114. Happy Two Years

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.

Meredith rolled over in bed on the morning of her anniversary. But it wasn't the sunshine coming in through the windows or Derek arriving at the foot of the bed with a tray full of breakfast food that woke her up. She reached over Lilly and pushed gently at Derek's shoulder. "Derek," she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"She pooped," Meredith said.

"How do you know?"

Meredith yawned. "Because she's right next to me, and it smells like poop."

"Okay," he said into his pillow.

"Wanna change her so I'm not smelling poop anymore?" Meredith asked him.

"Okay." Derek rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes, then forced himself into a sitting position. He glanced over at the clock, his eyes barely able to make out the time because he was still groggy with sleep. "Hey, happy anniversary," he said, leaning over Lilly to kiss the top of Meredith's head.

Meredith smiled, keeping her eyes closed. "You, too."

Derek scooped a still sleeping Lilly from her spot between the two of them, and laid her in front of him. He lifted up Lilly's nightgown above her belly, and peeled back the adhesive on her diaper. He cleaned her up with the wipes that were sitting on his nightstand, and pulled out the old diaper from underneath her bottom, folding it up. As he was lifting her legs to slide the fresh diaper under her, Derek noticed a small puddle on the comforter, and dropped his head in amused defeat.

"Lilly, why?" he couldn't help but laugh, smiling at his daughter, still snoozing, thumb in her mouth.

"What?"

Derek shifted the baby to a dry spot on the bed and wiped her again. "She peed on the blanket," he said.

"She did?"

"Yeah. She was only diaper-less for ten seconds. Your timing is impeccable, Princess," Derek chuckled softly, fastening the new diaper around her waist and picking her up.

"I'll take her. You can strip the sheets," Meredith said, reaching for Lilly, who curled into her chest contentedly. She rolled out of bed and began walking back and forth across the room, hoping the motion would keep Lilly asleep.

Derek smirked at her as he pulled off the sheets, and Meredith narrowed her eyes at him. "What?" she asked.

"Now we have an excuse to put on the sexy, red sheets for tonight," he said, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Tonight?" Meredith echoed, confused. But it only took her a nanosecond to remember what tonight was: the official end to her post-baby celibacy. "Oh, right. Anniversary sex."

"Not to mention, the end of a five week dry spell. Prepare for orgasm-palooza," he said, rolling the sheets into a ball.

"I may need to get that in writing..."

"Oh, it's happening. Rain or shine, diapers or vomit. In fact, we could do it right now," Derek said.

"It's seven o'clock in the morning."

"You were cleared for sex yesterday. Lilly is still asleep. We could..." he pointed out as they walked into the hallway toward the stairs.

Meredith laughed. "If you want me to be awake for it, can you at least put on a pot of coffee first?" she requested.

"I thought you weren't drinking coffee," he said.

"As long as I'm not chugging gallons of it, Dr. Halloran said it's fine. Plus, I've been pumping so Lilly has backup bottles," Meredith said, kissing the top of Lilly's head, following Derek into the laundry room.

"Coffee and sex? Jackpot," Derek grinned as he tossed the soiled laundry into the washer.

"I know. I don't know which one I've missed more," Meredith said.

Derek winced playfully. "Ouch."

"Don't worry. Once the beast is awakened tonight, I'm sure sex will trump any amount of caffeine intake," Meredith promised him.

"Good," Derek chuckled. "So, are we letting Lilly spend the night with Stevens and Karev tonight?"

They walked into the kitchen, and Meredith put Lilly in her motion swing next to the table. "I saw Iz yesterday at the hospital when I was there for my appointment, and we compromised. Since I know we'd just be missing her and worrying about her all night if she wasn't here, Izzie offered to watch her while we went out to lunch or something," she said.

"Okay," Derek nodded, pouring two cups of coffee, one for each of them. "So, uh, how are we gonna..."

"Do the nasty nasty tonight?" Meredith guessed.

"Not the words I would've picked, but yeah," he agreed.

