A/N- Serious apologies for not uploading sooner, I had hoped to update before I left last Friday but life got in the way! I'm hoping to move the timeline a little quicker from now on, but I wanted Meredith and Derek in their little bubble for just one more chapter! Thanks as always for your reviews of the last chapter and for reading this far, you are all wonderful!
Meredith was exhausted when they finally got home from Joe's, but she knew there was no way she would ever get to sleep, not now, not after Derek not only offered, but promised to spend the rest of his life with her. She couldn't get any words to come to her in the car, so she sat with her hand in his, smiling at him from her side of the car as he drove them home. Neither of them had drunk anything more than their glass of champagne, neither had needed to, they wanted to remember every second of that night, and they didn't need alcohol to make it any better, not when it was already perfect. Derek got out of the car when they reached Meredith's house, before going to the other side of the car to open it for her and lead her inside. The house was empty, Izzie, George and Alex had all taken the on call shift so that Derek and Meredith could have some time alone after the party. They stepped inside and Meredith stood in the foyer taking in the house, taking stock of her night.
"We're engaged Derek" she whispered, words of substance failing her completely. "Like getting married, til death do us part engaged. Wow."
"I know." he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning his chin on her shoulder. "Happily ever after kind of engaged."
"I can't believe it." She whispered again, as if volume would ruin the magic, break the spell that they were under. "I spent the entire day thinking about how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, how much we've been through and how magical this whole thing has been. I was gonna tell you as soon as I'd finished with the chief's game. But it was you all along. I can't believe you did all of that the flowers, the cards and the ring, just everything. It was so thoughtful and special. I spent the whole afternoon trying to figure out what I could say when I got home to make you know that I love you too. So much more than I can say or show, but I do Derek, I love you. So much." The tears were there again, but they were good tears, happy tears, a symbol of how much pain they'd been through and how much happiness they were going to have in the future. Derek kissed the tears on her cheeks, he cupped her face with his hands, looking into her eyes as she cried.
"You don't have to say anything Meredith. I know, I know you love me. When you didn't run when I gave you my plan for the next ten years, when I saw you today running around the hospital going over all the things we've done, even the bad things. I knew then how much you loved me Meredith. When you call me at work when you're alone just because you've had a nightmare and want to hear my voice or when you curl up on my lap when you're tired and just need to be held. When you tell me that things aren't feeling good, or you're scared or hurting. That tells me you love me. We don't need words Meredith. I already know. We have each other and that's all we'll ever need. Now come on you're exhausted, let's go up to bed and you can curl up on me, and when we wake up we can go into that hospital and show everyone that ever doubted us that we're for real, and we're going get our happy ever after."
"But you brought me lingerie and heels, I thought…" she tailed off.
"We have the rest of our lives for that Meredith." He kissed her forehead, grabbing her hand, leading his future wife up the stairs for a good night's sleep.
She lazily stripped for him, trying to be seductive, but her heavy lidded eyes, and tired stumbling were less than sexy, but Derek found it adorable, unable to resist taking her in his arms and holding onto her again. Her hands found his, and her rubbed his finger over the band that sat on the finger of her left hand, he brought it to his mouth, gently kissing the cool metal that fit snugly on her hand, almost as if it was meant to be there all along. Meredith's tired eyes met his as he looked up and she leant towards him capturing his lips, their hands parting as Meredith reached into Derek's hair, his hands going to her hips, pulling her closer, needing her body close to his. Meredith broke the kiss, panting for air as Derek moved his lips to her neck, biting and sucking the soft flesh, hitting the spots that made Meredith's head go back in pleasure. His fingers tangled in the soft waves of her hair as he moved down towards her clavicle, making her moan, her body begging for more. His fingers found the clasp of her bra, setting her breasts free, her nipples already hard, waiting for him. She slid the bra off one arm then the other, throwing it to the floor, her hands retreating to his buttons, sliding the shirt down his shoulders as he took a nipple in his mouth, gently biting it, making her scream in ecstasy. Her hand snaked to his belt, making light work of the buckle, undoing his pants and letting them fall to the ground, his feet lifting to release himself from them. He continued to caress her breasts, taking one in his mouth and massaging the other with his palm. She pushed her hand gently into his boxers, her fingertips brushing against him, making him harden against her palm. He moved his face back up to meet hers, taking her lips with his, his tongue forcing its way between her swollen lips. He pressed himself against her, his erection pushing against her stomach. She pulled him towards the bed, laying down with him, pulling off her panties in one quick manoeuvre. She edged his down his legs with her feet, kicking them to the floor. He pushed her onto her back, hovering over her, taking in the woman that he was going to spend the rest of his days with. His hand found her thigh, rubbing it gently as his fingers roamed higher, to her pink folds, swollen, and wet ready for him. He lowered himself, teasing her with the tip of his erection.
