin to replace lady Tallulah as the night wore on, and by 8 am Saturday morning, she had definitely begun to sober up considerably.

"Derek" she moaned miserably as he came strolling into their bathroom, turning on the lights, "too bright!" barely uttering her words before she was faced once again with the contents of her stomach, or what little there was left after an entire evening of alternating between hunching over the toilet and pressing her cheek to the cool floor. He rubbed her back and whispered softly in her ear.

"It's okay, it's alright" he repeated over and over, as he held her hair with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. She slid herself away from the toilet bowl and laid her head in his lap hugging her knees to her chest as he reached for a washcloth and rubbed her grey, sweat sheened forehead. She groaned at his gesture and wrapped an arm over his thighs breathing in the fading scent of his washing powder and a smell that was uniquely Derek, her Derek. A smell that comforted her more than anything he could've done for her.

"Why does my body hate me so much?" she whispered finally opening her eyes to look up at the adoring blue ones above her.

"I think when you drink your body weight in José Cuervo it can have that effect" he chuckled pressing a kiss onto her damp forehead.

"But I only had a few shots, just seven or eight maybe."

"Is that right?" Derek laughed again, pulling Meredith into a sitting position, her head pressed against his chest.

"Joe sucks for taking my keys, I could've gotten home fine!" her voice getting gradually stronger as her nausea began to subside.

"Remind me to thank Joe for that" he retorted, laughing harder as Meredith aimed one of her ineffectual fists at him, barely making contact.

"Where's my phone?" Meredith questions closing her eyes again after straightening up too quickly, "I need to call Cristina."

"No need" Derek informed her, "she's currently occupying your first floor bathroom, at least she was when I checked on her half an hour ago. I don't know what your neighbours must've thought of me, carrying two intoxicated ladies into the house, while being mindlessly groped by one of them. Then again, they were witness to you trying to undress me on your porch the night we first met, and the night you took advantage of me in the car."

"Cristina groped you?" she puzzled, realisation setting in seconds later "oh!" she giggled, "thank you for bringing my friend home, and for making sure she didn't die in the night." She tilted her chin up to kiss his lips, but he turned so she could kiss his cheek instead, scrunching his nose at the lingering stench of tequila and vomit mixed with her usual lavender scent.

"Let's get you some breakfast." He announced, lifting her onto her feet, and keeping a steadying arm around her waist.

"No food." She groaned "coffee…" she staggered towards the stairs, leaning on Derek for support, stumbling as she reached the summit of the stairs before Derek lifted her into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and placing her arms either side of his head, her head resting on his shoulder like a baby koala.

Meredith stayed wrapped around him as he walked into the kitchen, only to be met by the smell of fresh coffee, and the sight of three tired looking surgeons, each nursing a steaming mug of the liquid. Derek set Meredith down next to Cristina and poured her her own coffee into a mug emblazoned with the Seattle grace logo, kissing the top of her head as he placed the mug against her waiting hand. He heard the sound of the front door, before a grinning Mark Sloan walked in to the kitchen.

"Looks like someone had a good night!" he said emphatically, laughing at the sorrowful looks on each of the surgeons faces. "Ready to go man?" he asks Derek.

"Wait, you're leaving me here?" Meredith questioned Derek, "what if I need you here? What if I need sex?" her question was followed by a chorus of "Meredith!" by Lexie, Alex and Cristina, the three of them starting to sip their coffees, their eyes red against their pale, hung-over faces.

"I won't be gone long." He reassured her as he reached into a drawer for some aspirin, laying them in front of Meredith, who graciously accepted two. Derek filled a glass with water and slid the glass into her hand, watching her swallow the drugs. "I just have one errand to run, and then I'll pick us all up some lunch on the way home. I love you" he added, placing her empty glass into the dishwasher after she swallowed the drugs. Satisfied that he could leave the group for a few hours he gave her a kiss on the lips, her deepening of the kiss making him forget they had company, until Mark brought him back down to earth with the clearing of his throat.

"When you and Grey have finished eating each other, can we leave? That way we can get there and back in time for me to get to work, I have lives to change." Giving Derek the signature mcsteamy smile and opening the door for him to leave.

"I love you" Derek repeated as he walked away.

"I love you too" Meredith echoed groaning as the front door slammed shut and the two men left the drive in marks car.

"Do you guys do this every time?" Lexie asked.

"Every damn time" Izzie answered her, as she and George entered the kitchen, ready to start their shifts at the hospital. "some of us decided that once our intern year was over, that drinking ourselves into oblivion every time an intern drops out or gets fired was just a little immature." she added as she began to intentionally crash around the kitchen whilst she made herself lunch and topped up her travel mug with leftover coffee.

"Oh don't give us the whole 'I'm so mature' crap Iz," Alex growled at her, "you sat with that guy for a full half hour yesterday listening to him cry about lost hopes and dreams, and I bet there's a cubbyhole full of your muffins waiting for him when he goes to collect his stuff later today. You have your traditions, we have ours. Now go to work, your happy is making my head hurt."