He handed her the steaming mug of coffee and she breathed it in, closing her eyes. "Oh, God. I might have an orgasm," Meredith joked, finally taking a sip after many, many months without.

"Good?"

"Amazing would be an understatement," she said. "About tonight, I think we should be fine. Once Lilly falls asleep, she's usually out for three hours until she needs to eat. We can just put her in her crib. And we have the baby monitor. I mean, that's how other parents do it, right?"

"Yeah," Derek nodded. "And you're feeling okay, right? I mean, after getting the IUD?"

"Yeah. I was only a little crampy for a few hours yesterday, which is normal, but I'm fine now," Meredith said.

"No pain?"

Meredith smiled. "No pain."

They both sipped their coffee in silence for a few moments, taking in the quietude of their home. The only noise was Lilly's swing as it rocked gently from side to side, and a few birds chirping outside somewhere. Meredith looked at him and bit her lip. "Quickie?"

"What? Where? Here?" Derek asked.

"Laundry room," Meredith pointed.

Derek cocked his head at her. "You're serious?"

"What? Lilly's asleep. We'd only be, like, five minutes," Meredith said, taking his hand and pulling him up out of his chair. "Neither of us has had it in weeks. We're not gonna last long."

"Risky. I like it," Derek grinned, shutting the laundry room door once they were inside, keeping it open only a crack so they could hear Lilly if she started crying.

Meredith gasped when Derek hoisted her up onto the washer, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Mmm, Derek," she said, splaying her fingers over his cheeks and kissing him. "I missed this."

"Me, too," he said, his breath catching in his throat when she reached into his boxers and cupped him. "Damn it," he hissed.

Meredith giggled as she continued to tease him. "Good?" she asked.

"Yes," Derek groaned, leaning in and beginning to kiss her neck, smiling against her skin when she tipped her head back.

"Hang on," Meredith said as she lifted up and slipped off her panties and shorts in one move. Derek's hand went between her legs and he started to rub her. "Holy crap. Derek." She felt him hardening underneath in her hand, then pushed off his boxers. "Come on," she whispered.

"Okay," he said, putting his hands on her waist as she scooted forward.

Meredith sucked in a breath when she felt him against her. "Oh, Derek," she moaned.

Just as Derek was about to go for it, Charlie barked, and they heard his paws scratching at the sliding glass door in the kitchen, followed by Lilly's wails as she was unwillingly pulled from her sleep.

Meredith dropped her head onto Derek's shoulder. "Crap."

Derek regretfully stepped back, picking up her panties and shorts from the floor. "Can you..." he said.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded as she hopped off the washer and pulled her clothes up her legs. "Just... get rid of that," she said, her eyes trailing toward his groin.

"Trying," Derek said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Meredith opened the laundry room door and walked into the kitchen, smiling at Lilly, her face red from crying. "What happened, peanut?" she asked, unbuckling her then picking her up.

Charlie continued to bark and scratch, and Meredith rolled her eyes when she saw a squirrel skittering back and forth across the patio. "Charlie, it's a squirrel. And it's on the other side of the glass," she said, unsure as to whether she should laugh or cry. "Damn nature. This is what happens when you live in the wilderness..."

Lilly continued to cry, and Meredith bounced her gently. "Not a very pleasant way to wake up, huh? I know. You're okay," she soothed.

Charlie turned away from the back door after getting bored with the squirrel, and walked over to his toy basket, pulling out a stuffed monkey. He stretched out on the floor and began squeaking it, much to Meredith's amusement. "Oh, sure. Now you couldn't care less about the squirrel," she said, leaning down to scratch his head.

"How you doing in there?" she called out to Derek. "Flag still flying?"

"Another minute," Derek replied, still calming himself down in the laundry room. "Is Lilly okay?"

"Charlie freaked out over a squirrel and Lilly got startled, that's all," Meredith said. She leaned against the door and laughed. "That's parenthood for you. Non-stop coitus interruptus."

"That would imply that we already started. We didn't even get that far," Derek chuckled.

