These are the Times

Miranda made his favorite dinner, grilled steak, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and fresh string beans. She had to drive to the store to get everything except the steaks, but if he was getting fired, she didn't mind. She hadn't heard any news from him about it. He'd called her earlier to tell her that he wouldn't be able to come home in between his surgeries because the first surgery had gone a little longer than expected. Miranda knew how that went. She tried to ask about his meeting with Hunt, but he'd rushed her off the phone. She hung up reluctantly, ignoring her wild idea of going to the hospital to get an answer. She would be patient. The food was finished and she'd even lit a few candles, but it was 11 o'clock and Ben wasn't home yet and she was struggling to keep her eyes open, her anxiousness no longer powerful enough to do the job. Miranda blew out the candles and went upstairs and got into bed.

"Baby? Baby?" Ben called to falling into the bed.

"Can you bring your voice down to foghorn level?" She said grumpily.

"Why? Were you asleep?" He asked.

"Nope, I was mentally debating why "Forever" lasted one season, but "Baby Daddy" is going into its 5th season."

"Different networks, different viewership, duh," Ben responded with a laugh.

"Ughh, Ben Warren, I was asleep, you know." She turned to look at him. "Where have you been?" She cleaned the corners of her eyes.

"Well, I just got done for the night—"

"The morning," she corrected him.

He blushed. "Right and so I sped across town, back home to you."

"You know I don't like you driving so fast."

"I know. I know. But I also knew that you'd made dinner."

"I hate to break it to you, baby, it's cold now," she told him closing her eyes.

"And I'm sorry for that. I see you made my favorite." Miranda nodded with a yawn. "Thank you," he said kissing her cheek.

She propped her head up on her hand. "So?"

"So what?" He asked with a smile.

"Don't make me hurt you!" She said. "As tired as I am." Ben laughed. "And as late as you are."

"Okay. Okay. But let me turn on the light, I want to see your face when I tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"So I finish my surgery with Shepherd and I'm walking to Hunt's office, taking my time obviously because I'm nervous." Ben reached next to their headboard and flicked on the light. He got out of the bed and began to undress. "And I walk past Richard who's talking with Bokhee at the Nurse's station and he asks me where I'm going. I tell him and he says that he was headed that way and that he'd walk with me." He took off his t-shirt and his undershirt throwing them into the laundry hamper. "So, we're just chatting away and we get into the empty elevator and he says to me that he knows that you're worried that he's forgotten about you, but he hasn't. See, I told you." Miranda nodded as Ben unbuckled his jeans, pulling them off, tossing them to the chair in the corner of the room. They miss the chair and fall to the floor. "So we get to Hunt's office and I'm thinking Richard is going to go on his way, but he comes into the room and sits down. Hunt is sitting behind his desk." Miranda licked her lips as she watched her nearly naked husband walk to his jeans, bending down to pick them up, his butt prominent in his briefs. "So Hunt starts talking about me being an anesthesiologist and how my reputation is amazing and that I've had no complaints while at Mercy West or Seattle Grace and all that. And then Hunt says that he knows that I started my residency at UCLA and knows that I… quit my residency." Miranda's face fell and she had to look away from Ben. "And I think that he's about to tell me that, you know, he's letting me go because I moved on from Seattle Grace and then I quit UCLA and then I had to get my job back when I came back from California—." Miranda started to speak, but Ben held up his hand. "But then Webber says that he spoke to Hunt and that they think that I should continue my residency."

"You're going back to UCLA?" She asked quickly. "To California…. A thousand miles away. Commuting. Again." Her eyes began to swell.

Ben walked over to her. "I'm going to be a surgeon," he said simply.

"What?"

"I'm going to be a surgeon," he said again this time with a smile.

"Okay, you cannot just repeat it, you have to explain yourself."

"Hunt offered me a demotion. Which I gladly accepted."

She was so confused and expressed that sentiment: "I don't understand, Ben. I'm trying. But I am so lost. So just tell me in plain English."

Ben put a hand on her waist. "Miranda. Hunt and Webber have decided to make a space, just for me, to join the other 2nd year residents at the hospital! They want me to continue my residency at Grey Sloan."

Miranda's face lit up and she grabbed his face. "Oh my God!" Ben's face broke out into a wide grin. "Oh my God! Sweetie, that is amazing!" The tears in her eyes fell. "I am so ecstatic for you," she said kissing him. Miranda threw her arms around him and pulled him on top of her. "This is so great. You get to stay with us at home and you get to continue your career." He nodded. "You deserve this, baby."

