A/N: Hey guys, I love your reviews they're awesome! I'm going back to school this week and have my yearlies in a few weeks so I might be a bit absent; I will try to post as often as possible. If I haven't posted in a month someone can send me a reminder lol…xox Kim aka Mystical Faeries
Chapter 5 "I Got Gestures and Sounds"
Meredith was eating. She sat at the plastic tables which smelt of hospital, and ate the grilled cheese sandwich which smelt, and tasted of hospitals, when Derek came over and sat opposite her; he also smelt of hospital.
"Hey," he said. "Are you going to tell Cassy?"
"Yes, eventually," sighed Meredith. "I don't know how she'll react. I don't know if you've noticed, but she's a bit of a smart ass." Meredith laughed as she thought of her daughter, grinning with her gappy teeth.
"Because, you know, I want to have a part in Cassy's life. A big part. I've always wanted to be a dad." Meredith nodded; she understood.
"Well maybe you can just start coming over. Hanging out," that sort of stuff. "She'll ask eventually." Meredith smiled weakly.
"Why do we have to wait until she figures it out? Mer, I really want to tell her."
Meredith looked at Derek, the man everyone called McDreamy. He was older, of course, and his hair was showing wisps of grey. Nothing dramatic – he was still to Meredith what he was 8 years ago and she to him.
"Okay," she said leaning over toward him. "Why don't you pick her up this afternoon and take her…I don't know – fly fishing or something. Whatever it is you do." Meredith laughed. "We can tell her tonight."
"Really?" Derek's eyes lit up. "Okay…I'll pick her up. What gate do I meet her at? Mason Road? Austen Street?" He looked so excited that Meredith resisted putting her hand on his.
"Austen Street," she smiled, and unclipped her house key from her key ring. "Here you go. I guess you're staying for dinner then?" He nodded, accepted the key, and with a small backwards glance, left the tearoom, where Meredith was smiling, uncontrollably.
- - -
Cassy and her classmates jumped onto the wall as they did every afternoon.
The first car to pull up was Derek's battered Camaro.
"Anyone?" called Meg, Cassy's best friend, whose job was car patrol today. "Blue Camaro, licence plate N50F…"
"Seriously?" asked Cassy. "No way, that's Derek!"
"Who?" asked Meg, looked confused. "Whose Derek? I've never heard of no Derek."
Cassy leaned over to whisper in Meg's ear. "Don't say anything," she grinned. "I know you'll call me an idiot, or a smartie bum or whatever. But I think he might be my dad."
"Cassy!" Cassy jumped off the wall and ran towards Derek who was waiting by his car.
"Hey, Derek," she said with a grin. "You're picking me up today?"
"Looks like it," he smiled. "Hey did you know Seattle is surrounded by water on three sides?" Cassy raised her eyebrows the way her mother did.
"Of course I knew that. I grew up in Seattle didn't I? Duh. Why are you telling me anyway?"
"Well…I love ferry boats. And fly-fishing. Want to join me?" he smiled and Cassy climbed into the front seat of the car.
"Sure," she shrugged. "Mom's not the outdoorsy type really, and so I've never been fishing. But I've been on ferry boats. Whoa have I been on ferry boats." She rolled her eyes. "Mom loves them."
"She does, does she?" grinned Derek. "Well I've always said she had impeccable taste in…things. Okay, so fly-fishing." He drove out to the lake where he used to fly fish after hard days at Seattle Grace. Not so often when he was with Meredith, more when he was with Addison. He taught Cassy.
- - -
"You're doing a great job," said Derek, when Cassy caught herself a small one. "It's too small though," he said, "But letting them go is half the fun."
"So did you know I'm going in the Washington State Spelling Bee?" said Cassy. "My school selected me as it's representative."
"That's fantastic. You mean, out of the whole school, or just the third grade?"
"The whole school," said Cassy, trying to hide the pride in her voice. Derek hugged her. "That is amazing," he said. "I'm proud of you. How hard are the words?"
