Ok so as some of you will know this is an edited, hopefully better version of GONE MISSING, when I was reading gone missing, in order to finish it, I realized just how atrocious it was and so decide to redo the whole story. So this is not me leaving the story unfinished but after months of absence redoing it. Please note: The storyline may change which is why I'm starting it as a whole new story for the reader I will gain, thank you. For the readers who will sit and reread this until I get to where I left off, you are stars.
"Morning," Meredith yawned as she walked into the kitchen in her black jeans and a simple green v-necked sweater. She was tired after working so late last night, but she had promised her 4 year old daughter she would take her to her first day of Kindergarten and her internal clock had woke her up at 5.15 so instead of going back to sleep she had gotten up.
Derek looked up from the paper he was reading. His hair was still tousled from sleep and he was still in his pyjama. He had a cup of coffee sitting on the island next to him. He gave a small smile before lying the Seattle times down on the island, "Morning Mer, you look exhausted." He gave her a kiss as she leant down before adding, "You could've slept in if you wanted, and we only have to be there at 8. I'm not even dressed and Emma isn't awake."
Meredith sat down in the chair next to Derek's as Derek got up and headed towards the coffee machine, "and miss out on seeing the excitement on our daughters face when you rise her? I don't think so. Beside I woke up shortly after you got up." She took a sip from Derek's coffee as he poured her a cup of her own coffee, he was used to her stealing sip of his coffee in the morning until he either brought her a cup or she worked up the energy to get her own. Derek didn't mind it, in fact he did it too if she was in the kitchen before him, "I thought you would've stayed in bed longer, after all you got a long day ahead of you after we drop Emma off. I'm coming home and slipping into bed afterward and sleeping until 2 then I'm going to go pick up our daughter"
Derek handed her the cup of coffee and sat down across from her." Mer you could've slept another hour, we agreed we would wake her at 7, I wanted to make pancakes, it's a special day for Emma and I didn't buy a box of premixed batter so I had to start from scratch this morning."
"Thank you. I'll sleep this morning after dropping her off for now and drinking this coffee will do just fine.' Derek rested his hand on top of her hand staring at his wife as she took a sip of her own coffee. "Your homemade batter pancakes are always the best.
Meredith loved Derek's cooking, even more than Izzie's and it had been for that reason that they had hosted the last thanksgiving dinner. Derek was not like Izzie's and did not always enjoy cooking, he kept the entertaining to a minimum and that was more Izzie forte but he couldn't argue that thanksgiving was a time for family and when they could not make it to new York for thanksgiving he did not mind doing dinner for the Seattle family, if he didn't do thanksgiving Dinner, he pitched in with Christmas dinner as those were the years they went to new York for Thanksgiving. It swopped every year so that they worked at least one of the holiday. He, however much preferred cooking for his wife and Daughter only
Of course they are, they have a lot less preservatives in and are much healthier," Derek smiled
"Health Nut, through and through." Meredith smiled, sipping her coffee
"You've got to admit though I've eaten a fair bit of sweets since I met you." Derek said as he pressed a kiss to Meredith hand.
"It's good to have the occasional sweet, Derek, keeps you young." Meredith smirked "and Besides Emma really the one who gets you to open up your sweet tooth, not me."
"Yes you, if I count the number of times, I've licked Chocolate off of you; my health nut tendency would be hitting me continuously for disobeying them." Derek said as he leant down to kiss her
"Sex does not count Derek," Meredith swatted him on the chest giggling. "You work off the calories in the act of eating them up."
Derek stood up and walked around to the other side of the island; He leant against the island and whispered into his wife's ear, "Sex always counts Meredith. Always, especially when it's with you."
"We're are not having sex now, you have pancakes to make for our 4 year old daughter, whose upstairs." Meredith said as she kissed him on the nose.
Meredith and Derek's relationship was as strong as it had been when they first got married, having a daughter had only ensured that Meredith and Derek got their walls insulated at the house in the forest, they had taught her that she needed to knock before coming into their room so that they were able to ensure they were fully clothed and not in an awkward position when she came in and because of this, they had successfully managed to avoid any awkward question about their sex life or any case of explaining the birds and the bees. However the use of bad language was a discussion they had not managed to avoid as with their friends, she had heard a couple. Meredith and Derek had explained that sometimes adults forget and are naughty and use bad word and that it did not make it ok for her to use them. Now she would point out their errors like any child did.
