Last chapter.

I know many of you will protest, but this story was born in my spare time, something to take my mind off LADW or TY for a while and it worked, because it gave purpose to write more and even publish a new story. I might fill the blanks or add a sequel but at this point, you just need to wait. I won't promise it, I just might pick up the pieces. At some point there might be an epilogue or some sort but for me, this is finished.

What What The Water Gave Me by Florence + The Machine transmitted to me the first time I listened to it is hard to put on words. It's the new single, the first our of the album that will come out in October. It's magical and can bring you somewhere else entirely than your seat or your couch. Just close your eyes while you listen to it. Okay, read the story first, then listen to the song or vice versa ;)

I wanted to than each and everyone of you who read this, who put it in the alerts, who favorited it, who reviewed. I was expecting a little more excitement over this, but I won't complain. It's a three-shot, a quick reading, it was bound to happen. You people make this whole world go on and I'm extremely grateful.

Enjoy this last bit then.

What The Water Gave Me

It was raining buckets, even if it was mid summer. The sky reflected my mood. I just had my second doctor's appointment in the morning and I missed Derek more than anything. I still haven't found the courage to tell him the good news so I kept telling him I had a surprise for him. I felt like a coward.

Only three more weeks, then he will be here.

I called two days ago and he told me that he was going to Kabul for a case. The situation was bad, but he needed to go there to save a kid and a soldier wounded by the explosion of a bomb. He always said that things were worse in Kabul, but I tried to skip on that little detail, hanging on the fact that in three more weeks I was going to see him again.

I switched on the news and I saw that there had been an attack in Kabul and a team of American doctors had been badly wounded right this morning, one of them didn't make it. They were going back to Kandahar.

My heart sank low in my stomach and for a moment, everything remained still and I breathed in slow motion. He promised he'd live, but he couldn't prevent attacks, could he? Kabul was dangerous, he always said that.

And now he was probably dead.

The first batch of tears began flowing immediately down my cheeks, my hand reaching to rub my slightly rounder abdomen, the only thing I had left of Derek, probably.

The baby was perfect and still, I couldn't imagine never sharing all the things that were swirling in my head with Derek anymore. I'd probably never hear his voice again and that simple thought was unbearable.

I stood up quickly and, fighting my dizziness, I went to the phone and dialed the already familiar number.

The afghan receptionist had a better accent after two months, but nothing sounded comforting in his voice anymore, even if calm and just slightly tired.

"Kandahar Red Cross Clinic" he was able to say in a perfect English and I wondered if Derek helped him out with the language as well. He'd be someone that would do that. God, Derek...

"Hey Abdul, I'm looking for Derek, it's Meredith" I choked a sob "I know he was in Kabul in the past two days"

"They are still there" he replied calmly and I felt another piece of my heart shattering.

"I heard there was an attack" I whispered

"We don't have news, sorry. Lines are bad and bombs messed things up. I'm sorry"

"Is Amelia with him?" I asked, hearing his sister's voice the only comforting thought right at the moment.

"She's here, do you want to talk to her?"

"Please"

"I'll tell him to call you as soon as he'll get back" he added then. We almost became friends after all the calls I had made and all the small talks we made while I waited for Derek to come to the phone. What if he'll never answer the phone again?

"Thank you Abdul"

"Bye Meredith"

The usual shuffling followed the silence and then Amelia's voice greeted me.

"Hey Mer" she didn't sound like Derek was dead. At all.

"Where's you brother Amy?"

"Kabul?" she asked tentatively

"There had been an attack, a team of American doctors was caught up in the mess. Please, tell me you know where your brother is" I pleaded, fighting back fresh tears.

"God, Meredith, I didn't know about the attack, here all the main communication lines with Kabul had been cut by the Taliban" she seemed really concerned and my fear grew more and more.

"Tell him to call as soon as he gets back, okay. Day or night, doesn't matter" I ordered

"I will. I'm sure he's fine, Mer"

"I need him to be okay, it's...he has to be okay" I began sobbing "I kept telling him...and now I never told him...and this morning, God...he might be dead and..." I rambled, unable to form a coherent sentence and breaking down over the phone

"Meredith, take a deep breath and explain things, okay? Slowly, one at a time" she coached gently

"Okay" I sighed "But you don't have to tell him anything"

"Pinky promise. It's still counts over the phone, right?" she lightened up my mood just a little. She was good at it.

"I'm pregnant Amy." I took a breath "And it's amazing, the baby is doing great and today I heard the heartbeat and I saw the tiny fists. Derek needs to be alive, okay?"

"You're pregnant?" she asked in disbelief "And he doesn't know?"

"I couldn't tell him over the phone. I wanted to wait for him to be home but now..."

"You'll tell him in three weeks Meredith" she said firmly and I wanted to believe her

"I can't do this without him" I began sobbing again.

"Meredith, listen to me, he's not dead for sure. Hell, I can't think about my big brother being dead, okay? He'll be here tomorrow at the most and he'll call you" she said convincingly, her voice unwavering.

"Okay"

"Will you send me the ultrasound pictures, please? I still can't believe that Derek is going to be a father" she asked and I could see the smile on her face.

"I need him to be okay, Amy"

"I know, Mer. We all do"

My doorbell rang and for a second I wondered who was at the door, probably someone else who watched the news tonight. A new batch of tears streamed down my face.

