Disclaimer: Nope.
I wanted fluff, mush and humour…so I made this. There's no specific timeline in this, I guess Season 11…
As a parent, getting a full night sleep without kids crawling into your bed was something that didn't happen very often.
This was something that Derek and Meredith found out very quickly. As soon as Zola got her big girl bed, whenever she couldn't sleep or simply didn't want to be in her own bed, she crawled in with them.
Not that they minded but little kids didn't sleep like regular people. They might start normal, but half way through the night the moving starts, then at some point Derek felt a foot in his chest, Meredith felt an arm over her stomach and by morning Zola was sprawled across them.
It was when their alarm went off at 5:45 they knew they'd be in for a crazy day.
Derek got up and saw just what his daughter was up to.
"Zola…" He said, as he tickled her feet to wake her up, knowing that she hated when he did that.
"Daddy!" She said, clearly not wanting to get up and annoyed at her father.
"Sweetie, you need to get up."
"What's going on?" Meredith asked as she got up and saw what her husband and daughter were up to. "When did you get in here?" She asked her daughter who was now curled up in a ball beside her, face first into the pillows.
"Some time during the night." He told her as he got out of bed and went to their washroom.
"Zo..." Meredith said to her daughter, rubbing her back in a soothing circle, "Are you not feeling well?"
"No." She replied her voice muffled by pillows.
"Did you have a bad dream?" Derek asked her, leaning against the doorway as he brushed his teeth.
"No."
Meredith and Derek looked at each other, as Derek raised his eyebrow to her indicating that their daughter was in a mood. Meredith got out of bed and went to get Bailey before making a quick stop in Zola's room for a change of clothes for her.
She returned, just as Derek was finished getting dressed and handed him Zola's clothes and she changed their son. She noticed their daughter didn't put up a fight to get dressed but she acted like she was still sleeping.
"Okay Zo, time to get up and have breakfast, okay?" Derek told her, they watched as she grumblingly got out of bed and headed downstairs. "What is up with her?" He said out loud.
"She probably didn't sleep well." Mer told him, as she finished changing Bailey.
"Considering she how she woke up, you'd think she'd be in a better mood." He said jokingly.
"Like you've never woken up in a bad mood." She countered back, handing in Bailey as she walked to their closet. "Go get breakfast started, I'll be down in a minute."
"The women in this house." Derek whispered to Bailey, kissing him as he left the room.
"I heard that!" Meredith called out to him.
Fortunately, Zola's mood improved over breakfast and she was happy as could be all the way to the hospital, ran to daycare and couldn't wait to tell them all about her day once they picked her up. She was talkative over dinner and was playful during her bath.
Everything seemed to be normal, even bedtime, where she didn't put up a fight.
As Derek got Bailey ready for bed, Meredith checked on Zola one last time before closing her door.
"What are the chances your sister sleeps in her own bed tonight?" Derek asked Bailey, his son responding by yawning. "Not much huh?"
Derek put kissed Bailey before putting him in his crib and walked out of his room, closing the door as he went into his and Meredith's room.
"Well, she's asleep." Meredith announced as she walked into their room.
"Hopefully she stays that way in her bed." Her told, changing into pajamas.
"I'm sure she will, and even if she doesn't it's not a big deal." Meredith said.
"Okay, fine you're right but still, she needs to learn to sleep in her own bed." Derek said, crawling under the covers as Meredith did the same as they settled in for the night.
It didn't take long for the patter of tiny feet walking and the opening of their door to pause them.
"Zo, honey, what are you doing out of bed?" Meredith asked her daughter who walked up to their bed and pulled herself up and under the covers.
"I wanna sleep here." She said to her parents.
"Why?" Derek asked her.
"Because."
Meredith and Derek looked at each other, not knowing how to respond to that.
"You know you need to sleep in your own bed though." Meredith told her.
"I know." Zola answered.
"Hey Zo, what if I came and laid down with you in your bed until you feel asleep, would that help?" Derek asked her, lost for thought on what they could do.
"I guess." She answered, climbing over Meredith and jumping down to the floor as Derek followed her.
