Okay…so. Here we go again. We're traveling through time! I know. Exciting, right? Heh. Anyway, this chapter moves forward about two and a half months from where we left off. If you're curious, that makes Mer about seven and a half months pregnant. Now, I pretty much say all of that in the actual chapter, but…I do enjoy being repetitive. Anyway, we're moving forward through time to get to the more interesting point where all of the issues from last chapter start coming to a head. So…yay. And, we actually go back to spending a bit of time in Derek's head for a change. We haven't been up there for awhile. Also, this chapter is a little on the shorter side. Not a lot shorter, but not massively looong. I'm sorry about that, I know people have said they enjoy the length. But…we need this to cover what happened during our travel through time, and to set up what happens next chapter. And, I do believe next chapter will be looooong. (See? Multiple O's. That's long!)

Anyway, thanks as usual to the people taking the time to review. I love it so much. So, you know, please…make my day. Review. Hee… That's about it for now. Enjoy!

-----
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
-----

Derek hurried down the pristine white hallway, pulling on his jacket as he walked. He'd never been so happy to have a surgery postponed in his life. Glancing down at his watch, a shallow smile flashed across his face as he realized he was about to escape the hospital while the sun was still up for once. He wanted nothing more than to get home to Meredith. An uneasy feeling had settled over him the past few months, and recently it had grown stronger and stronger, twisting into something heavy and unshakeable. It was Meredith. There was something about her that…he couldn't quite put a finger on it, but there was something wrong. And that knowledge had him coming to a stop just ten feet from the elevators as he caught sight of a familiar head of tangled black hair.

"Dr. Yang?" he called out, not quite knowing what he was doing, but hoping that he came across a little less nervous and uncertain than he felt. The shorter woman whirled around, her expression already slightly frustrated.

"Yes Dr. Shepherd?" she asked, juggling the thick stack of charts she was holding so that it balanced precariously on a hipbone.

"I was…I was just," he began, surprised to hear himself stammering. Cristina raised an eyebrow, her irritation at being stopped shifting closer to a skeptical sort of curiosity. Derek cleared his throat, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. "I wanted to ask you a question," he said, bringing his voice back to its normal confident tone.

Cristina nodded, her frustration returning as she adjusted her grip on the charts she was holding. "Can you make it fast?" she said bluntly. "If I don't discharge all of them…" she paused, jerking her chin towards the charts, "in the next forty minutes, Bailey's not gonna let me scrub in."

"Oh. Right," said Derek, nodding his head at the explanation for the woman's strained and hurried manner. "It's about…it's about Meredith," he added quietly. He shifted his weight uncertainly, glancing down at the floor, almost as if he were suddenly shy. The harsh light in Cristina's eyes diminished noticeably at the mention of her best friend, however her lips remained ensnared in a thin line. She gave a nod of her head, prompting him to continue. Derek sighed, and ran a hand through his hair--his expression growing troubled. "Has she seemed strange to you lately?"

"Strange?" echoed Cristina, frowning up at him. "What do you mean?"

Derek sighed again, and shook his head. "Quiet… She never seems happy anymore. She's always just…there." Worry seeped into his voice as he thought about how strangely lifeless Meredith had become lately. Lately…that felt like a lie. It wasn't just lately. It had been months. The last time he could remember really seeing Meredith had been the day she returned to work. Since then, there had been brief flickers of the woman he loved, but nothing more. It was as if she were living behind a thick obscuring veil; one that strained the joy from her, and left her rarely smiling. And yet, according to her, she was fine. Always fine. "Did she say anything to you?" he asked hopefully.

But Cristina just shook her head. "No," she said, her voice softening despite the fact that she still wasn't all that fond of Derek. "She hasn't said anything. But she has been…different," she admitted, having noticed the change in her friend as well. As soon as she spoke, her eyebrows dove together into a sharp scowl, and her voice lost the gentleness it had picked up. "What did you do?" she demanded.