"Wait a sec" I told Amy "I need to see who's at the door"

I took the cordless with me and as soon as I opened the door I almost dropped it on the floor.

"D...Derek?" I babbled as soon as a tall, dark-haired figure showed up on my porch. It was unmistakeably him.

I remained there a little bit awestruck by his presence on my porch, still wrapping my mind around the idea that he was there, alive an well and not somewhere in Afghanistan dead. His eyes locked with mine and he managed a full fledged smile, one of the ones that gave him the nickname McDreamy for a reason.

"I gotta go Amy, Derek's here" I babbled, like he'd never left, before I could end the conversation quickly and throw my arms at his neck, still not fully believing that he was there. It was probably just the last dream and in a moment I will wake up and everything will be gone and he'll still be in Kandahar.

Except that he wasn't a dream, he was there in flesh and blood, standing on my doorstep, wet till the bone, his stubble longer than usual, just like his hair. He still looked amazing and a little bit tanned as well. He smelled like aftershave, desert and rain all in the same inch and it felt amazing to hold him so close.

"Hi" he whispered in my ear and I began sobbing loudly in his arms, clutching to his sweater tightly than ever.

"Hey, hey, hey Mer, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, I'm home" he soothed, hugging me back as tightly as I remembered, yet my barely noticeable baby bump fit perfectly between us. I breathed in his scent, I enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me once more, before I pulled him in for a fierce kiss.

Nothing had changed, except that almost three months apart made the kiss feel perfect. He was home, safe and sound.

"Derek" I whispered, unable to say anything more between the whimpers.

"What is it?" he whispered softly, his wide smile never faltering.

"I missed you so much" I chocked on my words and he squeezed me a bit tighter.

"I missed you too. You still want to marry me, even if I disappeared, right?" he lightened up the mood remarkably and I was able to giggle between my tears

"More than anything" I admitted, no doubt in my answer as soon as he pulled me closer to his chest again. "I love you so much"

"I love you too" he replied before his lips were on mine again for a long, soft kiss.

When I pulled away from his arms I realized that we were still on the doorstep and I still had the phone in my hands. I smiled and I let him in, closing the door after he brought in his suitcase and backpack.

"You came home early" I stated the obvious, still needing further proof of his presence there

"I couldn't stay there any longer. Were you talking to Amy over the phone?" he smirked

"Yeah, she'd probably think I'm crazy or something" he chuckled and kissed me again, quick and gentle

"Why? I mean, we hear from you more than from Mom" he mocked

"I heard the news about an attack in Kabul with doctors involved and I flipped. I called her and cried, a lot, then I just hung up when you showed up, it's not really something you do after you cry that much, I mean, she'll think I'm seeing you here because I thought you were dead, so I was probably seeing you ghost or something" I replied, all in one breath.

"Meredith" his wide smile stopped me before I could add anything more incomprehensible

"Sorry" I mumbled

"You thought I was dead?" he asked concerned then, his hand sneaking around my waist and pulling me in for an hug. He always caught the parts of my rambling that I wish he'd miss.

I nodded into his chest "I just wanted to know why you weren't there yet"

"I went to Kabul to go home, I heard that a plane was leaving for New York and then I took a plane to Seattle" he sighed "I saw my mother briefly when I waited for the next plane and she told me you had been calling her regularly" he smirked

"Yeah, she's very nice, she stayed here for a while after you left and I guess she likes me" I was still surprised by the way she warmed up to me so easily.

I called her since I found out about the baby because I really needed someone to freak out to and she seemed the first and most reliable option in my book.

"Oh, she absolutely adores you. I'm quoting her, believe me" It was my turn to giggle "She mentioned a surprise too, when I will be home, so it must be seriously big" he smiled widely again, disguising the fact that he was trying to subtly get hints.

"It's huge" I whispered, nuzzling in his chest again and imagining for a moment what his face would be like when I'll tell him the amazing news.

"Do you want to give it to me?" he grinned, clearly impatient

"In a minute" I breathed him in once, twice, letting his smell soothe me. He was there, alive, breathing, perfectly fine, even tanner and hotter than I had left him. On the hotter I bet that hormones had to do with my new perception of him anyway.

"I love you" he whispered in my ear and it felt so good to finally feel his breath on my skin when he said those three words in my ear.

"I'm pregnant" I mumbled in his chest and I felt him stiffen immediately. He pulled away from me and stared deeply in my eyes, looking for a confirmation of my words. I simply smiled and he grinned back, his whole face lightening up, the corner of his lips slowly, painfully slowly, curling up in one of his best smiles.

"You're pregnant?" he asked back, needing to confirm my words. I nodded and he just kissed me passionately, then he pulled me in his arms and held me tightly.

"I hope you like the surprise" I mumbled in his ear and I felt the corner of his lips curl up even more.

He pulled away again and knelt at my feet, lifting up my ratty t-shirt and exposing my slightly rounder belly. He traced it with his rough but delicate fingers, a wide smile plastering his features and his eyes screaming his happiness, then he placed a soft, lingering kiss right above my navel, where the swelling was slightly more pronounced.

"It's the best surprise ever"

AN: This is it.

I'll leave the wedding, the baby, the whole conversation after this, Amelia, the nightmares for another story. It's like a snack for your boring afternoons, okay? If you want more, just say the word, but I warn you, it might take a long while.

Once again, thank you for reading this, even if I wrapped this up in like a week, I still hope you enjoyed this.

Derek is home.