Derek lies alone in the cold, empty bed. He lies on his back with the covers pulled over his head, trying to trap as much heat under the covers as humanly possible. He's always hated sleeping alone, ever since he was a kid. When he was a child, he shared a room with Amy. After their father died, Amy suffered from nightmares every night and would wake up screaming, so he used to let her crawl into bed with him. It got to the point that he would allow her to fall asleep with him in his bed. Her nightmares stopped and so did his. It continued until he was fifteen, the year he started high school and Amy moved into Kate's old room, since Kate had gone to college and Derek had decided he was a man who was too old to share a room with his little sister. Eight-year-old Amy was heartbroken. He was too proud to admit that he missed her after she moved out.

He's spent many lonely nights during his lifetime, probably more nights alone than he has with someone. He was married to Addison for eleven years, and he figures they spent more than half of those nights in separate beds. Their work schedules seldom collided. A surgeon's schedule is always unpredictable because you're literally on call twenty-four-seven. He and Meredith had also spent more nights apart than together, particularly during her residency. Often times she would be just going in when he was getting off. A resident's schedule is more sporadic than an attending's schedule because the attendings always page the residents in the middle of the night to monitor their patients so they can go home and sleep. After Meredith finished her residency two years ago, their schedules had settled down.

Though, he knows that she cut back big time. She logged less hours than most of the other surgeons. She bubble wrapped him after he'd injured his hand and couldn't operate, thinking that he would be feel bad. He thought that might be the reason she cut back too. He doesn't think that he's the only reason, though. Zola played a huge role in her choice to spend less time in the OR. Meredith is so terrified that she'll turn into her mother.

Then they were blessed with an unexpected pregnancy. Neither had counted on that. Of course an unexpected pregnancy was accompanied with unexpected obstacles. It had shaken them both up, indeed, considering their history, but Derek couldn't remember a time in his life that he'd been more excited. He had dreamt for years and years about having a child of his own. Zola was perfect in every way, and he would have been more than happy with just Zola. Though, the idea of having a child that shared his DNA excited him. He'd watched his sisters' kids and saw pieces of his sisters in each of them. Genetics are truly magical. He wanted that. Although, secretly, he had hoped his and Meredith's child would look more like her than him.

His wish came true. Bailey is a splitting image of Meredith. Every time Bailey smiles, he sees Meredith's smile. It warms his heart just thinking about it.

Derek stretches his arm under the blanket and the tips of his fingers meet the frigid air on the outskirts of the blanket. He pats his hand on the sheet where Meredith usually lays. He pulls the blanket off his head, and his head sticks out into the cold bedroom air. He shivers, hugging himself. Then he eyes Meredith's untouched side of the bed and her undented pillow. Even when she's not home, he doesn't sleep on her side of the bed. His tosses and turns are reserved for his side of the bed. He heaves a sigh and reaches for her pillow. He hugs it tightly and buries his face in it; his nose fills with the scent of Meredith. Derek swallows, his stomach rolls nauseatingly. A lump coils in his throat. He can't lose her. The thought of losing her forever is unimaginable and inconceivable. He can't even begin to fathom life without her.

"You can have many jobs, but some people never true love," Amelia's words sting his heart. When did his baby sister become so wise?

He exhales slowly. His head is spinning. He's still holding onto her pillow when he sits up. He listens to the sound of the light raining outside, but it's still dark. Derek looks at the clock. 4:59 a.m. He groans. He's barely slept at all. Then, he sees the LED flash notification glow coming from his cell phone. Shit, he thinks, reaching for his phone, suspecting that the NIH has been trying to contact him. He disconnects his phone from its charger and immediately notices that it was on silent, which explains why it didn't wake him up. Normally, he leaves his sound on loud. He figures he must have accidentally turned it on silent. He never intentionally puts his phone on silent unless he's in an important meeting.

He's right. He has two missed calls from the NIH, both from around seven o'clock yesterday afternoon when he was still with Owen. Apparently, he hadn't bothered to look at his phone since then. There are two missed voicemails as well. Before he can be bothered to check his voicemail, though, he notices that he has a missed text message. He opens his text message app and his heart stops. Meredith Grey: I love you.

