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Derek stood dumbfounded in the middle of the banquet room of the pub, completely thrown off at seeing his entire family gathered there.

"What…" he started, his eyes darting from his sisters to his parents to his girlfriend. "Did you…?"

Meredith giggled as she watched Emma move forward to hug Derek. "Happy birthday sweetheart," she said. "You have quite a special girlfriend."

Derek smiled as he looked at Meredith again. "You planned all this?" he asked.

"Well, it was my idea," she shrugged. "Your dad helped a lot."

Derek reached out to pull her into his arms. "Thank you," he whispered. "God, I love you so much."

"I love you too," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his lips before she pushed him towards his family.

"Happy birthday, son," Michael said, pulling Derek into a hug before pulling back. "Come in, stay awhile."

Derek laughed as he moved into the room, hugging his sisters as Meredith followed him in, Mark and Addison in tow. After everyone had greeted one another, they settled down at the long banquet table, Derek at the head of the table, Meredith cuddled close to him, and Michael on the other end.

"So, Derek," Emma said, her eyes shining. "Do you know why this is where Meredith wanted us to meet you today?"

Derek frowned as he looked down at Meredith before returning his gaze to his mom. "No," he said. "Is it special?"

"Yes," Emma said, sliding a paper across the table. "This is the pub your grandfather Maloney opened when he first traveled to America from Ireland."

"Really?" Derek asked.

"It's where I proposed to your mother," Michael nodded, a soft smile on his face.

Kathleen laughed. "Which time?" she asked.

"The time it counted," Michael rolled his eyes.

"I told Meredith about it at Thanksgiving," Emma continued. "She seemed to think it would be a good birthday surprise for you."

Derek pressed a kiss to the top of Meredith's head. "It was a wonderful birthday," he nodded.

Meredith smiled as she cuddled closer into Derek's arms. "I thought you would want to see your family," she whispered.

"It's perfect," he nodded. "I can't believe you were able to get everyone together, especially Kath and Nance."

"It helps that it was a weekend," Nancy said.

"And Daddy would never have accepted no as an answer," Kathleen added.

Michael shrugged. "I like having us all together," he said. "Plus, you should want to see your brother on his birthday."

"They should want to see me every day," Derek corrected.

"Stop being obnoxious, Der," Meredith rolled her eyes.

"This is why we like you, Meredith," Kathleen laughed. "You can't get in trouble for being mean to Derek."

"She's just keeping him in line, dear," Emma laughed. "You'll be the same way when you find your someone."

Kathleen smiled. "Speaking of which…" she started. "Chris said he was going to have a certain talk with you soon, Daddy."

Michael groaned. "I'm not old enough to have children getting married," he stated.

As the rest of the family began to laugh, Derek pulled Meredith to her feet and lead her to the corner of the room. She looked up at him curiously for a moment before he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her as he squeezed her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you. God, thank you so much."

"Der?" she questioned, pulling back, surprised to see tears in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he nodded. "Just…God, I love you. I can't believe you brought my family all the way to Boston."

"They wanted to come, Der," she said, squeezing his hand. "I just asked."

"But you knew that's exactly what I needed to make my birthday perfect," he replied. "Mer, I know I said it earlier but now…this really is the best birthday ever."

She giggled as she leaned in to rest her forehead against his, her arms wrapping around his neck. "I guess I'll have to be super creative for next year," she said.

"Hmmm…I'm pretty sure nothing will top this," Derek shook his head. "Go ahead and try, though."

Meredith pressed her lips against his for a moment before pulling back and leading him back to the table. They spent the rest of the evening laughing and enjoying time with his family. By eleven, Michael had practically carried Caitlin out to the car, and the Shepherds had all bid their goodbyes to the four of them. When the car pulled away, Derek turned to Meredith and asked, "home now?"

"Actually," Meredith giggled. "I have one more surprise."

"Another one?" Derek asked, eyebrows raised. "Mer…I love these surprises. But you promised me a surprise that I want right now. Like really really want."

She giggled as she leaned into him. "We're not actually going back to school tonight," she said.

"We're not?" the three of them asked.

"Well….you are," Meredith nodded. "But Derek and I, we're staying in the city."

Addison frowned. "What are you doing in the city?" she asked.

"They're going to fuck like rabbits," Mark rolled his eyes, taking her arm. "Come on, Addie."

Addison giggled as she followed Mark down the street, shouting a happy birthday to Derek as they went. Derek turned to Meredith with wide eyes and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him through the streets to stop in front of the Marriott. "I know it's nothing special, but I just thought it might be nice for you to be spoiled for a night."

Derek smiled as he pulled her into his arms. "You are something else, Meredith Grey," he said. "And I love you."

"I love you too," she said. "Let's go in, I'm freezing."

"You won't be for long," Derek laughed, following her into the hotel.

XXXXXX

"Derek?" Meredith whispered into the dark room later that night, running her fingernails up and down his arm, which was resting on her stomach.

"Hmmm?"

"You remember when Addie thought she was pregnant?"

"You mean do I remember the week you completely flipped out on me?" Derek asked. "Yes, I remember. Worst week of my life."

Meredith offered a soft smile, but her eyes were somewhere else. "What if it had been me?" she asked softly.

Derek paused for a moment, tightening his arms around her. "We would have worked it out," he said.

"You want babies?"

"Eventually," Derek nodded. "I've always wanted kids, Mer."

"You'd be a good dad," she whispered. "I…I'd be a crap mom."

Derek was silent for a moment as he buried his face in her hair. "I don't think so," he said eventually. "You have so much love to give. That's all a baby really needs."

"But my mom…"

"Sucked as a mom, I know," Derek nodded. "Mer…it's not that I don't love thinking about a future with you, but we're so far away from ever having kids. I don't think you need to worry about this now."

She nodded against his chest. "You're right," she whispered. "I know you're right. But eventually…after we're finished with med school and internships and are married…you want kids?"

"I do," Derek replied.

"Okay," Meredith nodded.

"Okay?"

"I'm…we don't have to worry about this now, you're right," she said. "I just wanted to know if you want them. Eventually. A long time from now. Because I think with you…I could want kids."

Derek smiled as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, Mer."

"I love you too."