AN: I know, I'm obsessed with Maddison babies and not telling Mark about them. I'm sorry. It has to be a phase! Anyway, I wrote the whole thing before the show last night and then didn't get a chance to update. So I added the very first part just now.
AN2: I really don't know very much about little kids, but I based these two off my roommates little cousin who just turned 5.
"I don't... I don't have a condom"
"Who cares."
"Addison-"
"I'm barren... Mm, we don't need it."
(about 5 1/2 years later)
"I really don't know Preston." Addison sighed into the phone. She watched as her daughter pounced on her son from behind, successfully knocking him to the ground. Addison clucked her tongue and then turned back to the dishes soaking in the sink. "What am I supposed to do with the kids?"
"Bring them along," Burke begged. "Please Addison? You know I wouldn't be calling unless it was extremely important to me."
"Preston..."
"Hey, if you ever need a triple-bypass I'll be on the first flight to LA."
"Yeah, because I'll be needing one of those anytime soon."
"You never know Addison," Burke told her. "Who ever thought I'd be needing your services this badly?"
"Fine," Addison said after a moment's hesitation. "But I'm only staying long enough to consult and deliver. Got it?"
"Thanks Addison. You really have no idea how much this means to me."
Addison rolled her eyes and was about to reply when she heard her daughter begin screaming about her Barbie. She took a step to break up the fight and said quickly into the phone, "Look Preston, I have to go. I'll see you Thursday."
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"My God they're cute." Burke grinned as Addison waltzed into his office hand-in-hand with twin four-year olds. "Why didn't you bring them around earlier?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"Hi guys," Burke said softly to the small children. He stood up, rounded his desk, and squatted down in front of them. "I'm Preston Burke. What are your names?"
"Jamie Montgome-y," answered the little boy. He stuck out his free hand and shook Burke's. "This is my sister Cam."
"Hello Cam." Burke smiled at the little girl.
"Do you want to color wif me?" Cam asked and pulled her markers out of her little, pink purse. "I'm a good drawer."
"I wish I could," Burke said honestly, "but I need your mom to help me check on my wife. We're having a little baby in a few weeks and your mom is going to help us."
"Oh," Cam said, her lips staying in an 'o'.
"Hey, will you two stay in here and behave yourselves?" Addison asked as she too bent down on their level. "Mommy's got some work to do, but I'll be back in a few minutes. Okay?"
Both children nodded.
"Nurse Debbie is right outside if you need anything," Addison told them. She pulled Jamie into a hug and kissed Cam's forehead before she and Burke stood up to leave. "Keep your hands to yourselves, ok? And no fighting."
"But-"
"No fighting," Addison repeated. "If I come back and there's bite marks on either one of you there will be time out. Got it?"
"But I don't wanna stay wiff him," Cam said, glaring at her brother. She hadn't forgotten what he did on the plane and still refused to say a word to him. "What if he takes my colors again?"
"Jaime, you take her colors and you're in deep trouble." Addison gave him 'the look'. "Got it?"
Jaime nodded.
"Good," Addison said and pulled the door to. "Behave."
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About ten minutes later Mark strode through the Chief's door, looked down at the golden-haired children, and frowned. "Is Burke here?"
"No," Jaime looked up at him suspiciously. "Now go away."
"Excuse me?" Mark's frown deepened. "Where are your parents?"
"Mommy says not to talk to strangers," Cam said, looking up from the picture she was coloring. "I'm Cam."
"Mark," he answered. "And what's your name?"
"Jamie Montgom-y," Jamie said, stepping in between Mark and Cam. "Go away."
Mark cocked his head, confused. "Did you say Montgomery?"
"Yes I did." Jamie put his hands on his hips. "My momma'll be back soon. So leave or I'll scream for Nurse Debbie."
"Where is your mommy?" Mark asked. "Is she here in the hospital?"
"I said leave," Jamie demanded and pulled back his leg. He was just about to let Mark's shin have it when Burke wandered into the office. He took one look at the scene in front of him and scooped Jamie into his arms before he had a chance to kick Mark. Jamie looked up at him happily. "Hi Buke."
