Disclaimer: It's not mine.

Thanks to everyone for all of my birthday comments! I greatly appreciated them. I also appreciate the fact that you all take the time to read my story. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty: Derek's Birthday

Meredith shoved a newspaper under Cristina's nose. "Tell me if you think I'm crazy for doing this," she said.

Cristina gave Meredith a puzzled look and grabbed the paper to see what she was talking about. "Strippers needed, make tons of cash," Cristina read. She looked up at Meredith with a smirk.

"No!" Meredith hissed. "Not that one! The one below it!"

"Can't cook to save your life? Well, your life is about to change," Cristina read. "Transform yourself into a cooking wonder." She raised her eyebrows at Meredith.

Meredith stared back at her. "I think I am going to sign up for that class," she explained. "For Derek's birthday."

"You're going to take a cooking class for Derek's birthday?" Cristina asked skeptically. "You, Meredith Grey, a woman of many skills. One of those skills is not cooking. Why would you do that to the man?"

Meredith glared at her person. "Because, Cristina. I want to cook for him and…and, I need to. Carolyn has been cooking for us nonstop. Derek loves his mother's cooking, I think almost as much as he loves me. You know what will make him love me more? Meredith with an apron. Seriously," Meredith said when Cristina raised her eyebrows at her skeptically. "I know that once his mom goes back to New York, Derek will go through home cooking withdrawal or whatever. I want to surprise him by knowing how to cook." She grabbed the paper back from Cristina and looked at it thoughtfully. "And, my kids deserve a mom that can cook."

Cristina smirked at her. " So, how are you going to pull it off? Going to the class, I mean."

"The class is on Tuesday and Thursday nights for four weeks. Derek usually works late those nights and Carolyn has extended her visit in order to celebrate Derek's birthday with us. This will work out perfectly." Meredith giggled excitedly. "He will be so surprised.

Cristina nodded her head slowly. Derek would definitely be surprised.

Meredith looked down at the floor as the instructor of her cooking class shook his head in disappointment at her. "Mrs. Shepherd," he started.

Meredith could feel her cheeks burning in humiliation. "Chef Jones, I'm very sorry about the countertop. I didn't realize the towel was that close to the burner…and…the cabinets above the counter…those cabinets caught fire quicker than I thought they would. I will replace everything for you, please, just send me the bill and I will take care of it."

She glanced at the chef quickly. "I'm also sorry about the turkey. I had no idea that you had to take the insides out before you cooked it." She sighed deeply. "And the pie," her eyes shot towards the ceiling. "I now know that the seeds need to come out of the apples before I put them in the pie."

"Mrs. Shepherd," the Chef Jones repeated. "I think it's safe to say that this class is too advanced for you. If I may recommend something to you, Mrs. Shepherd," he paused.

Meredith looked up at him. "Yes, sir?" she asked.

He hesitated for a moment. "You say you and your husband are surgeons," he stated.

Meredith nodded. "That we are. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, Mrs. Shepherd, please don't take this the wrong way, but is it safe to assume that you have the financial stability to hire a cook?"

Meredith glared at him, "Seriously? It is rather bold of you to recommend that my husband and I hire someone to cook for us. That is completely ridiculous! I am a surgeon, for crying out loud. I cut people open and fix their organs! I save lives for a living! Surely I can be taught how to cook!" She placed her hands on her hips and sighed in exasperation. "And you call yourself a cooking instructor."

Chef Jones looked taken aback. "I am a cooking instructor. For those who have the ability to cook. You, Mrs. Shepherd, do not."

"Did you just tell me that I'm hopeless when it comes to cooking?" Meredith demanded.

"Yes!" Chef Jones said. "Mrs. Shepherd, if I ever have a ruptured spleen or another organ that needs removed from my body, I would gladly come to you for assistance. You have the skills necessary to be a great surgeon. But, unfortunately, you do not have the skills needed to cook. I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I cannot help you." He held out his hand to her. Meredith sighed and shook it. "Actually, Mrs. Shepherd, I wanted my apron back."

"Breakfast in bed," Derek announced, entering their bedroom.

Meredith slowly opened her eyes and focusing on her husband who was peering down at her with a breakfast tray in his hands.

"Breakfast for who," she mumbled, closing her eyes again.

"Breakfast for you," he answered. "I thought you'd enjoy breakfast in bed today."

Meredith winced as she rolled over on her back. "What's the occasion?" she asked.

Derek shook his head. "No occasion. Just wanted to do something nice for the woman I am in love with and who is currently playing incubator to my unborn child."

Meredith giggled as she scooted up against the head board and fluffed the pillows behind her. Derek smiled and placed the tray in her lap. Meredith looked down at her breakfast and frowned. "Muesli?" she said. "Seriously?"

