A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews.

Chapter Fourteen

State of Love and Trust

Meredith parked the car in an empty parking space. She then turned off the car and climbed out before she helped Morgan out of her car seat. They then grabbed hands before they walked across the parking lot and into the store. They then grabbed a cart and started their search for the food on their shopping list. Meredith couldn't help but notice all the Valentine's Day decorations. She had forgotten that it was the holiday that was coming up next.

"Mommy, how come they have all this candy out?" Morgan asked her curiously as she eyed the candy.

"Because the stores are getting ready for the next holiday," Meredith explained. "And that's Valentine's Day."

"Is that where you tell Derek how much you love him?" Morgan asked her.

Meredith was quiet for a moment. Even though she and Derek were dating, they never said those three words to each other. She thought that it was too soon. However, she didn't know how he felt. She knew that it was best to change the subject. "Why don't we go find a birthday card for Christopher? After all, it is his birthday coming up."

Morgan nodded and led the way to that aisle. "Can we get him a present too?" she asked as they started looking through the cards. "Birthdays are no fun without presents."

Meredith gave her a wide smile. "I think that it is a great idea. I'll talk to Derek to see what we could send him."

"Can we talk to him now?" Morgan asked eagerly.

Meredith laughed. We'll call him when we get home," she promised. She knew that Morgan was missing Derek and the kids just as much as she was. They only had been gone a few days, but it seemed like a lifetime. "Now what birthday card do you think Christopher would like?"

After they were done shopping, they headed home. They then unloaded and unpacked the food before Meredith dialed Derek's cell-phone number. They anxiously waited to hear Derek's voice. "Hey, I was just thinking about you."

Meredith then put him on speaker before she and Morgan both greeted him. She then let Morgan talk to him first. She was disappointed to hear that Katie and Christopher were hanging out with their cousins for the day.

"What can we get Christopher for his birthday?" Morgan suddenly asked.

Derek had to think for a moment before answering. "Well, he loves trains and cars. And he loves the color blue."

"Thanks Derek," Meredith replied. "That will get us started." She listened patiently as Morgan continued to talk to Derek. Morgan then left to go and play with Prince. Meredith then took Derek off speaker. "So how is Addison?"

Derek didn't speak for a moment before answering. "Well, she is fully awake." Meredith waited for more, but there was silence. She finally heard his voice again. "And there is still no brain damage. So she will be able to make a full recovery. She already has started her physical therapy."

"That's great news," Meredith replied. "How is she adjusting?"

"Addison was shocked at first, but she is better now. She is relieved that the children are ok," Derek replied. "I told her about our life in Seattle." There was then more silence. Meredith then knew that the conversation didn't go well. "She wasn't exactly happy about any of it." Meredith wasn't surprised. "So I'm not sure how the custody arrangement will work out once she heals."

Meredith sighed. "Yeah, Morgan told me that she didn't want Katie to move back in with Addison. Because that means that she will move back to New York. I didn't know how to calm her down except to tell her that it won't be for awhile yet. She was even afraid that you would move back."

"I only would if you and Morgan would come with me," Derek replied. "I'm not going to leave you two behind."

"You already did," she reminded him. "After all, Morgan and I are here and you are back in New York."

"Well, it doesn't have to be that way," Derek said. "After all, you two could come to New York for Christopher's birthday."

"Would I have to meet your crazy family?" Meredith teased him.

"That's not who you should worry about," Derek replied. "Addison is the one who really wants to meet you. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Meredith didn't know what to think either. "But it doesn't matter anyway. I'm going to be by your side to make sure nobody messes with you or Morgan."

"Thanks Derek," Meredith replied gratefully. "And I wish that I could tell you that I could, but there is no way that I can leave work like that."

"I understand," Derek said. She could hear the disappointment in his voice. "It's probably best since the kids and I are going to be returning soon after that anyway. I got to go. I miss you both and I'll see you soon."

"We miss you guys too. It's too quiet with just Morgan," Meredith told him. She heard Derek laughing on the other end. They then exchanged good-byes before they hung up. She then noticed that Morgan had returned to the room.

"How many days until they come back?" Morgan asked her. "I miss them."

Meredith gave a gentle smile to the little girl. "I know you do. I miss them too," she replied. "They still have ten days left. But don't worry. I'm sure that the days will go by fast. They'll be back before you know it."

A week later, Derek and his family including Addison were celebrating Christopher's third birthday. Once Addison had been released from the hospital, she moved in with Callie. Derek and the children stayed with Derek's mother, but they had visited her twice since she had been released. When Addison had seen her children the first time, she had burst into tears and brought them in a loving embrace. She didn't want to let them go. They then talked to her about their adventures in Seattle. Addison just listened to them as Derek tried to read her expression.

