It was late afternoon when Derek pulled the rental car into his mother's driveway and shut off the engine. Meredith was dozing next to him in the passenger seat, as she had been for most of the drive. He reached his hand across the center consul of the car and rubbed his hand over her thigh. She didn't react.
He smiled softly at her, wishing he could let her sleep, or at least only have to wake her for the time it took them to get the car unloaded and get inside, but he knew that wouldn't be possible. His sisters had all already arrived, as evidenced by the multiple cars in his mother's driveway. They would all stay here tonight, and then at the resort hosting Lauren's wedding Friday and Saturday night. They had universally decided to come alone to their mother's house prior to the wedding and meet their respective families at the resort the next day. It gave the Shepherd sisters time to focus on Lauren's wedding and prevented the kids from missing school. Most would return to their respective homes Sunday, but Meredith and Derek were returning to Jane's house for Sunday night, and would then fly home to Seattle on Monday.
"Mer," he prompted quietly, rubbing his hand along her leg.
She sighed in her sleep, but didn't wake.
He paused for a moment before trying again. She had a right to be exhausted, as she hadn't slept much for the past couple days. The night after Thatcher had reappeared in her life she had tossed and turned for hours. It hadn't been until Derek had rolled into her and spooned her tight in his arms that she had slept. And the day before, with the ambulance crash, she had said her mind was too full to sleep. He had stayed up with her until she had finally grown tired.
Derek had woken early that morning and shut off the alarm before it woke his wife. He had quietly padded around the house, preparing everything he could before returning to the bedroom and waking Meredith with a soft kiss. She had been groggy when they left the house.
It hadn't been until they had arrived at the airport that Derek had realized how much anxiety he had about his wife and the trip. Knowing his anxiety was most likely unnecessary and hoping everything would turn out okay, he had tried to hide it from Meredith in an effort to not hurt her. But she had figured out what was bothering him on her own – he should have known she would – and she had rid him of any leftover anxiety in a matter of minutes.
She was truly amazing.
He smiled and lifted his hand from her thigh to cup her face, pausing a moment to marvel at how lucky he felt in this moment. She was beautiful and here and his. It still caught him off guard at times, taking his breath away. He had never been so happy with his life. "Mer," he murmured. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek.
She moaned.
"We're here," he announced softly.
Her eyelids opened, revealing the soft, green-grey eyes he loved.
"Morning, sleepyhead," he teased.
Despite her grogginess, she still managed to glare at him.
He laughed at her expression.
"We're here already?" She asked, her voice raspy with sleep.
He nodded. "And it looks like everyone else is already here, too." He motioned to the other cars parked around them.
Meredith blinked as she glanced at the rest of the driveway. "Okay. I guess we should...go in," she said, but didn't make a move to exit the car. She stared uncertainly at the house for a long moment. Derek stayed silent, giving her the time she needed to collect her thoughts. He understood her better now than ever, and knew that as much as she wanted to be here, it was still intimidating. She needed to not be rushed, as she handled things like this much better on her own terms. She had done wonderfully with his family during their first visit, and he knew she just needed to get over the hump of walking in and greeting everyone to be comfortable here again.
After a moment, she shook her head almost imperceptibly and took a deep breath.
He waited until Meredith reached for her door handle before he did the same. She met him at the back of the car. He opened the trunk and reached for the first suitcase, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm.
Covering her hand with his free one, he turned to face her and shot her a questioning look.
With a smirk, Meredith pressed herself into his space and hooked her hands behind his neck, tugging him down a few inches so she could kiss him. Derek fell into the kiss, his hands finding the small of her back as he pulled her against him.
"What was that for?" He whispered when she pulled away.
She shrugged, her hands playing with the hair at the base of his neck. "Just because."
He smiled and leaned down to press his nose into the crook of her neck. He inhaled. She smelled like lavender and Meredith. After a moment he shifted to rest his chin on her shoulder and swayed them side to side a few times.
"I'm glad we're here," Meredith whispered as she hugged him back.
