So there are more moments that could have saved Derek's life, including if he had gone back to New York with Addison. So here's another take on how to save a life.
Derek was gone. Meredith sighed in frustration. After the events of the previous evening, she believed that things were going to end up going her way, that he would choose her and love her and most of all pick her. But he hadn't. Apparently last night had been one last fling before Derek decided to really fight for his marriage and his wife. And now he was leaving Seattle. He was returning to New York with Addison in tow. And Meredith realized that there was a high likelihood that she would never see his McDreamy smile again. It made the choice easy. Finn Dandridge was a good guy, and he deserved to be more than just someone's second choice. But now there was no choice. Finn was it.
But then Derek returned briefly, and a ferry boat crashed in the harbor and Derek saved her life. And yet somehow he blamed himself for her near drowning, as though his presence brought only pain and suffering. So once she was recovered, he left again.
Five years later
Meredith was at a conference in Washington, D.C. when she stumbled across Derek again. It had been five long years, and they both showed the difference in the time across their faces. There was a little silver showing at Derek's temple and his hair was trimmed shorter than the style he had sported during his time in Seattle. Laugh lines crinkled around Meredith's eyes, and there was a sense that she had gotten more serious. Seeing him again was like a breath of fresh air, like she could finally breathe again, like she had been holding her breath under water and didn't even realize it. As soon as he saw her, he pulled her into his arms, tightly embracing her where they stood for a moment reveling in each other's presence..
Years seemed to fall away as Derek began talking about the new Brain mapping initiative that he was working on for the President and asking Meredith how she'd been. He pulled her across the street of the conference to a small bistro and bought them both coffee and pastries. They seemed to know him there.
"Are you here in D.C. now?" she asked as she picked at the croissant in front of her.
"Yes, I moved here about a year ago, after the divorce was finalized. I'm thrilled to be on this project, but sometimes I miss the rush of surgery." He said with a sheepish grin. "You look good Meredith. How is Finn?"
Meredith sipped at her Mocha. He hadn't even had to ask what to get her to drink, and it was perfect. "Finn and I didn't last. He was a great guy, but it just wasn't meant to be I guess. So I guess you and Addison didn't end up working out either."
"Unfortunately once a cheater always a cheater. She moved to L.A. Ironically she found someone other that Mark. I really thought he was going to stay in Seattle, but Manhattan is the best place for him. Enough hospitals and nurse and… well, he's still being a man-whore." Derek chuckled at his last statement. "I don't think Mark will ever change, but I did see that he's been flying to Seattle occasionally. We keep in touch, especially now Addison is out of the picture."
Meredith grinned up at his, once again mesmerized by his eyes. "Actually, I think he's dating my half-sister. They're very on-again off again, but I think they're getting serious."
"I didn't realize that you had a half-sister who would be dating Mark."
"Her name is Lexie, and actually she just is finishing up her 5th year of residency specializing in Neuro. She wanted to come to the conference, but someone had to stay back in Seattle to watch my patients. I mean, Shadow Shepherd is all right, but he isn't you." Meredith rambled.
"I was so happy to see that you'd passed your boards and specialized in Neuro. I always knew that you had what it takes. I wished that I had stayed there to finish teaching you, but I had to really give all of my effort into trying to repair Addison and I's marriage. I don't regret it, even though it didn't last. It was like continuing CPR even long past when you know the patient is gone…" Derek looked down and stirred the last bit of liquid in his cup which was filled with black coffee. He picked it up and swallowed the last few mouthfuls.
"Derek, now you're the one rambling." Meredith teased as she reached out and brushed against his hand. They both startled at the electricity that jolted through them.
He chuckled, "and that was always your job." Meredith crinkled her nose in amusement, as his thumb began to sweep smoothly across her hand. "Mere, did I hear something about a shooting at Seattle Grace?"
