A/N Hey, everyone! You absolutely rock! Thank you for all your kind support, you can't even imagine how much your comments mean to me! I deeply appreciate every single one.

This update is super-uber-long, that's what happens when I'm writing directly on my laptop, dialogues keep piling up somehow. There's a little bit of everything in this chapter – fluff, hurt, comfort and… dirtiness some of you asked for :) and well, my porny brain kept asking for it… You're warned, if you're sensitive to that topic, skip the part. I hope you'll enjoy it and it won't seem as uneven as it does for me, but well I'm not entirely content with the majority of my updates. Without further ado…

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"Thank you for letting me stay," said Ned standing against the sink and wiping the dishes Meredith was handing him.

"You're welcome," she replied giving him a quick glance. "But you can always tell me why you prefer my old dusty attic over a classy hotel room we all know you can afford."

"Your Romeo was very anxious to know that too," Ned smirked catching the glare Derek was sending him while passing near the kitchen door. "He asked me a couple of times suggesting I might be more comfortable at Archfield."

"Don't mind him," Meredith rolled her eyes. "He's pissed off I didn't tell him that you're Bessie's godfather. It just… never came up in the conversation."

Ned thought that it probably wasn't the only reason but decided to keep his observations to himself, Dr. Shepherd oozing jealousy was just too much fun.

"So, how's your Grandma?" asked Meredith to change the topic of the conversation.

"She… she died… three weeks ago," confessed Ned uneasily but trying to remain indifferent. "That's… that's why I'm here."

"Oh, my God," breathed out Meredith putting the dirty dishes back to the sink and turning to him. She knew how much it must have affected her friend. He was raised by his grandmother and she was his only living family. "She was in such a good health when she visited you in New York a couple of months ago. What happened?"

"She wasn't in such a good health," he sighed. "She had skin cancer with mets on her liver. She came to Big Apple because she thought she probably wouldn't live to the end of the program."

"But… she looked so good-"

"She quit her treatment," said Ned quietly. "The cancer was too advanced, she preferred to live normal life than die in a hospital room with chemo dripping to her arm… I… I didn't know, I really didn't know," he said desperately as though trying to justify himself. "She told me only when I got back to London… I would have got back sooner if I knew… I would…"

"I know," said soothingly Meredith squeezing his hand. "She did that for you. She kept it to herself for you."

"That doesn't make me feel better," argued Ned. "I was having fun, getting surgery high and she was… slowly dying… alone."

"But she didn't die alone, right?"

"No," he swallowed. "I was there."

"Where do you go from here?" asked Meredith gently.

"I don't know yet," he shrugged regaining his composure. "I might go to LA, I don't know yet… I just… I have no one, no one beside you and Bess."

Meredith gave him a reassuring smile, "You-"

"Meredith," she was cut across by Derek's rough voice. He was standing in the door to the kitchen ready to go, scowling at their clasped hands. "Do you intend to go to work today?"

"I'll be ready in five seconds," Meredith rolled her eyes and seeing Derek leaving the kitchen without another word, she asked Ned, "Do you need anything?"

"I'll be fine," he grinned, "cleaning and baking all day with Bess and your in-law."

"She's not my in-law," frowned Meredith.

"Formally," he shrugged. "Practically, she is." He caught her hand when she was about to leave, "Meredith, are you happy with this guy? Because he looks like a major asshole."

Meredith let out an impatient puff. What was with men today? "He's not an asshole! He has a name, it's Derek. And yes, I'm happy."

"Geez, no need to be defensive! I'm not trying to hover," he raised his hands. "Just, you were freaking out about coming here for a month and now you have a happy family."

"I do," nodded Meredith.

"You winced at the sole mention of Bessie's father during the two years we spend in the program," insisted Ned.

"That's how it is in life," replied airily Meredith. "You love and you hate and then you love some more."

With wide eyes he brought a hand over her forehead, "You're warm, warm and fuzzy."

Meredith chuckled but Ned went on, "You'd do anything for Bessie-"

"I'm not with Derek because of Bessie," she denied firmly.

"I clearly remember you telling me you were staying in Seattle for her," argued Ned. "So that she could have her real father in her life."

"I did stay for her," sighed Meredith. "And I guess… I guess for me as well… I love him, Ned. I love him," she smiled gently.

Ned looked at her skeptically, "He's just…"

"He's not an asshole," spat Meredith anticipating his next argument. "Well, most of the time he isn't. D'you know everyone at the hospital calls him McDreamy?"

