(Shattered...) Dreams Fulfilled

All I Ask of You

Meredith felt Derek's lips on hers, which normally would have been a good thing; except she was really trying to sleep. She was tired; truly exhausted, and was certain this was the second time he'd done this in the last ten minutes.

"Hey," he whispered upon her lips, "sleeping beauty..."

"I'm going to kill you," she complained, though in spite of her slight annoyance she smiled, "let me sleep. So tired," she said, while thinking it would not take much convincing to give in to him. But, to add insult to injury, it wasn't as though she could become lost in the pleasure of his kiss, the pleasure of his touch; damn it, none of that was likely to take place, not while they were cruising at thirty seven thousand feet surrounded by another fourteen passengers in the first class section of the rather small cabin of the Boeing-737, an hour into the six hour flight to Seattle.

"Meredith," he placed his lips on hers again, "I'm afraid..." he grinned; his wife loved to sleep after a long night of lovemaking. "They're going to divert the plane...make a special landing," he joked, "before these passengers revolt," he waited for her to open her eyes and glare at him, but she didn't, so he continued, "if you don't stop snoring."

"Ass," she nipped his lip, opened one eye and glared. She closed her eyes again, but not before he felt the playful bite of his lip, and saw her smile.

"You're smiling," he said, "you're not going to yell at me."

She smiled again, a delighted well satisfied smile, "remembering..."

"Oh yeah..."

"Oh yeah..." she reached out for the warmth of his hand.

"Mer," he asked, "you want breakfast?"

"I want to sleep," she leaned toward him, and he settled her head on his shoulder, "how can you be awake?"

"There's this tiny person sitting next to me," he teased, "that is so loud..."

"Derek," she mumbled, "you're pushing it...with the snoring crap."

"My dainty wife," he whispered in her ear, "she kept me up all night...making up for the amazing..." she could hear the amusement in his voice, "two days of silent sex...or rather...the best silent sex...ever..." and then she laughed.

"You're complaining..." Meredith teased him; her eyes now open as she looked into his.

"Never," he kissed her. "I loved ...my quiet...dainty wife's transformation," they both smiled, "into a wild...insatiable..."

"Hey," she giggled, "you were the insatiable beast."

"I think," he said, as his smile became that perfect smile...their smile, "this time...you really exhausted the old beast."

"The old beast," she smiled, "my old untamable panther...had more energy than I did after an hour's worth of sleep and that alarm clock went off this morning..."

"You like quickies..."

"Uhmm..." she closed her eyes again, "not sure about that..."

"What..." he said, looking offended, "you always..."

Their gazes were locked, and she gave in to the desire to kiss him, "want to know...what I like best?"

"Mer..." he said, "we're surrounded by people..."

"Next time," she said as she snuggled into him, "you could let me sleep..."

"It's not my fault only," he teased, "that there's a lion tamer in you..."

Her laughter echoed through the cabin, making the older couple across from them exchange glances and smile. "Hey," she looked at him suggestively, "I couldn't very well let that dainty lady from a hundred years ago," she made reference to the wedding gift, just as he had earlier, "be the only one that could tame ...wild beasts...plus," she kissed him, "isn't it more fun...to make the lion roar..."

"Lions, panthers," he joked, mentioning some of the names she'd used for him, "beasts."

"Thank God," she laughed softly before he captured her lips, and briefly indulged in the pleasure of them.

"Thank God indeed," he said and he pulled the blanket over her; fortunately, he'd think later, as his own blanket remained over his lap.

"Derek," she said quietly, "you're not curious..."

"About what," he said, as her hand was on his chest, its simple warmth a gentle caress.

"Why I don't like quickies," she teased, as she recalled his earlier statement and her interrupted answer.

"I know better," he spoke into her ear, a gentle tug with his mouth on her earlobe making her smile.

"Uhmmm..." was her response, as she again remembered the night before.

"Meredith," he whispered, and she delighted that he was truly reading her mind, "what's your favorite memory...of last night?"

"Every second," she said without hesitation, "every...single...second," and lowering her voice to a whisper, "especially...each moment...I felt you deep inside me..."

Her words made him crave their privacy...their intimacy. "You...are not playing fair..."

"Neither are you," she said, and her hand began a determined descent, setting every spot she touched on fire as she whispered, "making me remember...all of last night..."

"Wait," he took a deep breath, as her hand squeezed his thigh and anticipating her next move, he took her hand in his, "till we land..." he whispered seductively, "as soon as..."

"Promises...promises..."

"Promise you... that all I say is true," he whispered, actually sang in her ear, the slight variation to the very popular tune they had heard hours before their insatiable night of passion.

"That's all I ask...of you..." she said as she met his gaze, and the reflection in their eyes was identical, the love they shared a beacon illuminating the path to a symbolical stroll down memory lane and mutual memories of a day neither would ever forget.

It had been almost ten in the morning by the time they'd left his mother's house the day before. His sisters wanted every last minute with them, Meghan wanted only to sit on Meredith's lap and made her promise she'd be back soon and would spend time playing with her, not her baby sister; Carolyn was happy of the time they'd shared, but most of all that the girl she'd met not long ago had truly become her daughter, that Meredith and Derek's sadness had truly begun to heal and her family was together once again.