Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Grey's Anatomy or ABC. I own no characters except those I have created. I do this only for fun.

A/N: Hi, I am new at this whole thing. Just some quick notes before the story. This story takes place nineteen years after the end of season 4. It will mainly be a Meredith and Derek story, but trust me, other ships will be thrown in.

This story is partially true, the whole divorce part of it and families spread out between New England and Seattle is true.

Please enjoy the story!

Three Thousand Miles

Chapter One - Postcards From Italy

"The times we had. Oh, when the wind would blow with rain and snow. Were not all bad. We put our feet just where they had, had to go."

December, 2027

Emma Grey-Shepherd was so excited. She was going to Seattle today. As she stood in Logan Airport she remembered how she had not been home in two years, well it was not really home anymore. She had lived in Massachusetts for more than four years now. Emma lived with her mom, older brother, and younger sister. They lived in a town outside of Boston and Meredith Grey, Emma's mom was a surgeon in the city.

Fifteen year old Emma was in high school and doing amazingly well. Her younger sister Jilly was ten and her older brother Andrew was eighteen. The three had caused quite a splash in their town. All three came in incredibly talented, at music, sports, and academics. They were intelligent and intellectual.

But they missed Seattle. They missed their house. They missed their friends. They missed their school. They missed their dog. But most of all they missed their dad.

Emma Shepherd was excited. Excited to go home. Even if it was just for a little while.

September, 2022

Five years earlier, Emma came home one day from school. It had been a good day. It was sunny in Seattle, that rarely happened. She was happy, she had made the middle school soccer team. She could not wait to tell her parents. She hoped they would both be home, her dad was chief of surgery at the local hospital and her mom was head of the neuro department. So she ran off the bus and towards the driveway to her childhood home overlooking Seattle from a large cliff with the lake in background. She ran up the driveway and into the house. She burst the doors prepared to greet her parents.

But when she burst through the doors, she did not say anything, because her whole family was sitting around the kitchen table stone silent. Her mom looked upset, like she had been crying a little. Her dad look frazzled. Andrew's face was unrecognizable and six year old Jilly looked as she usually did, with a hint of confusion.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked quickly.

"Come sit down bug." Her dad used her affectionate nickname. Emma went over to the table and sat in between Andrew and Jilly. Everyone stayed in an awkward silence for a minute until her mom talked.

"Your dad and I have done some talking," she started, "and I know that you, especially you Andy, understand that your father and I have not been having the easiest time getting along recently and spending time with all of you…" Emma's mom tried to describe what was happening as best she could.

"You're getting a divorce aren't you?" Andrew asked.

"Andrew-" Emma's dad said sternly.

"Derek!" Emma's mom shot back, clearly unhappy with his tone.

"What Meredith? Derek asked tired. Meredith rolled her eyes.

"Andy," Meredith started but could not think of anything to say, "Yes. We just think it would be easier for you guys if your father and I took some space, and maybe if we could get away."

Derek stayed silent looking down at his hands.

"Get away?" Emma asked.

"God Emma are you blind?" Andrew blew up. "Get away, we would move. You and me and Jilly and mom, we would move. Get away. Far away. Like three thousand miles away, aren't I right, mom?" Andrew asked incredulously.

"Andy," Meredith's face gave away the answer to Andrew's question.

"Three thousand miles?" Emma asked, "What's three thousand miles away from here?"

"Boston," Derek muttered.

"What's a Boston?" Jilly asked quietly looking up.

"Boston is a city, Jilly. Like Seattle is a city." Emma tried to explain to her five year old sister.

"Yeah Jilly, Boston is a city. A city where there is this really big, fancy hospital. It's called Beth Israel Deaconess. And guess what?" Andrew started in a sardonic tone, "Mom has been getting letters from them for the past two months. They want her to come out and join their surgical team, potentially be there chief eventually. That's what Boston is, that's what is in Boston." Andrew finished and got up from where he was sitting. He flung his chair across the room. Jilly ran into Derek's lap. Andrew ran over to the stairs and bolted up to his room quickly where he slammed his door. The whole house shook and the family dog, Boomer, started barking.

Downstairs, Meredith, Derek, Jilly, and Emma still were sitting, except now in silence.

"Is it true?" Emma asked her parents.

"Bug, it will be fine. You will go to Boston, you loved it there when we took a vacation to the East Coast last summer. You'll move into a big house with a nice backyard. And you will go to a new school and make new friends. You'll have a blast." Derek tried to spice up the idea of moving to Boston.

