A/N Warning: Izzie and the Shepherd sisters in this chapter :) Thank you very much for every single comment! I'm not entirely satisfied but I'm posting it.

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Meredith took Bessie's plate and deposited it into the sink.

"Yes, mhm," Derek's voice was coming from the hall where he was talking on the phone with their architect. They decided to put the past behind them and get new house plans that included the ideas of both of them. "That's right."

"Yes, thank you."

"No…" he trailed off pensively. "Not this week, I'm afraid. We have quite a busy schedule…"

"Of course, we can't wait to see them… Yes, that will be great," said Derek enthusiastically. "If the messenger can't find me, they can ask for my wife, Dr. Meredith Shepherd."

Meredith rolled her eyes at the proud note in Derek's voice and kneeled beside Bessie to wipe the remnants of blueberry jam from her mouth. If someone came to Grace asking for a Meredith Shepherd, they would be met with lots of raised eyebrows and even bigger amount of gossip.

"Yes, thank you," smiled Derek to the receiver. "Two days ago, thank you."

Meredith got lost in thought. They had to tell everyone, their friends and coworkers, that they'd got married…

Derek hung up and announced upon entering, "The blueprints are ready. We should get the first look today. Meredith!" he chuckled. "I think you're supposed to remove it, not spread it all around."

"What?" frowned Meredith. She paused her hand with horror noticing that there were now dark blue smudges on Bessie's face from ear to ear. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie!"

She grabbed a fresh wipe and gently cleaned her daughter's face, to the latter's great content. "I don't know what I was thinking about," sighed Meredith.

"I do," said Derek filling his travelling mug with coffee. "You're subtly freaked out about telling everyone we're married."

"How should we do it?" she asked nervously twirling the dirty wipe in her hands.

"Like an injection," he joked leaning back against the counter. "Quickly and painlessly."

"I guess," she sighed stopping in front of him, "and with a lot of people around… to drag Izzie from me!"

He laughed and squinted his eyes at her curiously as she started to tweak his shirt and jacket as well as his hair.

"What?" she shrugged. "That's what wifey wives do, right? Make sure their husbands look presentable."

"I always look presentable," he quipped. "As well as hot, incredible, amazing, sexy and… enormous, to name just the few adjectives you used last night."

Thump! Bessie sent her mug flying to the floor to catch her parents' attention.

"We're going, sweetie," murmured Meredith and lifted her up from her chair. "Or mommy and daddy will get late to work."

"On the beginning of their honeymoon," grumbled Derek.

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They dropped Bessie at the daycare center and waited for the elevator to arrive when they were joined by a slightly harassed looking Cristina.

"You've got a perfect occasion," Derek mouthed to Meredith before her person grabbed her arm and pulled her into the lift.

"I was freaking going crazy without you in this madhouse," she blurted out.

"What… what happened?" asked Meredith frowning at Derek.

Cristina threw him a reluctant glance but acquiesced before the fact he was not going to disappear.

"Owen," she spitted out.

"Owen what? Did… did something happen since you two got back together?"

"Yes."

Meredith's eyes went wide apprehensively.

"No! Not… that!" Cristina shook her head. "He's coping, we're coping. He's much better now. He just… he asked me to come with him to see his mother. His mother he hasn't seen since he left for Iraq."

"Mhm," nodded Meredith waiting for Cristina's next words and scowling at Derek who was looking as though he was searching for an emergency exit. The freak out episodes of his wife, he would deal with. But another hormonal female was too much.

"Mhm what?" spat Cristina. "What does he expect? That I'll go to see his mommy and… and…"

"And?"

"You know what it usually leads to, don't you?"

"What exactly?" inquired Meredith.

Cristina rolled her eyes impatiently. "One minute you're meeting the mama and the next you're getting married."

"Oh," frowned Meredith nervously and Derek gave out an audible chuckle.

"Something's funny, McDreamy?" glared Cristina.

"No," he replied innocently. "Everything is just… accurate." His eyes bored meaningfully into Meredith's, a fact that didn't escape Cristina's attention.

