178. Daycare and Decor

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Thank you for your patience! It means so much! Enjoy!

Meredith sat in the backseat of the car between her children, trying to mentally prepare herself for Lilly's first day of daycare. It seemed like just a few days ago, Lilly was Liam's age, a squishy three week old whom she carried around the house day and night. But now she was almost two, wiggling in excitement in her car seat, armed with her fancy new cat backpack that had her name monogrammed on it, a gift from Lexie.

After pulling into his VIP parking spot close to the hospital entrance, Derek cut the engine and turned around, smiling at his wife. "Mer, it's gonna be okay. She'll only be there for two hours before we pick her up," he said gently.

"I know, but... this is her first big girl thing. Something she gets to do by herself without us. Next thing you know, we'll be moving her into her dorm at Dartmouth," Meredith said, trying to hold her tears at bay, at least until they actually left the car.

Derek chuckled. "Dartmouth, huh?"

"Where else would she go?" Meredith said.

"Think of it this way. When she goes to preschool, she'll be ahead of the game. Academically, socially, and she'll be comfortable being away from us for a few hours a day. And whenever she's here, she'll have Charlotte to keep her company," Derek reminded her.

"I know. Just don't be surprised if I C-R-Y the second we drop her off," Meredith warned him.

Derek reached back and squeezed her knee. "It's okay if you do. Just try not to C-R-Y in front of her, or she'll start to C-R-Y, too."

"You realize when she learns to spell, we're S-C-R-E-W-E-D?" Meredith managed to laugh.

"Oh, yeah. Big time," Derek agreed. "What do you say, Princess? Ready to go see Lolo and play with your new friends?"

Lilly clapped her tiny hands and smiled at him. "I pay!"

"Okay, let's go."

Meredith held Lilly on her hip from the parking lot to the daycare on the fifth floor, soaking in a few extra minutes of having her close before being separated from her for what was sure to be one hundred and twenty torturous minutes, at least from Meredith's perspective. Lilly seemed entirely unfazed by the ordeal, chatting the whole way about an assortment of topics, ranging from her new purple shoes to the fishy crackers she packed for a snack.

"Have I mentioned how grateful I am that she got your easy breeziness about everything?" Meredith asked Derek when they stepped out of the elevator.

"Me, too. Now more than ever," Derek admitted, his own nerves heightening as they approached the colorful daycare halfway down the hall. As sure as he was that daycare was going to benefit Lilly, to him, she was still the six pound baby that he'd watched take her first breath. Letting her grow up, even on a toddler level, wasn't easy.

He kissed the top of Liam's head, and the baby blinked up at him sleepily. "Don't grow up as fast as your sister did, okay, buddy?"

"Hey. You ready for this?" Mark asked, sitting on the bench outside the daycare with Bridget and Charlotte.

Meredith let out a breath. "I guess we'll find out."

"Well, I'm not. I cried in the shower this morning. Figured I'd let it all out before we got here," Bridget shrugged.

"Me, too. But I have a feeling there's more coming," Meredith said honestly. "Okay, let's go in, peanut."

Meredith hit the buzzer to the daycare entrance, and Meghan, the girls' daycare teacher, opened the door for them moments later. "Welcome. We're so happy you decided to join our group. Are you little ladies excited for your first day?"

"They are. We're freaking out a little, though," Bridget replied.

"It's normal, I promise. Parents are always the ones with first day jitters. Would you like to stay and get the girls settled in? We have brand new cubbies for them, side by side. Charlotte's is pink; Lilly's is purple," Meghan said as she led them into the Little Ducklings room.

"Look, girls, you have cubbies with your names on them," Meredith said. She set Lilly on her feet, then knelt down beside her, taking the backpack off her shoulders. "Your cubby matches your backpack, Lillybug."

"Purple pack-pack," Lilly said, placing it in the cubby.

"Good job. Can you smile for Mommy?" Meredith asked. Lilly tilted her head and smiled when Meredith snapped a picture on her phone, ever ready for a photo-op.

