Derek laughed as Meredith flopped down onto her couch.

"Three days is all it took you to move out of mom's and into your new place. Were you in a rush or something?"

Meredith giggled as she too, flopped down, but into Derek's awaiting arms.

"I don't know… I just felt like I was crowding your mom."

Derek wrapped his arms around her waist as she positioned herself comfortably. "Mom is going to miss having someone around all the time."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "She's still got you there."

Derek let out another laugh. "I don't count. She can't wait to get me out of there. Besides, I don't think I'll be spending too many of my nights there anymore…"

Meredith spun around in his arms and a playful look appeared in his eyes. "Derek!" she exclaimed as he leaned in to kiss her. She didn't fight. It felt so good to have him so close, and all hers.

It had been a week since Derek had found out about her pregnancy, and after a few stressful days of dealing with the dirty looks at work, Greg had given her a few extra days off. She had taken those days to get her stuff packed up and moved into her new apartment. But now, she was exhausted.

Derek looked around the living room. "I don't know how you got yourself all moved out in three days."

Meredith shrugged. "It's not like I had much Derek. I didn't exactly plan on moving out here when I left Seattle."

Meredith noticed the change in Derek's eyes right away. The twinkle went away instantly, replaced by pain and shame.

"But Derek, I love it here, and I think this is the happiest I've ever been. So it's all for the best."

Derek nodded slowly, but wasn't quite convinced. "But Meredith… I caused you so much pain, and I… I can't express how lucky I feel to have found you. I mean, why didn't you leave, when you found out that these people… all these people who had taken you in were my family… I mean… it just doesn't make sense…"

Meredith shrugged as she grabbed Derek's hand. "I don't know exactly. I think I started believing Natalie after a while and wanted you to find me. So I stayed in the place that you'd more than likely come to, that wasn't Seattle. I just hadn't expected it so soon…"

Derek squeezed her a little tighter as he let his lips linger on her neck, and trailed soft kisses down her jaw. "I knew I would find you eventually. And I wasn't giving up until I had you safe in my arms."

Meredith smiled as Derek reached her lips. Their kiss was loving but fierce all at once.

"So how are we going to celebrate your new place?" Derek asked, with a gleam in his eye.

Meredith giggled as she got up. "Lunch."

Derek seemed taken aback. "L…Lunch?"

Meredith turned around with an innocent look on her face, but a devilish grin in her eyes. "Have any better ideas?"

She didn't have any time to protest, or any chance. One second she was standing next to the doorway into the kitchen, the next she was in Derek's arms, his heavy breath on her neck.

"Much, much better ideas."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

It was nearly super time when Meredith and Derek walked into Carolyn's kitchen. Meredith hadn't even spent the night at her new place yet and already Carolyn missed having her around. She had grown on her, and she couldn't help but think about that night where she had found her on the bench. Carolyn wasn't naïve, and she didn't usually pick up strangers on benches, but there had just been something about her, a pull… now she couldn't think about her life without Meredith in it.

"You two look in shape," Carolyn said with a smile as they sat down at the island. "The moving didn't take too much energy out of you?"

"It wasn't the moving that took the energy out of us," Derek said with a chuckle.

"Derek Shepherd!" Meredith screeched as she punched him in the shoulder. She was bright red.

"Ow," he faked his pain. "That wasn't very nice."

Meredith put her head in her hands. "You're terrible Derek. I mean… seriously? Seriously?"

Derek laughed as he pulled her closer to him. "Meredith, you're pregnant. With my baby. Don't you think she's put two and two together?"

Meredith stared at him with her jaw dropped. "I… that… no," she said as she pointed her finger at him, got up and barged off.

Derek stopped laughing when he realized she was actually upset with him. "I'll go check on her."

Carolyn stopped him. "Give her a few minutes."

Derek looked up to his mother. "I was just playing around. I didn't think it would make her this upset. I…"

Carolyn made her way around the island and took a seat beside her son. "Like you said, she's pregnant Derek. She's going to have mood swings and she's not going to be herself because of her hormone levels. You need to watch yourself."

Derek nodded. "I… still want to go see if she's alright. I… I don't want her resenting me."

"She'll get over it Derek. You just watch. These next few months are going to be more than you bargained for."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

It was only when she reached the top of the stairs that Meredith realized she technically didn't have anywhere to go. The bathroom, she figured, was still an option. She could lock herself in and just sit on the toilet seat.

But she didn't go down to the bathroom. She went down the hall the opposite way and found herself in the room she had spent the last month and a half in. The room that had brought her so much comfort and security. The room that had once been Derek's.

