CHAPTER SEVEN – THE BABY

She was beautiful.

Meredith was biased, of course. Totally and wonderfully biased. But even if she stepped back, tried to put on her objective, doctor goggles, she was sure this was a beautiful baby.

Lexie's new daughter was tiny as expected, but her proportions were perfect and she had all her fingers and toes. She was asleep now, resting in her mother's arms. But for the previous hour, she had been alert, showing off the bright blue eyes she'd inherited from her father. Her hair was dark, a gift from Lexie. It peaked out in little tufts from her pink knitted cap. Every once in awhile, a hand would stretch out from her blanket. And if they were lucky… she would yawn. Mark would smile and Lexie would cry…

And Meredith would thank God or whoever was up their listening that everything had gone well. Everyone was safe. Everyone was happy.

And the baby was absolutely beautiful.

"Well…" Derek sighed, clapping his hand on Mark's shoulder. "Merry Christmas, I guess."

He nodded towards the clock up on the wall. It read 2:05… 2:05 in the morning. Good grief, it was early, Meredith thought. Or maybe just late… depending on the time difference. She was still a bit thrown by her coast-to-coast journey. But Mark's grin only grew as he recognized the importance of the hour. His little girl had waited just long enough to be an official Christmas baby.

"Best gift ever." His tone was jovial, but also delightfully sincere. He put a hand on his daughter's head then gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. "Welcome to the world, kid. We're gonna do the best we can, okay?"

Meredith leaned into Derek, allowing his arms to wrap around her shoulders. She was tired…. So, so tired. The residual stress of the previous day was just beginning to leave her system. It was making her all the more emotional and she suddenly realized how grateful she was for the man currently supporting her. She loved him for being here, for braving the snow to meet her at the airport… and weirdly enough, for bringing Mark Sloan into their lives… and yes, for bringing Lexie in too. It pained her to think that she'd needed such a push to accept her sister. But her husband was indeed the one who had brought home the stray… convinced her to adopt Lexie into their weird, makeshift family.

And now there was a baby. A lovely, sweet, tiny bundle of…

"You want another one, don't you?" Derek whispered in her ear.

Meredith chewed the inside of her cheek. She wasn't going to react, wasn't going to take away from the moment. But yes, he'd caught her, seen the way she'd looked at her sister, with affection and maybe just a hint of jealousy. Her fatigue had pretty well weakened her impulse control. Honestly, she'd nearly stolen that baby ten minutes ago.

"I can tell…" Derek murmured. "And I'd be okay with that."

"Later…"

This was a conversation for another day, though she certainly wasn't opposed to having it. Adding another child to their family… Just a few months ago, she'd had a million reasons why that was a bad idea. But she could no longer think of them.

"You wanna hold her again?"

Lexie said the right words, but all too quickly Meredith noticed that they were directed at Mark. She took a steadying breath, watched as the new father leaned down to kiss his beaming wife.

"No, I think she's pretty happy right where she is."

It was a smart move on his part. Lexie definitely wasn't ready to let go. Her maternal instincts had gone into overdrive, surprising even the nurses who'd come in to check on her. They'd simply laid out their nursery services and Lexie had glared at them, before calmly explaining that her brand new baby would not be leaving her sight.

It was all to be expected… and rather wonderful to see. Mark had held his daughter briefly when she'd first arrived, but since then, the baby had been with her mother. And Lexie… Lexie was taking in every inch of her child. Meredith couldn't help but laugh as she leaned down to smell the infant, her eyes closed in pure bliss.

Meredith had seen her little sister overcome with happiness, at her wedding to Mark, at the various holidays they'd once gathered for in Seattle... But she'd never seen Lexie quite like this. It was as if she was glowing from the inside out. Her smile was wider… brighter, her eyes sparkly with tears. Everything about her exuded absolute, unadulterated joy.

"I just can't believe she's here…" Lexie said softly. "Like really here, outside in the world."

"It's pretty amazing, right?" Meredith stepped out of Derek's grasp and perched on a corner of the bed, the better to see her gorgeous, new niece.

"I don't think I really understood…" Lexie bit back another huge smile. "How much I would love her."

"I told you."

"She's perfect."

"She is."

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Derek moved to the foot of the bed, now that it was safe to do so. He was clearly admiring the picture before him… His best friend, his little sister, the newest member of their family…

"We're still deciding," Mark admitted. His expression turned sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda assumed we had some more time."

"I have an idea..." Lexie never tore her gaze from the baby. "But we can talk about it later."

