A/N- I know I promised this would be a quick update, but I got tied up with family stuff so I put the story to one side. This chapter is a little long, but it encompasses their arrival and Christmas Eve. Christmas day will follow soon. How soon I'm not sure. Thank you for all of your kind words, they mean a whole lot to me. I hope those of you that celebrate had a wonderful Christmas!
"Mom?" Derek called as he opened the door to his childhood home. "We're here." Carolyn came running from the sitting room and pulled the pair of them into her arms.
"Oh sweethearts, I'm so glad you're finally here. How are you? How was the flight? You must be exhausted, come and sit down." She gushed, thrilled to finally have her son back at home.
"Let me grab just the bags, mom and then I'll join you." He gave Meredith a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to the car.
The older woman led Meredith into the sitting room, where a large decorated tree took up much of one corner. Her eyes widened at the sight, walking towards it to admire the many beautiful ornaments that hung from its branches.
"It's beautiful," she gasped in awe. "Do you decorate it yourself?"
"For the most part." Carolyn smiled. "My grandchildren often bring me things they've made and we add those on, and the girls add the ornaments that they made as children. I have Derek's ready and waiting to go on later. He always insists on doing it. One year Nancy hung one of his ornaments by mistake, and I have never heard such a hullaballoo." Meredith grinned at the idea of a much younger Derek reaching for the higher branches to hang his handmade ornaments. All the photos she'd seen suggested he didn't really have much of a growth spurt until he hit junior high. Looking closer at the ornaments, there were few traditional ones, the decorations more a celebration of the work of each of her children and grandchildren. And as beautiful as Izzie's tree had been the last two years, this one was utterly perfect.
"They made things?" Meredith furrowed her brow, unable to remember ever making something worthy of a Christmas tree, let alone hanging it on a fir as beautiful as this one.
"Of course." Carolyn remarked. "I have everything they ever brought home. This," she pulled out a small pinecone with a few specks of glitter and a lot of dried glue. "Was Kathleen's first project at pre-school. She was so proud when her father gave it pride of place on the tree. We simply added them as the kids brought them home. Did you not make ornaments at school?"
"Maybe, but I don't remember ever having a tree. There was one at the nurses' station where mom worked. I think one was hung there for a day or two. I used to leave them at school, I wasn't particularly arty, and so they were nothing special. I never really thought about what everyone did with them when they got home. Ellis used to tell me that staring at a dead tree waiting for an obese man to break into the house and raid the liquor cabinet in exchange for a parcel was unbecoming for a young lady, so I didn't really have much belief in Santa after about five or six." Carolyn gave her a warm smile before putting an arm around her.
"That'll all change now." Carolyn promised. "You're a shepherd now, and if we do one thing well, it's Christmas. Can I get you a drink dear, you've been travelling a long while?"
"Water's fine, thank you." Meredith smiled, perching on the edge of the sofa when her future mother in law left the room. She heard the front door open and close, before Derek entered the room followed by Carolyn.
"Where are the girls?" Derek asked, finding it unusual that his sisters weren't in the house bossing each other around.
"They're all at home, i thought it might be nice for you to be able to settle in before they overwhelm you tomorrow. You've been hiding this beautiful girl all the way back in Seattle, they can't wait to finally meet her." Carolyn passed them both a glass before settling down in her armchair.
"Mom, I love Meredith, forgive me for not wanting to scare her off. Anyway where are my ornaments?" Carolyn rolled her eyes causing Meredith to laugh.
"In a box under the tree. They would never have scared her off. They love you, they just want you to be happy. They've all seen the change in you, they know how much Meredith changed you for the better. If anything they'll be thanking her." Meredith smiled at how comfortable Derek was back at home in the place he grew up, still vying for his mother's undivided attention even at nearly forty. Derek pulled a worn box from beneath the tree and grinned at its contents. Meredith jumped up to join him sitting down beside the twinkling evergreen glancing into the box. Her hands reached for a tiny angel with just one wing, holding it up so she could see it better.
"What's this?" She questioned stroking its tiny lace dress and straightening the wire halo.
"Er, fifth grade. I wanted to make superman, but instead my teacher made me make an angel. Still haven't forgiven Amy for pulling off her other wing."
"Derek, you know Amy had nothing to do with it. Now hurry up and hang them up, I promised Meredith when she was poorly that I'd get the photo albums out for her to see." Meredith laughed as Derek audibly groaned, reaching into the box to pull out various items that had featured on the Shepherd tree for decades.