Early in the morning, Meredith reached across the bed, expecting to feel Derek beside her only to feel the body of her daughter beside her, the space on the other side where Derek would be empty. She quietly got out of bed, and walked to Zola's room to see her husband asleep on a twin size bed, a colourful pillow wrapped around his arms and a teddy bear beside him.
She laughed to herself as she walked over to him, sat on Zola's bed and stroked his hair.
"Derek."
"Mmmm." He responded, pushing his face into the pillow he was clutching.
"Derek, you need to get up." She said firmly.
Derek woke up and realized just where he was.
"Why am I in Zola's bed?" He asked in confusion.
"From the looks of it, your daughter abandoned you and you didn't notice." She told him giggling.
"Ugh." He said, rubbing his hands over his face in an attempt to wake up further. "She slept in our bed, didn't she?" He asked her, knowing the answer.
"Go and take a look for yourself." Meredith said as they got up and walked to their room, where Derek saw his little girl fast asleep on his side of the bed.
"This is ridiculous." Derek said, running his hands through his hair.
"What? The fact that left you asleep in her bed and stole your side of the bed." Meredith responded sarcastically.
"No, that she keeps coming to our bed to sleep." He told her, walked to their bed and sitting down watching Zola sleep. "Why does she keep doing it?" He said out loud, as he stroked the back of her head.
It didn't take long for Zola to wake up.
"Morning Zozo." Meredith said to her daughter. "You know you left daddy all alone in your bed last night?"
"Yeah." Zola told her mom in a small voice.
"Do you want to tell us why you don't want to sleep in your bed?" Derek asked her softly.
"I don't know."
"You don't know." Derek asked her in confusion.
"I just like sleeping here."
"But you know you need to be sleeping in your big girl bed right?" Meredith asked her.
"I know." She replied.
"Okay." Meredith told her looking at Derek, "Why don't you go to your room and I'll be there in a minute to help you get dressed."
Zola didn't reply, as she crawled to the end of the bed and lowered herself before walking out of the room.
"She wants comfort." Meredith told her husband, "And you have to admit, she is a good cuddler." Saying with a smile.
"Yeah, she is." Derek replied with a smile. "Go help Zola get ready, I'll get Bailey and start breakfast."
The day went fast and night came quick, and they hoped that their daughter would sleep in her own bed.
Meredith finished tucking her in and reading some stories before the little girl fell asleep.
"Did she put up any fight?" Derek asked his wife as she walked into their room.
"None, she was tired. Fell asleep in a few minutes." She replied, climbing into bed beside him. "Bailey go down okay?" Meredith asked him, her eyes closed.
"Yeah, I think he was just as tired as Zo." Derek replied closing his eyes and draping his arms across Meredith's stomach and they themselves fell asleep.
When they woke up in the morning, the first thing they noticed was how close they were. Their legs entwined and Derek had his arm over Meredith; his face buried in her hair.
The alarm went off, Derek reached over to shut it off and went back to Meredith. Neither moved for a moment.
"We have to get up." Meredith said to him into her pillow.
"Have to get Zo and B ready." Derek replied into her hair.
"Have to save lives."
They stayed in bed for a minute longer before finally getting out of bed.
"Did you notice?" Meredith asked her husband.
"That she stayed in her bed all night long?" He replied, "I did."
They got dressed before Mer went to Bailey and Derek went to Zola's room.
"Hey Zo." Derek said sitting on his daughter's bed, "It's time to wake up."
Zola stirred and rubbed her eyes before waking up.
"Did you sleep okay?"
"Yeah."
"Daddy?"
"Yes Zozo?"
"Can I wear my sparkly shoes today?"
"Of course." Derek told her with a laugh as he helped her get dressed.
They went downstairs hand in hand with Derek holding her shoes.
"Hey, what's daddy got Zola?" Mer asked her daughter as Derek helped her get in her chair.
"She asked me if she could wear her sparkly shoes today and I said it was okay." Derek replied, giving his wife a look of 'she slept in her bed, she can have anything she wants'.
"Well that was very nice of you to ask." Meredith told her daughter.
Not only did Zola sleep in her bed that night, but also every night and neither Meredith nor Derek questioned what changed their daughters mind.
A/N: For the sake of this story, pretend that Meredith didn't notice that Zola slept in her bed all night and Derek didn't.