18. Saying Goodbye

Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy does not belong to me.

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"Oh, this is beautiful", Linda said with a smile as she, Meredith and Derek approached the land and the house that was in the process of being built.

"Der", Meredith gasped. She had no idea that the foundation of the house as well as the walls were already up. She expected to see a huge hole in the ground. Though it was still far from finished, it already looked beautiful on the outside.

"What?"

"It's…sort of built."

"Yeah", he chuckled. "Wait—you haven't seen it yet?"

"No." Meredith shook her head. "I've been busy with work. How did they…? They only started building two months ago."

"That's what happens when you hire a contractor who's a former patient…", he smiled. "What do you think, mom?"

"This has to be the most beautiful land in Seattle", Linda said in amazement. "And the view is breathtaking. You can see the ferryboats from here."

Derek laughed. "That's one of the reasons I bought the land in the first place."

"I love it, Derek", Meredith said with a smile, lacing her fingers with his. "Is it safe to go inside?"

"Yeah", he said with a nod. "Come on."

The three made their way into the empty house. The hardwood floor had been installed, as well as the dividers for each of the rooms. Even the staircase and the second floor were finished. "Wow", Meredith whispered, still holding Derek's hand. She was in awe that it had been built so quickly. She was in awe at how big it was on the inside. She was in awe of everything. "Derek."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just…wow", she said again. "It's everything that we wanted."

"Of course it is", he chuckled, squeezing her hand. "Do you want to take a tour?"

Both Meredith and Linda nodded. "That sounds great, dear."

"This…", he pointed, "…is our living room."

"Oh how nice", Linda said happily. "I love the windows. They just open the room up. And the sunshine pouring in makes it look beautiful…"

"All excellent points", Derek agreed with a laugh. "We wanted to make it big enough for when we have company over. The windows really add to it."

"They really do", Linda agreed.

"And the room next to that is our kitchen."

"Izzie would be so jealous of this", Meredith joked, walking around the kitchen. "Wow…it's huge."

"The screen door leads to the backyard. We figured it would be good for barbecues and stuff", Derek explained.

"Can we go outback, Derek?", Meredith asked. "I want to see the backyard."

"Sure." Derek opened the screen door and the three made their way out onto the patio.

"Oh how beautiful", Linda smiled. The view from the backyard was incredible. The great expanse of Seattle went on for miles below. The trees surrounding the house gave it a feeling of seclusion and privacy from the outside world. It was like their own little vacation spot. A little piece of paradise just for them. It may have been an empty house and an unfinished backyard, but for them, it was a glimpse into their future. One day, they would move into this house. One day, their children would come home to this house. One day, they would play as a family out here in the yard.

It was certainly overwhelming, but for once, Meredith wasn't panicking. She was completely content. She gave Derek's hand a gentle squeeze and kissed his cheek.

"You like it?", he asked softly.

Meredith nodded. "Yeah. I love it", she whispered.

The three made their way back into the house to finish the tour. "Across the hall from the kitchen is the playroom, right over here."

"Oh Derek. This is lovely", Linda whispered, walking around to admire the large room. The sunlight coming in through the glass windows gave the still white walls a yellowish tint, making it look warm and homey.

Meredith felt tears pricking in her eyes. She could almost picture their daughters playing dress-up in here. Or maybe their sons playing with race cars on the floor. The pitter-patter of little feet running around the house. The laughter that would echo and bounce off the walls. Suddenly it all became too much and Meredith felt a tear makes its way down her cheek.

"Mer", Derek whispered, wiping away the tear away with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm fine", she smiled. "It's just…our kids are actually going to play in here one day."

"Yeah", he said softly, returning the smile.

"How weird is that?", she giggled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'd say it's the best kind of weird there is." He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah", she whispered. "It is."

After they made their rounds around the first floor and finished looking through all of the rooms, and peeked down in the still unfinished basement, they made their way upstairs. "Is this safe?", Meredith asked.

"Yeah. Of course. Only the best for this house", he said with a smile. "Come on."

"All of the kids' bedrooms are about the same size. I remember how jealous I was of the girls when I was little. They always got the bigger rooms", he laughed.

"The girls were two and two. That's why they got the bigger rooms", Linda explained with a laugh.

"But I was the only boy. You should have felt sorry for me", he teased.

Meredith rolled her eyes and giggled. "Get over it."

"Thank you, Meredith", Linda laughed. "Okay…let's see these kids' rooms."

"We figured this one could be used for a nursery. It's closer to the master bedroom. Then when they get old enough, they can have their own rooms. And the next baby can use this for a nursery", Derek explained.

"Sounds like you two are going to be busy…", Linda joked.

