Meredith inhaled deeply as her eyes fluttered open. The sheets around her reminded her she was not in her own home in Seattle and she was definitely not in her husband's childhood home.

She turned to the body next to her. Derek's breath was still even and his eyes remained closed and his arm remained loosely wrapped around her. Meredith turned to face him and watched as he slightly shifted.

This, the moment after, was still precious to her. Everything stopped then. The world outside ceased to exist and for the briefest of moments, it was silent.

The elevator bell rang as the doors slid open. The buzz of families, nurses, and doctors echoed throughout the hospital as she walked across the catwalk. Everything was busy. Nothing was quiet.

She walked quickly down the hall, coat and bag in hand as nurses and staff greeted her and welcomed her back. As she reached the door to the chief's office, she exhaled. No silence yet, just a quick transition of power and then finally- finally- quiet.

Owen looked up from behind the desk and smiled. He stood behind the desk and Meredith assumed that much like during his own tenure, he most likely spent little to no time here. He handed her a stack of paperwork, "Welcome back, chief. You were missed."

Meredith sighed as she hung her coat and bag. She exhaled, took the stack of documents, and quickly glossed through budget and other administrative reports, "Can you stay on as chief for another week? I need a few days in the OR,"

He laughed, "My chief days are over, this was a favor for a friend. Besides, you are doing a hell of a job. None of us could have done what you did?"

"Which was what exactly?" Meredith glanced up quickly.

"Oh c'mon Grey, you're selling yourself short," he snorted as he rounded the desk, "C'mon look at the residency program, Bailey's Clinic, you've hired a full staff again-"

"Are you buttering me up? What did you people do? How bad is the hospital? How bad is the department?"

Owen laughed as his hand enveloped the doorknob, "Nothing, everything's fine. All the paperwork is in that folder, The schedule is ready for the week so transitioning back in should be a breeze."

Meredith nodded, "Thank you. I owe you."

"We'll call it even when you approve my vacation days without question," Owen raised his brows and left her at the door of her office.

Meredith nodded once in acknowledgement as she watched Owen leave the office. She looked around as she walked around towards her chair.

Her desk was neatly organized, the cabinets behind it had trays full of documents she'd left behind. Budget reports, monthly summaries. The walls were blank, with the exception of her two degrees everyone insisted she have up. Everything was the same, yet nothing was the same. She sat on her office chair, hands neatly folded on her abdomen and stared off into the distance.

She hadn't seen the kids off to school. She'd left as they were about to sit for breakfast with a promise to see them later in the evening. She'd kissed the tops of their heads, held on to Ellis a little longer, promised to see her husband at work with a quick peck, and ran out the door.

As she drove away, she thought about them. They danced in her thoughts throughout the entire ride to the hospital. Ellis had been better. Maybe she'd stop the outbursts at school. Bailey was in the clear and no complications seemed to make their way through. And Zola had been a little quiet, although she knew that the interest in Brookline may have something to do with that.

Instinct. Carolyn told her instinct would tell her what to do.

"You're late," Amelia raised her brow as she watched her brother exit his car. He'd parked next to her and had arrived nearly at the same time

He shook his head as he took his briefcase off and pressed the button to shut it, "Always something to complain about."

"You were gone for a week, I gotta make up for lost time," she nudged him, "How was your flight? How's mom?"

"Flight was good, the kids are jetlagged though," he sighed, "Mom is...mom"

Amelia laughed, "You know better than anyone that she can see through our crap with one glance."

"Yeah," Derek shook his head with a slight chuckle, "Nothing escapes her."

"Except you apparently, where did you and your better half sneak off too?" Amelia turned to him, "Better yet, why did you run off?"

Derek heard a skateboard pass by them. If Lucas noticed them, he didn't make an effort to acknowledge them. He'd simply skated by until he reached Griffith further up.

"Kathleen found out about the accident," Derek sighed, "She yelled. I yelled. She said things-"

"Oh my God," Amy sighed, "C'mon he's an adult, it was his-"

"Amy-"

"No, listen, that wasn't on you and besides he made a choice, we respected it," she sighed, "We have to deal with him here not her. And you're the cool uncle and I try to be the cool aunt…well not anymore because I live with the kid and I have him help out with Scout but I still think I-"

"She blamed me for Dad," he flatly answered as he stopped walking.

Amelia turned around and stared at him, "Oh no."

