A/N: So, I've been working on this story for awhile now, but I didn't want to post it on here until I got at least a couple of chapters written out for ya'll. A lot of this chapter will probably seem familiar from the episode (except for the ending of course) This is a Mark/Mer fic, and there will be some Addi/Alex as well. I hope everyone likes it! Let me know! Starts off at the end of Where The Boys Are.

Life may not always go your way
And every once in awhile you might have a bad day
But I promise you now you won't ever be lonely
The sky turns dark and everything goes wrong
Run to me and I'll leave the light on
And I promise you now you won't ever be lonely

For as long as I live
There will always be a place you belong
Here beside me
Heart and soul baby -- you only
And I promise you now you won't ever be lonely

It's still gonna snow and it's still gonna rain
The wind's gonna blow on a cold winter day
And I promise you now you won't ever be lonely
You're safe from the world wrapped in my arms
And I'll never let go
Baby, here's where it starts
And I promise you now you won't ever be lonely
Here's a shoulder you can cry on
And a love you can rely on
For as long as I live
There will always be a place you belong

Here beside me
Heart and soul baby -- you only
And I promise you now you won't ever be lonely
No, no, you won't ever be lonely

Andy Griggs

Marcus Sloane prided himself on not taking the easy way out, well most of the time, and more than that being one of a kind. So, he didn't take it too personally when Derek didn't invite him on the outdoor sleepover. He'd never been into the outdoors anyway. He had a lot of common interests with Derek, fishing was not one of them. Well not really a lot of shared interests, girls and medicine mostly. But that wasn't the point. At least not when he is sitting across from Meredith Grey at Joe's Bar.

"Why are you so certain that Derek is the one?" He leaned forward and crossed his arms across his chest on the table, causing his jacket to tighten in all the right places, showing off his well defined, and worked for, muscles.

"I'm not, but I think he is." She responded, a small smile spreading onto her lips as she made eye contact with Mark.

"Even with his needed 'space'?" He quirked his eyebrow, his eyes dancing in amusement as she shifted uncomfortably in her booth at the mention of space.

"Yes." she responded, but the uncertainty was etched stronger in her voice than she meant to show. She sat up straight, hoping to look more certain than she felt. Truthfully, the more space Derek took, the more uncertain she became about him. And now there was Mark.

"So, here's the thing, Mer." Mark grinned as he leaned even further over the table, now hovering over his nearly empty glass of beer.

"The thing?" she smirked, meeting him halfway in the table.

"Yeah." he confirmed, his fingers stretching themselves sporadically, trying to rid himself of all the nervousness that was bubbling in his stomach. Women had always been what he was good at. He couldn't figure out why it was so different with this girl. He did hate himself slightly for falling for another one of Derek's women, but he couldn't help who his heart wanted, and right then, he wanted Meredith Grey. She wasn't married, she wasn't in a relationship, she was single, and available, and Derek hated him. Nothing was really stopping him. "This could just be a drink, or this could be more than just a drink."

"Mark, I.. I can't start something with you." Meredith stumbled with her words, trying to convince herself just as much as she was him. When she said earlier that she was immune to the McSteamy face, she was lying. She was definitely lying, she realized that then, and she was only being taunted now by the fact that she had to turn him down.

"But you could, Meredith." Mark nodded, broadening his smile even more, while subtly leaning even more forwards towards her so that he could feel her breath on his cheeks,and most likely vice versa. "You could start over. Have a fresh start. We both could."

Meredith couldn't help but smile at the thought. Who can really hate the thought of hot sex with McSteamy? He had to be good in bed, why else would Addison stay with him? "Mark.." she began, trying her best to keep a serious face.

Just as she was about to refuse, his beeper went off. After looking down at his pager, he smiled sadly at her. "Saved by the bell." He laughed before standing up. "Order me a beer, will ya?" After a nod, he walked off, and Meredith soon followed, except she made her way to the bar for two more beers.

She was only standing there for less than a minute before a breathless Derek approached her, sticking out his hand her way. "Hi. Derek Shepherd."

