52. Saturday Spent at Home

Disclaimer: Ha. If I owned it, Meredith & Derek would have gotten something better than a Post-it wedding. And George and Iz would be alive and well. Clearly, I don't own the show.

Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them. :)

Since arriving back in Seattle after spending a few days with the family in New York, things had gotten back to normal. They returned to work on Monday, and it was like they never left. The chaos and blood and surgeries were waiting for them the minute they walked into the doors, almost like some supernatural force was getting back at them for taking five days off. Luckily, they had Saturday to relax. And like every day off, sleeping late was the first priority.

Meredith had been a little edgy this week; her interns were no better than a live action soap opera, flitting about the hospital and creating fake drama. And she had been snapping at Derek over the littlest things. He knew it was her 'time of the month,' so he didn't take it seriously, but still, he wanted to help her in any way he could, even if doing so didn't seem to do any good.

Derek woke up to Charlie licking his face, anxious to go outside. Whenever they had the day off, Meredith and Derek would play with him out on the land and let him run around until he tired himself out. "Charlie, give me a few minutes. Okay, buddy?" Derek said sleepily, patting the top of the puppy's head. He glanced over at Meredith, happy to find her sleeping soundly. Work had worn her out this week. It was nice to see her so relaxed. "If I get up, Mer will get mad because I need to keep her warm…"

Despite Derek's poor attempts at excuses, Charlie continued to climb all over the bed. Eventually he calmed down a little and settled for lying in between the two of them. Meredith rolled over, unconsciously flinging her arm over both Charlie and Derek's stomach. He reached for her hand; it was warm and soft like it always was. Most surgeons had rough skin because of the constant glove switches and hand washes, but her hands were always smooth. He kissed each of her fingertips tenderly. The intimacy they shared truly never faltered. "I love you," Derek whispered softly.

Meredith blinked her eyes a few times as she adjusted them to the slight light coming through the curtains. "Hmm?" she asked. Her eyes fluttered shut again. On days off, Meredith really was dead to the world before she had gotten all of the sleep that work deprived her of during the week.

"Sleep," Derek whispered. Meredith wasted no time in doing so. He too managed to get another hour or so of sleeping before Charlie's patience ran out. The dog scampered around the covers, successfully tangling and bunching the soft blanket that had been keeping them warm. "Charlie, please..." Derek groaned. He glanced over to the clock on the nightstand. 9:27. It was rare that he slept so late. After adjusting to the light coming in through the windows, Derek sat up in the bed and ran his hand through his hair.

Meredith was still sleeping beside him, her arm resting above her head on the pillow. After pressing a small, soft kiss to her forehead, he quietly stepped onto the floor. Waking her up would be a bad move, especially when he knew she wasn't feeling well. Whatever day of the week they were given off, typically Saturdays, they made it a point to relax. Movies on the couch, lounging on the patio in the backyard, hours spent having round after round of sex, or even folding laundry together. It didn't matter. Spending time together was all they wanted.

Derek managed to make it out of the room, Charlie in tow, without Meredith even flinching. He walked down the stairs of their home. Living out here was so different from living in town. It was quiet and serene; the loudest sounds came from their bedroom, which may be a nuisance to the animals living amidst the grass and trees, but neither Meredith nor Derek were particularly apologetic. After all those months of living in the old house and having to keep the noise level to a minimum for the sake of their roommates, they welcomed the loud sex that came with the freedom of living out here.

The brisk October air hit Derek as soon as he opened the sliding glass back door so Charlie could run around and stretch his legs. Derek shut it after he knew Charlie was content for a few minutes so he could make some coffee. Coffee always helped get the day started, whether they were working or not. The brew percolated in the high tech coffee maker, a wedding gift from Cristina. Soon the aroma filtered throughout the kitchen and throughout the house. This is how it was on most days off; Derek came down and started the coffee, and Meredith would come down a little while later with a cup waiting for her. Derek smiled at the thought. Days off were always days well spent with Meredith.

By ten o'clock, he heard Meredith moving around upstairs. He could tell by her heavy footsteps that she wasn't in the best of moods. She was always a little irritable during her time of the month, which is something he understood well after growing up in a house with four sisters.

"Derek!" Meredith called out from the top of the stairs. "Where are the tampons?"

He swallowed a sip of his coffee, pondering an acceptable answer to her question. "Probably in the bathroom cabinet," Derek responded. He really didn't know where else they would be.

