A/N 1 - Okay, this chapter picks up immediately from the end of the last chapter. Sorry if I wasn't clear in my A/N at the end, but Addison didn't catch the whole Mer/Der conversation. She only walked in to catch them kissing against the wall. Anyway, thank you so much for the fabulous reviews last chapter. I'm so thrilled you guys liked the chapter, and that the length was okay! Sorry this one took so long. In between school and getting distracted over exciting new Season 3 news, it's been difficult for me to write. But hopefully it turned out alright. Okay...here we go!

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Meredith

You know the expression "If looks could kill…" well, I think I'm actually receiving just such a look right now. I mean, this is bad. There are not enough words to describe how seriously bad this is. Addison is glaring at me, looking like she thinks hitting me might be a good idea, and her eyes have turned cold and steely. Derek is just standing there, gaping at Addison but not actually saying anything. And me? Well, I still don't have my shirt on.

Like I said…this is seriously bad.

"Umm…" I begin quietly, once I've straightened up and pulled my sweater back on. I have no idea what to say, but the silence in here is overwhelming. I really just want to turn around and run into one of the stalls. That way I could hide and pretend that this isn't happening. "We…we were…" I continue as Addison's eyes just keep boring into me, her mouth drawn so thin that her lips have practically disappeared. "Umm…"

"Addison," says Derek hesitantly, saving me from my stammering. He takes a half step forward, shrugging his shoulders apologetically. "We…this is…it's not…" Well, apparently he's not much better then me when it comes to forming coherent sentences right now. I can't blame him though. His wife did just catch him with another woman. Another woman…I'm the other woman. Great. That sounds so cheap.

"You bastard," hisses Addison, cutting him off. She takes a step forward, her voice dropping low and dangerous. "How could you?"

"Addison, it's not what you think," continues Derek. Well, at least he's speaking coherently now. I'm not sure where he's going with that though. We were definitely doing what Addison thinks we were doing. Although…I suppose he could be referring to the whole leaving her thing he just promised me.

Addison's definitely going to hate me now.

"Not what I think?" she spits, raising her hands in the air. "Not what I think? Seriously Derek? Explain that one to me, because what I think is that you're cheating on me! With Meredith." Ah…and this is why Addison was dubbed Satan. The way she just said my name gave me chills. Not simply uncomfortable or somewhat awkward chills, but actual, scared-for-my-life chills. I reach out instinctively, gripping Derek's arm. As soon as my fingers brush against the fabric of his jacket my brain kicks back in, and I realize that touching Derek right now is probably a bad idea. I pull my hand back, but Derek is already turning towards me. His lips are pursed and his eyes seem surprisingly apologetic.

"It's complicated Addie," he says quietly, his gaze staying trained on my face.

"Complicated?" echoes Addison, her voice sharp and derisive. "Yeah I suppose it's real complicated, real hard to find time to both convince your wife you're trying and fuck your mistress. Hell of a day's work…" Derek doesn't answer her, just makes this angry noise. I'm not sure how to classify it, but it's deep and low in his throat, almost a growl. If it weren't for the fact that Addison just caught us, it would have me pushing him right back against the bathroom wall again.

But no. I need to focus here. Actually, I probably need to leave. Yeah…leaving sounds like a great idea.

"I should go," I whisper, looking up at Derek. "Let you two…" I shrug my shoulders, my voice trailing off. He nods, a frown creasing his face. "You know…talk," I add hesitantly. Is it bad that I want him to be ending things with Addison this instant? It probably is, but I can't help it. There's this little part of me flaring up that's afraid Derek is going to suddenly change his mind, and back out of everything he just promised me.

"Okay," he agrees simply before turning back to Addison. He takes another step forward, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. "Addie…we need to talk."

"No."

"No?" Derek looks at her disbelievingly. "What? I think it's pretty clear that we need to talk."

"No," repeats Addison, but she's not looking at him at all. She's staring straight at me, her body clearly blocking my way out the door. I halt, barely having made it two steps. There's no way I'm going to push past her right now. The light in her eyes is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's completely un-Addison. "No…she doesn't get to leave. I want to know first."

"You want to know? Know what Addison?" asks Derek, his voice growing annoyed. "Let her by. You and I need to talk."

But Addison keeps staring at me, shaking her head slightly. "Would it have been so hard to just say yes?" she asks.

