It was the first week of summer Derek Meredith and the kids had gone to the park for a afternoon of fun. Meredith was looking for flowers with Ally while Derek was making lunch. Derek had finished making a sandwich and handed the plate to a patent Noah standing beside him. "here you are champ."

Noah took the plate and smiled politely, "thank you mr Derek."

"No sweat" Derek said as he gabbed his water, "and" he turned around and saw that Noah had ran off to join Ally on the swings, "you don't have to call me" he finished as Meredith put her gentile hands on Derek's shoulders, "what's the matter?"

"Has he ever called me Derek?"

Meredith smiles, "he calls you mr Derek."

"That's the thing" Derek muttered, "I would have thought by now he be comfortable enough to start calling me Derek."

Meredith kissed Derek's shoulder, "Noah takes a while to warm up to adults he doesn't see every day don't take it personally."

"Its a bit hard not to" Derek looked at Noah and Ally chasing each other around the swings, "Ally took to you like a duck to water but Noah treats me like a scary shool principal."

Meredith nodded she had to admit she agreed with him and it bothered her, "i'll talk to him."

"No no I" Derek furrowed his brow as he thought to himself, "you know I think we should do stuff together."

"Like a trip out?"

"Yeah a trip out like a boys day out, I could take him on a fishing trip."

Meredith raised an eyebrow, "that's a bit sexist don't you think?"

"I mean two dudes doing stuff in the great outdoors."

"Derek" Meredith grinned, "I was kidding I hate fishing and I much prefer some gulliable smuck introducing my son to the so called great outdoors."

Derek smirked, "thanks."

Meredith watched Ally pushing her son on the swing, "you know since your taking Noah out I would like to take Ally out."

"Great what are you thinking of."

"Derek" Meredith ran a hand up and down Derek's arm, "listen if your not comfortable with this i'll understand and I won't do it but I would really like to get Ally some new things."

"Like some clothes?"

Meredith let out a sigh, "when me Noah and Ally were out last week and Ally was walking along in rags people were glaring at me I felt like harry potter's neglectful uncle."

Derek nodded he had seen Ally wear the same clothes from the day he first met her they were worn torn and needed to be replaced, "I know what you mean."

Meredith put Derek's arm around her shoulders, "I think Ally would really like it if she-"

"Looked like everyone else" Derek finished.

"Yes" Meredith said softly as Derek started to laugh. Meredith pouted her lips, "now what is so funny."

"I'm just imaging you shopping with Ally."

Meredith thought back to Ally's birthday and realised what she was getting herself into, "okay its going to be a challenge to get her some new clothes."

"Trying to get Ally new clothes or things in general that cost money is like trying to raise the titanic with your bare hands."

Meredith tried to think of optimistic thoughts to raise her hopes, "well i'm going to convince your daughter to allow me to buy her some stuff."

Derek smirked, "how."

"Well..."

"Meredith if it were that easy I would have gotten her some new clothes months ago."

"I will find a way" Meredith said, "I am determined."

"Well if you find a way make sure you share your secret with me."

Meredith grinned, "i'll be glad to mr Derek."

Derek looked to make sure Noah and Ally were preoccupied than gave Meredith a quick kiss, "like mother like son."

"So fishing I think Noah will really enjoy it."

Derek nodded as he smiled, "than the next time we can bring everyone along."

"Sure" Meredith chuckled as she continued to grin, "and when that lovely day happens i'll be sitting in the car drinking coco watching you three."

The next day

Meredith had been doing domestic cleaning for most of the morning while the kids were upstairs playing with toy cars. Meredith heard a large crate being dumped nearby and she walked over to Derek wearing a large hat, boots and button up shirt, "I must say you do look very sexy in that uniform."

"Well" Derek pulled down his shirt, "that's the whole reason why I bought it."

"So I would think you're sexy?"

"Yeah" Derek said as he wrapped his arms around Meredith and kissed her, Meredith giggled and kissed him back "you are a smooth one."

The sound of running feet hit their ears Meredith and Derek quickly broke apart and next second Ally and Noah came into view, "hi kids we got something fun to do today."

Ally looked at the rods and squealed with excitement, "we're going fishing?"

"Yeah" Derek nodded feeling guilty at the happy expression on his little girls' face.

"Fishing is lots of fun."

"I don't know how to fish" Noah muttered quietly.

"That's okay" Derek said, "that's why I can teach you."

"Are we going fishing now?" Meredith put a gentile hand on Ally's upper back, "well actually sweetheart I was thinking you could go out with me for the day."

Ally turned around and stared up at Meredith, "with you?"

