Meredith fixed up her earnings and adjusted her makeup and hearing a knock she went to open the door to find Mia chewing a snickers bar she gave her a wide smile, "there's the babysitter."

Mia came walking into the house looking around with her tounge clicking, "hmmm nice place you got doctor g."

"Thank you so much for agreeing to do this."

"Why wouldn't I doc I love hanging out with the little guy."

"Noah has been excited all day" Meredith wandered through the hair brushing her hair, "he's been telling me all the things you and him are going to do tonight so you won't even have to think of anything to do."

"So I guess there's no jersey shore tonight" Meredith raised an eyebrow as Mia chuckled and raised her hands, "dude i'm totally kidding."

"Well there's plenty of food in the fridge" Meredith took down a notepad "and Noah has had dinner already, a list of emergency numbers is on the pad there's a spare key to the house on the bench in case any of you get locked outside."

"Why" Mia smirked, "is there someone here that locks kids outside when your not home."

"Okay" Meredith admitted, "maybe i'm going overboard the only babysitter i've had in recent years is Derek."

"Don't worry doc" Mia grinned, "the little guy is safe with me i'm not going to you know send him out into the street or anything like that."

"Okay thank you oh and if Noah refuses to go to bed when its bed time give me a call although knowing him he'll probably fall asleep on the coach right before bed time and do you mind carrying him to bed I know he's not that heavy but."

"Not at all" Mia said with a smile, "he's really cute when he's asleep."

"Okay and" Meredith sighed as she thought of the most difficult topic of the briefing, "Mia i'm sorry to lecture you but please don't swear when your around Noah."

"Oh duck" Mia grinned.

"Mia" Meredith said with a stern look.

"What" Mia said innocently, "I said duck."

"Mia i'm serious."

"Okay okay oh and where's the booze."

Meredith smirked as Mia giggled, "dude again i'm kidding."

"I knew you were that time, wait another six years when your of legal age."

"Six years to wait until I get drunk what am I female class president."

Noah peeked his head round the corner and smiled as Mia came running over to scoop him up in his arms, "hey superman ready for fun."

Noah nodded with a excited look on his face as Mia carried him to the living room, "alright lets go."

"Bye mom" Noah called out

"Bye honey" Meredith called back, "have fun."

"I will" Mia called back.

Meredith chuckled and headed out the door.

An hour later Meredith and Derek had reached the restaurant for the annual Seattle Grace Hospital work dinner, Meredith looked sideways at Derek he had barely said a work during the car trip and she put a gentle hand on Derek's shoulder, "you okay?"

"Yeah I just got a funny feeling" Derek replied, "like i'm going to be the odd one here tonight."

"What do you mean odd."

"I don't usually care when people judge me but tonight there's a lot of people here who will know me as the gardener of the hospital, the one who gets his daughter to do hard manual labour and the one who is only dating you for your chequebook."

"Did Alex tell you that."

"He's done it once or twice when I've been at work" Derek shrugged, "I told him he needs to get a new hobby and that his aftershave smells like tear gas."

Meredith smiled, "if anyone starts commenting we're going to leave I didn't bring you here to get picked on."

"You know what" Derek took Meredith's hand strongly in his, "let them say what they want i'm with you because I want to be with you not because of your money. I want to be with you because you are the most amazing wonderful woman i've ever known."

"Hmmm what is it about me you find so amazing and wonderful."

"Well your kind, funny, smart more beautiful than anything I've ever seen and, what else..."

"Your doing good."

"Okay and you have perfume that smells nice."

Meredith chuckled and kissed him, "if you keep that up I might not want to get out of the car."

Derek winked, "we could have dinner here."

"Well the car seats would get dirty."

"Fair point" Derek said as he and Meredith headed out of Meredith's car and several people waved and said hello to her as they walked past, "well shall we" Derek said.

"We shall" Meredith answered.

A while later Meredith was halfway through her meal when she looked up and frowned, "people are looking at you and whispering."

"It was a long time ago that I brought Ally to work with me in the garden" Derek let out a quiet sigh, "you think they would have forgotten it by now."

"Well some people just don't have anything more interesting going on in their lives."

"Exactly did I mention your really beautiful."

"You did" Meredith grinned, "it hasn't gotten old and you scrub up pretty nice yourself."

"You know Ally" Derek smiled, "she's been making me watch wedding scenes of her favourite movies over and over."

Meredith snorted, "really."

"Yeah she insists the wedding parts are the good part, I don't know what it is with her if we... and i'm not saying this to get you uncomfortable ever got married what would she do."

"Good question" Meredith said, "would she give up trying to plan our whole life for us, I guess for now she's just having fun."

