Meredith's eyes shot open as her two four and a half year old twins raggedly climbed over her previously sleeping body, "Good morning you two," she grinned when the shock wore off and they snuggled into bed next to her, "Did you have fun last night?"
Sam nodded enthusiastically while Peaches rolled her eyes and stated, "Daddy snores!"
"I know sweetie, but how was everything else? What did you do?" she asked wanting to know all about the last ten hours she had had without her children.
This time it was Sam who piped up, he was quieter, a lot like Meredith was at his age, however Alex, who was more commonly known by her nick-name Peaches, was definitely her father's daughter, "We went fishing!" He said with glee, "and then we had a barbeque and went for a walk in the dark!"
"Wow!" said Meredith, it never failed to amaze her how each of them was developing at such a fast rate, and she felt she could hardly keep up with them at times. "Shhh…What was that?" she questioned, acting excited for the sake of her children who had fallen silent, there eyes scouring the room trying desperately to hear what their mother had.
Suddenly a sharp whistle ramified through the house, "George!" They squealed in unison, clambering off the bed and running for the stairs. Meredith had heard George, Izzie, Kathy and Alex arrive before the kids had attacked her and was just waiting to hear George's inevitable turkey call to his god-children.
Meredith flopped back into bed and closed her eyes, the amount of excitement for the morning seemingly wearing her out. She didn't hear the whisper quiet footsteps up the stairs, nor did she notice the quiet squeak of the floorboard outside her room as someone crept closer to their destination; therefore when a hand covered her eyes and salty lips touched hers she let out a smothered scream.
"Not funny!" she pouted as she pulled Dereks hand away.
"Morning," he grinned before kissing her again, this time his tongue slipped between her lips and lost itself in the depths of her mouth.
"This is bad luck…" she whispered to him as his body lay on hers, "We're not supposed to see each other today."
"I don't think that counts when we have been dating for seven years, living together for six and have twins together," he said, replying with her signature raised eyebrow.
"Well in that case…" she grinned pulling him closer to her, "maybe we should just close our eyes," she continued, then pulled him into a deep kiss.
"Besides I have a purpose," he added.
"What, other than this?" Meredith asked while motioning the space between them.
"Yup," he replied with his trademark grin, "This," he continued, while slipping to her side and laying a long jewelry box on her stomach.
Her eyes lit up as she ran her fingers along the velvet case, "I love it!" She declared, turning to kiss him.
"You haven't even seen it yet." He laughed, tweaking her nose.
"I just know I do," she replied, kissing him again lightly as he opened the case. She gasped as she saw the diamond studded tennis bracelet, which lay on the blue silk of the case.
"Still love it?" He asked when she had not said anything for a few seconds.
Tearing her eyes away from the sparkling piece of jewelry she nodded, unable to make any words form. Seeing her excited expression Derek removed the bracelet from its case and fastened it around her wrist. "It is perfect…" she uttered seconds later, her eyes unable to decide whether to look at it or him, "Just like you," she added, pulling him back on top of her and languishing his mouth with kisses.
-----------
Mrs. Sheppard greeted each of the foursome with a kiss and laughed as her two grandchildren tackled them to the floor with hugs and excited squealing. "Where did you two come from?" she asked when they had all recovered.
"Mummy's room," Sam replied.
"Daddy brought us back this morning," Peaches added before following her brother to the play room to watch TV.
The adults talked for a moment before Izzie looked up, who did Peaches say brought them over this morning?"
"Derek did," Mrs. Sheppard replied, her face freezing… "Derek!" she yelled towards the stairs, knowing exactly where her son would be.
-------------
He had rolled to her side and was busy drawing slow circles on her flat stomach, while she lay back with a hand embedded in his curls, "Two hundred and twenty-two days to go," he smiled looking up at her- "Until four becomes five."
"Don't you mean until five becomes six?" she smiled, "I don't think they would ever forgive you if you said Doc wasn't apart of the family…"
"Derek!" came the call from downstairs.
"Ooh you are in sooo much trouble," Meredith laughed as Derek scrambled out of bed and headed to the door, turning to blow her a kiss before disappearing around the corner.
