Chapter Nine: "This Is Forever…"

"Meredith," Derek hesitated as he spoke, his eyes scanning every inch of her face.

She grinned as she stared back at him, his voice caressed her ears like a beautiful symphony. She couldn't believe he was real, "Derek."

"I'm so sorry." He whispered and pressed his forehead to hers. His hands stroked the back of her head.

Her index finger found his lips. She caressed the outline of them with her touch and then pressed on them as she gently quieted him, "For what?"

"For everything," Derek shrugged and pulled her to his chest, "All my broken promises. Leaving you alone with three kids… not being there for you when you got sick…. everything. I'm just sorry. I hated every second of being apart from you. This wasn't how any of it was ever supposed to be."

She snuggled deeper into his chest and buried her face in the space where his neck met his collar bone, "Derek. You have nothing to apologize for. You didn't choose this. It was out of our control."

He inhaled, his nose buried deep in her hair, "I've missed you. It's been hell watching you and not being able to be with you."

Meredith pulled away just enough to look up into his eyes, "But you WERE with me. I didn't forget you. You kept your promise."

"That's how much I love you…" Derek grinned and kissed her quickly on the nose, "I'm pretty unforgettable."

Meredith laughed, "And still awfully fond of yourself I see..." Her contagious bubble of giggles filled the elevator. They were alone. It was almost heaven, literally. Silence enveloped them as they reacquainted themselves with the other person's features. Twenty years of their lives and so many words left unsaid floated between their gaze toward each other. Being temporarily separated by death only made their love stronger.

"I'm proud of you Meredith." Derek said quietly. He stared at her with a serious face, although nothing but love and adoration poured out of his eyes towards her, "I couldn't have picked a better woman to be the mother of my children. You did a wonderful job. They're perfect."

"They're pretty great Derek…" Meredith smiled at the thought of them, "I'm glad they have each other. I've wished so many times that you were there with us, but I know I can't change anything…"

"They're going to be okay," Derek reassured her, "I promise. They're strong. You taught them everything they need to know. You were a great mom."

"I was terrified..." Meredith confessed, "That I wouldn't be... and when I lost you... I was even more afraid."

"I know." Derek nodded in understanding, "But look how great you did. You loved them enough for both of us."

"I don't know about enough for both of us," Meredith shrugged, "But at least I did better than my mother."

Derek smiled, "I had no doubts."

"You waited for me…" Meredith ran her hands through his hair, her eyes stared at his lips. She was so thankful for this moment.

"And you waited for me," Derek whispered, emotion caught in his throat, "You didn't have to do that Mer… You had every right to move on."

Meredith pressed her lips to his, "I did Derek. I moved forward. I was a surgeon. I was a mother. I had friends. I saved lives."

"I love you." Derek smiled, "I just…. love you."

"This is forever…." Meredith smiled back.

"I will remind you who I am every day." Derek promised, "To take care when old, senile, and smelly…. This is forever…"

She watched him sign the post it before he handed it to her, "Sign it."

"This is our wedding. A post-it?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." Derek nodded, "If you sign it."

"This is forever…" Derek kissed her forehead.

"This is literally forever." Meredith replied and stared at him in disbelief.

"Um. Yes." Derek nodded and then teased, "I hope you're okay with that because now there is no running. Even if you wanted to. There's nowhere to go. You can't bail. You're stuck with me."

Meredith giggled again, "There's no place I'd rather be."

"We're almost there." Derek sighed looking up at the floor numbers above the elevator doors.

"Where?" Meredith followed his gaze.

"Upstairs." Derek replied nonchalantly.

"Upstairs?" Meredith questioned.

"Heaven." Derek pulled her to him, "Afterlife… you know…the place of freedom and happiness. Where dead people go."

Meredith couldn't keep the smile from invading her face. She was on her way to forever with him just like they'd promised. Her Derek. Her husband. She would spend an eternity of bliss with the love of her life. She'd been terrified to want him. She'd feared letting herself love him. She was terrified she'd lose him. She did lose him, but being with him in the elevator now erased all of the pain. She stared at their hands clasped together. It made the journey worth it. She watched the numbers light up as the elevator moved passed each floor. So much had happened in that elevator. Their elevator.

"I'm not going out with you." Meredith said from behind him.

"Did I ask you to go out with me?" Derek replied.

Silence.

"Do you want to go out with me?" Derek asked.

"I'm not dating you." Meredith shook her head, "And I'm definitely not sleeping with you again. You're my boss."

"I'm you're boss's boss." Derek corrected.

"You're my teacher." Meredith argued, "And you're my teacher's teacher. And you're MY teacher."

"I'm your sister. I'm your daughter." Derek teased and almost rolled his eyes.

"You're sexually harassing me." Meredith replied.

"I'm riding an elevator," Derek defended.

Meredith almost laughed. They'd come so far.

"I'm not gonna get down on one knee. I'm not gonna ask a question. I love you Meredith Grey... And I wanna spend the rest of my life... with you."

"And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you."

Derek kissed the back of her hand that rested in his. They were going down memory lane together.

They were alone in the elevator. She was crying.

"What's the point?" Meredith cried as she wiped at her tears, "I mean. Is there a reason for this? Because if you can think of a reason, any reason at all why the universe is so screwed up... and random... and mean... now would be an amazingly good time to tell me because I really need some answers."

Derek turned her to face him and pulled her to his chest. They embraced tightly.

"Listen," Derek said as he pushed her away slightly, "I will make sure we have a baby. I promise you. One way or another, you and I will be parents. I promise you."

They both thought fondly of the painful memory. They had not one, but three babies. They were parents. It was just another promise Derek didn't break. The elevator was just another part of their journey. Meredith pulled Derek to her and kissed him. She kissed him until he took her breath away. They parted for air and then she kissed him again. Derek pushed her up against the wall for old times sake. The action made her smile into his kiss as a giggle slipped from her hungry lips. Their tongues explored each other until the elevator dinged. Meredith looked up. The doors opened, letting bright light flood into the elevator. Derek offered her his hand. She wasn't sure what to expect on the other side, but she didn't care. Derek was there. She grabbed his hand with a content smile. With the past behind her and the unknown ahead of her, all she knew was that she was finally home.

"This. Is. Forever."

AUTHORS NOTE: Thank you so much to anyone who took the time to read this story. A little extra thank you to all of you who left reviews. I really enjoyed reading them. MERDER FOREVER! XO