Okay, so the site wouldn't let me log in for a couple days, but hopefully this will go up without any problems. I hope you enjoy!
"No."
Meredith was sure that she had never uttered the same words so many times in one day. For some reason, all of Derek's sisters thought it was essential that she wear a fancy, expensive dress, with layers of lace and beads and…she wasn't sure what else. They'd spent all day in the dress store so far, and it was well into the afternoon. Meredith had at first tried to appease Nancy and Kathleen as they suggested dresses that she hated on sight as Caitlin squealed in agreement with her eldest sisters. It was only after a slight breakdown and a threat from Liz to kick both of her sisters' asses that they calmed down and allowed Meredith to try on only the dresses she thought had potential to be the one.
Addison sighed as she moved to undo the lace ties that had the sparkling dress supported on Meredith's body. "Mer, we've been at this all day," she sighed.
"I know," Meredith replied. "And believe me, I'm just as frustrated as you are."
Addison shook her head as Meredith stepped out of the dress. "Maybe we should go to another store," she suggested.
"This is the best store in town," Meredith replied. "And I just want something simple. Doesn't anyone wear simple wedding dresses anymore? I mean, seriously, what's with the lace and the layers of undergarments? I just want something simple, silk and one layer…"
"Hey Mer," Liz said as she slid in from the curtain. "I think I found your dress."
"Well, I think I trust you more than those other girls I call bridesmaids," Meredith sighed. She unzipped the bag to reveal a simple silk dress, thin straps running over the hanger. "Oh," she breathed, turning to look at Liz. "You are so my new maid of honor."
"Hey!" Addison protested. "I've been pulling you in and out of these dresses all day."
"And complaining about it," Meredith teased. "I think I want someone who cares enough to find me my wedding dress."
Addison rolled her eyes. "If it weren't for me, you would never have even given Derek a chance," she muttered. "What thanks do I get?"
Meredith giggled as she stepped into the dress and allowed Liz to zip it. "Of course you're my maid of honor, Addie," she said. "We've been friends for years."
"Good," Addison nodded. "Oh, Mer. That's it."
"Hmm…" Meredith nodded, turning to look at her back in the mirror. The straps formed a cross over her back, and the fabric pooled in a soft train behind her, long enough to be noticeable but not to cause problems with Meredith's somewhat klutzy tendencies. "I love it."
"Let's show them," Liz said, grabbing Meredith's hand and pulling her into the waiting area where the other three Shepherds were waiting.
"Meredith, you look beautiful," Caitlin exclaimed, running up to examine her future sister in law up close.
"Derek's going to go crazy," Kathleen nodded in agreement. "It's perfect, Mer."
"Are you sure?" Nancy tilted her head to the side. "It seems…plain. Maybe if you just add some lace trim to the bodice."
"Seriously?" Addison interrupted. "This is the dress. It's perfect. Nothing is going to be changed, and we're going to buy it today. Meredith loves it, Derek will love it, and that's all that matters."
Meredith smiled as she turned back to look at her best friend. "You are so my maid of honor again," she announced before moving back to the dressing room to change and preserve the sanctity of the dress until she was sure would be the best day of her life.
After she had returned in her street clothes and paid for the dress, choosing to place it on hold until she could find an appropriate hiding spot where Derek couldn't see it, Meredith turned to her bridesmaids and smiled. "What now?" she asked.
"Now," Liz said, linking her arm through Meredith's. "We order a pizza, rent a bunch of chick flicks, and go back to your apartment to annoy Markie and Derbear."
Meredith giggled as they walked out of the store. "Like a sleepover?" she asked.
Kathleen laughed. "I haven't been on a sleepover in ten years," she said. "This might be my last chance before…" she trailed off, shaking her head slightly.
"Before what?" Caitlin asked cautiously.
"Nothing," Kathleen replied. "So where's the best pizza place in town?"
Meredith eyed Kathleen suspiciously, knowing that something was going on. She opened her mouth to reply, but then Kathleen's eyes widened and she made it to an alley before she emptied the contents of her stomach. Meredith rushed to her side, her suspicions all but confirmed.
"Kath," she gasped, running a hand up and down her back. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Kathleen sighed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Must have been something I ate."
Meredith nodded suspiciously, glancing over her shoulder at the rest of the sisters were standing, concern mixed with confusion all over their faces. "Something you ate?" she whispered. "And the baby inside you?"
Kathleen looked at Meredith with wide eyes. "How did you…"
"You've been touching your stomach all morning," Meredith replied. "And don't think I haven't noticed that smile you've been trying to hide. You Shepherds aren't that great at keeping secrets."
Kathleen sighed as she leaned against the wall of the building. "Please don't tell anyone, Mer," she whispered. "Chris and I…we weren't planning this, and Mom doesn't even know, and it's the first grandchild, so…we just want to wait until I'm further along, make sure everything is okay…"
"Of course," Meredith nodded, her eyes sparkling. "I won't tell anyone."
