A/N: Hey guys, this is my final chapter. I know there are a kazillion pairings out there that you would like to see, but this is where I end. Hey, if anyone wants to continue this idea on their own, go ahead… Do Your Thang.

Anyway,

Enjoy!

"Maggie, there you are. Here." Amelia handed Maggie a large bulky plastic bag.

"Seriously? I didn't think-"

"I know… just do it, please?"

"Fine," Maggie huffed. "You owe me."

"Absolutely."

But Maggie had to admit the gesture was sweet. Amelia was trying to get back into Meredith's good graces, the two had been struggling these last few months. "See you tonight?"

"Maybe…" Amelia rolled her eyes. "I gotta go. I have a craniotomy in ten."

Taking the bag, Maggie headed to daycare.

xxx

Meredith resisted the urge to gag at the latest couple sucking face in the elevator. What was up with all the mushiness? She shook her head. She wasn't against romantic ewey gooeyness, she just… missed it for herself. Kissing in elevators was her thing. She started it. Now everybody was doing it. And Derek was gone. Who the hell was she going to kiss in elevators now?

Not that she wanted to kiss anybody else.

Meredith sighed and pulled the ferryboat scrub cap out of her pocket. She just had this quick lap chole, and then she could go home and cuddle with her kids. Now, they were the only ones she wanted to kiss these days.

xxx

Meredith fumbled for her phone as she strode toward the elevator. Her simple lap chole had turned into a complication nightmare and now she was late. Thankfully, her patient would survive, though they'd have to make some major lifestyle adjustments. Nevertheless, she was late to daycare, and the last thing she wanted today was grumpy kids. She only hoped to have enough time to shop for a tree. The elevator dinged and the door opened. Meredith stepped up.

Amelia blocked her path, "Uh, you can't use this elevator," she said.

"What?"

"You'll uh… have to get on the next one." The doors closed. Meredith frowned sharply at her 'sister.' What the hell was that? Was she planning on rubbing noses and other body parts with Owen?

It just made her more upset.

And made her miss Derek all that more.

She pressed the button again. The other elevator opened.

"Hi," Maggie said, stepping off the elevator.

Meredith bustled forward, eager to get going.

"Hi," Meredith replied, taking her place inside. And then she stopped, startled. The doors closed and she was left staring at shiny red foil and flying red-nosed reindeer pasted on a green backdrop covered with ribbons and bows staring back at her.

Wait. Meredith fingered the paper. This was her wrapping paper. From her house.

What?

The elevator door dinged and opened, revealing an out of breath Amelia with Bailey and Zola. "There's mommy, go see her," Amelia pushed them inside.

"Ame-"

"I'll uh, see you later." she said.

Meredith didn't have time to reply before her kids tackled her.

"Mommy!"

"Oompf!" She scooped Bailey up into her arms while Zola hugged her waist.

"Look mommy," Bailey pointed up above her. "What's that?" he asked.

"It's a mistletoe," Zola answered.

"Misow-tow?"

"Yep. Auntie Maggie says you're 'posed to kiss when you're under the mistletoe."

Bailey looked up at the mistletoe, and then at his mother. A smile flashed on his face. "Kiss!" he exclaimed, puckering his little Derek shaped lips.

"Yeah, I wanna kiss you too, mommy," Zola said, reaching for her.

Covered with her kids, Meredith was bewildered as Bailey pecked her cheek with his best toddler kiss, and Zola tugged her hand until she bent down, and let Zola kiss her other cheek. The world melted away. Meredith's fears, anxiety and pain disappeared with every touch from her kids. Bailey hugged her and wanted to be squeezed, and Zola clung to her arm with both hands, squeezing and rubbing. She'd raised them to be independent and strong, but they were little still, and some days they just needed her. She returned the kisses with an eskimo kiss of her own, nuzzling her two favorite people in the world nose to nose.

As she embraced them, Meredith felt something else too. An otherworldly warmth, like a blanket, settled around her and her kids. She looked up at the mistletoe, and swore she felt Derek's breath on her neck as he nuzzled her too.

Shh, it's Christmas, and we're under the mistletoe. It's time for a little 'happy.'

The world fuzzed at the edges of her vision. For a moment, reality was lost.

Derek held her in his arms and kissed her, never once coming up for air until she was a breathless, tangled-up mess; until her heart beat outside her chest and her ears thudded from the pressure; until her toes curled and her spine tingled…

Until her world stopped.

The elevator door opened, revealing Maggie with Baby Ellis. Meredith remained where she was, still caught up in the dream that was Derek.

"Mere?"

She blinked. "Oh," she said. Baby Ellis squirmed in her auntie's grip, now that she saw her mama, and Meredith instantly reacted, reaching for the latest bit of her and Derek. "Bring her here, Maggie."

"Sure," Maggie handed over the littlest Shepherd.

"Hey, look at you, so big."

"Mama!" she cried, grabbing her hair.

"Ellie, Ellis… look! Look up!" Meredith pointed to that tiny little plant hanging above that. "You know what that is?"

"Dat?" Ellis pointed with a little curled up finger.

"That's a mistletoe."

"Dat?"

"Yup. You know what you do when you're under a mistletoe?" Meredith brushed a hand over Bailey's silky hair as he clung to her waist. She took Zola's hand and squeezed it. "If you're under a mistletoe with someone you love… you kiss them."

"Iss?" Ellis asked.

"Yup." Meredith kissed her daughter's mouth and nose, causing a squeal of laughter. "I love you Ellie-Bell," she said.

"Wuv," her daughter returned, attempting a sloppy kiss of her own.

Meredith tugged her kids along, out of the elevator. "Maggie, thanks. That was…" she trailed off, unable to truly describe it without sounding crazy.

"Don't thank me, it was Amelia's idea."

"Amelia?"

"Yeah. She arranged everything. All I had to do was secure the elevator."

"Oh."

"Mommy, you and daddy must have really loved each other a lot."

"Yes, we did, Zola."

"I know, cuz you were always kissing. All the time. Even in elevators."

Meredith's laughter filled the lobby. "Especially in elevators," she said. "C'mon. Let's go find Auntie Amelia and see if she wants to get a Christmas tree with us."

"Yay, a tree!"

A/N: That wraps it up. Thanks everyone! Please leave a review! And again, you can follow me on twitter!