Notes: Hello everyone! As promised, here's chapter 6. I hope you'll enjoy this one.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all those who read and reviewed. I can't thank you enough.

Meredith didn't sleep well that night. And it was ironic because the reason was that the mattress was too soft. She was awakened from her restless sleep by a knock on the door. She stumbled groggily across the room to the door to answer it.

"Who is it?" she asked, leaning tiredly against the door, her hand resting on the locked night latch.

"Derek," was the answer. "Are you for breakfast?"

Meredith groaned. I couldn't be possibly morning already.

"Are you alright?" his tone was low and piercing.

"Fine," she mumbled, and silently adding, "I just need some sleep."

The doorknob rattled as he attempted to open it. "Open the door, Meredith." He ordered.

She was too exhausted to think of a reason to refuse and too tired to argue if she had. Slipping off the night chain, she unlocked the latch and stepped aside as Derek pushed the door open. Concern was written all over his face, but she didn't notice.

"I don't want breakfast." Meredith had already turned, making her way back to the bed. "You go ahead without me."

Derek's arm went around her to turn her back. He pushed the tangle of dirty-blond hair behind her ear and held it there, his hand cupping the side of her head and tipping it up. His strength was a wonderful thing and Meredith willingly let him support her weight, too weary to be standing on her own.

"You okay Mer? You look exhausted." Derek was frowning.

"I am." She sighed. "My perfectly soft bed was too soft. I barely slept all night."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Why didn't you take a pillow and blanket off the bed and sleep on the floor? Or is that too uncivilized for you?" he mocked in a gentle teasing voice.

"I suppose that's what you did?" Meredith lifted her tired lashes to glance at him. He looked disgustingly refreshed and rested.

"That's right." He nodded.

"And probably slept like a baby," she added enviously.

"No, I didn't sleep all that well," Derek denied.

"Why not?" Meredith slid her arms around his hard, warm body and rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"I haven't liked sleeping alone since I met you." His statement sailed over her sleepy head. Meredith was only aware of how very right it seemed in his arms, so comfortable and so warm. She snuggled closer.

"Why don't you just hold me for a while and let me sleep?" she suggested in a sleepy murmur.

"I don't think so." The arm that had been around her withdrew to press a hand against her ribs just below her breast to push her away. "If I hold you much longer, I won't be thinking about sleep." Derek stated, a half-smile curving one corner of his mouth. "Why don't you go take a shower and change? I'll go get some coffee to help you wake up before we go to breakfast." He stoked her hair and smiled to convince her.

"Okay." Meredith couldn't say no to those eyes. And before she knew it, he was walking to the door, leaving her swaying there unsteadily. The closing of the door prompted her into movement. She looked longingly at the bed, but knew it was no use. Even if she could go back to sleep, which was unlikely, Derek would be back shortly to wake her. Following his suggestion, she walked to the bathroom.

After having their breakfast, Derek and Meredith started out on a leisurely tour of the island, dotted with fresh water ponds. It was not the first visit for either of them, but it had been years since their last. There were little changes on the island. A few more trees had been planted by property owners.

On the south-eastern shore, Derek parked the car on the Mohegan Buffs. The picture-postcard lighthouse sat on the point of the bluffs, the rustic house and tower looking out to see. Its navigational beacon was one of the most dominant on the New England coastline. The salty breeze off the ocean was cool. Meredith zipped the coral windbreaker up to her neck while Derek locked the car. Screeching seagulls soared overhead as they walked together past the lighthouse to the steep path leading down to the beach.

A fisherman stood knee-deep in the surf, casting a fly line into the water. He nodded a friendly acknowledgement to them as they strolled by. Derek's arm was around Meredith's shoulders, keeping her close to his side. She stepped over a piece of driftwood and turned her gaze up to his face. His features were relaxed with a look of contentment about them.

"Why are we getting along so well?" she mused, more to herself than him.

"Maybe because we stopped looking at each other," Derek suggested.

"What?" A confused frown creased her forehead, bewilderment in her exotic green eyes.

