Derek woke up several times during the night. He just had to check on her. And every time he did, Meredith would say, "She's fine, Derek." He would just shrug and go check. He was afraid that she would wake up in the middle of the night, and not know where she was. Meredith had to smile, he really was a dad.

Derek didn't wake up until seven-thirty. He reached his arm over, expecting to feel Meredith's warm body. Instead he felt the cold sheet next to him. He was tired. He didn't have anything on the board. And after his sleepless night, he was happy to just lay there and rest. He closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep. And he nearly was, that is, until he heard the giggles. He crept down the stairs, as he got closer he could hear Anna.

"No, you're doing it wrong!" Anna argued.

"What am I doing wrong?" Meredith asked with a laugh.

"They aren't supposed to look like that!" Anna said with a giggle. "Those are yuck!"

"What's going on in here?" He asked as he face certain danger. Meredith and Anna were both covered in flour.

"Merediff and I are making pancakes!" Anna said happily.

"Trying to." Meredith said as she pointed to a whole plateful of inedible foodstuff. "But we're fine!"

"Wow." He muttered as he looked at the mess. It looked like a food war had went on. The eggs were battling the flour and the flour was on the floor.

"Do you know how to make pancakes?" Anna asked Derek with a twinkle in her eye. She looked like she had lost all hope in Meredith.

"Actually, I do." He said with a smile as he walked over to them. "What is this?" He asked with a chuckle as he looked down at the half mixed batter. He cut one of the cooked pancakes and the middle was full of dry flour. "Wow, Mer." He laughed.

"Not funny!" She said as she smacked him on the arm. "We need your help...I guess." She mumbled.

"What's that you say?" Derek said with a grin.

"She said she needs your help!" Anna said loudly.

"Oh, is that right?" He laughed as he cracked the eegs against the bowl. "You mix." He told Anna. She quickly went to the task.

"Good morning." Derek said as he leaned in and kissed Meredith.

"Ewww, mush!" Anna said as she looked at them.

"You have morning breath." Meredith said with a giggle.

"That's what happens when you women wake me up." He said lightheartedly. "What time did you get up?" He asked.

"Anna woke me up at quarter till seven." Meredith replied.

"Oh, an early riser..." Derek pointed out. "You would do well with doctor's hours."

"I wanna be a doctor." She said as she continued to stir.

"I think that is ready." He said as he grabbed the bowl. "See, Mer, this is what it should look like." He told her as he began to pour it on the griddle.

"Yes, sir!" Meredith answered sharply. "Anna, do you want orange or apple juice?" Meredith asked.

"I want soda!" She said boldly.

"Uh, no." Meredith said firmly. "Apple or orange?"

"Soda." She sang as she watched Derek.

"I hate to break it to you, but your soda days were over the minute you walked in the door." He explained happily. "Soda is bad for your teeth and your body. I'm a doctor, remember." He said.

"You're a doctor too?" She asked.

"Yes, Derek is a brain doctor." Meredith explained. "That makes him super-smart."

"Apple is good." Anna finally submitted.

"See these bubbles?" He asked as he pointed at the pancakes. She nodded. "That means they are ready to flip." She watched in amazement as he did. "Why don't you help Meredith set the table?"

"Okay." She answered as she jumped off her stool and joined Meredith. Derek soon joined them at the table with a plate full of pancakes. Meredith cut Anna's into pieces for her.

"Mmm. You make good pancakes, Mr. Derek." She said with a smile as she closed her eyes, and savored her bite.

"Yes, you do, Mr. Derek" Meredith said with a giggle.

"So what are you two going to do today?" He asked as he cut his pancake into perfect tiny triangles.

"Well, I was going to take Anna shopping for some clothes." Meredith said as she looked at Anna. "Do you want to do that?" She asked. Anna shrugged. "Well we need to. What you have in your suitcase won't last a week."

"Especially as often as Mer does laundry," Derek said under his breath. He received a sharp kick in the leg.

"I do laundry." She snapped.

