Thank you to all for the reviews on the last chapter. Moving along to the election and the fall out from Meredith's revelation to Derek. Hope you like it.

Chapter 14
The Rivers Between Us

The rivers between us are deep
and dark as the secrets we keep
We stand on the shores
time runnin' by at our feet
Oh, the rivers between us are deep

Meredith took a quick look in the mirror backstage at the convention hall, smoothing a stray piece of hair into place. She was dressed conservatively in a sleeveless red sheath, a strand of pearls at her throat and her hair back in a neat chignon. Ther perfectly groomed wife of the new mayor of Nashville, she thought, wrinkling her nose.

"You look nice, Mommy," Mia observed from her perch beside her. The little girl was wearing a white dress with a full skirt, patterned with tiny blue flowers.

"So do you, sweet pea. Are you sure you want to do this?" Meredith wasn't happy that Hunter expected them both to appear on stage with him for the victory speech. It felt far too manipulative at this point, and yet here she was. "As soon as it's done, you can go home with the babysitter, okay?"

"Okay." Mia fiddled with the makeup brushes, before Meredith took a powder puff and tickled Mia's nose with it.

"There! Now let's go see if they're ready for us," she said, helping Mia to the floor, wishing they could be anywhere but here.

On stage, Hunter was acknowledging the cheers, and she steeled herself as he gestured for her to join him in the spotlight. Despite the scandal, he'd won the election, but she wondered how much Thatcher had to do with that win. With Mia between them, it appeared as if they were a united happy family. She made sure to put a smile on her face, doing her best to keep her thoughts on the present moment, even though all she could think of was the look on Derek's face when she'd told him about Mia.

As the well wishers continued to clap, Hunter pulled her against him, and kissed her cheek, pulling her out of her thoughts. "We did it, Meredith," he whispered. "Thank you for supporting me. You made it possible."

"I did it for Mia," she hissed through clenched teeth.

Hunter kissed her temple, giving the appearance of a loving husband. "Maybe I want to keep up appearances. We'll talk later, all right?" Without giving her a chance to respond, he stepped away, and waved at the crowd again.

Meredith was too startled to react, as he just flashed a smile at her and continued to accept the cheers from the crowd. He was in his element; there was no doubt about that. Again, she mustered up a smile even as she was mentally swearing at him. There was no way she was letting him have his way in this, their marriage was done. She had an appointment booked with the divorce attorney Cristina recommended. After kissing Derek again, and feeling more at home in his embrace than she ever had with Hunter, she couldn't go back to living a lie. It was time to take control of her destiny.

Derek made his way through the evening crowd at The Bluebird, and found an empty seat at the bar. He still felt off balance from Meredith's revelation, and being home alone didn't seem like a good idea at the moment. The sound of voices surrounded him, and the familiar clink of glassware reminded him of spending many evenings in this very spot in the past. Maybe it wasn't the best place to be, but it was a diversion. Still, as before, the lure of alcohol was strong as it always was when he was feeling stressed.

Mark joined him, and was already pouring a glass of soda water to hand over when Derek shook his head. "What? You want coffee?"

"What I want is a drink, preferably whiskey," Derek sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"Seriously? What the hell's wrong with you?" Mark planted his hands on the bar, and leaned in a little closer. "Have you been drinking before you got here?"

"No, but I had to get out of the house. Just pour one shot, Mark, and walk away." The craving for the taste was almost overwhelming. "I can handle just one drink, Mark."

"I don't want to disagree with a customer, but I don't believe that's true. I've seen you drunk before, Derek; one drink was never enough."

Derek scowled at his old friend. "Let me be the judge of that, Sloan. Pour the damn drink or I'll come back there and get it myself." Then he caught sight of the television screen behind the bar, showing the results of the mayoral election. And Hunter embracing Meredith on the stage, giving the impression he was the most devoted husband on the planet. The sight of his hands on Meredith made Derek's stomach churn, not to mention Mia sandwiched between them. His daughter, his flesh and blood.

