A/N: As I'm sitting down to write this final chapter of Dynasty, I am a little emotional from all of the support that I have received since I started writing this story back in July. I had just found Grey's Anatomy and had convinced myself that Derek wasn't actually dead and this story was born from that thought. I want to thank all of you that had followed, favorited, and reviewed this story since then. Your reviews have always made me smile when I wasn't having a good day and it makes me so happy to know that you enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing this story. I will be making an announcement on which story I am going to be writing next which will be posted as a chapter to this fic but will just be the story title and the summary of my next story. Thank you for all of the support once again I can't imagine not having you reading this story. Tell me if you think I should write a sequel to this one because I have some ideas for a sequel but I'm not sure if I'm going to write one so let me know.

Disclaimer: I only wish that I owned Grey's Anatomy, but I do own the DVD's now

Dynasty

Chapter 23

A few months had passed since Derek had come back into their lives and since he had to make the call to amputate Meredith's legs. In those few months Meredith had one a Harper Avery award for the abdominal wall transplant that she had done on Megan Hunt and had made the switch to neuro and was working closely with Derek and with Amelia before she was able to take her boards in June. Derek continued to get better with his anxiety and was only having to go to therapy sessions once a week now but thought that he was going to be able to give it up sooner rather than later. The guilt that he felt for making the call to amputate Meredith's legs was still there but he knew that he was going to be feeling that for a while. But he was incredibly proud of the progress that Meredith had made with being an amputate because beside being able to wear them all day without having to take major breaks she could stand on them for hours while being in the OR. One of the most major things going on in their lives at the moment though was the fact that the people who had torn their lives apart were on trial and they were just waiting for the verdict to come out.

Derek woke in the morning and when he reached over to hold Meredith, he found that her spot was empty and cold signaling that it had been empty for a while now. Opening his blue eyes Derek saw that it was empty and Meredith was gone and so where her legs that they always kept leaning against her nightstand.

It had become part of their routine to find ways to make things easier for Meredith to do everything that she wanted to without having to ask people for help all the time. Even though Derek didn't mind doing everything that Meredith need he knew that she wasn't going to change and want someone hovering over her at all times. It had been hard for him not to at first but eventually knew that she knew how to take care of herself and their kids.

Pushing the blue comforter down Derek got up and changed into an outfit that he was going to wear around the house and knew that if the verdict came in, he would have to change into a suit.

Going down the steps into the living room Derek could heard Meredith laughing at something that Bailey had done. His son was a bit of a jokester and even though Meredith hated some of the pranks that he pulled she didn't have the heart to tell him to stop pranking everyone because of how much she loved him. He was also overprotective of his mother and sisters something that he had no doubt that Bailey had gotten from him because he was the same way with everyone he loved.

Walking into the kitchen Derek saw that the kids were eating breakfast and Bailey seemed to try and think to act like he was a dog and was putting his whole face into his plate. As Ellis and Zola laughed so hard Meredith stated, "Bailey you can't eat like that buddy, it's going to get everywhere and then you are going to be the one to clean it up."

Bailey looked at his mother and stated, "Really?"

"Yes really. We can't be eating like dogs it will get everywhere and it's not the safest way to eat."

Bailey sighed, "Okay Mommy. But do you think that we could get a real dog? My friend Jason got one and he loves it."

"Your father and I will have to talk about it Bailey because we aren't home a lot and a dog is a big responsibility."

"Okay."

Derek walked behind Meredith and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck before saying, "Good morning. I missed you when I woke up this morning."

"Well, I thought that you could use the extra sleep as we had a long night last night."

Smiling as he thought about the night that they had had he replied, "Yes we did. But you enjoyed yourself as much as I did so don't even try and tell me that you didn't."

Meredith turned and faced him and replied, "No one is saying that I didn't. I'm just saying that I didn't want the monkeys to wake you."