"Okay, you can stop with the advertisement campaign," he scrunched his face with distaste. "He's old."

"He's not old, he's eight years older than me," Meredith lost her patient. "I don't know why we're continuing this conversation."

"Hmm, so I can make up my mind about this gentleman suitor," he said pensively making them both burst out laughing.

"Yeah, thanks for your care, dad," she said sarcastically.

"Meredith!" they heard Derek impatient call and the sound of the door closed with a little more energy than the action required.

"I'm coming!" she shouted back snappily.

"You shouldn't say such things to your boyfriend when you're in a room with another man," sniggered Ned.

"Behave!" Meredith shook her head disapprovingly and hurried out to the living room to say goodbye to Bessie who was watching a cartoon with Carolyn.

"Do you mind buying a couple of things on your way back from the hospital?" asked Carolyn following Meredith into the hall.

"No problem," assured Meredith taking the shopping list as the horn blared outside. "Uhm, I think."

"You're not in a very festive mood," remarked softly Carolyn.

Meredith bit her lip, "Can you… tell him off or something? 'Cause he's being a jerk today."

Carolyn chuckled, "No, I can't tell him off. That task now belongs to you."

"He would listen to you," grumbled Meredith tying up the belt of her coat.

"Every woman has to know how to manage her man," stated Carolyn with a smile. "Otherwise we wouldn't have a life."

Meredith breathed out deeply. The only way to manage Derek she could think of was a ban on sex but it was a bit unrealistic seeing that they weren't having sex anyway. She ran out of the house and hopped into the car.

"Where's the fire?" groaned Meredith buckling her seatbelt. "We have plenty of time."

"I don't want to be the one pulled up in the afternoon," he muttered.

"Right," nodded Meredith. Manage your man, just manage your man… Hmm, why those words sounded so dirty in her mind? Oh, yeah, because she was horny as hell. She had to be strong, though. Derek was a bad boy, he didn't deserve sex.

"You don't deserve sex," she accidentally verbalized her thoughts.

"What?" he frowned giving her a sideways glance. "Was it a figment of my imagination or you've just said I don't deserve sex?"

"I… I did," she stuttered. "That's what wives…" she bit her tongue. Stupid Ned stupidly talking about in-laws, "girlfriends do when their boyfriends are insensitive jerks. Insensitive boyfriends doesn't get sex."

"But I don't get sex anyway," smirked Derek. "So maybe now I should get some so that my punishment could make a little more sense."

"I don't think so," Meredith suppressed a grin. "You could have behaved in a more civilized manner towards Ned. You don't even know him. He's just lost somebody important in his life, he needs help."

His lips pressed into a thin line, "Yesterday you told me you wanted the whole house for ourselves and yet you're taking in strays."

"Ned's not a stray," she said firmly. "He's family."

"To whom?" he asked sarcastically keeping his eyes steadily on the road.

"To me and Bessie," she answered. "Look, Derek, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. I just… it never crossed my mind, we were too caught up with everything and we didn't even get over the photos from the second trimester-"

"That's fine," said Derek dryly.

"Sure it's fine, Der," clipped Meredith ironically. "It's fine when you're all snappy and sarcastic. Just, so you know, think twice before you say something stupid again. Your mother told me that every woman has to manage her man and I swear to you I will!" she huffed.

"Manage me?" he chuckled suggestively. "Can't wait."

"Get your mind out of the gutter," she tried to sound harsh.

"I will when you do," he smirked. "That means never."

"You're on sex ban, remember?" she reminded him.

"What other advice Ma has been giving you?" he asked curiously.

Meredith smiled slightly as they continued to banter; they broke the tension without yelling at each other. They were definitely growing up.

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As the day progressed Meredith's resolve on the sex ban was waning and it would certainly crumble spectacularly, condom or no condom, when they found themselves alone in Derek's office. Unfortunately, someone started to celebrate Thanksgiving from the early morning, with a bottle of liquor apparently, before sitting behind the steering wheel and causing a serious accident involving four other cars. And that was just the beginning of the festive influx of trauma. It was already late afternoon when the rush melted somewhat and they were free to go. They were now at the supermarket trying to find the things on Carolyn's list before the closing hour and being late to the dinner they were hosting.

Dinner that Meredith dreaded for the last few days. Derek kept reassuring her that everything would run smoothly but she just didn't see how it possibly could. So she tried to occupy her mind with something else, currently, shopping. She would feel worried and awkward and completely freaked when they got at the house. Until then, she could be fine.

