A/N: Thanks everyone, for your patience!

Enjoy!

Eventually, Meredith regained her awareness and sat up, wiping her eyes with her palms. Derek's arm loosened around her and he brought it around his knees. "Oh," Meredith sighed again, shifting so that the blood recirculated to the numb areas of her bottom. "You came back."

"Yeah," he said, "You were yelling. What did you mean, everybody leaves you?"

"It's nothing." Sniffing, she turned to him. Derek's gaze was soft and pained. He really felt for her at that moment, she could tell. She hadn't seen that look on him since… Probably since the plane crash, when Mark and Lexie died. She cracked. "My husband, h-he died." Strange, to say that, looking at thirteen-year-old Derek.

His expression changed to grief. His hand found hers. "Mmm," he said, and it slew her. "My dad died."

This time, it was her turn to hug him. He shuddered and quaked in her arms. "It's not fair! It's not fair! They shot him!" he exploded, "They just shot him right in front of me! How could they do that? He didn't do anything… he didn't… do anything, and they just…" he trailed off, his lips forming a deep frown as he moaned. Unable to stop herself, Meredith cried too, pulling him closer, squeezing him harder. The world faded away, and it was just them and their raw grief. "I know… I know… I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," Meredith murmured over his shoulder while her fingers grazed his curly locks.

It wasn't fair.

None of it was.

Nobody should die. Nobody should be taken so suddenly.

But this was life.

And Bad Things happened.

They just held each other. Leaned on each other. It felt so good, she never wanted to let him go. Finally, Derek murmured something.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"You knew my name…" he said, "I've never met you before."

"Oh, um…" she just shrugged as she pulled away a little. "You just… look like someone I knew back home."

"His name was Derek?"

"Y-yeah," Meredith nodded. How do you tell a thirteen-year-old that he just hugged his future wife?

You don't.

So, they sat awkwardly along the stream until Derek noticed something. "Hey, what's that?" Derek pointed to the bronze glint of the compass among the rocks.

"Oh that," Meredith sighed. Did Derek know what it was? Could he help her?

He reached over and plucked it from the gravel. "It's a compass…" he dusted off bits of dirt.

"Yeah, but it's broken," Meredith said, frowning.

When Derek flipped it open, Meredith looked at it over his shoulder. It spun and spun for a second, and then it stopped, the arrow quivering slightly in place, pointing back toward the bridge. "Works when I open it," he smirked.

Goes faster when I press it. Meredith remembered.

She squinted at him and made a face, "Well, it got me lost." Some things never change.

"Maybe it can get us un-lost. Wanna try it?" He jumped up and stared across the stream, where the arrow was pointing.

Why not? She had nowhere else to go. "Help me up," she said.

xxx

Cassie set down her tea and stared into space. Something didn't feel right. The universe didn't feel right.

"Meredith traveled back in time?" Carolyn repeated.

"It makes sense," Michael said quietly.

The three of them had gathered in the candle-lit living room, facing each other. Trying to figure out what in the world was happening here in Middleton.

"How?" Carolyn asked.

"Honestly," Michael said, "It's just sort of a feeling I have."

Cassie remained silent, thinking. So much had happened lately, she hadn't had time to really think… take it all in. Now...

"Cassie, You remind me of Liz Merriwick," Michael said.

"Liz…?" Cassie rasped, pulled from her thoughts. "She was my mother."

"Was…?" He squinted at her.

Cassie's shoulder lifted in a sad gesture. "She died. A long time ago, I never really… knew her."

"Hm." He pondered.

"I need to… " Cassie stood up abruptly. Of course, that was it. Michael had given her the clue. Thank you universe! "I need to go."

"Cassie-,"

"No, it's alright, I won't go far… it's just with everything happening… I need to get perspective."

"You won't go too far?" Carolyn asked.

She shook her head. "Not far at all. Just in the woods behind us." She picked up a small canvas shopping bag. She'd need a couple items. A flashlight, of course, she also took one of Sam's hoodies; candles, and matches. Sam didn't have incense, but she could find everything else she needed in the woods.

