47. Going to New York

Disclaimer: I accidentally deleted this chapter from my documents, and got really mad at myself for not paying attention to what I was doing. If I own the show, these scenes would be on film so I wouldn't have to worry about making stupid mistakes like that. ;\

There's a lot of names in this chapter, but you don't really need to pay that much attention to them. I just added them to give Meredith a sense of the size of Derek's family.

This picks up a month later. Enjoy!

The chill of October was in the air, and Meredith could feel it, even in the warmth of her bed. She rolled over to absorb Derek's body heat, but was met with the cool sheets. She squinted her eyes open the tiniest bit and found that the bathroom light was on, and shining into the bedroom. It was far to bright for five in the morning, especially on a day off. Meredith pulled Derek's pillow over her face to block it out in an attempt to fall back to sleep. Just as she was drifting off into dream land, Derek's footsteps interrupted the peaceful lull.

"Mer, want to get up soon?" Derek asked softly, leaning over the bed and peeking under the pillow currently obstructing her view from the rest of the world.

Meredith groaned, keeping her eyes closed. "We're off..."

"Yeah, but our plane leaves in two hours. We have to get to the airport," he reminded her, still keeping his voice down as she adjusted her senses to awake mode.

"Hmm..." Meredith sighed groggily. As her brain woke up, she remembered that she, Derek, and Mark were flying to New York today to visit with the Shepherd family. Apparently, October was important. With the annual Shepherd family football game, which Derek had missed for the past few years since moving west, Derek's mom's anniversary, a birthday or two, and Kyle's baptism, it was going to be a busy few days.

And the added bonus of meeting the entire Shepherd family tree was a little daunting. With this thought, Meredith wished herself back to sleep. Maybe Derek would feel bad and let her stay home. Unfortunately for Meredith, her husband was persistent. "Mer, we really need to get moving. I know you're tired. I feel bad for waking you up..." Derek whispered. He finally succeeded in pulling the pillow from her face and Meredith stared up at him with her annoyed face on.

"Who books a seven o'clock flight when there was a perfectly good one leaving at noon?" Meredith asked grumpily as she trudged out of the comforts of their warm bed and into the bright bathroom. She closed the door behind her harder than she intended, emphasizing her current mood.

Derek ran his hand through his hair. Not the bestway to start the day. He only hoped her mood would improve as she woke up a bit, so he decided to go downstairs for her coffee. Coffee always did the trick, at least, most days. When he returned to their bedroom a few minutes later with her travel mug full of the beverage just the way she liked, Meredith was rummaging through her drawer for something to wear.

"I have your coffee," Derek said, hoping the peace offering would help soften her up.

Meredith eventually settled on a pair of jeans and sweater, pulling them out of the drawer. "Thanks," she mumbled as she changed into her clothes. Derek had to give her credit, Meredith was always quick in the mornings when she had to be. She could go from bed to the car in fifteen minutes if need be. With Addison, it was at least an hour's wait. Meredith was low maintenance, yes, but always looked beautiful.

"Damnit!" she cursed. "Damn bureau..."

"You okay?" Derek asked, concerned.

Meredith searched the top of it for her brush while rubbing her toe. "Stubbed my toe," she said. "Where is the brush?"

"In the trunk of the car with all of the other stuff we packed..." he said regretfully. "I think there's an extra one in the bathroom drawer. If not, I'll go out and get it for you."

Without a word, Meredith went into the bathroom. To make himself useful while he waited for her, Derek began making the bed. He could still feel Meredith's lingering body heat on their sheets, and wished they were still curled up in them together, no matter how excited he was to see his family.

Meredith walked out of the bathroom, her hair smoothed of sleep. She slipped on her navy and white Keds before taking a sip of the hot coffee Derek had made for her. He made it just how she loved, knowing exactly how much cream and sugar she liked. When she noticed him making their bed and smoothing out the blanket perfectly, she smiled a little. Derek really was a good husband.

Meredith set the coffee back down on the bureau she currently despised and walked over to him. "Sorry," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "I don't mean to be bitchy."

Derek chuckled. "You're not," he said, turning around to face her. "You're tired. I shouldn't have booked such an early flight. I guess I just wanted to make the most of the day..."

She immediately felt guilty. Derek hadn't seen his family in three years, and here she was, complaining about little things. He was close with his family, and was looking forward to spending the next few days with them. "I know," Meredith whispered, closing her eyes as her head rested against his chest.