"Umm…" I begin, glancing back and forth between Derek and Addison. I think she's talking to me, but I have absolutely no idea what she's talking about. "Sorry, I…"

"I asked you if you were sleeping with my husband and you said no," continues Addison, cutting me off. Ah so that's what she's talking about. I shake my head, but she just barrels on. "I asked you, and you looked me straight in my eyes and lied to me. You know, I thought we were friends. I was worried about you when you were sick. I was happy for you and the vet, and this is how you repay me?" Okay, first of all, I doubt she was ever actually happy for Finn and I. At least not real-happy, just pseudo-happy because it threw another wrench between Derek and I. And second of all, I didn't lie to her. It might be a lie now, but I didn't actually lie to her.

"No," I hear myself gasp. While I want to defend myself, I don't really think right now is the best time for that. But apparently my mouth isn't giving me much of a choice. "I didn't lie to you," I continue. "I hadn't…I hadn't slept with him when you asked me. I'm sorry…" I wish my voice wasn't coming out so weak and trembling. "But Addison, I swear I wasn't lying. I wasn't sleeping with Derek then."

"Then?" she echoes bitterly, and I wince, realizing what I've just admitted. "You little whore."

Hmmm…that sounds surprisingly familiar. Although last time, it was coming from the other Shepherd in the room. And last time, I could at least get angry and indignant. Derek was being an ass. Addison though…I don't have a reply for her. I close my eyes, shaking my head slightly as I lean back against the wall. I think I'm whispering some sort of apology, but I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it isn't enough. I'm pretty much wrecking her marriage here. There isn't any sort of way to adequately apologize for that.

"Addison, you have no right to talk to Meredith like that." My eyes fly open in time to catch Derek stepping past me, as if to shield me from her. "None at all," he says in a voice that is practically shaking with restrained anger. Going by the way his hands are clenched into tight fists, his shoulders ridged, I'm guessing he's thinking about that night in New York. The one with Addison and Mark. If so, he does have a point. (One that I'm absolutely not going to bring up though.)

"No right? She's screwing my husband. How the hell do you expect me to talk to her Derek?" She shakes her head angrily, bending down to grab the purse I hadn't realized she'd dropped. Derek sighs and runs his hand through his hair in frustration,

"Addie…" he tries again, this time managing to make his voice gentler. She seems to soften slightly, nodding her head and finally meeting Derek's eyes. "This isn't Meredith's fault," he continues. "She's not the one you should be angry at."

"Oh, so it's not her fault she's a slut?" snaps Addison suddenly, her face contorting angrily.

"Addison…" He sounds just as furious as she did, and I have a feeling that they are about to start shouting over me in just a few seconds. (I really hope nobody else at Joe's needs to pee tonight.)

"Derek, it's okay," I interrupt quickly, managing to find my voice again. The last thing any of us need is for this to turn into a huge fight while we're all still in the bathroom. "You don't need to defend me." He just whirls around to look at me as if that is the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. "Seriously Derek," I insist, trying to get him to understand.

"But Mer," he starts to protest, shaking his head. "She called you a whore." I raise an eyebrow at this, tilting my head to the side to look up at him.

"Yes," I breathe, speaking softly but pointedly. I manage to bite back the remark that she probably learned it from him, because seriously, right now I need Derek on my side. Once Addison is no longer looking daggers at me, then we can discuss Derek calling me a whore. But he understands what I'm referring to anyway because he winces visibly, his blue eyes darkening.

"Sorry," he mouths, his hand reaching out to trace the curve of my wrist.

"You are unbelievable!" The sound of Addison's voice turns us both back around to face her. "Seriously unbelievable, Derek," she continues, her voice wavering between a shriek and something far more shattered. "I catch you cheating on me, and you act as if it's my fault for interrupting!" She shakes her head, tears starting to spill down her flushed and splotchy cheeks. "You know what though? Whatever. Whatever, Derek. Go ahead, finish fucking her. It's obviously what you'd rather be doing. See if I care!" Without waiting for Derek to reply, Addison spins around on her heel and storms out of the bathroom. The door swings open violently, before slamming shut with a resounding smack.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding, as I slump back against the wall. "Wow…" I whisper, pressing the heel of my hand to my forehead.

