89. Chapter 89

It was early when Derek was awoken by the sound of tiny fists knocking on the bedroom door. He blinked sleepily and lifted his head. The noise stopped. He sighed and laid his head back down on the pillow. Meredith was lying beside him, fast asleep. And he couldn't resist rolling close and spooning into her.

She moaned softly as he pressed his knees against the backs of hers, and then fell silent again. He smiled to himself before pressing his face into the back of her head and closing his eyes.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He groaned, but kept his eyes shut. Maybe if he ignored them, they'd go away.

Knock. Knock. Followed by a series of whispers he could hear but couldn't make out.

In front of him, Meredith shifted. He could feel her breathing getting lighter as she too began to wake up.

The knocking seemed to have stopped. Derek pressed himself even closer to his fiancée and rubbed her abdomen with his hand, hoping to lull her back to sleep before she fully woke up. She made a noise that was a cross between a moan and a sigh, and her breathing began to deepen again.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She tensed in his arms, now awake. "Whas go'n on?" She mumbled sleepily.

Derek pressed his lips to the back of her neck. "It's one of the kids."

"Kids?" She whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

He smiled at her confusion. Unless she awoke to a pager, she was slow to wake. And slow to become aware of her surroundings. She probably hadn't yet realized they weren't at home in their own bed. "Kids," he confirmed. "One of the fourteen nieces and nephews you were complaining about not being able to keep straight. Remember?"

She rolled towards him so she rested on her back. He shifted to give her room, but kept his arm around her. She blinked sleepily at him. "Aren't you going to go see what they want?"

He smirked and leaned in close to kiss her. "I'm kind of hoping they lose interest. I'm comfortable where I am."

Knock. Knock.

Meredith smiled softly at him. "I don't think they're losing interest."

He kissed her shoulder through the thin tee shirt she was wearing, and then laid his head down. "I'm comfortable," he repeated. "Why don't you go see what they want?"

She giggled. "Because they're your nieces and nephews."

He grumbled, but acquiesced and rolled away from her and stood. But before he headed for the door, he bent down and hovered a few inches over her. "They're going to be your nieces and nephews soon, too," he whispered, before closing the gap and kissing her.

She stared up at him, silent, as she processed his words. He smirked and kissed her again, before pulling himself away and heading for the door.

The sight that awaited him when he pulled open the door was of no big surprise to him. Katie and Claire stood in the hallway, smiling up at him. They were both dressed in pajamas, and Claire had a stuffed dog under her arm. "Girls, what are you doing up? It's early."

"But it's cartoon time!" Katie exclaimed.

"Yeah, Uncle Derek, you said you'd watch with us," Claire added.

He raised an eyebrow. "Cartoons, huh? See, I don't seem to recall saying I'd watch any cartoons."

Both girls nodded profusely.

"Uh-huh, Uncle Derek," Claire said. "Yesterday morning."

He pursed his lips. "I remember saying I'd think about it."

"But you never said no," Katie pointed out. "And we really, really, really want to watch cartoons with you. Please, Uncle Derek?"

They both stared up at him with pleading eyes.

He sighed, admitting defeat. It didn't matter how early it was; he couldn't say know to his nieces. "Okay, but you'll have to convince Aunt Meredith too." He stepped aside and smirked as the two girls hurried into the room, and he watched, amused, as the girls pulled Meredith out of bed.

She glared at him as she was led to the door. He chuckled and followed Katie, Claire and Meredith down to the living room.

The girls splayed themselves out on the floor with the remote, and Meredith curled herself into the large, stuffed chair to the left of the television.

Derek smirked as he stared down at her. "Are you really going to sit here all alone when you could sit with me on the couch?"

She nodded. "I'm not the one who promised to watch cartoons this morning."

He chuckled. "I never made any promises."

"Then why are we up?"

"Because I can't say no to them."

This brought a small smile to her face, and he took that as a good sign.

"I love you."

This caused her smile to grow.

He smirked and wedged himself into the space between Meredith's slim body and the side of the chair. "If you won't sit with me on the couch, I'll just have to sit here with you."

She sighed and tucked herself up against him. "I love you too," she murmured.

Derek smiled. "Good; because there's no one else I'd rather get up with this early to watch cartoons."

