"Once upon a time, there was just a man and a woman who met and fell in love even though they never meant to. He was the Prince she never knew she was looking for and she was the Princess he had given up on ever finding."

"That was you and Daddy, Mommy."

"Yes, that was me and Daddy. Do you remember how the story continued?" Zola crunched her nose. Derek smiled from where he was leaning against the door, watching his wife and his daughter cuddling on her bed. Zola may not share his and Meredith genes but she was definitely their daughter, right down to their mannerisms, in the way she crunched her nose up when thinking just like her mother.

"The wicked witch who had bewitched Daddy came and because Daddy had promised her that she's his princess, he pretended to be her prince."

"That's right, baby. And Mommy was very sad because Daddy rode of into the sunset on his white horse with the witch and not her. But the longer Daddy and the witch rode away, the more Daddy's heart hurt. And then, one day, Mommy had to fight a dragon that wanted to eat her and everyone else in the hospital with it's fire breath. In the end, when the dragon handler came to take the dragon Mommy had fought, away, Mommy got scared. Daddy knew Mommy had gotten scared and because he couldn't help her fight the dragon in person, he sent his spirit to tell Mommy how brave she was."

"Because he loooved you." Zola grinned happily.

"And because he loved me so much, Daddy turned the horse around and told the witch that he wanted to be with his true Princess."

"Together Mommy and Daddy fought many battles and had many adventures, one of how they found their little Princess and lived happily ever after but that is a story for another day." Derek cut in. "It's time for little Princess' to sleep."

"But daddy, Mommy hasn't finished the story yet."

"Daddy is right, baby. It's really late tonight because you were playing with Sofia until much later than normal."

"Okaay." Zola sighed. "When I'm a grown up, I'm not ever going to sleep!"

Meredith lauged. "Do that. Good Night, Zola. I love you."

"Love you too, Mommy." Meredith tugged her daughter in. "You too Daddy."

"Love you, Zo. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bedbugs bite." the little girl flashed a bright smile at her Dad.

Meredith kissed her daughter on the forehead. Who would have thought that when Addison showed up, someday she and Derek would have their happily ever after, including the sweetest daughter ever. It hadn't always been easy, and it probably wouldn't be so in the future, but that was okay because they were Meredith and Derek and their lovestory was their daughters favourite bedtime story. She closed the door to their daughters bedroom.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Meredith sighed.

"You don't think so?"

"It is, but whenever I tell Zola the story, I realize how much we've been through, apart and together, to get where we are now. There's always something new that makes the rest fade into the background."

"But one thing always held true. It's a law of nature. Derek loves Meredith."

"And Meredith loves Derek." Meredith rested against Derek's chest, her whole body relaxing as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I'm glad we got our ever ever after."

"Me too."