69. Barbecue

Disclaimer: As you can tell by the disclaimer, I don't own it.

Thanks for the reviews! And sorry for the wait. School is back, so I don't have as much time to write. I really do appreciate your patience. :)

The afternoon of the barbecue was here, and like any other event thrown by a surgeon, there was a lot of last minute work to get done. Derek scheduled all of his surgeries for early in the day, made sure Meredith was on his service, and by some stroke of luck, they managed to get out by three o'clock. And because Derek was a neurosurgeon with magic prestige, he could do that sort of thing and get away it. So by proxy, Meredith could too. Just one of the perks of being married to him.

Meredith was busy setting up the patio furniture when Derek walked outback. When he saw her, he shook his head and chuckled. "Mer, I'll do that. The table is heavy," he said, watching as she pushed it over inch by inch with her hips.

"I'm fine," she assured him, making sure he caught the eye roll she gave him. Ever since they started trying for a baby, he was super cautious about her doing any heavy lifting. If she didn't find it so annoying, it may have actually been charming.

"Still, let me help," Derek said. He easily pushed the table to the middle of the patio and Meredith began arranging the chairs around it. "You can go get a shower if you wanted to. I'll do the rest."

Meredith smiled and walked over to him. "If you're this bad now, I don't even want to know what you'll be like when I'm actually pregnant," she giggled, running her hands over his shoulders.

"Sacred vessel, remember?" he pointed out as he kissed her forehead.

"Right, which means you can't let me drink tonight. Even if I beg," she teased, not that she'd been desiring to drink anyway. She hadn't even thought of alcohol in weeks.

"I bought some sparkling apple cider for us. That way, we can at least pretend we're over twenty one, even though technically we are," he chuckled.

Meredith smiled. "You can drink, Der. Technically, I can too, but I just don't want to," she shook her head.

"Me either." She looked to him incredulously and he smirked. "What? I don't."

"Okay..." she said slowly.

"Hey, baby-making is a two person game. Gotta support my team," he grinned as he ran his fingers up and down her back.

Rather than tease him, Meredith just rested her head on his chest and breathed him in. Overly charming though he was, Derek was still a good teammate.

While Meredith showered and Derek put the beers and ice into the coolers, he couldn't stop smiling. This stage of life was one he thought he may never get to, but somehow, here he was. Married to the love his life, trying for a baby, and he and his wife were both surrounded by friends as close as family.

After taking the meat from the freezer, he heard Meredith call for him from upstairs in their bedroom. "Der, come here for a sec please?"

Derek quickly jogged up the steps to find Meredith wrapped in her bath towel, combing her wet hair with her fingers. "What's up?" he asked. "Everything okay?"

"Izzie texted me. She asked me if we need her and Alex to pick anything up from the store on their way over," Meredith said. She pulled a pair of panties from her drawer then dropped her towel, much to Derek's amusement.

"Well, I doubt I'll be able to think of anything now, seeing as every thought in my mind was just replaced with sex," he chuckled, watching as she pulled her panties up her legs where they settled low on her hips.

Meredith reached for her bra and giggled. "I don't mean for this to be a turn on," she pointed out. "I'm just trying to multi-task."

"Too late. I'm turned on," Derek grinned as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, still bereft of clothing.

When he started kissing her neck, Meredith moaned involuntarily. She couldn't resist it when he kissed her neck like that. "Der, seriously..."

"Seriously..."

"Do we need anything from the store?" she asked, her fingers ready to push the buttons on the phone. It was her way of keeping her mind somewhat focused despite the open-mouthed kisses her husband was dropping down her neck and onto her chest.

Derek scooped her up and dropped her down onto their bed gently. "No, we don't," he murmured.

"Didn't think so," Meredith sighed, texting a quick no but thanks to Izzie then dropping her phone next to her on the bed. If Derek wanted to sex her on their anniversary weekend, she would let him. Who cared if they were late to their own party?

--

They were able to get in some sex before their friends arrived, which would probably prove helpful in getting through the day. Not that they were dreading it or anything, but because Izzie had turned it into a pre-baby celebration, neither Meredith nor Derek knew what to expect. So getting in a mind blowing orgasm was good.