"Oh, crap!" she blurted out and quickly grasped Meredith's hands bringing them up. "You've got married!"

"Yeah, we have," Meredith gave a crooked smile, stepping from foot to foot.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" asked gently Cristina, a soft smile playing o n her lips.

"I was… being a good friend, I guess…"

"You dork!" laughed Cristina. "Oh, I'm gonna hug you now." She drew Meredith into her arms and held her tightly until the ringing sound announced they reached their floor and Meredith's pager beeped loudly and she raced out giving her husband and her person a warm smile.

Cristina made the door close and blocked the elevator.

They stood in silence for a brief moment, arm to arm.

"I love her," he stated out of the blue.

"I know," she turned to face him. "I'm not asking you not to hurt her because life always gets better of us but I-"

"I'll do everything in my power not to ever hurt," he promised seriously.

"Good," she smiled leniently. "Whatever you do, always try to use your bigger head, okay? That will save us all unnecessary drama."

"I'll bear that in mind," he cleared his throat.

"Good."

"Good."

"Uhm, I'm not gonna hug you," she warned him stretching her hand instead. He shook it with relief. Peace at last.

"Oh, and I'm offering to McBabysit if you want to enjoy your honeymoon in an empty house," she said hurriedly, averting his eyes, "every night this week if it's necessary."

He frowned at her suspiciously, "Does that have something to do with Owen and his mother?"

"Okay, listen, McDreamy. We shared a tender moment but don't expect me to listen to your love advice," she resumed her usual harsh manner. "My offer stands for the next five seconds. Take it or leave it."

"I'm taking it," he said hurriedly. "Just tonight, though."

"Okay," Cristina released the elevator and jogged to the residents' locker room.

"Okay," muttered Derek and directed himself towards his office.

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Meredith made her way to the patient's room. Judging by the scans, it was going to be a simple textbook procedure, an excellent way to start her morning and to exercise before she resumed her trial the following day.

She came into the room just as George was finishing checking a young woman's vitals.

"Good morning," she smiled at them.

"Karen," George addressed their patient. "This is Dr. Meredith Grey and she's a real genius."

"Don't exaggerate, Dr. O'Malley," she brushed off her slight uneasiness at being called Dr. Grey. She almost couldn't understand herself. Yesterday, she freaked out at being called Shepherd. Today, she was freaking out hearing her maiden name. Her old lab coat seemed to weigh like lead. She gently shook her patient's hand and asked with concern, "How do you feel today, Ms. Jordan?"

"It's Karen," said the young woman with a wince and sighed, "And how do I feel? Scared, frightened, terrified that I may need a brain surgery. That doesn't even begin to cover it."

Meredith took out her lightning pen and examined Karen's eyes. "Look straight ahead, please."

"What's wrong with me? Do you know?" demanded Karen.

"Yes," nodded Meredith. "Is someone from your family-"

"I don't have family," Karen cut her off. "Please, don't stall. Just tell me."

"I'm not stalling," assured her Meredith feeling for her patient. "We're found the cause for your inexplicable hypertension and headaches."

She presented to her an angiography, "You see this … over here? It's an aneurysm, a dilation in your cerebral aorta."

"So it means surgery?"

"It does," nodded Meredith. "Fortunately though, we picked it up fairly early. It's easily localized, it one can describe an aneurysm that way."

"But there are risks?" inquired Karen.

"It's a brain surgery, yes. There's a risk of a stroke and even death, but I said I foresee no complications. It's a standard procedure. And without it-"

"I'll die?"

"You might. An aneurysm is a like a miniature bomb ticking in your head that might explode."

"So I should have this surgery?"

The suddenly indifferent tone of her patient's voice startled Meredith. "As your doctor, yes, I strongly recommend that." Her case wasn't overly complicated but her attitude could prove decisive. It wasn't that rare when a patient's lack of will to live or of faith in their survival, undermined the efforts of their surgeon.

