"Meredith."

Her name rolled off his tongue easily as she kissed him back, her hand weaving through his hair as he ran his own hands over her sides, cursing the armrest between them from getting closer.

"You're here," he heard her whisper against his lips. "You came, you actually came."

Derek smiled slightly as he pulled back to search her eyes, happiness shining behind the tears that were still lingering on her cheeks. "Of course I came," he breathed, his thumb brushing her tears away. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"I didn't know," she whispered. "Lexie and Izzie said you would, but I wasn't sure, and…"

She was cut off by the feeling of Derek's lips against hers again. "Lexie and Izzie were right," he whispered.

"I love you," Meredith whispered. "I love you so much, and I'm so sorry. For my mom, for Andrew…everything."

"I'm sorry too," Derek replied. "But we're here now. I love you, and I never want to be without you again."

"Me either," Meredith whispered, cuddling closer to him. "You're here."

"I'm here," Derek laughed slightly. "We're on our way to Europe."

"We are," Meredith breathed. "Wow."

He held her closely for a moment, inhaling the strong scent of lavender as he closed his eyes and memorized everything about this moment. Meredith was back in his arms, and nothing could be as perfect as that.

"Derek," she said softly, pulling away from him after a moment. "I love you. Like really love you, and I'm really glad that you're here. But…I'm still not sure that I trust you."

"Oh," Derek swallowed hard, looking down at the floor. "I guess we do have a lot to talk about."

"It's a good thing we have a twelve hour flight ahead of us," Meredith smiled slightly.

"It will be a good way to spend the time," Derek nodded, reaching for her hand. "I'll do anything you need me to, Mer. I want you to trust me again, and I'll do anything to show you how I want you forever."

Meredith smiled as she squeezed his hand. "Thank you," she whispered. "I think I just need time."

"Okay," Derek nodded, tilting his head to the side. "Do you want to talk?"

Meredith sighed. "Why did you do it?" she whispered. "I asked you specifically to let me take care of my mother. And then you went to her. I believe you when you said that you weren't going to cash the check, I do. But you still went to talk to her after I asked you not to. I know it sounds like a stupid reason to be upset, but with my past with her, I just really didn't want her to destroy what we had."

"I was trying to protect you," Derek sighed, resting his head against the back of the seat. "The way she treats you…that's not okay, Mer. She's horrible. And I thought I'd be able to help her see how amazing you are, that she could be proud of you."

"My mother will never be proud of me," she whispered. "I've accepted that a long time ago."

"I know that now," Derek sighed. "But Mer? You can't blame this entire break up on me."

"I know," she sighed, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his. "I'm sorry, Derek, I really am. I over reacted. I should have let you explain, and then maybe we would have had those six months."

Derek smiled softly. "We'll just have to make this vacation count, then," he whispered.

Meredith smiled as she nodded. "And you know what we can do now?"

"Have hot make up sex?"

"Precisely," she smiled, cuddling into his arms again. "In Ireland, though. I don't want our make up sex to be a quickie."

"I suppose I can wait," Derek sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Although it has been six months…"

Meredith's eyes widened as she turned to look at him with wide eyes. "You didn't… you...since us?" she asked.

"I didn't want to be with anyone else," he sighed. "But it's okay, if you and Andrew…if you slept with him."

Meredith giggled slightly. "I tried," she admitted.

"You tried?" Derek frowned, wondering if he was going to hate this conversation.

"I said your name," Meredith whispered. "He was…I just couldn't do it, so I closed my eyes and pretended it was you. And then I said your name."

"Oh," Derek laughed. "Well, I guess I'm okay with that then."

"Plus," Meredith said slyly, her mouth breathing hot air into his ear. "I was too used to your…manliness to be satisfied with him."

Derek swallowed hard as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "It's going to be a long flight," he groaned.

Meredith giggled as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It'll be worth it," she promised.

"I know," Derek smiled, threading his fingers through hers.

Meredith smiled softly as she lifted their joint hands to examine them closely. "They fit," she breathed.

"Hmm?" Derek asked.

"Our hands," Meredith said. "They fit. My hands didn't fit right with Andrew."

"I missed you," Derek whispered into her hair.

"I missed you too," she whispered.

"Never again," Derek said, shifting her to look into her eyes. "This is it, Mer."

She smiled softly as she cupped his cheek in her hand and pressed her lips against his gently. "Forever," she whispered before she settled back against his shoulder again. She was back where she belonged.

XXXXX

"Please?" Meredith giggled, her pen in hand as she tried to grab Derek's arm.

"No!" Derek laughed.

"But I'm bored!"

"I don't care," Derek laughed, pointing to the personal TV in the back of the seat in front of her. "Watch a movie."

"They're all boring," she rolled her eyes. "Come on, Derek."

"I'm not letting you draw on me," Derek laughed.

"But I'm bored."

"Fine," Derek sighed. "How about you tell me where we're going?"

"Ireland," Meredith rolled her eyes. "You're the one who bought the tickets."

"I meant after Ireland," Derek said. "You did make plans for that, didn't you?"

Meredith frowned. "I thought you had it all planned," she said.

"Well, we were going to do it together," he sighed, reaching for her hand. "I just assumed that you planned it with Andrew."

