Author's note: I decided to redo this story as in my opinion the original when two become one story that I wrote wasn't going the way I wanted and was to lubricous and boring to be taken seriously as a romantic story. Based on the lack of positive reviews I received I would say many regular readers of fanfiction didn't find the story that intriguing either. So I have decided to redo this story with new characters and a new storyline. Reviews are always much appreciated.

Another morning of cold American winter came and as the sun went to sleep behind the clouds Meredith Grey neurosurgeon, early thirties daughter of the famous Ellis Grey hurried through the icy streets of Seattle on her way to the hospital. Today was just another day in her life as a single mother, a workaholic and as a valuable assist to Seattle Grace Hospital. As she finally reached the entrance she looked ahead and saw her two close friends Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins standing outside sipping coffees and waving at her. Meredith walked over to them feeling a little warmth returning to her body, "its a little cold to be standing outside isn't it?"

"This is the best time of the day for me and Callie" Arizona replied as she rubbed her mittens together, "the cold fresh air outside makes us feel alive the inside of the hospital makes us feel like we've been reanimated from the dead."

"Well that's true" Meredith said softly as she looked around her, "I always feel like a lab rat being stuck inside white shiny walls all day, I don't know what the designers were thinking."

"I've often wondered that myself" Callie said with a smile, "anyway we should go inside before our hair freezes to our coats. Meredith watched the doors to the hospital magically open without a single touch and she sighed as she found herself wishing like she often did that she didn't work so much, that she wasn't so successful at her job.

"Meredith" Arizona whispered, "your shift won't end just by standing still."

Meredith snapped out of her thoughts and felt a warm gentle hand on her back, "you knew what I was thinking?"

Callie nodded as she followed Meredith inside, "every once in a while you stare off into the distance and wish that you were home with your son."

Meredith nodded for all her success in her professional life she wished she had more success in her life as a mother, "have you picked up the ability to read minds?"

Arizona exchanged a knowing look with her wife, "the sigh and the look on your face tells us the full story."

"I just wish I could be there for my son when he needs me" Meredith wandered towards the elevator at the end of the hallway while Callie and Arizona walked either sides of her, "Cristina is more of a mother to Noah then I am" she added.

"Meredith" Arizona stopped Meredith in her tracks and gave her a hug, "Noah loves you just as much as you love him."

Meredith felt tears coming to her eyes, "I just feel that someday he's going to hate me for never being there for him when it matters."

"You see him every night and on the weekends."

Meredith felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, "most weekends I get called in to work and i'm asking you to watch him."

"Which is always a pleasure" Callie said softly, "and when he is with us he constantly asks us when is mommy coming so that shows he misses you."

"It's just not enough" Meredith muttered as she neared the elevator until they heard a familiar buzzing sound coming from Arizona's jeans pocket, "I got a page sorry Meredtih we better go but when you get a break we're having coffee and we're going to put a wide smile back on your face."

Meredith watched her friend disappear as she wandered into the elevator in a daydream trying to get the thoughts that were bringing her down out of her mind. Meredith made more money than anyone she knew, she had everything and she could get Noah anything he wanted. Meredith pushed a button to the third floor "almost anything" she whispered ironically the only thing she couldn't get Noah was the only thing money couldn't buy what Noah wanted the most. Noah wanted Meredith there for him all the time. As she got out of the elevator and looked around an empty room Meredith put her hands on her head as she walked on the shiny white floor in her expensive shoes feeling trapped in a large white room wishing she could escape, she looked out the window and her heart swooned as she saw the garden that had recently been destroyed through the arson of vandals slowly being rebuilt.

Meredith looked at the roses starting to bloom, the violets, the various ornaments that decorated the garden the gardener. She suddenly stopped looking around the garden as her head suddenly cleared there was only one thing she wanted to see, only one thing she could see. She stared at the gardener tending the flowers digging through the soil and as if the gardener could read her mind he put down his tools and he looked up towards the windows. Meredith could barely see his face from where she was but what she saw was a handsome welt built man with a smile that could light up the darkest places. He looked up while she looked down he smiled Meredith smiled back at him as little fish swam up and down her back. They stared at each other for a long time not moving, not blinking Meredith couldn't think about anything.