"Mmm, me too," he murmured. "I'm really glad you're here." He could still acutely remember the relief and gratefulness he'd felt four months earlier when he had realized the love of his life and his family were comfortable together. He loved both so much, and he wanted desperately to be able to have both together. At the time, he had been grateful for her willingness to make such an attempt for him. She had little to no experience with families, but she had flown from Hawaii to New York to meet his. Her gesture had more than made up for her running to Hawaii in the first place, and for the several days they spent at his mother's house, Derek had been grateful and amazed at the effort she was making for him.
He just hadn't understood at that time how much it meant to her.
She had never had a real family of her own, and he had wanted very much to make her a part of his. He had just never stopped to realize how much that meant to her. She wasn't just finding a spot in his family for his sake. She was getting a family out of the deal; the family she had never had. Her admission that morning in the airport had nearly taken his breath away.
Meredith leaned back in his arms, just far enough to meet his gaze. Her eyes were sparkling. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be," she stated with a shrug, as if it were the most natural thing in the world that she be here with him.
And maybe it was, Derek thought to himself.
He smiled and captured her lips with his for several seconds before releasing her and reaching for their suitcases.
"There are a lot of cars here," Meredith commented as he pulled out the first suitcase – hers – and pressed the handle into her hand.
Derek nodded as he pulled out his own suitcase. "We're a lot of people."
"Still..."
He shut the trunk and then pecked her lips. "Mom and Brian have two cars, and then one each for Kathleen, Nancy and Meg. That's five. Plus us is six. Plus Lauren and Shane. Seven."
"It's a good thing your mom has a ridiculously long driveway," she commented as they headed up the driveway along the line of cars.
Derek chuckled. "True."
They reached the short cobblestone path that led to the front door.
"You ready?" He asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Just...can we have the same deal as last time?"
"What's that?"
"That you won't leave me alone until I'm okay?"
"Oh, Mer," he offered her a tender smile. They reached the front porch, but he made no effort to enter the house.
She made a face. "I know I'm freaky and pathetic and whatever. And I know I'll be fine. But...it's only the second time I've met them. So, please, can you just-"
He cut her off with a kiss. "I'll be your wingman," he agreed.
She giggled at the term. "I'm sorry I'm-"
"You're perfect," he insisted. "And I know that I can't imagine what it must feel like to be thrust into a big family like this when you're not used to it, but I do know that you did amazing last time. And that you'll do amazing this time."
"Okay," she whispered with a smile. "As long as you're my wingman."
"Always," he promised.
Her eyelashes fluttered and she reached a hand to brush up and down his arm, as if taking him in and reminding herself of him. He smiled. She made him feel so important. So wanted and cherished. He could only ever remember feeling needed before. With Meredith he felt important, not just what he could offer.
"You're a good wingman," she murmured.
He felt a smile tug at his lips. "I try."
She met his eyes, telling him she was ready.
With a breathy chuckle, he pressed a light kiss to the tip of her nose and then stepped up to the door.
He knocked three times, but reached for the door handle without waiting for someone to answer. He pushed the door open and stepped into the front hall. "We're here," he called towards the living room.
Silence.
No one called back to him. No voices drifted down the hall towards them. No footsteps echoed on the floors.
"Where is everyone?" Meredith whispered as she joined him in the front hall.
Derek shrugged. "No idea. Maybe out back?"
She took a breath and then exhaled slowly.
"It's going to be okay," he assured.
"I know. It's just...the waiting." She released the handle of her suitcase and flopped a hand to her chest. "It doesn't help with the anxiety."
He placed his hand over hers. "We just have to rip off the band aid."
"Easier said than done when your freaking family is MIA."
Derek laughed out loud as he threaded his fingers through hers and pulled her hand from her chest. "We just have to go find them." He tugged at her hand, leading her into the living room. They would leave their suitcases in the front hall for now.
He was three quarters of the way through the living room when something on the wall caught his eye. Meredith shot him a questioning look as he skidded to a stop. He cocked his head towards the wall, and she followed his gaze. Her lips curled into a smile when her eyes found his point of interest.
The wedding photo he had sent his mom was framed and hanging on the wall between two of his sisters' wedding photos.
"She didn't waste any time," he said. They had only received the pictures in the mail a few weeks ago. Several beautiful pictures of the two of them on the day they had sworn their lives to each other. He had told his mother he would bring a picture with him this weekend, but she had convinced him to have one couriered right away. With the new home and the preparation to move, Meredith and Derek hadn't even had a chance to dig out the frame they had purchased in the Bahamas to frame their wedding photo and put on their own wall. Now, he made a mental note to do that as soon as the paint was dry in the new house.