"One second later, and it would've been even harder to stop. Maybe it's a good thing," Meredith pointed out.

Derek finally emerged from the laundry room and kissed her forehead. "Hmm, yeah," he said against her skin.

Meredith wrapped her free arm around him. "Tonight, I will let you take me in any position you want... multiple times," she whispered into his ear.

Derek groaned at the thought. "You're not helping, Mer," he replied.

"Oops. Sorry," she giggled, taking a step back, so that he didn't have to go back into the laundry room a second time to calm himself down.

"I hate squirrels," Derek laughed.

Meredith patted his arm, smiling. "I know. Me, too."

...

Four hours passed, and Lilly was still fussy after being woken up earlier that morning. She refused to go down for a nap, and she protested every time they tried to put her in her swing or boppy seat. And she was even more unhappy when Derek laid her on the couch to change her diaper.

"What's wrong, Princess? This isn't like you," Derek said as he took her old diaper off.

"Does her butt look red to you?" Meredith asked, watching as Lilly bent her knees back and forth.

Derek lifted up her tiny legs to check more closely, then shook his head. "No, not at all."

"She pooped this morning, so she's not constipated; and it's not diaper rash," Meredith said. "Maybe she has gas. She's kind of pumping her legs."

"Yeah, she is," Derek agreed, fastening a new diaper around her waist after cleaning her. "Does your belly hurt, Lillybug?" He gently pumped her knees toward her chest, and her crying went down a few octaves for a few moments.

Meredith leaned down and kissed the baby's wrinkled-covered forehead as she cried. "I think she's gassy."

"What should we do?" Derek asked.

Meredith picked up her phone off the end table, checking the time on the display. "It's almost twelve, so Izzie is expecting us soon. But I don't want to take Lilly over there if she's not feeling well. That wouldn't be much fun for either of them. Or us, knowing that she's miserable."

"Yeah," Derek said, sighing. As much as he was looking forward to having a lunch date with Meredith on their anniversary, Lilly was more important. He smiled at his daughter and picked her up. "It's alright, Lillybug. We're gonna make it all better, okay?"

"I'll call Iz, then I'll cancel our reservation at Camparo's," Meredith said.

"Okay," Derek said. He got up off the couch with Lilly, managing to pump her legs with one hand, and walked over to the bookshelf. When he spotted Your Baby's First Year, he pulled it down. "Okay, let's see..."

Derek skimmed the contents, and flipped to the section on infant gas. Back when he lived in New York, and babysat his nieces and nephews nearly every weekend, he knew all the tricks, and had cures for nearly every malady, from common to unusual. But it had been a few years and he'd become rusty, so he needed a cram session. He found a tablet and pen in the side table drawer, and jotted down everything the book had to offer.

"Piece of cake. Mommy and I are gonna help your belly, I promise," Derek said. He propped her over his shoulder, rubbing small circles on her back. "Can you burp for me?"

Meredith hung up with Izzie, and put her phone next to the book on the end table. "Any info. in there?" she asked.

"Yeah. It said to burp her first, just to see it that's the quickest fix. But if this doesn't work, it suggested a bath. It might help her relax, and the warm water will help the gas bubbles expand and make it easier for her to get it out. And she loves baths, so at the very least, it'll probably make her tired. Maybe she'll nap," Derek said, kissing Lilly's cheek.

"Okay," Meredith said.

"What did Stevens say?"

"Just that she wants a rain check for babysitting, and she hopes Lilly feels better, that's all," Meredith said before laughing. "Honestly, she probably thought I made it all up just so we wouldn't have to be apart from her."

"Yeah, probably," Derek agreed, his smile turning to a frown when Lilly's small fusses escalated again, and morphed into crying. "Not happy about the burping, huh?" he asked her.

Meredith reached out and Derek handed Lilly over to her. "Come here, peanut," she said, wiping the big crocodile tears off of Lilly's cheeks. "Bath?" she asked Derek.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, we can try."