"Nothing," spluttered Derek, looking completely taken back by her words. "I didn't do anything." His shocked expression turned dubious as he racked his mind for any possible offense on his part. "I don't think…"

"Right," said Cristina dryly, cutting him off. She was eyeing him skeptically, her initial feeling being not to trust him. However…Meredith hadn't breathed a single unhappy word about Derek. She shrugged her shoulders, unable to miss the anxiety in her boss's eyes. "Well maybe it's a pregnant…" she began, only to find herself interrupted by Izzie's loud and cheerful greeting. Cristina winced and rolled her eyes. "She's got Izzie throwing her a party tomorrow. How happy can you expect her to be?" She turned and shot a pointed look at the other intern, who had just emerged from the elevators, and was hurrying towards them.

Derek groaned, and pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose. "That's tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?" asked Izzie as Cristina nodded her head.

"The baby shower you're forcing on Mer," she said, a bit of an edge seeping into her voice.

"I'm not forcing it on her," said Izzie indignantly. "She's having a baby. That automatically comes with a shower."

"Whatever," scoffed Cristina. "You should just drop it. She doesn't want one."

'Okay…technically, it's not a shower. It's a baby themed party," answered the blonde airily, smiling at the thought. "Besides, Mer agreed to it."

Cristina just rolled her eyes. "Only to get you to stop nagging." She shook her head, once again shifting uncomfortably under the weight of the charts she was holding. "Why are we having it so early anyway?" she continued, her voice flat and drawling as if she found the whole idea bothersome.

"It's not that early," argued Izzie. "She's almost at eight months, and you know in her case she could have the baby that early. Besides, all of us have tomorrow off. All of us. Do you realize how rare that is? I mean, it is rare. It's once in a blue freaking moon rare. We need to seize the day."

"Yeah, well…thanks to you seizing the day, the rest of us have to spend our day off watching you go all sentimental over formula and changing tables and crap."

"It's for Meredith," stressed Izzie, but Cristina scoffed, doing her best to cross her arms over her chest while still keeping her grip on her patients' files.

"Right. Meredith who asked you not to," she said flatly.

Izzie shook her head, her voice dismissive. "She's in denial. Everyone wants a shower."

"No," snapped Cristina, her eyes flashing as she opened her mouth to protest further. Derek cleared his throat, inching away from the wall their bickering had nearly trapped him against. He had a sense that, without any of their other friends around to mediate, the discordant personalities of the two women were close to crashing. However, the sudden low intrusion of his voice caused them to momentarily fall silent.

"Well Dr. Yang, Dr. Stevens," he said as lightly as he could. "If you'll excuse me…"

"Wait," said Izzie immediately, holding out a hand to stop him. "I was going to ask you…" She trailed off, a soft thoughtful frown crossing her face as she chewed on her lip. "Oh, right. Decorations! I've got to stop at the store tonight, so…what do you think Meredith would like? I saw these cute balloons with storks on them, and then maybe some pink streamers, or…"

"I have no idea," interrupted Derek, looking rather alarmed. "I don't do decorations."

"But for Meredith," protested Izzie, pouting slightly.

Derek sighed, giving in and trying to guess at what Meredith would want. He honestly had no idea, but then again, lately it seemed as if he always failed to understand her. "She'll probably like whatever," he said at last. "Just so long as it's not too over the top." Cristina snorted loudly at that, and Derek couldn't help but feel apprehensive as he noticed that Izzie was back to grinning widely; it was almost as if he could see the wheels turning wildly within her mind like something out of an old cartoon. "Oh and," he continued, the mention of the party serving to jog his memory. "Mer wanted me to tell you there will be absolutely no baby themed games, and that if she can't drink, nobody can." While Izzie's face fell noticeably at the first restriction, Cristina let out a loud groan at the latter.

"Seriously?" she seethed, turning to look daggers at Izzie. "An enema would be better that this party."

Derek shook his head as Izzie opened her mouth and began arguing back. "Well…evening," he mumbled quietly as he backed his way cautiously towards the elevators. However, he went positively unnoticed by the two women, and Derek breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator closed safely around him.