He stares at the text, allowing the words to sink in. He notes the timestamp: 1:02 a.m. Four hours earlier. Had he been asleep then? Truthfully, Derek doesn't remember sleeping. He merely remembers lying awake under the blanket, thinking about Meredith all night long. Whether he actually drifted into unconsciousness ceases to live in his memory. Maybe he had at some point, maybe he hadn't. The night is a blur. He remembers drinking with Owen, talking to Amelia, Meredith calling Amelia to tell her that she was staying at Alex's, taking a shower, then lying down; hoping sleep would defer his heartbreaking thoughts for just a short while, though it hadn't. He is not capable of deferring his mind from Meredith.

Now, Derek clenches onto his phone, looking at the text, feeling a whelming sense of hope. I love you, he reads the text over and over again. He gazes at her profile icon that's set on his phone. He has so many random pictures of her on his phone. Her icon is one of his all-time favorites, though. She's not wearing an ounce of make-up; she's in a hospital gown holding their newborn son. The picture was taken only a few hours after Bailey was born. The photo melts his heart and sends butterflies to his stomach every time he sees it.

His fingers freeze and he knows he needs to see her in person. He can't hold off any longer. Derek steps out of bed, and his feet meet the cold wood floor. He slips on black socks, a pair of denim blue jeans, and a cloth red Polo shirt. Then he goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth, run a comb through his hair, and rub a slab of deodorant under his armpits.

All the lights in the house are still off. The kids are still asleep. He's walking toward the front door when he notices something is out of the ordinary.

Amelia is still outside. Her back is arched and her head is resting in her arms, which lean on the the outside table.

He opens the door, instantly startling her. She turns her head and sighs, "It's you."

"You slept out here?" he questions softly. She rubs her eyes and nods. Her hair is damp from the drizzle, her shirt is damp with wet dots; she's not soaked so Derek figures it hasn't been raining long. Still, goose bumps are crawling up his arms. It's chilly. He struggles to believe Amelia has been outside all night when she nods to signal she has in fact been outside all night. "You know you're going to get sick, right? It's freezing. Come on, it doesn't smell that bad inside, does it?"

She sneezes. Her skin is pale. "I didn't mean to fall asleep out here. It just happened," she explains. Derek merely shakes his head, wrapping his arm around her and guiding her into the house. He takes her to the couch and gets her a blanket from the storage closet.

"Coffee?" he asks.

"Coffee would be lovely," Amelia insists. She observes him carefully. "You don't look like you slept so well yourself, Derek."

He brews a pot of coffee and hands a cup to her. The coffee aroma begins to slowly wake him up. Amelia joins him on the kitchen counter. It's quarter after five. The kids usually wake up around six, so if they're quiet, they have forty-five minutes.

Color resurfaces on Amelia's face as she sips her coffee. Derek finds caffeine to be exactly what he needs. "Amy, I hate to ask, but do you think you could get the kids ready today?"

"Don't tell me you have a plane to catch," Amelia rolls her eyes.

He freezes, not entirely surprised by the accusation, though her words sound uncannily like Meredith would say. He wonders if Meredith asked Amelia if he was flying out today. "No, I don't," Derek says. "I need to go see Meredith. You said she's at Alex's, right?"

"That's what she told me," Amelia confirms. "And I think that's good. You should go see her."

Derek nods, setting his empty mug in the sink. He feels awake, well as awake as he can, now. "She, um, texted me last night."

"She did? Did you reply?" Amelia asks.

"It was at one in the morning. I didn't see it until four hours later," Derek replies hastily.

"So? When a girl texts you, you always reply. I guess you're not as smart as I thought you were," Amelia retorts.

"What's the point if I'm going to see her in person soon?" Derek scoffs. He loves his sister to death, but he'll never understand her logic.

"Men," Amelia shakes her head. "I'm telling you, when a woman texts you, she always expects a reply, even if she knows she's going to see you in five minutes. You always reply, Derek. I'm a woman. I know these things."

"No offense, Amy, but you don't know Meredith. You've barely been here a month," Derek answers. "She probably knows I was sleeping. You don't always have to reply to texts."

"When you're texting a woman, you do," Amelia quips.

Derek sighs and pulls his phone out of his pocket just as it begins ringing. Meredith? Derek silently hopes, but his heart sinks in disappointment when he sees the caller I.D. "It's the NIH," Derek sighs.

"You still haven't talked to them?" Amelia asks. He shakes his head. He hasn't. "Considering you're avoiding them, it sounds to me like you've already made your choice. You might want to take that call, Derek. It's only right to let them know."

Derek knows she's right. "Hello," he answers as he grabs his car keys and leaves the house.