Derek nodded. Amy knew better than anyone what that meant. She'd been pushing for him to open up and move past it. To accept that he had merely been a kid. Bad things happened and not everything was his fault. She knew her brother. And her brother knew her. They could be at odds, they could fight, but at the end of the day, they took care of each other.

"I'm fine," he sighed, "And I'm not just saying that. Mom and I talked. And I talked to Meredith, so you can check in with her- I know you will. And I- that's all I can tell you. It's too early to talk about it."

Amy watched him walk away and swallowed, "Kai was offered a job in London."

Derek turned to his sister, concerned written all over his face, "What? Didn't they just-"

"They're expanding the Parkinson's research and they were offered a lab there. They're considering it. They say it's a big opportunity and that it's what they've been working towards," she shrugged as she watched him search for words, "I don't want to talk about it."

Typical. Both siblings opening for the briefest of moments and shutting off to avoid any more pain.

Amelia stepped forwards until she reached her brother. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed it slightly as they made their way to the hospital.

"Ow!" Lucas jerked up as he saw the culprit of the sudden swat to his head, "Is this a hazing thing? Because in case you didn't know, chief, it's illegal."

"This is me as your aunt," Meredith gritted, "You didn't tell your mother about the accident?"

"He told her?" his eyes nearly bulged out, "He told my mother- I told him-!"

"He didn't!" Meredith nudged him again, "And I didn't know you didn't want her to know. So I was the one who opened my big mouth and opened the biggest fight of the century?"

"Between who? Mom and Uncle Derek? Oh, they've always fought," Lucas shrugged before turning back to his tablet, "They'll get over it. It's a Shepherd thing."

Meredith watched him. A photograph of her husband came to mind. One the kids had been looking at- amongst the many in Carolyn's home- with his unruly curls sitting atop his head. Lucas gave her the briefest of whiffs of him. Of course he'd know of Shepherd things. But, once upon a time it would've been just a Shepherd thing. This time, it wasn't. And she wasn't about to divulge any details with him.

"Hey! Welcome home!" Maggie's voice was filled with joy and energy as she greeted her, "Are we still doing family dinner this Friday? I want to hear everything!"

"That's still a thing?" Lucas furrowed his brow as he looked up at the pair. They seemed unimpressed and merely blinked at him, practically screaming at him to scatter.

"I'm gonna go check in with Dr. Shepherd," Lucas nodded curtly and walked off leaving the amused pair.

"How'd it go?" Meredith asked as they walked down the hall together, "Owen said everything ran fine."

Maggie nodded, "It did. It felt like old times with Hunt as interim chief but there's just something different about you being back. It's like something was missing you know?"

Meredith scoffed, "You do know I'm not what makes this hospital right? I'm just one person, stop making it like I'm the-"

"I'm just saying," Maggie laughed, "It's good to have you back. How're the kids?"

"Oh, well they're spoiled from their Nana's attention," Meredith laughed, "But the school in New York was definitely not the one for Zo."

"Oh," Maggie frowned, "What about Boston? What'd she think of that?"

The truth was that not even Meredith knew. She didn't have a clear answer yet. She had an idea of what her daughter was leaning towards, but assuming her answer wasn't right. She needed a clear answer and she'd give her daughter time if she needed. So for now, no one would know.

"We haven't really talked about it," Meredith shrugged, "Derek's sisters surprised us and we weren't able to talk to her about it."

"Oh," Maggie nodded, "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Meredith smiled. Genuinely, "I hope so."

"What do you mean about Derek's sisters? They surprised you? I thought you hated them?" Maggie's phone rang, "Oh, gotta go. That's Winston, and we are barely on speaking terms"

Meredith raised her brows and watched as her sister walked towards the elevators. Clearly she missed a lot- even if it didn't feel like it.

"How are you and Winston?" Meredith asked as they walked down the hallway.

Maggie sighed deeply, "How do you do it? You and Derek have these high powered jobs, and you two seem-"

"You've seen us, heard us fight," Meredith shook her head, "You know it's not always perfect."

She had. Maggie had seen them live separately. She'd seen her struggle with visiting him to D.C. She'd heard a lot. But she'd also seen the glances and the flirting. She'd seen the way they managed to work through their issues. One day they'd be fighting, yelling at each other, and the next they'd be standing by the coffee cart laughing over something the kids did, a witty comment one of them made, a story about a patient. She'd seen Meredith lean on Derek and Derek lean on Meredith. She'd see it all.