Meredith said nothing.
He turned to her, surprised to find her smiling with tears in her eyes. "Mer," he murmured, uncertain as to her reaction.
She leaned into him. "It's just what I wanted," she breathed. "It looks so...normal."
He could remember her stating several times prior to them getting married that she wanted a normal picture. He hadn't completely understood, but had promised to make it happen.
'I want a normal picture,' she'd told him on their way to the Bahamas. They had been discussing their yet-unplanned wedding, still with no idea that by the time they were on their way home they'd be married.
'There you go with that word again,' he'd responded.
'It's nice to feel normal sometimes,' she'd told him, her gaze open as she smiled up at him.
He'd tucked a strand of hair behind her eyes and promised her the picture she wanted.
Derek may not have understood the importance of the 'normal' picture then, but he did now. Framed and surrounded by similar examples, he and Meredith smiled softly at each other as they said their vows, the ocean acting as a deep, blue backdrop to their obvious happiness. In that moment, they were two normal people who were in love and getting married. All of the things that had happened to them in the preceding year didn't matter. They had overcome everything to make it to that moment. And the fact that it was on the wall with the rest of the family wedding photos made it all the more special to see now.
"I guess this is evidence your mom really is okay with it," Meredith murmured beside him.
Derek smiled softly and turned to her. "This you accept as evidence? How about me promising you a hundred times?"
She shrugged. "You're biased."
He couldn't help but laugh. "You're slightly frustrating," he bantered, holding his thumb and forefinger about a quarter inch apart, "Have I ever told you that?"
She laughed as well. "A few times."
He ducked his head to kiss her cheek.
Meredith kept laughing as she leaned into his embrace and brushed her cheek against his.
Derek ran his hands down her sides and found purchase at her hips. Her hands rested over his forearms. He could feel her every exhale against the side of his neck as the tension bled out of her body.
"Mmm," he murmured. "You're calmer."
"I have a good wingman," she whispered back.
He exhaled a laughing breath and stepped back, tugging on her hand. "Come on," he urged. "Let's get this over with before you get worked up again."
She rolled her eyes as she allowed herself to be led to the door. "I'll be fine."
He shot her an amused smirk. "I'm pretty sure I used that word at the airport and you reminded me that it was your term..."
She mocked glared at him. "I'll be okay," she corrected, adding extra emphasis.
They reached the backdoor. Derek could hear laughter filtering in from the backyard, so there was no question as to where his family was hiding. He paused and turned back to his wife, smiling at the mostly confident and only slightly anxious expression on her face. "I'm really glad we're here," he told her.
Meredith squeezed his hand. "Me too." Her eyes shone with honesty and trust.
He brushed his lips against hers and then reached for the door handle, grateful Meredith was so calm as he was suddenly hyper aware that this was the first time he had ever brought her home as his wife. It was exciting, and like a rush of water over a waterfall, understanding of the importance of the photograph to her washed over him
The backdoor opened easily, and the previously muffled voices became clear and distinct. His mother was speaking and his sisters were laughing along. Glasses and plates of varying fullness littered the patio table they all sat around, signalling that they had been there for quite some time.
"You started without us," he accused jokingly in way of a greeting, drawing the attention of the table as he stepped into the backyard with Meredith right behind him.
"We started before you even got on the plane," Nancy called in response, barely even reacting to their presence. The large glass sitting on the table in front of her held about an inch of some greenish liquid. Derek would bet it was a margarita. He would also bet it wasn't her first. From the looks of the table, his family had been there since before he and Meredith had even left Seattle.
Before anyone else could say a word, Lauren leapt up from her chair next to her fiancé and hurried towards her brother. "Derek," she said as she walked right into his arms, her eyes filling with tears.
Derek hugged his sister back and shot a questioning glance at the rest of his family as Lauren buried her face into his shoulder. "Is everything okay?" He asked gently.
She didn't respond.
He frowned and turned his gaze back onto his family, who were standing one by one and heading across the deck towards him.
"She's just a little overcome," his mother offered quietly. "She's been waiting for you to get here."
