Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Grey's Anatomy. Not the characters. Not the plot. Not anything. Nor do I own anything to do with the NHL. At all. But it would be pretty cool if I did.
It was Saturday, which meant it was game day. The Flyers were currently 3-1 up in the series and this could be the game that cemented their place in the Stanley Cup Final. Meredith had bought herself and Aiden tickets to the game and he kept one eye on them in the stands. The game had been going well, and now it was 1-1, but the Bolts had a power play of 5-3 leaving them short-handed. Derek backed up on the ice, trying to help out the defensemen as best he could, but it was 5 against 3, there wasn't much they could do and sure enough, Lightning scored and now they were 2-1 down with 5 minutes to go.
Derek, frustrated, skated up to the face-off circle and snuck a glance at Meredith. She smiled at him, gave him a thumbs up and a wink, then blew a kiss at him. He nodded and tapped his stick on the ice, a tick of his that he had adopted decades ago. He rolled his shoulders then focused on the puck that was about to be dropped in front of him. They gained back their two players and worked hard to bring it back to a level game, with only one minute to go. The last minute was uneventful and now they were going to have to play overtime.
When they came back up the runway, someone tapped him on the head. He turned and saw it was Meredith, she had moved round from her seat to see him.
"You've got this Derek, I believe in you," she leaned over the rails and kissed him.
"Thanks Mer."
"Kick ass," she smirked.
He chuckled and trod back onto the ice; his confidence re-instilled. Halfway through the 1st overtime, Derek took his chance. He slid it across the ice, behind Korpisalo. Mark was waiting at the post and nudged it in, Korpisalo lunging back to retrieve it but to no avail.
They had done it; they had actually done it! They were in the freaking Stanley Cup Final! He jumped onto the group hug that was expanding by the second as they all skated from the bench. "Yes Mark," he slapped his brother on the back. "Haha, Tampa Bay can go suck it. We're in the Stanley Cup Final baby," he replied. It was all a mess of sticks and skates and Derek was grinning from ear to ear, the Flyers had a shot this year!
xxxxx
Derek came out of the changing room soon later; the team were going out for drinks but he wanted to see Mer and Aiden first. As soon as he rounded the corner, Meredith latched onto him and hugged him tightly. "You were amazing out there. I love you." She kissed him keenly and he kissed her back. "I love you too. We're in the Final Mer. We're in the Final of the Stanley Cup, I can't believe it," he grinned, kissing her again. He twirled her round and put her back down, squeezing her close.
"Where's Aiden?"
"He's on one of the benches round there, I said I would go and find you."
"You wanted to kiss me without him there didn't you?" He chuckled.
"Maybe," she giggled.
"Well let's make the most of it," he whispered. They broke apart eventually, both of them breathless, "Come on Der, Aiden's dying to see you now."
He spent as much time with the two of them as he could before he was called out to go to the bar round the corner. He told them he'd see them tomorrow and he rushed off to celebrate with his team.
xxxxx
Aiden seemed quiet, and Meredith didn't know why. When she had dropped him off at school today, he had seemed fine, but now something was wrong.
"Are you okay sweetie?"
"Yeah Mom," he stared absently out the window.
"Are you sure?"
"...No," he sighed.
"What is it sweetie?"
"It's stupid."
"Well you can tell me even if it is. I'm sure it isn't."
"There's this thing on Friday, and we're meant to bring our dads. But I don't have one."
In that instant Meredith's heart shattered for her little boy.
"Oh, sweetie."
"It's not fair, people will think I'm weird cause I don't have one. Everybody else does."
"I'm so sorry sweetie, but I tried looking for your dad a few times, I couldn't find him."
"I get it, he just didn't want me."
"Bud," her eyes filled with tears, and for some reason she used Derek's nickname for him, "that's not true, okay. And if you really don't want to go, we can have an Aiden and Mom day instead."
"Kay," he rested his head on the window. Cogs turned in Meredith's mind, it was such a stupid idea, they had to know that some kids wouldn't have a dad. She thought about asking Derek to do it, but she couldn't ask him to do that, it would be too much pressure on him.
Aiden was in a bad mood for the rest of the evening, he didn't even brighten up when Derek came round.
"Hey bud," Derek bounced into the room after being let in by Meredith, "how are you?"
He saw the forlorn look on the little boy's face and immediately was at his side.
"Bud? What's wrong?" He rubbed his back, Meredith stood back against the doorframe. "S'nothing."
"It's not, I can tell. You can tell me, what is it?"
"It's... We're meant to bring our dads to school on Friday, and I don't have one, and it's stupid. My dad just didn't love me."
At this, Derek pulled him onto his arms and held him tightly. "That's not true bud, he definitely loved you. And even if he didn't, he missed out on the best little bud that ever lived."
"Really?" Aiden looked up at him.
"Of course, I don't know anyone half as cool as you." He kissed the top of his head. "Also, even if your dad isn't here to love you, I am. I love you Aiden."
"I love you too Derek," he snuggled into Derek's arms and was soon asleep, exhausted from the emotion of the day. He put him to bed and came down to find Meredith weeping softly.