"He still wants to switch specialties and it bothers me," Maggie sighed, "I don't want him to give up on his dreams because he thinks it's gonna make me happy! He says it's to save our marriage but he's-he's being a coward. He doesn't want to work through it."

Meredith winced, "And what do you want to work through?"

"I wouldn't want to ever give up my passion," Maggie shrugged, "I just don't know if I can respect it."

Meredith raised a brow and sighed as she clicked the elevator button, "Maggie, marriage isn't easy. I told you that when you two first got married. It's a lot of compromising. It's a lot of give and take. A lot of times, you'll win. And many times you won't. So, really take a moment to think about what you want."

She knew that very well from experience. Sometimes Meredith would take. Sometimes she'd give. Sometimes they'd fight over decisions and sometimes she and Derek were clearly in sync. But it wasn't perfect.

"What do you mean?" Maggie blinked, "Are you saying I'll have to make a choice?"

The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival.

Meredith shrugged as she entered, "That's up to you."

As the doors closed, Meredith couldn't help but think of her mother and the decisions she'd make. Many times she'd thought they'd both escaped inheriting many of her qualities. Others, they were clear as day. They were the daughters of Ellis Grey.

A brilliant surgeon. A brilliant mind. Who'd made sacrifices for what she wanted most.

The difference between the sisters was what they each wanted most.

"Can you be my uncle for a few minutes and not my attending?"

Derek turned to Lucas from his tablet, "Crap. She called you?"

"No," Lucas shook his head as he leaned in, "Aunt Mer did."

Derek smiled at the way his nephew regarded his wife.

"She said you and my mom had the fight of the century," Lucas sighed, "I told you-"

"You said you'd call her," Derek sighed, "You didn't. And we didn't mean to tell her. It just slipped. Sorry"

Lucas observed him for a moment before nodding, "I got your email. I had the hospital in Boston send your patient's scans over so you should have access to them."

Derek had made a promise in Boston. To help a man with an almost impossible to treat brain tumor. Grace- the current resident of the once Grey home- had explained how he'd been turned away. He'd been surprised, considering the brilliant minds in Harvard. But he also knew that sometimes, turning them away meant that quality of life had outweighed the risk.

Derek however, was a risk taker. An arrogant one. And he'd made a career out of it.

"Okay, well," Derek sighed, "You wanted an impossible tumor right?"

Lucas straighted, "Wait. Are you saying-"

"You better bring your A-game, Shep," Derek handed him the tablet, "You're with me on this one."

Lucas swallowed.

Amelia opened the door to the office and closed it behind her, "What happened in New York? How bad was it? I heard you barely made it out alive."

Meredith looked up from her paperwork and shook her head, "He told you. I know he did. I haven't seen him all day but I know he told you. I recognize your tone."

Amelia smirked as she moved to sit in front of her sister-in-law, "Kathleen has never been one to shut her mouth. She's got a worse filter than I do. And a cruel one at that."

"I don't want to talk about her," Meredith winced, "I get you five are complicated but she crossed a line."

Amelia nodded, "I knew there was a reason why I liked you."

"Because I take your side when you and your brother fight," Meredith laughed, "He's fine by the way. He's…better."

Amelia smiled.

"What's wrong?" Meredith asked, "You seem sad? Why are you so sad?"

Amelia exhaled, fully knowing her brother would tell her anyways, "The Parkinson's trial is expanding. They've ordered an opening of a lab out in London."

Meredith looked up with a surprised, but thrilled smile, "That's great! Is Hamilton going to be leading out there? I heard they got that guy from Harvard to continue leading-"

"Not him," Amelia sighed, "Kai was asked to do it."

Meredith blinked, "What? Are they gonna take it? They're moving out to London?"

Amelia placed both arms on the desk and dropped her head, "I don't want to talk about it."

"You sound like your brother," Meredith rolled her eyes as the door opened once more.

"What the hell did you mean?" Maggie blurted as she shut the door behind her, "Why do I have to make a choice? Why can't we both find a way to be happy in our chosen career paths?"

She sat next to Amelia and blinked, "What's wrong with her?"

"Kai was offered a job in London," Meredith sat back as she stoically explained.

