Derek's POV

Derek opened his eyes slowly and saw a whirl of colour he ran his hands through his face as he tried to rid his mind of the cloud inside his head then he heard a loud scream he sat up in a fright as his little girl jumped into his arms, "Cecilia Shepherd how many times have I told you not to do that."

"Do what daddy" Cecilia said as she rubbed her dad's head with her hands.

"Scaring me first thing in the morning, this is the third time this week."

"But it's fun."

"Fun for who" Derek muttered as he flopped back onto the bed. Cecilia hugged his stomach, "um me...you...Josh."

"Yeah right you make me wet myself one more time and i'm giving you an extra helping of pumpkin every night for a week." Cecilia crawled up the bed and looked down at her dad's face, "daddy you smell funny."

"I haven't had a shower yet kiddo."

Cecilia sniffed him and smirked, "you wet yourself." Derek smirked back as he sat up and reached for his daughter. Cecilia laughed loudly before she jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. Derek just chuckled as he looked at his alarm clock before getting out of his bed and after taking one glance out the window to check out the weather he gathered up all of his work clothes and walked out of his bedroom to go to the bathroom.

"Daddy" Derek in a panic covered his naked form with his clothes and looked at his daughter, "Cecilia what have I said about seeing daddy in the nuddy."

"Sorry" Cecilia muttered as she smiled the cheeky smile that always amused Derek before putting her hands over her eyes.

"That's better now what's up?"

"Can I make breakfast?"

"Absolutely not" Derek said in a raised voice, "do you remember when I said if you ever made breakfast and burn anything again then I will put your brother's underpants on your head the second you fall asleep."

"I'll put them on your head daddy."

"Just give me twenty minutes and i'll make breakfast and don't play any tricks on Josh."

"I never play tricks."

Derek snorted as he walked into the bathroom twenty minutes later he had washed his hair, brushed his teeth, shaved and had put on his best suit for work. "Cecilia" he called from the top of the stairs, "is Josh up yet?"

"No dad" Derek walked to the bedroom his kids shared and he saw his son fast asleep, "champ" he whispered as he gently rubbed the small boy's head. "Josh" he said again, Josh stirred and yawned loudly, "hey buddy it's time to get up."

Josh nodded and started to crawl over the bed, Derek quickly caught him before his head hit the floor. "Mate remember what I said rub the sleep out of your eyes before you get out of bed otherwise you hurt yourself."

Josh nodded Derek picked him up and his youngest child gave him a hug, "morning daddy."

"Good morning champ come on Cecilia has made breakfast."

"But you told Cecilia we aren't allowed to make breakfast since we set the round thing on fire."

"I know but your sister doesn't listen to me she's too determined to do what she thinks is right she takes after her..." Derek cut off in mid sentence as suppressed memories of Addison from three years ago came flowing back.

"Daddy" Josh whispered noticing the pain showing on his dad's face. Derek sighed sadly and tried not to think about Addison and instead think about the two greatest treasures his wife had given him, "let's just have something to eat."

"Daddy" Cecilia said standing in the kitchen with her arms behind her back looking very pleased with herself. Derek rolled his eyes, "Cecilia I told you not to make breakfast any more I was serious about the underpants."

"Underpants" Josh said looking confused.

"Yes mate your underpants we'll put them on your sister's head in the middle of the night what do you think?"

"That would be mean" Sam whispered.

"It would be funny Sam" Derek said.

"I just made toast" Cecilia said, "it's only a bit black"

Derek ruffled Cecilia's hair with his free hand, "okay thank you honey let's eat up we got a big day ahead of us."

Derek sat down on a chair by the kitchen table and looked at the burnt toast on a plate in front of him he felt his sleeve being tugged and he looked sideways and down at his son, "can we go with you today dad" Josh said with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Please daddy please" Cecilia started to tug on her dad's other sleeve. Derek simply shook his head, "kids you know why you can't go to work with me."

"But we're not too young anymore" Cecilia climbed onto his lap, "we're really big now we can save people with you."

"Your four years old Cecilia and Josh is three."

"I'm nearly five and Sam is nearly four that's old enough."

