Disclaimer: We are not worthy enough to own a global phenomenon like Grey's.

I looked around the kitchen. It was wierd being here in the morning, it was wierd being here when it was empty. But wierd in a way I could get used to. Last night had been perfect, every moment of it. This morning had been perfect. Meredith loved me, she really loved me. And I loved her. And today I was feeling kind of cheesy and sappy that morning. Life wasn't supposed to be this good. She stood in front of the coffee maker, wearing nothing but that Dartmouth shirt, which I had discovered had a hole in the back of the neck. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the counter and I came up behind her, kissing her neck and lightly nibbling. "Hmmm," she smiled, turning in my arms, and meeting my lips. "Had a good shower?"

"Lonely, I had a lonely shower," I said pouting down at her.

"You're not all sexed out?" she giggled as she threw her arms around my neck.

She wrapped my legs around me as I gently picked her up. "With you I could never be all sexed out," I told her, placing her on the counter.

I kissed her, softly at first, but then harder, my hands already moving to remove the Dartmouth shirt. This was perfect. This felt amazing. I liked having someone to wake up to, to kiss on a kitchen counter in the morning. I pulled the t-shirt over her head and immediately ducked my head down to kiss her breasts, stopping when I heard my pager.

"Shit, shit, shit," I mumbled relunctantly pulling away and looking at it. "I gotta go," I told her frowning.

"I thought you weren't on until eleven?" she sighed, pulling her t-shirt back on.

"I'm not, but apparently they need me now. I'm sorry, Mer," I said, kissing her quickly. "I'd rather stay here."

"It's fine," she grinned, pouring the now ready coffee into a thermos and handing it to me. "Dillon will be home in an hour anyway."

"Tell him I say hi," I said accepting the coffee and giving her another quick kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too," she smiled and then poured herself her own cup. I ran out of the house and quickly out to my car, cursing my career choice. I loved being a doctor, but there were days, days like today, when I wished I could stay in bed with my girlfriend. I quickly called the hospital to tell them I would be coming and then raced there, wishing I had chosen another career.

The day couldn't go fast enough. Meredith had invited me over for dinner again, we were getting into that routine, spending all our time together, getting used to being aroudn each other. And I just wanted to get home to her and Dillon, my night with my family. My surgeries today were all regular, boring, routine. Nothing held my attention.

I had a few consults to do, but otherwise, everything was just normal. I had to explain to my mother that I couldn't just leave the hospital for two hours for dinner, and she threatened to kill me for my attitude, but other than that, nothing was happening. Nothing was changing. None of this really felt important anymore. The only thing that mattered was my family.

My day was finally coming to a close, after a day of buzzing from one place to another without ever really stopping in one. Not stopping made the day go quicker and that's what I needed. I just needed to get home and it was soon. Suddenly my pager went off, they needed me for a consult in the pit.

I took the elevator and downstairs and began walking towards the pit, taking out my phone to text Meredith and tell her I might be late when suddenly, I looked up and saw Yang and Karev run into a room. The same room I was headed to. Why would they need cardio, gynie, and neuro in one room? It didn't make sense. And then suddenly, my heart stopped. Meredith.

I rushed into the room, my heart pounding so hard that I could hear it in my head. Meredith. Meredith. I reached the room and wildly look around. Karev and Cristina were there barking out orders. But there seemed to be no Meredith. And then I heard the crying and saw him. "Dillon? Bud?" I said, walking towards him in a trance. "What happened? What happened?" I snapped to everyone else in the room.

"He fell out of a tree," Meredith suddenly whimpered from the corner where she was kneeling, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He was climbing a tree in the back yard and he fell."

My heart picked up it's pace again. He fell from a tree, so much could be wrong with him. If he hit his head...and I couldn't fix him, not this case. Because he was my son, for all argumentative reasons he was my son. And if something serious was wrong with him, I don't know what Meredith and I would do. I blinked a tear out of my eyes and tried to smile encouragingly at her. "Bud, you okay?" I asked Dillon, surprised with the strain in my voice.

"My arm hurts," he cried, holding up his obviously broken left arm.

"Did you page an ortho?" I asked a nurse standing nearby. She looked at me blankly, "Someone page ortho, get Dr. Torres in here!" I barked turning back to meet Dillon's teary gaze. "Anywhere else bud? Did you hit your head?" I asked trying to keep my voice calm, surprised at the fear in my voice. I was used to dealing with injured children, a lot worse than this. But they weren't usually mine.

Before he could answer, the door slammed open and a male's voice yelled, "What the hell happened?" I turned to see Dr. Kelley come in, anger etched onto his features, his eyes blazing. "What the hell happened?"

