"We will have to tell your mother soon. You do realize that, right?" Meredith asked Derek as she washed the dishes.

"Yes, I know." He replied. "She is going to be ecstatic." Derek said with a smile.

"I know. I can't wait to see the look on her face." Meredith said with a smile. Every time Evelyn had been calling lately, she has asked when she was going to be a grandmother again.

"And your mother. We'll have to tell her and Richard." Derek said. He looked up and watched her body tense up.

"I know. I'm not too concerned about her knowing." Meredith said frankly.

Mer. She's your mom. And she has been trying." Derek defended.

"Derek. Not now." She said, not wanting to talk about. He backed down, not wanting to start a fight.

"Let me help." Derek said as he grabbed the towel and began drying plates. He leaned over and took a whiff of her.

"Are you smelling me again?" She asked with a giggle, as she continued to wash the silver wear.

"Um...no." He said, lying through his teeth.

"You're lying." She said as she turned and looked at him.

"I am not!" He said with a chuckle.

"Whatever, I heard your nostrils flare. I could hear you breathing in." She said as she watched his face change.

"Fine. I was breathing you in. Are you happy? You smell good. And now you smell even better." He told her. He quickly took another deep breath.

"I smell better?" She asked. "How do I smell better?" She said with a giggle.

"I think it's a pregnancy thing." He told her with a nod.

"I'm ten weeks pregnant. You are crazy." She said as she shook her head and handed him the last dish.

"Maybe I am." Derek agreed. "But you are definitely sexier than ever."

"Okay, sure. You do realize I am a cow, right?" She said as she turned and walked away. He quickly grabbed her and turned her towards him.

"You are definitely not a cow!" He said as he pushed her against the counter. "You are gorgeous." He said quickly.

He hastily met her lips with his own. She moaned as he swiftly slid his tongue into her mouth. She explored his mouth, she knew every inch of it. His body pressed against hers. They fit together perfectly.

"Anna..." Meredith muttered as his mouth moved down to her neck. She giggled as he pecked tiny kisses on her collarbone. "Anna..." She reiterated.

"She's asleep." He said between kisses. "Sound asleep..."

"You're sure?" Meredith asked as she wiggled beneath him.

"Meredith. She is asleep. In sleepy-land. Zonked. Out. And you are-- Oh god... I need sex. I need sex with my wife." He told her desperately.

"Oh god." Meredith moaned as her body reacted to his pressing erection. Her sensed seemed heightened more than ever before. "Where..." She moaned as she looked around.

"Um... table?" He said as he sucked on her shoulder.

"No. We'll break it..." She said as she laid her head back. "I need you now!" She whined as she unbuttoned his shirt.

"Sofa..." He muttered into her chest.

"Good." She said as she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her to the great room.

They both crashed onto the sofa. Meredith straddled Derek and continued to unbutton his deep blue shirt. She looked at his dark eyes and smiled. She pulled his shirt back and rubbed his perfect chest, memorizing every inch. She pulled her v-neck shirt over her head.

"Oh god." She moaned as she felt his erection against her.

His jeans continued to grow tighter. She took notice, and was throbbing in anticipation. He ran his hands over her soft body. His hands ran up her back, unclasping her bra. He smiled as he slid it off of her shoulders. Her curves were sexier than ever.

"You are amazing..." He muttered in awe.

Her hands nimbly went to work on his belt and zipper on his jeans. She loved the jeans he was wearing. They hung just perfectly on his hips, but at the moment, she couldn't wait to get them off of his body. She moved back and slid them down his legs, tossing them aside. A smile crept over her face as she saw his awaiting bulge.

"I need you inside me." She mumbled as she quickly pulled off his boxer briefs. She placed her hand around his awaiting shaft. Her hand moved rhythmically and purposefully.

"Oh god..." He gasped as he felt her tiny hand around him. She continued as he began to reach his peak. "Mer- Mer stop..." He moaned. "I'm going to-- Oh..." Derek moaned as he released.

She smiled as she looked at his fulfilled eyes. She leaned down and covered his mouth with hers. She felt his hands slide down as he pulled off her pants and panties in one sweep. He threw them to the side. His hands squeezed her firm ass. Her kisses trailed down his chest. She smiled when she saw that he had risen for the occasion, once again. She moved over, and placed him inside of her.

"Oh..." She moaned as she felt him inside of her. She placed her hands on his chest. She felt the moist beads that had formed as she began pumping her hips. "Oh...Der..." She moaned.

"Mer... You are--" He gasped as he felt her begin to tighten around him. She rocked harder as he thrust upward into her. "Shit...I'm--"

"I'm...oh god." She moaned as she reached her peak. She began to shudder. He could feel her warmth surrounding him.

