A/N: There has been a retcon! I know in ch. 1 I said Meredith and Derek moved back to Seattle when Ellis went off to college but scratch that! They didn't. I rewrote that bit in ch. 1 in case you want to go back but for the dramatic purposes of this fic, that has been retconned. Oh! And this takes place years before the previous one-shot! Okay, now you can read!

Running a foundation was crap. Total crap.

Well—no, it wasn't. It was a luxury. A privilege, really. He had the means to fund neurological research that could change lives, maybe even change the world. Research like the kind his wife was leading—pioneering preventative treatments against Alzheimer's.

Their children had all taken off on their own brilliant paths—Zola was applying for surgical internships, and Bailey was in Los Angeles. That left Derek at home, unwilling to sit around and twiddle his thumbs.

So he built something. He established a research foundation dedicated to funding groundbreaking neurological advancements, sponsoring studies, and supporting the next generation of medical innovators. It gave him purpose, a way to put his expertise to use. It was meaningful work.

But at the end of the day, all he really wanted was to go home—to be with his wife and, if she happened to be home from the college she attended just twenty minutes away, their daughter.

Ellis had surprised them all by choosing to stay in Boston after being accepted to Harvard. Both he and Meredith had expected her to take off the way Zola and Bailey had. And in a way, she had—she rented an apartment with friends, eager to carve out some independence. But most weekends, she was back home, as if she had never left at all.

A part of him had feared that she'd made the choice to stay because of him. The past two years hadn't been so easy for the Grey Shepherds and she'd seen the brunt of it.

"It's Harvard, Dad! I can't say no to Harvard! Aunt Amy told me so many—"

"That's not reassuring, Ells," Derek shook his head.

"Daddy!"

"Derek," Meredith chided, stepping closer. "This is her choice."

He sighed, his gaze flickering between them. "This isn't because you're scared that I'm going to—"

"No, no!" Ellis shook her head fiercely. "You made me promise that I wouldn't stop chasing what I wanted, and I'm keeping my promise. I keep my promises, remember?"

Derek's expression softened. He turned to Meredith, catching the mist still lingering in her green eyes. Her lips pressed together before she gave him a small, reassuring nod.

"I asked her the same thing," she murmured, her fingers brushing his. "But you're in remission, Derek. And your last scans were clear. Ellis made this decision all on her own."

Derek hesitated, glancing between the two most important people in his life. The lump in his throat was impossible to swallow—an overwhelming mix of pride and lingering fear. He knew what it meant to let Ellis go. He knew how quickly life could change.

The weight of it still clung to him, the memory of how close they had come to losing everything. Derek still remembered the way his hands had trembled when Miranda Bailey told him the news. How Meredith had gripped his hand, holding on for both of them.

Stage I liver cancer. A resectable tumor. A surgery that saved his life.

It had shaken them all, fractured the foundation of their family. For a time, it felt like the ground beneath them was crumbling—the brief stint of chemo taking its toll, the uncertainty pressing in. But then—almost as quickly as it had come—things turned around. The surgery had worked. The cancer was gone. And life, somehow, moved forward.

Derek exhaled, a slow smile tugging at his lips. "You two against me?" He pointed between his wife and daughter. "I don't like it."

They laughed.

"Don't get used to it," Ellis teased, sticking out her tongue. "Mom and I might fight tomorrow!"

And she was right. Because the pair were impossibly alike. And though sometimes home was a peaceful sanctuary, today it was a battlefield.

Derek opened the door and gently closed it behind him. He could hear their voices from the hallway and hesitated before entering the kitchen. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the mother daughter duo were having a lively discussion about something amazing.

He stepped into the kitchen determined to distract them, "How are my favorite-!"

Derek sighed. So much for wishful thinking.

"We agreed you'd go after you graduate! You have a year and a half left!"

"I changed my mind! I want to go now! Besides, you were the one who went off to Europe!"

"And I am leaving," Derek quickly turned on his heel and tried to leave the kitchen.

