49. Chapter 49: Endless Love

A/N The update follows directly after the events of the previous chapter.

Hope you enjoy!

"Are you mad at me?"

Derek barely made it back to his office after he walked off his family to the cab when he was startled by his fiancée's quiet voice.

"Why would I be mad at you?" he asked with a small smile, turning on his chair to face.

She shrugged and closed the door leaning with her back against it. "Let's see… me being unkind and unwelcoming… and answering back to your sister, she is a bitch by the way… sorry…"

Derek only smiled and rose to his feet to walk up to her. "So I should be mad at you for being you? I don't think so. If anything, I'm mad at myself for not seeing it coming. I should have figured out they would carry out this little invasion. I'm sorry you have to deal with this so unexpectedly." He locked her body in a tight embrace, nuzzling his nose into her hair to inhale the scent that had always such a calming effect on him.

"Oh, well," she sighed as Derek's hand rubbed her back. "It had to happen eventually. And I knew they would hate me anyway so it's not a big deal-"

"They don't hate you," he denied quickly. "Kim and Heather are actually quite fond of you."

"Nancy does."

"Then she hates everyone," joked Derek. "I told you she was intense."

"I can take her," she assured him resolutely.

"I know," he smiled pressing his forehead against hers. "In other circumstances, I would be rolling on the floor laughing at how Nancy's getting her lesson."

"Have you talked to your mom?" asked Meredith shrewdly.

"Not really. I'm waiting for the emotions to cool down," he sighed observing her green eyes that were half hidden by the lashes. "I'm sorry they don't see the real you yet. They will soon. I did, and I'm not half as observant as my mother."

"Don't worry," smiled Meredith. "I'm not going to be a runaway bride."

"Thank you for giving them a chance. They're really great, you just need to know them better."

Meredith nodded and locked their lips in a slow peaceful kiss.

Carolyn Shepherd hoped none of her daughters would check up on her in her room. The reason for that was simple, she just wasn't there. Having returned to their hotel, she expressed the wish to take a nap as her old bones needed a rest after the excitement of the travel and the visit at the hospital. However, she didn't not sleep a wink. She lay down comfortably on her bed but the sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was reeling. All because of her son, Derek.

The boy brought her a lot of restless nights in the course of the last year. When he moved across the continent nearly five years ago, taking Mark with him, she was inconsolable but she acted as a good mother should. She whole-heartedly supported him in the pursuit of his dream, becoming the chief of surgery, which was supposedly promised to him. Moreover, she was proud of him, proud that he achieved so much.

Unfortunately, a year ago, it turned out that Derek's greatest ambition would not become reality. Eventually, his mentor and friend chose someone else for the position, a younger woman that hadn't even worked one day at Seattle Grace before. Carolyn didn't think she would ever forget how broken and lost Derek's voice sounded during their first conversation after Webber's decision was made public. She hoped and saw it quite possible that he would then return to the East Coast but instead he took some time to think it over. What happened next with her son, Carolyn didn't really know. His calls became more and more seldom and when she called, she found it hard to catch him unoccupied with something. Mark wasn't very helpful, trying not to let down Derek's trust. But even the occasional strips of conversation made her think that her son was up to something. She recognized the change in his voice; there was excitement and direction. What was going on? Derek didn't divulge.

And then all contact with Derek ceased altogether. No phone call, card, holiday wishes, nothing, zero. If it wasn't for her surrogate son, she would have lost her wits worrying. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, her prodigal child called. She tried to stay stern after all he had put her through but… how could she not react when he informed her out of a sudden he was getting married! She didn't even have a faintest idea there was a woman in his life and now one call and wham, there was another Mrs. Shepherd in the making. She begged him for explanations and he did as best as he could, though he wasn't very informative. She just heard he was in love, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with that woman and that the wedding would take place in June in Seattle. She and the girls tried to coax him to come to New York so they could all be introduced to his fiancée. The answer was no. The woman was a doctor as well and they couldn't take any free days or they wouldn't have a honeymoon in the summer.

So, now the female half of Shepherd clan was in Seattle trying to gauge if Derek didn't lose his mind and apparently, the stock of surprises wasn't over. She believed she would still be objective, unassuming and unprejudiced saying Meredith Grey wasn't at all how she expected her future daughter-in-law to be. In her mind's eye, she saw a nice warm woman who maybe assured some peace and stability in Derek's life, that she would maybe create a family for her son now that it was pretty decided his return to New York was not going to happen.

