"What are you guys doing here?" Mark asked walking up to them.
"Markie!" Mama Shepherd squealed wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Hey, Mama Shepherd." He smiled hugging her. "What's going on? Did I for get Derek's birthday or something? Derek, man, I was going to say happy birthday, but…"
"Shut up, Mark." Derek said rolling his eyes.
"What can't we come visit our brothers without a reason?" Nancy asked wrapping her arms Mark.
"Yeah you can, Nancy, but… You usually don't." Mark said looking at her suspiciously as he hugged Kathleen then Marie and finally Jessica. "Derek do you want a hug too… you know so you don't feel left out."
"Shut it, Sloan." Derek snapped.
"You're loss. So…What are you doing here?"
"Well, Derek over here tells up you have news that you haven't shared with the family." Jessica stated looking at him expectantly.
"Did he?" Mark said with a fake smile plastered on his face as he looked at Derek.
"Yes he did. He didn't know that it was a secret." Derek said with the same smile plastered on his face.
"Dear God, Mark. When were you planning to tell us that you're got Meredith pregnant again and you're planning on marrying this girl." Mama Shepherd almost yelled.
Mark rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, it's not like you guys welcomed Meredith with open arms. Now, I'm at work. I have patients." He kissed Mama Shepherd's cheek. "I'll see you guys later. Dinner? Dinner would be good."
Before they could say anything, he turned and walked away.
"Markus Sloan, you better not walk away from me." Mama Shepherd yelled close on his heels with the others not far behind.
"I'm at work, Mama Shepherd. There are sick people here. You can't yell in the hallways." He commented stopping to look at her.
"Am I ever going to meet this girl and my granddaughter?" Mama Shepherds asked.
"Yes." He sighed.
"When were you going to tell us, Markie? The week before the wedding?"
"I don't know, Mama. We can't do this here. I'm sorry."
He turned to walked away. Mama Shepherd put her hands on his hip. "We're staying for Christmas, Markus."
"You're what?" He said in a low tone walking back to the group.
He loved Mama Shepherd with all his heart, but she was a very opinionated woman and wasn't afraid to show it. She never cared what people thought of her. She cared about what she thought of herself and she always said that she wouldn't respect herself if she let people do to her as they please.
"It's Christmas, Mark. Time for family."
"What about Nancy's, Kathleen's, Jessica's, and Marie's kids? They can't go without their mothers on Christmas."
"Mark, do you serious think we're that unplanned?" Jessica laughed.
"What do you mean?" Mark asked with wide eyes.
"He's no naïve." Marie laughed.
"What?"
"Well, John, Steve, Kenny, and Lance are coming here tomorrow… with the kids." Kathleen explained.
"We figured we could hold the Christmas party at your house."
"My house?!" Mark almost yelled. "You didn't think of asking me first."
"Please, Mark… And give you time to back out?" Nancy laugh.
"We know better than that." Marie laughed.
"No…" Mark said sternly. "No, no, no… NO!"
"Come on, Mark. Think about it. Derek says you get off at four. Come meet us for dinner."
Before Mark could protest they walked away. "Oh my god." He sighed.
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"My family is here." Mark said coming up behind her.
Meredith's smile fell and her laughter at something Alex had said died. "What?"
"I didn't know they were coming."
She turned to look at him. "Seriously?"
"I'm going to take care of it. Don't you and baby boy Sloan worry about it."
"How can I not worry about it?"
"I'm meeting them for dinner, now. I'm going to take care of this. I love you." He said kissing her. "And I love you." He said kissing her stomach. He looked at her shocked face and smiled lightly. "Don't worry. I can take care of this." He said kissing her again. "Okay?"
She slowly nodded. "Okay."
He sighed. "Alright… I love you and I'll see you later."
"I love you too." He walked away and Meredith slowly turned and looked at Alex. "Please kill me now."
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"You're late." Kathleen mocked.
"Sorry, patients don't stop dying when I'm scheduled to leave."
"Don't worry about it, Markie." Mama Shepherd said. "Now… You know I'm not one to beat around the bush."
He nodded. "That's for sure."
"So let's not beat around the bush and talk about Christmas."
Mark nodded. "We aren't having it at my house. I cannot have 28 people at my house."
"We all take turns having it at people's houses. You can't be exempted from the rule." Nancy stated.
"Meredith is five months pregnant. We're planning a wedding. We just moved into the new house. Meredith's family wants us to be there for Christmas. Katie has never met 24 of you, not to mention the only memory of the four of you she has met is of you guys making her cry, making her mother cry, and making my life a living hell."
"Oh, please, Mark don't be a drama queen." Kathleen sighed.
"Don't be a drama queen." He almost yelled. "You made her cry the day after she met me! Her father!"
"And she hasn't met me! Her grandmother!" Mama Shepherd pointed out.
"And what do you mean Meredith's family wants you guys there on Christmas. I'm sorry to tell you, but she isn't close to her sisters, her mother is dead, he stepmother is dead, and her father is dead." Derek pointed out.
"She still has a family, Derek." Mark said coldly. "Izzie, George, Alex, and Christina. Ring a bell?"
"They aren't her real family." Derek said raising an eyebrow.
"They are the closing thing that Katie has to aunts and uncles and the closest thing Meredith has to family. They deserve to be together too. My family doesn't automatically trumps hers."
"But if it isn't her real family. And we're your real family. Doesn't that mean we trump them?" Marie asked.
"No, Marie, it doesn't. They are always there for us. We're always there for them. It's been that was for like eight years."
"And we've been your family for like thirty-six." Nancy said.
"Regardless of who wants who where… I can't have twenty-six people at our house that we just moved into with no warning."
"We're giving you warning. You have six days." Kathleen pointed out. Mark glared at her.
"We just can't do it. I'm not putting this stress on, Meredith. Why can't you have it at Derek's…" His voice faded as they snickered at him. "Okay, shut up."
"Mark, we are your family." Mama Shepherd said.
Mark sighed. "I'll talk to Meredith and Katie." He knew that there was no way to get out of it, but he had to try.
