Can't Help Falling in Love

20

Derek sighed as he walked into his apartment, his head hanging dejectedly as he threw his keys onto the table next to the door. The display on the answering machine glowed with a zero, indicating that Meredith hadn't called. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened a couple hours before at her house, but after drowning his sorrows at the bar down the road, he'd decided that he just wanted to go home and pray that this was all just a terrible dream.

"You look like shit," Mark announced as he walked into the kitchen.

"Feel like it too," Derek sighed.

"What happened?" Mark frowned.

"I think Meredith broke up with me," Derek sighed, reaching for another beer from the fridge.

"What?" Mark asked. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Derek shook his head as he made knocked back nearly half of his beer at once.

A knock on the door prevented Mark from asking any more questions, and Derek sighed as he moved towards the door. "Mer," he breathed as he saw her standing before him. "I...you're here."

"I just wanted to make sure that we both know where we are," she said softly.

"Mer, I didn't...I don't want to break up with you," he said desperately.

"Look, I don't want to do this again," she said. "I just...needed a little more closure, so...here."

Derek frowned as she picked a box up off the ground beside her and handed it to him. "What is this?" he asked, taking the box hesitantly.

"It's your stuff," she said, swallowing hard. "I didn't...there were a lot of reminders of you all over my room, so please, just take it back."

"Meredith," he whispered, dropping the box to the side and pulling on her hand. "Please, let's talk about this. Let's not do this, I need you."

"I can't," she whispered. "Derek, you promised that you would never hurt me."

"I didn't mean to," he said. "Please just don't do this. We can figure this out."

"I can't," Meredith whispered. "Derek, don't make this harder than it is."

"I'm not letting you go this easily," Derek shook his head. "Meredith, I can't imagine my life without you."

"You should have thought about that before you went back on all the promises you ever made me," she said. "So...this is it."

"This can't be it," Derek pleaded, his hands moving to grasp hers tightly. "Meredith, please."

"Derek," she whispered, tears filling her eyes as she pried her hands out of his. "It's over, there's nothing you can do to change it."

"There has to be something," he whispered, tears spilling over his eyes. "This can't just be it, Meredith, I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with you."

"No," she shook her head. "I can't, Derek, you've completely destroyed all the trust I had in you."

"But I love you," he said. "Meredith, I love you, I'll do anything to make this up to you. Just name it, and it's done."

"I just need to move on," Meredith breathed. "I tried to make things work with you, but it didn't work. Let it go."

"I won't let it go," Derek shook his head. "Meredith, if you're not ready for this, I'll wait for you. But I'll never let this go, it's too precious."

Meredith turned away, hoping to hide her tears from him. "I have to go," she said softly. "I don't...just keep anything I left here. Because it's too hard, and I think it's just best if we didn't see each other again. So...good-bye, Derek."