Meredith Grey was anything but a nice girl next door. First, she was the woman appointed chief instead of Derek. Ironic how they ended up in a relationship… But that was not the worst. She was temperamental, domineering and proud, overconfident that nothing could stand in her way. There was truth in what Kathleen stated after the lunch, Derek was different. He was docile, apart from the rare temper tantrums that lingered on since he was a little boy.

And he was obviously infatuated with the woman. It was so obvious, the way he looked at her, touched her. She was impressive, to be sure. She was a beauty, she had class, sex appeal and charisma. Clearly, the type men were attracted to like a moth to a flame, to use a vulgar expression. According to Carolyn's belief as well, the type wasn't a marrying one. Why did she want to marry Derek? Was it out of love? Carolyn wasn't sure as she simply couldn't decipher her. Meredith was guarded, her eyes quick and piercing; her feelings didn't really come through. Did she really love her son and how much? Carolyn knew she couldn't close her eyes until she learnt the answer to that question. Not until she wasn't sure of the feeling of the woman who could crush her son with a staggering ease.

That was why she sneaked out of her room unnoticed by her daughters and took a cab back to the hospital, not really sure what she was going to do there but determination pushing her forward.

Meredith's face was lit with a smile as she unplugged her flash card. She just had the brightest moment of the day, apart from the fifteen minutes spent cuddling with Derek in his office. Derek, he would be equally ecstatic seeing what she was sent to by e-mail. With that thought in mind, she set out in search of her fiancé, finding him without much trouble, sitting in a chair at the nurses' station. He sipped coffee rubbing his temple tiredly; his ferry boat scrub cap lying crumpled beside him. Meredith sighed knowing that his weariness only partly due to the procedure he had and mostly to the pressure caused by his family's unexpected arrival.

She crept up to him on her tiptoes, thanking heavens it was a slow hour. She quickly covered his eyes with her hands but he didn't as much as flinch, even though the skin on his temples seemed to burn against her cool palms.

"That feels wonderful," he sighed calmly caressing her fingers with his.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked taking her hands from his eyes and moving them sideways to massage his temples and scalp delicately though the black mane on his head.

He backed his head contentedly against the chair, a faint smile on his lips as her fingers seemed to ban the worrisome thoughts from his brain.

"I have a radar that picks you up every time you're near," he grinned, relaxed. "And lavender, God, I love it…"

"Hmm, I think you might just want to try my conditioner," she joked. "Don't you have enough hair products?"

He chuckled tugging at her hand and she perched up on the desk before him, their hands still joined.

"I've got something that will make you feel better," she smiled and dived her hand to the breast pocket of her lab coat.

"I know you do," he said huskily, his eyes leering as they moved from her knee up higher to were her hand was seconds before.

"No, not that!" she giggled getting to her feet and crouching down to find a port for her flash card.

"Mhm," he breathed fixing his regard on her ass that was so nicely on display when she bent under the desk to scan the pc.

"Now," she breathed out contentedly as she straightened up and clicked on the mouse. "You're ready?"

"For you? Always-"

She rolled her eyes and whispered warmly. "To have the first look at our home."

He took his regard from her body to the screen and opened his mouth in wonder.

"What is that?"

"The house plans," she smiled watching his face avidly. "The architect has just sent them over to me. We'll have it on paper soon too."

He enlarged the images and looked back at Meredith.

"Our home…"

"Our home," she nodded and they both laughed freely as their foreheads met tenderly, not suspecting that someone was watching them closely.

When Carolyn arrived back at Seattle Grace and its surgical floor, she still didn't have her plan of action thoroughly thought out. She just wanted to find something, anything, to prove that Meredith Grey loved her son as much as he did her. She did not think she was too interfering. She had a right to take care of her son; she was put through the ringer by the late Mrs. Shepherd when Michael introduced her to his parents.

She was sure though that Derek would call it spying and that was why she decided to retire to a small conference room when she noticed him march from around the corner. She sat down in a swivel chair and waited for Derek to disappear out of sight looking out through a crack in the blinds. However, it didn't look like he was going to go away any soon. He apparently just finished a surgery as he dragged his lucky scrub cap off his head. Carolyn resisted the urge to go and smooth his hair back into tidiness. She watched as he chatted with some colleagues, thanked a nurse for a cup of coffee and sat down behind the counter. The corridor emptied but he continued to sit. He looked tired and worried and Carolyn was aware it was because of the day's events. She finally came to the conclusion she was making a fool of herself, hiding from her own son and decided to leave the room when her attention was caught by no other than Meredith who was sneaking behind Derek's chair, biting her lip, her eyes sparkling. Carolyn sat back and watched. It was the first time she saw the girl without the mask of smugness and indifference.

