Thank you all for the reviews to the last chapter!

It's been a fun ride with this story, showing a different version of Derek, and I'm glad that you've been along for it. Unfortunately, life in the real world has been increasingly busy lately, and I'm struggling to get the weekly update done. So I think it's best to end this, since I've told the story I had in mind and I don't want to drag things out and make you wait for updates. Again, I appreciate all the support and reviews, and I hope you enjoy the way this ends.

Chapter 19
Finding Paradise

Two weeks later...

Meredith crouched down to place a small bouquet of flowers near the headstone at Carolyn Shepherd's grave, before doing the same at Gareth's. After everything that had happened, she and Derek felt it was time to revisit the cemetery. A light mist was in the air, and she shivered a little at the chill that pervaded her despite the warm jacket and jeans she was wearing. Typical autumn weather, but they were planning to escape to Hawaii in a few days, so she could deal with the rain for now.

"At least we know what happened to Gareth, and he can rest in peace," Derek said, sliding his arm around her waist. In the two weeks since Richard fled, it wasn't confirmed where he was, though some reports had him in Cuba, or Bermuda, or even Tahiti. For the moment, it seemed he had gotten away with his crime, but Hunt assured them everything would be done to continue to track Webber down.

"Yes, thank god for that."

"He and Mom were always close, but I never figured they'd be here like this so soon." Derek shook his head at the thought.

"Do you think your mother would been shocked to know how Richard felt about her?"

"I'm sure she knew, but her whole focus was on us, after Dad died. She would have been unhappy about our choice of career, though," he said. "Even more so to know that Richard got us into the life of crime."

"But you've redeemed yourself, Derek. You've done good things for the community, helped to raise funds for the museum...she would be proud of that."

"I suppose so."

Meredith looked up at him. "You did what you could for Gareth; don't beat yourself up over it. He made his choices, just like you made yours, only his led to this..." Her eyes slid towards the grave briefly. "You're still alive, and you don't have to go back to that life again. Didn't you tell me that you're a realist, Derek?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" he said, tilting his head as he considered her. The mist was dampening his hair, making him look a little less polished than usual. But it went with his weekend outfit of jeans and thick sweater. "Let's go for a drink, all right? It's too depressing standing here in the damp, discussing life choices."

"Sure. You haven't been to Joe's before, have you?" she asked, as they gave a last look at the graves before walking slowly towards the car parked along the side road.

"I don't think so. Is it trendy?" Derek raised his eyebrows at her.

A little laugh bubbled out of her, before she answered. "Oh, hardly trendy! But it's close to Seattle Grace, and to the paper, so there's a good mix of people there."

"Sounds good."

"And if Cristina is there, she'll be sure to give us a hard time and demand to know what really happened," she warned him.

"Then I'll have to come up with a convincing story, won't I?" Derek flashed her a mischievous grin, before opening the car door for her. Leaning in to kiss her quickly, he inhaled her unique lavender scent, mingled with cool fresh air. "Trust me..."

"You had me trusting you before I knew you were a thief," she reminded him. "I'm quite sure you can charm Cristina well enough."

"That sounds like a challenge."

Meredith ran her fingers along the front of his sweater. "It could be. You can buy the drinks, and see how it goes."

Catching her hand, Derek pulled her in for a deeper kiss, sending her pulse racing. "And if I convince her, what are you doing for me?"

"Oh, that's negotiable, Thief of Shadows..." she replied, sliding into the car, leaving him shaking his head at her.

The late afternoon crowd at Joe's bar was loud as they weaved their way towards the booth where Cristina was seated. Meredith waved towards Bailey and George, who were sitting at the bar, and at Dr. Brooks who was talking with another doctor from Seattle Grace.

"Hey, nice of you to mingle with the rabble," Cristina smirked, lifting her tequila shot glass in greeting. "And you brought McDreamy!"

"McWho?" Meredith shrugged out of her jacket, before settling into the seat with Derek close beside her.

Cristina nodded at Derek. "Your man here...the dreamy hunk who's swept you off your feet and is taking you away to paradise."

"I'm not sure I'm worthy of that title," Derek said dryly.

"Oh, you're charming, and suave, and Seattle's most eligible bachelor," Cristina pointed out. "What else could we call you?"

Before Derek could come up with an answer, Joe came by with another shot for Cristina and two for Meredith. "Evening, Meredith. Nice to see you here again. You haven't been around for awhile."

"Tell me about it; I hate being the object of the news. I'd rather be the one writing."

"Well, glad it all worked out for you," Joe said amiably, before looking at Derek. "Mr. Shepherd, I'm honored to have you here."

"Just call me Derek. Nice little place you have here."

"Nothing like yours, but we do good. What can I bring you?"

"Single malt, double Scotch on the rocks..."

Joe nodded. "I have some good stuff that I think you'll like. Be right back."

"So are you all packed?" Cristina asked. "Oh, wait, you probably only need a bikini or two. You'll keep her in bed most of the time, order in room service, am I right?" She glanced at Derek.

"I do intend to get some sun," Meredith protested, laughing.

"Sure..."

"I'll text you from the beach, all right, will that convince you?"

"I won't know it's the beach," Cristina countered. "Send pictures."

Meredith exchanged an exasperated glance with Derek. "We promise to send beach pics, okay?"

"Good. I'd hate to think you're going all that way and not get any sun!" Cristina paused to swallow the shot of tequila. "Now, are you really quitting your job?"

"I just feel like I want to do something different," Meredith frowned. "Mark says it's just a leave of absence, and I can think about it while I'm away. But I really haven't been there much since the whole thing exploded with Richard."

