I think this one is kinda short, but also worth it. Please read + review, as always, they make my day brighter. Any feedback is helpful. Know any good fics? Let me know. Alright... here we go!

--

Meredith dialed the familiar number, waiting for them to pick up the phone. "Come on, Damnit!" She practically yelled, and her voice echoed off the linoleum on the bathroom ceiling.

"Hello?" She answered dully, obviously annoyed with having to answer.

"Christina!" Meredith yelled. "Why didn't you pick up!" She was frantic, and now she was pacing, too.

"Mer, we are in different time zones, you know."

"Don't give me that. You are a light sleeper. You would answer a page or a call from the hospital at any time, night or day. Even in a blizzard, you would answer you goddamn phone!"

"Jeesh, Mer. Calm down. What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"Addison brought me to see Derek. Yes, there is really a conference, but Derek is in New York – get this, for his father's funeral. And, no, we are not staying at a hotel. But in the same house as the Shepard family."

"Well, isn't that good news? McDreamy is Mcthere. And apparently Satan is trying to set you up with him. I mean, didn't you notice she hasn't worn her ring since the prom?"

"No, but that doesn't really matter!" She shrieked, running her free hand through her hair, her steps becoming quicker. This made it difficult to pace in such a small bathroom. "Because soon, if I can't think of a way out of this, I'll be the one with a ring! Christina, he proposed. Like over the intercom in the gallery while I was performing a laparoscopy with his ex-wife!"

"That does sound like a perfect way to propose. With a scalpel in your hand, blood every where, and the patient laying open on the table…"

"Yeah, for you! I'm freaking out here! Please, help me. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say. We haven't been back together for more than 100 hours. The last time I saw you we were still broken up, and I thought he was still married!"

"Yeah, and the last time I saw YOU, you were miserable. Maybe this is a good thing. You can't tell me you haven't been in love with him since day one. It's totally obvious, to everyone but you two. But maybe he can see it now, if he's proposing!"

"Christina! What has happened to you? You're supposed to be all 'men suck.' You're my person. And you're telling me to go with it?"

"Yes. This is what happens when you meet the guy. When you meet the ultimate guy. He makes you… I don't know, soft… Yuck, I can't believe I just said that!"

"I can't believe you have either. I can't believe that Burke turned you into this big, sappy person who would say yes to a proposal."

"I can't either." Christina sighed. She couldn't believe that SHE was the sappy one here. It was unbelievable. She never thought she'd be in this situation. But she was. "Mer… I know this is ridiculous, especially coming from me. But maybe you should just go with it. If you really love him, and I know you do, then it will be alright. It will work itself out. Trust me. Just… go with it. Okay?"

"Okay." By this time Mer had stopped pacing, and her breathing was back to normal. She was calmed down, and nearly ready to face Derek. Well, she hoped so.

"Bye, Mer. See you soon. Burke says hi…and, well… goodluck."

"Bye Christina. Say hi to Burke for me."

And with that she hung up, slouching against the ugly beige wall. This would work. She could make this work. It would be alright… Wouldn't it?

--

"What did I do?" Derek asked as he paced the length of the family room, all of his sisters, his mother, and Addison were all there, trying to help him sort things out.

"Well," Addison remarked dryly, "I think it's pretty obvious that you asked her to marry you."

"God." He plopped down on a seat, leaning forward to put his head in his hands. "I can't believe I did that. Especially there and then. What was I thinking? She's Meredith, for God's sake."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sarah asked. Her brother's stress of his proposal genuinely concerned her. If it was this much trouble with the engagement, she was trying hard not to imagine the life they would have together.

"It has everything to do with everything. She's the one I want to marry, she's the one I love and will love until all eternity…BUT, she is a serial avoider. She avoids things. Like avoiding almost any tough decision. And like avoiding me."

Addison couldn't stifle a chuckle at this, and everyone in the room turned to look at her. "What?" She asked, nonchalantly. "It's true. I remember every time she saw her after I first arrived in Seattle, she was running away from you. I specifically remember one time when two of her friends, Stevens and Yang, took her by the arms and rushed her away."

Derek shook his head in disgust at himself. "How can I fix this?"

"Derek," Maegan scolded, "What about all these conversations we've had about you two since day one?"

"What about them?" Derek question, doing his famous confused head tilt.

"If you tell her half as much as you told me, she won't be able to say no… and… explain the ring. That will mean more than anything, I can tell you."

--

Meredith had been standing in the foyer for the last ten minutes, listening to all of the conversation going on in the next room. She had been doing a lot of eavesdropping lately. But, it didn't really matter. Because maybe this would help her decide what to do.

After standing there for quite a while, she decided maybe she could try and sneak past the door to the foyer and up the stairs. She walked quietly, and she was almost passed the doorway when Derek turned and caught her eye. They stared at each other, neither letting go, and soon everyone else in the room was looking at Meredith, too.

