AN: So, I'd like apologize for the brevity of this chapter. (And also being a day late). I wanted this to end in a decent place along with make sure certain were included. I promise next one will make up for this. Please hang in there, it only gets better.

Positive. Not once did the test decide to show up as positive, but twice. She was officially in crisis mode. No, this would not make it to Cristina or anyone for that matter. She wouldn't tell anyone. She could live in denial. Until the baby came out nine months later looking like Derek. She had to tell him. No, there was no choice, she had to tell him. He deserved to know. But, she hadn't talked to him in over a month. The poor guy had been avoided like the plague, the least he deserved was a word of kindness before she thrust the possibility of procreation on him. Tomorrow, she'd tell him tomorrow.

Two weeks later, she she found herself back at the hellhole that was work. Filling out another incident report, she had no choice but to make contact with Derek. Rip of the Band-Aid, she thought. "Dr. Shepherd, can we talk?" she asked after it was clear they were through. His eyes lit up; and he immediately nodded. They excused themselves to a private room and stood in silence for a brief moment.

"I guess we need to talk," Meredith finally said.

"Yeah, we do," he said.

"I don't regret that night. At first I thought I did, but then I realized, I don't."

"That's good. Because I don't either."

"I'm pretty positive we didn't use protection."

"I know we didn't."

"I took a test…. It came back positive," she made looked directly into his eyes trying to gauge his reaction. At first it was unreadable, but then it turned into utter shock. He opened his mouth a few times, but noise lacked to come out.

"So, yeah… there's that," she broke the uncomfortable silence, "Look, I don't expect you to do anything. I can do this by myself. I just thought you deserved to know."

"I'm not going to let you do this on your own. Of course I'm in. I just need a minute. This is huge," he let out a large breath.

"Yeah, it is. Look, spring break is coming up. We can talk about this more then. Right now, I have to focus on school, come up with new ways to ignore my mother, and find the best way to lie to my friends. Since this is new and uncharted territory, we don't have to tell anyone. Especially since we don't know what we're going to do," Meredith exhaled.

"So there is a we?"

"Out of everything I said, that's what you pick out?"

"That and the fact it's no longer funny that they put the pregnancy tests next to the condoms," Derek still looked lost.

"Right, well. I'm going to let you absorb all of this and head back to my office. Alone. Without alcohol." She turned on her heel and left him alone in the room. Just when he thought he couldn't get any more lost, the automatic light that sensed a person in the room turned off. "Great," he mumbled, "now, I'm not even a person."

Meredith went back to her office and realized the implications of telling Derek. It somehow made being pregnant real. She honestly wasn't sure what she was going to do. She knew immediately who she wouldn't tell: everybody. Honestly, this was turning out to be like those crappy day time soap operas that she used to watch as a kid while she waited for her mother to get out of surgery in the hospital. She was living someone else's life, her life would never be this interesting. There just weren't words that could accurately describe this horrible situation.

She sat down in her desk chair and pulled out some of the latest safety protocols. If anything, she could at least pretend to stick to her work. Even though, her mind was still reeling, her body felt like it needed to be doing something. She'd run if she weren't so anti-running. Really, she was anti-anything cardio. The closest she got to a cardio workout was being incredibly stressed out and raising her heart rate to an uncomfortable rate. So, that was her plan stick to work. She'd bury herself in work until she needed food or the baby came out. Whichever came first. Honestly, what was she even looking for in her desk drawer? Maybe it was her bag, the protocol binder, her dignity, really any of those would be acceptable right now.

She was still looking though the forsaken drawer when she felt another presence in her office.

"So, I'm going to my mom's house during spring break," Derek blurted out.

"Good for you. Remind me that I have no family, why don't you? Thanks," she found her binder just in time to slam in on the desk. Wow, he life really was a TV sitcom.

"No, I mean. I'd like you to come with me. To my mom's. On spring break. Yeah. That's what I meant," he was pacing in her office making her dizzy and even more confused.

"You're inviting me to your mom's house?" She had to clarify because not much made sense anymore.

"Yes?"

"Are you asking me?"

"No?"

"I don't like this game," she stood up and put her hands on his shoulders. "I don't want to go to your mother's house. But, I understand the need for it. Yes, I will go with you to your mom's house." She spoke each words deliberately and clearly in order to ensure that he understood. With his lost eyes he just nodded his head. He seemed just as lost as she was. "So, I'll talk to you later. Yeah, later. And we'll figure out the trip," Derek said once he figured out how to string words into a coherent sentence.

