Viewing Single Post From: I DO

Viewing Single Post From: I DO - Part 2
oncetherewasaway	Dec 27 2007, 01:47 PM
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	Disclaimer: Apparently the reason Mer and Der suck on communication on the show because writers in general have bad communication skills. And so do the production companies. Because if they didn't they'd have fixed this by now. Stupid people. We don't own the show as we're not stupid. Meredith cuddled underneath the seven extra blankets she had just thrown on the bed, pulling Derek's sweater on over her three long-sleeved t-shirts. She had to be warm. All of her last efforts had failed entirely and now it was time to actually feel sick. She had tried a headache but Derek had put two Advil down on the bedside table, along with a bottle of water. So now it was last ditch effort time. This one had to work. She'd have a temperature or appear to have one and he would give her that concerned caring look and let her stay home and do nothing but sleep. Not that she really needed sleep but it beat the alternative. So this was it. This had to work because the idea of actually going with him made her feel sick. Which was bad. And she couldn't back out, he'd be mad. This way he would just be worried. She had turned the heat up a little, not enough for him to actually notice, but just enough to make the fact that she was under seven blankets and wearing three long sleeved t-shirts and a sweater entirely unbearable. This was going to work. It had to work. Of course, he'd make her take her temperature, and that was easy enough. She grabbed the thermometer and held it against the lamp. She hadn't done this since she was little. But it had always worked on her nannies so it had to work on Derek. He was a smart doctor person but if she acted sick enough she could only hope that he'd be too concerned. And they could stay home. She'd have to act sick for the rest of the night but that was okay. He'd probably put Hannah to bed and then come cuddle with her. That would be good. She practiced her cough a couple times, it sounded real enough. She was going with a severe cold, or upper respiratory infection. Or maybe she'd just let him diagnose her, as all of her other attempts to act like she had something had failed. So she would have a temp. She would give the thermometer a couple seconds to heat up and then she'd call his name miserably. "Mer..." his voice interrupted her thoughts as the door suddenly opened. And then his laughter filled the room. "Der," she gasped and then tried to tuck the thermometer into her mouth. "I'm...ow...shit…" "What...Mer....you...." he gasped, as he bent over, laughing hard. "Shut up," she groaned, holding her burning tongue. "I'm sick." "You're not sick," he laughed. "I am," she nodded quickly. "Really...hear my cough..." "I should be mad, you know that?" he sighed, walking toward the bed. "No you shouldn't," she shook her head. "You can't be mad at sick people. And I have a temp. See?" She held up the thermometer. "I think that's the lamp that has a temp," he laughed softly. "Shut up," she groaned. "Mer, it's not going to be that bad," he sighed, running a hand over her hair. "Der..." she sighed. "I really am running a fever and...I mean, I'm sweating." "Which happens when someone hides under seven blankets." "This used to work when I was little," she groaned, throwing the blankets off her body. "I think you're adorable, if that helps," he shrugged. "I wasn't going for adorable." "Well you are," he smiled, sitting on the bed. "Come here.' "I'm sorry," she sighed, moving into his arms. "I just...I can't do this. And I don't want you to get angry or pissed or...I just can't." "Oh Mer..." he whispered, squeezing her tightly. "I'm not angry but you can do this." "I know you think I can...but I really can't. You have a huge family. And all of them are going to be there and they're going to ask things and want to know things and...I really can't." "Shhh..." he murmured. "You know how many things I've seen you do that you swore you couldn't?" "No." "Lots," he whispered. "You're amazing and you can do this. I swear you can." "So I really have to go?" she breathed, leaning into him. "You really