A/N Hi, I'd like to thank everyone who ever read and commented this fic throughout all nine months I've been posting it! It was my first fic and you were a real source of encouragement and motivation. I hope you'll enjoy this final update!

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Meredith straightened her legs on the carpet and used Derek as a human armchair.

"Definitely this one," she said choosing a picture from the stack.

Derek chuckled into her neck and steered her hand to have a better look at the image. He remembered the moment it was taken as vividly as it was yesterday evening.

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"Mhm," Meredith licked her lips sleepily trying to ignore the annoying noise that was effectively preventing her from getting her well-earned rest.

"Meredith, Mer!" the feverish voice of her husband reached her fuzzy brain.

Ah, no surprise here, that was the source of the noise.

"Wha…shuttup…" she groaned irritably and hit blindly his dark head she knew was hovering somewhere around her middle. Derek seemed to talk more to her abdomen than to her lately.

"Meredith!"

She felt his hot breath on her neck this time as he moved up and delicately pulled her sleep tousled strands from her cheek.

"Lemee sleep," she pouted and slapped his head away again.

"Later," he whispered. "Mer, it's here!"

"Whas'ere?" she yawned. "Youravin'…"

"Mer, wake up," he kissed her nose and cheeks. "You have a bump!"

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" Her drowsiness was now being replaced with excitement. She opened her eyes to see Derek's grinning face.

"Our baby starts to make himself or herself known to the world," he said emotionally.

She quickly sat up and inspected her exposed belly in the grayish colors of the starting dawn… and it was really here! It was rounded and swollen like it wasn't when she was going to bed hours before.

"It's… it's really early," breathed Meredith tracing circles over her stomach with her fingertips. "I wasn't showing for weeks with Bessie."

"It goes earlier with every other pregnancy," he said, prying his hand between Meredith's.

"Which means I'm going to transform into a beached whale pretty fast," she sighed.

"I can't wait," he muttered reverently.

"Excuse me?" she yelled, crossing her arms over her swollen breasts. "You want me so huge that I'll be hardly able to move, I won't see my own feet. My legs and back will hurt as hell and you say you can't wait?"

"Uhm, yes," he chuckled with amusement but his grin faded as soon as he looked at her furious face.

The next thing he saw was the pillow that smacked him across the face and Meredith's vindictive hiss, "So maybe we should cut down on sex so I can gather my forces to tow my huge belly!"

"Honey," he started meekly berating himself for once again forgetting about the golden rule not to mess with pregnant women.

"Honey?" growled Meredith. "Since when have you called me honey, huh?"

"Uhm," Derek gulped audibly thinking desperately. "Shouldn't we take a picture for the baby's album?"

Meredith's hands returned to her stomach and said, "You're right!"

Derek breathed out with visible relief and grabbed the camera. "You're beautiful," he whispered and Meredith smiled radiantly up at him. She pulled up her hair behind, threw off her tee and relaxed on the pillows.

"Time for adult pictures," she grinned.

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Derek made his way from the car to the house at a run to avoid getting soaked in one of the Seattle spring downpours. At the door, he almost crashed into Cristina.

"Oh, hey," she greeted, tying the belt of her jacket. "Good you're here. I gotta go and she's in a kinda… weepy mood."

"Thanks, bye," he nodded his head.

Derek entered a period in his life when he was really grateful for Cristina Yang. The two of them made an informal pact of support as they were both primary victims of Meredith's mood swings. Though he probably would be more suspicious than grateful had he noticed her mischievous smirk.

He entered the kitchen to Meredith's gale of laughter, she seemed to be in the best of spirits as she watched some old romance in black and white. A few weeks ago she insisted to have a mini TV installed in the kitchen as it was closer to the fridge.

Derek was always in awe with Meredith's nutritional abilities but now they exceeded all expectations. He didn't question anything these days though. He simple embraced the moment. He wouldn't trade a single minute for anything.

"Good evening to my two favorite girls," he smiled at them.

Meredith didn't answer, engrossed with the movie, but cocked her head to let him kiss her.

"Hi, Daddy!" exclaimed Bessie lifting her eyes for a second from her picture.

"Hi, Sweetie," Derek stood behind and passed a hand through her fair curls.

"We've made a decent dinner with Cris," Meredith zoned out from her silver screen frenzy.

"Yeah?" Derek glanced around the kitchen.

The last time he had an occasion to eat something was a poor salad for lunch.

"But we ate it," she caressed her swollen stomach. "We were hungry."

