Whatever It Takes

Chapter 15

It had been a few days since Meredith had kicked Derek out in her temper tantrum. She felt guilty at the fact that she'd possibly overrated the situation and been a little hard on him.

She wanted to call him and apologize but she was in the middle of mid-terms. She couldn't really talk to Katie about it because for one it was her brother, and two she didn't really know about them. No one really did. Maybe that was what really bothered her. Maybe it was the fact that their relationship was so hush, hush.

It wasn't that they were trying to hide things, it wouldn't be the end of the world but they never really figured out a way to tell Katie, or anyone else for that matter... or was it that?

Was he just dicking around with her because she's young and naive. Was there anyone else? She shook the thoughts from her head glad again that she'd cut things off.

She didn't have the time to mess around with someone that wasn't serious. She needed to focus on her goals and a shaky relationship wasn't going to help things.

She sat at her desk in her room, the lamp giving off a dim light in the room as she chewed on a pencil staring at her gross anatomy textbook. She was wearing a pair of dark blue flannel pajama pants and her long sleeved gray Yale sweater, hair up in a loose messy ponytail.

She had the house to herself, Katie had gone to the library to a study group. She offered her to go as well but Meredith decided she needed time to think. She sighed trying to regain her concentration on her studies when she heard a soft tune coming from outside her window...

Love, I get so lost, sometimes
Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
When I want to run away
I drive off in my car
But whichever way I go
I come back to the place you are

She furrowed her brow popping her head up and sat there tuning into the music wondering if she was hearing things or if maybe the neighbors were playing their music too loud.

All my instincts, they return
And the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

As she listened closer and closer to the sound of the music something inside her head clicked and she felt her heart skip a beat as a flutter turned in her stomach. Because it wasn't just any song...

In your eyes, The light the heat
In your eyes, I am complete
In your eyes, I see the doorway
In your eyes, to a thousand churches
In your eyes, The resolution of all the fruitless searches

She stood up slowly from her desk and walked to her sliding glass door that led out to the balcony, she opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air and walked to the edge of the balcony looking down and threw her hand over her mouth as she gasped.

In your eyes, Oh, I see the light and the heat
In your eyes, Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light, The heat I see in your eyes

She looked down to see the grass below glowing with candlelight and over a hundred pink peonies, her favorite flower. And in the middle of it stood Derek, holding a radio over his head playing Peter Gabriel.

He grinned at her and set the radio down. He walked over to the fire escape pulling the ladder down and climbed up to the second story balcony, scaling over the ledge, by the time he reached her tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Meredith." He smiled leaning into her..

"Derek I." She started with a shaky voice..

"No." he said in a soft tone pressing a finger against her lips "I talk, you listen."

"Ok." She said rolling her eyes...

He took her tiny ineffectual fists in his holding them against his chest so she could feel the beating of his heart and a soft smile never left his lips as he looked down at her with a new light in his eyes.. she could feel his chest vibrate rapidly with his strong heartbeats.

"Meredith." He breathed out "For the longest time, I was that guy. I was the guy that wanted just one thing. I created a lot of those girls that you don't want to become... But then I met you. And ever since, I've wanted more. I don't want just one thing with you. I want a future with you, I want to sit in a rocking chair with you when I'm 80, I want to die when I'm 110 in your arms, I want to have babies with you, I want to keep loving you more and more since the day I laid eyes on you. But mostly..." he said shifting down to one knee, the tears in her eyes welling thickly as she looked down at him in disbelief "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Meredith Grey.. will you marry me?"

"I thought you just wanted sex." She whimpered out through her tears...

"Is that a yes?" he asked furrowing his brow slightly...

"Oh." She sniffled as a smile crossed her face "Yes."

His smile quickly spread into a grin as he flew to his feet and scooped her into his arms and lifted her up spinning her around listening to her make a high pitched squeal.

He set her down and reached into his pocket pulling out a small black box and held it in front of her slowly cracked it open revealing a diamond ring she never even dreamed of...

She gasped as he pulled the ring from its hold and held up her tiny left hand slipping it on her finger. Her hands cupped around his face and she looked up at him softly.

"I love you too Derek."