"Mer? Mer, come here." He reached for her and wrapped his protective, soothing arms around her.
"He doesn't have a dad Derek. And he's never minded, he's always been so happy. I've given him everything I possibly can, but I can't give him this. He, he, God. He thinks he's a freak for not having a dad."
"Mer, calm down okay. He'll be fine, alright? And, and one day, I want to be his dad," he confessed.
"You... you do?" She looked into his eyes.
"Of course I do, I love him so much. He means so much to me and I don't think I could live without the two of you," his voice cracked.
"Derek," she nuzzled into the crook of him neck.
"I can go with him on Friday. I can be his dad for the day or something."
"Derek, I can't ask you to do that."
"You don't have to, I'm offering," he looked down at her.
"I love you Mer. And I love him. I want to do this, please let me do this."
She nodded, "Okay. But you have to ask Aiden."
"I will, I will," he whispered and rocked her back and forth until she felt better.
xxxxx
Derek was more excited than Aiden, and he was fairly sure that wasn't how it was meant to go. They had beaten Dallas the day before so now they were 1-0 up and now Derek was going to be a dad for the day. Aiden had been so excited when Derek had asked if he could go and now, he was swinging his arm along and skipping towards his classroom. Derek chuckled softly to himself and knocked on the door. "Hello?"
The room was filled with kids and their fathers. He recognised Ricky and his dad, who he still didn't know the name of. The rest we're unfamiliar, besides the boys who had come to the game in June.
"Come in, come in," Miss Wheeler ushered them inside and Derek was dragged to a table with 3 other kids. "Derek, this is Emily, Ryder and Sophie," Aiden introduced him.
"Nice to meet you guys," he waved. They all waved back, and the dads introduced themselves, shaking each other's hands. He could tell some of them in the room knew who he was, but he was going to keep his mouth shut, he wanted to be Aiden's dad today, not a hockey player. He sat with Aiden while his classmates went up with their dads, finally input was their turn. "Come on Derek," Aiden pulled on his arm.
"Coming bud," he laughed, and followed Aiden to the front of the class.
"This is Derek, he's not really my dad but he's basically my dad, he does everything dads do. He takes me to the park and plays games and is really good at getting rid of monsters. And he takes me to hockey practice and shows me how to do stuff cuz I wanna be like him cuz he's the best hockey player in the world. The Flyers are in the Final and they're 1-0 up so that's good. He also has lots of nieces and nephews, so he knows how to make Mickey Mouse pancakes, and he loves me lots. And I love him too." Aiden finished his mini speech and Derek had a huge grin on his face. He crouched down and hugged Aiden quickly before Miss Wheeler told them to go back to their seats.
Derek spent the day with Aiden playing a few games and working on his sums and whatnot, he loved the time he got to spend with him, and he fit right in. Aiden was right, he was basically his dad, just without the title.
Meredith had decided to walk to the school this afternoon, she had spent a good morning at the hospital and as much as she hated to admit it, the house felt empty without Derek or Aiden, they had officially ruined being able to relax alone in her own house. She passed Derek's car and ran her fingers over the bonnet. She didn't completely get his obsession with Porsches, but she saw how beautiful they were. She reached the classroom and her heart melted when she spotted Derek and Aiden in a corner. Derek seemed to be reading to a group of kids (and their dads) with Aiden was sat on his lap, Derek's protective arm around him. Derek was sat on a beanbag that he had sunk into and she had to fight the urge to join them. She leant against the door jamb and just watched them; she was a few minutes early, she could wait. 'Meredith?" She tore her eyes away and found Miss Wheeler in front of her.
"Hi."
"You're here early? Was Derek not taking Aiden home?"
"Oh, he was. But they have both ruined being home alone for me, it just feels so empty now."
The teacher chuckled, "I know what you mean. And I know I don't know you too well, but I can see how much you love Derek over there. You'd have to be blind not to. And for what it's worth, Aiden wants him to be his dad, and he's basically doing it anyway."
"Oh," she blushed, "yeah, I, we, we want to tell him after Derek moves here. He's joining Seattle's new team, I assume you know about the hockey from Aiden," she giggled, "But, we want to tell him then, soon."
"That's good, you should," Miss Wheeler smiled.
She smiled back and turned her attention back to the corner and gazed directly into Derek's dancing blue eyes. He had finished reading and he smiled, whispering something to Aiden. Her son turned round and jumped out of Derek's lap and straight towards her arms.
"Mom!"
"Hey sweetie, did you have a good day?"
"It was awesome! Derek showed me a trick to make counting easier and loads of people thought Derek was cool, but I already know that. And I had to get up in front of the class and talk about Derek and it was fun cuz I know lots bout Derek and he said he was proud of me," he beamed at Derek who had walked up behind them.
"Of course I was proud of you bud, I'm always proud of you," he ruffled his hair.
"Hey Mer," he grinned, she saw the pure joy on his face and instantly she knew how much he had loved today, being totally accepted as Aiden's dad. It made her all the surer of their future together.
xxxxx
Derek and Meredith were sat in front of the fireplace, enjoying the silence. Derek broke it saying in his gentle voice, "I still haven't found a place yet. Hopefully I'll be living here within the month and I want to get somewhere close. I want to see you as much as I can, plus it's close to the rink."
