Disclaimer: This is the last chapter people! If you want me to do the sequel to this, REVIEW! Grey's Anatomy is sooo not mine, hence this disclaimer. The people who made it are geniuses! Mwah! Shortest story of mine to date only because my other ones are probably going to be as long as BRITANNICA! Just kidding but you never know!
Chapter 4: Five years on.
Five years had passed since Derek and Addison Shepherd left for New York from Seattle.
Cristina and Burke married a year after, 2007. They now lived in a house close to their friends and work. Burke was also chief since Webber retired that same year.
George and Rachel married the year after year after them, 2008. Rachel had twins, Diana Catherine O'Malley and Dean Christian O'Malley that same year since she got pregnant on their wedding night.
Alex and Izzie got engaged after Cristina and Burke's wedding and got married in 2009. Izzie gave birth to twins, Harry James and Holly Jacinta Karev in the same year.
Meredith lived alone with her twins, Alyssa and Andrew; at the home her grandma Kelly built for her on the plot of land that used to be Derek's.
Today, Meredith and Rachel were baby-sitting their own children and the others kids at Meredith's house.
"Did you ever ring up Addison when you were ready?" Rachel suddenly asked as she watched all the kids play.
"No. I forgot to. I better do it now." Meredith smiled as she rushed to the phone.
"Are you ready?" Rachel frowned as she saw Meredith pressing numbers on her home phone.
"Yes, as much as I'll ever be ready." Meredith smiled back.
Addison was at her home when Meredith rang.
"Hello? Addison Sloan speaking." Addison smiled as she picked up the phone.
"Hi, Addison. It's me, Meredith." Meredith replied with her very own smile.
"Meredith! It's been five years, girl! How have you been?" Addison lit up. She knew she would get this phone call.
"Great! You Addison Sloan now?" Meredith smiled as she noticed Addison's last name.
Addison explained that she and Derek tried their hardest but they couldn't make their marriage work so they mutually agreed for a divorce. She then realised she was in love with Mark Sloan, Derek's best friend, the one who she cheated on him with which made Derek fly to Seattle. Addison married Mark in 2008. She and Mark were still good friends with Derek who lived alone these days.
"Oh! Things really do change in five years!" Meredith gasped with wide eyes.
"Yes, they do. I also have twins, Mariah Helena and Matthew Henry Sloan. They are now three years old." Addison smiled as she gazed on her beautiful children.
"You and Mark should come visit. Rachel and George married in 2008 and have twins the same age as yours. Cristina and Burke married the year after you left and Alex and Izzie married in 2009 and have twins who are 2 years old." Meredith smiled warmly.
"I should, shouldn't I? I'll tell Mark but I'll have to tell Derek." Addison smiled as she was tickled by Meredith's suggestion.
"I have a massive house! My grandmother built it but the plot of land has so much extra space, I had to buy 4 dogs, 4 cats and 4 horses just to make it feel smaller!" Meredith laughed.
"I have to go. Nice talking to you, Meredith." Addison smiled as she saw Mark enter with a slight frown.
"Goodbye Addison." Meredith smiled as she put down the phone.
"Who was that?" Mark asked his wife as she smiled widely.
"That was Meredith Grey." Addison replied with a smile.
Mark nodded. Addison had told him about Meredith, her friends and her secret.
"Is it time?" Mark asked with the frown reappearing.
"Yes, it's time. Plus, Meredith invited us to her house." Addison smiled back as she kissed his cheek fondly.
"I'll go call Derek." Mark grinned as he went back to their room to call Derek.
Luckily, he caught Derek on his break.
"Hello?" Derek frowned as he picked up his phone.
"Hey, Derek! It's me, Mark!" Mark grinned as he picked up the anxiousness in Derek's voice.
"Hey Mark! What's up?" Derek relaxed into a smile.
"Addie and I were thinking we should get together at our place tonight for chat, say 7?" Mark replied friendly. He didn't want to get Derek suspicious.
"Tonight? You two never do things on such short notice but ok." Derek was stunned to say the least.
"Mariah and Matt will love seeing you again, Uncle Derek!" Mark laughed as he remembered what his kids called Derek.