"Apparently your son thinks I'm a baby factory. Move one out, ship one in." Meredith shook her head and smirked at him.

"I do not", Derek argued amusedly. "I'm just saying…"

"We just want to be prepared", Meredith finished for him.

"That's very smart", Linda agreed.

"And next to the nursery are the kids' bedrooms." Derek led them to each of the rooms. "The bathroom is right across the hall."

Meredith couldn't tear the smile off of her face as she admired the kids' rooms. They were bigger than the average child's room, which was what happened when you built your own house. "I love them", she grinned, walking into one of the rooms. She ran her fingers over the window pane and looked outside. Every window, no matter which room you were in or the angle it was on, had an amazing view of the land. "I still can't believe they built it so fast…"

"They still have to install the plumbing and electric, and everything still has to be painted and furnished, so it's not really livable yet."

"When are you planning to move in?", Linda asked as they made their way next door to the other kids' room.

Derek shrugged. "Probably not until the end of July or August."

"So after the wedding?"

"Yeah", Derek nodded. "After the wedding."

They made their way to the master bedroom after making a brief visit to the guestroom. Meredith and Derek's future bedroom was the biggest of all the rooms on the second floor, complete with their very own bathroom, which of course had a large shower and bathtub for their wet and wild activities. Next to the windows in their bedroom, there was a balcony overlooking the backyard. The beautiful land of Seattle stretched for miles ahead of them. Standing in their bedroom felt a little surreal, but in the best possible way. Meredith couldn't believe that in a few months, she would be living in this house, sleeping in this room every night with Derek, who would be her husband. And a few years down the line, the kids' rooms would be occupied. The house they were in the process of building would be the Shepherd home.

"I love you, Mer", Derek whispered as they stood on the balcony outside of their bedroom.

Meredith looked up at him and stared into his blue eyes. "I love you, too", she said with a smile, kissing him softly.

They left the house shortly after and made their way to a little restaurant in town. Linda would be leaving tonight, and they wanted to make sure they spent the whole day together. Meredith never expected for everything to go so smoothly. She thought for sure that she'd be counting down the hours until the plane arrived to take her future mother-in-law back to the other side of the country. But Meredith found herself trying to make the most of every minute she had with Linda.

Over the last three days, the two had grown unbelievably close—certainly closer than Meredith and Ellis had ever been. Meredith poured her heart out to the woman after having only known her for several hours. And Linda listened to Meredith's every word. She made Meredith feel comfortable and like a welcomed member of the family.

Linda was becoming the caring, compassionate mother that Meredith never had. She had felt the same way with Susan before she died so suddenly. It was as though Meredith was finally getting the chance to have the mother-daughter relationship she'd been hoping for all of her life.

After they arrived home from the restaurant, Meredith and Linda started packing. "I'm going to miss you", Meredith confessed sadly.

Linda dropped one of her sweaters onto the bed and pulled Meredith in for a hug. "Oh, sweetie, I'm going to miss you too. It's been so nice spending time with you two."

"I wish you could stay longer."

"Me too. But I'll be sure to visit. I need to make sure Derek doesn't forget about me…"

Meredith laughed. "He won't. I won't let him."

"Good. And I need you to keep him in line."

"Oh, I have no problem yelling at him", Meredith giggled. "You have nothing to worry about."

Derek walked into the room and leaned against the door. "Are you two plotting evil against me?", he joked.

"Your mom is making sure I know not to put up with your crap", she told him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"She doesn't." Derek shook his head. "If something is bothering us, we talk about it. Never go to bed angry—that's our motto."

"I'm glad to hear it. Besides, I don't see you two fighting a lot. You have a very strong relationship", Linda assured them.

"We do", Derek agreed with a nod.

"Oh, I love you two", Linda said, pulling them both into another hug. "And I want you two to come out and visit the family."

"They're going to see us for the wedding. And we're coming out in the fall…"

"For what, dear?"

"Oh. I forgot—Amy and Tom want us to be the godparents", Derek explained with a smile.

"Derek Christopher! How could you forget to tell me that? Oh that's wonderful", she gushed, kissing them both on the cheek.

"Yeah. We're excited about it", Meredith said softly, playing with the engagement ring on her finger.

"I'll make sure to have Derek's old bedroom all set up for you", Linda said with a smile.

Derek blushed furiously. "Thanks, mom. I've always wanted Meredith to check out my race car bedding…"

"Race cars?", Meredith giggled, unable to hide the growing grin on her face.

"Oh hush, Derek. You haven't used that blanket since you were ten."

"I'd love to see it", Meredith replied cheekily.

