Chapter 86: Meeting the Shepherds

Derek took a quick glance at the crowd awaiting the arriving elevator and decided to take the stairs. He had a procedure to perform in exactly quarter of an hour, he and Mark had a procedure, to be precise. However, his brother was paging him to join him in the hospital lobby. Despite other less honorable Sloan's qualities, he was very conscientious about his work. So, with a roll of his eyes, Derek departed in haste, wondering what Mark was up to.

He didn't have to wait long to know the answer. Fortunately for him and his physical health, he was already at the bottom of the stairs, otherwise he could miss a step. At first, he thought or hoped, that he was having a nightmare, hallucination, anything… Apparently, life had been too kind for him lately. It was time to mess it up a bit. As he was sure, things would get messy. He wasn't faced with an equally shocking surprise since Meredith threw him out of the house.

He took a brave deep breath and steered himself towards a small group occupying half a row of seats, recognizing without fail the silhouettes of people he hadn't seen for almost two years.

"Look who's finally here!" Mark's booming voice announced his arrival.

"Derbear!"

Derek saw a blur of dark hair and air was knocked out of him as one of his sisters collided with him.

"Hello, Amelia," he smiled warmly and reciprocated the hug, only now realizing how much he missed his family.

"You look good, Der," Amelia's twin sister, Heather pushed her away replacing her. "Must be love!"

"Undoubtedly," stated sourly Nancy, coming to greet her little brother, making him squirm under her scrupulous gaze.

"It's been too long, Derek," Kath moved to kiss his cheek. While her regard was equally penetrating as Nancy's, it was affectionate, not suspicious.

"It has," nodded Derek and moved to kneel in front of Carolyn who sitting in one of the plastic chairs and took her hands in his. "Ma."

She eyed him sternly, so he wore his most charming smile and said apologetically, "I said this before on the phone but I'm sorry I disappeared off the face of the earth. I really missed you."

She shook her head but leaned in to take her beloved son in her arms. She couldn't stay strict with him when he was making that face.

"What are you doing in Seattle?" he asked when he straightened out, the joy of his family's arrival being replaced with the previous anxiousness. "You were supposed to be here in June."

"Dear brother of mine," Amelia looked at him smugly. "We haven't seen you for ages, you call to tell us you're getting married, and you think we're going to wait another half a year to check up on you?"

"You didn't think we'd leave it like that, did you?" smirked Heather. "You haven't changed a bit, you're still as naïve as a baby."

Derek rolled his eyes. Did he really think he missed his sisters?

"What have you done with the kids and the poor men that happen to be your husbands?"

"They're back in the State of New York, of course, trying to survive without us."

"Sweetie, we finally came out here to see the place that became your new home," Carolyn smiled at him warmly patting his hand. "Most importantly, we want to meet that angel for whom you lost your head."

Derek fidgeted uncomfortably while Mark barely contained his laughter, transforming it into a cough.

"You said your fiancée was a doctor here, right?" asked Amelia eagerly. "Is she on call now? Can we meet her?"

"I… You must be exhausted after your flight. Why don't we call you a cab and catch a nap at… you booked a hotel, didn't you?"

"Of course, we sent our baggage there already, but we came here first," explained Carolyn. "We wanted to see you and my future daughter-in-law," she insisted making no mistake in assuring him she would get what she came here for.

"We have a surgery, Ma," sighed Derek, checking his watch. "Actually, we should be scrubbing in just about now."

"No worries," she assured nudging him forward. "You two get back to your cutting. We'll wait, see your hospital, meet your colleagues."

"Did you know about this?" Derek asked Mark, his voice barely a whisper.

"No!" he denied quickly. "Who do you take me for, a traitor?"

"Just no stupid comments, understood? And by the way, thanks for the warning. They would have been upstairs long time ago if you didn't meet them. Not that it changes a lot…" he sighed.

"So, Derbear," Amelia appeared at his side taking him by the arm. "Tell us more about your girl."