"We're really growing," said Meredith for the second time that day as she placed a bag of oranges into the cart.

"Going shopping?" smiled Derek.

"We're going shopping together," shrugged Meredith checking the items on the list. "First time."

"Mhm, that's another milestone," he grinned pushing the cart. "After all the sex and having a child together there must have come the time to go to the supermarket, just the two of us."

She laughed running her hand affectionately through his hair.

"Mhm," purred Derek, "feels good."

"We could always ditch that dinner from hell," sighed Meredith, "go to the trailer…"

"Don't give me mental images of something that can't happen," moaned Derek.

As they were passing the section with organic food Meredith raised her eyes and burst out in giggles.

"What?"

"I just… misread something," she stuttered pointing at the label. "I read… orgasmic."

At that point he kind of lost it. With a growl, he pulled Meredith close to him and kissed her hard. She was driving him insane with her giggle, her dirty talk, her fingers raking his hair, well, with pretty much everything. He pushed his tongue demandingly into her warm mouth, all the time thinking he'd like nothing more than to thrust into her in a completely different way. He needed her, he craved for her; even more violently with that arrogant kid from the program hanging around. His blood boiled at the sole thought how she hugged him at the airport yesterday or how she held his hand this morning. Derek's palm wandered possessively from the waist line up her body. Meredith was his, exclusively his. His lips wandered from her to her neck and he bit gently, eliciting a moan from her.

"Sir, Madam," a distantly nervous voice disrupted their spontaneous making out session. "Uhm, I must ask you to desist or I'll be obligated to ask you to leave."

They looked sheepishly at the worker of the store and reluctantly, broke their embrace.

"I'm having my way with you tonight or I'll swear-" Derek ranted trying to bring all parts of his body under control.

"Derek, your mother leaves in two days," Meredith said without much conviction. She certainly didn't want her mother-in-law or her future mother-in-law listening to their sex marathon (and there certainly would be one after all the period of forced abstinence) but she was horny. The level of her horniness probably reached the one she experienced during her pregnancy, and that was saying something.

Suddenly she tugged at his arms and they turned into the health and personal care section. With a mischievous smile Meredith threw a 48 condom variety pack into the cart. Derek's breath hitched for an extraordinarily long period of time.

"Thought we need a big supply," she smiled coyly. "Don't want to run out during… you know…"

He managed to grunt something incomprehensible.

"There are even your favourites, the glow in the dark ones," she quipped mischievously.

"Meredith," he moaned miserably.

"Yeah?" she asked innocently.

"You're absolutely devious," he said dejectedly. "You're throwing the glow in the dark condoms in front of my face when we're due to meet a house full of parents in half an hour?" he said checking his watch. "I'm an ungrateful son, I can't wait when my mom goes back to New York."

Meredith giggled, "We'll still have to be careful. Bessie sleeps across the corridor."

"An orchestra playing in the next room wouldn't wake her up," smiled Derek. "She took after you in that respect… " he trailed off and added dryly, his playfulness disappearing, "And there's your… friend. How long is he going to stay?"

"I don't know," sighed Meredith. "I'm not going to throw him out. He doesn't have anyone else."

"Fine," grumbled Derek, "but I'm not going to wait for him to kindly leave."

Meredith sighed in frustration; Derek's dislike of Ned was proving very tiring. Maybe a quickie in the car somewhere on the way would improve Derek's moodiness. Then her ringtone went off and she heard Carolyn's voice on the other side of the line, "Are you going to be home soon? Stacy and James have just arrived…"

Meredith sighed, all her fears returning in an avalanche. The evening was going to be a torture and she would welcome any chance to avoid it. Maybe if she was apprehended shoplifting she could spent the night in jail? Anything was better than what she was headed to. The only thing keeping her from running was Bessie, her precious daughter waiting for her at home, who would probably be swamped by the mass of people acting as or claiming to be her grandparents. Derek's support would probably be very scarce this evening; he was already putting back the mask of passive aggressive.

As they got to the house, she was sure of that. Upon seeing Ned helping Bessie to lay the table, both of them laughing madly, Derek's face didn't express anything else than pure loathing. Meredith groaned inwardly as the doorbell rang and she trudged with the shopping bags into the kitchen.

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Cristina walked up to her best friend's house with a lazy step. If it wasn't for Meredith she would spent another Thanksgiving alone while everyone around would be happy, smiling and 'familish'. But this year, her person was here and her goddaughter whom she could teach a few feminist theories, and it seemed, half of the planet's population. Meredith must be pretty freaked out.

