Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. I do not make any profits from it.
It was date night.
Well, it wasn't the kind of date night most couples have. Most couples don't really schedule Skype talks with their friends and call it date night. Most husbands won't call their "wives video-calling with their best friend who lives overseas" a date. Date nights are usually between a couple. But for the Shepherd family date nights were Skype with Aunt Cristina and the kids.
Zola walked down the stairs and peeked at her parents preparing dinner. The iPad was stationed at the side of the island and her aunt Cristina was talking about another one of her surgeries. Her brother Bailey was playing video games in the living room and her younger sister Lexie was sprawled on the sofa, her face buried in a book.
If ever there was a time where her parents would be in a good mood, this was it.
She took a breath and entered the kitchen.
"Mom, Dad?"
Derek glanced away from the dishes. "Yes, sweetie?"
Just say it. Just say it. Aunt Callie said to just spit it out, she repeated the thought over and over again in her head. She hopped onto one of the stools in the kitchen and said, "So, you know that I rank top of my class. I have never drank alcohol in my life except that one time Aunt Cristina made me drink red wine! ("Hey! You loved it!") Not one misdemeanor on my academic record, I've never broken a house rule-"
Her parents shared a chuckle.
"You're listing your good deeds," Derek pointed out.
"Yes, because I want you to know that I'm the best daughter any parent could ever have-"
"Hey!" piped Lexie from the living room.
"Don't worry, Lexie Junior! You're the best niece I could ever have!" came Cristina's voice from the iPad.
Zola ignored both of them. "And I never ask you guys for anything selfish-"
Meredith put a hand over her daughter's. "What do you need, sweetheart?"
Bailey looked up from his videogame and said, "A boy invited her to a party tomorrow night."
"Bailey!" Zola cried out, looking back to glare at the back of her brother's head. There goes taking it slow.
"What? You've been practicing your speech for three hours in the bathroom! Thought I'd help out."
Zola sighed and turned to her parents "Can I go? I won't drink alcohol. I won't take drugs or drink from unopened soda cans. I won't sleep with anybody. I won't go home with strangers."
"Then why are you going?"
"Cristina!" cried Meredith.
"What? It's a completely reasonable question! Parties are there for you to get wasted," she explained. "One time, during our intern year, your mom and I wound up stripping your Uncle George's clothes off! He sucked at strip poker."
Meredith ignored her best friend's face on the screen. "I don't know sweetie. There are so many things to consider." She walked over to her husband and leaned against him.
"Yeah, like it's going to be a school night," said Derek.
"I'll be home by 10."
"We have no idea where it's going to be," Meredith added.
"At Dylan's place. His parents are going to be there."
"And we don't know this Dylan boy," Derek said in a matter of fact way.
Meredith turned to give her best friend a look. They both knew Zola was probably going to marry at 60 seeing as Derek's too protective to leave her alone with a boy. You know what, she's not even going to reach marriage because nobody's going to want to marry a girl whose father hovers every 5 minutes with a scalpel in hand. Honestly, Derek was wrapped around Zola's finger.
"He has blue eyes, this dreamy smile and he's smart too!"
"I think what she's trying to say is that he's cute," said Cristina, giving Zola a grin she reserved only for her goddaughter.
"He is," said Bailey to himself.
They all turned to give him a weird look.
Suddenly aware of the silence, he put his game on pause and looked back at his family. "What? I can't acknowledge a man's good looks? He's a pretty boy! She's a pretty girl! They'd make a pretty good couple."
"You know sometimes, I wonder if he's your child or Alex's," said Cristina to Derek who grinned at the joke.
"Dad, please!" His daugher sent him a pleading look, the one he couldn't refuse.
Meredith shared another knowing look with Cristina knowing Zola was going to get her father to agree to let her go without him even realizing it.
"Aw come on, Derek!" came Cristina's voice. "She's never gonna learn that boys are icky until she spends time with a boy. Alone."
"Thank you, Aunt Cristina!" cried Zola.
"I don't know what the deal is with boys! They sweat a lot and don't put up the toilet seat. Am I weird for not liking them? Why don't I like them?" asked Lexie, putting the book down and joining her parents and sister in the kitchen.
"That's because your father can only handle one hormonal daughter at a time," said Derek, brushing a stray hair away from his daughter's face. "I'm just glad you think school is cool and that boys are distractions."
"That's because you're secretly my child. I just gave you to Meredith so you wouldn't outshine me." Cristina winked at Lexie, making them all laugh.
Zola sighed, "Can we go back to me now? Can I go? Please?"