"Ok," Karen sighed dejectedly. "I'll have the surgery."

"Dr. O'Malley, please book an OR," she ordered hoping to get Karen more open after his departure.

"Are you sure there's absolutely no one you'd like to inform about your condition?" she probed.

"Absolutely no one," Karen shook her head and Meredith intercepted a small nervous gesture that seemed all too familiar. Her patient stared at the opposite wall and rubbed the skin around her finger, her ring finger, as though playing with inexistent rings that should be there. But the woman seemed so young and…

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask me or you have doubts about?"

Karen sighed, "Am I going to die?"

"There's always a risk with a surgery but I really don't think so," answered Meredith sincerely. "Is this what paralyzes you so much?"

"No," came Karen's surprising answer. "Don't get me wrong, I'm scared of dying. Death is a scary concept," she said stoically. "But so is living alone. So I'm not enthusiastic about either outcome."

Meredith looked at her with sad understanding. Karen was now in a place where she had been a couple of years ago, abandoning the fight for her life in the cold depths of Seattle bay…

"I'm sorry I'm wasting your time, Dr. Grey… Dr. Grey?"

"No, I'm sorry," Meredith waved her hand collecting herself. "I'm not really Dr. Grey."

Karen's eyebrows rose dangerously high.

"I mean, I am," rambled Meredith. "But I'm Dr. Shepherd now really, got married two days ago and the hospital doesn't know yet so… yeah…" Meredith cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Oh," smiled Karen warmly. "Congratulations, why aren't you on honeymoon?"

"Well, my husband is a doctor too and the hospital owns us both."

"That clearly sucks. I went to my honeymoon to Europe for three whole weeks and it was fabulous-" she cut off suddenly.

"You're married?" asked Meredith feeling she was getting closer.

"Not for long, "shrugged Karen. "And I'm truly sorry that it won't sound too chirpy, especially now that you're a newlywed and all. I got married to my high school sweetheart, soon after the graduation. We were over the moon, head over heels and everything you can imagine. And now, I moved across the country because I couldn't stand our daily arguments, the hatred in his eyes… We're… we're getting divorced if I survive this surgery. If not, I guess it'll spare me a lot of tears."

"I've been married for two days only but I know a good deal about running. We could call-"

"There'll be no calling, Dr. Grey… Shepherd, I mean."

"Dr. Grey," George reappeared in the doorway. "The OR 2 is free, we can go in any time."

"Now?" asked Karen hopefully.

"Now," agreed Meredith. "George, prep."

They left the room together when Meredith was halted by Derek, who was just hurrying across the corridor. Karen heaved herself up on her elbows to get a better look. Hell, she could be a dying divorcee so the least she could get was a good look at some hot piece of ass, even if it wasn't her husband's.

"Hey," he pulled Meredith a little aside and planted a quick kiss on her cheek, saying out of breath, "I've got the call from the messenger; he'll be here at lunch time but I'm going in for at least five hours so he'll be looking for you.

"Oh, okay," nodded Meredith. "I have an aneurysm clipping myself but everything should run smoothly, I guess."

"You're okay?" he asked with concern.

She brought her hand to his chest, brushing an invisible speck from above his heart. "You know, when I drowned myself," she said quietly. "I stopped fighting, I just let myself being pulled by the current… because every way seemed too painful… and scary. But…" she looked deep into his azure eyes who now expressed confusion and fear under his heavy frown, "I cared… I cared all the time… about you, I worried about you…"

"Okay," he nodded gently caressing her arms. "What has brought this?"

"My patient," Meredith pouted her lips. "She… she doesn't want to fight."

"Oh," Derek pushed strand hair behind her ear.

"I'm gonna ask you a question," she told him sharply. "I'm gonna ask Dr. Shepherd the doctor, not Derek the husband."

"Ok," a shadow of smile passed over his features. "Does that mean you'll never going to call me Dr. Shepherd in the bedroom?"

She rolled her eyes impatiently, "Be serious! What is the most important is the benefit of the patient, right?"