Meredith giggled. "I don't think I've ever watched cartoons, so I don't have much to compare it with."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

She relaxed against him, and before the first cartoon was over, she was asleep.

Derek rested his chin on her head and ran his hand along her spine as he watched, with feigned interest, the two dimensional characters on the television. If he couldn't say no to his nieces, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against kids of his own one day.

He smiled at the sight of Katie and Claire, huddled together as they watched and giggled at the cartoons, and wondered what it would feel like one day when it was his kids; their kids.

It was something to look forward to.

OO

At some point during the cartoon marathon, Derek had fallen asleep as well. He had dreamt getting up early on a Saturday morning to watch cartoon with his wife and kids. He dreamt of a boy with dark curly hair and a girl with light wavy hair and a baby who combined them both. He dreamt of his future; of his family.

When he awoke, however, he found himself alone.

The television was still on, but the girls were gone from the floor, and Meredith was gone from his arms.

With a sigh, he stood up and stretched. There was light coming through the windows across the room. Lots of light. Hours had passed.

Voices filtered to him from the kitchen, so he headed that way.

The sight that awaited him on the other side of the kitchen door surprised him, but in a good way; in a way that made his heart soar and his lips curl up into a smile. Meredith was sitting at the table with his mom, Brian and two of his sisters. She was nursing a cup of coffee and there was a half eaten bagel on a small plate in front of her. Clearly she'd been here for some time.

And clearly she was comfortable where she was. Her lips were curled into a gentle smile and her eyes were calm. She was happy.

"Morning," Derek called as he made his way towards to table and took them empty seat next to Meredith. "Morning, again," he murmured, kissing her cheek.

"Meredith tells me you got suckered into watching cartoons this morning. Again."

Derek made a face. "Apparently the fact that I didn't say yes yesterday doesn't matter. It's the fact that I didn't actually say the word no."

Meg laughed. "You're worse than Scott."

"Hey, I don't get to see them very often."

Kathleen shook her head. "You've always been a pushover. What are you going to do if you have kids?"Derek shrugged. "Watch a lot of cartoons."

Beside him, Meredith laughed.

He laughed as well, knowing he didn't stand a chance; especially if their kids looked anything like Meredith.

His mother smiled at his comment, but there was something else in her gaze as she met Derek's eyes. He furrowed his brow, but she shook her head, telling him she'd explain later.

And she did. It was several hours later that he found her alone in the backyard, sitting at the table and reading a book. Meredith was upstairs having a shower. Most of the family was scattered across the backyard playing.

"So," he stated as he sat across the table from his mother.

Jane put down her book and smiled warmly at him. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

He nodded. It was bright and sunny, and while it was warm, it wasn't overly humid. "It is. Very nice. I'm not used to seeing the sun so often anymore. It rains most days in Seattle."

"So, I've heard. Something you have to put up with, I guess."

"Yep."

She stared at him for a long moment. "I'm glad you moved, Derek."

"You are?"

"Yes. You're a different person now. You're happy. You weren't happy before."

"I wasn't unhappy."

"Yes, you were. I didn't want to see it, but you were. It's like I said before, we let you do too much for us. We let you sacrifice yourself for us."

"Mom-"

"I'm talking, Derek."

"But this isn't necessary."

"You're right," she said, agreeing with him. "Because you're happy now."

"I am."

Jane nodded. "She's good for you."

Derek smiled. "She is."

"And you're going to marry her."

"I am."

"And you've obviously talked about kids."

"We have."

"It's amazing, you know? The difference a year can make."

He nodded. "It is."

"I was...concerned. At first. When I heard you were dating an intern. Then you called to explain, and I realized you were my perfect son, and I trusted your judgement. I trusted that you knew what you were doing. I trusted that you weren't just...preying on some young member of your staff who may or may not be looking to get ahead."

"Mom-"

"Sorry. I don't know how else to put it."

"Is that what everyone thought?"

"We didn't know what to think, Derek. But I can assure you that no one thinks that anymore."

"Good."

"It was the phone call that truly convinced me."

"At Christmas?"

Jane smiled and shook her head. "No. The other one."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "The morphine induced call she still blames me for?"