"Oh," Maggie replied, "Amelia-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Amelia mumbled.

Meredith sighed and shook her head, "Okay. I promised my kids I'd be home for dinner so I can't go to the sister house and help you both fix your problems."

Maggie squinted at her, "We're not asking you to fix-"

"But," Meredith stood from her desk, "I can offer you a boost of serotonin with the kids. Bring pasta from that one place we like and you get a few hours of family distraction."

"Early family dinner," Amelia looked up, "We're really a dysfunctional bunch."

"We really are," Meredith laughed as she grabbed her lab coat.

"I have Scout tonight!"

"Even better!" the door closed behind her.

"You've been hiding," Meredith whispered as she entered Derek's office, "Haven't see you since this morning."

Derek smiled as he stood from his desk and leaned in to quickly kiss her, "I've been working. I'm behind on some paperwork with the interns and I just took on a new case."

Meredith pulled out the chair and sat across from him, for once happy she wasn't on the end he was at, "Grace's husband? What's his name again?"

"Daniel," Derek sighed, "I had Adams transfer over his scans. Now we have to coordinate when we can fly him out."

"Mm," Mered hummed. She watched as he concentrated on the screen in front of him. The tired and worn out version of her husband had been left somewhere in New York. This one had rejuvenated, shed the skin of guilt that he carried for so long even if it was only temporary. Now he was back home ready for the next big case. Meredith studies him before asking, "How are you doing? How are you feeling?"

Derek couldn't help the small grin that curved from one end of his lip, "You came to do a wellness check didn't you?"

She laughed, "No, I didn't but I am checking in. It's what you'd do."

Derek sighed as he turned to her, "I'm feeling better. Much better. Happy we're home."

"Did you think about what I said? About therapy?"

"I did," Derek nodded as he leaned back, "I'm not going back to Wyatt but I am actively looking if that helps."

"Good, I'm glad one Shepherd is doing better," Meredith smirked as she leant back.

"Amy told you," he observed, "About Kai?"

She nodded, "I'm very confused but she doesn't want to talk about it yet."

"If she starts spiraling-"

"She won't," Meredith smiled confidently, "Amelia is grown up. She has it together.'

Derek nodded. Sure his sister had it together. She'd proven she was the stronger of the two but his own instinct told him to keep an eye out, "She does but she tend to lash out so just keep me in the loop?"

Meredith nodded, "Are you making it home for dinner tonight? The sisters need a serotonin boost from the Little Grey Shepherds and Amy's little Shepherd so I invited them over."

"I am not," Derek sighed with disappointment, "I'm on call, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have them over tonight. It gives us one night before we try to figure out what to do about Zo. Besides, I think you need some time with your sisters. You spent too much time with me already, you need a night to complain about me."

"That's not all we talk about. Our conversations don't revolve around you," Meredith rolled her eyes before sighing, "She liked the school. I could see it. I could tell."

Derek slowly nodded, "She did and she won't say she did because she's worried about the other two."

Meredith slouched on the chair as her eyes caught sight of a picture on the back cabinet. It was his favorite picture. The three Little Grey Shepherds sitting on the beach. Each of them pulled off silly faces as their father snapped the picture. They'd grown in the last year and a half. They'd matured a bit and had each developed more pronounced features.

"Bailey will understand, I think," Meredith tried to reason, "Ellis isn't going to be happy. Not at all. But we have to think about what's best for our whole family. And Seattle is just…I don't know Derek I think we do need to…to-"

"Leave," he finished for her, surprised at the "You think we need to leave."

"Maybe Zo's onto something," Meredith sighed, "Maybe, this is a sign we have to leave. Cristina once told me I should leave after everything that happened."

Derek nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about. She'd come home angry the day Cristina left for Minnesota all those years ago.

"Accidents, shootings, air planes crashing," Meredith reasoned, "Now it's our kids? Is the bad luck hereditary or something? Is that why our poor children-"

"Stop it, it's not hereditary," he shook his head before leaning closer to her, "Are you- are you ready to leave Seattle?"

That. That was the question she wasn't ready to answer yet. It's one thing to say something should be done and another to actually do it.

Being aware of your crap and actually overcoming your crap are two very different things.

"I told you-"

"I know," Derek nodded, "We'd do anything for our kids without resentment. I know that. I know you. I'm just checking in."

