A/N: First of all, I apologize profusely for this very late update. Writing certain parts of this especially the ending was rather difficult for some reason. But anyways, this is the final chapter. For real this time haha. I delved into Henry's background in this and since we don't know much about him, I took some liberties and made up almost everything. I do hope it's believable. It may seem a little relevant at first but there's a point to it, I swear. And so, without further ado, may I present the final chapter. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: While I took some creative liberties with Henry's background, the character himself as well as Teddy belongs to Shonda Rhimes.

Chapter 4

It was a saying in his family that Burton blood was fishing blood. True to form, every man and even a few women in his father's family as far back as they could remember had been fishermen. Originally hailing from the relatively small fishing community of Seward, Alaska before relocating to Seattle, the Burtons lived, breathed, and bled the sea, a trait that was as part of them as any physical characteristic they possessed and they bore it proudly.

It was hardly a surprise, then, that Henry was raised to love the sea and everything it entailed from the moment his parents held him for the first time. He was the son of a fisherman from a long line of fishermen and no one expected anything less from him. And so, while most infants were still struggling to take their first steps, young Henry was already getting his sea legs on his father's boat, a 52 feet seiner christened the Katherine Anne after his mother, while his parents proudly looked on. At age seven, he knew every inch of the K.A. and every knot in the book. At nine, he knew all the best places to find salmon and all the places to avoid unless you wanted a net full of seaweed. And by the time he was 11, he could read the sky and decipher the wind like a weathered sailor, knowing if the day would bring sun or rain (since it was Seattle it was usually the latter). He had never known any other life and had been groomed to follow in his father's footsteps when the time finally came.

But there was one thing that matched his love for the sea: baseball. And when he was scouted his junior year and offered a full scholarship to U.C. Berkeley, he knew he couldn't pass it up. Even his father couldn't say no, knowing what a college education could do for his son. So in the fall of 1987, Henry Burton became the first in his family to ever attend university, a privilege his blue-collar parents were more than elated about.

Life near the City by the Bay wasn't too different from Seattle with its seemingly eternal wind, rain, and fog. But what really drew him to Berkeley was the ocean. While Seattle was sheltered in the Puget Sound, San Francisco opened directly into the Pacific Ocean, a sight that never ceased to thrill him whenever the clouds decided to part. But he missed being on the K.A., the boat rocking beneath his feet, the wind rushing past his face, the ocean spray dampening his hair and it wasn't until his sophomore year that he finally found a solution.

To this day, he wonders why he never found out about the ferries sooner. After all, San Francisco was surrounded by water. Nevertheless, he didn't know the ferries even existed until a bunch of friends brought him along for a ride but from that moment on, he was hooked. They became his sanctuary, the one place he'd go to whenever he needed to clear his head, think, or just be alone. During his long months away from home as he lead Berkeley to numerous wins, the ferries kept him grounded, serving as a constant reminder of where he came from and the fact that while he might've been one of the hottest young pitchers in the country, his roots would always lie with the sea.

Even when his college years ended and he gave up fishing to pursue a career in baseball, a move that his father didn't take lightly but eventually came to accept, he retained his soft spot for ferries, knowing that they were the closest he would get to a life on the sea.

He sighed then and brought up a hand to rub his weary face. He'd had one hell of a night with sleep coming to him in short 15 and 30 minute intervals before he decided that his erratic sleep pattern was actually making him even more tired if that was even possible. Rolling out of bed, he made some coffee which he drank without any sort of enjoyment as he attempted to fill his mind with thoughts of anything but her. But it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't succeed and their encounter just several hours ago just kept replaying in a maddening loop in his head. With nothing to distract himself since it was still the early hours of the morning, he turned to the one place he could trust to calm him down.

Which was how he now found himself standing on the top deck of one of Seattle's own ferries, staring determinedly at the stormy grey water below. He'd been there for a few hours now and his hands have since gone numb holding the icy railings but the fact barely registered in his mind. Instead, he focused his attention on the vast expanse of water before him, watching as passing vessels drew ripples all across its glassy surface.

He knew coming here wouldn't bring him much solace; she had him wound too tightly for that. Nor would it cause him to come to terms with what was happening. What he wanted though was simply for everything to slow down. He wanted the chaotic jumble in his head to just settle long enough for him to process it. He wanted to be able to breathe without feeling like it was his last. He wanted to be control again because from the moment they met, Teddy Altman had all but stolen his heart.

And it killed him.

In 24 hours, she would be getting on a plane with her honest-to-god Superman to jet off to a country half a world away and he wasn't doing anything to stop her. Because if she chose Perkins then who was he to tell her otherwise? Just the fake husband who had stupidly fallen for her.

His thoughts once again strayed to the night before, to the heartbreak and anger pumping furiously through his veins. It had taken everything he had in him to push her away and out of his life, something that still made his chest constrict and his stomach clench even now 15 hours later. But it was done and he only hoped that she would spare him any more torture by signing the papers and staying the hell out of his life. He loved her and he always would but there was a part of him that wished more than anything that he would never have to see her again.

He scoffed derisively at his situation and continued his silent watch of the Puget Sound.

...

Teddy worked her way down the side aisle, her eyes constantly scanning the seats on either side of her although with all the vacancies, she didn't really know why she bothered.

She had arrived at the ferry terminal at 8:30 by which point the rush hour commuters had been whittled away to a few late comers here and there. This, coupled with the fact that tourist season was not yet in full swing what with it only being mid-spring, left the pier sparsely populated. Despite having never been on the ferries before (a testament to the hospital laying claim on nearly every waking moment of her life), she knew that there were only two that operated out of the Seattle terminal, a fact that assured her that her search here wouldn't take too long. A quick scan of the schedule then concluded with her buying a ticket for the first ferry out, the 8:45 to Bainbridge Island.