The drive back to Meredith's was a quick fleeting thing, beautifully silent compared to the conversation with her friends. Pushing open the front door, he walked into an equally quiet house. "Mer?" he called, shrugging off his jacket as he closed the door. There was no answer. Everything felt strangely still. "Meredith?" he tried again as he made his way through the house. His voice faded away as his eyes landed on the couch. Meredith was sprawled across it--eyes closed and breathing heavily--fast asleep. A smile lit up his face as Derek walked softly towards her, sinking down to sit beside her curled up form. One hand lay limply against her swollen stomach while the other was tucked beneath her chin. Her face was almost completely obscured; hidden beneath the long loose strands of her hair, still damp and smelling fresh of a shower. "Mer," he murmured quietly, reaching down and lifting the golden sheet of hair back from her face, happy with the fact that--at least for a little while--she looked perfectly untroubled, peaceful… Not wanting to wake Meredith, yet wanting to be close to her, Derek leaned forward and brushed his lips across the smooth surface of her cheek. It was a soft whisper of a touch, but she stirred beneath him. The hand that had rested under her chin moved upward to wrap around his neck, and she mumbled something indiscernible. "Hey…sorry," he whispered as her fingers curled in his hair, and her eyes fluttered open slightly, revealing slits of green. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'll go, you just sleep." Derek started to straighten up, but Meredith tightened her grip on him, pulling the warmth of his body back towards herself.

Still more than half asleep, she shook her head, and leaned into him. "Stay," she mumbled, her voice hoarse and groggy.

"Okay," he agreed, shifting her a little so that he could sit to the back of the couch and let her lay against him. Instantly, Meredith moved to curl up with her head on his chest, her eyelids drooping heavily again as his hand found her stomach, and settled over it. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, smiling down at the tiny woman cradled in his arms. Derek thought she had fallen back asleep, but, after a few minutes, she spoke again.

"Is it late?" Her voice was still quiet and subdued, but it had lost the thick coating of sleep it first held.

"No," answered Derek, running a hand through her hair and down her back. "My last surgery got postponed for a trauma case."

"Oh…sorry," she murmured, but Derek just shrugged.

"It's fine." Meredith sank down in his arms until her head lay in his lap, and she could turn to stare up at him. Derek smiled at her, and her lips flickered ever so slightly in response. "What'd you do today?" he asked. "I haven't seen you since this morning."

Meredith shrugged, the ghost of a smile vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Wrote discharge papers," she said blandly. "Then I came home. Took a shower. Fell asleep. It was exciting." She rolled her eyes, and turned away, her voice low and sarcastic. Derek sighed and nodded his head. He requested her as often as he could, probably a little too often--but Meredith hadn't complained yet--and he'd found that being able to see her in the OR was almost as good as knowing that she was sitting down somewhere resting. And it had the added benefit of not irritating her. Still, he knew better than to request Meredith every day, and the other doctors had a slight inclination to assign her the easier jobs--that tendency only growing more pronounced as she grew to look more and more pregnant. Derek was studying her profile carefully, trying to see if she was angry, but he could discern nothing more than a vague and muted displeasure. It was her typical response, and as the sleep faded from her features, it came roaring back. The sharp green of her eyes seemed to lessen and almost turn gray, and she shifted slightly--pulling away from him without ever leaving his lap.

"Mer," he pressed, as usual unable to keep from trying. She cocked an eyebrow, her gaze flitting back towards him expectantly. "Are you okay?" She stiffened, and they stared at each other for a long moment, the question hanging in the air. It was unusual for her to not jump to immediate avowals of her fineness, and Derek grew hopeful that maybe…just maybe she was going to give him something more than her standard two word answer.

"I'm fine," she blurted out at last as Derek sighed inwardly. He cupped her face in his hands, and tilted it towards him, strengthened by the knowledge that Cristina also thought she was being strange.

"Meredith…"

She just frowned and slipped from his grasp, moving so that she too was seated upright on the couch. "I'm fine," she insisted, her voice growing clipped. He opened his mouth to protest, but she gave a sharp shake of her head. "Can we just drop this?" she asked crossly.

"Is this about the party?" he countered, prompting Meredith's frustrated frown to morph into one of pure confusion.

"What?"

"Tomorrow," elaborated Derek. "Izzie and the baby shower."

