After a cold windy night and a hour of the morning spent getting ready for the day Meredith put on her coat finished applying her makeup and after checking herself in the mirror she softly closed the bedroom door and sharpened as a door down the hallway softly opened and Noah came running to her. Meredith picked her son up and twirled him in a circle, "hey little trooper."

Noah smiled wildly as his hands played with Meredith's hair, "mommy can we play snakes and ladders."

Meredith stared at her son sadly, "honey mommy has to go to work." Noah's smile vanished and Meredith felt her high spirits sinking seeing her little boy sad because of Meredith's job was heartbreaking, "I didn't get up early enough" Noah whispered.

"I'm coming home tonight" Meredith kissed her son's cheek, "and i want at least two games of snakes and ladders before you go to bed tonight."

"Okay" Noah said quietly the little boy knew that he would be asleep by the time his mommy came home. Meredith drew Noah into a loving hug before planting three gentle kisses on his cheek, "I know I spend to much time working and not enough time with you and it isn't fair, but i'm going to make things right sweetheart. As a start I am taking you to the park this weekend."

"The park" Noah said as he drew back and looked at his mom with excited eyes.

"All day just you and me and while i'm at work i'll think of other fun things that we can do on the weekend as well."

Noah smiled with joy as Meredth kissed his forehead, "now will you be my little superman and look after Cristina."

Noah stood up straight and tall, "i'll protect Cristina from all aliens and bad guys."

Meanwhile far away Derek rolled over on his pull out couch as his alarm started to play its usual tune, he knocked the button on his clock and settled back into sleep as his bedroom door opened and a small figure walked out of the shadows, "daddy" Ally whispered. Derek didn't move as Ally came closer into the room, "daddy its time to wake up." Ally took Derek's hand in her own small hand, "daddy can you please take me to school." Derek was unresponsive as Ally crawled on the bed and started to pepper Derek's hand with small kisses, "please daddy" Derek reached out his arms and Ally giggled as Derek hugged her close to his chest while keeping his eyes closed. Ally tried to move as she laughed, "daddy i'm not a teddy bear."

Derek just made funny sleeping noises and Ally sighed, "okay then time to wake the sleeping giant." Ally reached her arm up as far as it would go and her hand started to tickle Derek's neck. Derek shot up laughing before he flopped down and looked down at his grinning daughter, "hi Ally good morning."

"School daddy" Ally said with a smile, "and work."

"Wow there's not a moment to lose" Derek hoisted Ally up over her shoulder and walked through the house while Ally laughed loudly, "to battle for school and for nature."

"And for peace and clean underwear" Ally said loudly.

After a long morning of surgeries Meredith had managed to escape from the operating theatre for her lunch break but instead of heading for the cafeteria she headed straight for the nearest window and opened it for some fresh air. Meredith breathed a big gulp of cold oxygen into her lungs as she looked at the beautiful climate outside and stopped looking around as she again a familiar sight. Meredith could see the same handsome gardener from yesterday working in the enclosure, digging away at the soil working to make the garden grow with vitality once again. Meredith's throat went dry as she saw him remove his shirt and she couldn't help but stare at his strong vibrant chest muscles glistening in the rain and she ran a hand through her hair as the man looked up and once again gave her a smile. Meredith stared before she pulled away and she breathed heavily as she realised how shy she must have looked, Meredith was never the shy type she caught her breath and without a second thought went to the kitchen filled up a bottle of water and dashed downstairs. Meredith didn't know what she was doing, her feet felt like they were on autopilot she wasn't even thinking as she walked out of the hospital doors and walked round the hospital to where the garden was. Meredith stared at the blackened mess that used to be the garden and felt a feeling of joy as she saw many flowers starting to awaken then she saw the man she was looking for digging holes with a large shovel stopping every few seconds to wipe his forehead with his sleeve. Meredith felt a twinge of disappointment as she saw that he has put on a annoying old shirt on his back that she wished he would get rid of as she wandered over to him. Derek looked up from where he was working and stared at the women he had seen through the window the past few days approaching where he was digging, he stood up to his full height with a smile as she saw what he could only describe as one of the most beautiful women he ever seen hand him a bottle of water, "hello I thought you might be thirsty."

"Thanks" Derek whispered as he slowly took the bottle, "I really need it."

