A/N- I wrote most of this fic in one long document, which means it doesn't split up particularly well, so until i get into a routine of writing in chapters, the length is going to vary a lot. I'm trying to keep them at a minimum of 1000 words per chapter, but some could be considerably more, so apologies in advance. Total filler to lead up to something else this time. Enjoy!
Derek woke up the next morning with Meredith by his side, her snores echoing around the room. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at her again, still in a state of total disbelief at the fact that she hadn't told him to leave, hadn't hit him, hadn't even yelled at him. Instead, she'd forgiven him. He hadn't forgiven himself yet though, he knew he'd hurt her, and he knew that she would never forget that, that it would hurt her for a long time to come. This was possibly the last shot he had with Meredith, if he didn't buck up his ideas, she would leave him.
Neither had to be in until twelve today, and he knew she was exhausted from the night before, so he got up gently, tucking her up in the covers before heading downstairs to make himself a coffee. It was still early, but the house was quiet, Izzie and Alex had already gone to work and George had been on call and wasn't due back until later. He picked up the paper, glancing through the headlines occasionally stopping to read an article or two that were of some interest to him. He glanced past the adverts trying to get people to buy all sorts of unnecessary things, until an advert for the jewellery store near to the hospital caught his eye. The picture showed a simple bracelet with large links, suitable for adding charms to. Meredith had seen one weeks ago when they were walking past and seemed to like it, brushing the idea off when he mentioned it, merely saying she might get it for Izzie as a birthday present. He looked at the pattern of it, tens of tiny unbroken links, forming a perfect little ring, it even had a safety chain, so the circle was never broken. He got up and found some scissors in one of Meredith's kitchen drawers and cut it out, placing it in his pocket. He heard Meredith's footsteps on the floor above, so he started on some French toast for her, making sure there was maple syrup in the cupboard first. He checked to see how warm the coffee was, pouring a mug of it as she came down the stairs and sliding it to her as she sat down.
"Hi," he said grinning at her. She hadn't brushed her hair yet, and she'd just pulled her robe on over her Dartmouth shirt and some pyjama pants. She hadn't made an effort but Derek thought she looked beautiful. She sipped her coffee, inhaling the scent of the warm drink.
"Hi," she replied a small smile reaching her lips.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked flipping the bread in the pan.
"Yeah," she confirmed looking at him as he was cooking. She couldn't imagine how she could love someone who had hurt her so badly, how even though he'd hurt her by kissing rose, all she wanted to do was kiss him over and over.
"Derek," she said quietly "Do you love me?" Derek turned around to look at her.
"Of course I love you, more than I've ever loved anyone. I love you so much that the second I stopped kissing her, I wanted you, I wanted to tell you, because I couldn't bear to hide that from you. Even though I know it was the stupidest most repulsive thing I could've possibly done, I had to tell you so that we could move past it. I..." Meredith cut across him.
"'Cause I love you, and I just wanted to make sure that you knew that. I don't want to talk about her, I just want you. I want you to be mine, and I just want you." she got up and threw her arms around his waist, snuggling into his chest and letting the tears fall. Derek took the pan off the heat and wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
"You have me." he whispered, "You'll always have me." they stayed like that for a few minutes while Meredith let the tears fall, she needed to let them out, and she needed him to hold her and reassure her that they were going to move forward. They pulled apart and Derek served her a plate of French toast, pulling the maple syrup and placing it in her hand before pressing a kiss to her cheek. He watched her eat and then put her plate in the dishwasher, knowing that even though he was the one that hurt her, he was the one she needed there to feel better about it. He stayed by her side while she got ready, slipping into some smart trousers and a dress shirt himself as she put on jeans and a long sleeved shirt. She didn't say much, but she was never one for words when she was upset.
Once they got to the hospital, she gave him a quick peck and a small smile before heading towards the nurses' station for her assignment for the day. Derek watched her go, only tearing his eyes away when his pager sounded for a consult in the pit. Meredith Grey was still his, he was the luckiest man in the world.
He stayed in the pit for a while, dealing with a few minor head injuries and a case of mild concussion before taking his break at 4pm, he pulled the picture out of his pocket, and made his way over to the jewellery store. He'd been in before, he'd picked out earrings for Meredith, and helped her choose others for her friends, with the occasional necklace thrown in for good measure, so the staff recognised him when he walked in.
"Dr. Shepherd." the middle aged woman greeted, "Can I help you with anything today?"
"I'd like a bracelet like this," he said showing her the picture, "or something even better if you have it." she walked around the counter of cases gesturing that he do the same, Before pointing out the range of bracelets that they had on offer.
"This is the one in the picture." she said pointing out a middle of the range bracelet. "These are all a little more expensive, but they're often more popular if you're looking for something a bit special, or something that will last a while." Derek glanced through the selection before his eyes settled on one with platinum links that sparkled in the light of the case.
That one," he said pointing it out to her. He didn't care about the price, this was for Meredith, price was no object when it came to the love of his life.
"Okay," the woman said puling it out so he could look at it more closely, would you like to see it on?" Derek nodded, taking the bracelet in his hand and fastening it around the jewellers wrist. It would be a little loose on Meredith's tiny wrists, but he knew it was the one.
"It's perfect." he said, un doing it and handing it to the woman.
"Would you like a charm to go with it?" she asked him gesturing to a case filled with charms of every kind. "These are the same material as your bracelet," she commented, "They're a little more than the silver or gold ones, but if you're going to spend on the bracelet may as well have the matching charms!" Derek looked through, past those for special occasions, and onto the more unusual things. He pored over many of them, not able to think of a reason for any of their significance to his and Meredith's relationship. Then he spotted it.
"What type of bird is this?" he asked the woman, hoping she'd confirm his suspicion.
"That, oh that's a phoenix, it's been here a while, no one really took much of a liking to it, we even took the price down a few times but people aren't really feeling him."
"I'll take it," Derek said abruptly.
"Okay dr. shepherd," she smiled, "would you like the pair gift wrapped?"
"Separately if that's okay?" He asked wanting to see the look on her face when she opened each individually as opposed to one big gesture.
"Definitely," she said as she got to work putting the items into boxes before adding ribbons and bows and other decorative things before putting them into small bags emblazoned with the shop's name and placing them in a larger bag before handing it to Derek. Derek thanked her and walked back to the hospital, looking around for Meredith as he made his way to his office to stash his gift. They were both on call tonight, so there would be little chance for a romantic meal, but they both had Saturday off, so he intended to sweep her off her feet and remind her just how much he loved her. He had a reason, but he didn't need one. Meredith was his once in a lifetime, his soul mate, and he'd show her every day for the rest of their lives if that's what it took for her to be sure.