"Oh god..." Derek shouted as he released into her. She collapsed onto his chest, and listening to his heartbeat. They were both in complete ecstasy as they laid there as they were meant to. They both jumped when they heard his pager ring loudly throughout the house. Their bliss completely ruined.

"Shit!" He shouted as he angrily grabbed his pager out of his jeans. He looked at it's screen. "It's 911." He muttered sadly.

"Go." She said with obvious disappointment.

She rolled over and he crawled out from beneath her. She watched as he pulled on his clothes. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see him go. She felt him lean down and kiss her softly. She knew he was looking at her. She couldn't look into his eyes.

"Love you." He whispered as he stood up.

"I love you too." She muttered as she laid there. She heard his footsteps disappear. "But I miss you more." She said sadly.

Derek opened the garage door. He heard her comment. It stung. The last two weeks had been horrible at the hospital. They had him working non-stop. He wanted to be home with his girls. Every minute he was at the hospital, he thought about his family. The drive to the hospital was silent. He hated this drive. He had been doing far too much. He had to do something. He was doing something. They couldn't go on like this, and he wasn't going to.

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

Meredith sat at the table and studied her menu. She could sense Anna's legs swinging back and forth under the table. Her senses were confirmed as Anna's leg firmly kicked Meredith in the shin. The sharp pain felt like she had slit her with a meat cleaver. All she had to do was give her the look. Anna immediately stopped swinging her legs and pretended to read her own menu.

This is how it was lately. She and Anna doing everything alone. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. It always seemed like the minute Derek got home, he was being paged back. Meredith could go to Richard. She could use her family advantage and complain, but she wasn't going to do that. She and Anna would suffer in silence. Three times in the last week they had to reschedule dinner. The dinner. The dinner where they were going to tell Ellis and Richard they were pregnant. Not again.

Lately Meredith had this lingering feeling that something was off. He was being quiet and secretive. She trusted him. She knew she could trust him. But that didn't change the fact that he was taking phone calls outside, and walking away. Or that his date book was always gone. He always had it laying out before. Something was off, and at the moment she was just too tired and frustrated to care.

"Mommy, is daddy coming home tonight?" Anna asked as she took a bite of her chicken tender.

"I don't know." She said dryly. And she didn't because even if he said he was, it didn't mean that he was.

"I miss daddy. He's never home." Anna told her with a frown.

"He's busy saving lives. How many daddy's do you know that save lives everyday?" Meredith asked. And there she went, making excuses. He really was saving lives. She knew it wasn't his fault. It didn't change the way it made her feel.

"I guess that's good. People need daddy." Anna reasoned as she took a big spoonful of applesauce. Yeah, we need daddy too.

"Can we plant flowers today?" Anna asked as she looked out the window.

"Plant flowers?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah. Kiera and her mom are planting flowers this weekend. I wanna plant flowers too." Anna said with a grin.

"Okay. We will plant flowers." Meredith said with a nod.

Meredith and Anna made their way to the greenhouse. Anna insisted they get every purple flower available. After several hundred dollars and a lot of time, Meredith and Anna were driving off with a car full of plants and supplies.

"Do you know how to plant flowers?" Meredith asked Anna with a worried look.

"Yeah. Me and my mommy. My other mommy. We used to plant flowers." Anna said as she helped carry the plants to the front yard.

"I've never really planted flowers." Meredith admitted with a laugh.

"Oh mommy..." Anna giggled. "You're lucky I know how. I can teach you." She said reassuringly as they sat the last flat down on the grass. Anna grabbed the supplies and started digging.

"Anna, we need symmetry," Meredith told her. She quit digging and scrunched her nose.

"What's symmetry?" Anna asked with confusion.

"Balance. We need balance." Meredith said. How true, they did need balance, in many ways.

"Oh. You just tell me where to dig." She said with a smile. She happily dug for awhile before speaking. "How long until I have a brother and sister?"

"A long time." Meredith muttered as she placed her hand on her abdomen. She was still amazed that there was life in there. "And you might get two brothers, or two sisters. Not necessarily one of each. We'll have to see..." She told him as she placed the plant into the ground, per Anna's instructions.

"Oh." Anna answered as she pulled her plant out of it's container. "I just want sisters... This is fun." Anna exclaimed as the continued on.

"Well, I think we need to water them. Why don't you get the hose?" She asked Anna as she placed the last little flower into the ground.

"Okay!" She said as she ran off. Meredith smiled as she looked at the freshly planted flowers. It was fun, and it looked nice. Plus is made Anna happy, and that was her main goal at the moment. She stood there, smiling, when she felt a blast of cold water on her back. She heard Anna roaring with laughter.

"Anna Elizabeth!" Meredith shouted as she ran towards her. Anna blasted her in the face. As she neared, Anna took off. Meredith grabbed the hose and turned it on her. Anna screamed, and ran, bust she was having a great time. Meredith finally threw down the hose and they both crashed to the ground, laughing.