They trekked upstairs to try option two, and Lilly buried her face in Meredith's chest, clinging to her shirt with her tiny hand. "I know it hurts. We're gonna help you, Lilly," Meredith said. She pulled off Lilly's clothes while Derek filled the tub, taking her soap out of the cabinet beneath the sink.

"All set," Derek said, testing the water with his hand.

"Okay." Meredith tossed Lilly's diaper in the trash can, and gently set the baby in her tub.

Lilly's cries resolved back into fussing when the warm water touched her skin, and they both sighed in relief. "You like that, Lilly?" Derek asked. He dipped a soft wash cloth into the tub, and draped it over her belly. "The book said a warm compress might help."

"I hope so," Meredith said. "I know baby gas is normal, but still, it breaks my heart when she's sad."

Derek pressed his lips to her temple and kissed her. "Me, too."

Lilly suddenly let out some of the gas she'd been harboring in her stomach, and there was a burst of bubbles underneath the water. "Did she just..." Meredith said, watching as Lilly's blue eyes went wide in surprise.

Derek laughed, the smile on his face reaching his eyes, and Meredith began laughing, too. "That was awesome, Lilly," he practically cheered, wiping away the tears that fell from laughing so hard. "Did you see the look on her face when she did it?"

"I know," Meredith giggled. "We need to get her to do that again, so we can get it on tape."

"Good blackmail for when she brings boyfriends over," Derek joked, wrapping his arm around Meredith's shoulders. "Definitely the highlight of our anniversary so far."

Meredith leaned into Derek, breathing him in. "Two years ago today, we were getting married. And now, we have a daughter and we're celebrating her gassiness."

"Crazy, isn't it?"

"Hmm," Meredith hummed in agreement. "And we met five years ago on July 7th. And then again the next morning at work," she said.

"You mean after you spent the night doing dirty things to me on your living room floor, took the blanket off my ass when you woke up the next day, and proceeded to kick me out?" Derek said with a grin. "We've come a hell of a long way since then."

Meredith smiled as Lilly wiggled her toes under the water. "Yes, we have."

"Are you feeling better?" Derek asked Lilly, rubbing his hand over her belly, still covered with the warm cloth.

"I think she is, at least a little," Meredith said.

Lilly let out a small burp as Derek rubbed her stomach, and he smiled in satisfaction. "Good job," he encouraged. "Don't worry, you're tiny. There can't be that much more air in your belly."

"Hang on, I actually think I bought some Mylicon back when I was pregnant. Let me go check in her room," Meredith said, leaving the bathroom and returning a minute later, holding a blue box. "I recommend this stuff for newborns that come into the clinic sometimes. Apparently, it works miracles."

"Oh, Mylicon is good. My sisters used to use it for their kids," Derek said.

"Shepherd approved?" Meredith joked, pulling the bottle from the box and shaking it.

Derek laughed. "Shepherd approved," he echoed.

"Okay, 0.3 milliliters for infants under two," Meredith said after reading the back of the box. She filled the dropper with the correct dosage and handed the bottle to Derek. "Here, taste it first."

"Why do I have to taste it? I'm not the gassy one," Derek chuckled.

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Come on, do it for your daughter. If it tastes okay, we know she probably won't spit it out," she said.

"Fine," Derek said. He ran his finger around the rim of the bottle, then licked it off, gauging the taste of it on his tongue. "It's actually kind of sweet, like sugar water. She'll take it."

"Okay, good," she said, smiling at Lilly. Meredith gently wedged the dropper between Lilly's lips and aimed it for the inside her cheek, per the directions. "Mmm, yummy, right?" she said, slowly squeezing the medicine into her mouth.

Lilly smacked her lips together curiously when the taste hit her tongue, but still swallowed it, unfazed. "That's my girl," Derek said, taking Lilly's hand and giving her a high five.

"Taking her meds. like a champ," Meredith said as she screwed the cap back on the bottle. "Fingers crossed that they kick in soon."

"Yeah," Derek said, taking a towel from off the shelf.

