Three days later…

Rain poured over Seattle for the last three days filling the pit non-stop with traumas. Most doctors had barely been home deciding just to sleep in an on-call room since chances were they would just be paged at some point through out the night. The pit hadn't seen an empty bed in days and people had to be shifted from room to room so incomings would have a place to go. The OR board hadn't been quiet for days either and most surgeons would skip from one surgery to the next only being able to fit in a short coffee break in between. Their personal lives also had to be put on hold which for most people came at the worse times with Christina's wedding right around and the whole mess with Derek. The new interns were kept busy making their 48 hour shift more like a 96 hour one.

Meredith avoided talking to Derek successful only running into him on the way to or from surgery or at the coffee cart making some excuse to walking away. The rain had finally cleared and the surgeons were allowed to go home. Christina's wedding was being held early the next day and they all had off for it.

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Meredith yawned as she walked into the kitchen. Izzie and Christina were sitting drinking coffee. It was about five in the morning the day of the wedding. All three were now well rested even though it was an early hour, but the wedding started at eleven am.

"What time do we have to go to this salon place?" Christina asked chugging down the rest of her coffee.

"Our appointment is at seven. We have to bring the dresses with us." Izzie said. Christina looked over at Meredith.

"Talk to McDreamy last night?" She asked.

She shook her head as she drank some of her coffee. "I just slept."

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It was nearly ten, when Meredith was sent to the church by Izzie to make sure everything was in order while she helped Christina finish. She walked into the parlor room that was designate for the bride and bride's maids. A couple minutes later, the door opened and Derek slipped in. She glanced up with him before turning and walking to the make-up table.

"Hey." He said walking in more.

"Hey." She said quietly. There was a long silence.

"You've been avoiding me…"

"I've been busy with the wedding and the interns."

He sighed. "Why can't you just let me in Meredith? Why can't you open up to me like you do your friends? I had to find out from George that you didn't do your intern exam the first time. Why can't you tell me thing? It is so… infuriating when you…" She cut him off.

"If you're going to break up with me, just do it. I don't need you to tell me all about my flaws as a human."

"I can't."

She almost wanted him to. The scene at the bar continued to replay in her head. "Sure you can. Here's how it goes...Meredith, I don't want to see you anymore. Meredith, I don't love you anymore."

"Meredith...I do love you. Don't you see? Don't you understand? You're the love of my life. I can't leave you. But you're constantly leaving me. You walk away when you want; you come back when you want. Not everyone, not your friends, but you leave me. So I'm asking you...if you don't see a future for us, if you aren't in this...please...please just end it, because I can't. I'm in it. Put me out of my misery."

She shook her head. "Not now." She thought to herself.

"I…can't. I...I...Cristina is getting married" She said. "I can't talk about this right now."

"Meredith…"

"I have to make sure she gets down the aisle." She said walking out.

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The three were waiting at the door.

"Do you have the ring?" Meredith asked.

Christina nodded.

"The vows?"

"Yeah, I wrote them down on my…" She looked at her hand to see them gone. "Oh my god, I washed off my vows. My vows… their gone." Her voice had turned frantic.

"Oh, okay. Um…"

"I have no vows. Oh my god, what am I going to do."

"It's going to be okay."

"You know what? Stop saying that. Say something else."

"Like what?"

"Something that will actually help me." She yelled.

"Okay… I…"

"Say something. You know what to say. Say what I would say if this were you."

"Okay."

"Good."

"Got it."

"Good. Go."

"Stop whining. This is your wedding day. You will go down that aisle and you will get married. If I have to kick your ass every step of the way to get you there, you will walk down the aisle. You will get married. Do you hear me, Cristina? We need this. We need you to get your happy ending." She said holding her shoulders. Christina nodded.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Alright, then."

"My train." She said lifting her dress slightly.

The door opens and Burke comes out. Christina looks up at him.

"I'm fine… I'm ready. Meredith talked me down. So, you… you go and I'll be right behind you."

"I'm sorry." He said shaking his head.

"Oh, I can do this. You know, I had a momentary freak out, but I'm okay now. I can do this. Go."

"But you don't want to do this. I'm up there waiting for you to come down the aisle, and I knew you don't want to come. I know you don't want to come but that you'll come anyway because you love me. And if I loved you...if I loved you, not the woman that I'm trying to make you be, not the woman that I hope you'll become, but you...if I did...I wouldn't be up there waiting for you. I would be letting you go."

"I'm wearing the dress. I'm ready. And… maybe I didn't want this before, but I really think I want this now."

"I really wish you didn't think. I wish you knew."

Then, he just walked out.

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Meredith walked to the front of the chapel, not looking at anybody until she turned towards them.

"It's over. You can all go home. It's over. It's so over."