Survivor

Chapter Twenty-Seven

ONE YEAR LATER

"God, these heels are killing me. Why did I agree to wear them again?" Olivia Prenton groans, using one hand to support her weight against the table as she leans over the slide the black high heels she's wearing off her feet.

"You've only been wearing those for like, two hours." Meredith scoffs.

"You're wearing them because you love me and I would like for some decent wedding pictures." Lindsey cuts in and gives a pointed look to her -as of a few minutes ago- wife.

"I can't dance with those on!" Olivia protests. "And we organized the best reception ever."

"I organized. The only thing you did was sample the food and cake." The blonde rolls her eyes playfully.

"Ah, but you love me anyway," Olivia smirks, pulling her wife close for a kiss that would normally be considered too heated for a public space, but on their wedding night, they couldn't care less.

Meredith is one of Olivia's bridesmaids, and she's wearing a dress that matches Maggie, Vanessa, and another woman, some old friend of Olivia's. The ceremony took place on one of the very few sunny days in Seattle, in the huge garden just outside the Four Seasons hotel, and afterward, everyone had moved inside for the reception, which Meredith has to admit, is amazing. Great food, great decorations, great music, and especially great drinks.

Lindsey grabs her wife's hand and leads her onto the dance floor in the center of the room. The reception had begun not long ago, but the newlyweds want to dance, even if one of them is barefoot. The blonde athlete wears an ankle-length, form-fitting, white dress, plain and simple. Her hair is loosely up, a few bright curls pulled out to frame her face perfectly. Olivia had put her foot down when it came to a dress, so she is wearing an elegant white jumpsuit. Both look amazing, have on light makeup, and Olivia's dark hair is twisted into a braid falling over her shoulder.

Derek finds Meredith next to the table where the brides were moments ago and gently grabs her hand. She turns and smiles, giving him a quick peck on the lips. Looking around, the large, open room is full of people. Some faces Meredith recognizes, as she's come to know them in the past months, others not so much.

Glancing to her right, she smiles at the sight of her person making her way over with two glasses in her hands. When Cristina reaches Meredith, the blonde takes one glass, already knowing what it's going to be.

Tequila, of course.

She gratefully drinks the liquor, feeling it burn as it goes down her throat. She catches Derek's eye and smirks. "I still don't understand how you can take so much alcohol so quickly," He shakes his head, smiling.

"What can I say? Dark and twisty, remember?"

"I'll drink to that," Cristina raises her glass, cocking an eyebrow and consuming the tequila as quickly as Meredith did.

The group stands off to the side, watching as Olivia and Lindsey take their first dance, and soon enough Olivia beckons people out to join them and Meredith turns and grabs Derek's hand, dragging him out onto the dance floor, a grin on her face.

The night continues on, and it's well past three in the morning when Meredith and Derek make their way to the elevator, both slightly tipsy, and take it up to their room. Olivia and Lindsey have rented practically an entire floor of the hotel for the wedding guests, so everything is ready for them.

In the heat of the moment, her lips are on his and his back is against the wall. Their door closes and they're locked into the dark hotel room, passionately making out. They move to the bed, and in a split-second decision, Meredith starts to unbutton Derek's shirt. He stops and pulls back, meeting her gaze.

"There's no rush, Mer. If you're not ready it's okay, really. Are you sure?"

She hesitates, but she had been thinking about this for a long time now, and she honestly did feel ready enough to try it. "Yes. Just...let me be on top, and um, take it slow," She requests. Derek smiles, desperate to fulfill any and all of her needs, and soon enough their bodies are back together.

For them, the past year has brought a lot. Good and bad. They're dating again, living together in Meredith's house, taking things slow. They haven't gone past heated make-out sessions like horny high schoolers either.

Meredith still goes to therapy once a week, but she's back to running her department. The Scarlet Killer case has been closed, so Derek's team has moved on, though the friendships made over the course of months following Meredith's rescue from William will last a long time to come. 

Of course, she still has dreams and panic attacks, but in time, she'd learned her triggers and weaned off the Zoloft, now managing her PTSD perfectly on her own, though Dr. Wyatt was always there, just in case.

The next morning, Derek and Meredith lay in bed next to each other, silently just enjoying each other's closeness and company. Until Derek says what's been on his mind all week.

"I got a call a few days ago, from FBI headquarters in Quantico." He starts and Meredith shifts, looking at him, giving him her full attention. "The director of the Seattle branch is retiring, and they want me to take his place."

Her eyes widen, and she smiles. "Really? Oh my god, congratulations! Are you gonna take it?"

"I think so...but it means more administrative work than fieldwork."

"You're going to miss your old job," She reads his mind. "Hey, if you're the boss you can always join in on someone's manhunt, right? They can't turn you down." He laughs, realizing she's right. "What about your team now?"

"I appoint a new supervisor, and look for candidates to fill the newly opened position on the team."

"Any ideas?" She asks, curious.

"Olivia." He answers without hesitation. "She's been my second in command for years and I don't think anyone could do the job better. She deserves it."

Meredith smiles, Olivia has become one of her closest friends. "You'll be amazing, saving the world."

He chuckles, "The entire world might be a bit of a stretch."

"Well, you saved me. My entire world. So, it counts." She replies matter-of-factly, slowly climbing on top of him and initiating a deep kiss.

Finally, she's happy. Everyone is really, truly happy. At first, Meredith never thought she would be happy again, and for a long time she wasn't, she was alone and trapped. But with people in your life like the ones she has, she fought for her life and happiness back. She fought, and she won.

Love always wins in the end. No matter how it happens, no matter what it takes, no matter what it means, love always wins.

THE END...

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE GREYS ANATOMY CHARACTERS, THEY BELONG TO SHONDA. HOWEVER, ANY AND ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS ARE MINE!

I know, I know, it's so hard to believe that this is actually over. It seems like just yesterday the idea for a Grey's Anatomy AU with FBI agent Derek popped into my head. If you haven't already, check out all my other works. I love reading your feedback, so please give me some here! 

Now, I'm VERY pleased to announce that the first chapter of an Olivia-centric spinoff has been published! "The Academy" is the story I will be turning all my attention to now. GO CHECK IT OUT!

Thank you so much for reading!