Hey everyone! Apologies for the delayed chapter... work is crazy and I hate my boss but what's new? Anyway, thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed. Reviews honestly make my day and really motivate me to keep writing. Song of the chapter: "Something All Our Own" by Broadheds. "When you're young you're cold as stone/Then you thaw or maybe not, no." Enjoy!

The ILs social lives were virtually nonexistent throughout November. The workload, which had already been intense at the beginning of the year, had been steadily increasing throughout the fall semester. As finals drew closer, it felt like the only interaction they had with each other was about studying and when they occasionally ate meals together. Beyond their section, they hadn't had time for other friends really at all. For April, between her law school schedule, and Reed's med school schedule, she had not seen her friend in so long, and so she was looking forward to the holiday break for more than one reason.

She and her housemates were currently making plans to take old exams, timed and all, to help study for finals when Cristina joined them, dark curls dancing around her face as she slumps into a chair.

"I need to find a new place," Cristina said, stealing a fry from a protesting Izzie. "This sucks. And you just gave away the last two rooms in your house to the wonder twins," she said in a low tone to Meredith, tilting her head towards Jackson and April, while Jackson rolls his eyes.

"Why do you need to move?" April asked curiously.

Cristina takes a deep breath before responding flatly. "My roommate's pregnant."

"Oh wow, congratulations to her! That's so exciting!" April said, genuinely excited.

"No, it's not, Kepner!" Cristina snaps. April drew her head back, surprised and exchanged a wary glance with George. "This is not exciting news. This is awful news."

"Yeah, miracle of life. Big deal, right?" Jackson joked in April's ear. She can still feel his warm breath on her neck as she rolls her eyes.

"I guess it's not as bad as someone getting married," April replied under her breath, and Jackson laughs out loud. Most people think April is just sweet and perky, but she's got some snark in her; she's got fire.

"Torres is pregnant? Did she and her girlfriend with the weird name get back together and do in vitro- oh man, what was her name? Utah?" Alex looks off in the distance, trying to remember.

"Her name is Arizona." Cristina flicked her wrist as if to swat away a gnat. "And no, the father is some friend of hers from back in DC."

"What does your roommate do?" Jackson asked. He wonders who could live with the uber-intense law student.

Cristina sighed. "Callie is an attorney for the Seattle Mariners, but before that she used to work for the Washington Nationals. Hence, the friend from DC. Arizona works in family law… I can't remember if it was custody issues, abuse, adoption, something like that." It's clear from Cristina's tone that she herself has no interest whatsoever in family law.

"Well, good for Callie." Izzie said decisively as she moves her fries further away from Cristina.

Alex scoffed. "Oh, give me a break. Like you two ever got along. You met each other once and basically hated each other on sight." Izzie glared at Alex from the corner of her eye as silence hangs over the table. April can see that George is staring intently at Izzie, and Meredith is likewise staring at Alex.

Cristina's gaze flickers back and forth between the couple, before she continued, undaunted in the face of such awkwardness.

"See, my thing is, how is she going to go full throttle with her career while having a baby? Callie is hardcore. And I'm hardcore, so you know I can tell if someone is hardcore. And if you work at a firm, how many billable hours can you do if you have to worry about little Timmy at home? Or for Callie, when she needs to help negotiate a contract for one of their players, but the babysitter needs to go home…" Cristina shook her head.

"I think you can balance it. I mean, it might not be easy, but it's possible," April spoke up, but decided not to elaborate further. She'd always dreamed of being a mother, and while she is ambitious, and wants a successful career, she still has a kernel of hope that she'll meet the man of her dreams and have a gorgeous wedding and lots of babies. But April's pretty sure that if she were to express any of that, she'd be opening herself up to more ridicule, and after the whole virgin debacle, she's not interested in that.

"I agree," George contributed, and April smiled gratefully at him. "Just because you're an attorney, doesn't mean you can't be a great parent."

Meredith bit her lip. "Well, from my experience, top lawyers don't exactly have time to be the best parents, but what do I know?" She shrugged, but Jackson is also nodding his head in agreement. He loves his mom, but he spent more time with nannies growing up than he spent with his mother.