But now it was as it had been that first night. Minus her bag in the corner of the room. She had sort of made it her own with the weeks she had been here. Her clothes had been scattered a little bit everywhere, her phone charger always on the bedside counter, along with a picture of her and Cristina she had found in some of the boxes that had been shipped to her. The picture on the wall of all of her friends, her fellow interns, was no longer there. No, it was now hung up on the wall that would soon be a nursery.

She was pregnant. It had been nearly a month since she had found out, but she had only started letting it sink in since Derek had found out. And having spent so much time on her own these last few days had really given her the opportunity to let it sink into her core.

Meredith Grey was going to be a mother.

She fell onto the bed and did nothing but stare up at the ceiling.

Her life was changing. Things would never be the same. She was no longer the Meredith Grey who picked up random men in bars, in the beginning to piss off her mother, than finally because she felt like she couldn't do better anyway. She was no longer the Meredith Grey who had no one to rely on, the Meredith Grey who always needed to fend for herself.

She was no longer the Meredith Grey who felt unloved.

She had people who she could count on for support, she had people who would be there by her side, who she could rely on no matter what. She had people who loved her unconditionally.

And one of those people just happened to be standing in the doorway.

"Meredith…" Derek whispered as he approached her and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry… I should be more sensitive."

Meredith finally shifted her attention from the ceiling to look at Derek and smiled. "I'm a whole new Meredith Grey, Derek. I'm not the Meredith Grey I was that first night at Joe's. If I had been, we wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have brought you home, we wouldn't have spent a year chasing each other in and out of sanity. I wouldn't be pregnant. But here we are, sitting here, together, a baby on the way, and I don't think I've ever felt…"

"More different?" Derek tried filling in when Meredith stopped.

Meredith bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't think I've ever felt happier." She reached over and grabbed Derek's hand and brought it to rest on her stomach. "This is everything most women dream of. Yet me, Meredith Grey, the one who lived the crappy life, gets it. It's a twisted universe Derek, but for once, I'm glad I'm a part of it."

Derek smiled down at her, his hand still resting under hers on her stomach. He gently lifted his hand just high enough to pull her shirt up and rested it on the skin of her stomach, the small barrier that separated his touch from their baby. It was one of the most incredible feelings he had ever experienced.

"Kiss me," Meredith whispered after a few minutes in comfortable silence. "Prove to me that this is real, that you're really here."

Derek smiled brightly as he leaned down and gave her just what she asked for.

"I'm really here Meredith, and I'm not going anywhere."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

When they had returned downstairs, Carolyn was no longer alone. Natalie and Cory were seated at the island, and Mark was leaning up against the counter, a beer in his hand.

"There you two are," Mark exclaimed. "We were wondering where you guys had disappeared to. Fulfilling a craving?"

"Shut up Mark," Derek answered, his voice full of warning. "We were talking. Grownups talk to each other, especially those in grown up situations. So either shut up, or grow up."

Natalie laughed. "Might as well just tape his mouth shut. It's not like he'll ever grow up."

"Agreed," Cory said as he raised his beer and took a sip.

"I'd have to say I'm on their side too Markie," Carolyn said as she entered from the far side of the room, coming out just behind Mark himself. "Maybe someday though…"

"Don't keep your hopes up though," Natalie added which caused even more laughter.

"Haha very funny," Mark said sarcastically. "Let's all make fun of Mark."

"We're sorry, it's just too easy," Meredith said with a smile.

"Why don't you boys go out and check on the barbecue. Man bonding time," Carolyn suggested. The three men got up from their seats and headed out the back door onto the patio. "Well that was easier than I had expected it to be."

Meredith and Natalie both smiled. "We will always have the upper hand over the men in this family," Natalie commented. "Always."

"I'm going to go see what the kids are up to," Carolyn excused herself and made her way to the stairs leading to the basement. She closed the door behind her, giving the two women some privacy.

"So how is the new the place coming along?" Natalie asked as she grabbed herself a can of pepsi from the fridge. She sat back down at the island, and Meredith followed, taking the seat Cory had just vacated.

"It's great. All moved in," Meredith said, relief in her voice. She was glad it was all done. She didn't think she could handle one more day of packing and unpacking.

"I'm going to have to drop by sometime soon," Natalie said with a smile. "Check the place out myself. And get a look at what I can do with your nursery."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "You've got plenty of time Nat. You've got, what? Seven and a half months?"

Natalie laughed. "You say that now, but it goes by fast, trust me."