"Doctor Grey" a droning voice sounded in the distance that did nothing to phase Meredith as she continued to stare at the man, "Dr Grey" the voice said louder. This time Meredith snapped out of her trance, she reluctantly gave the gardener one last smile and a short wave before she turned around and saw Chief Webber standing behind her with his familiar professional expression, "your needed on level two surgery male aged 23 motorcycle accident, "i'll be right there" Meredith said she tried to push the thoughts of the gardener out of her mind and headed for surgery. She had much more on her plate at the moment then ogling a handsome stranger.

Hours later Derek Shepherd gardener, early thirties simple man with a complicated life wiped his sweaty brow with his arm as he finished eating the sandwich he had made from his favourite processed supermarket items. He stared through the cracked windows of his worn out ute at the hospital garden that he was working so hard to rebuild into the beautiful garden he once knew before he started up the engine and began his annual drive it to the nearest primary school. Derek pulled up to one of the last remaining car park spaces before getting out of his ute and walking inside the school he heard the bell ringing loudly in the distance. Derek waited and watched children coming out of the classroom running towards their parents until he saw the brightest spark in her life walking out. Derek waited for his daughter to spot him and then with a large smile and squeal of "daddy" Ally came running towards Derek and jumped into his arms, "daddy" Ally said as she rubbed her nose with Derek before her daddy kissed her forehead, "there's my little ally cat."

Ally scrunched up her nose as a strong smell assaulted her nostrils and stared at Derek with troubled eyes, "you shouldn't be smoking daddy."

"No honey I just smell like smoke " Derek whispered, "i've been working at the hospital today and i've been rebuilding the garden that got burned in the fire, do you remember seeing that place?"

Ally nodded as Derek put her down on her feet and walked holding his big warm hand to their car, "your growing flowers there to make the garden beautiful again, so the sick people can see it."

"Yeah it needs to look beautiful again, that fire destroyed all the flowers."

"Bad people made the fire" Ally whispered with angry eyes.

"Yeah" Derek said as he lifted his little girl into her car seat, "but if they destroy any more gardens i'll just rebuild them and make sure flowers grow there again."

"A world without flowers is like a night sky without the moon."

"I've taught you well" Derek watched Ally unzip her second hand schoolbag and pull out a large white sheet of paper, Derek leaned in close as he saw a beautiful drawing, "wow look at this, did you make this by yourself?"

"Yeah" Ally said as she pulled at the paper so her daddy could see, Derek looked at a drawing of a man and a child holding hands with big smiles, "let me guess this is you and this must be Santa Claus."

"No daddy" Ally said with a giggle, "that's you I made your beard black."

"You did wow my beard is big, and who are they?"

Ally pointed with her little finger at the two people at the top of the paper, "grandma and grandpa they are watching us from heaven."

"I see" Derek whispered as he mentally prepared himself for Ally to be sad but after a moment he realised and was thankful his little girl was still smiling, "okay ready to get McDonalds?"

"Daddy" Ally said in a firm voice.

"I know I know" Derek muttered as he got into his driver's seat, "we shouldn't get McDonalds because we haven't got much money, but today has been a very good day so I think we should celebrate."

"Why has it been good?" Ally said as she looked at her daddy with curiosity.

"Because you drew such a good picture."

"Oh" Ally muttered, "wait."

"Yes Ally?"

"Did you meet a lady?"

"A lady" Derek said as he turned around and looked at Ally's excited face.

"You did" Ally said as she pointed her finger at Derek's face, "you met a lady a pretty lady with shiny eyes and a really nice smile with long hair and-"

"Well I saw one" Derek said with a shrug.

"You saw one" Ally muttered.

"Yeah as I was gardening, I saw a pretty lady staring out of a window."

Ally frowned as Derek started the ute, "that's it?"

"Yeah Ally that was it."

"Did you talk to her?"

"Well no Ally she was inside the hospital and I was outside in the garden so we couldn't talk."

Derek looked in the rear view mirror and saw Ally staring out the window he smirked to himself, "well ladies and gentlemen this is something incredible, Ally's smile has disappeared."

"Its asleep" Ally said softly.

"Well then" Derek started to hum a tune and make farting noises with his tounge and Ally giggled as Derek pulled funny faces in the mirror, "there's that smile i've been waiting for."

Ally smiled as she played with a pencil between her fingers, "you should talk to pretty ladies daddy."

