20. Valentine's Day Pt 1
Disclaimer: If I owned Grey's Anatomy, Meredith and Derek would walk around naked all the time. They wouldn't have a job, they wouldn't have skills, they wouldn't even know how to read. They would just be…naked. Yep, I stole that from Cristina. Clearly I don't own the show.
Thanks to those that review. I really appreciate it.
Meredith hadn't slept this late since the day after she and Derek had gotten engaged, and he insisted they take the day off. But today was Valentines' Day. Luckily it was a Saturday in which both of them were off from work. Of course, it wasn't just a coincidence. Derek had pulled a few strings, and Meredith was extremely grateful to him for doing so.
Derek planned on pampering her all day long. Meredith's only requirement was to sleep in. And he gladly agreed. The hospital had been wearing them out lately, and getting the chance to cuddle under the blankets for a few extra hours was a welcomed treat.
Derek gently rolled over in the bed, careful not to wake her. The sun was already shining through the windows, but Meredith didn't seem to notice. The snores kept coming from her small body snuggled under the soft blanket.
He peered over at the clock. 10:30. He decided that he had been sleeping for far too long. He carefully eased out of bed and tiptoed quietly out of the room. Knowing that Meredith would wake up soon, Derek went into the kitchen and began making her breakfast. While he was making French toast, he heard the soft patter of feet making their way into the kitchen. "Hey", she said quietly, still in her sleepy state.
Derek lowered the flame on the stove and walked over to her, chuckling slightly at her disheveled appearance. "Hey you. Happy Valentine's Day." He kissed her softly and pulled her in for a hug.
"Happy Valentine's Day", she whispered, resting her head on his chest, breathing in his comforting scent.
"I love you." He kissed the top of her head, his arms still wrapped around her.
Meredith smiled. No matter how many times he said it to her, she would never get tired of hearing it. "I love you, too."
"You ruined my surprise. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed", he chuckled.
"I can eat down here", she offered.
"Nope. I'm pampering you today", he told her, walking back over to the stove and removing the food from the pan before setting it on the tray adorned with eggs, bacon, waffles, and orange juice.
"That's a lot of food", Meredith pointed out, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
Derek laughed. "If there's anyone I know that can eat it, it's you."
"What's that supposed to mean?", she smirked, putting her hands on her hips.
"It means you have a hearty appetite, which is just one of the many things I love about you", he explained with a grin. "Now come on, let's go back to bed…"
"That's stupid. All of the food is down here. Really, its fine", she told him, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs.
"Are you seriously going to make me do this?" He walked over to her and threw her over his shoulder.
"Derek! Put me down!", she yelled, kicking her legs and pounding him on the ass with her tiny ineffectual fists. "Seriously, Derek!", she giggled.
Derek just laughed, paying no attention to her pleas to walk on her own. Instead, he proceeded to make the trek up the stairs, Meredith in his safe grip.
Eventually, Meredith stopped fighting against him, realizing he wasn't going to put her down. "Don't drop me", she huffed.
"I would never drop you", he told her as they made their way up the steps and down the hall.
"Morning", Alex and Izzie greeted, moving to the side to allow the two to pass by.
"Hey", Meredith smiled, still slung over his shoulder. "Happy Valentine's Day", she called out as they neared her bedroom.
"You too", Alex called back. "I'm sort of thankful we have work today", he whispered to Izzie.
"Seriously. It's not even noon and already they're starting", she said amusedly.
"Just wait until tonight…", Alex reminded her.
Izzie sighed. "I don't even want to think about it…"
"Can you please put me down now?", Meredith asked as they entered the bedroom. "I'm starting to feel woozy."
Derek gently placed her on the unmade bed, pulling the covers back over her. "Stay here. Don't move…", he said with a smile, kissing her cheek.
"I hate you", she said jokingly, unable to hide the smile tugging on the corners of her mouth.
He laughed. "No you don't."
"Fine. I don't. Now bring me my food", she ordered, propping some pillows behind her back in preparation for the breakfast he had made for them.
"Bossy."
"You like bossy", Meredith smiled, shooing him away. "Now go…"
Derek just laughed and obeyed her command, making his way downstairs to retrieve their food. Meredith sat in bed and smiled to herself. This whole Valentine's Day thing could be okay after all. She'd only been awake for fifteen minutes and Derek was already laying on the McDreamy charm thicker than usual. He may have been corny, but she really did appreciate him. Not just today, but every day. He always made her feel loved. And she knew he'd make her feel that way forever.
"Here you go, my lady", he said with a grin, settling the tray over her legs.
"Your lady?", she asked mockingly.
"That's what you are, now and forever", he smiled.
Meredith giggled. "You've already out-cheesed yourself."