"Oh," Meredith sighed. "Well, I did. Kind of. But I don't want you and I to go on a trip I was supposed to take with Andrew. I want to go on a vacation with you. Our vacation."

Derek smiled as he leaned forward to press his lips against hers. "I'm glad," he whispered.

"Okay, so…we can plan our trip," she giggled, reaching for her bag. "We're starting in Ireland."

"What the hell is that?" Derek asked as she pulled a huge book out of her bag.

"It's a guidebook," Meredith said, flipping open to Ireland.

"A guidebook to the entire world?" Derek asked, reaching for the book.

"There's a lot to see in Europe," Meredith replied. "So we're starting in Dublin. What do you want to do there?"

"Have sex."

"I'm serious, Derek."

"Me too," he laughed. "Six months, Mer. Longer than that."

"Derek, you wanted to see Ireland cause it's where your dad's from," Meredith said. "Why the hell are we even going to Europe if all you want to do is have sex?"

"I want to see Europe too," Derek nodded. "My dad's family is from Tipperary, not Dublin."

"Alright, so we'll go to Tipperary," Meredith said, folding a page down in her book and writing something down in the notebook on the tray in front of her.

"That book is going to drive me insane," Derek stated.

"Would you rather me draw on you?" Meredith giggled. "My students seem to think it's a lot of fun to draw on each other."

"Well, I'm not a first grader and I don't think it's funny."

"Even if I draw my name with a heart around it?" Meredith asked.

"No," Derek said firmly.

"Fine, then don't complain about the book," Meredith said firmly. "Where else do you want to go in Ireland?"

"My parents went to Killarney for their honeymoon," Derek murmured.

Meredith smiled as she turned to look at him. "You want us to go on your parents' honeymoon?" she asked.

"Does that make me sound weird?" Derek frowned. "Because I think it does. I didn't mean it like that."

"I think it's cute," Meredith giggled, kissing him softly.

Derek smiled as he reached for her hand. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"London," Meredith whispered, pressing her lips against his. "Berlin. Vienna. Paris. Rome. Florence. Greece. Nice."

"Anywhere you don't want to go?" Derek laughed.

"Shut up," Meredith whispered. "You said it's my trip."

"It is," Derek smiled. "Scotland."

"You like the Celtic region," Meredith smiled as she moved back to her list.

"I'm one hundred percent Irish," Derek shrugged.

"Hmmm," Meredith nodded, biting her lower lip.

"Mer," Derek smiled softly, reaching out to rub her back.

"What?" she asked.

"You're wondering where your family's from," he said softly.

"I…" Meredith frowned. "How do you know me so well?"

"I love you, Mer," he shrugged. "That means I know you."

"Fine," she said. "It doesn't really matter, I just think it would be cool to know. Like you know."

"I only know because all four of my grandparents came straight from Ireland," Derek replied.

"Yeah, but I could be anything," Meredith shrugged. "Even your name…Derek Shepherd. That's an Irish name if I've ever heard one. Meredith Grey…there's not much culture in that name."

"I think it's a beautiful name," Derek smiled, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "And you're right, it doesn't matter."

"It will when we have kids and we have to tell them that half of their nationality is completely missing," Meredith sighed.

"Meredith," Derek frowned, looking closely at her. "Why are you getting so upset over this?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "It's just been a long day, and I still can't believe that you're actually here, and I'm just overly sensitive or whatever. Because I've spent the last six months trying to convince myself and everyone around me that I was okay, and now I really am okay because you're here and I love you, but now I can't stop crying."

"Mer," he laughed, pulling her into his arms. "It's okay. You can cry if you want to."

"I don't want to," she whispered. "I'm just glad that you're here. I thought you weren't going to come."

"I just barely made it," he laughed slightly. "They had to reopen the door for me."

"I'm glad they did," Meredith sighed. "I can't imagine going without you."

"I would have been on the next flight out," Derek nodded. "God, Mer, I can't believe we lasted this long without each other."

"But never again," she said.

"Never again," Derek agreed.

"Hmmm," Meredith mumbled, her eyes starting to fall closed.

"Sleep, Mer," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her head and pulling the blanket over her shoulders. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Love you," she mumbled, moving closer to him.

"I love you too," he whispered, leaning his head down to rest his cheek against the top of her head. She was in his arms again, and nothing felt better than that. He felt himself begin to drift off to sleep, a smile playing on his lips as she shifted to rest her head in his lap, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist. This was perfection.

He wasn't sure how long it had been when he felt Meredith's lips against his cheek and he groaned as he shifted closer to her. "Sleep," he murmured, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Derek," he heard her giggled as she ran her hands through his hair. "You have to wake up."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Okay, I'm a first grade teacher," Meredith giggled. "I'm the queen of these fights."

"Fine," Derek sighed, lifting his head off her shoulder. "Why do I need to wake up?"

"Look," Meredith breathed as she pointed out the window to show him the green ground beneath them.

"Oh," he breathed.

"That's Ireland," she whispered, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"That's Ireland," Derek replied.

"We're here," Meredith whispered as she turned to look into her eyes. "We're really here, Derek." Her voice was soft but excited, and he knew that she was talking about more than being in Ireland. They were here, and they were together, and that was more than he could ever ask for.