It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

26.

Meredith squeaked a little in Derek's arms as he tickled her neck with his nose. "You're being fresh..." She whispered as she shifted to sit up. She looked over at him and he flashed her sad eyes as he watched her move to sit beside him. "Where are you going?" He asked. "You still have to tell me." He said as he reached for her, feeling her wiggle from his grasp.

"I need to get something." She said as she leaned over the coffee table, where she had been sitting earlier.

"What do you need to get?" He asked, leaning with her a little as he watched her pick up the small white box on the coffee table. She leaned back and nearly bumped into him, watching as he smiled softly. She moved her leg, kneeling on the couch, he sat up a little more, so she could swing her leg around him, and face him as she straddled him. She held the box in her hands, looking down at it as she glanced up at him, their eyes meeting as his hands gently rubbed her legs and hips. "You remembered it." He said softly, the sparkle in his eyes was magical as his eyes filled with tears.

"Of course I remembered it." She whispered. "It belongs here on Christmas, with your family." She smiled softly as she leaned forward, pushing her body against his as she wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Our family, Meredith." He whispered, feeling her soft breath on his neck as she cuddled against him.

"My Christmas wish came true." She smiled, sitting up a little, still straddling him as she pressed her nose lightly against his.

"Your Christmas wish?" He asked, tilting his head just slightly. It took him only a moment, and he remembered. "It did... didn't it?" He asked, reaching up to touch her cheek. He very gently traced her jaw line with his fingertips, gently pushing her chin slightly so that he could capture her lips on his own. "I love you..." He whispered.

"That's it!" She exclaimed suddenly, sending his head back in surprise, his eyes widened.

"What's 'it'?" he asked.

"My favorite moment!" She grinned, the beauty of her smile warmed his heart, she looked so beautiful when she smiled, so free, so young, so delicious.

"What is your favorite moment?" He asked, leaning forward a bit to kiss her neck.

🎄🎄🎄

Derek walked down the hallway to his apartment. He sighed as he neared the door and stopped in his tracks when he heard loud music coming from within. At first he thought that maybe Mark had stopped in to hang around before his shift started, but Derek remembered seeing him at the hospital before he left.

"Meredith?" he whispered to himself, wondering if she had showed up early. He knew that she had final exams all week long, but from the sound coming from his apartment, he knew she had to be inside. He had given her the key to his apartment the last time she was in town so that when she came down for weekends, she could go inside when he was at work if she wanted to. He smiled when he walked inside, and even the loud music that was probably annoying all of his neighbors didn't bother him. He followed the music through the apartment, walking into the little kitchenette as Meredith stood in the middle dancing around, a celery stick to her mouth as a microphone, a peanut butter jar in her other hand.

She turned around, wiggling her butt, completely unfazed by his presence, she danced to the seductive song and grinned when she saw him leaning against the doorway with a sideways grin. She moved close to him and rubbed her butt against him as she swung around and continued singing off key to the song, swaying back and forth with a bright grin on her face. He stepped over to the stereo as she stopped dancing, shoved the celery stick into the peanut butter jar and grinned.