At first, Mark couldn't quite put his finger on it. He knew something had changed between the time they had gone outside and the time they walked back inside. It was like a switch had been flipped. Something in the way he looked at her, something in the way she gripped his hand, had changed, shifted. What was it?

He was so focused on the couple, scrutinizing over their movements to detect anything different, that he didn't even notice the girl who walked over and stood beside him. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously, taking a sip of her drink.

He glanced at her, but then did a double take when he realized who it was. "Addison."

She laughed at his face. "So you do remember my name? I was beginning to wonder."

Mark sighed and glanced away from her. "What are you doing here, Addison?" he finally asked, and his tone was tired.

"This was our place, don't you remember?" she said.

Mark bowed his head and gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well," Addison said, "I missed it." She paused and then inclined her head towards him. "I missed you."

"Addison, stop," Mark said, straightening up and taking a step away from her. "You broke my heart, remember? You were the one who walked away, so just…please leave me alone."

"Mark…" But he was already gone.

xxx

Derek bent his head down as they danced, pressing his cheek against her hair. "You're very quiet," he observed, his voice low.

Meredith closed her eyes and turned her face into his chest. "I know," she said.

He gathered her up in his arms, pulling her closer. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head, sliding her hands from where they rested on his shoulders, down onto his chest. "I feel so strange," she admitted softly.

He felt his heart do a flip in his chest. Did she regret it? God, he hoped not. After kissing her, he could never imagine kissing any other girl. It was odd. Who found their soul mate at the age of eighteen? It was definitely odd, but truer than anything he had ever felt before. "Good strange or bad strange?" he asked softly.

She seemed to lean more heavily against him as he asked the question. Was that a good sign? "I don't know," she said finally and her voice hitched.

He pulled away slightly and glanced down at her face. She was crying, silent tears slipping down her face. "Meredith," he said, feeling an ache in his chest.

She shook her head softly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She was clinging to him, gripping his shirt between her fingers. He let out a breath and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her forehead and took a deep breath. Her breathing steadied slightly and she leaned back into him, resting her head on his chest.

Her heart felt so full. She loved Derek so much. But usually there was the boyfriend and then the best friend. What happened when they were the same person? She didn't want to lose any part of him. "Let's go somewhere," he said softly into her ear. She gave a slight nod and grasped his hand as he led her outside.

The night air was chilly and he relinquished his jacket, wrapping it securely around her shoulders. They walked until the sound of the dance had faded, giving way to the more subtle sounds of the woods. He brought her to a grassy patch of field on the shore of the camp's lake, where they had an unobstructed view of the sky. "This is beautiful," she told him softly, once they had sat down, settling in the grass.

"I bring all the chicks here," he said, giving her a sidelong smile. "It's a real babe magnet."

She laughed in spite of herself and felt her heart lift a little. "I'm sure it is," she said. The smile remained on her face as she lifted her face towards the sky. She wrapped her arms around her legs and leaned backwards, scanning the heavens idly.

"Meredith…" he began, but her voice cut him off.

"Did you know that starlight is billions of years old?" she asked in quiet wonder. He turned more fully towards her and took in the sight of her profile, framed against the moonlit sky. "The light of stars that are long dead still shines down on us." She paused and shook her head slightly. "It never dies," she whispered. "You can always count on it to be there. Forever. No matter what." She dropped her gaze back to the ground. The smile had gradually faded.

He frowned and turned away from her. He folded his hands in his lap. He was silent for a long time. "What am I supposed to say?" he asked quietly after a moment. She tilted her head towards him, her gaze questioning. "That I am like that starlight? That you can always count on me? That I'll be with you forever?" His tone was not cutting, but his words were.

She looked away from him abruptly, cursing the tears that immediately sprang to her eyes. "I don't want you to say that," she said defensively.

"I don't want to say those things, Meredith," he continued softly.

She looked at him. Her look was one of bewilderment. "I should go," she said. She moved to get up. "I'll go." He reached out for her hand and pulled her back down. She didn't look at him.

"I don't want to say those things, because frankly they are a little too corny for my taste." He paused and reached out, placing one finger on her chin and pulling her gaze back to his. "But that doesn't mean they aren't true."

She was speechless. She really was. It took her a moment to process his words. She laughed. "You had me fooled," she said softly, dipping her gaze to the ground.