She didn't even have the occasion the press the buzzer when the door opened and wide-eyed Meredith grabbed her arms.

"Cristina," she muttered.

"Uhm, are you okay?" she frowned at Meredith's striking resemblance to a zombie.

"Do I look okay?" she snapped. "I don't think so. My house is full of people, my house is bursting at the seams with fake mommies and daddies whose higher purpose in life. is. to. make. my. life. a. living. hell!" she gritted through her teeth.

"Did the chief and you father go cage fighter?"

"No," Meredith said dismissively. "They're throwing awkward glances at each other but they're otherwise civil. Thatcher wants to talk to me… I don't know why but he's been trying to corner me since he got here. And Derek's been a complete asshole all day, and the rest is smiling and talking and laughing and contrary to what everyone else is thinking, I haven't become so warm and fuzzy to digest all that load of happiness!" she recited on one breath. "Oh, and did I tell you that I'm horny? I want to do in the McBastard but I want to do him beforehand!"

"Yeah, you might have mentioned that too," muttered Cristina under her breath. "The fairy godfather!" she yelled spotting Ned in the hall. "Meredith didn't tell me you're in town."

"The fairy godmother," grinned Ned stepping up to her with the apparent intention to take her into his arms.

"I don't do hugs," warned Cristina. "Especially with horn dogs like you who want to cop a feel."

"I missed that destructive sense of humor," he smiled charmingly.

"Don't overwork yourself," she shrugged. "That's never worked for me and never will." She noticed Derek striding from the kitchen to the dining room with a bottle of wine, his face hostile as his vision swept from Meredith to Ned. That was what got Shepherd's pants in a twist. Wait, that was a bad expression, Cristina flinched inwardly.

They were to pass on to the dining room when Cristina felt Meredith's deathly grip on her arm.

"That actually hurts," she complained. "You're going to paralyze my surgeon hand."

"I can't go back there," whined Meredith.

"So you intend to sit through the evening in the dark hall?"

"Do something, anything!" begged Meredith. "Knock me out, sedate me! Can you make someone at the hospital page me?"

"I-"

"Meredith?" Thatcher's insecure voice stopped her from further developing her thought. "I… can we… talk?"

"I'll leave you to it," said quietly Cristina, silently telling Meredith to be strong.

"I… I… thank you for inviting us," stammered Thatcher.

"It was Carolyn… Carolyn's idea," fired Meredith playing with the watch on her wrist.

"I know," he nodded. "But… you let me be here… and I want to thank you for that… I'm… really grateful to be here," he confessed.

"Are you?" she asked a little disbelievingly.

"It… might not be the right time, I never do anything at the right time," he rambled. "Your house is full of guests, and it's Thanksgiving… but I... I've thought about you every day of my life, every single one."

Meredith swallowed with difficulty feeling her eyes starting to water, "Why… why did you leave? Why did you leave me?" she asked with a small voice.

Thatcher felt crushed with the amount of pain in her voice, "I never imagined I would," he replied with a crumbling voice. "The day I held you in my arms for the first time… minutes after you were born… was the best day of my life."

"Really?" she snorted, sniffing slightly. "That's not exactly compatible with abandoning me."

"I know there's no justification for what I did," he said heavily. "I was an adult, I should have been wiser… but I thought it was for the best at the time."

"How could abandoning your child be ever for the best?" she whispered. "Look at Derek, he loves Bessie more than his life. D'you think he'd abandon her? Ever?"

"I... I know it's hard to understand," his voice trembled. "After… after the divorce I thought I was weak, I was unworthy. My own wife preferred someone else… someone more successful… someone… I let her take you because I didn't want you to be like me."

"Oh, you'd prefer me to be like her?" she laughed cynically.

"That's not what I thought at the time," he breathed out. "I blamed myself and only myself for what happened. I talked myself into believing that I couldn't meet the needs of my family. I felt… like I was never good enough…"

Meredith looked at him with new eyes. She knew the feeling, never being good enough. Thatcher's explanation wasn't making anything easier or less hurtful but… a little more understandable.

He stepped closer to her and she could see that his eyes were glistening, "I know I left you and it's unforgivable… but… I want you to know that I never stopped loving you. You are my child and all the time in the world that could pass wouldn't change how I feel…" he clumsily reached a hand towards her, looking hopefully into her eyes.

