A/N: A very random one-shot inspired by your reactions on the socials regarding season 18. I may not watch, but I lurk in case we get Derek crumbs...
Meredith packed her bag in her room. She could hear Zola and Bailey groaning at one of Derek's corny dad jokes. Ellis' giggle ran all the way into the bedroom. At least she still laughed at his jokes. Even if she was the one to bring his overly optimistic mind back to planet earth. She was truly her mother's daughter.
Meredith grabbed her coat and made her way to the kitchen, smiling as she spotted the trio of Little Shepherds. She pecked Derek's cheek as he handed her the thermos with her favorite tea, "Ready to go?"
Zola nodded as she and Bailey jumped off their high chairs. Ellis stayed on hers and rested her chin on her arms.
"What's wrong Ellie-Belle?" Derek tilted his head as he smiled gently at his youngest. Sometimes she reminded him to much of her mother.
"Are you and momma gonna be gone for long?"
Meredith turned from the fridge to glance at Derek. He could practically see the guilt and heartbreak in her eyes and the remorse of having to travel back and forth from Seattle to Minnesota and for convincing him to do the trial with her, even if he split his time with Amelia.
Derek reached to smooth Ellis' blonde tresses, "Just for a day this time, we should be back tomorrow."
Meredith walked over to her and pecked the top of her head, "Your daddy and I are gonna try to make it back right on time for dinner and a movie."
Ellis remained unconvinced. The little pout on her face gave away her disappointment.
"We can even make it an ice cream night," he whispered as he leaned in closer to the mother-daughter duo.
Ellis gave him a sly smile, "Okay."
"That's my girl, go get your backpack, momma and I are gonna drop you off before we go and Auntie Amy or Auntie Maggie can pick you up."
Meredith helped her off and watched her daughter run off to her bedroom before glaring at Derek.
"Take the job Meredith, he said. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he said. We'll make it work, he said!" Meredith mocked him as she glared at him.
Derek winced as he turned from the opposite side of the breakfast bar and stood in front of her, "She's having the dark and twisties."
Meredith nudged his arm earning an audible, "Ouch!"
"It's not funny, Derek! My kids are too young to be having the dark and twisties!"
Ellis was so much like her. But she was also sweet, witty, laughed easily, and pensive.
"I'm sorry, I was kidding," Derek raised both his hands in defeat before rubbing both of her arms, "Ellis is being Ellis, and Zo and Bailey are okay. The kids are okay."
Meredith shook her head, "No they're not! This job is taking time away from our kids. We're off in Minnesota doing groundbreaking research-"
"Which they will be very proud of! Especially Zozo-"
"-and having sex marathons in hotel rooms like when we were sneaking around the hospital!" she whispered angrily.
Derek smirked as he leaned on the counter, "Now, you like the hotel sex marathons."
He wasn't totally lying. Being out in Minnesota without their children had an advantage that somehow revived the passion in their marriage- not that it was ever gone. It had just calmed down with overly curious children and busy surgical schedules. They had gotten creative over the years. From the bathroom to their closet. To the car parked outside.
One time they both had a little too much to drink that they risked everything and gave in to temptation in the kitchen miraculously not getting caught. Meredith had a hard time concentrating on breakfast the following morning and Derek woke up with bite marks and scratch marks from her attempts to stay quiet.
Meredith held back a giggle before shaking her head, "Derek, that's not the point!"
"Okay, so here's what we're going to do," he held her face in both his hands, "The kids have a three-day weekend coming up so we're gonna take the next week off, just you and me and the kids. No Minnesota, no research, no surgeries. Kai and Amelia can handle everything over in Minnesota, they can hold down the fort with Hamilton, and I'm sure Bailey will be pissed but we own the place so who cares."
Meredith rolled her eyes, "That doesn't fix this."
"No, it doesn't," he shrugged, "But it gives us a break with the kids."
Meredith sighed. Dammit, McDreamy, she thought.
"C'mon. You. Me. The Little Grey-Shepherds," he pecked her lips several times before continuing, "Hikes on the trail, morning waffles, and married sneaky sex in closets so the kids don't find us."
Meredith laughed as his lips crashed into hers.
"Okay," she whispered as she leaned up to kiss him again, "One full week. No work, just us and the kids."
He smiled, "Just us and our kids."
—-
"Zo, watch out for Ellis please! Don't let her climb up a tree!" Derek called out as their daughters ran ahead of them.
