Title: Crumpled Up Promises

Authors: Sara and Lizzie

Rating: T for language, sex, you know.

Disclaimer: We happen to own our personal anatomies, not Grey's. Or Patrick Dempsey's. Sadly.

Summary: An alternate take on the Code Black incident. Meredith is seriously hurt by the explosion, and Derek has to make his choice all over again.

Author's Note: Prologue is short. Reviews will get you longer chapters. So, review?

Addison was fawning over him. Touching his face, his hair, kissing him. He was confused, because he hadn't done anything to prompt it. He didn't want it. She wasn't the one he wanted to be kissed by on the surgical floor.

But she was kissing him. And he couldn't determine her motive because no one else was around. "I can't wait to get you home tonight." She said, in a voice that was above a whisper, a voice that could easily be heard by someone standing, say, five feet away.

When she sidled off, a smug smile on her face, Derek saw Meredith, five feet away, staring. She met his eyes, shook her head, turned on her heel and walked away.

He caught up to her and grabbed her arm, desperate to find something that would make it better. He felt like screaming 'I don't love her.'

"Meredith." He said, turning her around to face him.

"What?" she asks, in a voice he knows is her, fighting back tears.

"I'm sorry she did that." He told her. "Are you okay?"

She was about to tell him she was fine, just fine, thank you and stalk away angrily. But her angry resolve faded too quickly, leaving her feeling hopeless. And very alone. "No." she says. "I'm not okay. I'm not close to okay, and you and your wife acting out love scenes in front of me makes me the opposite of okay!"

"This isn't easy for me either, Meredith."

"Really? Because it looked easy!"

"Well I hear you're pretty easy every night at Joe's!" he yelled at her.

She sighed, because she didn't have it in her to get angry and fight with him. "So that's what you want? You want me to sit around and be miserable because I love you, but I can't have you?"

She smiled sadly at him. "Well you got your wish, Derek."

He stared at her retreating back, wanting to tell her that he loved her too. But Meredith just kept walking away from him. She tried to erase the visual of Derek, her Derek, being all cute and cuddly with Addison, but it just replayed over and over in her mind's eye.

She sighed again. "I knew I should have stayed home today." She muttered to herself. After all, she had a feeling.

Author's Note Part Deux: Click the button. Review. Also, check out 'One Hell Of A Racket', 'The Best Laid Plans', 'Keeping The Faith' and 'A Tale Of Two Cities', all also by us. And keep your eyes open for 'Forever And A Day', coming soon.