But he didn't come back.

It was now a little past 10:00 at night.

He hadn't called.

He promised her he'd be back and he wasn't there. And he knew that after 10 on a Sunday night was past her functioning hours. She always went to bed a little earlier on Sundays, as to start off her work week with a good rest.

7 am seemed like such a long, long time away.

So she got up from her place on the couch that she hadn't left all night, sitting there waiting for him to come through the door. She went upstairs, slipped out of her sweats and into a cooler outfit to wear to bed, T-shirt and underwear.

She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, pulled her hair from her face, and looked a t her self.

She looked old.

She felt old.

She couldn't stand to look at herself anymore so she reached inside a drawer and looked for something to calm her headache, her hand ended up on her Zoloft instead, and she popped one of those in place of the Advil.

Visions of the day ahead flooded her mind, and she was pretty sure after Justin's promise breaking she would need something to chemically balance the hormones in her brain that were starting to act up after a seemingly perfect day.

The bed was cold at first and hard. And she put all the covers she had and all the pillows for the bed around her, hoping to comfort and warm her.

But what seemed like hours later she was sweating, and the mattress and covers seemed to be too comfortable, like they were swallowing her.

So she tossed and turned and pushed some pillows and covers off her.

And finally, she succumbed to restless slumber.

Her dreams were weird that night.

The first one was one where she was flying over different scenes in her life. And then she dropped and the dream faded into a nightmare where she was running and running and something was after her but she couldn't tell was it was. So she kept running and finally got to her house. And she tried to turn and close the door and lock it, but the door was heavy and her fingers were so sweaty and she couldn't get the lock to latch.

And then the nightmare stopped.

She didn't wake up because she realized she was in another dream. And this was a dream she hoped she never woke up from.

"Hey.."

She could see him in the dim lighting of her bedroom, standing there, staring down at her in the bed. The room was covered in a blue shade because of the dark night and the bright moon. His chest and torso gleamed in the tiny bit of light.

He was only wearing boxers.

She didn't say anything back to him in her dream. Just laid there and watched the events take place.

A smile was passed her way.

And then he licked his lips, bit them a little and whispered. "I need you Meredith."

He started moving to her. And she felt as if the bed was moving her towards him. He crawled up on the bed, rested beside her, touched her cheek with his hand, and then leaned down to kiss her.

It was so real.

She could feel his lips on hers and his tongue gliding against her own. She could taste him and she could feel him pressing his hips into her thigh.

She prayed she wouldn't wake up.

"Let me make love to you. Let me show you how much I love you."

His lips covered hers again and she finally did something in her dream, she pulled the covers off herself and instead pulled him on top of her, held on to his back and spread her legs so he could settle in-between them.

He moaned when their hips touched. She could feel him so intimately and she knew that she would risk her life in that moment just to be able to feel connected with him like that again.

And so it began.

His hands moved down to her stomach, where the hem of her shirt was and slowly moved it up, over her navel and ribcage and breasts. His lips followed the trail, dipping for a kiss here, a nip there.

These were the memories she cherish of him, of them.

His hands moved underneath her and pulled her up against him, making their chests press together and making her loose her breath. His lips were against the curve of her shoulder when she found herself whispering out to him.

"It's been so long..."

"I promise to make it up to you."

His promises were getting them in trouble lately, but she figured since it was a dream and none of this was real he could promise all he wanted and she was able to believe it.

His fingers started to touch her in places and ways she had forgotten a man could touch and by that make her shiver. She looked up in his eyes and in that moment she could see so far and so deep; straight into his soul.

And she had to wonder if this was a dream. It was all so real. But at the same time it had to be a dream because she had never been able to feel what she felt in that moment with him.

Need.

She had always wanted him, and had even needed him at times. But now it was mutual. And it was as if they weren't with each other, they might as well forget life all together.

He was her life and she was his. And in that moment, in that one look in his eyes, she got it.

Tears filled her eyes as she felt his hands on her hips, pulling down the last piece of clothing that was hiding all of her from him. Her back arched as his lips kissed her hipbone and his hand started to please her.

Whimpers filled her throat and floated into the air and she couldn't help her self from shifting on the bed with each move of his fingers.

"Just enjoy it angel, just enjoy it."

His lips were by her ear now and she wondered when he moved up so close to her. And then his body moved closer to her, and all she felt was flesh.

Hot flesh that burned her skin and made her reach out to him.

Kisses on her ear and cheek and jaw caused her head to turn towards him and she moved a hand to the back of his head and pushed him into her, kissing him with all her might and not being able to control herself.

Her other hand reached down and took a hold of him in her hand. She encircled him and squeezed and he groaned against her mouth and moved so that he was lying on top of her. Their lips never separated.

His fingers moved from the place they were torturing and he pushed himself a little off her.

Her eyes opened and she looked down at their bodies.

Beauty.

Her legs moved and she pulled on him until he was resting gently at the opening of her being.

"Please Justin."

"Move your hand." His voice was a light whisper but it was heavy with want.

She did as he asked her and moved her arm around him and placed her hand on his shoulderblade and waited.