"That was fun." Anna said breathlessly.

"It was." Meredith agreed as she laid there, they wet grass tickling her arms. She missed Derek. She wished he was there. He should have been there. It may be selfish, but she was tired of sharing him with every person who walked into the hospital with a bump on their head. Meredith looked down at her watch.

"Well, I think we need to take baths now." Meredith said quickly. Two hours. She had two hours to get ready. Because tonight she was telling Ellis and Richard that they were pregnant whether he was there or not.

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

Meredith stood in front of the full length mirror, in her underwear. She was pregnant. Undeniably pregnant. The telltale bump was making itself evident. She didn't care. She was carrying Derek's children. Her body was now theirs, and she was fine with that. What she did care about was everyone knowing. They would tell them, when the time was right. And the time was not right yet. It was for the parents, but not the friends. And she wanted Derek to share her joy. He needed to be part of it. But she was finding that if she waited that they would never find out.

Meredith slid on the black dress. It was cut perfectly. It concealed just enough. She could hear Anna humming a song in her room. It made her smile. It was just she and Anna. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. Derek knew about tonight. He also knew about the three other nights that she had to reschedule because of him. So he was left to his own devices. She had given him full warning and she wasn't going to track him down and throw a suit on him.

Anna smiled as she bounced into Meredith's room. Meredith looked at her, standing there in her lavender dress. She looked absolutely adorable. Her blonde locks were just beginning to get longer. Meredith and Anna had grown closer than ever before, in Derek's absence. The bond they shared was incredibly strong. Anna sat on their bed and stared at her. They both shared a look. It was a look of happiness. But the under-layer of sadness and emptiness was all too evident. They were both missing the important man in their lives.

"Mommy, is daddy coming?" Anna asked with a smile. Meredith could read her disappointment. She knew the answer.

"I don't know. I guess if he's not busy. I hope he does." Meredith said honestly. And she did. She did hope that he would come. But she refused to call him. Being busy is one thing, but she couldn't help but feel he could be there. He could if he really wanted to.

"Me too." Anna said with a saddened look. "Can I touch your tummy?" She asked as she jumped off the bed.

"Um- Of course." Meredith answered with a faint smile. Anna quickly walked over and placed her small hand on Meredith's abdomen.

"Hi babies. I'm your sister." Anna said as she looked at Meredith's abdomen intently. "And we're gonna have fun when you get here. Daddy says I'll get to hold you. And don't worry about daddy. I know he hasn't been around, but he will be." She said softly as she rubbed the bump. "What's wrong mommy?" Anna asked as she looked up to see tears running down Meredith's cheeks.

"I'm just happy." Meredith said as she pulled Anna into an embrace. "People cry when they're happy." She said as she pulled her closer. It was a lie. She wasn't happy. In fact, she was far from it. Anna had made a perfectly sad speech. It was fact that Anna knew that Derek was not around. That she knew that he should be there, and it hurt.

"Oh. That's good. Cause sad tears are bad." Anna said as she looked up.

"Well, we should get going." Meredith said as she patted her eyes dry, and led the way.

The car ride was quiet. Anna stared intently out the back passenger window. Meredith was supposed to be in the passenger seat. Not driving. Not driving to tell her mother and Richard. Alone. Not alone. But there she was. Alone. Meredith looked in the rearview mirror catching Anna looking at her. She didn't know how long she had been, but Anna was watching.

"Don't worry mommy. I'm sure daddy will be waiting at the restaurant." Anna told her. She was always the optimist, just like Derek. Meredith found herself feeling that way. Even if Anna wasn't Derek's flesh and blood, she had taken over so many of his attributes, that Meredith found herself sifting through Anna for pieces of Derek.

"Maybe." Meredith said, pretending to be an optimist.

She wasn't. She was not an optimist. For a short while she was getting closer. Derek was getting her closer, and now she was reverting. Not now. That was it. Neither said another word. The drive to the restaurant was in silence. When they pulled up, she heard Anna take off her seat belt. Meredith found herself looking around the parking lot hoping he was there. He wasn't. Damn her for trying to be an optimist.

They walked into the upscale restaurant. Ellis and Richard were already seated. She could see them at a table off to the side. Derek wasn't there. And in her heart, she knew he wouldn't be. Anna held her hand as they walked to the back of the restaurant. Ellis and Richard stood up as they neared. The greetings were social, and the hugs were slight. Meredith didn't want to give it away. She was going to wait. Hoping Derek would show.

"So where is Derek?" Ellis asked as she looked over at Meredith. She had no idea. She was sure that he was in surgery, but she wasn't sure.

"Um-" Meredith started nervously.

"He was doing a craniotomy when I left." Richard pipped up. Meredith nodded in agreement.