"Hi kid," Burke said, chuckling at the look on Mark's face. "I just came to tell you guys that your mom's going to be a little longer. You can come down to the room with me if you want."
Jamie nodded. "I go with you."
"Cameron?"
Cam looked up from her picture again. "Do I have to?"
Burke shrugged. "As long as Sloan here doesn't mind sitting with you for a few minutes. Mark?"
"Huh?" Mark was startled out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah, sure."
"We'll be back in a few minutes then," Burke said and stepped out of the room.
"Hey, Burke," Mark called before he could get too far away. "Are these Addison's kids?"
Burke nodded. "Yeah. James and Cameron."
Mark nodded and then turned back to the little girl on the floor. "Cameron, huh? That's a pretty name."
"Fank you," Cam said. She put her chin in her hands and looked up at him, her icy blue eyes sparkling. "Wanna color?"
"Sure." Mark nodded and slid down the side of the couch to the floor. He looked at Cam's drawing and smiled. "Who are they?"
"That's me," she pointed to the little stick figures, "and mommy, and the doggy Shirley."
"Who's that?" Mark pointed to the green figure on the side of the page.
"Jamie," Cam said, sneering at her brother's picture. "Know what? He took my colors on the plane."
"But you got them back," Mark told her, smiling. "Where's your daddy?"
Cam shrugged. "Don't have one."
Mark bit the inside of his cheek. "How old are you, Cam?"
"I'll be five in a month," Cam told him excitedly. "And then I get ta go to school."
"Wow."Mark grinned.
"I'm tired of coloring," Cam said after a few moments of silence. "Wanna play house?"
"Uh," Mark stammered. "I don't think I'd be any good at playing house. I've never really played it before."
"Please?" Cam begged. "You can be the daddy and I can be the little girl. Please?"
Mark chuckled nervously. "Alright."
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"I can't believe you left her with him," Addison said as she wound her way through the hospital hallways with Jaime on her hip. "I knew this would happen."
"Addison, wait."
"Preston." Addison sighed impatiently. She looked down at his hand, which was encircling her wrist, and glared. "What?"
"Addison, what is going on?" Burke looked at her, concerned. "Why are you freaking out?"
"I just..." She shook her head. "I knew this would happen."
"What would happen?" Burke pressed her. "Talk to me Addison."
"They're his..." Addison said softly and pressed her cheek against Jaime's blonde hair. "He's their..."
"Oh," Burke's eyes widened, "wow."
"Right?" Addison shook her head. "I knew I shouldn't have brought them."
"Momma?" Jaime twisted in her arms so he could look at her. "You kay, Momma?"
"Yeah baby." She took a deep breath and handed Jaime off to Burke before finding a bench on the side of the hallway and taking a seat. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. "You think he'll put two and two together?"
Burke shrugged. "Who knows. But it's not worth putting it off. Come on." He helped her off the bench. "Let's go get the other one."
Addison nodded and followed slowly behind as Burke made his way to his office. A few moments later she pushed open the door frowned. Mark was lying on the couch with Cam bent over him. She had his stethoscope against his chest and was listening so intently that she didn't even notice her mother's entrance.
It wasn't until Mark sat up a little and muttered Addison's name that Cam turned to her mother, grinning like it was Christmas morning.
"Mommy," Cam squealed. "Look, Mommy. I'm a sugen!"
"Wow baby." Addison smiled unsurely and looked from her daughter to Mark and back again. Just seeing the two of them together made her stomach do flip-flops. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment before muttering, "It's nice to see you Mark."
"You too Ad," he replied, not moving from his spot on the couch. He looked her dead in the eye and said, "We seem to have a couple of things to catch up on."
Addison swallowed thickly and nodded.
"Momma, I'm hungry," Jaime whined.
Addison whirled around and smiled. "Of course you are baby. Why don't we go get some chicken fingers? Does that sound yummy?"