"Right," he sighed not noticing his wife's twinkling eyes with hilarity, and halted behind his daughter. "What are you drawing, Bessie?"

He recognized his own grossly exaggerated hair and there were a dozen of people in blue outfits, probably his colleague surgeons.

"You!" she giggled.

"And that?"

"Your simmers!"

"My what?" he frowned.

"Auntie Cristina told you have simmers!"

He cringed decoding his daughter's mispronunciation.

"Meredith!" he moaned covering Bessie's ears. "Can you explain me why my daughter is talking about my swimmers since I know I don't own a swimming team?"

She blinked at him and giggled. Poor Derek, she thought to herself. He was dead scared of upsetting her. She really shouldn't make fun of him but she loved watching him squirm. He did that very often as Bessie was still eager to discover the miracle of life and Meredith always sent her to Daddy for answers.

Right now, the troubled Daddy dreaded what else Bessie could have retained from her conversation with Cristina. He lifted his princess holding her under the armpits. "It's time for bed. And Daddy has now simmers, so don't even try to draw them."

Meredith smirked, "But you do! Here are two quite noticeable proofs!"

Derek decided to ignore the comment and lowered Bessie, "Kiss Mommy goodnight. You're going to sleep, princess."

When he reentered the kitchen half an hour later, his wife was no longer laughing. Quite the contrary, she was in tears.

"Mer, love, what's wrong?" he turned off the TV, kneeled in front of the chair and took her hands in his.

"Switch… switch it on," she sobbed. "I want to know what happened to him!"

"To whom?" Derek's mind was blank.

"That boy who weighed 555 pounds and was taken away from his parents!"

"Uhm," a frown creased his forehead. Meredith clearly overreacted. Bessie inherited her mother's metabolism and he could already tell she was going to be slim, if not skinny.

"I'm fat!" Meredith's pained self-criticism broke him from his musings. She was worried about herself.

He kissed her cheek so as not to laugh. She was just too cute.

"You're not fat," he said soothingly. "Just beautifully pregnant."

"I AM FAT!" she wailed.

"Show me," he smiled up at her, his hands shooting to her stomach hid by a sweater.

"No!" Derek melted at her cute pout, identical one to Bessie's.

"Uhm, you'd like me to get you something?" Derek changed his tactics. "Maybe a milkshake?"

"You want to further fatten me up?" she yelled shrilly.

"No?"

"So you do think I'm fat!"

"Mer I-" he stammered.

"Shut up and make me that shake!" ordered Meredith folding her arms over her belly.

Derek sighed and silently went up to the fridge to obey her request when he noticed she had her face in her hands and her shoulders were shaking.

"Mer?" he asked cautiously.

She couldn't hold her laughter any longer.

"You should've… seen your face!" she managed to utter coming up for air. "It was… priceless!"

"You've been winding me up all the time!" he said indignantly. "You little…"

He crouched back in front of her and tickled her delicately over her flanks. She laughed even harder. "You're so brainless, Der! I'm pregnant, you know, not brain damaged!"

He silenced her by engaging her in a sound kiss. She broke away giggling and rolled up her sweater and shirt. "Someone's been missing you," she whispered.

He smiled and lay his palm on her roundness and felt… a tiny pressure on his hand. He looked up at his smiling wife, "Mer, did she…?"

"Or he," Meredith reminded, "yeah, kicked. I thought you'd be able to feel that. Our Muffin has been moving around like crazy all day."

"Wow, it's…" his throat constricted. He was waiting forever to feel his child, especially since Meredith could feel the flutters in her belly. It was more wonderful than he imagined. For the first time he was able to visualize this tiny being having a character of their own. He really could see holding his child by the hand, next to Bessie.

"We really need to choose the name," he said.

"But we're still waiting with knowing the sex, right?"

They decided on getting a surprise when the time came but they had to pick names both for a girl and a boy.

"It took me ages with Bess."

"But you did well."

"I want something traditional," muttered Meredith pensively.

"Mary?"

"Too traditional," she grimaced.

"Katherine?" Derek proposed another name.

"I don't know… sounds cold."

"You're hard to please," he chuckled.

She cradled his head in her arms and brought their foreheads together. "I'm sorry, I must drive you crazy sometimes."

"I'm enjoying every second," he grinned.

"You're enjoying my moods, my cravings…"

"Yes," he craned his neck to kiss her.

"You think you can stay sane till the end of this pregnancy and not faint in the delivery room?" she squinted at him.