"Yeah we'll have a lot of fun."

"Am I not going fishing" Ally whispered.

Derek bent down to the kid's level, "well Ally we were thinking that we could have a day where you could go out with Meredith and Noah could come out with me."

Noah looked uncomfortable and Ally looking at everyone muttered, "but that's weird."

Meredith smiled at Ally, "its so Noah can do something he has never done before and I can do something with you that you might have never done before."

Ally shook her head, "but we should all do things together."

Noah ran to Meredith, "mommy I want to go with you."

"Ah dear" Derek muttered.

"Think of it as a game" Meredith said softly, "the boys hang out and the girls hang out its something neither of you has ever done."

Derek put his arm around Ally's shoulder, "we think you would really like it."

"Okay" Ally whispered.

"Noah" Meredith kissed her son's cheek, "sweetheart I promise you will really like today and if you don't you can come home early with Derek just give it a chance."

"Okay" Noah said softly.

"Great" Derek picked up the crate, "okay champ lets get going."

Noah slowly walked behind Derek, "bye mommy bye Ally."

Ally waved at the departing duo, "bye Noah bye daddy."

"Buy kiddo" Derek opened the door for Noah, "hey and next time we're all going fishing."

Meredith coughed loudly, "well most of us are." Derek smirked at her and closed the door. Half an hour later Derek had driven up to his favourite fishing area and stared at the beautiful lake glistening in the sun and Noah who had not said a word for the entire drive turned around and said, "is this where fish are?"

"Yep this is the spot" Derek said feeling somewhat cheerful that Noah for the first time had said an entire sentence on his own in front of him looked at Noah staring at the water, "hey buddy look if you don't like being out here we'll only stay for a short while."

"What are mommy and Ally doing?"

"They're shopping for clothes."

"Oh" Noah said he suddenly started to look happier.

"Yeah that's all they're doing."

"That's boring" Noah said with a grin.

"It is" Derek got down the crate and took up the rods with his two hands, "that's why we're doing something more exciting."

Meanwhile in the shopping mall Meredith held Ally's hand and trying to ignore the glares that she was receving from nearby parents she bent down to Ally's height, "so what do you want to get first."

Ally looked up, "what do you mean Meredith?"

"Well today i'm going to get you some new clothes so I think you need a few teashirts and a few trousers, some shorts for the summer, a pair of sunglasses and I can see small toes poking through holes in your shoes so."

Ally started to shake her head, "no thanks."

Meredith sighed as her small hope that this was going to be easy vanished, "Ally."

"I don't want new things."

"You don't want anything new to wear?"

Ally smiled politely, "thank you but no thanks."

"Ally can I ask why you don't you like me buying you things?"

"Um I do."

"When we were out last week with Noah I tried to buy you a ice cream and you told me ice cream makes your teeth fall out and your brain freeze like santa's house."

Ally grinned sheepishly and Meredith smiled, "and everyone around us was thinking wow this must be the world's healthiest six year old girl."

"I like being healthy."

"Well that's great but you know its okay for me to buy you things."

Ally lost her smiled and slowly looked at the floor, "it makes daddy feel bad."

Meredith gently picked the girl up in her arms, "is that because your daddy can't always buy you new things?"

"He wishes he could but he can't."

"And what do you want?"

"I want daddy to not be sad."

Meredith gently rubbed the girl's shoulders, "well can I at least get you a haircut and something nice to eat."

"Um."

"Ally" Meredith grinned, "do you want me to feel sad."

"No" Ally said loudly.

"Well I will be very sad if I don't you get you something to eat and a haircut."

"No" Ally hugged Meredith tightly, "don't be sad please don't i'll get a haircut.."

"Good girl."

Derek and Noah had been sitting on the peer for the last ten minutes with rods in their hands staring at the water "what happens now" Noah said.

"Well" Derek opened up a packet of soft jubes, "we wait, we eat lollies and we stare at the horizon."

"Cool."

Derek handed the packet to Noah who smiled as he took a few jubes in his hands, "are you bored?"

"Nope mr Derek."

"Well that's good" Derek turned to face Noah, "listen Noah you can call me Derek if you want to you don't have to call me mr Derek."

"Derek" Noah whispered.

"Yeah just Derek" Derek stared at the water and stood up, "Noah you got a fish."

"I do" Noah said loudly as he stood up and passed the rod to Derek.

"Yeah" Derek said as he started to walk backwards until he was standing at the edge of the wood, "lets pull harder." Noah jumped in front of Derek grabbing the rod and Derek feeling himself being pushed back lost his balance completely and fell in to the water, he quickly came up spluttering and splashing the water with his arms, "jeez its freezing."