"I'd say he's close to being done." Richard said with a smile. "How have you been, Giss Anna?"

"Good. Mommy and I planted flowers today. It was fun. Then we got in a water fight..." Meredith found herself glancing around the restaurant once again. She heard bits and pieces of what Anna was saying. Richard and Ellis picked up in the fact that Derek wasn't included in the latest stories.

"Would you like some wine?" Richard asked as he raised the bottle. Did she want it? Hell yes. Could she? No.

"Um, no thanks. I'm driving." She said as she covered her glass.

"Never stopped you before." Ellis spat.

"I have never driven under the influence." Meredith pointed out and shook her head.

The waitress come and took their orders. There was a lot of silence. Mainly because Meredith was distracted. Every time she head walking, or the door open, her head spun around. The food was good, but time was winding down. And it was winding down quickly. She was going to have to step up. She was going to have to face the firing squad. It was time. She had been learning what it was like to do things on her own, without the shelter of Derek.

"Meredith! Where are you?" Ellis asked in her typical fashion.

"I'm just tired." Meredith said as she pushed her uneaten plate of food away.

"So when are you going to tell us?" Ellis asked frankly as she sipped her wine.

"Tell you what?" Meredith asked with a yawn.

"That you are pregnant." Ellis said quickly. Richard's mouth hit the floor. Meredith's eyes got wide.

"Um- Well- I was going to tell you tonight actually." Meredith stammered. "How long have you known?"

"Just a few days. Mother's know these things." Ellis said with the slightest smile. But you aren't a mother. Not even close. "How far along are you?"

"Twelve weeks." Meredith said softly as she whipper her head around, looking at the door. He wasn't there.

"Mommy's having twins!" Anna exclaimed loudly.

"Congratulations!" Richard said with a huge smile.

"Twins. Oh my god..." Ellis muttered. "And he hasn't been around..." She muttered.

"Twins, I know." Meredith said, still in shock herself. She ignored her mother's comment. They continued to talk for a minutes. Both Richard and Ellis could see that Meredith was tired.

"You look tired." Richard said. "We should be going, and you look like you need some rest." Richard said with a smile.

"Yes I am tired." Meredith agreed as she followed their lead and stood up.

"Congratulations, again." Richard said as he hugged her. Ellis walked up.

"Congratulations, Meredith." Ellis said as she pulled her into a hug. "I know we haven't always been close, but I am here-- We are here if you need us." Ellis said as she gave Meredith a soft kiss on the cheek. Meredith was shocked. Her mother just showed some signs of being human. Signs of compassion.

Meredith and Anna walked to the car, hand in hand. She was tired, and stressed out. And he didn't show. He was busy. But she was tired of being in second place. She was tired of she and Anna being brushed aside for one more surgery. It was his job, he had to do it. But she couldn't help but feel a little angry. She had to reschedule her appointment with Addison. Not to mention, she just had to tell her mother that she was pregnant. Her mother was the most intimidating person in the world. And she had to face her, alone. As they neared her car, she heard a car pull up next to hers. She looked over and saw Derek's Land Rover. She almost wished he hadn't shown at all.

"Mer-" He said sympathetically as he walked over to her. Anna was already in the car. She looked at him, in his suit. He looked amazing, as always. "I'm sorry. I came as quickly as I could."

"I know you did." She said weakly. She didn't want to fight.

"I'm sorry." He said as he leaned in and kissed her.

"Don't. I'm going to go home. Are you coming? Or are you on your way back to the hospital?" She said with a tinge of attitude. He could see the hurt in her eyes. This was bad. He knew she was upset. He knew he hadn't been around like he promised her would be.

"I'll see you in a few minutes." He said as he watched her climb into her car. She quickly drove out of the parking lot, leaving him standing there.

"Daddy's a jerk." Anna muttered as the drove down the road. Meredith got wide eyed. She quickly pulled off the road.

"What did you say?" Meredith said as she shot her head back.

"Daddy is a jerk." She said simply, with a shrug. Meredith agreed, but that didn't make it right.

"Anna Elizabeth! I never want to hear you talk about your father like that again. Do you understand me?" She said quickly. She didn't yell, but she was firm.

"Yes." Anna answered.

"Who taught you that?" She asked loudly.

"Melody said that her mommy says it when her daddy is being stupid. So daddy is a jerk." Anna explained nonchalantly.

"First of all, I told you not to say it again. And secondly, you don't call anyone that!" Meredith scolded. "Daddy is busy. He wants to be around. He's busy." Meredith said, defending him.

"Well, all of my friends see their dad's everyday." Anna pouted. "I never see mine."

"I know honey. I know. It will get better." Meredith said. At least she could hope.

Derek is busy. He has to get his priorities straight. Meredith and Anna are frustrated. So basically...a mess. Please review, I read every one, even if I don't respond...