Okay, I know, I know. I killed Leni. Sorry about that; I can honestly say that killing off my fictional character was really, really hard to do. I'll miss her, too, because she was such a fun character to write. But everything happens for a reason. Or at least it does in the wonderful world of fanfiction.

Chapter Fourteen: Arms Wide Open

Well, I just heard the news today
It seems my life is going to change
I closed my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face
With arms wide open under the sunlight
Welcome to this place; I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
Well, I don't know if I'm ready to be the man I have to be
I'll take a breath, I'll take her by my side
We stand in awe, we've created life
With arms wide open under the sunlight
Welcome to this place; I'll show you everything
With arms wide open, now everything has changed
I'll show you love, I'll show you everything
With arms wide open

Creed

…

As Addison and Derek lay on the hood of his car that evening under the starry sky, Elena sleeping peacefully across Addison's stomach, it was the first time in a month that neither of them felt like breaking down into tears. Granted, there was still a hollow, empty space that weighed upon them heavily, this was the first day that they felt they could breathe.

The funeral had been in Seattle three weeks before that evening; it was a small, personal ceremony, but they all knew that it was the way that Leni would have wanted it. And much to Addison's surprise, she had witnessed genuine emotion from Bill toward his daughter; she hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but it truly touched her heart when she heard him whisper how sorry he was for not being the kind of father she had deserved.

And as promised, that day they had taken Elena on her first ferryboat ride. She had made happy baby noises as they rode over the water, and Derek had smiled with the realization that his daughter already seemed to share his passion. They had also taken her for a walk in the park that afternoon, and it had honestly been a wonderful day.

"It's nice tonight," Derek said, mostly just to fill the silence. Strangely enough, it wasn't the awkward kind of silence that had passed between them for so long; they could have continued on without talking, but suddenly, he found things that he wanted to say.

"It is," she agreed. "The entire day has been wonderful. Elle really loved it, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did." He looked over at his daughter and saw that she was fast asleep. "Guess we tired her out, didn't we?" he laughed. "Well, she'll get used to this Seattle life, I guess."

"Actually, Derek… there's something I've been meaning to discuss with you. I've been putting it off, but I need to tell you," she said hesitantly, causing him to sit upright. Suddenly she realized that this was the first time in a long time that he was actually listening. Unfortunately, she knew that he wouldn't like what she had to say.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter with Elle?"

"No, Elle is fine. Derek… I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm just going to come right out with it. Elle and I are leaving for New York in a week."

He stared at her for a moment, as though trying to find a plausible reason for what she had just said. "New York? Are you flying in for a consult? And I can handle Elle while you're away; I'll just take some time off."

She was afraid that he would take it the wrong way. "No, Derek. Not for a consult." She took a deep breath and told him, "We're leaving for New York… permanently. I can't do this anymore, and it isn't fair for either of us to continue on like this. We're lying to ourselves, Derek, and I'm just… tired. I don't want to pretend anymore. It isn't good for us or Elena. I just want to be happy, and I want you to be happy, too."

He was speechless for a moment as he tried to process the news. However, he soon found something to say. "But New York? Addison, you can't take Elena to New York; I'll never see her… and I can't live like that. She's my daughter, too."

"We'll work something out; keeping Elena from you isn't what I'm trying to do. It won't be easy, but we can find a way to make this work," she assured him. However, seeing that he was still unconvinced, she further replied, "Your life is in Seattle now, but we both know that I don't belong here. The life I want is in Manhattan."

"But, Addison…" he managed then looked once again at his sleeping daughter. All he wanted was what was best for Elena; her well-being was now his top priority. He knew that every decision they made would affect her dramatically—especially something as monumental as this one—and he only wanted to do the right thing. He wanted her to grow up happy and with every opportunity that life could offer, but he also wanted her with him. "A week? How are you going to get everything sorted out in a week? And you signed a contract with the hospital; Richard won't just let you go."

"Actually… This is something I decided the night that we lost Leni. Her death put things into perspective for me, and I realized that she was right. About letting go, I mean. So I spoke with Richard and he's letting me out of the contract," she revealed.

"So, you've known this for a month. Why didn't you tell me sooner? Don't you think I deserve to be let in on the details of my daughter's life?" he questioned, but he was surprisingly calm. "You've had an entire month to get used to this idea, and now I have a week?"

She sat up and looked him in the eye; she saw the pain and the heartbreak, and her tears began to well up as she fought to hold them back. "I'm sorry, Derek. I'm sorry for Mark and I'm sorry for taking Elena back to New York… And I'm sorry for not trying harder."

Elena started to whimper as she woke from her nap, and Derek took the little girl into his arms. She was still so innocent and unbroken by the strains of the world, despite all that she had been through already in her short life. Although he wished that he could keep things that way for her forever, he knew that she would have to deal with a lot more than a typical child. But he also knew that she was strong.

"I'm sorry, too, Addie. You tried, but I wouldn't listen, and after a while, anyone would have given up trying. I didn't make it easy for you. We just got too caught up in our own lives to remember that we had one with each other." He smiled at her and she returned the sentiment; for the first time in a long time, it wasn't forced between either of them.

"So… where does this leave us? We used to be best friends, once upon a time. Do you think we can ever get that back?"

He shrugged. "I'm willing to give it a try if you are." Elena yawned and he added laughingly, "I think Elle agrees, too, don't you, Princess?" She made a happy cooing sound, and they both laughed. "Well, I guess it's settled then. Friends?"

She smiled and agreed, "Friends."

