Reference:

Meredith is 37

Derek is 45

Carwyn is 18

Michael is 12

Twins are two

Epilogue: Twelve Years Later

"Dr. Shepherd… here are the scans you asked for."

"Thank you… yep… there it is… just as I suspected… it's small but it's there. Do you see it pressed against the temporal lobe? We're going to have to operate. Good job Dr. Jones. You and Williams can scrub in and observe. Book the OR and prep the patient."

"Yes Dr. Shepherd. Thank you!" The eager intern hurried out of the office and down the hall, causing Meredith to shake her head.

It seemed like ages ago that she was a young intern, eager to learn, desperate to cut. It was now a fading memory as her days were occupied with balancing the steady stream of out of state consults and international transfers, all eager to be included in the groundbreaking research that she and Derek, together with a team of scientist they had collected, were busily undertaking.

The butterflies took flight in her stomach as she thought about the project they had been focusing on the last few years. It was something near and dear to their hearts and they were so close. They only waited on the final test results and analyses from the FDA, do back any day.

Meredith's pager went off interrupting her thoughts and causing her to stand from the large chair she sat lazily in behind her desk. Glancing down at her pager, she smiled and hurried out of her office.

"Have a good after noon Dr. Shepherd." Her secretary greeted, only glancing up from her computer screen briefly before looking back at the busy schedule on the screen she was trying to organize.

Meredith nodded, hurrying down the hall, her nervousness growing as she crossed the corridor to the Chief of Surgeries office. Not bothering to knock, Meredith pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She found Derek behind his desk, his blue eyes fixed on her, his expression unreadable. Twelve years later, she still found him breathtakingly handsome. His salt and pepper hair was just as addictive and the fine lines that sketched his face made him even more attractive.

"Did it come?"

He slowly nodded, still giving nothing away as he stared at her.

Meredith crossed the room and moved behind his desk, settling herself carefully unto his offered lap. The love and intimacy they held for each other was just as youthful and fresh as the first time they had laid eyes on one another.

Derek finally produced a long vanilla envelope. The one they'd painstakingly been waiting for, for weeks. Her breath caught in her throat as she turned to face her husband.

"You open it."

Derek nodded, removing a fancy gold letter opener from the top drawer of his desk and carefully sliding it under the sealed end. With shaky hands, not from age but from anticipation, he removed the folded papers, and together their eyes scanned the notes.

Meredith felt her heart begin to race and her eyes glossed over. Was she reading it right?

"Derek." She whispered. "I need you to tell me. I need you to say it."

"Mer." His voice was laced with emotion, and she turned to see tears in his own eyes. "We did it."

Now, her lip trembled, and she could no longer hold in her sob. It couldn't be. Eight years of research. Eight years of sweat and blood and dedication, their family's lifetime, and it had finally paid off. They held the answer to so many unanswered prayers from all around the world in their hands.

Derek wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife and held her, rocking her back and forth as they cried together. This was big. Huge. But more so for her than anyone else. This was something that hit Meredith close to home and he couldn't believe that they had finally done it.

"Mer." He whispered in her ear, pushing back a strand of her blonde hair. "We should go tell them."

Meredith nodded, wiping her tears as she stared into the love of her life's eyes. She moved her fingers to his face and traced his soft lines. Her favorites were the ones by his eyes, she knew they were there from the years of smiling encouragement and love down on her; from smiling affectionately down on Carwyn, letting her know how special she was to him like just last month when she announced her engagement to a young man in high school. Yes, she might be 18, but they have been together since she was 14. Or from smiling overcome by pride for his son Mikey, after each baseball game or mathematician award. Don't forget about the surprise additions to our family two years ago. I was 35 and Derek was 43. We had twins Aurora Jane and Koti Kate. They've been enjoying every bit of their last twelve years together.

Her thumbs smoothed the wrinkles back, getting a glimpse of the young dark haired man she had fallen in love with all those years ago. She removed her fingers and smiled contently. She loved her husband. Even more than when she had officially said I Do in a large church on their wedding day twelve years old. They had grown and aged together and there was not a second of that time that she would change.

Finally regaining control of her emotions, she took a breath and nodded, standing slowly from Derek's lap as he followed her to the door.

They walked slowly down the hall, towards their destination. Meredith could hardly contain her excitement as Derek grinned widely, the reality of everything setting in. He reached over and grabbed his wife's small hand in his large weathered one, a rare gesture they hardly ever shared, especially in the halls of the hospital. Meredith squeezed his hand back, feeling young again. Feeling reborn.

They stopped in front of the intended hospital room and, sharing one last look of encouragement, stepped inside. They paused at the door, blinking their eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room before noticing their dear friend sitting in a chair to the side of the bed, a medical journal in hand.

"Well, if it isn't the Shepherds?" He greeted cordially, his dark face creased from time and black hair invaded by grey.

"Preston." They both responded, keeping their emotions in check.

All three of them then turned to the sleeping form on the bed. Age hadn't touched her smooth face, her slanted eyes rested in a peaceful sleep. The only indication that their friendship spanned decades was from the hostile way they knew she would greet them when she woke.

As if on cue, her eyes blinked open and immediately settled on the two visitors. A frown crossed her features and Cristina retorted.

"Well, if it isn't the dream team. To what do we owe this honor? You want to cut my brain open some more for your research?"

The room chuckled, knowing that Cristina was only half serious. Meredith and Derek exchanged a glance and Cristina and Burke suddenly sobered. He rose from his chair to join her on her bed and clasped her hand, knowing the two doctors bore some news.

