A/N: Obviously post-season finale

Heartbreak: Part 1 of 2

A hundred thoughts went through Meredith's head, but only one stood out enough to make her pause: He chose his wife.

It was no contest who she should choose. "Finn," she said, "Bring the car around. I need to talk to Derek."

Finn hesitantly did as she bid, knowing something was going on. Whatever it was, though, he trusted Meredith. She wouldn't stomp on his heart after he told her he had plans...would she?

Meredith turned and headed to the elevator, certain that Derek would follow her.

He did.

They were silent as Meredith pushed the emergency stop button. "I choose Finn," she said, turning to him.

The heartbreak showed on Derek's face. "Meredith--"

"No, Derek," Meredith said sadly. "I needed you to love me. I needed you to choose me, but you chose Addison. You made the right decision."

That last statement puzzled Derek. "No, I--"

"You made the right decision," Meredith said softly, putting her hand on Derek's arm. "Addison loves you. She had to have noticed the looks, the smiles, everything, but she still stayed. She's out there right now waiting for you to go home with her. You made your decision and it was right."

Derek grabbed her arm and stopped her from releasing the stop button. "No," he said desperately.

Meredith turned to him, tears welling in her eyes. "I have to move on," she whispered, shaking her head.

Derek shook his head. "No."

Meredith sniffed, trying to be strong. "Every time you give me that smile, that hope, it's always taken away. I was happy with you, Derek. Then I found out you were married! I was devastated at first, but there was this hope...I held myself together because there was hope Then I met Finn who is just as damaged and scary as me. He understands I'm broken, but that's okay because he is too...and he has plans."

"Meredith, you can't--"

"I can," she said firmly, letting the tears fall. She put her hand over his heart. "But I need you to give me my heart back."

"I can't," he whispered brokenly.

Meredith leaned her head on his shoulder. "Derek, when we--I felt like I was falling. Like maybe you would be there to catch me. Like maybe there could be a chance," she admitted.

"Me too," Derek said, his arms circling her waist.

"But there isn't. I can't be with you. There's always this excitement, this soul-wrenching feeling, this spark." She pulled back and looked at him. "But, when I look at you, I don't see forever anymore." She wiped the tears from her face and smiled gently. "Tonight, when Finn told me he had plans, I didn't freak out. That's the kind of thing I freak out about. Derek, when I look at Finn, I see forever. It's not only a spark; it's fireworks."

That wasn't what Derek wanted to hear. "No," he said, shaking his head in denial. He pulled her close and kissed her cheek, her nose, her lips.

Meredith gently pushed him away. "Go back to Addison, Derek. You have to let go because, right now, I actually think I can." She released the stop button. "Goodbye, Derek."

Derek watched her walk out of the elevator, feeling as if he'd been punched in the stomach. He slid down the wall and just sat there as Meredith went back to the vet. The vet who had plans. The vet who glossed things over about Doc so Meredith wouldn't be upset. The vet who was getting the forever.

Derek dropped his head into his hands. The vet who Meredith felt, not only a spark, but fireworks with.

END

A/N-I'm not bashing Derek. I still love him, but I don't think he deserves Meredith...or Addison.