"So, why aren't you two dancing?" Addison asked as she sat down between Cristina and Meredith. The reception had been in full swing for several hours, and it was obvious that Callie's parents had spared no expense on the event. From the live band to the roses on the tables to the wine and hors d'oeuvres being passed by the tuxedoed waiters, everything was top of the line.

"Do I really look like I do this whole dancing thing?" Cristina asked. "They're lucky I'm here at all. This is so not my idea of a good time."

"Now Cristina, just because no one's bleeding, doesn't mean you have to be all depressed," Meredith laughed before turning to Addison. "We have to keep reminding her this is a wedding, not a funeral."

"And what's your excuse?" Cristina asked. "Shouldn't you be off twirling around the dance floor with Officer McSexy?"

Addison nearly choked on the water she'd just sipped. "Officer McSexy? Seriously?"

"Don't look at me, it wasn't my idea," Meredith said, throwing up her hands in mock protest. "But come on, it is kind of a good McName."

"Fine," Addison laughed. "Kevin is getting me another drink. I still can't believe you McNamed my fiancé. If I told the boys down at the station, oh he'd never this down."

"Hold it right there," Meredith said. "Did you just refer to Officer McSexy as your fiancé? Addison Montgomery, is there something you want to tell me?"

Addison smiled coyly and nodded. "He proposed last week. I just figured I'd wait and tell everyone later. This week is supposed to be about George and Callie."

"So where's the ring?" Cristina asked. "I assume he bought you a rock."

"It's being resized," Addison explained. "I couldn't even get it over my knuckle. I swear, he must have bought a child-sized ring, because my fingers aren't that big."

"Are you sure we have to do this?" Meredith asked as she and Alex walked toward the stage. "I mean, who's idea was this anyway? I ramble and you…well, you have to be threatened to get you to say something nice. Who thought we'd be good candidates to make speeches?"

"I'm pretty sure it's part of the standard best man/maid of honor duties, Mer," Alex laughed. "We've just got to suck it up and get this over with."

"Fine," Meredith grumbled as Alex took her arm and helped her up onto the stage. "Let's just do it quickly."

Alex laughed as someone tapped a knife against a champagne flute to quiet the crowd down.

"Seriously, I have a much better way to get people to be quiet," Alex whispered to Meredith as he grabbed the microphone from its stand and turned toward the crowded room. "Hey people, it's speech time, so shut up!" he shouted.

"Much better," Alex said as everyone instantly quieted down and turned toward the stage. "So, apparently as best man I'm supposed to give a little speech, offer up some great insight into the history of the happy couple, crap like that. But I'll leave the sentimental stuff to the maid of honor, because she does it so better than I do." Alex grinned at Meredith and was rewarded with a sharp glare and a roll of the eyes.

"So, those of you who were around for the beginning of our internship might be a bit surprised to see me standing here today. I guess you could say that George and I didn't exactly get off on the right foot. Actually, I didn't exactly get off on the right foot with anyone, come to think of it. But George was the only one responsible for a certain shiny black eye I sported for a few weeks." The hospital crowd laughed heartily, while everyone else just chuckled, certain their was an inside joke they were being left out of. "I tell you, the kid can throw a punch. It didn't take long, though, to see that O'Malley really was a good guy…I think it actually took a lot longer for him to see that I wasn't such a bad guy. You sometimes hear people say that there are many types of families, but that the one thing they all have in common is that you don't really get to pick them, they're just sort of there. When George, Meredith, Izzie, Cristina and I started at Seattle Grace, I'm pretty sure none of us were expecting to find a family. But, through some crazy twist of fate, that's exactly what we became, whether we wanted it or not. And over the past two years, we've been through some pretty crazy stuff together. The one constant, no matter how much we all fight, no matter how much we proclaim to hate each other, is that we'll always be there, ready a moment's notice…and, I have to say, a family like that, well, it's a pretty damn cool thing to have. So, on behalf of all of us, I want to say to Callie, welcome to the family. And be ready, because we're one hell of a roller coaster to be part of. So," Alex said, raising his champagne flute as he wrapped up his toast. "I'd like you all to join me in toasting to family, in all its wacky forms, and to the newest member of our family, the woman who now has quite possibly the coolest name in all of Seattle, to Callie O'Malley."