Jaime nodded. "Uh huh."
"Actually," Mark interrupted an sat up to make room for Cam, who was climbing onto the couch beside him. "I'm having a barbecue at my place tonight. Everyone will be there."
"Oh I-"
"Please Mommy!" Cam's eyes lit up even more than when her mother had first walked into the room. "I wanna go to Mr. Mark's. Please."
"Do you have chicken fingas?" Jaime asked skeptically. If there was one thing Jaime loved in life it was chicken fingers. "And mac-n-cheese?"
"I'd be happy to pick some up for you," Mark told him.
"Okay," Jaime said happily and wiggled out of Burke's arms. "Les go to Mr. Mark's."
Addison sighed and turned to Burke. "So how 'bout that triple bypass?"
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Once Addison and the twins had left to get ready for the barbecue Burke settled back in his chair and watched Mark watch the ceiling. After a few moments of silence he cleared his throat. When that didn't get a reaction Burke raised his eyebrows and asked, "You okay?"
"Sure," Mark replied bitterly. "God, if you compared a picture of me at that age and Jaime you wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
"So you figured it out?"
"You knew?" Mark turned his head and glared angrily at Burke. "You knew and you didn't tell me?"
"I found out about five minutes before we walked in here," Burke said calmly. "She's freaking out."
"She should be," Mark muttered and resumed his staring at the ceiling. "I can't believe she did this to me."
"There has to be a god excuse," Burke said softly, shrugging. "Maybe she-"
"If Christina left you, gave birth to your children, and never told you, do you really think there would be any excuse that could satisfy you?" Mark spat.
"No." Burke shook his head. "How did you figure it out?"
"They look just like I did when I was that age," Mark said. "Damnit, I used to kick people in the shins all the time."
"So you figured it out because Jaime tried to kick you in the shins?" Burke raised an eyebrow. "I wish I had that kind of intuition."
Mark shrugged. "They're beautiful though, aren't they?"
"They're a cross-product of you and Addison," Burke said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah." Mark nodded. "I always knew we'd have gorgeous children."
"So," Burke said hesitantly, "what's your plan?"
"Honestly," Mark's eyes flickered to Burke, "I have no idea."
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"Inspection time," Addison announced minutes before they had to leave to get to Mark's barbecue. "Come on. Line up."
Jaime and Cam giggled as they made their way to the door.
Addison then inspected her children, making sure that nothing was out of place. She'd forced Jaime into his khakis but compromised by letting him wear a regular old GAP t-shirt. Cam had insisted that she wear pink and Addison really couldn't find anything wrong with what she'd pulled on. If there was one thing Cameron had inherited from her mother, it was her impeccable fashion sense.
"Mommy, my braids hurt," Cam complained, pulling at her hair. "Take 'em out?"
"Here." Addison bent over her daughter and loosened the braids. "Better?"
Cam nodded.
"Okay." Addison smiled and grabbed Jaime's hand. "Let's rock and roll."
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"You ready for this?" Meredith asked as she put a Kleenex under her son's nose. "Blow."
"They seem like good kids," Mark said, shrugging. "Cam is probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen in my life and Jaime looks exactly like I did when I was his age."
"So that's why that picture of you and Derek's mother just magically appeared on the mantel?" Meredith asked knowingly. She threw the dirty Kleenex into the garbage can and gave Danny a pat on the butt to let him know he could go. "Guilt trip?"
"I happen to like that picture," Mark said matter-of-factly. "It brings back pleasant memories."
"Right," Meredith snorted. "Twins huh?"
Mark nodded slowly and took a sip of his beer. "Yep."
"I always knew you had it in you." Meredith grinned and sat back in her chair. "Alex and Izzie just pulled up."
"Great." Mark rolled his eyes. "Did they bring Lindsey?"
Meredith craned her neck. "Looks like it."
"Well at least Cam will have someone to play with," Mark said off-handedly.
"Aw," Meredith gushed. "You are too cute."
"What?"
