"You're late!"

Crap.

Meredith paused in the doorway instantly at the squeal.

She should have expected that beration; Jen was always a stickler for time. She'd never missed a lecture, and she was always sat there when Meredith walked in. Even when Meredith got to university an hour early because of a bus issue, she was already sat there.

"I know, I know- I'm sorry. But I'm just about here now and only-" She paused as she looked at her watch. She was about two-rounds-of-sex late.

"I can tell why you're late by your hair, by the way."

"Oh. Right-" She sighed. "Of course you can."

"So you weren't lying when you said you and your man have sex, huh?"

"Why would I lie about that?" She asked.

"I dunno, I just-" She sighed. "Sorry- I'm stressed and tired and- god, they say to get a good night's rest the night before but they never talk about how freaking difficult actually achieving that is."

"Nerves or excitement?"

"Excitement-" She decided after a hesitant second. "Anyway, my point is- hello, you're here, your boyfriend is here, you need to get ready- tell me all about you."

"I'm uh- I'm okay. Derek's okay. I'm not sure he knows what he's doing for the next four hours though."

"He's here now?"

"Yeah, he didn't really fancy doing anything else." Meredith shrugged, as if they didn't spend many hours over the last few days talking about how extremely stressful leaving Seattle and his little world was.

"Can I meet him?"

"Uh-" Meredith swallowed.

"C'mon, the first time I see him can't be when I'm walking down the isle. That would be weird." Jen said, grabbing Meredith's hand and dragging her out of the room. "Where are we going?"

"Um- your mom said there's this room at the end of this corrido-" She paused again when Jen pulled her on harder this time, heading down this corridor.

"You said he was like...a ten, right?"

"Well, I never put a number to it, but I'd certainly give him more than ten."

"The scale goes up to ten."

"Oh, I know." Meredith agreed before smiling. "I don't think he fits in the scale though."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure." She grabbed the door knob and opened it. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Hi."

She paused.

Okay.

Maybe Meredith was right after all.

"Hi." She returned. "I'm Jennifer."

"Hi, Jennifer, I'm Derek." He returned with a smile.

Oh.

Oh, no.

There was smiling too.

"Jen wanted to meet you before the wedding." Meredith clarified when she didn't speak.

"Oh. Well- this is me-" He said with an awkward shrug. He wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say to that, nor Jennifer's stunned face.

"What are you doing?" She asked after a short moment, looking at what was on the table in front of where he was sat.

"Reading."

"About?" She pressed.

"Neurosurgical oncology in peadeatic patients."

"Really?"

"Keeping up to date with research is one of the most important things in medicine. The worst doctors live in the past, not reading the literature."

She stared at him blankly for a moment before asking, "How do you feel about dogs?

"They are often better than humans."

"Who owns the right to abortion?"

"The uh- people with the babies in them." He said hesitantly; not entirely sure what was going on.

"Are men and women equal?"

"No...but they should be."

"How about race? Ethnicity? Would you treat a black patient worse than a white one?"

"I struggle to conceptualise why in the world someone would even think that being born in a different country is an important factor in how you treat them."

She sighed. Wow. "I know we only just met-"

"Right-" He breathed.

"But will you marry me?" She finished with a grin. "I literally have a thing set up here so we can do it today."

"Oh." He muttered, looking to Meredith, who looked rather embarrassed. "I'm kind of...spoken for. Sorry."

"Meredith can marry Harry. We'll swap partners. I want a hot man who read neurosurgical onclogy papers for fun and supports all of my beliefs." She replied. She was very passionate about politics.

"Well, you do know about the chair, right?" He said with a quick gesture beside him.

"I know. But Meredith told me the sex is wonderful and I trust her, so that's fine by me."

"Okay-" Meredith interrupted. "Jen, I've let you have your fun, but you need to get ready, you know, for your marriage to Harry-"

"Aw, you're no fun Mer!" She sighed.

"I'd just like to keep my boyfriend, that's all." She replied. "Now, we have hair to style and makeup to put on and big poofy dresses to squeeze into."

"Mmm-" She sighed. "Well, goodbye Derek."

"Goodbye Jen." He said with a small smile as she left, only to pause a second later.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to-"

Meredith rolled her eyes, practically shoving her out the door. "Jen! Wedding! Now!"

"You're late. Where did you go?"

"Mmm, sorry I was having sex with Jennifer. She wanted one last night of freedom." Derek replied, with no smile on his face.

"You're lying." She replied to that.

"You're right; it wasn't a night, it was in the afternoon. She wanted one last lunch-time of freedom." He corrected, his lips still straight.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay. Whatever you say."

