Derek Shepherd was in love.

It was weird and astounding to him that he could love another human being more than his amazingly perfect wife, but as he sat in the nursery of the hospital, cradling his tiny son, he knew that he would never love anyone else as much as his son.

His son.

Derek Shepherd was a father to the most perfect baby in the entire world.

"Hey Michael," he whispered, trailing a finger down his son's cheek. "I'm your daddy. I can't believe you're finally here. Mommy and I have been so excited to meet you, and now that you're here, we're going to love you so much. She's asleep right now, but I'll take you to see her really soon. She can't wait to see you again.

"We're going to have so much fun together, Michael," Derek whispered. "When you're big enough, I'll teach you to fish, and maybe we'll even try camping. Mommy and I are going to be really busy for the next few years because we want to be doctors, but that doesn't mean that we won't love you. You're always going to be the most important part of our lives. But you will get to spend a lot of time with Grandma. And your aunts, especially Aunt Beth and Uncle Nathan. But don't listen to Mommy and Aunt Beth when they say that you have to marry Aunt Beth's daughter Gabrielle.

"And when you're big enough, I'm going to tell you all about your grandpa. That's why you're named Michael. Because he was completely amazing, and I really wish that he could meet you. But I'm going to be sure that you know how wonderful he was and that's why you're carrying on his name."

"Derek?" a nurse came over and smiled widely as she stood in front of his chair. "Your wife's awake, and asking for your baby."

Derek smiled softly as he slowly rose to his feet. "I guess I come second now," he said, looking down at his son. "You've replaced me as Mommy's favorite. But it's okay, because I'm pretty sure that you've replaced her as my favorite too."

He slowly made his way down the hall to Meredith's hospital room, stepping through the door and smiling brightly at his wife who was now sitting up in bed. "Hey," he said softly.

"Give me my son," Meredith demanded, reaching out to him.

Derek smiled as he looked down at his son. "She's bossy a lot," he said. "But you'll get used to it, maybe eventually love it, like I do."

"Derek, seriously," Meredith groaned. "I need to see him."

"He's right here," Derek assured her, sitting down beside her on the side of the bed and handing their son over to her. "Say hi to Mommy, Michael."

"Hi baby," Meredith breathed, clutching her son tightly to her chest. "I'm your Mommy. Oh, you're so beautiful. I can't believe that I finally get to see you."

"He's a Shepherd," Derek laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Meredith smiled softly as she reached up to take off his small blue hat, revealing a head of thick dark hair. "Of course," she rolled her eyes. "He's asleep. Have you…his eyes?"

"Clearest blue I've ever seen," Derek smiled. "But he got your nose."

"Thank God," Meredith giggled as she slid his hat back onto his head. "He's perfect."

"He really is," Derek nodded. "I just had a conversation about him about how important his namesake is."

Meredith smiled softly as she tore her gaze away from her baby to look at her husband. "I wish he was here," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Derek." Her free hand reached to squeeze his hand, and he smiled sadly as he brought her hand to his lips, kissing it gently.

"It's okay, Mer," he said softly. "I wish he was here too, and I miss him, but I can't imagine being any happier than I am right now. Our son is amazing."

"He really is," Meredith whispered.

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked softly.

"Sore," Meredith nodded softly. "But…glad that I'm not pregnant anymore."

"That makes two of us," Derek sighed, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Was I that bad?" Meredith asked softly.

"Well, I've come to the realization that our couch was not designed for spending the night on," Derek laughed. "And the people at the twenty four hour bakery know pretty much everything about my life."

"I'm sorry," Meredith whispered. "You really were amazing."

"Mer, I get it," he smiled softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I couldn't get mad at you. Because even though I hated that you were miserable…look at what we got out of it."

"We got the most perfect baby in the entire world," Meredith nodded, looking down at Michael. "He's going to be Michael. Not Mikey or Mike. Michael."

"Definitely," Derek nodded.

"I love you," Meredith whispered, looking up into his eyes.

"I love you too," Derek whispered, pressing his lips against hers. "Thank you. For giving me this."

"Thank you," Meredith whispered. "I know you wanted to wait a couple years, but you did this for me, so…thank you."

Meredith sighed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "He sleeps a lot," she commented.

"Babies tend to do that," Derek laughed.

Before Meredith could respond, there was a soft knock on the door, and Addison poked her head into the room. "I hear the cutest baby that ever existed is somewhere around here," she smiled. "Can we come in?"

"Of course," Meredith nodded, shifting slightly as Derek helped her sit up in bed.

"Hey Shep," Mark grinned as he walked into the room. "Grey. Mini-shep."

"Mini Shep?" Meredith giggled.

"Well, that's what he is," Mark nodded firmly.

"He's beautiful," Addison breathed, leaning over Derek to look down at the baby cradled in Meredith's arms. "Hi Michael. I'm your Aunt Addison. And this is your Uncle Mark, but you can ignore him a lot."

"Hey," Mark frowned. "He can not."

"She's right, Michael," Derek nodded, running a finger over his son's cheek. "Uncle Mark's annoying."

"Well, someone's got to teach the kid everything he needs to know," Mark rolled his eyes. "Shep obviously can't do that."

"I'm his father," Derek frowned. "Of course I'll teach him everything he needs to know."

"You still don't know the first thing about chicks," Mark rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I managed to find myself a pretty amazing chick," Derek defended, wrapping his arm around Meredith's shoulders.