Derek hugged his sister a little tighter.
Jane turned to Meredith, who was standing a little off to the side, giving Derek and Lauren space. Her expression was still more parts confident than anxious or worried. "Meredith, so nice to see you again," she said as she hugged her. When she pulled away she placed both of her hands on Meredith's shoulders and offered her a warm smile. "Congratulations in person, dear. We couldn't be more thrilled. Consider this an official welcome to the family."
Derek watched as Meredith reacted to his mother's kind words, and was never as grateful for his family as he was in that moment. Meredith's eyes developed a sheen of moisture and the skin over her nose reddened, a sure sign she was fighting her emotions.
"Thank you," she said quietly, her voice a little thick.
Derek wanted to be beside her in this moment. He wanted to hug her and kiss her and experience this moment with her. But his sister was still holding him in a vice-like hug, so he was forced to remain at a distance as Meredith was greeted by the rest of the family.
"We want to hear all of the details," Kathleen said, giving Meredith a hug when Jane was done.
"Yeah," Meg added, also giving Meredith a hug, "Because Derek sucks at explaining things."
Meredith laughed.
Derek rolled his eyes. "I do not."
"We're not talking to you," Nancy told him, before giving Meredith a hug.
"No, you're just talking about me."
Jane smiled as she walked up to her son. "Leave them be, Derek. They just want to talk to their new sister." She was talking to him, but she made sure to speak loud enough that her words would reach Meredith's ears.
Derek smiled warmly at his mother. She somehow new instinctively just what Meredith needed to feel as welcome as possible.
Jane kissed him on the cheek. "It's good to see you, Derek. I'll give you a hug when Lauren's done."
Derek laughed, patting his sister on the shoulder. "Any idea when that will be?" He asked.
Lauren sniffed and raised her head. Her eyes were red as she fought back tears. "I'm sorry. I'm a mess, Derek. A mess." She sniffed again. "I'm so glad you came."
"Are you kidding? You're my favourite sister. I wouldn't miss it."
Lauren laughed as her three sisters glared at Derek's comment.
Expertly ignoring his sisters' glares, Derek cocked his head at Lauren. "Where's my niece?" He asked, referring to Lauren's eight year daughter, Emily.
"She's staying at a friend's until tomorrow so she can finish her school week. We're going to pick her up on the way to the rehearsal."
"She must be excited," he said, knowing that bringing up Emily always served as an excellent distraction for Lauren.
Lauren beamed and nodded. "She is. She's super excited; can't stop talking about it. You should see her in the little dress she picked out. She looks so grown up."
He smiled and released her now that she seemed to have calmed down. "I can't wait to see her."
Lauren offered him an only slightly wobbly smile before she turned and walked into Nathan's arms. But she didn't bury her face and cry like she had with Derek. She seemed to have regained control of her emotions. For now, at least.
Derek exchanged a knowing look and nod with Nathan.
As promised, Jane gave him a tight hug the moment he was free of Lauren. "You're a good brother, Derek," she whispered.
"I had to be to make up for the quality of the sisters I got," he joked.
Jane rolled her eyes as she pulled away.
Meg stepped up to him and smacked him on the back of the head before he even realized she was there. "I heard that, Derek."
"I wasn't talking about you."
She laughed and smacked him again.
"Hey! What was that for?"
She shrugged. "For calling Lauren your favourite sister."
"Next to you," he bantered.
She laughed again. "I missed you," she said as she allowed him to hug her.
"I missed you too, Meg."
She pulled back and excitedly shook him with her hands on his shoulders. "I'm so happy for you," she told him, obviously speaking about his new marriage.
He smiled.
She smiled back and shook him again. "Look at you all happy."
He felt his cheeks heat slightly at his sister's attention and glanced at his wife, who was smiling as she spoke to his mother. Just a few minutes with the Shepherd family and she was relaxed. His two worlds coexisted well together. He turned back to Meg and shrugged. "It's nice to be happy."
"Good," she said, as she released him, allowing Kathleen and Nancy to greet their brother and offer their own congratulations.
When he had spoken to all of his sisters, he greeted his stepfather with a handshake. "Brian, it's good to see you."
Brian offered him a warm smile. "You too, Derek. Your mother's been talking about seeing you all week."
