A/N- the long awaited final pre wedding chapter! Apologies for the wait, I got a new job and I was super busy with that. I suck I know! Thanks as always to those who read and review and those that add me to their alerts. Time doesn't often permit me to thank you all personally, but trust me, I appreciate every one of your reviews, and every person that takes the time to read and come back when there are updates. You are all wonderful.

Friday's sun rose beautifully above the land, lighting up the entire space with a beautiful golden hue. The morning had started slowly for both Meredith and Derek, a brief call from Richard had granted them both the day off which was quite the unexpected wedding gift, but one they were both grateful for. They'd been happily enjoying a brief moment alone with Carolyn, bee keeping the conversation flowing with plenty of movement sending cascades of laughter throughout the house. The cab Derek had booked rolled in at a little after nine, bringing with it the four shepherd sisters, each looking a little worse for wear after their drinking session. They each took a bathroom and proceeded to freshen up, heading down to the living room whilst Meredith answered a call, talking animatedly on her phone in the hallway.

"No! No no no!" Meredith cursed as she hung up the phone.

"What is it?" Kathleen asked her, running from the downstairs bathroom to comfort her sister in law, ignoring her cocktail induced headache.

"Sadie can't make it. She text me last night to say she'd missed her flight, and was trying to rearrange, but they don't have a spare seat until Monday. So I'm down a bridesmaid, which means the sides will be uneven which means… which means…" She choked as her hormones helped her out with the tears. Hearing the commotion, Derek and Carolyn came running through to see what the matter was.

"Sadie bailed." Amy said bluntly, having overheard the conversation on her way down the stairs. Derek's face fell, and he took Meredith into his own arms.

"Mer it's gonna be fine." He soothed.

"But it's not Derek, there were supposed to be four on each side. And the dress is already paid for. It's a freaking disaster." She sobbed into his chest

"Well maybe we can find someone else. Someone who already rsvp'd maybe."

"But we already did the seating chart. We don't have time to rearrange it. I can't believe she did this. Again! It's a disaster Derek, this whole thing is…"

"It's not a disaster, it's just a hurdle. We've gotten over plenty of hurdles before. There's bound to be someone who can fill in at the last moment." He looked to his mother and sisters for any ideas on how to cheer up his distraught fiancée.

"What size was Sadie?" Carolyn asked, wracking her brain for potential fill in bridesmaids.

"Around a five, why?" Meredith turned to look at her almost mother in law, hoping she had some sort of answer, much as she had for the other mini crises throughout the week. Carolyn opened her mouth to speak, but Kathleen got there before she could say anything.

"Sadie would have been opposite Ryan, right?" Kathleen asked. Meredith nodded. "Well, I don't want to be presumptuous, but i happen to have a soft spot for the guy. I hover closer to a six most of the time but I can suck it in if you need the extra bridesmaid. I know it's not what you planned, and having one of the shepherd four isn't what anyone would expect, but I love you like a sister so I could…"

"You mean it? You'd do that for me?" Meredith sniffed as Derek kissed her forehead.

"In a heartbeat. And I can lord it over the other three that they were all too goddam skinny to fit into the dress." Meredith giggled.

"Okay." She whispered. "Let's do it." She drew her thumb under her eyes to wipe away the tears that had collected, a smile replacing the frown that had been there just seconds before.

"Okay. Do I need to run to a fitting or...?"

"I have an appointment at noon so I can get my dress, maybe if I explain that Sadie's an idiot, she'll fit you in as well."

"So crisis averted?" Nancy ventured as she came back for her third glass of water since the girls got back to the house.

"I think I might kill Sadie when I get near her. I knew I shouldn't have trusted her to make her own way here." Meredith pouted, earning a kiss from Derek. "I don't know why I thought she would have grown up."

"Meredith, take a breath." Carolyn said softly. "Getting het up is not going to help your blood pressure, and the last thing you want is to be poorly for tomorrow. What Sadie did was careless, but you need to focus on moving forward with the rest of the plans. Derek and I are off to check the flowers in a little while and then we'll head to the airport with the girls to pick up everyone. That will give you enough time to pick up the dresses and have them back at Izzie's before we have dinner at the hotel, okay?"

"Okay." Meredith breathed. "I can do this."

"You can definitely do this!"

MDMDMDMDMD

"I'm so sorry about this. I called you as soon as I got off the phone with the other bridesmaid." Meredith gushed over top of the curtain as she put her dress on for the final time before her wedding that afternoon.