After some hesitation she met him halfway. Life recently taught her that the thing with unforgivable wasn't always so clear. It was time to do something about her daddy issues and Thatcher was making the first step. She wouldn't hug him or talk more freely to him but a cautious handshake was just fine.

"I'm…," he cleared his throat embarrassedly, overcome with emotions. "I'm really glad you have Derek. He's a good man… and true, he'll never abandon you or Bessie. And I'm glad he made me realize I was hurting you more with staying away than with coming forward."

"He… he's talked to you?" asked Meredith with surprise. That was why he kept repeating that everything would be alright.

She waited a few moments for her hands to stop trembling and her eyes to dry and she took a quick peek in the dining room. Derek was not here. She went to the kitchen and there he stood leaning slightly against the counter cutting something, with his back towards her. She put her arms around him, resting her cheek against his shoulder, startling him.

"Thank you," she murmured breathing him in.

"For what?" he sighed, tensing against her.

"You talked to my father," she breathed out.

"I did," he probed, he still wasn't sure if Meredith wouldn't accuse him of trying to do everything instead of her; even if she asked for help in the moment of panic.

She sighed contentedly passing her hands across his abdomen, not being able to get closer enough. "Thank you… we talked… and talked…"

He turned abruptly to take a look at her, "You talked to him?" he studied her face with concern. "How do you feel?"

"I'm good," she shrugged pressing herself into his chest and smiling as his arms closed around her. "Relieved, I guess, more at ease."

"That's good," he breathed out, planting a kiss at the top of her head. "Ready to go in there?"

"As ready as I ever will be," she smiled gently.

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Until now, the dinner proved to be smooth sailing. Looking around the table, the knots in Meredith's stomach lessened significantly. Richard and Thatcher were still actively avoiding each other but that particular detail drowned in the hubbub of conversations, jokes and laughter. Mark was entertaining Thatcher and Susan, apparently trying to sneak into their good graces. Derek seemed to return to his cheerful charming self. Meredith suspected it was due to Carolyn's careful planning, seating her son and Ned at two different ends of the table. That way, Ned was engrossed in a fervent conversation with Richard, while Derek sat beside Bessie helping her with her food, giving Stacy updates on his daughter.

"Every time Meredith sneaks her into the OR gallery she doesn't want to leave," chuckled Derek.

"That's just like her mommy," grinned Stacy winking at Meredith. "Inseparable with the OR."

"Oh, are we talking about the day Meredith went into labour?" grinned Ned across the table, having caught the Stacy's last sentence.

"No!" she frowned shaking her head sending him silent "I'll kill you if you bring this up."

"What happened?" asked Lexie curiously.

Ned smirked at Meredith ignoring her glare, "She was scrubbing in when her waters broke."

"No!"

"Yes, and she still refused to admit she was in labour," nodded Ned raising laughter all over the table.

"It wasn't funny," huffed Meredith.

"But it was," he laughed. "She gripped my hand so tightly I feared it was the end of my surgical career."

"I would start to be afraid right now if I were you," hissed Meredith. From perspective, she knew she was silly refusing to stop working in the third trimester. It was embarrassing enough experience when she stood in the scrub room with all the people around staring at her wet pants, she didn't need it replayed among her friends and family. Moreover, she couldn't ignore the sudden quietness on Derek's part and the stony expression on his face.

"Fortunately, the contractions started almost immediately," added Stacy.

"Fortunately for whom?" asked Ned grinning widely. "She wouldn't let go of my hand and I missed my surgery, a heart transplant!"

"That was karma!" bit back Meredith. "For all the times you were going to make fun of me."

"I spent all the night sleepless and on the verge of nervous breakdown," went on Ned. "Having to listen than men should be castrated and well, it wasn't even my fault. But it was worth it in the end."

Meredith prayed for something, anything, to happen that could save her from the rest of this painful conversation. Ned was clearly testing Derek's patience, judging by the tightening of his jaw.

"I'm glad that Meredith wasn't alone," said Susan gently. "I couldn't even imagine bringing my girls to this world without Thatcher."

"Any more midgets you might pop out soon, Mer?" smirked Ned. " 'Cause-"

"They'll have their father around," finished curtly Derek narrowing his eyes at Ned as a deathly silence fell upon the table.

"Oh, will they?" Ned raised his eyebrows. "Somehow, you weren't around the last time-"

"Well, I'm here now, so you can leave Meredith and my daughter alone," fired Derek harshly.

"Derek!" barked Carolyn.