"Anyway, I don't know how they expect us to write all these essays in 3 hours. It's impossible." George complained, tossing his fork down in consternation.

"Maybe for you mere mortals it is." Cristina's eyes gleam. "As for me? I don't anticipate any problems whatsoever." April wishes she had an ounce- just an ounce- of Cristina's confidence. Sometimes it feels like all she does is second-guess herself. The others continue their study plans, but April's mind remains on the topic. What would she do if she could be as fearless and fierce as Cristina Yang?

Calliope Iphegenia Torres had a plan.

She'd had various plans throughout her life; some she'd seen to fruition, and others she had not. She had planned to become an astronaut when she was five years old, and then, as the best laid plans do, they had changed. Her plans were then to do the Peace Corps, graduate at the top of her class in undergrad, and go to law school, all of which she did.

What she didn't, plan, however, was to break up with her girlfriend because of their differing thoughts on having children, and in the wake of that breakup, sleep with her best friend and become pregnant. Callie and Arizona had broken up two months ago, as they both wanted different things. Callie wanted- no, she needed to be a mother at some point in her life, and while Arizona loved her, she couldn't say the same. What do you do when you love someone, but your respective views of the future are so wildly different? Arizona had looked at their future and seen trips to Milan during summer vacation, not diapers and first days of school. And Callie had discovered that even if you love someone, you can only compromise so far if it means giving up your dreams, your own sense of self.

So no, Callie didn't plan to have her heart broken by Arizona Robbins, who Callie is pretty sure was the love of her life. She didn't plan to sleep with her best friend. She didn't plan to become pregnant. She didn't plan any of that. But now that it was happening?

Callie was incredibly, insanely happy.

Callie's sitting in her and Cristina's apartment, trying to make plans, once again, as best she could. Sitting across from her was the best friend/father-to-be in question, Mark Sloan. Mark was tall and kind of insanely attractive, and charming in that lovable rogue way. He had just told her he had quit his job at one of the most prominent lobbying firms in DC, and had already begun the moving process to Seattle.

"Mark, listen. I appreciate the gesture. But I can do this myself, really. You don't have to be the "father" father. You could be the fun uncle! Not the usual creepy uncle, but the fun one, who gives really great birthday and Christmas gifts." Callie makes sure her voice sounds excited.

Mark stood up from his chair and begins pacing around the living room. "Callie, do you honestly think I would be ok not being a part of my kid's life?" Mark doesn't sound angry anymore, just hurt. "Is that the kind of man you think I am?"

Callie sighed and looked away from his face. "Don't you have a daughter out there somewhere?"

Mark rubs his forehead, frustrated. "Yeah, Sloane, but I tried with her, I did. But she's an adult herself now. But this baby? It's a chance for me. I want to be a dad, from day one. I want to be a dad to our baby, Callie. So, yeah. I'm moving from DC to Seattle. It's happening."

"Mark, you're a lobbyist. And I'm pretty sure the demand for lobbyists isn't as high in Seattle as it was in DC. I can do this on my own, I can-" She's trying to think of another reason to dissuade Mark, not because she doesn't want him to be a dad to her- to their baby. She's worried though that he says this now, but that later on he'll regret uprooting his life.

Mark smirked and interrupted her, "Torres, I've been working in politics for 20 years. I can find some sort of consulting job here, or I'll find something. Plus, I know you're a mountain."

Callie had been about to continue her explanation of how she could be a single mother in Seattle, but she stopped at Mark's words and quirked her left eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

Mark's hands gesture widely. He's always been a larger than life kind of guy, Callie mused, and finding out he's going to be a father hasn't changed that about him. He continued, voice raising, "You're not gonna move. So I have to move, and I'm ok with that. Really. We're doing this. We're having a baby together."

"And are you sure you're not just doing this because you and Addison broke up?" Mark had mentioned his old law school friends Derek and Addison a couple of times, but Callie had never met them; she was aware that Derek and Mark were as close as brothers though. After Callie had moved to Seattle, she and Mark had kept in regular contact. In the past couple of months, however, her phone had been ringing incessantly, off the hook, all because Mark had slept with his best friend's wife.

