Epilogue One
And as they watch the television that day, more and more of their friends and relatives show up on the news supporting them as good people that just happened to fall in love at the wrong time. As they are munching on French toast, Derek's mother calls in to GMA. She only repeats the same things that she said to them at dinner, but to Meredith and Derek it means the world to have her announce it on national television.
The media has a field day tearing the entire story apart. The old scandal is brought back up, sides picked on pundit shows, and people interviewed in the street. Students from Meredith and Derek's class are interviewed, girls gushing over how they had known all the time that something was going on. I mean, how could you not see the loving looks and heat between them (followed by many eye rolls)? Employees at the resort in Sperlonga are interviewed, gushing (by translator) at just how in love the couple had seemed this past summer. Even George and Isobel call in to say how they had known it was love at first site when Derek had carried in a sleeping Meredith in his arms.
The entire tale comes out. How they had met in Rome: Derek traveling around before his wedding and Meredith on her graduation trip. About how Meredith had a boyfriend at the time, but left him at the airport (Finn was never found to interview). That they had spent a week together, but then parted to leave Derek to his wedding and Meredith to her life back in the States. But then through the mechanizations of a greedy photographer, it is suddenly a world-wide phenomenon. Somehow fate intervened, and Derek ends up teaching at the same University as Meredith. This is the point in the story that all of the women reporters usually sigh at. That they find each other again.
Derek and Meredith watch all of this unfold on the television. Their entire story is picked apart and debated and pored over. Derek has been through this before, so it doesn't bother him too much. But the fact that the truth is out there, that all of their friends and family have stood up for them, wipes the rest of the embarrassment away. When they must emerge from their hotel room the next day, people stop them in the street to tell them how wonderful it is that they have found each other. The media calls it the most romantic story they have ever heard. Then one day they get a call from Oprah.
"We have today two very special guests today." Oprah says into the camera as she sits in her designated stage chair. "They are Dr. Derek Shepherd, also known as the Duke of Savoy and his girlfriend, Ms. Meredith Grey."
She smiles into the camera, flashing the audience a happy grin. "The media is calling their story the most romantic story of the century. Stories have been published about them, practically all of their friends and family have been interviewed, but no one has yet to hear from the happy couple themselves. I have invited them here today so that they can share their story with us, and they have been kind enough to agree. I give you Dr. Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey." Oprah says from her chair as she stands up and sweeps her arms toward stage right.
Derek walks out, casual in nice jeans, light blue shirt, and dark blazer. Meredith holds his hand, bowing her head away from the audience like one not used to the lime-light. She looks very cute in a semi-matching short-sleeved light-blue blouse and dark-blue trouser and vest set. They walk toward Oprah, smiling and waving to the audience as they walk out, but both are obviously nervous and a little shy.
But as they walk up to Oprah, she gives them both very effusive hand-shakes and indicates for them to sit down. This entire time, the audience has been clapping glee-fully, and they don't want to stop. Derek and Meredith do sit, Meredith on the side toward Oprah with them pressed up together in the middle of the couch, their thighs touching in comfort. They look out on the clapping audience and can't help but look embarrassed and happy.
The clapping eventually dies down, and Oprah says to Derek, "Dr. Shepherd."
"Oprah." He answers with a little sparkly grin.
"Ms. Grey. Or may I call you Meredith?" Oprah asks Meredith, scooting forward on her chair like they are just chatting away in her own living room.
"Meredith is fine." Meredith answers back, a little reserved but happy all the same. Derek squeezes her hand.
Oprah looks down at the clasped hands, and says smilingly, "Thank you for coming on the show today. I know you've been through quite an ordeal this year, and I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule."
"Well, when Oprah calls, you just kind of show up." Derek kids and the rest of the audience laughs.
"Yes, well, I could understand if you never wanted to turn on the television ever again, let alone do an interview. So I truly do thank you for coming today." Oprah offers again, with a very understanding smile. If anyone knows the power of the media, or the feeling of being in a media swirl, it is Oprah.
"Well, there have been so many stories swirling around, so many things said, that we thought it was only fair that we get to give our side of things." Derek offers seriously, but then adds jokingly, "And, yes, well, it is Oprah."
"Well, that brings me to my first question. When all of this broke this past summer, you were very mum in not talking to the media. You released a simple statement saying that." Oprah says but then stops to look at her notes. "The split was amicable, and that you hoped everyone could just move on with their lives. Do you regret making such a statement? Do you think you should have defended yourself more vigorously? I mean, there were a lot of very strong statements made about you."
Derek sighs, but plows forward. "I really believed those sentiments at the time. I still believe in them. And I didn't defend myself, because, well, I felt like I deserved it."
You can just hear the audience just sigh along with him. This is a man that cheated on his fiancé, but he is obviously very sorry about it. Meredith squeezes his hand to let him know that it is okay, and he gives her a thankful but sad face.
Oprah has to do her job though, so she says, "And that is all well and good. But a lot of people would ask, why even do it in the first place? If that photograph hadn't been released, you might be married to your former finance right now."
"Actually, I wouldn't have been." Derek says with a nervous crossing of his legs. "Meredith wasn't just a fling. She woke me up. She made me realize just how wrong things were with Addison. I was on my way to tell Addison that I couldn't marry her when that photograph was released."
