10. Babysitters

Disclaimer: If Grey's was mine, Meredith and Derek would have been happy and together by now.

I have no idea how old the baby is. With the Grey's timeline, she could be two weeks or two years old. I guess in this she's probably eight months old. Also, I don't know the current month on the show. I'm guessing it's early December-ish? Maybe? That's sort of important in this chapter. Rambling done.

"They should be here soon", Meredith said, making sure the house was clean. She didn't want her half-sister or half-brother-in-law to think she was slob. Not that she was though. Meredith always made it a point to keep the house clean and neat. She was just being paranoid.

Derek walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I think the house is clean, Meredith", he laughed.

"Okay", Meredith sighed, dropping down onto the couch. "We can't take our eyes off of her. Nothing is really baby-proofed."

"We won't. It'll be fine", Derek assured her, kissing her on the cheek.

When they heard the doorbell, Meredith quickly jumped off the couch and made her way to the door, Derek by her side.

"Hey Lexie. Hi Molly…and Eric, right? I'm Meredith. This is Derek, my boyf—fiancé. Nice to meet you", Meredith said with a smile, extending her hand.

"Hi, Meredith, Derek. Nice to meet you both", Eric said warmly.

"And this is Laura", Lexie said, holding the baby in her arms.

"Hi, Laura", Meredith said sweetly. She couldn't help but notice that Laura looked just like her when she was a baby.

They went into the living room and talked for a while. They told Meredith and Derek that Laura could say a few words, but most of it was still baby babbling. She could crawl, but she stayed out of trouble. They told them what she ate and when, and some of her favorite things to play. By the time they left, Meredith felt a lot more at ease. Molly and Eric were nice and friendly. Meredith smiled, feeling happy that she actually had some decent relatives. Maybe this whole family thing would work after all.

"So, we should be back in a few hours. I'll be sure to call", Lexie said as she handed the baby over to Meredith. "Meredith is going to take you now, okay?", Lexie said in a happy baby voice.

"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call", Molly reminded them.

"Okay", Derek smiled. "It'll be fun. Don't worry."

"Wish I could say the same", Lexie sighed.

"I…good luck, guys. You're doing the right thing", Meredith said with a weak smile as the baby played with her hair.

"Thanks", Molly sighed. "And thanks again for watching her."

"We really appreciate it", Eric said with a smile.

"No problem", Meredith said, shaking her head.

"Lex", the baby said, reaching out her hand.

"Aunt Lexie will be back soon, okay princess?", Lexie said, kissing the baby on the cheek.

After they said their goodbyes, Meredith and Derek headed back into the living room with the baby. "So far, so good", Meredith sighed. "I thought for sure she'd cry when they left."

"She seems like a happy baby. Aren't you, Laura?", Derek asked happily, taking the baby from Meredith's arms.

Derek tickled her stomach, causing the baby to break out into a fit of giggles. "She sounds like you when she laughs", he said with a smile.

"She looks like me too when I was a baby…it's kind of weird."

"She has your hair and eye color. Definitely your niece", Derek pointed out.

"Yeah. I guess", Meredith said with a small smile.

Meredith and Derek sat on the floor with the baby, still in Derek's arms. She began pointing at Meredith and smiling. "Here you go", Derek said, handing the baby over to Meredith.

"Babysitting is sort of easy."

"It is when the baby is well-behaved. My nephews…not so easy."

Meredith laughed. "I only babysat my neighbors' kids when I was in high school, but they were older. All I did was sit there."

"Sort of like what we're doing now?", Derek joked.

"Pretty much."

Laura began getting antsy after sitting in Meredith's lap for a few minutes. "Did you want to crawl?", she asked in a baby voice. She put the baby on the floor, and she instantly began crawling around the room. Meredith and Derek just leaned against the couch and let her crawl around the room, keeping a careful watch on her. "I think we should feed her soon", Derek said, looking at his watch.

"Yeah, okay", Meredith said with a smile. "I'll go get the bag thing."

"Diaper bag", Derek corrected.

"Don't make fun of me", Meredith laughed. "I've never done this before."

"Sorry", Derek smiled as he picked up the baby and walked into the kitchen.

As Meredith rummaged through the diaper bag to find the jar of baby food, she couldn't help but watch Derek with the baby. He looked so natural holding her. There was no doubt in Meredith's mind that Derek would be an amazing father.