"Derek…?" Meredith breathed heavily. Panting in anticipation of him. "Condom." Derek cursed himself, his hand reaching for the draw of his nightstand pulling one from their stash. "No," Meredith protested. "Use the glow in the dark ones, it's a special occasion." He smiled, raising himself up, and awkwardly heading towards the bathroom, rummaging in the draw until he found the kind he was looking for. He rushed back into the bedroom, waving the packet, before laughing at the sight of Meredith passed out naked on the bed, light snores erupting from her mouth.
"I love you." He chuckled, stepping back into the bathroom for a cold shower.
When he returned, she was on her stomach, arms and legs splayed out to the sides, taking up much of the bed, he slid in beside her, causing her to squirm at his cold body. He snuggled under the covers, pulling them over her, and pulling her towards him once he was a little warmer, spooning her, every inch of their flesh touching. She settled into his arms, sighing contentedly before settling back into a rhythm of snores. Derek put his nose in her hair, breathing in the flowery scent that he loved. He held her as she slept, her head resting on his chest, his arm around her waist as he too drifted off into a soft slumber content and happy at how perfect his day had been, his head full of the thoughts of the future Mrs Shepherd, the one he'd get to spend all of his nights with.
Meredith stretched as she began to wake up the next morning, reaching out one arm for Derek, instead being met with an empty bed, any lingering warmth long since gone. She opened her eyes, taking in the sight of the room, lit up with the October sunshine, something beautiful, but in rainy Seattle, rather rare. The light caught the many diamonds in her ring and she grinned at it, memories of the day before flooding her mind. She slid out from under the covers, heading straight for the shower. When she was content that she smelt lavender-y enough for her fiancé, she threw on a tank top and Derek's favourite pair of her lounge shorts, tying her robe around her, her feet finding her ugg slippers. She could hear movement from the kitchen so she slowly and quietly descended the stairs, stopping abruptly at the kitchen door, totally amused by the scene in front of her. Derek was at the stove, juggling more than one pan, clearly taking his dutiful future husband role seriously. He had Izzie's apron on over his sweats, his iPod in his pocket, which by the sound of his singing was playing The Clash into his ears, while he grooved to the sound. It wasn't until he turned around to serve up breakfast on the two plates, singing to the chorus of 'Should I stay or should I go?' that he spotted Meredith grinning to herself. He pulled the headphones from his ears and walked towards her red faced, planting a long and passionate kiss on her lips, and hugging her to his chest.
"Definitely stay," Meredith murmured when they came up for air. "Coming down to this is beyond priceless, I could definitely get used to this." Derek's face got even redder, the tips of his ears as crimson as his cheeks.
"I didn't hear the shower finish, I thought maybe I had a few more minutes." He said, mortified at the scene his fiancée had witnessed.
"Clearly," Meredith jibed, walking towards the table and sitting in the seat Derek pulled out for her. "I thought you didn't sing or dance?"
"Not when anyone can see me." He agreed, "At least when I think no one can see or hear me." He smiled when Meredith let out a tiny giggle, the sound having quickly become his favourite sound in the world.