She sat down on the alphabet rug next to Charlotte and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, both girls smiling at the camera again. Knowing Charlotte was the youngest of the group, Mark and Bridget smiled at the way Lilly was already taking their daughter under her wing, and the idea of leaving her became much easier to handle.

"Today, we're reading a book about Johnny Appleseed and learning about gravity, then we'll be doing an apple craft project. Then it's snack time. By the time we're finished, it'll be time to pick the girls up," Meghan outlined.

"Gravity lessons? They poop in diapers," Mark murmured to Derek.

But Derek was slightly distracted by the sight of the dark haired boy whom Lilly chatted with at the arts and crafts table during their visit last week. As fate would have it, his green cubby was next to Lilly's, and labeled with the name Ben.

"Hi, Ben. This is Lilly, and this is Charlotte. They're going to be joining us today. Would you mind walking them over to the magic carpet?" Meghan asked the little boy after he deposited his Cars backpack into his cubby.

"I show you," Ben said eagerly.

"Okay, Lilly, have fun. We'll be back very soon, okay?" Meredith said, kissing Lilly's right cheek while Derek kissed the left.

"We love you so much," Derek added.

"Lub you." Lilly kissed them back, Liam included, then turned to Charlotte, who was being covered in her fair share of kisses. She extended both of her hands, letting Charlotte and Ben each take hold of one.

Derek winced as he watched the handhold happen, which escalated into a heavy sigh when the boy sat down next to his daughter on the carpet. "Are you seeing this?" he asked Meredith.

"Deep breaths. This is a good thing. She's not crying. I'm about to start, but she's totally fine," Meredith said, relief washing over her when she saw how at ease Lilly looked with her class.

"I'm taking about Prince Charming over there," Derek said.

"Derek, I've known you since preschool. That kid is you forty years ago. Helpful, handsome, always surrounded by girls," Mark recounted.

"That does sound like you, Derek," Meredith said as she took Liam from him. "And probably you two years from now, sweetpea."

"He looks so familiar. I swear his older sister is in my class. Meghan, is that little boy, Ben, related to Mila Donahue?" Bridget asked.

Meghan nodded. "Yeah, she was in the daycare up until last year when she started kindergarten at Brightwater. Do you know her?"

"She's my student. She's such a sweetheart, and so smart. I wish I had a class full of kids like her," Bridget said.

"Ben is the same way. We all love him. That's why I asked him to walk your girls to story time. He's Mr. Charismatic. He makes friends with everyone," Meghan said fondly.

Meredith patted Derek's arm in sympathy. "Oh, yeah. Exactly like you."

"Alright, let's get out of here before Derek interrogates a toddler. We'll be back in two hours... if we make it that long," Mark said.

"We'll take great care of them. Two hours goes by fast, so go enjoy your free time," Meghan encouraged.

"Okay; thank you," Meredith said softly, ignoring the stinging burn of tears in her eyes. She blew Lilly a kiss, then mustered all of her collective strength and walked out of the daycare.

Derek watched as she wiped her eyes with her shirtsleeve, and he kissed her temple. "I know it's hard, but she's gonna do great. Look how happy she is," he said, peering at her through the glass window decorated with crayon-colored umbrellas and a banner that read April Showers Bring May Flowers.

Lilly sat with the group of toddlers and clapped along to a song Meghan was singing, presumably about springtime or apples or possibly gravity. Whatever the lyrics, Lilly was happy, and to her parents, that made the daycare decision worthwhile.

"She's like a little adult. One minute, she's kicking me from the inside, and the next, she's choosing which of her strappy sandals to wear and hanging out with boys," Meredith said, biting her lip. "She's like me before I met you."

"Is that supposed to comfort me?" Derek teased.

Meredith nudged him with her elbow. "Funny."

"What're you two doing for the next two hours? Some mid-morning hanky panky in the on-call room?" Mark grinned.

"With our newborn son in the room, yes," Derek said dryly.

"No hanky panky until April 22nd, which is unfortunate, because I could really use the distraction right now," Meredith said, shifting Liam to her other arm. "We're going across the street to that new baby bedding store. Liam's room is still a blank canvas with white walls. We want to get it set up before we go back to work in a few weeks."