As promised, the family of five had the week to themselves. No work, no pages, no groundbreaking research. Just the pair and their children, who were more than excited to spend time with their parents. They loved having a longer breakfast routine where they weren't rushed by surgery or a flight. They loved having both of their parents pick them up from school and go to their games or recitals. They loved having dinner together and playing cards at the end of the day. It was time that they so rarely seemed to have, but time Derek so magically made appear.
Miranda was pissed. She was losing surgeons left and right and her top surgeons taking a week off was another low blow.
Hamilton was furious. Time was precious he said as he glared at both of them. That's when Derek threatened to quit and Hamilton was sure Meredith would follow him and in turn Amelia.
Amelia was ecstatic. The research - and Kai Bartley - were something she looked forward to. She only asked that they help Link with Scout if needed.
Meredith watched as the kids walked ahead of them. They were her life. Those three little treasures that she had been so scared of had turned her world, all because of the man next to her.
"Mom? Dad? When are we getting a dog?"
Derek chuckled as he glanced at Meredith searching for an answer, "Mom?"
"Soon I hope, Bails, I know we promised you and your sisters," Meredith grinned at their son hoping he'd understand.
Bailey smiled at her, his blue eyes gleaming like his father's, "I know you're busy mom. It's okay."
He was being earnest. He had inherited that from his dad and had learned to deal with the craziness that was their lives. He was such a kind, protective, caring, and energetic boy.
He ran off to catch up to his sisters who had stopped by a small pond.
Meredith released a long sigh as Derek reached for her hand, "What?"
"Nothing," she replied as she looked down to watch their fingers entwined together.
"Don't 'nothing' me," he scoffed, "I know you, Meredith Grey. What's wrong?"
"Are we ruining our kids?" she questioned.
Derek looked out at the scene in front of him. He stopped and pulled her back against his chest, "Look at them."
"I am looking at them, that's why-"
"No, look at them," he insisted as he kissed the side of her head, "They're such good kids, Meredith. They're such happy kids."
Meredith watched her three children laugh together. Ellis sat on a nearby log as she talked to Zola. Zola pointed to something on the tree seemingly explaining something to her and Bailey stood nearby as he listened.
They hadn't once complained. Not once. Zola, who took a fascination with neuroscience had been excited and asked questions whenever she could. Bailey began to show interest in how viruses worked. And Ellis didn't care as long as her dad brought her some sort of trinket- which he did- every time they were away.
"They are good kids, but they're going to resent me," she whispered, "They're going to be pissed when they're older and say I'm just like Ellis."
"She's a cute kid, it wouldn't be the worst-"
"Derek!" she pulled away from his grasp as she walked further ahead. That was not the Ellis she was referring to and he knew it.
The kids walked ahead again and she watched as they skipped ahead. Derek watched her as she moved to lean on a tree ahead of her. He walked towards her and wrapped his arm again across her chest again.
"You know years ago, you and I were hiking up these trails without kids-"
Meredith let out a breathy laugh, "When we were friends?"
He pecked her cheek, "Yeah and we had Doc and we'd just talk about nothing."
Meredith thought back to her young intern days when Derek and Addison were still together. When she didn't know if she'd ever get him back. When she made the stupid mistake of sleeping George and Derek had hurt her again with his words.
Back then, none of this seemed possible. Even when she had finally taken a leap of faith and Derek had moved in with her, the fear of starting a family was very real.
"Back then everything was so complicated," Meredith reminisced.
"Mmhmm, I doubt that Meredith would picture this," he whispered, "Married. Three kids-"
"With McDreamy nonetheless," she teased.
Derek laughed, "A hospital with her name on it, a lab with her name on it, and a thriving career with a Catherine Fox under her belt."
Meredith rubbed the arm that was resting under her chin. In his own stupid way, his embrace always seemed to make any problems disappear. Nothing mattered as long as he was there to hold her.
"You're nothing like your mother," he whispered into her ear, "and those kids adore you."
She smiled as she thought back to the day they renewed their vows, "I told you I didn't want to waste any more time, and I feel like I'm just wasting time."
She pulled away from his arms to look at him, "Did you feel that guilt when you were in D.C.?"
"Every damn day," he sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pocket. He looked towards the kids and then back at his wife, "Can we just set aside all the trials and guilt and just enjoy this? This precious time that we have with our children and each other. Right here, right now."
