A/N: I don't know if it makes up for the delay at all, but this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for a story. I still found myself cutting out quite a bit, because it was becoming a bit cumbersome - there were just so many Christmas moments I wanted to pack in here! I hope you enjoy it, and I am so sorry it took me so long to get it posted!
"Good morning," Meredith smiled as she walked into the kitchen on Christmas morning to find Derek already hard at work at the stove. "What smells so good?"
"Oh, that's me," Derek teased. "New cologne from Mom."
"Did someone tell you one time that you were funny and you've just sort of kept believing it ever since?" Meredith asked playfully.
"You wound me," Derek pouted. "It's Christmas morning, I got up early to make you a traditional Shepherd family Christmas breakfast, and here you are, making fun of me."
"You got up at six," Meredith pointed out. "You usually get up at four to go fishing, so really, you slept in two hours this morning…and there had better not be trout in whatever it is you're making."
"I thought you liked trout," Derek said.
"I do like trout," Meredith assured him. "It just doesn't seem like a Christmas food."
"Says the girl who didn't think that Santa would come eat the cookies we put out," Derek said.
"Derek, Santa…" Meredith began.
"Don't you dare say it, Meredith," Derek interrupted. "You want to eat and you won't say it. There will be no bah-humbug this Christmas, thank you very much."
"Well, what are we eating?" Meredith asked. "I mean, if it's not any good, then why bother?"
"Again with the insults," Derek laughed. "Everything I cook is good."
"That's not entirely true," Meredith said. "I seem to remember a particularly foul tuna noodle casserole a few weeks back."
"Once," Derek sighed. "I mess up a recipe once and I never live it down. You practically burn down your sister's kitchen and suddenly you're a culinary critic?"
"Just because I can't cook doesn't mean I don't know good food when I taste it," Meredith said. "And bad food, too."
"Well, there will be no bad food today," Derek said. "Of that you can be certain."
"So what are you making?" Meredith asked eagerly.
"Hash browns, scrambled eggs, bacon and bear claws," Derek said. "All served with fresh squeezed orange juice, of course."
"You made bear claws?" Meredith asked in awe.
"Well, not exactly," Derek admitted. "I bought them at the store yesterday. I did warm them up in the oven this morning, though, which is probably more than you could do without having to call the fire department."
"That's an awful lot of food, Derek," Meredith commented as she watched Derek dishing up their plates. "I hope you don't expect me to eat dinner later."
"Meredith, this is you we're talking about," Derek laughed as he set a plate in front of her and took his seat across the table. "You'll be hungry again in an hour."
"Good point," Meredith agreed. "So, do we just dig in or are we supposed to say grace or something?"
"Well, at home my mother would insist on saying grace," Derek said. "But I think in this case, since my mother isn't here, we can settle for clinking our glasses and just digging in."
"I like the sound of that," Meredith said, raising her glass. "Merry Christmas, Derek."
"Merry Christmas, Meredith," Derek said, smiling as his glass clinked against Meredith's.
"So, when do we open presents?" Meredith asked as she and Derek put the last of the breakfast dishes away. "Do we have to wait for everyone to get here tonight?"
"We don't have to, no," Derek said. "Actually, we should probably get most of the presents from my family out of the way before everyone comes over."
"Your family sent presents?" Meredith asked. "Why haven't I seen these presents?"
"Well, I had to have something impressive to put out overnight," Derek said. "Go take a look at the tree."
Meredith looked confused, but quickly obliged and hurried down the hall to the living room. As she walked into the room, she stopped and stared in awe at the dozens of presents that now sat under the tree.
"Where did they all come from?" Meredith asked softly.
"Christmas magic," Derek explained.
"No, seriously, Derek, who are they from?" Meredith asked.
"I have a lot of family, Mer," Derek said. "I'm afraid we didn't even hit the tip of the iceberg when you went home with me. You still haven't met any of my aunts and uncles, not to mention all my cousins."
"In that case, I really hope you put extra flashcards in my stocking," Meredith laughed.
"I think that does it," Derek sighed as he placed the last of his family's gifts in a pile and tossed the wrapping paper into a garbage bag. "I don't think we'll need to buy kitchen appliances or picture frames for another twenty years."
"What do they usually send you?" Meredith asked. "You know, so I know what to expect next year, when we don't have a new house for them to furnish."