Derek laughed at the nickname that Meredith had given their kids and knew that it was going to stick for a long time to come, because their kids were like monkeys and had the energy to prove that they would never cease. It was one of the things that he had been worried about when Meredith had first gotten her prosthetics. She had to use a cane for a while to get used to the pressure and how to learn to walk on them and he had been worried that one of their kids would be to rowdy and run into Meredith and knock her down. Which would have set back her recovery but nothing along those lines had happened to his relief.

"I appreciate that but you don't have to worry about that Mer. I know that it's hard for you to handle all three of them when you are getting ready in the morning. It's why we came up with the routine that we still use.'

Meredith smiled at him and replied, "I appreciate the concern but I was able to get ready and handle them fine today."

Derek couldn't help the smile that came on his face when she had said that, it had been a struggle for a while for them to get a routine down but had come up with one that had him deal with the kids while she got ready for the day. He had even gone out and bought a chair for her to shower with the first day that she had gotten her amputation so that she would have it. They still had a wheelchair on the second floor and the ground floor incase Meredith wanted to take a rest from the prosthetics but still be mobile.

He then stated, "Well I'm glad. What's for breakfast?"

"Zola and Bailey requested eggs so we had eggs. Maggie also called and told me that she is on her way over to hang out with the kids because she has a feeling that today we are going to get an answer on the verdict against everyone who did this to you."

He noticed how she didn't say what had happened to her as well because as far as trauma went, they had enough for a lifetime and she probably knew that he still felt guilty for having to make the call that made her into an amputee despite her reassuring him that he had made the right call multiple times. Derek put his hand on her cheek and replied, "They hurt you so much to Meredith. But I'm sure that we are going to get them for everything that they did to us. Now do we have any eggs left or did you leave me to fend for myself."

"Check in the pan."

Derek walked over to pan and smiled when he saw that Meredith had left eggs in the pan for him to eat and a plate next to them and he quickly put them on a plate before he walked over to the table and took a seat next to Ellis. She smiled at him with the same smile that Meredith had and he kissed her blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and said, "Good morning baby girl."

"Morning Dada."

He smiled at her before he started eating his eggs, it was a special thing for him to be able to eat breakfast with his kids and was glad that this wasn't going to change anytime soon. Zola asked, "Daddy do you think Aunt Maggie would bring us to the park when she is watching us?"

"What did your Mommy say?"

Zola replied, "That it's up to Aunt Maggie and if she says no then we can't bother her until we say yes because no means no."

Derek smiled because all of there kids knew that they were only allowed to ask once and they weren't allowed to ask the other parent the same question in hopes of getting a different answer. It was a rule Meredith had made when he was gone and she had been living with Amy and Maggie. Because she didn't want any of their kids to think that just by asking one of their aunt's they would get a different answer than the one that Meredith had just given to them.

"Zola, you know that's the rule. You only get one ask and if the answer is no then you can't ask again."

Zola whined, "But Daddy we really want to go to the park."

"If you don't go to the park with Maggie then maybe Mommy and I will be able to get off of work a little early tomorrow and take you, okay? If we don't go to the park today, we will try for tomorrow."

Zola nodded and ran off with an excited look on her face at the promise of going to the park with her parents' tomorrow. When Zola got to the living room, she started playing with the Legos that Bailey had gotten out and was helping him start to build with them. Derek couldn't help but smile because she was such a good big sister like he had always thought she was going to be.

"Dada down."

Derek helped Ellis get down from her seat at the table and watched as she ran over to Bailey and Zola and started playing with them. He put his dish in the dishwasher and getting ready to put it on when there was a knock on the door.

Knowing that it was Maggie because everyone who had been responsible for his kidnapping was being held until a verdict came out Derek didn't have any fear when he opened the door. Maggie was on the other side of the door and she said, "Hey thanks for letting me watch the little ones."

"Are you kidding? Our kids love hanging out with their Aunt Maggie and they are playing with Legos right now."

Maggie nodded and asked, "Any news on a verdict?"

"Not yet but we are hoping that we are going to get the call at any moment and be free of everything that has happened and move on."