Linda laughed. "I still have it. Oh, he loved that blanket. I'll be sure to have that bedding all set up when you two visit. And for the record Derek, your bedroom is adorable", Linda said as she and Meredith attempted to zip up the overly packed suitcase.

Derek walked over and easily wrapped the zipper around the four corners of the suitcase. "Meredith gets great joy out of blackmailing me", he mused.

"This little thing?", Linda said, directing her attention to Meredith. "She would never…"

Meredith gave Derek her sweetest smile and bit her lip. Derek was right—she did love blackmailing him, what with the baby pictures that would be displayed in their new home, but she seemed to find amusement in the situation, and continued to play the innocent card.

"Mhm", Derek said with an unbelieving smirk.

"I can't wait to see it", Meredith said happily.

"And I'll make sure to set up one of the girls' rooms for Mark", Linda said with a nod. "Hopefully he'll be able to fly out there with the two of you."

"Yeah. Sounds good", Derek affirmed.

"Oh crap, he's going to be here soon to drive with us to the airport. I'll uh…go wait downstairs…", Meredith said, making her way out of the room. She knew that Mark would more than likely let himself into her home without a second thought, even though he'd never been there before. Meredith just wanted Derek to get some time with his mother before she left, considering they wouldn't see each other again until mid-July.

"Hey Grey", Mark said as Meredith opened the front door and stepped aside, allowing him to enter.

"Hi Mark", she said, tucking some hair behind her ears.

"Nice house", Mark commented as they made their way to the living room to wait for Derek and his mother to come down.

"Oh, um, thanks", Meredith smiled, sinking onto one of the couches next to Mark.

"So…", Mark started, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Now that we're alone…"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Seriously?", she giggled, knowing he was only joking.

"Yep. I'm going to hit on you while Derek and his mom are upstairs", he kidded.

"I figured…"

"Nah, but seriously, I need to ask you something", he said, removing his arm from around her shoulder and leaning back on the couch.

Meredith furrowed her brow and looked at him. "What?", she questioned.

"Derek doesn't know what you want for Valentine's Day."

"Valentine's Day?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah. It's a holiday where people give each other things like chocolates and flowers. You know, naked angels and—"

"Ass. I know that…"

"Overrated if you ask me. Just a scheme for Hallmark to make millions off of cheesy cards", he shrugged.

"So Derek asked you to ask me?", she concluded.

"Yeah. He told me to be subtle about it."

"Because asking me straight out just screams subtle", she said sarcastically.

"I don't do subtle", he replied. "And I know you won't tell…"

"Well, do you know if he has any ideas in mind? Or is he totally clueless?"

"I gave him a few suggestions, but apparently lingerie and chocolate body paint aren't romantic enough. Besides, he said you liked to buy your own lingerie."

Meredith could feel the heat spreading across her face. "Yeah. Remind me to thank him for telling you that", she sighed.

"I even offered to take you lingerie shopping ", Mark grinned.

"And he said no?", Meredith asked in fake shock.

"I know", Mark breathed. "He sucks. So what do you want?"

"I don't know. I've never done the whole Valentine's Day thing before", Meredith said with a sigh.

"Derek told me that he didn't want to get you just flowers or candy or anything. He wants to get you something…special", Mark informed her.

"Okay…uh…" Meredith bit her lip. She had no idea about what an appropriate Valentine's Day gift was, let alone what Derek might give her.

"Sexual favors always work", Mark grinned slyly.

Meredith smacked him with a pillow. "Pervert."

"I'm just saying…" Mark threw his hands up in defense. "That gift works both ways. And it's free. You really can't go wrong."

"You know, you're sort of creepy", Meredith laughed.

"I don't see you coming up with anything", Mark shot back jokingly.

"Tell him I don't want anything—that I'm perfectly happy without any cheesy gift", Meredith said frankly. It was the truth. She really didn't want anything. She had everything she needed. Derek didn't need to give her flowers and chocolate to prove his love for her.

"Oh come on…"

"What?", she asked, genuinely confused.

Mark sighed. "If you don't tell me what you want, then I'm going to have to help him. And Grey, I love you like my little sister, but do you know what torture that would be to have to go shopping with him?"

"Oh, so you would buy your little sister lingerie?", Meredith quipped.

"Fine. I'll just tell him you want a teddy bear…"

"He'll probably get me one anyway. It's Derek, so there's guaranteed to be some corniness involved", Meredith reasoned. "He'll think of something, trust me. But if he asks for any suggestions, food always works. Or surgeries. Oh, or a trip somewhere. Remember that."

"Will do", Mark nodded just as Derek made his way down the stairs with Linda's bags, his mother close behind him.

"Mark", Linda greet happily, pulling him in for a hug. "I'm so glad you could come see me off."