"Fine but tonight..." Derek said seductively, Meredith giggled and kissed him in a message of agreement before Derek added in a more serious tone, "I think it was a good idea to stay here last night." Meredith and Derek had kept her old house when they had moved to Bainbridge. For the first couple of years the house was filled with her colleagues and when they finally moved out. Meredith and Derek realized that when one of them had a late or early shift they stayed at the house and decided to keep it for that purpose. The time they spent at the house was slowly diminishing as Meredith hours began to slowly get a little more reasonable as she neared the end of her residency and they were beginning to think about selling the house as the cost of keeping it clean compared to the time they stayed here were enormous and a bit unreasonable. They had someone who came and cleaned there once a week and since they on average stayed there for 12 hours every two weeks it was becoming irrational.
"Yeah it was, if we had stayed at Bainbridge, I would've had to drive the long route around and I'm not sure I would've managed. I barely found the energy to drive here." This on the other hand was why they kept the house. Meredith had debated between coming home and staying at the hospital and catching a few winks in an on call room before sneaking back home early in the morning. Coming home had ultimately won the argument as she slept better in her own bed with Derek than in an on-call room. However if Derek and Emma had gone home to Bainbridge she would've gone with the latter option, "Go make the Pancakes Derek." Meredith said as he continued leaning against the island. "I'm sure the batters ready, you were up at like 4 this morning."
Derek checked his watch, it was 5:45 am, "Yip, it was ready 15 minutes ago," He walked towards the fridge, "4 is not all that early, especially when I went to bed at 9."
"Yeah well some of us weren't so lucky, I climbed into bed at 1 this morning, I've had 3 1/2 hours sleep so 4 is early ok? Was Emma mad that I wasn't home last night?" Meredith asked. She was only supposed to have worked till 7 but an emergency had kept her back for another five and a half hours, normally both she and Derek would've been waylaid at the hospital with an emergency but Derek had left at 3 that afternoon taking Emma home with him. Meredith was glad he had because only one of them needed to stay last night and Emma needed a full night sleep in her own bed in her own home not in the bed they had put in Derek's office.
"No, just worried that you wouldn't be home in time today but I reassured her you would." Derek said pausing mid stride and turning around to look at his wife. They tried to keep their night shifts to a minimum so that Emma could have as normal childhood as possible but sometimes they were unavoidable due to their careers when they both worked night shift they would put her in the office and one of the admitting people whom sat at the nurses' station just left of his office would watch the door going in to check on her every 30 minutes, and they would check up on her whenever they had a chance or if it was possible they arranged with one of their friends to take Emma home with them and they stored a little night bag in Derek or Meredith's office. They were currently petitioning for night staff in the day-care as Meredith did not want Emma to grow up with a nanny, When one of them worked night shifts, the other took Emma home but on those nights she fussed about everything and was not the best behaved child on the block, she refused to settle down, determined to wait until the other parent got home and it would be late at night when she did fall asleep, "But surprisingly she actually settled down when I put her to bed at 8."
"I promised her though." Meredith said downhearted as her thoughts strayed to the fact that she hadn't been home to help Emma bath and get ready for bed. She had given her daughter a kiss though Emma would not have known this as she was immersed in dreamland
"Mer, she knew that deep down she knew that you wouldn't break your promise because you have never broken a promise you made towards Em, she just doesn't like it when we both not here you know that, it's why we keep night shift to a minimum."
"I know." Meredith sighed.
Derek walked back over to Meredith and kissed her, "Just because you work the occasional night shift it does not make you your mother, mer. Ok? You here for her first day ok?" They had put Meredith doubts to rest along time but occasionally they popped up. She hadn't been sure about Emma when she had found out she was pregnant, however Derek had always wanted children so the thoughts of an abortion had been kicked far away from her mind. Derek had seen her doubts though and after prodding her about it, had come to the realization of how scared she was to be a mother. How scared she was that she'd screw up. Derek put all his effort into helping her to see what others saw, that well she very much resembled her mother on the outside and had inherited her mother's skill; her heart was in no way similar to Ellis'. This had been proved with the smile that had lit up her features when Addison had put their daughter in her arm. It had been Meredith that had given Emma her first name as she looked at her daughter. Derek knew the doubts would pop up occasionally although admittedly they hadn't popped up for almost a year.