Maggie replied, "Have you moved on yet from having to make to call that Meredith wanted? Because to me it seems like you are still blaming yourself even though it's what Meredith told you to do."

"I'm working on it. Dr. Wyatt thinks by talking about it I'll stop blaming myself for making the call that Meredith wanted me to. I mean I'm getting over the decision a little bit but I don't think that I will ever fully be over what I had to do to Meredith."

Maggie was about to say something to Derek when Meredith made her way down the stairs and said, "Derek I just got the call. A verdict is in."

Hands clasped together tightly Meredith and Derek sat in the courtroom of Judge Genevieve Reese waiting for the verdict to be released. They were surrounded by their closest friends and family from the hospital sitting near them all wanting to support them.

Seeing the faces of people like Lili St. John, the president, and Jameson who had continuously drugged him to transport him to different places made Derek and Meredith both on edge. But the person who was making Meredith the most nervous was seeing the face of Paul Castello as she could still remember the sinister smile that had had plastered on his face right before he had taken a drill to both of her knees causing her to have to have them amputated.

Derek ran a thumb over her knuckles knowing the she had to be nervous to see the man who had caused her such serious injuries to be standing in front of them like nothing had even happened when the truth was, they had changed everything that had happened to them. They were the reason that he hadn't been there when Ellis was born or been there for a few years when his other kids were growing up. They were the reason he had missed birthdays and holidays and were the reason that he had missed so much.

He then whispered, "No matter what happens we will always have each other and they aren't going to take away anything else from us Mer. I promise."

Kissing the side of Meredith's hair, he felt her head go into his neck and her leave in their until Genevieve addressed the jury, "Do we have a verdict?"

The head juror was a woman in her mid-thirties with black hair that ended at her shoulders and seemed to have some Asian descendant in her and she spoke to the judge saying, "We have your honor. On the counts of kidnapping and kidnapping with intent to bodily harm we find the defendants guilty of all charges."

There was a sense of relief that wen through all of the people who had come to support Meredith and Derek at this. After everything they were finally going to be free from the ghosts that were haunting the both of them. Judge Reese addressed everyone that had been involved with Derek's kidnapping and Meredith's amputation and stated, "There is a lot that could be said for the type of people that you all turned out to be. The kind of people that would kidnap a father and keep him from his three kids and wife for years but when he got away you proceeded to kidnap his wife and cause her injures that caused her to become an amputee. You have no chance of getting out on bail because you are all considered flight risks and will be in jail for close to twenty years."

As Meredith and Derek exited the courtroom Derek wrapped his arms around Meredith and asked, "Does this feel real to you?"

"What?"

Derek replied, "Feeling like we are free. After everything that has happened it feels right to be able to be able to walk with you down the street and not have to look over our shoulders from someone watching us."

"It feels amazing. Like we can back to who we were before all of this craziness happened back to just being Meredith and Derek."

Derek smiled at wrapped his arms around Meredith before he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Meredith and then stated, "I think that the two of us need to get back to being us by it just being us for a few days no responsibilities. Think of it as the honeymoon that we never got to take."

Meredith opened the envelope that he had handed her only to find that it was two tickets to the Bahamas and it reminded her of him suggestions that they get married their after they had given their wedding to Alex and Izzie. She looked him in his blue eyes and asked, "What about the kids?"

"Amelia said that she would watch them for us. All I want is spend time with my wife. Bailey had already approved of us having that week off to go to the Bahamas told me that we needed to do something to move past everything that had happened."

Meredith kissed him and replied, "It sounds amazing Derek. I will never be able to think of how you thought of all of this while we were waiting for the verdict and getting back to who we are."

Derek buried his face into Meredith's hair the only thoughts on his mind was that they were going to have the best time together just the two of them on the honeymoon that they never got to take. And he was right where he was meant to be. Despite everything that had happened nothing was going to change that when he and Meredith were together, they were where they were always supposed to be.