have to go," he nodded. "And you can stay glued to my side." "What if they try to kill me?" "I'll protect you," he laughed softly. "Promise." "Okay," she sighed. "What...I mean, do I dress up?" "Definitely not," he shook his head. "Jeans and a sweater are fine. Wear the purple one." "Why the purple one?" "You look good in it." "Okay," she nodded, getting up and pulling off Derek's sweater and the t-shirts. "Seriously?" he laughed. "What?" she smiled slightly, pulling her purple sweater on. "Nothing," he shook his head. "Just...never ever let Hannah in on your secrets." "My nannies bought it," she shrugged. "I'm glad they did. I didn't and my daughter doesn't need to try it." "You would have bought it if you hadn't walked in." "I highly doubt I would have." "You definitely would have," she nodded firmly, running her brush through her hair. "Yeah yeah," he sighed. "You will be okay, Mer." "You keep saying that," she sighed. "Because it's true." "You know Mark followed me around yesterday giving me tips?" "Oh god," Derek groaned. "What kind of tips?" "Just...stuff about your sisters. Avoiding Nancy at all costs?" "Oh yeah...Nancy. She can be tricky but...she's not evil." "Are you sure? Mark...Mark made her sound like the anti-Christ or something." "Mark is Mark." "And apparently I shouldn't even talk when Kathleen is around. She's the therapist, right?" "She is and Kathleen is great, Mer. She won't go all therapist on you right away." "Right away? Later? Later she'll on therapist on me?" "She might," he sighed. "But she does it because she cares." "So she'll tell me about my severe abandonment issues and commitment phobia and everything else?" "I don't think you have commitment phobia, Mer." "Okay, well...I did. Once." "Yes, and not anymore. Relax." "I'm relaxed," she nodded. "I'm completely relaxed. I'm fine. Nauseous. But fine." "It will be fine," he sighed, walking up behind her and rubbing her arms. "I know," she murmured, leaning back against him. "I'll be right there. And we can leave whenever you need to." "Okay." "They're not that bad, Mer." "Daddy?" Hannah came into the room. "You said it was time to go." "It is," he nodded. "Meredith's just finishing getting ready." "I'm ready," Meredith sighed. "Or...yeah, I'm ready." "You're ready," Derek nodded, grabbing her hand. "Come on, let's go." "Nana's house is lots of fun, Meredith," Hannah said as she ran ahead of them. "I'm sure it is," Meredith sighed. "Lots and lots of fun," Hannah nodded. "And I get to see my cousins!" "You'll have a good time, Mer," Derek sighed as he locked the door behind them. "I guess," she sighed, turning to Hannah. "Hey, Han, are you feeling okay?" "Meredith, she's fine. We're going," Derek groaned. "I'm just checking," Meredith said quickly. "Because, Han, I'm sure for five dollars, you're feeling a little, sick?" "Meredith Grey, you are not bribing my daughter to fake illness." "I'm not bribing her. I'm...I'm concerned for her health." "For five dollars?" "Is that too low?" "Meredith...car...now," Derek groaned, pointing to the car. "Fine," Meredith sighed, stomping to the car and getting in. "Sorry, Han...Mer's a little nervous," Derek sighed. "Why?" Hannah asked, walking to the car. "Because it's a lot of people." "But it's fun," Hannah grinned. "Daddy! You know what you should do to make her feel better!" "What?" Derek asked as he led her toward the car. "Give her her ring," Hannah whispered loudly. "Hannah...shhh..." Derek sighed. "And no, I'm pretty sure that would just...not right now. But good idea." "Okay," Hannah sighed, getting into the car and buckling her seatbelt as Derek got in beside Meredith. "Still breathing?" Derek asked Meredith. "I'm fine," she snapped slightly. "Mer...relax," Derek murmured as he started the car. "I know, I'm sorry," she sighed. "I am. Just...who is everyone again?" "Okay...I have four sisters," Derek sighed. "Kathleen is the oldest. And then Nancy. Colleen and Sophie are younger than me." "And Kathleen is a shrink, Nancy is OB, Colleen is general and Sophie is...?" "Pediatrician. And my favourite." "Okay," Meredith sighed. "And Kathleen's married to Ethan. Nancy's married to Peter, Sophie's married to Brian and then Colleen..." "Uncle