Christmas Time is Here
Disclaimer: Not mine.
This is kind of related to the last one shot, just jumping ahead in the future. Enjoy! :)
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
They’re tiptoeing around in the living room in their sweats, keeping things quiet for the sake of their two sleeping little girls upstairs. But it’s still cozy and romantic, the way Christmas should be, even with kids.
“Is that everything?” Meredith asks, surveying the piles of wrapped gifts under the tree.
“Yep. Everything’s accounted for,” he nods. “Katie’s stuff on the left. Lilly’s stuff on the right.”
“I think Santa splurged a little this year,” Meredith giggles.
Derek grins at his wife. “We have good kids. I think they deserve it.”
Meredith walks over to the couch and drops down, patting the cushion next to her for him to join her. “I can’t believe they’re seven and three already…” she sighs.
“Hmm,” Derek murmurs as he presses a kiss to her temple. “We could have another one,” he says jokingly.
“Yeah, okay,” Meredith replies sarcastically, grabbing the tray of milk and cookies off the coffee table and setting it on her lap. “As long as you could find a way to get pregnant and push the baby out, I’m all for it,” she smiles cheekily, handing him an Oreo.
“I’ll look into it,” he teases. “Ooh, Oreos. The girls made a good choice this year,” Derek says.
Meredith laughs. “Better than last year when Katie asked me to bake those strawberry tart cookies for Santa. At least you can dip Oreos in milk.”
“Yeah, those sucked,” Derek chuckles.
“She let Lilly pick the cookies this year. Every three year old loves Oreos,” Meredith says, taking a bite of the cookie after dunking it in the glass of milk.
“So do we,” he adds. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and kisses her cheek. “You know, this is our first date in months.”
Meredith licks the cream out of one of the cookie middles. “Is that pathetic?”
“Maybe,” Derek admits. “But there’s still no one else I’d rather eat Santa’s cookies on the couch with at midnight than you.”
“Me either,” she smiles softly.
Derek takes another cookie from the plate and dips it into the milk glass. “I prefer this anyway, being home with you and the girls.”
“Yeah, me too.” Meredith rests her head on his shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Derek,” she whispers into his neck.
“Merry Christmas,” he echoes.
They enjoy the rare silence of their home for a few moments, slowly making it through nearly every cookie on the dish and watching the lights dance off the Christmas tree and onto the walls. Even after nine years of marriage, these little moments of intimacy found themselves a part of each and every day.
After those few blissful minutes, Derek pats her thigh. “We should finish these up,” he says, munching on the Oreo. “The girls are gonna wake us up at the crack of dawn to open presents.”
“We need to leave a half eaten one on the plate. Here, drink the rest of this. But save a little. It has to be authentic. WWSD.” Meredith hands him the glass while she bites into the cookie halfway and drops the rest on the dish.
“Huh?”
“What would Santa do,” she explains before chewing on her lower lip contemplatively. “Okay. Open chimney gate, check. Presents, check. Milk and cookies, check. The camera is charged for the morning. Girls are tucked in tight,” she finalizes, as Derek sets the tray back on the coffee table.
They took the Santa routine very seriously in the Shepherd household.
He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her to him. “Now, we get to celebrate,” Derek grins, leaning in and kissing her.
Meredith smiles against his lips. “Hmm…Christmas sex.”
“It’s tradition.”
She can’t help but laugh. “Our porny Christmas Eve tradition.”
“That would be the one,” he winks, as the two of them walk hand in hand toward the stairs.
Dates may have been downgraded from fancy restaurants and big chunks of carbs in a basket to cookies on the couch. But still, some things never changed.
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I'm hoping to get another one written and posted soon (set around Holidaze). Hope you liked this one! :)