a.n hope y'all are ready for a very chunky chapter!

After 45 minutes of trying to put Scout down for this nap, the one-year-old was finally fast asleep in his cot, unaware of the frustration that he had caused his mother. Amelia took a moment to look down at her son, he was yet to grow out of his cherub cheeks, and she had to resist the urge to squeeze them.

There would never be a time where Amelia would get over the miracle that was Scout Derek Lincoln Shepard. After the turmoil she had got through with her first baby, Amelia hadn't thought she'd ever be able to give birth to a healthy baby. Yet here she was, the mother to a little boy who had just turned one a month ago, going through the rollercoaster called parenting with the man of her dreams. It all just seemed too good to be true, but she was over second-guessing the good things in her life. Ever since Scout had been born, she'd learnt to appreciate every good thing that came into her life, trying her best not to worry that it could all be taken from her.

Grabbing the baby monitor from the chest-of-drawers, Amelia left the door slightly ajar as she made her way downstairs. Heading into the living room of the three-bedroom new-build that she and Link had just bought, Amelia found her sisters lounging on the L-shape sofa, a glass of red wine in hand each.

Amelia dropped herself in between the two of them, replacing the baby monitor in her hand for a glass of alcohol-free wine that Link always made sure was in the house for her.

"Come on then, why have you dragged me here on a Saturday afternoon?" Meredith teased.

It wasn't very often they would come down to Amelia's house. Even with everyone having moved out and Meredith only living at home with her kids now, it was still the meeting point for all of her friends and family. Old habits die hard.

"Well," Amelia drew out, a large smile spreading across her face.

Maggie leaned in closer, eager to find out. Meredith on the other hand just raised brow, waiting for her sister to just get on with telling them what was happening. Amelia reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a princess cut diamond ring and slipped into onto her ring finger.

Letting out a screech that shouldn't have been able to come from human, Maggie threw her arms around Amelia. Thankfully, she had finished the wine in her glass. When Maggie finally let go, Meredith pulled Amelia into a hug of her own. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you," she whispered into Amelia's ear.

Whilst Meredith was not one to hug her sisters, this occasion called for it. She knew the demons that Amelia had had to battle to get to where she was today. Losing her baby, a failed marriage, her struggle with addiction, losing her brother. For the things Mere hadn't had a front seat for, Amelia had told her all about them in minute detail. Then she had found Link and Meredith had seen the change in Amelia, she no longer walked with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

"Link!" Cormac called out to the blonde-haired man, seeing him get out of his car and jogged over to him.

"Hayes," both men clapped each other on the back.

"I hear congratulations are in order!"

A huge grin spread across Link's face, "So, you heard?"

"Aye, Meredith told me about it last night. I'm chuffed for you both!" When Meredith had rung last night to tell him the news, he could hear the pure joy that was in her voice. That was one of the things that he loved about her, the way she always rooted for the people she cared about unapologetically, how she never let the losses she had faced darken her outlook on life.

"Thanks, man. Honestly, it just all feels like this huge dream, right now." Link didn't care how soft it might have made him seem, he had an intelligent, strong woman who just agreed to marry him and a healthy happy baby he got to go home to. There was nothing more that he could have asked for from life.

Walking into the hospital, both men began to talk about the upcoming wedding. Link and Cormac had begun to grow close to over the past year when Cormac had started dating Meredith. He'd found himself down her house more often and ended up getting to know Link a lot better. Link had already told Cormac about his plans to propose and made him promise not to tell Meredith which had been no easy feat. Meredith was able to get a brick wall to tell its secrets if she really wanted it to.

"Actually, I was hoping if you'd be one of my groomsmen."

Cormac was slightly taken aback at the request. As close as he and Link had gotten, the last thing he expected was for Link to ask him to be part of the wedding. The best he thought was going to happen was that Meredith would bring him along as her plus-one.

"I'd be honoured mate." Both men grinned at each other.