Derek crawled into the bed and moved to his side. He snuggled up beside her. "Mer, every cereal in this house has a disgusting amount of sugar in it. I couldn't make French toast or pancakes because we're out of eggs. I thought that Muesli was the safest option. I brought you some blueberries, though" he said.

Meredith sighed, grabbing a hand full of blueberries and shoving them in her mouth. "I never thought that there would be a day when I ate your cardboard tasting cereal," she said.

Derek chuckled. "My cereal is good, ask Noah. Cole eats it, too, if I add about a pound of sugar."

Meredith smirked, "smart kid." She picked up her glass of milk and took a sip.

Derek moved his hand to her stomach and rubbed it affectionately. "How is our baby this morning?" he asked.

"I think still sleeping," Meredith yawned, staring at the bowl of crap in front of her.

She looked over at her husband who was looking at her with an amused expression. "What?" she asked.

"If this baby is not a girl, I will be shocked," he stated, still rubbing her stomach.

Meredith giggled, "Why's that?"

"Well," he scooped up a spoonful of Muesli and moved it towards her mouth. Meredith clamped her mouth shut for a moment, then reached up to plug her nose and opened her mouth. "Because she already acts like her mother."

"Really?" Meredith mumbled through her pinched nose as she chewed slowly on the cereal in her mouth. She unplugged her nose after she swallowed. "How does she already act like me?"

"Well, let's see. She very rarely gets up before ten, she kicks my hand away when I rub your stomach." He chuckled and pulled his hand away as the baby kicked. He leaned in to kiss where his hand was. "And she's bossy as all get out," he murmured into Meredith's stomach. "Not to mention, she's making her Mommy's life difficult by putting her through sugar withdrawal."

Meredith giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. "How is she making your life difficult?"

Derek looked up at her and grinned. "She's not, yet. She's waiting for the teenaged years to do that. She knows what she's doing. But, by the time those years come, she'll have me so tightly wrapped around her little finger I won't care."

Meredith rolled her eyes and pinched her nose again as Derek spooned another bite of cereal into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed and unplugged her nose. "I will remind you of this conversation the first time she brings a boy home." She giggled when Derek glared back at her.

"Good night, my sweet girl," Meredith cooed to Hannah as she put her in her crib. Hannah looked up at her, her eyes slowly fluttering shut. "Hopefully, you didn't inherit Mommy's crappy cooking genes and you will be a fabulous cook for your husband and kids." Hannah gave her a small smile before she drifted off to sleep. Meredith tucked her pink blanket around her and ran her hand along the top of her head. "Sweet dreams, beautiful," she murmured, quietly leaving the room. She walked across the hall to Noah's room. Usually, she and Derek tucked the kids in together, but he called to say that he was suddenly called into surgery and he would be home late.

She walked into Noah's room and giggled at the sight. Cole was lying on the bed, pretending to be sleeping while Noah had on his doctor's attire. "Bed time, boys. What are you doing?"

Noah looked up at her. "We playing brain man," he replied.

Cole lifted his head slightly off the bed and peered at her with one open eye. "Me sick. Noee fixin me."

Meredith nodded and giggled. "Is he going to make it, Dr. Shepherd?"

Noah pretended to listen through his stethoscope. "I think so. He needs a shot." Noah pretended to give Cole a shot in his arm. "This not hurt a bit," Noah told him.

Cole suddenly sat up and beamed at his mother. "Me better now!" he announced.

"That is fabulous news. You are a wonderful doctor, Dr. Shepherd," Meredith told him.

"Just like you and Daddy," Noah agreed.

Meredith looked at him curiously. "Who told you Mommy was a wonderful doctor?"

"Daddy did. He said yous the best," Noah said, starting to put his doctor kit away.

Meredith sat down on Noah's bed and thought for a moment on how she would word the next question. "What does Daddy say about Mommy's cooking?" she finally asked, half dreading the answer.

Noah looked at Cole and then looked at her. "Daddy is scareded," Noah said. "He gets scareded when you cook."

"Really?" Meredith asked. "Why do I scare him?" Noah and Cole looked at her seriously. Derek apparently had warned them about Mommy in the kitchen.

"'Cause, Mommy, there gets smoke all over the house and a very loud noise," Noah explained. "Daddy's ears hurted from the loud noise." Noah's and Cole's eyes got huge.

"Daddy wuvs you," Cole added. "Me wuvs you, Noee wuvs you, Hannie wuvs you…and Ge-maw!"

"Well, I love everyone, too." She rolled her eyes at Cole's attempt to change the subject. "Does Mommy cook anything that you like?" She asked.

Noah thought for a moment. "You cook yummy salads and," he paused, "pop-torn."