Meredith laughed as she listened to the cheers from the crowd. "I'm impressed, Evil Spawn," she whispered to Alex.

"Yeah, well, I do sentimental about once a year, so don't expect it again for a long while," Alex laughed. "It's your turn now, Grey."

Meredith sighed and took the microphone from Alex. "Okay, so apparently I really have to do this speech thing too," Meredith sighed as she steadied her nerves. Public speaking was definitely not her thing. "Those of you who've known me for a while know that I know a thing or two about heartbreak. The thing about that, though, is that I also know a thing or two about true love. I used to think that it was the stuff of fairytales, something that only existed in a dream world, not something that would ever happen to real people. But really, all you have to do is look around to see that, even if you haven't found it yet, it isn't a fairytale. Love is the force that brings two people back together when everything they know is telling them to run in the opposite direction. Love is what keeps us up at night, and brings tears to our eyes. But at the same time, love is what makes us smile those smiles that go straight to the eyes. Love is what makes you throw caution to the wind and laugh like you've never laughed before. Love is one hell of a ride, and it doesn't ever really end. In the fairytales, they all end with happily ever after. But a story about real love, that's where it should start, not where it should end. Because as anyone who's ever looked for it knows, happily ever after is pretty damn hard to find, even if you think you're living it. And I think the problem is that we have too many expectations. We don't expect that Prince Charming will screw up. We don't expect that we'll be fighting over the dishes and laundry. We don't expect to be annoyed and frustrated. But you know what? That stuff happens in happily ever after too. In that regard, I think the fairytales are wrong. Happily ever after isn't perfect. It's far from it, actually. I think when love it at its truest, though, we can make our own happily ever after. And it may not fit with what Disney would have us believe, but it fits for the two people living it. So, my toast is to George and Callie…may you make your own happily ever after, whatever that might be to you."

Meredith couldn't help but smile as she sat at her table and looked around at her friends and family. Now that her speech was over, she could relax and enjoy the party. Cristina and Alex were seated at a nearby table, bickering over something. Meredith wasn't quite sure what, but was fairly certain it had to do with one their cases. It always did with those two.

Mark was leaning against the bar, flirting shamelessly with one of Callie's cousins. Some things never change, Meredith thought to herself as she shook her head.

Addison and Kevin were happily twirling around on the dance floor, lost in their own world. Not too far away, Meredith spotted the chief and his wife, Adele, in a similar position. She smiled as she watched the recently reconciled couple enjoy each others' company. She knew that Richard had carried around the guilt of his affair with her mother for far too long, and that it had had a disastrous effect on his marriage. She couldn't help but hope that this was a sign that, after all these years, he had finally put the memory of her mother to rest.

Lexie was sitting on the other side of the room, her head resting on Pierce's shoulder. Meredith shook her head as she watched the two interns. She hadn't quite been sure what to make of Pierce when Lexie had started dating him about a month earlier. He had seemed a bit too arrogant, a bit too much like Alex, his resident, when she had first met him. No doubt he was an excellent intern, that was why she had picked him for her leg surgery, but still, it had taken a while for her to warm to the idea of him as a boyfriend for her sister. Lexie had just laughed the whole time, telling Meredith it was fun to finally see her overprotective big sister drive kicking in.

Bailey and her husband were nearby, chatting with Erica Hahn and George's mother. Meredith had been thrilled that Miranda Bailey and Tucker Jones had finally been able to work out their differences and salvage their marriage. She knew things weren't perfect for them, but they were trying and they were making progress every day.