Meredith is used to sleeping alone. In fact, she's slept alone for the vast majority of her life. As a child, she often had the house to herself at night. Sometimes she would stay up late watching scary movies. She thought she was cool because she was the only kid in the third grade who was allowed to watch horror movies by herself without parental interference.

She remembers seeing Michael Jackson's Thriller video for the first when she was seven years old and being scared to death. She had convinced herself that every boy in her class could turn into a monster at any random moment and would try to kill her. The video had left her scarred. Meredith had convinced herself that her mother had taken her across the country away from her father because he was an evil monster who had tried to attack her and her mother. It made perfect sense in her seven-year-old mind.

Meredith grew up and eventually learned that men weren't monsters, well, not literally anyway. She learned during her teen years that men were good for one thing and only one thing: screaming orgasms. Men had the capability of turning her into a monster at all costs, and she liked it far too much. It gave a whole new connotation to Michael Jackson's Thriller lyrics.

She's shared her bed with many men over the years, most of which she kicked out in the morning as early as possible. Derek had been no different. He wasn't supposed to be different, anyway. He was just supposed to be one of many one night stands. Little did she know that he would turn into the one night stand that wouldn't go away. One night stands are supposed to be just that: one night. They're fun because they're casual. There are no feelings attached. You don't have to worry about hurting the other's feelings. You don't fall for your one night stand. After all, sex is the easy part. Anyone can have sex. Sex doesn't get really messy until feelings are involved. She had no intention that night or even the morning after for falling for him. Had she known he was going to turn out to be her boss, she wouldn't have even gone to bed with him. She didn't know, though, and everything had turned upside down. She fell for him, and there was no going back now.

Now, she misses him like nothing else. She was sleeping in a strange bed that was much firmer than her mattress. Yet, the room was not strange at all. It was the same room that she and Derek had made live in many times. They'd spent many sleepless hours together in the room on a much softer mattress. Meredith doesn't know how Alex and Jo sleep on this mattress.

She misses Derek, even though she's slept many nights without him. On this particular night, though, she wishes he were with her. She hates being mad at him, and she hates knowing he's mad at her. Meredith hates going to bed mad, period. When she was a child and she'd fight with her mother before bed, she'd always write her mother an I'm sorry note before going to sleep and pin it on the refrigerator, hoping her mother would see it when she came home. Her mother never commented on her notes, though. She would carry on like nothing had happened.

Meredith had given up on getting a response from Derek hours earlier. She'd stopped checking her phone every five seconds and allowed her eyes to close. After all, Meredith hadn't actually a response. She imagined Derek was sound asleep, like he should be so late at night. She wonders if he fell asleep easily, because she didn't. She'd only just started to fall asleep when she woke to a loud scream.

"AUGHHHHHH!" Meredith jolts awake, realizing she isn't alone in bed. Jo Wilson's hand pulls away from her hair. A dim light breaks through the window shades, but otherwise the room is dark. Jo is sitting up, wearing white shorts and a purple bra. She looks mortified as she meets eyes with Meredith. "Where's Alex?" she gasps.

"What's going on in here?" a groggy, confused Alex stands in the doorway, rubbing his eyes.

"Gee, I don't know. I came home from work and crawled into bed, thinking it was you. Low and behold, I go to stroke your head, and I think Gee, is Alex wearing a wig? He's also lost a lot of weight…"

"You thought I was Alex?" Meredith laughs, shaking her head.

"You thought she was me?" Alex stares stupefied.

"The room was dark. What else was I supposed to think? Oh, God, this is awkward. I just pet my boss." Looking terrified, Jo storms out of the room, leaving a stunned Alex and a confused Meredith.

"It's really not that big of a deal," Meredith insists. "I was asleep. I don't know why she's freaking out."

"I can't believe she thought you were me," Alex laughs. "You're like a quarter of my size."

"It was dark," Meredith shrugs. "It's not her fault. You should have told her I was here."

"Didn't cross my mind," admits Alex. "I haven't been able to shake the Bailey thing off my mind all night. I've barely slept."

"What, the whole board seat ordeal?" Meredith asks. "They're your shares. I don't know why you're worried."

"Yeah, but it's Bailey, and you know Bailey. If she doesn't get what she wants, she'll fight for it. And is it worth fighting her? She always gets what she wants," Alex points out.