Marty," Hannah cut in. "Uncle Marty," Meredith repeated. "And then there's the nieces and nephews," Derek sighed. "Nine nieces, five nephews," Meredith murmured, reaching for his hand and squeezing it tightly. "Exactly," he nodded. "Lindsey's seven like me!" Hannah announced. "And she belongs to..." Meredith trailed off. "Colleen," Derek smiled. "She has Thomas, Kendra, Lindsey, and Amber." "Thomas is really mean. You don't have to talk to him, Meredith," Hannah sighed. "Hannah," Derek shook his head. "That's not nice." "But it's true. He hid that frog in my bag last time I saw him." "That is pretty mean, Der," Meredith nodded. "He's a thirteen year old boy," Derek laughed. "You don't want to know the things that Mark and I did at that age." "Probably not," Meredith sighed. "Okay. Kathleen's the one with the twins right?" "Yes," Derek nodded. "Michael and Kevin are the twins. And she has Audrey and Morgan too." "Audrey's in college," Hannah reported. "Yes, she is," Derek agreed. "And Aunt Sophie has a baby named Cameron." "Along with Jared and Chelsea," Derek nodded. "So that leaves Nancy and Peter,” Meredith stated. "With Charlotte, Megan and Becky." "Okay," Meredith murmured. "You won't be expected to remember that all," Derek smiled. "No tests." "Well, that's good," she nodded. "But they'll like me more if I remember. Do you think Addison remembered?" "I doubt it. Mark doesn't half the time." "Seriously?" Meredith giggled. "Seriously," Derek laughed. "Actually...we all have our moments of looking at someone and trying to remember who they belong to." "It's a lot of kids," she murmured. "It is," he nodded. "My family is big on kids." "Right," Meredith took a shaky breath. "I'm not. Family is...me...I'm good with Han." "Oh...really?" Meredith turned to look at him. "Yeah," he nodded. "If...I mean, it's something we need to talk about...but I don't think I want four." "Okay," she nodded. "Good." "Good," he grinned. "Okay, so...this will be okay," Meredith sighed. "It's family and it's big and it's scary and kind of huge but...I'll be okay. Unless you're feeling sick, Han?" "Hannah isn't feeling sick," Derek sighed. "She could be," Meredith whispered, turning to look at Hannah. "Ten dollars, Han." "Daddy, she's doing it again," Hannah sighed. "Tattle tale," Meredith groaned. "Meredith, I'm right here. She's not a tattle tale." "Yeah, I'm not a tattle tale," Hannah insisted. "You're just being silly," Derek laughed. "Derek, not the time to make fun of me." "Sorry," he murmured. "Mer...you'll be fine, I swear." "Okay," she murmured. "You'll love them," he nodded. "Especially Sophie and Kath. And the kids are great...they're all over the place in ages and just...great." "Great," she nodded as they pulled up to the house. "They're great. And this is great. I'll be...great. Or fine or...we're here. This is it, isn't it?" "It is," he nodded. "You need to breathe." "I'm breathing," she whispered. "No, you're not," he sighed, leaning over closer to her. "Look at me." "Hmmm?" she turned to him, her eyes wide. "I love you. I love you more than anything and I will always love you. No matter what happens today. It will be good, I know but no matter what. I'm here with you. I love you." "I love you too," she whispered, grasping his hand and squeezing it tightly. "And that's all that matters." "I love you too, Meredith!" Hannah grinned from the backseat, unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing to the front to hug Meredith tightly. "I love you too, Han," Meredith laughed gently as she hugged her tightly. "It's going to be okay," Derek whispered, running his hand over her hair. "Are you ready to go?" "I...yeah, I think so," Meredith murmured. "I guess...maybe." "I'm here, Mer," he promised. "I'm not leaving your side." "I know," Meredith breathed. "I know." "Come on, Meredith," Hannah grinned as she clambered out of the car. "We can do this," Derek smiled, climbing out of his side and running over to Meredith's. "We can do this," Meredith whispered as he opened the car door. "Take my hand," he murmured. "What?" she breathed, turning to look at him. "Take my hand." "Okay," she whispered, grabbing his hand tightly. "Not letting go unless you want me too," he