"Well, I don't see them," she yelled back. He heard her stomp off, and took that as his cue to go help her find them. Otherwise, things could get a little unpleasant.

"I thought you just bought some," Derek recalled as he stood in the doorway to their master bathroom.

Meredith knelt down to look under the bathroom sink. "Me too. So where are they?"

"You say it like I used them," he said with a slight laugh. Meredith shot him her 'don't mess with me' look. Clearly, she wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"Well, I don't know where they are," she huffed, tossing a hairbrush from the drawer.

Before she completely wreaked havoc on their bathroom, Derek knelt down beside her to help her search. He opened the adjoining set of cabinets, immediately spotting the blue box she was looking for. "Here," he said, handing them to her. "These?"

Meredith snatched it from his hands and sighed heavily. "Yeah."

Derek stood up and smiled at her. He decided that he would be the first one to extend the olive branch. "Morning," he whispered, kissing her forehead. Meredith granted him the smallest of smiles, then immediately went back to her pissed off face. He was walking out of the bathroom to give her her privacy when she pulled him back by his tee shirt. "Hug," she murmured. She could never stay mad at him for long, especially when he didn't do anything wrong.

Wrapping his arms around her, Derek grinned. "Definitely need a hug," he said softly before kissing the crown of her head. "You okay?"

"Just stupid girl problems," Meredith shrugged. "I'm okay."

"It's not stupid. You don't feel good," he argued, running his fingers up and down her back. "How about we just hang around the house today?"

Meredith shook her head. "No, we can do something if you wanted to."

"I want nothing more than to lounge around on the couch with you and Charlie. It'll be fun," Derek said, trying his best to sound convincing.

"Okay." She cupped his slightly stubbled cheeks in her hands and kissed him, soft and slow. Kissing her husband always made her feel better, no matter how crappy she was feeling. "I love you."

Derek pulled her a little closer. "I love you too."

"I'm going to take a shower," Meredith said when they ended their embrace. She squeezed his hand gently and Derek smiled.

"Take your time," he nodded. "I'll start breakfast."

Meredith grabbed a large towel from the shelf and smiled. "Chocolate chip pancakes?" she asked sweetly.

He kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger there for a few moments. "Sure."

"Thank you for helping me find the tampons," she said before he closed the door behind him.

Derek laughed. "Any time."

--

A little while later when Meredith walked down the stairs after taking a shower, she found her husband and their dog waiting for her in the kitchen, ready to eat the breakfast he had prepared. "Smells good," she smiled, wearing her Dartmouth tee and a pair of his sweats, rolled at the waist. The perfect attire for a lazy day at home.

She took her seat next to him at the table. Charlie wagged his tail when he saw her, patting her thigh with his paw. "Hey, buddy," Meredith giggled. "You're getting too big to sit on my lap. How about we curl up on the couch later, okay?" Charlie seemed content with that response, and laid down at her feet, chewing on his hamburger toy.

"Syrup?" Derek asked. Before she could answer, he had already passed it over to her. It was one of Meredith's rules; unless pancakes were drowning in syrup, they weren't worth eating.

Meredith saw him smirking as she poured the sticky confection over her breakfast. "What?" she asked, mirroring the look he was giving her. "I like syrup."

"I know," he chuckled.

"I'm already bloated and feel like I swallowed a bowling ball. A little syrup isn't going to do any more damage," she shrugged, finally setting down the bottle.

Derek took a bite of his own breakfast. Compared to Meredith's plate, it actually made his chocolate chip pancakes look healthy. "Do you feel better after your shower?"

"Yeah, a little," Meredith admitted. "At least we have off today. I hate going to work when I feel like this."

"Do you think your gynecologist could give you something to help? I feel bad," Derek said sympathetically.

Meredith took a sip of her coffee. "She'd probably just put me on the pill. That helps with the symptoms, but I'd rather not."

"No?" he asked.

"I was on the pill back in college and while I was in Europe. I stopped it when I went to med school, because really...who has time for sex in med school? Anyway, my cycle was out of whack for a few months after I stopped. Then I moved here and met you and never bothered going back on it. I don't know...if we're trying for a baby in a few months, I just want everything inside me in working order, you know?" Meredith said, wiping her fingers on a napkin. "I'll suffer through a few days of crappiness if it means we can make a baby sooner."