She wanted to surprise Derek but Carolyn knew he was aware of her presence as he smiled seconds before she covered his eyes. His features seemed to relax completely when she wove her fingers through his hair. He was telling the truth, Meredith made the world disappear around him. They flirted briefly, sexual tension palpable between them. And then Meredith showed him something on the computer screen, something that made him all lit up. However, it was not Derek's face that caught Carolyn's attention, it was Meredith's.

While Derek's eyes devoured whatever he was looking at the screen, Meredith's were devouring his face, waiting for every little sign of happiness or contentment of his. It was all in her eyes and her touch now, tenderness, care, protectiveness. Carolyn, finally had the courage to breath out with relief. Maybe all would be well.

Meredith was putting the last papers into the drawer in her desk when she heard light knocking.

"May I?"

She was shocked to see Derek's mother standing in the doorway with a smile that seemed… warm?

"Of course," she ran her hand over her head. "Mrs. Shepherd, would you like to sit down?"

"No, thank you," she shook her head, registering the difference in her behaviour. Meredith that surprised her son in the lobby seemed to vanish without a trace and was again replaced with a shrewd calculating version. "I think I spent enough time sitting today for a lifetime," she grinned. "And it's not Mrs. Shepherd, it's Carolyn."

"Do you need something? Derek's in surgery and I'm waiting for him-"

"Actually, I came to see you," replied Carolyn.

"Me?" Meredith raised her eyebrows quizzically.

"Yes, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry if you got the impression that we're in any way against you and that I'm happy to welcome you in the family."

"You are?" Meredith squinted her eyes slightly, fixing them on the older woman. "No offence… but I don't need you to sugarcoat anything."

"You're a rather wary person, Meredith," Carolyn laughed gently. "You can trust me, I would not lie about my feelings for you. After all, I am Nancy's mother."

Meredith looked at her in a new light, finding a sudden unexpected likeness between herself and Carolyn.

"But I am truly glad you'll be Derek's wife. I wasn't sure at first, I admit, but I am now."

"Can I ask you why?" asked Meredith, one of her eyebrows raised skeptically, her voice cautious.

"You're a strong woman, Meredith," answered Carolyn simply. "Determined. I cannot imagine him ever getting into harm's way with you by his side. I was afraid you might be his downfall… but I believe you're the best thing that ever happened to him," she finished with a smile, nodded and turned to leave.

"Mrs. Shepherd-" Meredith called after her.

"Carolyn."

"Carolyn, then," acknowledged Meredith with a somewhat softer expression. "I don't want to see him hurt… ever…"

"I know," nodded Carolyn. "I hope things will run smoother from now on. We need to get to know each other better but that's for later. I deserve a good night's sleep."

"Do you… do you need a ride to your hotel?" offered Meredith overcoming her barriers. "I can drive you."

"I'll take a cab. I don't want to trouble you, dear," assured warmly Carolyn. "Besides, you're waiting for Derek."

"Yeah, he'll be in for at least an hour and half," shrugged Meredith. "I was to sit in the gallery anyway. It's really not a problem."

"All right then," agreed the older woman, her curiosity peeked by the mischievous spark in the blonde's eyes.

"We just have to make a quick stop at Derek's office," grinned Meredith. "For the keys."

"The keys?"

"Well… Derek is not completely in agreement about me driving my Porsche in the winter since we go so much out of town," explained Meredith euphemistically with a roll of her eyes as she reached for her coat. "And he has these objections to me driving his car either. It's ridiculous."

"Shepherds," laughed Carolyn thinking that maybe her son was less dominated by Meredith than she had initially assumed. "My husband didn't let me as much as touch his motorbike."

"Let me?" Meredith snorted closing her office behind them. "I would like to see Derek try to let me or not let me do what I want."

"Of course, dear," nodded Carolyn with a stifled lenient smile.

"So, everything's all right?" asked Derek, squinting sideways at his fiancée as they walked out of the hospital a little more than two hours later.

"Yeah, everything's good," she smiled up at him. "What, is something wrong?"