"Send pictures if you want to bounce ideas off me. Mark and I are going to brunch. We'll see you guys back here at noon," Bridget said.

"Okay," Meredith said before raising Liam's tiny bottom to her nose. "This little guy just pooped, so we need to make a pit stop. Have fun; be strong."

"You, too," Bridget waved as she and Mark walked toward the elevators.

"Let's just change him in the lounge. I hate those plastic fold-out thingies in the bathroom," Meredith said. She leaned into Derek as they headed for the attending lounge a few feet down the hall. "We did good."

"We did. Lilly is happy, she's making friends, learning physics," Derek chuckled.

"Right? I don't remember anything from physics. Other than the physics involved in sex, which you and I have both mastered with years of practice."

"Hmm, it's very important to practice," Derek agreed, holding open the lounge door.

When they entered, they were met with the familiar scent of coffee, which was always being brewed around the clock. Meredith sighed in longing for the hot beverage that she hadn't had in months. She considered being annoyed by her caffeine deprivation, but smiled instead when she spotted a Tupperware container of blueberry scones next to the coffee pot.

"Izzie must be working today," she said as she picked one up and took a bite. "Mmm. I love maternity leave, but I miss the daily baked goods. You need to start baking more."

"Me?"

"I pushed two six-and-a-half pound humans out of my vagina. A batch of chocolate cupcakes would be a nice way to show your gratitude. You know, along with sexual favors," Meredith suggested.

Derek laughed, spreading Liam's changing pad over the couch cushion. "Cupcakes and sexual favors. You got it."

"Are those sexual favors happening right now, or can I eat my Pop-Tart in here?" Alex asked as he walked out of the lounge restroom.

"Jeez, you scared me," Meredith said in surprise. "No, eat your Pop-Tart. We're just here to change Liam's diaper, then we're going to that bedding store across the street."

Alex peered over the couch on his way to the toaster, then gave Derek a nod of approval. "He's got impressive junk, man. Congrats."

"Like father, like son," Meredith chimed in as she cleaned Liam's tiny bottom.

"Really didn't need to know that," Alex said, taking a seat on the adjacent couch. "Where's Lilly?"

"At the daycare with Charlotte. It's their first day. I'm a mess, but Lilly's fine," Meredith said before deciding to press her luck. "Hey, do us a favor. Walk by the daycare window in, like, twenty minutes. Just peek in and see how she's doing."

"Are you serious?" Alex asked with a mouthful of s'mores Pop-Tart.

Meredith nodded, shimmying Liam's pants back on. "Yeah. I'd do it myself, but I'm afraid if she sees me, she'll get upset and want to leave."

"So, you want me to be the creepy guy peeking through the daycare blinds to spy on your kid?" Alex clarified.

"Well, it sounds creepy when you say it like that," Meredith said. "Just glance by really quick and make sure she's okay. Please, for me, the one who gave you a house as a wedding present?"

Unable to deny the request when Meredith added guilt to the mix, Alex sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. But if anyone sees me and gets suspicious, I'm blaming you."

"Fine."

"Thanks, Karev," Derek said. He walked across the room to toss Liam's old diaper in the trash, stopping when he saw a brightly colored flyer on the wall next to the TV. "Prom? We're having another prom?" he asked.

The word prom caught Meredith's attention, and she paused combing her fingers through Liam's hair. "Hmm?"

"Those signs are plastered all over the hospital. You two miss a lot when you pop out kids," Alex said.

"Camille Travis Memorial Prom. All of the proceeds are being donated to ovarian cancer research. Attendees are asked to provide a donation. April 22nd from seven o'clock to midnight," Derek skimmed from the flyer.

"April 22nd?" Meredith clarified.

"Yeah, why?" Alex asked.

Meredith shook her head vaguely. "No reason."

"Is that the day you guys can start boinking again?" Alex assumed, shoving the last of his Pop-Tart into his mouth. When neither of them answered the question, Alex nodded in confirmation. "Nice. Reliving old times, porny sex, lost panties on the bulletin board. I get it."