"Not to worry dear, it's not the first time this has happened, surely won't be the last. You just worry about getting into your dress and let me worry about the rest. Right, Kathleen you said your name was?"

"Um yeah, I'm Derek's sister." Kathleen grinned, praying that she wasn't too bloated from all she ate and drank the night before.

"Oh that's sweet," the dressmaker smiled as she placed pins down the front of her cardigan in case she needed them. "So would that make one of the groomsman your…"

"Husband, yeah. It's been a while since we walked down the aisle together." Kathleen grinned at her own memories of that day almost two decades previously.

"Oh, it'll be lovely for you then. It's funny how things work out. Now, I've placed the dress on a hanger in the dressing room next to Meredith's, if you slip it on, and I'll try and make adjustments if needs be before the big day and I'll open up first thing so you can come and collect it."

"Thank you so much for this." Meredith called again. "Especially after all the trouble to get Sadie's measurements in the first place."

"Not a problem my dear, I've had to refit entire wedding dresses at this point, touching up a bridesmaids dress will be no problem. How are you getting on Kathleen dear?"

"Ok." Kathleen confirmed, "I just need help with the zip."

"Come one out then dear and we'll sort it." Kathleen did as she was told, and the dressmaker gently tugged the zip to the top, turning Kathleen by her shoulders. "You know my dear, I don't know if we even need to adjust. It's not perfect from a dressmaker's perspective, but you won't be able to tell. And not to be rude, but I imagine it'll be Meredith that is the focal point of the day. Is it comfortable?"

"It's not too bad." Kathleen mused. "It's a little tight in places, but nothing too major. Honestly when Meredith said Sadie was a five I was expecting it to be much smaller, but I think so long as I'm careful I could get through the day in it."

"Well I'll be. You've been lucky here dr. grey."

"Four fittings it took to get the others perfect, and you come in days before and it fits perfectly. Did I tell you I'm in love with you?" Meredith called from behind the curtain. Kathleen giggled.

"If only I weren't married and you weren't about to marry my brother." She quipped playfully as Meredith began to slide back the curtain. "Oh my god mer." She choked. "You look incredible." Meredith bit her lip and twirled gently so that the dress fanned out just a little.

"I love it. I swear every time I come in I don't want to take it off."

"Derek is gonna…"

"I know, I just can't believe its all happening. Six months ago we didn't even have a date and now it's here and it's not awful." Kathleen wiped away her tears almost at the same second as Meredith, both laughing at their own good fortune. The dressmaker pulled a little on the dress, checking that it was as she had suspected from the day Meredith tried it on utterly perfect.

"We really have to get these dresses to the house." Meredith said, her voice laced with a hint of disappointment.

"Then I can go get my babies." Kathleen grinned, not realising quite how much she'd missed them until that moment.

"Not a problem, I'll get them both into garment bags and you can be on your way." The dressmaker smiled, always glad for a grateful customer.

"But I owe you for the last adjustment, don't i? And the last of the dress payments." Meredith frowned, convinced a sum to the tune of several hundred dollars didn't just go away.

"It's been sorted Meredith dear, you needn't worry about a thing. Now off with that dress, and you can get back to that fiancé, I'm sure he's already pining for you." Meredith grinned, the twinkle in the dressmaker's eye telling her that she too had had a visit from her Mcdreamy.

All too soon, they were on their way to the house that was now Izzie's pride and joy, armed with garment bags that filled the entire back of the jeep. It wasn't quite lunchtime yet, but bee was making it known that it was definitely time to eat, nudging away the entire drive back to the house,, that would be her base the following morning. The silence, and lack of smell coming from the kitchen told her that it had been the four of her friends that had taken on the extra work to grant her the day off and she was incredibly grateful for the chance to be able to spend a few hours with her family, ensuring that everything was on track for the next day. She and Kathleen hung their dresses in Izzie's room as per her instruction, and sensing the proximity to baked goods bee started to furiously nudge against Meredith's skin in protest at the fact that he or she had not been fed in over two hours. Meredith rubbed her hand against her bump, trying to soothe the little one inside, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Kathleen.

"I can't believe how active baby is." She gushed, reaching out her own hand to feel her first paternal niece or nephew making their presence known.

"I know," Meredith smiled. "I'd been getting guppies for weeks, but Derek couldn't feel a thing, then the other morning it was suddenly there, Derek thought I was trying to wake him up by prodding him but it was bee. I thought he was going to pass out. God knows what he'll be like in the delivery room when the thing comes shooting out of me." Kathleen laughed.