"She's… a doctor…" he answered weakly.

"Yeah, we kind of got that Der," said Kelly with the tone that suggested "You're so dumb."

"What's her specialty?"

"Ugh, surgery…"

"You're not very eager to talk about her, Derek," dryly remarked Nancy. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Nancy," berated her Carolyn. "Personally, I'd like to know what's she's like more than what she does."

"Mark already told us she's not a blond bimbo after Derek's money," threw in Nancy. "If we can rely on his judgment…"

"She's not," said firmly Derek keeping his temper in check. "She's… wonderful, she's exceptional. She can make the whole world disappear."

"I'm glad to hear that," nodded contentedly Carolyn caressing his cheek with a thumb as they stopped in front of the elevators.

The door to one of them opened revealing a couple locked in a fierce kiss.

"Yang, Hunt, get a room," drawled Mark.

"Like you and Shepherd do something else in this hospital with your ladies," shrugged Cristina dragging Owen behind her.

"Oooh," grinned Heather as they started moving up. "You were caught kissing in public, Derek? When did you stop being a prude?"

"He was definitely not caught… kissing," snorted Mark.

"Do tell!"

"There is nothing to tell!" spat out Derek. Nerves were getting the better of him. Any minute, his family and a very unaware Meredith could run at each other and the result of that reunion couldn't be foreseen.

"Children!" Carolyn calmed the little group. "You do have interesting coworkers, dear," she added humorously.

Much too quickly, the lift was up, and they arrived at the surgical floor. Derek swallowed heavily as the meeting now seemed unavoidable. His fiancée was standing just a few meters away, near the nurses' station, not in the best of moods, to put it lightly.

"You're interns, grunts, nobodies!" she rounded harshly on two young doctors hired last fall, who were cowering before her. "Bottom of a surgical food chain! You run labs, write orders, work every second night until you drop, and don't complain! "

"Wow, who is that?" laughed Amelia.

"She's kinda bitchy," summed up Heather, amusement evident on her face.

"She's not bitchy," said patiently Derek.

"Well, she is a bit harsh," Carolyn admitted fairly. "She is an attending, is she."

"Actually," began humorously Mark, "she's… uhm, she's our Chief," he finished soberly under Derek's scowl.

"Really?" asked Carolyn, looking curiously at the young woman who was still reprimanding the two unfortunate interns. "Is that the woman who was appointed at your place?"

"No!" Derek shook his head frantically. "She never took my place because it was never mine."

"Weren't you promised the job?" Nancy asked skeptically.

"Look, the best won," shrugged Derek. "She was the best. She's talented, resourceful. She's a truly great doctor and someone that hospital really needed."

"Wow," breathed Amelia. "That was quite a speech. What are you, marrying her?" she joked.

Derek clenched his jaw while Mark was emitting tiny squeaks trying not to burst out in boisterous laughter.

"You are…" she realized wondrously after several seconds of pregnant silence.

"Oh, shit!"

"Why didn't you tell us, Derek?"

"Well, well, well, brother. She looks way out of your league…"

"You're sleeping with your boss? I thought you knew better than that."

"How old is she exactly?"

His head started to spin under his sisters' shocked reactions but what was far more worrying was the lack of reaction on the part of his mother.

"Looks like you'll get a chance to meet the new addition to the family just about now," Mark said rising the timber of his voice to be heard over the girls' random conversation.

He was right of course. With growing tenseness, Derek saw Mer sending off the interns and making her way in their direction. It was a good moment to start praying since she looked somewhat irritated. She was upset since this morning. Apparently, the board members tried to interfere with her work with their supposedly brilliant ideas, encouraged by the hospital's great results. Meredith was of the opinion, however, that they were overdoing it.

"Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan," she squinted at them and consulted the folder she was carrying with her, "to the best of my knowledge, you should both be in OR 2, operating on Mrs. Rodriguez." She brought one hand to her hip, eyeing them questioningly. "You know I want to prove the board their computer model for scheduling surgeries is completely ineffective, but the blatant misuse will get us nowhere. Is that Mrs. Rodriguez family?" she frowned at five women standing between Mark and Derek feeling a tinge of foreboding. She was pretty sure they were not related to Mrs. Rodriguez. They all looked kind of familiar and kept staring at her as if willing to dissect her.

"No, actually…" Derek stood beside her putting his arm around her waist. "Mer, I'd like you to meet my Mom and my sisters, Kathleen, Nancy, Amelia and Heather. They… quite unexpectedly decided to visit us. Ma, girls, I'm proud to introduce you to the love of my life and my future wife."

That was the last thing Meredith expected to happen that day. Fucking great, suddenly she found herself surrounded by a sea of Shepherds. She had seconds to decide on her strategy, the right course of action if there existed one. She took a deep breath; she would be honest. She wouldn't fake somebody she was not. Well, technically she could, for Derek's sake. But it seemed somehow repulsive to try to sneak into his mother and sisters' good graces by pretending to be bright and shiny. She would her herself, Derek loved her for what she was so screw the rest.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Shepherd," she said with a clear resolute voice. "I've heard a lot about you and the family."

"I couldn't wait to meet you, Meredith," Carolyn's response was no less kind. "Derek was hiding you like a dog with his favorite bone." She ignored Meredith's outstretched hand and took her in a hug, which the younger woman reciprocated rather rigidly.

"You made us quite a surprise," remarked Meredith.

"It was high time," said dryly Nancy. "We had to check what made him completely forget about his family."

"That would be me," said lightly Meredith. "I pretty messed up his life."

Derek let out a small laugh, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"How did that happen?" asked Heather curiously. "From what I heard a year ago, Derek wasn't very fond of you."

"Quite understandably," shrugged Nancy. "How old are you? You seem very young for the chief of a hospital."

"Oh, because I am," Meredith smiled at her, her categorical voice informing everyone she was not going to explain herself.

"Modesty is certainly not one of your virtues," Nancy continued to sting, not taking any notice of one of her sisters clearing her throat significantly.

"Why should it be?" riposted Meredith with painstaking sincerity.

"Actually," both Derek and Mark decided to act in order to prevent the bloodbath and Mark let him continue, "We have all a lot to be proud of, Seattle Grace is second in the rankings of teaching hospitals."

"Chief," George joined their little gathering inconspicuously. "Sorry to interrupt but this new system is a real mess… We have two surgeries scheduled to be performed in the same OR and no one wants to give up…"

"Did I not tell Jenkins it would end up like that?" she snorted triumphantly. "I'll be right there, Dr. O'Malley."

"Well, if you excuse me, ladies," smiled Meredith, deep inside tremendously relieved to be spared their company. "I need to do my job. And, Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan, a family visit or not, you have a patient waiting for you. I hope we see each other later," she nodded at five women.

"Undoubtedly," assured Nancy. "We'll ready to stay as long as Derek needs us to."

Meredith replied with a dry smile.

"I hoped we could have lunch together?" quickly offered Carolyn.

Meredith's brain worked on full speed. She could come up with thousands of excuses, but it was not in her style to back down before a challenge. Besides, Derek would call it bullshit on the spot and she didn't want to hurt his feelings or make him think she didn't like his family. Well, that she didn't know yet. The two younger sisters seemed okay. The silent one with longer hair barely said a word. Nancy pants was a first-class bitch, but she was deluded if she thought she could take on a Grey. Whereas Derek's mother, she was all polite and could play poker with that face.

"I can't wait," she grinned, gave Derek a reassuring kiss on the cheek and walked away keeping her silent analysis to herself.

"Dear brother of mine," Amelia shook her head approvingly after her departure, "who would have thought you'd go for a badass girl…"

"Look, we really need to go," Derek cut her quickly, interrupting the verbal diarrhea that would inevitably follow. "Surgery, remember?"