He huffed indignantly, "I'll be calm and poised and surviving your deadly grip on my hand, and all the names you'll be throwing at me."

She shook her head at him laughing.

"You make me happy, Meredith," he looked at her with shining eyes.

"Derek?" she started seriously. "Does it… does it all make you…" Meredith sighed heavily. "Does it still make you angry that you weren't there to witness everything with Bessie?"

"Love." She trembled under his piercing look but it wasn't a shiver of cold. "I'll always wish I had been around since the moment she was conceived but I accept our story. I'm happy for what we have 'cause it's a lot. I told you I forgave you a long time ago. I have no regrets."

His lips claimed hers clearing away all worries, while their Muffin continued to make cartwheels inside her.

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Meredith tapped her foot impatiently. Derek and Bessie, yes, both Derek and Bessie, closed the door to the kitchen right into her face and told her to wait until everything was ready. Only what? She already went through one celebration a couple of days ago on her last day at work. Her friends under the bouncy leadership of none other than Izzie threw her a baby shower in Derek's office.

Maybe he wanted to make her feel better on her maternity leave? He probably thought she was bored out of her wits sitting at home. She wasn't. Apart from taking care of Bessie, she had lots of time to make some research. She had continued her trial, successfully bringing the viral cocktail to perfection and minimizing the risks of the procedure. Surgeons from other hospitals in the country were able to repeat the method which now proudly bore the name of The Shepherd Method. It was time to put new ideas to test.

Meredith was just about to press the door handle when she stilled. Maybe she forgot about some family occasion? It wasn't Bessie's birthday nor Derek's. Certainly not hers. Wedding anniversary? Too early for that. Anniversary of their first date? She snorted. What would qualify as their first date?

She was spared further musings as the door opened and grinning Bessie slipped out and took her hand, pulling her insistently into the kitchen. Meredith walked in and her mouth opened in shock… When did Derek have the time to do this? He must have woken up hours ago. Her eyes slowly took in the surroundings, flower after flower, petal after petal. The kitchen was flooded with red roses and there was… a huge teddy bear on the corner.

"You hate this?" asked Derek appearing at her side with an insecure frown. "It's cliché. I'm cliché…"

Meredith giggled at him, "Clichés are clichés for a reason… because they worked."

She tilted her head and Derek leaned in with a relieved smile on his lips.

"Mommy, you like it! Mommy, you like it!" Bessie danced around her. She stuck her little hand upward and patted Meredith's swollen belly. "Muffin like it?"

Meredith smiled, "Yes, Muffin likes it, Sweetie but… what's the occasion?" she looked from her daughter to her husband.

It was Derek's turn to laugh, "Meredith, it's tenth of May. The second Sunday in May."

"And?" Meredith shrugged her shoulders.

Derek cocked his head. "You don't know what today is?"

"Uhm, is that a tricky question?"

"Meredith," Derek smiled softly. "It's Mother's Day."

"What… it's…" she stammered and her hand wandered automatically to her stomach, the other held Bessie tightly. She felt hot tears coming to her eyes and she couldn't block them.

"Meredith."

"Mommy don't cry!"

Both Bessie and Derek pressed into her which made her cry even harder.

"Happy Mother's Day, love," Derek whispered into her ear.

"I… I don't deserve it. I never prepared anything for my mother," she sobbed so that only Derek could hear her. "Not since I was too old for school to make me."

"You do deserve it," assured her Derek firmly. "You are a wonderful mother and that's all that counts. Right, Cherry-pie?" she picked their sunshine up. "Isn't Mommy the best Mom in the world?"

Bessie giggled, "Yes! Mommy, happy day!"

"Thank you, sweetie." Meredith sniffed loudly and grumbled, "Damn hormones, I can't stop crying."

"Don't worry, your present won't rust," chuckled Derek.

"You got me a present?" she asked wiping her eyes.

"Of course, we picked it last week during your shift."

He produced a tiny box wrapped in paper and a ribbon on top.

"I know you're not exactly a jewelry fun but… I, we, wanted to give you something special."

She opened the neat package and took out a very delicate, a very discreet golden bracelet with a single charm. She inspected it holding it in her fingers.

"You didn't!" The subtle charm had the form of a tray with a cake. "Cherry-pie."

"I have another one at the ready," Derek kissed her cheek, "to add up when our Muffin decides to arrive. Does that make me a king of cheesiness?"