Derek nodded. "I know. She only called me a hundred times to make sure we'd make it."
Brian laughed. "That's Jane."
Jane scoffed as she walked up to her husband and her son, Meredith beside her. "It was more like twice, Derek."
He shook his head. "Five times. At least."
"Well, you were short with me a couple times."
"I wasn't short. I was busy. You kept calling me at work and I told you I'd call you back when I had time to talk."
"And then you didn't call back."
"Because I was busy," Derek repeated. He turned to his wife, "Mer, tell her I was busy."
Meredith glanced at him for a moment, surprised he had tried to bring her into the conversation. She then turned back to Jane and shrugged. "I told him to call you back. He had plenty of free time."
"Hey!" Derek countered with his own surprise.
Jane stared at him, one eyebrow raised, though her eyes were sparkling. She was clearly happy that Meredith felt comfortable enough to joke with them. "Derek, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Derek rolled his eyes and then bumped Meredith's hip with his, also pleased that Meredith was comfortable enough to joke around.
Meredith laughed. "Last week was super busy," she relented. "We barely got everything we needed to done."
Jane nodded. "You must be swamped trying to get ready to move. You get the keys next month?"
"Next week," Derek corrected. "We hope to move in by the end of the month."
"That's sooner than I thought. Come and tell us all about it." Jane ushered them towards the table.
Derek sat between Lauren and Meredith at the table, but shook his head at his mother's eager expression. "We're not here to talk about me. This is Lauren's weekend." He swung his arm around his sister to make his point.
Lauren's eyes welled up with tears at the reminder of her wedding, but she shook her head. "Nice try," she countered before her mother could. "I want to hear about the new house, too."
"Which we can talk about any time, but right now-"
Nancy cut him off. "Saturday is about Lauren's wedding. And even tomorrow, but today can be about you. So, spill."
Derek sighed. "What is it you want to know?" He wanted to share his life with his family, he really did, but after spending so many years not allowing himself to seek or accept their attention, he wasn't sure how to now. Being forced into the centre of attention was putting him on the spot.
"Everything."
"Because that really narrows it down..." He reached for Meredith's hand. She squeezed his as he threaded their fingers together. "We found a really nice condo by the harbour. Two bedrooms and a small office. Huge terrace. Great view." Derek smiled as he thought of their new home. They had both loved the condo from the moment they stepped through the front door. The building was older, but had been converted into modern semi-loft style units while maintaining some character. Rectangular in shape, the building offered two units on their floor. The unit was a backwards L-shape, with most of the rooms on the main floor. From the front door, you walk right into the open concept living room and dining room, whose outer wall was floor to ceiling windows, with a view of the harbour. To the left, located at the top of the L was a small hallway that led to a bathroom, spare bedroom and the office. To the right was the kitchen, also open concept, with a large breakfast bar acting as its only border from the rest of the condo. Tucked in beside the kitchen, in the small section of the L, was the laundry room, a storage room and a large pantry. The master suite stretched the entire length of the short section of the L, with the bathroom and closets towards the inside of the building and the bedroom bordering two outside walls. The lower level opened up to a large terrace that stretched more than half the length of the condo, and the bedroom had a small balcony of its own. "Hardwood floors throughout," he continued, "But the walls are all white washed, so we're going to paint before we move in."
"Have you already booked painters?" Nancy asked.
"We're going to paint ourselves."
Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because," Derek responded.
Nancy made a face.
Derek laughed at his sister's expression.
"Will it come with appliances?" Kathleen asked.
Derek shook his head. "No, but we've pretty much picked out everything we need. We just need to get into the unit to measure before we order anything."
"Sounds like you'll have a lot to do in order to move in."
Derek shrugged. "We'll get it done." He wasn't all that concerned. They had a couple days booked off starting the day they got the keys. They would paint immediately, and order the appliances. After that, there wasn't much to do other than wait for everything to be delivered. And if they were a few days later than expected before they could actually spend their first night there, it really wouldn't matter in the long run.
"It sounds awesome," Meg told him.
He smiled. "It really is." He squeezed Meredith's hand with sudden excitement. Not only were they finally going to be living together, just the two of them, but they would be living in a great place. He imagined early mornings sharing coffee on their balcony, the view of the sunset through their living room windows, not having to fight over the kitchen with roommates and the freedom to show affection to his wife wherever he wanted. Sex on the living room floor was high on his list of things to do once they moved in.