"Find it yet?", Derek laughed, watching Meredith stare at them with a small smile on her face.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry", Meredith said, handing him he jar and the baby spoon.

"Here. You hold her and I'll feed her", Derek said, sitting the baby on Meredith's lap.

"I want to feed her too."

"We'll take turns", Derek said as he opened the jar. He dipped the spoon in, scooping out some peachy gunk. "Mmm", he said as he attempted to give the baby a spoonful.

"She's not eating it", Meredith frowned.

"Would you eat it?", Derek joked.

"Derek, she has to eat. Maybe you should show her that it's good."

"Why me?"

"Because, she's looking at you. Here, just a spoonful. And make sure you smile", Meredith grinned.

"I expect sex later for this."

"Don't say s-e-x in front of her. Knowing my luck, she'll say it. Then go home and repeat it to her parents. Here", Meredith said, spooning the food into Derek's mouth. "Mmm, look Laura. It's so good."

Derek smiled, "Yeah. It's delicious", he said after swallowing it. "That was cruel, Meredith."

"Look, she's eating it though", Meredith said as the baby opened her mouth and took a spoonful. "Oh, here, you can do it", she said, handing him the spoon.

"No, you do it", Derek smiled. "You're doing a good job."

"Okay."

As Derek sat in the kitchen chair, all he could do was smile. Meredith definitely had maternal instincts. There was something about the way she spoke to the baby, and held her close that made Derek fall even more in love with her.

"Why are you looking at me?", Meredith giggled.

"You're just…really good with her" Derek smiled.

"It's not that hard to feed a baby."

"It can be. You're just a pro."

Meredith just laughed. "All done?", she asked Laura. "That man in the chair is going to hold you while I clean up."

"'That man in the chair'? Is that what you're calling me now?", Derek joked as he took the baby from Meredith's lap and held her so she was propped up in a sitting position on his arm.

'Uncle Derek sounds weird", Meredith giggled. "Almost as weird as Aunt Meredith."

"I think it sounds good. Aunt Meredith has a nice ring to it."

"Dith", the baby said in an obvious attempt to say Meredith.

"Yes, Laura, that is Aunt Meredith", Derek laughed.

"Fine. Aunt Meredith thinks Uncle Derek should change her diaper."

"She needs a bottle first."

"Crap. The bottle. You see, this is why I'm a terrible aunt." Meredith quickly got the premade bottle from the diaper bag and walked over to the stove. "You're supposed to put this in a pot, right?"

Derek laughed. "Want me to do it?"

"I can do it. Just tell me what to do."

"Put some hot water in the pot, then put the bottle in. It'll get warm in a few minutes."

"Okay." Meredith did what Derek told her. When she thought it felt warm, she took it from the pot. "I think it's ready."

"I'm proud", Derek smiled before kissing her on the forehead.

"Shut up", she giggled as they walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"Did you want to feed her?", Derek asked.

"Yeah, okay."

Derek gently handed Laura over to Meredith, who immediately cradled her in her arms. She began feeding her as though she'd been doing it for years. Laura looked into Meredith's eyes as she drank her bottle. Meredith smiled, holding the baby close to her body.

"Look at you", Derek said softly.

"What?"

"You. You're just…in full mommy mode." Derek kissed her on the cheek.

Meredith smiled at him. "She's so cute, Derek."

"She is."

They fell into a comfortable silence, watching as the baby drank her bottle. When she finished, Meredith took the bottle from her mouth and handed it to Derek. "All finished? You're such a good eater", Meredith said in a cooing voice as she wiped the baby's mouth with her bib.

"Did you want to burp her?", Meredith asked with a smile.

"I'd love to", he said as Meredith handed the baby to him. Derek got up from the couch and gently propped her up over his shoulder, patting her back. He walked her back and forth across the room. Meredith just watched him, a small smile on her face. "I love you, Derek."

"I love you too", he said as she got up to kiss him softly.

"I'm going to wash out the bottle. I'll back in a minute." Meredith walked into the kitchen, not able to wipe the smile off her face. The more she saw Derek with the baby, the more she fell in love with him. Every so often when she glanced down at the ring on her finger, all she could do was stare. She never expected to fall in love. She had given up on the idea of love before she had ever experienced it. She wasn't even sure true love existed. Or if it did, she'd certainly never find it. Then she met Derek. The only person in her life that had ever loved her for her. With Derek, she could be herself. She didn't have to put on an act. And neither did he.

