A/N Hello and welcome to the last update of this story. I loved writing this fic, I tried new things and experimented a little, so I'd like to thank you all for reading and even more for showing your support and encouragement in your comments!
Please, enjoy the epilogue!
Meredith was just leaning over the table to get herself and Derek a drink, when she felt a hand touching her perfectly smooth abdomen. She turned with the what the fuck expression on her face to see a short woman with mousy hair. She vaguely reminded her of one of the trumpet players from the school band.
"Hey, Meredith!" the woman smiled widely and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Don't you remember me? Sonya, from the band."
"Yeah, sure, I do," answered Meredith with reservation. She never had anything against the girl but she was now pressing her freaking palm to her stomach for some reason…
"Oh, sorry," giggled Sonya removing her hand. "It's for luck."
"For luck?" she frowned.
"Yeah, you know," she chuckled and wiggled her eyebrows knowingly, "pregnant women bring luck."
"Seriously, huh?" Meredith tapped her foot on the floor. Did she look fat or what?
"Derek told me you're due in January."
"He told you that?" her eyebrow rode high almost disappearing under her blond hair that was draped over her forehead.
"Yeah, and guys, you're incredible!" she gasped. "You totally have to win the "It's unbelievable they're still together" statuette!"
"How cool," muttered Meredith and taking two glasses of juice instead of champagne as she initially desired. "If you excuse me, I need to take the drinks to Derek. I'll catch up with you later."
"You know what I've just learnt?" she asked her husband dryly, joining him where he was standing under the gigantic 10th anniversary school reunion banner.
"What, dear?" he smiled taking a glass form her.
"That I'm apparently giving birth in January."
"Well, it is possible…" he said cautiously, feeling he might have said too much to his friends from the band.
"Really? Is it? Think like a doctor, Derek," she sighed. "I just got off the pill last month."
"Yeah, last month. I could have already done my job right for all we know. Shepherds are very fertile," he said smugly.
"You're right," she grinned wickedly. "Maybe there is no more reason to even try again, you know, you probably did your job already and all."
"No! I mean, I think we should er, try some more, a lot more, just to be sure," he attempted to look apologetic.
"Then stop telling people I'm knocked up already. You'll have lots of opportunities when we know I really am," she sent him a gentler smile.
"Okay, sorry for that," he placed a little kiss onto her lips. "I just can't wait."
"Me either," she smiled and changed the subject. "It's really nice in here."
"Yeah, who would have thought it was going to be so good to be back in these walls," he sighed, his eyes sweeping around the crowd in the gymnasium that was decorated with banners and balloons for the occasion of the 10th anniversary of their graduation. "Most of the people are actually… nice."
"Well, people change as we know so well," she said wistfully. "Some of them are really nice, others think it's better to be nice to hot-shot doctors. And some, especially females, think you're hot."
Derek cringed visibly, his arm tightening around her. "Oh, look who's here," he pointed at the entrance.
"Mark Sloan…"
Their relations never exactly got better after their non-fight in the morgue. Derek didn't regret, Mark professed completely different values to his own. What was more, Meredith was very enthusiastic when he finally confessed what exactly happened between him and Sloan.
"And he came with a woman," Meredith remarked with surprise at the sight of a brunette holding his hand.
"That's a novelty," nodded Derek. "You think it's something serious?"
"Nah," stated Meredith noticing Mark's eyes inconspicuously slide over other females around. "You know, I'll be back in a sec," she kissed his cheek and went in the direction of the table where Mark's partner halted to get their drinks. His attention was bestowed on his old pals from the team, he would never know.
"I'm sorry, did you come with Mark?" she asked the brunette with a dumb smile.
"Yes-"
"Then you must be Monica," Meredith grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. "It's so nice to meet you finally! We were all dying to meet the woman who managed to get Mark to the altar."
"I'm sorry but-"
"Don't be, we understand why you didn't invite so many old friends of Mark's. He left quite a trail of broken hearts behind him. It was such a shock to hear he got hitched last summer. But you surely know, he was always a player. How's Jimmy, by the way?"
"Jimmy?" the brunette asked blankly.
"I heard your baby boy is just adorable, Mark all through and through."
"Wait a minute, Mark is married?" gasped the woman.
"Well, aren't you Monica Sloan?" Meredith faked astonishment.
"No, I'm not," she hissed while her palms fisted into balls. "And I owe you."
She marched off towards her partner, murder on her face.
"Oh, ouch," grimaced Derek. "That must have hurt," Derek commented as the brunette slapped Mark on the cheek, all his friends watching avidly.
"His ego more than his face, I'm sure," smirked Meredith, nuzzling into his side.
"Awww," he chuckled as the woman took another swing, this time her fist collided with his eye. Everyone was looking at the scene with unhidden curiosity. "What did you do?"
"How dare you accusing me of anything," she snickered.
"I dare," he whispered hotly into his ear. "You're my queen of troublemakers. That will never change."
THE GEEK AND THE REBEL
FLASHFORWARD
"Little Miss Meredith?"
Meredith heard the somewhat familiar nickname uttered by a seemingly unfamiliar female voice as she was in the process of filling up the chart of her patient. Her mind kept drifting to a different place altogether though. Today they were breaking the ground for their house in the wilderness and the butterflies kept swirling in her stomach at the sole thought.