"I love you," Derek said. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the soft scent permeating his senses. Even now, after all this time, the lavender comforted him. Meredith comforted him.

"I love you, too," she breathed, kissing the underside of his jaw before pulling back from their embrace. Meredith checked the digital clock on the nightstand. "Ready to go?"

Derek smiled. "Yep, let's go."

--

As Derek switched the radio station on the way to the Sea-Tac airport, he noticed his wife was sleeping, her head resting on the cool glass of the window. At least they had a six hour flight ahead of them so they could get some rest. They'd both been working extra shifts the past few weeks to make up for the days they'd be missing while in New York. Last night after dropping Charlie off with Alex and Izzie, who had finally gotten engaged a week before, they ate a quick dinner and went straight to bed. Having full time jobs and a dog who had become like a child kept them both plenty busy.

He pulled into the large parking lot, searching for a spot close to the entrance so they would be able to take their luggage in without having to make two trips back and forth. When he found one fairly close, he maneuvered the car into the space and took the keys from the ignition. "Mer," Derek said softly. "We're here."

Meredith sighed tiredly and opened her eyes, blinking a few times as they adjusted to the light. "Oh. Okay," she nodded. She sat up in her seat and stretched out as best she could before opening the door. The two walked around to the trunk and managed to get a hold of all the suitcases and bags without having to run back to the car for more. When they walked into the airport, both were pleasantly surprised to see that it looked somewhat empty, probably because of the early hour.

They checked their luggage at the security gate and upon getting the all clear, walked to the small waiting area where they could sit until their place was boarded in an hour or so. Mark was supposed to be meeting them here, and Derek hoped he wasn't in some woman's bed he picked up at Joe's. Then again, he knew Mark was looking forward to the trip, so he had a feeling he'd show up.

Almost as if Mark was reading his mind, he came up behind them and smiled. "Hey lovebirds," he greeted, noticing how Meredith was curled up in her seat, her head resting on Derek's shoulder.

"Hey Mark," Derek acknowledged.

"Tired, Grey?" Mark asked, taking a seat across from the two of them.

Meredith let out a small yawn and nodded. "Yep."

"I bought coffee...figured we could all use a pick-me-up," he told them. Mark passed two cups over to his friends then took his own from the carrier.

Meredith smiled a little at the gesture. "Thank you, Mark," she said graciously.

"No problem." Mark took a sip of the hot beverage and sucked in a breath. A crying baby could be heard not too far away and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why do people bring babies to airports?" he groaned.

Derek laughed. "Well, where else are the parents gonna put them...drop them off with the suitcases, maybe?" he said jokingly. Meredith giggled a little. Watching the two of them tease each other, she was thankful they were friends again. It was so much better than the alternative.

"I'm just saying..." Mark said in his own defense. "I'm gonna go nuts if the kid is on our plane," he sighed, taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm starved and this coffee is going to burn a hole in my stomach. Who wants a Cinnabon?"

"Ooh. Me," Meredith said immediately, suddenly seeming much more awake at the prospect of calories and sugar.

Derek swallowed a sip of coffee and looked to his friend. "Do they have a Cinnabon here?"

"I saw one on the way over," Mark nodded. "What kind do you two want?"

"I need to pee, so I'll take a walk with you," Meredith replied, setting her coffee cup on the table between them. She kissed her husband's cheek and asked, "What kind do you want? I know you like cinnamon raisin. Is that okay?"

Derek smiled at how well Meredith knew him, even if it was just a small detail. "Yeah, sounds good," he said. "Your treat, Mark?" Derek asked jokingly, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.

"I'll pay for her," Mark shot back teasingly.

"I would pay, but my wallet is at the bottom of my bag and I don't feel like digging for it," Meredith said with a playful smile, taking the twenty dollar bill from Derek's hand.

Derek laughed. "I never mind paying for you."

"We'll be back," Meredith smiled, leaning down to kiss him quickly.

She and Mark walked down the hall toward the small cluster of shops and restaurants. When the smell of the cinnamon buns filled her nostrils, Meredith moaned softly. "It smells so good..."

"What kind are you getting?" Mark asked as they approached the concession stand.

Meredith studied the overhead menu, pondering which one to purchase. Everything looked so good, choosing one could be a challenge. "Hmm..." she sighed. "I want the chocolate chip one, but I want extra frosting. They never give you enough..."

