Once Upon An Us-MerDer

4.

"Hey guys I'm so glad you made it!" Lexie gives Meredith and Derek a quick hug. "You look amazing Mer!" She adds. 

"Thanks Lex. Gad I'm here. Where is Mark?"

"I think he is over there." Lexie points.

They both look to where Mark is standing. They see Mark and Derek embraced in a brotherly hug. "Hey man, it's been ages sinds I saw you last. How have you been?" Mark asks Derek. 

"I've been good Mark thanks, what about you? Care to introduce me to your lovely fiancé?"

"Oh of course! Lex!" Mark signals Lexie to come over. "This is Derek Shepherd, my best friend. Derek this is Lexie Grey, my fiancé." 

"Hi Lexie, nice to finally meet you. Mark told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally put a face to the stories." he chuckles. 

"O god, I hope he didn't tell you anything too embarrassing." Lexie chuckles while glancing to Mark. 

"How dare you assume I would tell anything embarrassing about you." He jokes while giving Lexie a kiss on the cheek.

After some more small talk between Mark, Lexie and Derek they part ways. They all mingel with the rest of the guests and party away.

*Later that evening*

Derek walks over to the fridge. He takes another beer and decides to head outside for a second. The crowded apartment is getting too much for him. He steps outside onto the balcony and to his surprise he sees someone else there to. 

He immediately recognizes the person standing with their back to him. They are looking over the edge of the balcony to the beautiful city in the night. 

A soft "Hey" escapes from his lips letting the other person know he is there. 

"Hey. What are you doing out here?" Meredith asks him.

"Oh I just came out here to escape the crowded apartment. It got way too warm and crowded inside."

"Yeah for me to"

They smile at each other while Derek stands next to her, also looking at the beautiful view in front of him. 

After a long and slightly awkward silence Meredith moves back inside. "brr... It's getting cold outside. I'm going to find one of Lexie's jackets. I'll be right back." She says before she disappears in the crowd. 

Derek stays outside. He is really enjoying the cold evening breeze. He needed this. After about 10 minutes he hears Meredith come back outside, still without a jacket. 

"Hey, thought you were going to get a jacket?" He asks.

"Yeah I was going to but when I got to the coat rack near the front door I couldn't find a single one of Lexie's coats so I decided to her bedroom. Next thing I know I walk in on Mark and Lexie doing... things... ugh." She shivers and giggles.

"And on their own engagement party nonetheless." Derek laughs. "Go Mark." 

Meredith rolls her eyes. "I guess."

"By the way..." Derek smirks. "I told you to bring a jacket. I knew you'd get cold." He slides out of his jacket and moves closer to Meredith, putting the jacket over her shoulders. The jacket looks huge on her. 

"Thanks." she blushes. "I should have listened." A soft giggle escapes her mouth.

Meredith walks over to the lounge set on the balcony but before she sits down in one of the chairs she puts her arms through the sleeves of the jacket, tightening it around her. She finally, for the first time this evening, sits down and she lets her head fall back and she stares up at the sky, looking at the beautiful stars. She kicks off her heels and puts her legs up on the chair, her arms folding around them. She sighs loudly at the feeling of her feet finally breathing again. They have been acing all evening. Those heels are gorgeous but man do they hurt. They're worth it tho...

Derek walks over to Meredith. "Can I sit?"

"Yes, please." She points to one of the chairs.

Derek sits down into a chair, next to Meredith. He also looks up at the sky, gasping at the beautiful view above him. They stay in this position for a while before Meredith starts up the conversation again.

"So, PE teacher huh?" 

"Yeah, I love it!"

"But why?" she giggles

"Sports has always been a big part of my life. As a teenager I often went to the gym in order to clear my head, forget about life for a while. I also played soccer as a kid and I played football in high school and college." He starts. "I also like teaching kids. I've known I wanted to be a teacher ever sinds high school. It was only logical to combine the two and become a PE teacher." "What about you?" He adds. "Why did you become a bio teacher?"

"Well... I was always fascinated by the human body. I never saw myself as a doctor so I figured, why not?"

"Sounds fun. I also liked bio in high school. When I went to college it became hard tho."

"Yeah it wasn't the easiest but I managed it. It was hard at times but was all worth it. I love my job."

"Yeah me to. It helps I can use practice hobby while working." He chuckles.

They sit in silence for a while, looking up at the sky and enjoying the view. The loud commotion of the party slowly quiets down and Meredith goes back inside again. It's getting way to cold outside even with Derek's jacket. "God he must be freezing" she thinks to herself. She stands up and starts walking back inside.

"Hey Derek, I'm heading back inside. Thank you for the jacket."

"Hey, yeah, no problem. If you wait a second I'll come with you."

Together they head inside. They exchange a quick "see you later" as they mingle with the remaining people at the party. 

"Hey, Lexie" Derek walks up to Lexie. He wants to get to know the woman who is going to marry his best friend better. Derek and Lexie talk for a while, while Mark and Meredith also hang out. 

A little while later only Meredith, Derek and the engaged couple remain in the apartment. The rest of the guests have left, the only thing remaining is the mess. Lexie starts cleaning a bit. She wants to clean up the biggest part of the mess because she knows she will suffer from a hangover tomorrow. Meredith quickly joins, helping Lexie with the cleanup and not long after that Mark and Derek also help out. The cleaning goes smoothly and Lexie is quickly satisfied with the outcome. 

"Thank you so much for coming, and helping me with the preparations Mer!" Lexie says. "And thank you, Derek, for coming to. It was so nice to finally meet you!" 

"Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure to meet you to, and to see you again Mark. I can't wait for the wedding."

They say goodbye to the couple and Meredith and Derek head back to Meredith's apartment. They are exhausted from the long day. Meredith drives the car on the driveway in front of the apartment building. They head upstairs and both Meredith and Derek head straight to their room. They undress and put their pyjama's on. They brush their teeth and head straight to bed. As soon as their heads hit the pillow they fall fast asleep.