Meredith kissed her husband again and said, "I know that but I'm so scared I'll turn into her. That I'll get so caught up in my career that when I finally stop to look, I will have pushed you away and missed half of my daughter's childhood. My mom wasn't always a bad mother, the first thing she missed was my first day of kindergarten and I'm sure she was already having an affair by then,"
"I promise you, I'm not about to let you push me away again and there is no way you'll turn into your mother, because if you even turned down the road, you have a couple things that would force you to re-evaluate the trip, things she didn't have ." Derek said pulling her into a standing position and wrapping his arms around her." First of all, you have all the things that made me' fall in love with you," Derek kissed his wife's forehead, "you're kind," Kiss." You're Compassionate." Kiss. "You're loving." Kiss. "And secondly you have me and I'll be an unwavering force that won't allow you to travel down the Ellis road."
It was Meredith turned to initiate a kiss and she turned softly in her husband's arm and captured his mouth with her own. When they came up for air she snuggled in his Embrace and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you."
"I love you too."
They stayed like that few minutes before Meredith pushed him slightly "Go make the Pancakes, you still have to shower."
"Yes Ma'am," Derek chuckled as he untangled his arms from around his wife, he leant down giving her one last kiss. Meredith sat down and opened up the paper.
Derek walked to the fridge and had just open it when, "I can help make the pancakes if you want, so you can go shower sooner." Meredith said flicking through the paper, As Derek paused, his hands gripping the bowl of batter and tried to retain his laughter, before Derek could give an answer or burst out into answer Meredith commented on the daily News. "You know all this paper is filled with is death and destruction."
The laughter Derek was trying to hold burst out just then as he opened his mouth to speak. Meredith put the paper down and mock-glared at her husband.
"Derek, it's not funny. Can't the paper have something else besides all the woes and worries of life?" Meredith said pouting as she ignored the real reason Derek was laughing.
"Meredith I think we both know that is not why I'm laughing." Derek said pulling the bowl out of the fridge and shutting the door. "I love you, I really love your many talents but cooking is not one of your many talents Mer and I don't think the house on fire would be a great start to Emma's first day of kindergarten."
"Hey, I can cook. And I've never started a fire. I've burnt stuff yes but a fire no."" Meredith said, she walked up to her husband and gave him a slap around the neck.
"Ouch Mer, "Derek said putting the bowl down and pulling her into his arms so that she couldn't slap him again even if the slaps didn't really hurt when they were playing around. "You can cook simple dishes like pasta sometimes but you can't cook pancakes, Mer I'm sorry." The hint of a laugh was still in his voice. Meredith had learned to cook small dishes when Emma was born but other than that didn't know any other dishes that required the use of a stove or oven, those dishes she left to Derek, every now and again hinting at helping in the kitchen, the argument always ending the same. "And I'm guessing it was an impersonator who started that small fire 6 year s ago." The fight Meredith was putting up against his arm stilled and she turned around to face her husband
Their sexual escapades had literally caused a fire seven years ago. Meredith had decided that she wanted boiled eggs and because no one else was home had decided to do it herself. After all, she had thought, it couldn't be that hard it was waiting until the water boiled and then putting the egg in and waiting +/- 10 minutes until it was cooked, except she hadn't even put the egg in, when the fire had started. She was sitting reading by the island waiting for the water to boil when Derek had come in after a long shift and began kissing her, the next thing she consciously thought about was the sound of the fire alarm, she and Derek had pulled apart looking for the source, finding it by the stove. Ever since that incident, Derek's teasing had gotten ten times worse, Derek smirked time after time and brought it up every time they had a debate over her cooking. She was a 100% convinced though that if Derek hadn't distracted her, she would've been fine and had a perfectly good egg and they always argued about it. Derek saying she wouldn't, Meredith saying she would have.
. "That was because you distracted me Derek and I kind of forgot about the water I was boiling , that was completely your fault, you came in the kitchen and kissed me and when I'd tried to protest and tell you I had to watch the water, you just kissed harder and became more persistent, that was totally your fault, if you hadn't come in their so determined to have sex it would've been fine but instead you kissed and you rubbed until coherent thought was barely-"
Derek turned kissed her stopping her mid sentence ," You rambling again love, how was I suppose to know you'd suddenly decide to cook and you didn't say anything, I only realized you were cooking when the fire alarm began blaring but you admit you were cooking when that fire started then?"