smiled. "Thank you," she smiled, kissing him lightly. "Thank you for doing this," he whispered. "I know you wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for me, so thank you." "I can do this," she nodded, leaning into him as he led her up to the front door. "I can do this." "You can," he nodded. "Okay," she took a deep breath. "Ready." "Good," he smiled, squeezing her hand again as Hannah rang the doorbell. Meredith took a deep breath and squeezed his hand tighter, fighting off the urge to run back to the car and hyperventilate. Or vomit. Whichever one came first. She could do this. They would be okay. She would be okay. She winced slightly as she heard running on the other side of the door and then took another deep breath as the door swung open. She could do this. I am a good person I'm an attractive person I am a talented person Grant me Grace! Disclaimer: Alicia and Katie are not members of the WGA. We dream to be one day....but at the moment we're not. And we're taking this time to say we are not striking. Nor do we plan on striking. And yes...it's official... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21570821/ Derek watched as the door opened and hoped that Meredith hadn't been able to hear his heart pounding in his chest. She hadn't noticed it in the car. Her nerves were apparently overriding her ability to notice his own fear which was good. Not that she was nervous, not that she was actually terrified but at least she didn't know that he was nearly as terrified as she was. She didn't need to know that. "Uncle Derek! Hannah!" nineteen year old Audrey exclaimed. "Audrey, hi," Derek smiled at his oldest neice. "You're late," she said, hugging him tightly before hugging Hannah and then standing up, looking at Meredith. "Hi, I'm Audrey." "I'm...uhh...Meredith," Meredith said quietly. "Audrey, who's at the door?" Kathleen came forward. "Derek! Hannah!" "Kath," Derek smiled widely. "Come on in," Kathleen stepped aside. "Mom's in the kitchen threatening to kill you for being late." "Sorry," Derek shrugged. "Had....Kathleen, this is my girlfriend Meredith. Meredith, this is my big sister Kathleen." "Hey," Kathleen smiled, holding out her hand. "Whatever Derek or Mark has told you about me is entirely untrue. Unless they said good things." "Oh...umm...he didn't," Meredith shook her head. "But good things...he said good things." "Good," Kathleen grinned. "And how are you, Hannah Banana?" "I'm great, Aunt Kath," Hannah grinned. "Lindsey, Jared, and Kendra are in the back," Kathleen said. "Why don't you go out there and see what they're doing?" "Cool," Hannah smiled before looking at Meredith. "You okay, Meredith?" "Yeah...I...I'm good, Han," Meredith nodded quickly, squeezing Derek's hand. "Good," Hannah nodded before running outside. "Woah, slow down, Han," Sophie laughed as she came into the foyer, a chubby baby boy on her hip. "Hey, Der." "Hey Sophie," Derek smiled, hugging her tightly with his free arm. "Sophie...this is Meredith. Meredith...Sophie." "You brought a girl to the insanity, Der?" Sophie grinned widely. "It's great to meet you, Meredith." "You too," Meredith nodded quickly. "And this is Cameron," Sophie grinned, bouncing the baby slightly. "Hi Cameron," Meredith grinned. "Cam, say hi to Auntie Meredith," Sophie smiled to the baby and then looked up. "Sorry, you're probably freaking out enough as it is. But I figure if Der's bringing you home, and you're actually here, you're in it for the long run." "I'm not...I'm not freaking out," Meredith shook her head quickly. "You are," Sophie grinned. "Totally normal. I thought Brian was going to have a seizure when I brought him home." "Mark and I had him shaking," Derek laughed. "But I was good by the end of it," Brian chuckled as he walked up to them, throwing his arm around Sophie. "Hi, I'm Brian. Sophie's other half." "Meredith," Meredith sighed. "Derek's...umm...other half." "And probably better," Sophie giggled. "I let her think that," Derek laughed. "It's probably true," Brian winked at Meredith. "Come on, Shep, ready for a beer before dealing with Mom?" "Definitely," Derek nodded. "Want anything, Mer?" "I...um...beer is....yeah, beer," she murmured, squeezing his hand