Meredith smiled. "I was supposed to fear pregnancy and babies… I was made to fear any kind of love. But you guys… you guys changed me. For the better, that is. I don't fear any of it anymore. I'm happy, you know?"

Natalie smiled. "I understand. Well, I think I understand. I never went through what you went through, but I know what it's like to have everything change. I was sick, as a kid, I was diagnosed with a hundred and one things. I went through my teenage years taking pills and having people treat me differently because of whatever I had. I started resenting everyone and everything around me, but I finally figured out that it wasn't helping me, being upset about it wasn't going to change anything. I started talking to people, therapy for this disease no one seemed to be able to cure. Spent more time with the people I loved. I was sick when I met Cory, and spending time with him made things easier.

"I went to this one specialist when I was about 21. He gave me another prescription, but this time told me to forget about everything else I was taking. I didn't know what to think, but one day I woke up and didn't feel like I was going to fall to pieces. It was a year later, on the exact date that Tessa was born. I had thought I would die because of this disease no one could identify. I was sure my life was going to be a living hell. I haven't had any symptoms since that day. It was like I became a whole new person over night."

Meredith seemed taken aback. "Wow… I didn't know."

"Very few people do," Natalie said with a reassuring smile. "And now it's your turn to fight what you have fought with all these years, and one day you'll wake up and see everything clearly and know that you have been healed."

Meredith smiled. "I think I might have already."

Natalie let out a giggle. "Good. Now, to be able to truly accept it, you need to accept everything that comes with it. Have you finally accepted the fact that we love you?"

Meredith smiled. "I have, actually."

Natalie smiled brightly. "Good. And have you finally realized that Derek isn't going to leave you, that he is madly in love with you and that you are probably one of the luckiest women on the planet?"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't go as far as making me the luckiest woman on the planet. He has his quirks, he's not perfect you know."

"No man is. Derek is probably as close as it gets. But that's not the point."

Meredith laughed. "I have finally realized that Derek is not going anywhere, and I have let myself accept that I'm in love with him too."

Natalie squealed. " Meredith! You've said it out loud!"

Meredith blushed. "It seems I have. Now if only I could say it to Derek…"

Natalie shook her head. "It won't be long, or hard. It'll come out when it needs to come out." After a short pause, Natalie jumped from her seat.

"What?" Meredith asked, afraid of Natalie's sudden change of expression.

"Do you know what this means?"

Meredith was confused. "What what means?"

"Oh my goodness Meredith! We are going to be sisters! Actual sisters! I mean, it's only a matter of time. You love him, he's obviously madly in love with you. You're going to be parents together for crying out loud! It's only a matter of time before he gets down on one knee and pops the question. I mean, he's never been like he is with you with anyone else. Even with Addie. He knows you're it for the rest of his life. Holy crap! I totally call being a bridesmaid!"

Meredith was in shock. "We've never… it's too early… I mean… He's… and I'm… and…"

"You know I'm right Meredith."

Meredith looked away. "Let's just not get too carried away. It's still a long ways away. Trust me."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Fine. But you know I'm right. Anyway, back to the apartment. You staying there tonight?"

Meredith nodded. "My first night in my own place. You should drop by."

Natalie made a face. "I imagine Derek will probably want to have you to himself tonight."

It was Meredith's turn to roll her eyes. "It's my place Nat. Not his. Not ours. Mine. I make the decisions. Besides, he's on call tonight."

Natalie laughed as she finished her can of pop. "It won't be long before he's pretty much moved in there. You'll want him there during these tough few months. Especially to fulfill your… cravings…" she made a face. "I can't believe I'm saying this. He's my brother."

Meredith laughed. "Yeah, but that doesn't usually stop you from interrogating me about my sex life."

Natalie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Good point. It won't be long before you guys will be christening every one of those rooms."

Meredith got up from her seat to grab herself a glass of water. "We've already gotten through about half of them."

She wished she could have captured the expression on Natalie's face. It had been priceless.

"You… what? Oh… crap! I hate you right now. I really… You lucky little…"

Meredith laughed. "Natalie! He's your brother. You shouldn't think like that!" she used her very lines against her.

Natalie laughed. "And you're my brother's pregnant girlfriend whom I happen to think of as a best friend. I can think however the hell I want and right now all I'm thinking is how proud I am of you, and how much I want to kick your ass for waiting this long before you did anything!"

Meredith laughed. "It was worth the wait. Trust me on this one."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Supper had been quite uneventful. Mark hadn't stayed very long, since he needed to be in to work for eight, and Natalie and Cory had to get the kids home to bed since it was a school night. Carolyn, Derek and Meredith had spent a quiet evening just relaxing. Derek had left around nine thirty, needing to be in to work at ten. Carolyn, not wanting to be alone quite yet, tried her best to keep Meredith around just a little bit longer by asking questions, or just bringing up casual conversation topics.

