Later, as they sat together on the couch, the glow of the lamp casting soft shadows on their faces, the silence felt different. It wasn't heavy with unspoken doubts or what-ifs—it was comfortable, like a shared secret that didn't need to be explained.
Meredith let out a soft laugh, her fingers tracing the rim of her wine glass. "I'm not going to be able to keep this from Zola for long, you know. She's smart."
Derek chuckled, his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Maybe we'll have a little more time than you think. She's too busy with her sleepover to care."
Meredith raised an eyebrow, leaning into him. "And you're sure we're not going to get caught by Bailey? Or Amelia? Or Maggie?"
"Nope." Derek grinned, his eyes twinkling with that mischievous glint she loved. "We'll be careful."
Meredith smirked. "You, careful?"
"Hey, I'm a surgeon," Derek teased, his voice light. "I'm great at keeping things under control."
She laughed softly, the sound easy and unguarded. "Let's hope you're right."
And as the night stretched on, they stayed there, together, letting the world outside them keep turning while they finally gave in to what they'd both been avoiding for so long.
For tonight, at least, there was no one else. Just them.

The night continued, the soft hum of the house surrounding them as they sat close on the couch, their feet tangled under a blanket, the space between them comfortable but full of that quiet, lingering energy. Meredith's head rested against Derek's shoulder, her eyes closed as she listened to the steady rhythm of his breathing, letting herself be swept away in the stillness.
"I forgot how much I missed this," she whispered, her voice soft and almost fragile in the quiet.
Derek didn't respond right away, instead, his fingers gently stroking through her hair as he let the weight of her words settle in. He, too, had missed this—the easy quiet between them, the unspoken understanding, the way it felt like they were the only two people in the world when they were together.
"You don't have to miss it anymore," he said softly, his voice laced with a quiet conviction. "It doesn't have to be this complicated. I know we've been avoiding this, but maybe—just maybe—it doesn't have to be so hard."
Meredith shifted slightly, her hand coming to rest against his chest. "You're not asking for everything right now, are you?" She smiled a little at the thought, teasing, but the uncertainty still lingered in her tone.
"No," he said, chuckling under his breath. "Not everything. But I'd be lying if I didn't want more. I think we've both wanted more, for a while now."
She was silent for a long moment, her fingers tracing circles on the fabric of his shirt. "I don't know if I can jump back in, Derek. There's a lot we've built up between us. So much we've swept under the rug."
"I'm not asking you to jump back in," he said gently. "I'm just asking you to take a step. To be with me, right here, right now. No grand gestures, no declarations. Just... us."
Meredith hesitated. Just us. That's all he wanted. That's all he'd ever wanted. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the weight of his words. For the first time in a long time, there was no expectation hanging over her, no pressure to fix everything that had gone wrong. There was just a soft, quiet request for honesty and presence, and in this moment, that was enough.
"I don't want to be the person who ruins this," Meredith whispered after a long pause, her voice barely audible. "I don't want to mess this up."
Derek's hand tightened gently around hers, and his thumb brushed the back of her hand reassuringly. "You won't. You're not alone in this, Meredith. You never have been. And I'm not going anywhere. Not this time."
Meredith's chest tightened at the sincerity in his voice. She couldn't help but let the tears rise, though she quickly wiped them away, frustrated by how easily her emotions crept up on her. It was hard not to fall for him all over again—hard not to believe that maybe, just maybe, they could get it right this time.
"You've always been good at making promises," she said, her voice thick but steady. "I want to believe you."
"I know," Derek said, his tone a little lighter now, though his eyes remained serious. "I've made a lot of promises in my life. Some of them I've kept. Some of them... I haven't. But this? This feels different. It feels like us, like we've found our way back to each other."
Meredith pulled back slightly, looking up at him. "I'm scared of what comes next," she admitted, her voice a little shaky now. "I don't know how to navigate this, Derek. The kids, the hospital, everything. It's all so messy."
"I know," Derek said softly, cupping her cheek, his thumb gently brushing over her skin. "But we don't have to figure it all out tonight. We don't have to solve everything right away. Just... take it one step at a time with me."
Her heart was pounding again, but this time, she didn't try to push the feeling down. She let it rise, let herself feel the gravity of his words. One step at a time. Maybe that was all they could do. Maybe that was all they needed.
"I don't want to hurt the kids," Meredith murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want them to think we're back together just because it's convenient."
"We won't rush it," Derek promised, his eyes soft but determined. "We'll do it when we're ready. When they're ready."
Meredith nodded, feeling the weight of his promise settle into her chest. She could feel the weight of the world lift slightly, knowing that this wasn't about rushing into anything. They didn't need to make any big decisions tonight. They could just... be.
"Okay," she said finally, her voice stronger now. "We'll take it slow. We'll figure it out, together."
Derek smiled, the expression full of warmth and something else—something deeper that she couldn't quite name. "I can live with that."
There was a long pause, and then, with a playful glint in his eyes, Derek pulled her closer, shifting to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "So, are we just going to sit here and talk about it all night, or are you going to kiss me again?"
Meredith smirked, feeling the familiar spark of affection between them. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
"Yeah, but you love me anyway," he teased, his lips brushing hers again, slow and lingering.
Meredith pulled back just enough to catch his eyes, a mischievous smile curving her lips. "You think you know me so well, don't you?"
"I do," Derek said, his voice low and full of that same certainty. "And I'm pretty sure I'm right."
She shook her head, but the laughter bubbling up from her chest was unmistakable. "Fine. But just so you know, you're still the worst."
"Yeah, but I'm your worst," Derek said with a grin, pulling her into another kiss.
And as they lost themselves in the kiss, Meredith finally felt the tension in her chest ease. Maybe they didn't have all the answers. Maybe they were still figuring out the details, still hiding from the rest of the world. But for tonight, with Derek in her arms, she didn't need to know what came next.
All she needed was this moment.

