Addison and Derek had managed to get time off and were now on their way to New York. Addison still couldn't quite believe she was on her way back to New York with Derek, it was so strange to think that they were on there way back to a city that had meant so much to them both as a couple, and now they would have to face it as a divorced couple who were heading back to a home they were once so happy in, to get some closure and sell their marital home.
Addison turns her gaze from the window to look at Derek who was in the seat beside her. "So New York? I was thinking we could go and see Savvy and Weiss while we're here too. I know it'll be different now we're divorced but they're still our good friends and we should go and see them."
"Yeah it would be good to see them. Savvy will be so disappointed in me, she really thought that we were meant to be. It was my fault though I'll tell her that."
"I kind of already told her everything that went down at prom, and she will be mad at you. But she was also mad at me when everything happened with Mark. But they're our good friends and they love us both, and they just want us to be happy. Derek, I still want you to be happy. Even if that wasn't with me, I hope you find happiness. It's what I want to, I don't think I deserve to be miserable for the rest of my life."
"Of course not, Addie. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Especially not me, I know I may have caused you so much pain and I'm sorry for that, I promise that from now on I'll try not to hurt you like that ever again. I want us to move on and have a fresh start. Even if our marriage failed, I'd still like you to be my friend, Addie. I don't want to lose you completely."
"Oh Derek. Thank you. I don't want to lose you either. I know last month I said I needed time to move on. But you agreeing to come to New York with me and with what you just said to me, I think it's time that we can move on and be friends."
"Well let's just try and stay positive even if this trip brings up some bad memories for us as well as good ones. Let's just sort through our things and meet up with our friends and family."
"Yeah I think we can try and do that. We were together a long time, Derek and I have lots of good memories of our time together. They got me through some tough times in the past. No matter what happens I'm going to try and focus on the good rather than the bad."
"I'll try and do the same. I'm not going to lie Addison, for the past year whenever I've thought about the brownstone, I've seen you and Mark in our bed, and it still makes me feel nauseous. But this is the last time I'm going to bring that up. I hope that coming back to the brownstone means that I'll be able to close that chapter of my life and be able to move on."
"It's ok Derek, at least I know that I meant something to you. I can cope with you having some bad memories of our lives together. What I couldn't cope with was your indifference to me. Sometimes if was like you couldn't see or hear me. Like I didn't exist to you. All that mattered was your work and being the best. I'll always regret what happened with Mark, it should never have happened. But it was like it woke you up to the state of our marriage. I know that was basically the end of our marriage and we were never the same again, but even if I'd never slept with Mark, I think our marriage would have been over anyway. Even if we were still together we wouldn't have been happy. I would have been sitting their waiting for you to come home and night and we wouldn't have been any better off."
"I guess you're right. Maybe we're both better off now. I'm sorry I was such a terrible husband to you in the end. You deserved so much better."
"Thank you, Derek. I'm sorry too. We'll be arriving in New York soon so let's just concentrate on getting through these next few days and then we can both have our closure and fresh starts."
A while later and Derek and Addison have arrived in New York and have made their way back to the brownstone in a taxi. Now they stand in front of the steps looking up at the house in front of them.
"Well I guess this is it." Addison murmurs.
"Yeah I guess it is." Derek replies as visions of the last time he saw this house fill his mind. He remembers pushing Addison out the door and her begging to let her back in and finally him leaving as the door slam behind him. He remembered taking one last look at the house before he'd left that night and seeing all the clothes that littered the front steps and being so angry and hurt. Derek tries to push them away and he turns to Addison and says. "Let's go inside."