"I thought I could do it, I was sure as hell I could do it," Meredith waved her arms in frustration as she continued her rant, "Why? Why did I think I could do it? Bailey looked at me like I was a lunatic. Richard warned me it was dangerous. And Owen's family had reservations- Teddy had reservations and she's her advocate."

This was not unfamiliar territory for Derek. Truthfully, watching his wife rant and pace back and forth on their porch was slightly amusing. And it was much better than letting her continue destroying the attending's lounge.

Megan Hunt had been rescued and brought home after missing for ten years. Amelia had called him and asked to take over all her surgeries so she could be there for Owen, but as soon as they returned to Grey Sloan, they realized that she needed an immediate abdominal closing surgery for the wound left by a bombing.

Every general surgeon had suggested a conservative approach, but Meredith was ambitious and presented an option that intrigued Megan- even if it was risky.

"What did Riggs say?" Derek asked as he picked up the bottle of beer from the table.

"He-he was pissed," Meredith continued walking from side to side of the porch, "He was angry. What else could he say?"

She glanced at the baby monitor on the table. Ellis was sound asleep. She could see the small body slowly rise and fall. Zola and Bailey were surely sound asleep as well. She knew where her children were. She knew they were safe inside. That their mother and father had dinner with them and that their dad read them a bedtime story. She had kissed them each goodnight and told them she loved them farther than the moon and back. She did all of that nightly. Megan, couldn't. And that's what infuriated her the most. That she couldn't keep a promise she made.

"She has a child. She wants to get back to him and I promised her I would try-"

"And you did try-"

"I didn't do enough!" Meredith stopped as she glared at Derek, "It'll heal, the wound will heal but it'll be ugly and painful. She won't be able to travel to get her kid back!"

"It'll heal, Mer," his calm voice annoyed her, "You'll use mesh-"

"No!" she retorted, "I was overconfident. I'm mad at myself for letting it get that far! Why the hell would I do that? I'm no hotshot. I'm no Ellis Grey."

Derek watched as she continued her pacing. He wasn't in the gallery to see the moment when she realized there wasn't enough tissue. He wasn't there when she stomped out of the OR and locked herself in the attending's lounge. But when Richard paged him and explained what happened, he knew Meredith was pissed.

The broken muggs on the floor, the broken coffee machine, and the tears of anger in her eyes were engraved in his mind. He'd been there. He had those moments where surgeries would go south and all he wanted was to hide in his trailer. He'd done that. Hidden away and pushed everyone away. Meredith had been the one to bring him back and remind him that he had a gift. But patience and distance wasn't something Meredith needed. She needed to be reminded she was extraordinary and- as Cristina had put it- she was the sun.

"You know, you're infuriating," he pointed at her as he set his beer back on the table.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he dared her, "You're infuriating."

She scoffed as she crossed her arms. How dare he turn this on her?

"You are frustrating. You are desperate to climb out of your mother's shadow and you're desperate to prove you're not just the intern who fell for the attending but you don't see it!"

"See what?"

"You've read your mother's journals, you know she failed time and time again until she was successful. Those Harper Avery's didn't just come down from the sky-"

"Derek, I am not comparing myself to Ellis! This has nothing to do with Ellis!"

"I'm not defending Ellis, but you've said it yourself, she was a gifted surgeon," Derek clarified, "When it came to the clinical trial- our clinical trial- that didn't just happen either. I had a brilliant resident who pushed and didn't let me stop, even when I failed over and over again-"

"I was the brilliant resident-", she muttered.

"Exactly," he licked his lips as he watched Meredith's defenses lower. He'd watched her lose sleep. He'd watched how frustrated this case made her.

"Meredith, this is the hard part," he leaned towards her, "Failure is the hard part. It's what makes surgeons great."

"What are saying?" she rolled her eyes, "Can you just get to the point for once?"

"You can either choose to let this surgery- a surgery that didn't go the way you wanted, the way you planned- stay a failure," he explained, "Or, you can try again."

"I can't try again, Hunt doesn't trust me, Altman and Riggs-"

"Okay, I hear you," he nodded, "But she does. Megan trusts you. And Megan is your patient."