Noah let go of the rod, "i'll save you."

Derek rubbed his eyes and gasped as Noah bent his knees, "Noah wait" but it was to late Noah had jumped into the water and almost instantly started to violently shiver, "its cold."

Derek quickly picked Noah up and placed him back on the peer before pulling himself up, "that water is cold."

"Cold" Noah whispered.

"Come on" Derek grabbed the rods and the crate, "lets get to the car."

Ten minutes later Derek had wrapped Noah in a blanket and was driving him home trying not to think of what Meredith was going to say when she found out her five year old boy had been swimming in the ocean, "we're almost home mate."

"Derek" Noah said.

"Yeah."

"I had lots of fun."

"Yeah" Derek smirked, "well i'm glad we both got out of the water before the fish fed on us."

"The fish were fishing for us."

"Yeah I guess they were" Derek said as he smiled knowing that his goal of getting Noah to feel relaxed around him had been accomplished. He drove up to Meredith's house and using the key Meredith had lent him he led Noah inside the house,

"Okay mate can you get changed into dry clothes while I make you milo."

Noah sniffed his jacket, "I smell like fish its cool."

"Yeah well if you catch a cold that won't be cool i'll find a good movie for you to watch if you get changed."

Noah ran upstairs, "okay Derek."

Derek sniggered to himself, "good man."

Meanwhile in the shopping mall Ally's hair which had been almost long enough for Ally to trip over had been considerably shortened and after a tiring ten minutes of debating Meredith had finally convinced Ally to let her buy the little girl mcdonalds she was still wondering what it was going to take to get Ally one of the most unusual yet wonderful children she had every known to buy clothes for her than she decided that a sneaky approach might work, "okay Ally."

Ally looked up, "what's up buttercup."

"Well i have to get Noah some clothes."

"Cool" Ally said as she hopped down from the chair and grabbed Meredith's arm, "lets go."

"There's someone else I want to get clothes for."

"Who?"

"Well" Meredith looked lovingly at Ally, "she has hair like the sun, she's as funny as a clown and she's standing in front of me."

Ally looked around before her eyes blinked, "oh its me."

Meredith's finger tapped Ally's nose, "its you."

"I don't want new clothes."

"I think you do."

"Nope my clothes are new" Ally sniffed herself, "and they smell like roses."

"Ally" Meredith sighed.

Ally grabbed Meredith's hand, "come on Meredith lets go."

"Okay" Meredith said as they wandered into the nearest shop Meredith went to work picking out clothes for Noah than she got to the section she was most wanting to get to, Ally tugged at her shirt to get her attention "excuse me Meredith I don't think Noah wears girl clothes."

"I know he doesn't" Meredith picked up a frozen tea shirt, "but I think you would like these."

Ally instantly started shaking her head, "no no no no."

"Really" Meredith picked up a pair of jeans, "look at this."

Ally put her hands on her eyes, "no."

"This teashirt would look so nice on you."

"No no."

"Ally i'm feeling sad."

Ally removed her hands from her eyes "I" then she covered her eyes back up, "no."

Meredith put down the clothes and gently rubbed the girl's head with her hands, "Ally okay you and me need to talk." Ally looked up at Meredith and went to sit down on a stool while Meredith bent down, "Ally I don't want to make you or your daddy sad, i'm only wanting to do this because I think you would like it if you got clothes that are clean and smell nice like the other kids."

Ally sniffed, "daddy would be sad."

Meredith gave Ally her kindest smile, "your daddy is an amazing person and I know he would want you to have nice things and be happy."

"But I would be spoiled and spoiled children are not nice."

"Ally" Meredith drew her arms around Ally, "I know you try hard to be a good girl for your dad but I think you try to hard."

Ally blinked and looked at the carpet, "I want to be good so daddy will always love me."

"Ally your daddy loves you very much and he won't ever stop loving you you are his whole world he told me that himself."

"He's a hero" Ally whispered, "he rescued me when I was in the water he saved me when I was alone... he became my daddy."

"He did all of that because he loves you."

Ally looked at Meredith, "why are you so nice to me?"

"Because I think you are a wonderful girl that deserves nice things just like other children." Ally started to smile and Meredith smiled wider, "so what do you say?"

"I humbly decline."

Meredith drummed her fingers on Ally's knees, "okay how about this if I get you some new clothes we'll go to Disneyland this summer."

"Um."

"We can meet mickey mouse" Ally shook her head Meredith was in disbleif the Disneyland idea was her best card but than a sneaky idea came into her mind and she started to smile, "well if you let me get some clothes for you then I will go out on a date with your daddy."