Which was shaping up to not be the ferry Henry was on. That was, if he was even on the ferry this morning. She let out a frustrated sigh as she finished circling the second deck which was nearly empty save for a few touristy-looking couples armed with cameras and street maps. Her eyes swept over the area once more before she turned to the elevator behind her and ascended to the top deck.

Immediately, the cool Seattle breeze rushed to greet her, bringing with it the sharp saltiness of the Sound and the freshness of the surrounding mountains and she inhaled deeply. In a rare show of generosity, the sky was cloudless on this particular morning and the sun was taking every opportunity to bathe Seattle in its warm glow. It was such a pleasant relief from the blood and antiseptic that often dominated her day at the hospital and she could definitely see Henry's attraction to the ferries. After all, he was held captive by the hospital nearly as much as she was.

As she began walking the deck, her heart sank at what she saw or rather didn't see. Unlike the rest of the ferry, the top deck seemed to be completely devoid of people and of a certain person in particular. She knew that she had had a 50% chance of getting it right the first time (if he was on the ferries at all) but she couldn't help her disappointment.

Sighing, she turned to circle around the engine room that took up the most of the center of the deck, already making up her mind to hop on the second ferry to Bremerton as soon as they returned to Seattle, and found herself staring at a familiar figure leaning against the portside railings.

Even with his back turned to her as he looked out over the water, she knew it was him. She took in his playfully mussed dark hair, the distinct shape of his ears, the way he stood with one leg slightly bent in front of the other as it rested on the railing, marveling at how effortlessly she'd come to recognize him over the past several months. How she ever could've thought that she could resist his charm and simply remain friends now seemed like an absolute absurdity.

She watched him for a moment longer, her eyes and heart softening as she did, before finally trusting herself to speak.

"Henry."

...

The soft voice that met his ears strained to be heard but he knew who it was without having to turn around.

"Teddy, please." he begged quietly, bowing his head. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

Teddy's heart broke slightly at his tone. "Can you just look at me?"

He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, debating on whether he should just walk away. But his heart seemed to tug in her direction despite what his mind was screaming at him instead and he found himself slowly turning to face her. His eyes remained downcast as he did before they flitted up to meet her gaze.

They stared at each other for a moment, neither quite knowing what to say.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" he asked at last.

"You told me."

Silence ensued and Teddy watched as he clenched his jaw, his amber-green eyes seemingly hardening by the second.

"I owe you an apology."

"We don't have to do this."

She frowned. "What?"

"Be friends. I mean, how many divorcees do you know are actually friends with their exes?" He tried to manage a smile but all he could produce was a slight grimace.

"Look," Teddy said, taking a step forward. "I know you don't want anything to do with me right now and after what happened I don't blame you. But I want to try this again. With my side this time."

She held his steady gaze and, when he made no attempt to answer, took it as her cue to continue.

"The other night you said that you weren't being fair to me. That marrying you wasn't fair to me. You made a very compelling argument and if I didn't know any better I'd be tempted to believe it myself. Because the truth is…" Pause. "I was the one being unfair to you. I told you that this was a business deal. That it was supposed to be about paperwork. And that what we had was just a good story." She took a steadying breath, stepping towards him as she did so. "But I lied. About everything. You never were just a business deal, Henry. I was an idiot to ever say that you were."

Henry shifted his gaze from where it had landed on the deck sometime after she had started talking to her piercing green eyes. She was standing close to him now, so close that he could make out the flecks of hazel in her eyes, her heavenly scent pleasantly filling his nostrils. "Then what I am?" he asked, his voice soft.

Her head tilted slightly to the side and his quiet inquiry was all she needed to gather her confidence and place a hand lightly on his chest. "My husband." She felt his heart quicken under her fingers as she said this. "And the man I fell in love with."

He stared at her a moment longer before a small smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth. He then dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, effectively silencing whatever else she would say (not that he expected her to say anything more). Again, the taste of peppermint met his tongue, causing him to smile against her lips. Unlike their previous kiss which had been a fast, heated affair fueled by pent up anger and frustration, this one was slow and gentle with each of them trying to convey everything they had spent the past few months ignoring.

At last, they pulled away, the need for air becoming too great, and she took the pause to lay a hand on his stubbled cheek.

"I still want that divorce."

She blinked up at him, incredulous. "Did you not hear a word I said?"

"I did." he answered after a beat, his eyes dancing. "But I want to take you out and propose and marry you properly and already being married to you is a little contradictory so…"

Her eyebrow arched playfully. "I see. Well, in that case, I'll sign those papers as soon as I get home."

"Excellent decision, Mrs. Burton." he murmured as he brushed his lips against the shell of her ear.

"Soon to be ex-Mrs. Burton."

"But not for long." His lips traced a feathery path along her jaw.

"Eager are we?" she teased, trying desperately to keep her legs from collapsing out from under her.

His mouth ghosted over hers. "Can you blame me?"

She had just enough time to throw him a smirk before his lips once again captured her own and all thought about smacking him for his cheek quickly faded from her mind.

A/N: Well, there you have it. I'm not extremely thrilled with the last part of this but I'll let you decide if it was any good. I tend to be very critical about my work. Also, U.C. Berkeley, for those of you not from the States, is a university in the city of Berkeley which is in the San Francisco Bay in case you couldn't picture the geography. A friend of mine goes there; beautiful campus. I'm from the Bay so I've ridden the ferries and the ride is amazing (on sunny days XD ). I've also been to Seward; such a lovely, lovely place. But enough of my rambling. It's been great fun trying my hand at writing Teddy/Henry. Summer classes start next week but if I have an idea and manage to find time, I'd love to write more. Please do leave a review and tell me what you think. Until next time! :)