"Right," he nodded.

"And a doctor should always see it as a priority, right?" Meredith looked up at him innocently. "Even when the patient isn't exactly cooperative…"

Derek crossed his arms over his chest, frowning at her with a head-of-neurosurgery look, "What does that mean? "Isn't exactly cooperative?""

"She agreed to the surgery," Meredith assured him quickly. "I'm not fishing for a lawsuit. It's… more personal."

"Personal…" sighed Derek. Meredith always felt very strongly for her patients, often identifying herself with them, and that didn't change even when she became an attending. "Dr. Gr- Dr. Shepherd," he corrected himself immediately, "I don't know exactly what you're asking me about and I'm not sure I want to know. However, I know your primary concern is your patient's wellbeing so I'm going to trust your judgment."

"Thank you Dr. Shepherd," she breathed out smiling. "Good luck with your surgery."

"Thank you Dr. Shepherd," he smiled dreamily and checked the time. "Oh, shit!" He broke into a run under Meredith's grin.

"What are waiting for?" asked Meredith returning to George and Karen. "You should be on the way to the OR a long time ago."

"Sorry, that was your…?" Karen looked at her questionably. "I really pity you, having to cut into my brain instead of keeping him prisoner in your bed."

"Okaaaay," George pushed the gurney looking at the ceiling. "We're going."

Meredith stared at them for a moment and then brushed herself off with a shake of her head. She had a few phone calls to make or she'd be late for her own surgery.

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"I thought you wouldn't make it," commented Mark from the sink as Derek entered the scrub room at the top speed.

"Sorry," mumbled Derek tying the mask over his face. "My wife held me up."

Mark turned to face him slowly completely forgetting about the running water.

"Your what?"

Derek stilled before reaching for the tap. "Oh, sorry. I forgot we haven't told almost anyone, just Ma, the Warrens and Cristina."

"You got hitched?" asked Mark loudly. "You and Big Grey got hitched?"

Derek smiled widely under his mask putting his hands on his hips. "Two days ago. On a wine field."

"You sly dog," chuckled Mark and enveloped Derek into a hug, patting him across the back with his wet hand. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, man!"

"Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan," Rose stood in the open sliding doors to the OR, "Everyone's waiting."

They glanced at the operating room where all their team was glancing at them and giggling.

"Sorry," smiled Derek. "We're going."

She watched Derek reluctantly slide a ring from his finger and hide it safely in his breast pocket. A ring… she understood.

"Congratulations, Dr. Shepherd," she said softly.

"Thank you," he grinned and not even looking at her took to clean his hands before the procedure.

Rose sighed deeply. Derek got what he always wanted. The hospital rumor had it that he was having a house built on his cliff in the wilderness. He had a child he adored; he married Meredith Grey, the woman who was his love and obsession. Rose hadn't believed it would ever happen but, she guessed, every now and then true love won.

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It was getting close to lunchtime and Meredith strolled to the nurses' station to deposit the chart of her patient. All morning, she actively avoided Izzie like the plague but she completely forgot about it under the high of her two subsequent successful surgeries.

It was very reassuring and flattering that Derek trusted her also on the professional level. He gave her the green light to follow her instincts, which she did. After no less than ten phone calls she traced a certain Mr. Jordan in Connecticut, her patient's husband. At first he belittled the reason of the call, then he moved to disbelief… dead silence… and then fear. He was devastated there was no way he'd make it to Seattle before the beginning of the possibly life-threatening surgery (and she did little to calm his qualms). Meredith felt just a tiny bit uneasy she had magnified Karen's condition but it was all worth it in the end as her husband was coming to the Rain City. Karen's hopeful smile at the news made all the reservations go.

Right now, she noticed Alex, Izzie and Cristina leaning against the counter, their heads moving from side to side like during a tennis match. That indicated one thing, there was something interesting and worth watching going on.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked perkily putting away her chart.

"We're watching O'Malley getting his ass kicked by Callie's father," answered Cristina with a smile.

