A/N: This one goes back a ways, but it is a scene that wouldn't leave me alone. It's quite long for a one-shot, but once I started, it just kept going.

Andrew felt a little like he was floating on cloud nine. Over the last five minutes, though, he had experienced the wild ups and downs of a roller coaster. When he had gotten Meredith's page, he had admittedly felt a little giddy. He had already planned the anticipated date, and he couldn't wait to finally have this chance to spend some one-on-one time with her outside the hospital. He had entered the lounge full of confidence and excitement, but the rug was pulled out from under him when she told him he wasn't going to be taking her out. There was suddenly a pit in his stomach as it occurred to him that Maggie must have said something that had put the brakes on him and Meredith before they had even left the station. He couldn't understand why she would suddenly care, when she had previously told him their history was ancient. He was so disheartened. He offered to talk to Maggie himself, but then Meredith explained that it would be her taking him out instead. He was momentarily stunned, but suddenly she was taking his hand and kissing him right there in the lounge, and he was smiling like an idiot all over again. It was really happening! Meredith Grey had just agreed to go out with him without any more excuses getting in the way!

Now here they were, walking hand in hand down the halls of GSMH – rules be damned, not hiding from anyone. Andrew had been dreaming about this for far too long, and if it did turn out to be a dream, he hoped he would never wake up.

They reached the elevators, and Andrew pushed the button to go down. As they waited, Meredith asked, "So, where am I taking you?"

He laughed, "It's a secret."

"Then how am I supposed to get us there?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan," he grinned.

She wanted to know more, but she let the subject drop because the elevator had arrived. They got in, and she pushed the button. When she turned back to him, he was looking at her with his customary intensity, his head tilted in that way that always made her insides do somersaults.

"What?" she asked, as she tilted her head in mirror to his, the doors closing behind her.

"I was just thinking about the last time we were alone in here," he said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah? What about it?" she smirked back.

"So many things," he said as he pulled her closer to his side. "You wanted to run so badly, but if those damn doors hadn't opened when they did, we may have saved a lot of time getting to where we are now."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "but we're here now, let's just enjoy it."

"Oh, I will," he said as he smiled in his slow and sexy way and then leaned down for a kiss. He had missed out that stormy day, but he wouldn't miss an opportunity to kiss her from here on out, just as he had promised her then. He couldn't get enough of the feel of her lips against his. Sadly, this moment was cut short, too, by the dinging of the elevator as the doors opened. (He was really starting to hate those doors.)

With one last grin at each other, they stepped out and headed toward the exit, still hand in hand. Meredith hadn't let go since she first took his in hers, and he didn't ever want her to. He wouldn't even relinquish his grasp when they approached her car. Instead, he gripped hers tighter and pulled her back to him until they were chest to chest. He placed a quick but soft kiss to her lips and nuzzled her nose. "Okay, now you can go," he said, as he reluctantly released her hand.

She climbed in her side of the SUV as he held the door open for her, and then he went around and climbed in the passenger side. As they both settled in and buckled up, she reminded him that she still didn't know where they were going. He pointed in the direction of the parking lot exit to their left. "Just go out that way and take a right." As she started up the engine, he pulled out his phone, opened his GPS app and found the address for their destination. He tapped the button to begin their journey, and the voice repeated the instructions he had already given. "There, now just do what the nice lady says," he teased.

"Okay, smartass," she teased back. She had pulled out into traffic, and she had her ears perked, listening intently for whatever instructions the GPS might give next. She could also sense Andrew's eyes on her. The longer this went on, the more it made her spine tingle.

"Stop that," she finally said.

"Stop what?" he asked coyly.

"You know what."

"But we're off the clock. It's not against the rules when we're not at work."

She gave him a sidelong glance. God, he could be sassy, she thought. "Technically true," she said, as her eyes went back to the road, "but still very distracting, and I'm trying to drive. Traffic sucks, and since I have no idea where we're going, I need to focus."

His face broke into a smile. He loved that he could fluster her so badly with just a look. He still hadn't taken his eyes off her, and she could still sense it, so she put her right hand up in between them, her palm toward his face.