"No! No!" Meredith called out, "You are not running away from this just because you spoil her and because you give in to everything she asks you to! She is not taking a year off to galavant out recklessly all over Europe!"

"Galavant recklessly?" Ellis shouted as her green eyes widened in disbelief, "Seriously? You think I'm going to be reckless! Thanks a lot, Mom!"

Derek sighed as he walked back into the kitchen, "Alright, what are we fighting about?"

"Ellis is taking a year off of school and leaving for Europe," Meredith said, "Except she's not because we're saying no!"

Derek opened his mouth to reply before Ellis muttered, "Dad already knew."

Meredith's head snapped toward him so fast he thought she might get whiplash. "What?!"

Derek glared at Ellis, who shrugged apologetically. Traitor.

The truth is he did know. He knew his daughter had big dreams and big hopes. Out of the three Not-So-Little Grey Shepherds, Ellis was the dreamer. She was an optimist. The one who believed in fairytales and soulmates. A trait inherited from him.

And a trait that at this moment was her detriment.

"You knew?" Meredith gaped, "You knew about this and you didn't care to mention it?"

"She brought it up once," he sighed.

"And you, what? Decided to agree with her and gave in to her heart's desire like you always do?"

Derek turned to his daughter and pursed his lips together, Great, now I'm in trouble.

"Side. With. Me!" Meredith gritted through her teeth, "She's quitting Harvard!"

Ellis raised her arms and dropped them, "I never said I was-"

"She wants to pause college to backpack through Europe! Alone!"

Ellis groaned before turning and stomping away towards the living room, "Mom, it's not like I'm dropping out! I just—I need time. You took time! You went to Europe before med school! You always talk about how much it meant to you!"

"That was different," Meredith argued as she followed her daughter. "I had already graduated! I wasn't putting my entire future on pause just to—" She gestured vaguely, "frolic across Europe!"

Ellis scoffed. "Wow, that is so not what I'd be doing, but again, thanks for the support."

Derek watched them walk out and leaned his head back. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled, "God help me with the women in my life."

He made his way towards the living room and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed.

"I know what I'm doing mom! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Do you even have a plan?" Meredith shot back. "Or are you just going to hop on a plane and hope for the best?"

Ellis crossed her arms. "I do have a plan."

Meredith narrowed her eyes. "Oh really? Let's hear it."

Ellis hesitated.

Meredith smirked, triumphant, "That's what I thought."

Derek held up his hands, "Okay, hold on—let's just talk about this rationally."

Meredith turned to him, eyes blazing, "Don't you dare side with her!"

Derek hesitated. "I'm just saying we should discuss it."

"Unbelievable!" Meredith threw her hands in the air, "You would have lost your mind if Zola or even Bailey tried to do this!"

Ellis rolled her eyes. "Zola didn't want to do this. And Bailey would've probably just flown off without telling either one of you!"

"That's not the point!"

Derek sighed, "Okay, look—Mer, I get it. It's scary. But Ellis is smart, and maybe—"

"No!" Meredith cut him off. "No 'maybe'! No 'let's be reasonable.' You are my husband. You are supposed to be on my side!"

Ellis snorted. "Wow, so much for independent thinking. And besides, he's my dad too!"

Meredith whipped around. "You—" She exhaled sharply, then turned back to Derek. "Fix this!"

Meredith turned around and shouted once more as her footsteps up the stairs echoed in the house, "She's not taking a year off!"

Derek turned to Ellis, who was trying very hard not to smile as she made her way to the white couch in the middle of the room.

"You are every little bit like your mother," he murmured as he shook his head towards her direction.

Ellis smirked, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Derek exhaled as he walked around the couch and plopped next to his daughter.

"Sorry I threw you under the bus," she softly whispered.

"Yeah," he scoffed, "A little heads up next time might be nice."

"It's not my fault! I didn't think she was going to explode like that," Ellis shrugged, "Besides, she went to Europe and backpacked out there with that one friend! Why can't I do the same?"