"you'd think after this many nieces and nephews that he'd be used to it all, but I swear he still freaked out every time one of us let him feel the kicks for the first time. I think with you it's definitely disbelief though. He may have been married but what he has with you and bee, it's all new to him. When he called me to tell me that you'd found a ferry boat to get married on, it was like being a kid again and hearing him get excited about going to watch them with dad. I thought we'd lost him the day he was shot, but the longer he stays with you, the more I see him in Derek. He used to bring her home presents when we were tiny, little things like a new hairbrush or gloves that he'd seen in one of the other shops in his row. And then every once in a while he'd come home with tickets to the theatre or to a band that was playing because he thought she'd love it. And he used to thank her every morning for being his, and giving him the five of us. I don't know if Derek knows he does it but it's so nice to see a glimpse of dad again when he whisks you off to some posh spa or follows you into a room so he can tell you he loves you. It's been so long since I've seen that." she sniffled slightly as she tried to blink back her tears. "God I'm off again. You're the pregnant one, it should be you with the irrational tears." She joked. "Do we have long before we have to be back?"

"About an hour I think. I said we'd meet them at the airport. Bee's getting pretty hungry so we can always grab lunch on the way. I know a great sandwich shop not far from here, and the salads are pretty amazing too."

"Meredith grey, you really are the most wonderful human being."

Full of sandwich, salad and in Meredith's case extra thick milkshake, the pair made their way to the airport, finding a space that was just four cars away from Derek's. It was a rare sunny day in Seattle, so Meredith took full advantage of the opportunity to put on the sunglasses she brought on sale back in November.

"You're gonna wear them inside too?" Kathleen asked her as they entered the airport briefly scanning for signs of Derek and his mom and sisters.

"This way I can pretend like I've been on some tropical adventure." She joked, "instead of here in Seattle praying that it won't rain on my wedding day. You don't dream about 'the trip'? Money no object, anywhere in the world, anyone."

"I wouldn't mind reliving my honeymoon." Kathleen smiled at the memory. "We started in Prague then we went to Germany and France. We were going to head to Italy too but I got sick. Well less sick and more pregnant."

"You had a honeymoon baby?" Meredith gushed. The mere mention of the word baby sending her excitement levels sky high."

"Probably our wedding night actually, based on the dates anyway. Jacob and Jennifer were almost definitely conceived on our birthdays. We have wonderful timing. Anyway how about you. Where's your dream trip?"

"I did Europe after college obviously, it might be nice to do that with a family one day instead of Sadie, but I've had a thing for Australia since I was little. Mom called me roo when I was tiny, and I had this toy that she'd gotten at the airport somewhere, I dragged it everywhere, and when I was old enough I wanted to know all about them. I think it was thatcher who got me the book but it could have been anyone. I had this whole thing about how I was going to take this stuffed animal back to where it was from. I don't remember ever having it in Boston though, so I guess it must have gotten lost somewhere on the way. I still wouldn't mind those beaches though. Oh, there they are. Derek!"

"Hey!" he greeted pulling her into his arms. "I missed you, how'd it go."

"Kathleen is a wonderful freak of nature and so the dress doesn't even need adjusting. And we had time for lunch so bee is now sleeping instead of trying to break out like he was earlier."

"well I'm glad about that." he grinned, his hand straying to the bump for just a moment before looking up at Meredith's glasses, which were now on her head, a laugh escaping his lips. "Are you on your tropical adventure again?"

"I am as it goes. I told Kathleen about roo. We're bonding or whatever."

"It's true," Kathleen agreed, "and I got to feel bee which was just about the coolest thing ever. I can't believe it's all over in a few days, and back to normal again. I'm gonna miss Seattle."

"Flight 1472 from New York is now arriving at gate 12" came a voice over the tannoy, the shepherd women sharing a moment of elation at seeing their families again, lurching towards the gate as fifteen children and three tired looking men emerged from the entrance, each child running towards their mom.

"That's gonna be us some day." Meredith whispered, not sure if Derek had heard until his lips came crashing down on hers, the rest of the world disappearing for just a few moments.

The journey to the hotel was short but noisy, the youngest of Kathleen's children joining her and Meredith in the jeep, dozens of stories about school and dinner at McDonalds filling the car, making Meredith yearn for the day the car was filled with bee and any siblings he or she would have, their own stories filling the space. Tales with her and Derek playing the roles of mom and dad. As much as she was looking forward to the next few years, watching her family grow and change, she really couldn't wait for moments like this one, and she couldn't wait for the day she got to meet her own perfect little person.