"Excuse me, I am a married mother of two now. My panties will stay on this time. Or at least in Derek's pocket to be discovered by no one," Meredith argued.

"Do you want to go?" Derek asked her.

"Yeah. I mean, as long as we could find someone to watch Liam. Lilly could come for a little while," Meredith said, knowing if Lilly saw her dressed up, she'd need to get in on the action.

"Iz doesn't really want to go. Bad memories and all that," Alex shrugged. "We already made the donation, but she's been looking for an excuse to get out of it. She'd probably watch him for you."

"Well, what about you?" Meredith asked.

"I don't care about that hokey prom crap. I'm working until nine that night, anyway. If you want, I could take Mini Mer home. You two could get your prom night freak on without interruption," Alex said.

Meredith smiled at the offer, but couldn't help but feel suspicious at Alex's motivation. "So, you'd really rather watch our kids than have a night off with Iz?"

"If it means I don't have to put on a tux and drink powdered fruit punch out of a bowl, I'd say watching your kids at your house where there's free food, imported beer, and premium channels is the lesser of two evils," Alex decided.

"Alright, I guess we're going to the prom," Derek grinned.

"Thanks, Alex. It means a lot, you watching the kids," Meredith said genuinely.

Alex patted Meredith's shoulder in sympathy before chugging coffee from his paper cup. "Your idea of a good time is shopping for baby sheets. You two need a night out more than anyone."

...

Liam lay snuggled in his sling against Meredith's chest, his favorite place to be, while his parents took the short walk across the street to the bedding store. The window display was adorned with swings, mobiles, cribs, rocking chairs, and more toys than a toy store, which made Meredith admittedly relieved that Lilly was at daycare, otherwise they'd be spending a small fortune on stuffed animals alone.

Meredith looked around at the vast baby boutique empire, then looked to Derek for help. "Okay, first thing we need is a theme. I'm still kinda clueless when it comes to boy stuff. Any ideas?"

"Oh, I've been thinking of themes since the day he was born," Derek said.

"And?"

"I was thinking nautical. You know, lots of blue, boats, anchors, fish," he suggested, trying to come across as casual, but really just sounding like a little boy trying to contain his excitement on Christmas morning.

Meredith considered the idea and smiled. "So, basically a large scale version of all your scrub caps?"

"Yeah. I brought them along for reference," Derek nodded as he pulled a handful of said scrub caps from Liam's diaper bag. "If you don't like it, we can think of something else..."

"No, I love it. It's very Seattle, and very... you," Meredith said, patting Liam's bottom. "What do you say, Liam? Do you want a ferryboat room?"

Liam blinked up at her before returning to his snooze, his cheek nuzzled on Meredith's breast. "We should do a boob-themed nursery. He loves boobs more than anything."

"Your boobs. He's loyal to your brand. We both are," Derek grinned, the two of them walking toward the boy section of the store. He spotted blue crib bedding with white anchor print, and smoothed his hand over the soft cotton fabric. "What do you think of this?"

"It fits our theme. It'll go well with Lilly's crib, too," Meredith said as he put the packaged bedding set in the cart.

"Lilly's crib?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's almost two. We'll be potty training her soon, and they say that's a good time to switch from a crib to a toddler bed. So if she has to pee in the middle of the night, she can get up on her own. I figured once we get Liam's room done, we can start working on Lilly's big girl room. Speaking of which, I think Alex just texted me," she said, pulling her phone from her back pocket. "Lilly is fine. She's playing with Charlotte and some boy," Meredith read aloud, noticing the barely visible frown on his face. "What?"

Derek shook his head. "Nothing, it's just... this is how it starts, isn't it?"

"How what starts?"

"Lilly growing up. First, she meets a boy at daycare, then she gets a bed. Boom, twenty years go by, and she tries sneaking that boy into that bed," Derek postulated, his statement devoid of actual logic.

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Deep breaths, Derek. She's not going to do the stuff I used to do."