"Okay, Lilly. Let's get dried off," Meredith said, picking her up from the bathtub, then handing her off to Derek, who wrapped the towel around her small body. "I'll clean up if you wanted to dress her. Maybe don't put pants on her, though. It's probably not a good idea to have anything constricting around her belly," she said.

Derek nodded. "I'll put her in a nightgown."

"Okay."

Meredith dumped the bath water into the sink and rung out the wash cloth, then tossed it in the hamper. After drying the tub out and putting it back under the cabinet, she went into Lilly's room where Derek sat with her in the rocking chair, gently pushing her knees to her chest as he rocked her back and forth. Meredith leaned against the door, smiling at the two of them.

Derek looked up at her, a mirrored smile on his face. "I think she's finally getting tired," he said.

"Good," she said, walking over and sitting on the ottoman. "Elmo nightgown. Excellent choice."

"She loves Elmo," Derek grinned. "In fact, when you were at your appointment yesterday, Lilly sat in her boppy seat and watched Elmo's World for a full half hour while I folded the laundry."

"That's because we made a very smart baby," Meredith said, stroking Lilly's belly with her finger. "She's probably hungry."

"You can feed her. I'll throw something together for dinner," Derek said as he got up from the rocking chair with a grunt. "This chair is so comfy. I could probably fall asleep in it."

Meredith laughed, taking the baby from Derek. "Oh, I have."

"Not gonna happen tonight," Derek said with a smirk, kissing her cheek before he walked out of the room.

She just smiled. Whether or not they got to have their celebratory anniversary sex tonight, it was still amusing to see Derek so determined to make it happen.

...

After nursing, Meredith went downstairs and into the kitchen, Lilly sound asleep in the baby sling, following the scent of whatever Derek had cooked. She stopped in her tracks and smiled when she reached the doorway. "So, this is your idea of throwing something together for dinner?" she asked.

Derek put the pot of pasta down on the table next to the frozen pizza he cooked, then pulled out a chair for her. "It may not be Camparo's award winning cuisine, but I figured we could still be romantic," he said.

"Thank you."

"Happy two years," Derek said.

Meredith put her hand on his cheek and kissed him. "Happy two years," she returned.

They sat down at the table, and Meredith couldn't help but laugh when Derek struck a match and lit a candle. "What're you doing?"

"I told you. Showering you with romance," he teased.

He handed her a wine glass and she narrowed her eyes curiously. "This isn't actual wine, right?"

"No, it's sparkling cider. Or as I like to call it, white grape juice with bubbles. Remember, we bought it on Valentine's Day back when you were pregnant. I found it in the fridge," Derek explained.

Meredith clanked her glass against his and they both took a sip. "Very clever," she said.

"Was Lilly fussy when you nursed her?" Derek asked as he put a slice of pizza on her plate, then some pasta.

"No, she was actually fine. I think the medicine kicked in. And I made sure she didn't suck down a lot of air. I think the gas was probably from the bottle she had early this morning. She hasn't gotten the hang of it yet, I guess. For now, I'll just breastfeed. No more bottles until she absolutely needs one," Meredith said, smiling down at Lilly, who had her face nuzzled into Meredith's chest, holding onto her shirt with her tiny hand as she slept. "She's still clingy, so I just put her in the sling, rather than risk another meltdown," she said.

"Yeah, no more meltdowns," Derek chuckled, taking a bite of pizza, not a food he typically ate, but he gave into the gluttony for the sake of their anniversary.

"She fell asleep while I was still nursing, and she really only does that when she's super tired. I think she'll actually sleep well tonight," Meredith said. "We might get to have sex after all." She twirled some pasta around her fork and shoveled it into her mouth. "Damn, this is really good," she said after she swallowed. "And you better eat some, so I don't look like a pig."

"I'm eating it," Derek laughed, twirling some pasta on his fork, too. "I need my carb intake. Gotta be able to keep up with you tonight."

"Me? What about you?"