"Yeah," A faint smile touched his moth when he glanced at her, then he directed his gaze ahead of them, a contemplative look on his features. "I mean, we've stopped trying to see the flaws in each other, the differences. We've started looking outward together."

"You think?" Meredith too shifted her gaze to the beach in front of them.

"Why bother to analyze the reason?" he countered. "Why not just enjoy it?" he have her light squeeze.

"You're right." She scraped some sand with her foot. "Except that I like to know the why of things."

"So I remember," Derek murmured dryly. "Like the time I gave you your engagement right and you wanted to know what made me decide to propose to you."

Meredith laughed. "And you said it was because I would make a very beautiful ornament in your house." The laughter died as she gave him a guarded look. "Is that really why you proposed?"

There was a glint of exasperation in his impatient glance. "You should know me better than that, Meredith." He flashed her a quick smile.

She was silent for several paces before Derek spoke. "How did we get started on such a serious discussion?"

His lightning switch from a thoughtful mood to one that was lightly teasing was infectious. Meredith responded immediately. "I don't know. You started it."

"No, I didn't. You did." He corrected in the same light tone, "when you asked why we weren't arguing."

"You didn't have to answer me, so it's your fault," she shrugged.

"Logic like that can only come from a woman," Derek declared, shaking his head in amusement.

Meredith gave him a sideways push with her shoulder. Knocked off balance, his arm slipped from around her, and he had to take a step to one side to recover. Their aimless pace had taken them closer to the water's edge that they realized, and so when Derek took that step, his foot landed in salt water, shoe, sock and jeans. Meredith gasped in a laugh at the wet foot.

"You think it's funny, huh?" he took a playfully threatening step towards her.

Unconsciously she began to retreat. "I'm sorry, Derek." She was trying hard not to laugh, but it bubbled in her voice. "Seriously, I didn't mean to push you in the water."

Derek continued his approach on her. "Let's see if it's so funny when you get wet."

"Derek, no!" Meredith kept backing up, swallowing the laughter as she held her palms up and shook her head.

But the wicked glint in his eyes told her that her words were no use. Turning, she ran, sprinting for the rock bluff, a safer distance from the ocean waves. Derek chased after her, his long strides eating up her short lead. Any moment he would overtake her, Meredith knew and she took a laughing glance over her shoulder. As she did so, a piece of driftwood tripped her and sent her sprawling on to the beach. Her outstretched arms broke most of her fall. Unharmed, she rolled on to her back, breathing ruggedly, but still giggling, as Derek dropped to his knees beside her.

"You okay?" he asked, half smiling and half concerned.

"Fine." She managed to gasp.

Sitting on his heels, Derek watched silently as she caught her breath. But as her breathing slowed, her heartbeat seemed to increase. An exciting tension was building between then, running over the ends of her nerves. Derek moved forward as if to help her to her feet, but as he moved closer, arms bracing him above her, her lips parted, glistening moistly. Meredith lifted her hands to his chest as if to push him away, but instead they slip around his neck, pulling him down.

Fire ignited at the hard pressure of his mouth, hungry and demanding. It spread through her veins, her bones melting under the intense heat. The weight of his body crushed her to the sand. No part of her was immune to the fire Derek was fully arousing. Stumbling under the burning assault of his desire, she knew she had lost control. But she made no attempt to regain it, willing to let his lips dominate hers, his tongue dance with hers for as long as he chose. With each breath, she took in his scent, a fuel to the fire that consumed her. Never had Meredith felt so alive. Every corner of her heart was filled, in fact overflowing, with love. Any differences between them were burned away by the fiery embrace that exceeded physical connection.

"Hey, mister?" A child's voice sounded when previously she had only been able to hear their matching heartbeats. "Hey, mister!" This time, the voice was more insistent and Derek reluctantly dragged his mouth from hers to roll on to his side. "Have you seen my puppy?" A young boy of about six years old stood beside them, a baseball cap on his light brown head, staring at them innocently.

"No, buddy, I haven't." His reply was tight and brief to hide the raggedness of his breathing.

"He's white and black with a red collar," the boy explained.

"Sorry, but we haven't seen him," Derek repeated patiently.

"If you do, would you bring him back to me?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." And he trotted off.