"Of course I came", Mark said with a smile.

Meredith walked over to Derek as Linda and Mark chatted. "Looks like your mom has a new favorite son", she whispered into his ear, her hot breath making the hair on his neck stand straight up.

"Not possible", he murmured back into her own ear, lightly nipping at her earlobe.

"Are we still on for later?", she asked quietly. Discussing their pending sex in front of Derek's mother may have been a little risky, but Meredith decided that Mark was keeping her occupied for the moment.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel great", she smiled sweetly, her green eyes sparkling.

"Then yes Dr. Grey, we're still on…"

They would have kept going with their flirtations, but Mark interrupted them. "Ready to go? We don't want her to miss the flight…"

"Yeah", Derek nodded. The four of them made their way out to the car and headed for the airport. On the way there, Meredith found herself secretly wishing that Mark had driven himself to the airport so he could drive himself home. She knew sex was in the near future, and the thought of it was making her antsy. If Mark had driven himself there instead of leaving his car in her driveway, they would be able to have sex in the parking lot. But no, Mark and Derek decided it would be best to carpool.

Meredith was all about family togetherness, but as she sat in the car and stared out the window, all she could think about was Derek's tongue. In her mouth. And other places. Her porny thoughts were interrupted when Derek announced their arrival to the airport.

As they made their way to the terminal gate, Meredith's dirty thoughts dissipated and she couldn't feel anything but sadness. She and Linda had grown so close, even in the three short days she had visited. "I'm going to miss you", Meredith frowned as Linda hugged her.

"I'm going to miss you too. All of you. But I promise to call, and of course, you can call me any time, dear. Oh, and be sure to send me pictures of the house once you decorate. I'm anxious to see the finished product", Linda said with a warm smile.

"We will", Derek said, wrapping his arm around Meredith's shoulder.

"And Mark…stay out of trouble, young man", Linda said firmly, unable to hide a small smile.

"I will", Mark sighed as the two hugged.

A boarding call for her flight was announced, signaling its pending departure. "That's me", Linda said with a nod.

Linda hugged each of them one last time. "I'm so glad we got to spend time together. Now take care of my son. He needs you, and he loves you", Linda said kindly as she and Meredith were in an embrace.

"I know. I will. Bye…mom", Meredith said softly. She shocked herself a little by calling Linda mom. But somehow, it felt right. In the short time they had gotten to know each other, Meredith already considered Linda her pseudo-mother. The past three days could have been horrible and awkward, but from the minute Linda arrived, there had been a warmth and kindness that made Meredith feel comfortable.

"Goodbye, Meredith. I love you, sweetie", Linda smiled, kissing Meredith's cheek.

"Love you too", Meredith responded. It was true. She wasn't just saying it to be polite. She really did love Linda. As far as mothers-in-law went, Meredith considered herself blessed and lucky. It really shouldn't have surprised her. After all, Linda Shepherd had raised the love of her life.

--

Later that evening when Meredith and Derek were finally alone, Meredith's previous porny thoughts returned. "Ready?", Meredith asked as she walked out of her private bathroom wearing nothing but her bath towel.

Derek groaned as she dropped the towel and walked over to him. She rolled on top of him and kissed him softly. "I love you", she whispered.

Derek ran his hands down the bare skin of her back and began sucking on her neck. "I love you, too."

"Mmm", Meredith moaned, letting the sensations take over her body. The tingling in her core. The feeling of his erection growing beneath her. The attention he was giving to her body.

"I believe we had a deal…", he whispered seductively.

"We did", she giggled.

"All night."

"Mhm", she sighed.

"So today Mark and I were talking…", she started.

"Way to kill the mood", he joked, flipping them over so that she was pinned beneath him.

"He told me you were stressing over Valentine's Day", she replied, running her fingers through his hair.

"Good to know he can keep a secret", Derek joked. "Don't worry about it. I already have some things in mind."

"Do you?"

Derek grinned. "I do."

"Hmm…can't wait", she responded. "Is this part of it?"

"You being naked? Of course", he nodded. "No holiday would be complete without sex…"

"Good", she whispered. "You should be naked right now."

"I agree." Derek sat up and quickly undressed only to hover over her once again.

The sight of his naked body made her tremble with need. "Mmm…make love to me, Derek", she moaned, bracing her hands on his shoulders.

Derek kissed her softly before sliding inside of her. "I love you, Meredith", he whispered, kissing her forehead, feeling her muscles clench around him in ecstasy.

"Love you too", she panted breathlessly. The emotional closeness they were sharing were something they never wanted to lose. They knew the feeling would last for a lifetime. A lifetime they would be spending together.

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