Meredith stood on the first step of the trailer, looking out over the yard and trying to figure out how to manage getting down the steps with the platter of corn-on-the-cob in her hands and not over balance.

"Need a hand with that?" Derek asked, coming up to her and taking the platter in one hand and offering her the other. She smiled at him and allowed him to lead her down the steps. He then handed the platter off to Izzie who was headed to the barbeque which Alex was now manning since Derek had come to rescue the Meredith-in-distress.

"Thanks," she said, and he pulled her against him, his arms around her. She leaned her head back onto his shoulder and watched as Cristina sat on the picnic table by Burke, and bit into a strawberry. They were having a fifth of July gathering, since they had all worked on the fourth. It was one of the little things they did, similar to their Thanksgivings.

George caught her eye from across the yard where he stood talking to Joe, his arm around Callie's waist. He raised his Coke can to her and she laughed. She had been surprised at how quickly they had agreed to a dry celebration when Derek insisted, but after working on the fourth and seeing all the stupid things that people did to each other under the influence of alcohol she wasn't as surprised.

Her own reminder of a stupid thing was the knee brace that she would be wearing for another week. She had attempted to take it off that morning, but that was just before Callie drove up, and so she changed her mind.

"I'm glad that we're doing this," Derek murmured in her ear.

"What?" she said, bring her hands up to his arms. "The fete of the century?"

"No," he said, kissing her neck. "The us thing."

"Ah yes," she said, feigning wisdom. "This us thing. I like it too. A lot. There are the many benefits, having a driver and valet all in one, for instance."

"Aren't we facetious today?" Derek asked, teasingly, and she laughed.

"Hey Shepard, are we going to eat today or just look at the pretty landscape?" Cristina asked, and Meredith laughed. Derek released her to go help Alex with the barbecue and she went over to sit at the table with Burke and Crisitna.

"Meredith, you're glowing," Cristina said. "That's weird. I'm not used to Happy Meredith."

"Get used to her," Meredith said, with a sigh, popping a cherry tomato into her mouth. "She's staying."

"Damn right she is," Derek said, putting down a platter and kissing Meredith's cheek.

"You guys are way too cute," Callie said, coming over to sit down. "George, let's never get that cute."

"Cuteness gauge is on and limited," George said, grabbing a hamburger bun. "But I must warn you, George has difficulty not being cute."

"O'Malley, there are men here," Alex said.

"And don't refer to yourself in the third person, it's tacky." Cristina added.

"Oh, shoot, Alex will you get me a soda?" Izzie asked, just as Alex was sitting down.

"Sure," he said. As he stood Meredith saw George and Cristina share a look and George made a whipping motion with one hand. Meredith snorted into her own Coke and Izzie turned.

"What?" she asked, taking the can of soda Alex offered.

"Nothing," Meredith insisted. "Anyone want the potato salad?"

As the sun was setting, Burke unloaded a box of fireworks from the back of his car and set about lighting the sparklers. Meredith sat at the picnic table and Derek stood by her.

"It's a good thing that you don't have neighbors," Meredith said, pensively.

"Oh? And why would that be?"

"Because they'd be out here yelling at us that we are a day late, and completely nuts to be setting off fireworks on the fifth of July."

Derek shrugged. "Who cares what my non-existent neighbors would think, what do you think Meredith Grey?"

Meredith grabbed his hand to pull up and kissed him. "That's what I think," she said, putting her arms around his neck and rubbing her nose against his, he laughed and spun her around before she knew what was happening. Then he swung her up onto the picnic table bench, from whence she threw her arms around his neck and put her legs around them. It was a far cry from running and jumping onto his back, but both had the same end.

He grabbed her legs and carried her over to where Burke was handing out sparklers. Cristina raised an eyebrow at them, obviously thinking something along the lines of: Much too cute. Derek took a sparkler and handed it up to Meredith.

"Derek? This is how the people we treated yesterday ended up in the hospital," she argued, but it was feeble as she waved the sparkler through the sky. It was human nature to forget danger in the face of pretty, sparkly things. That was why there was a place for doctors.

George and Izzie ran around like kids with their sparklers, while Callie looked amusedly on, refusing to take part. Alex was helping Burke light the firecrackers, which went off a few minutes later. It wasn't exactly the display at the lake, Meredith thought as Derek twirled her before letting her slide down to the grass, miraculously not injuring him with the sparkler, but it was fun.

Meredith traced her name in the sky with the sparkler, and eyed George and Izzie longingly. Callie caught her eye and distinctly mouthed Don't even think about it. Meredith smiled. There would be other holidays to run around like a five year old.

Derek joined her again, a sparkler of his own in one hand. The other arm he put around Meredith's waist. "This reminds me of Independence days when I was a kid," he commented. "Of course, most of my sisters were not fans of the noise the fireworks made, but I loved them."

"Already the outdoorsy man you would become," Meredith commented, leaning against him.

"Exactly. I'm sorry it took so long."

"Well," Meredith said, cautiously, "I guess you had to find the girl who would put up with the trout and the other crazy woodsman things. Just don't start with the plaid flannel shirts, I'm not going to put up with the lumberjack look."

Derek laughed and kissed her soundly on the mouth, just as Burke set off another firework.

"I guess they were right," he said, against her lips.

"Who was right?" she murmured, leaning her forehead against his chest.

"The movies. They always said fireworks went off when you kissed the right girl."

Meredith laughed and swatted him playfully. "You are a sappy, sappy man. Who would have thought that the debonair looking drunk guy who picked vulnerable me up from Joe's would turn out to be such a sap?"

"Probably not the girl who picked up the drunk, debonair looking, vulnerable guy up at Joe's." Derek admitted, and Meredith laughed.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked, twirling his fingers through her hair, as George ran by, chasing Callie who had finally decided to have fun.

"For being sappy, for not just being a one-night stand and for being the one who catches me when I fall."

"My pleasure, Meredith," he said. "My pleasure."

Meredith smiled, and pulled back, maneuvering so that she was leaning on his chest. She watched as twilight turned to night and felt absolutely peaceful in his arms. It was perfect. It was more than perfect. It was serene. She sighed and linked on hand in Derek's, waiting and ready to face whatever would happen next.

FIN

A/N So, review and the prologue to As I Lay Me (the sequel to I Wish I May) will be up some time tomrrow!