A/N- I know it's been a super long time since I updated, and real life coupled with writers block didn't give me much of a chance to get a lot down on paper so I apologise profusely for that. I am utterly humbled by your support in my absence though. The reviews often make my heart soar, as do seeing the numbers of follows and favourites that to me mean that people want to hear what I have to say. To those that celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and here is to a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
The noise within the Grey-Shepherd house was positively cacophonous when Thursday morning rolled around. In addition to the six women that had stayed there the night, Izzie, Cristina, Lexie and Bailey were also squashed in around the dining table to eat. All ten were still completely in the dark about what the day would entail, despite many failed attempts to get Derek and Mark to reveal any detail about the festivities. Breakfast was all that had been revealed thus far, when Mark arrived with a trunkful of breakfast foods from Meredith's favourite place to eat on the island.
"Oh my god." Amy moaned as she took another bite from her full plate of syrup soaked pastries. "How the hell do you find these places? I've spent my entire life looking for somewhere in New York that's even half as good."
"We found it by accident." Meredith told her, reaching for the last sweet waffle. "We were looking for another restaurant, but we took a wrong a turn and got hopelessly lost, so we pulled in here to ask for directions, and figured we may as well just eat seeing as we were there, and I was pregnant and hungry. The food was so amazing we never wanted to leave. We go there if we're both off of a morning, the owners know us pretty well now."
"Well now I know why mom wanted to stay in Seattle when she visited." Lizzie commented to her brother, "Besides you and Meredith of course."
"Trust me if the food was this good, I'd move to the moon." Meredith told her. "I stay for the food too. That and I like a pretty face to wake up to."
"Let's stick to Seattle shall we?" Derek asked her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Cause this pretty face knows you only have twenty minutes til the car gets here."
"Car?" She looked up at him excitedly, one hand over the spot that bee was nudging in appreciation for the feast that had been provided.
"Yeah. Twelve seats, so you have room for your handbags, non-alcoholic champagne, music and all the Cheetos you can eat on the way. The driver will drop you off, and then pick you up again this afternoon and take you to your next destination then bring you home once you're done." The twinkle in his eye, and her raging hormones made her want to jump him right there in the kitchen, but she managed to compose herself when she remembered that there were ten other people in the room.
"What are you doing while I'm gone?" she asked, knowing that he hadn't planned anything as elaborate for himself.
"I'm going to head into work and do some paperwork, then I'm going to call Loren and make sure she picked the cake up ok. Then Mark and I are going to pick up the suits and make sure they got the right waistcoats so they match the flowers. And when we're done we're heading to Joe's for dinner and drinks with all the guys from the hospital that are free tonight. I don't think we'll be staying out too late, But I'll have my phone on all day just in case you need me." He kissed her lips from above, enticing groans from his guests.
"Derek, leave the bride alone, and let her get ready. This is her one day without you, and she needs to get ready. You can have her to yourself after Saturday." Kathleen told him, as the girls began to gather their things. She knew Meredith would have to pee and take her vitamins as well as getting her things together for the day. They'd dressed as instructed by Derek, in something comfortable but presentable, he'd brought Meredith a dress and maternity leggings that highlighted her bump perfectly to save her from wardrobe issues. He knew she'd look gorgeous in anything, but she'd been a little self-conscious at times recently when it came to getting dressed, and he wanted the day to be free from any kind of worry for her. "And seriously you couldn't have mentioned timings before? You have ten women and four bathrooms, are you a complete idiot?"
"Fine, I should have told you hours ago so you could have started then. But I told you all you need to do is be dressed and have peed before you leave. It's around an hour's drive, and john will not be stopping for a bathroom break unless Meredith needs him to. I'll call you when the car get here. Go do whatever it is that prevented me from being able to use the bathroom in the morning for most of my childhood. Mark and I will clear up before we go. And Meredith?" He called, making her turn to face him.
"Yeah?"
"I love you." She giggled and kissed him a little more deeply now that it was just Mark in the kitchen.
"I love you too."