Mark waves his hand. "It's not because of Addison. Or Derek."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Alright, are you ready for some Torres hard truths?" she asked.

"Come on, Torres..."

Callie continues, stubborn enough to not let herself be sidetracked. "While I don't doubt that you had feelings for Addison, I do think part of you envied what Derek had. Not Addison specifically, though that was part of it." Callie finishes her sentence before peering closely at Mark's face. "Also, I think you still miss Derek. All I'm saying is that we didn't plan this. I was sad about Arizona, and you were sad about Addison and Derek, and now bam. We're having a baby together. It's just- this is a lot, Mark."

He sighed. "I'm only good for sex and making money, that's what you're thinking, right? And while I'm really good at those- you can testify that in court- I'm not father material."

Callie furrows her brow as her hand reaches out to lightly slap Mark's arm. "Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about. And nobody needs to testify, because nobody's on trial. I'm just saying, I can do this on my own, if you're not ready."

"Well, I am ready," Mark replied firmly. "I am." They stare at one another for a moment

She breathed deeply for a moment. "OK, so we're doing this? We're having a baby, right?"

Mark's smile lights up his face. "You're goddamn right we're having a baby."

Callie starts laughing. "Oh my God, we're having a baby." They're best friends with law degrees, and they're a family, sort of, and despite what some people would say, Callie knows they're both good people. And they were having a baby.

Izzie had had about enough with Alex's attitude. She'd put up with a lot, but him snapping at her earlier about Torres, on top of all their other little fights, was Izzie's limit. After class that afternoon, she grabs him forcefully by his ear and drags him to an empty stairwell.

"Ow," Alex said and twisted away from Izzie's grip. "What the hell, are you crazy? What was that for?"

"What was that for? You tell me. What's going on, Alex? I mean, you won't talk to me, you won't talk to Meredith- and don't say it's just the stress of finals. Because we're all stressed, and we're all swamped, but none of the rest of us is acting like this."

Alex scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that." Izzie scowled right back at him. "Because this? What we're doing right now? This isn't a relationship."

Alex shakes his head, laughing a little. But Izzie's patient; she waits.

"My dad came back." He finally said quietly. "He came back to Iowa and tried to get more money out of my mom- and not even to support his new family, the one down in Orlando, his other kid- no, he wanted it for drugs." Alex smiled at Izzie but it's hard to look at; it's not really a smile at all. Alex rarely talks about his family at all to anybody, including Izzie. However, she's not surprised that his family had been one of the sources of tension for him.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?"

Alex shrugged and stared past her shoulder.

"Alex… you have to talk to me about this stuff. Or talk to Meredith, or someone." Alex nodded. "Is that all though? That's all that's bothering you?" He stared at her for a moment, eyes searching her face. Though he looks like there may have been more he wanted to say, whatever he found in her face leads to him shaking his head. Alex sighed and finally met Izzie's gaze full-on. "Yeah that's all. And I know I've been an ass lately, so I'm sorry. OK?" He kissed her cheek and Izzie softens.

"OK." But even though they were finally communicating, even though they were finally having a meaningful conversation that they'd been avoiding all this time, both Alex and Izzie felt a wide gulf stretching between them. And neither knew what to do about that.

While Meredith was hosting a low-key Thanksgiving for their other housemates, Jackson was slumped in a chair in one of Hyannis Port's dining rooms, surrounded by fine china. He'd flown into Boston late last night at his mother's insistence, and was going to fly back on Saturday. Their dinner with Harper, Jackson's Uncle Malcolm, and his cousin Sean had been full of stimulating discussions about politics, recent lawsuits that had rocked the headlines, and even some of the drama that had scandalized the Boston elite. While his family was crazy, that's something Jackson always appreciates about them. They can bounce around from topic to topic, and the conversation is always full of lively and intelligent conversation. However, that's only one side of Jackson, and the other part of him wants desperately to just be able to relax and watch the football game.