tightly. "Okay," Derek smiled. "Come to the kitchen with me. I can guarantee Mom is there, and Mark is there eating." "And everyone else," Sophie warned. "Apparently, in this family when you reach the age of thirteen, you're too cool to go out back and play or watch Disney movies with Amber and Chelsea." "You ready for it?" Derek asked Meredith gently. "I...yeah," she nodded. "Yeah. I'm...I mean, everybody is Nancy and Colleen and then...um...kids. Teenagers. Kids." "It'll be okay," Derek murmured, kissing her quickly. "I know," she nodded. "I...okay." "Love you," he whispered. "Love you too," she murmured as he led her back towards the kitchen, where there was a lot of loud talking and laughing. "Hey guys," Derek smiled as he walked in. "You're late, Derek Shepherd," Mrs. Shepherd shook her head as she put a plate of chips and dip on the counter where his older nieces and nephews all stood. "Sorry, Mom," Derek sighed. "I had a phone call to deal with." "Of course you did," she smiled, kissing his cheek quickly and then hugging Meredith. "Breathe, dear, they're not that scary." "Oh umm...I'm breathing," Meredith murmured. "Barely," Mrs. Shepherd shook her head. "Derek, why don't you introduce her at once now so we're not doing a thousand introductions before supper." "Good idea," Derek nodded. "Everyone...this is Meredith. Meredith, this is everyone." "Derek's lusty intern," Mark smirked and then wincing as Addison hit his arm. "Hey! What was that for?" "For being an idiot," Derek answered for Addison. "You can keep your mouth shut." "Lusty intern?" Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Ignore him," Derek sighed. "She's not even an intern." "She was when they met though," Mark laughed ducking from another blow from Addison. "Mark...you're not helping," Derek sighed. "Don't worry, Der, we've all learned by now to ignore Mark," Colleen grinned, stepping forward to shake Meredith's hand. "It's great to meet you. I'm Colleen." "Oh...you too, great," Meredith nodded. "And the one with the sour look on her face is Nancy," Sophie laughed. "And then two teenage guys, the ones who look like they have something up their sleeves, they're about to tell you they're someone other than who they are. So the one on the left is Kevin, on the right is Michael." "Okay," Meredith sighed. "Thanks, Sophie." "Man, Aunt Soph, you ruin all our fun," Michael groaned. "Yeah, I know," Sophie rolled her eyes. "She doesn't need you two giving her headaches today." "Yes, that's the last thing anyone needs right now," Mrs. Shepherd said. "I need some table setters." "I'll do it, Grandma," Charlotte offered. "Thank you, Charlotte," Mrs. Shepherd smiled. "Michael, Kevin, go get the kids. Megan, why don't you set up the kids table?" "Okay Grandma," Megan nodded. "Don't worry," Kathleen leaned over to Meredith. "You don't actually have to remember all the names right now. Or even who they belong to. Mark's known them their entire life and he has no idea." "That's what Derek said," Meredith giggled slightly. "I know who they are," Mark frowned, handing Derek a beer. "There's Kathleen's midget brigade, Nancy's midget brigade, Colleen's midget brigade, and then Sophie's midget brigade." "Exactly," Sophie rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault the Shepherds have made baby making into a sport," Mark rolled his eyes. "You'll be the next one with a brigade," Colleen pointed out. "Says who?" Mark shot back. "You're a Shepherd and you're getting married," Colleen shrugged. "That doesn't mean we're going to add another fifty kids to the planet," Mark shrugged. "I can't even keep track of the nieces and nephews. How the hell am I supposed to remember a whole army of kids?" "Oh you are definitely not getting an army of kids," Addison shook her head. "Thank you," Mark grinned, kissing her quickly. "So Meredith...you were an intern when you and Derek met?" Kathleen asked. "Oh...um...yeah," Meredith nodded quickly, squeezing Derek's hand. "I uh...an intern. Now I'm a resident. Second year resident. So...but yeah, I was an intern. His intern kind of and...but now I'm a resident." "Do you know what you want to specialize in?" Nancy asked. "Probably neuro," Meredith smiled