It had been a year since Meredith and Derek had been dating. It had been the best year of her life, for that reason. They had done up the house and decorated so it had their own touch on it. They were both so happy with each other, everyone at the hospital now knew about them so they didn't have to sneak around. They still had sex in on-call rooms and exam rooms and wherever they could, they were the dream couple of the hospital.

Meredith was now seeing her mother four times a week as she was deteriorating quickly. She didn't remember Meredith at all, she didn't remember much. They had to wait until she was lucid so she could sign everything over to Meredith; her inheritance, her money, her health care. It didn't hurt Meredith as much anymore when her mother wouldn't remember her, but it did when she mentioned that she shouldn't have had a daughter or Richard would have stayed with her.

She had seen her father a few times since they had dinner, but she was busy. Susan was consistent on wanting them to get along, she turned up at the hospital a few times wanting to speak to Meredith. Meredith had told her to leave it but she would come back.

Meredith had made up with the chief, they could talk to each other now without yelling. Richard would also go and visit Ellis sometimes to keep her happy, they both knew that she didn't have long left so they wanted her to be happy.

'Hey' Meredith said walking up to Christina, who was leaning on the station staring at some woman talking to Richard

'Who is that?' She asked

'I don't know' Meredith replied

'All I know is that she is starting here today. She's a neonatal surgeon, so we will be working with her at some point'

'How long have you been stood here?'

'Too long'

'Doctor Yang, you're on my service today' Derek said walking over

'Yep'

'What the hell?' Derek said when we looked over at the chief and the woman 'What is she doing here?'

'Derek?' Meredith said, 'Who is it?'

Derek stormed over to the chief and the woman and spoke to them. After 10 minutes the woman walked over

'Doctor Grey?'

'Yes' Meredith answered

'You're with me today'

'Okay' Meredith walked off with the woman, 'Did you request to work with me today?'

'Yes, I did actually'

'Why?'

'You haven't spent much time in neonatal surgery, and I thought we could get to know each other'

'Okay, may I ask you who you are?' Meredith asked, since she didn't know the Doctors name

'I'm Doctor Addison Montgomery'

'Do you know Doctor Shepherd? He didn't look very happy to see you?'

'I do indeed. I know him very well, haven't seen him a while actually'

'Best friend? Childhood girlfriend? Former colleague?' Meredith asked wanting to know why her boyfriend wasn't happy

'Try ex-wife'

'What?' Meredith asked stunned

'I'm Derek's ex-wife, and you're his new girlfriend, right? I thought we could get to know each other since I'm staying in Seattle'

'Great' Meredith said, she was not looking forward to the day ahead. She was working with her boyfriends, ex-wife. She wanted to talk to Derek about it but Addison wouldn't let her get away at all. She would have to wait until the end of the day.

'Our patient is a new born Jacob born with Omphalocele. Which is?' Addison asked

'Means, he was born with his abdominal organs in a sack outside of his body'

'What can we do to prevent closure?' Addison quizzed Meredith

'Apply silver sulfadiazine'

'Well done Doctor Grey' Addison said walking into the NICU followed by Meredith

'How could you bring her here?' Derek asked the chief

'She is the best neonatal surgeon and we needed a chief on neonatal surgery' Richard replied

'You could have told me so I could tell Meredith'

'You two have been divorced for a year, what does it matter'

'She is my ex-wife and she is currently working on a baby with my girlfriend. How do you think Meredith is coping?'

Meredith and Addison stood around the baby, reading his chart. He was stable at the minute but needed surgery soon to put his organs inside of his body.

'Doctor Grey, can you please apply the silver sulfadiazine?'

As Meredith was applying it, Jacob's omphalocele burst

'Doctor Montgomery!' Meredith shouted, 'The sack has burst'

'I need some vicryl mesh now!' Addison shouted as she had to protect the organs quickly

'I'm sorry' Meredith apologised

'You don't need to apologise Meredith, just know what you need to do in the future if it ever happens again'

Derek spent the whole day trying to find some time to talk to his girlfriend but he was too busy with consults and surgeries. Meredith spent the day with Addison on other neonatal cases. Derek was at home waiting for Meredith to come home, he was sat in the living room reading the latest edition of 'Seattle' when the door opened

'Derek' Meredith said walking in

'In here' Derek replied

'There's someone here to see you'

'If it's Addison tell her to leave'

'It's not' Meredith said appearing around the corner followed by a man

'Mark?'

