Basically, I'm writing one-shots based on quotes and sayings that remind me of GA and a few other fandoms. It's an exercise to keep my mind writing when I'm not working on my "bigger" stories.
Goodbyes hurt more than anything...especially when, deep down, you know you're never going to say hello again.
Addison stood on the deck of the trailer with a beer in her hand, and she barely moved when Derek pulled up. "You never had the locks changed," she said quietly, bringing the beer to her lips and taking a long drink.
"Didn't think I needed to," he said ironically, taking the beer from her loose grasp and finishing it off. "Is there a reason you broke into my house to steal my beer?"
Addison shrugged, staring into the hazy darkness. "I never thought we would get here," she said suddenly. "I thought we were going to be together forever. DerekandAddison. That spoke for itself at one time. Are they married? They're DerekandAddison. AddisonandDerek. And now I'm sitting on the porch of your trailer that you bought after I slept with your best friend, drinking your beer and telling you goodbye."
She turned to look at him. "I couldn't leave. Even after the divorce, I still had hope. You sometimes got this look on your face when you looked at me, like maybe you missed me."
Addison was reaching for hope, a lifeline, and Derek knew it. "I love you, Addison," he said truthfully. His heart twisted painfully when her eyes brightened. "But I don't want to be with you. Not now, not," His breath caught when he realized how much he was about to hurt her. He paused a moment longer. "Not ever again."
Addison closed her eyes and let the tears fall. She felt like her heart was being ripped out all over again. It felt like finding Meredith's panties all over again.
"I hate myself because I know that I'm never going to find that again," Derek rushed to comfort her. Her pain was as much his own, as it had been every since the first time he'd ever seen her cry. "I know that I'm never going to find someone who fits me so completely, but I love Meredith. I love her, and I want to be with her, even though right now, she's--Addison, why are you here?"
"I'm moving," she choked out. "Naomi offered me a job at Ocean Side, the practice her and Sam started, and I'm taking it. I came to tell you goodbye because I can finally leave. I can finally put you in a small box in my heart and take you out only when I need a good cry. I'm going to move on and walk away." She looked at him with her heart bared and vulnerable. "Right now, it feels like I'm not going to make it."
Derek smiled and a solitary tear leaked out. "Addison, you're going to make it. You're a survivor and I know you can do this." It broke his heart to give her encouragement to walk away from him, but she wasn't his anymore.
Standing up on shaky legs, she bent and swiftly kissed his lips. The kiss was filled with broken promises and bitter regrets. "Goodbye, Derek."
He watched the fog swallow her tail lights. "Goodbye, Addison."