a/n: okay. so I know this isn't what anyone was expecting. So, I'm sorry for that. But I realized that through this whole story, I've been talking about how much these four depended on each other, yet you haven't really seen how these two do. So I wanted to show that before the story got further on, because then it would seem forced. I hope this doesn't. Anyway, let me know what you think, please. The reviews mean so much to me! I'm so happy that you all like this story! OK, my rant is over.

We got all night to make it float

It was atleast another two hours before the group stopped at a rest area to stretch their legs. After sitting at a concrete picnic table for half an hour eating potato chips and drinking 75 cents drinks, it was time to decide the new riding arrangements.

"No one is driving my car." Meredith insisted immediately with a smirk towards Derek.

"But.." Derek gapped. "Come on Mer." Derek grinned, trying his best to persuade her to ride with him without actually begging. He refused to beg. Atleast yet.

"Nope." Meredith shook her head in resistance at Derek before turning her attention to Mark. "Looks like your my new partner, Sloane."

"Does that involve sex?" Mark winked at her before recieving a smack in the arm.

"You're impossible, Mark. Really." Meredith laughed before standing up and making her way to her car.

"OW!" Mark exclaimed a moment later, causing Meredith to turn around.

"What happened?" she asked with a raised eyebrow at the three people still sitting at the table.

Mark glared at Derek before turning his attention to Mer. "Hit my elbow on the table." he lied. Meredith just grinned and continued her walk to the car.

Once she took several steps, Mark turned to Derek with a scowl on his face. "What was that for?"

"Have fun!" Derek said through clenched teeth as he watched in satisfaction as Mark his arm.

"I will!" Mark grinned as he stood up and followed Meredith.

Addison smiled at the two boys before standing up. "So, I'm stuck with you, huh?" she grinned at him playfully.

"Technically, I'm stuck with you!" he laughed before offering his arm to her, which he gladly accepted and wrapped her arm in his.

"I'm controlling the radio!" He insisted once they finally made their way to his car.

"Ha. In your dreams, buddy." she laughed as she climbed into the car.

"I happen to like my dreams, thank you." he retorted with a devilish grin..

"Derek. Ew. No need for me to hear about your erotic dreams about my best friend!" Addison covered her ears for emphasis untill she was certain that it was safe to remove them.

"You're just jealous they aren't about you!" he laughed as his own joke that he thought was clever, no matter what anyone said.

"Right." Addison laughed as she picked up the CD case off the floorboard. "So any new CDs?" she asked, only casting a small glance in his direction before opening the large case sitting in her lap, all but begging her to be opened.

"Um. Maybe." Derek laughed. "When's the last time you looked through it?"

"I don't know, Derek. Not something that I write in my calender." she grinned as she glanced over to find that he seemed to be having a stare contest with the car in front of them, and she was sure if she looked ahead of her, she would find Meredith in a similar gaze. Shaking her head slightly, she decided to finally open the case, and find something to listen to.

"Kenny Chesney, it is!" she smiled as she pulled out the cd from the case, placing it on her index finger long enough to removed the mixed tape that had been playing previously in the car.

"You two are impossible!" Derek laughed at her selection. Mark had also chosen that cd earlier after listening to about two songs of Keith Urban.

"What?" Addison laughed with an innocent smile as she placed the cd into the player. Immediately skipping through the first four songs, and removed her hand once the number five lit up the screen. "I love this song." she concluded, after realizing that Derek was not going to explain his comment.

"Summertime is finally here

That old ballpark, man, is back in gear

Out on 49

Man I can see the lights"

"It's summer, Derek!" Addison practically yelled in excitement, running her fingers through her thick red hair, even though it was now up in a ponytail.

"I noticed." Derek smiled, only to recieve a slap on his arm.

"Don't be such a jerk!" she glared at him intensely for several moments before deciding to turn up the radio to drown out any smartass comments he might come up with. Unfortunately, that left her with her thoughts. More than that, left her with memories.

"School's out and the nights roll in

Man, just like a long lost friend

You ain't seen in a while

And can't help but smile"

"Hey Derek?" Addison glanced his way, unsure of whether or not she wanted to have this conversation, but needing to all the same.

"Yeah?" the change of her tone caught him slightly off guard. Him and Addison had had a very playful, and banter-full relationship for as long as he could remember, yet she was the only person he'd ever actually told about his feelings for Meredith, and he was the only person she talked to about her dad. He had a creeping suspicion that that was what this conversation was going to be about.

"Have you ever had a dream of a memory? Well, atleast I think it was real. It seemed real. I'm not even sure anymore. It's just I've had the same dream for several days in a row. And, it just.. you know what. Nevermind. It's too weird. Sorry. Forget I said anything." she shook her head, trying to get rid of the unnerving feeling the dream had left her with.