Jackson surreptitiously grabs his phone out of his pocket, thinking to check the score on the game- "Jackson!" Catherine hissed. Shit. At least he thought he was being subtle. "Not at the dinner table," Catherine said in a low tone as she smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle in the tablecloth. Jackson sighs, stretching his neck and adjusting his tie before putting his phone back in his pocket. His grandfather and mother could always make him feel like he was 15 again.

"I'll have you know, I was reading a very informative article about the UN Security council and their upcoming vote," Jackson grinned boyishly, and Catherine chuckled and shook her head.

"I'm sure you were."

His Uncle Malcolm waves his hand over for the server to refill his wine. "Well, Jackson, tell me how you're faring at Seattle Grace. It's not quite Harvard or Yale, but I'm pretty sure they don't give out As there just for a pretty face." Jackson smiled, takes it, because that's what he's learned to do in response to some of his family's jabs. Never mind the fact that Seattle Grace Law was currently ranked third in law schools across the entire country- his uncle would find fault with the fact that he's attending a school that's below Harvard and Yale. And never mind the fact that Jackson worked his ass off to maintain a 3.9 GPA in undergrad, while playing college football, and never mind the fact that Jackson had scored one of the highest LSAT scores. To some members of his family, Jackson would only be a pretty face. Jackson opens his mouth to respond. "I-"

"He's doing wonderfully," Catherine interrupted, her smile pleasant but her eyes sharp. The dynamics of the extended Avery family were ever-complex. Jackson had always harbored the belief that his uncle resented his mother; she married into the family- she wasn't born into it, and yet she was the one who took control of the Harper Avery Foundation and was one of the most influential advisors at Avery & Associates- even though the man she married, the reason she was an Avery at all, had been gone for two decades. Malcolm was William's younger brother, but he hadn't seen his brother since William left the family, as far as Jackson knew. Thanksgiving, or any holiday for that matter, was never just a simple celebration. Some of the animosity between his mother and uncle had apparently bled down to also affect his relationship with his uncle.

Luckily, he and his cousins got along for the most part. Their parents' issues with each other had mostly left their relationships unscathed. He meets his cousin Sean's eyes. Sean was tall like Jackson, though with a slightly slighter build, with light blue eyes and blond hair. However, as Jackson's an only child, and Sean only had his sister Lauren, they were the closest the other had had to brothers. He had recently gotten divorced from his wife Natalie. In previous years, Sean has spent the holiday with her family but now that he was single, he had returned to Hyannis Port.

Sean rolled his eyes and mouthed "Sorry," in response to his father's comment. Jackson shrugged and smiled. Sometimes, you just had to smile so no one would know you're not OK.

"How close are you with Meredith Grey?" Harper looked up for a moment from his glass of wine, his blue eyes narrowed.

"I live in her house. We're friends, why?" Jackson asked, but he's sure he can guess exactly why his grandfather is inquiring about Meredith Grey.

Catherine laughed softly and made eye contact with Harper, and there's something decidedly calculated in her eyes. "You never told me that's who your landlord was, Jackson," and Harper shrugged.

"I would advise that you maintain that friendship, that's all."

Jackson looks first at his mother, then his grandfather. "So other people, they get the justice spiel on how important our work is, and now I get a lecture about how it's important to have friends in high places?" Jackson's frustrated with his grandfather and himself. He genuinely wants to study law, but maybe he should've thought twice about that considering how intricately his family is linked to this field.

"They're not mutually exclusive, Jackson. I do believe in justice and I value the role the law plays in our country. But I'm not naive, and you shouldn't be either. If you want to succeed and make real change in this world, hell, if you want justice, you have to get yourself some power. And having friends in powerful positions is important. Networking and connections are undoubtedly important in whatever area of law you want to practice, in either the private or the public sector."

Jackson nodded and took a sip of wine, his mouth dry. "I get it, ok?" Harper's eyes remain on him for another moment before the conversation turns to another topic. "Excuse me," Jackson murmured to his mother as he stood up and threw his napkin on the table. He's eager to escape the dinner even if it's for just a moment. He quickly strode out of the dining room but can still feel his mother's and grandfather's eyes on his back. Jackson's sure his mother would have plenty to say later on about his uncle, or would have something to say about Jackson's choices or exactly what he was going to do after law school, so he's going to try and enjoy any reprieve he can.

