A four-in-one prompt fic for the abc challenge
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
This is a four-in-one fic for the challenge @
thursdaymornin . Jenna (
darkandtwisty02 ) wanted "daughter" and "kindergarten" and I managed to sneak in "hope" and "scars" along with it. I don't know if that's allowed, but awell. I did it anyway. Hope you enjoy it. :)
She took a pregnancy test only six months into their marriage. They’d watched together as the little pink plus sign slowly fizzled onto the stick, bright and clear and undoubtedly positive.
It hadn’t been their plan-not that they really had one anyway. Back when they found out, they’d been focused on other things…getting moved out of the house, building their own, starting their newly married lives together. Things were getting back on track as best they could.
(Except George was dead and Izzie was sick and no matter how hard they tried, life always seemed to veer them off the course at the worst times.)
But as it turns out, even though she was unexpected, she was the best thing that could have happened. Emily was born on a summer day in June. And like the sunlight that shone in the sky that day, she brought with her a warmth and energy that they’d all been missing for nearly a year. She brought joy. A reason to believe that things would be okay.
The word miracle didn’t even do her justice. But that’s really what she was. And she’d been bringing them happiness ever since.
It had been five years since she was born. Those five years were documented all over the house-the one they’d began building the week after Meredith found out she was pregnant, and the one they moved into when Emily turned a year old.
Pictures lined the hallways, the refrigerator, the living room. The whole house. Pictures of Emily sitting on Santa’s lap, with the Easter Bunny, every birthday, Halloween, preschool graduation, family portraits, and the others snapped over the years. One of the three of them in Disney World, another of her and Derek on the Fourth of July, her and Meredith on Christmas morning, even one of her and Alex making funny faces at the camera.
As Meredith walks down the hall to Emily’s bedroom, she smiles to herself, despite the bittersweet twinge of pain in her heart. Today was her daughter’s first day of kindergarten, another milestone in her life, another event that would be documented on the walls of the Shepherd home.
She turns the knob and gently opens the door. Sun shines into the pink and yellow bedroom, making her daughter’s wavy blonde hair seem even lighter.
“Emmy,” Meredith whispers, leaning down to press a kiss on her child’s forehead. “Time to get up for school, sweet pea.”
Emily’s eyelids flutter open slowly, revealing her piercing blue eyes, the ones she’d gotten from Derek. She rolls onto her back and smiles sleepily. “Hi, Mommy,” the little girl says softly.
Meredith smiles. “Hi, baby,” she replies. “Today’s your big day.”
“I’m nervous,” Emily admits, looking to Meredith for reassurance.
This was the part of motherhood that made Meredith wonder why Ellis didn’t want to share these moments with her own child. The part where she got to give kisses and hugs and tell her, over and over again, that she’d be okay, how much fun kindergarten would be. Meredith couldn’t imagine missing out on something like that.
“You’re going to have so much fun, Em,” Meredith says excitedly, scooping her daughter into her lap. “Remember how nice Ms. Lindsay was when we visited?”
“Yeah,” Emily says in a soft voice, her face resting on Meredith’s chest.
She runs her hand soothingly over her daughter’s back and kisses the crown of her head. “And all of the books and toys and games?”
Emily nods. “Uh huh.”
“You get to use your new schoolbag, too. The one you bought when you went shopping with Aunt Izzie. That’s exciting, right?”
“I’m gonna miss you and Daddy,” Emily confesses, her blue eyes searching Meredith’s for comfort.
“We’re going to miss you too, sweetheart. But it’s only for a few hours. Then we’re going to pick you up, right at the red doors, remember?” Meredith says, smoothing her fingers through her daughter’s blonde waves.
Emily finally lets a smile come over her face, a smile that always warmed Meredith’s heart. Seeing her child happy meant more to her than anything else. “Okay,” she whispers.
