A/N: Hey! It's Jen, again. So school has started again... which means updates won't come as often. But don't worry, you will get at least one update a week. Good enough, right? Anyway, we hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave us a lil comment!

Two weeks later...

The light of dawn peeked through the blinds and woke Derek from his sleep. The neurosurgeon blinked open his eyes and groaned. It was too early in the morning. He sighed and slipped out of bed. Dr. Shepherd put a simple t-shirt and pants on before heading to the kitchen. He ran his fingers through his hair. White hair has grown a lot more apparent over the last month. Derek has started to brew coffee and suddenly, he head a thump from the second floor. He leaned against the kitchen counter with his eyes closed and waited for screaming little children to start roaming the house.

A door opened slowly. The hardwood floor squeaked a few times. The father poured himself a coffee and savoured for another few minutes. Still no giggling. Derek looked up at the blond-haired figure that walked passed the kitchen thinking it was Dr. Stevens who stayed over again.

Arizona?

The front door closed. The pediatric surgeon left without noticing him. Derek, still surprised, heard someone else walk down the stairs.

"Good morning," said his wife. "Close that mouth, would you? Gonna catch a bug."

"Did you hear anything last night?" he snickered.

"What are you talking about?" she replied as she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee.

He shook his head and laughed. "Never mind."

Meredith rolled her eyes and made her way to the stool at the island. "When are you coming back next week?"

"… I'm not going back."

The woman almost spit out her hot drink. "WHAT?"

"I'm quitting. I want to stay here."

"We've had this conversation before. You're going to be miserable and blame it all on me again…" she started. "Don't do it for me. Do it for you."

Meredith's mind was a mess that day at work. She replayed the brief conversation she had had with her husband before rushing to work. She spent the majority of the day looking for Alex, when she wasn't busy operating on someone that is. She finally spotted him at the end of the hall, going over some charts at the nurses station. She walked over to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into the closest on call room she could find.

"What the hell Mer I have charts to do." Alex said, more annoyed than angry.

"Derek wants to quit DC." Meredith blurted out feeling a wave of relief wash over her as she did.

"Already? Didn't he just start?"

"That's what I'm saying! I mean I'd love to have him here to help me with the kids and for other reason you probably know too well but I don't want him to come back and be miserable again I can't take that again."

"If he comes back it's not like he has a job waiting for him."

"That's another thing, Owen would hire him back in a second because he's the famous Derek Shepherd which would mean Izzie or someone else would be out of a job because my stupid husband was unhappy working for the President." Meredith huffed.

"So if Derek comes back Izzie leaves? Again?" Alex asked.

Derek exited the daycare, planning to get some lunch and spend time around people who could form full sentences. He made his way to the cafeteria he was familiar with, grabbing what looked like something healthy before looking for an open table.

"Shepherd!" He heard a familiar voice call. He turned to see Callie waving at him frantically.

"Torres." Derek smiled as he took a seat beside Dr. Torres.

"I hear you're thinking of coming back that's great!"

"Where did you hear that?"

"I live with you?" Callie answered, almost confused by the question.

"Oh, right. Yeah, it's something I'm considering. Why?"

"Derek I need you back all Hunt and I do is fight it's like we're an old married couple and the love and sex has long but gone and we're too lazy to sign the fricken divorce papers."

"Was there a point to all that?" Derek laughed.

"I need you, my work husband, back."

"I'm your work husband?"

"Well it's definitely not Hunt."

"Richard, wait up!" Jackson called down the hall, jogging to catch up.

"What can I do for you, Avery?" Dr. Webber asked.

"Um, well, this is kind of a weird question," Jackson laughed nervously, "but um, would it be okay if, well April and I were thinking. We want to name our son after you."

"Really." Richard's eyes lit up.

"Yeah." Jackson smiled seeing how happy the news had made Richard.

"I would be honored." Richard replied.

Arizona managed to escape from Dr. Herman for a while. Perhaps, the fetal surgeon went for a quickie with one of her students because the redhead had been off the radar since that morning. Since their little confrontation the other day, it seamed like their was a wall between them although she was sure that Nicole still cared. The blonde, hands in pocket, walked around the hospital until her page got her attention. Callie, again. It has been a few times that they had these kind of talks. Just like the previous night, they talked about their relationship and how they felt. The couple were trying hard to fix their marriage. Dr. Robbins headed towards their usual meeting place: the on-call room.

"Hi."

"Hey."

Both doctors sat side by side on the bed. Callie placed her hand on the blonde's knee and sighed.

"I know we've been trying to fix this and I am so grateful that you are willing to do this after the things I said…" she paused. "I don't about you but I feel like we are going to be okay."

Arizona nodded in confirmation.

"There is one thing that is still on my mind and I know that it was not any of my business but I feel like if there were no secrets between us -"

You want to know about that night, right?" she interrupted. "There was no one. I went to a bar and a few people started to buy me drinks. I left as soon as I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. Nothing happened."

Callie's lips curled into a smile but was interrupted by a page. She took a look and groaned.

"I gotta go, Ari. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah."

The latina quickly grabbed her lab coat and opened the door from the on-call room. Dr. Torres bumped in Meredith who was on her way out from her previous surgery.

Meredith, hands on her chest, recovered from the bump.

"Seriously Callie, you really need to work on your timing."

