Addison opened her eyes slowly to see Meredith over in the corner putting clothes in the closet. She didn't say anything and watched as the young inters folded the clothes neatly.

'Meredith…' Addison pulled herself up and smiled at Meredith.

'Take things easy,'

'How did I get up here?'

'Alex carried you while you were sleeping,'

'Are you ok? You keep looking out the window,'

'I'm fine, just keeping an eye out,'

'For what?'

'Nothing, you want something to eat?'

'Yeah, I'll come down with you,'

'Stay there,' Meredith went out to the hall and started shouting.

'ALEX?'

'I'm coming,' Alex ran up the stairs and gently lifted Addison. She started laughing.

'If this is what happens when you get sick, I should have done it years ago,' Alex carried her down the stairs, being careful of her head. Sitting her on the couch he started fussing over her.

'Alex, I'm ok,'

'Addison, I've done this before. What else do you want?'

'I would kill for a cup of coffee,' Alex left Addison and went into the kitchen. He knew what was coming.

'Alex can you move me?'

'Sure Hannah,' Alex slid his arms under his sixteen year old sister and moved her gently.

'That better?'

'Yeah, thanks Alex,'

'What would you say to a spin in the car?'

'Yeah, I would love to,' Alex grabbed his sister's coat and slipped it on her, making sure not to move her too suddenly. Lifting her out to the car he put the wheel chair in the back. Alex headed up to Gray's lake. It was calm and peace full there. Pulling in, He lifted his sister up and into the wheel chair.

'Alex, when I go, look after mom for me,'

'Hannah, please, I don't want to think about it,'

'Alex, I've been told nearly a month ago that I had about five or six weeks left, please, I need to make sure things are going to be ok when I'm not here,'

'Hannah, you're my baby sister. I love you so much and the thought of losing you is something I don't want to face,' Hannah lifted her hand and caressed his face gently.

'Alex, you're the best big brother I could have asked for. I'm sorry that I'm putting you through this with mom. Dad's an arse and I don't want him at my funeral, please,'

'Ok, what else?' Alex was fighting back the tears.

'Look after mom. She'll need you more that ever once I'm not here. Alex, always do you're best. I sound like an old woman but it has to be said. You're amazing and don't let anybody tell you differently. I want you to have this,' Hannah took her necklace off and her ring. Sliding the ring on the necklace she took hold of his hand and placed it gently in it.

'If ever you feel sad or down, remember I'm always here, right in your heart. I'll always be there for you. Just rub my ring and there I'll be, right by your side, through thick and thin,' Alex took hold of his sister's necklace and embraced her tightly.

'Promise me you'll never forget me Alex?'

'I promise,' Hannah smartened herself up and kissed Alex on the head. Taking her home she asked to be put into bed. Alex obliged and put her in her favourite top.

'I love you Alex,'

'I love you too Hannah,' Alex left her to sleep.

'Hannah, mom wants to know what you want to eat.' Alex walked over to the side of his sister's bed. Gently shaking her, his heart began beating faster.

'Hannah?' The tears fell freely from Alex's eyes.

'Alex, I told you to ask…' Alex's mom stopped dead in the doorway at the sight she was witnessing. Alex was cradling his sister, rocking her back and forward.

'She's gone…she's gone,'

Alex filled the mug with coffee and looked out the window. Lifting his hand to his neck he rubbed his sister's necklace that was around his neck.

'Alex, you ok?'

'Yeah, I'm fine Meredith,' Alex brushed past Meredith and handed Addison the mug.

'Thanks,' Alex walked away from her like she was a zombie.

'Alex what's wrong?'

'Why would there be something wrong?'

'Because your tears are tear stained and you've been in a world of your own,'

'It's nothing,'

'Alex,'

'My sister, she had the same as Addison. I took her for a drive. She gave me her necklace and ring. She told me everything that she wanted. She died that night,' Meredith took a deep breath in and stepped towards Alex.spreading her arms out she pulled him in for a hug.

'I'm sorry,' Alex wrapped his arms around Meredith and sighed.

'Thanks,'

'I kina guessed you needed that,'

'Yeah,'

'What age was she?'

'Hannah was sixteen but was only two weeks into being sixteen when she was told she had it,'

'Alex…'

'Anyway, how's Addison?'

'She's ok. She's only got a few weeks. We won't let them be wasted. We will look after her,'

'I want to help as much as I can,'

'Alex, of course you can. You don't even have to ask,' the front door opened and Meredith walked over to Derek. Throwing her arms around his neck he embraced her tightly.