Derek turned to his wife, hoping she'd back him up in not allowing their daughter to go on a date. But once he saw her, he knew he was a goner. Meredith was giving him her own pleading look and he never could refuse his girls. He walked up to his eldest daughter, arms folded across his chest. "How will you get there? He's not gonna pick you up, is he?"
"Well... I actually wanted you to drive me, daddy."
"She called him daddy! Reel him in Zola!" Cristina cried, laughing with Meredith.
Derek's eyes glistened with tears. Zola hasn't called him Daddy ever since she entered middle school. "Of course I will, sweetie!"
"Yay!" Zola cried out, hugging him.
The two best friends both gave Derek a knowing look.
"She got you hooked again," Cristina explained, "with her big-daddy-eyes."
His eyebrows furrowed. "What? I did not-"
"You agreed to drive her to the party which is a yes to her going to the party," Lexie explained, patting her father in the arm. "There, there, daddy."
He was still for a moment, not believing his daughter had tricked him into agreeing. This usually never happens, although his wife says it happens quite a lot and he just doesn't notice it. He turned to Zola, "Hey, why don't I stay with you at the party and get to know Dylan's parents?"
Meredith's eyes widened in alarm. What was worse than having a hovering Derek was a hovering Derek out in public. Zola would be a spinster for sure! "Oh, no! No, no, no, no!"
"What? Meredith it's fine!"
"No it's not! Our daughter is not going to be the loser who brings her daddy on her first date! No! You drop her off and then you leave."
"But what if she needs-"
"She can call."
"What if I stay in the car-"
"Derek!"
"If dad's staying in the car to watch kids get drunk, can I come?" asked Bailey.
"No. You have school tomorrow!"
Cristina's laughter echoed in the kitchen. "Hey, Zo! Zozo! Skype me while the thing's going on. I wanna hear all about it."
"Cristina!"
"What? She can just stash me in her bag!"
"Nobody is stashing anybody in bags or watching kids party like a weirdo!" said Meredith, hands akimbo.
"Can I just ask Uncle Alex to drive me?" Zola asked quietly.
"No." Meredith moved away from the counter and crouched to her girl's level. "You are going to that party. And your father is going to drive you there. And you are going to look beautiful and impress Dylan's parents! And you, I am hoping against hope, have your dad's charming ways in getting parents to love you because God knows I suck at that. ("No you don't. Ma loves you."). You will not wear a skirt. Or shorts. You will wear pants and look decent. And you will have the time of your life!"
"You know this is just a party. That Dylan invited me to. It's not a date or anything."
She pulled back and Derek relaxed a little. "Oh. Well, that's… You should've started with that."
"So, does this mean she can still get wasted?" asked Cristina, "Zozo, you totally have my blessing to drink all the tequila you want."
"Cristina!"
"What? I'm the fun aunt!"
Derek shook his head, hoping that if there was ever one thing about Cristina that would rub off on his children it would be her dedication to her job. Anything else, he hoped ran out of his kids like an open drain.
He put each of his arms over both his daughters' shoulder, holding onto them tight. "Just…grow up slow, okay? Go to all the parties you want. Meet boys. Drink responsibly. Have fun. But… just take your time. Alright?"
"Got it, dad!" they both replied in unison, amused at how their father was acting.
"Hey, how come mom's never on to me about girls?" Bailey suddenly asked.
"Oh, you just haven't talked about a girl yet. But the moment that you do, your Aunt Cristina and I are locking you in your room," replied Meredith.
"And boarding up your windows," added Cristina.
"Putting up a little cat flap for food," teased Zola with a smirk.
"What? How come Zola gets to get a guy and I don't get to have a girl?"
"Because you'll always be my baby boy, Bay," said Meredith coming over to him, putting her hands on his face and showering him with kisses. Behind them, Cristina was making kissing sounds.
"There's no way we're sharing you with any girl, Bay!" cried Zola joining her mother.
Lexie laughed and took a picture.
"For blackmail purposes when he's older," she whispered to her father causing him to laugh as he basked in the moment.
He had to admit, he and Meredith are doing some pretty good parenting. Lexie had her namesake's intelligence. Bailey had his Uncle George's awkwardness mixed with Alex's crass ways no doubt due to Uncle Alex finally rubbing off on the boy. Zola was very much the bright and shiny Meredith while Cristina was the family member that came with his relationship with Meredith.
Cristina was right. She's the fun aunt. And whether Derek likes it or not, she kept date nights alive.
Date nights always ended the same way – with dinner cold and forgotten but laughter ringing in the dream house.
A/N: I wanted to show how Meredith and Derek's kids are just like any other kids, teasing each other and annoying each other. Also, Cristina will always be a part of the Shepherd family even if she's in Switzerland. I know she and Mer have those skype sessions offscreen on the show. Tell me what you think!