All of Your Life

Awkward Meeting

Meredith sat in her kitchen with her daughter, giving her breakfast. It'd been two days since she'd seen Derek, since they'd had sex in the on call room. He hadn't been at work. She even took Ava with her to the trailer hoping that he was there but he wasn't. She prayed that he was all right and that nothing happened to him. A part of her knew that she should be mad at him for using her but, she couldn't be.

"Mama sad," said Ava, reaching out and touching her mommy's cheek.

"Mama is fine."

"No. No fin," insisted Ava with determination she had never seen on her two-year daughter's face.

Seeing Ava reaching her arms out to her, she picked her out of her high chair and held her little girl close to her.

"I wub you, mama."

"Love you too baby girl," said Meredith against her daughter's curls.

"Mama... I go pak."

"You want to go to the park?"

"Ya," grinned Ava, clapping her hands with excitement.

"Okay. Lets get you dressed and we'll go to the park," she said putting her down.

Ava quickly ran out of the kitchen giggling. "Mama! Pak!"

__________________________________

Meredith parked her jeep in the car park, of the Lincoln Park. She knew there was a play area here, and she had decided to make a day of it with Ava. She hated not getting to spend a lot of time with her daughter so, she packed them a picnic. Meredith just wanted to not spend time thinking about Derek. Turning around she bumped right into a solid male body.

"Derek..." gasped Meredith, throwing her arms around his neck. "You had me so worried!"

Meredith noticed that he didn't hug her back, and she could tell that he was still angry with himself.

"Are you alright?"

"Dr. Grey," he answered coldly, before turning away. Meredith reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Derek, you are not going to walk away from me again. We need to talk," told him Meredith, forcing him to look at her.

"Mer...don't," he pleaded.

"Derek, you did nothing wrong."

"Meredith..."

"Shh," she shushed him. "We aren't talking about here. Not when I have ou-my daughter here and you have your nephew, but we do need to talk about it."

"Meredith..."

"I am not taking no for an answer, Derek. We can't avoid it. I am taking Ava to the play area," told him Meredith, not giving him a chance to argue. She invited Derek and Josh to join them, giving Derek a chance to spend some time with Ava. She needed to know how Ava would take to him.

"I don't want to disturb your time with your daughter."

"Derek..." she started to say until she heard her daughter from the back seat.

"De!" squealed Ava, holding out her arms to Derek. "Deh...Deh...up!"

Derek looked at Meredith and Meredith smiled and nodded at him, before Derek lifted Ava out of the car. Ava wrapped her arms around Derek neck. "Mama...sad," she told him resting her head against the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry Ava, that my fault."

"Deh make better."

"I'll try my best sweetheart," promised her Derek, running his hands over her curls.

"Deh...pak."

"Okay," he said looking at Meredith who just smiled. He noticed tears welling in her eyes.

"Mer," said Derek gently.

"I have never seen Ava take to anyone that quickly before," said Meredith with a smile before looking down at Josh. "Josh, would you like to come to the play area with us?" asked Meredith.

"Yes...Please Uncle Derek can we?" he asked excitedly. Derek glanced at Meredith, who was smirking.

"I guess so."

"Yay!" exclaimed Josh, running excitedly ahead of them.

"You are a sneaky woman, Dr. Grey."
"Dr. Shepherd, you have no idea," she teased him, picking out the picnic basket out of the back of the jeep.

Meredith followed Derek; unable to take her eyes off him especially when he was talking to Ava. She felt a wave of guilt come over her, but she pushed it aside. She had to or else she'd blurt it out and with relations between them so frosty at the moments, springing that surprise on him would not be the best idea.

Once they reached the play area, Derek placed Ava on the ground and Josh immediately took her hand and guided her over to the slide.

"I promise she's save. Josh has cousins her age," he said, noticing Meredith stiffen.

"I'm...it's fine. Ava is usually so clingy so seeing her take to someone else is amazing," she told him, wanting him to realize Ava trusted him.

"Meredith...I am really sorry about the other day," said Derek, diverting his eyes.

"Derek, let's just enjoy our time with the kids, shall we?"

"Okay. Would you join me for dinner tonight?" asked her Derek.

"Are you asking me out on a date Dr. Shepherd?"

"I believe I am Dr. Grey."

"In which case, I would love too."

"Good," he smiled, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently. "I'll pick you up at 7:30."

"Okay," said Meredith with a smile.

Meredith and Derek watched Josh and Ava playing together.

Meredith watched as Ava followed Josh around in the park. She was relieved that she ran into Derek. She really didn't want to avoid talking about it. Two years ago, before Ava, she would have avoided the situation. But she knew she wanted Ava to know her father, and if she could avoid the awkwardness that would follow if they let it go, then it would be good for Ava, and for Meredith that was all that mattered.

Meredith watched as Derek went over to the two kids and put Ava in the baby swing and started pushing her. Ava laughed and clapped, getting excited. Meredith knew that returning to Seattle for the right thing, now she just needed to figure out how she was going to tell Derek that Ava was his daughter. They spent the morning at the play park until Derek had to get Josh back to Amy's, he kissed Ava goodbye before turning to Meredith.

"I guess i will see you tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Wear something casual," he told her.

"Okay. You're not going to tell me where we're going?"

"It's a surprise," he grinned. "See you tonight," he added, leaving her and Ava alone.

"Mama, dada make betta," said Ava as she waved good-bye to Josh.

Meredith took Ava back to the play park before heading home, to get ready for her dinner with Derek.