Drake sit in his castle, his heart beating strongly in his chest as he planned his next day. He was going to tell the queen the truth... he was going to tell her why he was a dragon... because she deserved to know the truth. She deserved to know the whole story... especially if he expected her to be a part of it in the future.

Derek looked at the clock on the wall, noting that it was nearly seven o'clock in the evening. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, and he was watching the colors of the sky from the kitchen window for several minutes. He smiled to himself when he heard the parading feet of the little girl of the house, stomping into the room dramatically as the door to the kitchen swung open.

"What's with all of the pounding?" He asked as he tore himself away from the beauty in the window. His eyes widened and his jaw slacked when he saw the little girl standing in front of him. "Oh my goodness, Zoey… what are you doing?" He asked with a laugh as the little girl grinned up at him.

She stood before him with swimming flippers on her feet and her favorite pink princess dress. On her head sat a hat with Mickey Mouse ears, and her eyes were covered by a pair of swimming goggles.

"Guess what I am!" She exclaimed as she held her arms out and watched Derek's head shake as he laughed.

"Um… a fish?"

"No!" She exclaimed with a giggle.

"Are you… silly?"

"YES!" She exclaimed with a hop as her flippers slapped against the tile floor and he laughed again.

"You had better go put those things away, silly… because your dinner is almost ready…"

"What's for dinner, alligator?" She asked as she flipped the goggles off her face, sending the mouse ear hat flying across the room. "Oops…" She giggled.

"Yeah… oops…" Derek laughed as he picked up the hat. "Chicken… with broccoli… and if you're a good girl, maybe a little bit of melted cheese on top…"

"Oh!" She exclaimed happily as she grabbed the hat from Derek and took off flapping into the living room.

He took care of the little princess in the best way he knew possible... with a stern hand and plenty of laughter. She was never afraid of Drake, though sometimes he allowed that smoke to rise from his nose... and a bit of fire to breathe from his mouth... but her smile was like a bucket of water on that steamed up old dragon... and her tender hugs were always able to smother out the flames that he sometimes found himself emitting. She knew he was frustrated at being a dragon... but she loved him... and he knew that.

Derek had just turned back to the stove, opening the oven to peer inside when he heard a scream from the little girl that sent his heart into his stomach. He slammed the oven closed and pulled the pot of broccoli from the burner as he ran as quickly as he could into the living room.

Immediately, he noticed that there were red and blue flashing lights outside, and Zoey standing in the window. His heart was beating so hard, and so fast that it felt as if it would burst. "DD, there is a police man outside!" She exclaimed as suddenly, that inexplicable knock came on his wooden door.

He moved quickly, his eyes moving to the little girl and to the door. "Zoey… upstairs… get changed for dinner."

"But… But, DD…" She said, her voice filled with concern.

He was her protector...

"DD will take care of everything… upstairs… and no standing at the top of the stairs listening…" He said as he watched the little girl slowly back away from the window. "I promise… I'll take care of it." He said softly as she nodded toward him and ran across to the stairs, watching Derek the entire way up, until she disappeared at the landing at the top of the stairs.

He paused, took a deep breath and grabbed the doorknob, feeling his stomach knot as he came face to face with the eyes of a state trooper, his stern appearance and standard issue buzz cut made him look even younger than he probably was, holding his hat in his hand as he gave Derek a tight lipped smile. "Doctor Shepherd?"

"Yes?"

"I'm here about a… Meredith Grey…" He said, taking a deep breath before continuing, watching all color drain from the face of the man before him.

He was holding his breath... waiting... and little did he know... his life was going to change forever.

The dragon slowly released his breath... the smoke from the fire that hid within his darkest fear clouding his eyes with tears...

Derek shifted from foot to foot, his mouth suddenly dry, his heart beating so hard that he can hear it thundering in his ears. "Doctor Shepherd, are you alright?"

"Meredith?" He was finally able to whisper, the fear and unbearable silence that was coming with it was almost too much for him to handle. "Where is she?"

"Sir… she is okay…" The officer said as he reached forward and put his hand on the man's shoulder, feeling and seeing a sigh that sent shudders through the man's body. A look of relief washed over his body as he stared into the eyes of the trooper.

"Where is she? Why are you…?"

If anything had happened to the queen, it was his fault... so he thought... so he felt, deep in his heart... and he could feel himself breaking down... falling apart... with each passing second.

"She's in my vehicle sir… it appears… she's been looking for you… all evening long." He said softly as he watched the panic in the younger man's face. "She found her way to the ferry… and once she got to the other side, she didn't know where you lived…" He shrugged. He stared at the car, the lights flashing in his face as he tried to figure out in his mind why she just wouldn't call for help. Call him, Mark… Cristina, anyone.

But the words that had come from the mouth of the courier... were not of sadness... but of hope... and all he could think... was that he needed to see her... but first he had to quell the fears of the tiny princess who was waiting patiently for the news.

