Derek fidgeted nervously with the hem of his suit jacket as he stood outside the restaurant and glanced up and down the block. He was still almost fifteen minutes, so he knew it was far too soon to worry that he was being stood up. He hadn't been expecting upscale dinners when he'd packed, so he'd ended up borrowing a suit from Mark, who had seemed more than amused by the whole situation.

"Dude, she is so playing you," Mark said with a laugh as Derek stepped out of the bathroom in the third suit he'd tried on that afternoon.

"What do you mean?"

"Canles isn't just expensive, Derek, it's crazy expensive. You remember DiMetrio's in Manhattan?"

Derek frowned. "That much?"

"I hope you brought a high-limit credit card," Mark laughed. "At least it's Evie, so there's no liquor bill."

"Yeah, she mentioned she didn't drink." Derek hesitated for a moment. "She's not…?"

"An alcoholic?" Mark filled in. "No. Some people just choose not to drink. Evie's got her reasons for everything she does - alcoholism isn't one of them."

"Just wondering," Derek said, turning back to the mirror. "Does this one look okay?"

"It looks fine, you look fine," Mark assured him. "Stop being such a girl about it and just pick one already."

Derek shivered slightly as he stood there. It wasn't terribly cold even by Seattle standards, especially given that he was used to Manhattan winters, and for once, the air was dry. If he'd been waiting for anyone else, he would have suggested ditching the dinner reservation and grabbing a late-night ferry boat ride to enjoy the weather. With Evelyn, though, he was learning that spontaneity probably wasn't the best thing right now.

Pulling out his phone, he frowned when he saw there was still no response to the messages he'd left for his sister. She hadn't been there when he'd knocked angrily on the door of her hotel room that morning. She hadn't picked up any of the dozen or so times he'd called her throughout the day. She hadn't responded to his text messages. He knew better than to assume she'd packed up and gone back to New York, but whatever she was up to, he had a bad feeling about it.

"You're early."

Derek quickly shoved the phone back in his pocket at the unexpected interruption. "So are you," he pointed out, offering his daughter a nervous smile.

"I took the bus. It was either be early or be twenty minutes late," Evelyn said.

Derek nodded. "Should we, uh, go see if they'll seat us a few minutes early?"

"I have to admit, I wasn't sure you'd be able to get a reservation," Evelyn said, setting down her menu almost as soon as they were seated.

"I couldn't," Derek admitted. "I called Mark in a panic and he made a call."

Evelyn laughed. "Uncle Mark's always good for things like that. Did he tell you this is where he proposed to Aunt Lexie?"

"No, he didn't. Honestly, sometimes I still have a hard time imagining Mark as a married man."

"I'll bet. I've heard stories."

Derek frowned and arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Stories?"

Evelyn shrugged nonchalantly. "Aunt Lexie told me Mark slept with your wife, and that's why you came out to Seattle in the first place."

"She told you that?" Derek asked in surprise. "Wait, he told her that?"

"People are always surprised by the level of honesty everyone has with Annie and I. But really, when you grow up with the story that you don't know who your father is because your mother was too drunk to remember the name of the guy she slept with, there's not a whole lot of point in sugarcoating anything else."

"No, I suppose there wouldn't be," Derek agreed, closing his menu. "You haven't looked at your menu yet."

"Don't need to. I always get the same thing."

"You come here a lot?"

"Not really anymore," Evelyn said. "It's a little bit on the expensive side, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I noticed. I figured you did that on purpose."

"Maybe," Evelyn said with a small smirk. "I'm on a budget, and I don't cook. You can't blame a girl for going after a good meal."

"I don't mind."

Evelyn nodded. "Well, anyway, Grandma used to bring Annie and Laura and I here for a girls' night out every couple of months when we were younger. It was always kind of funny, all these fancy couples dressed up, and then in would come Grandma and three ten year olds."

"I thought Ellis Grey died longer ago than that."

"Ellis?" Evelyn frowned for a moment. "Yeah, I think we were four. I doubt she ever would have done anything like that with us, though. Mom's really forgiving of her these days, always saying she did the best she could…but Aunt Lexie says the woman was a raging bitch."

"But you said your grandmother took you here?" Derek asked in confusion.

"Oh yeah, Susan. Mom's stepmother."

"Right. And Laura is…?"

"My cousin. Aunt Molly's daughter."

"Right," Derek nodded again, about to ask another question when they were interrupted by the waiter returning to take their order.

"So," Evelyn said carefully when the waiter walked away a few minutes later. "Can I ask a question?"

"Of course. Ask away."

Evelyn took a breath and ran her finger along the rim of her water glass. "Did you love her?"

"Your mother? Yes, I…"

Evelyn shook her head. "No, not Mom. I know your theory on loving my mother. I meant your wife."

"Addison?" Derek asked, leaning back in his chair in surprise.

"How many wives have you had?"

Derek almost laughed at her blunt question. "Just the one."

"So did you love her…Addison?"

"Yes," Derek said without hesitation. "There was a time in my life when I loved Addison very much. She was my wife for sixteen years. Even today, she's still an important part of my life, even though we're not married or in love anymore."

"So why leave? Why come to Seattle?"

"I thought you'd heard the story of Mark and Addison," Derek said.

"Yeah. But why Seattle? Most people find out their wife cheated and go stay with their mom or something. They don't quit their job and move clear across the country just because they're upset."

"I think finding your wife in bed with your best friend goes way beyond upset."

Evelyn shook her head. "Whatever you want to call it, it's not something that usually spurs people to move three thousand miles. Especially when they're just going to turn around and go back a few months later."

"I never intended to go back," Derek said, a hint of sadness in his voice as he thought about that time in his life. "When I left New York City, I had no intention of ever living there again. Addison and I were done as far as I was concerned. I was going to start over out here - heck, I even bought land out here."