Meredith watched him take a large swig before he put it down and picked up his shovel again, Meredith looked at the strain on his face and deciding this man needed a rest she put a gentile hand on his wet shoulder, "hey don't you have a break coming up?"

"Well my contractor wants the garden to be restored as fast as possible so i'll have a break when the shift is done."

Meredith raised an eyebrow, "your covered in sweat and your panting like a horse its also drizzling you need to rest or you'll catch hyperthermia."

The man looked at her with an annoyed expression, "if that happens i'm right next to a hospital."

Meredith grabbed the handle of the shovel with her hands, "it won't do you any good if no one in the hospital sees you collapse, now doctors orders sit for a minute." Meredith pointed at a large rock and Derek sighed before he gave Meredith a quick smile of appreciation as he sat down with his water he wrapped a coat around his shoulders and stared straight ahead, "thanks sometimes I don't know when to stop."

"I saw you yesterday working hard" Meredith kneeled down next to him, "and it shows the garden is looking pretty again."

"It still needs a lot of work" Derek said as he admired his handiwork, "but its getting there, sorry i'm Derek."

Meredith took his hand in her own in a nice firm handshake, "Meredith."

"Its nice of you to bring me this, coming out in this weather to help a stranger is" Derek stopped his sentence as he tried to think of the next words. Meredith just nodded, "well i'm a firm believer in doing kind things for strangers."

"My kid has the same belief."

Meredith smiled slowly, "boy or a girl."

"A daughter she's my whole world."

"I have a son and..." I wish he knew he was my whole world she thought to herself until her pager went off, "thats me."

Derek had another large gulp of water from the bottle, "a emergency?"

Meredith tucked the phone in her jacket pocket, "I have more of them in a week then most people do in a year."

"Do you want the water back?"

"No you keep it" Meredith gently pushed the bottle towards Derek but stopped from coming closer to him as she felt a sudden rapid beating of her heart, "no one ever checks to see if the water is there anyway" she quickly muttered.

"It was nice to meet you" Derek whispered as he stared into Meredith's eyes.

"It was good" Meredith responded.

"We should talk again sometime."

"Yeah you should... when your free-"

Derek gave a sad shrug, "I have to pick up my daughter from school."

"You pick up your kid from school as well?"

"Yeah i'm a busy guy but I enjoy every minute of it"

"I should get back" Meredith said as she gave Derek a last smile and walked back to the hospital the truth being told Meredith felt it was getting awakered both she and Derek were starting to feel uncomfortable and trying way to hard to talk, maybe that's because there is an attraction. Meredith thought about it as she walked inside the hospital and couldn't help but smile.

The following Saturday

Derek walked with her daughter swinging her hand as they approached their favourite lake in Seattle, "alright angel you ready."

Ally took the bread from her daddy's hands and started to throw it into the water laughing as she watched the ducks swimming over each other to grab the bread and splashing her with water.

"They're hungry" Derek said as his hand rubbed his daughter's head.

"Daddy" Ally pointed her small finger at a duck that was moving to slowly to chase the bread, "why isn't he hungry."

"He is hungry Ally he's very sick and can't get the food."

"Of course he can" Ally said as she ran to the railing and Derek jumped and grabbed her waist, "hold on Ally your not jumping into the lake to feed a duck."

"I'm not jumping into the lake silly bum."

Derek smirked in the year since he had known his daughter this was the first time she had ever playfully insulted him and strangely enough he liked it, "silly bum huh."

"Sorry daddy" Ally whispered as she kept her eyes to the pavement which dashed Derek's hopes that his daughter was finally starting to feel fully secure around him. Derek bent down to his daughter's height, "hey I got an idea" Derek said as he got out another slice of bread and after breaking it in half handed it to Ally, "what we need is a diversion come and get it."

"Daddy" Ally laughed as Derek ran away waving the bread as if it were a national flag, "Ally you see the sick duck throw it some bread."

"Oh" Ally threw it some bread and cheered as the duck ate it, Derek threw his bread in the water and ran to pick up Ally and twirl her around enjoying his little girl's giggles, "well done ally cat now you up for the swings slide and sandpit."

"I love the park."

"I know kiddo the park is the most beauitufl place in the world." Derek carried Ally to where the other children were playing and the parents were chatting with each other and keeping an eye on their kids, Ally looked at the garden to the left of where Derek stood with her, "did you plant all the flowers?"