Derek's mild freak-out was temporarily put on hold at this new reveal of information, and he raised his eyebrows. "And what would that stuff be?"

"I came from a broken home and had a crap-load of daddy issues. Use your imagination," Meredith divulged. "Ooh, I like this sailboat mobile. It even has little anchors to match the sheets."

"Nice work, changing the subject," Derek chuckled, spinning the sample mobile that hung over the crib. "Yeah, this is our winner. Gotta say, this is easier than I thought it'd be."

"Wait until we bring Lilly here. It took her fifteen minutes to choose her outfit this morning. We'll be spending all day debating every detail of her big girl room," Meredith predicted.

"I'd be fine if you and Lilly want to make that a mother-daughter day," Derek offered.

Meredith laughed. "As long as you're at work while we're here. One of us is gonna have to rake in some overtime to pay for her interior decorating demands."

"A few craniotomies should cover the cost of a princess canopy and deluxe tea table," he joked as another piece of furniture caught his eye. "A sailboat bookcase. Liam need this for his room. I kind of want one for our room, too, but I think you'd veto that."

"Correct," Meredith agreed. "But it is adorable. I wonder if they'll let us take the floor sample."

Derek feigned insult at her suggestion, and leaned against the cart. "I helped build our house. I can build our son a bookcase."

"It took you and Mark almost a week to assemble Lilly's stroller," Meredith reminded him.

"That's because it's from IKEA. I swear, they make that stuff hard to assemble on purpose," Derek said in his own defense, dropping the box of bookcase parts into the cart. "I guarantee I can start and finish this thing in one day."

Though she was skeptical of his claim, Meredith decided to nod in support. "Okay, go for it," she said.

"So, we've got bedding, a mobile, and a bookcase. All of the furniture can be recycled from Lilly, and Izzie offered us her spare dresser from the old house. Other than a few smaller odds and ends, we have the bulk of what we need," Derek inventoried.

"We still need carpet and paint. What are we thinking, blue?" Meredith asked, walking over to the brightly colored wall of paint swatches.

"Yeah, but what shade? There's like a thousand different blues," Derek said.

Meredith scrunched her nose at the top row, and began perusing the one below it. "Not light blue. After wearing it for five years, I'm all light blued out."

"I'm not a fan of light blue, either," he agreed.

"I know; indigo's your favorite. Favorite novel: The Sun Also Rises. Favorite band: The Clash. And you still love coffee ice cream," Meredith recalled.

"You remember that? That was years ago," Derek said in genuine awe.

"Of course I remember. That was a very memorable night, both inside and outside the trailer," Meredith said with a coy smile. "The first of many memorable nights spent there."

Memories of Meredith pinned against the shower wall, bent over the kitchen table, and laid bare on his bed popped into his mind, and he quickly banished the dirty thoughts, at least until later when he could relive them with her. "Those days were fun."

Meredith must have been trying to douse the porny flames in her own head, because she, too, switched gears back to the paint wall. "The furniture is mostly white, so maybe we could do indigo for one of his walls. An accent wall. Is that what it's called? I don't know the decorat-y, HGTV terminology," Meredith shrugged.

"Yeah, we could do that."

"What about turquoise for the rest of the walls? It's right in the middle of light and dark, and it goes with the whole nautical thing," she suggested as she plucked a turquoise swatch from the display. "I like the middle color on this one."

"Malibu Bay Breeze," Derek read off the swatch. "Can they really name a nursery paint color after an alcoholic drink?"

"Sounds like a color we'd pick. Lilly's pink color sounded like a Victoria's Secret thong line," Meredith said.

"Booze and sex. That's what brought us together in the first place," he grinned. "I say we go for it."

"You realize that one day when our kids ask us to tell them the story of how we met, we need to censor it, right?" she pointed out.

Derek chuckled. "Oh, yeah. About ninety percent of it."

...

Lilly's two hours spent at daycare were drawing to a close, and Meredith nervously spun her watch around her wrist while she and Derek waited for her teacher to open the door.