"Maybe after you get some sleep?" Meredith offered. If she was tired, she knew Lexie had to be running on empty. Her body had been through a long, hard labor and the short burst of adrenaline from meeting her child would wear off soon enough. "I don't want her to end up with some crazy new name just because you two were half dead."

"That's not gonna happen…"

"You get loopy when you're tired, Lex." Meredith had ample memories to support her claim. "I once saw you dip your entire hand into a glass of milk."

Lexie's head snapped up.

"I thought I was grabbing the cookies right next to it."

"Exactly."

"That's hardly the same thing…"

"Remember walking into that door one night?" Meredith had watched that one happen from just down the hall. "You almost gave yourself a black eye."

"I did not."

"You literally ran your face into the door. Didn't even make it to the attic steps."

"I'll make sure she gets some rest," Mark interjected, knowing full well this could go on forever. Meredith wasn't the only one who had seen sleepy Lexie. "We're here for the night anyway, might as well take advantage of it."

"Guys, I'm not a child…" Lexie rolled her eyes.

"No, but you have a child," Meredith pointed out the new reality, the one her sister was still growing accustomed too. "This might be the last bit of sleep you get until her next birthday. Enjoy it."

"Speaking of which…" Derek slid his phone out of his pocket. "I better check on our little munchkins. Mom took them home to put them to bed."

"Tell her we'll be back there soon," Meredith called after him as he stepped out the door. It was already Christmas and pretty soon Zola and Bailey would be pouncing on them, begging to open their presents from Santa.

"Did you call Dad?" Lexie glanced over at Mark, a wrinkle of concern creasing her forehead. "I was supposed to talk to him hours ago, but I totally forgot."

"I think that's understandable…"

"Well he should be awake with the time change."

"I can check in with him." Mark rubbed her shoulders, careful not to let the stress sneak back into them. "Last I heard, he was trying to reschedule his flight. He thought he could probably get here by tomorrow."

"He's bringing Dani…" Lexie's tone took a distinct turn towards the negative. "He asked me if that was okay…"

"And of course you said yes."

"Of course I said yes."

Meredith's attention wandered as she struggled to place that name. Dani. It was obviously someone attached to her father. She rewound various Thatcher moments, at least the ones she'd been a part of too, and oh… there it was! Thatcher in the hospital with kidney stones. Lexie throwing a rather out-of-character, but also semi-hilarious, tantrum.

"She was his girlfriend, right?" Meredith figured she'd better get some confirmation. "The one with the tattoos?"

"His fiancé now…" Lexie amended. Her lack of enthusiasm at this news was plain to see. Sure, she'd been happy to expand her family, but she really hadn't expected her father's section of the tree to start growing again.

"Oh god, what if they decide to have kids?" Her mouth dropped open at this new possibility. "We could have another sibling… one that's younger than my daughter!"

"I think we're probably safe, Lex." Meredith giggled at her sister's tortured expression. "Although maybe don't let Dani spend too much time with the baby. She is pretty cute."

That was all it took. Lexie lit up once more, her anxieties calmed by a wave of maternal pride.

"She is cute, isn't she?"

"Alright, you two…" Now it was Mark's turn to pull out his phone. The organizational duties usually fell to Lexie, but tonight he was more than willing to take on the load. "I better make this call before it gets too much later."

"Thanks…" Lexie reached for his hand before he could step away.

"But feel free to keep complimenting my daughter-"

"Our daughter."

"Until I get back."

The couple grinned at each other, both giddy, exhausted… excited… and maybe a bit dazed. They'd entered new territory here, so all they could do was put one foot in front of the other, take care of the small things first. The rest would come later. Mark leaned down to kiss his wife. A second kiss brushed the baby's head.

"I won't be long…" He aimed the phone at them as he headed towards the door. "Don't let her get any more adorable before I return…"

"I can't promise anything." Lexie shrugged her shoulders, a fresh smile playing across her lips. Mark just smirked.

"I was talking about you."

Meredith watched the blush that spread across her sister's face… It was indeed, annoyingly adorable. Mark raced back across the room, planted one more, quick kiss on his wife's cheek, and then he was gone.

They might as well have been a month into dating. They'd kept that same playful energy all the way through their rollercoaster relationship.

"That's my husband…"

Lexie leaned into her pillows, smiling at Mark's antics. Years ago, they'd appeared to be such a terrible, terrible match. The innocent, little intern and the great womanizer of Seattle Grace. But they'd made each other better. They'd both grown up, matured, found ways to compromise… And they'd made a liar out of Meredith, who'd predicted epic disaster from the very beginning.