"Well no I had help from the other gardeners we all helped to make this place pretty."

"There's other pretty things here to"

"Yeah" Derek said as he looked around at the surroundings, "some of those trees have been growing since birth."

"There are lots of petty ladies" Ally with a grin as she pointed at the park where dozens of mothers were talking and playing with their children.

Derek let out a sigh, "yeah their are lots of pretty ladies." He felt a ominous feeling growing in his stomach as Ally turned her head with a smile, "can you talk to one and don't just look at one this time."

"Well sure I can talk to them."

"Talk to the ones who are not married" Ally said as she pointed at the fingers on her right hand with the fingers on her left hand, "you look for a shiny thing on their hand first."

"Ally all the ladies here are married."

"Did you check their hands already?"

"No Ally I know they are married because they all have kids."

"So do you and your not married."

"They have boyfriends" Derek muttered as he let Ally down and started to walk to the swings.

"There are hundreds of ladies here" Ally protested, "there must be ladies without boyfriends."

"Well it isn't appropriate for me to ask them."

"That's okay daddy" Ally said, "I can ask them."

"Ally no" Derek said firmly, "you are not asking ladies if they are married."

"I won't i'll just ask them if they have boyfriends and then report back to base."

"Ally if you start doing that we're going home."

Ally stopped smiling and hugged Derek's leg, "daddy are you mad at me?"

"No honey I just" Derek looked at a empty swing in front of her, "do you want me to push you on the swing?"

"Yes please."

Derek helped Ally on the swing and started to push her then he saw something that made his heart rate speed up. He could see the same nurse from the other day Meredith helping a little boy on the seasaw he watched her laughing and smiling then a hand tugging his and his mind snapped back to his daughter, "daddy Holly is over there."

Derek looked and saw Ally's friend from school Holly playing in the sandpit, "yeah she is."

"Can we say hello?"

"You can do more than that you can play in the sand with her if you like."

"Yeah" Ally jumped down from the swing "Holly." Derek watched her run towards Holly and saw Holly's parents waving at him, he waved back and feeling a gentile tap on his shoulder he turned around and gazed into the bright blue eyes of Meredith, "hey wow um."

Meredith did a small cough, "sorry to startle you."

"That's okay" Derek as he recovered his demeanour, "I was just waving at people I knew and...how are you."

Meredith brushed her hair back with her free hand, "i'm great just spending time with my son" Derek looked at a small boy with dark hair and bright green eyes looking up at him, "your here with your daughter?"

"Yeah she's over there" Derek waved a hand towards Ally and Holly building a sandcastle, "playing with her friend." Derek looked at the boy staring at him, "and you must be Meredith's son."

"Who's Mer a stuff?" the boy said softly.

"I am dear" Meredith whispered, "that's my name."

"I thought it was mommy."

"Mommies have names to honey, this is Derek he's a friend of mine, Derek this is Noah."

"Nice to meet you champ" Derek said as he bent down and smiled at the child before extending his hand to Noah who smiled as he took Derek's hand, "your really tall."

"Yeah I am quite tall, your mom is very tall to."

"She is" Noah said, "she's as tall as a giraffe."

"I don't think i'm that tall dear, so?"

"So" Derek blew air between his lips, "do you want to sit down?"

"I would like that."

"Yeah me to" Derek sat down with Meredith while Noah sat on her lap playing with Meredith's hair, "so have you lived here for very long?"

"I have lived here most of my life" Meredith replied as she affectingly rubbed her son's back with her hands, "do I come across that I have lived elsewhere?"

"Um you just seem well travelled and" come on Derek your better at conversation than this, "so how old are you Noah?"

Noah looked up, "four and a half."

"Really I have a daughter who's almost six."

Derek saw an eager look on the boy's small features, "is the daughter going to school to?"

"Yeah so your going to school this year."

Noah nodded as he smiled Meredith ruffled his hair, "he's very excited he going to make lots of friends and have plenty of fun."

Meanwhile Ally was helping Holly building a moat for the sandcastle when a thought hit her and she looked around for her dad, "where did daddy go?"

"Your daddy or my daddy" Holly said as she looked up from the sand.

"My daddy wait there he is he's... aaahhh" Ally said as her eyes lit up.