He let his hand fall away from her face. "I'm sorry." He smiled. He leaned towards her ever so slightly. "And Meredith?"

She lifted her gaze back up to his earnest face. "Yeah?"

"I am like those stars. You can count on me. And I'll stay with you forever." He was joking, but she took it to heart. She leaned into him and rested her forehead against his chest. He kissed her hair, wrapped his arms around her and lifted his gaze towards the sky.

xxx

Addison found Mark standing outside, his hands shoved in his pockets, his gaze directed towards the sky. She stood behind him. "It's not like Mark Sloan to run away from a fight."

He didn't even look at her. "I don't want to fight with you, Addie."

"You just want to avoid me," she accused matter of factly. He turned towards her, finally.

"Yes, actually," he said.

She tried not to let her hurt show in her face. "I'm sorry, Mark. I really am."

He gazed at her levelly. He studied her face, his expression unreadable. "Why now?" he asked after a while. His voice was thick. "Why come back now?" She didn't give an answer and he didn't wait for one. "Why come back after all this time and try to make amends?" He paused. "You didn't even say goodbye, Addie. You just left." His voice was soft, genuine.

His face blurred as tears filled her eyes. "Mark, I…"

He shook his head and she fell silent. "You shouldn't be here, Addie," he told her. His tone was regretful and pained. She gave a slight nod and looked at the ground. She heard his footsteps receding into the distance and when she looked back up, he was gone.

xxx

Meredith couldn't bear the thought of going back to her cabin and being met with the questioning stares of Christina and Izzie. She wanted to tell them about it, but not tonight, so for the second night in a row, she followed Derek back to his cabin.

She stood in the middle of the room, staring down at her dress. He walked in behind her and furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him. "Nothing, it's just…I can't sleep in this."

He smiled. "Then don't," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

She rolled her eyes. "You're funny. Give me a shirt."

"Fine," he said, moving to his dresser, "but I liked the other plan better."

"I'll bet you did," she said, taking the shirt he handed her. When he didn't turn away she gave him a look.

"What?" he said, feigning innocence. She glared at him. "Fine, I'll wait outside."

Once he was safely outside, she slipped off her dress and pulled on the shirt quickly. She felt weird undressing in his room, surrounded by all his things. It gave her chills that she couldn't quite explain. She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror and then called out to him. He walked back inside and tried not to fall over when he saw her.

He had given her his longest shirt, but even so, it only reached about mid-thigh. His gaze fell lower, he couldn't help it. He took in her toned legs, her creamy skin, before looking back at her face, at her flushed cheeks, and slightly messy hair. He knew he was staring and managed to pull his gaze away.

"Um, so…you ready? For bed, I mean," he said, taking a deep breath.

She gave him a funny look, before turning and pulling back the covers. "More than ready," she told him, before lying down.

The minute she sank into the welcoming comfort of his sheets and rested her head against his pillow, she felt the extent of her exhaustion, both physical and emotional. She closed her eyes and began to drift off even before he lay down beside her. "Tired?" he whispered, bent close to her ear, as he settled in next to her.

"A little," she said not bothering to open her eyes.

He chuckled softly, propped up on his elbow, a smile playing on his lips as he watched her fall asleep, She was lying on her back, but her face was turned away from him, one arm resting comfortably across her stomach, the other beside her on the mattress. Her hair was splayed out across the pillow. He wanted to reach out and touch it, to run his hands through it, but he didn't want to wake her.

He smiled again and sank down on the mattress beside her. Tonight he didn't hesitate before wrapping his arms around her. He slipped one under her and resting one over her. Even though she didn't seem to fully wake up, she turned onto her side as he pulled her closer, pressing her back to his chest. He rested his arm on top of hers, which was lying across her stomach and held her hand, their fingers slipping together easily. He breathed a sigh and rested his forehead in the curve of her neck. Slowly, he fell asleep.

Oh my God. They're so friggin' cute. I can't even take it. Okay, so did anybody else see the new freakin promo for Grey's? I freaked out when I watched it! Rose can't be pregnant, can she? And Derek can't be hurt, can he? Rose must be lying and/or mistaken and Meredith must be dreaming, right? And is it just me, or did it totally look like someone got impaled on an icicle? Okay. That was weird. Even for Shonda.