Derek nodded in understanding. Of course he hated that she was in pain, but the way she talked about babies so frequently couldn't help but make him happy. He'd wanted kids with her for a long time, and as July drew closer and closer, the more excited he felt. Derek leaned in to kiss her. "Babies," he whispered.

He felt Meredith smile against his lips. "Babies," she echoed.

"So what did you want to do today?" he asked.

Meredith watched the syrup drip off her fork and puddle onto her plate as she pondered what they could do to entertain themselves. Because their normal routine of sex was out of the question, it took a little longer to come up with an answer. "Maybe a walk and then a movie on the couch," she said eventually. "And dinner, obviously."

"We can do that," he grinned.

"Sorry," Meredith said, blushing a little. "I'm a buzzkill."

Derek shook his head amusedly. "You are not. I love hanging out with you." Almost on cue, Charlie squeaked his toy, reminding them of his presence. "And you, buddy," he chuckled. "We always have fun."

Meredith rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. We do."

When they had finished off the last of their breakfast, Meredith walked their dishes over to the sink. Charlie followed close behind. Wherever she was, their puppy was never far away. "I'll clean up. Why don't you go get dressed, then we can go for a walk," she suggested, rinsing some of the sticky syrup left behind under the stream of water before placing them on the rack in the dishwasher.

"Okay." Derek placed the syrup bottle back in the fridge, his attempt at getting in one last kiss before he went upstairs. "What if I wanted to wear those pants?" he asked teasingly.

She leaned her body into his, savoring his closeness. "I always steal your pants. It's what we do..." she giggled. Married life, no matter how perfectly ordinary it was sometimes, was always fun with him. That's all they really wanted anyway.

--

"I love living out here," Meredith said as she breathed in the crisp autumn air. It was almost November, which meant the cold winds and thunderstorms weren't far off. October was still fairly sunny, or as sunny as days got in Seattle. Spending a little time walking around their land was always good exercise, especially when they had the day off to enjoy it.

Derek kissed her temple, an arm wrapped around her waist. "Me too," he agreed. Charlie was running a little ahead of them with a stick in his mouth. Whenever they got the chance, Derek and Meredith would take him on long walks like this and just let him run around whenever he wanted to. Occasionally he would look back to make sure they were close behind, then go trotting off again. Living here was like owning a little piece of earth that only they new about; it was peaceful, secluded, and completely theirs.

"Charlie certainly likes it," she giggled, watching how he jumped around playfully, much like Doc used to do. "He always gets so excited when we go on walks."

"I think he likes it when we're home too," Derek said as the two reached the clearing by the water.

"Remember the first time we came out here?" Meredith asked, her breath hot against his ear.

Derek pressed his lips to her temple. "Mmhmm..."

The early morning mist had come and gone, leaving behind a stretch of blue that went on for miles. Meredith was actually the first one to discover it. Back in the early days of their relationship, before things were not so happy for a while. It was a warm night in the middle of the summer, two or three weeks before Addison arrived. Meredith told him that she felt like taking a walk, so they did. Derek had bought the land on a whim, barely even surveying what he had actually purchased. Trekking out was a first for both of them.

Meredith insisted that they turn right at the clearing instead of left. And there it was. Their own little body of water complete with a dock. To this day, Derek didn't know who put it there. His realtor mentioned that the surrounding area had once been used as a camping ground, then sold as real estate, so he assumed it had been there for the occasional fisherman that ventured out. Meredith was thrilled when she found it, wasting no time as she pulled off her clothes right there on the wooden dock. Derek watched her, captivated by how uninhibited and carefree she was, laughing as she gracefully dove in. Before he met Meredith, he had never been the spontaneous type, the kind to strip stark naked and dive into a lake at dusk, but that night he did.

They made love in the water that evening, then on the dock, in the shower, in bed. Meredith was insatiable; Derek wondered in awe where she got her energy when the hospital wore them both so thin sometimes. It was one of the things he loved most about her. She made him feel alive.

Meredith ran her fingers up and down his spine with her fingertips as they both recalled the memory etched in their brains. They hadn't been here together since that night a little over three years ago. Life had gotten too busy for walks on the land or skinny dipping in the lake. Their relationship had grown since then. They were no longer the item at the center of the Seattle Grace rumor mill. Now they were married. Proof to all those that doubted them that they were for real and forever.