Mark laughed. "You're the tiniest thing ever. Where do you put all those calories?"

"I inherited my mother's metabolism," she giggled.

The two ordered, received, and paid for their cinnamon buns, and after Meredith made a quick stop to the bathroom, she and Mark returned to the waiting area where Derek was watching over their things.

"Cinnamon raisin," Meredith said with a smile, handing her husband the bun. She took her seat next to him and pulled her own from the bag.

Derek grinned upon seeing Meredith's extra frosted, chocolate chip adorned pastry. He loved that she had an appetite. "That's quite a cinnamon bun..." he chuckled.

"Want some?" Meredith asked as she took a bite. Some of the sticky confection stuck to her lips and Derek quickly kissed it off.

Mark sighed, taking a bite of his pecan bun. "Is this what I have to look forward to on the six hour fight? You two licking sugar off each others lips?"

"Maybe..." Meredith giggled, her mouth full of food.

"Great..." Mark grinned sarcastically. "This'll be fun."

--

Eventually, Flight 522 to New York was called to be boarded, and all three were more than ready. After the flight attendant led them to the row of three seats they had booked, both Derek and Mark were gentlemanly and motioned for Meredith to enter the row first.

Meredith shook her head adamantly. "No, no window seat for me, thanks. Unless you want me to throw up..."

"Well, we wouldn't want that," Derek said quickly. "I'll take the window seat.

Derek walked into the row followed by Meredith, who took her seat next to him. "I think I can handle the middle seat," she giggled, setting her tote bag on the floor in front of her feet.

"Fine with me," Mark shrugged, taking the aisle seat. "Now I can flirt with the blonde two rows ahead. May as well take advantage of the Mile High Club," he reasoned as the three of them fastened their seat belts.

Meredith groaned. "Seriously?"

"Oh, please," Mark chuckled. "Like you two have never done it on a plane before..."

"With each other. Not with some random stranger," Derek said amusedly. Even if Mark's potential sexual endeavors were less than charming, they had to admit, he was a fun source of entertainment.

"Eh...I'm not going to get any while we're at Mom's house. And six hours is a lot of time to kill," Mark shrugged.

Meredith turned to her husband. "Speaking of not getting any...we're not having sex at you mother's house," she said with a definitive nod.

"What? Why?" Derek asked, slightly shocked at this latest development. "I'm pretty sure my mom knows we...do it," he cringed. Saying it out loud made it no less creepy, even if it was the truth.

Meredith made a face, similar to the grimace Derek made at the thought. "Even still, I have to be on top of my game. And sex makes my head all cloudy and I'll end up rambling and making a fool of myself, so no. No sex. Don't even ask," Meredith crossed her arms over her chest. But when the engine of the plane rumbled under their feet, she quickly disentangled them and reached for Derek's hand.

"What the hell?" Mark asked curiously.

Derek stifled a laugh. "She doesn't like taking off. Once we're in the air, she's fine," he explained, noticing how Meredith closed her eyes and leaned her head on the back of the seat.

"Grey? Afraid? I don't believe it..." Mark said. The plane made its way down the runway and ascended into the air. Meredith kept a firm grip on Derek's hand until the plane was sailing through the clouds smoothly.

"Thanks," she breathed, giving him a small smile as she released his hand.

Derek leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You're welcome," he whispered.

Meredith kicked off her Keds and curled her feet up into the seat. When Derek knew she was okay, he decided to press his luck. "Do I get sex now?" he asked.

"No," Meredith smirked, smacking him playfully. "Top of my game, remember? That reminds me..." She reached down and retrieved a notepad and a pen from her tote bag and pulled up her little tray. "I need you to draw me a family tree or whatever..."

"You sure you want to tackle that? Sometimes, it feels like I'm still learning names and I've known the family since I was three," Mark joked.

Meredith swallowed hard. Meeting Derek's entire family for the first time was overwhelming enough, but the size of it just added to the stress. "Well, I can't go in there knowing no one besides Nancy and you Mom," she said. "So...go. Tell me."

"Okay," Derek said, laughing softly. "First is Kathleen. She's married to Robert, and they have six kids," he said, drawing lines to denote each family member. "Robert and Rachel are fourteen, Timmy is--"

Meredith cut him off. "Twins? There's twins in you family?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Liz has twins too," Mark chimed in. "And Derek's dad was a twin."