"Yes," she giggled. "But I love you anyway."

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"Shep, what are you doing here?" chuckled Mark joining everyone at the counter in the lobby. "Who's taking the watch over your huge wife?"

"Watch your mouth!" Lexie swatted him on the back of his head. "You're talking about my sister!"

"I was asked for a consult, actually," explained Derek, gulping coffee. "And Meredith almost threw me out of her room. I think she wanted to have a moment for herself."

"You think?" snorted Cristina. "You've been guarding her like a dog."

Derek only shrugged, he was absolutely entitled to take care of his wife, especially on his paternity leave annoyed Richard sent him onto three days ago when Meredith's due time came and went without nothing spectacular going on.

Meredith suspected all through her pregnancy that her second baby wouldn't waste any time to arrive into this world, like their older sister. Well, it was clearly not the case. She carried their child safely to the 20th of August when they got her comfortably installed in the hospital and waited. But their Muffin was taking her or his time. So the Shepherds were practically living at Grace. Thankfully, Carolyn arrived at Seattle two weeks ago for the occasion of the birth of her latest grandchild and was now giving Bessie the appearances of normality.

"Dr. Shepherd?"

He turned to face a slightly embarrassed-looking nurse.

"Nurse Lucy?"

"I'm sorry to bother you… again," the blond said quietly, "but you see, your wife disappeared."

"Again," he sighed while his friends chuckled. "Thank you for telling me. I'll find her."

"I'll better move on," he informed the others and directed his steps towards the elevator. He suspected where his wife could be. After the success of her first trial, she was already planning a new one. Plus, she hated being stuck in a patient's room as a… patient.

He halted in the open door to her office listlessly with a smile and a shake of his head. He watched his wife trot around her desk arranging stacks of papers. Mark was right, she was huge. Huge and radiant, she never looked more beautiful.

"Meredith," he said gently.

She jumped up and documents slipped from his hands.

"I was just…" she trailed off searching for an excuse.

"You were just what?" he chuckled folding his arms over his chest skeptically. "What's your excuse this time?"

"I don't need an excuse!" she huffed putting her palms on her back. "I'm not confined to that godamn room!"

"Meredith," he sighed walking in. "You know well enough you're past your due date. You can go in labor any second."

She snorted, "Yeah, right. Is that why this morning we talked about inducement with Arizona?"

"We're still- Meredith?" he asked worryingly as let out a hiss and grabbed her pregnant belly.

He was beside her in a second, snaking a securing arm around her waist afraid she might fall.

"Oh, crap," panted Meredith.

"What? What's going on?" he kept asking feverishly. "Are you in pain? You need to sit down… I'll call-"

"I need… you," she grumbled taking a deep breath.

"Yes, love?"

"To shut up…"

He was momentarily speechless.

"It's humiliating…" she ranted.

"What is, Mer?" he sighed.

"My waters broke again… when I'm not in the delivery room…" she groaned.

Derek bit his tongue before "I told you" could roll from his tongue. "I'll take you to your room."

"No!" she snapped feeling the liquid slowly soaking her maternity pants. "You'll take me to my room when I'm not looking like I'm peeing myself! I need to sit down… "

He helped her sit in her chair and kneeled beside her, "Are you in pain?"

"No," she shook her head and glanced around. "Can you… get me a lab coat from the closet?"

"What for?" he frowned.

"I'm wet all over genius!"

"Right," he muttered and obeyed her request. She grabbed the cloth from his hands and sat on it when the pain hit her.

"Meredith," he rubbed her back gently. "Will you let me take you to your room now?"

"Just a minute, Der-" she gasped as another contraction shot through her abdomen.

"Okay," he clasped her hand.

"I'm sorry," she breathed out.

"Mer, for what?"

"All this," she threw her hand impatiently. "I was stubborn…"

"You wouldn't be yourself if you weren't," chuckled Derek. "Your contractions are close apart," he commented looking at his watch.

"It seems now that Muffin decided to come out nothing can stop him," answered Mer.

"Or her," said Derek reverently.

"Derek…" she said gritting her teeth under the force of another contraction. "You're not gonna leave me?"

"Meredith never," he promised and moved to gently pick her in her arms. "It's time to go."

She nodded trying to breath regularly.

The next few hours were the most beautiful and scary in his life. He carried his wife who nuzzled her face into his neck in embarrassment, helped her get changed into hospital gown and waited with her hour after hour until she was completely dilated.

Right now, he was just seconds away from welcoming his child into this world.