"I promise you'll love it." He looked deep into her eyes willing her to believe him.
"I trust you, I don't think the girls do but I trust you. I'm sure it'll be perfect." She kissed him one last time for good measure, letting the kiss linger and pecking his lips a few times before she pulled away ready to start getting ready for the next chapter of her happily ever after.
Miraculously, all ten women were huddled by the door by the time the car arrived, all dressed and ready, and in Meredith's case, having peed twice and taken her vitamins. Hearing john pull up, Derek opened the door, the girls cheering and whooping when they realised just how cool their ride was. The driver stepped out of the car, immediately coming to shake hands with Derek.
"Dr. Shepherd, good to see you again. How are things at work?"
"They're great actually john, busy but good. How is your sister now, any more seizure activity?"
"None at all now, it's Wonderful, thank you. You did an amazing job. Now do I assume this beautiful woman is the wonderful dr. grey whom I have the pleasure of driving around today?"
"Yes indeed, this is the love of my life, this is Meredith."
"I've heard a lot about you, Dr. Shepherd is a lucky fellow." Meredith smiled and blushed a little.
"So are you going to tell us where we're going?" Cristina piped up from behind Meredith.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. All will be revealed though. Whenever you're all ready, you may get in."
As the girls filed outside to jump into the car. Meredith watched as the driver helped each woman into her seat like a gentleman, holding their hands until they were safely inside. She lingered just a little, pressing a kiss to her fiancé's lips one last time.
"Enjoy it." He murmured. "You only get to do this once."
"Oh I will," she told him, as Izzie gestured for her to hurry up. "Don't drink too much, I'm going to want to thank you later." She bit her lip, and slipped out of his arms, making sure he got a glimpse of her butt in her dress as she walked away. The slight blush on his face and tightness in his pants told her that she would be the only thing on his mind today and he would be counting down the hours until he got her alone.
MDMDMDMD
"Mer, you must have some idea where he's taking us. The guy has a proven track record of telling you anything in exchange for sex." Izzie whined, hating that she hadn't a clue where they were going.
"Oh god that's my brother," Nancy grimaced, she and her sisters pulling uncannily similar faces.
"I tried," Meredith said, making the four of them groan. "He wouldn't budge. Even when I did that thing where i…"
"Okay," Carolyn interrupted, deciding that they didn't need to hear about her son's exploits with his fiancée. "Who would like some more champagne?"
The further they drove, the less like Seattle the terrain became, the busy streets faded away, replaced by lush green forests and beautiful views, not a person in sight. The music was loud and the air was thick with excitement at Meredith's impending nuptials, and the expansion of both the hospital family, and the shepherd clan.
"Do you have any idea what we're doing or anything?" Lexie asked, trying not to be nervous about the fact that she didn't know anything. Meredith spotted the fear in her eyes and gave her hand a small squeeze to try and help quell the nerves her little sister was feeling.
"I honestly don't know. Derek said it would be relaxing for me, I don't know where or what just that there will be food at some point."
"Knowing Derek it'll be incredibly girly, lots of pink and sparkles no doubt." Lizzie teased, the car erupting with laughter.
"He'd not that bad, is he?" Meredith questioned. Sure Derek was romantic, but that didn't make him girly did it? The looks she was being given suggested that Derek was more in touch with his feminine side than she'd realised. Something that inevitably came from having four sisters. "I think it's sweet. Bee needs someone who knows girly." She defended as john lowered the screen between himself and the party.
"Ladies, we are approaching your destination," John informed them. "If you'd like to finish your drinks, and gather your things, ready for our arrival." The girls squealed in delight, their noses pressed to the window as they pulled up the long drive to the mansion that had been built on the grounds centuries beforehand.
The second they stopped, the doors were opened and concierges helped each one from the car leading them to a grand ballroom with ceilings as high as the entire house on the land.
"Holy cr…" Cristina started, before Bailey gave her a look that told her to mind her language.
"Seriously Mer, what did you do to Derek that got him to pick this place. I feel like I should be amongst royalty." Meredith laughed at Amy's awe.