"No," he shook his head quickly. "You just seem… so relaxed and happy."

"And that's a bad thing," she stated, deadpanned. "I can get mad if you want."

"No, that's fine," he assured hurriedly. "It's just, it wasn't an easiest of days… and you would tell me-"

"Derek," she halted when they reached his car and she stroked his cheek affectionately. "I think everything's going to be okay."

"Is it?" he frowned.

"Yup," she nodded and walked around to climb into the passenger seat.

"Hm," Derek hummed pensively and made to take his driver's place but his hip bumped into the steering wheel. "What the…" he muttered leaning in. "I can swear that either my jeep has shrunk or I've got too big or…" his eyes bore into Meredith's.

"Yeah, your diet doesn't really work out for you, does it?" she remarked innocently bucking her seatbelt and cursing herself for forgetting to put back the driver's seat to the earlier position.

"Mer, did you-" he started sternly but trailed off under Meredith's relentless stare.

"Shut up and drive, will you, Honey. Curiosity-"

"Killed the cat?" he asked sarcastically readjusting the mirror.

"No, made him sleep on the couch," she answered airily.

"Just… don't do it tomorrow, please?" he asked with defeat. "And by that I mean, not in front of my sisters?"

"What? Showing around how whipped you are?"

"That too…" he sighed patiently knowing he would never win an argument with her, "but I don't want my Mom to think our relationship revolves around sex."

"She won't," Meredith stated confidently making Derek look at her in wonder.

"She won't?"

"Nope," she smiled widely.

"What are you not telling me?"

"I am telling you that everything's going to be all right," she whispered bringing an arm around his waist and nuzzling her face into his neck.

Meanwhile, in one of Boston's fancy restaurants things couldn't be going worse as a social chat between three doctors was taking an unexpectedly unpleasant turn.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Hoffer," the only woman in the company laughed at the absurdity of what she just heard. "That's most ridiculous. You must have misheard."

"But I could swear, I heard all right…" the slightly younger man scratched his head. "My cousin works at Seattle Grace. I'm quite sure, that's why I wanted to congratulate-"

"I repeat, this is preposterous," the woman interrupted him, her patience running thin. "My daughter isn't marrying anyone!"

"I apologize if I perhaps offended you," he assured quickly. "That's just very strange. I could swear it was Dr. Meredith Grey and Dr. Shepherd-"

"Who?" she spat out hearing the familiar name.

"Dr. Meredith Grey and Dr. Derek Shepherd-"

"I wish you an enjoyable evening, Dr. Hoffer," the woman stated abruptly with a hardly hidden venom and the man knew better than to linger any more at her and her partner's table.

"This is ludicrous," she said pushing her plate away. She had effectively lost her appetite for the night.

"What is?" asked her partner, his voice cautious.

"Oh, don't play dumb," she bit back. "You've heard what that old gossiper had to say. I would never believe that… but that Shepherd… I met him, I saw him looking at Meredith. And I expressly forbade him to do anything in that respect. But the rumors of these proportions… they couldn't have just appeared out of thin air…"

The man concentrated on his steak nervously. The rumors definitely didn't appear out of nowhere. He could spread out some worthy gossip himself and he didn't even see much of Derek and Meredith. But marriage…? True, he didn't contact anyone at Grace for months.

"You know something!" hissed his partner, examining him across the table.

"Me…?" he asked weakly.

"Yes, you! You have guilt written all over your face! What do you know? That Shepherd, he got what he wanted, didn't he? She fell for that! I should have never left her unattended; she's so naïve!"

"Love-"

"You're not talking when I'm talking!" she silenced him shrilly reaching for her cell phone.

"Damn right, I do! Seattle," she roared into the receiver a couple of minutes later. "No, for yesterday! Doesn't matter, I'll get a private jet if I have to!"

"What do you think you're doing?" she threw at him sarcastically getting to her feet. "You're enjoying your meal when some bastard is about to ruin my daughter's life? I hope he didn't make her a kid… Get up, get up! You got Meredith into this mess in the first place, now you're going to help me get her out!"

He stood up with a tired sigh, so much for his plan to peacefully reunite Meredith and Ellis. The future didn't look bright. He was going to be cross-examined, for sure, while Derek… should already book a bed in the intensive care unit.

A/N I'd like to thank everyone who comments and ask those who have never had to shout out. The story is ending in four updates so it would be awesome to hear from you guys who added it to favourites/alerts.

Em :)