Meredith squeezed his hand back and leaned into him, clearly feeling just as excited. He offered her a soft smile. She smiled back.
When Derek turned his attention back to the rest of the table, his mother was smiling at him, clearly noticing his and Meredith's interaction. "Okay," she prompted, "Now that we've got the house out of the way, tell us about the wedding."
Derek glanced at Lauren. While he had been joking before, now he actually felt bad. This weekend was for his sister. She had had a tough life and had finally found happiness. She deserved her wedding to be the hot topic of the weekend, not his.
"Don't look at me like that," Lauren chastised. "I want to know, too."
He hesitated. "But this is your weekend."
Lauren's eyes filled with tears. Again. She sniffed, and the moment Nathan wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she leaned into him.
Derek shot an uncertain glance to the rest of the table. "See, this is why this should be about Lauren..."
Despite the tears now running down he cheeks, Lauren shook her head. "I'm an emotional disaster, Derek. I've been like this all week. Trust me; I want to hear about your wedding. And if you don't tell me, it'll just make me cry harder," she threatened.
"That would be hard to do," Nancy muttered from across the table.
Lauren glared at her sister. "I seem to remember physically forcing a glass of orange juice down your throat the morning you got married because you hadn't had anything to drink in two days because of all the crying you did leading up to your wedding."
Nancy made a face, but fell silent.
Derek chuckled at the memory. Nancy, not one to show much emotion, had been shocked at how out of control her emotions had been leading up to her wedding. In an attempt to keep her crying to a minimum, she had stopped consuming liquids. By the morning of her wedding she was clearly starting to suffer from dehydration. Lauren and Kathleen had pretty much held her down and forced her to have something to drink.
Lauren wiped her face and turned to Derek. "Start talking."
"There's probably not much that I haven't told you on the phone..."
"All you told us was that you got married on the beach."
He shrugged. "There's not much more to add."
Meg huffed and turned her attention to Meredith. "See? He's useless at explaining things. You're up, and start from the beginning."
Beside him, Meredith tensed, but only a little. She glanced at him, clearly unsure of what to say. Part of him wanted to step in and get the spotlight off of her, but instead he offered her a tender smile and waited to see what she would say, wanting her to be part of the conversation.
"I don't really know what you want to hear," she started carefully. "There's really not much to it, like Derek said. We saw this other wedding on the beach, and we thought it was a good idea."
"That's already more than we got from Derek. You saw another wedding? That's where the idea came from?"
Meredith nodded. "The second evening we were there we went for a walk along the beach and there was this other wedding that just seemed so simple and...perfect." Her nose wrinkled slightly at the term. "We'd spent so much time trying to figure out how and when and where..." She sighed. "It just seemed like us."
Derek smiled, remembering his thoughts in that moment. The whole concept had screamed Meredith and Derek to him. They had watched silently for several minutes, and Derek had begun to wonder if Meredith would go for it when she had turned around. The look in her eyes, before he had said a word, confirmed his suspicions. 'You wouldn't happen to be thinking what I'm thinking,' he'd asked, knowing what her answer would be.
After that, things had pretty much fallen into place. The resort had taken care of all of the details and decisions. All Meredith and Derek had had to do was get the marriage license and show up.
"We didn't really have to do anything," Meredith was continuing. "The resort pretty much did everything. I guess it's pretty common, or whatever."
"And Derek didn't talk you into it to get out of planning something bigger?" Kathleen asked, throwing her brother a mocking glance, clearly trying to joke with him.
Meredith laughed and shook her head. "No. It was definitely a mutual decision. We both wanted something simple. And we didn't want to wait," she rambled slightly. "And it was so beautiful there. It was really just...amazing."
Derek watched in fascination as his wife's eyes welled with tears. They didn't stream down her cheeks, but Meredith wiped at her face anyway. He couldn't help but chuckle at the new, and completely unexpected, development.
"Crap," she muttered, "Now I'm turning into Lauren."
The entire table laughed, including Lauren.
"It's contagious," Lauren said.
Meredith leaned her forehead against Derek's upper arm for a moment, as if hiding her reaction, but she was laughing as well.
