Strangers in the night

41

Tonight had to be perfect. If Derek Shepherd was sure of anything it was that, tonight had to be perfect. The reservations had been made, he had to find Meredith and make sure she was in and then it had to be perfect. Because this was their first date, their first actual date. It was his and Meredith's first date ever and the evening had to be flawless.

He had a suit, he had already talked to a florist about flowers, and Izzie was apparently running back to Meredith's apartment for a dress. This was it. Their first date. The bruises had faded, her pain was more manageable, and this was going to be their first date. The words seemed big in his head, a little too big, but he could do this. It just had to be the most perfect date ever.

Because he was pretty sure that this was going to be his last first date. He wanted it to be his last first date. That very frightening thought had popped into his head when he had been missing Meredith and trying to sleep in the trailer last night. He wanted tonight to be his final first date because he didn't want to date anyone after Meredith. He wanted Meredith to be his last. Which suggested forever.

He had always known he loved Meredith, had always known he wanted her in his life, but it wasn't until the night before it had really hit him that he wanted to marry her. He needed to be with her for the rest of his life. He definitely wasn't going to tell her that, if only because he hadn't exactly faced it himself yet. But the fact remained, he wanted forever with her. And forever was dependent on tonight being perfect.

Which it would be, it had to be. He had made reservations at the best restaurant in Seattle, on a day where they both didn't have to wake up to early for work the next day so there was no time clock. They would be able to sit and enjoy a fabulous meal and talk. About things. He hadn't quite figured out the talking part yet as it was a very odd first date but he figured that it would be fine.

They were them. Meredith and Derek. Derek and Meredith. They were good at the talking thing, and they were already well on their way to being an amazing couple. Tonight was just the beginning, or the sort of the beginning. God, he was starting to sound like his Meredith. He just needed to find her and make sure she was in after a long shift.

"Mer!" he called as he saw her blonde head bobbing down the hallway.

"Hey," she stopped, turning quickly.

"Hey," he smiled softly.

"Being an attending is good, right?" she asked, wrapping her arms quickly around his neck and then pulling back. "I mean, once I become an attending, I won't have to be here for a stupid amount of hours?"

"You won't have to work a stupid amount of hours," he laughed softly. "You'll actually get to sleep through the night sometimes."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Three more months," she sighed. "Three more months and I'll be a neuro attending instead of a neuro fellow."

"Which means I'll have to find a new favourite fellow," he frowned.

"You better not," she pouted. "You can just have a favorite attending."

"I will have a favourite attending," he smiled. "One who gets to come home with me more often."

"Awww, were you lonely last night?"

"A little."

"That might be a little pathetic, Der."

"I know," he rolled his eyes. "But you missed me too, right?"

"I don't know," she teased. "I did have a very fun craniotomy."

"A craniotomy that was better than me?"