Jackson headed outside before inhaling a deep breath of air, the cold Massachusetts air waking him up and invigorating him. When they weren't working in the city, the Averys traditionally spent their summers at either their house in the Hamptons or at Hyannis Port. And while Hyannis Port in the summer is undeniably lovely, Jackson can still appreciate the stark beauty of it in late November. There's snow on ground and the bare branches of the trees cast shadows across the property. He feels… restless, and he doesn't know why. He could call Charles, but he knows his friend is busy spending time with his parents, or he could call some of his old boarding school buddies who are also back in the Northeast for the holiday. But right now, there's really only one person Jackson wants to talk to. Without waiting to ponder the reason for that, Jackson thumbs through his contacts and presses the call button.

April is sitting curled up under an afghan in her favorite chair, the Kepner's golden retriever Max is similarly curled at her feet. Alice and her fiance Chris were cuddled on the love seat, whispering quietly to each other, while Kimmie's husband Mark fervently watches the football game besides April's father. Her other sister Libby was spending the holiday with her husband Brian and his family. Her nephews were causing a ruckus in the other room; April, meanwhile, is still going over one of the old Torts exams she and the others had uncovered. Finals were just two weeks away, and she'd been completely consumed with studying lately. She's smart, she knows that, but sometimes it feels like she has to work harder than the others just to keep up with them. She doesn't have that same innate legal thinking like Jackson or Meredith or Cristina.

"Do you need help with the dishes, Mom?" April called back towards the attached dining room. She feels bad that she flew all the way home for Thanksgiving but is currently studying. Karen smiled affectionately at her, carefully balancing the gravy pitcher and the platter of leftover turkey. "I'm good, sweetie. Kimmie's helping me." At this, Kimmie shot April a superior look. "Just enjoy the game."

April nodded and watched the game for a moment, before turning back to her book. She's only had a few seconds to read when she hears the buzz of her vibrating phone. Not bothering to look at the caller ID before answering, April brightly said "Hello?"

"Hey April, are you busy? I know it's Thanksgiving, but I was just calling to… actually? I don't know why I'm calling. Can you talk though?" Jackson's voice has that self-assured quality paired with no small amount of sheepishness that is just so… him and it makes April smile.

"Sure." April got up, tossing the blanket aside and carefully stepping over Max's snoring body.

"Aw, does Ducky have a boyfriend?" Kimmie joked, a slight smirk on her face as she walks back into the living room, sitting down next to Mark.

"No," April scowled and presses her phone to her chest. Hopefully Jackson didn't hear that. Her sisters never fail to make her feel like she's still 15.

"Kimmie," Joe said mildly, not looking away from the TV and the game; he's heard this fight once or twice or a thousand times. Raising four daughters meant he was very familiar with breaking up fights ranging from snide remarks to the occasional slapping fit.

April sighs and rolls her eyes. She doesn't want Jackson to hear any of her family's "jokes," which were really not funny at all. April walks towards the door and slips on her boots and her coat in one seamless movement; one of her favorite things to do growing up was star-gaze, and she's very familiar with how chilly Ohio can be in late November. The screen door bangs noisily behind her and she sits down on one of the wicker chairs that adorns the wide porch of their house, but she can still see the wide expanse of the Kepner farm, the stars twinkling brightly over the farmland.

"How're the stars at Hyannis Port?" April asked randomly. She doesn't know where that came from, but she's heard enough about Hyannis Port that she's curious.

Jackson can hear her smile even through the phone, and he can't help but laugh. "Are we really talking about stars right now? Maybe you could put me on speakerphone and leave me with your dad. He's probably watching the game, right?"

"Shut up, Jackson. I wanna hear about Northeastern stars. After we had dinner, I started studying again, and my brain is just too full. I really shouldn't have come home at all, but I don't think my mother would have forgiven me."