"Meredith," begins Derek, reaching out to lay his fingertips on my waist as he speaks. "I'm sorry she called you a whore. I'm sorry I called you a whore." He sounds so anxious that I almost want to tease him, or at least say something back. But I suddenly feel so overwhelmed that before I even realize it, I've leaned forward, burying my face against his chest. Derek's arms wrap instantly around me, pulling me tightly to him as he strokes my hair. He leans forward, whispering in my ear that everything is going to be okay, and I just can't help it. I start to sob, my tears staining his shirt as the sound of my sobbing is muffled by his body. This is all just…I don't even know how to explain it honestly. It's just so much more then I ever imagined would happen today.

I don't know how long we stay like that, but Derek just holds me until all my tears have been spilt. I straighten up, wiping my eyes dry with the back of my hand. "Sorry," I murmur, reaching out to touch the now-soaking fabric of his shirt.

"Don't be," says Derek seriously, catching my fingers and bringing them to his lips. "Don't be sorry Mer. Everything is going to…I'm going to do everything right this time. I promise." I nod my head, looking down at my feet to help fight the urge to simply curl back up in his arms. And that's how I spot it, the tiny gold circle laying neglected beneath a sink. I slip away from Derek, bending down to grab it.

"Here," I say, holding the ring out to him. Derek just frowns at me, shaking his head.

"Meredith?"

"Take it…it's too nice a ring to just leave on the floor of a bathroom." I smile faintly, wishing there was a way around what I'm about to say. But I had wished for a better explanation then "She's my wife" for months, and Addison deserves more then the total lack of explanation she just got. "Go find Addison. She'll listen to you better if I'm not around."

"I have nothing to say to her. Not after the way she talked about you." He folds his arms over his chest, looking unbelievably stubborn.

"Derek," I say disbelieving. "She just walked in on you taking off my shirt. Obviously she's not going to have good things to say about me." I sigh, glancing down at the ring in my hand, before resolutely handing it back to him. "She's your wife."

"No. Not anymore." I frown at him, shaking my head. He needs to stop being so stubborn, because I'm not capable of continuing to insist that he leave me to go find Addison for much longer.

"Yes. Technically," I manage to say, my voice shaking slightly. Derek stares at me, the deep blue circles of his eyes boring into me until I'm pretty sure I've stopped breathing. I'm just floating here, suspended in front of his eyes. It's really not fair because if he protests one more time, I'm not going to be able to resist. I'll just be taking him back to my house and proving Addison right. That I really am a whore.

But Derek finally nods his head, saying, "Okay Mer. I'll go find her now if that's what you want." I nod my head weakly, my eyes going straight to his hand as he moves to slip the ring into his pocket. I'm utterly pathetic because that has me sighing with relief. I just can't help it though. He put the ring in his pocket, not back on his finger. I glance back up at Derek to find him smiling at me. "I meant it Mer. I'm leaving her," he says, reaching out to trace the outline of my still damp cheek. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Yes," I say faintly, but Derek just looks at me skeptically. "I want to believe you," I amend after a moment. "I'm trying really hard to believe you."

"Okay," Derek agrees. Before I can get in another word, he's leaning in, pressing his lips against mine. It's soft and quick, and I've barely started to kiss him back before he's pulling away again. "I'm going to go find her then," he says, his hands still cupping my face. "Will you be alright here?"

"Yeah, of course," I answer softly. And somehow I even manage to smile as he pulls away and walks back out the door, leaving me alone again.

I just stand there for a long time, my mind still reeling from the past hour. But finally, I shuffle over to the mirror. My face is blotchy from crying too much, my eyes slightly swollen and ringed in red. I curse quietly as I turn on the faucet, bending down to bathe my face in the cold water. It doesn't do much to improve my appearance, but at least it helps to ease the throbbing pain that's starting up behind my eyes.

Slowly I turn away from the mirror, walking back over to the door and out into the bar. It's darker in the bar, and it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust, but as soon as they do, I wish they hadn't. Derek apparently didn't have to look very far to find Addison because they're both sitting on barstools at the counter, their voices loud and argumentative, carrying easily across the room. Nearly everyone in the bar is watching them, but a handful of people have spotted me, and I swear I can hear my name traveling like a whisper from table to table. This is seriously bad. I'm recognizing way too many faces from the hospital right now.

I need to leave this instant, but somehow my legs seem to have forgotten how to move. Glancing frantically around the room, I catch sight of Callie and George sitting at a table together. Before I even realize what's happening, she's yanked George to his feet and the two of them are crossing over to me.

