invisible string

year 29

Derek had been acting weird the past couple of days. The love of her life was acting weird for the past couple of days. She still wasn't used to that. The calling each other the love of each other's life. She really should be because Derek said it to her every morning but it still blew her mind that she actually was that for him. For two years of their relationship she was basically in denial about it, then he had convinced her. That day had probably been the best day of her life. The day he had actually convinced her that he was in love with her as much as she was in love with him.

It was the best feeling in the world to know the person you love more than anything feels the same about you. Their relationship had always been amazing and magical and all that crap, but now it was unbelievable. She woke up every day in his arms pretty sure that she was dreaming. Meredith loved him more than she ever thought was possible. She just wanted him forever.

And Meredith was pretty sure she was going to get forever with him. Well, as long as Derek's weirdness wasn't him planning on leaving her. But the fact that he had woken up this morning and before even saying 'good morning,' he said 'You're the love of my life,' was probably a sign he wasn't going to leave. She really hated that every once in a while she would have these thoughts of him leaving. She knew he wasn't going to but something in her subconscious didn't actually know that. Though his weirdness wasn't helping that.

Today he had asked her to meet at her house, which was strange because they hadn't actually been there in a month. Now they spent basically every night in the trailer. So him asking to go to her house was a bit worrisome. But he wasn't going to leave her. She knew that. He loved her.

She pulled up in front of her house and parked. She looked out her window and saw Derek sitting on her steps. He was wearing his blue sweater that was her favorite on him. Meredith got out of the car and walked towards him, he stood up, clearly holding something behind his back. She walked towards him and immediately he flung his arms around her, still concealing the object in his hand.

"Oh, hello." She said laughing at the sudden hug.

"Do you remember the last time we hugged here?" He said quietly.

"Um.. I don't think so." She said. He was being really weird.

"About fifteen years ago, we had a really big fight and we didn't talk for a year." He said.

"Oh when you claimed you had control over me?" She said raising an eyebrow.

"Glad I learned that lesson." He laughed. "But after a year of not talking, I was coming home from school, terrified that we would never talk again."

"That was a really bad year." She said.

"Horrible. But then I saw you sitting on these steps as Chuck drove Mark and me home from the airport. And I couldn't do it anymore so I yelled at Chuck until she pulled over." He continued.

"And then you hugged me." She smiled.

"I did. Like we are doing now. That was the first time I promised forever. I promised that we would never go a year not talking again. Now I want to promise you more for forever." He said as he got down on one knee and pulled out a stuffed raccoon with a ribbon around it's neck that had a diamond ring tied to it. "Meredith Grey. I love you more than words can say. We've had a long and confusing path with a lot of mistakes. Mostly from me. But you have always been it for me. You have always been the love of my life even before I knew it. The past three years have been by far the best of my life and I can't imagine my life without being able to love you. I put off loving you the way you deserve for way to long and I'm never doing that again. I'm planning on loving you as much as I possibly can for the rest of my life. So Meredith Grey, will you marry me?"

"Yes. God. Yes." She said with tears streaming down her face.

"Really?" He smiled wildly.

"Really. But Derek... what's with the raccoon?" She asked.

"Oh." He said as he begun to untie the ribbon. "I figured you wouldn't remember him. This is Trashy."

"Trashy?" She asked as he removed the ribbon from Trashy's neck and began to remove the ring.

"Trashy was your stuffed animal that you brought over the day we met, when you were three and I was six. You were playing with him when your dad came over to take you home. I tried to keep him from taking you, but sadly he was bigger. So he took you and forgot to get your friend Trashy." He smiled as he finally got the ring free from the string.

"So I kept him, and always put off giving him back. So I figured now was probably a good time." Tears started to fill his eyes and he moved the solitaire round cut diamond ring onto her finger.

"You stole a three year old's stuffed animal?" She asked.

"Borrowed." He corrected. "And I gave you the ring as interest."

"Oh so it's an engagement raccoon." She said.

"Yep." He smiled. "And I think our first child is going to really like him."

"Oh I think so too." She said. She was getting married. Meredith Grey was getting married to Derek Shepherd. Today. Today was the happiest day of her life.