"Sweaters," Derek said. "I usually get a lot of sweaters."
"Well then, we'll never be cold," Meredith said, pausing as she picked up a gift from the pile. "And we'll always be able to core mangoes."
"I don't know what Uncle Andy was thinking with that one," Derek said. "Where do you even buy a mango corer?"
"According to the tag, Williams Sonoma," Meredith laughed. "So, what now?"
"Well, I don't know that I can live up to the mango corer," Derek said, holding a small box out to Meredith. "But you could always open my present."
"The mango corer does set a very high standard," Meredith agreed mockingly as she accepted the gift. "And I want you to know, I did get you a present…well, two presents, actually…but you can't have either of them right now."
"That's not fair," Derek complained. "You've got your present. Why can't I have mine?"
"Because the first present isn't here yet," Meredith said. "Izzie and Alex are bringing it with them tonight. I didn't want to risk having you find it before today, and it's not exactly something that's easy to hide."
"And what about the second present?" Derek asked.
"Let's just say, it's more of a late night gift," Meredith said.
"Oh really?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
"You'll just have to wait and see," Meredith smiled coyly. "Now, if you're done complaining, I'm going to open my present."
"Before you do, I just want you to know that I'm not trying to pressure you in any way with this present," Derek said nervously. "There's no timetable here – nothing's booked yet, so for now, it's just a promise. Whenever you're ready, you let me know and we'll start planning."
"Okay," Meredith said in confusion, turning her attention back to the package. Ripping off the paper, she opened the box to find it filled with travel brochures and a small ornament that was a perfect replica of the Eiffel Tower.
"Oh, Derek," she gasped as she pulled out the brochures. "Paris?"
"I heard a rumor that you'd never been," Derek said.
"Who told you that?" Meredith asked.
"I called Molly," Derek admitted. "I knew I wanted to give you a trip, but I wasn't sure where you'd want to go. I thought she might know…you do want to go, don't you?"
"You have no idea how much," Meredith grinned. "I don't know that I'll be ready for that long of a flight for a while, though, Derek."
"Like I said, no timetable," Derek assured her. "We can take it next month, next year, ten years from now…whenever you're ready. Summer vacation, honeymoon, Christmas getaway…whatever you want."
"Honeymoon?" Meredith asked in surprise. "Derek Shepherd, are you trying to propose?"
"Not right now," Derek smiled. "Trust me, when I propose, you won't have to ask if that's what I'm doing. There'll be a ring, a big romantic speech, I'll get down on one knee, the whole nine yards."
"You don't have to do all of that, you know," Meredith said. "I don't need the whole nine yards, whatever that is exactly."
"You may not need it," Derek said. "But you do deserve it."
"You really are a hopeless romantic," Meredith giggled as she leaned over and kissed him softly, her arms slipping around his neck. "And I love you for it."
"Meredith, can you get the door?" Derek called out from the kitchen that afternoon.
"What time is it?" Meredith asked as she came down the stairs.
"Right around two," Derek said.
"We did tell everyone to come at four, right?" Meredith asked, pausing as Derek nodded. "I wonder who it is, then."
"You could go open it and find out," Derek pointed out.
"You know what, you can just go back to your roast beef if you're going to be like that," Meredith teased as she headed out of the kitchen and into the front hall.
"Lexie?" she said in confusion as she pulled the front door open. "Is everything alright?"
"I know I'm really early," Lexie said, stepping into the entryway. "But I really need a sister right now, and Molly's still an hour away, and I am having a major freak out. Like, beyond major, Meredith."
"Well, I'm happy to help," Meredith said, smiling as Lexie rambled on. "Come on, let's go into the living room."
"I just don't know what I'm doing," Lexie said as she and Meredith settled in on the couch. "I think I'm losing my mind."
"What exactly are you freaking out about?" Meredith asked, still not quite understanding what her sister was talking about.
"This," Lexie said, holding up her left hand to reveal a platinum band with a small princess cut diamond.
"Oh my God," Meredith gasped. "What the hell is that?"
"Pierce's Christmas gift," Lexie said. "He did the whole one knee thing last night…and now I am completely freaking out. I mean, what the hell am I thinking?"
"Well, I'm assuming you said yes, since you're wearing the ring," Meredith said.
