The air was crisp as Meredith walked across campus; it had been three days since Derek visited her at her apartment, but she still felt warm from their conversation. Something about growing new life caused Meredith to feel more whole inside and happy. Her thoughts floated to what the next number of months would be like and how she would tell people. She wasn't even sure what her and Derek were to each other. Just friends who happened to be having a baby together? As far as she knew, he still had a girlfriend and she was still dating Dean.

Luckily for her, Dean was taking his wife on vacation during fall break which gave her the time she needed to think. She forgot to ask Derek what his plans were for the break and figured he was probably home with his family, wherever that is. She thought about her mom, probably too busy with surgeries to even care if she came home or not. Just then her phone rang interrupting her thoughts

"Hello"

"Meredith- it's me" her mother said coldly

"Hi mom"

"Where are you? You're not coming home are you?" Ellis asked

"Uh no. I'm staying at school…. To um study" Meredith responded

"Good. I don't know how these universities justify a break a few weeks after school starts back especially considering how much they cost." Ellis fumed

"So, I'll see you at Christmas then?" Meredith asked

"Sure- listen I need to go Meredith I'm being paged."

"Okay, bye mo-" Meredith began to respond but was cut off by Ellis ending the phone call.

Meredith sighed. Telling Ellis was definitely going to be bad. Her thoughts were plagued by all the what-ifs and conversations she was going to have over the next couple of months and she wasn't paying attention when she bumped into Mark Sloan, Derek's best friend.

"Well hello there" came Mark's booming voice

"You're the guy from the bar" Meredith stated

"And you're the girl from the bar that turned my best friend into a cheating, lying, dirt bag" Mark remarked playfully with a smirk

Meredith turned her head at him and looked at him quizzically with a glare.

"So why aren't you home for the break?" Mark asked with his brows raised

Meredith sighed "I could ask you the same thing"

"Then ask" Mark said playfully

Meredith rolled her eyes but smiled. "I don't want to know"

"So… my best friend seems happy." Mark said changing the subject following Meredith on her walk

"Good for him" Meredith responded with a grin

"Do you have anything to do with that?" Mark asked with a teasing smile

"Nope" Meredith responded almost laughing

"I think you do" Mark retorted

Meredith just shrugged and "I have to get going"

"Oh yeah? Where are you off to? There's no class. Do you have a job?" Mark asked

"You're nosy" Meredith responded

"Just interested"

"Well don't be." Meredith retorted and with a smile she left Mark standing on his own.

She wasn't about to tell Derek's best friend that she was off to her first doctor's appointment to check in on the baby her and Derek created after one night together in which he cheated on his girlfriend.

As she made her way to the OBGYN, her hand protectively went to her stomach where new life was already beginning to grow. She couldn't help the smile that came to her face and it wasn't that she was particularly excited to be a mom at such a young age, it was more of the idea of the family she knew her and Derek were creating. She didn't know Derek all that well, but she had a feeling that he would always be there for her and her baby no matter what happened between them.

Later that night Derek was at his apartment mulling over the fact that he was going to be a father. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell his friends & family and especially how he was going to tell Addison. He couldn't help the excitement he felt though at the thought of having a baby with Meredith. He thought of her constantly since the day he met her. Her long blonde hair and perfect smile. He couldn't believe that their connection was already so strong after spending such little time together. They hadn't spoke since three days before when he visited her. He was caught up in processing that he didn't even think to ask her what her plans were for Fall Break or if she was home. He didn't even know where she was from and what her family was like. He suddenly felt a pit in his stomach, very soon he was going to have to tell his family and her family about the baby they had created. And he wasn't sure that would be an easy conversation. He had a girlfriend who he had avoided for the past month and now he had to face the truth and own up to the night spent with another woman. A night that had resulted in something that would forever change him.

A pounding on his door startled him

"Hey man" Mark said opening his door

"Hey" Derek responded distracted

"Addison home for break?"

"She left last night"

Mark nodded and sat on Derek's desk chair

"So- I ran into someone interesting today" Mark said with a smirk

"Oh yeah" Derek retorted distracted

"Guess who"

Derek sighed "I don't know Mark" he said exasperated

"That chick you cheated on Addison with"

Derek perked up "You talked to Meredith?"