"Brace yourself for the silent treatment. Or maybe just tears. I don't know if she's old enough for the silent treatment," Meredith warned him.

"They both look pretty happy to me," Mark chimed in, just as Meghan walked Lilly and Charlotte into the hall, each of the girls holding their art projects.

"Mommy!" Lilly said excitedly, her arms outstretched as she ran toward Meredith.

Meredith wrapped her in a hug and smiled, breathing in the scent of her watermelon shampoo. "I missed you, Lillybug."

"Apple tee," Lilly said, showing Meredith her painted hand print apple tree, which was displayed on a piece of brown construction paper.

"You made this? I love it," Meredith praised.

"Both girls did great. They got to be our busy bees for the day and hand out snacks. They got along well with the whole class. We can't wait to have them back," Meghan said.

"Thank you. We were nervous about this whole daycare thing, but they don't seem any worse for wear," Derek chuckled. "Can you say thank you to Miss Meghan, Lilly?"

"Tank you," Lilly waved.

Meghan smiled and waved back. "You're very welcome. Come back any time," she said before heading back into the daycare.

"Did you have fun today, Lillybug?" Meredith asked.

Lilly held out her backpack, then dropped it purposely to the floor. "Grabbity."

Derek blinked in awe and surprise, and a grin spread over his face from ear to ear. "You're right; that's gravity," he praised. "Looks like we've got ourselves a future surgeon and part-time physicist."

"I think so," Meredith laughed.

"Ben 'ticker," Lilly said, pointing to a Finding Nemo sticker on her shirt.

"Ben gave you a sticker and it's from your favorite movie? I don't know about you, Lilly, but I'd keep him around," Meredith advised, mostly because she could sense Derek's irrational agita.

"Listen to your mom, Lilly. He's a keeper," Bridget nodded.

Before he could fall into their trap, Derek changed the subject for the sake of his blood pressure. "If you guys aren't in a hurry to get home, I could use Mark's help loading Liam's stuff into the car from that store across the street. They're holding it all at the register."

"Sure, yeah," Mark agreed.

"Okay, good; thank you. That gives me time to feed him in the lounge before we leave," Meredith said.

"I'll hang out with you until they get back," Bridget offered, taking Charlotte from Mark. "Come on, Lolo. Let's go talk about boys with Lilly and Aunt Meredith."

Eager to avoid that conversation at all costs, Derek and Mark walked toward the elevator. "I'll call you when we're pulling into the lot," Derek waved.

"Okay," Meredith said, she and Bridget following Lilly down the hall toward the lounge. "So, are you and Mark going to the prom?"

"Mark mentioned it, but I wanted to see if you and Derek were first," Bridget said.

"Yeah, we want to. It'll be fun to get dressed up for a change. Before Liam's baptism last week, I haven't worn a dress since..." Meredith paused as she jogged her memory. "I don't even know. Probably Lilly's baptism."

"Okay, we're in, too, then," Bridget decided, holding open the door to the attendings' lounge for Meredith and Lilly. "How do they even have a prom in a hospital?" she asked.

"They had one a few years ago. They roped off the catwalk and the nurses' station at the other end of the hall. I thought it would look terrible, since George and Alex were in charge of decorations, but it actually looked nice," Meredith credited, setting Lilly's farm animal puzzle on the table to keep the girls entertained.

"So, were you and Derek voted prom queen and king?" Bridget teased.

Meredith bit her lip as she draped a blanket over her shoulder. "Um... not exactly."

"Oh. Wait, is this before you two were together?" Bridget asked.

"Yes and no. Sort of. It's a sordid tale of adultery, S-E-X on an exam table, lost panties on a bulletin board, you know. The usual prom shenanigans," Meredith disclosed, propping her feet up on the coffee table after helping Liam latch.

"Damn. That sounds way more fun than any prom I ever went to," Bridget said, impressed.

"Yeah, not my finest moment. Or Derek's," she admitted. "One of the best orgasms I've ever had, though."

"Wow."