Meredith nodded, "It was awful. Alex Karev was killed. Richard was shot and almost didn't make it. We were reeling for months. I've seriously considered leaving there several times, just because it seems like there is always something awful about to happen. We actually out of my intern class Christina and I are the only ones who made it through. George was hit by a bus. Izzie had a brain tumor that was deemed inoperable, and then the shooting happened. And now Christina has moved to Switzerland, taking over for Burke."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Can I ask why you've stayed?" Derek asked softly.
"I never had a reason to go anywhere else." She shrugged. "I'm alone, since I really have little time for a life outside of the hospital, and I know that isn't really an excuse, but I spend time with my sister, Lexie." Meredith's phone vibrated on the table. She didn't answer the call, but it did alert both of them to the passing of time.
"I've got to head back to the conference, since I'm the key note speaker, but afterwards, why don't we got out to dinner. With the way everything happened in Seattle, I never did really take you on many proper dates."
"That sounds really good Derek. I think I'd like to get to know you again. As long as you promise no secret wives." She winked.
"No secret wives. Addison and I are officially divorced, and I'm not seeing anyone." He assured as he offered his hand to her. She took it, every bit of contact that they had increasingly making her remember what had connected them in the first place. She looked up at him as she rose, wondering if he was feeling the same things that she was. Once they stepped outside of the little bistro her question was answered, as he swooped down to caress her lips with his own. The kiss was intense and the years had not lessened the impact, if anything she felt her desire for him more keenly. He was equally impacted and a kiss that had meant to be a soft one turned hungry and desperate as he pushed her against the brick façade of the building that they had just exited. When he finally pulled away, a breathy "wow" escaped.
She nodded mutely at him, her heart beat pounding in her chest.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" he apologized, but was cut off by Meredith's lips seeking out his own.
"Well what do we have here?" a deep voice rumbled out in a chuckle.
They parted slowly, almost sheepishly, as Derek turned to his grinning friend, "Mark, what are you doing here?" there was a tinge of frustration in his voice.
"I was coming to grab a bite before I went to hear your talk on the Brain Mapping Initiative. Didn't know I stumbled across you sucking face with Meredith Grey. I didn't even know you still were in contact with each other, but clearly you're ready for some - contact." He crowed wolfishly.
"You know, I don't think I missed you at all, Mark." Meredith tossed at him with a glare.
"So you're grown up Neuro-surgeon now, and not just a baby intern. How does that happen? I've missed the other member of the dirty mistresses club." He added with a leer.
"As fun as this reunion is," Derek interrupted, "We need to head back to the conference before I miss my speech." He grabbed Meredith's hand and pulled her towards him. "Is your number the same? Or we can just meet at the registration desk."
"My number is the same. I'll meet you afterwards as long as you don't bring Tweedledum along." She motioned towards Mark.
Derek's eyes sparkled at her, "trust me, I will not be bringing him along."
"Wait a minute," Mark countered, "I'm a surgeon. I'm not dumb." He was studying Meredith's face, and then suddenly blurted out "Grey, do you have a sister?"
"Yes, Mark, you're dating my little sister. How did you just catch on to that? Haven't you noticed that we ramble the same? We both live in Seattle. I thought you knew who Lexie was."
"Huh. Well look at that Derek. We're dating sisters. I always tried to get you to go for those twins that were in our chemistry class our freshman year. They're clearly not twins, but…"
"Let me just stop you there, Mark" Meredith growled. "I'm not going to be any way of a three-some or four-some with you. And we're not dating. We just ate a meal together for the first time in half a decade. Slow down, McSteamy."
"I'm offended 'big grey'," he chuckled at the name. "That's what I'm going to call you from now on. Lexie can be 'little grey'." He smirked at them. "And I wouldn't dare presume, not after the whole Addison debacle. Derek here is pretty territorial." He leered at her, "not that I would be opposed if you were both open. I don't care what you call it, groping, mauling each other, God forbid call it something as innocent as dating, but what I interrupted could get you thrown in jail for public indecency in some countries. You may not be dating, but good luck finding a nicer name for it. Heck, if Derek had stayed in Seattle, you'd probably be married with several kids by now."
