CHAPTER THREE : Vast Distances

Christina was staring at herself in the mirror, while Burke was putting his tie on in their huge walk-in closet.

"Is it possible that I have gotten fatter?" Christina demanded, looking at her reflection with her hands on her hips. Burke chuckled from the closet. Christina looked around the mirror and glared at Burke.

"It is so not funny Preston! I am the one who is carrying your son am I not?" She deepened her glare.

"Hey, Christina, I am only laughing because you're not fat, actually, I'd love it if you did eat a little more. We don't want our son to be malnourished when he's born!" Preston smiled, his eyes sparkling. Christina just frowned and punched Preston. Hard.

"Ow!" Preston objected, rubbing his arm. Christina smiled, and then Preston stopped rubbing his arm and stood behind Christina, with his arms around her waist and resting on her huge belly.

Christina smiled, looking at their reflection, a perfect family. But her feeling of happiness diminished when she saw the clock on the wall.

"It's nearly five! We have to go!" She turned around and pushed Burke out the door. Burke just laughed and picked up his keys, walking out the door and into the slight rain.

Meredith walked slowly into the misty cemetery, her long black skirt blowing around her legs and billowing in front of her from the strong chilly winds that made her shrug deeper into her black coat with big buttons on the front, her long blonde hair pulled into a loose bun. Across the grass, Izzy was being comforted by her mother, and Mrs. Karev was holding her hand, stroking it and wiping her eyes daintily.

At that moment, Izzy looked up, and Meredith and her eyes connected, and they both stopped. Meredith's breath got caught in her throat. A second ago, the hundred feet separating her from Izzy had seemed like nothing. Now, it was the huge distance that separated her from her old friend, the thing that kept them apart. It was the distance that Meredith had put between them, when she had severed the ties from her old life. The distance seemed daunting, but Meredith took one step forward, and decided that she had to continue on, one step at a time, towards the life she left behind.

Izzy had been focusing on the ground, surrounded by Alex's mom and her own. She had been focusing on the ground because she knew that if she looked at the casket that held him, she would lose it. She had cried steadily for four days, stopping, for an hour before she realized that it wasn't a dream, and he really was gone. But all of a sudden, she felt the urge to look up. She did, and at that moment, she saw the same waif-thin figure, long tousled blonde hair in a bun, and the same blue eyes that had ten years ago, told her with tears in them that she had to leave, and she would sell them the house in a little while, and not to contact her, she had to make a new beginning, somewhere else.

FLASHBACK

Izzy flinched from her spot on the couch as she heard the front door slam. She turned around, looking over the top of the couch, staring at a soaking wet Meredith, her mascara running down her face, taking tiny little gasping breaths.

"Meredith?" Izzy said, turning all the way around to look directly at Meredith, her voice filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I ran-" –gasp- "Away from him. I have to go."

"Meredith? What are you talking about?" Izzy had now stood up, and had tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Can you tell me please?"

"He said he was leaving me for her, and I ran away. I told him no. No." Meredith said, gasping and shaking. "Just like that. I can't go back now. I have to leave and start over."

Izzy followed Meredith up the stairs, and into her room where she pulled a suitcase out from under her bed and furiously started packing.

She must be absolutely crazy, Izzy thought. She's rambling on like a lunatic and I don't understand what she's talking about. She's doing a classic Meredith freak-out; she attracts trouble and problems and then has public break-downs and freak-outs.

She actually said though, "What are you doing?"

Meredith whipped her head around, glaring at Izzy.

"Are you stupid? Or do you choose when to listen to me or not? Or are you just being your usual self, a 'dumb blonde'? I'm packing because I am leaving!" Meredith snapped, returning to her suitcase.

Izzy was dumbfounded. Had Meredith just said she was leaving? Had she just called her a "dumb blonde"? What about the program?

Clearly, Izzy did NOT understand.

"What about the program?" Izzy said tentatively.

"I called the chief. I quit." Meredith said flatly, panting. She was finished packing.

"What?" Izzy could not understand why Meredith was doing this.

"You can't let McDreamy ruin your career!"

"Dr. Sheppard." Meredith said quietly. "And the chief is referring me to another program, in Oregon."

Izzy looked at the floor. She was losing a best friend, a house and a roommate all in one day. In the past ten minutes she had lost them all.

"Meredith, why are you doing this?" Izzy asked. Meredith was now at the door, her hand on the handle, poised to step outside and leave Izzy and the life she had known behind.

"I have to. I'll sell you the house in a while okay? Goodbye Izzy."

Meredith turned and walked into the rain, not looking back, letting the rain soak her all the way to the bone. It felt like she was being cleansed of all the feelings and problems of the past months. In the end, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. But in her heart, she had a new weight of sadness, she already missed Izzy and George, Christina, Burke, Joe, and ever Bailey. She missed them all.

Izzy stared at the back of Meredith until she was no longer in sight, and then she just stared at the door where, only shortly before, Meredith had been standing. Finally, a few hours later, after realizing that Meredith wasn't coming back, she stood up and went to bed, her whole body heavy with exhaustion, sadness and loneliness, and regret for not stopping Meredith.

END OF FLASHBACK

As she got closer to Izzy, Izzy broke free of the mothers, and walked closer to Meredith, closing up even more of the distance, until only a few feet separated them. All at once, Izzy and Meredith enveloped each other in a hug, tears streaming down their faces. They stood there for a few minutes, crying and holding each other, happy to be together again.

"I missed you so much Meredith!" Izzy said

"I did too, and I am so, so sorry about Alex." Meredith said, breaking free of Izzy's grip.

Izzy nodded. "I know. You were his friend, even when I hated him." She grinned and chuckled. "It's so great to see you Meredith."

"We have to catch up," Meredith said slowly. Izzy nodded.

And with that, Izzy and Meredith walked side by side, arms linked back to the ceremony, starting to build the bridge across the vast distance between them.

So that's chapter three. Sorry it took me so long, I was having writer's block! More to come as soon as possible!