They then resumed their star-gazing positions, although Elena was now in Derek's possession. He found it a bit ironic that the thing he'd wanted most in the world a few months ago—for Addison to go back to New York and let him begin again—was now the thing that he had come to dread. They were hardly the same people they were when they'd married, but he hoped that they had at long last come full circle.

…

"Elle's operation is in two weeks—on a Thursday. And you'll be flying in…?" Addison tried to sort out a few minutes before their plane was scheduled to start boarding.

"Tuesday," Derek finished her sentence. "I'll call you before I leave Seattle. My flight leaves at eight, so I'll be there around four-thirty. But we'll finalize all the details later." Of course, there were other things that needed to be taken care of aside from Elena's surgery—namely the divorce. However, instead of feeling the bitter resentment that they once had, they now looked at it as much-needed closure. "Do you have everything you need?"

She did a last-minute check then shrugged with a grin, "I hope so."

"Flight fifteen twenty-four, departing for JFK International Airport, is now boarding first class," a woman on the intercom announced.

"That's us," Addison announced, and Derek handed Elena to her. "Tell Daddy good-bye and we'll see him in two weeks," she said to Elena.

Just hearing those words nearly caused him to keep them from going. It was something he had been battling with all week, and although it was just across the country, it may just as well have been across the world. He had tried to make every moment of that week precious—even waking up at two in the morning to give Elena her bottle—as he forced himself to come to terms with the changes had already begun to happen in all of their lives.

Sometimes, you're supposed to fight, and sometimes, you're supposed to let go. Being strong means knowing the difference. Leni's words echoed through his thoughts and he couldn't help but wonder if this was one of those situations. He kissed Elena's forehead and whispered, "I love you, Elle." He smiled at Addison and purely out of habit, kissed her on the cheek. "Have a good flight and call me when you get to New York."

"I will," she promised, then she and Elena started for the airplane. However, a moment later she turned around, and to Derek's surprise, headed back in his direction. "I just wanted to say… that I hope you two are happy together." When he looked at her questioningly, she added, "We both know she's where your heart is. I want you to be happy, Derek, and… she makes you happy." With that, she smiled once and headed for the plane without turning around again.

Derek waited at the airport until their plane departed. As he watched them take off into the sky, he found himself wondering exactly how many minutes it would be until he could follow them. He was already missing Elena and wondered just how he would make it through the next two weeks.

Instead of going back to the empty trailer—he couldn't help but think of it as empty now—he decided to go for a walk to clear his head. After all, he had quite a bit to think about.

…

It was late, but Meredith couldn't seem to fall asleep. Neither George nor Izzie was home, so it was up to Meredith to find something to occupy her time; she had opted to curl up on the couch and relax with a good book.

The rain pattered heavily on the windows, and suddenly the house seemed very warm and cozy; she thought that maybe she remembered a night like this from her childhood, but she had been so young the last time she'd lived there that she couldn't be completely sure. She was glad to have the night off and was also thankful that she didn't have to be out in what had quickly gone from a light shower to torrential downpour.

However, a knock at her door soon caught her attention. "Who in the world could that be?" she wondered aloud to herself as she got up to answer. She could hardly believe her eyes when she opened the door; a small part of her wondered if she was dreaming. But she smiled when she realized that she wasn't.

He was standing before her, his clothes and hair dripping with rainwater. He just smiled at her and he had that look in his eyes—their look. The look she had been trying so desperately to ignore and forget. But now… everything was coming back to her.

"What are you doing here? And… what have you been doing?" she questioned, but before he could reply, she added, "Come inside, and I'll get you a towel; you're… dripping everywhere."

"Meredith, I've been thinking," he began as soon as she returned with the towel.

"Have you?"

"Yeah," he smiled.

"And those thoughts… What do they have to do with me?" she asked and unconsciously held her breath as she waited for his reply. She knew what she wanted to hear, but at the same time, the thought terrified her. She knew that Addison and Elena had left for New York that morning, but she wasn't sure whether Derek had come to say another good-bye.

He had been running through what he wanted to say all afternoon; yet, he was now at a loss for words. There was so much to say. However, he had the feeling that just maybe, actions could speak louder than words. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.

"Derek, I—" she started to say, but he stopped her.

"Don't say anything yet, okay? I've been trying to get this right in my head for hours, and if I don't say it now… I need to say this now."

"Okay," she agreed, a little bit puzzled by the way he was acting. She had never seen him this way before.

Derek took a deep breath, looked into her eyes, and smiled as he bent down on one knee. "Meredith… I love you. And I am captivated by you. Even your tiniest, most seemingly insignificant details never cease to amaze me. I love the way your nose crinkles up when you laugh. I love the fire in your eyes when we argue. I love the way you leave me breathless with just a look. I love the way the scent of lavender lingers in a room even after you've left. And I want all of those things forever. I can't promise that things will be perfect or that every day will be easy. We'll fight and argue and probably get mad as hell at one another every once in a while. But we'll also laugh and make wonderful memories and be happier together than we could ever be apart. Marry me, Meredith; time is so precious, and I don't want to waste another minute waiting for our forever to start."

She was quiet for a moment as she looked at the ring in his hand and thought about what he had just said. And it was in that moment that she realized that just maybe, everything happened for a reason. Everything they had gone through was just to get them to the very second where they were now. Suddenly, she smiled and whispered, "I can't think of any other way I'd want to spend my forever."

…

One chapter to go. What will things be like for our favorite Seattle Grace doctors six years from now?