"I do, I talk to you Ally."

Ally giggled, "no daddy I mean grownup pretty ladies."

"Well-" Derek started.

"Not just look at them."

"Your right I should talk to them."

"And then you should ask them out to dinner."

"Really."

"And then kiss the pretty lady."

"Ally."

"And then."

"Ally I think I can see where this going" Derek said as he pulled into the McDonalds car park, "what if the pretty lady didn't like kids."

"Everyone likes kids" Ally said with a grin.

"Yeah and even if they didn't they would like you."

Ally undid the straps on her booster seat and laughed with delight as Derek lifted her out of the seat and twirled her in a circle before putting her down on her feet, "okay so a happy meal for you."

"Just the cardboard box" Ally said.

"Ally" Derek said with a heavy sigh, his daughter was five years old and instead of complaining about the lack of money Derek had she was instead to concerned in Derek's opinion about how much her daddy spent on her, "a happy meal doesn't cost that much money."

"But" Ally protested.

"Ally you should let me worry about money, the only things I want you to worry about is school, doing your chores, making friends and having fun."

Ally closed her eyes, "okay."

"Alright, lets go inside and then you can go on the playground if you want."

Ally hugged Derek's legs and Derek rubbed his hand through his daughter's light brown hair, "is this to say thank you for the McDonalds."

Ally looked up at Derek with wide eyes, "thank you for being my daddy."

"Your welcome" Derek said with a loving smile, "thank you for being my little girl."

"I'll always be your little girl" Ally whispered as Derek lifted her up into his arms.

Late that night after Meredith had finally finished her work she came home to the smell of cooking she put her coat on the nearest rack and walked inside to where her housekeeper and close friend Cristina Yang was putting down plates, "hey you ready for dinner."

"Hey" Meredith said as she greeted Cristina with a hug, "thank you I can put down the cutlery."

"Meredith you worked hard today, you need to relax."

Meredith rubbed the cobwebs out of her eyes with her fingers, "I can relax when i'm asleep is Noah watching the television?"

"He's asleep in his bed."

Meredith looked at her watch and groaned she had promised Noah she would be home in time to tuck him in, "I see."

"I'm sorry honey" Cristina gave Meredith a sympathetic smile, "he really tried hard to stay awake to see you."

Meredith sadly nodded, "okay I better get up there, thank you Cristina."

"Its my job."

"Still for everything you do for Noah and for me, thank you."

Meredith opened the bedroom door and saw her little boy sleeping peacefully on his bed surrounded by toy turtles with his arm around cookie monster, she sighed as she sat down on the chair beside the bed and ran her hand lovingly through her son's dark hair as his son stirred and opened his eyes, "mommy."

"Hey sweetheart" Meredith whispered, "i'm sorry i'm late."

"Its okay" Noah whispered back, "I fell asleep."

"You have done nothing wrong" Meredith kissed Noah's cheek, "my wonderful boy, go back to sleep."

Noah closed his eyes as Meredith stared at him with a smile, before she softly left the room closed the door and wandered downstairs, "the dinner smells lovely."

"It does" Cristina said with a skip, "and I should know seeing that I made it."

"So what did Noah do today?"

"I took him to the park, he had fun on the swings."

"Did he like it?" Meredith asked as she sat down.

"He really enjoyed it" Cristina replied as she brought over a tray of lasagna to the table, "especially when he started to play with the other children I think its the first time I saw him make friends."

"I see" Meredith whispered, "i'm glad he made friends."

"Honey" Cristina said as she sat down. Meredith rubbed her eyes, "I just wish I had more memories of Noah then just watching him sleep."

"Well you know what" Cristina said with a hearty slap on Meredith's shoulder, "I think you need a man."

Meredith chuckled, "I barely have time for my little man yet alone a grown man."

"Well maybe you should go to a club."

"More time away from Noah is not an option."

"How about a dating website?"

"Well maybe, no wait I can't bring some random guy off the internet into Noah's life what if he just wanted intercourse and then jumped ship the next morning."

"Well there are a few men like that out there, but there are always a few knights among the pervs." Cristina watched Meredith scoop the lasagna onto her plate and gave Meredith a wink, "i'm always here with advice if you need it."

"I should pay you extra for it" Meredith said with a smile as she started to eat her dinner.