AN: Here we have it, Derek's graduation chapter! I've been excited to write this one since I picked this story back up. This is our second to last chapter before the sequel (which makes me both happy and sad at the same time). I hope you each enjoy this one and leave me a review with your thoughts
Today is the day, the celebration of the past four years of hard work. If you would have told me last year that I would be spending today the way that am, I would have never believed anyone. My life has done a complete 360 and I can't say that I'm anything other than excited for it. Mark and I wrapped up our finals last week and today we walk across the stage and receive our diplomas. I have a child due anytime and a fiancé that lights up my entire world. I don't think there is anything more that I could ask for – except maybe for a job. My parents are arriving soon to take me and Mark out for breakfast and then we must get to the auditorium straight after that. Meredith is exhausted all the time these days, so I told her to sleep in and just meet my family for the ceremony.
I used my morning shower to clear my head of all thoughts of sadness I feel closing this chapter of my life. Nothing will ever be the same again and although I am so looking forward to what this new life will hold, I will miss the times of it being me and Mark against the world. I will miss our college apartment that we spent the past 3 years living in and I'll miss the daily brotherhood more than anything else. Mark is going to live our dream and move to New York to start his first year of Columbia Medical School. I'll be joining him the following year, but it pains me to think that I'll be a year behind him. I know it shouldn't, but it does.
Mark went out drinking with a few of our other friends last night, so I stayed with Mer. I'm pretty much officially moved in at this point, but it still feels like her place that she's renting with her friends and I'm just a visitor. Luckily, the house has a few bathrooms, so I don't feel like I'm in anyone's way when I stay over or use the shower. I comb my hair back and wrap the towel around my waist and quickly move back to Meredith's bedroom – well our bedroom. She's still asleep when I walk in, and I try my best to get ready as quietly as possible. I dry off and begin the process of putting on my suit. I can see my cap and gown hanging in the closet ready for the magnitude of this day. After I'm fully dressed in my suit, I head back to the bathroom to fix my hair. I spend more time on it than I care to admit. I want to tell Meredith goodbye before I leave and to my surprise, she's sitting up in bed yawning when I walk back in.
She's always seems to take my breath away by doing nothing at all. She has the covers pushed away and I can see the full display of her almost naked body. She's beautiful clad in a black bra and a black thong. She's 9 months pregnant and has never looked sexier in my opinion.
I rush over to the bed greeting her with a kiss.
"You look nice" she tells me when I pull away
"You look beautiful" I tell her sincerely
"I look like a mess" she argues with a small laugh pushing her messy bed hair behind her ears and letting off a soft yawn.
I take her chin in my hand "I promise that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
I kiss her again and she is never shy to lean into the passion between us. We're always so hungry for each other.
"I want to show you something" I tell her untangling myself from her body and pulling her out of the bed.
"Derek" she protests
I smile and move her over to the full-length mirror in the bedroom. I slide behind her wrapping my arms around her belly.
"Look at you" I tell her leaving gentle kisses on her neck as my hands rub circles on her large bump
"You look amazing" I assure her. She blushes as I continue caressing her and kissing her neck.
"I want a picture" I murmur
"Seriously?" she asks
I move to grab the camera she bought me for Christmas.
"Sit on the bed" I instruct her. She rolls her eyes but obliges knowing full and well that I am getting a picture today. She sits on the bed still clad in just her bra and underwear and wraps her hands around her stomach. I take multiple pictures. They are all perfect.
"Now let's get one together." I tell her moving the camera to her dresser and setting a timer.
"Are you serious? You look like that and I'm going to look like this?" she asks
"You look unbelievably sexy right now and after this picture I'm having my way with you" I teasingly told her although it was the truth. I was way too turned on right now.
I moved behind her on the bed resting my hands on her perfectly round pregnant belly. She placed hers on top of mine and we smiled for the picture.
"That was the PG one. Now take your bra off?" I asked. She rolled her eyes but obliged.
I set another timer and moved my hands over her large swollen breasts, her hands snaked around her belly again and I kissed her when the camera went off. I leaned down and took one of her breasts in my mouth gently.