'I missed you,'

'I missed you too,'

'How is she?'

'She's in the living room. How come you were so long?'

'Addison's pressing charges against Mark but through me. That son of bitch won't get away with that,'

'Ok, calm down. Derek, don't get worked up about it. He'll get what's coming to him,' Meredith pulled Derek against her.

'Go and see Addison, I think she's sick of me by now,' Derek leant down and kissed Meredith's nose. Taking his jacket off he went in to see Addison.

'Addie, how you doing?'

'I'm ok, how was work?'

'Fine. I need to talk to you...about Mark,' Addison took a deep breath in.

'You can press charges against him, through me,'

'No, I can't deal with it Derek. I don't want to think about him or have anything to do with him. Please don't make me do it,' Addison was getting adjitated.

'Ok, I won't. Relax ok,' Derek left Addison sitting in the living room and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. He could tell Meredith had been tidying up. There were no clothes on the floor and the bed was neat. Taking his shirt off he flopped down on the bed. He didn't know how much more he could take.

Derek's eyes grew heavy but they shot open when they heard a scream coming from down the stairs. Running down he spotted Marks car in the driveway, the drivers door wide open. Walkind slowly into the kitchen, Derek could see Mark holding Addison up. Mereidth was lying on the floor, Alex lying down beside her.

'How do you fancy a trip Addison?'

'Mark please, leave me alone!' Derek crept along the hall, being careful not to make a sound. Looking down at Meredith head, a small puddle of blood was forming beside it. Alex looked up and nodded to Derek.

'Mark, let her go,' Derek's voice was calm but stern.

'Oh look, Mc Dreamy's here to save the day!'

'Mark let her go!' Derek was walking towards Mark.

'Stop where you are, or I'll bounce her off a wall,' Derek stopped and looked Mark straight in the eyes.

'What have you become Mark? You're beating up women. That's not the Mark I knew I New York. You said you loved her,'

'I do'

'Bull shit. If you loved her you wouldn't do that to her. You'd let her go,' Mark looked at Addison. She was shaking with fear. Slowly realeasing his grip from her neck, Addison fell to the floor. Mark stepped back and watched as Derek picked her up and carried her into the hall. Laying her down on the floor, his attention turned back to Mark.

'Alex, get her out of here,' Alex lifted Meredith and closed the Kitchen door behind himself.

'Mark, talk to me,'

'Why? You're the son of a bitch she left me for. I waited for her and she never came back. You had taken the only thing I loved away from me,' Mark's fists were clenched.

'Mark, I can't control what Addison does. She is her own person,' Derek sat down on a bar stool.

'You still love her,'

'Yes, but not in the way I used to. I know a lot about her Mark that you don't,'

'Like what?'

'...She's dieing Mark,' the words left his mouth and hit Mark like a tonne of Bricks. Standing up he went over and stood in font of Mark. As Mark closed his eyes Derek started knocking the crap out of him.

'YOU'RE A BASTARD! SHE DIEING AND YOU STILL COULDN'T LEAVE HER ALONE,' Derek stopped as Mark hit the floor. Alex pushed the door open and shouted on Derek.

'Shepherd…It's Meredith,' Turning sharply he left Mark and went out to the hall to see her lying on the ground.

'Where's Addison?'

'I took her up the stairs,'

'Go and get her, put her in my car,' Derek lifted Meredith head.

'Mere…can you hear me?' She moved her hand slightly but Derek didn't notice. Lying her back down he opend her eyes. Both responded. Mark was shouting from the kitchen. Lifting Meredith he realised how floppy her body was. She was like a doll. Her hair was straggled across her face, some of it red with blood. Carrying her out to the car he placed her gently in the front seat. Alex was helping Addison walk, slowly but surly.

'Alex, Take Addison to the hospital and tell them I'm bringing Meredith…and Mark Sloane,'

'No, you're not putting him in the same car as Meredith,'

'Alex, trust me,' Alex Put Addison in the car and pulled away from the house. Dragging Mark out the house, he threw him in the boot of the car. Meredith was beginning to stir.

'Mere?'

'Derek, what happened? Where's Addison?' Meredith started looking about before realising she was in the hospital car park. Three men from security were dragging Mark out the car. Derek lifted Meredith gently and walked with her into the hospital. Placeing her down on a bed, he gently lifted her head to look at it.

'What did he hit you with?' It couldn't of been his hand.