"I mean it, please stop!" she said, not quite able to keep the smile out of her voice.

"Okay, fine," he relented, but he grabbed the hand that she still had raised and intertwined her fingers with his. He finally tore his eyes away from her and faced forward. "So, what would you like me to do instead?"

"Um, maybe just sit there quietly? Also, I'm going to need my hand back. I like to have both hands on the wheel."

"I'm not crazy about either of those options," but just then the GPS voice informed them that they'd be making a turn shortly, so he begrudgingly let go.

They rode in silence for a few minutes, making another turn along the way, but Andrew eventually said, "Am I really not allowed to talk to you while you drive?"

Meredith gave a playful huff and said, "Fine, what exactly do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know, but it's our first official date. Isn't this when we start to get to know each other?"

"Andrew, we've been working together for years, I think we know plenty already."

"Sure, I know all sorts of things about you. I know your work habits and what techniques you prefer during surgery. I know vague stories about your genius surgeon of a mother and that you are fiercely loyal to your friends. I know first-hand that you have an open-door policy at your house for anyone in need of a place to stay. I also know you have 3 kids and a big job that you like to use as an excuse to put up walls. What I don't know is where all of that comes from. What are the events and experiences that shaped Meredith Grey?"

She glanced at him with a quizzical look. "That's pretty deep. Doesn't exactly sound like first date material."

"You're right. Should we start with the easy stuff, like favorite band or favorite flavor of ice cream? I'll start: My favorite color is blue."

Meredith laughed. Andrew had his serious side, but she really liked that he could also make her laugh. "I like easy. I can do easy. Here's one for you: My favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry."

"Now we're getting somewhere," he chuckled. Just then the GPS informed them that they were approaching their destination.

"Saved by the nice GPS lady," she said. "Guess the rest of our deep, dark secrets will have to wait." As she turned into the parking lot, she finally noticed the name of the place. "I've never actually been here before," she mentioned while pulling into a spot.

"I hope it meets with your approval," he said.

"We're about to find out," she quipped. By the time she had turned off the car and gathered her things, Andrew was already at her door, holding it open for her to get out. She smiled at him in thanks and then took the arm he held out for her. The drizzle that had been falling all day had picked up, so they hustled to the door of the restaurant. He held the door open for her again, and she realized that this particular habit of his must be ingrained in him, and she had to admit that she kind of appreciated it.

They didn't have to wait long to be seated, and as they approached their table, she did a double take. She had been so focused on following the GPS and trying not to be distracted by Andrew that she hadn't really paid attention to where they were in the city. He had mentioned it would have a view of the lake, but she didn't realize he meant the place would be literally lakeside. She could tell through the wall of windows next to their table that the outdoor seating deck reached out over the water. She vaguely heard Andrew call her name, and she realized she had just been standing there staring at the view. Not surprisingly, he was holding a chair out for her to sit in, and she finally took her seat.

"I can't believe we got a table like this on such short notice," Meredith said.

"It wasn't short notice; I made a reservation this morning," replied Andrew as he took his own seat.

"This morning? But I hadn't even agreed to go out with you yet. Feeling a little cocky, were you?"

"Maybe," he admitted. "I know you were seeking Maggie's approval personally, but I had no reason to think that she would say no. She assured me long ago that our history would not be a problem." He leaned back in his chair and reached for his menu. "The truth is, though, you had me worried there for a second when you called me into the lounge and told me I wasn't taking you out."

"Yeah, well, sometimes you need to be knocked down a peg or two," she teased. "That smug smile of yours can be quite irritating."

"I think you secretly like it, but I'll try to keep it in check," he replied, with only a hint of that smug smile on his face.

She gave a small shake of her head, and they both fell into a comfortable silence as they perused their menus. The waiter soon came to take their order, and they settled into silence again – both staring out the window into the night. With the cloud cover, you couldn't see the night sky, but the lake reflected all the lights that ringed its shores and made it look as though the stars had all fallen to the earth.