"Out-cheesed myself?", he asked amusedly. He loved all of her made-up words. Meredith never ceased to make him laugh, even if she wasn't trying to be funny. She just had this way about her that made him grateful that he'd be spending the rest of his life with her.
"Yes", she answered biting into a piece of bacon.
"Well, I'm going to be out-cheesing myself all day", he laughed. He opened the nightstand drawer on his side of the bed and pulled out a Valentine's Day card with her name written on the envelope. "This is for you. And I have more for you downstairs. Be right back."
He quickly kissed her cheek before hopping off the bed and making his way back downstairs. A few moments later, he reappeared in the doorway holding the trademark Valentine's Day gifts of a teddy bear, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, and a bouquet of lavender flowers.
"What's all this?", Meredith asked, taking a sip of her coffee, the still unopened card resting on the side of the tray.
He got back into bed and kissed her forehead. "These are just some of your gifts", he grinned.
"Nobody's ever gotten me Valentine's presents before", she said with a small smile. "Well Sammy…"
"Your three year old boyfriend", Derek teased.
Meredith giggled. "He gave me a cupcake, but that doesn't really count considering we shared it."
"So I'm taking your Valentine's Day virginity?", he asked with a smirk.
"Yeah. I guess you are", she agreed, kissing him softly. "So this is what people do?"
"You've really never done this before?"
"No I've never done this before", she said with a soft smile.
"Okay. Well, this is how it works…I give you gifts all day long, take you places, kiss you nonstop, and we end the day by making love all night long", he explained, kissing her again.
"Hmm…I think I like Valentine's Day", she grinned.
"Me too", he replied, stealing a bite of her waffle. "Open your card…"
"Okay", she whispered. She picked it up and proceeded to open the envelope. Meredith pulled the card out and opened it, smiling softly as she began reading the note written on an attached piece of paper folded on the inside, the message too long to fit in the four by six card.
Dear Meredith,
By the time you read this, I'm sure you'll have already mocked me for being corny. But that's okay—I know you love me anyway. The truth is, you're the first person I've ever met who didn't want gifts on Valentine's Day. You'd be perfectly happy spending the day lounging around the house. I'm definitely marrying an indoor girl. Anyway, my point in this note is not to tease you, I promise.
The real reason I'm writing this is to thank you—thank you for making me believe in love again. For saving me from myself, for forgiving me even after all we've been through. For everything. The path we've taken to make it to this point hasn't always been smooth. Sometimes I still don't think I deserve to be spending the rest of my life with you. Even as I write this, I still can't believe that we're engaged and getting married in five months.
I'll never forget the first time I saw you, the little blonde in the black dress with the bright green eyes sitting on the barstool in Joe's, shooting back shot after shot of tequila. To this day, I still don't know how you can drink that stuff straight. But then again, you never cease to amaze me. You, Meredith Grey, are a beautiful person inside and out. You're warm and kind and always putting others before yourself. You're a brilliant surgeon whose skills and compassion are unmatched by anyone I've ever seen.
I find myself falling more and more in love with you every day. Who knew that our one night stand would lead to a lifetime together? Some may call it a coincidence, but I call it fate. Before I met you, I never knew a love like this existed—a love that takes your breath away and makes you think that any second, you'll wake up from a dream. You've given me a second chance to find love. And I'm forever grateful to you for that. You're going to be an amazing wife and an even more beautiful mother. You are an extraordinary person, Meredith.
Our journey has only just begun. We're finally getting the lifetime, our happily ever after. I love you. Forever.
Love,
Derek
"Derek", Meredith whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. She rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close to him.
He gently kissed the top of her head, breathing in the familiar lavender scent. "I love you", he said softly.
"I love you, too." She took his hand and laced her fingers with his own. "That was…"
"Too much?"
"No", Meredith laughed softly. "It was perfect. No one's ever…done something like that for me before, or said anything like that…"
"I meant every word", he said genuinely, gently caressing her hand with his thumb.
Meredith looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."
"Mhm", he murmured, pressing her lips to his once again.
"I got you a card too", she told him as they broke the kiss. "But I'm not giving it to you until we're on the ferryboat…"
He looked at her with a confused expression. "Ferryboat?"
"Yeah. That's my gift to you—a ferry ride. And later on tonight, I thought we could stay at the trailer…and my body is my gift to you", she grinned seductively.
"I can take full advantage?"
Meredith nodded. "I'm all yours…"
"Well then, after you eat, we should probably get our day started. We have to make sure to get all of our activities in before the bedroom activity can begin…", he smiled, kissing her cheek.
"Then how about you go off your health food diet for the day and help me finish all this food", she giggled.
"I guess I could do that", he said with a laugh, stealing a bite of her scrambled eggs.
"So where are we going for lunch?", she asked with a mouthful of waffle.
Derek laughed. "Anywhere you want." Her appetite really was insatiable.