"I didn't do anything, I told him low key, just a relaxing day with the women that mean most to me, and food…"
"And he brings us to the most exclusive spa resort in a hundred mile radius of your house." Nancy told them, the website displayed on the screen in her hand.
"He's changed." Bailey told the group. "Since he and Meredith became more serious and especially since the engagement. He wants the best for Meredith, and that baby. Being a surgeon he knows that sometimes you don't get things right first time, but when you do it right and do it well, a lot of the time you don't have to do it ever again. It's over the top, and often far too public for the hospital, but you can deny the happiness in him, or you either sweetie. You're a very different girl even to the one you were a year ago."
"I was saying the same thing to Mark the other day. This one's forever. He has the same stupid look on his face that his father did when he was in the same position. I never thought I'd see that again. So girls, we will make this one to remember, because Meredith isn't doing this again." She reached in for a hug with her soon to be daughter in law, Bailey following suit, until all ten of them were huddled around Meredith, almost overwhelming her so early in the day. The group looked up when the large double doors opened, and a team of staff stepped in, their walk-in almost choreographed.
"Welcome to Hayrose." An impeccably dressed woman in her early forties greeted them. "Dr Shepherd has you on rather a tight schedule so I shan't keep you for long. You have three treatments planned for today, and you'll stop twice for a bite to eat. Once you're changed into your robes, you'll be heading to the massage suite, then after that is lunch, then you'll have your facials and skin treatments, a spot of afternoon tea, then off for your manicures and pedicures before you get your tailored care packages to take home and then head to your next secret location. All of the treatments are of course pregnancy safe, and you'll be undisturbed by any of our other guests as Dr. Shepherd requested that the ten of you stay as a group, and partake in each activity privately. I sincerely hope that you enjoy your time here, and should you have any questions or queries, you may ask your personal chaperones, who will be serving your needs as you travel around this morning. They've all been assigned to you already, so I shall hand over to them." No one had thought to look at the men that were lined up behind the woman, but as they fanned out, so they could be seen, the collective jaw of the group dropped.
"Oh my god." Cristina gasped. "I always said I liked Derek."
"Are they even real?" Lexie fawned, praying that the ten topless men with perfectly chiselled bodies would be sticking around.
"Nancy." The tanned guy on the right called out in a voice with just a hint of an accent. Fanning herself with her hand she followed him into an adjoining room, never more glad that she'd come to Seattle alone.
"Miranda." Greeted an Irish fellow with perfect hair that gave Derek a run for his money. The attending wasn't know at all for running, but she positively jogged after her chaperone.
"God I hope I get him," Cristina growled, pointing to a Puerto Rican looking man near the end of the line.
"I don't care," Amy said, I wouldn't throw any of them out of..." she felt her mother's eyes on her "Out of a nice reserved coffee date." She tried to save making the girls giggle.
"Isobel." A Mexican man half sung, causing her to almost melt as she walked towards him. Lexie, Amy, Lizzie and Cristina followed next, all more than happy over their chaperone assignments.
"Carolyn." A man half her age called making her blush.
"Mom he's younger than your children." Kathleen hissed, as she eyed the final two, wondering which of the two would be her own.
"Kathleen," the second to last called in an Australian accent sending her running to leave Meredith alone.
"And you must be Meredith." The final man grinned reaching an arm out to guide her from the room, though being respectful enough not to get inappropriately close. "Door number ten. If you leave your clothes in the cubicle, I'll see that they're ready for you later on."
"What do I do with my…?" she whispered, gesturing to her pregnancy-inflated breasts.
"Underwear off," he whispered. "You can come back for it before lunch." he whispered back. Meredith grinned and entered the cubicle, not needing long to take off her new outfit, a common feature of any of Derek's clothing choices. She looked down at her robe, a silver MEG embroidered into the downy soft fabric of the robe, making her fall just a little more in love with her fiancé and his amazing taste in spas.