"I'll be there. See ya, Mark." Derek grinned ruefully.
"See ya, Derek." Mark grinned as he hung up.
As Mark put down the phone, Addison came in.
"He's coming. It was almost painful to say Uncle Derek." Mark sighed as he sat on the bed.
"It was Meredith's choice. As much as they are Derek's kids, they're hers as well." Addison patted her husband's back.
"What were you doing just before?" Mark asked as he saw the passports in Addison's hands.
"I booked us a flight to Seattle." Addison smiled slyly.
"You are so happy Meredith called, aren't you?" Mark snorted lightly.
"She is my friend after all. She helped us get together again and she made me realise that I was in love with you." Addison replied truthfully before kissing Mark on the lips.
"We better get prepared for the chat." Mark broke off the kiss with some regret.
"Yes, we should." Addison agreed as she walked to the kitchen to cook something nice.
Four hours later, Derek came in but didn't get far as Mariah and Matt bombarded him.
"Uncle Derek!" Mariah and Matt squealed happily.
"Mariah and Matthew Sloan! What have you been feeding these two, Addison?" Derek grinned lightly.
"Nothing they shouldn't eat. Come on now. Leave Uncle Derek alone." Addison smiled as she placed a plate of salad on the table.
Addison, Mark and Derek had a nice night together, talking, laughing, catching up on things.
"There is a reason we called you, Derek." Mark hinted after he put Mariah and Matt to bed.
"What reason?" Derek asked with a frown, blissfully unaware of the secret.
"Meredith called me today." Addison replied after a while of silence. "She called me to tell you what we kept secret from you for five years."
Derek sat in absolute silence.
"Five years ago, she became pregnant with you children, Derek. Twins, one boy, one girl. Everyone knew about it and she only told me about the first time she and Rachel were assigned as my interns. The chief gave her maternity leave for four months. The day I got a phone call, it was from Meredith. She gave birth to healthy, beautiful twins and I was there. There was no evidence of her pregnancy because she worked out hard every day during it. That night, at the airport, she was crying. She let you go with me to try and work out our marriage, Derek. She told me that when she calls me, it means she's ready for you to hear about them." Addison confessed with tears flowing out of her eyes.
Derek sat in absolute silence with shock and horror appearing on his face.
"She never wanted you to know until now. She knew how much we used to love each other and she wanted you happy, Derek." Addison saw the emotions as clearly as day.
"She is the only person I love and she carried my children, twins? How is she?" Derek spluttered after a while. Knowing you were a father for the first time in five years wasn't a nice feeling.
"She's coping, minimally. Her grandmother built a house on the plot of land you had your trailer on all those years ago. She's the richest out of all of us, even Mark and I because her grandmother is British Billionaire, Kelly O'Connelley." Addison replied with a slight sigh.
"I need to get on the first flight back to Seattle." Derek said as he frantically pawed for his mobile.
"I did that this afternoon. Five tickets to Seattle, departing tomorrow morning." Addison held up her tickets which arrived at 5 o'clock.
Derek sighed inwardly but he was still shocked to the core.
"What are my kids names?" Derek asked after a while.
"Alyssa Sophia and Andrew Samuel Shepherd." Addison replied softly.
"You can stay here for the night. I've already gotten Marcel, our butler, to pack everything you have and bring it here." Mark offered. He knew Derek needed time.
"Thanks." Derek sighed as he walked to the guest bedroom to see all his things there that was remotely able to be packed in suitcases.
"Everything must be such a shock to you. None of us ever wanted to keep it a secret but it was Meredith's decision and she knew you weren't ready for fatherhood." Addison entered the room and sat on the bed.
"But when did all this happen?" Derek frowned deeply. He was still trying to get his head around the news.
"The day I came. Ah yes, you are going to cop some flack from Bailey, big time." Addison replied softly with a smile.
"What for?" Derek frowned even harder this time.
"Bailey's Meredith's godmother." Addison smiled wider as she saw Derek's mouth hang open.
"Is that why Bailey hated me for ages on end! This is not going to look pretty, is it?" Derek's eyes were now the size of golf balls.
