A/N: Alright everyone, another week has passed, and I present you another update. It's a reunion update, so I hope you enjoy it. However, keep in mind their situation, and how it may affect them in the future. That's all I'm saying for now, so I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter Fourteen: Kiss Me Slowly

Song: Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute

Stay with me, baby stay with me,
Tonight don't leave me alone.
Walk with me, come and walk with me,
To the edge of all we've ever known.

I can see you there with the city lights,
Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes.
I can breathe you in.
Two shadows standing by the bedroom door,
No, I could not want you more than I did right then,
As our heads leaned in.

I jolted awake as my alarm buzzed, my head foggy from sleep. I rolled over to shut off the buzzing, wondering for a moment why the hell I would set my alarm for nine in the morning on my day off, when I usually just slept all day. And as I concentrated on my alarm, hoping my clearly insane reasoning would come, it hit me like a bolt of lightning, and I was no longer tired. Derek was coming today.

I quickly got out of bed; I had so much to do to get ready. Everything had to be perfect for him. He was flying all the way out here to see me, and I guess attend some stupid conference, and everything had to be perfect.

I wandered down to the kitchen, wanting to make sure that it looked presentable enough for Derek's arrival. Luckily, Izzie had cleaned the day before after baking cookies and brownies for us to eat later tonight. She was working at the hospital until really late tonight, so she wouldn't be able to see Derek until the morning. I then moved into the living room, and, discovering that it was clean enough for Derek to see, climbed back up the stairs to tackle the most important problem: my bedroom.

I am an intern, I work really crazy hours and by the time I get home, I'm usually too exhausted to do anything but strip out of my street clothes, throw on pajamas, and climb into bed. This means that I have a lot of dirty laundry lying around in my room, which should probably get taken care of before Derek gets here.

After putting all my clothes in the hamper, I tackled my bathroom. It wasn't all that hard to clean, mainly because dirty bathrooms disgust me and I'm more likely to clean that than my room.

By the time I finished, it was noon. Unfortunately, I wasn't planning on leaving for the airport until six thirty, which means I had about six and a half hours to get ready before I saw Derek. I showered, throwing on a pair of yoga pants and a grey tee shirt before heading downstairs again to check on the content of the refrigerator in order to make sure we had enough food.

Realizing that I didn't know how to cook, and that Derek would probably want some decent food after two long plane rides, I called a local Italian restaurant that had take out, and ordered two chicken parmesan dinners, I at least knew how to work a microwave. Just as I got back to my house, Cristina called, causing me to scramble to answer it.

"Hello?" I said distractedly, trying to stuff the dinners into the fridge without dropping anything.

"How's your day off?" Cristina asked.

"Ugh, fine, I'm just getting some stuff together. How's the hospital?"

"Good, I get to scrub in on a humpty dumpty later today," Cristina replied, her voice filled with pride.

"Wow, congrats!" I said, genuinely happy for her.

"So what are your plans for tonight? Are you and Shepherd gonna come hang out at Joe's before you drop him off at his hotel or something?"

"Actually," I began slowly. "I don't think Derek is going to stay at a hotel, he'll probably just stay with me."

The other end of the phone was silent, and it had me worried.

"What Cristina?"

"Nothing," Cristina assured me quickly. Too quickly.

"Seriously Cristina, what is it?" I repeated.

"I just don't think that's a good idea," Cristina sighed.

"And why not?"

"Because," she said, her voice becoming defensive. "Your intern exam is eight weeks away, and we have to start studying. Plus, if Derek's around all the two of you will do is have sex, and it's really not healthy that you do that."

"Oh really? Why isn't it healthy?" I snapped.

"Because your relationship with Derek is already bordering on unhealthy, and this will just make it more so."

"Our relationship is not unhealthy!" I exclaimed.

"Right, pining over a guy you knew for two months a year ago is so normal," she shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"We still talk a lot!" I insisted.

"Exactly, and that's not normal," she replied matter of factly.

"You know what? I'm not having this conversation anymore. I'll talk to you later."

"Mer, come on, I didn't mean…" Cristina began, her voice trailing off. She didn't bother to finish her statement, because we both knew she would be lying if she did; she meant exactly what she was saying.

