"Okay I need everyone quiet," Derek commanded, "Cutting the filum."

Link observed carefully as Derek worked. They were working on an L1 fracture and a tethered cord on a woman who had lost control of her car and crashed.

"Okay so far so good, Dr. Lincoln," Derek announced as he continued.

"I'm gonna be honest, I was a little nervous about scrubbing in with you today."

"Why? We've worked together for a while now," Derek laughed, "You've been coming to family dinners on a weekly basis for almost a year now and you have a kid with my sister."

Link avoided him as he continued working. When he first arrived to Grey Sloan, he was truly excited to have been working with a group of world-class surgeons. It was truly a privilege and he knew he could hold his own. Even before he started his relationship with Amelia, he respected Derek. He even enjoyed working with him. But now, things were different.

"Ah, that's why you're nervous," Derek glanced up, "You shouldn't be nervous I'm not gonna bite you."

"Still, you know," Link shrugged, "You're her big brother and she looks up to you. You're the closest thing she has to a dad."

Link could see Derek's smile under his mask. They continued working in silence until Link cleared his throat.

"Actually I've been meaning to ask you something," Link continued.

"What's that?"

"We kinda jumped a step in this whole relationship thing and I was wondering if you'd be okay with, I mean-I- I wanted," Link stuttered.

"You're gonna ask her to marry you and you're asking me for my blessing."

The OR seemed to stop. Derek looked up as his eyes crinkled with a smile, "Meredith, Maggie, and I have a pool on how soon you'd do it. Looks like I've won, I bet before Scout's first birthday."

Derek was pleased with himself. It'd been the topic of conversation for a while now since Amelia had given birth. They were happy for her and as her big brother, it was all he could ask for.

Link seemed confused, "You mean all of you knew-how?"

"Just a feeling," Derek continued working, "and you always seemed like the kind of guy who wanted the whole marriage and kids thing."

Link reminded Derek of himself in many ways. He was energetic and told bold risks in the OR. He cared deeply about his patients and took the time to get to know them. And now that he knew him personally, he knew he was good to his sister and even better to his nephew. He was a good partner and a great father.

"Look Link, I think you and my sister are great together and you make her happy," Derek continued, "especially after everything she's been through."

"I can feel a 'but' coming with that," Link interrupted. He could feel knots in his stomach and could feel his heart drop. Amelia adored her brother and if Derek didn't approve, he feared he'd be stuck.

"I appreciate you asking me, I really do," Derek chuckled, "But it's her choice. Just- If you're going to propose, be prepared for whatever answer she gives you and decide now if your willing to accept a 'no'"

Owen hadn't asked. He and Amy had simply agreed to marry and blurted it in the OR. Everyone had heard and in typical fashion, Derek had been the last to know. He didn't want to say it, but he had a feeling it wouldn't end well. And it didn't.

"Did she talk to you about this already?" Link asked desperately.

"No, she hasn't," Derek assured him, "but I know my sister."

"What do you mean?"

"Marriage is complicated and sometimes you jump into it for the wrong reasons. And sometimes you and your partner may be on different pages-"

Link was confused. Derek and Meredith had always seemed like a solid, stable marriage. They were a force to be reckoned with both as a couple and as surgeons. They were a dream team. And even though they were known to have their fair share of arguments, they always seemed to come out the other side. He admired them individually and as a couple. He wanted what they had. The high power jobs, the strong marriage, and the strong family.

"Should Meredith be worried?"

Derek chuckled, "I'm very happily married. But Amy- well she's Amy. And when she wants something she wants it and when she doesn't, she doesn't"

Link looked pensive for a moment. Maybe Derek was telling him something. Maybe proposing was the wrong move.

"Don't be discouraged, she loves you. I know she does," Derek sighed, "Just do it for the right reasons."

Link nodded.

"And if it means anything, yes you have my blessing," Derek chuckled, "not that she cares anyways."

He could practically hear her now. Derek, you're not the boss of me and I don't need you to approve anyone. She was a grown woman who had been through enough. She'd been through too much and she didn't need him to big brother her all the time. Still he worried for her. And he'd always worry.

Derek smiled under his mask, "How are you planning on doing it?"

"I don't know. I can't even decide on a ring yet," Link breathed out, relieved at the change of topic, "How'd you ask Meredith?"

Derek laughed, "Which time?"