"Whatever's got you in this mood isn't worth it."

"Don't argue with me, Mark!" he snapped, taking his eyes away from the screen.

Mark looked at the television quickly, and then switched the channel to ESPN. "Look, maybe you need to talk to Richard; he's your sponsor, right?"

"He's busy with the election, not that he stood a chance. I'm sure he has enough of his own issues tonight, doesn't need mine."

"So talk to me, I listen to people rant all the time, comes with the territory," Mark urged, motioning towards the other bartender to come over and take his place. "Let's go in the back, I have a small office so we can talk in private."

Exhaling to diffuse his frustration, Derek nodded and stood up to follow Mark. As he turned, he bumped into someone, knocking a glass to the floor. "God, sorry..." he said, making eye contact. "Oh, hey, Izzie...I'm sorry. Let me buy you another drink."

She laughed, and he could tell she'd already been drinking for awhile. "That would be so nice of you, Derek! Are you going to join me?" She put her hand out to his chest, patting the soft flannel of his shirt as she smiled at him.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Izzie," he replied quickly, trying to extricate himself.

"Oh, come on! One little drink? I have some new lyrics done, you can give me your opinion. Alex doesn't think I can do it, but I can! Please, Derek..." she begged, hanging onto his arm, nearly pulling him against her as she tottered on her stiletto heels.

"Maybe some other time," he said, helping her to sit on the stool he'd just abandoned. "And maybe you need a cup of coffee instead of another drink. Do you have someone to drive you home?"

"God, you're no fun, I don't get what Meredith sees in you..." Izzie said, waving at Mark to get a drink. "All the time on tour, I could see her looking at you...damnit..." She hiccuped and seemed to lose track of her thoughts.

While he was trying to decide how to respond to her comment, Mark interrupted them, setting a glass in front of Izzie. "Here, this is the last one for you. I'll have Addison call a taxi for you when you're done this. I need to talk to Derek."

"Fine...leave..." She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine."

Derek hesitated for a moment, before looking at Addison who had materialized next to Mark. "I'll keep an eye on her. Don't worry," she said. "She's been here before."

"Good, thanks." He followed Mark through the crowd and into the quieter area at the back of the building. If nothing else, Izzie had distracted him briefly from the reason he was here in the first place.

"So talk to me," Mark said firmly, sitting behind his desk. "I'm not Richard, but I've known you a helluva long time and if you tell me you want a drink after being sober for years then there's gotta be a damn good reason."

"Meredith came to see me last night. She told me that she was pregnant when she married Hunter, and that Mia is my daughter," Derek said, without preamble, "how's that for a damn good reason?"

For a few seconds, all Mark could do was stare at him. "All right, didn't see that one coming. Did she show you the birth certificate?"

"Why would she make it up? It's not like she's demanding child support."

"But why tell you now?"

"She was afraid it might leak out somehow with Hunter in the media spotlight now. She wanted to tell me in person," Derek said, thinking of the conversation, and how he'd consoled her. He shook his head, his eyes dark with emotion. "Damn, Mark, I wondered about the possibility, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I have a kid, and she hid that from me for all this time. I don't know what to do right now." He was second-guessing himself now, after spending a sleepless night tossing and turning, finally dozing around dawn. Only to wake up in a cold sweat, dreaming about being in a drunken stupor, and dropping babies. Likely something Meredith would have been worried about back then.

"Does she want you involved with her daughter now?"

"I guess, I mean we didn't talk long, but she did say her marriage is over. I just don't know if I'm ready for all of this. Drinking was always my escape."

Mark gave him a look of sympathy. "I know how you feel in a way, sometimes thinking about having a kid scares the crap out of me. But the fact that Meredith told you is a good thing, she obviously wants to make things right. But I can't let you take that drink, Derek, and if you want to crash at my place so you're not tempted to drink when you leave here, that's fine with me."

