Christmas in NYC was always magical, and as Derek and Meredith stepped off the train at Grand Central Station she could almost smell the tree at Rockefeller Center. Snowflakes dotted the air as she breathed in the sharp, cold air. Their hotel was close by, luckily, and they climbed into a cab rather than drag their things several blocks. It was morning still and they had an appointment with a real estate agent later that day. Meredith was excited; it was their first step towards breaking free of their familial homes, or at least in Derek's case. Meredith was completely moved out of her mother's house and would only return to Boston if she absolutely had to, or if her mother requested her presence. She lived with the Shepherds now, basically.
After arriving at the hotel and checking in early, Meredith collapsed on the king-sized bed, still in her coat and boots, a huge smile on her face. Five whole days in the city, looking for their future home no less. Derek took off his coat and draped in over a chair, before turning around and smirking at her.
"Mere, you're going to have to get up from the bed sometime," he teased her, and finally she sat up, unzipping her long coat and pulling it off. She was dressed in leggings and a chunky sweater, her hair pulled on top of her head in a messy bun, her feet in Uggs. She knew she had to pull herself together for looking at apartments in a few hours but for now she was enjoying being comfortable.
"Haven't you ever just enjoyed being young and free in one of the biggest cities in the world?" She pondered, before getting up and moving to the window of their room, which overlooked Central Park. Snow was still falling and she smiled happily; it wasn't that they didn't see enough snow in New Haven, it was more like they didn't get enough time to enjoy it.
Turning away from the window, she pressed her hands together with a smile, before heading over to her suitcase and opening it up. She needed to find something decent and warm to wear for apartment hunting. Digging through her things she pulled out her favorite pair of jeans and a decent sweater, changing out of her comfy clothes and slipping back into her Uggs. Looking in the mirror, she pulled her hair out of it's mess of a bun, running a brush through it and making a face, before looking at Derek.
"Well. I can blame this on the snow" she smirked, braiding a small portion of the front and pinning it behind her left ear so it looked more presentable. Derek had meanwhile picked up her phone and was looking through her email, trying to find the one with links to the apartments they were going to look at and what time they were meeting the agent downstairs.
"Meredith," he said, his brow furrowed. She looked up from the mirror where she was carefully applying makeup.
"Hmm? Is something wrong?" she asked, not wanting to smear eyeliner across her face.
"All of the apartments are to buy, not rent. And they're millions of dollars. We're 19, we can't afford this," he said, tossing her phone on the bed and looking at her. She sighed and set down her makeup, turning to face him.
"Yes we can," she said in a small voice, looking down at her lap before looking up at him, making a face.
"My mother might be the wicked witch of the west but…she's a very generous wicked witch of the west," she attempted to explain, slumping her shoulders. She knew this wasn't a bad thing in the least but she always hated skirting around the fact that her mother was tremendously wealthy and head of the entire surgical unit at a massive hospital. Derek raised an eyebrow at her, watching her twist her engagement ring around her finger.
"Well. Despite the fact that I'm a massive disappointment and a huge inconvenience and I basically wasn't supposed to be born, mother dearest still decided to place a large sum of money in a trust fund that I come into when I either marry or turn 20. Seeing as how I turn 20 in May…if we don't move in until June it's entirely possible," she said, looking up at him brightly. She was surprised to find him smirking.
"You, Mark, and Addie are all cut from the same cloth. The difference between you three and the rest of the world is that you aren't arrogant about it," he said, reaching for her hands and pulling her up, drawing her into a deep kiss.
"Just how much money are we talking?" he teased her, and she immediately blushed, reaching for her phone and typing out a number, before handing her phone to him. He looked down at the number and back at Meredith, his eyes wide.
"Jesus Christ Meredith, when were you planning on telling me that you have more than a small fortune?" he asked her and she bit her lip, crossing her arms. She shrugged slightly.
"Because it's not important to me. It's important to my mother but not to me. You've been to my house, you've met her and her never ending opulence and the way she spares no expense and showers me with money to make up for her lack of love and I decided that that sort of life wasn't for me. What's important to me are my family and friends, the money is just…there. Sure it makes things easier but it's not important," she shrugged again, looking up at him. He smiled and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead.