"What" Holly said as she looked at what her friend was staring at.

Ally started to grin, "he's talking to a petty lady."

"Yeah" Holly said as she started to grin to.

Derek shifted his body to face Meredith, "so anyway I moved to Seattle about two months ago from New York."

Meredith gave a slow nod as she wondered if there was a reason why Derek moved to her area not that she was complaining though, "I think Seattle is a much nicer place than New York."

"Yeah me to there isn't so much buildings."

"Buildings often block the view."

"Yeah that's true" Derek said as he glanced at the sandpit to check on Ally and saw his daughter and Holly smilng at them and waving, Derek felt a cold shiver in his chest, and from the look on Meredith's face he hadn't done a good job of hiding it, "we have an audience."

"Audience?" Meredith said as she looked around then she saw two little girls looking at them grinning and giggling and she chuckled, "which one is yours?"

Derek looked at Ally waving at him, "the one with the very cheeky grin on her face."

Meredith saw that one of the children a little girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes was waving at Derek and she smiled, "both of them have cheeky grins is she the one who's waving at you?"

"Yeah that's her Allison or Ally for short" Derek stood up, "I think I should go."

"Derek are you embarrassed?"

"Ah" Derek muttered the truth was he was very embarrassed, "no its just I need to get Ally a warmer coat the coat she has on is old and doesn't help her."

Meredith smiled gently and Derek ruffled Noah's head with a hand, "it was nice to meet you champ."

"Bye big guy" Noah said with a wave.

"See you" Derek said to Meredith.

"See you" Meredith repsonded with a small smile as Derek wandered away, Meredith picked up her son in her arms, "well I think its time we got lunch."

"I like lunch."

"I like lunch to" Meredith walked with Noah he glanced at Derek walking to the sandpit and she felt a warm feeling that she hadn't felt in years a feeling that she had greatly missed.

"Well" Derek crouched in the sand and looked at the grinning girls, "Ally and Holly how is your sandcastle going."

"Its great Mr Shepherd" Holly replied.

"Daddy" Ally looked around, "where did the lady go?"

"She's gone home Ally."

"Oh" Ally said with a sigh then her face lit up again, "when are you going to have dinner?"

"I'm having dinner the same time your having dinner."

"I mean dinner with the lady?"

"Ally I didn't ask her out to dinner."

"Why not" Holly muttered as Ally nodded, "yeah why not?"

"Because she's married" Derek said slowly.

"Oh" Ally whispered as Holly drew an arm around Ally's shoulders.

"Holly I think I need to take Ally home."

"Bye Ally" Holly said as she hugged her friend.

"Bye Holly" Ally whispered as she took Derek's hand and walked out of the sandpit. Derek looked at his daughter staring at the ground and he sighed, "your disappointed aren't you."

Allly nodded as Derek wandered with her, "Ally can I ask you a question."

"I brushed my teeth this morning" Ally looked up at Derek and clenched her jaws together, "see."

"Its not that, why do you want me to talk to ladies?"

Ally looked into her daddy's eyes, "so you can be happy."

"Ally i'm already happy."

"Grownups are not happy unless they fall in love."

Derek smirked he had always believed that a child's imagination is something truly special, "well that isn't true Ally there are many things that can make grownups happy."

"Are you happy?"

"I am very happy and that's because" Derek tapped Ally's nose with her finger, "I have an ally cat to keep me company."

"But if you fell in love you would be more happy."

"Ally" Derek whispered.

"Daddy you should fall in love and be married you would be the best husband."

Derek let out a laugh, "your very determined."

Ally nodded as she took her daddy's hand in her own, "you made me happy when I was sad."

Derek's eyes filled with warmth as memories swam in his mind, "i'm glad I did I want you to be happy."

"And I want to pay my debt so your going to be married as soon as possible I promise."

"Ally" Derek sighed before he lifted his daughter upside down over his arm, "come here clown upside down."

Ally laughed wildly, "the playground is touching the sky."

"You want to dust the grass with your hair?"

"Its cold" Ally giggled as Derek lifted her back on her feet.

"Okay well why don't we look at the flowers I planted just over that hill, come on i'll race you." Ally raised a hand, "on your marks." Ally started to run giggling while Derek ran after her with a laugh of his own.