Cormac hadn't really known what to expect when he moved to Seattle. He had definitely not been expecting to end up with a girlfriend and friends that he considered he had considered family, who were there for him and his boys. After Abigail had passed, he didn't think anywhere would feel like home again but Seattle had welcomed him and his boys with open arms and he couldn't imagine being anywhere else now.

The two surgeons had headed up to the attendings' lounge and gotten changed out of their street clothes. Various doctors offered their congratulations to Link who gladly accepted them, unable to stop himself from smiling. Looking on, Cormac couldn't help but give in to the infectious joy that Link was radiating. It made him think about his own future with Meredith.

He hadn't wanted to fall in love again after what had happened. It was out of the question for him, he had just wanted to focus on his work and his boys. They were the only things that had mattered. The moment he had stepped foot into Grey-Sloan Memorial hospital though, that had completely changed. He'd become curious about who Meredith Grey really was and as he had gotten to know her, he found himself falling for her. And surprisingly for him, he could even see himself proposing to Meredith in the future.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

A month had passed since Link and Amelia had announced their engagement to the rest of the hospital staff and they couldn't wait to tie the knot. Which was why they decided not to wait too long at all. Neither of them wanted a big wedding so there was no reason to wait over a year to walk down the aisle.

They were more than ready to get planning underway but knew that there were a couple of things that they needed to sort out first which was why Amelia found herself standing across a surgical table to one of her sister's.

"Why exactly did you want to stand here and watch this surgery?"

"I realised you won your Catherine Fox award for this and I've never actually seen you carry out an abdominal wall transplant."

Meredith looked up from surgery, sceptical eyes scanning Amelia's face. "Mhm, sure. Suction."

It took another fifteen minutes before Amelia managed to build up the courage to talk to Meredith again. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the wedding…"

Meredith didn't look up from the body cavity and she carried on working, waiting for Amelia to continue.

"I was hoping that you would be my maid of honour?"

That had made Meredith look up and stop what she was doing. "Uh, I'm sorry, what?"

"My maid of honour. Most brides usually have them. You know, organising my bachelorette party, coming to my dress fittings, telling me I look beautiful on my wedding day."

Still in shock at the question, Meredith continued with her surgery.

"It was stupid, I shouldn't have asked. You're already busy with the kids and work…" Amelia began to babble

Meredith cut her off, "It's not that. I mean, are you sure you don't want Maggie to be your maid of honour? She has that whole peppy, happy thing going on that would probably work for weddings."

Amelia shook her head, "I love Maggie and she's still my sister, but I want you to be my maid of honour. Look, I know we haven't always gotten on and we hated each other for a little but you've always been there when I've needed you. Always given me the truths that I haven't wanted to hear. You cared about me Mere, even when you couldn't stand me. So, there's no one else that I would want to be my maid of honour."

The corners of Mere's eyes creased as she looked up at her sister, her smile hidden under the surgical face mask.

"Then I guess you got yourself a maid of honour then."

"Oh, uh- I just wanted to ask one more thing!"

A little sceptical, Meredith looked back up quickly, "What?"

"I wanted to know if it was okay with you that I asked Bailey to walk me down the aisle."

Slightly confused why Amelia needed to ask her about it, she just shrugged. "I mean Bailey's her own woman; don't really think you need my permission." Meredith did think it was a little strange that she wanted Bailey to walk her down the aisle but each to their own.

"No!" Amelia laughed, "Not big Bailey. Little Bailey, as in my nephew."

"Oh," well that suddenly made a lot more sense.

"It's just that I would have loved to have had Derek there to walk me down the aisle," Amelia felt a lump in her throat. "And I love your kids. I wanted Zola and Ellis to be flower girls and I thought since Derek can't be there, having his son walk me down the aisle… it would feel right…"

Meredith's silence started to make Amelia feel nervous. She was worried that she'd made Mere feel uncomfortable or upset but when she finally looked at Meredith instead of her shoes, she saw tears in her eyes, the creases by her eyes from her smile had not disappeared.