Every time she looked down at the ring, it amazed her. She found him. She found the love of her life without ever looking for him. Her Derek. With this thought, she smiled, her hands under the stream of water as she washed out the bottle. She didn't even hear Derek's footsteps as he entered the kitchen with the baby.

"Hey. You okay?"

Meredith snapped out of her happy trance. "Oh. Yeah. I'm fine", she smiled, turning off the water and drying out the bottle.

"She's all burped out. But I think she needs a diaper change."

"You think or you know?"

"I…know. Yeah, definitely", Derek said with a nod.

"Before we do this, you should know that I've never changed a diaper in my life", she said, grabbing the diaper bag and heading for the living room. "I don't know what we need, so I'm bringing the whole thing with us."

Derek just laughed as she spread out the little blanket down on the floor, along with a fresh diaper, diaper wipes, and powder. "Okay. All ready."

"This isn't surgery, Meredith. It's a diaper change", he laughed.

"Fine. Since you seem to have this under control, I guess I'll just watch", she shrugged.

"I don't think so", he chuckled. "You're helping."

Meredith sighed. "Fine."

Derek gently placed the baby on the floor before undoing the snaps on her onesie.

"This doesn't have any crotch snaps", Meredith pointed out. "Aren't they supposed to?"

"The one underneath this one does", Derek said as he carefully took the little pink onesie off. Laura began to get fussy and cry, clearly angry with Derek for making her cold.

"Derek, she's crying", Meredith said, rubbing her arm in an attempt to soothe her.

"It's okay, Laura. You're alright", Derek said, caressing the baby's cheek. She seemed to calm down momentarily, so Derek undid the crotch snaps and lifted it up over her belly.

"You want to help with this part?", Derek asked with a smile.

"What do I have to do?"

"I'll take the diaper off and you hold her legs up."

"Okay", Meredith said, getting ready to do as Derek told her.

Derek quickly took the diaper off and removed it from the baby's bottom. Laura started crying again, obviously not at all happy about the situation. "Shh, you're okay sweet pea. Almost done", Meredith said softly.

Derek got a few baby wipes and gently cleaned her up. Meredith put the fresh diaper under her and handed Derek the powder. He sprinkled some on her before fastening the diaper around the baby's waist. "All finished", Derek said with a smile. "Did you want to put her clothes back on while I clean up?"

"Yeah", Meredith said, readjusting the snaps and gently putting her back into her little pink outfit. "All done. You're such a good girl", she said softly, picking the baby up off the blanket and holding her close.

"We make a good team", Meredith said as she settled on the couch with Laura in her arms.

"Yes we do." After Derek cleaned up, he sat next to them on the couch. "What now?"

"I think she's sleepy. All of the diaper excitement wore her out. Maybe you should read her a story."

"Are there books in the bag?"

"Yeah."

Derek got the bag from the table and got the diaper bag. "Okay, we've got The Three Little Pigs."

"I hate that story."

"Or we have Goodnight Moon."

"That one's better. Der, can you get her blanket?"

Derek got the blanket out of the bag and together they wrapped it around the baby. He pulled them both close to him and began reading the story. Meredith wasn't paying attention to what he read, but rather the way he was reading it. He was changing the voices for each character and reading it with such expression that made Meredith giggle.

Derek paused. "What?", he laughed.

"You. You're just…its cute how you're reading it. Now continue, we're waiting", she said, pointing to the baby, whose eyes were fluttering to stay open.

"Okay", Derek laughed as he went on. By the time he was finished, Laura had fallen asleep in Meredith's arms. She was looking down at the baby with a smile on her face as she rubbed the baby's soft cheek with her finger.

Derek wrapped his arm around Meredith's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "I love you", he said softly before kissing her cheek.

"Love you too." She rested her head on Derek's shoulder. They sat there for a while and watched the rise and fall of the sleeping baby's chest. They were lucky she was such a good baby. Meredith thought it would be chaotic, but the baby was perfectly content sleeping in her arms. The only sound in the room was the Laura quietly sucking her thumb, making little baby noises.

"I'd say we're pretty good babysitters."

"I think so", Meredith said with a smile. "I hope we can watch her again. She's just…I don't know. I kind of like the aunt thing."