I decided to ignore him, it didn't matter what exactly he was doing here. Right now I had to make sure Dillon was okay. "Bud, how's the head?" I asked again, crouching down to see him better.

"You couldn't even watch your own damn son?" Dr. Kelley screamed into Meredith's tear stained face. "Four hours, Meredith! Four fucking hours and he's in here surrounded by doctors. What the hell kind of mother are you that you couldn't watch your own damn son!"

Why the hell was he yelling at Meredith, Dr. Kelley had no reason to yell at Meredith. No one did, but let alone a man who didn't even know her. "Stop!" I yelled. "Just stop, Dillon doesn't need yelling. And why are you even here Dr. Kelley, we don't need a cardio consult."

"He's my son," Dr. Kelley turned and stared at me. "He's my son and his good for nothing mother couldn't watch him long enough to make sure he didn't climb that damn tree."

Dr. Kelley was that jack ass Lucas? Dr. Kelly was my Dillon's father? Of course that wasn't the important thing. "You do not snap at Meredith! You of all people don't get to yell at Meredith!" I shouted at him.

"I can yell at her as much as I damn want!" Lucas shouted right back, his face red with anger. "I dropped him off four hours ago. Four hours ago he didn't have a broken arm. Four hours ago he wasn't being examined by the head of neurosurgery."

"You can't yell at her, not here! Her son is in this room, hurt and scared and no, no yelling, not here, not now!" I shouted, and laughing slightly at him. "And you are the last person who can attack someone for being a bad parent."

"Who the hell are you to say I'm a bad parent?" Lucas growled. "You don't know a damn thing about my family. Not a single fucking thing. You don't have the right to accuse me of being a bad parent, Shepherd."

I heard a sniffle behind me and turned around to see Dillon back to being in tears. "He's mommy's boyfriend. Derek's mommy's boyfriend, right mommy?" Dillon asked, looking at Meredith.

Meredith nodded mutely, tears still streaming down her cheeks and Lucas turned to her, standing menacingly over her. "You have a fucking boyfriend and you didn't tell me?" he shouted.

Dr. Torres chose that moment to slip into the room and she looked around with a confused look on her face. "Bud, Dr. Torres is here to look after your arm. She's a friend of mine so she'll take care of you. When she's done I'll come look at your head." Dillon nodded tearfully at me and I gave him a kiss on the head before turning back to his father. "You in the hallway. You are not yelling at your son when he's getting a cast put on! Out!"

Lucas marched out of the door, Meredith following close behind him. I followed her and tried to grab her hand, tried to do something that would reassure her. But this wasn't my Meredith from last night or this morning. This was hurt Meredith. This was Meredith from a month ago. "I can't believe you didn't tell me, Meredith," he was screaming at her again. "Don't you think I have a right to know what the hell is going on in my son's life?"

"Der...Derek and I are newish, we haven't ...and it's new...and...I'm sorry," Meredith said in tears. God, this hurt, seeing her hurt like this again. She had come so far in the past month and now this. I just wanted to hold her.

"He's my son, Meredith," Lucas said. "My son. I have the right to know if you're even dating someone. If you're even going out on dates. Is that why he fell? Were the two of you too busy fucking?"

I hated Lucas for a while now, now I really did. "You have no idea what you're talking about, none! So before you say another word, think for a second. Think." I said, stepping in front of Meredith feeling the need to protect her. "Does she even know about your girlfriend?"

"Of course she does," Lucas scoffed. "Kimberly and I have been living together for six months now. Dillon loves her."

"Dillon loves Derek," Meredith said in a small voice from behind me. God she made me proud, just that tiny statement made everything better for me.

"I don't give a shit," he turned to her, disgust dripping from his every word. "I don't want my son around him."

"What?" Meredith and I said in unison, shock in both of our voices. Dillon was my son, even if he might be technically Lucas's, he was mine, in the past month he had become my son. Lucas couldn't take him away from me.

"If you can't be a good enough mother to take care of my son because you want to fuck some rich neurosurgeon," Lucas lowered his voice, "I'll take him off your hands."

"What Meredith and I have has nothing to do with fucking. Nothing! We love each other. And Meredith...Meredith is an amazing mother although I can't say the same for your fathering skills," I yelled.

"I am a perfect father," he yelled right back, getting into my face. "I would never let my son fall out of a tree. And as for you loving Meredith. Meredith has never loved any one in her life. She's not capable of it. Fuck 'em and go, that's your precious Meredith's motto."

I heard a whimper from behind me and turned around to find Meredith shaking with sobs. There were somethings more important fighting with this jackass. I walked away from the fuming Lucas and pulled Meredith into my arms, grateful when she melted into them. "It's okay, Mer, it's going to be okay."