By the time they'd gotten checked in to the hotel, it was clear that the younger members of the shepherd clan were getting a little tired, so the girls decided it would be best to get them dinner and an early night ready for the early start the following morning. It gave Meredith and Derek a brief moment alone before everyone descended on the hotel for dinner. Amy had headed down to the bar to meet an old college friend who lived nearby, leaving the pair her key so they could sit on the balcony for a while, taking the weight off of Meredith's aching feet.

"This time tomorrow we'll be married." she said with a grin lacing her fingers with Derek's as they looked out at the city, still buzzing with life beneath them.

"I can't wait." Derek told her, looking into her eyes before pressing his lips against hers softly before retreating to look at her again.

"Everything in your plan, it's all happening." She smiled at him, squeezing his hand as he thought about his speech that day. She was right. Everything he'd asked for, she'd given him. He got to raise babies with her and dream about the future with. He was getting it all and that made him by far the luckiest man alive. He moved in for a kiss, settling his lips on hers, letting her deepen it, her tongue seeking permission to enter his mouth. His hands went to her hair, as his lips left hers and landed on her neck, Meredith's gasps telling him he was hitting all the right spots. Derek lowered his hands to her breasts, caressing them before moving around to unhook her bra so he could reach them properly. The sound of Amy clearing her throat interrupted the pair, and both flushed scarlet as they turned to look at her, standing up and trying to straighten their clothes as they turned to face her.

"The table is almost ready," Amy smirked, a sense of glee at the fact that it was her catching someone in the act and not the other way around. "Your clothes are in mom's room when you're Erm… ready."

"Okay, er sorry Amy." Derek said, avoiding eye contact with his little sister.

"We'll see you in a few minutes." Meredith smiled, glad that they hadn't gotten much further before they were interrupted.

Once again it had been Derek who had chosen Meredith's outfit, a sheer deep indigo dress that cascaded to the floor, brushing against the toes of her jimmy Choo heels. She in return had insisted that he wear his good looking shirt, without which, she informed him they would not be sitting where they were right then. As she fixed an earring to her lobe, Derek took a glimpse at the woman who for just one more night was his fiancée. He was still in awe at how beautiful she was, just as he had been at Joe's and every day since. She'd found the slightest hint of a stretch mark earlier in the week, cursing the effectiveness of her cocoa butter routine. She was quick to pick out the changes in her body, ridiculing everything that she deemed ugly or out of place. But to Derek he had never seen someone look so perfect. He had to pinch himself over and over to remind himself that all of this was real and that he got to look at her every day for the rest of his life. She caught him looking, and frowned playfully before reaching for his hand.

"Ready?" she asked with a smile.

"Since the day we met beautiful." He answered taking her hand in his and heading down to the final dinner before he could finally call her his wife.

They had to admit that despite being caught out a little earlier in the night, dinner was nothing short of exquisite. The awkwardness had faded completely, instead the excitement and celebration of the day to come keeping spirits higher than anyone knew possible. The food and drink flowed, and all but the happy couple were already showing signs of inebriation.

With time getting away from them, and a couple to prise apart for the night, the group began to wind down, but not before the speeches had been delivered.

"I know it's not traditional for the mother of the groom to speak." Carolyn said apologetically, "But I want to say that I have never seen Derek so happy. I know the years have not been kind to you sweetheart, but seeing the two of you together makes the pain of them go away. When I think back over the conversations your father and I had about your future, I have to pinch myself when I realise his words were exactly right. He swore that one day he would find, not just any girl, but the perfect girl, who would be everything that he needs, and everything that he wants all rolled into one, and that he'd be happy beyond anything we ever saw. There have been times when I thought that maybe you'd gotten there, that maybe even the best relationships took breaks, and then I get this call from my son that says he has found the one, and a great many more that told me this was going to be forever. I know its cliché and I've said it at each of your sisters' weddings, but your father would be so proud of you. And I guarantee he would have been up at dawn and giddy with excitement for your special day. Because sweetheart, Meredith is perfect for you. She may try and provide more than sufficient evidence to the contrary but she has done something that not even I thought was possible, and that is that she made you shine again. The glimmer in your eyes, and that want not to just be the best but to do what makes you happy as well, everything that you lost when your father passed. All the qualities of him that I thought were lost, she has given back to me through you. And the baby, I can't even express how proud I am of the two of you for that. Meredith sweetie, I know family isn't something that you have much experience of, and you've had your own issues when it comes to being mothered, but I want you to know that legally tomorrow you are part of our family, but right here." she laid a hand over her chest. "You always were. To the happy couple."

