A/N - First, thanks so much to everyone who took the time to answer my question about where to go next with this story. Your comments really helped me figure out where to go with everything. I decided to wrap this story up with an epilogue because it really was winding down, and it felt wrong to suddenly crank up the angst again. Plus, as it is, it's 20 chapters long...and that's just such a nice round number! Anyway, I still really want to write the arc I was considering for this story, so I'm going to write a sequel to And It All Falls Apart. I need a break from this story though, so I'm going to write the other fic I was describing first. I think it's going to be a bit shorter (at least according to the outline it feels that way). I've started writing it already, and will hopefully have the first chapter up this weekend. (Thanks to everyone who has expressed an interest to read it!) After that story is through, it'll be on to the sequel to this story. So anyway...here's the end. It has a shamefully high fluff quotient, but I wanted a happy ending after all the angst!
Meredith wandered barefoot over the grass, a pair of red flip-flops dangling from her left hand. It was a surprisingly beautiful day, free of even the slightest hint of rain. The sun had risen early and the grass beneath her feet was soft and warm. She sighed happily, wandering further from the trailer and heading down towards the water. The waves were a deep sparkling blue that reminded her of Derek's eyes, and so she sat down on the bank to watch the water and wait for him.
It had been two weeks. Two weeks since the night when they had both finally said everything that was on their minds, two weeks since they had decided to become a real couple again. The constant whirlwind of gossip at the hospital had died down slightly, and it was almost possible for Meredith to talk to Derek without setting off a chain reaction of discussions that spread like wildfire through all of the nursing staff. The sight of the two of them together was starting to become normal again. It was starting to feel more normal too. Meredith was no longer shocked when she woke up and found Derek laying next to her. It was starting to feel natural, normal and completely right. Here I am, she thought to herself as she lay down in the grass. Finally... It was one of her rare days off, and Derek had gotten called in for an early surgery. He had let her sleep and had simply left a note telling her to stay, that he would be back soon with a surprise for her. And so Meredith had stayed, drinking in the quiet and the green beauty of it all as she waited.
"Meredith…Mer…" Meredith stirred slightly. "Mer, wake up." She moaned and opened her eyes to see Derek kneeling down beside her.
"What…" she gasped, pushing herself up into a sitting position.
"You fell asleep," he laughed, reaching out to pull a stray piece of grass out of her hair.
"Oh…" said Meredith softly as Derek ran his fingers slowly through her hair. "Sorry…that was fast." She shook her head, still waking up. "Umm what time is it?"
"It's about five," said Derek. After a moment Meredith realized that he was grinning widely, his whole body tense and eager. A look of recognition flitted across Meredith's face and she smirked up at him.
"You have a surprise for me," she stated, watching his smile increase just a little bit more as he nodded.
"I have a surprise for you," he agreed. Meredith stretched out her hand, letting Derek pull her to her feet. She bent down and brushed the dirt off of her jeans before following him away from the water.
"I don't like surprises," she teased, trying to frown at him. But Derek was still grinning wildly and Meredith ended up simply smiling back.
"Everyone likes surprises," he said decidedly.
"Well I don't. All the surprises in my life have been bad," insisted Meredith as she linked her arm through Derek's. He just shook his head and laughed, prompting Meredith to continue with her explanation. "You know…I get the surprises like...surprise, your mother has Alzheimer's! Or…surprise, your parents divorced because your mother had an affair!" She crossed her arms over her chest and shot Derek a stubborn look.
"Meredith," he protested. "Those aren't the same sort of surprises as what…" But Meredith reached out, placing a finger to his lips to silence him. She laughed as she leaned towards him, her eyebrows raised and a mischievous glint in her green eyes.
"Hmmm…" she said quietly, pretending to be lost in thought. "Oh here's another good one." Derek winced slightly, having a good idea as to what she was about to say. "Surprise…your boyfriend has a wife!"
"Ouch," said Derek, his expression turning apologetic even though Meredith was smiling. But she just shrugged and nodded.
"Yep. See…" smirked Meredith. "I don't have such a good track record with surprises."
"Okay fair enough," agreed Derek. "But this one is nothing like the other three." Meredith laughed again, letting him lead her back towards the trailer, down the faint trail their feet had worn in the grass. After a moment, she turned to look at him almost anxiously.
"Promise?" she asked. Her voice was soft, barely more then a whisper, and she was fairly certain he wouldn't hear her. But Derek nodded instantly, tilting his head towards her.
