Title: A Leap Of Faith

Authors: Sara And Lizzie

Rating: T for language, mild sex

Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.

Summary: AU. Meredith leaves Seattle the night that Addison comes. Five years later, she's standing at the back of the church, about to marry another man, when she admits to herself that she's still very much in love with Derek Shepherd. So she heads back to Seattle, and finds a very broken Derek. Will they be able to heal each other, or is it too late?

Author's Note: We know, we know. We haven't updated anything in about 29 years, but we absolutely could not get this out of our heads. We will be updating everything, but we hope you like this.

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Just when I thought I had forgotten, you came back soft, without a sound.

She was frozen. Standing in the back of this huge church, looking up at the stained glass windows, she couldn't move. She was zipped into the white strapless dress Cristina had flown out to help her buy one weekend. She was carrying flowers selected by her future mother in law. Her hair fell in brown curls around her slim shoulders; that was Izzie's handiwork.

Her friends were all here. Cristina and Burke. Izzie and Denny. George and Olivia. Alex and Jillian, the woman he'd pulled a pillar off of in a ferry crash, Meredith recounted, almost smiling as she picture them, holding hands and telling the tale. She shook her head and looked down the aisle at the man to whom she was about to pledge herself for all eternity. She should have been happy, but Meredith was frozen.

Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty, the room was spinning. Next to her, George looked at her expectantly. But all Meredith could hear was something Derek Shepherd had said to her five years ago. The rest you just have to take on faith. She turned to George, wide eyed and panicked. Her purse, her phone, and her luggage for the honeymoon were all in her Jeep, just outside.

She felt George press something hard and metal into her shaking hands. She glanced down to find the keys to her car. She had an out now. From her seat in the first pew, Cristina nudged Burke. "She's going to run." She whispered. Burke rolled his eyes.

"Do you have any idea how long it took you to take the first step down the aisle at our wedding?" It was Cristina's turn to be exasperated.

"Totally different." She hissed over the organ. "I wanted to marry you. I wasn't standing back there in a cold panic, in love with someone else."

From her position at the opposite end of the sanctuary, Meredith looked down the aisle again to where Jack Pierre, son of a Philadelphia restaurant mogul was staring at her. She was going to marry Jack. She had to walk down that aisle.

The rest you just have to take on faith. Her breath started coming in short, uneven puffs. She looked at George again, and opened her mouth, letting the words tumble from her lips. "Derek." There. She had said it. Out loud. On her wedding day. She was still in love with Derek Shepherd. Casting one last look back into the church full of people all staring at her, the feeling suddenly came back into her legs.

So Meredith Grey turned and ran.