Chapter 3: Crash and Burn

What am I doing? Meredith asked herself a few minutes later. She'd taken off both of her shoes and was running outside in the rain with them. Rain, she thought, perfect for this situation. It soaked through her $200 dress and her hair. She was suddenly aware that her panties were still in the hospital somewhere.

Stop. She had to stop. Where was she going? What was she going to do?

Car. If she found her car, she'd be alright. Car. Car. Car! Meredith hurriedly unlocked the door and threw herself inside.

Only then did she allow herself to cry.

Derek stood in the hallway, watching the storm of red come toward him. Addison's dress and hair really made her look like a Satan. He would have laughed, but he was too numb. He wondered if he should come at her too. No, he decided, I'll let her have at it. I deserve it. Derek bit his lip. 3...2...Derek took a tiny step toward Addison (he wasn't going to completely surrender to her)...1.

SMACK.

The sound of Satan's hand seemed to echo throughout the now empty hallway. Derek hadn't even turned his head. He stood there, emotionless, his cheek reddening.

"I...will...not...punish...myself...ANYMORE!" she screamed, kicking him with her heel. He winced this time. Good.

"Is this about hurting me?" she shrieked, her face inches away from his, "It's not enough to completely ignore me and leave me, is it? You have to come all the way over here, force me to move halfway across the country...for what? So you can get me close enough to you to hurt me? I gave you those papers! I said that if there was ANY chance you still loved me to sign them! And YOU(she slapped him again) signed them, but you never really loved me anyway. DID YOU? Because any HUMAN BEING that cared for me with just a tiny little corner of their heart would not have cheated on me!"

She stopped, her eyes blazing, to let that sink in.

"We are MARRIED! Get that into your head! I am not a toy you play with while you go chase Meredith Grey behind my back! I am not an obligation. If you don't want me, then I don't want you. And you had SO many chances to back out of this, but no! You played me over and over!"

Now her eyes were hurting and angry as she whispered the one thing that she'd promised would never happen to her.

"You played me. And I let you."

Derek's eyes filled with exasperation. "Oh, don't you go making me the bad person. Who started this whole thing? Don't give me this crap about me betraying you when you did the EXACT SAME THING!"

It was a pitiful excuse, and he knew it the second it left his mouth, but he had to say something. It was also a mistake, and Addison was ready for it.

"Oh no, you don't get to use me and Mark to justify yourself. You were NEVER there! You know, that night you found us? That was the first time you'd paid attention to me that I could remember! What was I, your territory? You can own me and no one else can touch me? You yourself never acknowledged my existence!"

"Oh," Derek sneered, "so this is about you getting attention."

"It is ABOUT love! You know what?" Addison lowered her voice and pierced him with a stare. "You want to know the difference between you and me? I'm actually sorry for what I did. You would do it again in a heartbeat, wouldn't you?"

Derek said nothing. Addison felt like she was a popped balloon, but didn't show it.

"I apologized over and over. I let you treat me like trash because I thought I deserved it. Maybe I did. But I DID NOT deserve this. I am so done with you." With that, she turned, back straight, head high, and walked away.

Clack, clack, clack.

Addison counted the seconds until she could turn the corner. 3...2...1...

Only then did she let herself cry.

Ok, well there you go. I kind of like the idea of Addi hitting Derek. I actually think this is one of the better chapters. It makes more sense. Please review!

Please review! You have no idea how happy it makes me to see messages in my inbox!