A/N: Final chapter of this story. Never Apart is up next.

Chapter Forty Seven

Life is Beautiful

Meredith greeted her guests as they entered the foyer. She directed them towards the direction of the party. More guests kept showing up before Cristina appeared with two gift bags. The two friends exchanged smiles as Cristina tried to hand the bags off to her. Meredith gave her a look. "Don't tell me you're not going to stay. These are your godchildren, remember? You have a right to be here. Now go and see your nieces and nephews." Cristina relented and Meredith led her to the den.

Everyone's attention was on the birthday twins, who were on the sofa with Derek and Mark. Abbey was fussing while Nicky was content sitting on his uncle's lap. Little Ben was clearly jealous that his dad was paying more attention to his cousin than him and he wanted to join them on the couch. He crawled up on the sofa and crawled in his dad's lap next to Nicky.

Morgan and Katie tried to cheer their sister up, but they couldn't calm her down. Amelia came to rescue Derek from the crying child and he got up to greet Cristina. He embraced her in a gentle hug. "We're glad you could make it. Come on in and make yourself at home." Cristina nodded as her friends greeted her and she began a conversation with Alex and Jo. Derek looked around at the party guests and counted heads. "I think everyone is here, right?"

Meredith nodded as they headed to the kitchen to check on the desserts. "It's a good thing Owen took C.J. to the library. I don't think he would have been able to handle the party. I'm surprised the twins are doing so well."

"I think the true test will come when it's cake time," Derek replied as Meredith examined the two little cakes. Meredith knew that was true. They had two different personalities and they can react differently. "Do we have a backup plan in case Nicky and Abbey doesn't want to eat their cakes?" he asked.

"We can always take them for a drive," Amelia suggested as she joined them in the kitchen. "They love car rides." Both Derek and Meredith noticed her arms were empty. "Abbey is in good hands. She is with April. Can I talk to Meredith alone?"

Derek nodded and left the two ladies alone. Meredith looked at Amelia, ready to listen to her sister-in-law. Amelia took a deep breath before she spoke in a whisper. "Owen and I slept together on the night of your second wedding and now I think I'm pregnant. What am I going to do? What if it turns out to be twins? I'm not prepared for this."

Meredith tried to calm her down. "Did you take a pregnancy test yet?" Amelia shook her head. "Okay. You should first see if you're pregnant before you do anything else." Amelia didn't answer. Meredith gave her a comforting smile. "Even if you aren't pregnant, I'm sure Owen will stick by you. He's not going to break up with you just because you had a pregnancy scare."

Amelia looked at her confused. "I never said we were dating."

Meredith gave her a look. "We all live in the same house. Do you really think Derek and I didn't notice you were skipping out on dinner to go meet with Owen after his shift was over? Or you and Owen both volunteer to take the kids out of the house whenever Derek and I want to get some alone time?"

"I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh? If that was true, then why didn't Derek say anything?" Amelia asked.

"Because I think he finally realized he can't protect you forever," Meredith replied. "If you want to date Owen, he doesn't want to stop you. Besides, he has our kids to watch over now especially the twins."

"I know I said I wanted a baby, but I don't want twins," Amelia told her. "I'm not prepared for twins."

"Neither was I," Meredith reminded her. "You don't even know if you are pregnant though. Go and take a pregnancy test. It will only take a few minutes." Amy hesitated for a moment but Meredith was firm. "Go now." Amelia hurried out of the kitchen as Lexie came into the kitchen. "Why is that I'm the one who everyone goes to for advice now? It never used to happen."

Lexie gave her a smile. "Because you used to be dark and twisty. Nobody wants advice from someone who is depressed. Now you're bright and shiny so you are now more open to listening to people. Besides you have gone through the experience of being a wife and a mother. Most of our friends haven't yet. You're the expert."

"May I remind you that I didn't do it in order?" Meredith asked. "But I'm glad I am finally settled down with Derek and we finally have our lives back on track." Lexie nodded as she gestured her to follow her. Meredith finished her task before they returned to the party.