Derek hastily stood up and walked towards her. His actions were careful, measured, almost as if he didn't want to scare her away. And, once he stood before her, he knelt, getting right to the point. She tried to look away, but Derek grabbed her hand, taking it in his. She was forced to look down at him, and once their eyes met this time, she couldn't look away.

"Meredith," he began, "I'm very, very, extremely sorry I did that to you. There's no excuse for it. I was just too anxious to ask. But now, now I'm going to make it up to you. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life making up to you for it."

Derek took his free hand, his right hand, and pulled a small black velvet box from his pants pocket. And, carefully relinquishing his left hand from her grasp, he opened it, revealing the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her entire life.

--

"Meredith," Derek continued, "I love you so much my heart hurts. When you're in the next room, I miss you, and I can't imagine ever being truly parted from you ever again. I know I may be the most brainless brain-surgeon there is, but I'm certainly not heartless, and my heart lives for you." He stops a moment, pausing, only to smile widely his McDreamy smile that further entrances her.

"This ring," he sighed lightly, happily. "This ring was my Grandmother's engagement ring. She was married sixty years to my Grandfather before he died. A whole lifetime together. And I want that lifetime with you. That's why I give you this ring, this special ring, in the hopes that we will have that lifetime together… Please, Meredith, take this ring, and we can begin that lifetime, that forever. Please, Meredith…Marry me."

All of the women in the room are stunned by his proposal. They didn't know if it was the occasion, or the woman, but Derek sure did have a way with words that night. None of them could imagine a more perfect way to propose, or a more perfect man to do it. They stood there, holding their breath, waiting for Meredith's reaction. A few were sure she'd say yes. The ones who knew her better didn't know if it would work, but they hoped it would. But almost all of the women in the room had the same look of delight and excitement on their faces.

All of the women except Meredith.

Meredith's eyes searched Derek's, they searched his face, his form. Searching for an answer. Meredith did love him, she really did. But Derek had just ended his other marriage not a month ago. And they'd just healed their rift less than a week ago. But, she recalled, they had been in love almost longer than either of them could remember.

She was Dark and Twisty Meredith, the one who avoided, and only made dates with Joe the Bartender and tequila. Was she ready for this. Not even any of her friends could commit. George and Callie were having issues, and Burke and Christina were far from their happily ever after. Izzie's fiancé had recently died, and Alex didn't too ready for a relationship, with friends or a girlfriend. If they couldn't do it, then who was saying she could?

There were so many reasons why she shouldn't do this. She was an intern, he was her boss' boss. He had already left her twice. He was just barely out of his last relationship, which had ended badly in infidelity. Could she be faithful after a life of one-night-stands? Could he? Could they deal with the stresses they gave each other? Could they cure them? There were so many reason, you could just pick any of them to explain why she shouldn't say yes.

But there was only one reason why she should. And he was right in front of her.

Meredith sighed and let go of Derek's hand, talking as she walked past the Shepard women into the living room. "1. I don't like anything too fancy. 2. I am living in Seattle, as far as I can tell, at least until I retire or get a better job offer. C. No pet names. 4. No kids for a very, very long time. 5. My house is my house, you cannot touch it, Izzie and George still get to live there…"

Derek closely followed by the Shepard women trailed her into the living room, Derek coming to sit next to her on the couch. What was going on? She didn't give an answer. Not a 'yes' or a 'no' and not even a 'let me think.' No answer. Just, what sounded like a list of rules for a marriage…

"6. I like dogs, but bad idea. 7. You get to tell the Chief. 8. Oh, this definitely should have been first! No special treatment! Do not request me! 9. Do not get jealous, do not punch people in the face. 10. Living in MY house, not the trailer…"

"Wait!" Derek interrupted. He knew Meredith could ramble on about things forever and ever, especially if she was nervous. Or avoiding. But this didn't sound like avoiding. This sounded like a Meredith way of saying… "Mer, what is this?"

"What do you think it is?" She asked, smiling a little, her eyes twinkling at him.

"Meredith, is this a yes?" Addison asked bewilder. She'd never thought…

"Yes," She whispered, smiling wildly. Derek quietly slipped the ring on her left hand, giving it a gentle kiss, his smile enveloping his entire face.

"I can't hear you!!" Maegan screamed in excitement, miming holding a hand over her ear.

"YES!!" Meredith screamed at the top of her lungs, and boy, it felt good to say it. No – BELT IT.

Derek stood up immediately, his face a mixture of so many things, but most of all, happiness so strong it was nearly bliss. He picked her up with him, holding her with both hands by the waist, spinning her around with her feet dangling above the ground. She giggled, the melodious giggle that drove him mad, and he kissed her, long and hard. Passionate. One that made both their hearts beat faster, and their breath catch in their throat.

And this kiss was different. Because it meant forever.

Like it? Hate it? Let me know! Please Review