They heard some rustling coming down the stairs. Meredith looked up to see a very disheveled George walking in. Anna immediately got off her chair and hid behind Meredith.

"Anna, this is George. He lives here. He's a doctor too." Meredith explained. Anna looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Hello, Anna." George said softly as he walked up. Anna continued to hide.

"Anna, George is a very good friend." Meredith explained.

"Hi George." She said softly as Meredith guided her back to her chair.

"There are pancakes there if you want them." Derek said, pointing to the counter.

"Thanks." George said as he grabbed a plateful.

"So how did you sleep last night?" Derek asked Anna.

"Good, cept for the times you came in and woke me up!" Meredith burst out laughing.

"See, she was fine!" Meredith scolded as she grabbed their plates and took them to the sink. She quickly washed them and returned to the table. "You need a bath!" She said to Anna. "And so do I..."

"What a coincidence, so do I." Derek said as he raised his eyebrows. Meredith shook her head in disgust.

Meredith got Anna a bath. Anna played in her room, while Meredith went into the bathroom. After bothering for what seemed like forever, Meredith finally let Derek in the shower, but for a shower only. He pouted, but went along with it. He climbed into the steam, and took her in. He tried to bathe, but she was too tempting. He quickly pushed her against the wall and covered her mouth with his.

"Derek, seriously. She is in the next room." Meredith moaned.

"And the water is loud." He said as his mouth trailed down her body.

"Derek..." She said again. "Come on." She spat as she tensed up.

"Oh I can do that." He said with a grin.

"Okay, I'll get out." She said as she started to climb out.

"No, I'm done." He whined as he stepped out. Meredith stayed and and washed her hair.

"So she seems good." Meredith sang out.

"I think she is happy." Derek said as he shaved.

"This is good." She said as she rinsed her hair. She stood there in the water for a few minutes, and finally climbed out. When she climbed out, Derek was flossing his teeth. When she opened the shower door, he turned around and looked at her with a smile on his face.

"What?" She asked.

"Will you marry me?" He asked as he flossed his teeth. She started to laugh.

"Oh yes. I am really going to say yes to a man who asks me to marry him while I stand here naked, and he flosses his teeth." She said with a giggle.

"It was worth the try." He said with a chuckle.

-------------

Meredith and Anna spent the day shopping. Anna whined at first. She didn't want to go shopping for clothes. But after a while, she realized it was fun. Meredith decided it was pretty nice driving the Land Rover instead of the Jeep. Derek said the Jeep wasn't safe enough for either of the girls. So he took it to the hospital, and Meredith would have paid money to see the look on everyones face.

"So what do you want for lunch?" She asked Anna as she looked into the rearview mirror at the back seat.

"McDonald's!" She shouted at she pointed at the golden arches.

"Um, no." Meredith said quickly.

"Why?" Anna asked with a furrowed brow.

"Because fast food isn't good for us. One and a while it's okay." Meredith explained.

"Well what about today?" She pressed.

"Anna!" Meredith said a little sterner than normal. "There is a restaurant by the hospital, why don't we go there?"

"Okay." She whined as she stared out the window. "Merediff?" She asked softly.

"Yeah?" She asked as she glanced back.

"When are my grandma and grandpa coming back from vacation?" She asked as she met Meredith's eyes in the mirror. Meredith was in shock. She didn't know. She did not know that her grandparents were in jail, and may not be coming back.

"Um. Well--" Meredith started nervously. "Oh! We're here. So what is you favorite thing to eat?" Meredith asked, changing the subject.

"I like chicken nuggets!" She said happily.

"Good, because I think they have them here." She said as she opened her door and let the child out.

They took their seat in the front of the restaurant. Meredith thought Anna would like to look out the window and watch the people walk by. As they sat there, it dawned on Meredith that Anna's didn't have any hair. It was so stupid, it wasn't unusual for her. That was the only way she had ever seen her. She noticed a few people looking at her and frowning. It made her feel bad, she wondered if Anna even noticed. Finally the waitress walked up.