"I need you" I murmured as I began sucking her breast. When I hear her start moaning, I lose it. I take her lips into mine and we begin melting into each other. She straddles me and kisses down my throat. My hands find her ass as I give it a tiny squeeze. I'm trying to be gentler in the bedroom with her these days than I typically am.
She starts taking my suit off and I hear her mumble something about not wrinkling it which puts into perspective that I'm supposed to be meeting my parents in 20 minutes and we live about 15 away from where they're at. I don't care though and move to the side so I can quickly help her take off the rest of my suit. My erection is already formed, and Meredith seems to get that all we have time for is a quickie even though I want to savor sex with her as much as possible.
My lips find hers again and I pull off her panties. She moves on top of me naked and we connect. Slowly she starts bouncing on top of me and my face moves between her breasts licking and kissing every inch of them as she rides me. It feels incredible. We're so sync these days that we finish around the same time as each other and she moves over to my side as I lay a kiss on her forehead.
"Happy graduation day" she tells me softly as she kisses my mouth. I kiss her back harder never wanting to leave this bed.
"I hate to leave right after all of this, but I have to get going" I tell her running my hands through her hair not moving out of the bed.
She smiles at me "I know. Next time I see you, you'll officially be a college graduate."
"You okay getting to the auditorium? Is Lexi still coming?" I ask with concern. I'm not super comfortable with her doing things alone at this point. She's not due for another two weeks but anything could happen. I was grateful when Lexi subtly invited herself to the graduation claiming it was to help Mer get there even though I really knew she wanted to be there for Mark.
She rolls her eyes at me "I'm pregnant not an invalid"
"I know. I'm just looking out for you." I tell her moving out of the bed and attempting to get dressed again.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine and Lexi is still coming even though we both know she really just volunteered her services so that she could see Mark."
I laughed "Oh, I know." I agreed with her kissing her head while putting my watch on that I left on the dresser beside her.
"Ma and Dad are waiting for me." I tell her not wanting to leave her side even though I know I must.
"You go, I'll see you after the ceremony." She tells me with her infectious grin
"Okay, find Ma and dad. They're saving seats for you and Lexi."
"I will" she promises. With one final kiss, I'm gone out the door and, on my way, to meet the family for breakfast with Mark.
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I found Derek's parents easily. They were surrounded by a whole slew of Shepherds. Carolyn and Christopher were there of course as Lizzie, Kathleen, Nancy, Amelia, and her new baby. The baby was sleeping in his little sleeper in a chair. I wanted to peek at him but didn't want to disturb his sleep.
Carolyn reached her arms out for me "Oh honey, you are stunning." Carolyn told me. It had been a few months since I'd last seen her. We had talked on the phone a few times since I'd seen them though. The most recently was to tell them that Derek and I were engaged which they were thrilled about.
"Hi Carolyn. Hi everyone. This is my sister Lexi."
"We've heard a lot about you young lady." Christopher told my sister. She blushed.
"Ah, I see the sibling resemblance now. We got another blusher." Christopher said to Lexi and me wrapping his arm around me to let me know he was just playing around.
"Mark talks about you a lot." Amelia told my sister
"He does?" Lexi asked excitedly
"He hasn't said anything to me" Nancy chimed in.
I inwardly rolled my eyes. Nancy always had to give her two cents especially when it was none of her business.
"Meredith, you look like you're about to pop." Kathleen commented changing the subject
"Kathleen, you should never say that to a pregnant lady. Where are your manners?" Carolyn scolded
"No, it's okay. I feel like I'm about to pop honestly. Only a few more weeks" I responded caressing my bump.
"Ooooooh I see Derek and Mark." Amelia exclaimed interrupting us all
We all turned to see them lining up side-by-side. As if he knew I was looking, Derek's eyes contacted mine and he offered me his McDreamy smile. I smiled back at him and waved. His eyes never left mine and mine never left his. There we were feet upon feet away from each other, but it was like no one else in the full auditorium mattered. That's one of the things I loved most about Derek – his ability to make me always make me feel like the only person in the room.