Before leaving, Cassie crept down the hall to Sam's room where the kids were. Zola was resting her head on Grace's shoulder while she read a story from a tablet, and Bailey quietly played with a little toy truck up and down the bed.

"Hey, mom," Grace greeted with a smile.

"Did you find mommy?" Zola asked.

Cassie shook her head. "No, but I'm sure she's alright. Hopefully, she'll come back soon." She sat on the bed and stroked Bailey's hair.

"I hope so too," Zola said. "I miss her. She's not going to die like Daddy, right?"

Cassie's heart ached. "No," she said softly. "I'm going to find her." She patted Zola's head.

"How?" asked Grace.

She wasn't exactly sure. "There's something about the energy of this place. The earthquakes, the strange dreams… I can't put my finger on it." The universe wasn't right. She held up the bag, "So, I'm going to ask for help."

"From who?"

But Cassie only smiled. "Watch the kids okay? If I'm not back by morning, send help. I'll be at the old bridge."

"Okay," Grace squeezed her hand. "I love you, mom."

Cassie kissed her daughter's forehead. "And I, love you."

Leaving them, she steeled herself and headed out into the darkness.

xxx

Carolyn and Michael were alone now. She couldn't stop looking at him. She felt like a schoolgirl swooning over a crush.

He noticed her looking at him and his eyes smiled at her. Carolyn sat next to him and picked up his hand. "If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up," her voice trembled.

His fingers moved within hers, and he stroked the soft skin between her thumb and index finger, something he always used to do. Those little touches, soft caresses, gentle teasing looks.

She'd forgotten how much she'd missed that.

"I heard I died," his voice was less than a whisper.

Her heart squeezed. "Do we have to talk about that?"

He smiled sadly and shook his head. "No," he said.

"I don't know how much about the future I should tell you about."

"Then don't," he said. "Tell me a story… about you."

"About me."

"Yes, like when you were in nursing school."

Carolyn chuckled. "You really want to hear about immature, overachieving sorority girls?"

He shrugged, "Whatever you want to tell me is fine."

"Aren't you worried? You're stuck here, more than fifty years in the future…"

"Care," he said, using her nickname, "A couple hours ago, I was scared and worried about a wedding, building a house, and raising a baby. Now, I'm in the future… and I see they way you look at me, and I know now, that everything will go, the way it goes… I don't know why that ever scared me. So… sorority girls, huh?"

Carolyn shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Did I ever tell you about Betty Lou?

xxx

Meredith followed Derek back over the bridge, down the stream and up another small embankment. They finally stopped at a large oak tree.

"Why are we stopping?" Meredith asked.

"The compass, it started spinning again," Derek said.

"Great!" Meredith stomped her foot. She hated sounding so petulant, but it was how she felt.

"Wait," Derek said, looking at the tree. "Look." Engraved in the bark was a heart-shaped scar. The letters C.M+M.S rested in the middle with an arrow through it.

"C.M and M.S?" Meredith asked.

Derek traced the lines of the heart "C.M…" he hummed. "That's my mom! And M.S is my dad!"

"Oh." She swallowed. Suddenly she missed Derek. Her husband.

Two years ago:

She woke to kisses. On her shoulder, in the corner of her neck, down her jawline. Derek's stubble lightly grazed her skin as his lips warmed her.

"Muh," she replied, still exhausted from a week with a crying newborn. Bailey was her newest joy, her greatest creation, but he was so friggin' hungry. It was exhausting. She waved behind her, her head still buried in the pillow. "Too tired," she muttered.

"Mere," Derek whispered, wrapping his arm around her. "Wake up."

"No, g'way," she squirmed. "He can have my boobs later."

Derek chuckled, and the bed moved as he shifted. She tucked into a tighter ball, trying to pull away from him. But he practically straddled her and pulled the covers off. "Mere," he said a little louder, "Wake up."

"Why?" she whined, her eyes fluttering open, as she peered sleepily at her husband.

"Callie's got Bailey and the kids for the morning. Let's go for a walk."

"A walk? Why?"

"Just me and you. No kids. Quiet."