"Oh, aren't you cute?" The waitress said to Anna. Anna just smiled. "She looks just like you!" Meredith chuckled slightly at the comment.

"What can I get you to drink?" The waitress asked.

"Chocolate milk!" Anna stated happily. She then looked at Meredith for approval. When Meredith nodded, she smiled.

"I'll have a large water with lemon, and I think were ready to order. I'll have the grilled chicken salad, and she will have the chicken tenders and applesauce." Meredith said simply. The waitress smiled and walked away.

"This is fun!" Anna said happily. "But where is Mr. Derek?"

"He's at work." Meredith said as she took a drink.

"Working on brains?" Anna asked.

"Probably." Meredith answered, as she looked at her. "Do you like Derek?"

"Yeah, he's fun. He's like my dad was. I miss my dad." She said as her eyes started to water.

"I know you do." Meredith said with a faint smile.

"Are you going to marry Mr. Derek?" Anna asked with a giggle.

"Maybe. Someday." She said hesitantly.

"That would be fun." She replied as she dunked her chicken nugget in honey.

"Yep, I think it would be very fun." Meredith answered.

------------------------

Meredith and Anna went to the park. She was amazed at how well she got along with the other kids. As she sat on the bench, she realized why people worried about their kids being abducted. She found herself watching every single person that so much as looked at Anna. She seemed so resilient. But she had no idea how she was going to explain her grandparent's situation. And she had no idea how Anna was going to handle it.

When Meredith and Anna got home, Izzie was in the kitchen baking. Anna heard someone in the kitchen and quickly hid behind Meredith. Meredith looked in and frowned. Izzie looked somewhat upset as she whipped the batter fiercely.

"Iz, are you okay?" Meredith asked as she walked in.

"Todd wants space." Izzie said as she continued.

"Iz, I'm sorry." Meredith said quietly.

"Is that Anna?" Izzie asked happily as she looked around Meredith.

"It is." Meredith returned. Izzie walked around Meredith and straight to Anna.

"I'm Izzie." She said as she stuck her hand out. Anna looked at her and stuck her hand out. "Nice to meet you." Anna smiled as she stepped away from Meredith. "How would you like to help me bake muffins?"

"I would." Anna said as she shook her head.

"Well, let's get started then." Izzie said happily. Her mood had completely changed. "So what did you do today?" Izzie asked.

"Me and Merediff made pancakes. They weren't very good. But then Mr. Derek came and helped and they were good. Then that man came down--" She looked at Meredith.

"George." Meredith answered.

"Yeah, George. An he ate with us. Then we went shopping for clothes. Then we went to lunch. Then we went to the park." She went on happily.

"Sounds like you had fun!" Izzie said as she began pouring the muffins into the pans.

"We did." Anna answered. "When is Mr. Derek going to be home?"

"I don't know. He gets busy. You might not see him before you go to bed." Meredith explained, remembering the message she got on her cellphone.

"Oh..." She said sadly.

"So Iz, what should we make for dinner?" Meredith asked. Izzie raised her eyebrows.

"Whatever you guys want." Izzie said as she looked in the refrigerator.

"I want macaroni and cheese!" Anna said quickly.

"I think we could do that. But you have to eat chicken too." Meredith explained.

"I had chicken for lunch." Anna whined.

"Chicken is good." Izzie said, convincing her to eat it again.

"Is you room clean?" Meredith asked Anna as she sat there on the stool swinging her feet.

"No." Anna replied frankly.

"You better clean it, or no ice cream." Meredith told her. She immediately ran upstairs.

"So how is it?" Izzie asked.

"What?" Meredith returned as she looked for something to drink.

"Being a mom." Izzie said with quickly.

"I'm not her mom..." Meredith said somewhat sadly.

"But you want to be." She said, looking at Meredith. "She already adores you."

"I know. That's why it's going to be so hard..." She trailed off as she sat down in a slump.

"What do you mean? What's going to be hard?" Izzie asked as she stopped cooking and looked at Meredith.