"It's fine Cristina, I'll see you at work on Friday," I sighed before hanging up. Our relationship wasn't that unhealthy, was it?

Well, I'm not sure what this is gonna be,
But with my eyes closed all I see
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below. (Don't let go)
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly.

I waited patiently at the arrival area, studying the screen, which currently told me that Derek's plane was in fact landing at this time. I couldn't stand still, it was impossible. I just had to keep moving, pacing back and forth in order to prevent myself from jumping up and down with excitement. He was coming. He was here, he was really, really here. And he would really be in front of me in about fifteen minutes. And then, everything would be perfect.

In an instant, Derek's flight information vanished from the screen, signaling that everyone had gotten off the plane. I moved closer to the luggage carousel, where I was sure I would see him.

After ten minutes of waiting, I finally saw him.

He still looked good. Just as handsome and rugged as I remember, despite the long plane rides. He was wearing a gray tee shirt with black sweatpants, his hair sticking up slightly, like it did right after he woke up from a nap. He looked exhausted and uncomfortable, most likely from being cramped into a small space for many hours, but he was still here.

I watched him as he waited for his suitcase. He didn't notice me, so I took the opportunity to just stare at him for a little while. Eventually, he grabbed his suitcase, and briefly scanned the arrivals room. Apparently he didn't see me, and went to pull out his phone, I'm guessing to call me. Just as he put the phone to his ear, our eyes locked, and we simply stared at each other for a moment, as if we didn't believe it was really happening. Simultaneously, he lowered his phone, smiling at me as I moved through the crowd to him. His suitcase forgotten, he opened his arms as I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist as he held me.

I pulled my face from his shoulder, angling it so it was millimeters away from his own.

"Hi," I whisper, not trusting my voice to become any louder, or there would be a strong possibility that I would cry.

"Hey," he replies, his warm breath buffering against my skin. And then, before our conversation could continue, he kissed me.

I melted instantly. This is what I had been dreaming about for almost a year, and this is what I so desperately missed. I heard myself moan as he guided my mouth open and plunged his tongue inside. I felt perfect for the first time in months; I felt complete.

When we finally broke apart, he eased me back on to my own two feet, grinning like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"God am I glad you're here," I said.

"I could tell," Derek laughed.

"Shut up!" I laughed. "You were just as happy to see me."

"Of course I am, the phone calls and webcam do not do you justice," he said, smiling appreciatively as his gaze travelled up and down my body.

"Seriously?" I exclaimed, raising my eyebrows. "Ogling me in a public place!"

"Well, yeah," Derek said, as if it were obvious. "This is the first time we've been in the same place for ten months, and I'm going to enjoy it."

I felt myself blush at his words, and decided to change the subject. "Are you tired? Hungry? What time is it to you?"

He chuckled at my questions. "It's good to know you haven't gotten rid of the rambling. I am tired, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I've spent all day on airplanes rather than the actual time. And I could eat, I ate in Boston when waiting for my flight, but they only serve peanuts and stuff on domestic flights. Umm, I'm not sure what time my biological clock thinks it is. I left London at ten thirty, and it's about a seven hour flight, so when I landed in Boston my body thought it was five thirty, and then I had to wait an hour for my connection, plus a another five hour flight puts me at about eleven thirty, though it's really three thirty in the morning in the UK."

"Oh!" I gasped. "You must be so tired. You don't have to eat, or talk to me, or anything, if you don't want to. We can do that stuff tomorrow; you should sleep."

"Mer," he interrupted. "It's fine, really. I want to eat because I'm really hungry, and I would really like to talk to you and spend time with you. My body is tired and stiff, but I'm not that tired that I can't spend some time with you."

I smiled at his words, despite the fact that he did look really tired. "All right," I conceded, grabbing his hand and lacing his fingers in mine. "Let's go."

XXXXXX

When we reached my car, we loaded Derek's stuff in the backseat, and he collapsed against the passenger's seat. After I started the car, he pulled at my right hand, holding it tightly. I glanced at him and smiled, keeping my hand firmly encased in his as we drove away from the airport, both of us much happier than we were the last time we left an airport.