"Oh come on now, Addi. You can't do that. Tell me what it's about." He smiled softly at her, encouraging her to get it off her chest.

And it's two bare feet on the dashboard

Young love and an old Ford

Cheap shades and a tattoo

And a Yoo-Hoo bottle on the floorboard

Perfect song on the radio

Sing along 'cause it's one we know

It's a smile, it's a kiss

It's a sip of wine, it's summertime

Sweet summertime

A preteen Addison entered her house with Derek in toe and was immediately greeted by her father in a business suit.

"Hey Daddy!" Addison greeted happily as she buried her small body into his, wrapping her arms as far as she could around his built body.

"Hey Sweetheart. How was school?" he asked, even though he was already running fifteen minutes late for a very important doctors appointment.

"It was good. Derek came over to work on a project for Science. That's okay, right?" she asked, hoping that her dad wouldn't embarass her in front of her friend.

"Of course, sweetie. Your mom is in the kitchen." He smiled as he leaned down closer to the height of the two children. "Between us three, I think she is making chocolate chip cookies." He offered a wink causing both of their faces to light up in excitement.

"Yay!" Addi squeeled happily, beginning to run into the kitchen but stopped when she realized her dad was still holding onto her hand.

"Derek, you can go on into the kitchen." Michael insisted, and Derek obeyed immediately, running happily down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, Michael bent down even further to his knees to be eye level with his daughter, trying his best to be as serious as possible. "Is that your boyfriend?" he whispered playfully nodding towards the kitchen.

"DEREK?" Addison exclaimed a little too loudly, quickly covering her mouth and shaking her head quickly, indicating a no, that he was DEFINATELY not her boyfriend. She didn't even want a boyfriend, but Derek wasn't even an option.

Michael laughed at his daughters reaction and shook his head playfully. "I don't know Addi. I think I see some wedding bells in the future for you two!" He laughed, buying him a small slap on the arm from his twelve year old daughter.

"Definately not, daddy." Addison blushed slightly.

"Alright Alright. Fine. But daddy knows best!" he insisted with a wink. "Well I have to go, sweetie. Work awaits. I'll see you later on tonight. Be good for mommy."

"Yeah Yeah." she smiled as she opened the front door for him. "Bye daddy." She waved at his back as he walked out the door towards his car.

Temperature says 93

Down at the Deposit and Guarantee

But that swimmin' hole

It's nice and cold

"Wow." Derek managed to get out at the dream. The weird part is he was certain that really happened, because he remembered vividly that conversation about the cookies. Not to mention, her dad made him promise to take care of her that night when he returned from that meeting. It was one of the last times he saw Addison's dad before he announced that he had cancer. Did he know then? "You said you've been having recurring dreams about it?" he scratched his head momentarily, glancing her way before returning his eyes to the road.

"It's weird, right? That I keep dreaming it." Addison didn't know what to make out of any of it.

"There are lots of reasons for dreams, Addi." Derek smiled, trying his best to comfort her. "Maybe you're just.. I don't know.. trying to hold onto him."He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what to say. If he told her about the chat that he had with him, it would only make the awkward feeling even stranger.

"Right. Yeah. Okay." she smiled, shaking off the dream as best she could, refocusing her attention on the upbeat song on the radio that did not go well with the conversation they'd been having at all. "Just forget it." she smiled at him as she placed one of her legs under her body, after slipping off her black flip flops that revealed her red toenails that matched her hair, as well as her bathing suit, perfectly.

"Will do." he agreed, shifting slightly in his seat to make himself more comfortable.

Bikini bottoms underneath

But the boys' hearts still skip a beat

When them girls shimmy off

Them old cutoffs

"So, now I have a question." Derek smiled slightly in her direction, hoping that he would get the answer he was hoping for, even though he knew he shouldnt even be thinking about it. This wasn't the first big fight Meredith and Josh had gotten into. In fact, they got into them pretty often. Which is what made him so mad at himself for getting his hopes up for a break-up, but he still did.

"Shoot." Addison laughed, knowing already what the question would be. The same question he asked after every fight Meredith and Josh got into. Except this time she was almost certain it would come out in his favor. Then again, you never can tell with those two.

"Did they break up?" he asked, knowing he didn't even have to bother to say their names. He was well aware that he was that guy. That pathetic guy who got his hopes up way too easily, and always disappointed in the end over a girl he was certain would never see him as more than a best friend. Never stopped him from the rise and fall of it all though. Not once.

"He gave her an ultimatum. She came anyway. So I guess they are over. She hasn't talked to him since yesterday." Addison answered as though it was no big deal, even though she knew it was, it was a huge deal. Especially for Derek.