Ben reached over and turned off the light. "Thank you," he said pushing her shirt up, running a hand across her stomach. Ben rolled them over, putting Miranda on top. She held onto his bare chest, feeling the hairs underneath her fingers, as Ben pulled down her shorts. She kissed his chest, biting him gently. He put a hand between her legs, touching her quickly, making her body shake. He chuckled when she cut her eyes at him. Ben raised his eyebrows and she smiled. He touched her face and brought her down for a kiss. Miranda moaned into his mouth. She sat up a little and looked at the man underneath her. Their eyes locked. She was, in this moment, blissful. She smiled as he winked at her. Ben was gorgeous and he was the love of her life, the man of her dreams. "My wife is so perfect," he said as Miranda ran a hand over through her hair. Ben softly caressed her back, pulling off her shirt in the progress. He reached up and grabbed her neck and slowly pulled her in for another kiss. It was so passionate and sweet; Miranda felt it down to her curled-up toes. "You know this makes me your subordinate, don't you?" He told her grinning into her mouth.

Miranda nodded and ground her hips on her husband, making him groan in her ear. "I know, handsome. That's why I'm on top." She smiled slyly. It was his turn to nod. "So are you taking advantage of me or am I taking advantage of you, Dr. Warren?" She asked, pushing down his briefs, freeing his organ. Miranda held it in her hand, feeling it throb.

His warm hands touched her breasts. "Let's find out, Dr. Bailey," he said. Miranda lifted her body up and gasped as she guided him inside of her, her eyes closing at the sheer pleasure she was feeling. She leaned down to kiss Ben again and turned her head so that his lips were on her ear. He nibbled on it and whispered: "Damn, baby. You are… so hot." Ben wrapped one arm around her body, holding on tightly. Miranda whined as he lifted his hips and drove himself deeper into her. He grabbed her ponytail and gently snatched out the rubber band. Her hair fell into their faces. She sat up and glared at him and then began to smile. Ben smiled back and Miranda's heart skipped a beat. Ben could do the simplest thing and have her so aroused that she couldn't think straight. A smile, a touch, the way he looked at her. And now he was doing all of those things and she was in heaven. He pulled her in for another kiss, this one sloppy and wet. He softly bit her ear and pulled on her hair, making her moan again.

"Yessss!" He put his lips on her neck. Damn, she thought. His hands and mouth were everywhere doing everything and pushing all of her buttons. "Bennnn!" She called out, her voice hoarse. He didn't answer, only held her tighter. Miranda rocked her body on top of Ben's. She tugged on the sheets, gripping them as he caressed her butt, squeezing it. Miranda looked behind her, turning her body a little, changing her position.

"Damn! Shit!" He yelled as his body shook while he orgasmed. "Damn, Miranda."

She bit her bottom lip. His hands locked with hers, his mouth on her breasts bringing her to her climax. "Ahhh! Ohmygod! Baby, ohmygod!" Her body popped and she screamed loudly. Ben sat up and kissed her, their sweat mixing. When they were both finished and coming down from their high, breathing deeply, Miranda lifted herself off of Ben and fell beside him. He pushed her wild hair out of her face. "Thanks." He said it was no problem. They smiled at each other. "Congratulations?" They laughed.

"Well, if I get sex like this for getting a demotion, I wonder—"

She hit his chest. "Don't you dare finish that sentence." Miranda smiled. She put her leg over his body; he pulled them closer together, her head buried in his chest.

They were silent. And Miranda thought he'd fallen asleep, but he said: "I thought I was dreaming."

"Hmmm?" She said quietly.

"While Hunt and Webber were talking to me, I thought I was hallucinating." Miranda smiled into his chest. "And I didn't believe it even when they repeated it, even when I went into my next surgery. I just… didn't believe it." Miranda touched his chest, kissing it. "But when I told you…" he said moving to look at her, "it became real and I finally understood what'd happened. That's why I had to get home to you, Miranda. Telling you made it real." He stopped talking and stroked her arms, soothing her and forcing her to close her eyes. "It's all happening. Just like we planned when I left for California. It's all working out."

"I knew it would," she said opening her eyes to look at him. Ben looked back at her, his brown eyes peering into her equally brown ones; he leaned in for a kiss. "I love you," she said just before he kissed her.

"I love you," he responded and his lips touched her softly and they fell asleep, wrapped up in each other.