"That one. Derek, that girl was completely uninhibited. And she told me several times just how much she loved you."

"I love her too, Ma."

"I know you do. And I'm so happy that you've met your other half."

"You think she's my other half?" He asked, amused.

"I don't think it. I'm sure of it. You don't ever let her go, Derek. You need her."

He nodded.

Jane cocked her head. "Do you have an estimate of how soon I might be getting another grandkid?"

Derek laughed and shook his head. "No estimate. We're not...on a timeline. She only just finished her internship. We want to find someplace more permanent to live. We still have to get married. We're not in a rush."

"But you are planning on having kids?"

"Yes."

"More than one?"

He rolled his eyes at his mother's nosiness, but nodded. "Two. At least. Mer was an only child. She was lonely, and she doesn't want our kids to be lonely."

"I really like her."

"Me too."

Jane laughed. "Clearly. I just meant that I like her; as a person and not just because she makes you happy. She seems...genuine."

"She is. She's...amazing. Even after all the crap she's been through, she's still the most compassionate person I've ever met."

"She does seem kind of amazing; so I forgive you."

"Forgive me for what?"

Jane smirked. "For asking a girl to marry you before I've even met her."

He rolled his eyes again. "Not your choice, Ma."

"So, you're saying you'd still marry her if I didn't like her."

Derek sighed, and stayed silent.

Jane smiled and nodded, understanding his answer. "Good."

"Good?"

She nodded again. "Yes."

It was that moment that Derek realized his relationship with his mother hand changed. He no longer needed to be the strong, perfect son. He no longer needed to worry about his mom and his sisters. He could focus on his own life and trust his family to be okay on their own. The guilt he had felt in the last year washed away. And he smiled. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you like her. I'd marry her anyway, but I'd rather you like her."

As if she knew they were talking about her, Meredith stepped out of the house. She was dressed in jeans and a dark green top they had bought the day before. Her hair was damp and pulled back. She had added just a touch of makeup, and he smiled as he realized the dark circles under her eyes were gone. She had caught up on her sleep and she wasn't stressed and emotionally drained anymore.

She was happy.

"Hey," she called softly as she joined them at the table.

"Hey," he echoed, resting his hand on her knee.

"We were just talking about you, Meredith," Jane stated.

Meredith tensed slightly, and glanced uncertainly at Derek before meeting Jane's gaze.

"I was just asking Derek how soon the two of you were planning on getting married?"

Derek resisted the urge to roll his eyes for a third time. Yes, the conversation may have been heading in that direction, but she had never asked him.

"Oh, I, uh," Meredith stammered.

Derek moved lifted his hand off her knee and snaked it around her waist. He was about to step in, but Meredith recovered and surprised him. Though, in retrospect, she shouldn't have surprised him that much. She had settled in with his family faster than even he had expected. And his mother had already asked her once about the wedding, even if it was brief.

"We haven't had a chance to...set a date or anything, but soon. We...soon."

"Soon is good. Have you any idea what type of venue?"

"Something small. We don't want anything big, or whatever, right?" She turned to him.

Derek nodded. "Right. Something between going to city hall and having a big ceremony. Except closer to city hall."

"Small will help with the soon. That way you can move on to the next steps sooner."

This time Derek couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. And yet, at the same time, it felt nice. His mother hadn't put pressure on him to have kids in a decade. The fact that she was doing so now meant she truly understood Meredith's importance in his life and accepted that she was a permanent addition.

It was nice. He felt lighter than he had before. He had always loved his family, but with that love had come tension. He had always felt the need to minimize himself. But now he felt like he could be open. Meredith had taught him to be himself. She had taught him he didn't have to be perfect. She had taught him he was allowed to be weak; to accept, and even seek, support.

Derek didn't think he'd ever been quite as happy as he was in this moment. The love of his life and his family were together in one spot. She was clearly comfortable here. She was wearing his ring, and was discussing the future with his mother.

Meredith had told him before that she wanted to be comfortable with his family so that she they could visit often. And he smiled as he realized that was going to happen. There would clearly be regular trips to New York in their future. He imagined them in five years. Ten. Twenty. Bringing their kids for family get-togethers and holidays.

It was a nice thought.

And one day it would be reality.