Meredith and Derek just nodded and headed back towards the conference with Mark trailing behind them like a misbehaving school boy. Once inside the conference area, they separated as Derek was pulled into a smaller lounge to wait for his turn to speak.
Mark trailed after Meredith, "Big Grey, slow down. I'll sit with you so that you don't have to be awkward alone. I can make even Derek's intellectual speech more interesting by twisting his words into dirty, dirty innuendo. Trust me, at least one of you will thank me later."
"Mark. I'm not an intern anymore. I don't need a babysitter."
"Have you ever considered that I would prefer to sit by someone that I know, like any normal human being?" Mark asked with a lifted eyebrow.
"Fine. You can sit with me, but can you at least be quiet. I actually want to listen to Derek's speech." Meredith returned.
Mark smirked, "Fine. I'll behave and do my best to limit putting too many dirty thoughts into your head, because despite the fact that it has been this long, I'm sure that there is some of that dark and twisty Meredith that already has all of the dirty thoughts swirling. After all, you were about to mount him on the sidewalk just a few minutes ago." He gestured toward the conference room door. "Lead the way, Dr. Grey."
Derek's speech was as exciting as she thought that it would be, even though she struggled to follow him because his voice did something to her that made her not want to follow along, and then every once in a while he would throw a smile in her direction. All too soon the talk was over. The breakout sessions sped past, and Meredith felt as though she were in a haze. She was counting the minutes until Derek was free so that she could spend a little time reacquainting herself with him. It had been too long, and even then, the choice to part had not been hers.
She was standing in the lobby of the hotel waiting for him to call her when she felt warm breath and soft lips suddenly caressing the skin of her neck. She didn't have to turn to know it was him. She could still feel him. That had apparently not changed in the intervening time. "I don't normally let strange men grope and maul me in public like this." She chuckled.
He blew on the warm skin he had been kissing, sending chills down her spine in the most pleasant way possible. "I guess I will have to be thankful that I'm not a strange man. And I have great hair."
She turned towards him, grinning. "I've always loved your hair, even though it has a little bit of silver mixed in now."
"Why don't we find a nice restaurant away from here. I don't want to be interrupted with the little time that I get to spend with you. Or I could cook you something at my house." He offered.
"You know how much I eat out. I think I'd like that. What are you planning on cooking?" Meredith quizzed as he grabbed her by the hand and headed towards the nearby parking garage.
"I could make you a steak and baked potato. We even stop at a store on the way and get you some Strawberry ice cream."
"Do we need to go to a specialty store to get your coffee ice cream?" she quizzed.
"No, I've come to enjoy strawberry. But I appreciate that you remember." he smiled as he led her to his car,opening the passenger door for her before getting in on his side. As they drove and picked up the ice cream and steaks, they discussed the different doctors that had been at Seattle- Grace during his brief tenure as chief of Neurosurgery. Meredith regaled him with the goings on of the hospital, informing him of the merger with Mercy West.
"You haven't been single for five years have you?" he quizzed.
"Well, no. For a brief time, I dated Jackson Avery, of the Harper Avery awards. And I've dated some, but no one was every right." she said glancing at him. "No one was ever you."
Derek looked over at her, while he waited at the red light. "Meredith, you can't..."
"Can't say what I'm thinking or feeling. I've grown up a lot since you left Seattle. I'm mostly whole and healed, or at least nearly a functional human." she defended.
He pulled smoothly into a drive way of relatively modest house, pushing the garage door button. He pulled in to the three car garage, with one of the spots sitting empty. "It isn't that I don't want you to tell me this, I just don't want you to have wasted time on me. I'm not worth it." He unbuckled, but Meredith was out of the car before he could make it to her side. So he reached behind behind her and grabbed the groceries.