'Hey Derek' Mark replied

'What the hell are you doing here?' Derek said walking over to him

'I'm moving to Seattle' Mark replied then he felt himself fly to the floor as Derek's fist hit his face

'Derek!' Meredith shouted, 'What are you doing?'

'That's Mark, the man who slept with Addison while we were married'

'I guess I deserve that' Mark said standing up

'Sit down both of you' Meredith ordered, so the two men sat at either ends of the sofa

'You two are going to make up. I'm not having you two punch each other in my house, if you're going to do that then you can leave'

'Mere…'Derek went to say

'Shut up. Derek, Mark is your best friend, what he did happened over a year ago. Unless you still love your ex-wife then you should be able to get over it, and if you do please tell me now and then I can pack your stuff. If not, please just make up'

'I'm sorry for sleeping with Addison' Mark said holding his hand out

'Sorry for punching you again' Derek said, as he punched him the day he found out what he did

'Good, now Mark. I'm Meredith, Derek's girlfriend' Meredith said introducing herself

'Hi' Mark said, 'Derek there is something I have to tell you'

'What?'

'I'm moving to Seattle with Addison. After you got a divorce we go together. We have been together for a while'

'That's fine Mark, I have moved on. I have a new love of my life' Derek said

The three of them sat talking, so Derek and Mark could get to catch up. Over the following year Mark and Addison had moved to Seattle and found a place, and Meredith and Derek were just as happy as they were when they first got together.

They had been together for 2 years now, and Derek had never been happier. He wanted to propose, he wanted her to be his wife. He wanted more than what they have now. His mom had visited recently and she loved Meredith so she gave him his grandmothers engagement ring so he could give it to Meredith.

'Doctor Yang, can I speak to you a minute?' Derek asked

'What have you done now?'

'Nothing, I need your advice'

'I'm going to propose to Meredith'

'Okay, what do you need help with?'

'How do you think I should do it? I mean should I make it big?'

'Just make it special' Christina said, 'I've got to go'

'Great thanks' Derek said as she walked off

Derek spoke to Richard and Mark through the day on how they thought he should propose to Meredith. Mark tried to convince him not to and Richard told him it had to be big and romantic. Derek decided he would make it special to them, a place that meant a lot to them.

The elevator.

The place where he first said he loved her, the place where he took her to talk to her privately, the place they managed to kiss before a surgery.

Meredith walked towards the elevator after a long day and pressed the down button. She waited a few seconds then the doors opened

'You can't take that one' Richard said running over and standing in front of her

'Why not?'

'I said don't take it'

'I will take the elevator I want to take' Meredith said trying to get around the chief, then the doors closed.

She pressed the button again and waited for the other elevator.

'Well go on' Richard said urging Meredith into the elevator

'Hey' Derek said stood in the elevator 'Come on in'

The walls of the elevator were covered in cases, CT scans and other documents.

'This is a CT for Paul Daniels, subarachnoid aneurysm' Derek said pointing to the CT scan on the left wall

'From a fall in basketball, I remember'

'It was the first surgery we ever scrubbed in together on, our first save' Derek walked to the right-hand wall, 'Right here is a cerebral cyst. Tough save but we did it, I kissed you in the stairwell after this surgery'

He turned to the back wall. 'Right here, this was a seven-hour craniotomy. You held the clamp the entire time and never flinched. That's when I knew you were going to be an incredible surgeon'

Meredith looked up at Derek and smiled

'And this today, post-op head CT of Georgia Hartley. See that right there? Tumour-free, because you' Derek said pointing at the scan. He then turned and placed his hands on either side of Meredith's body

'You got me into the OR, if there is a crisis you don't freeze. You move forward. You get the rest of us to move forward because you've seen worse, you've survived worse and you know we'll survive too. You say you're all dark and twisty, that's not a flaw it's a strength. It makes you who you are' Derek said as he looked at Meredith in the eye 'I am not going to get down on one knee, I am not going to ask a question. I love you Meredith Grey and I want to spend the rest of my life with you'

'And I want to spend the rest of my life with you' Derek wrapped his arms around Meredith and they shared a very passionate kiss

'I love you Derek'

Derek placed the engagement ring on Meredith's finger and kissed her again

'Can we go and tell my mother, while she is still here?' Meredith asked

'Sounds great'

Meredith and Derek got into their car and started to drive to Roseridge. Meredith was excited to tell her mother, even though she probably didn't know who she was. They were half way there when Meredith got a call

'Hello…What?...My what…I'll be right there' She put the phone down

'Meredith?'

