Meredith took a deep breath as she made her way into the kitchen after spending an hour in front of her jazzercise DVD. She'd found that nap time was the perfect time to work on losing her baby weight, and although it was going to take a long time, she was already starting to feel better about her body, and the week before she had actually managed to squeeze into the fat jeans she'd had before getting pregnant, which she'd considered a major milestone.
She was almost surprised with how much fun she was having at home with her girls. She had always planned on staying home with them, but somewhere in the back of her mind she had been worried that she would completely drop off the face of the planet, spending all of her time in the middle of the woods with two babies. She and Derek had fallen into a comfortable routine, feeding and cuddling with Becky and Melanie in bed before he had to leave for work, at which time she would put them into the bassinet beside her bed in hopes of getting another hour or so of precious sleep. Play time followed, and she was always amazed at how quickly her daughters were developing curiosity in the world around them. They did something new everyday, and she was always excited to see what new tricks they would come up with. After lunchtime was nap time, and then more play time, which Derek usually came home in time to be apart of. Their evenings consisted of bath time and reading, maybe the two of them watching a movie as they cuddled with their daughters.
She couldn't believe how unbelievably perfect her life was. Even if she was still fat and didn't sleep through the night, life was perfect.
As she downed the rest of her water, a soft whimper came over the baby monitor and she smiled as she tossed the bottle into recycle. "Mommy's coming, Mellie," she murmured, even though she knew her daughter couldn't hear her through this end of the baby monitor.
"Hi sweetie," she whispered, lifting Melanie out of her crib and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Did you have a nice nap?"
Melanie, still half asleep, rubbed her eyes tiredly as she nuzzled into her mother's embrace.
"Let's go sit on the porch while we wait for your sister to wake up," Meredith suggested, walking out of the room. "Daddy should be home soon, and then maybe we can convince him to take us out to dinner. You have to give him those eyes, remember the ones I told you he couldn't resist?"
Melanie giggled as Meredith grabbed the baby monitor from the kitchen and moved to sit on the front porch, holding Melanie in her lap. "You really are your father's daughter," she sighed. "You don't like sleeping at all, do you? Your sister sleeps a lot more than you do."
In the past few weeks, Becky and Melanie had each began to develop distinct personalities, perfect combinations of her and Derek. They each had their own characteristics that made them completely different, and she loved watching her daughters develop personalities.
"Your daddy doesn't like to sleep either," Meredith sighed. "But you do like to eat a lot, which you definitely get from me."
Melanie stared at Meredith for a moment before she turned to look out over the cliff with wide eyes.
"It's a pretty view, isn't it?" Meredith whispered, even though she knew Melanie couldn't really see that far. "This is your daddy's favorite place in the world. And Grandpa's too. Through those woods over there, there's a lake where Daddy likes to go fishing with Uncle Mark. And there's lots of room for you and Becky to run around when you're old enough. Maybe Daddy will even build you a swing set, and you can play on that."
Melanie giggled as a squirrel ran across the yard, and her head moved to follow the small animal across the yard.
"Can you see that, princess?" Meredith whispered. "You see the squirrel running across the grass?"
Melanie turned to look up at her mother and Meredith smiled softly. "You're getting so big," she whispered, leaning down to kiss her softly. "Pretty soon your daddy's going to be developing ulcers because of all the boys who want to date you. But we have some time to get him used to the idea."
As if on cue, Derek's car pulled up in front of the house, and Melanie turned to look at it with rapt fascination. "Daddy's home," Meredith whispered, tickling Melanie's tummy gently as Derek got out of the car, smiling slightly as he approached them on the outdoor couch.
Melanie giggled loudly at Meredith, her eyes widening when Derek grabbed his daughter out of Meredith's arms. "Hello my little princess," he smiled, holding her close to his chest. "Did you have a good day?"
"We did," Meredith smiled as Derek sat down beside her and pressed his lips against hers. "Did you?"
"Lost a patient," Derek sighed as Melanie nuzzled his neck, her fingers gripping his shirt tightly.