“Daddy is downstairs making breakfast. Wanna go eat, then we can get dressed for school?” Meredith asks encouragingly, pulling her daughter close for a hug.
Emily agrees, always easy-going like her dad. “‘Kay.”
--
“Smile!” Derek says happily as he snaps the tenth or so picture of his little girl, standing on the grass in front of her kindergarten classroom, backpack and lunch box accessorizing her ensemble, the dress Meredith let her pick out all by herself to wear today.
“No more, Dad.” Emily runs back over to her parents, grabbing onto each of their hands. Most of her apprehension had disappeared since Derek and Meredith’s pep talk over breakfast, when they told her to remember all of the “tips” everyone had given her…
How Uncle Mark told her to go for the handsome boys, ones that were nice to her and shared their toys. Aunt Izzie’s reminder to always be friendly and helpful. Uncle Alex’s advice to stick up for others on the playground. And of course, Aunt Cristina told her to be competitive-that there was nothing wrong with being the favorite. But most importantly, they told her how her Uncle George would have handled it if he were alive. He would have told her to always be genuine. That being the best wasn’t as important as doing your best.
With the thought, Meredith smiles down at her daughter, feeling so blessed for the child who had done so much for all of them without trying.
“You look really pretty, Em,” she compliments, taking notice of how her blue dress brought out her bright eyes.
“Beautiful,” Derek adds, kneeling down to kiss her cheek.
“Remember, if you need help opening your juice box, just ask Ms. Lindsay. She’ll help you. And you know where the bathrooms are, right?” Meredith asks nervously, biting on her lip as she fixed Emily’s sandal.
“Yep,” Emily nods. “Next to the water fountain.”
“Good,” Derek grins. “I think you’re all set.”
Meredith mirrors her husband’s smile. “And don’t be nervous about making friends. Everyone is going to like you, Emmy,” she assures her, not that Emily was particularly concerned.
“Only with girls,” Derek amends. “You have time to meet boyfriends. In college,” he says affirmatively, much to Meredith’s amusement.
“Daddy,” Emily giggles, her little laugh identical to her mother’s.
“I’m just saying…you’re beautiful, smart, funny. It’s only natural that boys are gonna like you,” Derek says in his own defense. “Right now, Daddy should be the only man in your life,” he winks jokingly.
Emily nods in assurance. “You are, Dad.”
“Thank you, Em,” Derek chuckles, kissing her forehead. “Ready to go inside?”
“Uh huh,” the little girl says bravely. She stares at the big red doors a few feet away and lets out a breath. “I wanna go now.”
Meredith and Derek kneel down to her level and give Emily their usual kisses and hugs, a routine they had back in preschool, at bedtime, whenever they said goodbye. Only today felt different. The little girl they loved so completely grew up in what seemed like a matter of minutes. It still astounded them that she was already five years old, joining the big leagues at school.
“We love you, Emmy,” Meredith says, running her hand over Emily’s soft cheek.
“Have a good day, baby girl,” Derek grins, gently squeezing her hand.
Emily smiles confidently at her parents, the only one out of the three of them who, oddly, wasn’t on the verge of tears. “I will.”
With that, she walks off into her classroom, waving to them one more time before her teacher happily greets her at the door. When their little girl was out of view, Meredith turns to Derek and sighs, tears pooled in her eyes.
“She’s all grown up,” Meredith says.
Derek wraps his arm around his wife as they walk back to their car in the school parking lot. “She’ll always be our princess,” he whispers to her, kissing her temple.
“Just imagine her wedding,” Meredith giggles despite her tears. “We’ll be wrecks.”
He just hums amusedly. “I don’t even want to think about it…”
--
She took a pregnancy test only six months into their marriage. It hadn’t been their plan. But sometimes, the things in life you don’t plan for end up being exactly what you need. Their daughter helped them mend in ways they never thought they would. The scars of the past had been healed by her hugs, her kisses, her laughter. Emily was their reason to go on. Their hope. And they’d always be indebted to her for that.