Jackson gets that. He had wanted to just stay in Seattle and not really acknowledge the holiday, considering next week was their last week of classes, after which they had a few days of a study period before finals began. Also, Christmas was just a month away and he would see his family then. But his mother had insisted, and Jackson had discovered over the years that placating Catherine had its benefits. "OK, so you need a distraction? In Boston, you can't really see the stars. It's like in Seattle, where you get a few glimpses, here and there, but the city lights…"

"Yeah. They block most of the light."

"Here, though? The stars…" And while Jackson would never label himself as a romantic, or someone who's swept away by flights of fancy, even he has to admit it's pretty amazing. "You should come visit sometime."

"I've never been to Massachusetts," April mused.

"Well, I've never been to Ohio," Jackson said, declining to mention the fact that he had never had any interest in visiting Ohio, or really any of the flyover states. "Speaking of, how are the stars in Ohio?"

April smiled, clutching her jacket closer around her as she propped her feet up on the porch steps. "They're great. I'm really glad you called, Jackson."

"Me too. This can be a new Thanksgiving tradition- when our families get too crazy, I'll call you, or you can call me, OK?"

"Sounds good. Anyway, how was your Thanksgiving dinner? Has the tryptophan from the turkey made you tired yet?"

Jackson scuffed his foot against the ground. "We didn't have turkey, we had duck."

"Duck?" April wrinkled her nose, appalled. "You can't have duck on Thanksgiving, you have to have turkey." Not to mention the fact that she had a pet duck growing up. "Not having turkey- that's, that's un-American, Jackson. Did you even have pumpkin pie?"

"No, we're going to have souffle, but you want to know what's really un-American? My mom won't let me watch the game. That's what Thanksgiving's all about, right? Football? I mean, tell me I'm wrong here."

"Aww, poor Jackson," April teased. "You don't get to watch your little football game?"

"I'll have you know it's a big football game, thank you very much," Jackson mumbled and April can't contain her giggle.

"Well, the only real exciting thing that happened in the was a flag on Landers' touchdown, but the call was overturned and he scored. Other than that, it's been a blowout."

Jackson sighed. "See, I don't get you. You know a lot about football, but you never watch with me. Why?"

"Just because I'm not obsessed with football like some people doesn't mean I haven't watched a game or can't understand the rules."

"Come on, April, you barely came to my games when I played in college."

April jerked to an upright sitting position, where previously she'd been comfortably slouched and she brings her feet down from the steps. "Is this a joke? I was at practically every one of your games, Jackson."

"You were?"

"Yes, I guess you were too busy with some of your admirers," April said, the disdain obvious in her voice. "That's right, I was there."

"Well, you missed the rivalry game against USC. I scored two touchdowns that game, and I distinctly remember you not being there."

"My sister was getting married, Jackson!" April laughed. "I was a bridesmaid, I couldn't miss her wedding to go to your football game."

Jackson scoffed before he chuckles as well.

"April, we need to go to bed soon if we're going to go Black Friday shopping and drive into town, and we still need to prepare the Christmas tree." Alice peeks her head around the door. One of the Kepner family's long-standing traditions is that they begin to decorate the Christmas tree Thanksgiving night, and then finish trimming the tree the next day after a shopping extravaganza.

"Hey, Jackson? I have to go, but it was nice talking to you, ok?" April stood up and followed her sister back into the warmth of their house.

"Sure April, no problem. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving, I'll see you Sunday."

Jackson sighed and put his phone back into his pocket. His family's still intense, but catching up with April was nice. Jackson walked back into the house feeling a little lighter, prepared to face the craziness of the Avery family again.

Derek Shepherd had been having a good semester up to this point. He'd gotten so used to working with some pompous bankers, the opportunity to teach had been a breath of fresh air. Some of the upper-classmen had taken to his Admiralty class like fish to water, and seeing students get excited by the complexities of law was invigorating. It made him want to examine the aspects of international law that had been neglected in his focus on international finance law. That was not to mention the fact that he was currently dating an incredible woman. He and Meredith had only been seriously dating exclusively for almost two months now, and Derek had never felt this way about a woman before. She had walls and guards up around her heart, but there was this undeniable connection from the start.