"Promise," he agreed. "No more bad surprises for you Mer."
"No more…" she echoed quietly. It was disconcerting to have everything fall so perfectly into place after months and months of feeling like nothing more then a fractured version of herself. It was easy to doubt the wonderful feeling that being with Derek created in her…the feeling of being whole again. But as she breathed in his scent and felt the warm pressure of his arm slung around her waist, Meredith couldn't doubt the feeling. "Okay," she said as she smiled up at him. "Well where are we going? Where's my surprise Derek?"
"Shhh…" he shushed her, holding up his free hand. "It's just around here. On the other side." Meredith leaned forward, trying to see around the bulk of the trailer when she heard the unmistakable sound of a dog barking. She turned to look at Derek, eyebrows raised, as they rounded the corner and a dog came bounding towards them.
"You got a dog?" she asked, dropping his hand and bending down to scoop the animal up in her arms.
"Nope."
"Fine, you got a puppy," allowed Meredith, frowning thoughtfully down at the bundle of fur she was holding. "He is a little guy." She grinned, giggling as the puppy scrambled up her chest to lick her nose.
"Nope," repeated Derek, causing Meredith to look up at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated when she realized how anxious he looked. He was standing with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket, his blue eyes following Meredith almost apprehensively. "I got us a dog."
"You got us a dog?" echoed Meredith. "This is our dog?"
"Well…if you want him," continued Derek quickly. "I know you couldn't keep Doc at your house, but he…" Derek paused, motioning towards the puppy in Meredith's arms. "He can stay here all the time where there's lots of land, so you wouldn't have to worry about that. I just figured that…well, you loved Doc." Meredith nodded, glancing up at Derek. She could not remember a time that he had ever seemed so nervous before. "But we didn't share Doc properly. We could share this one properly. From the very beginning." Derek finally fell silent, shifting his weight from foot to foot, waiting for Meredith to reply. She tucked her face into the soft tan fur of the puppy, kissing the top of his head before setting him down and walking over towards Derek.
"I love it," she said softly. "I love him." Derek smiled hopefully at Meredith as she rose up on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck. "I love my surprise Derek," she murmured.
"Yeah?" he asked happily. "You seriously want to keep him?"
"Yeah. Seriously, I want to." The little dog was barking insistently to get their attention, and Meredith laughed again, leaning down to pet him. "He needs a name though," she added.
"Doc 2.0?" suggested Derek, smirking as Meredith rolled her eyes and swatted at his arm.
"You can't name a dog 2.0. We could name him…" She hesitated, frowning as she looked at the dog. "Umm…Mini-Doc? Doc Junior? I've always been crap at names Derek."
"How are either of those better then Doc 2.0?" asked Derek skeptically as he sat down and pulled Meredith into his lap.
"Well," reasoned Meredith as she snatched the dog up in her arms. "He doesn't look like a Doc 2.0. He looks like a Doc Junior." She held the dog up towards Derek. "See?" she asked, grinning at him. "He's totally a Doc Junior." Derek shook his head, laughing as he reached out to pet the dog's head.
"Fine, he's Doc Junior," he agreed, still shaking his head.
"Well that was easy," said Meredith. She twisted around to look at Derek, leering as she leaned forward and kissed him. "You are such a pushover," she murmured.
"It's all part of my master plan."
"Your master plan?" echoed Meredith as she settled back into his arms again. "You have a master plan? What for?"
"To make you fall in love with me," stated Derek proudly, his fingers tracing slow circles down her back.
"Well that's a horrible plan Derek. An absolutely stupid, pointless plan…because, you see…" Her voice gradually turned from bright and teasing to a quiet, near whisper as she spoke. "I already have. I already love you Derek."
"Meredith?"
Derek's voice was a sudden whisper against her ear, and Meredith nodded as the sound ran down her spine, sending shivers through every inch of her body. She could feel Derek smiling into her hair as he spoke. "I love you too," he whispered.
Meredith sighed, closing her eyes as the corners of her lips turned up into a smile. She was laying in Derek's arms and their dog was nestled in her lap. It no longer mattered how many unknown surprises lay hidden in the distance. Because right then, in that moment?
Everything was perfect.
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The End
A/N 2 - Thank you so much for everyone who has followed this story and taken the time to comment and review it. I appreciate it so much, it's made the whole thing very worthwhile. I hope you guys enjoyed, and keep an eye out for the sequel coming up in about a month or so!