"To the happy couple." Smiled the rest of the table.

"I just want to say that although everyone hated Mcdreamy at the beginning." Cristina slurred slightly, trying far too hard to stay on her feet.

"What Cristina is trying to say is that…" Izzie interrupted, trying to get the maid of honour to sit down before she fell down.

"No let me finish." Cristina insisted. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you'll always be there for Meredith, she really deserves it." The table nodded in agreement as Derek squeezed Meredith's shoulders pleased that she'd found some kind of sentiment. Cristina paused for a moment, before settling down in her seat once more. "Because we all know that she is much more fun to be around when she's getting laid. Here's to the happy couple. May your sex be as hot and dirty as the night you picked him up at Joes."

"Oh god," Meredith groaned her head in her hands, waiting for everyone to get up and go so she could leave. There were certain details of her and Derek's meeting that she would have liked to be kept under wraps.

"Growing up, I always wanted a big sister." Lexie began and Meredith raised her head to look at her baby sister, who suddenly looked very vulnerable standing up alone. "Someone to look up to, who I could tell my secrets to and get advice about boys and school and all of the crap that kids have going on. And then one day my dad tells me that he did have another daughter, right there in Seattle, hidden away for my entire life. And although I was angry and hurt and confused to begin with, I started to realise how lucky I was that I only missed out on a few years with her. It seems strange to say that I haven't known my sister for long, but in the time that I have, I realised that I needed to learn a lot about the world before I could really appreciate Meredith. She is by far the strongest, bravest, odds defying human being I have ever met. She has seen so much more than anyone should have to and yet she comes through it, and better yet, she brings everyone else through it to. She has never really been loved, and yet she is so willing to love wholeheartedly and unconditionally, that it gives me hope that I will always have my big sister there when I need her, to look up to, and to tell my secrets to and to get advice from. And there is no one in the world that deserves someone like Derek shepherd more than her. He is the big brother I never had, and the fact that he can see past the things that I know other guys, other colleagues, other friends cant, makes me certain that he will never hurt her, and instead spend the rest of his life making sure that she knows nothing but happiness and love and everything she deserves. Derek thank you for keeping my big sister safe in your arms, so that I get to love her as not only my big sister, but also my role model, and my best friend for the rest of my life." Meredith wiped the tears from her eyes, and stood up to embrace her sister. Her father had done so many things wrong by her, but he had done something right when he gave her Lexie, and that was a part of her father that she didn't mind standing beside her at her wedding.

With glasses drained, and beds calling the sisters and their partners bowed out for the night followed by Carolyn; and bailey and the chief, leaving mark and the remaining bridesmaids with the happy couple.

"Mark, can you and Lexie help me get Cristina into the cab? We can give these two a moment alone." Izzie asked, smiling at the pair, who both looked like the 12 hour separation was going to be too long. Tears in both of their eyes. Mark obliged, helping Izzie get Cristina out of the room, whilst Lexie grabbed doors and bags.

"That was mortifying." Meredith giggled. "Seriously worse than the bachelorette party. I'm waiting for one of your sisters to whisk you off so you can't marry me."

"They wouldn't do that. They love you because you make me happy." Derek assured her, leaning in to press his forehead to hers.

"And apparently the only way I do that is by being a vixen in the sheets." She groaned slightly at the memory.

"You could be awful and I'd still love you." Derek reminded her. "And I'd definitely still want to marry you. Lexie and mom spoke for the entire room, cristina as expected spoke for herself."

Meredith smiled and kissed his lips softly, nodding at the statement.

"I swear if Cristina says something tomorrow, I will be leaving right then and there."

"Sure you don't just want to run away with me tonight and get married naked on a beach somewhere? If we leave now we could be there and married by the time anyone realises what's happened." Meredith giggled and shook her head, all too aware that their time was up and Izzie was ready to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow Derek."

"Bright and early. I love you."

"We love you too. Now go sleep. You'll need your strength tomorrow night."

"Can't wait." He said, as he watched her walk away as Dr. Grey for the very last time. Just 12 hours were left until he got his happy ending. 12 more hours until he had it all.

A/N- the wedding chapter is almost finished, I'll have it up soon!