Derek pressed a kiss to the top of her head through his own laughter. When she lifted her head, he swung an arm around her and was happy to feel not a single ounce of tension in her body. She was happy and comfortable here. His job as her wingman was complete.
When the laughter died down, Nancy jumped up. "Okay, we definitely need to make a new batch of drinks." The Shepherd sisters knew how to take advantage of their kid-free time when they had the chance.
"Definitely," Kathleen agreed, also standing. She turned to Meredith. "Meredith, do you drink margaritas?"
Meredith nodded. "Definitely." She paused for a moment before asking, "Do you need help?"
"Sure, come on," Kathleen responded, and just like that Meredith was gone from Derek's side, following his sisters into the house.
Derek blinked. It wasn't that he hadn't expected her to be so relaxed here again; it was that he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. He tracked her with his eyes until she was out of sight, and then turned back to the table.
His mother offered him a warm smile. "She seems happy."
He nodded. "I hope so."
Jane nodded, her smile growing. "She fits here," she said simply.
Derek was surprised to feel his own eyes stinging. Maybe it was contagious. "That's exactly what I want."
Jane shrugged. "She's family now."
He smiled. Not only was Meredith accepting the Shepherds, but the Shepherds were accepting her. "She was worried that you were upset that we didn't have a ceremony," he admitted.
"You should have told her not to worry. The most important thing is that you two are happy."
"I did tell her not to worry."
"Well, then you should have made her believe it."
He laughed. "I did my best. I think actually being here is the only way she'll be convinced. She's not used to this," he reminded.
Jane nodded thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "You're right. We'll just let her figure it out on her own, that is, if she hasn't already."
"Oh!" Meg exclaimed, jumping up before anything more was said. "I forgot the thing."
"What thing?" Derek asked.
"Nothing."
"It doesn't look like nothing," he called as Meg hurried towards the house.
"It's nothing," she repeated as she stepped into the house.
Derek rolled his eyes as he turned back to the table again. "What is she doing?" He asked.
Jane shook her head. "I don't know, dear."
He chuckled. "I don't believe you." He turned to Lauren.
"I don't know either," she echoed her mother, although the smile she was trying to hide made it obvious she was lying.
He raised an eyebrow. "I can make you talk."
"No you can't."
"Yes, I can."
She shook her head. "Not going to work."
"Yes, going to work. And I don't even have to resort to old tactics," he explained, referring to the significant amount of tickling he had done as a child to make his sister talk, "All I have to do is mention your wedding and it'll make you cry..."
"No, it won't," Lauren rebutted, regardless of the fact that her eyes were already welling.
He smirked.
A single tear ran down her cheek. "Derek!" She exclaimed, wiping her face with her hand. "Shut up!"
"I didn't say anything."
"Still..." She trailed off, blinking away unwanted tears.
"Derek, leave your sister alone," Jane said, obviously finding humour in the fact that her very grown up children could still act like not-so-grown up children.
"I didn't say anything," he insisted.
Jane smiled and expertly changed the subject. "Tell us about work."
"Work is good," he answered, going along with the subject change despite the fact that the big brother in him wanted to tease his little sister. "There wasn't much to the department before I got there, so I've really had to push Richard for some funding, but I'm starting to see some positive changes. New equipment. More training."
"Not like your old practice?" Brian asked.
He shook his head. "Not at all, but I wouldn't change a thing. I can't believe I put up with private practice for as long as I did."
"And Meredith?" Jane prompted. "How's she liking her second year?"
"She's doing great," he said honestly. "She figured out her interns pretty quickly." He could still remember feeling vastly unable to manage three other people even into his third month with interns. "And she's kicking ass in surgery."
"She's that good?"
He nodded, not even trying to hide the pride he felt for his wife. "She's a natural. There's no doubt in my mind that she's going to be great."
Jane smiled at him, but said nothing.
"What?" He prompted.
"I'm just happy for you," she said softly. "You've got everything figured out."
He nodded, but was interrupted by the back door opening before he could say anything more. Laughter filled the air as Kathleen, Nancy and Meredith returned to the back patio. Nancy and Meredith were each carrying a pitcher of margaritas. Kathleen had two additional glasses, which she placed in front of Derek before settling back onto her seat across the table. The contents in the pitchers were quickly dispersed into the nine waiting glasses on the table.