Meredith looked at the beautiful ornaments, utterly jealous of her fiancé for having ornaments of his own. Meredith didn't own a single decoration or tree ornament. Carolyn saw her expression as she stroked the glittery blue star in her hand, and opened a draw and pulled out some felt and a needle and thread. "Here you go Meredith. It may be twenty years too late, but you should have something to hang too. I'll make us some dinner while you work. Make sure to keep him in line sweetheart."
"But I can't sew," She protested looking at Derek for support.
"Honey, you're a surgeon, you can suture it. Derek, no moving ornaments!" She scolded before leaving them alone.
"What do I make?" She asked her fiancé as he placed a reindeer in amongst the needles. He looked at her and tilted his head.
"Well, what means Christmas for you? Make something that symbolises what you love about the holidays." Meredith frowned before reaching for her supplies. Only one thing meant Christmas to her as a kid so she got to work cutting the felt into the vague shape of what she wanted to make.
Derek hung his last ornament, and glanced at his fiancée, who was suturing two tan pieces of felt together with surgical precision. "I'm going to help mom," he said kissing her cheek softly. She nodded, concentrating on her work. "The rest of the supplies are in the drawer if you need them." He smiled as he walked into the kitchen, thrilled that Meredith finally got to be a part of a family tradition.
Eventually, Meredith finished her craft, holding it by the ribbon she had attached so that she could admire it. She could hear Derek and his mother, by the sounds of it discussing his nieces and nephews, so she followed the sound until she reached the kitchen.
"Hello sweetheart," Carolyn greeted her, glancing at Meredith's hand. "Ooh let me see." Meredith passed her the felt representation of a gingerbread man.
"One of the nurses usually let me have one on Christmas day, I know it's silly but it's all I could think of."
"It's perfect." Carolyn assured her. "Derek watch that pan while we hang it up." Meredith felt like a child when Carolyn hung her gingerbread figure on the tree next to one of Derek's early creations, but a part of her was thrilled to be included in a tradition. She stared at it on the tree, blinking back a tear at how natural it looked, almost as though it belonged there. She knew that she and Derek weren't married yet, or exactly when they would be, but in that second, she knew for certain. She was most definitely a Shepherd. Carolyn squeezed her hand, looking deep into her eyes. She couldn't take Meredith's pain away, no one could, but she could try her hardest to be the mother Meredith needed now, for the big things that would come her way in the next few years, to making sure she had ornaments to hang and presents to unwrap. Her son may not have chosen right first time around, but Meredith really was his missing piece.
Dinner was as Meredith had predicted delicious. She didn't think she could ever tire of the dishes that Carolyn whipped up. Meredith was yawning soon after, despite her nap on the plane, and she gave up trying to follow the conversations between Derek and his mother, slipping in the occasional word when she felt it necessary.
"I found your skates by the way sweetheart, so you don't have to worry about renting them." Carolyn smiled, and Derek looked equally pleased.
"Skates?" Meredith asked, having not donned any kind of skates since she was in college.
"Oh yes, did Derek not tell you, we go ice skating on Christmas eve, and then we all go take the kids to see Santa. Kathleen said if we don't mind the extra travel then she'll put on a spread. The girls don't seem to mind, but if you'd rather it were here."
"No it's fine, I don't have any skates though."
"We have a cupboard full of them, the girls grew out of them so quickly, I'm sure there's a pair that will fit, I have to find one of Lizzie's a pair, her others don't fit, we can see what there is for you too."
After an extensive search for Derek's niece's size, Carolyn began to pull out various pairs of skates that might fit Meredith. A bright purple pair that wouldn't be out of place in an eighties movie were a perfect fit much to Derek's delight, particularly as they still had leg warmers tucked inside, Nancy's way of hiding them from her sisters. He laughed as she took a few wobbly steps in the hall to make sure they were comfy. He grabbed her hand and went to kiss her lips. But Meredith turned her head so he got her cheek instead, making him pout as he pulled away.
"You laughed at me." She frowned playfully.
"Only because I love you, and you look like a baby deer in those skates." Meredith raised her eyebrows unimpressed at the comparison. "A really beautiful baby deer that I love a lot and can't wait to marry and live happily ever after with." Meredith laughed and let him kiss her that time, using his shoulders for support as she took the skates off. "I kind of like the fact you aren't too confident on the skates, it means I'll have to spend the day like this." He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Hmm, we'll see about that." Meredith said, a secret smiling playing across her lips.
