It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

27.

Derek breathed deeply, the scent of her hair sent his senses tingling as he rubbed her back slightly. Then he heard it.

Giggles.

Not again.

A slow, delicate smirk spread across his face as the giggling became a little louder. "What is it this time?" He whispered, looking up into two of his sister's eyes.

"This is the second year in a row..." Bethany giggled.

"This year, we got a picture." Kathleen giggled, holding up the camera, she pressed the button and the flash lit up the room.

"You're going to get it..." Derek groaned sleepily as he felt Meredith moving her head.

"What..." Meredith mumbled as she looked up, seeing the two women above her, she grinned. "What is...?"

"It's time to put the gifts under the tree." Nancy whispered from the doorway.

"Oh..." Meredith whispered as she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as Derek sat up beside her. The door to the kitchen opened and Joann walked into the room with a tray full of coffee cups.

"Do you need..." Derek whispered.

"Meredith." Nancy said with a smile. "We need Meredith, and we need you to go upstairs and go to bed."

"What if I don't want to go to bed?"

"Then go upstairs and stand at the top of the stairs... no boys allowed." Bethany replied.

"But..."

"Derek... you know the rules." Nancy replied.

"Meredith doesn't want me to leave." He said, crossing his arms over his chest, he glanced to Meredith, who had avoided eye contact with him as she smiled up at Joann and accepted a cup of coffee. "Meredith..." he whispered.

Her face turned towards him as she brought the coffee to her lips and raised her eyebrows. "What? There are only five cups of coffee..." She shrugged. She watched as he gave her a fake sad look, his eyes widened as he pouted.

"Oh... get that look off your face..." Joann said as she gave her brother a little shove with her foot as Meredith gave him a sad face back.

"Donnie has that exact same puppy dog expression when he wants something." Kathleen laughed. "Don't give in, Meredith." She whispered.

"Please..." Derek whispered. "I'll be so lonely upstairs..."

The four sisters watched the couple as they battled silently for a moment, watching as Derek slowly chipped away at her resolve, or so they thought.

"You know..." Meredith said with a little whisper as she slowly started to back away from Derek. "You're really cute when your pouting..." She smiled wickedly.

"What does that mean?" Derek asked.

"Go on upstairs... pout a little more... and I'll come upstairs to tuck you in." She grinned.

Derek's jaw dropped as the five women began to giggle as he stood up. "I see how it is..." He sighed as he shook his head. "I give you that pretty little ring... and how do you repay me? You side with them... You should be ashamed..." He said with a smirk.

"Oh...I'm not..." Meredith shook her head as she started to giggle more, the other four girls helped her from the floor as the five of them stood together.

"Goodnight, Derek..." They all whispered aloud at the same time as Derek shook his head.

"We'll see if I let you into the room." He winked at Meredith as the girls giggled some more, watching Derek blow a kiss to Meredith as he shook his head and made his way towards the stairs. He glanced down at the girls one more time, watching them huddle together and talk excitedly as he felt the warmth of Christmas and the thought of his family accepting Meredith so readily enter his heart and made him smile as he made his way upstairs into his bedroom.