"Yous took dood Cheewios," Cole added.

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Good to know that I mix salads well and push the popcorn button on the microwave correctly." She looked at Cole. "And it is very difficult to pour milk in your Cheerios. Thanks, boys," she said dryly.

"Welcome," they said.

Meredith knocked quietly on Carolyn's door. "Come in," she heard her call. Meredith opened the door and peered around the corner at her. Carolyn was propped up against the pillows doing a cross word puzzle. "Are my grandchildren asleep?"

Meredith nodded. "I was just checking to see if you needed anything before I go to bed," Meredith said, walking into the room and flopping down on the bed beside her.

Carolyn smiled at her. "I'm fine, dear." She put her book down. "But that's not why you came in here, is it?" She asked softly.

Meredith looked at her with wide eyes. "How did you know that?"

"Five children, dear," Carolyn reminded her. "What's on your mind?"

Meredith sat up suddenly. "I signed up for a cooking class to learn how to cook for Derek's birthday…I've only gone twice and after tonight, the instructor kicked me out because I accidentally set the cabinets on fire…" Meredith watched as Carolyn's eyes got wide. "and the countertop…and…I forgot to take the seeds out of the apples before I put them in the pie." Carolyn covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. Meredith sighed. "And I ruined the turkey." Carolyn burst out laughing. "Apparently, I'm too much of a liability to stay in the class." Meredith waited until Carolyn's chuckled subsided before she looked at her.

"Meredith," Carolyn gasped, grabbing her hand. "Meredith, what on earth?"

Meredith shrugged. "I thought it would be a good idea to learn how to cook. You have cooked for us every night since you arrived and Derek goes on and on about your cooking. I just…I don't know. I wanted to be able to cook for him like you do. I…he deserves a wifely wife who can cook."

"Meredith, I'm going to tell you something." Carolyn turned to face her. "When I first got married, I couldn't boil water. I thought for sure that my husband was going to leave me because for the first six months of our marriage, we had bologna sandwiches and cheese for every meal. "

"Seriously?" Meredith squeaked.

"Seriously," Carolyn confirmed.

"Then how did you become such a great cook?" Meredith asked incredulously.

"Well, my mother bought me a simple recipe cook book and every day, I would try a new recipe out of it. Before I knew it, I was cooking meals left and right."

"Wow," Meredith exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

"Meredith, I was just as clueless as you are about cooking when I first started my family." She thought for a moment. "You didn't become a brilliant surgeon overnight and you will surely not become an excellent cook overnight either. It takes practice and patience. I will help you."

Meredith shook her head vigorously. "Chef Jones said that I'm hopeless," she said.

Carolyn frowned. "Well, Chef Jones sounds like a typical man. You need someone who is patient that can show you the basics of cooking in a familiar place; your own kitchen. We'll start tomorrow. I'll make a cook out of you yet, dear."

"The baby sounds great," Dr. Werner informed Derek and Meredith at her check-up. He held the Doppler heartbeat device on her stomach as the loud beats of the baby's heart echoed through the room. "One hundred seventy beats per minute." Dr. Werner wiped the gel off of Meredith's stomach and firmly squeezed her abdomen to feel the position of the baby. "Baby is head down, too. Perfect position for birth." He reached for a pen out of his lab coat and scribbled in Meredith's chart. "Your blood pressure is normal, you've been able to control your blood sugar, and your swelling is down. You are a centimeter dilated and you are about ninety percent effaced. Next time I see you, you will be at forty two weeks. I would say that if you haven't gone into labor by then, we will schedule an induction."

Meredith nodded, smiling at Derek who smiled back at her. "Sounds good," she said. "I can't wait to have this baby so I can eat sugar again."

Derek chuckled as he helped her off the examination table. "I will have a McFlurry waiting for you at the finish line, my dear," Derek said. "Consider it your focus point through labor." Meredith giggled as they exited the room.

"Take care, guys. Hopefully, I'll see you before next week," Dr. Werner called after them. Derek and Meredith turned to wave at him.

Meredith intertwined her fingers in Derek's as they walked down the hallway towards the elevator. "Der, I need to stop by and see Miranda before we go," she informed him.

"Dr. Bailey?" Derek questioned. "Why?"

"Umm, I can't tell you," she said.

"Why can't you tell me?" He gave her a curious look.

"Because it's top secret. I don't want to say anything just yet." Meredith said.

"What does Bailey have to do with it?" he asked.

"She's assisting me," Meredith replied.

Derek opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Dr. Bailey. "Grey, you look like you swallowed a watermelon. No baby yet, I see."

Meredith giggled. "The doctor is giving me this week to go into labor. If not, I'll be induced next week."

