Meri!

"I had a great time." She said to him holding her keys in her right hand, and resting the other one in the doorknob of the main entrance to her home.

"So do I" Derek answered, trying to convince himself of the truthfulness of that statement.

But the black haired woman in front of him knew better. She'd been scrutinizing him the whole night. Neither of them were stupid, he knew she knew he tried to hard along the night faking smiles and interest towards the conversation... If anyone quizzed him right now about what was said, he'd failed completely. He found himself several times during their date, thinking of her. No matter how hard he tried to force his mind to come back to the reality of the here and now, it always went back to her, his Meredith.

"You're lying."

"I am?"

"Why did you asked me out Derek?" Lexie turned to him before getting across the front door of her house, right after she opened the door with her keys.

It was late and the lights of the house were turned off.

"I... I don't... I just... I... I'm sorry... I made a mistake..." He said sliding his hand through his raven hair curls... looking to the ground not having the strength to meet her eyes...

"Good night Dr. Shepard" Distancing herself from him, and ending with that statement something that never really begun. As she entered the dark threshold of her house…

-

Meredith Grey had been sitting on a garden chair, right beside the pool, quietly observing... to the very giggly couple in front of her... Father and daughter were enjoying each other playing what it appeared to be Abby's favorite pool game, which basically consisted in being held way up in the air by Derek and being thrown into the water.

The three of them had a good breakfast in the morning prepared by Derek, whom turned out to be an excellent cook, It's funny how in all the time they were together before Abby's birth she never knew about Derek's cooking skills, until now... And now the three of them were spending a nice afternoon at the pool...

It's been four weeks since Derek took Meredith home... It should be awkward for her to call this place home since technically it's Derek's place... but that's exactly how it felt... It felt like home... She'd been doing her therapy each day and had regained a lot of her muscular strength... She can't walk by herself yet but she can do it with the help of a walker, which gave her back her sense of independence and self control.

During the past weeks, she'd been witnessing what a great father Derek is... He's done a great job raising Abby all by himself... She's a sweet, loving, docile but yet with a mind of her own, unafraid to speak up her own mind, sociable and happy beautiful little girl... Sure she'd thrown a tantrum here and there like any other child, but Derek knew how to use the exact words and the exact tones of voice, calm but yet firm, to appease her...

Watching them together was making Meredith feeling somewhat guilty, knowing she tried to keep her daughter away from him... Thank God he fought for them and found them... Keeping Abby from her father, would've been a terrible mistake, she knows that now...

"Mommy look at me... I'm flying" Little Abby yelled while Derek thrown her through the air and she crashed against the water, splashing big drops around her landing point. She was a great swimmer at her young age, one more of Derek's accomplishments.

"I can see you sweetie." Meredith yelled to the very giggly Abby that emerged from the water...

"Daddy! Daddy! Now it's mommy's turn" Abby yelled, making Derek turn at her with a mischievous look, and before she could realize what was happening he was carrying her in his arms and was jumping into the water, dragging her along...

They both surfaced breathless from the water... as Derek held her tightly form her waist, she was doing better but she still was a little weak and he didn't wanted her to get tired trying to keep herself afloat.

"Oh! Derek..!" Meredith hit Derek in the chest feigning madness... "You just ruined my new shoes... and my dress..."

Abby was extremely amused by her very wet mommy and was laughing uncontrollably...

"And what are you laughing at little bug?" She said jokingly to her daughter... "Just wait until I get to you..." She said trying to free herself from Derek's embrace but she just caused him to tighten his arms around her. There was no way he was gonna let her go that easily...

Abby started to swim away from her parents, screaming and laughing in excitement at Meredith's attempts to catch her...

"Hey! Where are you going? Come back here Missy!"

Suddenly Derek sunk himself into the bottom of the pool pulling her down with him not even giving her time to fight against it... By the time they came out of the water breathless, Abby was already out of the pool in her pink bikini with white little dots, ready to run in case her mother succeeded in freeing herself from her daddy... She was giggling and jumping excitedly when a sudden idea popped into her mind and the little girl started running towards the house...

"Hey! Hey! Stop right there! What have I told you about running while you're wet?" Derek said at her firmly... Making Abby stopped her tracks and turn around...

