Chapter 19: I'm Ready to Grow Up

"Come on…answer your fucking phone!" Meredith hissed as she yanked her luggage through the JFK airport at a swift jog. "Move it!" she muttered to the crowds of people standing in her way.

"Taxi!" she called out and waved her arm in the air, luckily one pulled up to the curb right away. She didn't bother throwing her suitcase in the back she just jumped in the seat and tossed it next to her "Thank you!"

"Sure miss." The man nodded "Where to?"

"Derek Anthony Shepherd!" she muttered into the phone "I know we didn't part on good terms last time we saw each other but god damn it I deserve a little more respect than this! Please, I'm begging you! Call me before you get to the alter!"

"Running late to a wedding?" he asked.

"Trying to convince the groom to marry me instead." She sighed, he glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Look, I'll pay you triple your fare and show you my tits, whatever. Just get me to this church in the next fifteen minutes." She said tossing the invitation to him "Now!"

"Will do ma'am."

And with that they were off in a hurry. Whipping through New York streets at lightning speed. Normally she would cuss the cab driver out for the crazy insane way he was moving through traffic but right now she didn't care. Her hands were shaking and her nerves about to unravel as she was slammed around in the back seat of the cab. All she cared about was getting there before he said I do.

This was the day of Derek's dreams. The church was beautiful, it was as if Martha Stewart herself decorated it. All the groomsmen were there and dressed neatly, as were the bridesmaids. Even the flower girls made it down the aisle without incident. And his bride, well she was pretty. He smiled brightly anyway, he'd always wanted to be a groom, even if this weren't his first choice of brides.

He tried not to think of the one he wanted in front of him now. She didn't want to be there, and she made that clear. He dismissed the thought from his mind as the priest asked them to take each other's hands.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two people in holy matrimony."

Derek took a deep breath and calmed his mind to a blank state, just repeat after him. Exactly after him.

"Repeat after me son." The priest said "I Derek, take you Kylie to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"I Derek," he smiled "take you Meredith to be my lawfully wedded wife."

He stopped and wondered if he'd said that out loud or not. But judging by the gasps in the room and the look on Kylie's face he was sure he did

"Kylie…" he mumbled "I take Kylie, not…"

"I speak!" they heard at the back of the church, and looked up to see the doors open and a blonde with unruly hair walking down the aisle out of breath "Or not hold my peace…whatever the hell that saying is."

The church fell to a silence as all eyes were on her. A few gasps flying towards her use of 'choice' words in a church.

"Meredith?" Derek mumbled "What are you doing here?"

"Well you would know." She glared "If you'd answered any one of my phone calls."

"Oh hell no!" Derek heard behind him and turned just in time to see his sister Nancy rushing down the steps "This is a wedding, and though you're not used to courtesy you need to know you're crossing a line. Now go outside and wait, he can talk to you then."

"Nancy." Meredith showed her teeth and stopped in front of her at the front of the aisle "I never liked you. You're an annoying over controlling bitch who only appreciates one's company as long as they do exactly what you want them to do." Nancy reared her head back and looked appalled "Sorry cunt, but I'm no one's puppet."

"How dare you!" Nancy gasped and reached out to push her…Meredith took a step back, reared her arm back and pummeled her fist forward and across Nancy's cheek. There were a few soft screams and gasps as Nancy fell to the floor out cold. Meredith sighed and stepped over her and walked forward, flashed her eyes to the front pew "Sorry mama Shepherd."

"It's been a long time coming dear." Carolyn smiled "She'll be ok." then she mumbled "I was beginning to think you'd never show."

Meredith nodded and walked to the alter, took a step forward and stopped. She looked up at Derek and gulped.

"What are you doing here?" Kylie scoffed "As if you haven't ruined enough for us already."

"I just want to talk to Derek."

"Well your time with him has expired so you'll just have to.."

"Shh!" Derek hissed and put his hand up to her face "Let her speak."

Meredith looked around at the church full of people and sighed "Well this wasn't exactly how I imagined doing this."

"Would you rather wait until after?" he asked.

"No." she shook her head "This is embarrassing, humiliating, and mortifying. And you of all people know that, that doesn't happen easily for me." A hint of a smirk hit his lips as he looked down at her and listened "But that still is nothing….to what it would feel to lose you forever."

Derek turned away from the bride and gave her his full attention, tears watered her eyes and she took another step up "Derek, you are my best friend, my first love, the best sex I have and will ever have…" she heard a few gasps behind her and whispers, she closed her eyes and huffed "Sorry." She opened her eyes to see his amused expression still looking down at her "What I'm trying to say is that….that playing games was fun, and living life for my career got me a lot of money and fame, and I may always say what's on my mind without a censor, I might always want the best out of people, and I will always, always be a pain in the ass….but I'll always love you the most."

His eyes softened a little and he saw a few tears fall from her eyes, she wiped them away quickly.

"I'm scared." She whimpered "I may be a hard ass on the outside but inside I'm still a little girl, and I'm standing in front of my favorite boy. Asking you please…pick me, choose me, love me."

Derek stepped down the last few steps until he stood in front of her, he took her face in his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs as he looked deeply into her eyes.

"Why are you scared?" he asked.

"Because." She said, "I don't want this to go bad, you're the one person I can't stand to lose."

"But you're the one who said it, remember?"

"Remember what?"

"After our first time." He smiled "You told me…"

"That you would never hurt me more than you had to."

"Exactly." He said, "And you have never been righter." A smile graced her lips as she looked intensely up at him "So you really mean all this?"

"I'm ready to grow up, I'm ready for us to grow up."

He leaned his forehead into hers, pressing them together and whispered.

"Then prove it."

What do you think about Meredith stopping the wedding?