Okay - there have been a lot of questions and I can see why... someone asked how long they've been separated...that would be three or so months.. They are not divorced - just separated... I hope everyone is enjoying it!!

What had I done?

I awoke from a little over an hour's sleep the very next morning to Charlie opening the bedroom door.

"Mom…" she said quietly.

I groaned and rolled over.

"Are you awake?" she asked again.

I nodded from the mound of pillows that had become ever so messy from last night and finally, I greeted the sunshine with my eyes…

How ironic…sunshine in Seattle when the thunderstorm has hit…

Charlie climbed into bed with me and nestled close, something she had not done in a long time up until about three months ago…when Derek and I split.

"Can I ask you something mom…?"

I rolled onto my side to face her as her beautiful blue eyes asked a million questions in the simple flick of an eyelash. She wanted answers from me right then, and I couldn't give them to her… you see, it's hard to give answers when you haven't got a clue yourself.

"What is it?" I asked her with a heavy sigh. "But if it is about Spring Fling, honey the answer is still no…"

Charlie shook her head.

"Mom…I just need to know…do you think you and dad will ever get back together?" she asked.

I pursed my lips for a moment, wondering if there was any chance…the slightest inclining that she knew about last night…surely not, because if I know my daughter, she would be mortified at the thought.

"Why do you ask me that question?" I sighed.

"Because I need some hope!" Charlie exclaimed dramatically. She threw her head back against the pillows and exhaled a long, resentful groan. "I mean, I know that there is like an unspoken crap or whatever between you and Aunty Iz…oh and Aunty Cristina, well she gives it away all the time…"

I sighed heavily.

"Charlie…" I brushed a lock of auburn hair from her face. "Your dad and I, we have such complex problems sweetie…that there would be no way in earth we could fix them over night…"

We certainly tried…

"But are you trying?" Charlie cried in exasperation. "I mean, god mom, you two love each other…"

"Charlie…I still love your dad very, very much darling…but I just…anyway, we need to get everyone organised for school so that you and I can go to the hospital…" I told her as I sat up.

She rolled her eyes.

"I'll help Mia," she offered.

I smiled at what a great sister she was at times as she moved into the hallway and headed for her bedroom.

"Good morning beautiful!" came Izzie's voice as she saw Charlie.

"Good morning Aunty Iz," Charlie answered.

Izzie knocked on Jordin's door.

"Jordy, breakfast!" she called before she tapped on Jacob's door. "You too, Jacob!"

"Iz…" I called out.

She turned around and smiled.

"Hey…"

I motioned for her to come into the room.

"Close the door," I said quickly.

She followed my instructions and moved hesitantly over to the bed where she knew I had big news.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she studied the pale expression of my face and the startled gaze I was flashing her. "Mer, seriously, you're starting to freak me out!"

I shook my head repeatedly.

"I did something terrible…well it didn't seem terrible at the time…and well he just…it's just well Derek texted me…" I rambled.

"He texted you?" Izzie exclaimed. "God, this is so freaking typical of McDreamy…starting the whole text frenzy…"

"He came over and he was drunk…" I continued as I saw Izzie's expression change again as her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in absolute shock and anticipation.

"He came over?" she shrieked. "I hope that is the only came you are going to use in this conversation…"

"Not exactly..." I said tentatively.

"You had sex?" Izzie screeched.

"We talked about us…what went wrong…all of our mistakes," I explained in the best way I could. "And then we had sex…absolutely out of this world, mind blowing, amazing sex…and then…I sorta kicked him out of the house…"

Izzie laughed.

"You kicked him out?" she repeated.

"I didn't want to Iz…but the kids…oh god, I couldn't have them finding out… they don't need it…it would just make everything so damn complicated…" I said to her. "Charlie doesn't need complicated right now…but I don't want any of them to get hurt or to make this separation any harder than it already is…"

"Mer…" Izzie shook her head. "You know as well as I do that Derek would never, ever hurt you or the kids again…he still loves you…" Izzie told me.

I nodded, know that she was most definitely right.

Four heads poked around the door and I looked up only to start laughing at how funny it looked. Izzie giggled too as Jacob, Jordin, Mia and Riley all entered the room and perched themselves on the end of the bed.

"Good morning!" I smiled as Mia and Jordin came and sat in my arms and Riley and Jacob sat next to Izzie.

"Aunty Mer…" Jordin said quietly.

"Yes honey?" I asked her.

"Can you please take Mia and I to the mall on Saturday? Mom is working and we are just dying to get the new High School Musical cd…" Jordin asked sweetly as her beautiful blonde locks fell below her big brown eyes as she swooped it to one side.

"Of course sweetie," I replied.

"You need a haircut honey," Izzie ran her fingers through Jordin's long locks and smiled.

"It's okay," Jordin replied. "I like it long…"

"Well make sure you tie it up today…" Izzie told her as she kissed her forehead gently.

"Jacob honey, can you and Riley go and clean up the fort in the lounge room please?" I asked the boys.

Jacob smiled at me.

"Okay," he answered.

"Thank you," I said. I pulled Riley over for a quick cuddle that I missed so much when he was away. "Can you do that for me?"

Riley nodded and kissed my cheek.

"Girls, go and get Charlie to do your hair," I told them as I sat up. "Remember, you're all catching the bus today, so you all need to start getting ready,"

The girls ran from the room giggling.

As I started to get dressed I heard the commotion that sounded from the bathroom door momentarily.

"Charlie hurry up!" Riley yelled. "I need to pee!"

"We have other bathrooms!" Charlie yelled back.

Riley pounded on the door.

"They're all filled with girls!" he shouted. "Hurry up! I know you are only fixing yourself up for that creepy Jeremy Mitchell so get over it already! You're not even going to school!"

He leaned against the door in frustration as George emerged, wondering what all of the commotion was about.

"Uncle George…make Charlie come out from the bathroom please!" Riley pleaded.

George laughed.

"I'll try what I do to Jordin…" he said slyly. "Hey Charlie…" he called from the door.

"I'm nearly done!" Charlie shot back.

"I'm coming in…" George told her.

"The door is locked and I am in my bra!" Charlie replied.

George winked at Riley.

"I can pick the lock honey, and seriously, do you think I care about seeing you in your bra…? I have known you for ten years…bathed you…watched you pee…" George stirred.

Charlie screeched in embarrassment.

"Seriously Uncle George?" she cried.

"Picking the lock…" George rattled the door knob.

The door flung open to reveal a frustrated Charlie.

"Good morning sweetheart," George kissed her cheek.

"Hurry up kids! The bus is going to be here in an hour or so and I hate to remind everyone that no one has had any breakfast!" came Izzie's voice from downstairs.

Riley groaned and shoved Charlie out of the way.

"Get over yourself!" he told her in the most frustrated and irritable tone ever known to an eleven year old…but then again, he is Derek's son…

George quickly grabbed Charlie's arm.

"Hey…no more smoking I hope?" he asked.

"Seriously, not you too…" Charlie sighed.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry everyone has been on your case about it, I was just checking…" George answered. "Now who is this little creep Mitchell Jeremy?"

His name is Jeremy Mitchell!" Charlie replied. "And he is a freshman who asked me to the Spring Fling…"

"Freshman…you're not a freshman for two years…" George used his fingers to count the age. "He's seventeen?" he exclaimed. "Oh, Charlie, no way, he is too old for you!"

Charlie rolled her eyes and made her way down the stairs, snatching up one of the two belts of mine in my bedroom on her way.

The beauty of raising a teen…

I arrived at the hospital with Charlie closely in tow only to be immediately confronted with Cristina.

"Since when do you run a home schooling system?" she asked as she eyed Charlie. "You're a surgeon, not a teacher…"

"Cristina, she can't be left at home all day on her own…" I protested.

Charlie groaned.

"I'm totally responsible!" she cried.

"Yeah, because smoking in the girls bathroom under a vent during class is really responsible Charlie," I sighed.

"What, and you having sex with dad last night is setting a good example mom?" Charlie retorted.

I stopped dead in my tracks and Cristina's eyes widened so much that I thought at one point he eyelids would split in two.

"You had sex with McDreamy?" she yelled.

Izzie walked in.

"Oh good, you told her…" she commented.

"No, your big mouthed niece told her…" I whipped around to glare at Charlie in a way that made me more like a friend than her mother in that moment. "How did you know?"

"Oh please mom," Charlie groaned as she handed me my lab coat. "I wasn't born yesterday…my bedroom over looks the driveway, for one…I heard his car pull up…" she explained. "Not to mention, dad's favourite black leather belt…" she pulled the belt from her handbag. "…was hanging over the chair this morning…"

"Charlie…" I sighed heavily. "Maybe you could go and find something to do while I spend some time talking to your aunts?"