"We should go swimming again," Derek commented, running his lips over her neck, her ear, and her temple. Romance was never lost on them, not even in the woods.

Meredith giggled a little. "You'd still do that?"

"Of course," he said. "Why? You wouldn't?"

"I would," Meredith said with a nod, pulling her sleeves over her hands when a breeze blew by them. "It's just...I thought we were all mature now."

Derek ran his hands up her arms and smirked. "Nothing wrong with underwater sex," he grinned. "In fact, I encourage it."

"Bathtub sex works, too. We haven't done that in a while," she smiled, taking his hand so they could follow Charlie on the path he was creating for them.

"Just say the word," Derek teased. Meredith nudged him with her hip and he nudged back. They were still flirty with each other, and that was something they knew would always be there.

Meredith smiled, breathing in the air around her and enjoying Derek's closeness. "When we get back, I think we should have a couch date...pajamas, junk food, movies," she suggested. "We haven't done that in a while either."

"I'd love to," he whispered as he kissed the crown of her head. "Although technically, you're already in pajamas..."

"I'm wearing your boots and a coat over top, not out here in a night gown," Meredith giggled, taking the bottle of water from him and unscrewing the cap. "Do you want me to wear a night gown...maybe something flannel?" she asked before taking a sip.

Derek looked at her incredulously. "I don't think you'd ever do that," he countered. "You would look adorable though."

"Maybe I'll have to go out and buy one," Meredith said with a shrug, kneeling down to pet Charlie when he trotted back over to them.

"I think you should stick to wearing my sweats. It would be too weird if I opened the drawer and actually found a pair," he kidded, earning him a playful eye roll from her. But she leaned in and kissed him anyway. He looked too woodsy and adorable not to.

Meredith smiled against his lips. "Hmm...true."

--

"Do we have chocolate?" Meredith asked, rummaging through the cabinets. Since arriving back at the house, Derek had changed into pajamas, per Meredith's request. Now they were stocking up on junk food they could eat while watching movies. Lazy Saturdays didn't happen very often, so when they did, Meredith convinced him that over-eating and lounging around were absolutely required.

"Probably," he nodded. "You live here, so it's almost a guarantee..." Meredith turned around and smirked at him. Derek just laughed, "I think there's a few chocolate bars in the cabinet above the counter."

Meredith opened the suggested cabinet, and after a small search, found the chocolate in there. She pulled it out and placed it next to the other snack foods like pretzels and cookies. She should feel bad about the calories, but she really didn't. "Don't burn the popcorn," she said, biting into a chocolate chip cookie.

"I'm not," he laughed. "I'm keeping an eye on the microwave like you told me to. Dangerous health hazard, but...I'll do it for my wife," Derek teased, leaning against the island.

"Thank you," Meredith said with a smile. She walked over him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He always smelled so good; even being around him comforted her.

Derek ran his fingers up and down her spine. "You feel okay?"

Meredith nodded into his chest. "Mmhmm. The walk helped. And you and Charlie, too."

"Good," he whispered as he peppered kisses to the top of her head. The microwave beeped and Derek reluctantly pulled away to retrieve the popcorn. Meredith reached behind her, grabbing the bowl. As he poured it in, Meredith grabbed their drinks and a handful of snacks and headed for the living room, where Charlie was waiting for them curled up in the pile of blankets on the couch.

"Comfy?" Meredith asked her dog, laughing. He was certainly spoiled, but they were at work so often that they tried to make their family time special. Charlie wagged his tail happily while Meredith set the food and drinks down on the coffee table. "Want to sit on my lap? That way Daddy has to get refills and figure out the DVD player..." she whispered to him. Charlie immediately crawled onto her lap when she sat down. "Such a good boy," she praised him, scratching the top of his head.

Derek walked into the living room with the bowl of popcorn and the heating pad. When he gently laid it on her abdomen, Meredith took his face in her hands and kissed him fully on his lips. "Thank you."

"Love you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Love you," she repeated, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "What do you want to watch?"

"Doesn't matter," Derek shrugged. He walked over to the entertainment system and began looking through the stacks of DVDs they had. They consolidated whatever movies they had when they moved into the house, and it made for a pretty interesting collection. Derek, of course, had the classics. Meredith's contributions were a bit more varied, lots of horror and romantic comedies, along with a few boxes worth of surgery tapes. Picking a movie to watch was always interesting. "Well, we've got The Godfather?"

