Disclaimer: If I owned Grey's Anatomy we would not be in the middle of a summer hiatus. Because this life without new episodes of GA is literally killing me. Besides, most of the actors didn't take the time off anyway; they're just working at other things.
So here it is the last chapter, you're happily ever after. Because ultimately, I had no votes for me not to write this, everyone wanted it. So here it is. And yes, this is the last last chapter. Sorry.
This chapter happen five years into the future. Meredith's POV is basically a flashback (hence the italics). Derek's explains where they are now.
GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA
Meredith's POV:
I rest my head on my pillow as I listen to the water run in the shower, as my husband prepares himself for his day that was starting far too early. I yearned to join him, to distract him. But he had an important surgery in an hour and had to get there on time. And I needed sleep. It wouldn't be long till I had to wake the kids up.
Instead of sleeping, I lay there and think.
Life had changed in the past five years, in way I had never expected until I stood over that big hole. And people think I'm talking figuratively when I say that. There really was a big hole.
As I hear my husband start to hum in the shower, something he had started doing in the last five years, I gaze at the ring on my finger.
"Derek, I know what the house looks like, why am I blindfolded?" I asked, as he held me by the shoulders, carefully leading me from the trailer to the top of the hill where our finished house now stood.
"It's a surprise." All he said.
"Derek, I know it's finished. It's no surprise."
"Just trust me."
"Der,
we move in tomorrow. Shouldn't we be at home packing?"
"Yes.
After the surprise."
Derek knows I don't like surprises. In my life surprises had always led to bad things. Surprise . . .you're dad is leaving. Surprise . . . you're boyfriend is married. Surprise . . . you're boyfriend is staying married. Surprise . . .you're pregnant. Bad things.
Of course, there was Surprise . . .there's a big hold in the ground.
Maybe I should trust him. Those other surprises had been years ago.
"I don't want to trust you."
"You never do. Too stubborn, Mer."
"I like being stubborn. You like me being stubborn."
"Meredith, just enjoy the moment."
"Fine." I pout.
Before I know what is happening, Derek has removed the blindfold and I'm staring at my new home, the one on the hill overlooking the water. The one Derek, Emily and I were going to live in. Together.
Candles fill every window.
"Surprise."
"Derek. Wow. It's beautiful."
"See, it was a surprise. And it's not over." He says taking my hand gently. I find myself wondering how he had gotten so romantic. In the last 6 months we had taken to finish the house things had just improved more and more between us. It was good this time. We were good. But through it all, he had never been like this.
We entered the house together and he released my hand, leaving my free to wander around. The front entrance was full of lavender scented candles, and rose peddles littered the floor. "You better be planning on cleaning that up by tomorrow." I laugh, feeling a little breathless.
"I will. Explore Meredith, look around your home. Our home." He says and disappears in another direction.
I walk, taking in my fill of every beautiful room. The house is perfect, the one I had always dreamed of. It felt right to be moving here with my family. Family. I had never really expected one of those. Tonight each room was empty of furniture, as that would come tomorrow. Instead they were filled with candles and rose peddles.
Finally I make it up to the master bed room, and find my McDreamy standing in the middle of the room, that's filled with candles and peddles like all the rest. And along the walls rest picture frames, framed pictures of the wonderful life we were sharing together. Pictures of Emily and us. Pictures of us.
My breath hitches. I know what's about to happen.
"Marry me, Mer?"
Silently I nod my head, to choked up by emotion to even attempt to squeeze a word out. I walk closer to him and allow him to slip the diamond ring onto my finger. Our eyes meet. His are filled with tears, matching mine..
"I know we said slow, but Mer, this is right."
I nod my head. "I love you, Derek."
"I love you too, Meredith."
He leans in and kisses me. I kiss him back, in a way I never had before. Giving myself to him completely, knowing that he is what completes me. Without another word, we start to remove each other's clothing, silently making love, surrounded by candles, peddles and picture frames.
The candlelight glistening off the diamond.
Wiping a tear from my eye I slowly come back from my memory of that night. Up until the day we got married that had been the best moment of my life. When everything had finally made sense. It had been so perfect.
The man I loved had made it so perfect.
Not thinking of surgeries, or the children that needed waking, I leaped out of bed and ran to the washroom, hoping that Derek wasn't too close to being done his shower.
He wasn't.