"Are you coming Daddy?" Jilly asked.

Derek shifted Jilly in his lap so he could look at her, Jilly was sucking her thumb, something rare that she only did when she was nervous or confused, "No Jello," Derek started with Jilly's nickname, "I am going to stay here in Seattle. But you are going to visit me all the time, and you can come here for holidays 

and summer vacation. It will be like a home away from home." Derek tried to smile at the end, but it just was not working out.

"I don't want to move to Boston!" Emma shouted suddenly. "I don't want a new house, I already have a big house with a backyard! I don't want to go to a new school or make new friends! I have friends! I just made the soccer team! I have a life here! And I don't want to leave it. And I don't want you to stay daddy! Why can't you come? Please come!" Emma begged her father.

"Emma…" Derek started his voice conveying the answer to her pleas.

"This is so unfair!" Emma shouted as she, like her brother, ran up the stairs to her room and slammed her door.

Jilly sat confused for a couple seconds until she hopped off Derek's leg and ran as fast as she could up the stairs shouting Emma's name. Meredith and Derek listened from downstairs as Jilly banged her little fists against Emma's door demanding Emma to let her come in. They heard Emma open the door and take Jilly into her room.

Downstairs, Meredith sighed and got up from the table, "I told you we should have told them sooner." Meredith said.

"Don't accuse me, I wanted to tell them two weeks ago when the divorce was finalized!" Derek tried to keep his cool.

"No you didn't!" Meredith started to get angry.

"Oh what does it matter now?" Derek asked upset.

"It matters because what they don't know is that this weekend they are leaving Seattle. That's what matters Derek." Meredith said exasperated.

"What's done is done." Derek muttered as he looked up from the table.

"Yeah," Meredith said standing at the counter looking up into Derek's eyes, "Yeah, it is." She ran past Derek quickly and started ascending the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Derek asked quietly.

"To pack." Meredith said and sprinted up the rest of the steps.

December 2027

"Last call for flight 293 to Seattle, last call for flight 293 for Seattle."

"Emma! Let's go!" Emma heard her mom yelling at her from the terminal where their plane was leaving. Emma grabbed her water from the vending machine and ran over to the plane. Her mom, younger sister, and brother were all in line. The flight attendant at the desk took their boarding passes 

and the four of them got on the plane. Once on the aircraft they pushed through the aisles. Andrew sat alone at a window seat in the very back and Jilly, Emma, and Meredith sat together in the row in front of Andrew.

Once settled in, Andrew put his iPod headphones on. He had a Seattle Seahawks hat covering his thick curly brown hair. His fleece jacket was zipped up all the way, after all it was nearly Christmas. He looked out the window and down at the runway. The plane should be taking off any moment now. He heard the announcement to shut off all electronics and he briefly shut off his iPod and shoved it into his pocket. When he did so, his wallet fell out. He opened his wallet which revealed his Massachusetts driver's license and a few. One picture was of his two sisters, himself, and his dad two years ago in Seattle. That's the last time he had been there. And he had another picture of his parents at their wedding. They looked different. His dad looked a lot like he did, and his mom looked a lot like Jilly. Emma was the perfect combination of them both. But now his parents had aged. His dad's curly brown hair had a hint of pepper and salt in it and his mom's face had aged. But they looked happy in that picture, something they were not now.

Suddenly the plane started to drive down the runway. Andrew leaned back and tried to fall asleep. In front of him, Jilly looked out the window and Emma looked at her mom. Once the plane had taken off the ground Andrew put his headphones back on, and Jilly took her headphones out. Emma tried to hold a conversation with her mother.

"What's wrong mom?" Emma asked looking her mother who had her head braced on the back of the seat with her eyes closed.

"Oh, nothing Emma. You should take a nap, it's going to be a long flight." Meredith answered and opened her eyes and looked at her daughter.

"Okay, I guess I will." Emma said and she shut her eyes.

"Five years, two months, and 27 days." Meredith muttered.

"What?" Emma asked opening her eyes and looking at her mother.

"That's how long since I have been in Seattle. That's how long it has been since I have seen your father." Meredith said.

"It'll be fine." Emma told her mother not really wanting to talk about her mother's romantic life at all. "I'm going to sleep now. Wake me up for the landing if I am out for that long?" Emma asked her mom.

"Alright, bug." Meredith said and winced a little.

Somehow, it sounded better when Derek said "bug".

Please Review! I am new and I would love some feedback. Most chapters will be longer than this in the future.

Postcards From Italy is a great song by Beirut.