The night stretched on, the soft glow of the living room lights casting long shadows across the walls as Meredith and Derek held each other, the weight of the world outside forgotten for a while. The silence between them was no longer awkward or heavy; it was comfortable, filled with a shared understanding. Each kiss, each touch, each lingering look, seemed to tell a story they didn't have to speak aloud. They had been through so much—hurt, distance, time apart—but right now, in this moment, it didn't matter. They were here. Together.

Meredith shifted, resting her head against his chest again, feeling the steady beat of his heart under her ear. She let her eyes flutter closed, breathing in the warmth of him, the scent of his skin, the comfort that only Derek seemed to bring her. The world was still messy. She couldn't ignore that. But for now, it didn't feel like it was suffocating her.

"Do you ever think about how much we've been through?" she asked, her voice muffled against his shirt.

Derek's fingers gently traced patterns along her arm, his breath warm against the top of her head. "All the time. But I try not to focus on the past, Mer. I try to focus on what's right in front of me. And right now? It's you. It's us."

She smiled softly, letting the warmth of his words settle deep inside her. Maybe it was naive to think that things could just fall into place, but she was starting to believe him. Starting to believe that they could build something, again, even if it wasn't perfect. Maybe perfect was overrated, anyway.

"Yeah," she whispered, lifting her head slightly to look at him. "I can live with that too."

Derek grinned, that familiar spark in his eyes. "Good. Because we've got a lifetime to figure this out."

Meredith's heart swelled, a mix of relief and fear flooding her chest. She had always known Derek was a dreamer, but tonight, she realized just how much she needed that—someone who believed in them, even when things were uncertain.

But the weight of reality crept back in, even in the safety of their shared space. The kids. The hospital. Their families. All the things that still felt so complicated. She knew that tomorrow would bring its own challenges, but for tonight, she allowed herself to hold onto the fleeting peace they had created between them.

"Do you ever get scared?" she asked, her voice small again, vulnerable in a way she hadn't been for a while.

"Every day," Derek said, his voice low but honest. "But I'd rather be scared with you than without you. I think... I think we'll figure it out."

Meredith let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't sure about the future, but she didn't feel like she was drowning in it either. She wasn't alone in this. And maybe that was enough.

The sound of the clock ticking in the background, the soft hum of the house—everything felt like it was aligned in this moment. She could feel Derek's fingers gently tracing her arm, a reminder of his steady presence beside her.

"Promise me something?" she whispered, her eyes heavy with sleep but still wide with curiosity.

"Anything," he said, his voice unwavering.

"Promise me we'll never lose this again. This... us," she murmured, almost afraid to speak it aloud, but knowing it was the only thing that mattered.

Derek's gaze softened, his fingers brushing a strand of hair away from her face as he looked down at her with such tenderness it made her heart skip. "I promise, Mer. We'll never lose this again. Not as long as we're fighting for it."

Her eyes fluttered shut then, the weight of the day finally catching up to her. She could feel herself drifting, but the last thing she heard before sleep fully took over was Derek's voice, low and steady, whispering words she never thought she would hear again.

"I love you."

And in that quiet space, where time seemed to stretch and bend, Meredith felt it, too. The deep certainty that they had found their way back to each other—not perfectly, but whole, together.