"I should feel bad, right? I mean our best friend broke up with her long time boyfriend. We should be sad, right?" Derek asked, trying to form even the smallest amount of sadness for them, and failing miserably, causing Addison to laugh.

"Oh come on. No one is sad about that relationship being over. I don't even think Meredith is. Atleast not yet." she smiled happily.

"Yet?" he asked, afraid of the response he was going to get.

And it's two bare feet on the dashboard

Young love and an old Ford

Cheap shades and a tattoo

And a Yoo-Hoo bottle on the floorboard

'Well, they were together for two years. Whether she likes him anymore or not, it's going to be hard for her to let it go." Addison tried to explain.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Derek shook his head.

"Okay Derek. It's like.. It's like having a puppy. A really annoying puppy that eats all of your shoes, and craps in your sheets. Then one day, he gets lost in the woods, and suddenly you don't have him anymore. Whether he was a pain in the ass or not, you're going to miss him when he's gone!" she stated matter-of-factly.

"No you don't! You rejoice that he is gone for forever!" he replied, being stubborn. He'd had that dog before, Fudge. He hated that dog untill they had to put him to sleep because of a bad case of diabetes. He just didn't want Mer to miss Josh. No one should ever miss Josh. He considered him more like bees. No one missed a bee after being stung. In fact, you pray for a kill-all bee spray. When the hell is that going to happen?

Perfect song on the radio

Sing along 'cause it's one we know

It's a smile, it's a kiss

It's a sip of wine, it's summertime

Sweet summertime

"Lies!" Addison laughed at him. "I remember Fudge very well, Derek!"

"Crap. I've got to make some new friends." Derek smiled and winked in her direction.

"You will not!" She insisted with an open jaw. He was one-third of her world. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear about any friends he had outside of their group. Another one of her her many fears of graduation. Losing them.

"You keep telling yourself that Addi." Derek smiled as he grabbed onto her hand and squeezed it slightly, before letting it go. "You can't get rid of me. I'm like.. I'm like the cat with nine lives that's still alive after you stick it in the dryer."

"I still can't believe you guys did that! That was awful!" She shook her head at poor Satana, Mark's first and only pet. Originally named Satan untill Mark's mom informed him that Satan was a girl, hints the 'a' at the end.

The more things change

The more they stay the same

Don't matter how old you are

When you know what I'm talkin' 'bout

Yeah baby when you got

"Satana is fine, Addi! Relax!" Derek chuckled at her. It never failed to get her going.

"Only because Mandy ran into the room because of her cries!" Addison insisted placing her hands on her hips, although it didnt do much for effect since they were sitting down.

"We would have let her out soon!" he insisted with a smirk. "We aren't cruel, we were just a little bored!"

"Evil! You too were evil!" she smirked at him before returning her attention the cd case still in her lap looking for another cd since the song was almost over.

"You love us!" he laughed. "Mandy was seriously considering sending Mark to boarding school after that. Poor guy didn't get to leave his room for a week."

"You didn't leave yours for like a month!" she remembered with a smirk.

"What's your point, Addi?" Derek's grin disappeared as he made his best attempt to be serious.

Two bare feet on the dashboard

Young love and an old Ford

Cheap shades and a tattoo

And a Yoo-Hoo bottle rollin' on the floorboard

Perfect song on the radio

Sing along 'cause it's one we know

It's a smile, it's a kiss

It's a sip of wine, it's summertime

Sweet summertime

"You're impossible!" she shook her head as she flipped to another random page of cds in the case. "Absolutely impossible. Both of you." she added, since she was sure that the whole thing was Mark's idea anyway.

"I should have never told you about that." he replied with a smile.

"Eh. I'm like the ground and gravity. It all comes back to me eventually." She offered a wink in his direction before pulling out a random mixed tape from the opened case, waiting impatiently for the song to be done.

"That you are." Derek laughed at her simile. Only she would say something like that- ever.

"Why, thank you, Shepherd." she grinned as she sung along with the last line of the song softly. "sweet summertime."

"You should never sing in public, Addi. Reall- OW!" He exclaimed, fighting the urge to remove his hand from the steering wheel and nurse his impacted arm.

"That's what you get!" she smirked at him before ejecting the K.C CD, and replacing it with the mixed tape. "I feel like being random." she clarified as he gave her an odd look at picking the only CD in the case that wasn't labeled.

"You would."

Once again, I hope it didn't seem too forced. Please let me know what you guys thought! By the way, I know these chapters have been coming out on like a daily basis, but that's because they were all written before except this one. So it might be a few days before the next one!