"No, I should leave. You have work to do, and I need to get my head together. Maybe I'll stop in at a meeting on my way home. Thanks for listening, though."

"That's what old friends are for, Shep. Are you sure you're okay, though?"

Derek stood up, and smiled briefly. "Doing my best." He wasn't sure if he was really that fine, but he suddenly couldn't stand to talk about it any longer. Not until he could see Meredith again at any rate; no one else could answer the questions he had.

Meredith scanned the crowded room where the post-election party was being held. The room was full, and the conversation was loud as the drinks flowed freely. She sipped a glass of champagne, but her head was beginning to throb with the start of a headache. Maybe she could leave, she'd done her duty long enough. Then she spotted Hunter across the room, with April next to him, and she shook her head at the sight. When he caught her eye on them, he moved away and came to speak to her.

"What is she doing here? Thought you wanted to keep appearances up and all that?" she asked sweetly.

"She's on my staff, she had an invitation."

"Well, I hope for your sake she doesn't say anything incriminating, it wouldn't help your cause any in divorce court."

"Mer, listen about that..." he started to say.

"My lawyer will be in touch, count on it." Meredith handed him her empty glass. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home."

She left him without another word, and escaped outside, where she found Thatcher was waiting for her. "Meredith...we need to talk," he said, gesturing with his cigar towards his car.

"Not now, all right? I'm exhausted and I just want to get home to Mia."

"Then let me take you home." He held the door open to the back of the Lincoln town car, which was idling quietly at the curb. His driver was waiting for them and she sighed in resignation. Sometimes it was impossible to avoid her father's conversations.

"Fine."

"Good." He ushered her into the car, and they were settled into the quiet luxury for a few moments as the car purred away into traffic.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Meredith asked, after a few minutes of silence.

"You and Derek Shepherd...I thought that was over and done with years ago. Why are you seeing him again? Don't look surprised, you know I know about that."

"Well, he's the father of my daughter, I think he needed to know the truth after all these years, especially since he is here in Nashville again. With Hunter in the spotlight, I was afraid that we couldn't hide that fact any longer," she said, shrugging slightly. "Mia has a right to know her true father as well, with Hunter and April having a relationship. Her world is going to be drastically changed very soon."

Thatcher rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, of course I'd hoped that your husband wouldn't do anything stupid. However, he's proven me wrong once again. Still, I should be able to keep him in line..."

"You do that, but keep him away from me. I've had my fill of his infidelity, and I don't want to pretend any longer."

"He's just been elected mayor, do you think the public wants to have him announce his divorce?"

"Oh who cares? This isn't the 1950s! Divorce happens to the best of us, and he can go and have a life with April and they can have their baby and live happily ever after. Just leave me out of it."

"What? She's pregnant?" Thatcher asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh, didn't Hunter tell you that little detail?"

"No, he didn't." Thatcher frowned, staring out the window. "Ah, no matter, he still owes me his political success. He'd be nowhere without my support."

"Then he should have remembered that before screwing his assistant. Did you know about this before it all came out in the papers?" Meredith asked, already certain of his response. There was little that went on without her father's knowledge, after all.

"I may have, Meredith," he hedged. "But I had hoped to spare you the embarrassment of his actions, which is why I didn't say anything to you. I thought I had it under control."

"When are going to stop orchestrating my life, Dad?"

"You wanted my help ten years ago."

"I admit I needed it then. I know Derek might have been a drunk in the past, but he loved me. I should have tried harder to help him."

"Sometimes you have to let the person you love find their own salvation; he wasn't ready to accept your help then. You can't push people into recovery." Thatcher's voice was tinged with sadness and she looked at him closer in the dim light of the car. He avoided her eyes and looked out the window again.

"Are you talking about Derek, or someone else?" she asked.

"Just a general observation, my dear," he replied, clearing his throat. "Are you sure he can handle this now?"

"I need to talk to him again, but he deserves to know his child. And I want a divorce from Hunter, the marriage was over a long time ago."