'It's my mom, she's at the hospital. She had a heart attack, I need to see her'

Derek turned the car around and drove back to the hospital. He pulled up in the car park and Meredith ran into the hospital and found her mother's room. She walked into the room to find her mom attached to tubes and asleep.

'How is she?' Meredith asked as she walked in

'It's not looking good Meredith' Richard said

'Her heart is damaged after the heart attack' Preston Burke said, he was the head of cardiothoracic surgery

'How long?' Meredith asked 'How…err…how long does she have?'

'Not long, I am so sorry Doctor Grey' Preston said

Meredith walked over to her bed and sat next to her, she saw Derek walk in and stand behind her

'How is she Mer?' Derek asked

'Not good. She doesn't have long' Meredith said, with tears in the corner of her eyes

'I'll go and wait outside and give you some time'

'Thank you' She watched Derek walk back outside and close the door behind him

'Hi Mom, it's me. I was just on the way to see you when they told me you were here. I was coming to tell you that I got engaged' Meredith said holding her mom's hand and feeling tears fall down her face, 'I'm engaged to Derek. I really wanted to tell you. I don't even know if you can hear me mom…'

Derek stood outside the room, like he did when Ellis was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, watching his now fiancé talking to her mom.

'I love you mom, I know we didn't have the best relationship but I always loved you. Mom if you can hear me please, just squeeze my finger' Meredith cried 'Please mom'

Meredith stroked the hair from her mother's face and placed a kiss on her head. She sat down in the chair and rested her head on the side of her mom bed. She fell asleep. Derek walked in quietly and sat down on the chair next to Meredith and read the paper. He just wanted to be there for his fiancé if she woke up.

Meredith must have been asleep for about half an hour when she woke up to the sounds of beeping. The machines were going off. Her mother was coding.

'Mom!' Meredith shouted

'Richard!' Derek shouted as Richard walked passed.

'Get a crash cart!' Richard shouted

'Mom!'

'Derek get her out of here' Richard ordered, so Derek dragged Meredith out the room and held her tightly

'Charge to 300' Richard shouted 'Clear'

Meredith stood and watched her mother being shocked, but it wasn't helping. She wasn't coming back. She couldn't lose her mother. Meredith cried into Derek's body who stood holding her.

'Charge again!' Richard yelled 'Clear'

He looked up at the machine, there was no change. She was gone

'Time of death; 11:42' Richard said before slowly walking out the room with tears in his eyes

'I'm so sorry Meredith'

'No' Meredith cried

'It's okay Mer' Derek said as he held Meredith and kissed her head

'I want to see her' Meredith said, and then walked into the room

Meredith walked in and stood beside her mother. She tucked the stray hairs behind her mom's ears and placed a kiss on her forehead

'I love you mom, goodbye' Meredith said before walking out the room

'Let's go home' Derek said, causing Meredith to nod

When they got home, Meredith dumped here bag and coat on the floor and went straight upstairs. Derek locked the door after them and went upstairs after her.

'Mer?' Derek said as he walked into their bedroom 'Mer'

Meredith ignored Derek and started to fold up clothes that were piled on her bed

'Meredith, you don't have to do that' Derek said

'Meredith' Derek said grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. She looked up at him in the eyes and tears fell down her face

'She's gone' Meredith cried 'She's gone. She was young, she's gone'

'It's okay Meredith, I'm here'

'Derek, I don't want you to be alone if anything should happen to me'

'Meredith nothing is going to happen to you'

Meredith changed into her pyjamas and climbed onto her bed, and watched Derek change and joined her.

'Derek, can I ask you something?'

'Sure' Derek said turning to face her

'How would you feel about having a baby?' Meredith asked, she never thought she would want kids but now that she had the man of her dreams and she had just lost her mother she wanted someone else in her life.

'I would love to have a baby with you Mer' Derek replied, 'But are you sure it's the right time?'

'I have never been surer about anything'

'Okay then, we can book an appointment to check everything is okay and then we can have a baby'