"You've known this kid for five minutes and you're already worried about her welfare." Meredith shook her head, chuckling. "So cute."
"They're cute kids." Mark finished his beer and threw it in the trash just as Alex, Izzie, and Lindsey wandered into the kitchen. He waived in the general direction of the backyard. "Derek, George, and Callie are in the backyard with the kids. Burke's riding in with Bailey and Tuck." He waited until Izzie and Lindsey had stepped outside before adding, "Addison should be here soon."
Alex stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. "Huh?"
"Addison and the twins will be here soon," Mark said slowly, patronizingly. Although he was able to tolerate Alex in a work setting, he still blamed him for Addison's sudden departure almost six years before. He waived him on, "You can go now."
Alex narrowed his eyes but walked into the backyard anyway.
"You still hate him, don't you?" Meredith asked, her eyes following after Alex.
"Hate's an awfully strong word Meredith," Mark told her. "But I dislike him and would laugh extremely hard if he slipped on a patch of ice and busted his ass."
"Well she's back," Meredith said softly. "And I think you have more to worry about now than an old grudge against Alex Karev. Two things to worry about actually." She spotted Addison, Jaime, and Cam tumble out of their car. "Two things that happen to be walking up your sidewalk at this precise moment."
The affect was just as she desired. Mark nearly choked on his newly acquired beer before knocking his knee against the table as he jumped to his feet. He looked over at her nervously.
"Would you like me to get the door?" Meredith asked just as the doorbell rang.
Mark nodded.
"I'll be back," Meredith said, rolling her eyes, as she made her way to the front door. She plastered a smile on her face and swung back the door. "Addison, it's good to see you again."
"Meredith," Addison said uneasily.
Meredith could feel the nervousness radiating off her.
"This is Jaime," Addison gestured to the little boy on her left, "and Cam."
"Aw, Mark was right." Meredith smiled down at the kids. "They are adorable. Hi guys, I'm Meredith. It's nice to meet you."
"You too," Jaime said happily while Cam grabbed her mother's jeans shyly. "I was pwomised chicken fingas."
"You were?" Meredith asked and pulled the door open farther so they could enter the house. "Well let's go get you some."
Jaime grinned and followed Meredith through the hall and into the kitchen. He caught Mark pacing and waived. "Hi."
"Hi Jaime," Mark said softly and smiled. "Guess what I got for you."
"Chicken?" Jaime's eyes lit up. "Where?"
"It's outside," Mark said and gestured to the backyard. "You want me to go get some with you?"
"How about I go with you?" Meredith interrupted. "I want to introduce you to my little boy Danny anyway."
"Yeah?" Jaime looked back at his mother. "Momma, can I go with Madif?"
"Sure baby."
Jaime looked up at Meredith. "We can go now."
"Oh, okay." Meredith nodded and led him outside.
"Hey there Cam," Mark said after a few moments. "Your hair looks very pretty."
"My mommy did it," Cam said excitedly.
"Addison, I didn't know you could french-braid," Mark teased.
"Mark, I didn't know you knew what a french-braid was," Addison retorted, smiling.
Cam looked from Mark to her mother and back again. "Mr. Mark, I drawed you something."
"Yeah?" Mark raised his eyebrows and squatted down as Cam pulled out a piece of paper from her purse and wandered over to show him. "You already showed me this picture."
"But I fixed it," Cam said, pointing to a stick figure that had not previously been on the paper. "Jaime's still over there cause he took my Barbie, but look."
"Who's that?" Mark asked.
"You, silly," Cam giggled. "See the sefscope?"
Mark had never really believed that he could ever be at a loss for words, but at that point he most definitely was. All he could manage was a soft "wow."
"I told you I was a good drawer," Cam said happily. "You can put it on the fidge. That's what Mommy does."
"You know what?" Mark smiled, having finally regained the power of speech. "I think it's so beautiful I'll frame it."
Cam's eyes widened. "Okay."
"Cam, honey," Addison interrupted. "Why don't you go play outside for a little while. I think I saw a little girl about your age out there."