'It was my mother vase. The green one. I hated it anyway,' Derek laughed as he started cleaning the wound on her head.

'Mere, I need to get you down to get a CT or a X-ray, just to see if there's anything still in there,'

'Yeah, ok. Can you stand still?' Derek lifted his light and shone it in her eyes.

'Ok, we'll go with an CT,' Derek put her hair in a pony tail and lifted her out of the room. She snuggled into his neck. As he laid her down on the table she grabbed onto his collar.

'Don't leave me,'

'Mere, I'm just behind the glass, it won't take long. Lye as still as you can. I won't be far away,' Meredith released her grip and slipped her arms under the covers. Closing her eyes she started humming.

'Meredith, can you open you're eyes for me?' Meredith opened them slowly.

'We're nearly done,' as the bed slid back out she could feel Derek's hands slipping into hers.

'It's a clear scan, you need sown up and then me and you can go home.

'Where's Addison,' Derek didn't know where Alex had taken her.

'She's with Alex,'

'Ok, as long as he didn't hurt her,'

'Meredith, what happened?'

'He came in the front door. I ran through and lifted Addison. I got her into the kitchen. He must of grabbed Addison before he hit me,'

'Ok, lets get you sewn up,' Derek carried her back to the exam room, where her put four stitches in her head.

'Wait here,' Derek left her and went along to the attending locker room. Pulling a hat out his locker he smiled. It was a hat his mom had made for him. Closing the door behind him, he could here Alex. Slipping into a side room, he could see Addison curled on a ball on the bed.

'Thanks Alex, can you go and give this to Meredith, bring her back along here. She's in the end room,'

'Addison's not said a word since we left,' Derek squeezed his shoulder and took a deep breath in.

'Addie?' She didn't look away from the wall.

'Addie, he's gone. He won't hurt you again, I promise,' She closed her eyes and started sobbing. Lifting he up he sat down on the seat next to the bed. Rocking her back and forward, he realised her breathing had calmed down and she was almost sleeping. Meredith walked in the room, Alex behind her.

'How is she?'

'Sleeping, How are you feeling?'

'Like I've been hit on the head with a vase,' Derek stood up and kissed Meredith. Addison lay sleeping even in the car home. The kitchen was a bombsite.

'What happened to my kitchen?' Izzie was standing with her hands on her hips.

'There was blood on the floor! What happened?' Derek took Addison straight up the stairs and put her into bed. Meredith followed him up but went straight into her own bed. Looking in the mirror she could see the blood in her hair.

'I can't sleep with it in my hair,' Meredith pulled herself out fo bed and turned the shower on. Stepping in she could here Derek in the bedroom.

'Derek, come here,' Derek walked in, his eyes red. Meredith stepped out the shower and started taking his clothes off. Standing in the shower the water cascaded down over the top of them. But they weren't making love. They were standing holding each other like there was no tomorrow. Derek was standing like a sack of potatoes, hunched over. Meredith washed her hair and his, but in the middle of rinsing his, he broke down. He couldn't take anymore. His body was done, physically and mentally. Meredith done what came naturally and stood, holding him, unable to do anything else. After ten minutes she got him out the shower. They lay in each others arms, not wanting the world to find them, hoping they would both wake up and it would all be a nightmare. When Derek was asleep, Meredith crept out the bed. Checking on Addison she could see she was fast asleep, her body unable to be under any stress. Meredith closed the curtains in Addisons room and slipped her trainers off. Pulling the covers over Addison, she leaned down and kissed Addisons forehead.

'I'm sorry he hurt you,' Meredith left and closed the door behind her. Alex and Izzie were curled up on the couch together, Alex almost sleeping.

'Izzie, is he ok?'

'Yeah, just needed some time,' Meredith smiled and walked into the kitchen. Her head was killing her. She started cleaning up and wiping her blood off the floor.

'I was going to do that,' Izzie was standing at the door.

'It's ok, I needed to think,'

'What's up?' Izzie pulled a bottle of wine out the fridge and two glasses.

'Derek's done in. he can't take anymore and I feel one day he's just gonna break into pieces and be a mess. We were in the shower. I knew he didn't have the energy to even was his hair so I did it for him. He just broke down crying. I didn't know what to do,' Meredith lifted the glass to her mouth and took a large drink.

'Meredith, he's got a lot on his plate, it's understandable that he broke down. The only thing you can do is make sure there for him. Remember you don't have to deal with Addison on your own,'

'I know, thanks Izzie,'

'Even when things get rough, remember one thing, You love each other,'