Meredith began to yawn as she sipped her hot chocolate, another shepherd tradition, the cinnamon infused drink warming her and making her sleepy. Carolyn soon ushered the pair to bed, Derek picking up the bags and taking them to his old room, complete with Marvel sheets. Meredith bit her lip to avoid a giggle as Derek sighed at his mother's choice of sheets, especially when it was Meredith's first visit to his room.
"Don't say a thing." Derek warned. "There are a dozen sets of sheets but I always end up with these. I've never had a girl in my room so it never really mattered I guess."
"Never?" Meredith questioned him. "So your bedroom is a virgin?"
"I guess so." He chuckled, trying to get a read on her expression.
"Well maybe Santa will change that for you." She said seductively before frowning. "Wait, that didn't come out how I meant it to. If you play your cards right, I might help you get rid of that label, and I might have some festive lingerie that you can see before we do that." She straddled his lap on the bed, stroking his chest and hair smiling at his growing erection before jumping off. "But not tonight, I need to be at my best for the morning. All those shepherds to keep track of." She wiggled her butt as she walked into his bathroom. All of a sudden Derek couldn't wait for tomorrow to be over.
Derek let Meredith sleep in the next day. It wasn't particularly early when he woke, but she'd worked so hard in the last two weeks that she deserved the rest.
"Morning sweetheart," His mother greeted him. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, definitely don't miss the early alarm. I'll give Meredith a little longer. She's been so busy since she went back, I've barely seen her. She is so convinced that if she doesn't make up the hours that the others will think she's weak. With the extra shifts she's picked up, she's barely a couple of weeks behind the others. I'm hoping she'll slow down when we go back, but until she's clocked as many hours in the OR as she would have done, I don't know if she will." Carolyn smiled and shook her head knowingly. "What?" Derek said frowning.
"You are besotted. Moaning about how she's at work instead of spending every waking moment with you. You were just as bad when you were a resident, you and Addison barely saw each other, but that never bothered you. But you miss Meredith. You're practically pining for her and she's only upstairs."
"He does that." Meredith agreed as she walked into the kitchen, looking refreshed and ready for the day.
"I was letting you sleep." Derek said, a slightly concerned expression crossing his face.
"You left, I can't sleep without you warming me up. I slept for ages yesterday anyway." She kissed him hard, rubbing her nose against his before sitting down next to him.
"You're as bad as each other." Carolyn said passing them both a mug of coffee and a plate of French toast. "Your father was the same way. Shepherd men Meredith, they need a good woman to pine for. Am I glad he found you?" Meredith snuggled against Derek, taking a forkful of his breakfast before it reached his mouth.
"Needs more syrup." She joked, knowing he barely added any, ever the health nut.
The sound of tyres on the gravel made the three of them look up, Carolyn glancing out of the window to see who'd come to join them.
"Nancy." She confirmed, going to answer the door. A cacophony of voices and excited squeals of Santa were heard before people began running into the house, a lot of people. A tiny girls with long raven coloured curls bounded into the room and straight into Meredith's lap, snuggling into her chest, a worn rabbit toy in her hand.
"Hi," she said sweetly, looking up at Derek in confusion. Nancy's youngest child was six already.
"Madison Felicia Shepherd-Donoghue, what on earth do you think you're doing?" Came a stern female voice that Meredith could only assume was Kathleen. She hadn't heard another car, but it was hard to hear anything over the noise of the small crowd of very excited children that were heading inside. The pair looked up as a tall slim woman with shoulder length dark hair and bright blue eyes came walking into the room before stopping in the doorway, her jaw dropping. "Did she just come to you?" She asked Meredith.
"Yeah," Meredith said quietly, "Should I not have let her?"
"Oh God, no, it's fine, it's just… she never goes to anyone, not even Derek. You didn't even ask her?"
"No, she just jumped up and snuggled down." Meredith smiled, and Kathleen shook her head.
"Strange child. I'm Kathleen by the way, I probably should've mentioned that sooner."
"Its fine," Meredith assured her. "I'm Meredith, though that might have been obvious. It's great to finally meet you."
"Oh likewise, you're right for once Derek, she's gorgeous, and well, your niece certainly likes her!" Carolyn walked back into the room, several children following her.
"Did you find her Kate?" She asked her daughter before looking to the sofa. "Oh!"