"Cristina left you her shares, Alex," Meredith reminds him. "Bailey doesn't have a case. It's really that simple, so don't worry."

"I hope you're right. I just have a bad feeling. Anyway, I should go talk to Jo," Alex sighs. Meredith nods and watches Alex disappear.

Meredith sighs. She's alone now and wide awake. She knows there's no chance of her going back to sleep now. She looks at the clock. It's almost six. She could get up and go to the hospital. Then she could shower and brush her teeth. She always keeps spare clothes and a toothbrush at the hospital. She could possibly get in on a surgery or two and avoid Derek a little longer. Or, she could call Derek and see what his plans are for the day, and they could talk. She knows she can't avoid the inevitable any longer. She grabs her phone, secretly hoping she has a text message from Derek, but she doesn't. She has two missed calls and a voicemail from Cristina.

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm just returning your calls. It's probably really early there, well, I don't know what time it is there. I suck at this time zone crap. Anyway, good for you! How's Alex? And Owen? I know I hate texting, but it's easier for me to respond to texts than phone calls. By the way, it is gorgeous. You should come visit sometime. One of these days we're going to have to set up a Skype date and I'll show you what the view from my apartment looks like. Anyhow, I have to go. Miss you, Mer. Stay strong."

The line beeps. Meredith smiles as a tear forms in her eye. She clicks on Cristina's name and New text message. She thinks for a second before sending: Hey….things are crazy. I miss you like you have no idea. I spent the night at Alex's. It's a long a story, but I really need my person right now. No one else understands me like you do. The message sends as an MMS because it's so many characters, but she doesn't care. She doesn't expect a response right away, so when she gets an instant response, she's taken aback.

Everything okay? McDreamy being a McAss? Meredith reads Cristina's response.

Yeah...but you didn't actually expect for him to be okay with me staying, did you? Meredith replies.

It's not like he asked your opinion about D.C., so he doesn't have the right to be a McAss, Cristina texts back. Then another text comes in, He can suck it.

Meredith shakes her head. "Cristina," she mouths. I just don't know what to do. Yesterday Alex and I went to Joe's and the new bartender flirted with me.

And you noticed? Meredith reads, shaking her head, glad someone finally understands her issue. She receives another text, Mer, that's not good.

Meredith shakes her head, realizing why she desperately needs Cristina in her life. He's a freak, and it's not like I'm into him. But that doesn't change I noticed.

It doesn't, Cristina replies quickly. I don't know what to tell you. Are you going to tell Derek?

Admittedly, Meredith had thought about it. She sighs, contemplating. I don't know, she texts.

Well, good luck. BTW have you talked to Owen? I tried calling him but his phone was off. I'm worried, the next text reads. Meredith hasn't spoken to Owen. Richard had taken over Owen's chiefly duties the day earlier. She doesn't want to worry Cristina, but she can't lie to her either.

That's weird. I haven't lately. I'll find out what's up and let you know.

That would be great, Cristina texts. I have to go now. We NEED to find out this time zone thing so we can schedule a time to talk, okay?

Sounds like a plan, Meredith replies. She exhales, resting her phone in her lap, still sitting on Alex's bed. She contemplates calling Derek, but she hesitates. Instead, she gets up and walks downstairs. She can hear Jo and Alex talking.

"What was she doing in our bed anyway?" Jo is saying loudly. "I mean, you should have told me that she was gonna be here. You know, I live here too now. I have a right to know who's sleeping in my bed when I get home."

"For Christ's sake, you were on call, Jo. I didn't know what time you'd be home. I figured she'd be up by the time you were. I wasn't expecting you home this early. It's my house, and it was actually her house first."

"You bought it from her, so it's not her house anymore," Jo is pointing out. Meredith's stomach twists. She feels slightly unwanted.

"I don't know why you're having a cow. Your friends slept on the floor for days when your friend died," Alex spits.

"They didn't sleep in our bed, though," Jo spits. "Is this about Dr. Yang leaving? She didn't die, and doesn't Meredith have a husband and kids? What is she…" Jo turns around and meets eyes with Meredith, who is standing in the doorway. "Oh, God. I didn't...I'm sorry, Dr. Grey. I didn't know that you were standing there." Jo blushes apologetically, but Meredith doesn't say anything.

"Jo, you don't know what you're talking about," Alex tells her shortly.

"You're right, you know?" Jo says, sighing. "I just got out of a nine-hour surgery, I worked all day. I'm exhausted and cranky. So I'm just going to go to bed. I'm really, really, sorry, Dr. Grey."