"Oh…" groaned Meredith, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Seriously, don't remind me. I have no idea how I got roped into that."

"Maybe it won't be so bad," suggested Derek gently, but Meredith just pulled her hand down from her face to raise her eyebrows at him.

"Have you not met Izzie?"

Derek chuckled and shook his head. "Come on," he said, reaching out and pulling her back into his lap. "It'll just be you and me and your friends. Just like normal, except, you get presents." Meredith rolled her eyes at the eager coaxing tone his voice took on.

"What if I don't like presents?" she asked stubbornly, but she twisted around to pout at him, a hint of her old personality flashing briefly through her.

"You don't like presents?" Derek asked, lifting his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Everyone likes presents." Meredith wrinkled her nose, and shook her head at him. "Well fine," he continued, leaning back against the couch and stretching as a grin played across his face. "They can just give them all to me then."

His comment brought a rare but genuine smile to her face, and she reached out to slap him on the arm. "You wouldn't dare," she laughed as Derek wiggled his eyebrows in response. Still giggling, Meredith sighed and settled back in his arms, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. Amazed to see her looking happy for a change, Derek tightened his hold on her as if that might keep her mood from slipping away.

"Mer…" he murmured, his voice low as he leaned forward, his lips trailing over the exposed skin of her neck. Meredith just tilted her head and sighed in response, her fingers tangling lazily through his hair. "Go out with me?" he asked, the idea taking up a sudden residence in his mind.

She just laughed--abrupt and incredulous--pulling away to look up at him. "What?"

"Go out with me," repeated Derek, pressing a kiss to the lips that had parted in surprise. "Tonight," he elaborated. "It's still early, and we're going to be stuck here tomorrow with everyone. Let's go out to dinner…just us."

"You're serious?" she asked, one eyebrow cocked as she stared incredulously at him. Derek nodded, hoping that she'd say yes, hoping that getting her away from her roommates and her life and just…everything for a few hours would keep her smiling. "Derek Shepherd," continued Meredith, suddenly smirking at him. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"I am," he agreed, capturing her mouth with his again, a bit harder this time.

"And what if I say no?" she mumbled against his lips, pulling away once more to hear his answer.

Derek simply smirked, looking rather pleased with himself. "Oh…you won't say no."

"I won't?"

"You won't," he echoed lightly, more delighted than he could begin to express to see her still smiling--her green eyes warm and full of laughter.

Meredith pressed her hands flat against his chest, biting down on her bottom lip. "And what makes you so certain?" she asked, earning a quick grin from Derek.

"You find me irresistible," he said smugly.

"You wish," laughed Meredith, shaking her head as she settled back against him. Seconds later, Derek was nuzzling her neck again, his lips warm over the slender column of bare skin.

"Was that a yes?" he asked, his voice low and hopeful. She rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"Yes," she said softly, turning to kiss him full on the mouth. "Only…nowhere fancy," she amended in between kisses that grew softer and softer until her lips were merely touching his. "I didn't buy any fancy maternity clothes." She wrinkled her nose at that, and Derek followed her gaze down to what she was wearing.

"You barely bought any," he teased. And she hadn't. Izzie had finally dragged her out shopping one afternoon, but she had come back with only a few things, claiming to hate everything, and promptly abandoning an exhausted looking Izzie to lock herself in the bathroom. Instead, she lived mostly in scrubs, and things she borrowed from Derek. She had an old faded pair of his sweatpants on--the ends rolled up to keep herself from tripping--and one of his scrub tops. It gaped at the top due to her small frame, but was roomy enough to fit over her stomach.

"I know that," she said edgily, her smile fading as she fiddled with the navy blue fabric.

"Mer…" He fit a finger beneath her chin, angling her head back up towards him. He had to bite back his initial response of asking her what was wrong; knowing that that would only send them through another tense round of denial as she pulled further into herself. Instead, Derek slipped a hand beneath her shirt, his fingers tracing circles over her bare skin as he grinned at her almost wickedly. "I say you wear nothing at all."

And that got her to laugh again, reaching up to yank his hand away from her breast and back out from under her shirt. "You're a dirty man," she scolded, climbing down from his lap, and letting him help her to her feet. Derek just grinned, shrugging sheepishly.