Ned looked as though he'd love to add something but held his tongue under Stacy and James's glares and Meredith's pleading eyes. The next few seconds passed in the most uncomfortable silence Meredith ever experienced, until Mark cleared his throat and said mercifully, "Have I already told you about the face transplant we're having next week?" The others promptly followed his lead but the evening was effectively killed.

Meredith watched Derek with a sinking feeling. She could only imagine what was going in his head. As they started to clean the table, Meredith followed him into kitchen.

"Derek?" she began cautiously.

"What?" he asked simply putting the dished into the sink.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay," he replied coldly turning to her. "Because I have to endure his presence at this house."

"Look, I'm sorry for what he said," sighed Meredith. "He's just… protective."

"Who the hell is he to be the judge of our life?" he demanded. "I want him out of here."

"I can't just throw him out," she hung her hands helplessly.

"Of course you can't," he threw ironically. "There's always someone more important than us."

"He's not more important than us," she argued. "But he's family."

"I don't know him," shrugged Derek. "And I certainly don't trust him."

"I'm going to talk to him," said Meredith to placate him. "He doesn't know the whole story, he doesn't understand-"

"I don't see why he has to," he answered sharply. "This is our life, I'm not going to justify it to him."

"Derek, he's been there for me-"

"Yeah, I know, when I weren't," he finished for her impatiently. "He works ever better than Cristina, doesn't he?"

"Has something heavy fallen on your head recently?" snapped Meredith. "Because you seem to have sustained extensive brain damage!"

"Meredith, Derek," said Carolyn tiredly, standing at the kitchen door donning her coat. "We're taking Bessie to the Lantern Parade."

"What? Now?" asked Meredith grateful for the interruption as their verbal exchange threatened to escalate into a blazing row. "I guess, fine… We're going."

"Oh, no," Carolyn shook her head. "You two are not going anywhere. You're spoiling my granddaughter's first Thanksgiving with the family because you can't talk to each other. Bessie doesn't need to see her parents fighting on such an important day."

"Ma-"

"I don't want to hear a word of protest," she silenced Derek. "We're going for the parade and you're staying and learning to communicate. When we get back, I want to see some progress," she ordered. She went out and after a few minutes of rustle of clothes and broken conversations, the front door closed and they were left alone in the house as well as in the strained silence.

"Meredith," sighed Derek.

"Now it's Meredith," she snapped. "Mama's boy," she added under her breath.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I've been struggling all day to keep my head clear but I… I can't stand him near you and Bess!"

Meredith looked at him painfully and shook her head, "You're a liar!"

"What? Why am I liar?" he inquired trying to grasp her reasoning.

She turned on her heel and marched out of the kitchen into the living room and he didn't lose a second to follow her.

"Meredith, don't walk away on me!"

She halted in front of the fireplace and pulled the blue post-it notes that carried their vows from a the vase on the mantel.

She waved them before him and gritted out, feeling her eyes sting, "You're a liar because you said you'd forgiven me. You're never going to forgive me and I'm tired of getting my hopes up and losing them in cycles! I hurts too much!"

"I did forgive you," disagreed Derek desperately.

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!"

"No, Derek," she denied once more. "There's one thing I didn't tell you about Bessie and you're getting angry at me!"

"That… that doesn't have anything to do with it," he bit his lip.

"Yeah, right," snorted Meredith. "I had to tolerate your crappy mood all day because you love me so much!"

"I do," he said quietly, suddenly becoming flushed, "God, Meredith! I'm… I'm jealous, okay?"

"What?" she started at him, deadpanned. "You're jealous? Of Ned?"

"I want to strangle him every time he touches you," he gritted out leaning against the mantel, training his eyes steadily on the floor. "He spent those two years at your side. And now I know he was with you when you were giving birth and it's just killing me!"

"I… that's…" she stammered, not sure what to say. "There never has been.. anything of that sort between us, Derek. We're friends, we've always been friends, nothing more and nothing less."

"Does he think so too?" asked Derek, partially relieved. Meredith seemed infinitely puzzled that he could have come up with a similar idea.

"He doesn't have any romantic feelings towards me," explained Meredith.

"And he has never tried something-"

"No," she rolled her eyes. "If you need to know, I threw up at his shoes when we first met. I think that scarred him for life. And no, he didn't see any of my private parts during labour, are you satisfied now?"

"Yeah, well, I'd still be more happy if we sent him to the North Pole-" he tried to joke but desisted spotting her impatient glare.

"Fine, I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "It's just hard to control these feelings."

"You're such a caveman," she sighed. She completely misread his emotions.