This is a four-in-one fic for the challenge @
thursdaymornin . Jenna (
darkandtwisty02 ) wanted "daughter" and "kindergarten" and I managed to sneak in "hope" and "scars" along with it. I don't know if that's allowed, but awell. I did it anyway. Hope you enjoy it. :)
She took a pregnancy test only six months into their marriage. They’d watched together as the little pink plus sign slowly fizzled onto the stick, bright and clear and undoubtedly positive.
It hadn’t been their plan-not that they really had one anyway. Back when they found out, they’d been focused on other things…getting moved out of the house, building their own, starting their newly married lives together. Things were getting back on track as best they could.
(Except George was dead and Izzie was sick and no matter how hard they tried, life always seemed to veer them off the course at the worst times.)
But as it turns out, even though she was unexpected, she was the best thing that could have happened. Emily was born on a summer day in June. And like the sunlight that shone in the sky that day, she brought with her a warmth and energy that they’d all been missing for nearly a year. She brought joy. A reason to believe that things would be okay.
The word miracle didn’t even do her justice. But that’s really what she was. And she’d been bringing them happiness ever since.
It had been five years since she was born. Those five years were documented all over the house-the one they’d began building the week after Meredith found out she was pregnant, and the one they moved into when Emily turned a year old.
Pictures lined the hallways, the refrigerator, the living room. The whole house. Pictures of Emily sitting on Santa’s lap, with the Easter Bunny, every birthday, Halloween, preschool graduation, family portraits, and the others snapped over the years. One of the three of them in Disney World, another of her and Derek on the Fourth of July, her and Meredith on Christmas morning, even one of her and Alex making funny faces at the camera.
As Meredith walks down the hall to Emily’s bedroom, she smiles to herself, despite the bittersweet twinge of pain in her heart. Today was her daughter’s first day of kindergarten, another milestone in her life, another event that would be documented on the walls of the Shepherd home.
She turns the knob and gently opens the door. Sun shines into the pink and yellow bedroom, making her daughter’s wavy blonde hair seem even lighter.
“Emmy,” Meredith whispers, leaning down to press a kiss on her child’s forehead. “Time to get up for school, sweet pea.”
Emily’s eyelids flutter open slowly, revealing her piercing blue eyes, the ones she’d gotten from Derek. She rolls onto her back and smiles sleepily. “Hi, Mommy,” the little girl says softly.
Meredith smiles. “Hi, baby,” she replies. “Today’s your big day.”
“I’m nervous,” Emily admits, looking to Meredith for reassurance.
This was the part of motherhood that made Meredith wonder why Ellis didn’t want to share these moments with her own child. The part where she got to give kisses and hugs and tell her, over and over again, that she’d be okay, how much fun kindergarten would be. Meredith couldn’t imagine missing out on something like that.
“You’re going to have so much fun, Em,” Meredith says excitedly, scooping her daughter into her lap. “Remember how nice Ms. Lindsay was when we visited?”
“Yeah,” Emily says in a soft voice, her face resting on Meredith’s chest.
She runs her hand soothingly over her daughter’s back and kisses the crown of her head. “And all of the books and toys and games?”
Emily nods. “Uh huh.”
“You get to use your new schoolbag, too. The one you bought when you went shopping with Aunt Izzie. That’s exciting, right?”
“I’m gonna miss you and Daddy,” Emily confesses, her blue eyes searching Meredith’s for comfort.
“We’re going to miss you too, sweetheart. But it’s only for a few hours. Then we’re going to pick you up, right at the red doors, remember?” Meredith says, smoothing her fingers through her daughter’s blonde waves.
Emily finally lets a smile come over her face, a smile that always warmed Meredith’s heart. Seeing her child happy meant more to her than anything else. “Okay,” she whispers.
“Daddy is downstairs making breakfast. Wanna go eat, then we can get dressed for school?” Meredith asks encouragingly, pulling her daughter close for a hug.