Meredith quickly turned to see George sliding against the wall gurgling and rubbing his neck as Mr. Torres released him.

"Way to go, George," snorted Alex, swatting him on the shoulder.

"And we're watching the Chief and Bailey letting it all out," went on Cristina turning her head.

Meredith looked in the pointed direction to see Richard and Bailey making their way towards them, retorting angrily.

"You're not even looking at me! Sir?" yelled Bailey.

"Mer! I almost forgot!" Izzie diverted her attention from the ongoing drama realizing that the person she had wanted to speak to all weekend was standing next to her. "How was the wine country? You should have called me when you got back. You know, they can deliver the dresses here so you don't have to transport your lazy ungrateful ass to the salon."

"I…" she stammered looking helplessly around. Cristina was shaking violently beside, trying to stifle her laughter. Where the hell was her husband who promised to take care of her in sickness and in health, for better and for worse? Big fat liar… Okay, maybe not fat but definitely big. Crap, why she was thinking about her useless husband's penis when she was angry at him and she was facing being strangled by Izzie?

"Iz-"

"Excuse me?" a man in uniform with a tall tube in his hands appeared out of nowhere. "I'm looking for Dr. Derek Shepherd?"

Crap, crap, crap! That must be the messenger with the house plans! Shit!

"He's… he's in surgery," she said quickly.

"And a…" the messenger checked his documents. "Dr. Meredith Shepherd?"

The lobby became so silent Meredith was sure she could hear a spider crawling up the wall.

"Uhm, she's… she's here," she cleared her throat. "I mean… I'm her… uhm, it's me…"

"You're Dr. Meredith Shepherd?" asked the man loudly, hoping to procure a unambiguous answer.

"Did you hear that?" one of the nurses whispered dramatically to her colleague.

"Yes, uhm, yes, I am," Meredith felt her skin heat up under the force of numerous pairs of eyes.

"I have a package for you." He lied the receipt on the counter. "Could you pass your signature here, Dr. Shepherd?"

"Yes, of course." She took an offered pen. Her hand stilled above the paper as she noticed shadows of heads leaning over her shoulder. She twirled the pen with a sigh but dipped her hand to write her name, her new name.

"Thank you, Dr. Shepherd," the messenger handed her the tube. "Have a good day."

Meredith studied the package reverently; these were their house plans…

"You're married?!" shrieked Izzie with shock. "Mer! Are you… married?"

Meredith turned to face her and scrunched her face, "I… kinda am."

"Oh, God, Meredith!" squealed Izzie and lunged herself at her friend squeezing her tightly. "Can't believe you're married, Meredith Grey! I mean, Meredith Shepherd!"

"Meredith! Outstanding!" exclaimed the Chief, all the traces of his row with Bailey gone from his manner.

"Congratulations, Mer!" smiled George though his throat was still painful from Mr. Torres's iron grip.

"You've got married, Grey?" Bailey scrutinized her sharply.

"Yes!" answered quickly Meredith, her body straightening up before the Nazi out of a habit.

"You took the perfect-hair man's name?"

"Yes," frowned Meredith.

"What's up with women today?" Bailey rolled her eyes. "Congratulations… Shepherd."

"Dude, you're-"

"Alex, you'd rather not finish saying whatever you want to say," Meredith hissed at him.

"Meredith!" Izzie swatted her shoulder. "You're married!"

"I think we've established that already, Izzie," smirked Cristina.

"You're… you're married… I was to plan your wedding!" ranted Izzie. "I called caterers, wedding salons! I was at the church!"

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Iz," Meredith wore a pleading look.

"I guess that what's the most important is that you're really married," sighed Izzie.

"What did I miss?" Derek joined them at the nurses' station, taking off his lucky ferryboat scrub cap.

Meredith watched with a smirk as the crowd of well wishers turned their attention at him instead, and it made him nothing short of exhilarated. He gave her a radiant smile over the heads of their friends. She loved her freak of a husband.

