The sun in the city was shinning beautifully, but it was still freezing outside. Liv walked silently beside her father, it had never been this hard to talk to her father. She had not said a word to her father since they'd left the apartment, she didn't know what to say to him. It had been so long, the day he left had been the last time she had talked to him. The last words that weren't pleasantries she had spoken to her father were clear in her mind, it had been the last time she's spoken to him with complete trust.
"Where were you?"
Derek jumped startled at the sound of his daughter's voice. She was already dressed in her school uniform and he assumed she was waiting for Sarah to stop by so they could walk together. "I had to work late."
"You mean early. It's eight am."
"Late, early. Either way I didn't get any sleep and have to be back at the hospital at noon."
"I suppose that makes sense," Liv just stared at her father who was rubbing his temples trying to stay awake while looking over a case. "Mom's upstairs, we waited for you last night. Delia made your favourite."
"I'm sorry," he father didn't even look up as he spoke. Liv sighed again, she had gotten used to his tired dismissals, but lately he'd been more caught up in his work.
"Delia's going out tonight. I think we're ordering Chinese."
"Chinese, eh?" Derek was now looking at her, but she was pretty sure he was still going over his latest surgery in his head.
"I'll make sure to order you an egg roll." Liv waited for his response, he wouldn't let her down.
He opened his month than closed it. "Don't forget," he smiled.
That night he father had come home early for the first time in months, left, and had not returned until the present, a little more than a year later. That night Olivia had watched her world fall apart, that night the strength she had watched her mother carry for months vanished. That night her mother had slept with her father's best friend for the first time and her father had walked in on them. She had been in her room studying at the time when she heard screaming, crying, and the door slam. She knew he wouldn't come back as soon as she'd heard the door slam, she had known he wouldn't stay for her. For the first time he'd let her completely down.
She had begun to blame herself and her mother. It was her own fault, if she'd been better he wouldn't have left her. It was her mother's fault if she had loved him more, if she had been stronger he wouldn't have left. Liv began to stray away from her mother even when she knew it was not her mother's fault, if she couldn't be with her father she couldn't be with her mother. She had begun to find ways to let go of the pain only to realize that it still did not bring her family back. She was embarrassed and when her condition reached it's worse, she had broken down and told her mother why and begged her to never tell her father.
"Liv, he loves you. Sweetheart, you'll feel better."
"No, I won't. He left me."
"No, Liv. He left me"
"If he left you, he left me too."
He father had left her and missed a year of her life, so when he was the first to speak and asked her how her life had been, she replied the only way she could. The way she would reply if a stranger were to ask her how she was, "Fine."
He smiled and continued walking beside her.
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As Addison walked around what she once called her home, she was completely content, with Derek and Liv gone for a walk she was alone to pretend she had her old life back. After a few minutes of her peace however, she found Meredith Grey sitting at her kitchen table. She wasn't doing anything productive at all, in fact she was just sitting there picking at her fingernails. When Meredith became aware of Addison's presence however she sat up a little straighter and folded her hands. She and Addison had never really talked since the divorce and she felt incredibly awkward getting to see the inside of Addison's old life.
"So," Addison started, "How are you liking New York."
"It's beautiful I've never been and to tell the truth I was really surprised that Liv invited me."
Addison gave a polite smile, she knew her daughter's tricks. Liv had learned from the best, usually she'd interfere with Liv's plans but a part of her won't let herself this time. "Yeah, well Liv can surprise you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Addison didn't know what Meredith meant, but she certainly didn't like the tone she had used. "Liv may have forgot to mention, but the dinner is semi-formal. I'll send Delia up to help you get ready, seeing as you've probably never been to an event in the city before." Giving Meredith a once over Addison then exited the room, man that felt good.
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When Derek and Liv had finally reached a park bench they were still completely silent. Derek had no idea what to say and Liv didn't seem to want to speak at all. "So tell about when I was gone, how's school?"
"It's good," Liv was keeping her speaking to a minimum she found that as they had continued to walk through the park she had begun to feel more and more uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
"And Sarah?"
"She's fine."
"You're mom said that Jason and you were…"
"Kind of."
"Oh."
"Is that okay."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"Then it's okay."
"Good," Liv fumbled with her coat buttons. "Dad."
"Yeah?"
She was going to ask him why he left. She was going to ask him if he would ever come back to New York. She was going to ask him if he loved Meredith, if he loved her more than her mother. She was going to ask him why it was so hard for her to talk to him. She was going to ask him why it all fell apart. Instead she chickened out, "Can we go home? I don't want to be late for the party."
So what did you think, I didn't want it to be easy for Derek and Liv to fall back into their old routine and I didn't want Meredith and Addison to randomly have a massive showdown (Addison would totally win however).
Next Chapter: Liv vs. Meredith
Addison and Derek have a chat about their daughter
Please Review : )