Runaway Love

Runaway Love

"I'm just trying to find, find, find, sweet love of mine" - Runaway Love

"There's one thing on this list we could do today," Derek Shepherd points down to the list of requirements on the adoption list.

"Yeah," Meredith agrees, but as they drive off to City Hall, she starts getting cold feet.

"Y'know Derek, maybe we shouldn't today," Meredith says uneasily.

"What?" Derek asks her, surprised.

"It's just... It's Callie and Arizona's wedding, this should be their day, let's be there and make it special," says Meredith.

"You really don't want to miss their wedding?" Derek asks her.

"Do you?" Meredith asks him.

"Well, if we're going to get married..." Derek shrugs.

"Maybe some other time Derek, I just- let's get to their wedding today," Meredith says to him.

"Alright, you go then, I'll pick up the papers at City Hall so we can look over them," says Derek, and Meredith nods at him, and hops out of his car and into his own car, and rides off to the ceremony.

Meredith arrives just at the nick of time, with only one seat left for her right in the back. She's so flustered she doesn't see who she's sitting next to until the person greets her by name.

"Dr. Grey," none other than Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery greets her formally.

"Addison!?" Meredith squeaks, unprepared for her boyfriend's ex-wife's formidable presence at this very moment.

"Did you just come from surgery?" Addison asks her, understanding her potential reason for arriving nearly late to a wedding.

"Oh, no, I was on my way to City Hall, well, we were on our way to City Hall, and it just didn't feel right to miss out on their day y'know, so then I drove here, and-" Meredith stops herself from rambling when she stares into the bold green eyes of the red-headed doctor.

Years later, Meredith is still in awe of Addison, and she can't seem to shake it now that they're both sitting here so close to each other.

"You were on your way to City Hall?" Addison asks casually, but Meredith can see there's a bit of reservation in her tone.

"We were," says Meredith.

"And yet, you're here?" Addison asks her quizzically.

"Yeah," says Meredith. "Hey look, I think they're about to start-" Meredith says to take the heat off herself for the moment.

Addison raises her eyebrows initially, but then settles into watching Callie and Arizona get married with their beautiful white wedding, and Meredith hopes that she'll somehow drop the subject entirely.

"Meredith! Addison! You came, but where's Derek?" Arizona asks them, as they set up for the dinner.

"What, am I supposed to have some sort of ex-husband tracking device or?" Addison quips, and Meredith laughs at that loudly.

"Well, I was talking mostly to Meredith, but if you knew anyway-" Arizona concludes.

"Oh no, did he get locked up again for reckless driving?" Callie asks her, the connections suddenly forming.

"No- I mean, I don't think so," Meredith mentions, as she bites her lip at the real reason.

"Reckless driving?" Addison asks Meredith, wondering just what on earth Derek had been up to since she'd moved to L.A.