"Derek…" she breathed gently into his ear, allowing her warm breath to hit his neck, causing his skin to erupt in goosebumps.

"Yes?" He whispered back, listening excitedly and intently.

She lingered there for a moment, and the suddenly, she pulled back and looked at him seriously.

"You aren't getting off that easy" Meredith stated simply.

Derek looked at her in amused frustration.

"Okay, A ) That was in no way fair, and B ) You call being trapped in an elevator with you easy? He asked, clearly entertained.

Meredith sighed in frustration and hit her head gently back against the elevator wall.

"Okay, okay," he relented. "I'm being serious now."

She stared at him. Hard. Trying to read his expression. Usually, the two of them could hold an entire conversation without ever speaking a single word. Today didn't seem to be an exception. His eyes told her that he was ready to talk.

"What do you want from me, Derek?" She questioned him nervously.

Derek looked to the floor, inhaled deeply, clearly collecting and formulating his thoughts. Finally, he raised his eyes to once again meet hers.

"I don't want anything from you." He began softly.

Puzzled, and a little worried, she tilted her head at him.

"What I mean is, I don't want anything from you, Meredith Grey. I just want you. All of you." He finished with a McDreamy smile, staring deeply into her.

She stared at him, a little taken aback. Here was this man, her man, saying things she'd been wanting to here all along. Yet small doubt still lingered in her brain.

"Then, why, "Ok?""

Once again Derek sighed.

"I've been trying to get you alone long enough for the past two weeks to explain"

"I'm listening now"

"Right before I walked into the elevator, Addison approached me in the hallway."

Meredith cringed a little at Addison's name. She hated to think that something that had happened between the two of them, had resulted in Derek hesitating to be with her.

"She told me that she stayed with Mark for two months after I left her. She loved him. The only reason she came crawling to Seattle was because she found Mark in bed with someone else." He paused, allowing Meredith to absorb the information.

Meredith was shocked. Suddenly, she realized why Derek had seemed a little off that day in the elevator. She was about to speak when Derek continued.

"I really could care less about Mark and Addison anymore," he explained, "but I couldn't begin to comprehend that I had wasted a year of my life trying to make our marriage work, when all along, I could have been deliriously happy with you. I was angry, betrayed, pissed. Clearly, my mind was not in a good place at that point in time."

Meredith placed a tiny hand on his cheek, and leant in to kiss him softly, lovingly, on the lips. She allowed herself to linger there for awhile, before pulling back.

"I'm sorry for not giving you the chance to explain. I was hurt, and confused"

"And stubborn" He grinned.

"I thought we were being serious?" She rolled her eyes.

"I can be serious"

"That remains to be seen"

"Meredith."

"Yes"

"I love you."

Meredith thought long and hard, pretending to consider his statement. Enjoying how natural it sounded for him to be saying it to her. After what seemed like an extremely long silence, she smiled up at him.

"Ok."

Derek grinned at her, taking pleasure in her obvious attempt to let him know he was forgiven.

"Ok." He agreed happily.

He leaned in to kiss her, but she put two fingers to his lips to stop him. She had something to say.

"I never stopped Derek." She spoke quietly.

"Stopped what?"

"There were times over the last year when I hated you. But I never once, no matter how hard I tried, stopped loving you. I just wanted you to know that."

"Meredith?"

"Yes?"

"I'll never stop."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

With that, they finally gave into what they had both been praying for the last two weeks. Derek grabbed her face with both hands, and pulled her in to kiss him passionately. Barely stopping for a breath, she pushed him down onto the hard, cold, elevator floor, straddling him. He smiled up at her as she ripped off her lab coat, and tossed it to the corner of the elevator. Next she lifted off her scrub top, and it soon followed in the direction of the lab coat. She leaned down to kiss his neck, and his hands found their way into her hair.

It was then that the elevator doors decided to spring open.

"Damn interns. Damn attendings. I'm taking the stairs." Bailey muttered, glaring at the both of them.

Meredith's face went white, and she scurried to the corner of the elevator to collect her clothes.

"I'm going home" She explained, while hurriedly putting her shirt back on, and rushing out into the hall. She made it a few metres into the hallway, before she realized he wasn't following.

She turned around and saw him standing in the elevator, slightly confused as to what he was supposed to do.

Grinning, she held out her hand, and offered a simple, "you coming?"

Derek walked forward and placed his hand into hers. Finally, he was right where he belonged.