You've got a Way

10.

"Emma's asleep..." Derek sighed as he walked into the kitchen of Meredith's apartment. Emma had been taken a nap but she had woken up and started crying. Derek had gotten her back to sleep and now he was going into the kitchen to talk to the mother of his child, the woman who was his friend.

"That's good...." Meredith said, scrubbing out a baby bottle over the sink while she took a break from her lab report. "She would be cranky later if she didn't sleep."

"She fell right back to sleep."

"Good."

"Let me help you with that." He sighed, walking over to the sink and picking up another bottle.

"Susan says I need to get her switched over to sippy cups...instead of bottles." Meredith sighed.

"Oh um...I can get some...of the sippy cups."

"Oh...sure." Meredith breathed, keeping her eyes on the bottle and smiling slightly. "She's not going to give it up without a fight."

"What's her favorite color? I'll get some in that color."

"Hmm...she doesn't really have one yet." Meredith said, trying to think. "Maybe just girlie colors."

"Girlie colors. Got it." Derek nodded.

"Okay." Meredith reached for another bottle, taking the lid off of it.

"So her birthday is coming up."

"Yeah at the end of the week."

"And the party...Saturday right?"

"Yeah...at four once I get off work." Meredith replied, placing the clean bottles on the bottle rack.

"I was wondering..." Derek started.

"Yeah." She walked back to the sink to work on the rest of the dishes as Derek leaned against the counter.

"Can Addison come?"

"I...." Meredith looked up at his blue eyes, shaking her head and looking down at the sink. "No."

"Okay." Derek sighed, not wanting to start an argument.

"Dumb question."

"She asked me to ask so...I did."

"She asked you to ask me?" Meredith scoffed.

"She wants to be involved...That's all." Derek sighed.

"I don't actually know her..."

"You haven't tried to get to know her."

"I don't have to."

"No...you don't." Derek groaned.

"Right." Meredith sighed.

"She's a good person."

"I'm sure she is but I haven't seen you in two years and I don't exactly plan on exposing my daughter to your little friend."

"Little friend?" Derek raised his eyebrows.

"Lover...escort..."

"Girlfriend."

"That sounds like a nice term for her." Meredith rolled her eyes, as she put a dish into the dishwasher.

"She's my girlfriend, Meredith." Derek said defensively. "She means a lot to me."

"She doesn't mean anything to my daughter."