She was wrapped up in her head. All she could do was think about the last year and how her life had gone so completely crazy. She needed a quick break from life, from reality. She needed to come clean, start fresh.

She picked up another piece of clothing and set it down, nice and neat, in her suitcase. She knew, deep down, that what she was doing was going to help her move on. She knew that it was her only way out.

A love like this, shouldn't be some complicated. Her life was spinning out of control, and she needed to stop it before she crashed head on. She was jaded, and she needed out.

She remembered how he said he wanted out. He was going to stay with his wife, and she had no choice but to go along with his decision, and it broke her. Everyday, seeing him was like a slap in the face. She wasn't going to deal with it anymore.

She was sick of everything, of him, of herself. Everything's changing now. She wasn't all right, and she was done faking it. She'd be fine, if she could just get over this. It takes time to realize you're life is just what you make of it, and she knew that now.

She was afraid to be alone, but she was better on her own, for now. She closed her suitcase and sat down on her bed. She looked around at her room: her bed, her empty closet and drawers. Nothing seemed okay, but it would soon.

Her door opened slowly, "You ready to go?"

She looked around again, grabbing her things, "Yeah."

Her eyes kept forward, there was no looking back.

Meredith shuddered awake, which woke Derek up suddenly. Meredith grabbed the couch and took a deep breathe.

Derek looked at her with worry in his eyes, "Mer? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine, just," her hands were shaking, and her voice was shaky at first, "Nightmare. I'm fine."

There it was. I'm fine. It was classical Meredith Grey to not be fine whenever those words escaped her mouth. "You're fine," he gave her an unimpressed look.

"Really, I'm okay," she smiled at him. "I just, keep dreaming of the night I left. But you're here. So it'll be all right in the end, right?"

He looked down at her. He was worried that she would keep dreaming of something that was so awful, but there was nothing he could do now but be there for her. He rested a hand on her cheek, "Believe me when I say that I'm going to be here. Forever. This is forever."

She put her head back on his chest, where she had been so comfortably resting before. She knew that she had to get up and get ready for rounds in a few short minutes, but she was going to soak up any time she had there with him.

"I have to go."

"Mmm," Derek hugged her tight to him, not wanted to let her go, but he unwillingly did. "I love you, Meredith," he said as she was walking always.

She smiled at him before she left the room, "I know." He smiled, too, and watched her leave.