"You said any positions we could think of, and you're very flexible. That's gonna require lots of energy," Derek pointed out, a knowing grin on his face.

"And you're a red blooded man who hasn't had sex in over a month," Meredith countered.

"Right, so eat up. You're gonna need your share of stamina, too," he said.

"Okay, then," Meredith smiled before taking a bite of her pizza. "By the way, what's for dessert?"

Derek swallowed a sip of his drink. "Strawberry ice cream and chocolate syrup. It's the closest thing we have to chocolate covered strawberries."

"Nice improvisation," Meredith complimented.

"I thought so, yes?" he asked, feigning arrogance. "I'm just glad Lilly is feeling better; that's all that matters," Derek said, smiling at his daughter as she lay sleeping, cradled by his wife. "God, she's beautiful, isn't she?"

Meredith ran her fingers through Lilly's soft, dark head of hair and nodded. "Yeah, she is. We make pretty people."

"Yes, we do."

"I still don't know how it's already been over a month since she was born," Meredith said. "It's like we blinked, you know?" She hugged Lilly to her and breathed in her baby smell. "Don't grow up too fast, okay?"

"We still have plenty of milestones, don't worry. First word, the first time she walks, first time she uses the potty," he said, tossing Charlie a slice of pepperoni from the top of his pizza. "Lots of firsts coming up. Not any time soon, though."

"She'll be walking and talking on our next anniversary," Meredith realized. "Well, saying a few words, anyway. Unless she inherits your chattiness; then she might be the most eloquent one year old ever," she teased him.

Derek smirked. "And what about you, Queen of Ramble?"

"Fine. We both talk a lot," Meredith appeased him, looking down at the baby. "You're gonna be a rambly chatterbox, Lilly. I think it's inevitable."

"A rambly chatterbox with an extensive vocabulary whose intelligence is so astounding that she gets into the med school of her choice, becomes a brilliant surgeon, and takes care of us when we're old and frail," Derek amended.

"Exactly," Meredith agreed, licking some pizza sauce off her finger. "By the way, that was a very rambly sentence."

"I've known you for five years," Derek shrugged. "Your rambly-ness rubbing off on me was inevitable, too."

...

Lilly was fed, and sound asleep in her crib, a light lullaby coming from the music box sitting on the shelf next to the small nightlight in her bedroom. Only a nanosecond passed after Meredith and Derek walked into the hall when he picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"Derek!" she shouted softly, her laughter concealed when he pressed his lips against hers, carrying her into their own room. Meredith had her shirt off by the time Derek gently dropped her onto the bed, and he came down on top of her, scooting them back toward the pillows.

"Hmm, are you healed?" he asked playfully, his mouth going to her chest, kissing around the lace cups of her bra.

Meredith laughed. "I'm healed."

She ran her fingers through his hair and tipped her head back, letting him lavish her body as long as he wanted. It had been far too long since they were allowed to go all the way, always having to stop themselves before things got too heated, and there was no turning back. Now though, five weeks were over and done. They could do anything and everything they wanted. And they intended to.

"Hmm, Derek," Meredith moaned, feeling the familiar tingle course through her body when his hands touched her skin, roaming along her stomach and up to her breasts. She reached for his shirt, and swiftly pulled it over his head. She tossed it over the side of the bed, careful not to knock the baby monitor off the nightstand, then rubbed along his shoulders, feeling his muscles move beneath her hands, eventually making her way down to his hips. She used her feet to kick off his boxers, leaving him naked above her.

When Derek's fingers hooked into the waistband of her shorts and panties, she arched her back, letting him pull them down her legs while she got rid of her bra. Though Derek always made her feel like she was beautiful, Meredith still bit her lip, self-conscious, unsure of how he felt about her post-baby body, laid bare for his eyes to see.

Derek must have noticed the look on her face because he stopped his invisible trail of kisses he'd been making all over her chest and smiled at her, cocking his head. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just... " she started, "I mean, we haven't done this in a while and I..." She let out a frustrated sigh as she searched for words. "Do you still think I'm...?"