He finally smiled. "Fine, I was not doing that, as much as she'd apparently like that. But I may or may not wish I was doing it with someone else...I think you are looking so extremely beautiful today."

"It's not really my colour."

"I think every colour is your colour. I think every...shape of-" He paused. "Um- you know-"

"Are you having a fashion meltdown?" She asked with a grin.

"I think you look good in everything, is what I was going for. I just...don't know what things are called."

"Well, I enjoyed the compliment anyway. Or at least the...attempt at a compliment, shall I say?" She asked with her smile before her eyes left him as she spotted Harry. "Have you met the groom too?"

"I have, actually."

"And what do you think?"

"We had a chat. I wasn't in my chair, and then he asked me to come with him and then-"

"Oh, no." She breathed. "Did Jen not explain it to him?"

"Yeah, he did. But-"

"So you really did all that in twenty minutes? I've always learnt the minimum time for that step was forty minutes."

"She didn't have forty minutes. She hardly had twenty."

"That's insane. You're insane, man."

He smiled, just a little. "Thanks."

"Have you had lunch?" He asked as their conversation finished.

"No, not yet actually."

"There's a table set up for the family, would you like to come with?" He asked as he stood.

"Uh- yeah. That would be great. Thanks." He nodded as he made a grab for his chair, which was previously pushed out of the way beside the sofa.

"Oh."

Derek looked up at that. "Did Jen not tell you?"

"No, I just totally forgot." He sighed. "Sorry."

"Nothing to apologise for." He replied. "Any of the standard questions you want answering? Why? When? What? Who?"

"No, I'm not bothered." He shrugged. "I mean, if you want to tell me stuff, I promise I'm all ears, but don't go out of your way- don't make yourself uncomfortable, man."

"Really?"

"Really." He confirmed. "I guess I'd say I'm a little curious, but I really aren't going to push you. That's rude as hell."

Derek smiled. "Thanks. You are part of very, very few people who hold that belief."

"Few people?" He repeated. "Don't all people think that?"

"God, you'd be surprised."

"Oh. Wow. And- do you find it rude or annoying when people ask you about what happened to you?"

"Depends on context. You, as someone who I might consider friend by the end of the day, would be welcomed to ask me about my injuries. I let patients ask because it can make them more comfortable. But...people in the street- oh my god, people in car parks-"

He smiled. "Makes sense. I uh- I'd actually like to be a neurosurgeon, perhaps even a spine surgeon because I also love orthopedics, hence my intrigue. Again, really trying not to be rude so just cut me off at any time."

He returned it. "I am not your patient and we are not in a hospital, but I can tell you have excellent bed side manor."

"Yeah?"

"I've worked with - and obviously also been treated by - so many surgeons. So many of them just don't want to know. They don't ask about what kind of things I'd prefer them to say or what things they say which might hurt, they don't ask me questions that make me feel like a person, they just- The only people who really talked to me and listened to me- well, followed what I wanted were my friends. And-"

"And?"

He smiled. "Meredith was the first person I'd met who had no obligation to treat me with anything except mild human respect and she just...she didn't even see it. I mean, she did- she saw it but she just-" He paused. "She didn't see it like everyone else sees it. It's just...another boring thing to her that makes me look different than someone...blonde. You know?"

"So..."

"So?" He repeated, confused by Harry's response.

He grinned, "When are you getting married to Meredith?"

Derek laughed, just a little. Not that the idea was laughable, just the set of this joke.

"Because, listen, I love my Jen like...so much. But yours and Meredith's love sounds- being honest, more ready for marriage and kids than ours. And I freaking adore her. So to have more than that-" He sighed. "Dude, pop the question. Wreck our reception, I won't even mind."

He smiled. "I appreciate the sentiment and, well, I guess the compliments on our love but...we've got a little more...growing to do. Together and apart."

Harry sighed, disappointed. "Okay. Fine. Just...invite me to the wedding, okay?"

Meredith grinned. "That's really what the two of you talked about?"

"That's just...how it went."

"So are you gonna do it?"

"Do what?" He asked, confused.

"Propose to your favourite woman in the world?" She answered.

"Who? Lucky?" He asked. "You can't marry dogs in this state."

"Me, Derek. Your girlfriend. Not your dog, jesus."

He smiled a little, before it faded and he replied, "We've talked about this before Meredith, I'm not ever proposing to anyone."

"When did we talk about that? And why?"

"I can't get down on one knee, remember?"

She sighed as she rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her face quickly became a grin; she couldn't hide it. "Yes, I remember that...terrible, terrible joke. You're a terrible comedian."

"Yet you've smiled about fifteen times since we started this conversation."

"That's because I love you. Not because you're funny."

"Mmm...whatever you say, Mer. Whatever you say."