"Not even close angel, I thought you liked going to the day care centre."

"But we're there every day" Cecilia said in a dramatic tone of voice, "it's the same old books, the same old games the same old stuff."

"I like it" Josh whispered as he put his fingers in his mouth.

Cecilia made a farting sound with her lips and Derek raised an eyebrow at her, "what was that for Cecilia?"

"Josh hates boring day care as much as I do."

Josh shook his head, "I um." Derek looked back and forth at his two kids and shrugged his shoulders, "well if you would rather have you know who babysit you again."

Cecilia opened her mouth in horror, "not Mrs Yolk."

"Mrs Yang Cecilia" Derek said.

"She made us clean the whole house last time she was here."

"Well that's good it saves me having to clean when there are two big strong kids who are apparently old enough to go with their daddy to work to clean the place up."

"But it's the grownups job to clean the house."

"It's the kid's job as well Cecilia."

"I'll clean the house daddy" Josh said Derek smiled widely at him, "thank you Josh you see Cecilia your little brother likes cleaning."

"He can clean I can cook" Cecilia said grinning.

"Well i'm just glad I got two kids to look after the place."

"And look after you daddy" Cecilia said as she hugged him. Derek nodded as he kissed his daughter's cheek, "remember guys it's my job to look after you, you're the kids i'm the dad that's how it works."

"You'll always look after us dad" Josh said.

"Of course Josh."

Cecilia smiled so widely all of her missing front teeth showed, "so we can go to work with you and you can look after us at work."

"Okay" Derek said as he got up, "i'm going to call Mrs Yang."

Cecilia grabbed his legs and looked up at him, "Not Mrs Yuck please."

At the hospital

Derek strolled through the hospital's corridors in an unpleasant mood. Josh had broken down in tears the second he had admitted him and Cecilia into the day care centre of Seattle Grace hospital. He had tried his best to calm him down with Cecilia helping him and reassuring Josh and Derek that she would play with her brother and after a certain amount of hugs Josh had finally wandered into the day care centre without crying. Now Derek was running late for work he pressed a button on the elevator and muttered darkly as he dropped the folders he was carrying in his hands he heard the elevator doors opened as he bent down and hurriedly tried to scoop up his documents, "are you alright" Derek heard a woman say.

"Fine fine just sorry give me a second."

"Here let me help you" Derek saw two thin hands grab the rest of his papers he looked up to say thank you and his eyes widened as he saw one of the most beautiful faces he thought he had ever seen a few inches from his own face she smiled slowly at him and Derek swallowed as he stared at the woman until the elevator doors closed. "Ow" Derek cried out at the doors squished his ears against his skull.

The woman quickly stood up and pressed a button the elevator doors opened back up and Derek's palms felt his sore head, "jesus that hurt."

"I am so sorry I" the woman stammered.

"What are you sorry about it wasn't your fault, its just technology is a pain these days."

"Yeah it is" the woman said, "the computers in here are irritating I still can't log on to them and i've been here for three days it's just crazy."

"Right" Derek said as he walked into the elevator and pressed a button he looked at the lights before turning his body sideways to face the woman, "I was wondering why I haven't seen you around here."

The woman nodded and pushed a lock of her long hair out of her face Derek felt his heart rate quicken at her motion. "Well if we haven't seen each other before" the woman said looking at Derek calmly "can we shake hands and introduce ourselves."

"Sure sure sorry where are my manners um" Derek looked in his pocket "nope not there." He laughed quickly and then quickly turned red oh god Derek are you really this pathetic he thought to himself thankfully the woman smiled gently at his lame joke, "I'm Meredith... Meredith Grey."

"I'm Derek Derek Shepherd" Derek said staring into Meredith's eyes wow those eyes.

"Derek sorry um" Derek looked at Meredith's outreached hand and he gritted his teeth "oh sorry" he put on a smile and shook her hand as the elevator doors opened. "Well it was lovely to meet you" Meredith said smiling, "maybe i'll see you again sometime."

"Yeah and hopefully I won't be stuck in the elevator doors" Meredith giggled and Derek nodded in an uncomfortable fashion. "I'll see you around" Meredith said as she quickly ran out the doors and hurried down the corridors leaving Derek closing his eyes, "it's going to be a long morning" he muttered to himself.

