"Mer," he gently kissed her knuckles as she started to stir, before lowering his lips against her bare shoulder, and then her jaw, "We're here."

"Hmm," she groaned slightly, turning toward him, half asleep

"Come on, wake up," he chuckled, his other hand moving to her thigh with a gentle squeeze, "The plane is landing."

"Der, I'm tired," she moaned slightly, trying to bury herself in his shoulder.

"We can sleep when we get to the villa," he murmured.

He kissed the top of her head. When he reached to put her belt on for her when the light blinked ahead, he realised she had dozed off again against him.

He rested his head on hers, his nose buried in her hair slightly as the plane landed, his hand rubbing her thigh gently. He loved having her this close, even if she was asleep. Having her in his arms, being her presence meant everything to him.

The plane finally came to a still, and he kissed the top of her head again.

"Meredith, come on, we need to get off the plane in a minute."

"Okay," she murmured, yawning slightly as her face rubbed against his shirt.

He stood up, grabbing their carry-on bags from the overhead storage before he gently encouraged her to stand up, pulling on her hand. She stood but immediately leaned against him, her arm around the back of his waist. He moved his arm around her, keeping her against him as they got off the plane in a comfortable silence. He was pretty sure he'd never seen her this tired before, and he hoped she wasn't getting sick.

Soon enough, they were in a taxi on the way to the villa they'd booked. He sat in the back with Meredith as she leaned into him, not sleeping again but still quiet, still tired. He ran his fingers through her hair as his other hand held hers in his.

"Are you okay?" He murmured softly, kissing the top of her head.

"Hmm, I'm just super tired," she yawned softly, her hand covering her mouth, "I think the exhaustion of the past five years has just hit me all at once."

"I'm not surprised," he chuckled softly, "You've barely stopped."

"I don't work all the time," she murmured, being playfully petulant.

"I know, but you work hard," he laughed, "You deserve this break, and as soon as we get to the villa you can sleep for as long as you'd like."

"I'm not the only one who deserves this break," she gave him a small smile, reaching to peck his lips, "I love you."

"I love you too," he smiled back, touching his forehead to hers.

He couldn't wait to spend the next two weeks with her.

She must've slept for at least ten hours. The sky was dark when she woke, facing the open French doors that lead out to the balcony, the net curtains flowing in the light breeze. It wasn't cold; the room was slightly warm still even with the doors open. But it wasn't an uncomfortable warmth that made you instantly want to wash as soon as you woke.

Derek's arm lay loosely over her waist as he lay behind her, and she could feel his gentle breathing against her bare back. They hadn't gone straight to sleep when they got here, they'd spent too much time apart and were definitely going to be making the most of it. She wasn't surprised he was still sleeping when she'd been the one to sleep the whole plane ride. She was pretty sure he'd just watched her sleep.

She stretched her limbs, feeling a little sore from being lay still for too long, and she turned in the bed to face him. She traced along his jawline with her fingertips gently, still in disbelief that they were here, alone, for the next two weeks.

She'd marry him now if she could.

But maybe getting married and then being apart for the first year of marriage wasn't the smartest idea.

She pressed a gentle kiss against his lips as he slept, gently nudging his nose with her own. She noticed the hint of a smirk on his lips indicating he was slightly awake. His arms tightened around her and she buried her face against his neck with a soft laugh.

"It's still dark out," he murmured against her hair.

"Let's go and watch the sunrise," she whispered, tracing her fingers over his chest.

"When did you become a morning person?" He said, followed by a short yawn.

She shrugged, laughing again. He joined in, chuckling softly and pressing a kiss against the top of her head. He stretched an arm across her, groaning slightly, picking up his phone. She looked up to watch him, his eyes squinting at the harsh brightness of the screen.

"Sunrise is in an hour," he said, putting the phone back down and lifting her chin slightly, "So we have a little time."

His lips touched hers gently, and she couldn't help but smile as she kissed him back. This was bliss. Waking up, bodies entangled, pure love radiating between the two of them. There was no rush to get anywhere, they were completely and utterly relaxed.

His hand curved to cup her cheek as she moved on top of him slightly, pressing her hips against his and feeling his morning arousal. His hands moved to her waist with a soft groan. This was how she wanted to start every morning.

They sat out on the balcony, the beginnings of the sunrise in the horizon colouring the ocean in front of them in a soft orange hue. Meredith sat in Derek's lap, between his legs, as he played with her hair. She would press a soft kiss every now and again against his bare chest as he curled her hair around his fingers. Her hand lay lazily on his abdomen.

Her gaze was focused on the sun as it slowly rose higher, but her mind was completely on him. Every touch, every breath. She didn't want any of this to end and thinking about the next year apart had her tearing up slightly, her breath catching.

"What's wrong?" Derek murmured softly.

"I'm just… it's going to be a long year," she sighed softly, hiding her face against his chest.

"It really is," he lowered his lips against her hair, "It's going to be so worth it, though."

"I wish we could get married tomorrow, then at least everyone in LA will know you're off the market," she laughed softly.

"They'll know anyway," he chuckled, "and I am not spending our first year of marriage with the whole country between us."

"I think I want to change my name," she said somewhat out of the blue, "I've been thinking about it."

"You know you don't have to," he gently lifted her chin, meeting her eyes, "You can do whatever you want to do."

"I know, I want to," she gave him a small smile, "I want… professionally I'll keep Grey, it just makes things easier, but personally, I want to be Mrs Shepherd."

The grin that took over his face made her heart melt. She knew it meant a lot to him even though he said it was her decision.

"I can't wait to come home to you every day," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her quickly.

"And… I want babies. Not a lot, maybe two or three," she whispered, holding his gaze, "Growing up an only child is… lonely."

"You want kids?" He said, his eyes widening slightly, and she could see the shimmer of tears there.

"Yeah," she grinned softly, "I want your babies, with perfect hair, and perfect smiles."

"As long as you mean your perfect smile," he laughed softly, kissing the tip of her nose.

"I want to enjoy our marriage, our time together first," she said, settling against him again to watch the sunset, "I want to enjoy being around you all the time, I don't think I'll be ready to share you for a couple of years."

"Whenever you're ready, I'm ready," he said, his hand caressing the bare skin of her back.

"I love you," she smiled wide, just as the sun fully rose.

"I love you too," he breathed.

They lay there together, peaceful, watching the horizon as the sun heated their skin. She would enjoy this as much as she could for now. It was just one more year. They could make it.

And when I felt like an old cardigan, under someone's bed,
You put me on and told me I was your favourite.