"What can I say," he sent her a dreamy smile. "All your parts belong to me. Exclusively."

She crossed her arms on her chest and squinted at him. "Seriously? You think you'll get any after that jealousy scene?"

"You can't resist me when I'm all caveman and jealous," he quipped, closing on her, only inches separating their bodies.

"Hmm, true," she acquiesced before his lips slammed onto hers and she was pinned to the wall. "Condoms… Derek… condoms…" she reminded pulling her head away. "In my bathroom…"

He was back in the living room within seconds with their variety box in his hands. His erection strained painfully in his pants at the sight of Meredith, who managed to shed her shirt in the meantime and was now sliding out of her jeans. He tossed his own shirt to the floor and trapped her back between the wall and his hard body. His fingers couldn't get enough of feeling her naked skin, additionally encouraged by her hands, one messing wildly with his hair, the other trailing his spine from the neck to his ass.

Their lips mashed fiercely, biting, sucking and licking, filling the air with languid moans and heavy pants. He blindly unclasped her bra and lowered to lick the path from her neck, through the valley between her breasts going steadily lower. She giggled uncontrollably, goose bumps erupting on her body at the sensation of his rough cheeks on her sensitive boobs.

It was all true; she could never resist him. If he was caveman, she was his cavewoman and at that moment she wanted nothing else but him to take her hard and rough against the wall. She yearned for him to fill her completely, to keep thrusting into her until the demise of any reasonable thought in her brain and then some. She could already feel the essence of her desire gather inside her and pool at her lingerie.

"Derek…" she whimpered as his lips and hands arrived at her hips and he slid her panties in one swift motion. She unwrapped the condom with her frantically shaking hands. "God… take me… just take me…"

He straightened up, looking deeply into her eyes, his own pupils dilated, a smug smile on his lips as his mouth claimed hers once again. She felt him lose his remaining clothes and heave her up, her legs hooking naturally around his waist. He entered her quickly without a word of warning, the deepest he could, making them both moan loudly. They stilled their movements momentarily relishing the feeling they waited for so impatiently.

She was all his, from head to toes. His lips widened in a smile, he loved her beg him during sex and now he was going to make her scream his name in ecstasy. He was the only one to satisfy her needs, and she was the only one for him. He started to move in and out of her, slowly at first, but gathering force with every urge on her part.

She felt amazing. Her heaving breasts and her hardened peaks squashed against his chest, her tight walls spasming around his length. It wasn't long before the wave of their orgasms washed over them, bringing the desired release.

"Sorry," panted Derek, slipping out of her but continuing to hold her close, keeping her upright on her unsteady legs.

"For what?" she frowned as her brain digested his words.

"I… I wanted to be more gentle… and caring," he breathed out, "the first time."

"God, Derek," she inhaled deeply. "Only you could apologize for giving a woman an orgasm like that…"

"You're not just a woman…"

She smiled nipping on his earlobe, "You can be gentle and caring the next time… like… now…"

He growled and swept her to the couch covering her body with his. He trapped her hands above her head, and took to pleasure her body reverently. Their primal need was now satisfied and Meredith knew he was going to worship her body, worship the woman who gave him his daughter.

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Several used condoms later, they found themselves lying sweaty and spent on the sofa.

"I think the progress is undeniable," grinned Derek lazily, tracing little circles on her breast.

She snorted and swatted him across the chest; a little too hard, as he lost his balance at the edge of the sofa and fell to the floor with a soft thud.

"Ouch, that was not nice," he said rubbing his head gingerly, sprawled on his back.

"You like it rough," she quipped turning to look down on him, teasing his hip with her foot.

"I like it every way," he grinned.

"You know this scene looks a bit familiar," she whispered gently.

"Are going to throw me out?" he smirked trapping her leg.

"No," she said leaving the sofa and crawling on top of him, "move in with me."

He looked at her with surprise and an odd light with his eyes, a light that she couldn't quite define, "You wanna live together?"

She shrugged playing idly with the hair on his chest, "We're already kinda living together… We could bring the rest of your things from the trailer… so you wouldn't have to go out of town every few days… Bessie would get more stability."

"You're sure?" he asked tenderly.

She looked up at him, "Positive." They gazed into each other's eyes and slowly leaned for a kiss, which seemed almost shy in comparison to several rounds of hot sex they just finished. And another one was apparently imminent. She tilted her head to gave him a better access to her neck and her half-closed eyes caught bright lights moving against the wall.

They looked exactly as… car lights… Her eyes went instantly open. They completely lost the track of time.