But when he'd heard the terse words of Dean Webber as he walked by the dean's office, Derek knew that the jig was up.

"Get in here, Shepherd. Now." Webber's voice cuts through the hallway. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Derek, a relationship with a student? This is unacceptable. If this gets out to the press, or the board… You are exposing us to a bevy of potential lawsuits. There's sexual harassment-"

Derek stands up, full of restless energy. He'd been listening to Webber rant for a half-hour, but enough was enough. "You and I both know that nothing illegal has occurred. She's a grown woman, and just because I was her lecturer for three weeks doesn't mean there was an imbalance of power even. I'm not her professor anymore."

Webber shakes his head. "The PR aspect alone Derek… you have to admit that this doesn't look good."

Derek gazes at Webber incredulously. He respects this man, he's learned from him, and yet Derek's convinced that Webber is letting his personal feelings for Meredith Grey unduly influence his perspective.

"Are you this angry because it's a 1L student, or are you this angry because that 1L student happens to be named Meredith Grey?" Derek's arms are crossed and there's a combative look on his face.

Webber's face shuts down, and whatever sympathy or empathy had been in his eyes is extinguished. "You can teach the scheduled electives you were going to in the spring, but we can't have you conducting the 1L Moot court. And that's final."

"Fine." Derek snaps as he grabs his coat and briefcase, prepared to leave the office.

"Just tell me one last thing, Derek. Not for any record, not for the board or the press. I'm curious, is a meaningless fling worth all this mess?" Webber asks exasperatedly.

Derek pauses in the doorway and looks back at Webber.

"She's not a meaningless fling, Richard. And yes, she's worth it."

"Come in, Bailey."

Miranda enters Webber's office. She'd grown more familiar with the office over the years; she'd sat in there a couple of times as a student at Seattle Grace Law herself, and after a few years working at a high-power law firm, she had accepted Richard Webber's offer of employment to become a professor. She'd thought correctly that it'd mean a bit more time with her son, and she genuinely enjoyed teaching. However, what initially spurred her to accept the position was when her husband had issued an ultimatum, saying that he would divorce her if she didn't start working less hours at the firm. She agreed that she needed a change, but she also needed a divorce herself., because a marriage is not about ultimatums. A marriage is a partnership.

Richard Webber had become more than a mentor over the years; she'd call him a friend. So she patiently listens as he explains their dilemma, finding a professor to conduct the 1L competitive moot court. Miranda sighs. Sometimes, she's pretty sure this place would completely fall apart if she wasn't here. No, scratch that- she's sure of that all the time.

"On this short notice? How are we going to find someone as well-regarded as Derek Shepherd to teach our Moot Court? Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia- they'll jump on this, use this to show that we're chaotic, unorganized. And this… this is a big time commitment we'd be asking of people." Webber sighs, rubbing his forehead. He looks tired. While he wasn't a spring chicken anyway, right now he looks tired and old, the gray in his hair suddenly appearing even more vivid.

Miranda wracks her brain, "We'll have guest lecturers, guest instructors."

Richard lifts his head. "Guest instructors? For the Moot Court?"

"Yes. This could be one of the things that sets Seattle Grace apart. The opportunity to learn in 1L itself, not just in upper level classes, from a wide variety of respected attorneys, what the appellate process is like. They'll have different litigation styles, different focuses- our first years will be introduced to that from the very beginning. And come on, you have connections- we can get some really good ones in here. Hell, I'll conduct one of the sessions. As you may recall, during my time as a student at Seattle Grace I demolished our moot court. I was amazing. Me, plus whoever else good we can get, can handle it."

Webber still looks unconvinced, as Bailey sputtered. "We'll make it sound good, all right? Impressive. Make you want to print 1,000 brochures, show it off at all the open houses. How about that?"

He hesitates. "That sounds like a good solution to a not ideal situation. Thank you Bailey. I don't know what I would do without you."

Bailey sighed and turns around to leave his office, as she said under her breath, "I don't know what you would do either, sir."

So this chapter was a little Japril-lite... but there's a whole lot left to come. Please read and review y'all!