"Ellie," Derek started, nudging her knee gently with his own, "when your mom went to Europe, she was running away."

Ellis scoffed, "And there it is. You're gonna take her side!"

"I'm not taking sides, baby girl," Derek said simply. "I'm explaining so you can at least try to understand her. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. Things were difficult between her and her mom. Your mom just knew she couldn't stay where she was and she couldn't have her mother's shadow looming over her. Europe was an escape."

Ellis looked down at her hands, picking at a loose thread on her sweater, "That's not what I'm doing."

"I know."

She looked up at him, surprised. "You do?"

He smiled softly, "Yeah, I do."

Ellis swallowed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I just… I've spent my whole life doing what I was supposed to do."

"Debatable," Derek muttered as he recalled her rebellious tendencies.

Ellis rolled her eyes, "School, grades, I did everything you and mom said I should do. But now I feel like if I don't take a second to breathe now, I never will."

Derek nodded, watching her carefully. "You feel like once you start, there's no stopping."

"Exactly," she exhaled. "I'm not running, Dad. I just want to see what's out there before I'm stuck in lecture halls and internships for the next ten years of my life."

He studied her for a long moment, and Ellis hated that she could see the gears turning in his head.

Her father was a thinker—always had been. And sometimes they had the same mind, but his fatherly side- the side that worried and was in fight or flight mode- won him over.

"I get it," he said finally, "I really do. And I think your mom would too. "

Ellis frowned, "Then why is she making it seem like I'm crazy for wanting this?"

Derek sighed, "Because she's your mom. We're your parents. And letting you go—even just for a little while—is terrifying."

Ellis softened. "You let Zola go."

Derek let out a breath of amusement. "Do you remember how difficult it was for her to leave? Her anxiety almost stopped her from leaving! She needed to leave so she could see that everything was going to be okay."

"Bailey left too."

"Well that's different. We knew he was going to leave the minute he went out to California that summer for soccer camp," he shrugged, "And he calls almost every day."

Derek reached over, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear like he had when she was little, "You chose to stay, remember? You wanted to be close to home and you got accepted to Harvard. It's harder to let you go."

"And your mom? She just wants to protect you, Ellis. It's not that she doesn't think you can do it. It's that she's scared of what could happen if you do."

Ellis chewed on her lip. "Are you scared?"

Derek hesitated, then nodded, "Of course, I am. You're my baby girl. You want to go off into the world alone, and that's a hard thing to accept."

He pulled at the loose thread and toyed with it for a moment.

"You don't remember this," Derek whispered, "Because it happened before you were born but I was in a terrible accident."

Ellis looked up at him, "I know. Zola told me about it. She doesn't remember a lot but she says she remembers going to the hospital a lot."

"Mmhm," Derek smiled, "That morning, I told your mom I wanted more. More time with her. Our family. And I told her I wanted more kids. And then the accident happened. And then one day I was trying to get from one end of the room to the next- I couldn't and I was angry and upset and yelling at everyone- and your mom walks in, and tells me she is pregnant."

He smiled at the memory.

"I got to the opposite of the room the next day," he smiled, "I was determined to hold you in my arms the minute you arrived into this world. I promised I wouldn't let you go. And now I have to. And it's terrifying."

Ellis remained quiet for a moment before whispering, "Would you? Would you let me go?"

Derek sighed, rubbing his jaw, "I think… I think if you can come up with a real plan—not just an idea, but an actual, solid, well-thought-out plan—then, yeah, I'd consider it."

Ellis blinked. "Really?"

"Really."

She broke into a smile. "Okay. I can do that."

"But only if your mom agrees," Derek smiled back, "You're a lot like her, you know that? It's why you two always-"

Ellis raised an eyebrow. "That's a compliment right? Because Mom's about to murder me, so-"

Derek chuckled. "It is. You're determined. Stubborn. And you want the world on your own terms. That's not a bad thing."

Ellis beamed, leaning into his side for a brief moment before standing up. "I'm going to make a plan. A really good one. And then we'll see what Mom has to say."

