Dreams On Fire

I Love LA

By mid-December, Meredith was 8 weeks along and had a little pooch from being pregnant before. With all of the holiday time they had piled up, Derek and Meredith decided to take the three kids to Disneyland. Not only did they want to have a family vacation before there was a fourth member, but Meredith wanted to see Addison and have her check that everything was okay.

Packing for two adults and three kids was crazy; Bailey kept pulling everything out of his suitcase and Zola kept adding more and more princess dresses, telling Meredith "I have to have a dress for EVERY princess." Meredith just shook her head, wondering how she managed to raise a sassy girly girl she loved it.

For herself she packed loose dresses and some tighter ones, wanting to bask in the warm LA air and feel free to let her small bump loose, rather than hide it under scrubs. She was excited to see Addison, who had become a close friend to her, and she knew underneath his annoyance at having his wife and ex-wife being friends, Derek was excited to see her too, as well as Naomi and Sam.

LA-day came, and the morning of their flight was a hassle of last minute items, remembering a crazy amount of things for Ellie, before Amelia drove them all to the airport. She suspiciously eyed Meredith's stomach but chose not to say anything; by the time the family came home she'd be 10 weeks and showing even more.

Just getting through security was a hassle with three kids; Meredith held Ellie while Derek managed Bailey and Zola, and afterwards they made their way to LA. At least LA wasn't a long flight, just over two hours, and soon they were descending into the city, grabbing their bags and the car seats, and piling into the rental car on their way to the hotel. They were staying at the Four Seasons and Meredith couldn't wait to relax, even with the three kids, who couldn't wait for Disneyland in a few days. She was just excited to lay by the pool in a bikini, which was nearly impossible in Seattle most of the time.

First stop though, after settling into the hotel, was to Oceanside Wellness. Arriving at the building, Derek looked up with a smile; he had been there before but Meredith hadn't. She shifted Ellie on her hip, the little girl dressed in a light pink dress identical to her older sisters, as Derek lifted Bailey into his arms, holding Zola's hand.

"Guys, you're going to meet your aunt Addison, she's very important to mommy and daddy," Derek said, before exchanging a glance with Addison. She couldn't help but laugh, her eyes sparkling, as they got in the elevator. In a moment it opened into the lobby of Oceanside Wellness and Meredith went up to the desk, clearing her throat to be noticed by the receptionist.

"Hi, I'm here to see Addison Montgomery," she stated, before she heard the clacking of heels behind her.

"Meredith!" the voice said, before she spun around, Ellis flailing her arms. Addison took another look and noticed Derek with Zola and Bailey.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" she asked them, staring at Ellis, who was a complete clone of Derek with her dark hair and blue eyes, and Meredith's milky white skin. Bailey looked just like Meredith, with Derek's eyes, and she had known already that they had adopted Zola.

"Oh my god, there's three now? Look how cute you are," she said to Ellis, holding out her arms. To her credit, Ellie leaned out and let Addison hold her.

"Come on, let's go into my office," she smiled, and Zola took Meredith's hand as the five of them went into Addison's office. Meredith and Derek sank down into chairs, letting the older two run around, with Addison completely engrossed in Ellie.

"I can't believe you guys have three now," she grinned, looking up from Ellie at her friends. "What are their names?"

Meredith smiled softly, watching Bailey and Zola play with Henry's toys in the corner.