He smiled, echoing her earlier words. She stared at him unamused before shaking her head and staring at the photograph once more.

"If we do leave Seattle," Derek tested the waters, ready to bring up the offer he'd received from Catherine, "We need to discuss what we'd do-"

"We need to talk to Zola first," Meredith stood from the chair and began to make her way out, "I'm off to get our kids and try to pry out what I can from our almost teenager."

Derek chuckled, clearly this conversation had been paused for another time, "We practically have three at this point with those tantrums."

Meredith turned and tapped on the door with a smirk, "Are we talking about Bailey and Ellie or Amy and Mags?"

Derek pondered her question for a moment, "Make it five."

Meredith giggled as she opened the door, "For the record Dr. Shepherd-"

"Yes, Dr. Grey?" He stood from his chair and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I do complain about you to my sisters," She teased, "A lot."

"I expect nothing less," he nodded.

"How did you do it?"

"Jesus, are you trying to kill me?" Derek jumped as he turned to the source of the whisper, "What are you talking about? How do I do what?"

"Amelia and Meredith," Maggie shook her head as she leaned closer to him, "They hate each other. They genuinely hate each other."

"Oh," Derek sighed as he dropped his head back into his hands. "Let them be. They'll figure it out."

He'd been an expert at it by now. He knew exactly what ticked each of them off and could practically predict when the next war between the two would be.

He tried to play peacekeeper but that had epically backfired on both ends with each woman claiming the other had no regard for each other. Or him. Or anyone.

They called each other selfish, self absorbed, disloyal, childish, pathetic, and shallow.

They had a full war. Declared by both parties with no white flag in sight.

So he had to be neutral. To prevent Meredith from pushing everyone away and keep Amy from spiraling.

Switzerland. He was Switzerland throughout some of their most heated wars. When Meredith called Amelia a child who had no right to weigh in on her husband after all she put him through. And when Amelia had called her shallow for disregarding everyone's feelings when she wasn't the only one who cared for him. When Meredith called her an imposter for trying to fill in her best friend's shoes and marrying her ex-husband. And when Amelia called her pathetic for being loyal to someone halfway around the world.

But after a brutal accident Meredith had faced, they had no more reasons to fight. He was done being in neutral when Amelia had chosen to attend another trauma instead of Meredith's. Meredith had been attacked by a patient who had no control over what he was doing. Postictal, his medical knowledge told him. Still it was his wife.

Amelia had spiraled once more and froze the instant she saw her brother over his wife's head, begging her to help. She slid down the wall and refused to move instead. Terrified. In turn, Derek refused to speak to her. Not until she sobered up and got her act together, he told her, or else whatever they had mended would end then and there.

So she did.

It'd take a month for the women to realize just how much they cared for one another when Amelia showed up to Meredith's hospital room after nights of disappearing. She offered her thirty day sobriety chip as a peace offering.

Still, the bickering didn't end.

"I can't! I can't ignore them. They're always bickering, it's maddening! Meredith is my sister- my biological sister whom I'm getting to know- and Amelia is practically my sister. She moved in with me. We're living in Ellis Grey's old house which was Meredith's old house but she also practically lives there and-"

Derek nodded nonchalantly as Maggie rambled about his wife and his sister. Something about cabinets and sledgehammers and fleas.

"-and now there's a hole on the wall and we don't even know where to start-"

Derek lifted his head with his brow furrowed, "Wait, hole in the wall? Which wall? The house will collapse if it's a weight bearing wall?"

"Were you not listening? Amelia mentioned opening up the kitchen and we thought it was a great idea until Mer-"

"That was last night? When you had Mer over late? That was the tequila talking," Derek nodded, "Meredith doesn't like change. You know that. It took her a while to warm up to you, remember?"

"Not the same thing!" Maggie shrieked, "And she and Amelia had already lived under the same roof! With you!"

"Why do you think Amy moved?" He grabbed his tablet and pushed himself off the nurses station, "You wanted sisters. This is what sisters are like. They're your problem now."

Maggie blinked as she followed him down the hall, "No, no, that's not-"

Derek chuckled as he turned to face her, "Maggie, give it time. Trust me, you three are gonna be practically attached to each other, Meredith won't be living in the Dream House much more than she will at the Sister House."

"The Sister House?"

"Yeah," Derek nodded as he walked away, "She's practically there when she's not home. It's better than calling it the Frat House."

