It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

54.

It was Sunday evening and they were stuck.

They weren't stuck physically or anything, it wasn't as if someone had poured glue on the front step of his apartment, but they stood face to face and there was nothing that could move them.

The sound of a horn bellowing beside them could be heard. It was loud, long, and insistent, but their eyes were still settled on one another's. The horn stopped for a moment, only to be slammed down upon once again.

"I think Cristina wants to get going." Derek whispered, his hands on her arms as he continued his staring contest.

"Hm..." She mumbled, her eyes reflecting his as she held her hands on his waist, her eyes never wavering from his.

The horn rang out a third time and they heard the car window open. "WILL YOU TWO JUST SUCK FACE AND GET IT OVER WITH? WE HAVE TO GO!" Cristina shouted as she stuck her head out the window.

"I can take you back." He whispered.

"You have to work in the morning." She replied.

"What if I'm fired... and I find out that I could have taken you back?" Derek whispered as they listened to the horn honk long and loud once again.

"You're not going to get fired." Meredith said, shaking her head. "Just... take care of yourself, Derek... and don't take her shit. She wants you to be a strong doctor..."

"You keep saying she's testing me, Meredith. You keep telling me that by defending myself and you, that I'm doing the right thing... but I can't help but think that maybe... maybe I should just keep my mouth shut."

"Don't you dare, Derek." Meredith shook her head. "I'm serious... She's your boss... and she knows the rules... She can't bully you around like that... You're a surgeon... you're a damned good one at that... and she knows that. She's not about to give up on you... You're doing this for yourself... you're doing it for me... and you're doing it for...you're doing..."

Derek's smile spread slowly across his face as he watched her flounder for a moment. "Our baby." He whispered.

"Our baby..." She smiled.

"Make sure you take care of yourself... vitamins... lots of water..." Derek said as he watched her smile slyly at him. "And get rest... don't let me find out you've been staying up late studying... You know your shit..."

"GODDAMN IT!" Cristina's voice came from the car as the door slammed.

"You should go..." Derek whispered as he pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tightly as she squeezed him back. "I love you so much."

"I love you." She whispered as Cristina stomped up to them.

"Alright... we've been sitting out here for twenty minutes... it's time to go!" She exclaimed as she started to tug on Meredith. Derek held her tightly as Cristina tried to pry his arm off her. Meredith giggled. "Give her to me... Give her... to... me!" Cristina grunted as Derek laughed as he lifted Meredith up in the hug and started walking forward. "I swear... you two are the sappiest people in the whole freaking world!" She exclaimed.

"Why do you think we're stuck together?" Derek asked, laughing as Cristina rolled her eyes.

"Just get her into the car so that we can go. I have things to do..."

"She has to study..." Meredith rolled her eyes as Derek stood beside the car as Cristina climbed in.

"Study... geez... classes don't start until tomorrow."

"No rest for the wicked!" Cristina exclaimed.

"You can say that again..." Derek rolled his eyes as he gave Meredith a sly grin. "You be a good girl." He whispered, placing his finger on her chin as he brought her lips to his. "No worrying... no stressing out... and no missing me."

"Two out of three aren't bad..." Meredith whispered as she shrugged. "I'm going to miss you." She whispered as she kissed him again.

"I'm going to miss you..." He whispered as he opened her door for her. She climbed in and he closed the door behind her as she rolled the window down.

"Aw... come on!" Cristina exclaimed as she shook her head and put her head on the steering wheel.

"I love you..." Derek whispered. "I love you both."

"We love you too... now can we go?" Cristina grumbled.

"I wasn't talking to you... I was talking to Meri and..."

"I know who you were talking to..." Cristina shook her head.

"We love you too." Meredith laughed as she leaned forward and kissed his lips. "You be good too..."

"I will..." He whispered as she slowly rolled the window closed, watching as she waved from the window as Cristina slowly backed out. He waved goodbye as Cristina drove off with his Meredith, leaving him shivering on the curbside long after the tail lights disappeared around the corner.

🎄🎄🎄

Derek took a deep breath as he walked down the hallway towards Doctor Grey's office. He shook his head, trying to rattle off the feeling of anxiety in his gut. Meredith had called him on his way in, giving him a good luck kiss as she mumbled incoherently into the phone. He laughed as she hung the phone up, knowing that she wasn't always a morning person, he was happy to hear her voice.

Thinking of Meredith kept his feet moving as he stepped into the outer office. The secretary's desk was empty and Derek made a mental note to apologize to her later on. He glanced to Ellis' office and noticed that the door was open, and he could see that she was sitting at her desk writing.

He thought for a moment of whether he should disturb her or not, when she spoke his name without looking up. "Doctor Shepherd, you're early." She said as she reached into her drawer and pulled the pager out. She put her pen down and stood up.

"Doctor Grey." Derek said softly as he nodded politely.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself before I hand your pager back to you?" She asked, her eyebrows rising as she gave him a steely glare.

"No, Ma'am. I have nothing more to say at this time." He said softly as he reached his hand out.

"No apology?" She asked.

"No, Ma'am. I said what I was feeling, and I said what was true. I make no apologies for anything that I said. I make no apologies for my feelings, and I will not allow myself to be abused for the simple purpose of your own personal gratification." Derek stated, his eyes directly on hers as he spoke, his voice was deep and confident as he watched her eye him carefully.

"Did my daughter make it to school alright?" She asked firmly, watching Derek's eyes remain steady.

"I think that you should call her yourself and find out, Dr. Grey. I think that it would make her feel better knowing that you inquired about her."

"Meredith doesn't need me in order to be strong, Doctor Shepherd. You said so yourself that she's stronger than I am."

"It's the gesture, Doctor Grey. I understand if you don't want to be needed, but Meredith is the kind of person that does need to be wanted." Derek said as he reached for his pager.

Ellis pulled her hand back for a moment as she stared Derek carefully in the eyes, her jaw clenching slightly as she watched the confident look in his eyes. "There is a craniotomy in OR 2 at 6 AM. I expect you to be there and scrubbed in and the patient to be prepped when I get there, Doctor Shepherd. Six... and absolutely no later." She stated as she reached her hand forward and dropped the pager in his hand. "I don't apologize either, Doctor Shepherd. I guess that it's something that we're both going to have to get used to." She said as she turned for her desk, expecting Derek to still be standing beside her desk for a moment, she was surprised to look up to see him walking out of the door without another word.