"Kay Mommy." She turned back to Mark. "You'll come play wiff me later, right?"
Mark tapped her nose. "I wouldn't pass it up for the world, kid." He waited for her to leave before raising back to his feet and gesturing for Addison to take a seat across from him. "So..."
"There's a few kids out there." Addison nodded out the window. "Who's who's?"
"Derek and Meredith have Danny and Ella; three and six months," Mark told her. "Callie and George's kid is two. His name is Jake. The one you're referring to is Lindsey Karev. She turned four about a month ago."
Addison nodded. "I guess everyone's got one now, huh?"
"They do now," Mark said, not taking his eyes away from Addison's. "I can't believe you kept them from me."
"I did what I felt was necessary at the time," Addison automatically defended herself. "And then it had gone on so long that I couldn't find the guts to tell you."
"How was keeping my children from me necessary?" Mark hissed. "I would have been there Addison. The whole time."
"I'm not talking about this here where anyone could just walk in," Addison said and got to her feet. "I may have to justify my actions to you Mark, but not to any of them."
"Fine." Mark stood too and led her upstairs to his bedroom. He shut the door with a click, turned around, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Talk."
"We were a mess Mark," Addison said softly. "Both of us. There was so much baggage it could have filled the entire lost department of JFK."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mark demanded.
"I didn't want them to be brought up in that type of setting," Addison told him. "They didn't deserve to have two screwed up parents. Besides, you and I both know that even at thirty-seven years of age neither of us were mature enough for kids."
"You thought I wasn't mature," Mark pointed out. "Or else history would have repeated itself."
Addison sighed. "We couldn't even last sixty days Mar-"
"You couldn't last sixty days," Mark spat, his finger pointed at her accusingly. "You're the one who broke the pact. Not me."
"You said-"
"I lied." He was seething. "I saw you and Karev. I saw it and I knew I had to let you go or else I'd lose you forever. If I'd known you were pregnant... I couldn't even look at another woman for months, Addison."
"I'm sorry Mark. If I'd known..." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"When are you going back to LA?" Mark asked.
"We're inducing Yang on Tuesday." Addison looked at him curiously. "Why?"
"Burke has given me permission to have the rest of the weekend off for personal reasons," Mark told her. "I plan to spend every second of it making up for lost time."
"Mark, I don't think-"
"I'm their father," Mark hissed. "It's about damn time you remember that."
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Addison watched nervously as Mark waltzed over to where Jaime was sitting and plopped down on the grass next to him. Jaime automatically began bombarding him with random thoughts. Instead of him looking uncomfortable, like Addison had fully expected, Mark seemed happy to let Jaime babble.
"He seems to be doing pretty well."
Addison jumped. "Oh hell, Derek. You scared me."
"Sorry."
"Eh." She shrugged.
"He is though," Derek told her. He reached over and flipped the burgers. "I mean, I never thought Mark Sloan would be good with kids, but... All of them adore him."
"Seems like it," Addison said quietly as Cam and Lindsey approached him.
"He's like the cool uncle that every kid wants," Derek said fondly. "Cam seems quite taken with him."
"She's already getting attached." Addison sighed. "So, when did you and Mark get so close again?"
Derek shrugged. "We kind of bonded after you left. I was in a mild state of shock and he was a complete mess."
"Really?" Addison raised an eyebrow. "He said he didn't look at another woman for months."
"He didn't," Derek told her. "He said that he'd been in love with you since the first day he met you and I believed him. Hell, I kind of felt bad that I came between that."
Addison chewed her bottom lip.
"Give him a chance Ad," Derek said softly. "You'd be surprised what he can do."
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"Wanna play soccer?" Jaime asked after a while. "I love soccer."
"Do you?" Mark asked as Cam climbed into his lap. "I played baseball when I was in school."
"I like baseball," Jaime nodded. "But I like to kick things too."
"So I've noticed," Mark said fondly, thinking back to that afternoon. "I liked to kick things when I was a kid too."
"You did?" Cam twisted up to look at him.