"D.. Derek?" Meredith couldn't decide whether it was a good or bad thing that he showed up now, but she knew that it was unexpected. Not that Derek ever did what she expected. "What are you doing here?"

"We met at this bar, you remember?" Derek began, waving one of his hands in the air slightly for effect. "We met, and you said I am just a girl" He gestured his hand towards her, before moving it back towards his chest. "And I said I'm just a guy. And we started this thing." He nodded his head in confirmation, a content smile playing on his lips reminiscent of the infamous chase he gave her. "We started this thing, and you didn't know anything about me, the good, the bad, the wife, you didn't even know my name." He shook his head happily, fondly remembering waking up on the cold hardwood floor with only a pillow for cover, and being promptly kicked out of her house moments later. "You didn't know me. I want to you to know me. I want to start over, from the beginning. So hi, Derek Shepherd"

Start over. The words rang over and over in her mind, sounding strangely familiar to the best friend of the man saying them. Yet strangely, somehow it seemed more refreshing when Mark said them.

"You walked away, and now its too late, theres too much water under the thing or whatever" She looked directly into his eyes, looking for a reason to believe that they could work, but his eyes seemed duller than before, their vibrance all but disappeared since the night she met him, and she wasn't sure that it wasn't her fault.

"Meredith, please!" Derek tilted his head to the left, his infamous move when he was trying to read her, to make her understand his side. Meredith's eyes left his and traveled further back into the bar, landing on Mark, who was watching on with a slightly hopeful glimpse in his eye that maybe, just maybe he was really going to get a fresh start in this new city.

After a few moments, Derek followed Meredith's gaze to see what she was looking at, only to find his ex best friend giving her his charming smirk. Anger boiled up inside him as he clinched his fists before turning back to Meredith. "Mark? Are you kidding me, Meredith?" With that, he dropped his hand from handshake position and left, just as he entered, breathless and in a hurry.

Meredith watched on, but didn't have the energy to run after him, so instead she sat down at the bar, looking at the two drafts of beer in front of her that needed to be refilled. One was hers, and one was Mark's, but was he who it should've been? Could this really be more than just a drink? She'd been so certain for so long that Derek was the person she loved, and wanted to be with.

Mark watched on as Meredith obviously fought an inner battle, and was pleasantly surprised when she got Joe's attention for another round of drinks. With a smile on his face, he made his way to the bar and sat down beside her. "You alright?"

"This doesn't mean this is more than a drink." She informed him when she saw his smirk out of the corner of his eye, pushing his now full glass of beer in front of him,

"I just asked if you were okay, Meredith. I didn't ask you to marry me. Relax." Mark laughed before taking a sip.

"I'm fine." She responded shortly, contemplating if she should start on the tequilla. "I'm not sleeping with you tonight." she confirmed after deciding that tequila was definitely necessary.

"Then why are you still here, exactly?" Mark grinned in amusement as she stared at the three shots in front of her.

"Because he's gone already." She sighed, wondering exactly she'd gotten herself into.

"What if I said he's standing at the door waiting for you to follow him?" Mark was testing the waters, and possibly pushing the limits. But the way he saw it, he had to see if he really had a shot here, or if he was just doomed to get rejected. Rejection was not in his vocabulary.

Meredith's head shot up, eyes darting towards the door, only to find that Mark wasn't there. "That was cruel." she grinned slightly.

"I said what if." He chuckled, debating whether he, too, should change to something stronger than beer.

"I thought you came here for Addison." Strangely enough, this was the first time Addison had crossed her mind. She would have been a good reason to leave the bar after Derek. But here she was.

"I did, but I don't see that happening. We're.. we're different people than we were in New York."

"You mean, she's not married?" Meredith giggled in amusement at her witty remark.

"I didn't fall for her because she was Derek's wife." Mark's smile had disappeared, and a slightly angry glare had taken over.

"Sorry." she frowned, knowing she'd crossed a line.

"Anyways!" Mark shook the thoughts of Addison out of his mind, and focused his attention on Meredith. "So what's it going to be, Mer?"

Please let me know what you think.