"I never tire of the city views at night," said Meredith. "You would never know how gloomy the day was because everything still sparkles at night, especially on the water."

Andrew wanted to say something about how her amazing blue eyes sparkled even brighter than any of the city lights outside, but he knew that she sometimes recoiled when he got too serious like that, and he didn't want to ruin the moment, so he just agreed with her. "Yes, it's really beautiful, and I'm glad you're here to enjoy it with me."

"Me too," she said, then turned her attention toward him. "So tell me, what's the story behind this thing with you and Maggie? Why would she have already told you that dating her sister would not be an issue?"

"Funny story, actually. Would you believe me if I told you she suggested that Amelia and I hook up?" he said with a laugh.

"Oh my god, I remember her doing that! I was there when she mentioned it to Amelia, but I didn't know that you knew about it."

"Yeah, Amelia confronted Maggie about it while I was assisting Maggie AND Hunt in surgery. That wasn't awkward or anything. But anyway, when I asked Maggie about it later, she told me it wouldn't bother her if I were to date her sister." He casually reached for her hand and caught her eye as he said, "Little did she know at the time that I couldn't get her sister out of my head, it just didn't happen to be Amelia."

She gave his hand a squeeze and grinned at him warmly. The intensity had returned to his gaze – that intensity that unnerved her, but she was rescued from having to respond when the waiter arrived with their dinner.

They spent the next hour or so enjoying the delicious food and swapping stories. They were both a little surprised, but pleasantly so, with how well the conversation flowed. Their time stuck in the elevator had led to some easy banter as well as some deep personal discussion, but neither were totally sure how much the circumstances influenced that. So, as they shared with each other how they had felt the calling to follow in a parent's footsteps but also a need to find their way out of that parent's shadow, they both breathed an internal sigh of relief that things between them felt so comfortable and natural. There were no uncomfortable silences, and there was no searching in vain for topics to discuss. They each had their own lifetime of memories and experiences, and each had a desire to learn all of them about the other. At some point, however, they started to feel that subtle pressure from their waiter to wrap it up and call it a night.

Andrew paid the bill as promised, and they made their way back to the car. Once they were in, he asked if she needed the GPS to find her way back to the hospital, but she declined. She thought she knew where she was going this time.

"But here, you can try to find some music if you want," she said as she handed her phone over to him and started the car.

He held the phone in his hand, which was resting on the center console. He glanced from the phone, to her, and to the phone again, a questioning look on his face. "I assume it's locked. Are you going to tell me the code?"

She let out a short laugh and said, "You think we're at the sharing-our-unlock-code stage already? You really do like to skip steps, don't you?"

He only laughed in response as she took the phone back and unlocked it. She also put the stereo on the proper setting and opened her music app.

"For the first time in forever, we can fix this hand in hand" blared from the speakers, startling them both, and Meredith quickly turned it down.

"Frozen? Really?" Andrew asked, his eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

"Yeah, sorry," she giggled, "my girls were the last ones in charge of music, and they're kind of on a Frozen kick. They have a thing for badass sisters helping each other." She handed the phone back to him. "Wait, you're familiar with the Frozen soundtrack?"

"I am," he said, without elaborating. He scrolled through the playlists and selected something soft and mellow that wouldn't overpower their conversation. In the meantime, Meredith had backed out and was pulling out of the parking lot. "It makes sense now, though," continued Andrew, "why Ellis kept insisting that I call her Elsa and then thrusting her hands at me and telling me to freeze."

"What? When?" she asked. But as Andrew blushed and ran a hand across his forehead in embarrassment, her face registered her understanding.

"I can't believe I just brought that up," he said. "On our first date. Smooth move, DeLuca. But now that I have, might as well deal with it head on." He turned to her. "I won't lie, part of me was hoping we would just pretend my time of wallowing in self pity on your couch never actually happened. But it did, and even if I've apologized before, you will never know how sorry I am."

"Andrew, it's fine. It's in the past."