"Mmmm, stay close," Meredith squeezed his hand.
"I will," he chuckled, "I'm still sorting out the paperwork for the land, but I might be able to start planning it soon. But the trouble is, I'm moving in basically a month and I'll be homeless if I don't get a move on."
"You... Move in with me."
"What?"
"Move in with me, with us. Don't look for a house or an apartment, I want you here," she blurted.
"Really? You want to be stuck with me every day?"
"I do, I really do."
"Are you sure? You really want that?" Derek grinned.
"Yeah, yeah I do," his girlfriend smiled.
"I'll definitely move in with you," Derek kissed her forcefully. He pulled away and said, "You know this means telling Aiden."
"Yeah," she breathed, "I know, I want to. We've been together for a few months now, and you'll probably move in by October. He deserves to know."
"Okay," he kissed her tentatively, "when do you want to do it?"
"Maybe after he finishes school tomorrow. You don't have training, or anything do you?"
"In the morning," he nodded, "but I'll be finished by then. The game is on Saturday."
"Okay, so, Friday."
"Friday," he repeated, smiling.
xxxxx
Aiden was worried. Mom was acting all strange and jumpy and he didn't like it. He couldn't figure out if he'd done something or if it was cuz of work, but he was still worried.
"Are you okay Mom?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine, Derek and I just have something to tell you," she said as she opened the door.
"Mer? Bud?"
"Hey Derek," they both shouted, and Aiden held his arms up, wanting Derek to carry him. He laughed and picked him up, taking him towards the living room. He could always rely on Derek; he was really nice, and he liked being with him. He was put onto one end of the sofa while Mom and Derek sat at the other end; Derek was kind of behind Mom.
"Did I do something?" He asked.
"No sweetie, it's nothing like that. It's good." She looked back at Derek and they smiled in a weird way Aiden hadn't seen before.
"It's, um, Derek and I... Derek is my boyfriend," Mom smiled. Aiden looked back and forth between them, they both had goofy grins on their faces. "So, you guys will be all kissy and go on dates and stuff, like my friends' moms and dads sometimes?"
"Yeah bud, is it okay?"
"I guess," he shrugged, "but you'll still do stuff with me Derek, you won't forget about me cuz of Mom?"
"Oh bud, of course I won't forget about you, you two are the most important people in my life, I love you. And I love your mom," he kissed Mom on the cheek.
"Does this mean that you'll be my real dad one day?" He asked hopefully. He had only known Derek for around 4 months, but he was still awesome, he wouldn't mind having him as a dad.
"If everything goes the way I want it to," Derek gave Mom a longing look, "I would love to be your real dad."
"Does that mean I'm meant to call you dad?"
"Oh, I. If you want to bud, but don't force it, let it come naturally okay?"
"Kay."
Mom leaned on Derek's chest and told him, "And sweetie, Derek and I talked about it and, I want Derek to move in after the Stanley Cup finishes, hopefully by October. But if you don't like it sweetie, we can stop right now."
"Seriously?! That's so cool, we can play more games and you'll be here all the time, and you can read me bedtime stories, it'll be great," he jumped towards them.
"I'm glad you think so bud, I'll definitely be around all the time, and I want to spend it with you," he kissed the top of his head.
"Can you move in now?"
"Sorry bud," Derek laughed, "I have to get my stuff from Philadelphia first."
"Kay, can you stay today though?"
"Course I can bud."
"Good, can we have pizza?"
"I don't see why not."
Aiden bounced out of the room, he was happy about his mom and Derek's relationship, even if the main bit he really understood was that he would be able to spend more time with Derek.
He watched Aiden jump out of the room and as soon as he rounded the corner, he kissed Meredith as passionately as he could and kept her tight in his arms.
"Oh my god. He knows, he knows now. I love you; I love you so much."
"I love you too," she smiled into his shoulder, "he's happy for us Der, he really is. But you know if he ever isn't okay with it, we have to slow down."
"I know, I know. But from the looks of things, I don't think we're going to have that problem," he grinned.
"Neither do I. God Derek..." she shook her head and kissed him. "You're moving in."
"I'm moving in."
"But first, you have a Stanley Cup to win," she smirked.
"Oh I do, and I will definitely do you proud," he reciprocated.
"You better," she giggled, "I am dating Derek Shepherd you know."
"You are, great isn't it," he smirked.
"Derek," she laughed, "cocky."
"You love the cocky," he murmured.
"I do," she said softly and kissed him again.
"Ewwww," they heard from behind them. They broke apart to see Aiden grimacing.
"Sorry bud," Derek laughed.
"You're gonna do that a lot aren't cha?"
"Yeah sweetie, you'll have to get used to it," Meredith giggled.
"But it's gross," his face contorted again.
"Sorry sweetie," Meredith giggled again, "we'll try and keep it short, and not often around you."
"Kay. When can we get pizza?"
Derek smiled to himself, his future was looking more and more perfect every second.