Meredith POV

Meredith smiled as she heard the elevator doors close she thought back on her brief interaction with the man in the elevator and the smile that she loved to show to people remained on her face as she thought about how she had made in her opinion the most handsome man she had seen so far in Seattle feel nervous. She strolled with a merry spring in her step until she saw a colleague of hers and she quickly resumed her professional walk.

"Well well your fourth day on the job and you already look like your over the moon." Meredith waved at Cristina Yang someone who had done her best to make Meredith feel welcome to Seattle Grave hospital which Meredith was very grateful for and who had also been somewhat of a mentor to her since Meredith had first arrived on the job.

"Well" Meredith said, "i'm liking this job more and more every day what have we got?"

"Your first big challenge a kid has come in fresh from a motorcycle accident you've been given the job of keeping him alive."

Meredith nodded feeling deathly serious as she pushed the thoughts of Derek Shepherd from her mind and she walked into the emergency room trying to remember how to put her training into practice.

A few hours later

Meredith was standing outside the operating room drinking coffee while Cristina patted Meredith gently on the shoulder, "see I knew you could do it."

Meredith breathed out a sigh of relief, "i'm just glad that kids alright."

"He's fine thanks to you he'll live to see another day and hopefully not another motorcycle accident."

"Yeah let's hope so" Meredith said slowly as she looked up and her eyes widened as the same stud she saw in the elevator that morning came walking around the corner she stood up and tried to wave at him to get his attention. Derek had his nose in a folder and didn't see her or anything else as he walked into an office. Meredith put her hand down feeling disappointed, "what was that" Christina said.

"What was what?" Meredith replied turning her body back round to Cristina.

"That" Cristina put her arm up and imitated Meredith, "the wave."

"Oh I just met him this morning, I just wanted to say hello to him."

"That's Derek Shepherd" Cristina said showing most of her teeth.

"You know him" Meredith said with nervous breath.

"Yeah I know him very well."

"Oh right I see" Meredith said feeling deflated.

"We're not dating honey i'm married to someone else."

Meredith turned crimson, "oh no that's not what I meant."

"I sometime babysit his kids."

"He's married" Meredith blurted out feeling her spirits sink even lower.

"He was" Cristina whispered.

"I see" Meredith said feeling mentally overjoyed for a few seconds and then she felt sickened with herself that she was thinking that way about someone who she didn't even know and who obviously had gone through a rough divorce.

"His kids don't like me very much."

Meredith chuckled in surprise she firmly thought that her new mentor was everyone's best friend, "that can't be right everyone likes you."

"The oldest one hates it when I ask her to clean her room and the youngest one doesn't eat his vegetables no matter how much time I spend preparing them."

"They just sound like your typical every day kids i'm sure they miss you."

"It's nice of you to say that dear anyway we got some things to get done before we call it a day I say we get it done so we can relax."

Derek POV

Derek scratched his head as he walked into the day care centre wondering how his kids were doing, "daddy" Cecilia came running into his arms "hey there you are how was your day?"

"Good daddy."

"So day care isn't so boring after all."

Cecilia groaned, "no it is really boring but the food was good." Derek nodded with amusement, "well I guess that's more important how is your brother doing?"

"Daddy" Josh came running from the drawing area and hugged his waist, "hey buddy are you feeling better?"

Josh looked up at Derek with apologetic eyes, "i'm sorry I cried daddy." Derek bent down and hugged his son, "you got nothing to be sorry about champ."

"I made you sad."

"Sam I... look mate its been a big day for all of us so i'm going to get us some McDonalds on the way home okay."

"You are?" Cecilia said looking like Christmas had come early.

"Yes honey I am a happy meal each for you two kids does that sound good."

Cecilia jumped up and down in excitement, Josh smiled widely and Derek grinned at his daughter's behaviour. Five minutes later Derek wandered out of the hospital with Josh balanced on his hip resting his eyes and Cecilia holding his hand skipping alongside him not noticing Meredith standing in the shadows at the end of the corridor watching the three of them with a wide smile on her face.