"Was that porny? Sorry, my lack of filter is on overdrive lately. This five week celibacy is killing me. The orgasm train has only rolled through once in the past few weeks, and that was only because of Derek's very skilled hands in the shower."

Bridget raised her eyebrows, unsure of how to respond. "Again, wow."

"Vagina City's a ghost town," Meredith lamented. "Lonely, sad, counting down the minutes until Derek can visit again."

"That's a... powerful image," Bridget replied.

"Bagina City!" Lilly repeated, puzzle pieces in each hand.

Meredith dropped her head on the back of the couch and sighed. "Let's keep Vagina City between us, Lillybug. I don't think Daddy can handle you saying that and getting a daycare boyfriend all in one day."

...

After a day spent reminiscing about the prom, and both kids sound asleep, Meredith decided to let nostalgia get the best of her and went searching in the far end of her closet for the long, black dress she hadn't worn since that night all those years ago.

She pulled the hanger off the metal bar and held it in front of her, running the soft, smooth polyester between her fingers. She remembered the way it felt when Derek slipped the sleeves off her shoulders, so he could kiss a trail from her neck down to her chest. And the way his fingers reached under the silky material to tug at her panties and slide them down her legs inch by inch.

"Damn you, sex ban," Meredith murmured to herself, her cheeks flushed as she recalled what happened after her panties came off. She banished the thoughts to keep from getting herself more worked up than she already was, and laid the dress on the bed, so she could shimmy out of her tank top and sweats.

Once she was undressed, she took the dress off the hanger and slipped it over her head. The dress fit her like a glove as it slinked down her breasts, torso, hips, and legs. After tying it in the back, Meredith surveyed herself in the mirror, admittedly pleased with how it still fit.

"Wow," Derek said in awe as he entered the room, the laundry basket he was holding quickly forgotten and set on the wicker chair in the corner. "Is that your old prom dress?"

"Yeah. I was hoping to have it on, off, and hanging back in the closet by the time you came up," Meredith laughed, smoothing her hands over the front of it.

"Why? I love this dress on you," Derek said genuinely, coming to stand behind her in front of the mirror.

"I'm going to get a new one for this prom, but I wanted to see how this one looked. Since the last time I tried it on, I've carried, pushed out, and breastfed two babies. My boobs are definitely bigger this time around," Meredith said, pressing them together to prove her point.

Derek wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. "You look beautiful. You always look beautiful."

Meredith smiled at him in the mirror. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder. "So, are we going all out for this thing? Limo, corsage, one of those cheesy pictures of us hand-in-hand in front of a tarp-y backdrop?"

"No, no, and no," Meredith answered.

"Oh, come on. Those are prom staples," he said in an effort to persuade her.

"Fine, I'll meet you halfway. No to the limo, yes to the picture, and you can get a corsage for Lilly," Meredith offered as she spun around to face him.

Derek considered her compromise, then nodded. "Deal."

"And I'll even let you feel me up in our exam room for old times' sake," Meredith said to sweeten the pot.

"Yeah?"

"But my panties are staying on until we get home. I plan on having a lot of sex with you that night, and I want to be home, so we can do it in our bed... and the shower... and in front of the fireplace."

"I hope my stamina is as good as you think it is," Derek chuckled.

Meredith smiled as she nudged him onto the bed, landing gently on top of him. "Well, I figured in between rounds, you could go down to Lady Town and get reacquainted."

"Is that what we're calling it now? Lady Town?" he asked.

"Hoo-hoo, Lady Town, Vagina City. Call it whatever you want, as long as the orgasm train rolls through over and over again," Meredith said as she combed her fingers through his hair, delighting in the way his eyelids dipped at the feel of her fingertips.

But when her fingers traveled to the fly of his jeans and unzipped them, his eyes sprang open at her unexpected detour. "What're you... ooh," he sputtered when she reached into his boxers and cupped him.

"In the meantime, I'll return the favor," Meredith said, feeling him harden in response to her touch.

"Hmm, never get rid of that prom dress you're wearing," Derek hummed as his lower body called dibs on his blood supply. "Good things always happen when you wear it."