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"We'll finally be able to see our house," said Derek excitedly when they hit home that evening. Even though they were in possession of the blueprints since midday, they didn't have an occasion to have a look at them; at lunchtime everyone demanded the details of their wedding ceremony and later they were pulled to surgery.

"You want to see what our new home is going to look, princess?" he asked Bessie, unbuttoning her coat.

"New home?" asked Bessie.

"Yes, sweetie. We're going to have a new home," he smiled and took off her shoes to put her slippers on. "We're going to build a house on our land."

"Is pretty!"

"Yes, our land is beautiful, sweetheart."

Meredith put the blueprints on the table in the hall and pressed the button to replay the voice massages.

"We have six messages," frowned Meredith putting a hand on her hip.

"Aren't we popular," grinned Derek. "Play them."

"Derek? Meredith? Hi, we talked on the phone once when you called Ma. It's Ana here, Derbear's favourite sister. We've just learnt about the wedding! Congratulations, guys! And guess what, we'll be able to congratulate you in person!"

Meredith looked at Derek with misgivings. He shrugged and stared at the phone.

"We had a little conference of the Shepherd girls." That was when Derek started to be afraid.

"And we all thought it would be great to have a little escape out of New York this Christmas! Don't you think it's great? Oops, I gotta go now, ……and…. are fighting again! I'll call you later to talk over the details of the trip! Bye!"

There was a soft signal announcing the second message, this time from Kathleen, the psychologist.

"Hello, Derek and you Meredith, if you're there," said a dead-serious voice. "It's Kathleen here. I don't know if anyone bothered to call you yet but we're all coming to Seattle for Christmas to meet our brother's new family. I can't wait to have a long talk with you. By the way, we're testing out a new analysis technique, excellent for discussing rushed decisions and irrational behavior. Will talk to you later, bye!"

"She's joking," assured Derek at Meredith's alarmed look and muttered under his breath, "I think…"

"Hi, there, it's Nancy here. Mom called us with the happy news," she said sweetly. "So now we're coming to Seattle. Thank you for giving me an excuse not to go to Andy's parents this year, by the way. Meredith, I can't wait for the pleasure of seeing you again, and meeting your lovely daughter, of course. We'll see each other in a month!"

Meredith cringed. "The pleasure" of meeting her? Yeah, right, sister McBitchy…

"Hi, it's Dot speaking! Derbear, long time no see! Meredith? I'm Dorothy, Derbear's favourite sister and don't you let anyone convince you differently! We're dying here to meet you and little Bessie! She looks adorable in all the pictures Mom brought. I guess we'll see each other very soon. Lots of love from me, Jim and the kids!"

"Good afternoon, Seattle," Carolyn's amused voice sounded in the hall. "I guess all my girls have called you by now. No, it's not a joke. We'll all be very happy to visit you in Seattle over Christmas. We, meaning me, all the girls, their husbands and my sixteen grandchildren. I expect you to call me by the end of the week."

"Sixteen?" whimpered Meredith blanching. "You said fourteen!"

"Mer, that was a couple of years ago," sighed Derek tiredly. Since then, both Tess and Ana had girls…"

"How is it that… that… that they are all coming! Here! To Seattle!" Meredith felt herself going over the board. This seriously wasn't happening, right? Right?

"I think they-"

"Don't you even dare to finish that sentence, Derek Christopher Shepherd! Or you're ending up on the coach!"

"Mer, seriously-" he was cut off by the last message.

"What the fuck, Shep!" Mark's voice boomed from the speaker. "Can you guess who called me? Nancypants, of all the people! And guess what she said? "Markie, we're coming to Seattle to meet your fiancée!" What the hell! What fiancée? You're dead if your ugly sisters say something to Lexie! D'you hear me? Dead!"

"Mommy, Daddy! Whas fuck?"

Derek groaned; if he was going to survive it, he would dance naked for Meredith every evening.

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A/N As always, waiting for your opinions about the update. There's only one regular update after this one before the epilogue.

Em