"It's open to anyone up to fourteen years, but my main competitors are about thirteen. So it's the reading age of 14 that they test it on. I don't really care though. I have a reading age of 16. I'm sorry. I don't want to sound arrogant," said Cassy. "So do you have any kids?"
Derek paused for a moment, trying to work out how to get around the question. "Whoa! Look at that one, Cassy."
"Look Derek! I caught it! It's huge! Oh my god it's massive, Derek I caught that!" Cassy was jumping along the deck excitedly, and Derek grinned, because the adult maturity, which she so fluidly possessed so often, was replaced with eight-year-old excitement. She threw her arms around Derek's waist excitedly, and he looked at the fish that gradually stopped fighting for its life. He hugged her back. "Is it big enough to keep? Please let it be!"
It wasn't.
"Sure," said Derek, smiling. "Come on, put it in the bucket and we'll go home. I think I'm having dinner with you tonight."
- - -
Cassy clattered into the house loudly, the bucket rattling. Meredith, who was on the phone to Izzie, who was instructing how to make a basic spaghetti sauce, swung around in surprise.
"Cass? Is that you?" Cassy was pink cheeked and excited.
"Uh-huh, mom Derek took me fly fishing and I caught one, mom and it was even big enough to keep! Want to see?" Without waiting for an answer Cassy pulled the lifeless baby trout out the bucket.
"That's fantastic honey," said Meredith. "Where's Derek?"
"He's coming. I'm going to help him get the stuff, ok?" She ran off, with the spirit and excitement of an eight year old.
"Did Cassy say 'Derek'? asked Izzie from the other line. "As is…Derek McDreamy Shepherd?"
"Yes," said Meredith. "Long story. Actually. It's not. It's happened really quickly. One day he was at work and picking up my kid because no one else could…the next second he's excited because he knows he's the father."
"Wait a second," said Izzie. "Back track. The father? You said you had no idea who the father was."
"Well…I lied. Seriously, what was I supposed to do? Oh Derek, leave Addison and come with me and our baby and we can walk on clouds and eat sugar flowers?"
"What? No, I'm just…surprised, that's all. Anyway, just add a pinch of brown sugar, and you have a damn fine pasta sauce. I have to go, George is home," said Izzie. "See you, Mer. And good luck."
Derek and Cassy entered the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" asked Cassy. "I'm starving!"
"Smells good," agreed Derek.
"Spaghetti a la Izzie," laughed Meredith. "I'm not very culinary. I make a mean grilled cheese, though." She dealt out spaghetti and sauce for everyone, and they sat down at the table.
"So how was your day, bee?" asked Meredith one of her many pet names for Cassy.
"Good," said Cassy and Meredith rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the detail."
"Well I told you – I caught a real trout! It was awesome." Derek laughed. "It was pretty awesome, hey. Did you like the spot we fished at?"
Cassy nodded happily. "Derek, can we do it again some time? I'll even let you take us there by ferry boat." Derek laughed. "Sure."
"Mom, maybe you could come too? You'd like it. Well…you might not. But it's a lot like surgery. It's about precision, and accuracy and patience. Patience, not patients," said Cassy. "Get it?"
"Sure, bee. I'd love to come. I think you and me and Derek are going to be hanging out a lot more from now on," said Meredith, nodding towards Derek as a sign to let him continue.
"Cool," grinned Cassy.
"Yeah, Cassy, because, actually…" started Derek. "I didn't know but…well…I'm your dad."
Cassy looked shocked for only a split second, and her face relaxed. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" she sang in glee. "I know everything!"
"How did you know?" asked Meredith, looking surprised.
"I just did. Wow," said Cassy. "Thankyou, for telling me," she smiled. "Even if I don't need a dad I'm glad I can have one. Can I go watch TV?"
Meredith nodded.
"Oh by the way," said Cassy. "I'm glad it's you, Derek."
Cassy shut the door separating the kitchen from the living room.
"I am too," said Meredith, "Glad it's you."