She stared at him blearily. A walk. What was she? A dog-walker? She didn't need a walk. She needed sleep. And then more sleep. But as she smeared a palm over her face, she took in her husband's haggard lines.

He needed her. He missed her.

She missed him too.

Of course, they hadn't been physically separated, but the mental toll of looking after an eating-screaming-pooping machine separated them. She blinked, touched his arm. "Kay," she yawned.

Ten minutes later, the two of them walked down a dirt path in comfortable sweats. She slid her arm around his and rested her head on his bicep as they strolled. The sun was cresting over the hill, and mist rose off the lake. The greenery was spectacular. Birds sang their spring chorus, and everything was so peaceful and still.

They stopped under a large elm tree. The one Doc liked. The one they buried him near. She held his hand as they took it all in.

"This is nice," she said finally.

"Yeah," Derek agreed. His gaze shifted from the scenery to her. His blue eyes glittered, and she was taken aback by the intensity of them. "I love you," he said with a brilliant smile.

"I-," she started to reply, but he pushed her back against the tree and kissed her. Swallowed her up. Plunged deep into her, tasting every bud.

He pulled away, and she scrabbled for purchase, breathless. "Wha-,"

He kissed her again. "Derek," she giggled against his chest. "Are you a horny teenager?"

He tilted his head, shrugged, "At this very moment, yes." Then he chuckled.

"What?" she asked.

"You just gave me an idea." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a tiny penknife. He flicked it open. "Don't move," he said, and his arm stretched above and to the left of her.

"What are you doing?"

"Stay still." He said, concentrating. She heard the knife grind and the bark above her chip. Bits of wood flicked over her shoulder and landed between them. What on earth was he doing? Stabbing the poor tree?

His expression turned to one of concentration as he worked. She wanted to turn around and look, but he kept her still with his left hand. After a couple minutes, he nodded. "Okay, now you can look."

She stepped back and turned around.

A large heart surrounded the initials M.G+D.S 4EVR

"Really?" she said.

"Yeah." He said, tilting her chin up. "Now shut up and let me kiss you."

"Kay," she sighed into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Now:

Meredith swallowed. It was a happy memory. A good memory. She tried to let it linger in her heart and mind for as long as she could.

"Hellooo," young Derek waved at her, his movement pulling her focus.

"Sorry," she replied. "What?"

"The tree, it's dead." He said.

"So?"

Derek stared thoughtfully at the tree. Dammed if he looked now like he did in that memory. He pointed up high above him. "There's something up there."

Meredith looked up. From a hole in the tree there was a green sprout.

"It's nothing."

"No, there's something there."

And then he started to climb it.

"Derek!" she called worriedly, but the boy ignored her. Of course.

"There's something in that hole," he said. "I just gotta get it."

"Well, be careful!"

Branches rustled, and a twig snapped. Bits of bark fluttered down. "I got it!" he called. "It's a map," he said.

"A map?" Meredith asked herself. Would that get her home? She didn't know.

xxx

Cassie entered the dark woods, flicking the flashlight beam across the path and listened for the stream to help guide her. It still took time, though to get there. Along the way, she'd stopped and pulled a few different types of plants and grasses. Mugwort, for dreaming. The bark of a cedar tree, for purification, and sweetgrass and sage for positive energy.

Near a large oak tree, Cassie cleared brush and dirt aside and set up some large stones for her fire pit. She set up small bits of tinder under larger branches and logs before starting her fire.

Around her, in certain places, she placed the candles and then laid out her sweetgrass.

It had been many, many years since she'd done this. Fanning the cedar smoke, she then carefully burned the sage and sweetgrass. Then the Mugwort.

Cassie wrapped Sam's hoodie around her and sat Indian style in front of the fire, closing her eyes.

Inhaled, exhaled. Out. In. Out. In. She closed off her senses, one by one. First, sight, then touch, taste, smell, sound.

In. she told herself. In with the good. Out. Out with the bad.

When nothingness finally swirled around her, Cassie opened her eyes, seeing into the grayness of another world, and called out, Mother!

A/N: Not really promoting any sort of witchcraft or Wicca here, just trying to use some tools! This probably isn't portrayed on the show but... it's fiction!