"You're good at the aunt thing."

"You're good at the uncle thing."

"We're just a good team", Derek smiled, kissing her again.

"I guess we are", she agreed. Just then, the phone rang. "That's probably Lexie. Can you take her?"

"Yeah." Derek gently took the baby from Meredith's arms and cradled her in his own, careful not to wake her up. When Meredith returned, she came back and sat next to him. "She said everything went well with getting him there…which is…I don't know. But I told them to go out to dinner or something. Lexie never gets to see them, and…is that okay?"

"Sure. I don't mind", Derek said shaking his head.

"Okay. So they'll be here in an hour or so." Meredith snuggled next to him on the couch. "How long do babies normally sleep?"

"She'll probably be up soon. It's already been close to an hour."

A few minutes later, the baby's green eyes opened, her eyelids blinking to adjust to the light. "Hey, sleepyhead. You woke up", Derek said softly. "What did you want to do now?"

The baby just giggled at him. "Deh", she pointed.

"That's right, this is Derek. Do you want to play with us?", Meredith asked sweetly.

Laura lust laughed again. "I think that's a yes. What do babies like to play?"

"I hear peek-a-boo is popular in the two and under crowd", Derek laughed. So that's what they did. Laura seemed to enjoy it, laughing every time one of them "peeked" from behind their hands and tickled her belly. She broke into a fit of giggles when they both started tickling her at the same time.

Eventually, Laura began to get fussy again. "You hungry, pumpkin?", Meredith asked.

"I got it", Derek said as he walked into the kitchen and made the other bottle. When he returned, he gave the bottle to Meredith.

"You can do it this time." Meredith handed the baby to Derek.

As Derek fed her, Meredith felt her eyes fill with tears. A small smile came over her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?", Derek asked softly.

"Nothing, I just…you…you're so good with her and I…you want to be a dad", Meredith said as a single tear escaped her eye.

Derek smiled. "Of course I want to be a dad. You want to…"

"Yeah. I do." She wiped her cheek with the side of her hand. "I just…watching you with her…it's like everything falls into place. You're…I never thought I'd…and then I see you with the baby and I want that. I want that for us."

"You want a baby?", Derek asked cautiously, knowing this whole topic was new and somewhat scary to both of them.

"Yeah. I mean, not right now. There's things we have to do before…not yet. But eventually, yeah."

"Okay", Derek said, leaning in to kiss her softly. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. "They're here."

Meredith quickly wiped the tears off her face and answered the door and led them into the living room. "So um, how was it?"

"It was actually okay. Honestly, I think he did it for this little one", Molly said, referring to the baby.

"He asked where the baby was, and we told him she we didn't want her to see her grandpa this way. I think that got to him", Lexie admitted with a small smile.

"That's good", Meredith said softly. "And Laura was fine. I think we both fell in love with her."

"You're welcome to babysit whenever we're in town", Eric said with a nod.

"We'd love to watch her again", Derek smiled. "I don't think I've met seen such a well behaved baby."

"Oh, good. I was afraid she'd be fussy. We never have babysitters at home."

"Not at all", Derek said with a smile as he handed the baby to Lexie. "It was fun."

After they said their goodbyes, Meredith and Derek saw them out of the house. He wrapped his arms around Meredith's waist. "I love you."

"Mmm. Love you too", she mumbled into his chest, breathing in the scent that belonged solely to him.

"We're not done talking yet."

"Talking about what?"

"The baby thing. I know you wanted to talk about it, then they came."

"Oh…I um…yeah, okay", Meredith breathed. "But first, I'm hungry."

Derek laughed. "Okay. We'll eat, then talk."

MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDM

Later that night, after they were both showered and Meredith was fed, they finally settled into bed. "Okay. I…how do we do this?", she asked with a small smile.

Derek took her hand in his own. "We'll just talk."

"This is…it's a big thing. It's…okay", Meredith breathed. "I'm not going to freak out. My freak outs don't get us anywhere."

"No, they don't. But it's cute", he chuckled , kissing her cheek.

"I just…Der, this is…important."

"I know. I promise we'll make it through alive", he laughed.

"Okay", she breathed. "So, the first thing is the house. I…are you calling the contractors?"

"This week."

"Okay. That's good. So um, how long…I mean, I'm not in any rush to move out of here. But I was just wondering, how long does it take to do that…build a house?"