------------
Later that day, after Derek and George, along with Burke, Alex, Toby and Tom- two of Derek's friends from New York, had been banished to the trailer Meredith, Izzie, Christina, Ellis, Rachel, Mrs. Sheppard and Dereks sisters sat in the lounge room; each with a glass of champagne, their make-up done, hair in curlers and feet in a foot spa. "I seriously cannot believe today is finally here," Meredith sighed examining the engagement ring she had been wearing for the past four and a half years.
"Tell me about it!" retorted Izzie, "I still can't believe it has taken so long for you two to actually get around to getting hitched."
"Hey, we've been busy!" Meredith replied with a guilty smile.
"Yes, first with your careers, then the twins, then the house, then the holiday to Europe…" Mrs. Sheppard teased.
"Hey, the trip to Europe was to visit me!" Interjected Derek's youngest sister Nikki, "How could they resist?"
As the group continued talking Meredith sat back and looked at her mother, the older surgeon was thankfully having a good day today, therefore knew who Meredith was but only remembered her being five years old. Meredith was still happy that she was there; even though her father and his second wife would be attending, Meredith had asked George to give her away, knowing in her heart that he, Christina and Izzie would always have a stronger place in her heart. She watched as her mother stepped her feet out of the foot spa and moved to play with Peaches who was examining a dolls house in the corner of the room, the two played so easily together that Meredith sometimes envied her children's obvious joy when able to play with the woman they called Nana Grey. Although Mrs. Sheppard had a wonderful relationship with the children through the frequent visits, Meredith was happy that her children- and herself for that matter, would remember her Ellis as someone more than a surgeon.
--------
Meanwhile at the trailer the boys were sprawled over the trailers decking enjoying a bear and a barbeque, none of them having the slightest intention of getting ready anytime soon. Derek glanced at the house where he knew his future wife was sitting and thought about their future together, "What are you smiling at?" Alex asked when he caught Derek looking of in the distance.
"Just the future…" Derek sighed, as his two mates from New York erupted with laughter.
"Well what has this Grey woman done to you Shep?" asked Toby, using Derek's old collage nick-name. Derek grinned in reply as he took another gulp of beer.
"He's in love," answered Alex, the recently reformed gentleman after Izzie agreed to give them another go as of six months ago.
"Not quite the hooligan you were in college," Tom remarked, remembering some of his and Derek's wilder days. In truth Tom and Toby were both married with children, each had been on Derek's back for years to hurry up and marry the girl, after listening to Derek sprout on-and-on about her for so long.
"It is all worth it," stated George in a truly wise sense, thinking of his wife Kathy, who was getting ready for the wedding with some of the other doctors.
"True true…" reiterated Burke, who had been married to Christina now for four years, "I still can't believe I got Christina down the aisle before you got Meredith," he added, remembering his own elopement with Christina.
After watching the catering vans arriving to the large tent that had been hired for the wedding, George started to get all the guys through the shower and getting dressed. The four groomsmen soon emerged in their matching outfits, each in a black suit, black-open-collared shirt and black shoes, with an indigo lily in their buttonhole; Derek was dressed in a matching suit, however wore a white shirt and lily.
---------
The girls were in more of a panic, each racing around the house frantically trying to add the final touches to their hair and makeup. Each of the bridesmaids wore a shoe-string strap indigo dress that fell just above the knee, their hair down in light curls with an indigo flower pinned in the side.
After checking that Sam and Peaches were ready, and still clean, Meredith snuck up to her room, enjoying the quiet as she stood in front of the mirror. She took in the full scope of her outfit, feeling butterflies in her stomach similar to the ones she had felt as she edged closer to Derek on the night they stood locked in her bathroom and declared their love for each other.
Standing in the doorway Mrs. Sheppard watched Meredith as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, "He's lucky to have found you," she said, breaking the silence.
Meredith turned to the older woman and leant in to hug her, thankful that Derek's mother knew that this is what she needed- the motherly comfort her own mother was unable to provide. "And I him," she replied.
"So we have something old, something blue…" Mrs. Sheppard said, indicating Ellis's gold diamond necklace and the indigo ribbon around Meredith's white bouquet, "I guess the dress is new then."