"Back to work tomorrow?" Carolyn asked as she came in with the mugs of hot chocolate. Meredith took hers gratefully and smiled as the wonderful taste reached her lips.

Meredith nodded. "Yeah. I'm supposed to be on Derek's service too. I haven't had any time on his service since his arrival, so I'm sort of worried a little bit about that. But hopefully it'll go just fine."

Carolyn smiled as she took a seat beside Meredith. "I hope it does too sweetie. You have enough to worry about."

Meredith shook her head. "For the first time since I've been here, I don't feel the slightest bit worried. Sure, work is going to be difficult, and my residency is going to be hell, but I've got people there behind me. I know I can make it through. And I've finally come to the realization that Derek, or all of you for that matter, but especially Derek is in this for the length of it. He's not going anywhere, and I know that now."

Carolyn smiled as she rested her hand on Meredith's thigh. "I'm glad you've finally figured that out."

Meredith nodded. "Me too."

"So I hear your fellow interns aren't incredibly happy with your relationship with Derek."

Meredith let out a laugh. "Melissa and Julia haven't even said a word to me since they found out except for insulting comments. I honestly feel worse for Natalie than I do for myself though. She's the one who has to deal with them. I can just ignore them."

Carolyn nodded as she sipped her hot chocolate. "And they don't know about the pregnancy yet, do they?"

Meredith shook her head. "I don't know whether things will get better or worse when they do. Probably worse."

"Have things started to get around the hospital yet?"

Meredith shrugged. "I don't know about these last few days. But neither Derek, Mark or Natalie have said anything. And you know how much Natalie loves to share gossip. She would have told me. So other than them, I think the only ones who know at the hospital are Amy, Greg and Dr Taylor… Michael. It feels weird calling him Michael. But him and Derek are friends so… Anyway, he figured it out on his own. And I'm sure Dr Saunders – Lauren – knows. Greg probably told her. But… I think that's probably it."

Carolyn nodded. "Do you think you can keep it quiet for much more longer?"

Meredith though about it then shook her head. "No, probably not. I'm sure something is going to end up slipping sooner or later."

Carolyn nodded. "Those people, the ones who know already, they'll be there to help you through this. They'll be there for you."

Meredith smiled. "Trust me. I've finally realized that I know that."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Derek had barely gotten into his scrubs when he got the page about a car accident and a patient who needed a craniotomy. He was into surgery before he even had a chance to round on his patients.

The surgery had not only been touch and go, but it was also very long, and very drug out. First with his many health issues that they needed to find ways around. The discussions over that had gone until well over midnight and still then they didn't know exactly what they were doing. But they went in anyway, or else the patient definitely wouldn't have survived. And then it was actually trying to get around obstacles. When this didn't work, they needed a plan B. When that didn't work, they needed to calculate what were the risks of leaving it how it was.

So when Derek finally got out of surgery around six the next morning, he headed straight for his office to just sit down and breath. It was something he had to do a lot more than when he started off as an intern. Just sitting down and taking a breath. It had been when Addie had come out to Seattle when it became something he truly relied on. An escape from everything. And now, it was more a time of reflection.

He was going to be a dad. That had been the thing he reflected on the most during these times in his office. That and how lucky he was that his baby's mother was Meredith. His Meredith was pregnant and going to have a baby. And his Meredith was with him, by his side.

He tried thinking about what would have happened if he hadn't come out to New York so soon. He would have been miserable in Seattle of course, but not only that, he would have missed out on the entire experience of being a dad from start until end. He couldn't imagine having gone home five years later and having another little Shepherd greet him at the door, smiling like all of his or hers cousins, completely oblivious as to who the other was. He wouldn't know what to think. Natalie would have told him if one of his sisters had had another baby. And there would have been something special about this little one. Maybe the piercing green eyes.

And walking into the kitchen, following this crowd of little Shepherds, and watching that curious little four year old Shepherd jump into his mother's arms, Meredith's arms, probably would have punctured a hole in him. The little one was definitely a Shepherd, and he was the only male Shepherd left. That little one was his son, or his daughter, and he hadn't known.

No, he didn't even want to think about it. He wouldn't. Because it didn't matter, it wasn't relevant. Meredith was within reach, and Derek knew that they were in this together.