"Thanks," Kathleen breathed, pushing herself off of the wall.
"Are you okay, Kath?" Nancy asked as they joined the rest of the group.
"Yeah," Kathleen said with a nod as she smiled faintly. "I shouldn't have let Chris make dinner last night," she added, rolling her eyes for good measure.
"Let's go get movies," Meredith quickly changed the subject. "Derek and Mark are home, we could have some fun."
XXXXX
"Honey, I'm home!" Meredith yelled as she entered their apartment an hour later. "And I have company."
Derek groaned from his place on the couch. "You can stay," he replied. "Send the rest of them home."
Kathleen rolled her eyes as she ran into the living room and jumped on the couch where Derek was sprawled, giggling as he swore under his breath. "Didn't you miss me, Derbear?" she asked. "I haven't even seen you since Thanksgiving. Nearly a year."
"Best year of my life," Derek joked even as he reached out to pull his sister into a hug. "It's good to see you," he murmured.
"Hey," Meredith grinned as she walked into the room, pausing to kiss Derek quickly before she turned to his sisters. "Which movie first?"
"Hmmm….Pretty Woman!" Caitlin cried.
"Pretty Woman?" Derek repeated.
"We're having a sleepover," Meredith giggled as he pulled her onto his lap.
"A sleepover," Derek repeated. "I'm sorry, did I miss something? Are you twelve?"
"I'd hope not, because that would make you a pretty bad person, baby brother," Nancy commented from where she had already sprawled a sleeping bag on the floor.
"I need a beer," Derek groaned as he gently pushed Meredith to her feet and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the kitchen with him.
"Derek, you're pulling me away from my sleepover," she giggled as he reached into the fridge.
"Hmm…I needed to say a proper hello," Derek murmured, setting his beer on the counter and placing his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. "How was wedding dress shopping?" he asked against her lips.
"Good," she nodded. "I bought one."
"What's it look like?" his lips moved down to her neck.
"White," she arched her head back, giving him full access to the creamy skin on her neck.
"Come on, Mer!" Addison's voice called from the living room. "Stop making out with Derek, you see him all the time."
Meredith giggled as she leaned in for one last kiss. "Sorry," she said as she walked out of the room. "Duty calls!"
Derek rolled his eyes as he took a long pull from his beer and headed towards Mark's room, hoping his best friend would be up for some bar hopping tonight. He could use a serious testosterone boost with the amount of women in his apartment at that point.
XXXXX
Meredith giggled as she poured the last of a root beer float into Caitlin's glass, turning to the rest of the girls before raising her own glass. "Cheers," she said.
"Cheers," they all giggled together. The night had been fun, Meredith had to admit, with girl talk, movies, and lots of junk food. She couldn't believe how natural it felt, to simply have fun with Derek's sisters, not worrying about anything other than what color her bridesmaids' dresses should be or where she should go on her honeymoon.
Derek and Mark had politely declined their pleas for them to participate in girls' night, instead pulling on their leather jackets and heading out to the bars, earning giggles and sarcastic comments from all of his sisters. After they had left, the Shepherd sisters had no troubles spilling all kinds of secrets about Derek to his future wife. From his first girlfriend, the head of the flute section in the band, to the time he decided he hated his curls so much he tried to shave his head, Meredith found herself giggling and storing important information into her long term memory to bring up in future conversations or arguments with her fiancé. Having sisters wasn't so bad after all.
Meredith frowned into her soda as the buzzer rang a few minutes into their root beer float adventure, glancing at the clock and Addison before she said, "It's two in the morning, who would be here?"
"I'll come with you," Addison nodded.
"Hello?" Meredith pressed her finger against the intercom.
"Mer!" Derek's voice came loudly over the intercom. "You're awake!"
Meredith giggled as she rolled her eyes at Addison. "I am," she replied. "Can I ask why you didn't use your key?"
"Doesn't work," Derek replied. "Can you push the thing that opens the door? What's it called again?"
"The button," Meredith supplied with a giggle. "Derek, you're drunk."
"No!" Derek cried, then paused. "Okay, maybe a little. But just push the button thing and we'll come up and I'll tell you all about it."
"Okay," Meredith nodded, pushing the button to allow them into the building. "This should be good," she announced as she walked back into the kitchen.
"Oh Derbear," Caitlin giggled as she reached for more ice cream. "He never gets drunk."
"That you've seen," Nancy laughed. "You still live at Mom's."
"Hey, I'm seventeen," Caitlin countered. "I'm not a baby."
"You're a baby to us," Kathleen nodded. "And to Mom."
Before Caitlin could respond, the door to the apartment swung open, and two very unsteady men stumbled in, laughing loudly. Meredith giggled as she turned to look at the two drunken idiots in her hallway, but her smile quickly died off when she saw their bruised faces and bleeding hands. "What the hell happened?" she asked, rushing to Derek's side and gently running her fingers over the ugly purple skin on his cheek.
"We got into a fight," Derek announced proudly.