The two friends walked to the elevators.

"Sorry Mer. I got paged," she walked away but turned back. "I'm glad things are working out for you and McDreamy."

"He is not coming back."

"But he told me this morning and I sort of want him back. I -" Dr. Torres argued.

"I know, but he can't. He is going to turn back into that ass of a husband I had to deal with a few months ago."

"C'mon Meredith. Now that he has experienced working in DC for a while, maybe he's just over it."

"Over it? He said that DC was everything for him!"

"That is not true and you know it. You're his everything."

Meredith huffed. "I can't believe you're on his side."

"I'm on nobody's side," the doctor walked away.

"Arizona Robbins. Where were you? I have especially told you to go check up on my patients." Dr. Herman scolded as soon as the blonde came to her direction.

I should be the one asking you were you were.

"I did everything you wanted me to do and then I went to the on-call room with Dr. Torres to-"

"Enough," she interrupted as she pulled up one of her patient's files. "I do not want to hear about your sexual adventures in the on-call room with your partner."

"We were not-" she sighed. "We were talking… about our marriage and relationship. We're trying to fix… us."

Nicole looked at the blonde as she continued.

"I thought you cared about how things were for me. You don't say it but I know. Don't worry. I am still 100% focused and I will learn everything the best I can."

Alex walked into his kitchen, thankful to be home after such a long shift. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and turned to see Jo sitting at their kitchen table.

"You on-call?" He asked, taking a swig of beer.

"Not tonight." She replied quietly. "I think we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Us."

"You don't have to move out Jo, I was pissed I didn't mean -"

"I know but it's not just that Alex."

"Then what is it?" Alex asked, taking a seat across from Jo.

"What do we have in common?"

"Um, we're both doctors?"

"Besides work."

"Foster kids?"

"Anything else?" She asked.

"I, I don't -" Alex stammered, racking his brain. "I love you."

"I know. I love you too but this, I can't." Jo began to cry.

"You don't want to be together?"

"Alex, all we have in common is a shitty childhood and that we're both doctors. I just, I don't think that's a good foundation I mean do you?"

"I don't know."

"Before we got together you were like a brother to me. I miss that Alex I do I miss my friend."

"I miss that too." Alex sighed, taking another gulp.

"I love you but I can't be in this anymore." Jo cried.

There was silence between the two. They looked at each other, wanting to be able to kiss and make up, pretend everything was okay but they couldn't. Their relationship had run it's course and they both knew it.

"You can still stay here, if you want." Alex mumbled.

"Okay." Jo sighed, thankfully.

Alex grabbed his drink and headed to living room. Jo fidgeted on her set for a little bit before caving in and followed him. Upon realizing that they were not a fit with each other as a couple, they sat next to each other with the TV on.

How I Met Your Mother was on: reruns. Alex was never fan of that show, but he had grown to like it. Mostly because it relieved him from a little bit of stress. If the couple were to compare their relationship at the moment, they would be Ted and Robin. They are similar is some aspects, yet so different. The two main characters from that show stayed friends despite their separation. Alex and Jo have had long conversations about how they were not meant to be together… And now they understood that statement even more.

Jo left to sleep after the episode. The flashing light of the TV was the only thing on for the rest of the night. Alex stayed up for another few hours and went to bed too. It was a long night.

Meredith slipped into her house quietly, not wanting to wake everyone. She checked the time, 2:45am. She sighed and headed up the stairs, exhausted after a long day at work. Derek was awake when she went into their bedroom.

"Why are you still up?" She asked.

"I was waiting for you?"

"Why?"

"Can't I wait for my wife to come home from work?" He said, flashing her his charming smile.

"I can't do this, the not talking for 30 days." Meredith huffed, taking a seat on their bed.

"We're talking right now." Derek chuckled.

"I mean the not talking about important things like DC things. It's like nothing is wrong between us and I like that I mean I do sometimes because it's nice when you hold me at night and make me laugh in the morning but everything isn't okay Derek and we can't keep pretending it is. I love you and I love when you're here with me and the kids but I pretend I'm not angry anymore."

"Did you breathe at all?" Derek joked.

"This isn't funny." Meredith snapped.

"Fine," Derek sighed. "What do you want from me, an apology?"

"I don't want you to have to ask if I want an apology. I know I wasn't the nicest person but Derek you were being an asshole. You put everything on me like I'm God but I'm not, I'm not God, you were the one that gave up the job the first time and then you were miserable and quiet. You wouldn't talk you'd only yell. I knew I'd have to force you to take that job because you wouldn't do it yourself. You need to be pushed but you can't treat the person who's pushing you like the bad guy." Meredith exhaled as she finished her ramble.

"I want to come home Mer."

"You haven't been out there that long what if you regret it and then you resent me for letting you come home?"

"I'm not going to resent you. Meredith, I don't like the job and I don't like going home to a sad little apartment. The job it's incredible but it's not for me. I don't know anyone at work, to be truthful I miss working with Torres. I miss my life and my job here. If this had been 10 years ago I'm sure I would have loved it but things are different now. It's an amazing job, but for someone else."

"But that's what you're saying now Derek. You said you weren't mad before and you were so how do I know you're not just saying these things?"

"I'm not talking about this anymore." Derek said, trying to hide the frustration in his voice. "Goodnight, Meredith."