A sudden knock on his office door caught Derek off guard, and he hadn't even had the chance to invite whoever it was to come in before the door flung open and in came a very nervous looking, distraught Mark Sloan.

"Mark? What is it? What's going on?"

The first though to come through Derek's mind was that Meredith, or his mother, or one of his sisters or even one of his nephews or nieces had been hurt. But something about the way Mark paced the length of the small room told him it was something else completely.

Mark hadn't even said a word when his pager went off. Derek watched as he grabbed it, took a look and swore.

"Shit. I really need to take this."

"Mark!" Derek exclaimed as Mark went for the door. "Tell me what's going on?"

Mark couldn't look him in the eye. This wasn't good. "I… I can't explain right now."

Derek didn't understand. "What is it?"

Mark just shook his head as he rushed out. "I'm sorry Derek."

Derek followed him out of his office, but Mark was already down the hall. "Mark!"

"Just know that I'm sorry!" Mark called back before disappearing around a corner.

Derek just stared straight ahead, completely confused as to what had Mark so … he didn't even know how to describe Mark's behavior.

"What's up with Mark?"

Derek spun around at the sound of the voice and immediately brought Meredith into his arms. "Oh good you're okay."

Meredith was confused. "What? Why wouldn't I be?"

Derek pulled away and looked back to where Mark had just disappeared. "I… I don't know… But when Mark showed up in my office completely at a loss for words and the only thing he could do was say 'I'm sorry' I didn't know what to expect… but I thought maybe something had happened to you… but you're okay."

Meredith smiled slightly. "I'm okay. So you have no idea what's wrong with Mark?"

Derek shook his head. "Not a clue, other than he's sorry about whatever it is."

Meredith nodded. "Well then, it looks like we'll have to figure it out ourselves."

Derek nodded too as he led her back into his office. "By the way, what are you doing up here anyway?"

Meredith smiled as Derek pulled her down onto his small couch. "Well when my attending didn't meet me at the nurse's station at the beginning of my shift and I had been waiting for him for ten minutes, I figured I'd go looking for him. It's the first time he's had me on his service and so far he's making a terrible first impression."

"Who's service are…" Derek stopped as he thought about that. "Oh crap! I'm so sorry Meredith. I had completely forgotten. I had a surgery this morning and I –"

Meredith laughed and cut him off. "Calm down Derek. It's okay. We've all got a lot on our minds. I'm not angry with you."

"Any other intern, it would have been fine. But Meredith, this is the first time you're on my service here, the first day we get to work together in over a month. It's special, I should have remembered I should have –"

Meredith cut him off again, but this time with a kiss. "It's okay."

Derek nodded. "Okay."

Meredith grabbed his hand and led him back out of his office and they headed down the hall together hand in hand. They hadn't even made it to the end of the hallway when they ran into Michael, who seemed to be heading towards his office.

"Michael! How are you?"

Michael looked up to Derek and smiled hesitantly. "I'm good…" he said, a little unsure of Derek's attitude.

Meredith and Derek exchanged a look at Michael's hesitancy. "What's up with everyone today?"

Michael looked around then at Derek. "You haven't heard…"

Derek knew this was what he wanted to know. This is what Mark was going to tell him.

"Heard what?" Meredith asked in his place.

Michael looked back and forth between the two of them. "I… I overheard a few interns talking last night. They were gossiping… and you know how much the two of you are on the top of the gossip list. So… so I listened. To make sure it was nothing bad. But…"

"What is it?" Derek asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.

"It's gotten around Derek, and I'm sorry to the both of you. But… people know… and a pregnant intern is at the top of the gossip chain. Especially when they all have reason to believe that the father is an attending."

Derek immediately squeezed Meredith's hand as Meredith looked up to him. He kissed the top of her head softly, reassuringly. That's when everything made sense.

"Mark… Mark was the idiot who couldn't keep his mouth shut. He told someone, and it got around. That's why he came up here to say he was sorry. When I get my hands on him…"

Michael stopped him. "No… no I know Mark didn't say anything. One of the interns caught a glimpse of the blood test Meredith had gotten done last week when she was admitted. Mark didn't say anything…"

They were both confused now. "Then why was Mark sorry?"

Michael looked at both of them before continuing. "People around here, they know the two of you are together, but they don't know about your past… they've all done their calculations and from the time of your arrival here Derek and the information on the blood test… it doesn't add up. They think…"

Michael didn't have the chance to finish. Meredith cut him off. "Oh crap. They think Mark's the father."

Duhn duhn DUHN ! Hahaa I sure like my cliffhangers (; Hope you guys all enjoy this one ! Don't forget to review !