A/N: There's a silver lining in this whole Covid-19 business: quarantine gives me time to update! See, two updates in less than a week. Unbelievable, right?

Title for this chapter comes also from Oblivions, again from the album I Am Easy To Find.

This song also has this amazing line that well...how can you not? "It's the way you say yes when I ask you to marry me" You'll see why it's so appropriate as you read on! I could quote this whole song, because the lyrics are a masterpiece.

Anyhow, enjoy the song, keep washing your hands and read more fanfic instead of going outside!


Chapter 26 - You Won't Walk Away, Won't You?


"Are you all packed up?"

Meredith has repeated this question at least five times for each child, plus six times for his sake, but Derek is every time more amused.

"Oh, wait…" he says, leaving her on the edge for a second, a large grin spreading across his face. "Yes. We have everything; stop worrying."

"Derek, I trust you, but it's the first time I will be away from them for something that is not work-related."

"Well, it could be good practice for when we'll leave for conferences?" He grins, but she sends him a murderous look.

"We can take them with us sometimes. Can't we?"

"We could. I think. If they don't have school." He thinks about the conferences he has attended so far, but not many were kid-friendly. "Depends on how tight of a schedule we will have, really."

Meredith exhales loudly. Her furrowed brow is adorable and he steps closer to her to kiss the frown away. Derek's lips linger on her soft skin and he closes his eyes to take in her flowery smell, to bottle it up in his brain for the next two days.

She wraps her arms around him in a loose hug, his own fingers stroking her back softly, memorizing the feel of her body against his in such a graceful, gentle manner. The world slows down, his breathing even outs, and peace fills him, in spite of the chaos right before departure.

"Daddy! Daddy! The tackle box is missing!" Logan bursts in the kitchen, his already wide eyes bulging out of their sockets at the sight of the embrace.

Derek smiles, sighing loudly, touching his lips against Meredith's forehead for a last kiss before he leaves her arms to solve the mystery of the missing tackle box.

"Go find the tackle box, Der."

Her words trigger the world's normal speed, and Derek sees Logan shift on his feet, impatient that a key component of their trip is already missing.

"Has Ethan seen it?" Derek asks, making sure the mystery is a true mystery and not a simple prank. Mark used to be very apt at hiding tackle boxes.

"I don't know. ETHAN!" Logan shouts, and Derek cracks a smile.

Seconds later Ethan sprints in the room, wearing identical clothes to his twin, with cargo pants, olive green t-shirt, and a fishing vest, which pretty much sums up Derek's own attire.

"What is it?" He asks. "Are we leaving now?" Ethan's eyes brighten with excitement.

"Have you seen the tackle box?" Derek asks.

"I put it in the trunk of the car like you asked, Daddy. Is that okay?"

Logan lets out a relieved sigh. "Oh, good. I thought we'd lost it!"

Derek smiles, as Meredith sighs loudly.

"Are we ready to leave?" Ethan asks, bouncing on his feet.

"Did you go to the bathroom?" Derek asks in return. Both boys sprint away. Derek turns to Meredith then, smiling at her, trying to reassure her. "We'll be okay. And we're in an area with phone reception, I made sure of it. It's not a truly remote backcountry fishing expedition just yet."

"I know. Deep down, I know it. And I know you will all enjoy this immensely, I'm just...worried."

"They are good kids, and they mostly listen to me, so we'll be okay."

Meredith grimaces. "I'm sorry. I trust you with them, I trust you blindly, it's not...I'm not…"

"Then breathe. Relax. Take your first day off in seven years and breathe."

"I'm on call the whole weekend." She rolls her eyes.

"I know. But still, no boys. Free time."

Meredith doesn't look convinced, though, in spite of his million reassurances.

"I love you, Mer, and I love them. We'll have a great time."

She hums, still unconvinced, and he plants a quick kiss on her lips, right before the boys run back in the kitchen.

"Are we going now?" They ask in unison.

Derek laughs. "My turn for the bathroom, then yes, we're leaving."

The twins cheer as he tries to hurry in the bathroom. When he gets back to the kitchen, Meredith is squeezing their children in tight hugs, much to their annoyance.