"I'm gonna get the water guns, I wanna play 'water war'." She said coyly...

"Ok then... put on your robe and your sandals... I don't want you dripping inside the house." She obeyed her father, putting her shoes and robe as fast as she could, not having the patience to do it calmly... She wanted those guns now... She was about to speed up towards the house, when Derek stopped her as if he could read her mind...

"And please walk... I don't want you to get hurt..."

The little girl had no choice but to walk towards the house even though something inside her was urging her to run... making Meredith giggle at the obvious desperation of her daughter...

They both watched Abby walk inside the house...

"I think I should get out too..." Meredith said pushing Derek away...

But he just tightened his grip... She watched his eyes darken in a matter of seconds making her lower her eyes in nervousness, as she bit her lower lip...

"Derek!" She whispered as a plea...

He didn't listen he couldn't... It's been too long and he just couldn't stop himself no more... all he could do... all it was left to for him, was to pull her soaked body closer to his... He needed to feel her heart against his... Her upright nipples were almost visible through the wetness of her cotton dress as if she were wearing a transparent sheath... a few water drips were slowly running across her chest, hiding themselves within the plumpness of her breasts.

He tilted his head searching for her eyes... he neared his face to hers, trying to make her look up... she finally complied knowing there was no point in trying to resist him and locked her eyes with his... knowing right then that she wouldn't be able to stop herself either... They stared at each other for a few seconds... needless of words to express what they wanted to say...

His blue eyes wandered from her greens along her creamy white freckled skin until they lingered in her soft rosy lips, taunting him half open… His hand traveled to her face and with the soft pad of his thumb he wetly traced the line of her yielding lower lip, savoring in anticipation the moment he yearned for so long, as a faint smile appeared in his features...

The orbs of her eyes traveled upwards as her eyelids fanned half way down, relishing on the searing feeling trying to ease her increasingly raging breath. As she entangled her fingertips with the wet curls at the back of his head running through them softly.

He kept nearing his lips against hers, inch by inch he finally landed on his target and remained there for a few seconds delighting himself in the warmth and sweetness of her breath against his... Leisurely, he deliciously feathered his lips through hers, trying to prolong the moment... He finally couldn't take it anymore and started licking, and nibbling, and sucking at her bottom lip hungrily, while he pressed his body against hers, trapping her between the corner of the pool and him… The intensity of the kiss started to escalate itself rapidly... As if both of them were pouring in it so many emotions and restrained feelings... She parted her lips inciting him to enter her mouth with his luscious tongue...

Suddenly they heard a strong thump, followed by Abby's pained scream... They both turned around and discovered the little girl laying on the floor crying in pain looking at her parents with watery eyes...

Derek almost flew from the pool towards the kid, and lifted her in his arms... by the time he turned around to place her in one of the garden chairs to examine her, Meredith had managed to get herself out of the pool and with the help of her walker, she was heading towards the crying little Abby, worriedly...

At the sight of her approaching mother, Abby extended her arms through the air expecting for Meredith to console her...

"Mo...mm...y..." She cried out between sobs... as Derek was watching for any sign of a head injury...

"I'm right here baby girl." She said as she finally sat beside her daughter taking her in her arms immediately...

"Shh! Shh! It's ok... Nothing happened." She said reassuringly, as Derek was observing the child's pupils.

"Did you hit your head?" Meredith inquired her and little Abby, curled up in her lap, nodded with her face buried in her mother's chest as she kept crying... more by the scare than from the physical pain of it... "Show me where..." Meredith said to her as the weeping girl put her little hand in the back of her head... She caressed the back of her head and fondled at the spot, her child just pointed out...

"I can feel a little bump... Do you think we should take her to the hospital for a CAT scan..."

"I don't see any reason why... It's nothing... she just got scared." He said as Abby started to calm herself within the security of her mothers embrace.

"Do you see my princess?" He said lovingly. "That's why I keep telling you not to run when the floor is wet." Little Abby looked at her father while a few tears kept running through her cheeks. He dried her eyes with his thumbs and kissed her forehead... As he looked up at Meredith in complicity, making her blush a little as she kissed her daughter on the head...