"Looking for me? She..." He said with confusion, swallowing hard. "I need to see her…" he said, taking a step outside, he looked toward the car. "Hang on a second…" he said quickly, taking a step back into the house and glancing upstairs, he saw a little face looking down at him. "Stay in the house, Zoey… DD is going to go check on something…Come downstairs… sit at the window…" he said, hoping that the invitation would quell her worries. DD would never bring her into something that he knew would scare her. She paused for a moment. "Come on… it's okay… stay here… at the window, and I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay…" She said softly as she walked down the stairs to the window, looking to Derek, he nodded and gave her a half smile, turned and walked out the door to meet with the officer, as his smile melted from his face.

And he disappeared slowly... approaching... frightened that she was hurt... physically or mentally. Frightened that she was angry. Frightened that she was going to put a spell on him worse than any spell he could even imagine...

Meredith sat in the car staring out. She was tired and a little cool from her adventure. She was only partially embarrassed about the situation, but she had every intention of making it to Derek, no matter what. She needed to prove to him that she was willing to try.

She had left the house quickly and without a second thought, leaving any extra money at home, her jacket, and she didn't own a cell phone. She had gotten to a bus, the bus driver helping her with her wheelchair as she climbed in, though she suddenly realized that she didn't know exactly where Derek lived, just that he had described it as 'across the bay'. She didn't even know where to go in Seattle to get to the ferry dock. She was a blank slate, and suddenly very lost.

She had never seen pictures of Derek's house, she had only imagined what it looked like from things that Mark or Derek had said, imagining her daughter's room and all of the things she brought up in conversation. She had the bus driver leave her at the ferry dock, and she rolled her chair to the small building that housed the ticket holder, staring at the maps in front of her, she realized that she was way in over her head. She could call a cab to take her home, or she could do this.

Derek's voice echoed in her mind.

She had to do this… so she purchased a ticket for a ferry that would take her across the bay, hoping that it was the shorter ferry and not the longer one, knowing that Derek frequently was on call, so he obviously wouldn't make his commute that horrible.

She asked for assistance onto the ferry, and sat in the small lounge inside through the extent of the trip. She watched the water pass before her as she waited, hearing the sounds of the cars starting up outside roused her from her reverie, and she wheeled out onto the deck of the ferry boat, a ferryman helping her from the deck onto the dock as she suddenly realized that she was just as lost as she was before.

She didn't have an address. She had no idea where she was going. She had a plan, and now she had nothing. She was lost, and alone.

She began to cry.

A woman stopped her car seeing the young woman looking so desperate; she placed her hand on Meredith's shoulder as she watched the young woman cry as if nothing in the world could console her. Flagging down a state trooper, the woman left her in his care, as she calmed enough to tell him her situation. He took her into the small barracks that were set up at the dock, and got her something to eat, using the information that Meredith was able to provide, he was able to call the hospital to get his home address.

And that's how she found herself now… sitting in the back of a state trooper vehicle watching as the tall, handsome man that she had come to know, come to love… walked in her direction.

But the moment that he saw her... it faded away... it was gone... so quickly that it was almost as if it hadn't been there at all. The queen's eyes were filled... not with anger, despair or fear... but with hope... real... hope.

Love.

Real love...

His face was lined with distress, his eyes looked tired and frightened, and as their eyes met, she could see the relief in his face, his features softening, his fear draining away as the officer opened the door. It was as if it were one fluid movement, the door opening and him being bent into the car with his arms around her, mumbling her name into her hair as she tried to lift her arms to encircle him. "Derek…" She whispered.

But he needed to hold it to make sure that it was true. He had been fooled before, the old dragon had. He was not going to be made a fool again... so he pulled her to him...

"Thank God you're okay… thank God… Meredith…" he whispered into her hair as he hugged her, pulling her into his body as he held her.

"I'm okay…" She whispered, feeling tears coming to her eyes. "I'm okay, Derek… I promise…" She whispered as he crouched down and looked into her eyes, his hand going to her cheek as he ran his fingertips over her skin. His eyes looked directly into hers and she could see the fear within them. "I needed to see you." She whispered.

"You needed to see me?" He said, a smile on his lips, though his eyes were filled with tears.

"I did…" She said, swallowing hard. "I needed to see you… and I needed to tell you… I needed to tell you…"

"What did you need to tell me, Meredith?" He whispered. "I'm listening… I am listening…" He said as she suddenly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, a great sob escaping from her lips as he caught her in his arms, holding her and rocking her as she cried.

"Thank you!" She sobbed. "Thank you… and I love you… and please don't leave me." She sobbed. "Please don't ever leave me. I won't leave you… I won't… I promise I won't run… please don't leave me." She sobbed.

Her words were magic, her touch... cosmic... her heart was pure... and he could feel things changing...