"Madison has a new friend." Derek joked. Meredith didn't hear, she was too busy talking quietly with the two year old in her lap. Chatting animatedly about the rabbit clutched in her hand and gently removing the little girl's coat. Kathleen raised an eyebrow and nodded at Carolyn. Derek spotted the gesture and frowned at them. He knew what they were like, particularly when it came to babies and he didn't want anyone to pressure her into kids before she was ready. He had to admit though, seeing Meredith with his niece choked him up a little. She was so gentle and warm, almost as if she'd spent her life around little ones. The noise in the hall quickly came into the sitting room as all eleven kids came and found places to sit as well as Nancy, Kathleen and their partners Ryan and Warren.
"So how's residency treating you Meredith?" Nancy asked her, almost as if her intern year hadn't been embarrassingly awful. "I found it gruelling at times. I mean it beats being an intern, but I could never go back to those hours." She pulled a face and Meredith giggled slightly, Madison mirroring the sound.
"It's tough, I'll admit, but I love it, IV pole wielding patients aside." There was a collective chuckle amongst the adults, glad that she could joke about it.
"You're okay though, right?" A shot of concern passed across Nancy's face. It appeared Derek was right, she did understand that this was for the long haul.
"Oh, I'm great. Mark was great, really thorough. I have to be careful obviously but there's no lasting damage"
"That's because I'm the best." Boomed a familiar voice.
"Marky," the Shepherd women chorused, running to hug him as he walked into the room, raising his eyebrows at Meredith.
"Madison? The kid will not come near me, yet she's cuddled in your lap. God, Grey, way to show the rest of us up." Meredith rested her chin on the child's head and grinned.
"Meredith's never leaving." Kathleen informed him. "I need her here, looking after my baby." Derek sat on the arm of the sofa next to Meredith and pulled her close.
"No way, she's mine. She belongs in Seattle with the love of her life."
"Derek, I don't think Kate will let us bring her home with us." She looked at Derek's expression. "Oh you meant you. Okay then." He pouted at her and she kissed him softly, stopping only when a tiny hand pushed Derek's face away.
"No PDAs in front of the baby." Kathleen scolded, a smile plastered on her face at her daughter's action. "Now where the hell are Liz and Amy? I want to see the shepherd/Sloan grudge match speed skate. You're coming right?" She addressed Meredith.
"Definitely, I'm not gonna miss watching him fall on his butt in front of everyone."
Within the hour, all four Shepherd sisters had arrived, making their various introductions before being ushered out to the cars and towards the ice skating rink. Carolyn had joined Derek and Meredith after Madison had reluctantly been plucked from her future aunt's arms.
The family rented the rink privately every year, just for two hours, but with so many of them it was just easier. Once they were all skated up, even the tiny ones, they began to trickle onto the ice, finding their feet after a year. Derek pulled Meredith to her feet, holding her hand as they reached the ice. She took a few wobbly strides while she got used to things, Derek holding her waist the whole time.
"Just say when, and you can try on your own." Derek said whilst his oldest niece lapped them for the second time.
"When," Meredith said and he let go of her, arms ready to catch her if she fell. She took a few slow strides before speeding to the middle of the ice and proceeding to spin around a few times much to the delight of many of Derek's nieces and nephews. She grabbed the hands of two of the smaller ones, helping them glide around the rink, grins on their faces. Derek stared open mouthed, as she practically danced over the ice with the same grace and poise that she used in the OR. Mark stood at his side, an equally impressed expression on his face as he tried to figure out how no one had realised that Meredith's private school education had included ice skating.
"Teach us Aunt Meredith!" Chorused Riley, Erin and Taylor, Lizzie, Nancy and Kathleen watching as Meredith took each girl and slowly spun them on the ice, delighted squeals erupting from them as she began to speed up, dizziness clearly not affecting her. She began to skate with each child in turn, waltzing for a lap with Derek's oldest nephew, Dylan, blowing Derek a kiss as she sped past him. The final thirty minutes of their skate quickly came upon them, the sisters having left the ice to deal with the younger ones who were tired and sore from skating for so long.
"What else can you do Aunt Meredith?" Nancy's second oldest daughter Amber asked of her, the other kids looking at her expectantly at the request.
"A few jumps and twirls, nothing special." Meredith said, knowing already that Derek was going to call her on the fact that she had implied she wasn't a strong skater before lapping him dozens of times.
"Show us?" Jennifer, Kathleen's eldest daughter pleaded, a shepherd grin on her face.