slightly. "It's...it's what I'm best at and I got a lot of training and I really really like neuro. A lot. It's...it's tough and there are brains and spines and...it's tough. It's a tough field and...probably neuro." "She's amazing at it," Derek smiled proudly. "He always says that," Meredith rolled her eyes. "Because it's true," Derek sighed, ducking his head down to kiss her quickly. "I had a good teacher," she murmured against his lips. "But don't tell him that." "I'll keep it a secret," he whispered. "Thank you," she giggled, kissing him quickly again. "You're welcome," he sighed, slipping his hand out of hers as he pulled away, but immediately snaking the arm around her waist. "So how did you two meet?" Nancy asked. "I mean, isn't it a little inappropriate for an attending an intern to have a relationship?" "We met at the intern mixer," Derek sighed. "And we took our time, we've been careful about things. And Webber has known about it the whole time." "And he's been supportive of it?" Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't that be a conflict of interest at work when you're her boss and her boyfriend?" "We keep them seperate," Derek shrugged. "At work I'm just her boss." Nancy opened her mouth to say something and Peter put his arm around her. "Nance, babe, I think that's enough, okay?" "Hannah seems to really like you, Meredith," Kathleen smiled. "Oh," Meredith smiled widely. "Yeah and um...she's great. I really...she's...I'm apparently her bestest friend in the whole world or something, which is great. Because she's amazing and really smart and...I'm her friend." "Hannah adores her," Derek smiled. "I love her too," Meredith said softly, watching as Michael and Kevin came in with some more screaming Shepherd kids, Hannah slung over Michael's shoulder. "Speaking of the devil," Derek laughed. "Put me down, Mikey!" Hannah giggled. "Put me down!" "You said the only way you were coming inside is if I made you, so I made you," Michael laughed. "Put me down," she insisted, giggling as he reached up and tickled her sides. "Please, please!" "Fine," Michael sighed, placing her on the ground. "Thank you," she grinned. "Will you sit by me?" "Of course," Michael nodded. "Good," she smiled and then ran over to Meredith, throwing her arms around Meredith's waist. "You okay, Meredith?" "I'm good, Hannah," Meredith murmured, running her fingers through Hannah's hair. "Are you being good with your cousins?" "Yeah!" Hannah nodded. "Mikey's gonna sit by me at dinner and Lindsey's gonna sit on my other side." "Very cool," Meredith grinned. "Okay, everyone, supper time," Mrs. Shepherd said, "Audrey, Charlotte, kids table or adult table this year?" "Adults, please let me sit with the adults," Audrey groaned. "Audrey's too cool to sit with the midgets," Kevin smirked at his sister. "College has made her such a hard ass." "Kevin, watch that mouth," Mrs. Shepherd warned her grandson. "Sorry, Grandma," Kevin sighed. "I think someone has been spending too much time with Uncle Mark," Kathleen sighed, looking at her son. "Hey, don't blame me," Mark frowned. "Shep screwed with Kevin. Or did Shep screw with Michael?" "I didn't screw with either of them," Derek frowned. "I'm the good uncle." "Yeah, you're the good uncle," Michael laughed. "Uncle Mark's the cool uncle with the hot chicks." "Who is getting married so there goes that title," Ethan laughed. "Which leaves Derek as the lone bachelor," Marty raised his beer in Derek's direction. "You're an inspiration, Shep." "I know," Derek laughed. "Unless he gets married," Sophie grinned. "Any plans to get married, Derek? I mean, you brought her home. You haven't brought anyone home since...Candace?" "Future plans," Derek sighed, feeling Meredith's body tense against his. "We're good with what we have right now. But definitely future plans." "Me and Daddy bought---" Derek grabbed Hannah's shoulder with his free hand, squeezing gently. "We bought me new ballet shoes," she finished quickly. "Oh," Sophie smiled, giving Derek a suspicious look. "That's great, Hannah." "Everyone to their respective tables," Mrs. Shepherd announced. "We can continue this conversation over supper. Charlotte, dear, do you mind sitting with the kids to make