Lucas stepped up to us and stared down at Meredith. "I'm contacting my attorney tonight," he stated. "And I'm suing for custody." And with that, he turned and left me with a sobbing Meredith.

I held her closer, as close as humanly possibly. I just held her and ignored the tears running down my face. She needed me right now, and god I wasn't going anywhere. "It's okay, Mer, it's okay. He's not going to take him away, it's okay."

"He's right," she sobbed. "I'm a terrible mother. I turned away and he climbed the tree. And now, god...he could be hurt. Lucas is right. I'm a terrible mother."

I pulled back slighly and made her meet my eyes. "Meredith Grey, you are an amazing mother. Never let anyone tell you different. Amazing. You turned around, it happens, it was a mistake that happens. That doesn't mean anything. And he will be fine, do you want me to go check on him?"

She nodded and tried to stop crying. "Derek, I love him," she whimpered. "He's my son."

"I know, Mer, I love him too. He's my son too," I told her, trying my best to comfort her as I led her back into the room where Dillon sat talking to Dr. Torress about the colour of his cast.

"Derek!" Dillon turned to me, a smile lighting up his tear stained face. "Callie says I can pick whatever color I want! Blue or red or green?"

"It's up to you, bud," I said smiling. "How's the head?"

"It hurts a little," he admitted. "I think I like blue. Maybe I should ask my daddy."

"Daddy's gone, hun," Meredith said sounding shaky.

"Oh," his face fell. "Mommy, what do you think? Blue or red or green?"

"What Derek said, it's up to you," Meredith said. She sounded so hurt, I rubbed her back gently.

"Callie, what do you think?" he turned to Callie. "Blue or red or green?"

"Blue's pretty cool," Callie said enthusiastically.

"I think so too," he nodded. "Okay, I want blue. Derek, will you sign my blue arm?"

"Of course I will bud. But I have to check out your head first, mommy's orders," I told him nodding seriously.

"Okay," he shrugged. "Is my Daddy mad at me?"

"No, he's mad at me," Meredith said sounding nervous.

"Why?" Dillon asked as I shined my penlight into his eyes.

"Sometimes adults get mad for no good reason," I explained gently. "And I don't think he doesn't like me very much."

"Daddy's silly," Dillon giggled. "Derek, you gotta take me fishing now. Cause I'm hurted."

"I promise to take you my next day off," I told him ruffling up his hair and turning to look up at Meredith. "Everything seems fine. I can take him for a CT if you want to be sure, but it's not needed."

"Are you sure?" Meredith asked. "No blood clots? Maybe a light concussion? I mean, what about an aneurysm? He fell so hard."

I laughed gently at Meredith as I stood up and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back. "Everything seems fine Meredith. We'll keep an eye on him tonight but he should be fine."

"Am I spending the night?" Dillon asked.

"You don't have to," I said laughing gently at him. "I think I can make a house call just this once."

"Hey, Dillon," Callie smiled at him, "I have to set your arm now. Okay? So I'm going to have to give you medicine so it doesn't hurt."

Dillon looked up at Meredith and I with terror in his eyes. "It's okay bud, your mom and I are staying right here."

"And when Dr. Torres is done," Meredith smiled, brushing his hair off his forehead, "Derek and Mommy will take you for ice cream."

"Yay!" Dillon said, forgetting about his arm for a second.

"Mer!" George suddenly came running into the room, his eyes wide. "Cristina called me. What happened?"

"Dillon fell out of a tree. His arm, he broke his arm. But Derek said he's fine," Meredith said, trying to manage a wobly smile.

"I'm okay, Uncle George," Dillon nodded. "Callie's gonna give me a blue cast!"

George looked at Callie with a look of confusion on his face obviously wondering why Dillon had warmed up so well. "George this is Dr. Callie Torres, Callie this is Meredith's friend George."

"Hi," Callie nodded at him as she injected some pain killer into Dillon's IV.

Dillon just grinned obviously trying to be strong, he was such a great kid. I pulled Meredith closer to me. "Are you okay?" I whispered in her ear.

She shook her head against my chest, and I could hear her trying to choke back tears. "He's going to take him away, Derek."

"No he's not, Mer. He's not taking him anywhere," I reassured her.

"He didn't even want him," she sighed as we watched Callie set Dillon's arm. "He's my life, Derek. Six years ago, I didn't even like kids. But Dillon..."

"Dillon's something special," I told her, rubbing her arms up and down. "We're a family Meredith, he's not going to hurt that. You and Dillon aren't alone anymore, you have me."

Hold you through the night, and you'll be unaware, but if you need me I'll be there