"So…nowhere fancy," he said as they both stood up.

Meredith nodded. "Nowhere fancy." She tugged on her shirt before adding, "but I am going to change." Derek's face lit up, and he leered at her, but she just rolled her eyes. "Into clothes Derek," she said blithely, pushing him towards the stairs. "Clothes. Don't get your hopes up."

-----

Meredith wandered slowly down the hallway. Derek was showering, and she could hear the distant sound of running water. She was supposed to be struggling through the mess of her closet, and finding something to wear to dinner. But instead, she was taking slow almost aimless steps down the hall, her feet stilling in front of the room at the end. It was a small room, small enough that neither Izzie nor George had given it a second glance when moving in. However…babies were small, so she supposed that was okay. She leaned forward, reaching a hand around the open door to turn the light switch on, but keeping her feet firmly planted in the hallway. She sighed as the room flooded with light. It was close to empty; just a paint splattered ladder propped against the far corner. Tentatively Meredith shuffled forward, staring up at the newly painted walls. They were a soft peach color, chosen by Izzie after Meredith had insisted she was absolutely not having an entirely pink room until her daughter was old enough to beg for one herself. Chosen by Izzie… Meredith frowned at the thought, reaching down to hike Derek's sweatpants back up to her hips. They had an annoying tendency to keep slipping. Turning her attention back to the walls, Meredith's frown deepened. She reached out, and pressed a hand over the dried paint. Izzie had chosen the color, and Derek had painted the room with some help from George and Izzie. But she…she hadn't done anything. On the surface, it didn't look so bad. The three of them had flat out refused to let her in the room while they painted, wanting to keep her away from the fumes and off the ladder. But, she hadn't protested at all. She hadn't protested, and she would have before. Meredith squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget about how she had leapt at the chance to run clear to the opposite end of the house and close her mind to what they were doing. She hadn't even chosen the color for her own daughter's room. She didn't even want to be in the room. Meredith shook her head, and pulled her hand from the wall, wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach. It wasn't that she didn't care. She did care, she just…couldn't.

The room felt simultaneously smothering and frightening; everything it stood for serving to terrify her. Meredith blinked back tears, not understanding why. It scared her, and she wasn't sure why…just that it was probably proof that she was going to be a terrible mother. She felt scared all the time when she let herself pay attention to the humming doubts in the back of her mind, and she didn't know what to do about it. Meredith shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts. She backed quickly out of the room, and towards the reassuring sound of running water.

Her room felt safer. It was warm and familiar, and reminded her of Derek. At the thought of him, Meredith glared angrily at her reflection in the mirror, wiping away the faint hint of tears with a rough swipe of her hand. She wanted to be happy. She wanted it desperately, and yet it felt as if she had forgotten how…as if she could no longer even recognize the emotion without him carefully coaxing it from her. Even then it was a struggle. Reaching down, she hiked up her scrub top. She didn't pull it all the way off, but let the fabric pool just beneath her breasts as she stared at her stomach through the mirror. Meredith wrinkled her nose as she looked at herself. Months ago, she had thought she looked pregnant, but…that was nothing to now. Now she was pretty sure that she just looked huge. Sighing softly, she ran a hand down the prominent curve of her belly, letting it settle at the base. A faint flicker of excitement passed through her as she felt the baby once again moving about, kicking softly, but the rush faded away as her thoughts drifted back to the empty nursery, and she shivered as she thought of just how little time she had left before it was no longer empty.

Heaving another heavier sigh, Meredith shuffled away from the mirror, and over to her closet. Her hands danced over her old clothes, lingering on the soft fabric of favorite sweaters that could no longer make it past her stomach. Finally, she yanked a shirt and pants that would fit her now out from the jumbled mess, and tossed them unceremoniously onto her bed. Wandering listlessly back towards her mirror, she ran a hand through the disheveled waves of her hair. They were scrunched strangely from falling asleep with wet hair, and she pursed her lips together as she tugged on a particularly disobedient lock. Finally giving up, Meredith swept her hair into a messy ponytail, and forced a smile across her face, laughing at how odd and out of place it looked.