"Okay, stand out of the way, I don't want to hurt you." Meredith warned in such a caring way that Derek couldn't help but smile as he and the bothers in law made their way off the ice too, knowing the rest of the kids would only get in the odd lap before they had to leave. Meredith took a deep breath, taking a few strides to build speed before spinning first on two feet then gracefully lifting one leg, bending forward so that her face was close to the ice, her leg in the air. Releasing herself from the position, she continued her speedy lap around the rink before leaping into the air, landing gently before skating backwards, dancing across the ice, spinning and moving her arms as if dancing to an imaginary tune. She performed one more fast spin before slowing down and bowing as applause erupted from the shepherds, her hands reaching her face as she felt her cheeks go red. She looked at Derek, who was standing next to his mother, enormous grins on both of their faces. The kids ran up to her as she headed towards the edge of the ice, talking at once, begging her to teach them all one day.
Derek barely saw Meredith for the rest of the day. The younger kids insisted that Meredith accompany them to see Santa instead of going to watch the show in the pop up theatre as was their original plan. After much arguing Ryan and Dylan were kicked out of Kathleen's car so that Meredith could ride with the girls much to the annoyance of Lizzie and Nancy's children. Derek glanced in his rear-view mirror as he pulled away, seeing Meredith giggling from the front of Kathleen's car, clearly conversing with one of the little ones. In one year, three, five, it could be their children she was giggling with on the way to see Santa. After just a few hours, she was rapidly becoming everyone's favourite aunt, and there wasn't a doubt anywhere in his mind that she wouldn't be a truly amazing mother.
Whilst they were at Kathleen's for lunch, she was pulled from room to room as each child requested the 'ice princess' in their various games, Meredith's giggle echoing the entire time. She stifled the odd yawn, but her smile never left her face. Santa had been exhausting. With one child the wait was tiresome, but with fifteen was even more difficult. Meredith had Madison attached to her hip as she peeked at the grotto with a frown still a little young to understand that a stranger appearing in your house when everyone is asleep was actually a good thing on this one day. She had clung to Meredith for the whole afternoon, only being prized away for a diaper change and a long awaited nap. The family parted ways as the sun began to set, and Derek had driven his two favourite women back towards home, his sisters following the car, stopping off to get take-out from the seasonal vendors that littered the streets offering the most delicious holiday recipes. Each time that Derek looked for Meredith she was deep in discussion with one of his sisters, the smile never leaving her face. He'd managed to catch up with everyone, and Meredith was clearly a hit, not even needing to hold his hand. As much as he longed to be with her, he was grateful at last for the fact that she was fitting in even without his help, exactly as if she was supposed to be there all along.
"They like her." Carolyn commented, seeing the lovesick expression on his face as Meredith and Nancy squealed with laughter at Amy's story.
"They like her even more than me." He joked, making his mother laugh.
"That's not true, there's only one of you, and you brought her to them, so they aren't likely to forget about you. They've missed you. We all have, but meeting Meredith today, everyone can see that Seattle was the best thing that ever happened to you. She fits in so well, you should be proud. It's no mean feat getting on with all of you. Even the little ones know she's special. Madison's certainly got herself a friend for life. Derek laughed as Ryan headed for Meredith, Madison's arms reaching for her, planting a slobbery kiss on Meredith's nose as she accepted the little girl. There was a look of pure love on Meredith's face. Already an aunt, even if it wasn't official yet. Time ran away with them all, and bedtime loomed for most of the children, reluctantly being pulled away from the crowd, each one giving Meredith a hug or a kiss as they left, the sisters and their husbands doing much the same, leaving just the three of them. Mark had been offered a room at Amy's for the short time he was staying in New York, following the youngest Shepherd to her car. She'd been called into an emergency surgery the night before, and having had very little sleep, she was being held up only by her husband. He planted a kiss on both Carolyn and Meredith's cheeks settling on a "man hug" with Derek and the promise to see them for lunch the next day. Meredith grabbed a hold of Derek's hand leaning against him as they walked down the lit up street towards the car. Carolyn watched, happy that her children were once again within driving distance of each other, and for the first time in a long time, they all seemed happy.
"C'mon," She insisted, trying to hurry them along. "Let's get you kids home."
In keeping with Christmas tradition, all of the gifts were placed under the tree ready for the next morning, each recipient being allowed to open just one. Carolyn went first, Meredith passing her a small gift bag containing a gift bag with a scarf inside that Meredith had insisted on buying when she saw it a few weeks beforehand.
"Its beautiful sweethearts, thank you." The old lady grinned, her eyes widening at the name of the store on the label, wrapping it around her neck gently.