"I think that would be perfect."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

The wedding had come around quicker than either the bride or groom had anticipated. They had to somehow squeeze in food tastings and suit fittings between a one-year-old who apparently hated sleeping at night and shifts that left hem like passing ships in the night. But even amidst the chaos around them, Link and Amelia knew that there was nothing more that they wanted than to get through the rest of their messy lives as husband and wife.

The guests had begun to take their seats facing the open ocean. Link and Amelia had mainly invited their close friends from the hospital for the ceremony as well as Link's parents. He'd asked Amelia multiple times if she was sure she didn't want to have her own family there, but she had told him that Meredith and Maggie were all the family she needed as well as Link and Scout. The last thing she wanted was for the Shepard clan to touch down in Seattle and lecture her and probably Meredith as well. It wasn't worth the hassle.

Link stood at the end of the aisle, making small talk to the guests that had already taken their seats. He was glad that a beach wedding had meant that he didn't have to wear a full suit because he was sweating bullets from being so nervous. Instead, he wore pale blue trousers, with a matching waistcoat, white shirt and a floral, slim blue tie. Nico, Cormac and Jackson stood next to him in the same attire but had all forgone the tie.

"You'll be alright, mate, just remember to breathe," Cormac teased after seeing how nervously Link was wringing his hands.

Link let out a shaky laugh and Nico clapped a hand on his back. "Hey, it'll be fine. I mean, you already have a kid together, and if you got through your first year of being parents, then this has to be in a walk in the park."

Nico had a point. Their first year of parenting had been difficult as they tried to find their feet and navigate new waters. There has been arguments and nights on the sofa but neither of them would have wanted to have gone through that journey with anyone else. It had made them both understand each other on a deeper level and that had only helped in strengthening the relationship in the end.

He didn't need to be nervous. Marrying Amelia was exactly what he wanted, there was no doubt in his mind that she was the only person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

Amelia had been bouncing off of the walls since five that morning and made sure that Meredith and Maggie were awake with her. There was no fear or apprehension in her eyes as the make-up artist and hairstylist arrived at Meredith's house to get her ready. Meredith knew that unlike Amelia's wedding with Owen, she didn't need to give her a get-out clause. There was nowhere Amelia wanted to be more right now than at the end of the aisle with Link.

Slowly walking down, the stairs, Amelia caught the attention of everyone in the living room. Dressed in an A-line, ivory gown, Amelia looked every bit the beach bride with the chiffon dress covered with beading and embroidery on the top and over the straps which dropped into a V. The skirt of her dress was plain allowing the material to speak for itself, gently moving with each step that she took. She wore a set of diamond earrings that Derek had gotten her when she had graduated med school and a simple bracelet that he had gotten her for her 18th birthday. Her short hair was curled with a crystal and leaf halo entwined with her brown locks. In her hands, Amelia held a beautiful bouquet of lavender, Antigua spray roses, Romantic Antike, Rene Goscinny roses, which matched the colour of her bridesmaids' dresses, as well as gorgeous green foliage. She was positively radiant.

Zola, Bailey and Ellis immediately ran up to their Auntie Amy but stopped short since Mere and Maggie had already told them that she was going to be wearing a very special dress and they needed to be careful around her. Amelia didn't care though and crouched down with her arms outstretched.

"Come here, you three!"

Without hesitation, the kids ran into her arms and she gave them a tight hug.

"You look beautiful Auntie Amy!" Zola grinned at her aunt when she finally let go.

"Like a princess!" Ellis piped up.

"You're super pretty today, Auntie Amy but you are every day!" The three women burst out into laughter. Bailey had somehow gotten Derek's smooth-talking skills

"Thank you, guys, I love you three so much, you know that right?"