"Mer?" George splutters, taking in my tear-stained face in between glances back at the arguing Shepherds. "What's going on? Is he seriously leaving her for you?"

"Umm…" I start to stammer, wringing my hands.

"Why didn't you tell us you'd been sleeping with him? I mean…have you really been sleeping with him?"

"Oh god…oh god…oh god," I mutter, shaking my head. Seeing as how George has figured this all out, I'm guessing that by tomorrow morning, the whole hospital will know. Everything.

"George, stop it," says Callie suddenly. "She doesn't need you pestering her right now. She just needs you to drive her home."

Her hand presses into the small of my back, herding George and I out the door and into the cooler air of the parking lot. I just nod mutely. I can't think of anything to say, but I've never felt more grateful to anyone in my entire life then I do to Callie right now.

Derek

I'm not sure what to say to her, and I certainly did not expect to find her so quickly after leaving Meredith. But there she is, sitting at the bar, drink already firmly in hand. I'm not looking forward to this conversation, to say the least. It was already seeming pretty difficult when it was just a vague idea in my head, when it was something that I could do later, calmly, and certainly not here. But, I suppose it's way too late for that now.

"The usual Joe," I say, walking over to lean against the bar. I sidle down into the empty seat next to Addison, but she doesn't acknowledge me. She just keeps staring straight ahead, nursing her drink.

"Sure thing Doc," says Joe, glancing skeptically back and forth between Addison and I. However, he doesn't say anything else, just shrugs and turns away to get me my scotch.

"Addison," I begin, once I've taken a long drag from my drink. She doesn't look at me, but I can see her whole body tense up. "Addie," I try again, reaching out to rest my hand against her wrist. "Addie…I'm sorry."

"Don't 'Addie' me," she snaps, suddenly spining around to face me as she yanks her wrist away from my hand.

"Fine…Addison," I agree. "Look, I'm sorry. This wasn't how I wanted you to find out."

She laughs bitterly, shaking her head, and I suddenly see how much she's been crying. "Right. If you cared so much about secrecy you wouldn't have been having sex in a freaking public bathroom." She says this a little too loudly, and I can hear some of the surrounding conversations start to die down. Joe clears his throat, and I look up apologetically.

"We weren't actually having sex in your bathroom Joe," I explain, pausing to glare at Addison. "Meredith and I were just talking."

"Right. What sort of conversation requires you to take off her shirt?" snaps Addison.

"Addison…don't," I say angrily, leaning my head against my hands. I chance a glance at Joe, but he just shakes his head and moves away. I have a hunch the only reason he isn't giving me a hard time for undressing people in his bar is because he's so fond of Meredith.

Addison sets down her drink, her mouth opening and closing several times before she finally finds the words she's searching for. "You're leaving me," she says quietly, shaking her head. "You're leaving me, and you didn't even have the decency to tell me first."

I sigh, nodding my head. "Addison…Addie, please…this isn't how I wanted it to end. I was going to talk to you, but…everything…I don't know. Everything just sort of happened." I shrug helplessly. It's not a good explanation. After eleven years, Addison deserves more, but that's about all I can come up with. It's Meredith afterall. She seems to defy logic and reason and everything remotely close to me behaving sensibly. "She's Meredith…" I hear myself say, the words coming out before I can stop them.

"She's Meredith?" echoes Addison incredulously, practically spitting out Meredith's name. "God Derek, I know she's Meredith. But what the hell's that supposed to mean? Just because you seem to think the world stops turning for that whore doesn't mean everyone else does."

"Stop calling her that," I say angrily, setting my drink back down on the counter a little too loudly.

"What?" asks Addison innocently, her eyes suddenly sparkling coldly. "A whore?"

"Yes. Stop it Addison."

"Why? She's been screwing you while you've been married to me. Call a spade a spade Derek. She's a whore."

I shake my head, my jaw clenched, but unable to keep back my reply. "Well then, using your definition, so are you." The next thing I know is a sudden wash of something cold and wet against my front as Addison launches her drink at my face. I curse, grabbing a stack of napkins to mop what I can of the alchohol from my clothing. "Damnit Addison," I mutter as I finally sit back down. "I liked that jacket."