"What else was I supposed to say?" Lexie asked. "I mean, he caught me completely off guard…we were outside, and it was raining…he was completely drenched, but he looked so cute and hopeful when he asked…and he did go to a lot of trouble to try to surprise me, so it would have been rude to say no, right?"
"Please tell me you are not seriously considering getting married just so you don't appear rude," Meredith said. "Do you want to marry Pierce?"
"I don't want to marry anybody right now," Lexie said in frustration. "I love Pierce – probably more than I've ever loved anyone I've ever been with. But I'm only twenty-five, Meredith. I know people get married a lot younger than that; hell, Molly was what, nineteen? But I'm not Molly. I don't want to spend my life as a housewife, popping out babies and keeping the home fires burning."
"Lexie, no one expects you to do that," Meredith assured her. "Although you might not want to let Molly hear that description of her life, especially not with the pregnancy hormones she's got going on."
"Right," Lexie nodded. "And Pierce said he doesn't want to get married right away…I think I'm just overreacting, right? I mean, getting engaged is supposed to be a good thing."
"When it's the right guy, yeah, it is," Meredith said. "Do you think you ever want to get married?"
"Oh, it's not that I never want to," Lexie said. "I just don't want to get married right now…and when I do get married, I definitely want it to be Pierce."
"So what's wrong with being engaged for a few years?" Meredith asked. "Talk to Pierce, Lexie. I'm sure he won't mind…lots of couples have long engagements these days."
"True," Lexie agreed. "I just freaked out too soon, right? Didn't think the whole thing through?"
"I'm telling you, it's a genetic thing," Meredith said.
"So, I'm really engaged," Lexie announced, holding out her hand so that the diamond caught the light and sparkled brilliantly. "I actually found myself a guy who'll put up with me forever."
"Miracles do happen," Meredith teased as she and Lexie both burst out laughing.
"Hey, Shep, you planning on coming out of the kitchen any time this year?" Mark teased as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator that afternoon. "Your guests are arriving and you're still all cooped up in this place."
"Mark, think about all the Christmases you've spent with my family," Derek said. "Now, do ever remember seeing Mom out of the kitchen before dinner was served?"
"You do realize you just made yourself the woman in that analogy, right?" Mark laughed.
"Yes, well, if we'd left the cooking up to Meredith, the fire department would be here by now," Derek said. "Or she'd have just given up and ordered pizza without even trying to turn on the oven. I'm not entirely sure she knows how to work the stove, actually."
"Oh come on, she can't be that bad," Mark said.
"Trust me, she is," Molly said as she joined the two men in the kitchen. "Not that I'm one to talk, seeing as it was my kitchen that we nearly burned down together the last time either of us really tried to cook."
"Merry Christmas, Molly," Derek laughed as he reached across the counter to give Molly a quick hug. "Where are Eric and Laura?"
"I think they got distracted by the Christmas tree," Molly said. "Laura seems to have developed a fascination with wrapping paper, so I apologize in advance if anything is a little worse for the wear by the time we open presents. She still can't really open anything on her own, but she can certainly make it look…well, unique."
"Hey, it's what's on the inside that I care about," Mark assured her.
"Which is a comment not often heard from you, Mark," Derek observed.
"Be nice, it's Christmas," Mark retorted. "There's still time for Santa to switch out those presents for some nice lumps of coal."
"I hate to interrupt, but I actually only came in because Meredith said she thought you guys might have the fixings for a peanut butter and honey sandwich in here?" Molly said hopefully.
"A sandwich?" Derek asked. "I'm making roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, creamed onions and homemade bread, not to mention the famous Shepherd family desserts I've got in the oven…and you want a sandwich?"
"Derek, I'm about seventy-five weeks pregnant," Molly said, motioning to her belly. "Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to argue with me on this one. My son would like a peanut butter and honey sandwich, and he doesn't really care what else you're making."
"Seriously, man, you've got four sisters," Mark said, not bothering to even try to contain his laughter. "Wasn't this covered in Shepherd family 101? Never argue with a pregnant woman, Derek."
"Fine," Derek grumbled, making his way to the pantry to grab Molly's sandwich ingredients. "I trust if I give you the ingredients, you can assemble it without killing my kitchen?"
"There's no cooking involved in making a sandwich," Molly laughed, taking the jar of honey and the knife out of Derek's hands.