"What is it? Just tell me. Rip the bandaid off. I've been dealing with this off and on for ten years. Trust me… I can take it." Cristina's eyes were serious and guarded, expecting the worse.

Derek placed a supportive hand on the small of his wife's back, encouraging her to go ahead. This project had been her baby, had been her dream. He had only supported her and helped when she had needed it.

"Cris…" Meredith's voice broke and she had to swallow a few times before being able to continue. "Cris, we got the results back. Just now. Everything checks out. We have the FDA's full backing and support. The drugs were successful. Your brain cancer is gone. And Cris… it's not coming back this time. We did. We found the cure for cancer."

The silence that filled the room was almost tangible. No one wanted to speak, no one could move. Tears filled her dear friend's eyes as Meredith nervously chewed on her bottom lip, a habit she had yet to drop and was sure she'd take with her to the grave. Cristina's thin frail arms moved up and gestured towards Meredith, drawing her close.

Unsure, Meredith carefully perched herself on the opposite side of the bed as Preston, curious to what her best friend would do. Cristina's small arms opened wider and Meredith fell in, wrapping her own arms, much stronger around the delicate body. They held each other, unashamed tears falling as they basked in the unbelievable miracle.

Derek and Preston both blinked fast, unable to control the tears but both too manly to want to cry in front of the other. Soon, Cristina released Meredith and they stared at each other, unsure of what to say next.

"So, I bet now you think you're a hot shot doctor… curing cancer and all." Cristina retorted, lightening the mood.

"I'll try not to let it go to my head." Meredith answered, rolling her eyes.

Derek cleared his throat from across the room, gaining both women's attention.

"I hate to break this up… but there are things that need to be done Mer… I have a feeling this is going to get out soon… we're going to need to talk to our representatives about Press conferences and how to handle the media."

Meredith nodded, knowing he was right. Last year when they had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics the hospital had became a circus and their whole family's life had been turned upside down. They had taken precautions this time the closer they got to the cure, and hoped to manage everything a little better. Hoped things would go smoother.

Meredith glanced one more time at her friend, tears still streaming down both of their faces as Cristina nodded, letting Meredith know she should go and deal with everything.

Derek and Meredith crossed the room together and turned at the door watching with large smiles as Preston held his wife in his arms, rocking her back and forth while whispering in her ear. Even more miraculous was the fact that Cristina let him, her own arms wrapped around his, her face stretched in a rare smile.

They quietly exited the room, pulling the door shut behind them. They stood still a moment, still trying to wrap their minds around the magnitude of what they had done, of what they had accomplished.

"So, you should call Mike and let him know…I'll call Carwyn and warn her, the babies are safe here. Then, we should talk to the men upstairs… they'll of course be thrilled out of their mind… all the publicity the hospital will get for this… and we should call your sisters… they'll want to know…And I should definitely call George and Callie… I think they're back from their trip to Australia…"

"Mer…"

"And then there's the whole press conference deal… I really don't want to be on the news again… I looked so old last time… the lighting was awful and Carwyn even called and said that it looked like I had bags under my eyes… so you'll definitely have to take that one… oh and I almost forgot…"

"Mer!"

"What?"

"You are right. We have a million things to do. But first, there's something that I have to do… and it's really important."

"What Derek?! I've covered everything… if you want to tell Mark I'm sure he's downstairs…"

Meredith was finally silenced as Derek's strong lips covered hers. His arms wrapped around her body, and he pulled her close, his hands holding her tight in a lover's embrace. Meredith's arms instinctively went around Derek's neck, her hands getting lost in his soft hair. Their deep kiss lasted a few minutes more before they finally pulled away, their need for oxygen too strong.

A few whistles and catcalls echoed through the hall and nurses' station as Meredith blushed profusely, discovering they weren't at all alone but smack dab in one of the busiest hallways of the hospital.

"Okay people! Show's over! Back to work! You're going to have to watch me kiss my beautiful wife some other time." Derek ordered, the younger doctors and nurses jumping into action at the demand of their boss.

Derek then turned to his wife, his smile wide and deep lines creased across his face. "I'm so proud of you Mer. You did it."

"Wedid it. We did it together. I could have never done this without you Der. And I don't just mean this research. I mean everything. My life. I would probably still be wandering the streets, not even knowing my own name. It's because of you Derek. You are the reason I'm alive today. You are my reason for living. I love you so much."

Tears gathered in the corner of Derek's aged eyes. "I love you too Mer. I still can't believe how lucky I am to have had the amazing life you gave me. Four perfect children… years of happiness and love. I can't express my gratitude to you in words Mer… but just know… you are my life. Youare my reason to live. And I love you so much."

The two happy doctors stood in the middle of the hall, staring deeply into each other's eyes as their hands clasped tightly together. Relishing in their past, relishing in the present, and looking forward to a long future ahead.

"Let's go get our babies, go home, spend time together, and watch movies." Derek said.

"Let's go." Meredith said, rushing to the daycare.

"Mama…" Rory said.

"Dada!" Koti cheered.

"Do you girls want to go home and watch Frozen with Mama and Dada? Meredith said excitedly.

"YES!" The girls screamed.

"Let's go babies." Derek said, picking up his giggling twins and running to the car, leaving Meredith laughing behind them.

After putting the twins in the car, Derek opens the door for Meredith, kisses her and says, "To our happily ever after."

All the bad, all the good, this was what true happily ever afters were made of.

The End