Meredith gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Then, guided him out of her office to rid herself of him once again. Sure, the guy would come in handy at some point in time, but not when he was just a ball of confusion wrapped in denial. She sat down, once again, at her desk attempting to relax. She would try to work, but she honestly wasn't even sure what she was working on. Maybe it was the clock that was making noise for the first time since she had moved into her office, but something finally made her realize what she had just agreed to. She agreed to go to Derek's mother's house? What was she thinking? Clearly she wasn't. If she had, she wouldn't have agreed to go to Derek's mother's house. Upon making the startling realization, she flung her head on the desk and wished the ground would swallow her whole.

She returned to her apartment to find Cristina eating her cereal. It wasn't a new thing. Really, she didn't own any other food that could be made. Even if she did, she'd probably just mutilate it with her horrible cooking skills.

"Where've you been? You said you'd get off work at five," Cristina asked without breaking eye contact with the TV screen.

"I went to pick up food," Meredith quickly excused herself.

"Oh? Where is it?" Christina focused on Meredith's empty hands.

"I ate it?" She was just making up things now. Really, she should've come up with a lie that would have at least been some what plausible. This was just horrible improvisation. She mentally slapped herself for being so obvious.

"So, you're acting weird. I'm just gonna go back to my apartment if you're gona act like this."

"No, no. I must've left it. Or I don't know. Derek invited me to his mother's house and I said yes without thinking. What do I do?" Meredith silently applauded herself for coming up with a better story. This one was a little more to the truth and also gave her a way to talk to Cristina without telling too much.

"What do you do? I guess you're going to your future in-law's house. But first food."

"I'm serious about this Cris. I don't know what to do."

"I was serious about food."

"Fine. Let's order a pizza. Until then, you can tell me what to do about Derek. I don't even know why I said yes. I can't do this. And stop calling Derek my future husband. Not going to happen." Meredith threw herself on the couch next to Cristina. She greedily ate a handful of cereal during her minor freak-out.

"You really need to get out of Egypt, Mer. You two already act like a married couple. Not just a married couple, but a married-35 years-two and half kids-home mortgage couple. And Pepperoni."

"What?"

"For the pizza. Pepperoni."

"Right. We do not act like a married couple."

"I'd be more inclined to believe that if you didn't have that look of disbelief on your face."

The two friends sat there a while staring the other down. Meredith did know the once Cristina had set her mind to something, she was highly unlikely to change it. So, arguing would be fruitless. So, instead she just picked up her phone to order the pizza.

"Since you're all knowing, will you tell me what to do about his mom's house?"

"I don't know anything about their family. But, I guess you'll know everything soon. Good luck."

"That's your solid advice? Good luck?"

"What else can I say? You're screwed." Cristina went back to flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Ugh. You're right. I am. This is so bad." Meredith flung herself to a laying position on the couch. Hindsight, agreeing to Derek's offer was a bad idea. She really did need to meet the woman at some point, but not now. Not when she very well had the woman's grandchild in her uterus. Speaking of which, she had completely forgotten to tell Derek about the upcoming appointment she had scheduled for the baby. Great, she was off to an awful start at being a mother.

"You'll be fine. It's just his mother. It's not like he asked you to marry him and carry his child," Cristina joked as she finally settled for some medical show. Meredith could only glare at her friend. It was almost humorous that she'd make that comment, but all the same, it was sad. Like, who says things like that? Apparently her friend did.

"Not that it matters. You hardly put yourself out there. I'm half convinced that you'll give birth like the immaculate consumption."

"Can we talk about something else? Literally anything else." Meredith was well aware she practically begging for a topic change, but really this was too much.

"Seriously Mer, what is wrong with you?" Cristina put her coveted cereal down and gave Meredith her full attention. If Meredith hadn't been in such a precarious situation, she would've appreciated the undivided attention of her friend. But right now, all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. Really, this whole thing was like a crappy plot line from the medical drama they were watching.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me. What's wrong with you?" Meredith accused Cristina.

"I'm fine. But, I'm not sure that you are. Take a chill pill. Or I don't get, get laid. Maybe that'll help or fix whatever problem you have and aren't telling me."

"I'm pretty sure that's what got me into this mess," Meredith mumbled to herself.

"What was that?"

"I'm going to go to the lab to work on my research project. Here's twenty for the pizza." She needed to get out of there. Away from her horribly ironic friend. She really couldn't blame Cristina for what was said, that was just her personality. But, she could leave. Even if it was her apartment.

"Fine. But I deserve explanations later!" Cristina yelled after Meredith who was fleeing from the building. With a nod to her friend, Meredith closed the door to her apartment and went to her lab hoping to find some solitude for once.