First of all, you guys rock! Thank you for making me want to write!

A/N: Its been ages since I've been on a ferryboat and I don't recall if there were any tables and chairs to sit at, but for the purposes of the story, I'm throwing in a couple.

Aftermath

Chapter 12: It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Derek waited until he got to the parking lot before removing his phone from his belt clip and dialing Erica up.

"Hello?" She answered a moment later.

"It's me." He said into the phone as he tossed his briefcase into the back of his car before sliding into the driver's seat.

"I figured. So we do need to talk." She told him as he heard her shift on her end of the line.

He sat in the car, unmoving, his free hand gripping the wheel. "I know." He said softly. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned back. It had been a trying week for all parties involved, and now he was putting an end to a marriage he'd unknowingly been in for the last 14 years. Christ Derek, you sure know how to make life complicated.

She closed her eyes against the feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Where should we meet?" She asked, speaking only when she trusted her voice.

"Joe's obviously is out of the question now, given how well it went when we were that last week. How about you meet me at the docks? We'll go for a ride." He suggested. It seemed fitting, almost ironic that they'd be ending their marriage on a ferry boat, considering he'd proposed to her on one…

Is he trying to kill me here? But she knew she couldn't let it show. She was supposed to be in control here, not her emotions. "Works for me. Just give me directions and I'll meet you in an hour. Bring dinner." She said. He rattled off directions and they clicked off.

She sat back on the hotel bed, pulling her pillow to her stomach, holding it tightly. She thought she'd let him go, that she'd let it all go… Maybe I haven't. Doesn't matter now though. This has been over for years. You are an adult. He's moved on. He wants to be with someone else. Someone who's even more right for him than I am… It took a lot for her to admit to that. She didn't want to think that Meredith was better for him than she was. Maybe that's why she hadn't really sweated his marriage to Addison. She'd known Addison wasn't better. Addison had merely been different.

After a moment, she heaved herself off the bed and shed her work clothes in favor of her favorite jeans. They were soft, faded and ready to fall apart. Derek would recognize them. She'd had them since she was 20. She pulled a blue polo shirt from Ralph Lauren over her head and threw her hair back into a pony tail. She grabbed her purse, coat, and shoved her feet into a pair of moccasins and headed out, grabbing her keys and room key card as she left.

Derek sat in his car staring blankly out the window. He'd spent over a decade convincing himself he was over her, telling himself, repeating it over and over again, like a mantra. And he really had himself believing it, until now. He was still married to her. He was still married to the person he'd once considered the woman of his dreams, and now he was about to divorce her for the second time.

He forced himself to start the car. This was over years ago. This is nothing more than a speed bump. A very simple speed bump. He coached himself as he picked up Chinese takeout at Hunan Express. Twenty minutes later, he was at the dock waiting for her.

Meredith had been aimlessly driving for the last 20 minutes. When had life become so complicated? Why was it so hard to just be with the man she loved? Why did she allow him to put her through this? Why did SHE allow herself to be put through all this? Too many questions, not enough answers. She needed peace, solace, silence.

She went to the only place she'd ever found sanctuary. She pulled up to the docks and sat in her car. This had been her and Derek's spot… And before her, it had been Erica and Derek's spot. I guess history has a way of repeating itself. She thought grimly as she climbed out of the car and headed slowly to the awaiting ferry boat, hoping to catch a bit of peace and quiet.

Erica made her way to the platform, spotting Derek as she approached. He waved when he saw her. "Hey." She greeted as she reached his side. He smiled his greeting and held up the bag of chinese. Within 5 mnutes they were on the boat, searching for a private place to sit.

"Still have the jeans huh?" He asked as they settled into an old table near the front of the boat. She looked down at her pants.

"Yeah, just can't let 'em go. Mostly cause I still fit in them." She said with a soft laugh as she popped cartons open as he pulled out paper plates and forks.

"You were wearing those when I asked you to marry me." He stated as he put a can of Dr. Pepper in front of her, setting a Coke in front of himself.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Now was not the time to lose it. She wanted to enjoy her last moments of her "marriage" to Derek. It sounded cheesy, she knew that. But she needed this, and she liked to think he knew that. What they didn't know though, was that they'd gained an audience.

Meredith made her way onto the boat. It was quiet, only a few people really. She meandered towards the front of the boat, ready to step around the corner when she heard two familiar voices. Derek and Erica. Derek had said they'd needed to have a serious conversation. In the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't have been listening, she knew it was private…. He's kept you in the dark with everything in his past, hearing this won't change anything… She told herself as she held her position and her breath, waiting to hear what was said next.

They ate in relative silence, both cherishing their last day as "husband and wife". They weren't delusional, they weren't crazy. They were human. They have feelings, emotions, and a past together. And now, a part of their past was 'officially' being closed.

"It wasn't this hard when we did this the first time…" He told her, not taking his eyes off the water.

She raised her eyebrows at her tablemate. "It wasn't as hard because you weren't there." She reminded him quietly.

He didn't really have a response to that, she was right. "I'm sorry I left you like I did." She spoke up, shocking him. He'd been preparing to apologize to her for his childish behavior. She'd never once apologized for leaving. He'd never really expected her to.

"You don't-" He started to say, leaning forward, but she cut him off.

"Who knows what would have happened if I'd stayed? We could have tried talking, we could have tried to work through it. I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a quitter." She continued, her eyes heavy with sadness and regret.

"If you had stayed, things wouldn't have changed. I wasn't going to change. You weren't going to change me, you weren't going to change. We were too young, too immature, too… everything. You left because that was the only thing that would get through to me. And you knew it. You did what you had to do to get your point across. That doesn't make you a quitter. That makes you human." He told her, reaching over and grabbing hold of her hand.

"Timing… That was always our biggest problem. We always had different school schedules, then different work schedules. Even our ages were timing issues. We were too young, we got married too fast…" He went on, keeping his hold on her hand all the while.

When he finished, they sat in companionable silence, both trying valiantly to commit the moment to memory. "So we need to do this. You have a lot more to deal with besides some unsigned divorced papers." She said, breaking the silence.

Meredith froze. WHAT!

OK guys, lets go… Tap the purple button, give me your thoughts.