Link furrowed his eyebrows,"Wait, you proposed more than once? She said no?"

Derek sighed, "I was originally going to do this corny thing. My friend, Mark and I had decorated our bedroom with red rose petals and candles but a friend needed us and the timing was off."

"Oh-"

"And then when she found out I was proposing I hit her ring -that my mother, who'd only met Mer for an hour, gave me to give her- out in the woods with a baseball bat," Derek stopped and glanced at Link. Suddenly they weren't so perfect.

"What?"

"Yeah, not one of my finest moments," Derek winced and shook his head, "Meredith knocked some sense into me and brought me back home so I simply placed the ring on the table and she said no."

"So-"

"And then when I asked the second time-," he continued, "She said 'no'. Again."

"Why?"

"I was asking her to marry me for the wrong reasons," Derek explained, "I'd gone all dark and twisty- in a bad way- and I was being selfish. She knew I was being selfish, I just didn't see it then. So I didn't ask her to marry me."

"So what did you do?"

"I told her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her," Derek's eyes glimmered as he recalled their moment in the elevator, "I told her why I loved her and explained why I needed her. I told her I wasn't going to get down on a knee and ask. I simply wanted her."

"But I thought you were married. I mean, you are married. Right?"

"Link, we got married on a post-it," Derek chuckled, "we only made it official to make the process of adopting Zola easier."

"That post-it framed above our bed means more than any marriage certificate," he clarified, "So if you're proposing to my sister, do it for the right reasons."

"And don't do it in a public setting, she'd hate that."

"Noted," Link chuckled, "And thank you."

"So Link's proposing? When?" Meredith called from the bathroom as she continued brushing her teeth.

Derek closed his book and set it on the table, "I don't know. He said he hadn't even gotten a ring yet."

Meredith set her toothbrush down and walked back into the bedroom. She could hear the concern in his voice and saw it in his eyes as she crawled into bed next to him. She propped elbow and rested her head on her hand.

"You think she'll say yes?"

Derek's eyes didn't leave the ceiling, "Honestly? I don't know."

"What does your gut tell you?" she whispered.

"She's gonna say no," he turned to look at her as he admitted his thoughts, "Not because she doesn't love him but- I think she's gonna say no."

"Derek."

"I want her to be happy and if that means marrying Link then I want her to marry Link but if that means not getting married-" he shook his head, "She loves him and he loves her. I just don't know if they want the same thing."

Meredith watched him carefully. She rested her hand on his chest as if she was soothing any pain away. The Shepherds had a complicated relationship, especially Amy and Derek. Sometimes they were thick as thieves and sometimes they were at each other's throats.

"She stayed with us and helped with the kids but I could see her- I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it," Derek sighed.

"You're a good brother, you know that?"

He shook his head quietly rejecting the notion. He'd felt he'd never be good enough. He'd just never admit it out loud.

"You know, if she does say yes, we'll never hear the end of it with the kids?" Meredith lightened the mood.

Derek chuckled, "Maggie is really gonna screw us with her big wedding."

"Would you have been okay with us not being married?" Meredith asked, "I mean, we'd still be together but we just- we wouldn't be-"

"As long as I'd come home to you and you came home to me, I'd be okay with it," he answered earnestly.

Meredith knew it was an honest answer. But she also knew he'd alway wanted marriage and kids and it'd always scared her. But in the end, he loved her so much, he didn't care. He just wanted her.

"Do you regret it?" Meredith asked with a whisper.

He furrowed his eyebrow, "What? Marrying you?"

"No. Not doing the whole wedding thing? With your sisters and your mom and all our friends? Do you regret settling with a post-it and city hall?"

"I have you," he whispered sincerely, "I wouldn't change a thing."

Meredith grinned, satisfied with his answer. She wouldn't trade it for the world.

Derek didn't know what would happen with Link and Amy. He didn't know if she'd say yes. But he knew that she'd do what she felt was right. And all he could do was be there for her.

What he did know was that he was lucky Meredith had said yes. That'd she'd taken a leap of faith for him. The three rooms with kids down the hall had proved that all the obstacles they'd jumped, had been worth it.

A/N: I saw a post that said that Link and Derek would have gotten along really well and I think that's so true! I actually really like Link + Amelia and I also like Kai + Amelia so for now I'll leave it up to your interpretation.