Charlie rolled her eyes and walked out of the attending's lounge.

"So tell me…what is the name for a person who sleeps with her ex husband?" I asked them.

"A self adulterer?" Izzie suggested.

"Emotional suicide!" Cristina cried. "Not to mention a ticket back to the dirty ex-mistresses club!"

"At least McSteamy will be happy about that!" Izzie added.

"God…what am I doing…?" I groaned as I sank back down into the lounge and let loose a long and distorted groan.

In the meantime, Charlie was making her way through the hospital hallways, doing what she did best – turning heads.

"Where are you off to young lady?" came a voice that was very, very familiar to her.

She whipped around.

"Hi Miranda!" Charlie smiled as Bailey walked over.

"Hey honey," Bailey smiled putting charts down at the nurses' station. "So what are you doing home from school?" she asked.

"Seriously, the only thing that spreads worse than disease in this hospital is gossip! How do you not know?" Charlie cried.

Bailey laughed.

"So fill me in on the gossip…" she prompted.

"I'm sorta suspended from school…" Charlie looked down.

"Not cutting class again are we?" Bailey asked; she knew that Charlie had tendencies to cut school and go shopping.

"Um…smoking and cutting class…" Charlie muttered.

"Smoking?" Bailey exclaimed. "Charlotte Shepherd!"

"I know, I know…you take out lungs every year because of lung cancer caused from smoking…yada yada yada…I've had the third degree from everyone already!" Charlie cried. "Now, I have to find my dad…do you know where he is?"

"He's in his office honey," Bailey answered.

Charlie nodded and continued to make her way to Derek's office. When she approached the door, she knocked gently.

"Come in!" Derek called.

Charlie walked through the door and smiled at him; his head still down.

"Hey dad!" she said happily.

Derek looked up.

"Hi honey!" he replied, equally as happy to see his daughter. He got up and walked over to give her a hug. "Did you come to work with your mom today?"

"Yeah, apparently I'm not responsible enough to be trusted at home on my own…" Charlie groaned.

"Yeah, I tend to agree with your mother on that one…" Derek replied with a chuckle. "So why are you talking to your boring old dad when you could be watching your mom in OR2 at ten with a hemispherectomy… or Mark in OR1 with a calvarian bone harvest?"

"Well…" Charlie reached into her bag. "I thought I would return your favourite belt…"

Derek nearly choked.

"Seeing as though you left it at the house last night…" Charlie added on.

Derek's eyes widened at how incredibly bright and astute his daughter was.

"Yeah…I am not going to talk about the fact that you and mom are having sex but aren't together…but just to clarify…it is more than sex isn't it dad?" Charlie asked.

Derek was completely lost for words.

"Isn't it dad?" Charlie repeated.

"Of course it is Charlie…but your mother and I have very, very complex problems and we can't just…work it out in one night…" Derek sighed. "I am really trying to make it work Charlie…but you know your mother…"

Charlie nodded.

"She can't be pushed…" Derek told her.

"But you're trying?" Charlie questioned.

"I'm trying honey…I promise…" Derek smiled. "Now, go and watch a surgery or something…keep out of trouble…"

Charlie tossed the belt onto the desk and kissed her dad on the cheek.

"Love you dad,"

"Love you too precious," Derek answered.

I was walking up the corridor when I saw Charlie exit Derek's office. I knew that somewhere along the line I had to bite the bullet and get this confrontation over with.

I made my way slowly to his office and lingered at the closed door for a while until a loud and amused voice interrupted me.

"A little scared of something Meredith?"

I whipped around to see Mark standing there.

"God, you shouldn't sneak up on people…hasn't anyone ever taught you manners?" I cried.

Mark chuckled at my nervous talk.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"Work stuff…" I replied quickly.

"Oh, what did you do?" Mark asked with a laugh. "Are you screwing another man? Because I'll kill him…just like this Jeremy Mitchell kid that O'Malley has been talking about!"

"Oh the freshman who wants to take my fifteen year old to the Spring Fling… yeah, I wouldn't mind killing him myself…" I laughed.

Mark shook his head and continued walking.

I knocked on the door of the office.

"Come in…" Derek called out.

I mustered the courage to walk through the door. He looked up from his paper work as I clicked it shut gently.

"Hi…"

I hate to leave you hanging there... I know it's mean and cruel, but I am just trying to get a bit of bulk for the next chapter...

PLEASE REVIEW... the more I get, the closer I will be to posting the next chapter!!

Amy.