Jo dashes out of the room. Meredith stands across from Alex. Alex shakes his head.

"Mer, I'm really sorry about that," Alex sighs. "I should have texted her and let her know you were here. That was uncalled for. I didn't know she'd react like that."

"It's fine," Meredith sighs. "We've all been there. Tired and cranky after a long shift." She frowns, looking at her phone. "I think I have to call my husband."

A loud pound comes from the front door. Someone is knocking.

She is standing in front of the door, staring out the glass window and sees him. He's gazing at her; pain and exhaustion fill his face. He mouths something that looks like Open the door, Meredith. Please. Her heart is beating rapidly.

"Who is it? It's six in the freaking morning. Who's here at six in the freaking morning?" Alex demands, walking toward her. He turns toward Derek and freezes. "Oh, it's for you. Hey, I think I'm gonna go take a shower. Good luck."

"You're a lot of help," Meredith hisses as Alex walks down the hallway.

"What did you expect me to do? You're on your own," Alex calls. Meredith rolls her eyes, staring toward Derek, meeting his sad, blue eyes. She hesitates, anxiety rushes through her veins. She doesn't know what to do. She can't just stand here and look at him. She was going to call him anyway. She didn't expect him to show up here this morning, though. Except she's not entirely surprised. A part of her had hoped that he would when she'd told Amelia to tell him where she was. She wanted him to come to her, though she didn't think he actually would.

Meredith nervously reaches for the doorknob and opens the door. Derek doesn't move, though.


He can tell that she's surprised to see him. Derek studies her, noting she's wearing the same outfit that she was the day before. Her hair is a tangly mess, like she tossed and turned all night long. She has her hands in her pockets, and her face is frozen still; her eyes are locked on him.

"Hi," he finally says.

"Hi," she responds softly. "Uh, come in." She waves for him to enter. He enters the house that they once lived in together. It is weird and nostalgic in a sense. This had been the notorious frat house. He'd begged her to get rid of her roommates, but she refused. Her roommates were her family. Derek remembers wondering if they were ever going to have a life, just the two of them. The difference between him and Meredith was that Meredith had so many in her life that she cared about. She put everyone in the world before her, and it seemed like many of those people also came before him. Yet, he puts her first. She comes before his mother and sisters. She came before Mark when he was alive. She is the love of his life. She is the first person in his book. Well, besides his children. But he's not the first in her book and never has been. It's one area in which they've differed heavily, and it's been the root of many of their problems.

They stand awkwardly apart from each other. His arms extend parallel to his waist and she takes her hands out of her pockets and crosses her arm. She doesn't take her eyes off him and he doesn't take his eyes off her, either.

"I love you, too," he whispers, gazing into her eyes. "I got your text and I had to see you."

She blushes. "You didn't reply."

Maybe Amy was right, Derek thinks, feeling a little humiliated. "I thought it would be better to just come here."

"I'm glad you're here," she smiles weakly. "Really, I am." She nods.

Oh good, Derek thinks, feeling better, hoping she's seriously not upset about him not responding to the text. His heart warms with a little confidence. She walks into the living room, which is by all means utter chaos. Beer bottles and popcorn kernels are everywhere. He wonders if Alex and Meredith had an after party after going to Joe's. He won't ask, though. She takes a seat on the couch. He continues standing, feeling tense. He looks around the room, noting how it's changed since he and Meredith lived there. It's certainly not as homey as it once was, though he's not surprised. Alex Karev never did strike him as the homey type of guy.

"You can sit," Meredith insists, patting the cushion next to her. He nods and smiles weakly, joining her on the couch. He keeps his distance from her, though, staying to one end of the couch. They turn their heads toward each other and he sighs.

"Meredith," he says.

"Derek," she says at the same time.

"Look…" he says.

"We have to work this out," she breaks in. "I love you, and I know you love me, and we have two wonderful children. Not just for our sake, but for their sake, we have to make this work somehow. I know that this is a huge opportunity for you, and I really, really don't want you to resent me. I don't want to be the reason your dreams fall short or whatever. I can't live with that, and I know you can't live with that."

She's so cute when she rambles. He hates to stop her, because he can honestly watch her ramble all day, but he does. "Meredith, I talked to the NIH this morning," he tells her, recalling his conversation with them as he drove to Alex's house that morning.