"Tequila is making your head hurt, ass" Izzie retorted, as she ushered George out of the door with her.

"Eurgh! You smell like an accident at the tequila factory mer" Cristina jibed, "take a shower or something, god, the rest of us had the common courtesy to wash before we came in!" Meredith groaned as she dragged her chair backwards and shuffled out of the kitchen towards her bathroom, giving Cristina a death stare as she did so. When she heard the sound of water running through the shower, Cristina pulled out a notepad and a pen from her pocket, and began reading off a list to the other two doctors.

"Okay, so Derek has consulted with the chief about the ORs and the patient rooms." she read off , "the waiting area and the nurses station shouldn't be a problem, the ORs are being left free between surgeries, so we have to make sure she's there by then. The trauma room may be a problem, but if we get the ER guys to save that room til last and only use it when it's totally necessary we might be able to find some time in there. The rest of these places are all public spaces so we don't need to worry about keeping them free, I just have to hand out the envelopes on Friday morning and we should be good to go. Shepherd is working out timings, but I don't think she'll need more than ten minutes in one place. Derek has her gifts waiting to be collected, I'll bring them with the envelopes. Then that should be it."

"Why is Shepherd trusting you with this crap?" Alex cut across her, "isn't this more Izzie's scene?"

"Derek didn't think she could keep it a secret for long enough, and he wanted it to be his plan and not Izzie's. Plus he knew that the second Meredith asked me anything about what was going on, I'd cave and tell her, so he picked Cristina instead." Lexie informed him.

"And I was the one she came running to after all this stuff happened, she's gonna need me to freak out to when we walk into Joe's and he's there on one knee asking her to actually make a commitment to someone other than José." The three chuckled at Cristina's words, before realising that the water had been shut off, Cristina hiding her book just in time, as Meredith came wandering into the kitchen, drying her hair on a towel, now dressed in sweats instead of her camisole and shorts combination that Derek had chosen for her the night before.

"Did Derek say where he was going?" she asked her friends, throwing her towel into the laundry bin, "I tried to call him but he's not picking up." She pouted as she re-joined her friends at the table, a second cup of coffee making its way to her lips.

"Uh, no. why, can't you two be apart for longer than five minutes?" Christina sneered, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, whilst the other two avoided making eye contact with Meredith, instead shifting their eyes between Cristina and various points on the table and walls.

"Well him and Mark have been spending a lot of time together just recently, and Mark hardly speaks to me anymore except for in surgery. I feel like they're hiding something from me." She looked desperately at her person, tears springing to the surface of her still red rimmed eyes. "Do you think he's seeing someone else? Is he leaving me for someone who doesn't try to drown themself? Or someone who wants all the things he wants right now?"

"Meredith," Alex says gently, "you know what I see when I spot Shepherd looking at you at the nurses' station or in the OR, or at the breakfast table on the weekends?" Meredith sniffles and looks up at him, her green eyes glassy in the mid-morning light. "I don't see the married neurosurgeon who boned the slutty intern."

"Alex!" Lexie scolds as Meredith's face begins to contort, causing more tears to slink down her face.

"I don't see that mer, I don't see a guy who's just boning a girl and getting ready to move on when something better comes along. No, I see a guy who is so hopelessly, mortifyingly in love with a woman that he would build her a house in the middle of the freaking forest, so they can fill it with little mcdreamys. I see a guy who has to fight every second of every day to stop himself from grabbing her and kissing her until they both pass out from lack of oxygen." Meredith's tears begin to subside as she looks up at Alex, letting him take her in his arms, her head resting on her chest.

"Go on," she tells him.

"I see a guy so in awe of just how amazing you are and how goddam lucky he is that he got you to love him back. A guy who is so proud of what you've learned over the last two years that he wants to scream it from the rooftops. A guy like that isn't about to bail on you just cause you had stuff to deal with, he wants to be by your side dealing with it together. He loves you Mer, nothing you can do is gonna change that. Not your crappy genes, or your crappy childhood or your crappy cooking skills. He's just taking some guy time with Mark, there's no need to dwell on it. Sometimes he just has to get back into the real world so he can convince himself that his girlfriend really is as perfect as he thinks she is." He added hoping his words would elicit a laugh from her. She smiled up at him, pulling herself out of his arms slightly.

"Thank you Alex. I needed that." she whispered, patting his elbows with her palms, resting her head on his chest for a moment, the way she would a brother. "So what are we doing today?" she asked the group.

"George said he left a game of Pictionary in the hall closet, we could do that." Lexie suggested, provoking groans from both Alex and Meredith.

"What, afraid you might lose or something?" Christina asked them both. "Come on Lexie, you and me against these two slackers. Let's bring it!"

A/N- I wanted Derek to be semi-husbandly in this, because he has grown up a lot, and he's ready for that role, and I wanted Meredith to start to get a little curious about Derek's secret and to confide in her friends, which hasn't really happened much yet. I know some of you are anxious for the proposal, but there are a few things the pair of them need to do first. I may post another chapter or two before the middle of next week to try and move towards the thing we're all waiting for!