"Excuse me?" Meredith asked, eyebrows raised.

"I mean…I'm in love with the most incredibly beautiful and amazing woman in the world, and I think I've fallen more in love with her because she just gave birth to my son?" Derek suggested.

"That's better," Meredith nodded.

"Kid looks like you," Mark said, stepping closer to the bed. "Got Grey's nose though. Thank God."

"Now we just have to hope that my little girls don't inherit the Shepherd nose," Derek laughed.

"I don't know who you're planning on having more babies with, because it's definitely not me," Meredith said firmly.

"What?" Derek asked. "You promised me two."

"Derek, every idiot in the world knows that you don't bring up having more kids with a woman that just went through labor," Mark rolled his eyes. "Don't worry," he continued, turning to Michael. "I'll teach you everything your idiot dad doesn't."

"No turning my son against me!" Derek insisted loudly, causing Michael to shift and whimper in Meredith's arms.

"Derek," she rolled her eyes.

"Sorry bud," Derek whispered, offering his finger to his son to suck on.

Michael calmed down at Derek's touch, and Addison reached for the bag Mark had dropped on the floor beside the bed. "We brought presents," she announced.

"This one's mine," Mark nodded. "Because I know you've got to get this kid started the right way early. Grey's probably already turned him."

Derek smiled as he pulled a tiny New York Yankees T-shirt out of the bag. "Perfect," he nodded.

"My son is not wearing that," Meredith shook her head.

"Your son is going to be a Yankees fan," Derek said, pointing a finger at her. "You don't have much of a choice about it."

Meredith sighed as she turned to look at Addison. "I'm going to have two Dereks running around," she said.

"Good luck with that," Addison laughed.

"One's bad enough," Meredith rolled her eyes.

"You would be completely lost without me," Derek laughed.

"I really would," she sighed, resting her head on her shoulder. "Can you take him?"

"Of course," Derek nodded, reaching for his son. "Come here, buddy."

"The other present is the real one," Addison rolled her eyes. "Mark's just an idiot."

"Okay," Meredith nodded, reaching into the bag. She pulled out a photo album and opened it carefully to reveal a picture of Derek and Meredith in their dorm room, before they had even started dating. She flipped through it, smiling as the pictures chronicled the entire life together, ending with the picture of her and Derek the previous Christmas, both their hands covering her swollen stomach.

"Addison…" she breathed.

"I just figured Michael would like to know the story of his parents," Addison smiled, flipping the book back to the front, where a picture of the four of them sat.

"She toned it down to the PG version," Mark added.

Addison rolled her eyes, but turned back to Meredith. "We never thought we'd get here," she said with a smile. "Remember the first time we saw these idiots?"

Meredith giggled. "I believe it was Mark who said that hanging curtains was a man's job," she said.

"And Derek who tried to be all McDreamy before you asked him how many curtains he'd ever hung in his life," Addison giggled.

Derek frowned as he looked at Mark. "We're never going to live that down," he stated.

"Maybe we can spin it so they look like the stupid ones," Mark suggested.

"Nah," Derek shook his head, looking down at his squirming son. "We've got another one on our side now."

Meredith frowned as Michael let out a soft cry. "He might be hungry," she whispered, reaching for him.

"We'll go," Addison nodded, pulling Mark towards the door. "We'll come back in a little while."

"Thanks," Meredith smiled gratefully as she turned to look at Derek. "Can I just…feed him?"

Derek laughed softly. "I think so," he said. "That is the point of the huge boobs."

"Stop it, Derek Christopher," she warned, pulling her hospital gown down and gasping softly as Michael latched onto her. "Oh."

"Does it feel weird?" Derek asked

"A little," Meredith replied, leaning into him. "We're parents, Der."

"We are," Derek nodded.

"Derek?" she whispered, turning to look at him.

"Hmm?" he asked, running a hand through her hair.

"I'm glad that you tried to hang our curtains," Meredith whispered.

Derek laughed, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "Me too," he whispered. "Best thing I've ever done in my life."

Meredith frowned as Michael let go of her, and looked at Derek. "He didn't eat very much," she said.

"He's had a big day," Derek shrugged. "And he's just getting used to the whole working to eat thing. Usually Mommy would just eat an entire cheesecake and he could enjoy it too."

"You said that was cute," Meredith rolled her eyes as she handed their baby to him.

"It was adorable," Derek nodded, looking down at his son. "Right, Michael? Your mommy's adorable."

Meredith smiled as she looked at the two men in her life, her husband holding her son, and suddenly felt that life was completely perfect. Tears sprang to her eyes as she whispered, "I love you."

"Which one of us are you talking to?" Derek laughed slightly.

"Both of you," Meredith laughed, leaning down to kiss Michael's forehead before running her fingers through Derek's hair and kissing him firmly on the lips. "I love you, Derek Shepherd. Forever."

"I love you too, Meredith Shepherd," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers. "Forever."

Alight, so...that's the end! I know that it might seem kind of sudden, and I could have written a lot more (Derek feeling the baby, finding out it's a boy, etc) but I really never anticipated this story to last this long. It was supposed to be a college fic, but you were all so amazing at supporting the story that I decided to continue it on. But now they're married and in med school with a baby, and they're happy. I hope you guys enjoyed the story and will continue to read! I'll probably have something new up later in the week, and I hope to see you all over there. Thanks so much for all the support, I couldn't have done it without you!