"I know, and it means a lot to me that you don't hold that over my head. I'm grateful to you for taking me in. Your willingness to open your home to people is a quality I really admire."

She glanced over at him, blushing just a bit herself at his praise, and he smiled at her affectionately. "Well, thank you. I do what I can," she said.

"And as long as we are discussing awkward first-date topics, can I just tell you that what you did for Sam went far above and beyond what anyone could have asked. There are no words to explain how amazed I was at the lengths you would go to for someone you barely knew. Just another thing that makes me want to dig into what leads Meredith Grey to do the things she does."

For the first time that night there was an uncomfortable silence. Meredith wasn't sure how to respond. Even if she wanted to bare those parts of her soul to this man, it would require far more time than they had tonight, and the incident with Sam and its aftermath were awkward subjects between them – subjects she didn't really feel like rehashing anymore, given the status between them at this point.

Andrew was the one who finally broke the silence. "Clearly, I made things weird. I'm sorry. Things were going so well, too." He gave her a sheepish half smile.

"It's fine," she said. "You said what you needed to say, and I appreciate you saying it, but maybe we can finally put all that behind us for good. Circumstances are different now, and you're right, things did go well tonight. Wouldn't want them to end on a sour note."

She was pulling into the parking lot at the hospital as he said, "I can agree to that. And Meredith, I really did enjoy my time with you tonight, and since you agreed that it went well, I'm hoping that means you'll go out with me again sometime."

Meredith put the car in park, turned off the engine, and turned her whole body in her seat until she was facing him. He couldn't read her at first, but then she actually broke into a laugh.

"Wow, that hurts," he said playfully, putting a hand to his chest to feign injury. "I've never actually had someone laugh in my face when I asked them out."

She was still laughing as she reached across and grasped his forearm. "I'm sorry, it's just, you really tried to crash and burn there at the end."

"You're right, I did." He was laughing now, too.

"But I appreciate your sense of humor about it, and how can I not reward you for being brave enough to ask for a second date anyway?" She was still chuckling.

He gave a small shrug. "Being brave seemed to work for me in the past, so I figured it was probably my best bet." He turned serious and shifted his arm so he could take her hand in his. "You mean it, though? You'll go out with me again?"

"I will," she answered, giving his hand a squeeze. "I can't promise dating me will be easy; I have a lot of responsibilities – you know, my 3 kids and my big job – but if you can be patient, I'll do my best to make time because, as it turns out, I really enjoy your company."

It made his pulse quicken to hear her say that. "It's a deal. I waited this long to get you to agree to a date, and it was totally worth it." He had turned so that he was facing her now, as well, and he cupped her cheek with his free hand. Rubbing his thumb across her bottom lip, he asked, "I know it's technically only our first date, but I can kiss you goodnight, right?"

"You better," she answered, leaning forward in anticipation with a mischievous grin on her face.

His hand slipped behind her head and pulled her toward him until their lips finally met. The kiss was soft and tender but quickly deepened as their tongues instinctively sought each other. Neither wanted to stop, but it was getting late, so Andrew finally broke away. He gave her one final brush of lips across lips and then rested his forehead against hers. "Okay, I have to run inside to grab my helmet, so you are free to go. Thanks again for coming with me tonight."

"Technically, you came with me, but thank you for planning such a lovely evening."

"Any time," he said. He gave her one last gentle kiss and then pulled back. He got lost in her eyes for a moment and said, "Goodnight."

She echoed the sentiment, and he finally turned and opened the door. He reluctantly let go of the hand he was still holding and exited the car. She watched him as he headed toward the building, feeling a little giddy and not at all guilty that she was totally checking out his ass as he walked away. He turned back to give one final wave. She waved in return and then rested back in her seat, sighing in complete contentment. She grabbed her phone that he had left sitting on the console and tapped a few keys before starting up her car and heading home.

Andrew was just reaching for the door to the hospital when his phone buzzed with a new text. He slipped it out of his pocket and checked the message. It was from Meredith. "See you tomorrow," was all it said.

So simple. And yet, Andrew felt a little like he was floating on cloud nine.