"Oh, shit!" she groaned and stood up.

"What?" he frowned disoriented.

"They're back!" shot Meredith frenetically. "Our baby daughter and your mother and Ned and who knows who else are on our driveway and we are completely naked in the middle of the living room!"

He blanched and got to his feet in the desperate search for his clothes.

"Derek Christopher Shepherd! Where are my panties?" she hissed scanning the floor for her black thong. They heard the stifled conversations getting louder as the owners of the voices approached the door.

"I suppose it's useless to ask you to help me look for them," grumbled Meredith putting on her jeans. "If your mother finds them I swear…"

She trailed off and speeded up buttoning her shirt as they heard the door open.

"We're back!" shouted loudly Carolyn.

"Shit, shit, shit," chanted Meredith under her breath. "Fix your hair!"

They stumbled together into the hall, trying to appear innocent. Stacy, James and Cristina returned with Bess, Carolyn and Ned.

"How was the parade?" asked Meredith tucking strand hair behind her ears as everyone started to take off their coats.

"Cherry-pie was simply enchanted!" said Stacy.

"And how are the things here?" asked Carolyn, squinting at them. "Can we pass the evening without the threat of you two going after each other's… throats?"

"We talked everything out," assured her Derek. "We're good."

Cristina studied them suspiciously, one eyebrow raised curiously and she smirked wickedly at Meredith who glared in return.

"I'm sure they worked hard to reach uhm, understanding," she commented. "Thank God you -"

"Are you hungry, Cristina?" cut her loudly Meredith.

"Not if you did the nasty nasty in the kitchen," she made a disgusted face making the others shake with laughter.

"Thanks a lot," Meredith gritted out, feeling the heat creeping upon her face. "You're really my person."

"Oh, I am," drawled Cristina. "If it wasn't for me, you'd play the innocent all evening and everyone would know you got McDreamied anyway."

Meredith hands shot to her head but Cristina only smirked, "No, not the hair, Mer. You just look like you had been attacked by a vampire."

Meredith turned around with mortification to take a quick look in the mirror. She was going to kill Derek and his caveman instincts… She had three love bites on her neck, three!

"Let's get to the dining room," said Carolyn merrily. "I'll fix us something to warm us up."

"Just don't let those two touch my food," chuckled Cristina following the crowd.

"How am I supposed to show up at work with these injuries?" Meredith asked Derek hotly but to her immense irritation he appeared unfazed, if anything, smug. "You big Neanderthal!"

"Mhm, definitely big," he smiled at her while his eyes started travelling south down her body.

"Don't look at me like that," she warned him. "You've just earned a sex ban!"

"Right," his grin widened even more. "I've been on one since this morning."

"You didn't meet all the requirements; now you do, so you're banned."

"Does it mean you don't want me to move in anymore?"

Her feigned glare softened, "I do, but you have to say hi to the sofa."

"I like the sofa, we like the sofa," he wiggled his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes, "You're dirty." She slapped herself on forehead, "Crap, we left the condoms on the mantel. Go and take them before anyone else sees it… and find my panties!"

"Relax, they won't end up on the bulletin board this time," chuckled Derek.

"You think it's funny? Stupid question, of course you think it's funny," she ranted. "I'm going to take a shower before it's Bessie's bedtime."

"Hmm, can I join you?"

"No!" she laughed, not able to keep a straight face any longer.

"But you said I'm dirty!"

Meredith giggled shaking her head as she climbed the stairs. It was a long and crazy day that left her on the verge of tears more than once. But it was also the day that brought another reassurance that Derek was the permanent element of her and Bessie's life. And she got hot sex, yeah, she was on the way to get her happy ending.

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A/N Did you get to the finish line? Lol. If you did, tell me what you think.

I was tempted to tell you what the next update will be about but hmm, I want to make a nice surprise for you. I feel really excited to get down to write it.

Yours,

Emilia :)

P.S. Just to calm everyone who enjoys reading this fic, I'm not stopping to write it before its natural end. I'm just unsure of my writing, as you may have noticed. There are still a few chapters before the epilogue, but well, not that many.

However, I'm pretty decided on writing a sequel to AEO. I have been thinking about it for some time but couldn't really find the inspiration. I didn't want to write any more hurt/drama for Mer/Der/Bess or repeating ideas that were used in other fics. But I have some ideas now and I keep jotting them down. So, anyone interested? Can't say much about the plot because it would reveal too much about the ending to this one and I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone.