Okay, massive apologies for the delay in the update! I hope you like the pregnancy twist!

I looked over at Derek with a smile as he and Mia worked quietly on her weekly homework at our eight seater dinner table; I'd really and honestly thought we had been done with the babies and realisation sunk in that there was more to come.

Derek looked up at my locked in gaze and frowned.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked.

"I'm just fine darling," I answered.

But I wasn't okay.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

"Yeah,"

NO!

"Mer…" it was quite uncanny how Derek always seemed to know when something was wrong. "Can we do this after dinner now, Mia?"

Mia nodded.

"Okay…do you think you could go and watch some television so mommy and I can talk?"

Mia climbed off the chair and wandered into the living room where she turned the television on. Derek turned around to smile at me sincerely.

"You haven't been yourself lately," he said.

"I've just been really tired honey…" I lied; truth be told, it had been a whole week since I'd learned I was pregnant but I still hadn't told anyone.

Derek frowned.

"Mer…you know, as well as I do, that you are a really, really bad liar…" he said.

I knew that was incredibly true.

"I…I'm not lying…" I lied once more as he stood within inches of my now flustered face.

"Spill…" he said softly.

I couldn't though.

"I'm just…well…yeah, I've just been sick…and I am just so ready to go back to work…" I said.

Derek knew that deep down in my shaking words, it wasn't the complete and entire truth, but not wanting to cause an argument, he managed to accept it.

"Well, you'll be back there in no time at all honey…" he told me softly as he ran his incredibly soft hands down my cheeks with his open palms.

His beautiful and large lips came close to my much smaller ones and grazed over them for a moment where they almost, just almost, took away all of my insecurity that I was feeling right then. For a split second, I nearly opened my mouth and told him; but the flecking and smoky scent that alerted my nostrils soon enough, interrupted my forming words.

"Crap!" I gasped as I quickly pulled away and raced to the stove, pulling the blue saucepan from the hotplate. "You better stop distracting me…" I said with a slight chuckle. "Or, I could burn our dinner…"

"It wouldn't be the first time…" Derek chuckled.

I poked him in the ribs with my stirrer.

"I see that you're really making a conscious effort to stay out of the dog house honey," I said with a smile as I looked into the lounge room to see Charlie talking on the phone and Mia and Riley watching the television.

I wondered if another baby would, in fact, break that new found peace and quiet.

"Kids…dinner time!" I called.

Riley and Mia jumped up quickly, but Charlie's response was less than anticipated as she continued to talk on the phone.

"Charlie…"

No answer.

"Charlie…" I said again.

There was still no response.

"Charlotte Shepherd!"

Charlie whipped around and looked over her shoulder as her auburn hair flicked to the side of her face.

"What?" she whispered abruptly.

"Dinner!" I told her.

She nodded.

Derek and I were laying together in bed that night; simply enjoying the peace and quiet we seemed to get a lot of lately. I was flicking casually through a Neuroscience text book and Derek was completely submersed into his new Seattle Times Crossword.

"Okay, it's a film…finished with a seven letter word…Notes on a…what?" he asked me.

"Scandal!"

Derek chuckled to himself.

"How did we get back to crossword puzzles and current events honey?" he asked.

I laughed.

"Since we raised three children," I answered with a giggle knowing that in fact, our child raising had been a rollercoaster.

Derek laughed and leaned down to kiss me softly.

"And we've made it…" he said. "No more diapers, no more biting and no more of the terrible twos!"

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"Actually, honey…there is something I want to talk to you about…I have been meaning to tell you…" I said.

Derek diverted his attention to me.

"What is it sweetheart?" he questioned sweetly.

"Well…it's just…"

My words were starkly and suddenly interrupted by Mia's shouts from her not so distant bedroom.

"Mom!"

I groaned and looked at Derek.

Climbing out of bed slowly and sliding my feet into a pair of pink scuff slippers, I made my way over to the door and exited the bedroom into the hallway where I wandered over to Mia's room. As I walked through her bedroom door, I saw her sitting upright and shaking slightly.

"Baby…what's wrong?" I asked as I quickly raced over to the bed and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly.

"I-I-I h-heard a n-noise…" she stuttered.

I sighed and rubbed her back.

"It's probably just the rain sweetie…it's okay…"

After spending much time trying my best to coax Mia back to sleep, I made my way back into the bedroom and into bed.

