Thanks to McMuffin for beta reading this :) Reviews are lovely.

Disclaimer- Oh, how I wish I owned..

"Addison?"

You keep your eyes on the sky and softly respond, "I like it out here."

"It's pouring?"

"It's nice."

"Addison.."

"I'm fine, really."

"Your brothers having brain surgery in an hour. You're not fine."

With your eyes still fixed away from him you let a single tear slip down your face. "You know, when I was little my parents were never around."

"I know."

"Archer was, though. He was always there."

"Yeah."

"He's my big brother, you know?"

"I know."

"How could you possibly know?"

He shrugs, "Derek was my brother. Derek was all I had."

Your voice softens, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Breaking up a family."

"Technically, I broke up a family."

"We were hardly even a family."

"He loved you, Ad. You know that, he just… wasn't the best at showing it."

"You knew each other since you were five, and you gave all that up for me."

"I loved you."

You look down, "How's your girlfriend?"

"She's okay. She's not you."

Silence.

"How's LA?"

"It's…" You search your mind for a word, "Nice."

"You were always more of a city person."

"I was."

"Archer's going to be okay, you know that right?"

"You don't even know that."

"Come here."

Finally, you turn around and face him, "What?"

He opens his arms, "Come here."

You're not sure if it was because you were hurting, or because it felt natural, but somehow two minutes later you're still in his arms.

"We should probably go back inside." You tell him and release yourself from his hold.

"Yeah, let's go."

"I didn't expect you to be here." Mark says as he approaches you.

You set your empty drink down and tell Joe you want another. "Why's that?"

"You have an early flight tomorrow."

"That's right."

"She's drunk." Mark says to Joe, half a statement and half a question.

"Yes, she is."

"Alright, Addie. Let's get you back to the hotel."

"No, alcohol good, hotel bad."

"Why exactly are you drinking?"

"Kevin left me, Archer almost left me. Addison is all alone."

"Who the hell is Kevin?"

"Never mind."

You feel him pull you down from the chair and guide you outside the bar. "It's cold."

"Want my jacket?"

"No."

"You just said you were cold."

"Shouldn't your girlfriend be wearing your jacket?"

"No."

"Well alright then, give me it before I freeze to death."

He laughs and drapes the jacket around your shoulders, you smile.

"What?" He asks.

"This reminds me of college."

"What does? You getting drunk and me having to take you home?"

"Yes."

"That happened a lot."

"It did."

"I always liked it when you were the one who took me home, not Derek."

"And why's that?"

"You stayed with me every time to make sure I was alright. He'd just dump me off and leave."

"I didn't know that."

"I don't know why I ever chose him."

"You loved him."

"I loved you too."

"But he was Derek. And I was Mark."

"Do you ever think about going back?"

"To New York?"

"Yeah."

"All the time."

"I want to go back, maybe not for good but… I think it'd be nice to go back."

"I'll go back with you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"When?"

"Whenever you want."

"What if I said I wanted to go right now?"

"I'd say wait until tomorrow when you're sober to make that decision."

"Good answer."

"I try."

"We're here." He tells you when you reach your hotel room.

"Stay."

"What?"

"Stay here tonight, like you always did, to make sure I'm okay."

"Okay."

The next morning you realize that you haven't slept that well since those days in college. With some persuasion, you cancel your plane ticket to LA and board one the next day to New York with Mark instead.

And even though it sounds so morally wrong, you now think of Archer almost dying as one of the greatest things that's ever happened to you.