Her mind drifted back to Derek as she fidgeted with a tube of mascara, debating whether it was worth the effort to do her makeup. He never seemed to care that she wore so little, if any, and yet she never quite forgot how perfect Addison's makeup always looked. In the midst of all her conflicting confusing emotions, the desire for Derek to be happy lingered on with remarkable persistency. Meredith forced the smile back across her face, determined to be cheerful for once, and not let herself get lost in her usual fog of doubts and insecurities. They both deserved that.

She was halfway to uncapping the tube of mascara when the ringing of the doorbell from downstairs reached her ears. Meredith frowned and hesitated for a moment, hoping that she could send Derek to get it, but she could still hear the sound of running water from the bathroom. The doorbell rang again--loud and insistent--and Meredith sighed, letting the makeup fall with a clatter onto the wooden surface of the dresser. Tugging her scrub top back into place, Meredith hurried from the room and down the stairs as the doorbell rang a third time.

"Coming," called Meredith, sounding slightly annoyed as she reached out for the doorknob, and opened her large front door.

She found herself face to face with two woman she'd never seen before in her life. Well, not quite face to face. They were both infinitely tall and slender, and as Meredith looked up at them curiously, she couldn't completely shake the uncomfortable sensation that they were towering over her.

"Finally," said the woman on her right. She was fairly young--Derek's age or maybe a little older--with short sleek hair. Both her hairstyle and her clothing had a crisp, perfectly tailored quality to them, and they were dark, contrasting sharply with the paleness of her complexion. Her voice was impatient, and she drummed well manicured nails against the strap of her handbag as she spoke.

"Is Derek Shepherd here?" asked the other woman. She was older and more matronly, yet had an unmistakable elegance to her. Her eyes were a deep piercing blue that Meredith found eerily familiar, and her long black hair appeared to have been swept effortlessly into a complicated twist at the nape of her neck.

"Um…" stammered Meredith, completely caught off guard by the women on her doorstep. "Derek Shepherd? Yeah…well at the moment he's in the…um… Yes…he's here." She pushed her long bangs out of her eyes, her expression still one of complete puzzlement. "I'm sorry…who are you?" she asked hesitantly, but neither woman answered her question. Instead, they simply swept past her with a loud clacking of heels, coming to a stop in the dimly lit hallway.

"Well, it's…decent," said the younger woman to her companion, gesturing at their surroundings. "A little dark, but…"

"Better than hiking through the woods," supplied the other woman, a hint of dry amusement filling her voice. She turned towards Meredith, who was still standing frozen in the open doorway, her fingers clinging to the handle. "Well, close the door. You're letting in a draft." It felt more like a command than anything else, and Meredith found herself complying before walking over to stand in front of them, feeling curiously on display.

"Who are you?" asked Meredith again, her voice shaking slightly. It wasn't that she was afraid of them exactly, but they were making her extremely apprehensive. And the fact that she was standing there in front of a wall of fashion that seemed to come straight from the glossy pages of a magazine, while she herself was barefoot with Derek's clothes practically hanging off her body, was doing nothing to increase her confidence. The whole situation felt eerily familiar, as if she'd been through this before, and she swallowed hard, promising herself that it was impossible for Derek to have yet another wife hidden away somewhere.

"Where's Derek?" asked the younger woman impatiently, once again ignoring her question.

"Um…he's in the shower," stammered Meredith, her hand moving to fidget nervously with her watch.

The older of the two strangers sighed at that, turning from the picture she had been examining back to stare at Meredith. "Fine. And you are…?" she asked. Her voice was rather cool and clipped, and she raised an eyebrow, her gaze settling obviously on Meredith's stomach.

"Mom," scoffed the other woman, rolling her eyes. "She's pregnant, and…" she wrinkled her nose delicately as she took in Meredith's hair, "blondish…" she added distastefully. "It's obviously her."

Meredith could only blink at them. "Her?"

"You're the slutty intern, right?"

"Excuse me?" asked Meredith incredulously, her cheeks flushing bright red.