"Yeah but still this is a bit abnormal, she wants me to be married to pay off her debt of me becoming her daddy."

Meredith raised her eyebrows, "that is a bit extreme" she admitted.

"You think I should take her to see someone?"

"I think she's fine" Meredith said in a soft voice, "Ally has just got to accept the fact that your not getting married until your ready."

Derek nodded as he cut another piece of his steak, "I noticed Noah's really taking a shine to Mia."

"He loves hanging out with her, I just hope she isn't teaching him bad manners."

"Like swearing."

"She seems like a good kid, I just sometimes wish I could rinse her mouth out with soapy water."

"Hey" Meredith looked up and smiled at Arizona coming over to the table, "hello yourself."

"Thought you might want to see a friendly face there's a lot of people over there listening to Alex telling stories."

Meredith shook her head in disbelief, "Alex can say what he wants the only thing he cares about is the thing that is in his underpants"

"Well Derek I heard a lot about you" Arizona sat down at the table, "from Meredith" she added.

"That's good" Derek said with a wide smile Arizona leaned in close to Meredith, "your lucky I like girls."

Meredith laughed with Derek as waiters came round to take orders for desert.

The rest of the dinner went by well and at 9.30 Meredith and Derek were wandering through Meredith's house to find Mia sitting on the coach with her feet on the table watching a sitcom, "hey doc, hey d man."

"Hey" Meredith hanged up her coat, "how did you go?"

"Your a lucky mom doc Noah's as gentile as a lamb, as fun as a beach party and as cool as a cucumber, he was out by eight o clock."

Meredith reached through her wallet and drew out a fifty dollar bill, Mia's eyes flashed "ah doc my rates are three dollars an hour and I didn't work all week."

"Your being underpaid as it is" Meredith gently pushed the bill into Mia's hand, "this is to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For all your hard work and my son loves it when you babysit him."

"No its okay" Mia muttered.

"Mia" Derek said, "come on you deserve it in fact" Derek drew out a twenty dollar bill Mia grew pink and shrugged, "well thanks" she said as she took the bills.

"Is someone picking you up" Meredith asked.

"Ah well the bus is on its way" Mia said as she made her way to the door.

"Mia the bus won't get here for an hour."

"Oh right."

"Come on" Meredith smiled, "wait inside."

"Okay" Mia looked between Derek and Meredith, "but don't you guys want to have sex?"

Derek spluttered on his glass of water Meredith looked like she had been slapped in the face by a fish and Mia just shruggred her shoulders as she smiled, "what."

"Mia" Meredith started she didn't know what to say.

"Okay i'm going to take off" Mia opened the door and walked outside as Meredith came to her senses and swallowing her embarrassment she bolted to the front door, "Mia come on inside."

"Sure so you going already d man?"

Derek gave Meredith a quick peck on the lips before nodding, "yes Mia i'm going."

"Hey don't be embarrassed, i've already seen you and doc in the nude so talking about-"

"We" Derek struggled for words and he found he had nothing good to say, "goodnight." Derek wandered out and as Mia walked into the kitchen softly whistling Meredith closed the door and followed the girl, "Mia" Meredith said trying to hide the fact she was flabbergasted, "please don't talk about that ever again."

"Hey sex is a normal thing doc."

"Well we don't feel comfortable talking about it."

"Okay that's cool."

"You want some hot chocolate?"

"That be great."

Meredith quickly made two cups and passed one to Mia "here" Meredith watched the girl take a sip, "how is it?"

Mia gave a thumbs up, "its good shit doc."

Meredith frowned "Mia."

"What mr itchy but is in bed."

"Why do you talk like your from a gangster rap movie?"

"Gangster rap movie" Mia said slowly as she stared at Meredith, "have you been frozen the last hundred years did they just defrost you?"

"Yeah" Meredith collapsed on a kitchen stool, "I guess I am a little out of touch with modern teenage coolness."

"That's a good saying modern teenage coolness, I should use it."

"So how do you like school?"

"Yeah its cool" Mia answered as she continued to drink.

"Do you have a favourite subject at school?"

"Ah I like drama."

"So your an actress?"

"Kinda."

"Is that what you want to do when you grow up?"

"I am grown up doc."

"I mean when your older" Meredith said, "and I don't think grownups talk like you do."

Mia smirked, lots of grownups talk like me doc you just got to find them."

"Okay so do you want to be an actress?"

"Ah no."

"So what is it you want to do?"

"Ah" Mia shrugged, "I don't know stuff."

"What stuff" Meredith said as she used a hand motion to try and get Mia to talk, "nice stuff cool stuff."