"Don't all kids?" Mark asked.
"Yeah." Lindsey giggled. "My daddy says is good ta kick things. Gets out fustaton."
"Frustration?"
"Yeah."
"So soccer?" Mark asked. "I'm not sure if we have a ball to use."
"I have one in the car," Jaime exclaimed. "I'll go get it if you pwomise to be on my team."
"I promise," Mark said, crossing his heart with his finger. "You go get the ball and we'll sort out the teams. How does that sound?"
Jaime nodded excitedly and ran to Addison. "Momma, we're gonna play soccer. Can I get the ball?"
"Sure sweetie." Addison glanced back at Derek before pulling Jaime into her arms. "How about I go with you?"
"Okay," Jaime said as Addison excused herself and wandered out the back gate and around the house.
"Jaime?"
"Yeah?"
"I need to ask you a question," Addison said and pulled open the car door. She sat Jaime on the edge of the seat and kneeled down in front of him. "Do you like Mark?"
"Mr. Mark?"
"I don't think he'll mind if you call him Mark," Addison told him. "But yeah. Do you like him?"
"Yeah." Jaime shrugged. "He's nice and he bought me chicken. And he likes to kick things."
"A very important quality," Addison said. "So you wouldn't mind spending some time with him this weekend? Maybe go to the park or to dinner or something?"
"No." Jaime shook his head. "It'd be fun."
"Okay." Addison smiled and ruffled his curly blonde hair. "Let's get back."
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A few minutes later Jaime bust through the gates with the soccer ball held high over his head. "I got it!"
"Good," Mark yelled back as Jaime wiggled ut of Addison's arms and ran to him. "And we've got teams. You're with me, Burke, and Cam, okay?"
Jaime nodded.
"The other team is Karev, Lindsay, Tuck and Derek," Mark told him. "Got it?"
Jaime nodded again.
The game was slow-moving and after fifteen minutes Derek was paged to the hospital. The players dispersed shortly afterwards to get drinks and have a bite to eat. After dinner was done over and everyone settled around the table to swap stories and relax. After a few hours people began filtering out of the house until Addison, Mark, and the twins were the only ones left.
"Are you the only one dat lives here?" Cam asked after she'd wandered around the house for a while.
"Yep," Mark told her. "I bought it about five years ago."
"Is so big for one person," Cam told him and climbed up onto the couch next to him. "More people could fit."
"Yes they could," Mark agreed. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you three stay here this weekend?"
Cam and Jaime automatically looked to their mother. "Can we?" "Please, Momma!"
"Guys, I don't know." Addison glared at Mark. "All of our stuff is still at the hotel."
"So go get it," Jaime said matter-of-factly. "We can stay here."
"I don't think-"
Mark, Cam, and Jaime all opened their mouths at the same time, "Please?"
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"Pancakes," Mark said proudly and slapped the plate of pancakes down in the middle of the table. "They like pancakes?"
"Love 'em," Addison said. "They just love Disney Channel more."
"Oh." Mark nodded. He pulled a pancake onto a plate and handed it to Addison. "So what are we doing today?"
"Oh no, Mister." Addison put her hands up. "That's all up to you."
"But I don't even know what they like to do," Mark said. "It looks like they'd rather watch cartoons all day than go anywhere."
"Television is one of their favorite pastimes." Addison took a sip of what she thought was coffee and sputtered. "What the hell is that?"
"Juju," Mark said simply. "I figured we might need it this weekend."
Addison chuckled. "We could go to the park."
"We could do that," Mark agreed. "Ooh, we can take a picnic lunch."
"They'd love that."
"So tell me about them." Mark stuffed half a pancake in his mouth at once.
"What do you want to know?" Addison asked.
"What do they like to do?" Mark shrugged. "When's their birthday? Favorite colors? Favorite food? What's their personalities? I wanna know everything."