"Nancy," admonished the older woman, but her voice was utterly untroubled, not holding even the slightest hint of a reprimand. Her eyes were cold and scrutinizing as she turned them on Meredith again. "You're…Miriam, aren't you?" she asked, her tone full of something Meredith thought might be disdain.

"Meredith," corrected Meredith. The woman simply shrugged, almost as if the correction were beneath her. Meredith stared up at them uncertainly for a moment. The two women remained silent and taciturn, regarding her with little more than perfectly arched eyebrows and obvious dislike. Meredith let out a frustrated sigh, folding her arms over her stomach. "Okay, who are you people?" she demanded. "And how do you know Derek?"

The older woman cleared her throat, taking her time to smooth the fabric of her jacket with long slender fingers before answering. "I'm Jacqueline Shepherd," she said primly, yet with a decided edge to her voice--something cold and steely. "His mother."

"Mother…" Meredith managed to choke out, suddenly feeling as if she were falling. The apprehension she'd felt earlier rapidly intensified into something paralyzing as she stared up into the fierce blue of Derek's mother's eyes.

"Yes," agreed Jacqueline icily. "I am." The energy she was radiating seemed to fall just short of hatred, and she sneered down at Meredith's belly. "And you're having his baby?"

Meredith's hands flew instantly to her stomach, and she bit down hard on her lower lip. "Um…" she stammered hesitantly, struggling to find her voice. "Derek's…? Sorry…I'm… Well, we're…"

Jacqueline let out a frustrated sigh as she stared down at the petite blonde. Her gaze was infinitely more intense than even the most potent of looks Meredith had received from Derek; ones that left her breathless and tingling and completely unable to move. Only the way Jacqueline Shepherd was staring at her, while equally commanding, was devoid of the love that softened Derek's eyes when he looked at her. Instead, it was bellied with something bitter and disgusted. "I don't have all day," she said sharply, cutting Meredith's stammering short, and sending the younger woman spiraling into something close to despair with a single question. "Are you, or are you not, the tramp who trapped my son, and ruined his marriage?"

-----

Okay…so. What to say? Meredith first, I suppose. Now…she hasn't really fixed any of her issues with working less, and becoming this different person…having this new part in her life. She's sort of just been pushing her problems away as best as she can, trying to avoid them for as long as possible. And well, it's hard to do that. Especially with the constant reminders Meredith has surrounding her of the fact that she is very soon going to be completely responsible for another person. It's huge. And, trying to avoid all of that? It's emotionally exhausting. It's leaving her as this shell of herself, and Derek's noticing that. It's got him worried, but Mer really doesn't want to talk about it. Obviously, that would cancel out the avoiding she tends to gravitate towards. Plus, she's really not sure how to put it all into words. And, she wants to be happy, but she's stressed. And so it's difficult for her.

And Derek is worried, but not really sure what to do. When he tries to talk to her, she automatically closes off. The only way to keep her smiling and happy is to play her game, and avoid things that aren't fairly superficial and flirty. So he's trying to find a way to walk that very thin line, and be there for her on a deeper level, while just wanting to see her happy. And…what else. Oh, Izzie. She has baby issues. Obviously. A part of her sort of wants to live vicariously through Mer, and see her get all the stuff that she didn't get to have with her daughter. And so, she's ridiculously excited about throwing Mer a baby shower, taking her shopping, getting the nursery ready… She's goodhearted about it, but, at the same time, there is a teensy bit of wish fulfillment in there for her. It's keeping her from realizing that Meredith's whole attitude towards the pregnancy thing is very different from her own. (And…you know. Izzie and self-absorbed? They sorta kinda maybe go hand-in-hand.) And then, you know…Derek's mom and one of his sisters show up on Mer's doorstep. And they know things about Mer/Der. Nancy's there because I enjoyed her fabulous bitchiness on the show, but honestly…both of the women are very bitchy and not at all pleased with the idea of Meredith. I know they were mean, but…they were mean for a reason. Maybe not a good reason, but they do have a reason. It wasn't pointless bitchiness. They're both quite mad, the mother especially, and well…we'll see more of why next chapter. I guess that's about all I have to ramble about tonight. Thank you so much for reading!