She'd never been so happy to be wrong about something.

"Thank you for being here…" Lexie took her hand, but this time her grip was gentle. Their fingers interlaced and Meredith could see genuine gratitude shining in her eyes. "I know it was hard…"

"It wasn't that hard-"

"Oh, come on," Lexie groaned. "You can admit it was hard. It's Christmas and there's a storm outside and your kids are sharing a twin air mattress at Derek's mom's house. And you're probably gonna get stuck on the couch."

"This is family," Meredith reminded her.

Back in Seattle, in that dark and twisty period Derek still teased her about, she'd once denied anyone who shared her last name. And as bad luck would have it, that was when her poor sister had stumbled into her life. Hell, she'd barely realized how much she cared about Lexie until she'd seen that Mark could potentially hurt her. It seemed so incredibly silly now.

"You are my family," Meredith said the words firmly. There would always be a tiny bit of guilt gnawing at her, forcing her to keep proving herself to Lexie. "And this… this was sort of a big deal. There was no way a storm was gonna keep me from this hospital. I don't care how much snow is falling out there."

"Still…" Lexie let out a long breath and there was that unnecessary appreciation again, written all over her face. "It means a lot. I'm not sure how I would have done…"

"You would have been fine."

"Maybe…"

She didn't sound too convinced. Lexie stroked her infant's arm absently as Meredith wondered what she was thinking. Was she imagining her mom, the look Susan would give her when she saw her new granddaughter? Could Lexie envision some big family scene with both of her parents and that other sister she barely ever saw anymore? There was no way to tell, because Lexie was keeping those thoughts to herself.

That was her right. She knew Meredith was there to listen if and when she was ready to talk. That's where they'd landed. Amazingly enough… Meredith had let the walls come crumbling down. Besides marrying Derek and having her children, it might have been the best thing she'd ever done.

"Would you like to hold her?"

Lexie's question caught her off guard.

Meredith blinked a few times, allowing herself to consider her answer. Truth be told, she was aching to hold the baby, to feel the warm, occasionally squirming weight nestled against her, to have tiny fingers curl around her own. But she didn't want to take that from her sister.

"I can see it in your eyes, Mer…" Lexie kept pressing anyway. "You're staring at her the way that I stared at Zola when you first brought her home."

"That's not true."

"Liar…" She shifted the tiny bundle, and there it was… the yawn. Little arms stretched up in the air, then settled into the blanket again.

Meredith nearly died.

"You let me hold Zola…" Lexie lifted the baby towards her.

Meredith squeezed her hands into fists, oh-so tempted.

"I sorta think you're supposed to be bonding…"

"We're bonded, trust me," Lexie laughed. "She'll be lucky if she gets away for college at this point."

That was it. Meredith's resistance finally dissolved.

"Well, if you insist…"

She reached for the baby, not wanting to appear too eager. She was the cool aunt, afterall. But still, her heart melted into a puddle as she cradled the little girl, pushing the blanket back from her face. And then, just like that, those bright blue eyes opened. The baby squinted up at what was, more than likely, a blurry image of her aunt and Meredith's melted, puddly heart skipped a beat.

"You did great, Lex…" She ran the pad of her thumb gently over her niece's soft cheek. Lexie scooted closer and leaned into her sister.

And everything was right in the universe.

"I'm really happy…" Lexie said quietly. "I'm just… really, really happy."

"I'm happy too…" Meredith nodded. Her brother-in-law was right.

Best gift ever…

"Merry Christmas, Lexie."

She felt her sister sigh in contentment.

"Merry Christmas."

Well there you go, gang! We've now met the baby. Man, it still makes me sad that we never got a scene like this on the show, but at least it's been fun to write. I miss all these characters so much and it's been nice to put them in happier times. I'm figuring there is probably a chapter or two left of this story. Yes, we're gonna go back to the rest of the crew, the kids, Cristina etc… assuming you guys are still out there and enjoying it? Let me know! Reviews as always are welcome and appreciated.

In the meantime, I'm still juggling the last chapter of Louder Than Words. That may come next, I'm not sure yet. So if you're waiting on this one and haven't read that one yet, you can check it out. I swear, there are happy parts in there too… though yeah, it can be sad. But then you can always come back to this story! :) Anyway, thanks again to those who are reading. Hope to hear from you!