NEVER LEAVING YOUR HEART ALONE

EPILOGUE

It was a rough ride for all involved. Life didn't start out so easy for Meredith. Being the daughter of Ellis Grey was full of pressure and high expectations at the very least. But Meredith survived. She persevered, even with the obstacles thrown in her path. She found the love of her life, the man of her dreams. And they suck together through everything. She became a world renowned along with her husband. Working in the practice they share together.

Derek was ready to move on. He was divorced. He had no ties to Seattle. He had no ties to anyone. That was until he met Meredith Grey. Maybe it was her smile. Or that giggle. But once he saw her, that was it. That was the end for him. No self control. No shame. He had to have her. Little did he know how perfect his life would be with her. Even with the ups and downs, it was worth every bump in the road.

Anna Livingston had no idea when she was a kid that she would lose her whole family. Her circumstances that seemed to snow ball after her mother died. She could have been lost. She could have ended up anywhere. But she didn't. She ended up with two are the most loving parents in the world. Although she may have been a test subject at first, it was well worth it. She ended up having the happiest childhood that anyone could have hoped for. And now she is Dr. Anna Shepherd-Clives, working in the cancer center at the Mayo Clinic. She married her college boyfriend and are expecting a daughter.

Delilah Shepherd was always a daddy's girl. The whole time she grew up, she knew she could wrap Derek around her finger, and she did. Her relationship with her brother wasn't one of hate or envy. They were close, very close. Meredith always told Derek it was the double bedding they did when they were babies, but Derek would argue that they did share a womb. Delilah lives with her boyfriend in Atlanta. She runs a graphic design company that does work for several large companies.

Devlin Shepherd, the mama's boy. He was wild. Trouble. He was always out having fun. Going to parties. Causing his parents to nearly pull their hair out every night. He was always trying to get his sister to join in, but she would always wimp out because she didn't want to disappoint her dad. Devlin is single, following in the steps of his man-whore uncles, Mark and Drew. He is a partner in a law firm in Seattle. He was never able to leave his mom behind.

Adam Jonathan Shepherd was born healthy at the hospital. The pregnancy was easy. Meredith said he was the easiest one. Derek insisted they should try for more, because one should never be alone. That didn't happen. Not after the first sleepless night. After that, they decided he would just have to have friends. AJ is currently in eighth grade. His older siblings tease him because he is getting the best of mom and dad. He gets all the time and the money.

Drew and Franceasca got married a two years after the twins were kidnapped. Drew began dating Frannie on Meredith's insistence. She told him it was time to settle down. He played along as a joke and ended up falling in love. He moved his practice to Seattle. Frannie gave birth to Andrea Frances two months before Meredith had AJ. Meredith and Fran became close friends, and are now convinced Andrea and AJ with have adorable children together.

Ian is still a bachelor. He never could find someone to fill Meredith's shoes. He still runs his father's company. He rarely spends time in the office. Most of his time is spent vacationing somewhere. More often than not, he can be found somewhere in Utah. An undisclosed location. He stops in every once and awhile to check on Meredith and Derek.

Nate never came back. He realized that Meredith loved Derek. More than anything, he wanted her to be happy. He now resides somewhere in Utah and is rarely seen.

Meredith and Derek are now semi-retired. Or as close to is as they can get. Jack Hudson retired a few years ago, leaving the center to Meredith and Derek. They get VIP patients coming in from around the world. The spend most of their time working on rare cases and sneaking into one another's offices. Anna comes to visit monthly. Delilah comes around at the holidays. And Devlin takes his mom to lunch several times a week. Both Meredith and Derek are happy and healthy, raising AJ. Meredith's fear of Derek dying and leaving her alone was eased when he convinced her they would die together. At the same time. In bed. And they probably will, at a very, very old age.