He was an in-the-moment kind of guy. The kind of guy who would worry about problems when they faced them, not before. She needed to prepare herself. So she could guard her very fragile heart.
"Mom!" Zola's voice interrupted, "Remember when we asked you about getting a dog?"
The leaves beneath her rustled as she jogged towards them with a smile plastered on her face.
The parents laughed, "Zo, your mom just told Bailey that we're working on it-"
"No, not that daddy," Zola brushed the comment away, "You two told us that you went on hikes when you had a dog. Is that how you met?"
The set of parents laughed, earning them a grimace and arms crossed on Zola's chest, "It's not funny, you guys."
If there was one thing Zola hated, it was when people seemingly laughed at her. And her innocence often humored her parents, who truly adored all of her and her siblings.
Meredith composed herself as Derek walked closer to the other children, "No, Zo we're not laughing at you. It's just- that's not how we met."
"Well then how did you meet?" their daughter insisted.
Meredith turned to look at Derek, "Yes, Derek how did we meet?"
A flash of Joe's bar, tequila, scotch, a red shirt, and a black dress crossed his mind.
"I don't know if we're ready to tell you that story, Zo," he answered.
Bailey looked up at his parents as he overheard the conversation, "Wait, why?"
"Because, we like to keep some secrets to ourselves," Meredith teased with wide eyes.
"I wanna know!" Ellis exclaimed excitedly.
"Me too!" Bailey agreed.
Derek sighed as he looked towards Meredith who had begun to walk away from them. She turned and smiled as if wishing him good luck with whatever he was about to tell them.
"Tell you what," Derek conceded, "Dinner first, and then we tell you the story."
After several yes and cheers, the kids made their way back from the trail. Meredith walked slowly until Derek caught up to her.
"Are you really going to tell them the truth?" Meredith asked.
Derek let out an audible sigh, "Oh well, maybe we'll just tell them we met at a bar and then met at the hospital again the next day. We'll definitely skip the middle part."
Meredith giggled. He looked towards her and remembered the first time he made her giggle with some stupid joke.
"Good," she agreed, "because I don't think I'm ready to tell my kids how their dad was supposed to be a one-night stand and I couldn't even remember his name the next morning."
Their laugh echoed through their trees along with the giggles of their children.
–
By the time dinner came and went, the conversation had shifted. Ellis wanted new vegetables in the garden. Bailey wanted to go camping soon. And Zola had another science project due soon.
"We never told them the story," she told him as she walked back into the kitchen to help him clean up.
He looked up from the dishes, "She'll remember tomorrow morning. It gives us a few hours to get our stories straight otherwise she'll poke holes all over it."
Meredith smiled as she thought about Zola. That little girl had grown up to be wise and strong. Fierce and brave. Outspoken and thoughtful.
"I'm gonna check in on them one more time," Derek announced as he set the final dish down, "You got the lights?"
Meredith nodded as she watched him go into the hallway. She walked over to the living room and began to turn off each lamp. Her eyes caught onto a frame on the table. Derek was carrying a younger Ellis in one arm as a laughing Bailey hung on his back. Zola clung to his side and was sticking out her tongue at the camera. It was one of the silliest photos in their collection. And she loved every moment of it.
Meredith had taken that picture about a year ago. They both had the day off on a beautiful summer day and the kids had been very energetic. They had enjoyed the entire day together and had stopped for ice cream at that one shop the kids loved. She had gotten a scoop of strawberry ice cream and when the kids were too busy walking back to the car with their ice cream cones in their hand, he had wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. It had been a perfect day. Just like this past week.
Another frame stood on the table, except this one was just Meredith and Derek. Zola had taken it with the polaroid camera they had gotten her for Christmas. The couple stood beside the edge of the ferryboat. Derek's arms were around Meredith and her hands rested on his chest. Her head pressed to his jaw as they both smiled at the young photographer as the backdrop of Seattle was behind them. Zola had insisted on taking pictures of everyone that day and when she showed them, Meredith immediately asked to keep the photo.
He did this often. Plan random days together, take everyone out for ice cream, take the kids fishing. He made small moments huge, sporadic days memorable. He was everything she never knew she wanted as the father of her children. And she was sure the Meredith of the past would laugh at her. But it didn't matter because she was whole and healed. Truly.
She set the photos back down and made her way to their bedroom. Derek was laying on the bed reading a magazine still in his regular clothes.
"I thought you'd want to shower first," he glanced up with a smile.