"I liked it," Meredith assured him. "You looked happy. I like it when you're happy. And you look damn sexy in that little apron." She placed a forkful of eggs into her mouth as Derek discreetly tried to remove the apron. "Leave it on." She warned. "We can have some fun with that later." Derek brought his hands back onto the table, amazed by his fiancée's audacity. Meredith could see his mind whirring at what she meant with her comment, and she let him stew, stealing bites of his breakfast. She leaned in to take another bite, when he grabbed her hand, making her feed him the piece she'd just stolen. He chewed quickly as he got up, pulling the fork from her hand and stealing a kiss from her lips once more. His hands found her back, sliding down to her ass, caressing it gently, before reaching for her thighs, picking her up, and swinging her around, and placing her on the table before kissing her collarbone, his face dipping down towards her breasts. Meredith's head fell back in bliss, her legs wrapping themselves around him, pulling him closer. He slid his hand into the top of her robe, reaching for the breasts that were round and waiting for him. This time it was Meredith's turn to grab his hand.
"Not so fast mister." She gasped, forcing herself to focus. Derek pouted at her, teasing her with his other hand at the waistband of her shorts. She grabbed that hand too, holding them in front of her, not missing the fact that he held her hands in not too dissimilar a position the night before, or that they'd be doing the same thing again before too long, when they found the date for their wedding. He looked deep into her eyes, knowing that whatever she needed to do, it was important to her.
"What is it beautiful?" He asked, knowing that she hated it when he used pet names, but the look on her face was too much to not tell her that she was indeed the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. Meredith frowned at his choice of words, but he was being supportive so she let it go.
"We need to call your mom." She informed him, biting her lip slightly, "That's what people do when they get engaged, right? They call their mom?" Her expression made her look so vulnerable, so scared, and it was all too obvious what an effect her less than ideal childhood had had on her. Derek grinned, pulling his hands from her grip, and hugging her tightly placing a kiss on her hair as she leaned into him. "Sorry," she whispered, her tears getting her again. "I'm no good at this, I thought…" Derek stopped the oncoming ramble with a kiss, lifting her from the table, and leading her to the lounge grabbing the phone as the pair sat down on the sofa.
"Some of my sisters are going to be there, you're sure you want to do this?" Derek made sure, his fingers poised over the buttons. Meredith nodded her head, taking a deep breath as Derek typed the familiar number.
"They all get to find out together that way." She decided, "That makes it fair or whatever." She squeezed his hand as he pressed call and then the speakerphone button so that they could both talk. He set the phone in the cradle, and wrapped a protective arm around Meredith while the ring tone sounded, followed by a voice familiar to both of them.
"Hello, Shepherd residence." Came Carolyn's voice, making both of them smile.
"Hi mom," Derek said, knowing she'd been waiting for this call since the day he told her about the proposal's finer details.
"Derek sweetheart," She exclaimed, the background noise dying down, his sisters clearly listening in, keen to hear what he had to say. "So…?"
"So what mom?" He replied faking ignorance.
"So what did she say?" The voice said, practically jumping down the phone.
"I said yes," Meredith giggled, as Derek squeezed her against him. Then came Carolyn's delighted cackle, causing both of them to raise their eyebrows at the sound. Questions of his mother's sanity came from several of the people taking over his mom's house that weekend.
"My baby boy's getting married," She confirmed for her daughters, the cheers erupting in the background. There were a couple of minutes of cacophony from the phone line before his sisters finished their mini celebration and Carolyn's voice came onto the line again. "Oh, sweethearts, we're all thrilled," She told them, clearly slightly choked up at the news. "You're finally going to be a Shepherd officially, Meredith."
"I am," She agreed, tearing up slightly as she looked at the proud face that Derek was pulling. He kissed the side of her head again, unable to keep from taking her straight up to their bedroom for that comment alone.
"Was it as magical as he planned it to be?" Carolyn asked, trying to change the subject before they all ended up in tears.
"And then some," Meredith answered her. "But the ending, that was perfect. I mean, the shoes and the jewellery and the treasure hunt were amazing, but the prize was so unbelievably perfect." Her tears refused to stay at bay when she remembered just how perfect his words to her were.
"He always was a hopeless romantic," Carolyn croaked, sensing Meredith's happy tears, and the inevitable look on Derek's face. "Even as a little boy, he always knew the right things to say to get a woman to love him! The number of times I looked into those big blue eyes and he'd come out with something so adorable that I'd just forget what he'd done wrong. Ever the little charmer."