She soon joined the others in the massage suite, the smell of lavender filling her nostrils, certain that this was Derek's doing and no mere coincidence that she be massaged with oil smelling of the flower that had been his favourite since he'd met Meredith. The men once again took each of them by the hand and to their prospective masseurs' tables. Meredith was lead to a friendly looking woman, just a few years older than her equipped with a table that had a hollowed out portion that would support bee and her breasts for the duration of the massage. The pair of them got her settled into the table comfortably, the comfort of being able to lay on her stomach for the first time in weeks enough to relax her without a massage.
The masseuse started slowly, rubbing every worn out inch of her feet, soothing the aches that came from years of standing on her feet for hours at a time, and months of doing that with a rapidly growing infant occupying her uterus. She knew that she'd inevitably get teased when they headed for lunch, but Meredith couldn't contain the moan that escaped her lips when the masseuse headed towards her back, hitting the exact spot that had been bugging her since she'd been pregnant. She could hear the giggles from Izzie and Cristina in particular, blushing slightly, but the masseuse took the cue and worked harder on those particular knots, soothing all signs of aches and pain that came with being a pregnant surgeon.
Meredith was nearly asleep when her masseuse tapped her gently on the shoulder and asked her to sit up for just a moment so she could reposition Meredith in order to work on her stomach a little as well as her tense shoulders.
She plugged the holes in the table with soft cushions and lay Meredith gently on her side, covering her with towels before beginning to soothe the muscles that Meredith wasn't even aware were aching, her soft sigh signal that she was more than comfortable. Bee woke up and stretched gently, soothed somewhat by Meredith's own peace, but nudging gently signalling the desire for food. By the time things were finished over two hours after they had entered the suite, Meredith had never been so relaxed. There would be a lot of thanking Derek later.
MDMDMDMD
"I don't even have muscles anymore, I'm just mush now." Lizzie told the group as she emerged from her bathroom break.
"It's certainly the most fun I've had naked in a room full of people." Nancy joked, looking through the brochure that lay on the table in their private waiting room. Carolyn looked utterly taken aback by her daughter's comment, taking a large sip of the wine Meredith had insisted she order, never being more glad that she'd indulged a little.
"Naked body shots aren't so bad." Meredith told the group, her eyes widening when she realised that she'd announced her thought to the room.
"Just when I think you're boring and on your way to being a pod person, you rise." Cristina laughed. "And I thought prom was the most public place you'd been naked."
"God no," she spluttered in disgust. "I mean, there may have been other occasions." She saw Lexie's shocked face, "Come on, I had an unstable childhood. Once I got to med school it was mostly just weekends." Looking up from her drink she was met with the shocked faces of the entire party. "What? I like sex, I'm not afraid to admit it. I think the papaya sized child in my uterus is testament to that."
"Holler." Amy said, the same sheepish look crossing her face when she caught her mother's eye, before studying the brochure rather intently.
"So when does Sadie get here?" Kathleen ventured, trying to change the subject.
"She should touch down at around six am tomorrow. She likes to sleep on the plane so we figured she wouldn't mind a late flight."
"Where do you know Sadie from?" Lexie ventured, trying to remove the idea of Meredith doing naked body shots out of her mind.
"My mom worked with her father, and then we went to college together. And then we spent two months sleeping our way around Europe before I went back to Dartmouth and she went back to Boston." She looked at the again astonished faces, wondering what her lack of verbal filters had gotten her into this time.
"Europe?" Izzie smirked, loving how much she had learnt to hold over her friend that morning.
"Yeah, 22 countries, 58 guy… er good places to visit. I swear being pregnant has taken my power to think before I open my mouth."
"I think we need to keep you pregnant forever." Amy laughed. "Does Derek even know this stuff?"
"Derek got me naked the night we met, there are no secrets anymore, and he brings me toilet paper and tampons when I forget to stock the bathroom, there is no shame either."
"And here I was thinking Derek had found a sweet innocent girl to settle down and have babies with." Kathleen joked, secretly glad that her brother had found a fun loving girl to spend his life with.