"No, it's not. Addie and I bought a house over there so we're going to move all our stuff." Mark grinned as he saw Derek's expression.
"How would you like it if Addison told you that she had given birth to your twins and everyone except you knew about it and they all kept the damn secret for five god damned years!" Derek snarled viciously. He wasn't used to dealing with kind of shock.
"Easy, Derek. Meredith had to give birth at home so you wouldn't find out. She has gone through hell and back for those kids and you. Knowing Meredith Elizabeth Grey, she would do it over and over again." Addison's eyes narrowed.
"Let's try and get some sleep, huh?" Mark grinned uneasily. He wasn't used to seeing Derek so mad.
"Yeah. Goodnight." Derek replied shortly.
The next morning, the Sloan's and Derek reached the airport in record time.
"We have an hour, Derek! What are you goin…Oh hell no!" Addison practically shouted when she saw Derek eyeing the jewellery store.
"What? Is it so bad?" Derek asked with a confused frown.
"No, it isn't bad but dude, she has a British Billionaire for a grandmother. She can buy a hospital, let alone a diamond ring!" Mark made his point, stressing the point that Meredith would be one hell of a rich woman once her grandmother died.
"And I get two million a year. What am I to do with… 34 million?" Derek asked realistically as he remembered his bank statement.
"You could love her. She has enough money as it is." Addison suggested lightly.
Before they could say another word, however, it was time for them to board their flight to Seattle.
"Is she going to be there?" Derek asked for something like the hundredth time.
"Derek, shut up! Meredith is going to be there and she will be fine. Now, shut up and go to sleep!" Addison snapped irritably.
Derek didn't speak another word until they arrived at Seattle airport.
"If you don't want to be killed by your own scalpel, I suggest you should shut up now." Mark raised his eyebrows as Derek got fidgety again.
"You're acting like you're the kid." Addison snorted as they got their bags out of the baggage train.
When they got out of customs, they immediately saw Rachel and the others but there was no sign of Meredith.
Addison, Derek and Mark greeted them all the same as the rule was that greetings came first and then questions.
"Where's Meredith?" Addison asked with a smile. She was so happy to see her friends again.
"She's at home looking after all the kids and preparing for dinner. She has a massive playroom for the kids to play in and outdoors, there's a stable with four horses, 4 dogs and 4 cats." Rachel explained with a smile. She knew Addison had already explained the secret to Derek as she saw the anxiousness written all over his face.
They got to Meredith's house pretty quickly and it left Addison, Mark and Derek gaping at the size.
"She wasn't kidding when she said it was huge." Addison gaped as she saw the size of the house.
"Her grandma loved how the builders made it. She said it was a replica of her mansion, save it's only a third of the size." Izzie smiled as she walked to the front door and opened it.
Addison, Mark and Derek marvelled at the sheer size of the whole house. There was a chandelier in the dining room and there was a private gym, an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool, a sauna, spa, a bathroom for each room, a huge kitchen, stables, a massive kids playroom and a ballroom.
"And this is all on my old plot of land?" Derek's eyes widened as he only just realised the sheer size of his old plot of land where he had only his trailer.
"Yes. I didn't imagine it was that big." Meredith came out the dining room with a smile on her face.
Addison, Mark and Derek were stunned that five years had virtually no effect on Meredith's physical appearance. She was 33 and she was as beautiful as ever.
"Meredith! It's been so long! How are you?" Addison strode over and hugged her.
"Too long if you ask me. I'm fine. How are you, Addison?" Meredith replied with a warm hug and smile.
Derek just stood there, amazing himself that she was the mother of his twins. Their twins.
"Hi Mark! I've heard so much about you from Addison!" Meredith smiled wide as she turned to hug Mark just as warmly as she did with Addison.
"Likewise. This is such a massive house! How on earth do you find yourself?" Mark asked, eyes widening to make his point.
"I don't. This is an exact replica of my grandmother's mansion back in London. There was a map out the front. There's a map in every room so it's not really that hard to find your way around." Meredith explained with a smile.
Lastly, she greeted Derek and he could feel her anxiousness in her hug.