"Daddy is ready!" Ethan wheezes when he emerges from Meredith's grip. Both children scramble away from their mother, and Meredith straightens herself up.

"I know you will have a great time with your dad, but I will miss you."

"We'll miss you too, Mommy," Logan says, giving her a quick hug.

"Okay, chop-chop, time for your adventure!" she says, turning to Derek with a watery smile.

"Go get buckled," Derek adds, and the children run outside to the car while he gathers his backpack from the foyer. "I'll text you when we get there, okay?"

"Thank you. I know we all need this. I don't know why I'm being so emotional, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's a first for all of us."

Meredith leans into him for a fast kiss, and he tries to reassure her just a bit more.

"I love you," she whispers, and he echoes her before he lets go of her and moves to the driver seat in his car.

The kids are already buckled and waving excitedly at their mother. Meredith is standing on her front porch, waving back, the weight of the world on her shoulders, yet she's still smiling.

Derek turns the engine on, and before they know it, they're off on the highway, headed towards their weekend cabin in the woods.

Even though he lucked out and getting there includes taking a ferry, which the kids love immensely, Derek had grossly underestimated how bored the kids would be during the long car drive. He tries to keep them engaged by asking questions and trying to explain some fishing secrets his own father had passed onto him.

It doesn't seem real that he can share his father's teachings with his own sons, something he had considered behind him at this point. Yet, the smile on his face grows with each curious question Ethan and Logan pose.

The highway turns into a state road, then to smaller and rougher roads until they're driving onto tightly packed soil and Derek tries to avoid the larger bumps, even though the kids crack up at each hole as if they were on a rollercoaster.

The campground appears after a few more turns and bends, with its carefully built wooden cabins, picnic tables, and a large sign with a logo of a smiling rainbow trout.

"Daddy, is this the campground?" Ethan asks, his eyes bright with excitement.

"Looks like it. If we're not lost." Derek laughs.

"Is the place called Lazy Lenny's?" Logan giggles and Derek laughs as well.

"Yep. Because we're not actually camping, we will have one of those tiny wooden cabins, instead of a tent."

"Why aren't we going in a tent?"

"Because you were just sick a couple of weeks ago, and you're not even sure you like fishing, so I thought we should be comfortable the first time out."

They don't look very convinced.

"My dad, Grampa Shepherd, did the same with me and Uncle Mark the first time he took us fishing. After that, we went with tents, and often with my cousins."

"Oh, that would be cool! We could go when Annabel comes!" Ethan grins, and Logan agrees with him.

"We'll see. First, we have to figure out if you like fishing in the first place."

"Right." Logan sighs.

"We can camp in a tent even when we don't fish, right? I read a library book about a guy that went to the North Pole to study bears and he was living in a tent," Ethan says.

"That's true. We can camp when we go hiking, too. But those are long, hard hikes, we need to train for them." Derek tries to deflate their enthusiasm, even though he would love to take a weekend and hike with them when they're older.

"Mommy likes hiking, she can come with!" Logan grins.

"We'll ask her when we get home," Ethan says, nodding.

Derek parks his car in front of the campsite office, ready to check in. He knows they would enjoy this kind of weekend getaway even with Meredith, and he is excited to take her here at some point. His heart is full of possibilities, bursting with all kinds of scenarios when they will be an official family, even more so than they are now.

He is constantly surprised by how much his life has changed since he left New York. He can't imagine where he would be if he hadn't taken that flight to Seattle.

The boys are happy to explore every inch of their cabin as soon as they step inside it. It's nothing fancy, just an open-space kitchen and living room, a master bedroom and a smaller room with two twin beds, but they really don't need much more than this.

They get settled quickly since the boys are eager to explore. They make some quick sandwiches before they decide to go on a short hike to a secluded lake nearby.

He asked around the hospital and some of his colleagues had awesome camping tips for the area, so he wants to explore this small lake first, then maybe go for a longer hike tomorrow and check out a bigger lake that Owen Hunt said is full of pikes and rainbow trouts.

They gather all the things they need to go fishing, then load their backpacks with the sandwiches, the thermal water bottles the boys are so excited about, and snacks. The twins are happy to carry their load, and Derek can't believe how well they are behaving.