"I'm wondering how I got so lucky with you," he murmured into her hair, slowly letting his fingers run through the loose strands.
A few hours later, Meredith and Derek found themselves running around NYC with the real estate agent. They had looked at a few apartments and even a few townhouses, loving most of them but they needed to decide on one. After going back and forth with each other and the agent, they finally decided on one they loved. It was right on Central Park West, facing the park, with amazing views of the park and the city. It had three bedrooms and four bathrooms, and was absolutely stunning. They were the only people who were interested in it so it was theirs, and they were both pleased with themselves. Before parting ways with the realtor, she told them that within a few days she would contact Meredith and they'd have to put a down payment – Meredith assured the woman it was no problem, and as she and Derek turned the other way, Mere couldn't wipe the smile from her face.
"So we just bought our first place together!" She squealed, sneaking a kiss from him on the busy sidewalk. He was euphoric, holding her close as snow swirled around them, tugging her down the sidewalk with a smile.
"Does this make us adults now?" he laughed with a small shake of his head. She couldn't help but laugh with him; they were 19 and buying a huge, gorgeous apartment, but at the same time they were also getting married and needed a place of their own.
"Oh but look, it has enough bedrooms that we can designate one for Mark," she giggled, knowing full well he'd pout if they didn't give him a room or let him crash there when he wasn't in Greenwich with Addie. He rolled his eyes, slipping into a coffee shop with her and jumping in line.
"Should we put a sign on the door that has his name surrounded by glitter?" she smirked, tucking her gloves into the pockets of her coat as she leaned into him. He threw his head back in laughter and pulled her even closer, chasing her down for a kiss.
"I think that's my favorite suggestion yet," he grinned as she scrunched her nose up with laughter, lost in their own little world.
They had four more days in the city and they filled them to the brim, finding things to do everywhere. Meredith found a small, cozy bookstore near their new apartment that quickly became one of her new favorite places in the city, and one day when Derek snuck away to do last minute Christmas shopping, she turned and bolted towards Bloomingdales, slipping up to the bridal section. More and more, she was starting to plan things in her head, visualizing the way she wanted everything to be. She'd recently taken to carrying a notebook in her bag, jotting down notes – but she hadn't shared it with anyone yet, not even Addie or Amelia.
Walking through the department, her fingers trailed along the delicate silks and tulles with a small sigh. She still couldn't visualize the gown she wanted, but she knew she didn't want the small backyard wedding she thought she had wanted at first. She wanted it on a grander scale, with roses and a beautiful gown, probably in a church because Derek was Catholic, with a beautiful reception. Her mother would have to be there of course, and a lot of people from the hospital, and probably people her mother knew from Seattle – and Thatcher – and Meredith had to figure out who was giving her away, but slowly things were coming together and she was pleased with herself. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tore herself away from the gowns, making a mental note to make an appointment for when they were on spring break.
Make that several appointments at several bridal shops. Meredith suddenly had wedding fever.
Meeting back up with Derek, she was all smiles as she grasped his hand on the way back to the hotel. They had to grab their bags and head to the train back to Westchester and get ready for Christmas Eve tomorrow. Meredith had finished shopping for the family already, but Derek had grabbed something extra for Amelia.
"You have everything?" she asked, greeting him with a kiss as they walked hand in hand up Lexington Avenue towards their hotel.
"Yeah," he smiled, holding up the bag and she smiled, letting her head rest on his shoulder. The last five days had been busy and despite loving the city and being excited about their apartment and moving there, she wanted to go back to the Shepherds and sleep forever.
"I love you," she smiled, closing her eyes for a moment and letting the past five days soak in. Buying an apartment, starting to plan their wedding, looking at wedding gowns. All huge steps towards their future. Her hand squeezed his tightly as they reached the hotel lobby.
"I love you too," he smiled, turning her and kissing her deeply, not caring who was watching, just wanting them all to know that he loved the girl he was with.
So lots of big things happening! And Meredith has started to plan the wedding! I have some ideas for it, especially where Ellis is concerned ;) I'm trying to figure out where to introduce Maggie and Lexie though? I might have them BOTH be freshman when Meredith is a junior, which will be crazy but funny! Thoughts?