A/N: I am SOOOOOOO sorry it's taken so long to update. I've had the writer's block from hell on this and my original story I've been working on. I'm going to try to post a new chapter this weekend, but here's a little filler.

P.S. A big shout out to moonstar99! Yay for getting this story to 100 reviews. More reviews are always appreciated (they help w/ writer's block)

Chapter 25

"What?!" Mrs. MacIntyre exclaimed. "There must be some mistake!"

"There is no mistake, ma'am," the lawyer replied. "Mr. and Mrs. MacIntyre were very adamant about their decision. They specifically asked that Dr. Shepherd be the one to raise Christopher."

"But he's a single man who lives on the other side of the country!"

"I'm a practically engaged man," Derek inserted.

"And his location is one of the reasons they cited as wanting him to have custody of the child. They said that they wanted Chris to be able to start over and have a new life in a place that wouldn't remind him of what he's lost."

Derek nodded sadly. With a shriek of outrage, Mrs. MacIntyre stormed out of the room and out of the house, the rest of her family following at her heels.

"Mom, are you ok with this?" Derek asked, taking his mom's hands in his.

Maureen nodded tearfully. "Amy and Craig made the right decision. Chris needs a father like you and he needs a fresh start. He needs you and Mark and your wonderful girls to help him grow up. You just have to promise to come and visit more often."

"We will, Mom," Derek promised, kissing her forehead. "Mark? Should we - will you go with me to tell Meredith and Chris?"

"Yeah, man," Mark replied. "I'm here to help you in whatever way you need."

"Thanks," Derek said, getting up and heading upstairs.

MIMIMI

When Mark and Derek returned to the family room, they found Izzie and Tess playing with Riley on the couch and Chris and Meredith on the floor with a happily cooing Katie. Derek paused in the doorway and took a deep, fortifying breath. Sensing his friend's nerves, Mark patted him on the shoulder before moving to sit with Izzie. Derek went and joined Meredith and Chris on the floor.

"Hi, Uncle Derek!" Chris chirped, looking in much better spirits than he had been earlier. As soon as Derek was seated, Chris crawled into his lap.

"Hey buddy," Derek said, hugging Chris and kissing his hair, inhaling the sweet little boy scent of him. "What are you and Aunt Mer up to?"

"We're playing with Katie," Chris said. "She likes me. She's just a baby, so she can't really talk, but she keeps smiling and jabbering at me, so I know she likes me lots."

"That's good," Derek said absently. "Chris, there's something I need to tell you and Aunt Mer about."

"What is it, Derek?" Meredith asked, scooting closer to him.

"Amy and Craig left custody of Chris to me," Derek said. "They wanted him to come live in Seattle with me if anything happened to them. Would you like that, Chris?"

"I'm going to come and live in Seattle with you?" Chris asked.

"With me, and Aunt Meredith and Uncle Mark and Aunt Izzie," Derek replied.

"And Katie and Riley?"

"Yup, Katie and Riley too," Derek confirmed. "Plus a bunch of really nice doctors that are our friends that we work with."

"What about Grandma? And Aunt Kathleen and Aunt Nancy and Aunt Lauren and all of the cousins?" Chris asked, biting his lip nervously.

"Well, we would come and visit them for holidays and they would come visit whenever they could," Derek assured him. "But your mommy and daddy wanted you to have the chance to have a fresh start in a place that wouldn't make you sad all the time."

"I miss them," Chris said mournfully, resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

"I know, buddy, I know," Derek comforted him, cuddling him close.

"You and Aunt Meredith won't leave me will you?" Chris lifted his big, sad eyes to meet Derek's and then Meredith's. A lump formed in Derek's throat, choking him up. Meredith jumped in to reassure the little tyke.

"The only way we'll leave you is if we absolutely have to, but that won't happen for a long, long time," Meredith promised. "You're a special little boy and we wouldn't want to miss a minute of being with you."

Derek met Meredith's gaze over Chris's dark curls and mouthed "thank you."

MIMIMI

Later that evening, Maureen joined them all in the family room. Riley had nodded off in Izzie's arms. Izzie was snuggled up next to Mark. Meredith and Derek were cuddled up on the opposite end of the couch. Chris was quietly playing on the floor with Katie, who was enchanted with the little boy. She hadn't stopped grinning and giggling since Chris had entered the room. As they grew sleepier, Katie laid her head down in Chris's lap and was contentedly watching Aladdin.

"That'll be a match some day," Maureen commented slyly to Izzie.

"Bite your tongue," Mark growled. "My baby girl is never dating."

"It's inevitable, sweetheart," Izzie informed him.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Mark muttered darkly. Everyone else just laughed at him.

A/N2: PLEASE REVIEW!!