Ally gasped loudly, "you will."

"I will."

"Really?"

"Yes, shirts, pants, sunglasses, jumpers and shoes for you and I will go on a date with your dad."

Ally put her finger on her mouth, "um."

"Its a good deal."

Ally furrowed her brow as she thought, "um i'll make breakfast and you date daddy."

Meredith started to chuckle at the girls antics and even Ally grinned apologetically, "sorry Ally no deal I buy you clothes and I will go on one date with your daddy."

Meredith watched the girl thinking hard, "one date with daddy for one teashirt."

"Now we're getting somewhere" Meredith looked at the clothes on the rails, "how about one date with daddy to a nice place for two teashirts and a pair of jeans."

Ally shook her head and grinned, "how about that costs two dates."

"Okay well how about three dates for two tea shirts, two pairs of panths and a pair of new shoes."

"Two and a half" Ally jumped up and pointed her little finger at Meredith, "wait you said three you said three."

"Okay now will it take to get you a jumper as well as sunglasses."

"Five dates" Ally said, "and they have to be good dates no boring stuff like going to drawing places."

"So no art museums, even though I love art musems."

"You do" Ally said in surprise, "um than you must go to art places."

"So" Meredith said with high spirits, "Ally will get everything I want to buy her in exchange for five dates."

Ally nodded looking very happy, "and I will clean your whole house for a week."

Meredith couldn't help chuckling Ally somehow always found a way to make her laugh, "Ally you don't have to do that."

"I want to say thank you."

"You can thank me with a hug" Ally smiled as she jumped into Meredith's arms and hugged her tightly.

Noah and Derek were sitting side by side on the couch watching Toy Story when the door opened and Ally came running into the room she hugged Derek's knees and Derek rubbed his little girl's head, "well you look like had a good time."

Meredith poked her head into the room, "guess what Derek."

"What?"

"I got some clothes for the children."

"Children" Derek muttered, "as in both of them?"

"Yep Noah we got you new things to."

"Wait Ally" Derek looked at a smiling Ally, "I how did Meredith how did you?"

"We made a deal" Ally said.

"A deal?"

"We made a deal" Meredith said as she smiled alongside Ally, "so I could get Ally some things didn't we Ally."

"Yep it was a good deal" Ally added.

"What was it" Derek said.

"Its" Ally started to smirk her cheekiest smile, "you'll find out."

"Wow" Noah said as he looked into the bags full of clothes, "thanks mommy."

Meredith picked her son up before kissing his cheek, "did you have fun today?"

"Lots of fun" Noah pointed at Derek, "Derek is lots of fun."

"Noah" Ally said, "want to play hide and seek?"

"Cool" Meredith put Noah down and watched him run outside with Ally, "bye mommy bye Derek."

"Bye daddy bye Meredith."

Derek feeling gobsmacked looked at Meredith, "so what was the deal?"

"Something nice" Meredith whispered as she smiled.

"Hey don't keep me in suspense."

"You look a little stressed Derek, do you want me to make you tea?"

"Are you going to make me beg?"

Meredith giggled, "in exchange for me buying her things today you and me need to go out on five dates."

Derek smiled, "your evil."

"No way" Meredith protested.

"We're already dating and your pretending we are going to start dating that is wicked."

Meredith put her hands on her hips, "how is buying a child clothes and dating you evil?"

"Because you lied to a child" Derek said as he came closer to Meredith, "that's always evil."

"That's true" Meredith wrapped her arms around Derek's neck, "so I think after my victory i'm ready for a massage which I think you ought to give me."

"What's the occasion?"

"No occasion honey just that you should thank me for making your child happy its only fair."

Derek grinned, "like I said your evil."

"Come on" Meredith started to walk upstairs, "while the kids are occupied."

"Okay than" Derek followed her, "just so you know I smell like the pond."

"I kind of like it."

Meredith lied on her stomach while Derek tried to relax her muscles Meredith turned her head, "your not very good at this you know."

"Well" Derek muttered, "who would I get to practice on my plants."

"Well you can practice on me until you become a master."

Derek ran his hands over Meredith's shirt covered back muscles, "I still can't believe you got Ally clothes."

"You underestimated my abilities."

"Yeah" Derek bent over, "so when do you want to go fishing?"

Meredith sighed, "on the twelfth of never."

"Okay than how about hiking that's always fun."

Meredith giggled, "only if your carrying me the whole way."

"Well since you like doing things for my daughter and Ally loves hiking."

Meredith turned over and smiled as Derek kissed her, "wow your the evil one."