As It Should Be

Meredith was startled by the announcement over the intercom. They were about to land. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but it didn't matter at that point. She looked over at Derek, who was making faces at Delia, trying to calm her. She had been acting uneasy during the flight, but he had decided to let Meredith sleep, rather than wake her up. He had a rental car, that should be ready by the time they made it off of the plane, and his mother was expecting them by dinner. It had been so long since he had been here. He saw Meredith stir out of the corner of his eye, and she quickly sat up.

His family lived in Albany, New York. It was north of New York City, and the homes there were beautiful. An hour later they were pulling up at the beautiful house. It was homey. Derek had always been good to his mother, not stopping after buying her this house. They had a huge family and he only thought it appropriate to give them a place to visit and feel comfortable. Meredith usually didn't do families, but she loved Derek's. They were the most welcoming family she had ever met. She knew it would probably be weird being there after the divorce and everything, but she missed them. They were going to go crazy over Delia, she was sure, and hopefully they would do the same over her now that she was back with Derek.

Meredith flashed Derek a smile before he parked and got out to get their luggage. She was feeling better now that they were off the plane. She had been going through these moods, where she was depressed, but Derek was always there for her. She had one week away from work. One week away from Seattle, away from the trial. She got out of the car and shut the door, getting ready to grab Delia out of the back. His mother, Sarah, came rushing out the door taking Meredith into her arms.

"Oh Honey, it's so good to see you again. You look absolutely beautiful." She said giving Meredith a kiss on the cheek. Derek walked over to join them hugging his mother also. "I'm so happy you both decided to come. I have missed you so much."

"Mom. I know that you haven't spoken to me much, but we have had so much going on. We have something to show you." Derek quickly opened the door and retrieved the smiling baby from the car seat. His mother gasped taking the child in her arms.

"You have a daughter Derek?" She said, kissing the baby and holding her in her arms. She was a bit taken back, over the fact that he hadn't told her, but he wanted her to be happy.

"Yes. We didn't know Mer was pregnant until after the divorce was finalized, and we had a major rollercoaster ride trying to fix it, but here we are. We both decided that we wanted you to meet in her person. I'm sorry we didn't tell you."

"Derek, I'm just glad you're here to see me. You know that Meredith is always welcome in my home, as well as this gorgeous grand-daughter of mine." She said smiling at the baby. "What is this little one's name anyway?"

"Delia Anne." Meredith said with a smile. Sarah's face instantly lightened even more. "I named her middle name Anne for you Sarah, just like your name. You're the only mom I ever had, for the short time I was married, and so I named her after you." She said, her face instantly turning red.

Sarah hugged her once more and grabbed her hand leading her inside to get settled. Maybe this week would be good after all. It was Christmas time, she deserved to be carefree.

The house was just as beautiful inside as it was out. It had six bedrooms, one for his mom and five for Derek and his four sisters when they came to visit. She didn't need such a big house, but Derek had insisted. They trudged up the stairs with their suitcases and placed them in their room, deciding to unpack later. Derek's sisters were in the family room and Derek couldn't wait to see them. Meredith quickly freshened up and joined Derek.

As soon as they hit the doorway, they had kids jumping on them left and right. Derek's sisters quickly stood up to hug the two of them and they all shared some conversation, wanting to know what had been going on. They all had liked Meredith when they had first met her, and they were all happy that Derek had finally come to his senses.

"Oh my gosh! Is that an engagement ring Meredith?" His sister Kristie shrieked. Meredith stuck her hand out smiling. "The wedding is in April, and you are all invited." All of the girls admired her ring, while Derek just laughed. All of her sister's husbands were in the basement, playing poker, or watching football. They had their guy time during the holidays. He left Meredith in the living room and headed down the stairs to see a table of guys, with cards and poker chips.

"Derek!" John said getting up from the table and giving him a hug. "Man, how long has it been, almost two years? Where have you been?" Tyler said as he pulled up a chair.

"Meredith is here guys. She's in the living room." He said seeing their reactions.

"You're back together? How are you guys doing these days?" Michael said.

"Well we're getting married in April." Derek said smiling. "Oh…and guess what else?" He said pulling a picture of Delia out of his wallet. "We had a baby."

Derek was beaming as the guys congratulated him. Derek picked up some cards and joined in the game. He couldn't help think to himself. Everything was how it should be.