Derek stared in the direction the boy had taken. "A few more seconds and it would have been embarrassing," he remarked, chuckling. "Come on." Standing to his feet, he caught Meredith's hand to pull her along with him.

"Where are we going?" There was a faint pink to her cheeks.

"Back to the hotel."

"Why?"

"You're forgetting." He accused, giving her a look that still had the smoldering light of desire, "I have a wet shoe, sock and pants leg."

"I'm sorry about that," Dina offered with an apologetic smile.

"I'm not." His finger touched her lips, tracing its outline, warm and still throbbing from his kiss. "If that's what I get for a wet, I can't help wondering what would happen if I'd been drenched from head to toe. She breathed in sharply at that, she wanted to tell him that he didn't have to wait to find out, but she simply couldn't say it. Derek didn't wait for her to respond, removing his fingers from her lips to encircle her hand. "Let's go?" Meredith nodded her agreement.

The passionate moment lay between them on their way to the hotel, the obvious change it made on them were left unspoken. But it was there in the looks they exchanged, in the things they didn't say and in the way they avoided physical contact with each other. They each seemed to know how the slightest touch would do, and they were not ready to start a false fire. But neither of them was willing to acknowledge the change in the relationship. At the same time, they couldn't go back to the cold casualty that they had before the visit to the island. And so, they both played a waiting game.

After having a late lunch at the hotel restaurant, they entered the lobby. Derek stopped short and turned to Meredith. "We're checking out and going home," he announced.

"It's only Saturday," she protested.

"I know," he agreed, "but I'm not looking forwards to spending another night here."

Meredith hesitated, trying to figure out what he was up to. Finally she answered, "The beds aren't very comfortable."

He chuckled, "Yes, they're too soft."

"Do we have time to catch the ferry?"

"If we pack now and not waste too much time, yes." He told her.

"Okay."

"I'll check out. You go start packing," said Derek.

During the ferry crossing, neither mentioned their sudden change of plans that had them returning home early. They talked around it, unwilling to dig too deeply into the reason. When the ferry docked, they stopped talking altogether, both absorbed in their own musings. It was several moments before Meredith noticed that Derek missed a corner.

"You were supposed to turn at that last block," she reminded him.

"We aren't going back to the house just yet," he replied.

Meredith waited for him to tell her where they were going. When he didn't, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"There's something I want to show you," was all he answered.

After several more blocked, he turned on to a tree-shaded street, branches arching overhead, nearly touching. He slowed the car down, seeming to read the house numbers as he drove down the street. Meredith's curiosity grew with each second of his continued silence. Finally he turned into a driveway and stopped the car, switching off the engine. Meredith glanced at the large white house, surrounded by a green lawn with lots of trees and flowering shrubs. She didn't recognize the place.

"Who lives here?" she asked.

Derek opened his car door and was already stepping out. "You'll see." He replied, smiling a bit.

She flashed him a confused look as she too stepped out of the car and closed the car door. She said nothing and walked ahead of him along the winding sidewalk to the front door. There was a jingle of mental behind her and she turned. Derek was taking a set of keys from his pocket. Selecting one, he stepped ahead of her and inserted it in the front door lock. Suspicion glittered in her eyes.

Pushing the door open, he motioned to her. "Go on in."

Her gaze went to the opened door as she moved forward to enter. On her right, carved oak posts ran from floor to ceiling to partition the mock entry way from the spacious living room. Although the room was lightly furnished, the items that were there Meredith recognized as the furniture stored from their apartment.

"What is this, Derek?" Unable to look at him, because she thought she already knew the answer.

"Do you like it?" Derek ignored her question to ask one of his own.

Meredith had a troubled look on her face, uncertainty and confusion filling her head. When she didn't answer, Derek spoke. "I didn't sign any papers to buy this house yet. I got the permission of the owner to have our furniture brought in to see how it would fit in the rooms and to give the interior designer an idea of what has to be done." He paused, taking hold of her elbow and turning her to face him. "I wanted to ask your opinion first." There was no response. "I thought it was time to start looking for a place that we could share together."

His gaze was piercing, as if searching her eyes for the answer. She averted her attention to the room, uncertain if she was ready for this just yet.