She kicked off her shoes and made her way to his side of the bed and sat next to him as she looked him in the eyes. He smiled and set the magazine down, "What?"
"You are amazing," she whispered, "I needed this. Thank you."
He furrowed his eyebrows, "Needed what? What did I do?"
"Time. I needed this week with the kids and with you," she whispered, "You are the best daddy they could have."
She kissed him again as she let out a giggle, "And you're my favorite husband."
He laughed into another kiss, "Oh well thank God for that."
Derek smiled and leaned up to kiss her catching her off guard and pulling her down onto the bed. He hovered over her and peppered kisses on her neck. She giggled as she pushed him back, her fingers tangling in his hair.
"We're a team. We're both doing our best and I think we're kicking ass so far," he whispered.
The door burst open as Zola marched her way to them.
"Zozo, what have we said about knocking?" Meredith asked as she pushed Derek off of her.
Their daughter seemed unbothered -perhaps because she came in with one thing in mind, "You never told us the story!"
"What story?" Derek asked as he propped his head on his hand.
"You never told us how you met!" Ellis ran in and jumped on the bed embracing her father. She knocked the wind off of him as she jumped on top of him.
Derek chuckled as he pecked his daughter's cheek, "Oh you want to know the story?"
Bailey calmly walked in and sat at the edge of the bed along with Zola, "You promised."
Meredith shook her head as she turned to glance at her husband. He groaned as he struggled to come up with a kid-friendly version of the Girl and the Guy at the bar.
"I was about to start a new job and was asked to go to a party for all the first year interns," he started as he looked up at the ceiling, "but I went to Joe's bar instead."
Zola turned to her mother, "Where's that?"
Meredith smiled, "It's a bar across the hospital. The owner's name is Joe and everyone in the hospital goes there."
"Mmhmm," Derek hummed, "And then a woman walks in and sits down and she asks for-"
"A soda-" Meredith raised her eyebrow. Her kids were not buying it, she knew that. They were smart kids but she wasn't ready for the booze and sex talk.
"Right, and she giggled. She laughed at something Joe said," he continued. She laughed when Joe told her she'd regret the shot of tequila in the morning, he thought.
"Was that you mom?" Bailey asked.
Meredith smiled as she ran her hand through his hair, "Yes. That was me."
"And then what happened?" Ellis asked.
"And then, a man sits next to me-"
Zola turned to Derek and grinned, "That's daddy."
He wiggled his eyebrows at her earning a genuine laugh.
"And then we talked. And then the night was over," Meredith abruptly finished. And then I took advantage of him and took him home, she thought.
Zola scoffed and turned towards Bailey, "That is not it!"
"Nope," he agreed.
"That's because the next day, I found out we were working at the same hospital," Meredith chuckled. Nothing could escape their kids.
"Told you," Zola smirked, "And then what? Did you ask her out, daddy?"
"Kind of," he admitted, "It was complicated Zo. She was an intern and I was an attending. It wasn't easy to say yes."
"But when I did say yes, it was because I wanted to," Meredith clarified, "I didn't do anything I didn't want to."
That was important for her kids to know. It was messy and on paper, it wasn't appropriate. But they couldn't help it. When they fell in love, they fell hard.
"And then, a lot of things happened but the important thing is that we are all here now," Derek smiled. Maybe one day they'd tell the kids everything. Maybe Meredith really did write about them in her journals and they'd know the truth about the secrets and breakups. The house of candles and elevator love letters. Maybe one day.
Zola smiled. Satisfied with the story and yet yearning for more. She had a feeling there was more.
"And now, you three have to go back to bed!" Meredith chided.
"Yeah, we have a busy day tomorrow", Derek agreed, "Say goodnight to mama, I'll tuck you in."
They groaned and dragged themselves off the bed before saying goodnight. Derek picked up Ellis and carried her to her bedroom as Zola and Bailey stayed behind.
"Are you working tomorrow again?" Bailey asked his mom, "You said you had the week off."
"Last day before we go back to work, Bailey," Meredith smiled from her bed, "In fact, I think we may go to the pound tomorrow."
"Yes!" Bailey exclaimed as he ran off to his room.
It wasn't perfect. The lives they led required balance, time, and sacrifice. But their kids were safe. And seemingly happy. And they had parents who loved them. Parents who would give up the world for them. Even if it hurt.
Because like Derek once told her, they were everything.