The kids all nodded eagerly, huge smiles on their faces. The whole meaning of marriage might not have completely resonated with them at their age, but they understand that this was an important day for both Amelia and Link, and it meant that they loved each other very much and were very happy together and for three kids, that's all that mattered.

"We love you too!" the three of them said in sync.

Meredith and Maggie stoop up from the couch, their coral, asymmetric wrap dresses, cut into a V was made from the same chiffon material as Amelia wedding dress. Meredith gave Amelia a quick squeeze.

"Derek is so damn proud of you right now."

The two sisters looked at each other, tears threatening to fall from both of their eyes.

"Don't you dare!" Meredith threatened her, "The make-up artist spent way too long for you to go and ruin it now and I'm not having you blaming me for crappy wedding photos."

It was enough to make Amelia laugh. Losing Derek had hit her hard, worse than when she had lost her dad. She'd been too young then and Derek had ended up being that father-figure for her. Nothing dulled the ache she felt when she thought about her brother but the relationship that she had forged with Meredith in the years following his death had been the only light that had come from it all.

"Mama!" Scout happily babbled, wriggling around in Maggie's arm.

Meredith took Amelia's bouquet of her as she reached for her son. "Hey there baby boy. Don't you look handsome today?"

Scout just clapped his hands together, his eyes roaming over Amelia's face, a look of pure bliss over his own.

Maggie had pulled out some tissues from her clutch bag and began to wipe away her tears. Watching her in her peripheral vision, Meredith couldn't help but roll her eyes and laugh.

"What? It's just a really beautiful day," Maggie sniffed. "And Amelia, you look like an absolute goddess. Link is incredibly lucky to have you as his wife."

Amelia beamed, "I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one here."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

It had been a task to get four kids into the wedding cars and make sure that they hadn't forgotten anything in the house but miraculously, the bridal party weren't late for the wedding. They were tucked away from the sight of the guests and Link but were able to see the everyone from over the railing.

Bailey had a firm grasp on Amelia's hand and looked up at her with a toothy grin. "I've got you, Auntie Amy!"

At that moment, seeing the way he smiled and the glint in his eyes, Bailey reminded her exactly of her brother. He even knew the exact right thing to say to her.

"You ready for this?" Maggie asked, holding Scout who was acting as ring bearer for the ceremony.

"Yes, most definitely. Come on, let's go!"

Maggie laughed at her sister's eagerness and Scout joined it, his peals of laughter making Amelia's heart fit to burst. She was once again reminded of how perfect her life and turned out.

Meredith and Maggie ushered the kids into order, giving them quick reminders of what they were meant to do and where they were meant to sit after walking down the aisle. The first few bars of VSQ's A Sky Full of Stars began to play, Maggie quickly turned around from the front of the line with tears in her eyes and mouthed good luck to Amelia before giving Scout a quick kiss on the top of his head and began to make her way down the aisle. A huge grin was on her face as she looked around the guests and caught Winston's eye.

As she got to the end of the aisle, Nico grinned at the little boy and took the rings from the pillow that he was holding.

"Thanks, little man!" He cooed.

Link took his son from Maggie's arms and gave him a quick cuddle before giving him back to Maggie.

Before taking her spot to the left of the aisle Maggie gave Scout to Link's mum who could not have looked any prouder at that moment.

Seeing that Maggie had gone into place, Meredith turned around and grinned at Amelia. "Hey, I know I don't say it much, but I love you."

Before she could turn back around Amelia gave her a grin that matched her own. "Love you too, sis."

"Let's get you married then," Meredith turned around, the coral fabric ripped around her legs and began to walk down the aisle.

She could sense the amount of joy that was radiating around her. Looking straight ahead she grinned at Link who looked just as eager as Amelia had. She could not wait to see his face when Amelia walked down the aisle. The guy was practically bouncing on his feet in anticipation and Mere had to stifle a laugh.

