Meredith walked slowly and hesitantly as she left a patient's room. However, she did have purpose. She had to talk to Derek. She had to tell him. She had already withheld the news from him long enough-three weeks to be exact. As she seemed to drag her feet, her mind wandered over the past six months, since the time she and Derek had been together.

Flashback: six months ago

A doorbell rings in the distance. Meredith goes to answer it, dreading it all the while, still in the confinements of depression even though it has been a year since Derek left Seattle, without saying anything to her, without any notice. It was all so cold, quick, and she could still feel the pain of it. However, in that second, as she opens the door, her entire world tilts…her heart seems to stop."

"Der-?"

"Wait! Before you say anything, I'm so sorry. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I left Seattle without any explanation. I didn't know what to at the time; I thought I needed room and I needed to be alone; I couldn't think or do anything; I was so confused and broken, so I left. I should have told you, I know but I-I couldn't, knowing that I already caused you so much pain and I told you. I didn't know what I was doing, and so I left, which cost our happiness for a year. But if you'll let me, I want to make up for all that I've done to you, for all the pain that I've caused you."

Before Meredith could even fathom a reply, Derek gently pulls her towards him. Before she could protest, Derek captures her lips in a loving embrace. The kiss is passionate, loving, and gentle all at the same time. A perfect kiss.

After, what possibly seems to be two magical days, their lips gently break apart. Yet, they do not pull apart from each other's embrace. They are barely touching their foreheads. Meredith seems to be in bit of a daze.

Derek thinks he knows what he is going to say to her. He has been planning this for a long time. Yet as he gazes into her fathomless green eyes-now luminous because of the moonlight, everything he suddenly seems to forget his perfectly planned speech. He in fact loses himself in her beautiful eyes for a few minutes. She is so beautiful. Her beauty is timeless.

"Derek?" Meredith whispers faintly into the night air.

"I pick you, choose you, love you! I'm in love with you Meredith and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know I have hurt you in the past, but I promise never to hurt you again. I love you Meredith. I only want a lifetime to prove it."

"Derek…," but Meredith's words are lost as Derek gently tugs her face towards his and the space between them becomes nonexistent as they kiss softly and everything fades out of focus…an almost hazy, magical mist seem to settle on the two lovers. The moon shines brightly down on them and the few, scattered stars twinkle. The world in that moment seems to be only living for Derek and Meredith.

End Flashback

"Oh crap!" Meredith doesn't even realize where she is going or how much time has passed since her lapse into wonderful memory, as she bangs head first into an opening door.

"Meredith?"

As she focuses more closely on where she is, she realizes that she has reached her destination, somewhat unfortunately. Well, this is it. I can't back out now.

"Um…hi Derek!" Meredith tries to be cheerful despite the situation.

"Hi! What's going on? Is everything alright?" Derek leans forward and gently kisses Meredith on the cheek.

"Oh yeah! Everything's fine. It's just that um…Oh man! Is that a fusiform dilated aneurysm?"

"Yes, unfortunately. The guy is only thirty and his right side is already paralyzed. He is definitely going to need immediate surgery. Do you want to scrub in?"

"Sure. But do you think the surgery would be successful? I mean will he ever have a normal life again?"

"Well, this type of aneurysm is very aggressive in nature, but if I am able to clip the aneurysm with minimal damage, then he is looking at a pretty normal life. But, what did you want to say before you noticed this guy's MRI? You were going to say something."

"Oh I was just wondering whether you could spare a few minutes now. But if you're busy I understand. I mean you said this guy needs immediate surgery right?"

"Yeah I did, but this guy wants to wait for his family and tell them his diagnosis before we proceed with anything. So, yes, I can spare ten minutes, especially for you. Do you want to talk here or do you want to go somewhere more private? Anywhere is fine with me. You decide."

"Well, this is fine, but..," Meredith hesitates.

"But you would feel more comfortable somewhere more private?"

"Yeah."

"That's alright with me. Where do you want to go?"

