A/N.: My first Grey's Anatomy fanfic. Please don't be to strict, for english is not my native language. Please review!

Shattered - Prologue

One month since the prom One month since he had chosen. One month since he had shattered all hopes for the one who really loved him. For the one whom he truly loved.

She was ready to go home. Alone, like everyday since the happenings of the prom. She had changed her clothes and combed her hair. She had said goodbye to Miranda Bailey and now she stood in the hall ready to go home. She knew that in a few moments the doors of the elevator would open and Derek would step out of it. A smiling Derek. But the smile wouldn't be directed at her, another woman would be the aim of this smile. Another woman's knees would go weak, another woman's eyes would light up. The woman would slide her arms around his waist and maybe she would kiss him, or maybe she would just smile at him.

She shook her head and tried to fight back the tears. She wasn't a weak person, never had been. She was a fighter, but she also knew when she didn't stand a chance anymore.

The elevator doors opened and two figures stepped out. A man and a woman. Her heart stopped for a second when she recognized Derek. The man she loved so dearly. She stood perfectly still, not able to move nor to tear her gaze away from those two. The woman was the first to see her and the laugh in her eyes died away. Derek glanced at the woman before them. The one he didn't choose. The one he had lived with so many years, the one he had loved for so long. He pulled the woman by his side closer. The one before him was his past, the one by his side his present and future.

"Derek. Meredith." The tears were still there, but neither Derek nor Meredith saw them. Wanted to see them.

"Addison." Dereks face froze. Would she always stand between him and Meredith?

They stared at one another, not able to move away. Then Meredith looked at Derek and said "Derek I'd like to speak with Addison."

Derek hesitated but nodded. Maybe Meredith could talk some sense into Addison. "I am going to wait in the car. Don't take too long." He smiled at her and left.

"You have to stop this!" Meredith demanded and looked up at Addison. "You have to stop to wait for him and look at him with this hurt in your eyes."

"I don't wait for him." My heart does.

"You do! He chose my, why can't you finally accept that? Is it so hard to let go?"

Addison gasped in shock.

"You were the first one to cheat on him. It's your own fault that he doesn't love you anymore." Meredith nearly shouted now, not caring that there were a few people looking at them.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand."

Meredith growled. "Things I don't understand? No, you don't understand. You cheated on him, he caught you and now live with the consequences."

"You don't know anything. You don't know how it feels to be married with someone you love more than life and to be ignored. You ask yourself why I cheated? You really want to know? I wanted him to fight for me. I wanted to be seen again. I wanted him to look at me and see me and not through me. You know that he wasn't there anymore? Always at the hospital, always buried in work. You know that he forgot my birthday, his birthday, our anniversary. You don't know how it feels to be alone, all alone. He might sit next to you, he might share his bed with you, but you are alone, because he sees through you. You ask yourself why, but you can't seem to find an answer. So you do something you know that you are going to regret, but you can't help it, because you want to be seen again and it's the only way to achieve that. I wanted him to fight for me, really fight for me and our love. For our marriage."

Meredith was speechless. She had never seen the surgeon so on the edge of breaking down.

"So you don't speak of things you think I don't understand, because it's you who doesn't understand." And with that Addison turned around and stormed out, leaving a confused Meredith behind.