I stepped in behind him, he was too lost in thought to even notice me. I silently wrapped my arms around him. He leaned back and sighed, a happy sound. One of completion.
"I love you, Derek Shepherd."
"I love you too, Meredith Shepherd." he said, with a smile as he turned around to meet me. To meet my face. To meet my lips.
He was going to be late for work. Chief Burke would just have to understand.
Mmm, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together
Derek's POV:
Today had been a long day at SGH.
I had been running late because of the run in with Mer in the shower earlier on in the day. But that had been nice. The two back to back surgeries I had hadn't been so nice. Besides, the hospital just didn't feel the same anymore.
It was lonely without Meredith there.
She was still on maternity leave from having Ashley 6 months before.
Today had been a long day. I was beyond happy to be home.
"Honey?" I ask, as I entered the door, trying to hide the flowers I had brought home for her behind my back.
"Derek! You're home! Finally." Meredith said, rushing to give me a quick peck hello. "The DVD player is acting weird, and Kaden wants to watch his video so he's not happy at all. And when Kaden's not happy . . ."
"No one is." Kaden, my two year old son, was hell on wheels. I adored him. "I'll go look at it. But first . . ." With a flourish, I pull the lavenders out from behind my back.
"Oh, Der, you shouldn't have!" Meredith exclaimed.
"Of course, I should have. You do remember what day it is?"
"I could never forget. It's the anniversary of our first shift together at Seattle Grace." Meredith said, beaming. She looked rested and happy. Beautiful.
"I'll never forget that first surgery we had together. Good old Katie Price." I said, thinking back to that day. It had changed my life.
"I love you Derek."
"I love you too Meredith. And I miss you being at the hospital with me." I lean and gently begin to kiss her, a kiss full of promises of what would come later that night, when our hellion children were finally asleep.
"Ewww. Could you two get a room or something?" Emily said walking in the back door. She was 11 now. Her parents were no longer the super heroes they had been when she was 5 going on 6. She still admired them, wanted to be a doctor just like them. But seeing them kiss was a little too much.
"Young lady, if I do remember correctly, this is my home. You just live in it. So I don't need a room."
"Whatever, Dad." Sometimes I missed the days when she had called me daddy.
I leaned over and kiss her head. "How was your first day of Grade 5?"
"Good. But my teacher's an idiot."
"Emily!" Meredith said, trying to sound stern. Stern never really sounded right on her. I just laughed.
"Why is he an idiot?" I ask, trying to look a little more serious as Meredith shot me a dirty look.
"I told him I wanted to be a surgeon when I grew up. He told me it was a lot of work and that it was all but impossible. And then he said maybe I should think of something else I wanted to do. Something else!" She threw her hands in the air, looking exasperated.
"Did you tell him who your parents are?"
"I did. I said to him that he obviously had never met my parents. That they were the Shepherds. And he looked at me blankly."
"Blankly? The name didn't ring a bell?" I said, starting to silently agree with my daughter that the man was an idiot.
"It didn't. So I explained that you two were famous neurosurgeons. So I knew all about the hard work."
"He must have loved that." Meredith muttered under her breath, putting the flowers in a vase.
"Some people are so clueless." Emily said, with a roll of her eyes.
"He must have been less than happy with you." Meredith said, but I could tell she was fighting off a smile.
"He was even less amused when I explained to him in detail the craniotomy that dad let me watch last week. He kind of turned green, a little too squeamish if you ask me."
"Emily." Meredith. Trying to be stern again.
I just laughed. "I remember when you used to be too squeamish to touch worms."
"Worms are gross. Brain surgery is cool."
"Well if you think it's so cool, you should go do your homework. So you can be that surgeon one day, and prove to your teacher he was wrong."
"Will do, Mother. However, I need a snack first." Emily responded cheerfully reaching into the cookie jar. Izzie always managed to stop by often enough to keep it full.
"You're so cute when you're trying to be stern." I said, walking to stand beside my wife and nuzzling the side of her neck.
"I am not!"
"Oh, that's what you think. But cute is good. I like cute."
Meredith laughed. "Oh, don't I know it."
"Ew. You two are disgusting happy people. It's gross." With that Emily turned to walk upstairs.
"Remember when Izzie was Emily's favourite aunt? I miss those days. I think our daughter has been spending far too much time with Cristina as of late" I say, fishing a cookie out of the jar.
"She is starting to sound a little too much like her."