"Well you know what Derek? I liked my marriage. At least, I thought I did." Addison shakes her head, her voice rising angrily. "But you know what I think now Derek? I think coming out to Seattle was the stupidest thing I've ever done. I left Mark for this? To watch you cheat on me with an intern and then call me a whore? Biggest mistake of my life," she hisses angrily.

"Addison, we should go outside…" I begin, looking around the bar at the room full of faces turned curiously towards us. But before I can continue pressing her to stop being so vocal, something that she said clicks in my mind. "What do you mean," I ask cautiously. "You left Mark for this? You said he was a mistake."

"Yeah well I lied," Addison says bluntly, glaring into my eyes. "He wasn't just one horrible mistake. I stayed with him while you were with your precious Meredith. I stayed with him, but I left to come back to you…and you know what?" I think she's still shouting, saying something petty about how Mark was better in bed then I ever was. But it doesn't matter, I can barely hear her. My fingernails are digging into the counter to keep myself from grabbing her, and her voice is just this loud buzzing sound in my head. I think the room flares white for a second, and when it returns to normal I'm shouting back at her, the words bubbling hot and angry out of my throat.

"You adulteress bitch," I hiss, the words from several months ago returning to my lips. "Do you have any idea how much I hurt Meredith for you? How much I broke her for the sake of our marriage?" I shake my head disbelievingly, the two of us have somehow gotten to our feet and are glaring at each other eye to eye.

"Guys…guys," says a voice that I think belongs to Joe, urging us to sit back down or at least stop screaming at each other.

"It's been nothing but lies for months Addison. I'd never would've taken you back if I'd known."

"Suddenly this is all my fault?" asks Addison, letting out a short bark of a laugh. "Oh right…how could I forget. Derek Shepherd, the great martyr. I want a divorce Derek."

"You think?" I ask disbelievingly. "That's what this whole conversation has been about Addison. But I suppose you were too busy thinking about cheating on me with my best friend to pay attention. Trust me, we are beyond over."

"Good," she spits back at me.

"And I want you out of my house by tomorrow," I add, my mind still reeling from the idea of her and Mark together for months in Manhatten.

"You mean your trailer?" She yanks her purse off the bar, still glaring at me. "Don't worry Derek, I know better then to spend tonight there. Seeing as you can't keep your hands off of her for five minutes, I'm sure I'd wake up to find Meredith in my bed." She pivots around, storming out of the bar, wobbling slightly on the tall spokes of her heels.

As the door swings shut, the bar fills with an uneasy quiet. I sigh heavily, looking around to find a room of people carefully avoiding meeting my eyes. A hand clamps unexpectedly down on my shoulder, and I turn around to spot Alex Karev shaking his head at me.

"Dude, that was rough," he says, and I just nod my head in answer. I can't really think of anything to say. Honestly, right now I only want Meredith. She would understand why my head is spinning, why I'm so furious that I would think nothing of beating up my ex-best friend if he was standing here in front of me right now. So I slap a wad of bills onto the counter to pay for both Addison's drink and my own, turning away and heading towards the back of the bar.

I push open the door to the bathroom hopefully, but the room is silent and completely empty. I shake my head in frustration, turning back around to find Dr. Torres standing in the doorway. I can't read her expression, but her voice is almost gentle.

"Meredith?" she asks. I just nod my head, sighing with exhaustion as I shove my hands into my pockets. "Yeah…she went home awhile ago."

Suddenly, the fact that she's not here right now is worse then everything else. I lean back against the sink, my head dropping down to rest in my hands.

"Come on," Dr. Torres continues, and this time her voice is definitely gentle. "My car is just outside." She shakes her head, smiling slightly as I follow her back out the door. "We'll give you a ride too."

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A/N 2 - So, Callie comes to the rescue for both Meredith and Derek. I kinda like her, and she seems like the sort of person who would see what they need and just sort of do it, without a whole bunch of fuss. So, she's the one to take them both home. Also...Derek found out about Mark. I've always thought it was unfair that he never knew about that when he came clean about still loving Meredith. So...in this story, he finally knows. And he's mad, very mad. Because well, he took Addison back over Meredith because of his marriage, and it turns out Addison had totally disregarded all of that for months anyway. As for Mer/Der, all their problems haven't been solved, but right now everything is sort of overwhelming them, so they haven't sat down to deal with all their baggage. But there will be more of them soon. Yeah...that's about it. Thanks for reading, please review!