Derek sighed, watching as she practically bounced up the stairs.

"She's gonna kill me and it'll be your fault!" he called out, already bracing himself for round two.

Derek sighed as he opened the door to their bedroom, the soft click of the latch barely audible over the tension crackling in the air.

"Did you tell her she couldn't go?" Meredith asked, not looking up from her book.

Derek inhaled as he walked over and sank onto the edge of the bed. He watched her for a a moment. Her eyes were focused on the book and most likely just staring at the same word. SHe didn't look at him. She kept her gaze firm, her brows furrowed together, braced for a fight.

"Meredith-"

"Dammit Derek!" Meredith snapped the book shut and tossed it onto the nightstand. She shot up from the bed, "You always do this! You always give into what she wants!"

"That's not true!"

"Oh yes it is!" she countered, her voice rising, "She says 'Daddy, jump!" and daddy says, 'How high?' And now you're gonna say yes to this ridiculous idea?"

Derek leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he watched her pace around the room, "It's not ridiculous to her."

Meredith scoffed. "Oh, come on. You're seriously on her side?"

Derek exhaled. "I didn't say that."

"You're not saying I'm right, either," she shot back.

Derek's jaw tightened as he stood. "Mer, I get why you're upset, but I also get why Ellis wants this."

Meredith let out a humorless laugh, "Of course you do. You let her get away with everything."

Derek shook his head as he put both hands on his hips, "You think I don't want her to be responsible? You don't think I'm terrified at just the thought of her leaving? We've been debating moving back to Seattle for months and don't bite the bullet because she's out here and we're terrified to leave her!"

"Then tell her no!" Meredith snapped. "Tell her she can't just put her entire life on hold because she wants to backpack across Europe like some spoiled kid who doesn't appreciate what she's got!"

Derek raised his brows, "You mean like you did?"

Meredith's lips parted slightly, stunned into silence, "I was not spoiled! I was not-!"

"Exactly. You and your mom were fighting over med school. You fought your way out and made your way out to Europe with Sadie right? Beaches in Greece and Italy. Clubbing in Amsterdam," he reminded her as he took a step toward her, "You told me the stories. You and Sadie-"

"Don't say another word!" she jabbed her finger at him before making her way to the adjoining bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

Derek sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He let a few moments pass before stepping closer, resting his hand lightly against the door, "Mer, come on. You, of all people should understand this."

"That was different," she muttered through the door, the sound of running water on full blast as if she could drown out the conversation, "That was different and you know it! And you bringing it up is a low blow even for you!"

Derek leaned against the doorframe,"Ellis isn't running, Mer. She's not trying to escape her life the way you were. She's trying to live it."

He knocked lightly, "Mer, let me in."

"No!"

"Meredith!"

"You don't get it!"

"I do get it," he shot back, "I ran from New York remember? I left for Maine and then went back to New York and ran to Seattle. Which if you think about it, it was the best choice I ever made because I met a girl in a bar, remember?"

Derek smiled at himself. Proud and sure that she was on the other side with a reluctant smirk on her face.

But she was right. Things had been different for her and he knew it. Ellis Grey and Meredith Grey had always been at odds. And a then twenty something Meredith was pushing back at everything Ellis ever expected out of her because she didn't want to live beneath her shadow. But the woman he married was far from that shadow and had built her own reputation.

Derek's voice softened. "This isn't about Ellie, is it?"

He heard the door unlock and waited for a moment before stepping in. Meredith stood against the sink, arms wrapped around herself. She stared at him as he stood in front of her with his hands in his pocket. She sighed. Sometimes, Derek had a habit of just waiting. Waiting for her to talk. Expecting her to vomit every feeling inside of her. And over time she was better at verbalizing them. And sometimes she just wanted to push him away and run.

But this was their daughter. Her daughter. Her youngest who'd always needed and wanted more. Sometimes she could see so much of herself within her that it frightened her. It terrified her to know that Ellis was bold. And brave. She wasn't afraid of risks and she didn't need anyone to hold her hand along the way.