Meredith crossed her arms as she listened.

"This is your tumor on the wall," he whispered.

Meredith put both hands on her hips and let out a deep breath. She had stayed up all night with him trying to find a plan to remove Isaac's tumor. She could remember the instant he turned the bed around and began to draw on the wall. She had smiled and thought about how much she loved the man while he rambled on and on. She also remembered how much she wanted to have that feeling. An impossible surgery, one that kept her up all night and where the pay off would be worth it.

"You are not Ellis Grey. You are not Meredith Shepherd. You are Meredith Grey. Be the hotshot. This is your shot. You can do this."

He was right. She couldn't let herself feel like she was in someone's shadow. She wasn't her mother. She was her own person, and a talented surgeon. She could do this. She made a promise to Megan she intended to keep.

"I hate you, you know that," she shook her head in amusement. She bit her lip in an attempt to hide the smile creeping onto her face.

He smirked and took a swig of his beer as he leaned back, "You love me."


An abdominal wall transplant. She was going to perform an abdominal wall transplant. A bold, innovative surgery that she was certain she could pull off. She had been staring at Derek's drawing for hours until the idea had hit her. And now she was ready to pull it off.

Derek walked into the gallery and sat on the empty chair beside Riggs, "How're you doing?"

"Nervous," he replied. Derek nodded. They weren't friends. They were courteous. Professional. But not friends. Especially after Derek watched him try to flirt with Meredith in the elevator.

"Sorry I flirted with your wife."

Derek sighed loudly. He may not have liked the guy but he empathized with him right now, "You have bigger things to worry about, right now."

Nathan nodded as he looked back into the OR. Meredith walked in and she was quickly gowned and gloved.

"Can she really do this?"

"Are you kidding me?" Derek furrowed his brows.

Riggs nodded. Who was he to doubt Meredith and to share those thoughts with her husband,

He turned to watch as Meredith briefly lock eyes with him. She smiled at him before she turned to make the first incision, "Ten Blade."

"She's Meredith Grey," Derek whispered, "She's gonna do great."


Meredith walked into the house and switched on the lights. Derek's head snapped towards her. He had been sitting on the couch staring at the ceiling waiting for her to come home.

"Hey," he whispered, "How's Megan?"

Meredith removed her coat and threw her bag on the chair in front of him. She kicked off her shoes and made her way towards him, "She's stable. Awake and stable."

She sat next to him and rested her head on his chest. His arms enveloped her as he pressed a kiss to her head.

"Kids?" She asked.

"Sound asleep," he murmured, "I have something for you."

She pulled herself off and looked at him, "Oh Derek, I'm too tired-."

He grinned as he pulled her off the couch, "C'mere."

He took her hand and walked her to the porch. On the table, two glasses and a champagne bottle rested on the table. The Seattle skyline illuminated the porch and her notes on Megan sat neatly on the table.

"What's this?"

"Your tumor on the wall- except it's your abdomen on the porch."

She chuckled. He had brought home champagne to bed before falling asleep when he had successfully removed Isaac's tumor.

"You sat here all night researching and planning out this surgery," he smiled, "and within a few days, Megan Hunt will be reunited with her son, because of you."

Meredith smiled proudly.

"This is your victory dance, hot shot," he popped the bottle and passed her a glass filled with champagne.

"Thank you," she took the glass in her hands and leaned in to kiss him deeply. The anger, the frustration, the constant set backs, were all worth it. Megan would be reunited with her son, live a life with her newly minted fiance, and live a long life with her brother and mother.

The glasses clinked and they took a sip before Derek asked, "When you win a Harper Avery will you mention me in your speech?"

Meredith laughed as she leaned in to kiss him once more. Whether or not she'd win was up to someone else. All she could do was enjoy this victory alongside the one who never failed to believe in her.


A/N: A lost one-shot. I'd like to think that Derek would be the one to annoy Meredith enough to try the surgery again and that he and Riggs would've been a little too similar that they would annoy each other and Derek would side with Owen out of loyalty to him. Whatya think?