The party went well until Derek and Meredith put the twins in their high chairs and placed their cakes in front of them. Family and friends sang the birthday song as Nicky and Abbey looked at their cakes. There were two different reactions. Abbey got overwhelmed with everyone looking at her and guests snapping pictures. She just burst into tears while her brother tested the cake out. He began gobbling it down as Derek and Meredith tried to encourage their daughter to try the cake. Abbey wasn't having any of it.

Meredith finally gave in and took Abbey out of her high chair and she decided to try Amelia's idea of a drive. That was when she realized Amelia wasn't in the crowd. She wondered if she was still in the bathroom and handed Abbey over to Jo. She found Amelia sitting on her bed staring at the wall. Meredith knocked on the door and Amelia came out of her trance. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"I did it again," Amelia said as she held back tears. Meredith shut the door behind her so there would be no interruptions. "I jumped into a relationship without even thinking of the consequences." Meredith stayed quiet. "I know I said I wanted a family just like you and Derek have. I still do, but I didn't think about what I would do after I fell in love with Owen. I love Owen, but we're so not ready for a baby." There was a pause. "I just hope he's okay with that because I'm not pregnant. The test was negative."

"If he loves you like I think he does, he will be fine with it," Meredith replied. "And I'm sure you will be ready once you really are pregnant." Amelia just nodded her head as they heard the faint sound of the front door opening. "That must be Owen and C.J. Maybe you and Owen should take Abbey for a drive?" Amelia laughed as she followed Meredith out of her bedroom. They went to greet Owen and C.J. "How was the library?" Meredith asked as Derek joined them in the foyer.

C.J. embraced his family in hugs as Owen told them about the afternoon in the library. "Well, it look like C.J. has made a new friend." The parents were anxious to hear the story. "I was reading a book to him when he wanted another story. That book just happened to be picked by another boy. Instead of fussing about it, C.J. was willing to listen to the story with the boy near him. I talked with the parents and found out their son also had some social issues. They wanted to try and arrange a play date so I told them to contact you."

Derek and Meredith exchanged smiles. They were proud of C.J. and they were happy for him. After many months of trying to help him with improving his social skills, he had made a new friend. "We will definitely have to set up a play date," Derek said. "Right now, you guys are just in time for the cake and ice cream." C.J. smiled when he heard about the desserts. "Go and see if Uncle Alex will cut you a piece." C.J. disappeared before Derek could finish the sentence.

"I'm going to take the birthday girl out for a drive. Do you want to join me?" Amelia asked Owen.

Owen smiled. "Sure. I'll go and get her."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Can those two make it any more obvious?" he whispered to Meredith and she gently hit him. "Do you want any cake or ice cream before you go?" he asked Amelia. She shook her head. "Okay, we'll make sure to save you some."

"And we won't start opening presents until after you get back," Meredith added, not wanting her daughter to miss out on seeing what everyone bought for her.

"Hold on. We want a picture of you guys now that your whole family is here," Lexie said as she brought out her camera. "It will only take a few minutes."

"It might be longer if Abbey doesn't want to tolerate it," Derek warned her as they followed her into the den.

One thing happened after another and it was several hours before the party ended. Owen and Amelia and the older kids helped Derek and Meredith clean up. After they were finished, Derek and Meredith cuddled in their bed while the kids ran off to play. Amelia and Owen were right behind them. Meredith could tell they had talked and things were just fine between them. Meredith was relieved.

Yet, the conversation with Amelia made her think back about the time she found out she was pregnant with Morgan. What would her life would have been like if she never would have been pregnant? Would she and Finn still be together? Or would she still somehow found her way to Derek? What about what Lexie said? Would she still be dark and twisty? Or was there a chance for her to change to bright and shiny? There was no way of knowing and she realized it didn't matter.

"What are you thinking about?" Derek asked, noticing the far off look on her face.

Meredith was quiet before she answered. "I was thinking about how much I've changed since I met you and I wouldn't go back to being dark and twisty," she replied. "I can't because it's not me anymore. I have a wonderful husband and five precious kids. What more can I ask for?" she asked. Derek just smiled at his wife. Meredith smiled in return as she realized she was truly happy with her life.