Dr. Bailey gave a slight chuckle and shook her head. "I had the chance to review those documents that you e-mailed me about the…"

Meredith cut her off. "Let's go talk about it in your office, Dr. Bailey," she glanced at Derek quickly. "I won't be long, honey."

"I'll get the boys at daycare and take them to the cafeteria for something to eat," he informed her. Meredith kissed his cheek and waddled quickly down the hall with Dr. Bailey, engrossed in deep conversation.

Derek sighed as curiosity overcame him. What was his overly pregnant wife up to and why was Dr. Bailey involved?

"Happy Birthday, Daddy!" Noah exclaimed, handing his father a home made birthday card. "I made it for you!"

"What an awesome card!" Derek exclaimed with a wide smile on his face as he looked at his son's drawing. "Thank you," he kissed Noah on top of his head.

"Here, Daddy!" Cole said, handing him his card. "Cake, pwease?"

Derek chuckled. "Yes, you can have cake. Another awesome card from my buddy, Cole. Thanks!" He scanned the card with amused eyes.

Meredith handed Hannah to Carolyn and went to get the cake. With Carolyn's help the past few weeks, Meredith had managed to cook several meals for dinner, including the meal that night for Derek's birthday, all without burning the house down. The smoke alarms didn't go off once.

"Ma," she heard Derek say. "Once again, you've outdone yourself with a meal. I don't know what Mer and I will do when you go home." Meredith exchanged an amused glance with Carolyn.

"I think you'll be just fine, dear," Carolyn patted his arm.

"Daddy, Gamma played with me all day," Noah informed his father.

Derek smiled at his son, "Wow, Grandma played with you all day and still managed to cook a full course meal. We should call her Super Grandma, huh?"

Cole looked at his father with a frown. "Ge-maw not cookded. Mommy cookded."

"What?" Derek asked, looking up at his mother.

"Mommy cooked, Daddy," Noah said. "And we not have to cover our ears." He pointed at the smoke detector.

Derek snapped his head around to look at Meredith with wide eyes. "Meredith? You cooked?" he asked.

Meredith nodded. "I cooked."

Derek stood up and made his way over to her. "It..it was really…good," he said. "Delicious! You really cooked? Where'd you learn how to cook?"

"Derek, I cooked dinner all week. You just assumed that your mom cooked it. She's been helping me." She giggled. "And the kitchen is still standing."

Derek looked around the kitchen. "That it is," he agreed. "Wow, amazing!" He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. He pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss. He pulled away and turned to Carolyn, giving her a smug look. "Ma, my wife cooks."

"She cooks quite well," Carolyn agreed. "And you have two boys here who are anxiously awaiting cake."

Meredith released herself from Derek's embrace and went to the refrigerator. Derek followed her. "Did you bake the cake, too?" he asked.

"No, it's from the store." she giggled, pulling the cake out of the fridge. "Baby steps, Der. Rome wasn't built in a day."

Derek stepped out of the shower and quickly dried himself off. He was anxiously awaiting the last of Meredith's birthday gifts from him. A gift that would most likely last the majority of the night. He was pumped as he walked out to the bedroom, but his smile quickly faded when he saw that their bed was empty. Empty, except for a piece of paper on his pillow.

Derek went over and picked the paper up, which was scribbled on in Meredith's handwriting. "After your done with your shower, your last birthday gift awaits you. Meet me on our balcony. Clothes are optional. Love, Me." Derek quirked his eyebrow at the optional clothing statement. He shrugged and let his towel drop. He made his way across the room to the French doors in the corner that opened up to a small balcony that overlooked Seattle. Derek opened the door and his eyeballs about popped out of their sockets at the sight before him. "Meredith," he gasped.

"I see you got my note," she said as she relaxed in their new hot tub.

Derek stood still, slowly nodding. "I did and I decided against clothes."

Meredith giggled. "I see that and from the looks of things, you are very happy to see me."

"You have no idea," Derek said.

"I'm personally glad that you decided not to wear clothes because," she motioned towards the steaming, bubbling water. "I thought it was too hot to wear any either." She giggled as Derek continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "You know, we had to have this balcony when we were planning the house. We hardly ever use it. Now, with a hot tub, we can spend more time out here, preferably naked."

"Definitely," Derek managed to choke out.

"Derek Shepherd, are you going to join me or what?" she asked, giving him a frustrated look.

He nodded and quickly jumped into the tub, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her face to his to meet their lips in a passionate kiss. After he kissed her senseless, she pulled away from him and smiled. "I love you, Derek. Happy Birthday."

CHEESE! It couldn't be Derek's birthday without some cheesiness. Thanks to everyone for the fabulous reviews! I heart every one of you!