"You did?" she asks, lowering her hand to her knee. Anxiety is written all over her face.

Meredith's heart is pounding vigorously as she worriedly awaits what Derek is about to tell her. She knows that whatever he says now will affect the rest of their marriage. There's a glimmer of light in his eye, and he smiles. She senses that he's got everything figured out. She struggles to breathe normally as he extends his arm and pats her knee. He grabs her hand and intertwines their fingers. Her heart speeds faster.

"I did," Derek responds. "I told them I wasn't able to accept the position after all."

Meredith frowns. "You what?" She doesn't like this after all. She knows she told him to quit yesterday, but she didn't expect him to actually quit. Her hands tingle and feel numb, even though Derek is still holding onto one of her hands. She feels ill.

Derek nods, then shakes his head. "But they weren't going to let me go easily. We negotiated back and forth, and finally came to the conclusion that once a week was too frequent to meet for really anything at all, so we were able to settle on meeting once a month. I told them I can't run the project, but I'll gladly continue to consult. It's a way I can still be part of the project. It just won't be as demanding, and I can stay in Seattle."

Meredith shakes her head, frowning.


She looks disappointed. He can't figure out why, though. She's getting what she wants. She asked him to quit. He fixed the problem. Why doesn't she look happy?

"What's wrong?" Derek asks.

She pulls her hand away from him and sighs. She looms a finger through her messy hair. "I just, I, uh," she stumbles for words, "I don't want you to resent me, Derek. I know you're still part of the project, but are you going regret not stepping up later and then take it out on me?"

He reaches for her hand again and she allows him to take it. "Meredith," he says softly, "My family is my first and utmost priority. I could never leave you or the kids. It's not like I'm not going to be part of this project at all. I am. I just won't be running it, and I was thinking. Remember how much I hated being chief?" Meredith nods. "Well," he sighs, "I thought I wanted to be chief, but then it turned out to be not what I expected it to be. They wanted me to run it and be in charge of it. It's basically the exact same thing. When I really stopped to think about what I'd being doing, I realized it's not what I really want. I'd rather watch it from afar and consult, and visit every month. Besides, too much of a good thing is never healthy, right?"

She smiles. "You're sure this is what you want?" she asks, sounding unsure.

Derek shrugs. "It doesn't matter. I've already told them, so it's done. And yes, I'm sure. Because you know what? There are only three people in this world I can never get tired of, and that's you, Bailey, and Zola. So there's the answer to your question."

He leans in close to her and kisses her forehead then lowers his face so they're facing each other eye to eye. Their lips are merely centimeters apart. He can smell old fumes of tequila coming from her breath, recollecting the night they met, and the fumes of alcohol that had drawn him to her body.


Meredith's heart is full of warmth. She truly was not expecting this: Derek staying in Seattle for her. Well, he still has to go to D.C. once a month, but it's certainly better than once a week. And he's described his position in a way that doesn't make her feel guilty for holding him back. He might be right about being in charge of it. She remembers how much he hated being chief.

She feels self conscious being so close to Derek's face, though. She hasn't brushed her teeth, and his breath smells minty fresh. She can still taste the tequila after taste in her mouth, so she can imagine he can smell it too. That doesn't stop him from leaning into kiss her. Her chest pounds rhythmically as their lips touch and she wraps her arms around his neck. She breaks their kiss and whispers, "I love you, Derek." She gazes into his twinkling eyes.

"I love you, too, Meredith," he answers and pulls her onto his lap for a long, passionate, breath-taking kiss, sending her nerves into a frenzy as their tongues intertwine and she tastes his mint-flavored mouth.

"Well, it's good to know you two have kissed and made up," Alex interrupts. Meredith breaks the kiss and looks up to see Alex, standing shirtless with jeans on.

"We, uh, should get going," Meredith insists, eyeing her husband.

Derek nods, agreeing with his wife, "Let's go."

He grabs her hand and they leave the former frat house, hand in hand.


A/N: You're welcome! I told you there was light at the end of the tunnel. (PS: I hope that the actual show makes MerDer's story more dramatic than I have in this story, because clearly the fix I've created is too simple, even though I think it makes sense in every possible way) Anyway, I THINK there is only one remaining chapter to this story! Obviously, I have some loose ends to tie up with Maggie and Bailey. This has always been first and foremost a MerDer story, but since I decided to include the other season ten cliffhangers, I will give you some closure.