sure your cousins don't entirely corrupt the younger ones?" "Fine," Charlotte sighed. "But Audrey has to do it next time." "We'll talk about that next time," Mrs. Shepherd nodded. "Everyone. Table. Now." "Going Mom," Derek sighed as he grabbed Meredith's hand again, dragging her behind him. "So there are separate tables?" Meredith whispered as she sat down next to Derek. "Yep," he murmured. "One for the kids and one for the adults." "What's the age cut off?" she asked, watching as everyone took their seats. "Still being defined," he sighed. "Audrey is finally battling for adult table rights at 19." "Oh," she nodded. "You okay?" he whispered. "Yeah," she sighed, squeezing his hand. "It's just...a lot of people. And Nancy..." "She'll grow on you," he murmured. "And I'm right here." "I know," she breathed, kissing him quickly. "I'm okay, Derek. I really am." "Good," he smiled softly. "Love you." "Love you too." "Do you two usually kiss all the time?" Kathleen asked, lauging softly. "What?" Meredith blushed slightly. "Every time I look at you you're kissing and whispering to each other," Kathleen shrugged. "It's cute." "It is cute," Sophie grinned as she put Cameron in his high chair. "It's actually adorable." "It's sickening," Mark frowned. "Shut up, Mark," Sophie shook her head. "It's adorable. They're obviously really in love and happy." "We are," Derek nodded firmly. "So...cute," Sophie nodded. "I can't even remember the last time Brian and I were like that." "Hey...we're like that all the time," Brian frowned. "Oh we are?" she teased. "When was the last time we were all kissy and whispery to each other?" "Well before Cameron was born," Brian sighed. "But once he's older we'll get back to that.” "Such a romantic," Sophie rolled her eyes. "You love me," Brian laughed. "I do," she giggled, squeezing his hand. "You can't live in the honeymoon stage forever," Nancy shrugged. "They're not in the honeymoon stage," Colleen pointed out. "They're in the first year or two of a relationship stage. When everything's easy and cute and adorable." "Or maybe they're just easy and cute and adorable," Sophie shrugged. "We always said Derek would be like this if he ever found the right woman." "And she's the right woman?" Nancy asked Derek. "Definitely," Derek grinned. "Then why all the secrets, Der?" Colleen asked. "How long have you two been dating?" "Over a year," Derek replied quietly. "Over...you've been dating over a year?" Sophie gasped. "Yeah," Derek nodded slowly. "And you've been hiding her because..." "I haven't been hiding her," Derek sighed. "We had a rocky start and we were taking time to get used to everything, for Hannah to get used to things." "A rocky start," Mark smirked. "Shut up," Derek groaned. "We didn't...I didn't...we had things to get used to," Meredith said softly. "I had things to get used to because he had a kid which he didn't actually tell me at first which was incredibly awkward when I found out so there was that to get used to and the whole dating thing period because I don't usually date or do relationships or familes or anything. So I had to get used to that and...and it was big and scary. So yeah...things to get used to." "It makes sense," Kathleen nodded. "With everything the three of you had to adjust to, it's no wonder you left this part out." "Woah wait," Colleen frowned, "Der didn't tell you about Han?" "No...umm...not right away," Meredith sighed. "He was going to...I just...happened to meet her first." "After she escaped from daycare?" Sophie laughed. "Yeah," Meredith giggled. "She found me by accident and I had no idea who she was." "And then you probably saw them together and it clicked," Sophie grinned. "They look exactly alike. Except her nose. And the shape of her lips." "They do," Meredith nodded. "And Han...she didn't know that we knew each other. I was her new friend so she...introduced us." "That's adorable," Kathleen smiled softly. "It was," Derek nodded. "Of course this explains all of Hannah's behavior problems the last year or so," Kathleen pointed out. "You could have told me, Der." "I know," Derek nodded. "I was tempted to a lot...when the temper tantrums were really bad." "She's doing better now though?" "She is," Derek