"No," Meredith said, shaking her head.

Derek pulled another one from the stack. "The Departed?"

"No."

"Fight Club?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Derek laughed. "Fine, how about one of yours?" He looked over the collection and grabbed the first one of Meredith's that he saw. "Never Been Kissed? You actually like this?"

"It's a cute movie," Meredith said defensively as she took a sip of her iced tea. "What else is there?"

"Sex and the City?"

Meredith pondered for a moment. "Hmm...maybe."

"Please don't make me watch that," he begged, laughing.

"There's sex scenes in it. I thought guys liked things like that," Meredith said.

Derek shook his head. "Not me. The only sex I'm interested in is the sex with you."

"Romantic..." Meredith teased. "Fine. Something else then."

After a few more suggestions and the accompanying "no's," Derek came across a tape that he assumed was one of Ellis's surgeries. But when he saw the words "Meredith's Fourth Birthday" written across the tab, he studied it curiously, wondering if Meredith even knew it existed. "Mer?"

"What?" she asked, grabbing a few cookies from the bag. "Something good?"

It was probably a little risky, bringing up something like this given Meredith's history, but Derek knew she would get suspicious if he avoided it. "I uh, I found a tape...your fourth birthday."

Meredith nearly choked on her snack. "Huh?" she asked. "Like, a home video?" She never would have guessed that her parents video taped anything even remotely family-ish. The Grey's weren't exactly the sentimental family on the block growing up.

Derek reached across the coffee table and handed it to her. "Looks like it," he nodded. "You've never seen it before?"

Meredith shook her head slowly, examining the tape in her hands. "No," she answered softly. "I uh..."

"We don't have to watch," Derek said quickly.

"No, I want to," Meredith countered. "Why not?"

Derek pursed his lips together and nodded. This could go one of two ways: disastrous or actually sweet and touching. His money was on the former, but still, he found himself inserting the tape into the VHS player Meredith insisted on taking with them to the new house. "You sure?" he asked, checking once more.

Meredith nodded and patted the couch. "Yes. Now come sit before I eat all the food."

Derek raised up off his knees and took his seat next to her on the couch. "Okay, he chuckled. He grabbed a handful of popcorn. It wasn't often that he snacked on junk food, but he rationalized that Meredith needed help eating it.

The sound of static infiltrated the living room and gray lines rolled over the screen before they tape began playing. Derek felt Meredith tense up a little upon seeing her little four year old self, Thatcher talking to her from behind the camera. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "You're so cute," he laughed. "I love the pigtails."

"Shut up," Meredith smirked. But she was still a little nervous, even if she tried to play it off. From the looks of it, though, it didn't seem to be anything too scary. Derek couldn't help but smile. Meredith was a beautiful, bright little girl. He hoped their own daughters were just like her one day.

"How old are you today, Meredith?" Thatcher asked happily from his spot on the floor in front of her. The camera work wasn't the best, but it was expected for a home video.

Meredith smoothed her hands over the front of her pink sun dress and smiled at her father. "Four," she said, holding up the correct amount of fingers.

"You're all grown up, huh?" he asked as Meredith pulled another wrapped gift into her lap.

The same giggle she had today erupted through the living room. "I'm only four, Daddy."

It was strange for both Meredith and Derek to see Thatcher this way. At one time, Meredith had been his little girl. Those two were all each other had. Inseparable. It still hurt her to think that he left without saying goodbye, essentially leaving her with a mother who only used her for revenge on her father. But still, Meredith held those happy memories in her heart, for they were all she really had. Maybe in the future, they could mend their relationship. For now, though, remembering what used to be had to suffice. Derek, too, couldn't help but feel angry at Meredith's parents. Having grown up in a close knit family, he couldn't imagine going through what Meredith had gone through, especially at such a young age. He wished there was something he could do to take it all back. But he knew that it was what made her so strong.

"What did you open so far?" Thatcher asked.

She held up a stuffed animal cat to show the camera. "A kitty," Meredith announced proudly. "And books. And roller skates. And um..." she pondered. "...Oh! A surgery kit like mommy's." Meredith held up the large rectangular box with a play stethoscope, doctor coat, blood pressure cuff, and all sorts of other medical equipment made for little kids.