"It's nice to see two young people so in love" Carolyn commented in my ear pulling me from my trance.
I smiled at her, and she gave me a grin back. Suddenly, the dean of the college stepped up to the podium and asked everyone to silence their cellphones so she could begin the graduation ceremony.
The graduation was long, and I felt embarrassed by the amount of time I had to get up to use the bathroom. I tried to be strategic about it making sure I wouldn't miss Derek or Mark walking across the stage. When it finally happened, I felt so much joy for Derek. I could tell he was excited to be finishing up his undergrad. Lexi's eyes never left Mark and I could tell she was happy for his happiness too even if it meant he was another step closer to moving away. When they finished the closing ceremony, we were finally able to leave the auditorium and we all met Derek and Mark outside. The Shepherd family took what felt like a million photos. I could tell where Derek got his obsessive photo taking from and I realized that the Nikon truly was the best gift I could have ever bought him. We took photos just the two of us, photos of the two of us plus Lexi, pictures of Carolyn and Christopher with Derek and all kinds of combinations with his sisters.
We went out to lunch with Derek's family, and I finally got to hold baby Scout. He was so tiny and perfect. We got a ton of photos of him too. Lunch was spent with Carolyn and Christopher telling stories of when Mark and Derek were little, and I could tell just how proud of the boys the Shepherds really are. It caused me a slight pain knowing that I would never really have a family like them although I was grateful for all the time, I've been able to spend with my little sister lately. She's probably the closest family member I have.
We said our goodbyes to the Shepherd crew all knowing the next time we all saw each other that we would have a new baby Shepherd to celebrate.
"You take care of this sweet girl" Christopher told Derek as they were leaving.
"I will dad."
"I mean it. She's a sweetie pie."
"I know."
"And you, take care of this other sweet girl here." Christopher told Mark referencing Lexi.
Mark blushed and shook his head
"I'm no fool son." Christopher told him sternly but then offered a smile
"It was very nice to meet you Lexi" he told my sister
"It was um nice to meet you too." She told him
"You promise to call me when Meredith goes into labor?" Carolyn asked Derek. It came across as more of a demand and less of a question though.
"I promise, Ma"
"Good. You call if you need anything, okay honey?" she said turning to me.
"I will" I assured her.
Her eyes teared up "I can't believe the next time we'll see you, that you'll have a precious little baby with you."
"Ma, don't cry." Derek said
"Just you wait. When that baby is born you won't be able to stop the tears."
Derek rolled his eyes. "I'll walk you guys out. Mer, I'll be right back." He told me and walked his family to their car. I could tell he wanted to talk to them about something privately, so I busied myself talking to Lexi. Little did he or Mark know that we were throwing them a graduation party tonight and we had a ton of work to do to get ready for that.
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I urged Derek to spend some time alone with Mark and celebrate the end of their 4 years here. I suggested he go back with Mark to their old apartment so he could finish the last of his packing. He seemed hesitant to leave me, but I told him I really needed a nap and that Lexi was going to hang out for a while.
I did lay in my bed when I got home and was extremely grateful for the rest, but we had a lot to do to get the apartment ready for the rager we were throwing them. All my friends would be there, and we invited several of Mark and Derek's friends that I met the past couple of months. This was really going to be the last college party that we'd probably be able to partake in and even though I couldn't drink, I wanted Derek to enjoy himself. He deserved to let completely loose for one night especially since he'd been overly concerned over my every move the past month.
"Does Mark ever bring any girls around?" Lexi asked me
I smirked "You really like him huh?" I asked her
She started to protest but I gave her a knowing look "Is it that obvious?" she asked me
"It's that obvious" I let her know.
"Do you think he knows?" she asked
"Probably. Everyone knows. But I think he likes you too."
"You do? What should I do? Do you think I should tell him?"
"Lex- what would Thatcher and Susan think of you dating Mark?" I asked her genuinely concerned. I didn't want to be blamed if Mark broke her heart or turned out to be more of a womanizer than she was prepared for.
"I don't know but I don't care if they don't approve."
"Don't say that." I told her
"Why? It's true."
I shrugged "He's moving to New York in August."