"Hey Shepherd, you're needed in the living room," Alex said, sticking his head into the kitchen.
"Can it wait, Karev?" Derek asked.
"Not really," Alex said. "Meredith said she wants to give you your Christmas present now. Trust me, if you wait too long, Izzie might just keep it for herself. We only had it one night, and I swear she's in love."
"I'm coming," Derek sighed, turning off the stove and heading down the hallway. "So, what's the big present?"
"Close your eyes," Meredith instructed as Derek stood in the doorway of the living room with Izzie, Alex, Mark, Lexie, Molly, Eric and Laura looking on.
"They're closed," Derek said, wondering just what she could be planning. He heard a rustling behind him and soon felt Meredith brush past him as she returned to the room.
"Okay, open them," Meredith said.
As soon as he opened his eyes and took in the sight before him, Derek had to laugh just a little. Meredith was standing eagerly in front of him, a small brownish puppy squirming in her arms.
"You got me a puppy?" Derek asked.
"I figured you could take her with you when you go fishing," Meredith said. "She's supposed to be a very loyal breed, and the guy at the shelter said she needed a place with lots of land to run around on…do you like her?"
"She's perfect," Derek said, laughing again as he took the dog out of Meredith's arms and was immediately licked in the face by his new friend.
"She still needs a name," Izzie pointed out. "I've just been calling her dog ever since we picked her up yesterday."
Derek held the puppy at arms' length for a moment, staring at her for a moment before nodding and setting her down. "Daisy," he pronounced.
"Daisy?" Mark asked skeptically. "Come on, man, at least try not to sound like a woman."
"Says the man who used to own a pig named Miss Gloria?" Derek asked.
"Dude, that's kind of sad," Alex laughed from the other side of the room. "A pig?"
"Don't you insult Miss Gloria, Karev," Mark warned. "That was one hell of a pig, I'm telling you. Still can't bring myself to eat ham, either."
Derek couldn't help the smile that came across his face as he and Meredith carried the last of the food from the kitchen into the dining room, where their friends and family had gathered around the large dining room table Meredith had insisted they purchase for the room.
"Alright everyone, dig in!" Derek announced as he set the mashed potatoes on the table, laughing as almost everyone instantly leapt into action, grabbing the dish closest to them before swapping them around the table.
"Is it like it was at home?" Meredith asked as Derek slipped into the chair next to her.
"It is home, Mer," Derek smiled happily.
"Hey, McDreamy, watch it with the sappy comments," Cristina snapped from Derek's other side.
"Next year, I'm putting you at the kids' table, Yang," Derek retorted.
"You don't have a kids' table," Cristina replied. "There are only three kids here, and they can barely walk on their own, let alone eat a meal by themselves."
"I'll make a kids' table just for you," Derek teased.
"I am so not doing the holidays again," Cristina sighed. "Seriously, why couldn't we be in surgery right now?"
"Would it make you feel better if I told you that you could come back to Mercy West with me after dinner and watch from the galleries?" Rick asked.
"Seriously?" Cristina said. "Don't tempt me, Dalley, you can't just dangle something like that and then not follow through."
"Hey, I always follow through," Rick assured her. "My shift starts at nine, if you're coming. Right in time for the crazies to hit the road and create surgical messes for me to fix."
"Now there's a Christmas present to get excited about," Cristina agreed in satisfaction.
"So, what did you think of your first Christmas?" Derek asked as he and Meredith settled into bed later that night.
"It was almost perfect," Meredith said, smiling slightly at the look of confusion on Derek's face.
"Only almost?" he asked. "Why only almost?"
"There was just something missing," Meredith said, turning to face Derek.
"Well, the day isn't over yet," Derek pointed out as he slipped closer to Meredith.
"Oh isn't it?" Meredith asked coyly, reaching up to run her fingers through Derek's hair before settling her hands on his shoulders.
"Nope," Derek said, leaning over to kiss her, gently at first, but with increasing intensity as the moment wore on.
Meredith moaned slightly as Derek shifted next to her and began trailing gentle kisses down her jawbone and onto her neck, leaning her head backwards as he moved to allow him better access.
"Are you sure?" Derek asked as he pulled back to catch his breath.
"I'm sure," Meredith whispered, reaching out and pulling Derek back on top of her. "Let's make it perfect, Derek."