"Just to the stairwell? Is that ok?"

"That's fine. Just give me a minute ok? I need to take Mr. Applewood back to his room."

"Ok. I'll meet you there then in five minutes?"

"See you then," Derek replies easily and then gives her a chaste kiss on the lips.

Ok I can do this. I can do this. I definitely can't do this. Five minutes sure seemed like five hours. Where was Derek? Meredith was losing her nerve. The secret she kept was getting increasingly harder to keep. She didn't know how this was going to affect her and for that matter, Derek, but she knew it wasn't going to be easy. She and Derek already were on a tight schedule as it was. Ok, maybe if I try to plan out what I'm going to say to him, it will be easier. Derek, I'm-. But before she could finish her thought process, the door to the stairwell opened and Derek cautiously walked in.

"Hi!" Meredith's greeting seemed to be overly 'bright and shiny.'

Derek seemed to notice this when he said, "Ok Meredith what's wrong? You have been acting weird this past morning, not to mention the past couple of weeks. Whatever it is you can tell me. I am here for you, you know that."

"I'm seriously fine, well not exactly but, um… maybe you should sit down for this."

At this point Derek starts to increasingly worry but seemed to show none in his easy, charming smile, as he gently pulled Meredith down with him on one of the stairs. Derek looked expectantly at her; inside he was twisting and turning.

"So, um I don't know how to tell you this properly but I started getting sick a couple weeks ago and when it wouldn't stop I went out and got a couple of pregnancy tests, and well um…" Meredith's words seem to trail off as she catches Derek's gaze.

At the word pregnancy Derek's gaze shifts from being cheerful to, well to be honest, a bit shocked. Yet there is an underlying feeling of happiness.

"You are pregnant?" Derek's words seem to be almost of a whisper.

Meredith slowly nods her head, all the while hoping, hoping with all her heart that he would be happy. Hopefully.

But her doubts are instantly washed away when he suddenly embraces her, fiercely, raining kisses all over her face and neck.

When he finally slows down a bit, Meredith hesitatingly responds, "I thought you wouldn't be happy. I thought…"

He silences her with a passionate kiss on the lips. "Of course I am happy. I am ecstatic! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well I mean seriously Derek and I mean think with you brain now. A baby? Now? I am just finishing my residency. How are we going to take care of a baby when we can barely spend time together ourselves?"

"We'll figure it out Mer. I can't disagree with the fact that this baby will change our lives, and possibly make it harder at times, but don't you see? We are experiencing the miracle of life. We created this Meredith," Derek says as he gently places both his hands on Meredith's stomach. "Yes, we are starting a family a little sooner than planned, but this is our baby, created by our love."

Meredith's eyes start to glisten with newly formed tears of happiness. "Can you believe it Derek? A baby. We are going to be parents."

"Thank you Meredith."

"For what?"

"For all that you have given me- love and now this wonderful child. You are my everything."

"Oh Derek… Thank you for being there for me! You are my everything. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Probably become a great surgeon? And make a lot of money?"

"Ha-ha," Meredith replies with some sarcasm. "Yeah I probably would, but that would be nothing compare to what I have now with you."

"Good answer. I was hoping you would realize your life would be totally empty without me. But just so you know, I would probably be dead without you. You are my whole life, well you and now this baby."

Meredith sighed contentedly onto Derek's shoulder. "I love you Derek, so much for all that you are!"

"And I love you and our baby with all of my heart."

They share a perfect kiss, one that Meredith remembers is just like the one when Derek came back to her. Between their kissing, none of them realize the faint beeping in the background. They are both oblivious to their surroundings.

But as it continues, Meredith suddenly realizes and breaks away.

Derek looks down at his pager and replies, "Sorry Mer. Mr. Applewood's family has arrived. I have to go. But you can come with me, to talk to them, since you are scrubbing in."

"Ok. Let's go." Meredith says with an underlying tone of regret.

Derek gently pulls her to her feet and gives her one last kiss before they leave the stairwell hand in hand.