Can't Help Falling in Love

14

"Are you sure this is okay?" Meredith asked as she frowned at her reflection in the mirror.

"Meredith, you look beautiful," Derek smiled as he paused tying his tie to kiss her cheek. "I promise."

"I still think you're lying," Meredith sighed.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Derek asked as he reached for the jacket for his suit.

"Never," Meredith frowned as she turned, trying to look at her back in the mirror. "But I give you sex, so you have to tell me I look beautiful."

"Meredith," Derek laughed, taking her hands and pulling her close to him. "There's no reason to be nervous."

"Yes there is," Meredith argued. "I've never been to church before. I've never even celebrated Christmas before. And now I'm being thrown into the perfect fairy tale Christmas with your stupid perfect family, and I have no idea what I'm doing. And I still don't think that me sleeping over at your parents' house is a good idea."

Derek laughed as he kissed her forehead. "Let's talk about this in the car," he laughed, taking her hand and reaching for the overnight bag she'd packed earlier that day. "First of all...church is ridiculously boring, and I stopped going regularly a long time ago. It means a lot to my parents that I go on Christmas so I do, but it's not a big deal. And you'll love Christmas. There's lots of presents and lots of food. My family loves you, probably more than they like me at this point. And I don't care what you say, we're spending the night at my parents'. Nancy and Matt will be there too, and Kath and Chris would be if they weren't with his parents this year. There's no way I'm waking up on Christmas morning without you."

Meredith bit her lower lip as she watched the snow covered Seattle scenery slide by outside the window. "Are you sure your parents don't think I'm some kind of slut?" she asked. "Because honestly, Der, I'm sleeping with the uncle of one of my students. That can't look good."

Derek frowned as he reached over to lace their fingers together. "Mer, we have got to work on getting some self confidence into you," he said. "You are not a slut, nothing of the sort. And yes, you are sleeping with me, but this is so much more than that. One day you won't be Meg's teacher anymore. And I hope that after that day, we can get married and really spend the rest of our lives together."

"Oh," Meredith breathed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. "Is it warm in here?"

"I'm sorry," Derek said softly, squeezing her hand. "I didn't mean to freak you out. I just want you to know that I'm not leaving you. I know you've never had anyone stay with you no matter what, and I just want you to understand what that feels like. I love you, Mer, and my family loves you. You might not have family of your own, but I'm more than willing to share mine with you, if you'll let me."

Meredith smiled as she turned to stare at him. "You're quite the charmer, you know that?" she asked.

"I try," Derek shrugged with a smirk. "Seriously, Mer, you're never going to be alone again. I'm going to make sure of that."

"Thank you," she whispered as he pulled into a parking lot of a large church and parked his car in the middle of the crowded lot. Meredith leaned over to kiss him gently. "And you'll make sure I don't completely embarrass myself?"

"I promise," Derek laughed. "Everyone will think you're a church expert."

Meredith clutched his hand tightly as she held her coat close to her with the other, trying to make herself like she belonged in church. Derek wanted her there, she wanted to spend Christmas with his family, and especially him. She'd never had a real Christmas before, and she couldn't wait to experience the magic she was sure the Shepherd family made Christmas to be.