"Okay." Addison nodded. "Their birthday is September second and they'll be five. Jaime loves soccer and the Yankees for some reason." She rolled her eyes. "He could eat chicken fingers every day and be happy as you already know. His favorite color is green and he likes the slide at the park. Cam loves to color and she wants to be a surgeon like her mom. She likes macaroni and cheese, and pink, and the swings."
"Good to know."
"Jaime is four minutes older than Cam and takes his responsibility as big brother very seriously-"
"Which is why he tried to kick me yesterday." Mark laughed.
"Exactly." Addison nodded. "He's a little ADD and pretty spacey and can talk for hours about nothing if you let him. Cam, on the other hand, has focus and drive like nothing I've ever seen before and can sit quietly in a corner and draw forever."
"Sounds like us," Mark said. "You know, I always thought our kids would have red hair like you."
"You've thought about us having kids?" Addison sat back in her chair and eyed him skeptically. "I never knew that."
"I've been in love with you for twenty years," Mark told her. "I wanted to settle down with you and marry you and have lots of kids."
"Why didn't you ever tell me that?"
"I picked up and moved across the country for you Addison." Mark shook his head. "I would think that would have been enough."
"It should have been,"Addison said softly. "Really, it should have. But I was so confused then. I had no idea what I wanted."
Mark rubbed his eyes. "I'm never going to forgive you for this Addison. Never."
"I don't expect you to-"
"But I'm not going to hate you anymore either," Mark told her. "I won't let our issues get in the way of my relationship with them. I thought about it all night and I want you to move here or I'm moving to LA. I want to be near them and if I have to move I will."
"I think you may be jumping into this a little fast," Addison said calmly. "I don't want to rush this with them. You need to be one-hundred percent ready for this before we make any decisions. I'm not telling them you're their dad if you have any doubts. Got it?"
"I don't have any-"
"Just give it the weekend Mark." She sat forward. "If you still want this on Tuesday we'll tell them. Okay?"
Mark nodded. "Okay."
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While Cam and Jamie were going through their rather large DVD collection, Mark and Addison were stretched out on the two couches anxiously awaiting a verdict. The kids had been arguing for five minutes already between Sleeping Beauty and Garfield and didn't seem likely to reach a decision any time soon.
"How about we watch Sleeping Beauty tonight and Garfield tomorrow," Addison suggested.
"We always get to watch her movie," Jaime complained. "Please Momma?"
"We could let Mark decide," Addison said, looking up to Mark. She gently pulled the DVDs from the children and handed the case to Mark. "Come on big guy, make a choice."
"Um." Mark really had no idea what to watch. "Cars?"
Two sets of blue eyes lit up. At the same time they cried, "Yeah, Cars!"
"It's kinda freaky when they do that," Mark murmured to Addison. "Say the same thing."
"A little The Shining, right?" Addison chuckled. "You start to get used to it after a while."
Mark shrugged and watched Cam expertly manoeuver the DVD player. After she'd loaded the DVD she turned to Addison and climbed into her mother's lap while Jaime demanded Mark move backwards so he could snuggle next to him. The whole scene was somewhat surreal to both Mark and Addison who, for years, had each dreamt of this exact scenario.
"So what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Mark asked after a while. "The park again?"
Jaime shook his head. "Bowling."
"Bowling?" Mark asked.
Cam nodded. "And golf."
"Golf?" Addison ran her hand through Cam's hair.
"Yes," the twins said.
"Bowling and golf it is," Mark said with finality. "Maybe we could do the go-carts."
"Cool." Jamie turned his face towards Mark. "Can I drive?"
"Sure," Mark said, slightly unsure. "I think."
"As long as we ride with them they can 'drive,'" Addison said, using her fingers as air-quotes. "That'll be a fun day."
"Uh huh," Jamie said softly and yawned.
"Guys," Addison gently shook Cam's shoulder. "The movie hasn't even started yet."
"Tired." Cam's eyes drooped shut.
"Let's take them upstairs," Addison said and pushed herself carefully off the couch.