"Nope," Meredith replied with a guilty grin, lifting her wrist and showing Mrs. Sheppard her new bracelet. "He spoils me," she admitted, as the older woman took in the bracelets beauty.
"You're worth it," her soon to be mother-in law replied.
------------
Derek stood nervously at the end of the make-shift aisle, they had decided on an outdoor wedding on their property with the reception in a large decorated tent; he watched as his son and daughter walked towards him hand-in-hand, Sam in a smaller version of the groomsmen's suit and Peaches in a white flower-girls dress with tiny indigo flowers under the bodice. Next came the bridal party, each couple linking arms and walking down between the chairs, eagerly awaiting Meredith's arrival. He gasped when he saw her, his eyes taking in her beauty in the white floor length halter, her curly hair pinned back with a white flower which matched those in her bouquet. His breath caught in his thought as she and George took their first step towards him, Toby's hand landing on his shoulder to calm his nerves.
As she stood next to him, he gave George a nod and took her hand from him, turning to her he whispered a quick Hi as she radiated beauty.
Half way through the ceriman speech she squeezed his hand after catching him looking at her when she stole a glance at him, "I love you," she whispered smiling when he mouthed the reply. The rest of the ceremony raced past, Meredith and Derek opting to take the traditional I do's before walking back down the aisle hand-in-hand, as a married couple.
-----------
After the photos had been taken and the wedding party relocated to the reception tent, Meredith and Derek entered as husband and wife to a loud round of applause and cheers from their guests. He led her through the crowd as they accepted congratulations from everyone; finally they arrived at the head table where the bridal party and their mothers were already seated. Alex, the MC for the evening, welcomed everyone as the entrée was being served. Meredith sat with Peaches on her lap and took in the scene, she was breathless at the sight of the tent, Izzie had been in charge of decorating it and she had done a wonderful job. Deep blue material and tiny fairy lights were draped from the ceiling and hung down each of the walls, the tables had been set with white flowers and matching deep blue candles, everything about the setting gave the wedding a magical feel.
Under the table Derek was holding Meredith's hand, he hadn't let her go since their bridal waltz giving into his desire to be connected to her as much as possible. "We actually did it," he grinned when they finally got a chance to talk to each other.
"Want to tell them our secret?" She asked tapping her belly lightly.
His eyes lit up as he nodded in reply, "Excuse me everybody…" He called, tapping his knife to his glass to get their attention, "Sorry to bore you all with another Speech, but Meredith and I have an announcement to make," he continued, tugging Meredith to stand beside him as the rest of the crowd sat to listen. "We are proud to tell you all that Meredith is pregnant and we are expecting Sam and Peaches little brother or sister in a little over eight months," the crowd stood silent for a moment and then erupted in cheers for the happy couple as Derek slipped his arm around Merediths waist and gave her a little squeeze.
She leaned in to kiss him in reply, neither noticed the flash of cameras as she rested a hand on his cheek and their tongues lightly danced. Izzie eventually interrupted, with a gentle cough, reminding them that the cake needed to be cut.
------------
After the guests had left and they had said their goodbyes to Sam and Peaches, Meredith and Derek hopped in the taxi and headed to the airport.
"They will be fine…" Derek reassured her as she looked back at their house.
"I know, I'll just miss them," she sighed as she cuddled into his chest. It had been decided that while Meredith and Derek were on their honeymoon, Peaches and Sam would go and stay in the Hampton's with his mother, then on their way back they would pick up their children and then they would all fly home together.
"I missed you today," he said.
"We were together all afternoon and night," she laughed, "Just like at work."
"Yeah but at work I get to see you and talk to you, even if it is in a consult at least you are there." He replied, then nuzzling her neck he added "and there are always our little dates…but firstly today I wasn't aloud to see you then I hardly got a chance to talk to you."
Holding onto his chin and whispering close to his mouth she replied, "Can I make up for it tonight?"
"And for the rest of the week…" he added before locking her in a deep kiss.
-----------
Ok so I no I left it without any 'heat' but I'm going to add that in the final final chapter as I wanted to leave it under a G rating for now…I will update the final final chapter in a few days under an M rating- so be sure to look for it there.
Anyway please leave me a comment