That terrified her.

"When I left for Europe my mother called me to come back. I didn't want to. I fought it and then she told me I needed to come back. I came back to find that she could barely remember who I was. Iit was too late to fix anything between us. She barely knew me by then. And if-," Meredith whispered as she crossed her arms, "If Ellie leaves, what if she comes back and I'm the one who's gone?

Derek stiffened, "Meredith, that's not-"

"You know how it works. I could be fine now and not fine in five years. Or five months! I don't know how much time I have before—"

Derek stepped closer, his hands sliding around hers, warm and steady.

"Mer," he whispered softly, "that's not happening tomorrow. Or the next day. You're here now. And Ellis—Ellis knows that. She's not running away from you." He cups her cheek, tilting her face toward him. "And I'm not gonna let you forget, you know that."

Her eyes watered as she swallowed a lump. She wanted to believe him and most of the times she did. Derek Shepherd could promise the moon and stars and he'd find a way to deliver even if it took him an eternity.

But this? This was untenable. And even she knew it.

"You're not gonna forget how much you love our children," Derek said firmly. His voice steady and resolute, "I'm not gonna let you."

Meredith blinked. She sighed before gently placing her hands on top of his, "I want to believe you, I do. But-"

The image of Derek sitting in the hospital with an IV in his arm flashed in her mind. The last two years had been…difficult to say the least. Boston had promised a renewed sense of faith. But reality reminded her that some genetic markers were simply inevitable.

She'd be in debt to Miranda Bailey and the oncology team at Grey Sloan for the rest of her life.

"I'm right here," Derek shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere. I made a promise and I intend to keep it if I can help it."

"I know," Meredith whispered as her thumb rubbed the top of his hand, ""I don't want to hold her back, but I don't want her to go."

"I know," he whispered back.

Meredith wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. She rested her head against his chest and let him wrap his arms around her.

"She's not leaving you," Derek said softly before pressing his lips against her temple, "She's growing. She's chasing something she wants. And if we tell her no, she will resent us. And you and I both know that if someone had told you to stay put all those years ago, you wouldn't have listened either."

Meredith let out a breath, shaking her head. "No, I wouldn't have. And I didn't. But I still don't like it."

"I know."

"I'm still going to be mad about it."

Derek's lips twitched, "I'd be worried if you weren't."

She huffed out something that could've been a laugh, something tired and fond, before pulling away and looking up at him, "You're really okay with this?"

"No," Derek sighed, "I want to tie her in her room and not let her out."

Meredith chuckled. She knew it's exactly what he wanted to do. He was fiercely protective- just as she was- and if he could wrap his children in bubble wrap, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But life wasn't like that. Life knocked you over and out in the blink of an eye. And they could only do so much to protect their children.

Derek shrugged, "We made a promise that we wouldn't stand in the way of our kids' dreams. We didn't do it with Zola and we didn't do it with Bailey even though we had so much going on this last year. We can't do it to Ellis."

Meredith exhaled, nodding slowly. Then she tilted her head up at him, her eyes narrowed. "Fine. But if she calls us from a train station in the middle of nowhere because she lost her passport and all her money, you're the one flying out there to find her."

Derek chuckled. "Fair."

Meredith gave him a look before shaking her head and finally leaning into him, pressing her lips against his. She pulled away gently before letting him wrap her in his arms again. Safe from the world and the reality of life.

"You're not your mother, Meredith," he murmured against her hair.

Meredith closed her eyes. "I know."

And for now, that was enough.

Meredith sat at the kitchen table, fingers wrapped around a lukewarm mug of coffee she'd been nursing for the past hour. She'd barely looked up when Ellis walked in, but she felt her presence, the same way she always had—like something shifting in the air, a force too strong to ignore.

Ellis hesitated for a second before pulling out the chair across from her mother. She had the same stubborn set to her jaw that Meredith had seen in the mirror for years, the same determined glint in her eye that meant she wasn't backing down.

Meredith sighed. "You're really not going to let this go, are you?"