This was a dream she was sure she would never forget. Everything about it was so real. Her senses were alive and she had never felt this strongly in a dream before.

And when she looked up again his lips crashed into hers, his tongue plunged into her mouth, and every inch of him filled her up completely.

She thought she wouldn't be able to breathe. Her body flooded with warmth and yet chillbumps were scattered across her skin. He stayed like that for so long, letting her adjust, letting her get reacquainted with the feel of making love.

"Ready?" His voice scattered against her face and she nodded, unable to speak.

He pushed himself off her a little and moved his hips. Pulling away and then pushing back in. Pulling away, pushing...

pull...

push...

He rocked her like this for a while, until she couldn't take it anymore and her grip on him tightened and she wrapped her legs around him more and hooked her feet behind his knees.

Her hips started their own rhythm against his. And then he sped up. Her eyes opened and she looked up and watched his face. His eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth slack, occasionally closing to let him lick his lips or bite them.

The need to call out to him and let him know that she was there too came over her. She wanted him to know how much this meant to her, how much she had been needing him like this. "J-just-Justin?"

His eyes open and a faint smile came to his face. His hips kept on rocking against hers and he moved his face closer, smiling then kissing her lips, and smiling some more. "Yessssss?"

She was quiet for a while, just listening to the bed move, listening to him breathe and his moans.

And it was then when she started to smile too. Her eyes welled up with tears again, but she was smiling. And when she looked up at him and saw that his smile had faded and he was looking at her concerned, all she could do was whisper, "I-I love you so much."

He swelled deep inside of her at those words and stilled his movements above of her. His body fell a little against hers and his face planted inside in the groove of her neck. "O- Oh god..."

"So much, Justin." She ran her hand over the back of his head, through his curls and started rocking her hips against his, knowing that even though he seemed like that had taken so much out of him, he still hadn't reached his peak, and neither had she.

"Just hold on baby, hold on."

And he did. He held on to her tight. Her hips kept moving and soon his joined in with hers. She could hear him whimpering against her neck and it made her worry because he had never really been one to do that kind of thing while they made love.

But she reminded herself that none of this was real. It was all her imagination, and if she wanted she could do whatever she wanted with it.

And she knew what she wanted.

So she sped up the process and started kissing his shoulder and neck. His body responded to her movement with his own and soon they were back to where they were moments before, deep in the throws of love making.

Soon after, it happened.

With a deep thrust and a groan of her name his love exploded inside of her, and it was all that was necessary to trigger her own explosion.

Her body shook, her ears started to ring and she had never in her life experienced something that real before in her dreams.

Moments later he pulled away from her and moved beside her, still panting but more controlled. His arms moved around her and he pulled her so that they were spooning on the bed.

Nothing covered them but the moist cool air of the room.

She closed her eyes and relished in the feel of him with her. He whispered, "I love you too." He also started to giggle, something he would never do out in public.

Those tears that had welled up twice before welled up again, but this time they fell. It had all happened so perfectly, but none of it was real and it made her sad to know that she would wake up and be back in her lonely world, without a husband.

"What's wrong?"

She whimpered and sniffed. "I just, I wish this were all real. It's not fair."

She felt his arms around her tighten. "What do you mean?"

"I just, if only you were really here."

"Meredith..."

It was when he called her name, and she felt his breath so distinctly against her ear that made her wonder.

Was this really a dream?

"W- what?"

She felt a kiss on her shoulder and his arms tightened around her again. She looked down and could see his hands squeezing hers tightly against her chest. "It's me."

"W..wait."

He let her go a little and moved so she could lie back and look up at him. "You don't believe that THAT just happened!?"

She looked beside her. The clock had a red 12:23 on it. She looked back at him. "You mean?"

"Angel, we just made love. In fact, we just made an incredible, intense, amazing amount of it. It's just floating around us. Love love love love love, its everywhere."

Her eyes widened at his boyish smile and she couldn't stop her own from shining through her tears.

She reached up and pinched his bicep. "OW!"

He rubbed the spot and looked down at her like she was crazy. "What was that for?"

Her voice sounded like she was 5 years old and just saw Santa Claus. "You're real."

"Um, yeah. You don't have to go around pinchin' me though!" His voice was half serious and half playful.

"I..I thought I was dreaming." She touched his face and could feel the stubble from the day underneath her palm, and she could feel his cheeks and jaw move as he smiled.

"No baby, you weren't dreaming."

"You mean this is all..."

His head moved and he kissed the inside of her palm. And it was so real. It felt real and looked real and it WAS real.

"Yes baby, this is real." She tried her best not to cry, not to let it get to her too much, but she couldn't hold back. He was there. He had come back. He hadn't broke a promise and he hadn't broken her heart. It was gonna be ok, and she got that, finally. She realized that somewhere down the road it was all gonna be all right and they were gonna be ok.

He laid down beside her again and pulled her into his chest. She stayed there, wrapped in his arms, wrapped in his love and just cried. She let all the pain and sorrow from the past months out and let joy and hope replace it.

"Don't cry, Mere. I'm here love, I'm here."

And she knew, he was.

He was there, and he wasn't gonna go anywhere. Back Forward