Derek shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on depends on a lot of things. Maybe a few months to a year, give or take?"

"I…okay. We should go over the blue prints with them too, just to be sure."

"We will."

"Okay. So", she breathed, still holding his hand. "Wedding."

"Wow, wasting no time. I like it", he laughed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Meredith shrugged. "No more avoiding. My new motto."

"I'm proud", he said before kissing her softly.

"So, wedding. We've only been engaged for..." Meredith thought back. "…three days, but I want to have a plan here. No setting dates right now, but…ballpark."

"Up to you."

"I don't know. I um…" Meredith took a few moments to think this over. She had faith in Derek, more now than ever before. Just a month ago, she thought she'd be alone forever. And now she was engaged. It had all been a whirlwind, but for some reason, she trusted it completely. And today, seeing him with a baby, it was like a glimpse into their future. They weren't ready for a baby, but she knew that one day they would be. The thought scared her, and yet, her faith never faltered. Because she had Derek. And together, she knew they'd be okay.

"I…we're both in this, so…I mean…not that I'm saying we should go do it tomorrow, but I…" Meredith let out a breath, and looked straight into his eyes. "This is it for me, Derek. If we're doing this, it's forever. So, my point is…I'm ready for this. And I know its fast, but I'm not freaking out. And the fact that I'm not freaking out must mean something, right? Like, this is how it's supposed to be. So…I'm just going to trust it", she said with a confident nod.

"Okay", Derek said, a little surprised by all she had said. "I…that was…wow."

"Is wow a bad thing?", she asked, biting her lip.

"No." He leaned in and kissed her softly. "You, Meredith Grey, are amazing."

Meredith just rolled her eyes and smiled. "I want this, Derek. A life with you. And I'm done waiting for it. For the first time in my life, I'm completely happy. And I know I'll only ever be happy with you. I figured that out a long time ago. So…no more waiting."

"So then…"

"So", she interrupted. "Maybe in a few months. I don't know…July maybe? We both have two weeks off in July before the new residency year starts, so…maybe then?", she asked nervously.

"Yeah, okay", Derek said with a nod and a smile. "That sounds good."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm", he said, pulling her in for a soft kiss.

After they parted, Meredith let out a deep breath. "Baby."

"Hmm?", Derek asked, a little stunned.

"I just…you we're so good with her today, and I…." Meredith's voice quivered as tears built up in her eyes. "Seeing you with a baby…you're going to be a good dad, Derek. And I don't know if I…"

He wiped away a few stray tears running down her face. "Meredith, you are not your mother. Don't ever think that you wouldn't be a good parent. You'll make an amazing mother. Today…you we're so…calm and loving and…I promise you, we can do this. When we're ready, we'll start a family, Meredith."

"I know but…how is this…how can we be good parents when we're always working? It's…I don't want nannies raising our kids, Derek. I want us to be the parents I never had. The ones that love their kids and tuck them in at night and know their favorite story…I just don't know if…"

"Meredith, I don't want you to worry about that. By then, you'll be further along in your residency, so we'll both have better schedules and more time off. Now it's rough, but it won't always be like that. And I promise you, no matter what, our kids will come first. Our family will be the main priority. Okay?", he asked softly, kissing her forehead and wrapping his arms around her.

Meredith relaxed into his touch and listened to his heartbeat. "I love you, Derek."

"I love you, too." He paused. "You want to know how I'm so sure you'll be a good mom?"

"How?", she sniffled.

"Because you already care about our kids, and they're not even here yet", he whispered, gently stroking her hair.

Meredith looked up at him and smiled. She actually felt better after hearing that. "And the practicing will be fun", she said with a giggle.

"I'm all for the practicing", Derek said as he tilted her chin up and kissed her softly.

"Want to practice now?"

"I would love to", he said with a smile. "And you owe me for the baby food anyway."

"I remember", she murmured, pressing her lips against his and tangling her fingers through his hair.

Derek rolled them over and pressed her into the pillows. Meredith wasted no time, quickly finding the bottom of his shirt with her fingers and pulling it off. After she tossed it on the floor, Derek began kissing and nipping at her neck and behind her ear. He abandoned those sensitive spots only momentarily to reach down and tug on her shirt. Meredith arched her back and he easily lifted it up over her head, never breaking their eye contact. The intense love and passion ever present as blue met green.