"It's not that far. Plus I haven't even made my final decision yet where I'll be going to school. I got accepted into Columbia you know?"
"I think you should do what you want. Just be careful. You don't want to end up like me."
She nodded. "I'll be careful"
"Good- let's go find Christina, we need to get this place ready for the party."
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Mark and I were kicking back at the Local (one of our favorite bars) when Meredith called saying that the baby's crib collapsed, and she needed both Mark and I to come over to fix it. I didn't even know how that was possible. We built it perfectly. I checked my watch, it was around 8 pm, probably time for me to head home anyways. Meredith threw in that Lexi was sleeping over probably wanting me to relay that message to Mark. Of course, when I said this, he was more than ready to pay our tab and head back to Meredith's place. I was ready to go home anyways, I always miss being around Meredith when we've spent more than a few hours a part.
Mark drove us back to her place seeing as I'm a bit more inebriated than he is. When I opened the door, I looked around to see a massive keg party going on. People were dancing on tables, alcohol cups were everywhere, music was playing loudly and there was a giant sign on the wall that said Congratulations Graduates. I can't believe she threw this party for me.
"McDreamy, McSteamy. Have some beer" Christina drunkenly told us as she hopped off the table and reached for two red solo cups to give us.
"Fuck it. I'm going to the keg." Mark told me laughing grabbing the empty solo cup from Christina.
"Christina where is Meredith?" I asked buzzed. I wanted to show her my appreciation for thinking of me.
"Dunno. Babysitting Lexi. Who knows?" Christina spouted and then jumped back on the table to start dancing again.
I walked around the house trying to pass through loads of people. I would randomly bump into somebody I knew, and we'd offer each other a 'Congrats on Graduating' and then I was back on my mission to find my fiancé. I bumped into Lexi who also seemed to be looking around.
"Lexi, where's Meredith?" I asked her raising my voice so she would be able to hear me over the loud music.
"I think she was using the bathroom last time I saw her. Where's Mark?" She asked determined. I'm pretty sure she had taken some liquid courage to be more direct.
"The keg." I told her pointing behind me. She quickly moved past me to go find him.
I ran my hands through my hair and walked up the stairs to her bedroom and right when I was about to knock, she opened the door.
"There you are"
She smiled. She was wearing the cutest little dress I'd ever seen. She was truly such an adorable girl.
"I love that dress. I want to take it off you." I whispered in her ear and then kissed her.
"You've been drinking already." She told me with a sly smile as she pulled away
"Just a little. Did you throw this party for me?" I asked giving her my McDreamy look. I couldn't help it, she just naturally brought it out of me.
"Maybe, I did" she teased me.
"I know you did" I told her bringing her in for another kiss. Things started getting heated. I wanted her bad and no matter how many times I had her, I just never seemed to get enough.
She giggled and pulled out of my embrace.
"Well, do you want to stand here, or do you want to go enjoy your party?" she asked me
"You know there is nothing I like more than kissing you, but I do want to enjoy the party you threw me" I told her with one final kiss on the head before taking her hand and leading her downstairs.
Mark and I raged all night. It truly was the perfect end to our undergraduate careers. I was in awe of how kind it was of Meredith to throw this party for us. She was perfect all night. She talked to my friends, she kept up with all of us even though she was sober, she was there for all the fun despite being 9 months pregnant and likely completely worn out from the day. As the party started to settle down and my drunkenness was at an all-time high, I cuddled her on the couch.
"You must be worn outtt" I slurred as I held her belly in my hands rubbing tiny circles.
"I actually feel okay. It was fun to have a night like this. It's been a while."
"You mean since your birthday about 9 months ago?" I teased. She rolled her eyes.
"Actually, I think you're right" she conceded with a giggle.
Her giggle brought a smile to my face.
"Did you see Mark and Lexi making out earlier?" I asked her
"I did. And I'm pretty sure Thatcher and Susan are going to kill either me or you for introducing those two."
"They're not gonna kill you Mer. You're carrying precious cargo. McDreamy though. Yep McDreamy's a goner" Christina piped up from the other end of the couch more inebriated than me.