She lifted her head to see an Afro-American nurse, probably late into her fifties, gazing at her with a gentle though sparkling smile.
"Excuse me?" she looked at her quizzically.
"I was actually told to pass the lab results over to Dr. Grey-Shepherd. I took a look at you and knew it was my Little Miss Meredith already. I have a photographic memory, especially when it comes to faces…"
"How… I don't think I know you…"
"Of course, you do! I'm Liz Fallon. I used to work here years ago, scrubbed into many surgeries with your mother and would hear an earful from her too for losing the sight of you while you ran around the hospital. I was a navy nurse for the last two decades and now I'm back home, probably to stay here until the retirement."
"You must have seen me nearly thirty years ago for the last time," giggled Meredith, vaguely remembering the image of a young nurse trying to keep control over her wild escapades.
"Doesn't matter," shrugged Liz. "Some features stay the same. Anyway, Dr. Grey-Shepherd, does it mean there's a Mr. Shepherd around?"
"Dr. Shepherd actually," she smiled brightly.
"Are you newlyweds?" asked Liz curiously.
"Only if you can be newlyweds after six years of marriage," laughed Meredith.
"Then your husband is a very lucky man," stated Liz appreciatively. "Your eyes shine at the sole mention him."
"Someone said anything about lucky husbands?" Derek appeared beside Meredith out of nowhere planting a kiss to her lips and depositing a chart. "Not yet today, but I'm hoping for a little rendezvous in an on-call room."
"You've just killed that hope with your last comment," she couldn't help chuckling.
"Nah, that's just fore- Ouch!" he laughed as her ineffective fist collided with his bicep.
"Better tell me if you've been called to sort out the terrible two. I haven't received any complaints from the daycare yet and it's almost worrying."
"Terrible two?" asked Liz.
"Our children," explained proudly Derek. "They're a bit… energetic."
"More like making the carer in the daycare center pull her hair in desperation," snickered Meredith. Some days of the week, they had to use the daycare. They didn't want to completely take advantage of Carolyn even though she insisted. She had a whole herd of grandchildren anyway as Lanie and Mia started their own families too. Ellis on the other hand still worked at the hospital even though Richard, with whom she moved in, hinted at the possibility of their retirement. "A girl of four and a boy of two-"
"And the third one on the way," nodded knowingly Liz.
"I'm not even showing yet! Another walking pregnancy detector," laughed Meredith. "Mom, I mean Derek's Mom, is just the same. I don't have to spend money on tests."
To their joy and Derek's smugness, it turned out she did get pregnant almost immediately after she stopped taking the pill. Their son came a little unplanned but well in time as their baby girl turned two. Now, Meredith was three months along with their third little joy.
"Derek's?" Liz frowned as something stirred in her memory.
"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. Derek Shepherd, neurosurgery department, like Mer."
"Liz Fallon, was a nurse here when your wife's middle name was Little Troublemaker."
"Oh, it still is," he grinned.
"Now you're pushing it," she tried to scowl at him.
"You know, your childhood friend was called Derek."
"I… didn't have childhood friends…" frowned Meredith while her husband eyed her with curiosity. "And Derek's my high school sweetheart if we're looking into these categories."
"But of course you had a childhood friend. He was all you talked about for weeks after you met him, I clearly remember."
"I… don't," Meredith shook her head.
"He was very much like Dr. Shepherd here too. Lots of black hair, the nose… I have an eye for detail."
"That's… impossible," Derek let out a little laugh. "I would remember."
"I think his sister was hurt," went on Liz. "He was one hell of a troublemaker too, I spent at least four hours looking for him all around the hospital to finally find him with, whom else, little Miss Meredith."
Derek was momentarily speechless. "I… Kath broke her leg when she was a kid… We all had to come here and… my great escape is legendary…"
Meredith stared at him with wide eyes. "No way!"
"Fate has mysterious ways," sighed Liz with a shake of her head and discreetly moved away.
"This is… unbelievable," Meredith tried to wrap her mind around it.
"Kinda," he agreed with wonderment. "You remember anything?"
"I don't know," she sighed, scrunching her face in concentration. "Bits and pieces maybe, very chaotic."
"I think… you kissed me!" he said pensively.
"I did not!" she blushed.
"Oh, yes you did, Little Miss Meredith!" he laughed. "I must have been grossed out…"
"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes.
"I hated girls at the time, what do you expect," he laughed and leaned towards her lips. "Now, on the other hand, your lips are my drug."
"I should thinks so…"
"Which doesn't change the fact that you seduced me at the age of… what, four? Five?"
"Idiot," she bit her lip. "You're making fun of your pregnant wife, your wife that tired herself out two times already giving birth to your children!"
"Now they're my children," he laughed and pressed against her back when she stood up from her chair. He didn't care if anyone was looking, the staff was used to their public displays of affection.
"Okay…" she said tucking her blond hair behind her ears as she turned around in his arms. "What does that makes us… kindergarten sweethearts?"
"Soul mates, just soul mates," he whispered and sealed her lips with a kiss.
END OF FLASHFORWARD
THE END
A/N If you haven't commented yet but liked it at least a bit, you still can let me know ;)
"The Geek And The Rebel" being over (I don't plan any sequels, Meredith and Derek's story has been told just like I planned from the beginning), I am going to post my newest fic in the next couple of days. It's practically a MerDer romcom with a dose of drama, I hope I meet you there!
Love,
Em