"You've come a long way. Years ago you wouldn't have been this adamant."

"Years ago I was too scared."

"What about your career?"

"It should survive the truth, and if it doesn't, it wasn't important enough. If my fans can't accept things the way they are then they aren't really fans. In the big picture, this isn't much compared to what some people go through. Life is messy, Dad, and god knows country music is full of messy lives..." she said with a small smile.

Thatcher covered her hand with his. "You may be right, Meredith. Appearances may be everything, but underneath there are a lot of secrets. Better for you to be the one to expose them yourself."

"I'm glad you agree. Hunter seems to think he has the upper hand, though."

"Leave him to me. I will support you, no matter what." He squeezed her fingers. "After all, I love Mia and I want her to be happy. If that means letting her find out about her natural father, then so be it."

"I didn't expect you to take this stance," Meredith said softly.

"You're my daughter, why wouldn't I be on your side?"

"You've always made it clear Hunter has been groomed for the limelight..."

"Not to the point of hurting you. Leave him to me," Thatcher repeated.

"Thank you, Dad. I know it was a mess when I left Derek, but I really believe he's changed. I think he's ready to be a father, and I want to find out what it would be like to have him in my life again."

"Well, let me know if I can help."

"No offense, but maybe as a last resort," Meredith smiled a little. "This should be between us."

It was getting late when Derek finally dropped onto the sofa. Max had been waiting patiently for his return, and after a quick turn around the back yard, was now resting his chin on Derek's arm. "Sorry I'm late, Max," Derek murmured. After leaving Mark, he'd driven around for awhile, stopped at a meeting without feeling the need to get up and talk, before finally coming home. He gave himself credit for not buying a bottle, if nothing else.

He closed his eyes, letting Max's unconditional acceptance soothe him. He still couldn't shake the uncertainty that gripped him over the revelation. All these years and Meredith had kept the truth from him. Hunter had been there for Mia's first steps, and first words, all those things you couldn't replace.

His cell phone rang then, and he picked it up from the coffee table to check the display. "Meredith...hey…" he answered tiredly.

"Derek, you sound terrible. Are you all right?"

"Sure, fine. I saw the election results on the news…Hunter looked happy."

"You saw…Derek, don't be angry, he thinks everything can just go back to the way it was, and he's wrong. I left the party early, Dad brought me home. I told him that you knew about Mia."

"And how did he take that?"

"He's on my side, Derek. He may have supported Hunter for mayor, but he supports me on this decision. Blood is thicker than water, and all that."

"Does Mia know?"

"She knows that Hunter isn't her biological father, but not your identity yet. I thought we could work towards that slowly. I'm so sorry about this, Derek, I really should have told you sooner..."

"I've been thinking about this non-stop since last night, Meredith. I understand why you did what you did, but maybe I would have gotten help sooner if you'd told me about the baby. You never gave me a chance to decide what to do, and now you've had ten years with her. I never got to sing her to sleep, or comfort her when she was scared…you let another man have that privilege."

"Derek, you know that I would have done things differently," she said softly. "I wanted to be your wife. I wanted us to raise her together in a wonderful home that you couldn't provide then. I cried myself to sleep for months I wanted that so badly."

Derek sighed, and raked his hand through his hair, hearing the quaver in her voice. "I'm sorry, I know I broke your heart a thousand different ways, hurt you in ways I didn't even realize. But I was pretty damn good at pretending I didn't care. All these years, telling myself it was better for you to be with someone else, when deep down I was lying to myself. I should have fought harder for you, stood up to your father and made a life for us. I missed you, every day and every night, I could never find anyone else that I wanted to be with, never anyone else I could fall in love with. Only you."

"Derek..." Meredith started to say, and then paused, and he could hear her soft breath in his ear. "My marriage to Hunter was falling apart a long time ago, and I didn't even realize it. Now he's having a baby with April, and I've had enough of it. Having you back in my life isn't the catalyst for my divorce, but I'm glad you're here. But it's not only about the two of us, we have to consider Mia...I won't let her get caught in the middle of this. You have to understand that."