Meredith laughed "Where are those two anyway?"
"Probably having S.E.X." Christina spelled out "I need to be having S.E.X…. A lot more S.E.X."
"Don't have too much S.E.X. or you'll end up like Mer" Alex piped in from the floor.
Meredith threw a pillow at him, and I cuddled her closer. I don't care what anybody thinks. Her and our unborn daughter are my family, a family I'm beyond grateful for. "You ready for bed?" I whispered just to her.
She reached out her hand and I helped her up leaving a kiss on the side of her head.
"Good night" Meredith told her friends who slurred a goodnight and a goodbye back to her.
"Thank you for my party" I told her as we ascended the stairs. She turned in my arms and kissed me passionately.
"You're forgetting something." Meredith told me slyly
I looked at her confused.
"Your gift" she told me when we entered the bedroom.
"Mer- you didn't need to get me anything. You've already done so much for me."
"Sit, I'm going to show you."
I grinned as her as I took a seat on her bed. She really was so sweet. "Should I close my eyes?" I asked her.
"Yes" she giggled. Once my eyes were shut, I heard her sigh deeply and rummage through some belongings before feeling the bed dip beside me. Instantly, my nostrils filled with the scent of lavender, and I smiled inwardly at the familiar smell.
She placed some paper and something soft in my hands. "You can open your eyes" she whispered.
I looked down at the piece of paper in my hands. I read it in my head "Dear Meredith Grey, We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance at Columbia University….."
"Meredith" I breathed.
"Let's move to New York" she whispered.
I moved off the bed, running my hands through my hair. "I can't…. I can't ask you to do this Meredith. It's too much."
"I already did. You know Ellis went to Columbia and she's a very generous donor to the school. I called them and explained the situation. They're holding your spot. You can start in September with Mark just like you've always dreamed of."
I felt a choke coming to my throat and did my best to hold back my tears. "It's too much. You need to graduate with your friends. Mer- you deserve that." I pleaded with her.
"The most important thing is that I'm graduating, and everything is going to change once the baby is here. We all know that. We're engaged. We should be getting our own place together and building our own life together. If they're really my friends…..the distance won't matter."
I visibly gulped. I finally took a second to look at the other items she gave me. I smiled at the Columbia t-shirt she got for me and the tiny Columbia onesie she got for Emma.
I took a second reading through her letter again. "Did you already send them your acceptance?" I asked
"Yes" Meredith breathed out.
I took a shaky breath, I still couldn't believe how selfless she is. She put me before herself and I don't know how I'll ever repay her.
"Do your friends know?" I asked her
I could see the tears in her eyes as she shook her head no.
"The nursery we built?" I questioned.
"I know, but that really isn't a reason stay."
I was silent taking in everything. She was giving me my dream.
"I spoke with George and Callie and they can take over the two vacant rooms so my roommates can stay here. Callie likes the color you painted the nursery so she's going to take that room unless Izzie wants it back. We'll just…..find a new place."
"You love it here." I told her
"Derek, I love you in a really big pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your bedroom window way that makes me feel like I want to give you your dream. I know how hard you worked for it. We'd be moving in a year anyways."
In an instant my arms were around her and my lips were on hers. "I don't deserve you." I told her sincerely
"I know" she laughed.
"I mean it. You are far better than me in every way I can imagine. I love you."
She smiled "Let's get some sleep, tomorrow you have to find us somewhere to live in New York."
I grinned but couldn't help the nagging feeling that I was taking something from her. I wanted her to move to New York because she wanted to, not to just satisfy me. However, her decision was made and I knew there was no way she was going to change her mind now. I couldn't sleep all night from my excitement and anxiety at the fact that we had to figure out a whole life change by the beginning of September. I started making a mental list of what all we would need, and it felt overwhelming to say the least. Finally, I decided to drift off to sleep holding my life in my arms which was her and would always be her.
Please review! I made this an extra-long chapter for you guys! Next chapter we meet Emma and then we'll move into the sequel that is filled with ANGST like you wouldn't believe. Also, let me know what you think of Meredith transferring to Columbia for Derek.