"Well, maybe you can write a book about it, since you haven't even told me what happened," Cristina said, raising her eyebrows. "Don't I deserve the inside scoop?"

Derek nodded, just as Joe came back with glass of Scotch. He set it down with a flourish. "And here it is...the oldest Macallan in the house, enjoy!"

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Derek said, raising the glass to inhale the peaty aroma of the drink.

"On the house, for you," Joe said. "One business man to another!"

Once they were alone again, Derek looked at Cristina. "I realize you've been friends with Meredith for a long time, and I'm a latecomer to this situation. But I hope that you can accept the fact that I love Meredith, and she's important to me. We had some things happen to us that were out of my control, and yet she was strong and resourceful when she had to be. She's safe with me, I hope you realize that."

Cristina was quiet for a moment, before lifting her shot glass. "Then good luck to you, McDreamy," she smirked.

Derek and Meredith raised their own glasses., "And cheers...to life and to friends..."

Meredith stretched lazily on the lounge chair, enjoying the heat of the sun on her skin. The sounds of the shore birds filtered into her consciousness, but it wasn't enough to bother her. This was a private beach, at Derek's getaway resort in Hawaii. So for the moment, nothing else mattered but relaxing.

"Hey, are you ready to go for a swim?" Derek asked, dropping into the chair beside her. He'd already been in the water, and moisture dripped onto the sand as he grabbed a towel. "Or are you laying here like a slug for the rest of the afternoon?"

She waved her hand towards the glass beside her. "I don't know, these drinks are pretty good, I'm not sure I can move." She lifted her sunglasses to admire the way he looked in the dark blue swim trunks that were now clinging to his body. "Look at you, all wet and sexy now..."

"Is that an invitation?" he teased her, rubbing the towel over his hair and slicking it away from his face. "No swimming, just sex?"

"Are you taking advantage of me because I'm sorta drunk?"

"I would never take advantage of you," he grinned, putting his hand out towards her. "But I do have some plans that might need your complete attention."

"What kind of plans do you have? I thought we were just relaxing..."

"Ah, just trust me, sweetheart," he grinned. He pulled her to her feet. "Swim first, all right?"

"Sure...whatever you say..."

At the end of the evening, when the lights along the beach were subdued, Derek paused outside their bedroom door. The breeze from the ocean stirred the curtains, as Meredith stepped forward, wearing a loose white dress that accentuated her tan. They were having dinner soon, but he savored the moment to admire her. "You look amazing...this vacation is agreeing with you."

"You too," she murmured, looking up at him. He was wearing a white shirt, dark slacks, and he seemed to be the most relaxed she'd ever seen him.. "Maybe we should just stay in and order out."

"Oh no, we're going out," he said, directing her towards the door. "Or we won't eat..."

"What else did we have in mind?"

"Probably not what you think," he said mysteriously, taking her elbow to guide her forwards.

"Am I going to like this?"

"I hope so..." he replied. "Oh, but first..." He pulled a delicate chain out of his pocket, with a diamond heart sparkling on it. "I thought you might like this."

"It's perfect," Meredith said happily, taking it and lifting her hair away from her neck so he could put it on. "Thank you."

He kissed the bare skin on her shoulder, before releasing her. "Just a little something to start the evening off," he said softly.

"What's the occasion?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Isn't being away together enough of an occasion?"

"You continue to surprise me," she murmured, as he took her hand to lead her outside. But instead of going to the front door, he directed her outside onto the lanai, where a table was set for two. Candles flickered in the dim light, and several pots of plumeria and hibiscus were arranged close to the table. "All right...I thought we were going out?"

"It's outside," he grinned, holding the chair out for her to sit. "The meal is catered, all I have to do is serve it and open the wine."

"Again, more surprises..." she said, once he'd poured the wine and uncovered the dishes on the table. "This looks absolutely mouth watering."

"It does." He lifted his wineglass to hers for a toast. "I'm glad we came here, Meredith, it's been a good vacation. I don't normally take time off, but this has been better than I could have imagined."

"I love it here, and I love you," Meredith said, before sipping her wine.

"I love you, Meredith," he said, his eyes dark in the candlelight. "I've been thinking about the future, and what I want to do. Seattle has been home for a long time, and it's been a success as far as the restaurant goes. But I feel restless, and ready for a new challenge, especially since Gareth is gone."

Meredith took another sip of wine, wondering where he was going with this line of thought. "That's understandable..."

"So I feel like maybe it's time to make a change. I could keep Ravish, but hire someone to manage it for me, and open another place here. I realize that life isn't forever, and we should enjoy what we have while we can."

"Oh, of course," Meredith agreed, suddenly nervous about what he would say next. Despite everything they'd been through together, maybe he was dumping her. She poked at the food on her plate for a moment. "You'd do well here."

Derek tilted his head, giving her that look that always made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. "Meredith, my future wouldn't be complete without you in it, you know..."

'Oh..." She blushed a little, as he stood up and pulled a small box out of his pocket.

"Marry me, Meredith...and we can stay here in paradise together, loving each other and making each other happy," he said quietly, holding the box open for her. Inside a ring twinkled at her, a square cut diamond in a platinum setting that took her breath away.

"I...this is...I never expected..." she tried to put something coherent together, while he pulled her to her feet. "Marry...you...?"

"Is that a yes?" Derek kissed her gently, before slipping the ring on her finger.

"It's a yes!" she confirmed happily, flinging her arms around his neck.

The End...but I do promise to have an epilogue, because it's always fun to have a look at where they are after a year or two of happily ever after, so please stay tuned for that.