It takes them less than twenty minutes to reach the gorgeous alpine-like lake they were looking for, and Derek is in awe.

"Daddy, this is so beautiful!" Logan cries out as soon as they spot the lake, right after a bend in the path.

"The water is so blue!" Ethan echoes before they both sprint in the direction of the water.

"Be careful!" Derek says, but he'd be running too if he were their age. He hadn't seen such a gorgeous lake in a long time.

He missed being in nature for extended periods of time. After he came back from Europe and threw himself into work, walking around was never a priority, and after a while, he stopped doing it altogether. He's glad he can rediscover the beauty of it with his kids.

They settle their gear on a rock, near the edge of the lake, and he begins helping his children with the fishing poles. Luckily, they are fast and eager learners, and it doesn't take long before their lines are cast and they're waiting for fish to bite.

"Daddy, we can talk when we wait, right?" Logan asks in a whisper, looking at his fishing pole.

"Of course. That's what makes it fun."

"Do you tell stories like at bedtime when you're fishing?" Ethan asks.

"I can; if you want to. Or we can talk about our days, what makes us happy, what makes us sad...There's nothing else distracting us, so it's nice to chat. It was always my favorite part."

"So this is what you did with your dad?" Logan asks.

"Yeah. And my best friend Mark after my dad died."

The boys are quiet for a second before Ethan asks: "Were you sad when your dad died?"

"Very sad. I'm still sad sometimes." Derek admits, taking a deep breath.

"What happened to him? Was he sick like me before I got the new heart?" Logan asks.

"No. He had a store, and two people came in to rob it. One of them had a gun and shot my dad when he wouldn't give him his watch, and then he died."

"Oh, but he could have given the watch. Did it cost a lot of money? Is that why the bad guy wanted the watch?" Ethan asks, a frown on his face.

"Well, no, but Nana had given it to him, so he liked this watch very much. He didn't think the guy had a gun, so that's why he said no."

"That guy was a really bad person, Daddy." Logan sighs.

"Yes, but he's in jail now. I couldn't change anything, I just had to learn how to live without my dad."

"It's not fun, Daddy. Not at all," Ethan whispers, but Derek hears it and his chest constricts painfully again.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you were babies. I'm sorry." He can't help the words escaping his lips. He wishes he could take them back as much as he'd take back all the time he spent in New York without them.

"Daddy, it's okay. Mommy explained that it was just a big misunderstanding. It happens." Logan is almost too relaxed, too okay with this. He's not sure how this happened.

"I'm here now, though." Derek gives them a soft smile.

"Yes! And you're not going away, ever. Right?" Logan asks.

Derek sees the perfect opening. "No, I'm not. In fact," he pauses, waiting for both children's undivided attention "I want to ask your mom to marry me."

"What?" Ethan squeaks, his eyes wide.

"Marry Mommy. So we can be a family forever."

Both kids are wide-eyed and with unreadable expressions. Derek takes a deep breath. Did he say the wrong thing?

"Will Mommy have to wear a white dress and all that?" Ethan asks.

"Depends on what she likes. Maybe you can help us plan the wedding," he says tentatively.

"Daddy, if you get married to Mommy you'll be our real daddy forever, right?"

"I already am your real daddy forever, but yes, even on paper, I'll be forever stuck with you two. And your mom. Mostly your mom, because you won't get rid of me easily."

Logan grins, cutting the tension in half. "This is so cool, Daddy! So, so cool!"

Derek sighs in relief.

For the rest of the day, the wedding and the marriage are almost the only topics the two boys ask questions about. They seem eager to know all the details, how everything will work, and what it means for them to become a family in the eyes of the law.

By the time the weekend is over and they have eaten fish for almost all their meals, the boys are eager to get home even if it simply means to start getting ready for the wedding of the century. At least of their century. Derek is always thoroughly amused by their antics.

He has shown them the ring he has treasured for so long, his mother's ring, and they even helped him plan the re-proposal. Which, in their eyes, it has to happen as soon as they climb out of the car. They are bouncing in their seats as they get closer and closer to home.