Scanning over the rest of the groom's party she saw Cormac staring at her intensely, his gaze never once leaving her. Meredith winked at him with a smirk on her face and he couldn't help but burst out laughing. The guests all turned to look at the source of laughter, wondering what the hell was going on. Mere could see Hayes starting to go red and shot her a scowl.

"Hate you," he mouthed, and Meredith just rolled her eyes in return as he shook his head.

She gave Link a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before she stood next to Maggie. Watching her little girls walk down had made Meredith hold her breath. She'd been worried about something going wrong, especially since Ellis now seemed to be in a phase where she just about bumped and tripped over anything, including thin air, but the two girls had managed to play their parts perfectly and took their seats next to Bailey and Richard on the bride's side of the aisle.

"Could everyone please stand for the bride."

The words were enough to open a cage of butterflies in Link's stomach. Why did this have to take so long? He would have happily run down the aisle and carry Amelia back to the alter to hurry this up so they could just get married already. He was seriously considering this thought when he saw a flash of white up ahead.

His bride had arrived.

It was almost as if Amelia was gliding down the aisle. She was radiating so much joy and happiness, not a single hesitation in her step. The pair couldn't tear their eyes away from each other and Link wasn't even ashamed on the streams of tears that fell down his face.

After what felt like an age, she was finally stood in front of him. Link went to take her hand when Bailey stopped him. He looked down at the little boy who had a very serious look on his face and gestured for him to crouch down which Link did with no question.

"You better not hurt my Auntie Amy because mommy just let me start karate lessons!"

Link bit back a smile and solemnly nodded at him. "I promise, I'm going to love your Aunt Amy forever."

Bailey thought for a moment before nodding and fist-bumping his Uncle Link. At last, he had Amelia in his arm's… or at least had her hand in his. The ceremony went by in a blur. An ocean's worth of tears was shed from everyone that was there as Link and Amelia devoted themselves to each other for the rest of their lives.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

Their afternoon ceremony soon turned into an evening reception on the beach. Drinks flowed freely and Amelia had spent the entire reception in Link's arms. Richard and Catherine had eventually taken the kids back to their home as it had gotten later, telling the adults to enjoy the rest of the night.

"You ready to get out of here, Dr Shepard-Lincoln?" Link whispered in Amelia's ear.

She planted a quick kiss on his lips before turning back to their wedding party. "I definitely am but there's just one last thing!" She wriggled out of Link's hold, her new husband giving her a curious look as she walked over to the DJ who nodded at her.

"Alright, everyone!" The DJ called down the microphone, turning the music down. "Our bride and groom are going to be leaving but before they leave there's just one thing left to do. Time for the bouquet throw."

A gaggle of men and women alike began to make their way to the front of the stage where Amelia stood with her back to them ready to throw her bouquet into the crowd. Meredith watched from an empty table as Maggie rushed over, laughing as her tipsy sister tripped over a chair leg.

The bouquet was finally thrown into the air and the crowd lurched forward. Cormac was still looking down at his phone as he rejoined the reception after just getting off a call with his boys. They'd headed back home and he had wanted to make sure that they'd gotten there safe. Cormac hadn't even realised what was going on until an object came hurtling towards his face. Out of instinct Hayes went to catch his mysterious object and looked confused when he saw a bunch of flowers in his hands.

"Looks like you and Mere are next, Hayes!" Amelia teased down the microphone so everyone could hear.

Cormac could help but turn bright red before quickly shuffling out of the crown and towards his girlfriend whom he knew was going to tease him endlessly about this.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───

Eventually, after what felt like endless goodbyes, Link and Amelia manage to get away from their wedding reception and into the car. Their hand entwined on the console and Amelia could help but stare at her husband's profile.

"You good there?" Link asked, quickly glancing at her. A look of pure adoration over his face.

"Mhm," she murmured. "I'm just extremely happy, and I don't want this to end.

"Hey, you don't need to worry about that. We've got forever."