smiled. "Things have been a lot smoother recently. We still have tiny problems but she's happy." "Are you guys planning on moving in together?" Colleen asked. "Well...umm...we do," Derek mumbled under his breath. "You live together!" all four of the Shepherd sisters exclaimed. "Yeah," Derek shrugged. "Mom, did you know about this?" Nancy turned to their mother. "I did," Mrs. Shepherd nodded slowly. "Okay, Mom knew about you guys living together but we didn't?" Sophie groaned. "Thanks, Der. Really. And I'm supposed to be your favorite." "You are, Soph," Derek sighed. "We didn't actually plan on telling Mom either...she showed up one day while I was out doing groceries." "I thought she was the babysitter," Mrs. Shepherd laughed. "Were you ever going to tell anyone if Mom hadn't found out?" Colleen frowned. "Mom found out before Christmas," Derek sighed. "Even if she hadn't, then this would be the first time she was meeting Mer too." "Mark knew though," Sophie pointed out. "I lived at his place, Soph," Mark countered. "And you should have seen him when they first met. A complete chick." "I wasn't a complete chick," Derek rolled his eyes. "You were. Probably didn't help she didn't want anything to do with you," Mark shrugged. "She did," Derek sighed. "She just wasn't admitting it." "How do you know?" Meredith asked. "You were my boss." "The way you looked at me. You clearly wanted something to do with me," he smirked. "Okay. That wasn't me wanting to date you that was..." Meredith trailed off, fumbling with her napkin. "I know what it was," the smirk deepened. "Derek!" she gasped. "Just saying," he shrugged. "I have a feeling we're missing something," Sophie sighed. "You definitely are," Mark nodded. "Mark!" Meredith rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah," Mark sighed. "Not saying anything." "Say something," Colleen ordered. "He has nothing to say," Derek shook his head. "Mer and I had an interesting start, that's all." "Okay, I'm dropping it for now," Colleen sighed. "I'm just happy you're happy, Der." "Thanks, Col," Derek smiled. "Yeah, you guys are very cute together," Sophie grinned. "I'd even go with perfect." "I know," Derek's smile deepened as he squeezed Meredith's hand. "Welcome to the family, Meredith," Kathleen smiled. "Oh...umm....thanks," Meredith smiled slightly. "I know it's terrifying," Sophie laughed. "But you'll be okay. Being a Shepherd involves shopping a lot." "Shopping is good," Meredith nodded. "Definitely," Kathleen laughed. "Sophie and I were going in a couple of days. You should join us, Meredith." "Oh...ummm...okay," Meredith smiled. "Great," Kathleen nodded and then turned to her daughter. "So now that we've harassed Derek and Meredith enough, why don't we harass someone else. Audrey, why don't you tell everyone what you finally decided to major in?" "Do I have to, Mom?" Audrey frowned. "Yeah, I think you do," Kathleen nodded. "Fine," Audrey rolled her eyes. "I'm going pre-med. Just like everyone else in this freakish family." "And you swore you wouldn't go premed," Nancy laughed. "Yeah I know," Audrey groaned. "You're a Shepherd, you can't resist the medicine," Colleen nodded as Meredith leaned into Derek. "Apparently not," Audrey sighed. "You okay?" Derek whispered to Meredith. "Yeah...I am," Meredith nodded. "You are?" he grinned, finally feeling himself relax. 'Yeah, I am," she murmured. "This is...nice." "Can I say I told you so?" he smirked slightly. "No, definitely not," she giggled softly. "Too bad," he smiled, ducking his head down. "They love you, Mer." "They seem to," she nodded slowly. "They completely do," he corrected. "Soph and Kath are taking you shopping. You're practically a Shepherd sister." "Wow," she murmured softly. "Wow?" "Just... I didn't....I thought this would be...bad," she murmured. "And it's not?" "No, it's not." "Good," he whispered. "Still want to be sick?" "No, I'm good," she breathed. He smiled at that, moving his hand out of her grasp and moving his arm around her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Love you, Meredith." "Love you too, Derek," she whispered. You tide me over With a warmth I'll not forget But I can only give you love


I DO - Part 2 · GA FAN FICS