Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Nothing can ever be as good as we make it out to be, there is always something...

Meredith looked between Derek and the other woman.

Come on. Seriously. Seriously!

Derek moved Meredith out of the elevator before walking up the other woman and wrapping her up in a big hug.

"D what are you doing here?"

"Well I stopped by your house... very woodsy Derek I must say, but you weren't there and I wasn't about to just sit in the woods all night waiting for you so I came here, Mom called me last week crying and told me about you and Addison. She asked me to come see and check on you since I'm the closest to you," the young woman rolled her eyes.

Mom?

Meredith's eyes lit up with realization how could she not see it. The woman in front of her was the female version of Derek. Bright blue eyes, dark brown locks that went down to her waist and his smile.

Derek turned to her and took her hand.

"Meredith, this is my youngest sister, Delaney,"

Delaney smiled at her,

"Hi. Sorry about that remark it just took me by surprise,"

Meredith smiled at the other woman taking her hand.

"Well we were just about to go to dinner," Derek started

"Oh! Der I'm sorry to bother you but mom just kept calling and calling and calling and bugging and bugging and bugging!"

Derek smiled at her; it was good to see her. He hadn't seen her in close to three years.

"Delaney lives in San Francisco." Derek told Meredith.

Meredith still a little stunned just nodded and smiled.

"Look D why don't you join us for dinner and we can catch up?" Derek asked.

"Is that ok with you?" Delaney asked Meredith apprehensive of the other woman.

"Totally! Yes!" Meredith exclaimed.

Derek and Delaney flashed the same smile and the three walked towards the parking lot.


"So she just shows up because his mom is having a breakdown over the divorce..." Meredith continued telling her story to Christina, George and Izzie as she changed into her pajamas.

"She's his youngest sister and the only one not married. She has a B.A. from Cornell, and an M.D from Columbia," Meredith paused as she pulled her Dartmouth shirt over her head.

"She is interning in San Francisco. I mean she is one of us!"

"Yeah so, what's the big deal?" Christina asked bluntly.

"There really isn't. I'm just surprised that's all, I mean Derek has never really gone into great detail about his family," Meredith stopped and looked at her friends.

"It's just weird; I guess even though I tried to avoid it he and I are in a relationship. I mean I'm getting to know his sister!" Meredith exclaimed jumping onto her bed and lying down next to George.

"You're lost. Welcome back to the horrible world of relationships and men," Christina said.

"Hey!" George cried out, but was just ignored.

Izzie giggled and reached over to turn out the light.

"We have rounds in like 4 ½ hours," she said as she laid down her feet on George's stomach.

"Don't remind me," Christina sighed

"Shouldn't you be with Burke?" George asked.

Christina didn't say anything.

"Yeah," was the reply as she didn't move.

It was quiet for a moment,

"Delaney will be there tomorrow, you can meet her," Meredith said

"Woo hoo," was the unenthusiastic reply from her three other friends


"Hey," Alex greeted the four other interns as he caught up with them as they entered the hospital.

"Hey," was Izzie's bright reply while the others just grumbled.

"Who gets up at this ungodly hour?" George asked stepping into the elevator.

"Surgeons do O'Malley," Alex snapped back.

George glared and moved to the other side of the elevator.

In the locker room everyone was quiet; today already had the signs of a long one.

The silence was interrupted however when Bailey walked in,

"Good morning,"

And so the day begins...


Sitting down to eat at lunch all Meredith wanted to do was put her head on the table and sleep.

"So what's this ones name?" Christina asked sitting next to her and nodding her head towards Alex, Izzie, and George who were already seated.

"What?" Meredith asked her confused

"Every one associated with McDreamy needs a "Mc" name," Christina said biting into her apple.

Meredith just shook her head.

"How about McSis," Izzie offered. Both Meredith and Christina turned to and looked at her hoping she was joking.

Seeing their looks Izzie just shrugged and took a cracker of Alex's plate and put it in her mouth.

"Hey!" Alex smiled at her.

"Oh God," Christina rolled her eyes,

"Come on let's think... Mc... Mc...Mc," Christina thought aloud.

Meredith turned and looked to her left just in time to see Derek and Delaney walk through the doors.

"Oh Shit, there they are," Meredith exclaimed in a hushed whisper to the rest of her friends.