The moment Meredith sat back down beside him, Derek slid his chair closer to hers and hooked his arm around her waist. He was happy, and he wanted to share that with her. She shot him a warm smile and leaned into him.
"We should make a toast," Jane declared, lifting her glass.
Derek reached for his glass, as did the rest of the table, but Meg cut them off before a toast could be made.
"Wait for me!" She called as she stepped out of the house. In her hands was a large, flat package wrapped in shiny, colourful paper.
Derek glanced at the rest of the table to confirm his suspicions.
Jane put down her glass and met Derek's eyes. "We know you two said you didn't want any wedding presents, but we had to get you something."
Meg dropped the package into Derek's lap and then sat down at the table.
Derek exchanged a glance with Meredith, who suddenly seemed uncertain. She didn't like being the centre of attention like this, and a childhood of neglect had made her hesitant about being given anything. He glanced back at the rest of the table. "You really didn't have to get us anything-"
"Nonsense." Jane waved her hand at his comment. "Think of it as more of a housewarming present than anything."
He smirked at his mother. "Well, then it's early."
"Just open the present, Derek," Jane said with fake exasperation.
Derek sighed and turned back to his wife, who still had an uncertain expression in her eyes, but met his gaze. "It'll make them happy," he told her.
She took a breath and offered him a smile. This was uncomfortable for her, but she was determined to do the family thing. He felt his heart swell at her effort and couldn't resist leaning in to kiss her, regardless of the audience or the unopened present in his lap.
"Okay," Nancy called after several seconds, waving her very full glass of margarita. "Some of us are thirsty. Open the damn present so we can toast."
Derek laughed. "Okay." He slid the present so that it was partially on Meredith's lap as well. He slid his finger under the seam of the paper to rip off a piece of tape. He nudged Meredith with his elbow and then ripped off another piece of tape. He nudged her again.
Meredith very slowly moved her hand towards the package.
Derek ripped off another piece of tape.
Meredith's hand came to rest on the package, but made no effort to participate in the unwrapping.
Derek ripped off the final piece of tape along the seam. He poked Meredith's hand, wanting her to help, even if just a little.
Meredith's hand moved to the center seam and one, two, three fingers hooked under the paper. She very slowly began to slide her hand down until she met another piece of tape and paused.
Derek covered her hand with his and pulled down so that they ripped through the entire center seam together, smiling as Meredith laughed at his actions. He laughed as well as they removed the rest of the paper together, revealing the back of a frame. He lifted it and turned it around to reveal-
"An empty picture frame; just what we always wanted," he announced. His family had gifted them with a large, rather nice, picture frame that was void of any actual pictures.
"The picture is coming," Meg announced. "We haven't taken it yet."
"Since we're going to have the entire family together this weekend, we're going to take a family picture tomorrow night at the rehearsal dinner," Jane explained. "It's about time we have an updated family picture. And we thought that since you two were moving into a new home and starting your lives together that you needed a reminder of your New York family. We'll find a way to get it printed before you fly home on Monday."
Beside him, Meredith leaned closer, and he immediately reached his arm around her middle, knowing what this must mean to her.
"Thank you," Derek said for both of them. He tightened his arm around his wife. "Our walls won't be bare."
Meredith's eyes were glistening, but she held her head up and offered the Shepherds a grateful smile. "Thank you," she echoed Derek, though there was clearly more levels to her gratitude. "This means..." She trailed off as her voice cracked. A single tear stream down her cheek, and she swiped at it. "I really am turning into Lauren," she complained.
"I told you it was contagious," Lauren said.
"This means more to me than I can say," she tried again.
Jane shrugged. "It's what we do for family."
Derek felt Meredith shudder, and ran his hand along her arm to offer some comfort, knowing she was overwhelmed.
With a knowing smile, Jane raised her glass. "The last couple years have seen a lot of changes for us, but I think they're for the better. Meredith and Nathan have joined us," she said, nodding to them both, "And we're lucky to have you both. Now we look forward to many, many years of happiness ahead of us. To family." She held her glass up.
Derek lifted his glass, and smiled as Meredith did so beside him. "To family," he echoed his mother with the rest of his family.