"So what changed?"

"I don't know exactly," Derek admitted. "I was probably rash in moving out here, leaving New York without tying up loose ends. Richard Webber was an old friend of mine, and he had told me there'd be a place for me at Seattle Grace if I ever felt like a change. Two weeks later, I walked in on my wife with my best friend and I guess I just ran away. I didn't want to deal with yelling or fighting or explaining everything to my family. I took the easy route and I ran."

"So why did you go back?"

Derek hesitated for a moment. "When I was out here, it was really easy to pretend that my marriage, my whole life in New York, had just been a bad dream. And then Addison started calling…and then she just showed up one night…"

Derek frowned as he pulled up to the trailer and saw another car parked on his property. He hadn't even brought Meredith out here yet, so he couldn't think of anyone who could possibly be coming to see him out here. Stepping out into the light Seattle mist, he almost turned right back around when he saw the woman sitting on the trailer's front porch.

Without a word, he walked past her and opened the door to the trailer, shutting it behind him as he stepped inside. He'd never thought of the aluminum frame as thin, but he could have sworn he could hear her heavy sigh through the door.

"Derek, come on," Addison pleaded, banging on the door. "Can't we at least talk?"

Shaking his head, Derek pulled a beer from the refrigerator and sat down at the tiny table, silently waiting for her to figure out that the door didn't have a lock. It took a minute or two, but finally the door creaked open and she stepped tentatively inside and looked around skeptically.

"I see you upgraded from the townhouse," she observed, taking a seat across from him.

"What are you doing here, Addison?"

Addison sighed. "What are you doing here, Derek? Look at this place. A trailer? Really?"

"Yes, really."

Addison stared at Derek for a moment, wanting to cry at the venom in his voice. "Derek, I made a mistake. A huge, horrible mistake."

"I know, I saw."

"But that's all it was, Derek. A mistake. One terrible, awful decision in a moment of weakness. Can't you at least try to understand that?"

"Understand?" Derek asked incredulously. "Addison, you slept with Mark. My wife slept with my best friend. What part of that kind of betrayal am I supposed to understand?"

"I still love you, Derek," Addison said. "I know I can't change what happened, but isn't there any chance we could move past it? That you could at least try to forgive me?"

"No."

"So that's it? Eleven years and it's just…over?"

"Should have thought of that before you screwed Mark," Derek said with a shrug.

"How can you be so nonchalant about all of this?"

"Would you prefer I was pissed off? Mad as hell? What?"

"Yes!" Addison exclaimed. "For God's sake, Derek, get mad at me! Yell, scream, throw things if that's what you need to do. Just do something to at least acknowledge that we had something special."

"Had being the operative word there."

"Derek, we've been married for eleven years. Maybe you're prepared to walk away from that without a fight, but I'm not. The last few years have been different, but we were a great couple at one point. I think we could get back to that…I'm willing to do whatever it takes. You want to stay here? I'll move. You want New York? Let's go. Someplace entirely new? I'm in."

Derek shook his head and took a swig of his beer instead of responding.

Addison sighed, a few tears escaping as she stood up and looked at her husband. "I'm staying at the Archfield for a week. If you change your mind about fighting for us, you know where to find me."

She was almost out the door when she paused for a moment and turned back around. "Just…if you ever loved me like I loved you, Derek, at least think about what you're throwing away before we call the lawyers."

"She was right," Derek said sadly. "In the end, we may not have been able to make things work, and we probably held on far too long, but we'd been family for eleven years at that point. You don't just throw out eleven Christmases, eleven birthdays, hundreds of happy memories…you don't discard those without at least fighting for them first. It just took me a little longer to see it."

"I guess I can understand that," Evelyn said. "I'll bet your real estate agent didn't mind the commission from selling that land again, either."

"Actually, I kept the land. Still have it."

Evelyn frowned and stared at her father skeptically. "Why?"

"I have no idea," Derek admitted. "Addison and I fought about that quite a bit, actually. I always said I would, but I never seemed to get around to it. Even after the divorce, I thought about it…but for some reason, I never could bring myself to get rid of it. I haven't been back since I left with Addison, but it's all still mine…even the trailer, although I assume that's rusted beyond belief at this point."

"Where is it?"

"Bainbridge Island. It's about four acres or so, on the non-touristy side of the island."

Evelyn smiled. "I've spent a lot of time on that island. I've probably driven past the land, if we haven't accidentally wandered onto it on a hike."

"Well, you're welcome on it anytime," Derek offered. "Next time I'm in town, I'd be glad to take you out there."

"We'll see. Are you leaving soon?"

Derek nodded. "My flight's tomorrow afternoon. I have to get back to the hospital, unfortunately."

Evelyn nodded, unsure how she felt about the news that he'd be gone sooner than she expected, and entirely unsure how he expected her to respond. In the end, she was saved by the waiter arriving with their food, and by the time they were alone again, the conversation had moved on.

"So, how'd it go?"

Evelyn tossed her purse onto the bench at the foot of the bed and sighed as she kicked off her shoes and stripped off her dress before she slipped into bed next to Matt.

"So, how'd it go?"

She shook her head briefly before resting it on his chest and letting out another sigh. "The food was great, as usual."

Matt laughed. "Okay…you get that ridiculously expensive rack of lamb?"

"Yup."

"Did you bring me any leftovers?"

"They're in the fridge. You may have to get up early to fight Laura for them, but they're there."

"I love you."

Evelyn smiled as he kissed her softly. "You're so easy."

"And you love me for it."

"I suppose that I do."

Matt grinned and let his fingers play with the ends of her hair for a moment before returning to his original question. "So really…how'd it go with your father?"

Evelyn sighed and shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. It was...well, it didn't suck."