"When we have to give her back. It's only temporary. Plus her grandparents might not go to jail." Meredith said sadly.

"Don't think that way. You have no idea what will happen. Just enjoy her while you can." Izzie stated wisely.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Meredith said as she made her best attempt at a smile.

---------------

The rain was crashing against the windows. Meredith could hear the branches scratching against the side of the house. She loved the rain. But tonight, was different. It reminded her of when she was a little girl. She used to be scared to death when it thunder-stormed. She remembered one time when she was absolutely terrified. She knocked on her mom's door, and she just spat at her to go back to her room and quit being a baby. She would run back and cover her head. She nearly jumped in the air like a cat as the lightning struck. She just wished she had Derek to snuggle up to. As much as she wanted him there, she hoped he didn't try to drive home in the pouring rain. She heard little feet coming her way and she quit breathing to listen.

"Merediff?" She a tiny, scared voice say outside her bedroom door.

"Come in." Meredith said as she turned her head to look.

"I'm scared." She whined as she shut the door and walked up to the bed. She was holding her favorite stuffed horse named Sandy.

"It's okay, it's just the rain." She said sympathetically. Just then they heard a loud crack of lightning. Anna immediately jumped in bed with Meredith and hid under the covers. When it quieted down, she popped her head out. "Can I sleep with you?" She asked meekly.

"Of course you can." Meredith said with a smile.

"Good, cause I was gettin really scared." Anna said with relief. They laid there in silence for a while. "How come you don't have any kids?" Anna asked.

"Um. Well, I guess I just haven't yet." Meredith said, not knowing a better answer.

"You should. You would make a good mom. You are fun." Anna said with a giggle.

"We should go to bed." Meredith said as she closed her eyes. "You have an appointment with Ms. Rachel tomorrow."

"Do I have to talk to her? Last time I didn't talk to her cause I didn't want to." Anna explained.

"You should. It would be good to talk to her." Meredith said quickly.

"Okay. Goodnight." Anna said as she closed her eyes. The minute the next round of storms came, Meredith felt Anna cling to her as tightly as she could. Meredith just smiled.

---------------

Derek worked on an aneurysm for most of the night. They almost lost the man twice. All he could think about was Meredith and Anna. It was only her second night at their house, and he was already not there. He silently scolded himself. He wanted to be a father so badly, but now, he was wondering if he would even be being fair to a child. With the hours he worked, he barely had time for himself, and even less time for Meredith.

As he crossed the parking lot in the pouring rain, he had second thoughts. The rain was heavy, and the visibility was next to none. But he wanted to be home with Meredith, even if he did have to be back at the hospital in less than five hours. The windshield wipers on the jeep were flipping back and forth as quickly as they could as he drove home.

"You piece of shit." He muttered to the jeep as the water poured in the partly open door that wouldn't shut. Meredith had to get a new car, this one just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Derek smiled as he pulled in the driveway. He couldn't wait to get in their bed. He couldn't wait to lay next to the woman he loved. He quickly sat his bag down by the door and climbed the stairs. He looked in Anna's room. His heart leapt out of his chest when he didn't see her. He quickly rushed around the room, flipping this upside down. He hurried to Meredith's room to get her, and stopped in his tracks. There they were. Anna was cuddled so close to Meredith she was nearly invisible. He stood there and smiled. He had never seen something so sweet in his life. He quickly changed into his pajamas. He crept to Meredith's side of the bed to kiss her goodnight before he headed down to the sofa.

"Hey." Meredith muttered as she felt his warm lips against her.

"Hey." He said softly.

"She was scared." Meredith explained. "I didn't think you'd be home..."

"I had to come home and see you. I'm going to head downstairs to the sofa." He said as he kissed her again.

"No. I'll move over." She said as she moved Anna over and scooted herself. Derek laid down next to Meredith and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you." He whispered into her hair.

"I love you too." She said as they both closed their eyes and went to sleep.

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I know it's kind of slow right now, but it will be moving along...