"The fact that you and Derek still have the old porta-crib, worries me," Amelia chuckled as she walked out to the living room where one sister laid on the couch, staring off at the ceiling and the other sat with her legs curled under her.

"Did you close the closet door?" Meredith sighed, "You left the cabinet open when you grabbed the plates."

"And this is why I moved into your old house," Amelia rolled her eyes as she sat on the arm chair across from her, "You were right, we needed a dysfunctional family dinner. Even if it was without my brother."

Meredith laughed, "He's worried about you. About the Kai thing."

Amelia nodded, "I tend to spiral when people leave me."

"Amy," Meredith whispered, "No one is leaving you. Maggie and I are still here."

Maggie sat up, "We're not going anywhere. And even if we are, you've got us."

Amelia kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs close, "I have this feeling that things are gonna change one way or another. And I don't like that feeling. I don't like not knowing what's gonna happen."

"Me either," Meredith sighed as she turned to her Maggie who had fallen asleep next to her, "I thought I had everything under control. With the kids and Derek. And then the carpet slipped right under me. I feel like I have no options. Like everything is pointing to one thing and I'm terrified to jump."

Maggie glanced at both sisters, unsure of how to comfort them, "Winston says I'm cold and selfish. I don't think I'm cold and I'm scared that the person I love might not be the right person for me."

The sisters sat in silence for a moment as the fire crackled. Three sisters, afraid of what was to come next for each of them. Unsure of where their roads would take them.

For years, they'd been each other's confidants. They'd been each other's partners in crime. Seen each other at their lowest and cheered each other on at their highest. A trusted circle and a village for their children.

The question was, how much longer would that remain?

"You're still here?"

Yasuda looked up at him and yawned, "I'm on call tonight, sir."

Derek nodded, "And you're staying in your van."

Mika swallowed, "Oh, um, Dr. Shepherd, I-I-I almost had it towed so I parked it in the back lot-"

Derek shook his head as he leaned over the nurses station, "I'm not gonna tell you to move it. I'm not gonna reprimand you. That's not what I'm doing."

Dr. Shepherd- Derek Shepherd- had a reputation. He was suave, calm, collected. An arrogant son of a bitch but a damn good surgeon. A good teacher and a decent person. That's what she'd heard from a fellow at least.

"Is it supposed to be this hard? Intern year? Is it supposed to feel like you're dying every single day?" she asked, "I have no place to stay. I can barely afford food on my table. I am working non-stop and picking up extra shifts just to make ends meet."

"It's not supposed to be this hard," he shook his head, "I mean, it's your first year, it's supposed to be hard, but not like this."

Derek watched her for a moment as she rubbed her eyes.

"You're done for the night," he leaned away as his hand hit the counter.

"What? No I can't, I told Dr. Pierce I'd-"

"I'm sure Dr. Pierce will understand," Derek nodded, "Get to an on-call room for the night and get some rest, I'm not gonna have you burn out. I, uh, I think I have a solution to your problem. A temporary one but it should work out."

"Dr. Shepherd, I don't want to-"

"Go. Get some rest," he insisted as he walked down the hall. Interns this late was no strange thing. They were often the ones to stay behind and monitor patients. The grunt work that every other attending had done in their heyday.

"If we're going to reopen the program, Chief, we need to make sure we don't make the same mistakes we did before," Derek pointed out as he skimmed through the applications.

"There has to be strict rules," Maggie agreed, "We've all broken them over and over again. And we can't say we haven't. We crossed lines-"

"Got too close," Amelia shook her head as she thought about her past would be mentees, "So close, we damaged them."

"And some of them just," Bailey sighed as she thought of her own class of interns all those years ago, "Die."

"Thanks," Meredith scoffed as she turned to Miranda, "Well that's why you're here. You're all heads of your departments and you've seen good classes and bad classes. So make a list, what do we need to do to change this place back around?"

They'd been so determined. So focused that the list of efforts seemed almost impossible. And when the chief had asked him to take lead, he had poured all his efforts into earning the trust of the interns. To push them and teach them the greatness that the hospital's legacy was capable of doing.

Richard Webber's shoes were mighty ones to fill. No one would be able to do it, but he'd learned from his former mentor, he'd make sure to pass it down.

Derek furrowed his brows at the sight of another intern sitting on a gurney, "What are you doing here? I just kicked Yasuda to an on-call room. You have the house to yourself, go home."