Everyone arrived within the hour, and much to their surprise and curiosity, their barbecue came with gifts, various packages wrapped in pinks and blues. What was in them, neither of them knew. But it was the thought that counted, or at least they hoped so.

Derek managed to hush the group for a few moments and smiled. "Before Cristina can roll her eyes at me," he smirked, glancing over to her as she took a sip of her beer. "...I just wanted to say thanks for coming today. Sorry we haven't had the chance to have you guys here sooner. But seeing as we're the only ones who understand what we do for a living, I hope you'll forgive us," he chuckled.

"So here's to..." Meredith started, trying to find something to toast to but coming up short.

"Starting your family," Izzie suggested, a smile radiating on her face as she held up her beer bottle.

Derek wrapped his arm around Meredith's waist and grinned. "Starting our family," he echoed.

"Cheers," Mark chimed in, followed by the rest of them.

"So what's on the agenda for this thing? Are we playing 'Guess the day McBaby gets conceived?'" Cristina asked sarcastically.

Meredith looked to Izzie and winced, hoping the answer was no. Honestly, she couldn't be too sure.

"Of course not," Izzie shook her head. "This is supposed to be a barbecue; it's not supposed to gross us all out."

"Then what are the presents for?" George asked as he popped a pretzel into his mouth.

"I don't even know what Iz bought, so if it's something creepy, don't blame me," Alex disclaimed.

Izzie rolled her eyes. "My gift is going to be helpful. If some of you find it odd, then that says more about you than it does about me," she said in her own defense.

"Oh God," Meredith whispered under her breath.

Derek chuckled and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Sounds fun," he said into her ear, so only she could hear him. She smiled, moving closer to him. He always saw the silver lining, even in a potentially horrifying situation.

"So who's hungry?" Derek asked in an attempt to steer the conversation in a new direction. "We've got hot dogs, burgers, steaks..."

"Cook it all. I'll help," Mark offered. "I happen to be a master griller," he boasted to Bridget, who was also in attendance.

She shook her head and smirked. "Mr. Wonderful."

"So what does Derek have planned this weekend?" Lexie asked excitedly, scooping some dip onto her chip.

Before Meredith could speak, Cristina kindly answered the question for her. "I'm guessing forty-eight hours of sweaty, hot sex," she laughed.

"Was she always like this?" Owen asked, amused by how candid Cristina was in her response.

Meredith shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. And she's usually right," she admitted. "Actually, I don't know what Derek has planned. As long as there's food and sex, I'm good. I'm not really high maintenance when it comes to Derek wining and dining me."

"Speaking of that, are you not drinking?" Cristina asked, seeming surprised that Meredith Grey wasn't taking advantage of liquor at a social function.

"I'm trying for a baby, Cristina. Drinking is typically frowned upon," Meredith giggled, content to sip on her iced tea.

Izzie put her hand on her chest and gave Meredith a small smile. "I'm proud."

Meredith rolled her eyes and laughed. "Shut up."

"I mean it. You...look at you. You're all grown up and mommy-ish. I could cry," Izzie said, though it didn't sound at all like she was mocking--not that she really would cry. But still, Meredith knew her friend was being sincere.

"Thank you, Iz," she said softly. "That really does mean a lot to me."

Cristina groaned at the gooey moment. "It's like an estrogen fest out here. You sure you aren't pregnant, Mer?"

"No, I'm not," Meredith giggled. "You'll be the first to know, I promise."

"So how long have you guys lived here?" Bridget asked before she took a sip of beer.

Meredith smiled. "Since we got back from our honeymoon. It was done a few weeks before the wedding, but we wanted to save it for after we got married. We already felt like husband and wife long before we even said 'I do,' so it was kind of like something special," she explained with a shrug before she glanced over at Derek, who was laughing at something Mark said.

"Alex and I used to live with them at Mer's house. Now that they're gone, it's a lot quieter at night," Izzie teased.

Alex nodded in agreement. "It's nice not having to squint walking into a room, 'cause you never knew if they were doing each other on the counter top or something..."

"We were not that bad," Meredith said in an attempt to defend herself, regardless of the fact that it was true.

"You kind of were," George chimed in playfully.

"Okay, Derek and I have a sex life. Now that we've established that, can we move on?" Meredith asked, smiling sweetly at her friends.

"You know we love you guys," Izzie said with a wave of her hand. "Which is why we're all here today to cheer you on."

Meredith shook her head amusedly and smiled. "No, we're here to eat. This isn't about Derek and me," she said.

Derek walked over to where they were seated, kissed the top of Meredith's head and sat down in the chair next to her. "Mark said he'd man the grill for a few minutes," he grinned. "So what are we talking about?"

"How you and Mer are worse than bunnies," Cristina informed him, taking another sip of her beer.

"Well, I'd say that'll work to our advantage now that we're trying for a baby, won't it Yang?" Derek countered, always ready to combat Cristina's quips with his own.

"Oh, that reminds me. Mer, I told the seamstress that we're going to hold off on fitting you for your bridesmaid's dress until three weeks before the wedding, just in case you do get pregnant by September. The dresses are form fitting so I didn't want it to be too tight in case you have a tiny bump by then," Izzie explained happily, which made Meredith laugh. Sometimes she swore her friend was more excited about the prospect of Meredith being pregnant than she was for her own wedding.

"Okay," Meredith giggled. "That's fine with me."

"Do you think it'll happen that fast?" Lexie asked. "I mean, not that I'm doubting you or anything. If anyone could do it, it's you two, but..."

Meredith shrugged and reached for Derek's hand. "We're not stressing out about it. When it happens, it happens."

"And the trying is fun," Derek winked at his wife. "Never get tired of that."

"Lucky bastard," Mark added with a grin as he walked back over to the group. "I need barbecue sauce. Should I rummage through your kitchen for it or do you wanna get it?" he asked.

"Top shelf on the right," Meredith said, pointing to the sliding glass doors leading to the kitchen. "There's cheese for the burgers in the middle drawer, too."

Mark nodded and set his beer on the table top. "Got it."

"Are you gonna help him?" Meredith asked once Mark was out of earshot.

"I plan to let him do all the work until he asks me for help," Derek chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "He's capable with a grill. I trust him not to blow anything up."

"How long do you think it'll take for him to notice that you're slacking?" Owen asked.

Derek ran his hand through his hair and laughed. "Not long at all."

--

After dinner was consumed and they had eaten more than their fair share of barbecued food, they decided to move everything inside to the living room to be on the safe side. Summer nights in Seattle always came with a threat of sporadic rainstorms, so rather than be caught in the middle, moving inside was the wiser choice. So far, things weren't nearly as mortifying as Meredith thought they might be. Izzie hadn't mentioned her uterus yet, or made them blow out candles on a cake, which was good. But of course, that didn't last long.

"So when do you and the hubby want to start opening presents?" Izzie asked before biting into one of the pink frosted cupcakes she'd baked for the occasion.

"The hubby?" Meredith echoed, laughing. "I think I need to start calling him that from now on."

"Calling me what?" Derek asked as he walked back into the living room with some sparkling apple cider for him and Meredith, their non-alcoholic, celebratory beverage of the evening.

"My hubby," she said with a humorous smile, taking the glass from Derek when he sat back down next to her. "Kinda catchy and cute."

Derek mirrored her smile with one of his own. "Hubby. Very cute and cheesy. I like it," he teased.

"How fitting," Cristina smirked.

Meredith sighed amusedly at their constant back-and-forth and decided to step in before they continued. "We can open the gifts you guys brought now, though for the record, Derek and I just wanted to have everyone over for a barbecue. We didn't do it for gifts," she apologized, feeling slightly guilty that their friends felt as though they had to bring something with them.

"We only brought gifts because we care. You two give the rest of us hope, so if that means throwing you a party to celebrate you guys adding to your family, we're gonna do it," Izzie explained, smiling at them. "And if you think we're bad now, just wait until your baby shower. And your kids' birthday parties. This is just the tip of the iceberg," she warned.

Meredith laughed. "Thanks, you guys. Derek and I, we really do appreciate it."

"This pink one is from Alex and me," Izzie said, handing Meredith a large pink gift bag.

"I don't know what's in there, so don't blame me if it's creepy," Alex added as he ate a handful of chips.

Izzie rolled her eyes. "It's not creepy."

Meredith braced herself for what she would find when she opened the bag. Izzie's helpful gift possibilities were endless, and came with a chance of being mortifying. When she felt something fuzzy touch her fingers, she pulled it from the bag and smiled. "Izzie..." Meredith said softly, doing her best to keep the tears at bay.

"I know, I know. There's no baby yet, but I wanted to get a jump start on clothes. So I figured I'd start small," Izzie said.

Derek smiled when he saw the tiny pair of yellow baby booties in Meredith's hands. "These are adorable, Izzie. Thank you."

"There's more," Izzie prompted.

Meredith handed the booties over to Derek and reached into the bag for the next gift. When she pulled a book from it, she swallowed hard as she read the title. "The Conception Chronicles: The Uncensored Truth About Sex, Love and Marriage When You're Trying to Get Pregnant," she read out loud, much to the amusement of the rest of the group.

"Nice," Mark grinned.

"I flipped through it at the book store. There's tons of great advice for couples trying to conceive. You know, info. about prime time for conception, stuff about your uterus. Oh, and there's tons of sex tips too, which I thought was right up your alley," Izzie laughed.

There it was. Mention of Meredith's uterus.

Meredith could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as she paged through the book, getting a glimpse at the chapters and illustrations within it. But despite the obvious horror, she knew Izzie had given it to them with the best intentions in mind, and that she and Derek would definitely be reading the sex position chapter before the rest of it. "Thank you, Iz. This looks great," she nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, the booties are from both of us," Alex amended. "The sex book? Just her."

Meredith giggled as she set the book back in the bag and Izzie sighed audibly. "Okay, people, it's not a sex book."

"I think it's great, Iz," Meredith said, stepping in to defend her friend. "So the rest of you can just keep quiet," she joked.

"Thank you," Izzie smiled.

"Open that one next," Mark said. He pointed to the large gift basket sitting on the table, complete with curled ribbon at the top.

Derek looked to Mark strangely. Mark Sloan could barely put a card in an envelope, much less make up a gift basket, so he knew it had to be something memorable. "Hmm...looks good," Derek chuckled as Meredith plopped it down on her lap.

"For the record, that one wrapped in the green paper over there is from me. I didn't want to be a part of what he got you," Bridget disclaimed before Meredith could open it.

"Oh Lord..." Derek sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Now I'm scared."

Once again, Meredith braced herself as she slowly untied the ribbon and peeled down the wrapping paper surrounding the basket. She pulled the small card from the handle and read it out loud. "The Aphrodisiac Gift Basket, complete with everything you need to make those nights of passion even steamier."

Cristina nearly choked on her beer at the description and Izzie nodded. "See, his is porny. Mine wasn't."

"What's in there?" George asked curiously, unsure if he even wanted to know.

"I ordered it online. There's melting chocolate, candles, massage oils, a recipe book, and a few other...items," Mark said with a raise of his eyebrows. "Items I won't mention in present company."

Derek examined the contents of the basket, promptly looking at Mark when he noticed a purple object inside. "Oh my God, is that a vibrator?" he asked in disbelief.

"Maybe," Mark said vaguely. Meredith looked at him open-mouthed, unable to think of anything to say, which only increased the grin on Mark's face. "What? I can't buy a sex toy for my BFFs?"

"Oh God," Meredith groaned, running her hands over her face to hide her embarrassment.

"That's why it's not from me," Bridget said with a shake of her head.

Mark continued to smile, despite Meredith's mortification. "Oh, relax. It's a good gift. Hours and hours worth of fun in that basket."

"Thanks, Mark," Derek conceded. "Very kind. Weird, but kind."

"My pleasure," Mark nodded. "Well, actually, yours..."

"Okay, next one," Meredith said quickly, eager to move the conversation away from her and Derek's sex life. She grabbed a polka dot bag off the table and read the card attached to the string handle. "We hope this comes eventually comes in handy. Happy anniversary. Love, Lexie and George."

Meredith removed yet another book from the orange tissue paper and smiled when she saw the title. "Pregnancy Week By Week," she read. "One of my patients a few weeks ago had this. I wanted to get one for us too."

"My mom got a copy for Molly when she was pregnant, so I thought you guys might like one. It's from both of us," Lexie said kindly, pointing to herself and George.

Derek grinned in appreciation. "This is great. Thanks, guys."

"No problem," George replied. "Glad you like it."

Cristina handed Meredith Bridget's gift, something square and wrapped in light green, undoubtedly another book. "I attached the receipt, in case you wanted to exchange it," Bridget said almost nervously.

Meredith waved off her hesitation. "I'm sure we'll love it," she assured her as she peeled off the paper. "A baby name book," she said softly. She never thought gifts could make her all sappy and emotional, but she found herself on the verge of tears after all of the nice things their friends had gotten for them. "I love it," Meredith said, running her fingers over the cover. "Thank you."

"I know it's early still, seeing as there's no baby to name yet, but it's still fun to think about it," Bridget shrugged. "And I really didn't want to be in on Mark's sex basket..." she giggled.

"Hey, my gift provides hours and hours of fun between the sheets. Perfect gift for these two," Mark grinned in defense of himself.

Meredith just sighed in amusement. Her sexcapades with Derek were common knowledge to the group, so if Mark wanted to elaborate, she decided to throw caution to the wind and let him. "Yeah. Can't wait," she smirked.

Just Cristina and Owen's blue gift bag remained sitting on the table, and Cristina handed it to her. "Enjoy," she said before Meredith even had a chance to open it. "They're stolen...ish."

"You stole something?" Owen asked her in shock. "I don't know what's in there. All she told me was that it's practical. If I had known, I would have checked the bag beforehand," he laughed.

"Well, technically, it was free," Cristina amended as Meredith pulled pregnancy test upon pregnancy test from the shiny blue bag.

"Where did you get all of these?" Meredith giggled, setting the pile of boxes on her lap.

Cristina avoided Izzie's gaze when she spoke. "Clinic."

"You stole these from my clinic?" Izzie gasped.

"If patients get them for free, I figured I could help myself to a stack. Besides, the hospital pays for that stuff," Cristina said simply.

"Cristina!" Izzie scolded.

"Keep your panties on, Dr. Drew. I didn't know what else to get them, and I wasn't about to go buy them a sex book..."

Izzie only laughed and shook her head. "Okay, when they find out they're having a baby much sooner than they expected, you can all thank me."

"We'll do that," Derek teased.

Despite the occasional horrors of receiving well-intentioned sex books and vibrators, it was a good day.

--

After the party had ended and everyone went home for the night, Meredith and Derek finally found themselves alone for the next forty-eight hours, giving them plenty of time to celebrate their anniversary, most of which would probably be spent naked.

Meredith sat on their bed waiting for Derek to get out of the shower, surrounded with all of the gifts they had received. She'd already paged through the baby name book, the week by week pregnancy book, and was onto the conception book Izzie got for them. And even Mark's 'sex basket' would come in handy later on that night.

"You were right," Derek said as he entered their bedroom wearing only his boxers, a sight that always made Meredith want to sex him right then and there.

Meredith looked up from her book and bit her lip. "What?"

"Izzie managed to work your uterus into a conversation," he chuckled, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Told you she would," Meredith giggled.

When Derek noticed the yellow baby booties clutched tightly in her hand, he pressed a kiss to her temple and smiled against her skin. "Those are my favorite gift."

Meredith rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Our baby is gonna wear these, Derek. On her teeny, tiny little feet," she whispered.

"Her?" he asked amusedly.

"Or his. I don't know. I guess you've convinced me that we're having daughters," Meredith said as she felt the moisture build in her eyes. "It doesn't matter though. As long as we have a healthy baby...you know, once we make one," she giggled through her tears.

"We will," Derek assured her. "Now that we've got a library of books on how to do it, how can we not?" he laughed.

"True," Meredith agreed. She ran her fingers over the knitted material of the booties in her hand and let out a sigh of contentment. "These booties mean more to me than any other gift--I mean, I'm grateful for everything they gave us, but these..." she said, wiping away her tears with the side of her hand. "...these are our future, Derek."

"Babies and booties and being called mommy and daddy?" he said softly.

Meredith placed her palm over his cheek and smiled at her husband. "Yeah."

"There's no one else I'd rather do any of it with than you," Derek whispered. He pulled her onto his lap and she wrapped her legs around his waist. "I love you."

She leaned in and kissed him with everything she had then. The kickoff to their anniversary weekend was officially upon them. "I love you too."

--

Fun anniversary weekend up next. ;)

Also, for those interested, I wrote a post 6.12 one shot. Just go to my FF profile for the link. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews make me happy! :)