Derek finished her sentence without hesitation. "Sexy? Meredith, yes."

"Yeah?"

"You have never been more beautiful to me, ever. You gave birth to our daughter. Your body is... God, I couldn't be more in awe of it. Of you," Derek said, brushing his thumb under her chin.

Meredith smiled up at him. He meant what he said, and she knew it. "Okay."

Derek wrapped his arms under her shoulders. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

"Well, not to be crass, but the last thing in there was six pounds and came shooting out of my body," Meredith giggled. "Other than that, no."

"Tonight is all about us. It's gonna be great, I promise," Derek assured her.

Meredith put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. "I know," she whispered.

The way he kissed her back made her moan again, and all of her lingering self-consciousness melted away. She trailed her fingers down his spine and back up again, smiling in satisfaction when he made a shivery sound in his throat. And when she felt him, hard and ready, pressing against her pelvis, Meredith couldn't hold out for even another second.

She put her palms under each of his ears, feeling his stubble under her hand. "Derek, I need you."

"I need you, too," he said.

Meredith hooked her legs around his waist, and took in a shaky breath when she felt him against her. And when he pushed into her, slow and gentle, she thought she might die from the sensation. Literally, curl over and die. Her hands went to his hair almost instinctively, and she gripped her fingers in his curls. "Oh, Derek," she gasped.

Derek looked at her, his eyes concerned and loving and passionate all rolled into one. "You okay?" he asked, swallowing thickly.

"Mhm," she hummed. "You?"

"God, yes," Derek groaned. He dropped his forehead against hers. "I'm... you... feel amazing."

Meredith wiggled her hips, her toes curling in mind-numbing pleasure when she shifted down, all of her nerves ignited. "Holy. Yeah. You. You too," she breathed, her brain barely able to form a coherent thought, let alone actual speech. "Move, please," she begged.

"Hmm, okay."

Derek's lips found hers again, and they began moving together, syncing their rhythm within seconds like it had been since day one. On their first night together, and now, five years later. They knew every gasp and moan and groan, and how to elicit them from one another. It was like a tug of war, and they always made the game last as long as they could, dragging out the pleasure until it was impossible to go even a second longer without snapping. And even tonight, they reveled in what they could do to the other. Five weeks was longer than they'd ever gone without, and when they finally gave into the pleasure, they weren't sure they'd ever be able to move again.

Meredith lay with her head on Derek's chest, her fingers toying with the small patch of hair between his pectorals, trying to catch her breath and blink her vision back into focus. "Holy," she panted. "Crap."

Derek laughed hoarsely, his arm around her shoulders. "Ditto," he said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Better than doing... it on... the washer?" Meredith asked playfully, her breaths of air warm against his skin.

"Yes," he said. He kissed the top of her head, then rolled her on top of him. "That was incredible."

"And here I thought the whole 'sex is better after baby' thing was a myth. Guess I was wrong," she giggled, leaning down and kissing him hard before she tumbled off of him, onto her side. "I'm gonna go peek in on Lilly. I'll be right back." She grabbed her robe off the back of the door, turning around when she felt his eyes on her.

"Checking out my ass?" she asked, letting him have a once over of her body before she slipped it over her shoulders and tied it.

Derek grinned, unashamed. "Actually, I was."

Meredith laughed, his favorite noise carrying down the hall as she went to check on their baby. She came back a minute later, giving him a thumbs up. "Still sleeping away," she said, flinging her robe onto the wicker chair in the corner, then crawling back into bed.

"Really?"

"Really," Meredith affirmed. She straddled his hips as he sat up, and she landed with a soft thud in his lap.

"You know, peed-on sheets, annoying squirrels and baby gas aside, I think this was a pretty damn good anniversary," Derek said, hugging her naked torso against his.

Meredith smiled at him, her arms draped over his shoulders. "Kinda perfect," she said.

"It was," Derek said softly. "So, should we risk round two?"

She pushed him onto his back with one finger, and he had his answer.