"Oh, I'm uh, reading the charts," Lucas briefly glanced up before returning to his documents, "I don't want to miss anything."

Derek nodded. He'd read the reports over the last few weeks regarding all his interns. Lucas Adams had the same notes scribbled. Slow. Sutures need practice. Diagnosing a patient can be a challenge. It went on and on and on but he wasn't ready to give up on him yet.

"You do know you can't always be on my service right?" Derek nodded, "I have you on this case but you're gonna have to rotate to Pierce and the rest of them eventually."

"I know," Lucas looked up to look at his attendance. His unruly curls on the top of his head were a mess from the constant tugging- a habit Derek had as well, "She told you about-"

"You not presenting a diagnosis correctly, yeah," He nodded, "It's kind of my job to know."

Lucas shut the tablet off and sighed as his uncle sat next to him on the gurney, "I'm not like you. Or Amelia. I'm not this sponge that can just absorb everything."

"What do you mean?"

"You two just always had it together," Lucas laughed, "I mean, I'd see you at Thanksgiving or Christmas and all you and your sisters would talk about was med school and internship and starting up your practice."

Derek laughed as he thought about a younger Lucas running around behind him, wide eyed at everything pouring out of him. Wanting to be just like him and ride a motorbike like his Uncle Derek.

"Yeah well not everything was as easy as it sounded," Derek laughed as he pressed his head back to the wall, "I was slower than the rest of my class. A little behind because I was distracted. It wasn't anyone's fault but my own."

Lucas turned to him, concerned at his very confident uncle's confession, "What did Nana do to you?"

They laughed as Derek clapped his nephew's knee, "You're gonna have to put in a little more work okay? I know you know a diagnosis when you see it but tomorrow, we're gonna work on getting it out of that mind of yours faster, okay?"

Lucas nodded appreciably as he felt the shift of the gurney as his uncle stepped off.

"She's engaged," he blurted.

Derek turned with his hands in his pocket. He blinked a few times before stepping closer to him, "Simone?"

"Yeah," Lucas whispered, "She uh, she accepted a proposal from this guy who just-"

"Doesn't get her," Derek nodded. A familiar story to him, "Is it what she wants?"

Lucas swallowed, thinking about what to say. Did she really want this? Or was she settling with someone?

"I don't know. I don't think so," Lucas shrugged, "Any advice?"

Derek sighed, "I let Meredith go once. I thought it was the right thing to do. She was dating another guy and uh, somehow we just kept coming back to each other."

Derek shrugged as he thought about all the many hills of Meredith and Derek. The great love story with twists and turns that had prevailed even when tested the most.

"You let her do what she needs to do," Derek advised, "Just make sure you're there when she needs you."

"Daddy!" Ellis ran to her father's arms as he lifted her up, "We missed you! Auntie Maggie brought pasta last night but it wasn't as good as ours and Auntie Amelia brought pie. That was good."

Meredith laughed at her daughter's brief but thorough report. They were back to their typical routine. Get up. Get the kids ready. Settle carpool. Off to work.

"Oh, well, our pasta has a secret ingredient no one knows about, that's why it's the best," he kissed her cheek before looking around the room, "Get your stuff ready and check that reading log please?"

He put his youngest down- noticing how close she was to the floor already and how soon she wouldn't be able to do this. She'd grown again. A few inches, maybe just one or two, but he noticed nonetheless. He rounded the corner to meet his wife, "Where'd the sisters go? You kicked them out?"

"Maggie has that big surgery with Winston today and Amy had to get Scout to daycare on time," she sighed, Meredith sighed as she leaned up to her husband to quickly kiss him, "We missed you last night."

"Oh I'm sure you and your sisters did," Derek chuckled, "Zo and Bails?"

Meredith wiped her hands on a towel and reached for her keyes, "Getting ready for school, can you take them? I gotta be there when Addison arrives today?"

"Addison is coming? Oh, that explains the protesters today. The OB and neonatal team that's getting trained are coming in from out of state, right?" Derek recalled Meredith talking about it on the plane back from New York, "I got the kids, you go to work. I'm gonna crash all day after in case you call."

"In case I call, you pick up that phone please," she glared at him, "And Derek?"

"Yeah," he turned to her as he reached for a mug.

"Zo? We gotta talk to her," she whispered, "Alone."