"Yes I was but that doesn't count, if you hadn't distracted me the fire wouldn't have started, I promise you, if I come into the kitchen and try to get you to react you'd also forget."
"I so wouldn't." Derek said.
"One of these days I'm going to prove you wrong Derek Shepherd." Meredith said jabbing her finger into his chest.
Derek kissed her just then and he kissed again and moved his hands upwards along her body but Meredith pushed him away and said, " Changing the subject are we?, I thought you had pancakes to make?"
Derek sighed, looked down and said with a hint of frustration, "not changing the subject just attempting to get to the end quicker, the end which we are continuing tonight when Emma's in bed." "He knew he would never get the pancakes done and showered if he divulged in the temptation this morning but now he would have to go about the pancakes with an uncomfortable tightness in his pants.
"Maybe." Was all Meredith said nonchalantly ending the conversation her face saying "definitely", she pushed him towards the stove, "Go make those pancakes,"
"Bossy."
They worked in silence for a few minute, Derek beginning to make pancakes and Meredith reading the morning paper. The sizzling oil and the flipping of newspaper was the only sound s that flitted from the kitchen at 6.10 that morning.
"So what can I do to help?" Meredith asked 20 minutes later as she lay the paper down. The scent of the pancakes had drifted into her nose and her mouth had begun watering as she smelled her husband cooking. She honestly knew she wasn't a good cook but she always had fun playing with her husband when it came to cooking. In fact she had fun with him most of the time.
"Nothing to do with cooking, that's for sure." Derek flipped a pancake
"Derek..." Meredith exclaimed frustrated, "You know I don't mean that."
Derek looked up and smirked as he laid the last pancake on the plate topped up, "I'm not so sure about that..." Meredith glared at him and he said "you could set the table please."
"Not until you admit I'm not a bad cook!" Meredith said folding her arms and decided to increase the level of playing when it came to her cooking.
Derek smirked back at her moving the plate to the warmer draw, " you ask if you can help and when I give you something to do, you set conditions, that not fair Meredith. "
"Well if you don't admit that I can cook, I won't do your favourite things tonight." Meredith said stepping it up and smirking back at her husband as he shut the warmer draw.
"You wouldn't... "Derek said straightening up, "I know you just playing games."
"Do you want to bet on that honey?" Meredith asked looking pointedly at Derek.
"I...Derek hesitated suddenly unsure, on the one hand she always played game willingly when it came to cooking and never followed through on her threats when it came to them joking about her cooking abilities. But on the other hand she was never known to be predictable and she could very well follow through, so he decided to go midway, he walked towards her. "Ok I admit you can cook." He said giving her a kiss and then he walked to the door and mumbled "Small dishes like pasta." Just loud enough so that she could hear as her smile turned to a frown
"I heard that." Meredith said
Derek paused at the door and turned back to look at her, "But you still going to take out the cutlery and condiments."
Meredith walked towards the cupboards, pulling out the syrup and sugar as she said, "How did you know?"
"Because you love our daughter?" He responded leaning against the door and watching her for a minute.
"That is true. Just remember this does not mean you're getting sex tonight." Meredith said smirking. She took out the cinnamon and then took out a little spice shaker. Meredith walked to the counter she opened the spice bottle.
"If you say so," Derek shrugged before pushing away from the door and heading towards their bedroom, to shower and get dressed.
Meredith knew that the self confidence, cocky person that had just walked out the kitchen was sure he was getting sex but she would make him sweat it out. She finished putting the sugar and cinnamon In the bottle before shaking it up and laying it on the table. She then laid the rest of the table and sat back down at the island and finished her coffee.
Derek laughed to himself as he walked up to their bedroom, He wasn't going to take the sex threat, too seriously yet, if he had teased his wife about anything but cooking he would. Because if he had teased his wife about any of her other abilities, there was a good chance the threat would be sleeping on the couch and that she would follow through with it.
So that's the 1st revised chapter, it's a little different to that of the original version, so read review and shower the love or hate upon me. Let me know what you think. I'm in matric; my last year of school so I'm making no promises to when I next update you saw what happened last time. I said 2 weeks and it took a year. So…