"Hey…" He said gently as he ran his fingers through her hair and held her to him. "Hey…" he whispered again. "I'm not going anywhere." He whispered. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise… I promise with all of my heart, Meredith…I promise…" He whispered as he pulled away from her and looked into her reddened eyes. "Listen…" He whispered. "Shh…" He said as he leaned his forehead onto hers. "Listen, Meredith… look at me…" He said as she whimpered. "Come in…" He said softly. "Come into my home…our… home, and have dinner with us…" He said softly. "Have dinner with us, and… if you want, you can stay to see the sunset." He said as he watched her eyes lighten, her hand lifting to wipe a tear from her cheek.

Changing... transforming... warming his blood... warming his skin... and the little princess in the window... watched... how that dragon that she had come to know... come to love, to depend on, to take care of her...teach her, love her, hold her... protect her... transformed before her very eyes.

"I…" She whispered, taking a slow, deep breath. "I was hoping… to stay for the sunrise." She said softly, hearing the low, soft chuckle from his chest as the smile rose on his lips.

"Of course." He said with a brilliant smile. "Of course…" he said, turning his head to see that the trooper had already pulled the wheelchair from the trunk, steadying it with a tender smile on his lips. "Here… let me…" He said as he carefully lifted her from the car, standing straight as her eyes met his. He turned toward the wheelchair, and glanced up at the house. "You can… leave that there…" Derek said as the trooper smiled and nodded. "Thank you for bringing her home." He said as the trooper said his goodbye to the young woman and the man that held her in his arms.

"Home." She whispered.

And with a swing of his arm... Prince Drake lifted his Queen into his arms... His smile was proud... his heart was full, and there was only one thing that he needed now...to pull him completely from the spell.

"Home…" He said softly as he started to walk toward the door. "Welcome home." He said, as the door opened, and the little girl barreled toward them at top speed, the name of her mother on her lips as her smile set back the sunset with its brightness.

And that was his princess...

"They hurried to the castle... with happiness and amazement, more full of life than they had ever been." Zoey smiled down at the set of eyes that were watching her.

"Then what happened?" The little boy asked as he tugged at the sleeve of his sister's pajama top, her gray eyes settling on his crystal blue eyes as she reached over and rustled his hair.

"What do you think happened?" She asked as she tilted her head, watching the little boy scratch his dark head full of hair.

"Do they live happily ever after? Do they? Do they, Zoey?" He asked as he sat up, the excitement instantly squashed as they heard the gentle knock at the door. "Oh no! Mommy and daddy!" He squeaked as he flopped his blanket over his head as his older sister rolled her eyes. "Zoey… hide, they're coming, they're coming…" He giggled from beneath the covers.

The door opened as the little girl looked up to see their parents peeking into the room, a smile on each of their faces. "What are you doing in here?" Meredith asked her daughter as she walked across the room to her son's bed, pulling the cover from his head. "And what are you doing still awake, young man?"

"Zoey was telling me a story, mama." He said with a grin, looking around his mother to see Derek leaning on the doorway. "She wasn't finished yet."

"Well… there will be time for continuing that story tomorrow…" Derek said softly to his five year old son.

"Yeah…" She said, leaning over to kiss her brother's forehead softly. "There will be plenty of time for the rest of the story later…" She said as he leaned up and kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight, Zoey…" He said to the girl as she stood up and smiled at him, leaning up to kiss her mother's cheek, giving her a brief hug before moving to her father.

"Goodnight, Benny." She said to her brother as she hugged Derek. "Goodnight, Daddy." She kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight, princess." He said softly as she slowly left the room.

"Alright, you…" Meredith said as she pulled the blankets up on her son and tucked him in, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Have sweet dreams."

"I will… goodnight, mama."

"Goodnight, my little prince."

"Goodnight, Daddy…" The sleepy boy yawned as Derek leaned down for his turn to kiss him goodnight.

"Goodnight Ben… I love you."

"Love you more…" He giggled as he rolled over and pulled his favorite stuffed animal to him. A green stuffed dragon, torn and tattered from years of cuddling as he sleepily watched his parents hold their hands as they exited the room. "Mama…" He called, watching her turn before closing the door, her eyes directly on his as she smiled lovingly at him. "Just tell me… how does the fairy tale end?" He asked, the light from the hallway lighting his face as his eyebrows raised in an inquisitive way.

"How does it end?" Meredith whispered, feeling her husband tugging at her hand slightly as she smiled at her little boy. "It never ends, baby… the fairy tale never ends…" She whispered.

"I like that." He said, cuddling his favorite toy, he closed his eyes and was then bathed in the gentle darkness of his room, surrounded by the love of his family, and the memory of a fairy tale that he never wanted to end.

The end... You know, if fairytales existed...

(I know nobody likes an ending... but I hope you all enjoyed the ride. ) Feel free to send me writing prompts...