"You've been doing great, Meredith," started Arizona.

"Cut that crap," hissed Meredith impatiently through deep breaths. "I don't need… you telling me, I kinda know… I've been doing great…"

Derek chuckled and pulled the hair that plastered to her sweaty face.

"Okay," smiled Arizona. "On 3, you need to concentrate and do the last one push. Are you ready? Okay, 1… 2… 3!"

Meredith took the deepest breath she could and started to push, though every cell in her body screamed exhaustion. She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. Her hand gripped tightly Derek's fingers. Derek, she was so grateful to him. His presence and soothing words made everything calmer and safer. She had been dead scared with Bessie. Ned was at her side at the time, but it was incomparable to Derek's loving eyes and caress. She wanted to be strong for him. She wanted him to be proud of her.

The room was filled with a loud wail and Meredith relaxed on the bed breathing hard, a soft smile tugging on her lips.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy…" trailed off Arizona. "Would you like to cut the cord, dad?"

"Go on," whispered Meredith.

"Okay," he quickly planted a kiss on her wet forehead and excitedly moved to the end of the bed.

"Mer, we have a boy! We have a son!"

Meredith's heart fluttered at his voice. He sounded like five-year-old in a candy store. Soon he came over to her holding the tiny bundle that was their Muffin currently emitting tiny whimpers..

"Thank you, love," he said with a cracking voice overcome with emotion. "He's perfect."

She propped herself tiredly, greedy to look at the child she carried under her heart for the past nine months.

She choked backed her own tears and giggled, "He… he looks like you… he's… beautiful."

"Michael?" Derek looked at her questioningly bringing up the name that recurred most often in their conversations, the name of his father.

"Michael Derek," she answered softly. Aka little McDreamy, she added with amusement in her thought. He was a spitting image of Derek.

"You… you want to name him after me?" he stared at her in wonder.

She caressed her son's black tufts of hair and giggled at the barely visible bump on her son's nose. "Mhm."

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Meredith took her eyes up from her son's face and watched the room fill with people. She glanced at Derek who was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Bessie on his lap who was on her turn leaning over and studying the little curious creature that was her brother.

It was getting really crowded and Derek stood up entrusting Bessie into his mother's arms and said loudly over the heads of newcomers.

"Sorry, my wife went through a childbirth today. She's tired-"

"She looks better than you!" Mark shouted from the door.

"My point is that you'll all have time to see her tomorrow!" insisted Derek and looked back at his wife.. She and Mike were already cleaned up and she did look glowing

"Chill out, we're leaving," silenced him Miranda, "after we learn who won the bet."

"What bet?" frowned Derek.

"You see, dude, half the hospital bet on a girl, the other on a boy," explained Alex making others laugh.

"What did you bet on?" asked Derek stifling his grin.

"Pink dress," smirked Alex.

"Then you lost, dude," smiled Derek with satisfaction and gently extracted the newest addition to their family, carrying him over to show off to their friends. "It is my honor to introduce you to-"

The door to the room that barely closed seconds ago opened impetuously and Cristina rushed in followed by Owen who frowned at the traffic rate and mumbled that he'd come later.

"Don't be stupid," threw at him his girlfriend. "Sorry, we were pulled to an emergency. That's the midget?"

She walked up to Derek and reached for the bundle in his arms, raising protests from Derek, Mark and Izzie.

"Derek," Meredith berated him from her bed and he acquiesced reluctantly. He didn't feel like sharing his son with anyone yet.

"Hey! She's not the godmother!" huffed Izzie. "I am!"

"Damn right!" backed her Mark, her counterpart.

"I'm the mother's person," muttered Cristina carefully studying the baby's features.

"I'm the father's person," argued Mark.

"We'll talk again when the father manages to push a live human being from between his legs."

Every man in the room cringed and Mark put forward no more complaints.

Cristina cocked her head to a side to look at the baby from another angle and squinted her eyes.

"As I said" Derek cleared his throat. "I'd like you to meet Mich-"

"Wait a minute!" said Cristina suddenly carefully untangling the bundle. "Mer," she addressed her friend in alarm with her voice. "Your midget has a penis!"

"Congratulations, Yang!" snorted Alex. "Years of medical training and penis in a man still comes as a surprise!"

She ignored him and went on, "Seriously? The kid has McDreamy hair, McDreamy nose!" she said scandalized, "and a penis!"

"Is that a deal breaker?" smiled Meredith trying to get herself comfortable on the bed.