"Ah well stuff like being a rockstar with a guitar."

"So a musician."

Mia glanced at the living room, "can I go watch tv."

"Sure" Meredith put away the mugs, "we can watch something together." Meredith sat down with Mia staring intently at the television as she repeatedly pressed the channel button on the remote, "so you like playing the guitar?"

"Yeah I guess."

"Do you play any other instruments."

"Ah no."

"Maybe you could show me your performing skills sometime."

"I'm not a travelling circus doc."

"Well still you could be quite entertaining."

"Yeah whatever."

"So music-" Mia turned her head, "doc not to be rude but I rather watch tv than answer questions about myself."

"Well" Meredith said feeling a little taken aback, "your flicking through channels instead of watching tv."

"That's what kids my age do doc."

"Okay" Meredith said as rumbles sounded overhead and the television switched off.

"Damm it" Mia said loudly.

"The powers out" Meredith said stating the obvious.

"Not on my phone its not." Meredith looked over Mia's shoulder, "that's an interesting design where did you get that from?"

"Its just a design" Mia muttered.

"You know I like flowers to."

"Yeah" Mia said as put down her phone looking annoyed, "cool."

"You know flowers-"

Mia grumbled, "what's the time?"

Meredith looked at her watch, "its been fifteen minutes."

"When does the bus get here?"

"Another fourty five minutes honey."

Mia cringed, "doc please don't call me honey or sweetheart or anything like that it makes me think of gooey cheese pizza."

"Okay I won't" Meredith turned her head, "so do you think you should call your family?"

"They know i'm working late so they'll be cool."

"You said you had two brothers."

Mia blew air between her lips as she drew her head back, "it was one brother."

"Well how many are in your family?"

"I don't know a lot."

"So how many is a lot."

"I don't know" Mia whispered.

"So-"

"Oh my god" Mia moaned.

"Mia" Meredith said feeling a bit frustrated herself, "i'm only trying to get to know you."

Mia turned her head to look at Meredith with bored eyes and a slack mouth, "why do you want to get to know me?"

"Well your looking after my son for one."

"I'm not a murderer i'm not a psychopath so you don't need to worry."

"So not a murderer, or a psychopath what are you then?"

"Bored and going mad."

"Well time will go by quicker if we have some conversation."

Mia made a face as Meredith smiled, "you know I think i'm just going to walk home go for a nice dance and a sing in the rain."

"Mia" Meredith gently grabbed Mia's arm to stop her from getting up, "okay i'll stop."

"Okay" Mia collapsed back down, "thank you." Mia looked at her phone before looking sideways she turned up her nose, "now your staring at me."

"Oh Mia" Meredith chuckled and sighed, "doesn't like being looked at, doesn't like conversation what does she like besides guitar swearing and being a babysitter."

"I don't like being a babysitter."

"Really so why are you always around Derek's house even when you don't have to babysit."

"Okay" Mia got up, "pouring rain here I come."

"Okay Mia" Meredith walked to the door with the girl, "it was lovely talking to you."

"Sarcasm isn't funny doc" Meredith looked at Mia dancing down the steps into the rain and couldn't help but snigger when she saw the look on Mia's face as she waved her hands around, "you want to come inside?"

Mia looked at Meredith and looked at the street, "fuck." Mia stormed back inside as Meredith shook her head, "your a funny girl Mia."

Mia sat in the kitchen with Meredith looking at the clock, "come on come on come on."

"So" Meredith made herself comfortable, "this is another topic for conversation Derek told me you moved here from New York what was it like living in New York."

Mia looked at Meredith with a twinkle in her eye, "you know what we can talk about?"

Meredith raised her brows as she realised where Mia was going, "Mia we're not going to talk about s...e...x."

"Why not" Mia grinned as she leaned in close, "you could give me some pointers."

"Mia" Meredith said trying to hide her shock, "your fifteen."

"Yeah so, it will be like informal training."

"Mia" Meredith sighed.

"Sike" Mia got up and started to dance, "I win I win oh yeah ah uh."

"Mia" Meredith put her head in one hand, "okay sweetheart go and play on your phone and I won't bug you."

"Oooh sweetheart" Mia said with a smirk, "what a burn." Mia wandered off to the living room and Meredith sorting through messages on her phone after a while looked up at the clock, "Mia the bus is coming."

"Okay" Mia jumped up and headed for the door again, "thanks doc."

"Have a safe trip."

"Dude i'm not going to war."

Meredith stood in the doorway, "goodnight Mia."

"Night doc" Mia wandered to the bus stop and Meredith closing the bedroom door leaned against it and groaned silently to herself, "I can't wait until Noah becomes a teenager, not."