Ellis shook her head,"Nope."

Meredith finally met her daughter's gaze, exhaling slowly. "Ellis-"

Ellis straightened, as if preparing for battle. "I'm not just running off with no plan, Mom. I'm not going to be sleeping in hostels and hitchhiking across Europe with some guy in a van."

Meredith flinched. "Jesus, Ellis!"

Ellis bit back a smile, "I have an actual plan. I want to work at medical research facilities—real ones, the kind that take gap-year students- and not just because I know you're okay with that since you're a doctor and all- but there's a program in London, another in Berlin and I already reached out, and they're interested. Aunt Cristina said she's also willing to have me do an internship at her hospital too-!"

Meredith's brows lifted slightly,"You asked Cristina?"

"I-I," Ellis swallowed, "I made her swear not to say anything to you until I had a backup plan to my backup plan. Dad told me to make a plan. I-I made…plans."

Meredith let out a short breath, leaning back in her chair. "Ellis-"

Ellis looked down, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers, "And before you say anything, I know about Seattle. I know you and Dad have been thinking about moving back and I think it's a good idea. I think you guys need to go. Boston has been good to us and you and dad raised my siblings and I in a really happy home but it's your turn now. And with everything that happened with Dad over the last few years, I think you need to go."

"How-?" Meredith stared at her daughter—the fire in her eyes, the confidence in her voice. And then she felt that pang in her chest, the one that had been sitting there since the second Ellis brought it up.

"I heard you and dad," she shrugged, "I miss Seattle too."

"You miss your treehouse," Meredith raised a brow.

"I need an excuse to go back," Ellis giggled, "You and dad make the perfect excuse."

Meredith said quietly, running a thumb along the rim of her mug. "You know why I went to Europe?"

Ellis tilted her head slightly. "Because of Grandma Ellis"

Meredith exhaled. "Because I wanted to run from her."

Ellis' brows furrowed, but Meredith kept going. "I went because I didn't want to be my mother. I fought her at every turn, resisted everything she wanted for me, even the things that were probably good for me. I left for Europe in defiance, to prove I could do something on my own, to get away from her. And I need to know that's not why you're going."

Ellis stared at her mother, a flicker of understanding in her expression. Then, after a pause, she shook her head.

"I'm not running away from you, Momma," Ellis said softly. "I want to go because of you."

Meredith blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Ellis smiled, small but certain. "You've always told me I could do anything. That I should never be afraid to take up space, to make bold choices. That's you, Mom. You taught me that. If I didn't have you, I wouldn't even be brave enough to think about doing this."

Meredith felt her throat tighten. "Ellis…"

"I'm not leaving to get away from you," Ellis promised. "I'm leaving because I believe you when you say I can do anything."

Meredith let out a shaky breath, rubbing her temple as she shook her head. "God, I hate when you say things like that."

Ellis grinned. "Because you know I'm right?"

Meredith sighed. "Because you sound just like your father when he makes his stupid McDreamy speeches and now I have to let you go!"

"Yes!" Ellis cheered as she jumped out of her seat to run towards her mother and wrapped her arms around her, "Thank you, Momma! Thank you!"

Meredith let out a soft laugh, hugging Ellis tightly, burying her face in her daughter's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, you know that?" she murmured.

Ellis nodded against her. "I know."

Meredith pulled back just enough to look at her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "You're going to do incredible things, Ellis Grey Shepherd."

Ellis smirked, her green eyes shining with excitement, "I plan to."

A/N: Boston couldn't be perfect. And Derek technically does have genetic markers according to season 9. And it added to a reason why they should go back to Seattle. I also had this headcanon written in my headcanon thread on the bird app a long time ago I decided to bring it to life.

All of my work always points or hints at how much Meredith and Ellie clash. And it's because Mer sees so much of herself in her daughter. They clash but they love each other so much. And Derek ever the doting father and husband is hilariously always the ref. I think PD would've played this perfectly.

I have one chapter left in this piece. So see you soon!