"McBeautiful," George gasped seeing Derek Shepard's youngest sister. Four pairs of eyes turned to him,

"Are you serious? NO GEORGE!" Meredith whispered and turned abruptly when Christina kicked her leg.

"Hello!" Was Derek's cheery greeting as he came up to the table. Motioning towards an empty chair telling Delaney to take it.

Meredith spoke up,

"Ah...um, Delaney these are my friends: Alex, Izzie, Christina, and this is George," Meredith said turning and giving him a look telling him not to do a thing.

George reached across the table,

"Nice to meet you,"

Delaney smiled and took his hand,

"Same to you."

Derek smiled at Meredith and took her hand giving it a squeeze under the table.

"So Delaney, we heard you are interning in San Francisco," Izzie started

Delaney looked over to Meredith and smiled,

"Yeah, I love it there." She replied taking a bite of her sandwich.

George smiled at her,

"How did you get days off to come out here... it seems impossible,"

Christina groaned and rolled her eyes as George kicked her under the table.

Delaney's smile faltered for a second as she watched the interaction between the two,

"I just save my days up, I've been meaning to come up and see Derek and this gave me a perfect opportunity," George smiled and nodded.

Meredith looked over at Christina who looked at Izzie who looked at Alex. Christina bit her lip, unable to control it anymore she burst out laughing quickly turning it into a cough.

Reaching for her cell phone she turned to the table,

"I should go call Burke, nice meeting you," she said to Delaney as she got off and hurriedly walked away.

Derek looked at Meredith who just shook her head.

George waited a few more minutes,

"So..."


Meredith rubbed the back of her neck as she headed towards the locker room; her shift had been twenty-four hours long... the longest she had had since prom.

Not noticing Derek behind her she jumped when he came up next to her,

"So what do you think?"

Meredith looked at him confused and tired,

"Huh?"

"Delaney. Do you like her?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, I haven't really spent that much time with her though," Meredith said

"I was wondering if maybe you would want to get together for dinner, all of us, you know get together," Derek was nervous... he Meredith were just starting out again but this time there would be no Addison, this time it would go all the way.

Meredith looked at him,

"You mean, Izzie, George, Christina, and Alex, all of us?" Meredith was surprised and taken aback she was not prepared for this.

"Well, Burke and Delaney too," Derek smiled at her.

Meredith looked at him smiling,

"Sure!"

Something always comes up and surprises you gets you when you are least expecting it. Adulthood is one big something waiting to come up and bite you in the ass.


"YOU WHAT!" Christina yelled as Meredith took another shot of Tequila.

"Yup," Meredith said

"I did it and you can't back out. You WILL be there like everyone else," Meredith looked at her empty shot glass this was her third and she thought she would stop to avoid a bad start to her day in the morning.

Christina just looked at her,

"Unbelievable. It's freaking Thanks-freaking-giving all over again."

Meredith turned to her friend and smiled. Patting her on the back she threw down a twenty and walked out of the bar.

"Hey there," Derek greeted her as she walked out.

Meredith smiled at him,

"Hey. Where's Delaney?" She asked

"Oh, she is at my house. Told me to take the night for myself. She needs to be back in San Francisco on Saturday. I saw Christina's bike here and figured you would be too," Derek put his hands in his pocket and smiled down at the woman in front of him.

"That's only two days away," Meredith commented ignoring the last part of what he had said.

"I know... and on Friday I checked everyone's schedules we all get off between three and six so I figured dinner at seven,"

Meredith nodded not really wanting to think about that whole situation at the moment.

"So you have the night off from brotherly duty?" She asked walking up to him and playing with the buttons on his shirt the tequila making her a little more forward than usual... well a little more forward since they had started up again at least. Meredith thought

Derek laughed at her and took her hand as he led her to his car.


A/N: Sorry for waiting so long to finish this I really didn't anticipate it but like Meredith says things come up when you least expect it. So I am truly sorry. Delaney seems like a random character I know but I needed something to bring Derek out and humanize him, he has a family and he has a past which is what Delaney serves as, plus it affects Meredith and causes her to examine exactly where the relationship is going and how she feels. So now that I'm done analyzing my own work like a nerd :-)... I won't be able to update until later next week (I'm out of town again) unless I finish 12 by tomorrow which may or may not happen. Thanks again for your patience and your wonderful reviews I really love to hear from you guys. Wow! This is a long note! You guys are GREAT!

-Loti