Cristina looked up at her and then back at the little boy she was holding just in the moment when he opened his eyes, brightly green eyes. She smiled gently and said, "No."

Derek half hoped for his son to start screaming at his wife's best friend but apparently he'd had to remain alone on that front. Michael seemed to like Cristina, he'd have to come to terms with that.

"Wait," said Izzie. "Did she say he has McDreamy nose?"

Everyone elbowed their way around Cristina pushing Derek away.

"She's right!"

"Poor kid!"

"I always thought he broke it!"

"Genes are ruthless!"

Derek turned to his mother for help in this obvious abuse of him but she just shrugged amusedly. "Your father had to go through the same the day you were born," she said making Meredith giggle.

Suddenly Mike started to cry loudly and Derek wrestled his way to him.

"Now we've all made sure he has everything he needs you can all go out. He had an exciting day, he was born. Mer needs to rest too."

"We'll come tomorrow, Shep," Mark patted him on the shoulder. "And congratulation on getting a boy! I've lost my money though."

"Me too," sighed Miranda.

"Don't even tell me about it," grumbled Ned.

Derek narrowed his eyes at them taking his son, "What, no one bet I could father a son? Where's that half of the hospital?"

They looked at each other innocently.

"I did," grinned Carolyn.

"Now don't I feel manly," he groaned as everyone started to clear off.

"Don't worry, your son's cute," assured Izzie from the door. "Even with the nose thing."

"You obviously need to rest," said Carolyn getting to her feet from the chair at Meredith's side. "I'll take Bessie home."

"No!" shouted Bessie, close to tears.

"Come to me, Cherry-pie," Meredith reached her hands towards her daughter and hugged her tightly while she pressed herself to her Mom unwilling to leave her. She really missed her little girl today and was worried about her. She wasn't used to that long periods of separation. They certainly had to learn to share time between their children. "Mommy is very proud of you know? Daddy too. You've been a very good girl to your Nanny."

"I missed you Mommy," Bessie snuggled into her even tighter.

"I missed you too Sweetie," Meredith caressed her locks and glanced at Derek who was trying to delicately rock Mike to calm. "Now, Nanny Carolyn will take you home again but tomorrow morning Daddy will take you to see me and Mikey, okay?"

Bessie scrunched her face but sighed a muffled okay. "Bye Mommy," she climbed to kiss her cheek.

"Bye Daddy, Bye Mikey!"

"He can't stop crying," said Derek worryingly placing Mike back in Meredith waiting arms.

"Get used to it," she chuckled at him and opened her hospital gown. "He's probably very hungry, aren't you, Muffin?"

She brought him closer to her nipple and he latched momentarily starting to drink, pressing his little fist to her breast.

"I love you," whispered Derek with admiration.

"Me or him?" Meredith crooked a smile at him.

"Both," he grinned, "but I was talking to you. I love you so much."

"I love you too," she replied and turned her attention to Mike.

Derek continued to gaze into her eyes. It was unbelievable that a little over a year ago he was an empty shell living on a memory of a spoiled chance for happiness. Then Meredith came back into his life like again with the force of a whirlwind and gave him everything he ever dreamed of.

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Meredith put the photos back to the ground when they heard a small noise coming from upstairs though the monitors were silent.

"Elizabeth Shepherd!" said Meredith loudly. "Are you trying to open the gate again?"

The clicking stopped and they heard their daughter's tiny innocent voice, "No, Mommy!"

Derek chuckled and got to his feet, "I'll take her downstairs. I guess it's the end of the naptime."

Just as he finished his sentence, Mike started to cry in his room. "And I'll take our Muffin too."

Meredith played with her bracelet as she got used to recently. The golden chain now bore two charms. She felt a bit silly but it always made her feel close to her husband and children. She smiled as Derek came back into the living room hugging Mike protectively to his chest with one arm while leading Bessie with the other hand. She was dark and twisty Meredith Grey-Shepherd, but she was whole and healthy and she had a family that was taking her breath away every day.

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A/N So that's it for this fic. I'd really love to hear from you after this last update!

About the sequel, I have the title, the plot line and I even started to write the first chapter. I'm really excited for it but I want to bank some updates first so as to be able to update regularly, sometime in September. The sequel will be set two years after the epilogue.

In the meantime, if you like my writing I have two ongoing MerDer fics – "A force to be reckoned with" and "Between black and white".

Hoping to see you back for the sequel,

Em :)