"Hey," Derek's voice startled Meredith out of her thoughts. She looked up to see him standing in front of her, his hands shoved into pockets in a way she knew he only did when he was really nervous.

"Hi," she said, suddenly feeling butterflies in her stomach that she hadn't felt in a long.

"I…um…well, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to dance?" Derek asked.

Meredith paused for just a moment before answering. Rationally, she knew she should say no. Not because she didn't want to, but because today hadn't exactly been the best day for leg strength, and she wasn't sure just how well she could dance at that point. On the other hand, though, she desperately wanted to be in his arms again, even if it was just for a few minutes.

"Okay," she said, holding out her hand as a signal for him to help her up.

Derek grinned and pulled Meredith to her feet as he led her out onto the dance floor.

Across the dance floor, Callie smiled and nudged her husband. "Look," she whispered, pointing to where Meredith was now wrapped in Derek's arms.

"Well, maybe it's about time she started looking for her happily ever after, too," George smiled. "But if he hurts her again…"

"He won't," Callie assured him.

"How do you know that?" George asked.

"The same reason I know you won't hurt me again…he loves her too much to risk losing what they have again."

"I really do love you," George said. "And I won't hurt you again."

"I know," Callie smiled as she leaned over and kissed her husband. And somewhere deep inside, they both knew that it was true.

Derek couldn't help but notice the way Meredith leaned heavily into his arms, as if she needed him to help hold her up as they moved slowly around the dance floor. If he were being honest, he'd have to admit that it was a bit uncomfortable, but after all the months apart, he was fairly certain he would have carried her all night long if it meant her could have her close to him.

"I've missed you," he whispered, hoping he wasn't taking a wrong step, but not being able to stand not telling her how he felt.

"I missed you too," Meredith whispered back, her head leaning on his shoulder, not daring to look up into his eyes for fear he would see the tears forming in hers.

They danced on in silence for a few more minutes, both reveling in the feel of the other's body pressed against theirs.

As the song wound to a close, Meredith finally looked up into Derek's eyes. "Do you think we could take a walk?" she asked him tentatively. "Just into the garden outside…I guess we kind of need to talk."

Derek nodded, hoping she couldn't feel his heart pounding rapidly as he instinctively slipped an arm around her waist and offered her his support as he led her out to the garden behind the reception hall, eventually finding a bench

"So, um, how've you been?" Derek asked nervously.

"Good...things are getting better," Meredith said, pausing for a moment before adding, "I'm getting better."

"That's great," Derek said. "I know you asked me not to, so I didn't, but I've wanted to call you so many times, to just stop by the house and see you."

"I probably wouldn't have been there anyway," Meredith said.

"Why not?" Derek asked in confusion.

"I'm not exactly living there right now," Meredith admitted. "When I was released from the hospital, I was still in a wheelchair for about a week, and then I was on crutches until just a few weeks ago. It just wasn't going to work, me staying at the house like that, especially with Alex and Izzie at the hospital so much. It would have too difficult to go up and down the stairs by myself."

"So where have you been staying?" Derek asked.

"Believe it or not, I'm living with my sister Molly right now," Meredith said. "She's got a one story house, so it was easier after I was released, plus she's a stay at home mother, so she's always around if I need help. Strange, isn't it? I never thought I'd do the whole sister thing…but it's kind of nice, in a weird way."

"I'm really glad you've got your family around," Derek said.

"I do worry that sometimes I'm a bit of a burden to Molly, but she insists it's what sisters do…I guess she'd know better than I would," Meredith admitted. "I still can't drive, so she takes me to all my physical therapy appointments, she takes me to my therapist, to visit my friends…I don't know what I'd do without her."

"Therapist?" Derek asked.

"I told you I had issues to deal with," Meredith said, shrugging her shoulders. "So I'm dealing with them. Therapy is part of that."

Derek nodded and they sat in silence, staring up at the stars, for a few more minutes before Meredith once again spoke up.