"I'm sorry I didn't call. Ally and Andy are a handful and they don't understand what I went through. Come." Meredith whispered softly in Derek's ear before taking his hand.
"Where are you taking me?" Derek asked as he followed Meredith to a bookshelf in the private library.
"Hold on a second. I have to find the right book." Meredith smiled as she crouched down and started moving the bottom most books.
"What are you doing?" Derek asked once more with raised eyebrows.
All of a sudden, the whole bookcase started moving which startled Derek but made Meredith smile.
"I always forget it's the large humbug!" Meredith smiled wide before taking Derek's hand again.
Meredith led Derek inside a large bedroom which looked like it was constantly occupied.
"What is this place?" Derek sat down on the bed as the bookcase shut.
"This is the only room that is very close to me. It's the sound proof room. I come here to cry and remind myself. I don't want Ally and Andy worried that I'm crying. No one knows about this room save grandma Kelly and me. It's not on the maps." Meredith explained softly as she sat down on the bed next to him.
Suddenly, she burst into tears which made Derek startle but not as badly.
"What's wrong?" Derek asked with concern in his voice as he started rubbing Meredith's back.
"Nothing's wrong. It's just that I find that everyone's so supportive but I feel I don't deserve it. I'm a doctor and I'm a mother but I have things so lenient. I feel so sorry for all the new interns who look all confused and all. They need things to be lenient, not me, an attending." Meredith confessed with a small smile.
"So… This is the soundproof room. Have you done anything other than cry in here?" Derek asked with a sly smirk.
Meredith instantly slapped him for that.
"No! I have two kids and all you're thinking about is that? Not to mention you're the father of both of them!" Meredith's expression was of mingled incredulity, shock and anger.
"Does that mean you'll only sleep with me?" Derek pressed to ask which made Meredith put on a sly smile.
"Maybe…" Meredith smiled wide.
Let's just say they didn't come out of there for some time due to, ahem, strenuous activities that can only be partaken by two individuals of opposite sex. When they got out, it wasn't unnoticed by every other adult.
"Hair rumpled, shiny eyes. Could it be?" Cristina raised her eyebrows as she saw Meredith and Derek.
"If so, why the hell was it so silent?" Izzie made a valid point.
Meredith and Derek smiled at that. This was one secret only they would know for now.
"So…Dinner anyone?" Addison asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'll go get the kids." Rachel offered as she walked up the grand staircase.
"We'll help. Derek needs to be acquainted with Ally and Andy." Meredith smiled as she, Derek and Rachel walked up to the huge playroom.
Inside, there was a whole jungle gym, dolls houses, balls, basketball hoops and more for the kids to play with.
"Grandma Kelly knew about the kids so she had these things installed. They play for hours on end and they still don't get bored of it." Meredith explained with a smile as she saw Derek gaping mouth.
"Kids! Time for dinner!" Rachel shouted.
In an instant, ten kids rushed out of wherever they were and towards Rachel, Meredith and Derek.
Two of the kids had bright blue eyes and hazel coloured hair. They came to Meredith with wide smiles.
"Hello Ally and Andy! Had fun?" Meredith asked her children with an equally wide smile.
"Yes mommy! Mommy, whose that man next to you?" The girl, Ally, cocked her head she saw Derek. She had seen a picture of Derek with Meredith in Meredith's bedroom.
"I'll tell you after dinner. Now run along now." Meredith kissed the tops of their heads before they ran after their friends.
"They looked like they know me." Derek said, more of a question than a statement.
"Yes. I've got a picture of you and me on my bedside table. They see it every time they go into my room." Meredith explained. She didn't have clue how to tell Ally and Andy that Derek was their father. I mean, come on! They're only five years old!
All of a sudden, four cats and four dogs streaked by which made Derek startle.
"I forgot to tell you, didn't I? I have four cats; Jewel, James, Catherine and Cameron. The four dogs' names are; Kara, Kane, Olivia and Oliver. The horses' names are; Daniella, Daniel, Night and Strawberry. I have another house in the Sunset Boulevards which has 6 dogs, 6 cats and 8 horses." Meredith smiled as she ticked off all the names of the pets in the house.
