It was their final day of their short getaway, of being in their own bubble away from the demands and stress of the real world. They'd barely spoken to each other, afraid to say what the other was thinking. They sat on a blanket, on the sand, Meredith sitting between his legs, his arm encircling her and holding her close against him as they looked out at the crystal blue water.

He brushed her hair to one side, lowering his lips to press a soft kiss against her bare shoulder, his hand finding hers and entwining their fingers together, feeling the cool metal of the engagement ring on her finger against his own skin. He rested his chin on her shoulder and heard the soft sigh escape her lips as he kissed her cheek, pulling her back against him, if it were possible for her to be any closer.

"When do you want to get married?" He murmured.

"That's what you're thinking about?" She asked, her head turning slightly to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Don't you want to think about it?" He chuckled softly, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her mouth.

She grinned as she joined in his laughter, he was going to miss that sound the most, probably. She turned in his hold, kneeling in front of him and he couldn't help but appraise the way her tiny body looked in the bikini she wore, her sun kissed skin catching his eye. Her hand reached into his hair and his eyes met hers again, not missing the familiar sparkle they held.

"Next year," she murmured as she pressed her lips to his, "when we're together again, as soon as we can."

"As long as I get to have you forever," he returned her kiss, his hands settling at her waist.

"Forever," she grinned softly.

"Come here," he murmured

He gently pulled her forward so that she was now straddling his lap and he held her closer against him, her face buried in his shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair. He couldn't imagine letting go of her. He knew he would have to. They were going to be apart for another year. Trust them to not only choose opposite sides of the country, but to swap coasts as well.

His hands moved again to her back, holding her closer to him, almost afraid to let go as her face stayed buried against his shoulder and he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. She murmured softly against his skin, but he didn't quite catch her words.

"Hmmm?" He breathed, kissing the side of her head again.

"Do we have to go?" She turned to look up at him, her head still on his shoulder.

"I wish we didn't have to."

"We could just stay here forever."

"I do prefer you with minimal clothing," he chuckled softly lowering his lips to hers with a soft kiss.

"I prefer you with no clothing," she retorted, grinning against his lips.

"That is very true, seeing you naked might be my favourite sight," he kissed the tip of her nose before she nestled her head on his shoulder again.

"Have you enjoyed your holiday?" She asked, turning her head to look out at the ocean.

"Spending all my time with you? Of course I have," he said as he stroked her hair.

"We haven't really done much," she laughed softly.

"The whole point of a holiday is to relax, and I feel very relaxed."

"Me too. I just really don't want to have to leave," she shook her head slightly, "I love my job, I want to go back to operating, and being in a hospital, I just don't want to be apart from you."

"I know, but we can do this," he said as he squeezed her gently in his arms, "We'll call, and text when we can, facetime when we can, and we'll see each other every chance we get. It's just one more year."

"And then we'll choose somewhere to live, and work, and we'll get married," she said, pressing leisurely kisses against his shoulder.

They both went quiet again, just enjoying each other's company. They'd need to move eventually, go and pack and check out of the villa, get their flight back to Seattle. One more night together in Seattle before they parted ways again.

Derek had to get back to New York and pack up the apartment he shared with Mark and pack it up ready to move to LA. Mark was staying in New York so there was no stress of getting it leased out, or sold. Meredith had decided to just keep her apartment in Seattle, since she'd probably end up returning back through the year. Her mother had decided to move back to Seattle, and it made more sense to keep the apartment with her stuff in for when she'd be back, instead of staying in hotels.

She had been looking at short term leases in Boston, which there were plenty of, but she was being a little picky about it. Derek had tried to motivate her a little more to find somewhere, given she needed somewhere to stay as soon as possible.

His fingertips danced up and down her bare back as she stayed straddled in his lap. He pressed a kiss against her forehead, using his other hand to brush her hair out of her face.

"Have you thought anymore about where you're going to stay in Boston?" He asked gently.

"I don't know," she sighed softly, turning her face into him, "I could lease an apartment for the year, or find an aparthotel."

"Wouldn't it be better to lease an apartment?" He suggested.

"Yeah, I just don't like any of them that I've seen," she looked up at him, scrunching her nose, "I know I won't be there much, but I want it to at least feel like home while I'm there. It's hard when I can't see them in person, I'm really not a fan of all these virtual tours, and pictures, there could be a million things wrong that you can't see."

"Why don't you stay in a hotel while you find somewhere? I don't really like the idea of you living out of a hotel, but it'll give you time to find somewhere you like," he offered up.

"I just, it's only one year," she shrugged with a slight sigh, "I'll try to find somewhere, but if it's only a year and I'm barely going to be home from the hospital, I might as well just stay in a hotel."

"Alright," he murmured, pressing a kiss against the top of her head as she settled against him again.

Silence encompassed them again, and he focused on the sensation of her fingers wandering over his skin, something she'd do when she was thinking. He didn't even know if she realised she was doing it.

He loved the woman in his arms, and he just wanted the best for her. He wanted her to be comfortable when he wasn't there, and it just unsettled him to think she'd live out of a hotel. He held her a little closer as he even thought of it. He couldn't wait for them to just find their permanent home together. That's what he was focused on.

You lift my feet off the ground, spin me around,
You make me crazier, crazier.