--
"I can't believe we've never done this before", Meredith said, resting her head against Derek's shoulder. The two were standing by the rail of the ferryboat, looking out across the Elliott Bay, the great expanse of downtown Seattle ahead of them.
Meredith had been thinking about what kind of gift Derek might want for Valentine's Day. She knew that he wasn't the kind of guy who was into material possessions. He just enjoyed spending time with her. So taking a ride on a ferryboat seemed like a very Derek-y gift.
"I love it, Mer. Thank you." Derek pulled her body close to his, the warmth radiating between them. The sun was shining, but it was still a February day in Seattle, which meant the chill in the air was still lingering. Meredith clutched her hot chocolate in her hands, while Derek held his in the hand that was wrapped around her shoulder.
"Did you want to open your card?", she asked nervously, biting her lip. After the card from him, Meredith was sure that hers wouldn't even compare, but she knew Derek would love it anyway.
"Sure", Derek grinned, kissing her forehead. "Are your warm enough?"
Meredith nodded. "I'm good." She pulled a card in a white envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. "Here", she said with a small smile.
"Thank you", Derek said, returning the grin. After opening the envelope, he pulled out card, finding that she, too, had a folded piece of paper on the inside.
"Sorry. It's probably—well, never mind. I um…just read it", she stammered nervously.
Derek gave her an assuring smile before unfolding the message.
Dear Derek,
So here we are. On the ferryboat. And it's Valentine's Day. I'm sort of surprised that we've never been on one together before. You have your thing for ferryboats, and, well, it's just weird. But I'm glad we're here. At least I think that's where we'll be when you read this. I hope so anyway, because I wanted to do something nice for you. As you can tell, I've never written a Valentine's Day card before so if this sucks, I apologize in advance. Am I rambling? I think I'm rambling.
Anyway, my point isn't to ramble. My point is that it's Valentine's Day. And I'm here with you. Because we're engaged, which honestly, still freaks me out—but in the best possible way, I promise. We're finally getting what we wanted. A year ago, I never would have guessed that I would be wearing an engagement ring this Valentine's Day. I never thought we'd be building a house or planning a wedding. Stuff like this doesn't happen to people like me. Sometimes, I still wonder why anybody would want to marry me, the scary and damaged girl with a crap load of issues. But you love me anyway.
For the first time in my life, I feel unconditionally loved. I know that I can always count on you to be there for me, no matter what. When I'm with you, everything is just better. And this is going to sound corny, but you really are it for me. Yeah, seeing that in print, I realize that it was indeed corny. But hey, you like stuff like that, right?
My whole point in writing this is to tell you that I love you. I love you in this huge way that I can't even begin to explain to you. But I know I don't have to, because you love me just as much. I feel blessed and lucky knowing that soon we'll be husband and wife. And one day, mommy and daddy. Great, now I'm making myself get all teary-eyed so I think this is a good place to stop.
I love you, Derek. I really really love you. I know that it's unoriginal, but you really are the love of my life, my knight in shining whatever. Scrubs, I guess. My knight in shining scrubs.
Love,
Meredith
"Meredith Grey", Derek said in astonishment, looking into her eyes, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks.
Meredith bit her lip before rambling nervously. "I um…it's probably sucky but I really didn't know what to—"
Derek cut her off before she could continue by pressing his lips against hers, unable to resist the urge to kiss her. Meredith moaned out loud, not caring about the other people on the ferryboat hearing her. Derek slid his tongue into her mouth and she sighed contentedly. Together, their tongues dueled in a passionate frenzy of lust and love, so deep that neither wanted to part. It was amazing how much they could communicate without words.
"I love you. I love you so much", Derek whispered breathlessly as they parted, tucking some windblown strands of hair behind her ear.
Meredith rested her head on his chest. "I love you, too."
"Your card…beautiful", he grinned, kissing the top of her head.
"I tried", Meredith sighed, her cheek nuzzled against the warmth of his sweater. "Hopefully they'll get better over the years."
"Mer, that was perfect", he assured her, wrapping her in his tight embrace. "It makes me want to throw you on the ground of this ferryboat and have my way with you in front of the ferry-goers", he teased.
Meredith giggled. "I think that's illegal."
"Fine. I'll just wait until tonight then", he laughed. "I'd rather not get us arrested on Valentine's Day."
"Although…handcuffs might be fun", she pointed out, breaking out into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.
"There's an idea", Derek grinned.
"See. My porny mind comes in handy sometimes."
"I guess it does", Derek agreed, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes before kissing her softly.
Valentine's Day had already become one of their favorite holidays, and the day had only just begun.
So I decided to split this into two or maybe even three chapters. It's going to be mostly fluff. This is their first Valentine's Day together, and I wanted to make it special for them. Hope you enjoyed it! :)
Reviews mean the world to me. :)