The rest of the afternoon went by uneventful, Abby was not showing any sign that lead them to believe the fall she had earlier was a serious one, the little girl forgot all about the past event rapidly, and she was happily playing with her dolls sitting on the grass... while her parents were watching her from the shade. Both of them were stealing glances every now and then, smiling at each other elatedly while they entangled their fingers, caressing them softly having a wordless conversation.

"I'm sorry." She finally broke the silence, as he looked at her puzzled.

"I was gonna tell you... I went to Joe's looking for you... I wanted to tell you... about our baby..."

The last word caught Derek's attention, understanding right away the seriousness of the moment...

"But then... I saw you... you took her to our spot..."

He didn't realized Meredith saw them... she saw him with her sister...

"Meredith..."

"No... Let me finish... I should've told you about the baby, no matter what... you had a right to know... I just... I was scared... and I... I'm an avoider... I avoid... so that's exactly what I did... I ran... I went home... I packed my stuff... I bought a ticket for the first flight that would take me away from you... and then... one day I was sitting all alone, having a meal in my apartment... and it hit me... I realized what a huge mistake I was making, trying to keep you apart from her and I... I was on my way back here... and I was gonna tell you, even if it was too late... even if you were already happily married with a white picked fence thingy or whatever, and a kid on the way..." He chucked softly at her final statement. "I was gonna tell you... and I guess... the accident happened... I'm not sure cuz I don't... I can't remember any of that... and I..." She said as a few tears started to fall down her cheeks... "I keep thinking... What would've happened to our girl if you wouldn't found us? Where would she be right now?"

"Oh Meredith!!!" He said softly as he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you for not giving up on us... I guess along the way I just lost my ability to trust you... and I'm sorry..."

"No... I'm the one that is sorry... You're right... you didn't trust me... but I was the one to blame for that... I didn't realize that, back then... but I know that now... I was expecting a lot of things from you and I forgot all about the day I broke your trust in me... and I'm sorry Meredith... When you disappeared I had a lot of time to think about that... and I promised myself that if I ever found you I would've spent the rest of my life earning your trust... I would've found you anywhere Meredith... I would've gone through hell if that were what it took... I would've never give up on you... because you... Meredith Grey... you... are worth fighting for...

"Grandpa" They heard Abby yell breaking the moment...

Meredith turned as she saw Abby running towards Thatcher who was walking on the way to her, with a half happy half desperate expression followed closely by Lexie...

Meredith turned to Derek accusingly... "Derek!"

This is not how he wanted her to find out he let Abby build a relationship with Thatcher.

"Look grandpa... look... mommy is here" Little Abby told Thatcher as he kept walking towards Meredith with determination.

Before she realized what was going on Thatcher reached her and embraced her strongly... taking her by surprise. "Meri!" He said to her crying... "I'm sorry baby... I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry... I know you told me to wait... I tried to hide it from him, but he kept insisting he wanted me to take him to the hospital to visit Meredith... so I had to tell him..." Lexie said to Derek apologetically...

Meredith didn't know what to think or feel, she didn't even quite understood what was going on... she was so surprised, and confused, and mad... especially mad... "Derek!" She questioned him again with disappointment in her eyes... she pushed Thatcher away freeing herself from him and stepped back...

"I'm sorry... I'm... I... I... I'm not feeling well..." She said breathing heavily, as she took her walker and started walking towards the house as fast as she could...

A/N Ok guys... Here it is... finally... Yay!!!! I'm sorry for the delay... but a lot happened in my 3D life, and I just couldn't update... I was supposed to have this ready a few days earlier, but stupid me... lost all the update when it was more than half way done, within the confines of my laptop... I mean... Seriously! I haven't been able to update in more than a month and just when I'm almost finishing my update, I erased it, and I'm not even aware of how it happened exactly... All I know is that the shock was so big that I didn't know if I should cry or laugh... I actually stared at my monitor for hours... completely unable to move... Wha? So I had to start all over again... but here it is... Just in time for Christmas... I really hope you enjoyed it... HAPPY HOLIDAYS GUYS! I'll see you next year...