She put her palms on his shoulders and pulled him down to her. "I love you", he said softly before kissing her again. Meredith let out a moan when his tongue brushed her bottom lip. She granted him entrance into her mouth and their tongues met in a fury. Derek reached behind her and unclasped her bra, slowly pulling the lace material down her arms, all the while keeping his lips pressed firmly against hers. After he pulled it off and dropped it to the floor, he planted one last kiss on her lips before trailing his tongue down her neck and collarbone.

When he reached her breasts, Meredith gasped. "Der", she said, clutching onto his hair while he worked magic on her breasts, gently sucking on one of her nipples before giving the same attention to the other one. His touch along with the feeling of his arousal pressing against the confines of his pants sent shockwaves right to her core, making her tremble beneath him.

Derek wanted to give her the most pleasure possible. He took his mouth off her breasts, despite her moaning protests. But when she felt him hook his fingers in both her pajama pants and panties, she erupted into goose bumps. Derek slowly slid them down her legs and pulled them off of her body. He gently spread her apart for him and she easily complied, opening herself even more to his touch. Derek pecked kisses up her inner thighs to her belly button before moving up the length of her body to kiss her again.

Derek looked straight into her green orbs as he gently eased two fingers into her wet center, making her writhe and buck her hips beneath him. "Oh Der. I'm…oh", she moaned as he slid his fingers in and out of her. "Harder." Derek obeyed and began thrusting his fingers harder into her. "That's it. Come for me, Meredith", he whispered into her ear when he felt her clamp down around his fingers. "Derek, I'm…oh god…Der", she panted as her strong orgasm hit her, sending wild contractions through her body as she bucked her hips into his fingers, which were still moving inside of her. With his other hand, Derek laced their fingers, wanting her to know just how much he loved her. When she finally came down from her high, Derek gently removed his fingers from her and kissed her again. "I love you, Mer."

"I love you too", Meredith panted, still out of breath. "Der…I…please", she begged, grasping at the waistband of his pants in an attempt to take them off. With Derek's help, Meredith managed to kick the pants and boxer down his legs, letting them fall to a puddle on the floor. Meredith grabbed his ass in her hands and pulled her toward him. He returned his attention to her breasts, alternately nipping and sucking on them. All Meredith could do was lay her head back on the pillow and enjoy the sensations taking over her body.

She felt the head of his manhood gently ease into her, but neither tried to thrust, letting it happen naturally. Eventually she found herself completely full of him, spreading her legs even farther in order to take him deeper inside, as deep as he could go. After a few moments of letting Meredith accommodate his size, Derek slowly began to thrust, eliciting soft moans from her. "I love you, Meredith", he said softly before leaning down to kiss her. "I love you too", Meredith breathed, completely enveloped in the fog of their shared passion.

"Der…I'm close." With this, Derek thrust harder and faster into her, wanted to climax at the same time. "Oh god…Derek…I'm", she yelled as her body was once again hit with wave after wave of pleasure. Feeling the clenching of her walls, Derek let himself go, releasing inside of her. They clung to each other as they rode out their orgasms. "Oh Der", Meredith panted, running her fingers down her back. Derek pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before pulling out gently and wrapping her in his arms. Meredith nuzzled her face into his chest, feeling so safe and loved in his tight embrace.

"We're good practicers", she giggled, kissing his chest.

"I think so", he laughed, pulling her closer and rubbing her back.

"Der…"

"Hmm?"

"How long…I mean…how long after we're married do you want kids?"

"We can—when we're ready." He brushed the hair off her face and kissed her forehead.

"I…you're ready", Meredith said softly. "You're already that guy…the one that changes diapers and knows things and—"

"Mer, you were amazing today", Derek said with a smile, looking straight into her eyes. "Just…the way you held her and fed her…I've never been more in love with you."

"We can do this?"

"We can do this", he repeated. "I promise."

"Okay", she said with a small smile. "Love you, Derek."

"I love you too, Meredith", he said before kissing her softly.

Derek wanted nothing more than to be a father and husband. And he was certain that in time, he would be. Marriage and kids would come, but not until they were both ready. At this moment, he was content with just holding the love of his life in his arms as she slept.

Hope you liked this chapter. I think they both learned a lot about each other and their hopes for the future.

Reviews make me happy. And give me lots of motivation to write. :)