"What do you mean you're not worth it? Derek you're a freaking gorgeous highly sought after Neurosurgeon. Don't you get how many of those women wanted to capture?" She followed him as he led her into the house. The house was immaculately clean, the dark wood floors gleaming with polish. The colors were warm and welcoming. "Wow, Derek your home is beautiful."
"I bought it when I moved here. It at least has a small backyard to grill out in, but aside from my family, I really haven't had many guests." He gestured around his living room before leading her into the kitchen. The home had clearly been modernized, but was tastefully blended with the historical style of the home. A set of French doors led out onto a covered patio. He stored the ice cream in the freezer before going out and lighting the grill. Meredith offered to help him, but he declined.
"Meredith, I know it has been a long time, but as I recall you're idea of gourmet is a grilled cheese." he chuckled.
"I'll have you know that I can toss a mean salad, and I can wash the potatoes and microwave them." He started to protest, but she inserted "I know to poke the potato so that it doesn't explode. Derek, its been five years and I have had to learn some things, even if I'm still not a chef. I have graduated to hamburger helper." she added with a chuckle.
"Why on earth am I cooking if you are capable of such culinary feats?"
Meredith fixed the salad and potatoes while Derek grilled the steaks. He poured them both a glass of red wine. They assembled the meal and sat together enjoy the time together. "Derek, this steak is perfect. You should open your own restaurant."
HE watched as she slid the final bite into her mouth. "Meredith, did I make a mistake coming back with Addie?"
She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, "As much as I wish you had chosen me after my dramatic speech, I think I needed some time to get past my childhood. I needed to find who I was, beyond the girl who went from one one-night-stand to another. I needed to find something more, and I guess I did. Maybe I would have figured it out if you had been there, but maybe I would have. I spent so long living under my mother's shadow. I think it took her being gone to get past the way she treated me. I guess she did the best that she could have, and I think I needed to find myself away from you."
"So have you found yourself?"
"I have Derek." Meredith rose from her seat and began clearing the table.
"You're a guest. You don't have to do that." he smiled, coming up behind her as she dipped her hands in the hot soapy water.
"I know Derek. But I don't want to leave you to clean up my messes." she sighed as his arms surrounded her. He ran his fingers down her arms until his descended into the water. He began caressing her hands with his before dropping his mouth to her neck, softly sucking before pulling an earlobe into his mouth, gently pulling on the skin with his teeth. "Derek..." she gasped as she set the last piece out of the water into the drainer. She turned to him meeting his mouth with her own, her still soapy hands reaching to thread through his hair. He lifted her so that she sat on the counter, the cold of the smooth granite seeping through her thin dress slacks. He stepped between her legs and continued his assault on her mouth.
After several minutes Derek pulled away, breathing heavily. "do you want this?" he asked.
Meredith slid from the counter and moved towards him. "Nothing has changed." She pushed up on her tip toes and kissed him again.
His eyes sparkled. "Is it possible for it to be as good as I remember?" he chuckled.
"Why don't we see."
When the conference ended, Meredith began considering moving away from Seattle, after all it wasn't that she had very many friends there. She had Lexie, but it seemed the Lexie and Mark were growing more serious, so it was possible that Lexie would be moving to NEw York. There was Dr. Bailey, but as much as MEredith appreciated her, they weren't close friends. Dr. Webber had tried to take over as a father figure in her life, but it would always bother Meredith that he had been partially the cause for her unhappy childhood. As months passed with frequent trips between Washington and Seattle, Derek asked her to move in. And Meredith took the chance and found an opening in Washington that would advance her career and be closer to Derek. It seemed like it had all worked out after all. For the first time in her life, she felt like all of the puzzle pieces were finally fitting together. She thought for a moment saying that she was blessed, but she refused to feed fate, because fate would stab her in the back in a heartbeat. But this twist of fate was enough, and Meredith was happy to arrive with all of her bags and boxes and move into Derek's house. No more flying back and forth between the coasts. She was home to stay.
****************How trying to save his marriage saved Derek Shepherd's life************