"Oh Der," Meredith sighed, leaning into his other shoulder. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
Derek shrugged as he pressed his lips to Melanie's head. "As okay as I can be," he sighed. "She helps. And so do you."
"Good," Meredith smiled.
"Where's Beck?" Derek murmured.
"Still sleeping," Meredith sighed.
"Long nap today?"
"She wasn't exactly interested in going to sleep when I wanted her to," Meredith sighed. "Stubborn girl."
"She really is your daughter," Derek laughed.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Meredith raised an eyebrow.
"You never want to go to sleep," Derek smiled.
"I have seven week old twins," Meredith rolled her eyes. "I always want to sleep."
"True, but…before you got pregnant."
"Well she's loud," Meredith smiled as she hooked her arm though his, leaning her head against his shoulder again. "She gets that from you."
Before Derek could respond, a soft cry came over the baby monitor and Meredith sighed as she pulled away from him. "I'll go get her."
"No," Derek shook his head, handing Melanie to her. "I'll get her. You've been doing that all day."
"Thanks," Meredith sighed as she leaned back against the cushions, holding Melanie close. "You're going to have a really hard time finding a man as amazing as your daddy," she murmured as she ran a finger over Melanie's cheek. "But don't tell him I told you that."
"Here we go," Derek sighed as he walked back onto the porch, Becky secure in his arms. "Shepherd family time."
"Hmm," Meredith sighed as she leaned into him again, her hand working over Melanie's back. "I'm sorry you had a bad day."
"This is more than making up for it," Derek murmured, pressing his lips against the top of her head.
Meredith was silent for a few moments, and she closed her eyes, completely relishing in the moment. The cool air of the early summer evening surrounded them as they sat together on the couch, their family completely content to simply sit together.
"Are you hungry?" Derek murmured a few moments later after her stomach rumbled softly.
"A little," she sighed. "But I don't want to move."
"Me either," Derek sighed. "But they're going to be hungry soon."
"They have a little while," Meredith whispered, rubbing Melanie's back. "They had a big lunch."
"Our daughters inherited your appetite," Derek smiled. "I'm going to go broke keeping my girls fed."
"That's mean," Meredith frowned.
"But true," Derek laughed as Melanie began to reach for Meredith's breasts. "She's hungry."
"I guess so," Meredith sighed. "I'll feed her while you make me dinner?"
"Of course," Derek said, following Meredith into the house and into the kitchen. He carefully set Becky in her bouncy chair that sat on the kitchen table and turned to Meredith as she held Melanie to her. "You want a pillow?"
"Please," Meredith nodded.
"How does spaghetti sound?" Derek asked as he returned from the living room with the requested pillow.
"Perfect," Meredith nodded as she adjusted Melanie against her.
Before Derek could reply, his cell phone vibrated from its place on his hip and he sighed as he reached down to look at it. "Mark," he laughed. "Probably more panicking advice about what to do with a very pregnant Addie."
"Don't laugh," Meredith rolled her eyes. "She's pregnant. It sucks."
"I remember," Derek nodded as he held the phone up to his ear. "Mark?"
"More like Mark Senior," Mark's proud voice came over the phone.
"What?" Derek frowned.
"Mark Sloan Jr. is here," Mark laughed. "And he's completely perfect."
"He's here?" Derek asked with a smile as he turned to look at Meredith who looked back at him with wide eyes.
"He is," Mark nodded. "Perfectly healthy."
"That's amazing," Derek breathed, and then frowned. "You named him after you?"
"Addison named him after me," Mark laughed. "Now get those beautiful girls of yours down here so he can figure out which one he wants to marry."
"We'll be down later," Derek said. "Congratulations, Mark. It's a great feeling, isn't it?"
"It really is," Mark said in a voice that Derek was sure he had never heard his best friend use before. "Bye Shep."
Derek smiled as he hung up the phone and turned to his wife. "Well, the world now has two Mark Sloans," he sighed. "And I know I said one of the girls can marry him, but I'm not sure that I want any daughter of mine to marry a Mark Sloan."
"You and Mark are such girls," Meredith rolled her eyes as she held Melanie against her shoulder, adjusting her shirt before she gently burped her daughter. "You were marrying them off before they were even born."
