As she waited for him at their usual spot she couldn't believe they had been just friends for four and a half months, until now she hadn't actually thought much of it- but now, sitting quietly on the bench alone she realized that they had more now than they ever did before. He listened to her thoughts and she calmed him down when he was on a post-op high, they knew the intimate details of each others lives, he had even been allowed to visit her mother again to log her progress for the clinical trial.

His car rambled up the path minutes later and looking at him through the window she knew something was wrong, he looked derailed, upset and hollow. She stood and waited for him to let Doc out of the car, watching as he slumped his way over to her.

"Spill." She ordered when ten minutes into their walk he hadn't said a word bar hello.

"Sorry, what." He asked, her comment waking him from his own private world.

"What's up?" She asked again touching his shoulder lightly as a source of encouragement, "You know you can talk to me…what's wrong?"

"I have been meaning to tell you for a while now but didn't know how and now its all happening so fast and I don't know how to tell you cause I don't know how you will react- not that you should react, but I mean we were us, even though it was a long time ago and after everything that happened…" he blurted out, avoiding eye contact with her by looking at the ground.

"Derek!" she said a little forcefully, "Slow down, what are you talking about?" She continued, making him stop walking and motioning for him to sit on a large rock near by.

A few seconds later, with his head in his hands he started slowly, "Addison is leaving."

"Oh," she stated, not really sure where he was going with this.

He continued, knowing she needed to know but still dreading telling her. "Her contract at the hospital is up in a week and she is moving back to New York."

"Are you going as well?" she stuttered.

"No." He stated quietly, his head still in his hands, "We filled for divorce two months ago, its over between us. She moved out of the trailer and into an apartment about the same time, it was mutual- we both knew there was no going back after…" he trailed of.

"Me?" she questioned quietly.

"And the affair," he added. "It was…we were different people before everything happened, now our priorities have changed and they just don't match up…" he sighed.

"Oh." She breathed, letting the silence slip between them.

They continued their walk in silence, each lost in their own thoughts until they reached the car park. "Why didn't you tell me?" she questioned, "I thought we were friends."

"I couldn't, it hurt too much before." He sighed finally making eye contact with her.

"And it doesn't now?" she prodded.

"No, it still hurts- it's just that she is leaving today. I wanted you to know before someone else told you. Webber is letting her out of the contract a week early, he knows what's happening." Then sensing her quiet thoughts he touched her cheek, "We're still friends right?" he asked.

"Of course." She answered with a weak smile, not quite understanding what was going to happen from here.

----------

The first six hours of the shift were hell, Derek and Meredith avoided each other at all costs- neither knowing what the other presumed with the new information which was leashing its way around the hospital. While he had been getting sympathetic looks all day, she had been told by six nurses and three interns that 'Addison was gone for good', one even had the nerve to ask her when she was going to start 'doing McDreamy again'.

Webber had done his best to keep Derek in surgery and meetings all day, while Merediths friends were doing their bit to correct the rumors that were emerging about 'Meredith and Derek already being back together' and that 'Meredith was the reason the Sheppard's had split'.

Sitting in the cafeteria, surrounded by her friends, Meredith watched Derek out of the corner of her eye- he walked in, grabbed a sandwich and sat towards the back of the room. Knowing that no amount of avoidance would cull the rumors she stood up, grabbed her tray and headed towards him.

Christina grabbed her arm, "What are you doing?" she questioned in a harsh whisper.

"It's ok," she answered with a small smile, before adding "I'm ok."

---------

"He looked up at her as she sat down across from him, having not noticed her walking over, "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I am sitting with my friend, who is going through a hard time." She answered simply before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"You don't have to," he replied, with a concerned look "I've heard the rumors- they are blaming you."

"I know," she shrugged, "But no amount of explaining or avoidance is going to silence them and we are friends and frankly it's none of their business what happened in your marriage; it's no one but yours and Addison's."

He gave her an appreciative smile before going back to his lunch, feeling a little better about the day now that he had a friend to conquer it with.