Derek smiled. Even at age four, Meredith had a passion for medicine. He gave her a little supportive squeeze. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. Ellis hadn't yet made an appearance at her daughter's gift-opening, but that was practically expected.

"When are your friends coming over for your party?"

"Saturday," Meredith said with a smile. She hopped up and walked over to the pile of gifts to retrieve another one. Her pigtails bounced and her bare feet smacked against the floor. A little girl without a care in the world. No reason at all for her to sense what would become of her family. "And we have games, too!"

"Yeah? What kinds of games?"

Meredith played with the frills of her dress as she thought of what fun things she and her father had planned for her special day. Ellis wasn't really involved in birthday plans, but Thatcher always put in extra effort to make his daughter's birthdays special. "Uh...a pinny-ata, and...pin the tail on the donkey. And musical chairs. And water balloons!" she stated excitedly.

"That's going to be fun," her father agreed.

"You two were close," Derek pointed out.

Meredith ran her fingers over Charlie's fur, doing her best to keep the tears at bay. Thatcher was her best friend when she was little. The one that tucked her in at night, read her bedtime stories, and comforted her when she was upset. The only parent she'd really ever felt a connection with. Ellis was always in and out of the house, occasionally drove Meredith to school, but wasn't involved like her father was. And now they were both out of her life. It was hard to pretend something like that didn't hurt.

"Yeah, we were," Meredith said quietly.

"Can we have cake now, Daddy?" an impatient Meredith asked, giving her dad a smile that she knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

Derek knew that they're own one-day-down-the-line daughter would have the same affect on him. That she'd win him over with no effort at all.

"How about we save the cake for later? There's cupcakes in the kitchen--the ones we bought at the bakery yesterday. Are they okay?" Thatcher asked.

Meredith hopped up onto her feet and nodded. "Okay!" she squealed. "Want one, Daddy?"

"No thanks, princess," he said warmly. Meredith ran off out of the camera's view and into the kitchen. Thatcher set the camera down on the coffee table, about to turn it off momentarily when Ellis entered the room. She couldn't be seen, just heard.

Meredith swallowed a lump in her throat when she heard her mother's voice. It was the voice of a younger, more energetic Ellis, but still a voice Meredith would always remember.

"Where's Meredith?" Ellis asked.

"She's uh...in the kitchen getting cupcakes," Thatcher replied. "How was work?"

"Exhausting," she replied shortly, dropping down onto the couch and picking up Meredith's new stuffed animal. "Did you buy her this?"

"She really wanted it," Thatcher explained as he cleaned up some of the discarded wrapping paper on the floor.

Ellis set the pink elephant down and smirked. "Spoiling her."

"Hi, Mommy," Meredith said with a smile. From where the video camera was set on the table, only her torso was visible, but when Thatcher picked up the camera again, both Meredith and Ellis came into view. "Want my cupcake?"

Ellis twirled her finger through one of Meredith's pigtails and smiled. "No thanks, button. But I appreciate you asking," she said, patting the seat next to her.

This seemingly sincere, nice mommy side of Ellis nearly shocked Derek. He was expecting anger, wrath, apathy--certainly not motherly gestures and nicknames. He smiled; knowing Meredith had some good memories of her mother to hold onto was so important to him. "Button?" he asked curiously.

Meredith shimmied closer to him on the couch. Perhaps for warmth or comfort, maybe both. Derek wrapped his arms around her and she melted into him. "That's what she called me."

"That's sweet," Derek said softly, kissing the side of her head, just above her ear.

"I got a doctor kit! Just like you, mom," Meredith said excitedly, slipping off the couch to retrieve it. She walked back over to her mother, the large box dwarfing her. Ellis lifted her up onto the couch and Meredith moved closer to her. "It has a white coat and everything..."

"Are you going to be a doctor like me?"

Meredith nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh. A surgeon," she said, wise beyond her years.

Ellis leaned down and kissed the top of her four year old's head. She was even smiling, seeming to be proud of her daughter.

Meredith felt the tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't help but wish she had watched this video years ago. Her parents did--do--love her. At one time, they were a happy family. And Meredith had vowed long ago that if she ever had a family of her own, she would do things differently. And she would. Derek noticed her tears and wiped them away with his thumb. "Want me to turn it off?" he asked, concerned.

She shook her head. "No, it's just...seeing my mom. It's weird."

"Want to talk about it?" Derek asked. Meredith squeezed his hand, running her finger over his wedding band. Maybe it was the estrogen overflow, but she couldn't hold back the tears that continued to fall. There was never a need to hold them back in front of Derek, so she didn't.

"I just miss her sometimes, that's all," Meredith sniffled, accepting the tissue box Derek handed her.

Derek ran his fingers through her hair comfortingly. "Of course you do. And that's fine. You love her."

Charlie hopped up from his spot on Meredith's lap and licked her cheek. He, too, always wanted to protect her, just like Derek. Meredith giggled a little. "Thank you, buddy."

"I have another gift for you, sweet pea. I'll be right back," Thatcher said, setting the camera down and exiting the room. When he returned a few moments later, Meredith squealed in delight.

"A wagon!" she gasped, hopping off the couch to run over to her father.

"Now we can use it when we go to the park after preschool," he added. He balanced the video camera on his shoulder with one hand, and with the other, helped Meredith climb over the side. She knelt down, pulling her dress daintily over knees.

"Really?" she asked.

Her father nodded, the camera bobbing up and down with the gesture. "That's why I wanted to get it for you."

Derek recalled the framed picture Meredith kept on her nightstand. Her in the pink dress, sitting propped up in a wagon. Ellis leaning against the tree behind her, and Thatcher holding onto the handle. He smiled; there was a reason that picture was her favorite, and now he knew why. "Your picture..."

Meredith bit into a cookie and nodded. "Yeah."

"I never knew that was taken on your birthday," he said. These little details about her were things he always found fascinating. He would never grow tired of learning about her.

"It was the last birthday I celebrated before my dad left and we moved. That picture reminds me of when we were happy--or as happy as a family full of Grey's can be. I found it in a photo album when I was unpacking my mom's boxes and framed it," Meredith explained softly.

"I love that picture," Derek said. He laced her fingers with his and smiled. "Every time I look at it, I see our daughters, well, our future daughters. Beautiful just like you."

"We were cute kids," Meredith boasted teasingly. She carefully adjusted Charlie on her lap and scooted back on the couch until she was lying between Derek's legs, her head against his shoulder. Derek wrapped his arms around her torso and hugged her close to his chest. He could never get enough of his wife. And snuggling up with her and their dog on the couch was quickly becoming his new favorite past time.

Derek leaned down and kissed her neck. "We were," he agreed amusedly.

"Is it weird that I wish it was July?" she sighed, resting her hands over the heating pad draped over her abdomen. "Because I kind of do."

"Me too," he murmured against her skin. "We have to use up all the condoms before then."

Meredith laughed. "Do we really have that many condoms in the house?"

"Well, the cookie jar stash was just refilled. Then there's the ones in the end table in here, and the ones in the laundry room...glove compartment of the car...ones we keep near the shower just in case...and all the ones in our bedroom," Derek grinned. Their sex life was healthy, to say the least.

"We should invest stock in condoms. We'd make a fortune," Meredith said jokingly.

She craned her neck so she could kiss him, and Derek kissed her back, splaying his palm over her cheek. "We should," he breathed. If Charlie wasn't resting comfortably on her lap, Meredith would undoubtedly be sprawled out on top of her husband, kissing him senseless. Derek dropped kisses on her mouth, cheek, then finally settled on her neck again. He knew all the spots that made her shiver. Meredith's skin prickled as his stubble grazed her and she leaned further into him.

"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping the blankets snugly over the two of them. Meredith really wasn't a cuddler before Derek came along, but now she could easily spend the day curled up with him. He was always so warm and comforting and he held her. She really loved that.

Derek kissed her shoulder, smiling. "For what?"

"Making sure I never have to worry about ending up like my family. I always wondered if the same crap that happened to my parents would happen to me. But with you...I don't even...I never worry about that stuff. You're the one thing in my life I never gave up faith on," she said, a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth.

"I never gave up faith on you, either," Derek whispered, wrapping his arms snugly around her. "I love you so much."

Meredith closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat as it thudded in his chest. Sometimes she wondered what she'd done right that life had suddenly turned in her favor. She felt blessed. All the time. "I love you too."

I'm slowly banking updates for this, so I'll be able to post more often. And I have a few one shots bouncing around in my mind, so I'll be plenty busy this summer. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews make my day! :)