The entire audience gasps, but Oprah is much more of a professional than that. She turns to Meredith, asking, "And you had no idea about any of this? You had already gone home by this time?"
"Um…yeah…I had left on the plane that morning." Meredith stutters a little bit.
Their hands clench tighter at the remembered bad times, but Oprah continues on. "Where your friend says that you were so depressed, you didn't leave your apartment for three weeks? That you didn't turn on the major news channels, go on the internet, or call anyone for fear of hearing the news?"
Meredith looks embarrassed, but answers, "Yes."
Oprah turns to Derek. "And you knew none of this?"
"No." He answers sadly.
"And just what were you doing during this time?" She asks Derek.
"I was looking for her." He answers simply, but then back-tracks. "Well, I was being hounded by the media from country to country as I tried to finish up meeting my father's business contact. But mainly, I was just finishing up my responsibilities so that I could come back to the states and find Meredith again."
"And you had no idea that he was looking for you? You already thought he was married?" Oprah says to Meredith.
Meredith takes a big breath, and answers, "Yes."
"And just what was going through your mind at this time? You had had this affair with a man who was supposedly about to be married, and now you were left alone. What made you get up and finally leave your apartment?"
"My friend, Christina." Meredith answers. Derek and her share a happy look, then Meredith answers, "I don't know what I would have done without Christina."
"And this was when you decided to go to medical school?"
"Yes, I…" Meredith answers, flashing a look at Derek under her lashes before answering, "I had partially gone to Rome to decide whether I wanted to go to medical school or not. My mother is a surgeon, and I wasn't sure if I had what it took to go that route."
They both know that this is a partial lie, but the rest of the world doesn't need to know all of their dirty laundry. "And what made you finally decide to go that route?" Oprah asks as the audience listens in rapt fascination.
Meredith squeezes Derek's hands and says, "A very wise man once told me that I would never know unless I tried."
"Very good advice." Oprah agrees. "And very lucky that you did go. Did you have idea when you went to Dartmouth that Dr. Shepherd was going to be there?" She asks Meredith in her best friendly reporter tone.
Meredith is about to reply, but Derek cuts her off with, "No that was a decision that I made long after we had parted."
"So you never did find her then?" Oprah asks, swiveling a little to address Derek.
"Well, yes I did, but I didn't think she wanted me." Derek says, seeing that Oprah wants to ask him another question, but he cuts her off with a genial smile and says, "Let's just say I was an idiot and leave it at that."
Oprah doesn't like to be thwarted, so she gives him a little look, but she doesn't press. "So, okay. Meredith, you are starting medical school. Derek, it is the first day of class." She says more to the audience than them. "You walk in and there the both of you are. Let's make this interesting. Tell me what the other person did."
Derek turns to Meredith and laughingly says, "You cried out 'shit' and sat in the back of the room for the entire hour."
You can see the smiles on the face of the audience. "Well, you glared at me." Meredith retorts back. At that, the audience can't help but laugh. They are just too cute together.
"So let me get this straight, you hated each other?" Oprah asks disbelievingly.
"No, that wasn't until after you called me a whore." Meredith ribs him, for the first time relaxing a little into the interview. The audience gasps.
"I did not." He answers back immediately, but then back-tracks with, "When did I do that?"
"When I came to your office. You said I was just another number in your grade book." Meredith says with raised eyebrows.
"Oh, yeah." Derek answers, chagrined. "Well…yeah…that was part of me being an idiot."
Even Oprah is laughing at this point. "So how did you go from that to the obviously loving couple we see today?"
"We started to find out the truth about each other. About what had happened to the other." Meredith answers with a loving smile directed at Derek.
"And then it all just kind of fell into place." Derek agrees, smiling back at her in the same way.
"Well, I have one final question for you too. There's one thing that I've never heard asked, which surprises me to no end. Just how exactly did you two meet?"
Meredith and Derek look at each other smilingly, not sure who should go first.
"Derek was getting a sun-bath on the Spanish steps…" Meredith answers with a happy twinkle to her eye.
"Yeah, and you woke me up with your big bag and your foul language." He answers back with just as much of a twinkle.
"You can't fool me. Richard told me about you and your Spanish women." Meredith teases, the obvious love she has for him shining in her happy visage.
"Yes, but he never warned me about Sleeping Beauties." He teases back, basking in her love and returning the favor.
"Well, no one ever told me about Dastardly Dukes, either." Meredith responds, and the whole audience sighs. Was that even Oprah shedding a tear? I think so.
(Epilogue 2 was a NY Times announcement detailing that Meredith and Derek got married at the resort in Sperlonga. Christina was the maid of honor and Mark was the best man. Meredith ended up doing her residency in neurosurgery at Mt. Sinai in NY. I think Derek was either chief there or at another hospital. They founded a foundation that looks into the causes of Alzhiemer's that Derek's mom oversees.)
My inspiration for this fic: 'Unintended' by Muse
You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You could be the one I'll always love
You could be the one who listens to my deepest inquisitions
You could be the one I'll always love
I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
First there was the one who challenged
All my dreams and all my balance
She could never be as good as you
You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You should be the one I'll always love
I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
Before you