Emily agrees, always easy-going like her dad. “‘Kay.”
--
“Smile!” Derek says happily as he snaps the tenth or so picture of his little girl, standing on the grass in front of her kindergarten classroom, backpack and lunch box accessorizing her ensemble, the dress Meredith let her pick out all by herself to wear today.
“No more, Dad.” Emily runs back over to her parents, grabbing onto each of their hands. Most of her apprehension had disappeared since Derek and Meredith’s pep talk over breakfast, when they told her to remember all of the “tips” everyone had given her…
How Uncle Mark told her to go for the handsome boys, ones that were nice to her and shared their toys. Aunt Izzie’s reminder to always be friendly and helpful. Uncle Alex’s advice to stick up for others on the playground. And of course, Aunt Cristina told her to be competitive-that there was nothing wrong with being the favorite. But most importantly, they told her how her Uncle George would have handled it if he were alive. He would have told her to always be genuine. That being the best wasn’t as important as doing your best.
With the thought, Meredith smiles down at her daughter, feeling so blessed for the child who had done so much for all of them without trying.
“You look really pretty, Em,” she compliments, taking notice of how her blue dress brought out her bright eyes.
“Beautiful,” Derek adds, kneeling down to kiss her cheek.
“Remember, if you need help opening your juice box, just ask Ms. Lindsay. She’ll help you. And you know where the bathrooms are, right?” Meredith asks nervously, biting on her lip as she fixed Emily’s sandal.
“Yep,” Emily nods. “Next to the water fountain.”
“Good,” Derek grins. “I think you’re all set.”
Meredith mirrors her husband’s smile. “And don’t be nervous about making friends. Everyone is going to like you, Emmy,” she assures her, not that Emily was particularly concerned.
“Only with girls,” Derek amends. “You have time to meet boyfriends. In college,” he says affirmatively, much to Meredith’s amusement.
“Daddy,” Emily giggles, her little laugh identical to her mother’s.
“I’m just saying…you’re beautiful, smart, funny. It’s only natural that boys are gonna like you,” Derek says in his own defense. “Right now, Daddy should be the only man in your life,” he winks jokingly.
Emily nods in assurance. “You are, Dad.”
“Thank you, Em,” Derek chuckles, kissing her forehead. “Ready to go inside?”
“Uh huh,” the little girl says bravely. She stares at the big red doors a few feet away and lets out a breath. “I wanna go now.”
Meredith and Derek kneel down to her level and give Emily their usual kisses and hugs, a routine they had back in preschool, at bedtime, whenever they said goodbye. Only today felt different. The little girl they loved so completely grew up in what seemed like a matter of minutes. It still astounded them that she was already five years old, joining the big leagues at school.
“We love you, Emmy,” Meredith says, running her hand over Emily’s soft cheek.
“Have a good day, baby girl,” Derek grins, gently squeezing her hand.
Emily smiles confidently at her parents, the only one out of the three of them who, oddly, wasn’t on the verge of tears. “I will.”
With that, she walks off into her classroom, waving to them one more time before her teacher happily greets her at the door. When their little girl was out of view, Meredith turns to Derek and sighs, tears pooled in her eyes.
“She’s all grown up,” Meredith says.
Derek wraps his arm around his wife as they walk back to their car in the school parking lot. “She’ll always be our princess,” he whispers to her, kissing her temple.
“Just imagine her wedding,” Meredith giggles despite her tears. “We’ll be wrecks.”
He just hums amusedly. “I don’t even want to think about it…”
--
She took a pregnancy test only six months into their marriage. It hadn’t been their plan. But sometimes, the things in life you don’t plan for end up being exactly what you need. Their daughter helped them mend in ways they never thought they would. The scars of the past had been healed by her hugs, her kisses, her laughter. Emily was their reason to go on. Their hope. And they’d always be indebted to her for that.