"I want that more than you can imagine, Meredith. You don't always get a second chance at life, and I want to prove to you that I'm worthy of you, and our daughter. You and me, Mer, that's how it's supposed to be. That man you always wanted me to be, I can be that man. I love you, Meredith."

Again he heard her breath, a little faster now, before she spoke. "Oh, you're sure about that are you?"

"Always, I never stopped loving you."

"That's good because I think I feel the same way," she murmured, and he felt the tension slowly seep away from him. "Let me deal with Hunter, and we can figure out what to do after that?"

"Yes, just promise me if you need anything, you'll call me. You're not alone in this now."

"I promise...good night, Derek..."

After ending the call, he sat in the dark, stroking Max's fur, wondering where they would go from here. It wasn't all right yet, but maybe it would be in time.

Meredith set the phone aside, and smiled to herself slightly. She hoped it would turn out the way it should; it almost seemed too good to be true. But there was a long way to go before anything would become a reality. She didn't need to rush into anything and mess it all up.

She heard footsteps in the corridor, and she turned to see Hunter standing at the doorway, loosening his tie. "You could have stayed longer, you know," he said tiredly.

"I had enough of it. I think we both know I couldn't stand beside you and smile as if everything was normal. It's all over, Hunter, so over."

"What if I don't want it to be?"

"You gave away any option on that when you decided to have an affair with April. So you don't get to have a say in this. We had this discussion already." Meredith crossed her arms. "I waited until the election was over the way I said I would, but we can go our separate ways now. My only hope is that we can stay civil for Mia's sake."

"And you're sure that she'll be fine with you and Shepherd getting together? I'm still her father, no matter what you say. All he did was donate the sperm."

Meredith sucked in a breath. "That's low, even for you. I told her that you weren't her biological father, but I haven't told her about Derek just yet. There's enough going on right now. That can wait." Meredith stood up, and went to open the closet door, pulling out a couple of suitcases. "But you're leaving now, Hunter. Please don't make this more difficult."

"What are you going to do when you go back out on tour? I don't suppose your record label is going to let you drop out...you can't leave Mia alone."

"Mia can stay with my father when I'm away, until we reach a more formal settlement. I hope you understand."

For a moment, she thought Hunter was going to argue with her, but he just nodded quickly and she exhaled in relief. He grabbed a suitcase and started to hurl clothes into it without caring how they landed. "Fine. Just remember how much I helped out when you needed me, Meredith. I was there when you gave birth, and I was there when Mia was growing up. I can give her stability just as much as you can, maybe more so if you're traveling. No court is going to deny me joint custody."

"You're starting a new family, with a child of your own," Meredith said softly. "How is that going to impact things?"

"Damnit, Meredith!" Hunter shouted, slamming the suitcase shut. "Stop throwing that in my face! Don't pretend you're not going to jump into bed with Shepherd and confuse our daughter! Do you really think he's changed that much? He's still an alcoholic, still broke, and he could hurt you all over again! Do you really want to expose Mia to that?"

Meredith glared at him. "Keep your voice down. Mia's sleeping; you don't want to wake her. Whatever I do with my life from now on is my choice. Derek has changed..." She stopped, hearing a sound in the hallway, a scuffle of claws on the hardwood just before Mia peered around the door frame with Benji at her side.

"Mommy...?" Her voice was sleepy, but a little quaver indicated she had heard them arguing. It broke Meredith's heart to think of what she must have overhead.

"Everything is fine, honey," she said quickly, going to crouch beside her. "Let me take you back to bed."

Hunter stepped up closer, putting his hand on Meredith's shoulder. "We'll both tuck you in, Mia. Let's go, sweetheart..." He lifted Mia up gently, kissing her cheek. "Don't you worry about a thing; it's all going to be okay."