"So," Derek finally said, breaking the silence. "Where are we eating?"

"Well, I picked up some chicken parm from a take-out place near my house, and all I have to do is stick it in the oven for like two minutes and it will be ready to eat. I don't even think I could screw it up." I ended with a giggle, and he laughed with me for a moment before going quiet again, his face contemplative.

"So, over dinner do you think you could recommend some decent hotels? I've never been to Seattle before," Derek said slowly, as if he was testing something.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, the hospital paid for the conference and airfare, but they didn't cover the hotel costs, so I need to find a Best Western or Budget Inn or someth-"

"Derek, you're staying with me," I cut him off, my voice filled with resolution. I thought we had talked about it, but maybe we hadn't. Maybe I just assumed he would stay with me, and he really didn't want to. Crap, what did I do…

"Really?" was his only response, looking at me, his face unreadable.

"Well, I kind of thought…actually I assumed… and hoped, that you would be, uh, staying with me. But you don't have to if you don't want to, or you think it'll be weird, or-"

"Meredith!" Derek said as he squeezed my hand, apparently it was now his turn to interrupt me. "Of course I'll stay with you, and I really want to. I just didn't want to assume anything, and I didn't want to force myself on you."

"Derek, you flew almost half way around the world, and we're in the same city, of course you were going to stay with me," I sighed, gently squeezing his hand back as he pulled our entwined fingers towards his mouth, gently kissing my palm.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," he said.

"Yeah," I agreed quietly, the grin still slathered across my face. "Me too."

XXXXXX

"Dinner was good," Derek mumbled into my neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Dinner was excellent," I agreed, scooting farther back into Derek's lap as I leaned my head against his shoulder.

If anyone were to see us, we probably looked pretty ridiculous. Derek insisted that being across the table, or even next to me, was too far away, and as I had placed our plates on to the kitchen table, he pulled me into his lap, where I ended up eating my dinner. We had never really been all touchy feely when we were in London, at least not until the very end, but we were becoming more so now. I blame it on the distance. Ten months is a long time to go without touching and cuddling and being close to the person we love.

And I still love Derek, even if he doesn't know it. That's something we should probably talk about at some point, or else, what the heck are we doing?

Derek yawned loudly into my neck, tickling me as he did so.

"Tired?" I asked softly as I craned my neck around to look at him.

"Mhmm," he answered, his eyelids drooping.

"Do you want to go to bed," I said, shifting so that I could get up when he wanted me to.

"Yes, but on two conditions," he said, opening his eyes all the way and looking very serious.

"Okay," I said slowly, waiting for him to speak.

"One, we sleep in the same bed. And two, you and I have sex tomorrow."

I snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. "Why is point two so important?"

"Because I haven't had sex with you in so long, and I want to really badly, but I'm just so tired," he looked sad, like I was depriving him of something he really wanted.

Rather than respond to his sadness, I kissed him softly. "I promise you'll get sex tomorrow, but let's go to bed now." I pulled him up off of the chair and led him up the stairs to my room, which was at the very end of the hall. I pointed him to the master bathroom so he could brush his teeth and such, and we got ready for bed.

As I left the bathroom, Derek was sprawled on my bed, lying on his back under the covers. I crossed the room to my side, changing quickly into a tank top and shorts before crawling into bed with him.

Like magnets, we moved towards each other at the same time, meeting in the middle of the bed. He wrapped his arms around me as I rested my head against his shoulder, as if he was my own personal pillow. I placed my hand on his bare chest, stroking it lightly, like I used to do every night in London before we would go to sleep. And like he used to, he kissed the top of my head, inhaling deeply into my hair.

"I forgot how nice this was," Derek admitted quietly into my hair.

"Hmm, me too. This is perfect," I replied, referring to the feeling of being in his arms.

"Night Mer," he whispered into the darkness.

"Good night Derek," I said just softly. And in those moments, I felt safe. All of my doubts and questions about what Derek and I were doing vanished, because while I was in his arms, none of it mattered.

Oh, I'm not sure where this is gonna go,
But in this moment all I know
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below. (Baby, don't let go)
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly