111. Mama Shep Arrives

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Thanks for your continued patience, as always!

Meredith pulled a wet, squirmy Lilly from her tub next to the sink, wrapping her in a towel. "There. All clean," she said, holding Lilly against her. "Daddy is going to be home any minute with your grandma, so we need to get you dressed."

She walked down the hall and into Lilly's nursery. She opened the closet door, surveying the plethora of outfits her daughter had, which probably exceeded hers and Derek's combined, by double. "How about this one?" Meredith said, taking a tiny dress covered in strawberries from the hanger. "I think your Aunt Amy sent this. Or maybe it was your Aunt Nancy. I don't know. It was one of Daddy's sisters."

After laying Lilly down on the changing table, Meredith patted her dry, then reached for a fresh diaper. "Grandma is going to love you, Lilly. She'll probably want to hold you the whole time. And kick Daddy and me out the door to have some alone time; but don't worry, you're in perfectly capable hands. I mean, she did raise Daddy, so she obviously knows what she's doing," Meredith said as she fastened the sides of the diaper. She slipped the dress over Lilly's head, weaved her arms through the holes, and pulled it down over her belly.

"And she'll be pleased to see the Shepherd hair you inherited in person," Meredith said, gently combing her fingers through the baby's damp hair and securing a tuft of it into a green bow. "Very pretty."

The key turned in the lock downstairs and the front door opened. "Mer, we're home!" Derek called.

Meredith picked Lilly up off the changing table and patted her diapered bottom. "Okay, peanut. Let's go." She walked down the stairs, Lilly in her arm.

As soon as Derek's mom saw the baby, she gasped, in awe of her tiniest, new grandchild. "Oh, Meredith. She's so beautiful," Linda said, pulling a tissue from her purse and dabbing under her eyes. She held out her arms. "May I?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course," Meredith said, gently handing Lilly to her.

Linda cradled Lilly close to her chest, running her finger over the baby's soft cheek. "Hi, Lilly. I'm your grandma. You know, you look so much like your Daddy did when he was a baby," she said.

"She does," Meredith agreed. "I just stare at her, and I see so much Derek."

Derek snaked his arm around Meredith's waist and kissed her temple. "What do you think, Ma? Pretty perfect, isn't she?"

"Perfect, just like I knew she would be." Linda leaned down and kissed Lilly's forehead. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Why don't we head into the living room? I'll get us some drinks. Mom, are you hungry?" Derek asked.

"No, no; I'm fine, honey," Linda replied, sitting down on the couch. "Get something for Meredith, though. She needs to keep up her energy. And she's still so tiny. Derek, are you feeding her enough?"

Meredith laughed. "Yes, he does. Believe me. It's actually annoying."

"I annoy because I care," Derek said as he walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

"I can't believe she's finally here. The tenth niece in the family. And my son's first child," Linda said, not taking her eyes off of Lilly, who was looking up at her curiously. "You know, I was never sure if Derek would ever have kids. He's always wanted a family, but then when..."

"I know," Meredith nodded, looking down at her lap. She smiled at her daughter. "It took Derek and me a long time to... but everything worked out like it was supposed to. And now that Lilly's here..."

"It changes your whole life. Everything you do now, you do for your kids. The day I gave birth to Kathleen, that was it. She was why Jim and I worked so hard to give her the best life we could. And it was the same when the Nancy, Derek, Liz and Amy were born. I poured everything I had into them to make sure they turned into good people."

"I always knew Derek would be a good dad, but to see him with Lilly, it's... when I nurse her at night, he gets up with me. Most men would probably roll over and go back to sleep. But he doesn't. He gets up every time, and then he'll burp her. If she wakes up early in the morning, Derek will take her downstairs so I can sleep in. He's just... believe me, you raised a good man," Meredith said.

Linda took Meredith's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you."

"Iced tea and a bag of pretzels," Derek announced as he walked back into the living room. He set the drink tray and the snack bag down on the table, then sat down on the adjoining couch. "I didn't want to make anything, because I figured I could cook later," he said.

"Oh, we have plenty of time to cook. Tonight, how about the two of you go out? I'd be more than happy to watch Lilly," Derek's mom said, smiling at Meredith when she handed her one of the glasses of iced tea.

Meredith shook her head. "You don't have to do that. This is supposed to be your vacation."

"Lilly is my granddaughter. Nothing would make me happier than getting to spend some time with her. Besides, I'm sure you two haven't had a night out to yourselves in a while," Linda insisted.

Derek glanced over at Meredith, giving her a look that said 'There's no way we're getting out of this, so we may as well just give in.' Meredith shrugged back at him in approval. "Okay, we'll go out. As long as you don't mind."

"We won't be long. An hour, tops," Meredith said.

"Please, take as long as you want. I'm used to wrangling at least ten grandkids on a weekly basis. One night with one granddaughter is a piece of cake," Linda assured them, rocking Lilly in her arm. "So, Derek tells me she's a good sleeper?"

"Yeah, we got pretty lucky," Meredith said. "She's not fussy, and she only wakes up at night when she's hungry or needs a new diaper. She does wake up early, though; something she got from Derek."

"Derek never slept late as a baby. When he was old enough, he would climb out of the crib and toddle into our bed. Sometimes, he would just go downstairs and help himself to breakfast," Linda laughed. "One time, I found him eating cereal off the kitchen floor after he spilled the box. None of the girls ever did that, only him. He liked keeping me on my toes."

"I was the only boy. I wanted to make life more interesting," Derek joked.

"You were such a sweet boy. After two girls, we thought for sure we'd be having another daughter. But then when the doctor pointed to the little penis on the screen, we were so thrilled," Linda recalled, smiling at her son.

Derek sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "You know, I've heard that story a thousand times, and it never gets less mortifying."

"What? I'm your mother. Meredith's your wife. Don't be embarrassed," his mom said. "So, how long until my grandson is born?"

"That depends. Is one of my sisters pregnant?" Derek asked, smiling amusedly at his mother.

"From us? Uh, two years... ish. That's the tentative plan, anyway. I think we've got a pretty good handle on this parenting thing so far, but we'll see," Meredith said.

"Until then, you can nag Mark about giving you another grandchild," Derek said.

"How is he doing? Is he excited to be a godfather?" Linda asked.

Derek nodded. "Yeah. He already has his suit ironed and a tie picked out. You should see how he is with Lilly. I swear, he loves her as much as we do."

"She's very easy to love. I never want to put her down," Derek's mom said, holding Lilly to her chest and kissing the top of her head. "Do you have everything ready for Saturday? I can cook anything, just say the word."

"All we need to make are the appetizers. We're ordering the rest," Derek said. "We didn't have you fly across the country to cook."

"Fine, but I do want to take advantage of grandma time with my Lilly. So, why don't you two go get ready? I want you to have as much time as you want," Linda offered.

"Okay, I'll go feed her while you two catch up, then we'll get dressed," Meredith promised, actually getting excited at the prospect of a few hours alone with her husband, though she knew leaving the house without Lilly would test her strength.

Linda hugged Lilly once more before handing her back to Meredith. "Okay, that sounds good," she said. "Take your time, honey."

"We'll be back," Meredith said, smiling at both of them as she walked toward the stairs.

Derek moved to the place on the other couch where Meredith had been sitting. "Just admit it, Lilly's the greatest of all the grandkids," he said with a grin, taking a sip of his drink.

"I love all of them equally. But she's definitely the tiniest," Linda said, reaching for her son's hand. "She's beautiful, Derek. I'm so proud of you and Meredith. I know Dad would be, too."

"Yeah," Derek said softly. "I know he died a long time ago, but it's still hard, especially now that Lilly's here. I love Lilly and Mer so much. I can't imagine not being here, or Meredith having to raise her alone. You know, it makes me appreciate everything you did. After Dad died, you just stepped up and raised all five of us. And you never complained or felt sorry for yourself. You just... did it."

"That's what you do when you're a parent. Your children always come first. There are days when I could barely pull myself out of bed, but I did, because I loved you and your sisters as much as you and Meredith love Lilly."

"Every night, we just stare at her. We can't believe she's ours, that we made a person. When she was born, our lives became about her. She makes everything else seem unimportant," Derek said.

"That's how it is for the rest of your life," Linda told him, kissing his temple.

Derek wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. "Good."

...

"This is a mistake. We shouldn't go," Meredith said as she stood in her bra and panties, sifting through her closet for something to wear. "My boobs are humongous, and more importantly, what if Lilly needs them? I haven't started pumping yet. She might—"

Derek cut off her rambling with a kiss, cupping her cheeks in his hands and pressing his lips against hers. "She'll be just fine. We're only gonna be gone for an hour or two. She won't even know we left," he said, smiling at her. "Come on, it'll be fun. I already called ahead at Camparo's. Bread sticks, fettuccine alfredo, chocolate mousse..."

Meredith groaned. "Damn you."

"What?"

"You know Italian food is my weakness," Meredith said, tugging on a dress sleeve in her closet and scrunching her nose at it. "And you used that against me."

Derek smirked at her as he buttoned his shirt. "Why do you think I picked Camparo's?"

"I was thinking we could just swing by the Taco Bell drive-thru and come right back home," Meredith said.

"No more Taco Bell. It's bad enough you craved it for nine months when you were pregnant," Derek laughed. "I requested an outdoor table on the porch, with the band and the lights. Remember how romantic that was the first time we went there, and we came home and had sex all night long?"

"Okay, you sold me," Meredith sighed, trying to hold back her smile. "I'm just nervous about leaving Lilly. I mean, obviously I trust your mom. But still, it's just weird."

"I know. It's weird for me, too. But if Lilly could talk, I think she'd tell us to go have a fun night out," Derek said. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. When he started kissing her neck, she moaned.

She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. "Hmm, Derek," Meredith whispered. When she felt her insides getting all fluttery, she pulled back.

"What?"

"Stupid sex ban. I'm getting all turned on. But your mom is downstairs, and my legs are closed to you for four more weeks," Meredith said as she tried to drive away the fuzzy sex cloud hovering over her. "We should probably stop."

"Okay," Derek agreed.

Meredith bit her lip, watching as he reached for his dress pants. Before she knew what she was doing, she took them from his hand and tossed them onto the bed. "Screw it. Just because we can't have sex-sex doesn't mean we can't do... other things," she decided, inching him back onto the bed.

Derek looked up at her and smiled. "Yeah? What kinds of things?"

"Naked things," Meredith said innocently, reaching around and unhooking her bra. She straddled his waist and kissed him. "Maybe one of your favorite things?"

"Hmm, which one?" he asked, but when her hand snaked into his boxers, he sucked in a breath. "Okay, yeah. Let's go with that one."

Meredith laughed. "We need to be fast, or we're going to be late," she said, running her fingers over his groin.

He arched his back toward her and stifled a moan of his own. "Yeah, that's not gonna be a problem."

Fifteen minutes later, Meredith stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her dark purple sundress. "Does this look okay?" she asked Derek, who was putting on his belt.

"You look beautiful," he said, walking up behind her.

Meredith smirked at him in the mirror. "Are you just saying that because I just... you know what?"

"Mer, look at yourself. If I wasn't the one who put the baby inside you, I wouldn't know you had a baby two weeks ago," he laughed.

"My boobs look okay?" she asked. "They're not all smushy?"

Derek kissed her shoulder. "They look amazing. You look amazing."

"Thank you," Meredith smiled, reaching for her lip gloss. As she was applying it, she froze. "Crap. Lilly's bath soap. We didn't leave it on the counter. How can your mom give her a bath if she has no bath soap?"

Derek gently tugged on her arm as she made a beeline for the hallway. "Mer, relax. I'll get it and put it next to the tub."

"And her bath towel. Her yellow duck one is in the closet," Meredith said.

"Okay."

Meredith grabbed her purse off the armchair in the corner of the room and followed him out into the hall. "Bath stuff, pajamas, diapers. Is that all your mom will need?"

"Yeah. And if she needs anything else, she'll find it," Derek assured her as they walked into the bathroom. He knelt down and took the bath soap from the closet, then Lilly's towel. "All set," he said, putting the items on the counter next to Lilly's tub.

Meredith let out a breath, nodding. "Okay. I think we're ready."

"You didn't even freak out this much when you were giving birth," Derek teased her, putting his hand on the small of her back before they walked down the stairs. "Eyes on the prize. Chocolate mousse."

"Shut up."

"Don't you both look wonderful," Linda complimented as she sat on the couch with Lilly, who was peacefully sucking her thumb.

"Thank you," Meredith replied. "So all of her bath stuff is upstairs in the bathroom. Diapers are in the bin right over there, and upstairs, too. Oh, and her wipes and powder. She doesn't need a lot of powder, just a sprinkle or two. Extra clothes are, well, everywhere."

"We'll be fine, I promise," Linda said, smiling at both of them. "Between five children and sixteen grandchildren, I've given about a thousand baths, and changed twice as many diapers. There's nothing to worry about. Just go out and have a fun time."

Linda handed Lilly to Derek and he smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

"We'll be back soon, peanut," Meredith said. "Have fun with Grandma, okay?"

"Oh, we will. Ask any of your cousins, I'm a fun grandma," Linda laughed.

"She really is, Lilly," Derek affirmed, handing her to Meredith.

Meredith hugged Lilly close to her chest and kissed her forehead. "We love you."

Derek glanced down at his watch. "We should get going, Mer."

"Yeah, we should," Meredith agreed, handing Lilly back to her mother-in-law.

"I know you won't, but if you need anything, just call," Derek told his mom as he took his keys and wallet off the table.

"Have fun. And don't call to check up on me," Linda warned them both playfully. She opened the front door and nearly ushered them out. "Now go, before either of you change your minds."

"We're going," Derek said, stepping behind Meredith out the door.

"Bye," Meredith waved. "Bye, Lillybug."

They walked to the car parked in the driveway, and Meredith twirled her bracelet around her wrist while she waited for Derek to unlock the door. "Chocolate mousse. Chocolate mousse. Chocolate mousse," she repeated softly to herself.

Derek overheard her chanting the mantra, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Mer..."

"The hormone carnival hasn't packed up and left my body yet," Meredith told him. "Seriously, unlock the door before I run back into the house."

"Unlocked," Derek said as he he pressed the button on the key fob.

"Damn you."

"Pretty sure that's the second time you've said that to me in the past hour."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, well, you deserve it."

...

Meredith slathered butter on her dinner roll and shoved a bite into her mouth. "I know this is really bad," she said as she chewed, "but I don't care because I'll burn it all off when I nurse Lilly when we get home. Breastfeeding is amazing." She looked at Derek across the table and smiled at him. "I'm glad you made us come here."

"Actually, my mom actually made us come."

"Yeah, well, your mom is kind of awesome," she said, forking a piece of chicken from his plate. "Oh, by the way, the hospital called today while you were picking up your mom to schedule my follow-up appointment. And I hinted around at coming in after five weeks instead of six, and the nurse I talked to said that was fine," Meredith said excitedly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so I got an appointment for the eleventh, which means I'll get the all clear the day before our anniversary," she said.

Derek grinned at her. "So we get to have hot anniversary sex?"

"Yes, we do," she said, smiling back at him. "I know I said the waiting is fun, but I mean, six weeks is... it's a long time. And not to be porny, but I miss getting laid on a daily basis."

"Alright, then. Can't wait for July 12th," he chuckled, taking a bite from his salad. "What about Lilly?"

"Izzie already volunteered to watch her overnight, but I don't know. I don't mind pumping. Once I go back to work, I'll have to start anyway. I'm just worried about how she'll be. Do you think she'd be okay?"

"Yeah. It's just one night. Izzie and Alex are more than capable. Plus, Lilly's still so little. She won't care," he shrugged. "But when she's two or three? We might have more of a problem. I say if she offered, we take her up on it."

"I guess," Meredith agreed. "Does that make us bad parents? Leaving her overnight so we can have uninterrupted sex?"

"No, that makes us two horny, sex-deprived adults who are leaving their baby with a very dependable, very caring married couple for one night," Derek amended before sipping from his glass of iced tea. "How was that? Convincing?"

"Pretty good."

"Yeah?"

"You're very good at that," Meredith said as she twirled some pasta on her fork and shoveled it into her mouth. "Mmm." She gave him a thumbs up and nodded while she chewed.

"See? If fettuccine alfredo is making you moan like that, just imagine how great uninterrupted anniversary sex will be," Derek said.

Meredith shook her head as she swallowed. "I was not moaning."

"I know all of your sex noises. Believe me, that was a sex noise," Derek upheld, popping a crouton into his mouth.

"Whatever. Think of that as a preview for our anniversary," Meredith said. She reached across the table and put her hand over his. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"We needed a night out. And I never would've agreed if you didn't want to," Meredith admitted.

"Tell you what, how about we schedule a date night for ourselves every week, whether we go out or not. After Lilly is asleep, just time for the two of us. Dinner at home, a movie on the couch, a bath, anything. Some husband and wife time," Derek said, running his thumb across the back of her hand.

She bit her lip and smiled at him. "I'd like that."

"You know, it's only 8:30. We told my mom we'd me home by ten."

Meredith licked some sauce off her finger, laughing. "Uh huh. What are you suggesting?"

"Thanking you for earlier. I know I owe you one or two sexual rain checks, so if you'd like to cash in..." Derek hinted, raising his eyebrows at her.

"You mean some non-sex activities in the backseat of the car?" she asked before her smile turned into a frown. "Wait, Lilly's car seat is back there. That's just wrong."

"Good thing you're still as flexible as you were when we met," he said with a smirk. "The passenger seat works just as well as the backseat."

"I'm in, as long as we don't get caught this time," Meredith said. "Years later, and I'm still slightly mortified that Bailey saw me naked. Oh, and the Chief that time at the trailer." She looked around the cluster of tables near them. "This probably isn't appropriate restaurant conversation."

"That's okay. We're leaving soon, anyway," he pointed out, finishing off the last of his chicken.

"Chocolate mousse first. Inappropriate car nakedness second," Meredith reminded him.

Derek politely waived their waiter over to their table when he saw him nearby. "Choosing dessert over naked time with me. That feels good," he joked.

Meredith looked at him unapologetically. "I did dirty things to you with Lilly and your mom right downstairs. Consider chocolate mousse my orgasm," she said, blushing when she realized she said that in front of their waiter who had approached their table. "Crap."

"Does this top Bailey catching us in your driveway in my car?" Derek asked, amused.

She pursed her lips, refusing to make eye contact their their waiter. "Pretty damn close."