"It's scary. She should be a mini-me. Or you. Not mini-Cristina."
Meredith just sighed, in a tired way. It still managed to sound happy.
"Remember, tomorrow since you have the day off we're going to spend it with everyone."
"Big family reunion, how could I forget?"
"It will be fun, Der."
"It will. I would be more fun pawning the children off on the Burkes and having you all to myself."
"Derek." She's trying to sound stern again. "We can't pawn them off to Cristina and Preston. Cristina is 9 months pregnant! And you just said that Emily spends too much time with her."
"Okay, the Karevs can take them. Or George."
"No they can not. Izzie would feed them all day. And George can't take care of the three all by himself. It's family day, Der. We're part of that family."
"Fine," I said, pretending to pout. I really was looking forward to tomorrow, but I loved my wife. Alone time with her was just as tempting. Before I could finish my thought Kaden came barreling into the room. That was how our son traveled, didn't walk, didn't run, barreled.
"Daddy!" he yelled, grabbing onto my legs. As I bent over to pick him up, I caught Meredith's eye.
"Sometime soon, though, we are pawning the brats off and going somewhere alone."
"That would be nice, Der. Really nice." She said smiling. It had been over two years since our last time truly alone. We were happy, our marriage was good. But it was time to be alone again.
Before I could say anything else, Ashley's cry sounded out over the baby monitor. "Ashley Crisitna Shepherd, what is your problem today?" Meredith asked looking into the monitor. "She's been crying all day."
"Want me to go check on her?" I asked.
"No, you take care of Kaden and the dvd player. I've got this." Meredith said, giving me a quick peck on the cheek and heading upstairs.
She turned back one last time just as she exited the door and sent me I smoldering smile. I love you, I mouthed, knowing she would understand. She smiled again, mouthed it back and with a sigh ran up the stairs.
"So Kaden Alexander Shepherd, what seems to be the problem?" I said looking down at the beautiful blond haired boy in my arms. Some how are only son ended up having Meredith's hair. I was starting to wonder if we needed to have another son, so he could inherit my hair.
"Mommy broke it."
I laughed, and Kaden laughs with me,
I love my life in a way I didn't even know was possible.
Phewh! Derek's side of this story ended up being about 100 times longer than it was supposed to be. But I started writing it and was having so much fun with it I just didn't want to stop. So long it is.
In case you missed things . . .Derek and Meredith now have 3 children. Emily (who is 11). Kaden (who is 2). And Ashley (who is 6 months). Derek is slowly coming to the conclusion he wants another. Burke and Cristina are married, and Cristina is pregnant. And the Karevs . . . that would be Alex and Izzie. And George is still single …not because I don't want to see him find someone, but this story was too Mer/Der centric to introduce anyone new for him. And I hate him with Callie.
Meredith's side is the flashback, because I thought of this beautiful proposal and had to throw it in. And Derek doesn't make a speech, all he says is marry me . . .because I personally hate before proposal speeches. Let the proposal speak for itself.
Derek's side is just a random evening in the life of the Shepherds. And I LOVE it. How he comes home with flower for Meredith, and she all thankful and they're romantic but they get sidetracked by the kids, who need things. And the DVD player is broken. And their 11 year old has an attitude. And the baby's crying. And the two year old barrels places. And Derek is just begging to find some alone time with Mer, who's the love of his life. To me that whole scene just captured the every day normal life, but still has such a happiness to it, that is only possible with Derek and Meredith.They're so happy it hurts. And they're happy with the normalcy of it all. And they're still so in love. Who doesn't want that for them? God, I really loved that scene.
So this is it. This story is now finished. No matter how much begging you all do. But thanks for begging! Seriously. I really had a lot of fun writing this one, tons of fun. I've written a lot of different things before, but never had this much fun with it. I loved it. And thanks for all the feedback and praise. I'm glad to know my work is appreciated. Thank you for everything, you guys are the best! (which is obviously why you're GA fans).
And although this is the end of this story, don't be sad. I'll still be around writing. Watch for My Season 3 . . .which I have already started but it's going to be modified to fit a different scenario (the icky one in which Finn is around for 6 episodes). And also I have a few more purely Mer/Der ideas in my head. Some unexpected. But it will all be good. So this isn't goodbye! I have too many GA thoughts in my head to end things here. I have like 3 fanfics already written in my head. So please, stay tuned!