On Christopher's birthday, Derek wasn't in the mood to join in the fun. He was missing Meredith and Morgan too much. Even though they called each other whenever they could, he still missed them. He wished that they could be here to celebrate with them. Yet, he knew that Meredith still wasn't ready to meet his mother and nosy sisters.

However, he put on a brave face until after the party was over. The kids then played while he helped Lizzie and Kathleen clean up the mess. However, his sisters relinquished him of his duty so he could call Meredith. He was disappointed when he heard her voicemail. He wondered if she suddenly had to work. He wouldn't be surprised if she had.

He snapped out of his daydream as he heard approaching footsteps. He turned to see Addison slowly walking into the kitchen. Derek offered to help her, but she shook her head. She was determined to reach her destination alone. She was able to get to a kitchen chair successfully without any help.

Addison then looked at her ex-husband. "I'm surprised that you weren't out there playing with the kids," she said.

Derek shrugged. "I wasn't not in the mood to play with them today." He waited to see if Addison would comment about Meredith and Morgan. He then changed his mind and decided to defend himself. "Look, I know that you aren't happy about me moving the kids to Seattle or that I have a girlfriend already. But you knew how much I wanted to move away from New York. And the kids really seem to love Seattle."

Addison then spoke up. "That's the problem. What are we supposed to do now for the custody arrangement? I don't want to force them to move back here with me if they are going to be unhappy here." Derek was about to interrupt when Addison continued. "And what about your relationship with Meredith Grey? How serious is it?"

"We've just started dating," Derek reminded her. "So we're not even close to walking down the aisle yet."

"I didn't say anything about marriage," Addison replied. "I'm just surprised that you were willing to move in with a total stranger without even getting to know her first." Derek wasn't surprised that she was judging Meredith before she met her. It was typical Addison. "I know that you met her before at Mark's wedding and became friends, but you still should have been more careful."

"By the time that the kids and I moved in, we were best friends," Derek replied. "And Katie and Morgan were getting along great. So I didn't see any reason why we couldn't have moved in with Meredith and Morgan."

Addison could see that he wasn't backing down. "I would still feel better if I could meet her and her daughter," she replied. "So we'll do it as soon as the doctor gives me the all clear that I am ready to travel. We'll have to discuss the custody arrangement by then anyway."

Derek frowned. "I don't think that it is such a good idea," he told her.

Addison raised her eyebrows. "Why not?" she asked. She didn't let him answer. "You know what? It doesn't matter anyway. I've already started looking for flights for March or April. That should give me plenty of time to recover by then."

"Why can't you wait until the summer like the rest of the family?" Derek asked her.

"Because Meredith has been helping you raise our children for the past five months or so," Addison replied. "And I want to make sure that she is someone that I can trust to watch Katie and Christopher."

Derek knew that she wasn't going to let go of this. "Meredith is a mom too. Of course you can trust her."

"Just because she is a mom too doesn't mean that she is a good one," Addison pointed out.

A few days later, Derek and the children were happily reunited with Meredith and Morgan. Derek and Meredith didn't have a chance to talk until after they arrived home and brought the suitcases in. They made sure that there were no kids around before they shared a deep passionate kiss. Meredith pulled away for a moment to speak. "I have champagne in the fridge for us to celebrate your homecoming."

Derek gave her a wide smile. "That sounds nice, but I need to talk to you for a moment first."

Meredith sighed as she walked into the kitchen. Derek followed her as he listened to what she had to say. "I heard all about the argument between you and Addison. I understand why she wants to meet me. She doesn't know me or my daughter. She has the right to know who is looking after her children. I'm ok with meeting her whenever she flies out here." After she had thought about it, she had decided that it was best for Addison to meet her and vice versa. "I just don't want her to know how dark and twisty I am."

Derek gave her a look. "You are never going to get over that, are you?" he asked her. Meredith shook her head. "I wasn't planning on talking about Addison or the custody arrangement."

Meredith frowned. "Then what did you want to talk to me about?"

Derek gave her a smile. "Are you still willing to go on that weekend getaway trip?" he asked her. Meredith was about to respond when he didn't let her. "I know we gave our plane tickets away. And that's why I bought new ones for Valentine's Day weekend." Meredith looked at him surprised as he pulled out the tickets. "Do you still want to go with me?"

Meredith gave him a smile in return. "Yes, that sounds perfect."