"Three? Three sets of twins?" she gasped. "Derek! How could you not tell me this?"

Derek shrugged. "I didn't think it was a big deal. Just because twins run in the family doesn't mean we'll have them," he chuckled. "But we wanted two anyway, so it really wouldn't be so bad..."

"I'll let it go--for now. But if it happens, just know there's gonna be hell to pay," Meredith said with a smirk. "Keep going."

"Okay. Robert and Rachel are fourteen. Timmy is twelve, Alison is nine, Audrey is six, and Morgan is three," Derek continued.

Meredith sighed. "Damn, that's a lot."

"Kathleen is a frigging baby factory," Mark agreed. "I don't even know why anyone would want six kids in the first place..." he said, still trying to fathom the idea.

"Then there's..."

"Nancy," Meredith nodded. "My arch-nemesis."

Derek laughed. "She doesn't hate you..."

"Nancy hated Addison at first too. Now those two are best friends," Mark said encouragingly, hoping it might make Meredith feel a little better.

"She's really not so bad," Derek shook his head. "John is her husband. They have four kids...Jimmy--he's twelve, named after my dad, James. Then there's Tara and Carly, ten and six. And Sammy is five."

Meredith smiled a little. "That's why we couldn't name Charlie Sammy," she nodded.

"Yep," Derek said, kissing her cheek.

"Next comes the Momma's boy," Mark grinned cheekily.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Who? Me or you?" he retorted jokingly. "Then there's me--and you, Mer. We're currently childless." He put an 'X' through a baby face he drew on the chart.

"Thanks for reminding me of our status," she said playfully, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Next is...Liz, right?"

"Right," he said with a nod. "Liz and Jack have four kids. Lauren is eleven, Cara is ten. And Andrew and Justin are four year old twins."

"Lauren, Cara, Andrew, Justin," Meredith repeated, trying to encode them into her memory. As she studied the chart, she couldn't help but wish she had asked for the Shepherd family tree the night Derek told her he had four sisters, nine nieces and five nephews. That would have given her a solid three years to memorize everyone. "Okay, and last is Amy, right?"

Derek nodded in agreement. "Amy is married to Tom."

"And they just had Kyle," Meredith continued. "Who's our godson--or will be in a few days."

"Mmhmm..." Derek pressed a kiss to her temple. "Not so scary, is it?"

Meredith let out an incredulous laugh. "Oh yeah, piece of cake..."

The flight attendant came around to their section with the drink cart. Like clockwork, Mark began to work his magic, shamelessly flirting with her and telling her how the powder blue of her outfit complimented her eyes, yada yada yada. Derek just rolled his eyes, taking the opportunity to talk to his wife. "They're gonna love you, Mer."

"Hmm...let's hope they like me first," she giggled.

Derek could tell she was nervous, even if she tried to play it off. All of those years of of parental disappointment were hard wounds to heal. But Derek knew that she had nothing to worry about. Meredith would fit right in. "They will," he smiled. "And my nieces...don't be surprised if they pull you in ten different directions when we get into the house."

"Are the kids going to ask where Aunt Addison is?" Meredith asked, adjusting herself in her small seat to get more comfortable.

Derek shook his head. "I don't think they're going to ask. The girls explained it to them. It'll be fine, Mer. I promise," he whispered, running his lips over her earlobe.

Meredith shivered involuntarily, her neck breaking out into goosebumps. "Hmm...you know that when you do that, you get me all turned on."

"Maybe we could sneak in the bathroom before Mark gets to it," Derek grinned, a naughty glint in his eye. He tugged in her earlobe gently with his teeth and Meredith was unsuccessful at stifling a moan.

"What did I say?" she asked quietly, making no attempt to stop him despite her protests.

"No sex at my Mom's house."

"Or here," Meredith corrected. "No sex here either."

Derek smiled against her skin. He knew she appreciated the distraction of meeting his family, even if she'd never admit it. PDAs on a plane were probably inappropriate, but with Mark two seats away, still chatting it up with the flight attendant as she passed out small snacks, he figured it was okay. "We could..." he suggested.

"Give it up, Derek. Not happening," she giggled, moving to rest her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "You say that now..."

"I miss Charlie," Meredith said, frowning a little as she studied the Shepherd family tree in her hands.

Derek smiled. "I have pictures of him on my phone."