"There are many ways I'd describe Meredith grey but sweet and innocent isn't one of them!" Bailey chuckled, her own drink bringing down her inhibitions a little.
"She brought the old Derek back to us, so she could be a cage dancer for all I'd care." Carolyn admitted, the group erupting again as Meredith bit the side of her lip and avoided eye contact.
"Ladies, if you'd like to follow me, lunch will be served." An impeccably dressed waitress instructed them, guiding them into the dining room, which was now adorned with flowers of a hundred different shades of purple. Every one of their mouths dropped as they spied the huge buffet table that had been laid out for them at the side of the room, the dainty pastries and sandwiches accompanied by plates of Oreos and bowls of Cheetos to match Meredith's most prominent cravings, along with salad of every colour of the rainbow, macaroons, and tiny bite sized pieces of the foods that Derek knew the females of his and Meredith's family enjoyed most. And in the centre was a small white box with a hand written label on it.
"Death," Nancy read out. "Gutted that I can't be there to celebrate your last day of being a free woman. Hopefully this will make up for the lack of Die at your dinner. And three kisses. That's sweet, what is it Mer?" knowing Sadie far too well to suspect anything innocent, Meredith gingerly lifted the lid and almost immediately slammed it back down when she saw what was inside.
"What is it?" Cristina asked, trying not to laugh at her friend's obvious embarrassment.
"You don't want to know." Meredith told her, turning away from the box.
"It's a penis!" came Amy's voice from behind her, the collective gasp of the group making Meredith's cheeks burn. "A very big penis." Meredith looked up at Carolyn, a smile gracing both their lips as they made eye contact, a chuckle escaping Carolyn's mouth at the sight of the large novelty cake. Her chuckle was followed by Bailey's and Kathleen's, then the rest of the group erupted in peals of laughter, even the serving staff couldn't quite contain themselves. After a few minutes, Meredith finally caught her breath.
"Come on let's eat, then I can munch on my penis."
The rest of the afternoon went relatively without a hitch. By six pm the ten women were positively glowing, the chance to really relax for the first time in a long time doing wonders for all of them. Between dinner and afternoon tea, and endless supplies of the most refreshing drinks they were positively stuffed, but nonetheless excited for what Derek had planned for the final part of the evening. But when John arrived ready to drive them onto their next destination, they couldn't help but feel a little sad that the day was almost over.
"Thank you so much for everything." Meredith said for the hundredth time as they headed towards the car. "It's been absolutely wonderful. You've all been so wonderful. I mean i…"
"Dr. Grey?" their initial greeter stopped her rambling, making her spin to look at her. "It has been our pleasure. Now if you could do just one thing for us."
"Anything." Meredith smiled.
"Go and have an amazing wedding day. And never let go of that wonderful man of yours. I spoke with him once and even I can see that the pair of you are his absolute everything. Guys like that don't come along all that often." Meredith grinned, a tear in her eye at hearing that from a relative stranger. It was nice to know that people could see what she felt every day of her life with him. She embraced the woman softly, knowing that no amount of thanking or rambling would communicate her gratitude quite so well. After a few moments the two women broke apart and Meredith followed the rest of the party out to the car, where they were already delving into their goody bags.
"Have you seen these?" Amy exclaimed as Meredith took her seat. "Even boyfriends have never treated me this well."
"I told you, I knew nothing about any of it. He said something about being closer to home this evening but the spa and everything else I knew nothing about. He wanted it to be a surprise, so I let it be. I figured the fact that my robe said M. E. G. that I'd be bringing that home but I'm oblivious to the rest of it."
"I was convinced I'd seen the name before we got there." Nancy told the group, "It hadn't dawned on me that they sell this stuff in boutique stores all over the country. They're crazy expensive, because they're all personalised or whatever and you have to be matched to them, but unless I'm very much mistaken we all have the entire range of products. I knew Derek was going all out with today but this is insane."