"Sorry honey…" I sighed; but as I walked into our, now dark, bedroom, I noticed that Derek had in fact fallen asleep.

I smiled and walked over.

"Derek…" I whispered.

No answered.

"Derek…"

And with an evident and heavy sigh of defeat, I climbed under the covers and went back to sleep.

"Charlie! Let's go! We're going to be late!" I called as both Mia and Riley waited impatiently at the foot of the stairs.

"That's it!" Riley exclaimed. "Charlie!" he screamed loudly.

I whacked his arm lightly.

"Shut up!" I told him sternly. "I want you and Mia to go and sit in the car right now, and I will take care of your sister!"

I started walking up the stairs only to hear Charlie's feet hitting the ground as she met me halfway down the stairs.

"Let's go!" I cried.

"Yeah, yeah!" Charlie replied.

I never felt more relieved that morning than to drop the kids at school; the chickenpox had tried my patience one too many times and it had also made the kids unbearably annoying. At this point, I was so desperate to get back to work.

Arriving at work, however, I opened the oak door to my office to see Cristina sitting on the edge of my desk, clearly waiting for me.

I shook my head.

"Don't you have an office?" I asked.

"Okay, seriously…I have to tell you that I have heard nothing except twins, twins and twins all week…so please tell me you can offer me more than just mommy talk!" Cristina begged.

I laughed.

"My children are at school and for me, it is surgery time!" I answered. "But I do have something to tell you…"

Cristina frowned.

"Spill," she ordered.

"I'm pregnant…" I sighed.

Her eyes widened so far that she bounced off the edge of the desk.

"What?" she screeched.

"You heard me!" I yelled reactively.

"But you…"

"Are stupid…I know…"

"How?"

"Do you need the birds and the bees talk again?"

Cristina groaned.

"Okay…what does McDreamy say?"

I looked at her nervously and watched her eyes widen another time when she realised what I was implying.

"You didn't tell him?" she cried.

I shook my head.

"Uh…why?"

"I went to…and I just…"

Interrupting my words, my cell phone started ringing incessantly.

"Hold that thought…" I flicked it open. "Hello?"

"Dr. Shepherd…?"

"Yes,"

"It's Principal Jones from Seattle East Middle School…I'm calling about your son…"

My heart sank.

"Is he okay?'

"Um…we have a slight situation here…"

"What?"

"You knocked him out?" I screeched as I walked through the doors of the principal's office. "Riley James Shepherd, I am so mad at you!"

Principal Jones looked at me and sighed.

"Why?" I asked a rather silent Riley.

Riley looked up and shrugged.

"Oh…no, no, no mister!" I said warningly. "You are going to give me answers young man!"

Riley groaned.

"Just because…" he sighed.

As suspension seemed to be the one way that school could discipline my very disobedient children, Riley came back to the hospital with me; I had called Derek on the way home and he was waiting for us at the entrance when we pulled up in the black BMW.

"This is bad…" Riley said.

"Riley…fighting at school is bad…" I told him with a shake of my head as we walked towards Derek.

Riley groaned.

"Great…the wrath of dad!"

Derek moved over to us rather quickly.

"Fighting?" he cried.

Riley shrugged.

"My office…now, young man!" Derek said angrily.

By the time we'd made our way to Derek's office, Derek had certainly let the anger boil in his head.

"You knocked a kid out?" he yelled.

"Dad…I just…"

"Why?"

"Because he stole my girlfriend!"

I almost started laughing.

"Your girlfriend?" I asked.

"She kissed Jayden…well, he kissed her!" Riley exclaimed.

"Your best friend?" Derek repeated.

Riley nodded.

Derek stopped for a moment and looked at Riley almost knowingly.

"Did you put your weight behind the punch?" he asked.

Riley nodded.

"Then, we're good!"

"Derek!" I cried. I turned to Riley. "Take your homework to my office,"

He nodded and walked out.

I shook my head and rested my arms around Derek's waist.

"I can't do this…" I sighed as I started to cry.

Derek tightened his grip for a moment as I started to feel the most side splitting and horrendous pain shoot through my abdomen; the pain grew unbearable and it was becoming difficult to breathe.

"Mer…"

"Derek…" I gasped for air in shallow and quick breaths.

"Mer…what is it?"

And with no warning…I collapsed.

I'm sorry to leave you hanging there... and remember, Derek doesn't know that Mer is pregnant!

REVIEW!!

Amy.