"Okay, we won't keep you any longer," promised Carolyn calmingly. "We'll be back for the lunch."

"Yeah," sighed Derek resignedly. "Can't wait."

"Like we all," added Nancy to herself.

"Just saw the Chief," said Nurse Kristie joining her friend and colleague at the nurses' station. "She was looking like she might spontaneously combust. You know what's going on?"

Debbie wiggled her eyebrows and smiled with superiority, turning on her swivel chair.

"You do, you old witch! Spill! Is some another stupid slut trying to get her way with Dr. Shepherd?"

"Worse," whispered Debbie excitedly and pointed ahead. "You see them?"

"These women? What… are they all after him?" Kristie exclaimed dramatically.

Debbie rolled her eyes pityingly. "Don't be an idiot. They're Shepherd's mother and sisters."

"No!" Kristie opened her mouth in shock.

"Yup!" Debbie nodded smugly. "Apparently, they came out here to meet the future Mrs. Shepherd. And guess what? They didn't hit it off!"

"No way!"

"His mother wasn't terribly happy and one of his sisters just hates her!"

"That's bad," frowned Kristie, her face scrunched in genuine concern. "The Chief and Dr. Shepherd deserve to be happy. They are so in love! And they were so broken!"

"That's just the prosaic side of getting married, Kris," shrugged Debbie. "There's the white dress, exchanging rings and flying off for a romantic honeymoon, and there's coping with the in-laws, trying to survive in your house during football championships, sleeping through the loud sawing of wood coming from the other side of the bed… Ah, marriage."

"I guess," agreed her friend pensively. "I just hope that visit doesn't bring any trouble for the docs."

"Relax. Dr. Grey wouldn't survive a tiny glitch in her plans? Not possible." She remembered something, "I'm betting on her. Against the bitchy sister."

"It's really that bad with the sister?" asked Kristie dramatically.

"I'm telling you, they looked ready to scrape each other's eyes out!"

Meredith wanted to take her eyes out. Slowly and painfully, so she would beg to be finished with. She brushed off her sadistic musings immediately; Nancy was Derek's sister after all. Maybe that was why he usually coped so stoically with her own changeable moods. It was just a more enhanced repeat of what he had dealt with at home.

She steered herself with her food tray through the cafeteria, scorning the way Nancy was carrying herself around at the table in the far end. Or rather two tables joined together to host all the family. She was sitting up straight like she had a stick up her ass but still managing to produce an impression as if she had owned the place. And she was sucking up to Addison… Meredith was shaken up by another shiver of disgust.

"Good afternoon," she greeted everyone with a perfect smile. "Hope I didn't miss anything."

"Not much, just the universal disbelief that Addie is Mark's longstanding girlfriend," said Derek standing up to hold a chair for her and pressing a brief but firm kiss on her lips. Meredith hadn't caught a glimpse of him all morning, much less talked to him and the need for her closeness was palpable in the way his lips caressed hers.

"You two are forward with your… affection," Nancy didn't miss an occasion to bite.

"We don't have any reason to be shy," smiled Meredith.

"That was why you hid your relationship in secret from everyone? Including your closest friends?" Nancy pants asked ironically.

"It was all about sex at that point," stated unabashedly Meredith making Nancy speechless and others at loss for words.

"So, Derek," addressed him Heather, determined to break the pregnant silence, "I heard, and please, spare the details, that you broke your penis."

"I. did. not. break. anything," he hissed through the snorts and laughs from the occupants of the table.

"Oh, it was Meredith, right?" she continued to others' amusement.

"No, I didn't break anything either," she laughed. "But there was some bruising," she added, deadpanned.

"Ew, I said no details!"

"Meredith, tell us something about your family," asked Carolyn when the level of hilarity dropped, leaving a place for more serious topics. "I don't suppose they live in Seattle?"

"My father does," replied simply Meredith.

