Taking Owen's hand as they made their way through the airport, Amelia squeezed it a little too tight.

"Amelia, are you ok?" he chuckled as he adjusted his duffle bag on his shoulder. Owen had insisted on taking his girlfriend's suitcase as well but stubborn Amelia wouldn't let him.

"Yeah" she smiled realising what she was doing. Linking their fingers together gently, she smiled unconvincingly up at Owen "Derek used to be my buffer for these kinds of things. My sisters… Let's just say there's temptation to jump off the wagon. He used to step in when Nancy got a little too critical or when Lizzie starts asking the inappropriate questions"

"Isn't that what I'm here for?" Owen smirked nudging her shoulder gently. Pulling her over to a row of seats at the next gate they passed, he insisted she sit beside him. They had plenty of time to get to their gate so a little pit stop wouldn't hurt. "I'm really glad you asked me to come with you for this. I want to be there and stop you from trying to jump… or at least stop what is making you want to jump"

"Have I told you how much I love you for doing this? For giving up time with your own family… for me?"

"You are my family now Mia" he smiled as he leant in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Amelia was his family and the future he'd always hoped for.

Braving Seattle-Tacoma Airport on Christmas Eve of all days, Amelia was taking Owen home to New York to spend Christmas with her family. She'd received a phone call from her mother who was on the verge of tears almost begging her youngest daughter to come home for the holidays. It was the second Christmas without Derek but the first Carolyn could get all four of her girls together.

Last year, Amelia buried herself in work and just wanted to pass the day glove deep in someone's brain. She didn't want to make that time of year worse for her family especially when she was barely keeping it together. This year however, Amelia was in a good place with Owen, she was confident leaving her patients in the care of Blake and Edwards for a couple of days and she had no excuse not to go home.

To say that Amelia was apprehensive to go home and see her family was a major understatement. Without Derek, she felt even more of an outsider. She had always been the odd man out in the family and being ten years younger than her closest sister didn't help the matter either. To Nancy, Kathleen and Elizabeth, Amelia was still the stupid 17 year old kid they had to check into rehab the first time. They didn't see her as the incredible Neurosurgeon she'd become, they didn't see the accomplishments she'd achieved and the life she'd built after so much pain and heart ache. She was still the baby Shepherd.

The five hour flight from Seattle to New York was relatively quiet for the couple. Owen wasn't the best flyer and Amelia was happy to be his quiet comfort through the turbulence. For the many times Owen had been a tower of strength since they first got together, Amelia liked that she could do something in return. She could never repay him for everything he had done to save her but she would happily spend the rest of her life trying.

Their journey through Newark Airport was more hectic than the flight as the pair fought their way through the crowd to get to baggage claim and then toward the exit. "Maybe next time we try and get some more time off and not fly Christmas Eve" Owen laughed as he held tight onto Amelia's hand and his bag. He usually thrived on chaos when it was on the front line or in his ER but in the airport… he couldn't get out fast enough.

"There's going to be a next time?" Amelia smiled. The thought of spending the rest of her Christmases with Owen made her heart sing. Nothing made her happier than knowing he wanted the same thing.

Making their way toward the exit and the painfully long line that waited for them at the cab rank, the pair almost missed the 'Amelia and Owen' sign and the waving woman holding it.

"Mom?" Amelia gasped as she let go of Owen's hand for the first time since leaving Seattle and raced over to her mother. Carolyn hugged her youngest daughter impossibly tight, just so happy to have her there in her arms. It killed the matriarch to see her daughter's life unfold on a computer screen or over the phone with calls and skype their only communication since Derek's funeral. Finally letting Amelia breathe after a couple of minutes, Carolyn stepped back and took in everything about her daughter; the bouncy new haircut, the healthy glowing skin and the bright smile she'd yet to wipe away.

"It's so good to see you baby girl"

"I've missed you" Amelia smiled as she took her mother's hands in hers. Feeling Owen by her side, she beamed up at him "Mom, you remember Owen?"

"It's nice to see you again Major Hunt" Carolyn smiled warmly before pulling the ginger haired man into an unexpected hug. Having met him a few times on her visits to Seattle, she was happy to see a stronger and happier man in front of her now.

"You can let go now Mom" Amelia laughed seeing how awkward her boyfriend was in the embrace. Owen was the selective type when it came to affection. He usually reserved it all for Amelia. As Carolyn let Owen go, Amelia instantly took his hand which did not go unnoticed. "What are you doing here? We were just going to get a cab to the house"

"Nonsense" Carolyn laughed and led the pair toward the parking structure "I wasn't going to let you two pay an obscene amount for a cab when I could come and get you myself"

"Thankyou" Owen began "And thank you for letting me spend the holidays with you and your family"

"Of course. I would have been disappointed had Amelia not invited you"

Amelia held back a laugh as Owen shot her a 'would you look at that, your Mom loves me' kind off an expression. It didn't surprise the youngest Shepherd in the slightest that her mother already adored Owen, what was not to like?

"Now I will warn you both, it's going to be a little crazy at the house" Carolyn began with a laugh "Nancy, Patrick and the kids got in this morning and Kate and Lizzie have been cooking all day. I asked everyone to stay tonight so we could have Christmas morning with all the kids"

"Wait, everyone?" Amelia questioned. 'Everyone' in the Shepherd family added up to about 23 people and even in Carolyn's big house, it would be a squeeze.

"Except Meredith and the kids of course" the elder Shepherd sighed. She had tried to get Meredith to join them but had no luck convincing her "Did you see her before you left?"

"She drew the short straw having to work this Christmas. Meredith and Maggie were putting together a Christmas dinner for the other surgeons who had to work" Owen answered for Amelia. After not working the Christmas before, Meredith was just facing an unlucky roster. They all tried to alternate giving everyone time with their family over the holiday season.

"I have a stack of Christmas cards Zola and I made together to hand out. She wanted me to make sure Santa came to her cousins like he would visit her" Amelia added. Upset that she wouldn't be there to celebrate Christmas with her nieces and nephews, Amelia made sure she spoilt them before she left making sure they would know how much she would miss them.

Their chatter continued for the rest of the ride out to the Shepherd home. A beautiful colonial style house, it was just outside of the city where the grass was a little greener and the air a little fresher. The familiar snow covered trees calmed Amelia's racing mind as they drove toward her childhood home. She was still apprehensive to spend the next couple days in such close quarters with her sisters but with Owen by her side, Amelia was confident that she would get through it ok.

Your thoughts?

Part two to come soon!