"I did – she was just walking around campus alone. She seemed…. mysterious." Mark commented with his eyebrow raised at Derek

"Hmmm. She always seems mysterious"

"So what's going on there?" Mark asked

"Nothing"

Mark gave Derek a knowing look

"Nothing is going on there. We're just-"

"Friends?" Mark finished for him

Derek scratched the top of his head nervously

"I need to confide in you about something" he stated

"About Meredith?" Mark asked

Derek nodded "She's um. She's pregnant"

Mark looked at Derek bewildered "You don't mean?"

"That night at the bar, I went home with her and we spent the night together and now she's pregnant and I don't know what my next move is. I'm going to med school next year. I'm not prepared for this."

"So, she's keeping it"

"Yeah, she well we. We're keeping the baby." Derek stated a small smile coming to his face

"You're screwed."

"I don't know what my next move is but.. I think. Well I know, that I'm happy about it. I don't know how I'm going to tell my family or Addison, I just know that I'm happy."

"Well congrats man, but you barely know this girl. You've spent one night with her. How do you even know the baby is yours?"

"It's mine" Derek stated getting defensive

"I'm not trying to piss you off but this is a lot" Mark retorted

Derek sighed "I know that. I needed to confide in someone- because I can't figure out what to do from here."

"You have to talk to Addison man. You have to end it."

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose "I know."

"And you have to talk to Meredith and come up with a plan"

"A plan?" Derek asked

"Yes a plan. How you're going to tell people. What you even are to eachother. How you're going to raise the baby. A life plan."

"When did you get so wise?"

"Maybe finding out your about to become an Uncle does that to a person" Marked teased

Derek waited outside of Meredith's apartment complex hoping that someone would let him up. He realized that he didn't even have her phone number and couldn't call her to let him in, so he waited. Finally, after about 10 minutes he was able to make it to her door. He sighed and knocked firmly on the door.

A girl that he recongnized answered the door and looked aggravated. Without greeting him she yelled out to her friend "Mer- McDreamy or whatever is here."

"Well hello" Derek said to Christina

Christina rolled her eyes "I'm not letting you in unless Meredith wants you to hang out in her room."

Derek was about to respond when he saw Meredith approach the door

"Christina it's fine. He can come in."

"Whatever" Christina stated and resumed her position on their couch.

"Uhh. Come in" Meredith said and he followed her to her bedroom where she closed the door behind them.

Derek took in her room, never bothering to the last time he was there.

She had a few photos on the walls. He recognized some of the people that he had seen a month prior at the bar with her. Some people not so much. Her bed was un-made and the comforter was thrown lazily on it. She had bookshelves full of medical books all centered on anatomy & biology and sitting on her desk he saw what looked to be an ultra-sound picture.

He smiled and picked it up

"I went to the doctor today" Meredith stated

"You went to the doctor today" Derek repeated. His eyes filled with admiration and love

"It's official. I'm having a baby" Meredith stated pulling her cardigan closer to her body crossing her arms over it.

"We're having a baby" Derek stated

Meredith nodded

"I came here because.. well because we should have a plan… but now that I'm here and I'm looking at you… all I can think is that we should date. We need to go on a date."

"Okay" Meredith said with a smile

"Okay" Derek repeated matching her grin

"I want to kiss you, but I think we have that part down. I think the only plan I care about right now is getting to know you."

"Kissing me is still a part of getting to know me."

"Is it?" Derek mumbled as he stepped closer to her. His hands cupped her face and he leaned in. She reciprocated the kiss and he ended it just as it was heating up.

"Tomorrow night." Derek stated as he resisted the urge to give into the bulge she was causing in his pants

"Tomorrow night, I'm going to pick you up and I'm going to take you on a real date."

"Aren't we a little past that" Meredith said placing her hand on her still flat stomach.

Derek's eyes followed her hand and he grinned "Meredith, we're not past anything. We're just getting started." And with that he left her apartment and she smiled at the thought of all that was to come.