"Are you…are you happy, Derek?" she asked.

Derek paused for a moment before he answered. "Right now, in this moment, yes, I'm happy," he said.

"But in general? When you wake up in the morning, when you go to work, are you happy?" Meredith asked.

Derek sighed. "No, I guess not. I mean, I love my work, the house is nearly finished, my relationship with my family is getting a lot better, but no, I'm not happy. Satisfied, maybe, but not happy…not without you."

Meredith nodded. "Me neither…I've tried, but it's almost as if I don't know how to be really happy without you. I have moments, times when I do feel happy…when Laura laughs, when Molly and I pull out the cookbooks and try not to burn her house down, things like that, but it's not the same sort of happy."

"We could have that, Meredith…we could be happy again," Derek said hopefully.

"We will be," Meredith smiled, smiling softly. "Someday, we will be. I'm just…I'm getting ready, but I'm not there yet. I still have a lot of things to work out."

"So where do we go from here?" Derek asked.

"You don't have to wait for me," Meredith said.

"I do," Derek interrupted. "I need to wait for you, Meredith. Because I'm not settling, I'm not going to just make do with satisfied when I know you're the only one who can make me truly happy."

"Okay," Meredith said. "Then you wait. I'm just…I'm taking things one day at a time, Derek. And one of these days, one day in the not too distant future, I'm going to be ready, and I'll let you know."

"And in the meantime?" Derek asked.

"In the meantime, we do what we've been doing," Meredith said, standing up slowly and turning to face Derek. "And every night, when you go to bed, you know that I'm one day closer to you."

And with that, Meredith leaned down and kissed Derek softly on the lips, lingering just a moment longer than she felt she should have, before she smiled softly and turned away, walking slowly back into the reception as Derek watched her walk away.

As he sat there, her words echoed in his head. One day at a time, he thought to himself. For the first time in months, Derek had hope. She had told him she was coming back. She had given him something to look forward to. And he would wait. As long as it took, he would wait. He smiled at the thought as he got up from the bench and followed Meredith back into the reception.

Got the rest of my life to look forward to, 'cause every day is one day closer to you.

A/N: Eek...it's over! 47 chapters, and there it is. All finished. I hope you liked it! I want to thank everyone who has been reading this, and especially everyone who has left me a review - I appreciate them so much! They really did keep me motivated and updating as quickly as I could. I hope that you will all take a moment and leave me one last review to let me know what you thought of the ending. For the record, I know it was a bit open ended - keep in mind that there will be a sequel coming soon. I'm not entirely sure when I will start posting it...I could, in theory, be ready to start posting as soon as next week, but I want to take some time to work on my other Grey's story before I start posting anything else. Plus, I'll be leaving on a two week vacation the first of July, and I don't really want to get to the good stuff just to leave you hanging for that long! So, expect the sequel by mid-July, but don't be surprised if I get impatient and post at least the first few chapters sooner!

As far as the sequel goes, that last line that Meredith says to Derek, that's actually the working title of the sequel - "One Day Closer To You". I, of course, reserve the right to change it as more of the story gets written, but for now, I think that's what I'm going with. It's a reference to a really great song by Carolyn Dawn Johnson, if anyone is interested. The main focus of the sequel will be on Meredith and Derek and them rebuilding their relationship, but it will also include lots of great stuff with the other characters as well. If there is anything you really want to see, or any character that you are dying to see me write more of, please let me know! I've already got tons of great stuff planned, including lots of scenes with the Shepherd family, for those of you who liked them in this story. I'm also planning to deal with Thatcher at some point in the sequel, although I'm not sure how yet, and I think I'll probably be introducing Molly's husband as well. And don't worry, Addison will be back, as will Kevin.

And for those of you who had wanted to this story to be Mer/Mark...I've just started writing a Mer/Mark story, so maybe that will make up for this becoming a Mer/Der? I probably won't be posting it for a while, but just a little something for you to look forward to!