"Did you get anything special Meredith?" Lexie asked her sister. "Besides all the products and chocolates and your robe?" Meredith peeked into her bag, gasping at the sheer number of bottles and tubes and packages in her bag, all surrounding a small box. She pulled it out and opened to reveal a snow globe, one side filled with a picture of the two of them near the space needle, looking at each other rather than the camera. Meredith smiled, and shook it gently, turning it so that the girls could all see. She glanced at the back, expecting the same image repeated, instead seeing a message in Derek's messy doctor's scrawl. Forever is almost here. I love you. Derek xxx
"What does it say?" Liz asked, coming around rather rapidly to Derek's romantic side.
"My engagement ring says this is forever, so he wrote that forever is almost here, and he loves me." She said softly, the girls in the group awing at the sweetness of the gesture.
"He did good." Cristina admitted. "Maybe you were right to go after him after all." She shrugged, reaching for a glass of champagne in the hope that her comment would be glossed over.
"I think that's the only nice thing I've ever heard you say about Dr. Shepherd." Bailey told her.
"Well she deserves happily ever after or whatever." Cristina scoffed, praying that someone would change the subject. "He could have given you a clue as to where he's making us go though. I feel like I'm being held hostage."
The ride continued for another half hour before John let down the screen and told his passengers to get ready, informing them that they could leave their bags in the car, because once again, everything was on Derek.
"Oh, I love this place!" Lexie squealed as they got out of the car. "We came here once for a friend's birthday. It was so great."
"But what did you do?" Kathleen asked, her focus entirely on the brunette. Lexie grinned as she realised what the next few hours would consist of.
"Cocktails!" the girls grinned, every one of them falling just a little bit more in love with Derek Shepherd.
"Meredith, I love you. You're just so… you know." Lizzie slurred as they headed back towards the car. Derek had only planned a three hour session, but that had been more than enough to get everyone bar Meredith more than just a little tipsy. John opened the doors, handing each girl a grey bowl just in case, sharing a knowing look with Meredith as he helped her into her seat.
"Dr Shepherd asked me to tell you that he's made reservations for rooms at the hotel on Bainbridge. He'll check them all in and then take you home."
"Thank you john." She grinned sleepily as he shut the doors and climbed into his own seat.
"By the time they reached the ferry docks on Bainbridge Island, almost all of the women had begun to doze. Meredith had cracked a window and was watching the stars counting the minutes until she could see her fiancé again. It was nice and peaceful knowing the island was getting gradually closer, and that every minute on the ferryboat was one less minute until she was reunited with her fiancé.
Derek was watching the traffic gradually thin out in front of the hotel. He knew it wouldn't be long before the car pulled up, John had sent him a quick message before he left the ferry boat, and Derek had been waiting patiently ever since. He couldn't wait to see Meredith again. It felt like far more than a few hours since he'd last kissed her and smelt her hair and heard her laugh, and the ache in his chest was almost unbearable at this point. As he watched he began to think about all the things that he would soon be experiencing with Meredith by his side, their wedding, and a few days away afterwards, then soon after it would be their baby, and the journey into parenthood that he'd been praying for since he held his nephew for the first time over sixteen years ago. He was staring out at the bright lights and grinning, so it didn't register that a car had pulled up in front of the hotel, and he didn't see John opening the door, nor did he see a tiny blonde pregnant woman running towards him, until she launched herself at him, stealing his lips in a kiss that sent tingles through his entire body, snapping him straight out of his daydream and shifting his focus entirely onto her.
"I missed you." She whispered when they finally parted. He looked down at her perfect features, her pale green eyes, and swollen lips, her soft cheek bones and the nose he hoped their children would inherit. She was utterly radiant and he couldn't help but reach in for another kiss, shorter this time, but the only way he could get the sudden rush of feelings out.
"I missed you more." He admitted. "Mark was teasing me all day about how I looked like a lost puppy." Meredith giggled, the sound music to his ears.
"How about we get the girls to bed, then we can really celebrate being reunited." She suggested, the biting of her lip and the slight raising of her brow not being lost on him.
"That sounds perfect." He grinned as he walked to the car. "Now which of my sister's had the most to drink…"