Derek gaped. She was an attending, she was a mother of twins and she could reel off all 12 pets' names in a flash.
"It's nothing really. I go riding everyday on Daniella since Night and Strawberry are Andy and Ally's horses." Meredith shrugged nonchalantly as she and Derek walked to the exquisite dining room.
Everyone ate in smiles and laughter. They felt at ease now that the group was complete. It was never complete with everyone but Meredith paired up and living happily with their kids.
They talked about what was going on in Seattle Grace. Nothing had changed much save the fact that Burke was the chief now and all the interns' were now attendings. Other than that, nothing much had changed.
"Excuse me. I have to go out." Meredith smiled as she excused herself from the table.
Derek watched her leave, a concerned expression fixed on his face.
"Go to her. She knows it's not your fault that you left. It was her decision but she has kids which she needs to be strong for." Rachel urged, catching the mournful look on Derek's face.
"I feel like I don't deserve her. I left her on her own with twins, our kids. It just feels overwhelming." Derek confessed but he walked out none the less.
Derek found Meredith on a bench on the back garden, tears streaking down her face as she watched the horses play.
"There was nothing you could have done to change my mind about this, Derek. None of this was your fault." Meredith uttered through her tears as Derek sat down next to her.
Derek simply nodded. He knew that their kids were everything to her.
"I'm just kicking myself that I didn't realise you were pregnant." Derek confessed as Meredith moved closer towards him and wrapped his left arm around her shoulder.
Meredith played with Derek's hair and got comfortable laying her head on his shoulder before replying.
"You had your own problems to sort out. You were married to Addison and you made the right choice. You needed time and I was fine about that. I had Cristina, Burke, George, Rachel, Alex and Izzie to get me through." Meredith assured softly as Derek played with her hair.
Derek gazed lovingly at Meredith, marvelling at her strength.
"I love you, Meredith Grey." Derek kissed the top of Meredith's head lovingly.
Meredith didn't reply for a while because she couldn't say anything. Her breath had caught in her throat. She knew he did even before he said it but hearing it now was a blessing.
"I love you to, Derek Shepherd." Meredith finally replied, tears of absolute joy streaming down her face.
Just then, Andy and Alyssa came running down to see Meredith and Derek since Rachel had sent them to them.
"Auntie Rachel said we should come to you, mommy." Andy spoke, his way of explaining things.
Meredith and Derek looked at each other before turning back to face Andy and Ally.
"Andy, Ally. This is your father, Derek Shepherd." Meredith announced in a soft, motherly voice.
Andy and Ally gazed at Derek for a while before they jumped on him, squealing softly and hugging him.
"Daddy." Andy and Ally said in unison as Derek pulled them both into a big hug.
Meredith watched as Derek pulled funny faces and told jokes which made Andy and Ally giggle in their childish way.
"You really are perfect." Meredith smiled as they all got off the bench, Meredith's arms around Ally and Andy on Derek's shoulders.
Everyone else rushed outside to see Derek, Meredith and their children laugh and play. It was a nice sight to see the most deserving people happy one more in the first time for five years.
Soon, it was time for everyone to go to sleep. Addison, Mark and their children had rooms to sleep in at Meredith, and now Derek's, house.
Meredith and Derek tucked Andy and Alyssa in their room. All the children had shared rooms which none of them really argued about.
"Goodnight and sweet dreams." Meredith smiled as she kissed the tops of Andy and Alyssa's heads before she and Derek walked out.
"Goodnight mommy. Goodnight…daddy." The twins replied before going to sleep.
Meredith and Derek walked into Meredith's room where Meredith had placed all of Derek's clothes in a wardrobe next to her own.
"What happened to your townhouse that you inherited?" Derek asked as they slowly dressed. They were in no rush.
"I have it to Alex and Izzie. George and Rachel have a house just around the corner and Cristina and Burke live two doors down." Meredith replied simply. She had no use for the townhouse and it felt good to give stuff.
They lay in bed, Derek spooning Meredith, his arm around hers, his head resting on her shoulder.
"You never left me." Meredith whispered before they went to sleep.