By the time he pulls into the driveway, the kids are almost unbuckled and out of the car before he can turn the engine off.

They storm in the house, still full of energy, shouting "Mommy, we're home!"

When Derek brings the first of the bags inside, he sees Meredith kneeling in the foyer, both boys wrapped in her arms as she giggles at the two wriggling creatures in her arms.

"How was your trip?" she asks.

"We got so many trouts, it was amazing! Daddy is the best at fishing." Logan admits, grinning at him.

"Daddy has a question for you!" Ethan blurts, and Derek rolls his eyes. They didn't even have time to take their shoes off and he's already putting their plan in motion.

"A very important question, Mommy. Ears open!"

Meredith grins, looking at him puzzled as she rises on her feet. Derek sighs, fidgeting in the pocket of his vest. Now he knows why the boys insisted he'd put the ring in his pocket.

"Go on, Daddy!" Logan stage-whispers, stealing a chuckle from his lips.

He takes a deep breath before it's his turn to kneel in the foyer, as the boys step aside. Meredith's eyes are dancing in amusement, but they're also filled with tears.

"Meredith Elizabeth Grey," he says, his voice catching in his throat, then lowering his tone. "I really wanted to wait at least until dinner."

Meredith laughs, tears ready to fall down her cheeks. "I know."

"The boys said yes. Will you say yes, too?"

Her giggle fills the air again. "Corny! Yes to what, dinner?"

"Daddy, you need to ask the question!" It's Ethan's turn to whisper suggestions.

"Ok, fine!" he pretends to grumble, winning another giggle from Meredith.

Before he can continue, though, a figure enters the door, and his eyes widen at the sight of Ellis Grey there.

"Is this a bad time?" she asks, and Derek can't help the belly laugh that erupts from him. Between him and Meredith, they are in tears, while the boys and Ellis stare at them in bewilderment. "I can come back later?" Ellis adds, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"No, stay," Derek manages to splutter out, as he tries to recompose himself.

He straightens his pose on his knee and holds out the blue velvet box in his palm.

"Oh, that's what's happening!" Ellis says, a full smile on her face. "Don't stop on my account."

"As I was saying," Derek begins, clearing his throat from another impending laugh. "Meredith Elizabeth Grey, will you marry me?"

Meredith grins, her eyes dancing. "I already said yes, remember?"

"Humor me?" He cocks his head to the side.

"Yes, Derek, I will marry you."

The boys cheer as he slips the ring on her finger and comes up on his feet to kiss her. His future wife. Wife. Meredith, with his ring.

He lets his lips speak for him, taste her, cement that this is forever.

"Okay, you two, there are children present." Ellis clears her throat, and they spring apart. "Congratulations."

Derek holds Meredith close, unable to let go of her just yet. Both of them are beaming, and the kids, too. It seems impossible they managed to get here. He's in a haze of incredulity. Even if they've been engaged for two weeks, now it's real. Fully, truly, real, not their little secret anymore.

"Now, as romantic and heartwarming this is, I came here because Columbia just called me and he wants my two top neurosurgeons there for a conference."

"What?" Meredith blinks, turning to him to check if she heard right. He feels like checking his hearing, too. He's not sure, but he thinks he heard two. As in them.

"Yeah. They read about your spinal cord tumor and they want to include you both in a neuroscience seminar next month. Key speakers."

"Again, what?" Meredith's eyes are now wide.

"Conference. In New York City."

"Key speakers?" Derek echoes, a bit in disbelief himself. It wouldn't be his first seminar, but key speaker is definitely a first. And key speaker with Meredith by his side? The height of his career.

"Key speakers." Ellis confirms. "Shall I call Patricia to book the trip?"

Both of them start laughing.

Well, he guesses they can tell his own family in person about the engagement. They're going to New York!


A/N: We had some lovely fishing, some re-proposal, a new adventure...What more could you want? :P

Thank you again for reading and reviewing, I'm so happy I can finally dedicate some of my time to this fic. You guys are amazing for being so patient with me. Hopefully (for me and my sanity) the quarantine will end soon, but also (for you and this story) I'll take the best I can get from this forced time spent inside.

Stay safe!