"I'm 37 mom," Derek joked, "I think I've stopped being little now." Meredith laughed through her tears, kissing his lips quickly.
"You'll always be my little boy, Derek. Even when you have your own little ones, you'll still be my baby boy, age is just a number." Carolyn chastised, causing Derek to hold his hands up in mock defeat. "Now keep quiet, I want to ask that beautiful girl about your wedding plans, she'll have been planning the day since she was tiny. What are you thinking honey?"
"Um…" Meredith began. "I guess spring, or early summer. Somewhere between our birthdays, small, but not too small. Just family and our friends, maybe some of the other staff at the hospital. Outside somewhere if the weather will hold out. Nothing fancy, but beautiful, something that means a lot to both of us. I was never the wedding type when I was younger, but Derek brought it out in me, I think. We'll talk about it again before too long I'd've thought, we'll let you know as soon as we decide, and I'm sure you'll be able to offer your input at Christmas."
"Christmas?" Carolyn said picking up on the last word. Derek had never given her anything totally solid in terms of an answer about Christmas, mostly as to not excite the kids too much if they couldn't make good on their plans. Derek gave her a puzzled look, knowing neither had definitely been given the time off yet.
"I still have to confirm with the chief, but with what I have to ask him, I doubt he'll be saying no in a hurry." She smiled at Derek, his expression telling her that he knew what their conversation would be about.
"Oh Meredith, I haven't had the whole family here in years. The girls have taken it in turns to have us all, but it'll be so special if the pair of you are here to celebrate it with us too. Oh, you've made my week both of you. I'm so proud of you both. I can't believe how wonderfully things have worked out for you in Seattle. I've never been more glad that he made the decision to start over there in Seattle. You're the best thing that has ever happened to him sweetheart. I'd have given anything to get my happy little boy back over the last couple of years, now I see why he had to leave. He had to find you. It was fate my dear." She took a deep shaky breath, and Derek looked down at Meredith, his eyes telling her that he agreed wholeheartedly with his mother. She was the reason for every happy moment in the last year or so. She was his everything and he was so glad that he'd found her. The noise in the background told Derek that his sisters were more than keen to hear about every detail of the proposal from his mother.
"We'll let you get back to the press conference." He joked, Meredith smiling at his little comment. "And once we have a definitive date for Christmas we'll let you know, though I'm sure we'll speak before then. I love you mom."
"I love you too sweetheart, and you Meredith, feel free to call if you need anything. I love you lots."
"I love you too," She smiled, caught up in the moment. The three said their good byes, and Derek ended the call, leaning back against the sofa, Meredith in his arms.
"That went well," Meredith grinned after a little while. "Definitely a lot less scary than it was in my head!" Derek pushed her down onto her back, kissing every inch of skin in his sight, Meredith giggling the entire time.
"I love you, future Mrs. Shepherd." He announced.
"I love you future Mr Grey." She quickly retorted, "Now go get dressed."
"Why?" He asked, looking at her confused. "If we stay like this, it's easier to get into your panties."
"There's time for that later, but I have to take you out for lunch first."
"Lunch?" He questioned, they hadn't had any plans this weekend, certainly not lunch reservations.
"Yep," Meredith informed him. "It was part of my showing you I was ready for forever. I was going to buy you dinner, but then you went and proposed and that kind of threw my plans a little." Derek giggled.
"Was there sex in this plan?" He said raising his eyebrow, and looking at her seductively.
"Maybe," She teased, "Definitely after dinner, but maybe I can be persuaded to swap things around a little." She undid her robe, and slid her arms out, draping it over one arm as she walked slowly up the stairs, knowing he was staring at her ass as she walked. "Feel free to join me." She said meeting his eyes.
Derek ran straight after her, pulling her up to their bedroom. He couldn't wait to call her his wife, this was truly the beginning of their very happily forever after.
A/N- Pure fluff, I know but I wanted to add a little angst to the next few chapters when they get back to reality, so this was a present to myself before things get less than perfect. I am back home now so updates shouldn't be as far apart as they have been until Christmas. Things aren't written yet, they are just vague ideas, and the odd paragraph or two, so feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Even if I don't use them straight away, I'll try and incorporate your ideas.