"And your mother?" Carolyn continued good-naturedly.

"She lives in Boston."

"Oh, when is she coming? Or has she already met Derek?" she asked ignoring her son's warning looks as well as the girl's verbal economy.

"She's not coming," denied firmly Meredith.

"Not coming now, you mean? I guess she's busy, I heard she's a doctor too?"

"Actually, she's not coming for the wedding," clarified Meredith.

"Can I ask why?" Carolyn frowned with concern.

"Of course, it's really no secret that we can't stand much of each other," she explained stoically. "It's better for everyone around if we just simply stay as far away as possible."

"Oh," acknowledged the older woman deciding the question time was over. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear more.

Meredith kept her composure though she started to question is she should have toned her behavior down a bit. From the brief glances she managed to take at Derek, he looked incredibly tense and alert. Holding her can of coke with one hand, she inconspicuously searched for his palm under the table. Their fingers met and Meredith breathed out with relief when they intertwined.

The rest of the meal passed in relative awkwardness. Slowly each of Mark, Addison and Meredith returned to work, while Derek trudged a little behind, willing to confront his family on his own. He felt they had a lot of impressions to share, and it was better if he corrected them with no witnesses.

"You seemed to have made a peculiar choice of a woman to marry," commented Nancy.

"Well, I like her!" remarked Amelia before Derek could react. He detested Nancy's attitude. Thank God, Meredith had no problem holding her ground… even though her ripostes were a tad controversial. "She's sincere."

"She can kick Nancy's ass not even lifting one finger," smirked Heather. "That's just who we need as an ally."

"Kath, certainly, you are not as blind?" Nancy called for back-up.

"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised either," she stated diplomatically. "I don't mean anything bad, Derek. But you and Meredith seem to have nothing in common. You're completely different, black and white. I don't understand how you can even function together."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Nancy triumphantly.

"Well then apparently, you don't know me very well," bit back Derek angrily. "You certainly can't know Meredith after interacting with her for less than half an hour."

"Derek!" Nancy spoke rolling her eyes disapprovingly.

"I think you should go to your hotel. I'll call you later."

To Carolyn, the lunch provided a lot of food for thought but she knew better than to state her opinions outwardly. While Derek's was walking them off to the exit, she stayed a little behind seeing as he wanted to tell her something in private.

"Ma," he began, weariness making way into his voice.

"I didn't say anything," Carolyn shook her head.

"But you thought it," he replied insistently.

"Derek-"

"No, Mom. I need you to understand something," he looked her straight in the eye. "Meredith is not privileged or spoiled-"

"I never said she was. I admit I was… a little surprised. You never dated a woman like that."

"A woman like what?" he demanded a bit defensively, which reminded Carolyn to mark her words.

"Glamorous, sophisticated, a one that no man can walk by and remain indifferent."

"Don't try to shallow what I feel for her!"

"I'm not, Dear-"

"Yes, you do," he argued. "Whatever you think, I love her. I love my Meredith, with all my being if you can understand that. She brings sense to my life."

Carolyn nodded seeing, with growing worry, how much her son was truly in love with Meredith Grey.

"I know you do not approve of her way of being. I can see that even if you're so kind, formal even."

"I do not make judgments-"

"But you do, Ma," he gave a small laugh. "I did too when I first met her. She's not at all how you raised us. She can be harsh, downright rude, cruel even. She's fearless. Or that's what she appears to be. That's not all, not even close. I couldn't find the words to describe how wonderful she is and how she makes me feel. So please, I'm asking you to at least try to look past the appearances."

"Derek-"

"Because I swear, Ma," he took a deadly serious tone, "I'm going to marry her, with your blessing or without it. I can't live without her. Talk to Nancy to hold her tongue or I'll do it myself and it won't be pretty. I'll see you later, Mom," with that he leaned to kiss her cheek and departed quickly leaving Carolyn with one of the greatest dilemmas of her life.