"Sloans and Shepherds go together," Derek shrugged. "It's only natural."
"I'll show you natural," Meredith rolled her eyes. "We'll get to go meet your new cousin tomorrow, sweetie."
"And see where Daddy works," Derek smiled as he turned to the stove.
Meredith smiled as she laid Melanie down in the bouncy chair beside Becky's and moved closer to her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his back. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too," Derek smiled, turning in her arms to wrap his own arms tightly around her.
"And you know…the girls are staying asleep for longer periods of time," she whispered, her hands moving to his hair.
"I have noticed that," Derek nodded.
"So I was thinking when we put them down tonight," she whispered. "We could maybe take a bath."
"We like baths."
"We do," Meredith giggled, pressing her lips against his. "And then…maybe candles?"
"And wine."
"Hmmm," she sighed. "Sparkling grape juice. I'm still breast feeding."
"Right," Derek laughed. "And we can't have drunk babies."
"We'd be very bad parents," Meredith giggled.
"Mer," he breathed as he pressed his hips into hers, his erection pressing against her stomach. "Are we…sex?"
"Yeah," she breathed. "I mean, I want to. But my body's not exactly back to pre-pregnancy yet, but I'm trying really hard and…"
"Mer," Derek smiled, rubbing his hips against hers. "In case you haven't been able to tell, I've been living with pretty much a constant hard on because of your hot new body."
"You mean the fat?" she rolled her eyes as she pulled away from him.
"No," he shook his head, grabbing her hips. "The curves. The ass. The huge boobs."
"Boobs are still off limits," Meredith murmured. "They're nourishing your daughters."
Derek sighed dramatically, but as Becky let out a soft cry, he shook his head. "I suppose I can't let my daughters starve," he said.
"What a good father," Meredith giggled, kissing him one last time before turning to Becky. "Okay, sweetie, dinner time." She smiled down at her daughter for a moment before she turned back to Derek. "Did Mark say how Addie's feeling?"
"He didn't say," Derek shrugged. "It must have been a fast delivery. I left the hospital two and a half hours ago and they weren't there."
"Hmm," Meredith sighed. "I hope she's feeling okay."
"She's probably just tired," Derek shrugged. "And delusional."
"What?" Meredith asked, a smile playing on her lips as she held Becky to her shoulder.
"She named the baby after Mark," Derek laughed. "No one would do that if they're in their right mind."
"Well…Addison loves him," Meredith pointed out. "That makes sense."
"Does that mean you're going to name our son after me?" Derek asked.
"We don't have a son."
"When we do," Derek rolled his eyes.
"Hmmm," Meredith sighed as she looked down at Becky. "What do think, Beck? You want a little brother named Derek Christopher?"
Becky gurgled slightly, but kept her head against Meredith's shoulder. "I think that means no," Meredith giggled.
"That's just wrong," Derek frowned.
"Derek, the last thing this world needs is another Mark Sloan and Derek Shepherd duo," Meredith giggled.
Derek laughed as he poured the spaghetti into the strainer. "You're probably right," he smiled. "I wouldn't wish the same torture on these little princesses that Mark and I put on my sisters."
"What did you do to them?" Meredith asked as she moved Becky into the playpen, Melanie following and then placed the bouncy chairs on the ground.
"Well, there was hair dye in the shampoo bottle," Derek smiled as he placed a plate in front of her. "And super glue in the nail polish bottles."
"That's just mean," Meredith said.
"My favorite was actually the five of us against Mark," Derek laughed. "We duct taped him to the bed."
"What?" Meredith giggled. "How did you do that?"
"The man can sleep through anything," Derek smiled. "And we thought it would be funny."
"What did he do?" Meredith asked.
"He screamed until my mom took pity on him," Derek sighed. "And then he got revenge by putting my frog in the microwave."
Meredith giggled as she reached for his hand. This was good. She hadn't even realized that she missed spending time with her husband, but this was nice. Her daughters were giggling together in the play pen, and she could talk to her husband. Her life was amazing.