Author's Note: I do not, obviously, own the characters of Grey's Anatomy.

This story takes place after "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"

Derek sat on the worn, wooden bench enjoying the fresh, morning air. It was brisk; dew on the grass. Doc was tromping through the bushes, sniffing along the ground. He spotted a squirrel and trotted after it. Derek huddled over his coffee, both hands wrapped around the cup, trying to absorb some of its warmth. He would be at peace right now, too, if it weren't for what he was about to do. He was hoping for the best. But he'd need to say the right words, in the right way, at the right time. And he wasn't sure how she would respond.

He heard a car approaching, and soon spotted Meredith's SUV. His precious mornings with Meredith. The joy they produced in him carried him, lately, through long days at work and sleepless nights in the trailer. She parked next to his car and, before long, had gotten out, locked the door, and was headed his way. His heart skipped a beat.

He stood, reaching to grab the steaming cup of hot cocoa he'd set on the bench beside him.

"Hi Mere," he breathed. "It's great to see you."

She gave him a quick hug, then pulled away, smiling. "Hi. It's cold this morning!" She rubbed her hands together, then reached to accept the steaming cup of cocoa that he held out to her. "Oh! That's great. Thanks!"

They began to walk toward the trail. "Doc's around here somewhere," he told her. "He's been chasing little creatures, having a great time this morning."

They walked along, talking about work. They talked about their friends, and how quickly Bailey's baby was getting bigger (Tucker and Bailey had come in for a follow-up appointment with Derek a few days earlier).

Doc emerged from the bushes, a small branch between his teeth. He wagged his tail frantically when he saw Meredith.

"Down!" They both commanded, in unison, as he started to jump up onto Meredith.

"Good boy! You're a good boy…" Derek scratched and patted him on the head as he praised the excited dog.

"He likes you," she observed. "He really likes you." She smiled, eyes shining.

"Of course he likes me. I'm likeable. I'm a great, likeable guy!" They laughed, and continued trudging up the trail.

They'd been walking Doc in the mornings for about two months. They talked, and they enjoyed each other's company. It had been really refreshing for both of them. There were some deep conversations, and there was occasional tension, but they'd both managed to suppress the attraction between them, and they'd actually become friends. Despite what Meredith had assured him was impossible, they'd become friends. The funny thing, to Derek, was that he hadn't believed it could be done either. He'd told her otherwise, of course, but the fact that they'd grown as friends, and hadn't compromised that physically, shocked the hell out of him.

"I have something—", "I wanted to tell you—", they both started at the same time.

"You first, " he offered.

"Okay. Well, I didn't want to tell you this until I really knew. But I think it's for real now. So I wanted to tell you about him. I, um, met this guy. His name is Justin. He's an engineer. He works for Boeing. And he's great. We've been dating for about a month…What?"

"Nothing." Brow furrowed, he stared at the pebbles along the trail.

"No, you're giving me a look."

"It's nothing."

"Derek! What is it?" she demanded, "Okay. What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"I don't think that this is a good time…"

"Derek!"

"Okay. Addison signed the papers last week. She's moved out of the trailer. And, next week, she's moving back to New York. Right now, she's just making sure that all of her patients get a proper referral to another specialist." He continued, "I hadn't wanted to jerk you around again. I wanted to make sure that she was really serious about moving before I told you any of it."

"Oh," she breathed, "So what happened? I mean, what finally did this? The divorce. What made up your minds?"

He turned his back to her, visibly taking a deep breath as he raked his fingers through his wavy hair. He took a step, and they began slowly walking back. "Well, it started with Mark's visit. They ran into each other on the elevator, and I found them there. Mark asked why I'd forgiven her and couldn't forgive him. That's when I angrily told him that I hadn't forgiven her, either. That hit her hard. Over the past several weeks, she's questioned when we'd be back on stable ground. She's asked what it would take for us to be "even". And she pointed out how unfairly I've been treating both of you, that I've been stringing you both along, and demanded that I make some choices."

"Choices?"

"Yeah, choices. Some of what she said hit really hard. She called me a lot of things. And when I thought about it, I realized that she was right. I have been selfish. Really selfish. And passive-aggressive. I've been hurting both of you, hugely. So, I would lay in bed at night and think about what I should do. What I want. What's best for you, and for

Addison."

She searched his face, waiting for him to continue

"And one night, after work, I told her how much I was sorry. And that she deserved to be happy. And that I couldn't be the one anymore…the one to make her happy. Because I'm in love with you. That it wasn't going to go away. And that, when I really got honest with myself, I realized that I'd never be happy unless I was with you."

"Oh."

"She and I cried together. And, as much as it hurt me to say it, I told her that I'd learn to forgive her. And that, even if she and Mark eventually found themselves in love, I'd learn to be happy for them. I looked for the papers, took them out and signed them. She signed them, too. And we slept, for the last time, in the same bed. Just slept. The next morning, she packed up her things and moved into a hotel."

"Derek—"

"Meredith, I know that this is really bad timing. You've seemed happy. You were just telling me that things were going well with this engineer of yours. And, yes, I love you. Of course I want you to be with me. But, more than that, I want you to be happy."

"Derek, part of what's been great about the friends thing—I've been able to get to know you again. When Addison came, and you decided to stay with her, I hated you. It hurt me. Very much. And I was so pissed at you. And this sad, pathetic, hurt way was how I related to you for a very long time. Now that we're spending time together, I don't hate you anymore, and I'm not constantly hurting. I think that I'll always love you, but I need more time to recover from the hurt. Things might work out with Justin. They might not. You and I need more time to adjust to the not-married-anymore situation, though."

"Is it exclusive? Between the two of you?"

"I'm not sure. But I wouldn't risk dating others without knowing it wouldn't violate some unspoken rule with him."

"I'll wait for you," he declared.

"I'm not making any promises, Derek."

"I know. But I'll wait for you. I'm very stubborn," he grinned.

They were back at the beginning of the trail now. They tossed their cups in the trash can and sat down together on the bench.

"I can't stay much longer. I have this thing," he said.

"Right," she breathed, "One last thing…" She turned to him and cupped his face in her hands. She kissed him, passionately releasing in one kiss all of the pent up loneliness, love, and attraction that she'd suppressed during the time that Addison was in the picture. They continued, hungry for each other, fervor building until it nearly consumed the two of them. She pulled away, roughly, gasping for breath. She ran to her car and quickly got in, immediately backing out and peeling out of the parking lot.

Derek struggled to regain his composure, and raked his fingers through his hair once again. "Doc, do you believe in karma? Because I think that I'm in for a rough ride."