"See?" Meredith said firmly, nodding her head between Derek and the scarf. "I told you, Mcdreamy blue." Carolyn's brow furrowed at the term. Raising one eyebrow at her son.
"Meredith insisted that we buy that scarf and not the green one I picked. She said it matched or whatever."
"It's the exact shade of Derek's and your eyes. My friend Izzie calls it Mcdreamy blue." Carolyn stood up in front of the mirror to see for herself.
"Well I never, I know who I should take shopping next time I need something special." She plucked a package from under the tree for her son. "Now this is only small, but I saw your office when I was last there and I thought this might be a nice addition." Derek tore of the paper and grinned widely at the contents. A small wooden frame with a candid shot of him and Meredith at dusk the weekend his mother had visited.
"Its perfect mom," he smiled kissing her cheek. "Definitely pride of place on my desk, next to our engagement picture. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome dear. I take it you're choosing for Meredith?"
"Of course. Now promise you won't laugh, but I saw this today when I was watching the show and I thought it would be a really good addition to your collection." Meredith accepted the bag he handed her, reaching in and pulling out a soft bear with 'New York' embroidered on its jumper. She gasped slightly, trying not to shed a tear. "And this is not the last one. I promise Meredith, everywhere we go, we'll get another one. Seattle and Boston were proof that your mother did love you, even if she couldn't say it, and these, will be a reminder that no matter where we are in the world, however far from her, that that fact will never change, and they'll be there to remind you that I will always love you no matter what life throws at us." Even Carolyn couldn't hide her tears at her son's words. Meredith nodded, knowing that she couldn't speak even if she wanted to.
"Thank you," She choked out, falling into his arms, one arm clutching the bear, the other gripping his sweater. Carolyn embrace the two, making sure to plant a kiss to Meredith's forehead.
"Time for bed I think." She said as she pulled away. "It's been a long day. I'm off to mass, but I'll see the two of you in the morning. I love you sweethearts, sleep well."
The pair did as they were told, Meredith's sobs becoming just sniffles as she got ready for bed. She slipped in beside him, clutching her newest bear just as she had as a tiny little thing when Seattle had been pressed into her sleepy embrace.
"It's been wonderful today Derek." She whispered after a few moments. "Your family is amazing. And you were right, Christmas is incredible when there are little ones around. Thank you."
"Anything for you." He said kissing her softly. "Worth the wait?"
"Definitely worth every crappy childhood Christmas with overcooked turkey and tacky decorations. If someone would have told me when I graduated high school that eleven years later, I'd be engaged and not downing tequila on Christmas Eve with a cheque from Ellis for company I never would have believed them. You Derek, you saved me." Derek didn't know what to say, he hated that her childhood memories of Christmas contained occasional gingerbread men and cafeteria meals. He was so glad that she was here, and that she was happy. If he couldn't take away her pain then this was what he wanted. A happy fiancée and a very happy future to look forward to. He knew she wasn't asleep, because she wasn't snoring, but she was settled in his arms as they spooned quietly listening to the creaking of the trees that Derek had grown up with.
"So you can skate?" Derek questioned as she shifted her position in his arms, turning to face him.
"Yeah, I can skate." She said, not meeting his gaze until he tilted her chin. "I learnt as a kid, all the girls from the boarding school went, you don't forget it I guess. I skated on a team in college for a bit but Seattle isn't where I'd ideally go skating."
"You can pirouette on a sheet of ice. How did I not know that?"
"You never took me skating before. Your family loved it, stop worrying."
"I'm not worrying, I'm just still totally amazed by every single thing about you. My nieces can't wait to get you out on the ice again." Meredith looked up at him, his cheeks a little red from the warm house, his eyes sparkling in wonder at her. He loved her so much more than anyone ever had, and she couldn't believe her own luck at not only having found him, but knowing she got to spend the rest of her life with him.
"Sounds wonderful." She assured him, snuggling into his side. She looked around the room again before opening her mouth to speak again. "If Christmas Eve is this great, what's tomorrow gonna be like?"
"Meredith, I've already told you. Tomorrow is going to be perfect. Even more so than today. You know why?"
"No," she said, wondering if she'd missed out on yet another really obvious Christmas tradition.
"Because I remember you promising me a certain Santa outfit last night, and it wouldn't be Christmas if Santa weren't coming at midnight." He winked at her and she groaned at the awful pun before pulling her suitcase from under the bed and retrieving a tiny pink bag. If it were possible, Christmas just might be about to get even better.
A/N- Christmas day will be up soon. As ever let me know your thoughts! Happy Holidays