He furrowed his brows, "She didn't tell you anything?"

Meredith shrugged, "No. She just said school was boring but she was happy to see her friends again and then changed the topic to something else."

Derek sighed. Zola was closing them off. Trying to take them off her scent and skirt past the fact that she had an interest in what she saw in Boston. This was typical of her. The Eldest Daughter Syndrome was something her therapist had mentioned once. A burden eldest daughters felt when so much was on their shoulders. Maybe she'd been on to something then.

"I'll pick her up after school and we can go take her out to that place she likes," he nodded, "I can get Shep to help out with the other two."

Meredith froze for a moment. The kids hadn't stayed with him alone since…the accident. Derek wasn't ready. She could tell. And if she was honest, she wasn't sure she was, "You, you're sure-uh- everything is-"

Derek turned to her and shook his head, "If you don't feel comfortable, I can call Erin-"

"No," Meredith dropped her arms, "It's not- the kids love Lucas. I'm just- if you're okay with it- if you're ready, I mean- I'm okay with it. I promise. I trust you and I trust him."

A wave of emotions crashed onto Derek. He had been so angry that night. He could still feel the feeling he had the night of the accident course through his blood. He was terrified he'd lose his son. Angry at Lucas- who bore no fault- and angry at himself.

But if he were truly to move on from it, he needed to trust his nephew.

"I trust him," Derek nodded, "I do. He's a good kid."

Meredith exhaled with a smile, "Okay. I gotta go."

"Little Grey-Shepherds, you're momma's leaving!"

"Alright, last stop," Derek sighed as he pulled over, "Have a good day- oh Bails! Lucas might be picking you up today. Something about you taking him on in soccer?"

"He can't take me on," Bailey smirked as he eyed his father through the mirror, "Bye Dad, see you later!"

Bailey jumped out of the car excitedly. He'd been back to his happy carefree self. Something both his parents had been thrilled to see.

"Can I stay with you at home today?" Zola turned to him and sighed, "I know you're tired but I can practically take care of myself now."

"No you can't," Derek smirked, "You've missed enough days, you gotta go to school."

"Please," she implored with her brown eyes, "I'm already a genius."

Derek laughed heartily, "Nice try. I'm picking you up a little early. Your mom and I need to talk to you."

Zola's smile dropped. He could see the slight panic in her eyes as she fidgeted with her fingers. She pulled at the skin around her nails and swallowed, "Is it about Brookline?"

Derek reached over to wrap his hand around hers to ease her nerves, "You know part of our homework with your therapist is to check in with you. It's just a wellness check."

"Okay," Zola nodded unconvinced, "You do know I know better right? We're gonna end up talking about it."

"When did you grow up?" Derek asked with an incredulous look upon his face, "One minute, you're in my arms pulling my pens from my coat and the next you're off to college."

Zola laughed, "I'm not going to college, Dad."

A moment of pure silence passed between the pair,"Dad? Do you think Ellis and Bailey will stay close when we grow up? Like mom and Aunt Maggie and you and Aunt Amy?"

Derek blinked. If only his Zola knew the full truth.

"You know, Zo," he sighed, "I wasn't always the best big brother to her."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember the story I told you? About how my dad died?"

"Yeah"

"She was there," he swallowed, "She was scared and I tried to protect her but in me trying to protect her, as we got older, I just pushed her away. I wasn't fair."

"It took a long time for me to repair what was broken," he smiled, "Sometimes you three are gonna disagree. You're gonna fight, you're gonna be angry, but as long as you find a way to respect who they are and they do the same to you, you'll stay close."

Zola nodded before her father nudged her again, "You're gonna be late. You may be a genius but you'll still get in trouble for being late."

He watched as she jumped out of the car and trudged up the walkway, meeting with a friend midway.

A feeling gnawed at his chest. Something wasn't right. Something didn't feel right. He grabbed the phone from the cup holder and tapped on the screen. No calls, no texts. Maybe she was busy. Maybe she was just caught up in the day to day of the hospital needs.

So then why the hell did he feel the sudden need to rush over to Grey Sloan?

A/N: Hi!

Thanks for the love in the last chapter. It took such a long time- months really! I'd go every now and then, add, take away, edit, revise, change. I'm happy it paid off.

This chapter is officially taking us to the final act. And I've got a clear view of our ending.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.