"Am I wrong, Meredith?" Derek asked.

She didn't want to answer that question, not yet, not until she had more time to think about it. She wanted to be sure before she gave her answer.

"Show me the rest of the house." She said.

Derek hesitated, wanting to get the answer to his question, then gestured with his hand. "
The dining room and kitchen are this way," he directed.

As Meredith toured the house, she realized it was everything they had ever talked about in a home of their own. Spacious without being too large, enough room for entertainment, a study for Derek where he could work undisturbed in the evenings, a large patio in the back, and plenty of closets.

"Since you're working, we could hire a housekeeper to come in to do the housework," Derek explained with a bit of uncertainty as they walked down the hallway from the master bedroom to the main living area of the house. Meredith nodded, absentmindedly agreeing. At the open doorway of one of the two empty rooms, she paused to look inside again. The spare bedrooms were smaller than the master bedroom, but still sufficiently large.

"There's one more thing I haven't asked you." Derek stopped beside her.

"What's that?" she turned to meet his gaze.

"How do you feel about having children?"

Slightly flustered, Meredith looked back to the empty room, visualizing it not as a guest bedroom, but as a children's room. "We've talked about it before." They had talked of having two children, possibly three, she remembered.

"That was before," Derek pointed out, "I'm asking you about now, Meredith."

He seemed to silently demand that she look at him. Reluctantly she let her gaze swing back to him, but she was unable to look any higher than his mouth. There were no soft curves to it. It was strong and firm and very masculine. Meredith had the urge to raise her fingertips to it and trace the strength of its outline.

"I would like to have children, yes." Her reply was soft, almost inaudible.

"Do you have any objections to me being their father?" There was a husky quality to his voice.

Meredith looked away, her heart pulsing unevenly. She didn't respond. She couldn't seem to speak. Something seemed to be blocking her voice.

"Do you?" Derek repeated. When she remained silent, his fingers turned her chin to force her to look at him. "Did I have it wrong this morning on the beach?" His steady gaze didn't falter as he looked deeply into her eyes, seeming to bore into her very soul. "Was it just a moment of weakness from you?"

"I don't know." Meredith wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Her mind was reeling from his touch, incapable to coherent thought. "I….I can't think."

"Just this once, don't think," Derek requested. "Just tell me what you're feeling."

His hands slipped to her shoulders, tightening a little for a second as if he wanted to shake the answer out of her, but they relaxed and simply held her. Meredith stared into his chiseled features, slightly tanned, and those compelling blue eyes. This was Derek, her husband, the man he loved, and not the stranger she had thought him to be.

She swayed towards him and he gathered her into his arms, prepared to meet her more than half way. Her lips parted under the aggressive force of his mouth, taking prize she readily surrendered to him. Her soft curves molded itself to the hard contours of his length. His roaming hands caressed and shaped her closer to his body. Their combined body heat melted them together, fusing them with the burning fire of their love. His driving male need made Meredith aware of the empty aching in the pit of her stomach that only he could satisfy.

Soon, the torrid embrace was not enough. It was unable to meet the greedy needs of their desires. Bending slightly, Derek curved an arm under her knees to lift her and carry her to the master bedroom and the bare mattress of their old queen-sized bed.

As he laid her on the bed, the twining arms around his neck pulled him down to join her. Nothing else existed for either of them but each other, not the past, not the future, only the moment, eternally suspended in time.

The initial storm of their passion was quickly spent. When Derek came to her the second time, their love-making was slow and languorous. Each touch, each kiss, each intimate caress was enjoyed and prolonged, savored and cherished.

Their passion spent, Derek kissed her lashes, her cheeks, gently adoringly. He curved her to his side, locking his arms around her. Meredith sighed in heavenly content and snuggled closer, not wanting to move, never wanting to move. She belonged here, in Derek's arms, she would always belong here.

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That's it, that's chapter 6. How was it? Review, review, review!

This story is winding down. So the next chapter will most probably the last one. And that would be up sometime next week. Meanwhile, I hope this week's two hour episode would be a blast. Cross you fingers everyone! lol