Meredith lifted her head slightly to meet his eye line. "You do?" she asked, her eyes bright.

"I figured you would miss him so I took some pictures of him last night before we dropped him off," Derek explained, happy that he thought of it. Charlie was extremely attached to both of them, and he knew they'd miss him while they were away, even if it was just for a few days.

"Thank you, Derek," Meredith whispered, kissing his freshly shaven cheek softly.

"You're welcome." He brushed her hair behind her shoulders, breathing in the flowery scent as it made its way to his nose.

Meredith yawned into his shirt. "Would you mind if I took a nap?"

"Not at all," Derek said, shaking his head. He reached for his pillow and handed it to her. "Here. Use mine too."

"Thank you," Meredith smiled. She squirmed in her seat for a moment trying to find a comfortable position when Derek stopped her.

"Use my lap as a pillow," he offered. "It'll be more comfy."

Meredith looked up at him, an appreciative smile on her face. "You don't care?"

"No," Derek laughed. "I'd be honored."

"Cheesy," Meredith smirked, rolling her eyes. She propped Derek's pillow down on his lap and proceeded to lie down, her face nuzzled into his sweater. "Do you think Mark would mind if I draped my legs over his lap?" she asked with a giggle.

Derek shrugged. "Who cares? Do it," he nodded.

Meredith hesitated for a moment before dropping her legs over Mark's lap. Mark turned his head toward the two of them curiously. "What the hell are you doing, Grey?" he asked, more amused than angry.

"Nap time," Meredith said in response, her eyelids becoming heavy since moving to a reclined position.

"Would you like a foot massage too? Or am I just a cushion?" Mark asked with a grin.

"Hey, if you wanna rub my feet, go for it," Meredith encouraged sleepily.

Mark dropped his head to the back of his seat. "I'll pass, but thanks. And just to let you know, this..." he said, gesturing to Meredith's legs. "...kind of ruins my chance of getting laid. Good thing I love you like my little sister..."

"Thank you, Mark," Meredith smiled, draping the small airline blanket over herself. She sighed contentedly when Derek began rubbing her back. He always knew how relax her--one of the many things Meredith loved about her husband. Within minutes, she had slipped into sleep, her breathing evening out as she relaxed more and more. Derek kept one hand protectively on her back so she wouldn't accidentally roll off, and with the other, continued his caressing.

Mark took a sip of the drink his lusty flight attendant gave him and looked over to the two of them when he heard a strange noise. "What the...is Grey snoring?"

"Yeah," Derek chuckled softly, careful not to disturb her. "She is. It's actually pretty light compared to the usual."

"You mean she's usually louder?" Mark asked before smirking a little. "Snoring, I mean. Not in a 'between the sheets' way."

Derek rolled his eyes at his friend's immaturity. "It depends. When she's sick, it's worse. But it doesn't bother me. I find it charming," he grinned.

"That's one word for it," Mark said sarcastically, noticing how Meredith was gently grasping the fabric of Derek's sweater in her hand. "Why is she holding onto you for dear life?"

"What is this? Twenty Questions?" Derek laughed. "She's not holding onto me for dear life. We always hold each other when we sleep. It's just a comfort thing..." he explained, looking down at his sleeping wife and smiling lovingly.

Mark let out a sigh and shook his head, an amused grin on his face. But rather than make a snarky comment, he decided to take the conversation a different route. "So you think Mer will be okay?"

"Yeah," Derek nodded. "She'll be fine. Family freaks her out--which I get," he said before laughing. "She told me not to leave her side unless absolutely necessary."

"Well, the house is gonna be full of activity. You two could probably sneak away somewhere unnoticed," Mark said with a raise of his eyebrows.

"She already said no sex, remember?" Derek asked humorously. "Besides, I'm pretty sure she's against the idea of us having sex against the tree in the backyard..."

Mark whistled suggestively. "If you need a lookout, I'm your man."

"You really are the most immature human on the planet. You know that right?"

"It's a gift," Mark agreed, playing into his friend's sarcasm.

Derek just laughed and rolled his eyes as he ran his fingers up and down Meredith's back gently. "Right..."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I apologize that I can't update more frequently. Once school is over, I should be able to bank some so I can post more often.

Also, I'm writing a MerDer post 5x17 one shot. My plan is to have it posted tonight, but if not, definitely tomorrow. I hope you like that too, if you decide to read it. :)