Once on her feet she scooped Cam into her arms and watched as Mark did the same with Jamie. When Jamie and Cam had been tucked into bed and kisses were given by both Addison and Mark, the adults wandered back into the living room.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" Mark asked and headed into the kitchen. "Noir?"
"I'd love some." Addison sat down on the couch and sighed.
"The park was fun today," Mark said as he handed her a glass and plopped down on the couch next to her. "My arm's still hurt from pushing Cam on the swings."
"They're muscles you never use," Addison said, nodding. "Swing pushing muscles, that is."
"Ah." Mark took a sip of wine. "I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I'm at the gym."
"That's probably a good idea."
"Probably."
"This is good wine."
"It's your favorite."
"Oh?"
"I bought it after I invited you to the barbecue."
"Oh." Addison took a sip. "You know, I never thought you'd be the barbecuing type."
"I know." Mark smiled sadly at her. "But everyone else is busy at the hospital and then they come home and have to take care of the kids... I'm the confirmed bachelor. I'm busy at the hospital and come home to nothing. It's easier for me to have things at my place."
"Not anymore," Addison said. "Now you'll have kids to worry about too."
Mark flashed her genuine smile. "You know what? You're right. Now we have to rotate."
"So why'd you buy this big place for just yourself?" Addison asked.
"To be honest, I just wanted out of that stupid hotel and this was the first place I looked at." Mark chuckled. "Derek thought I'd gone crazy."
"Oh come on," Addison tapped his leg with her foot, "I've always thought you were crazy."
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"So how are things going?" Callie asked Addison the next day at the hospital.
Christina had gone into labor that morning and Addison had been called in to the hospital to deliver the baby four days earlier than planned. The surgery went well though, and the Burke's had a relatively healthy little girl to call their own.
"Good actually," Addison told her and sat down at the picnic table. "I need to get back to LA though. One of my patients is having pretty severe Braxton Hicks so..."
"When are you leaving?" Callie asked.
"Tomorrow morning," Addison answered. "The kids will be broken-hearted to leave Mark. They've already connected with him so much. I mean, it's only been two days."
"He's their dad and, whether they know it or not, there's an unbreakable connection," Callie said with a shrug. "It's like intuition."
"I guess." Addison took a deep breath. "I think we need to tell them tonight."
"Golf, bowling, go-karts, and a dad all in one day," Callie joked. "Sounds like a busy day."
"Shut up." Addison bumped her playfully with her shoulder. "I'm glad you're here though. I think I would have gone crazy by now if you hadn't picked up every time I called you from the bathroom."
"That's what friends are for," Callie said. "You didn't tell him that I knew, did you?"
"Nope." Addison shook her head. "I think that's one thing that we can leave out."
"Good." Callie studied Addison for a moment before asking, "So do you still have feelings for him?"
"None kid related?"
She nodded.
"Maybe a little." Addison sighed. "I still think about him constantly."
"Well you do have two little reminders of him that you have to deal with every day," Callie pointed out. "Do you still care about him?"
"You would think five and half years without him would dampen my feelings somewhat, wouldn't you?" Addison shook her head. "It hasn't though."
"You two have too much history to just forget about each other," Callie said. "You know what?"
"What?"
"I think you should move back up here."
"You do, huh?"
"Yep."
Addison sighed. "I might think so too."
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"And then Mark hit the ball so hard it flew over the fence and hit a car." Cam giggled. "Was so funny."
"Sounds like it." Addison smiled and pulled Cam into her arms. "What about you, Jaime? Did you have a good time?"
"Yep," he said excitedly. "Mark let me drive the go-kart and we went so fast."
"Wow." Addison bent over and kissed his forehead. "I'm glad you had fun."
"We did," Cam said, nodding. "Mommy, can Mark come home wiff us?"
"You know what? I actually need to talk to you about that." Addison put Cam down. "But I need to talk to him first. So why don't you two go play outside for a little while?"
The kids nodded and quickly took off for the backyard while Addison waited in the living room for Mark to return from his shower. She had gone through a whole glass of wine before he'd sauntered into the living room and was taking a sip from her second.
"So how's Baby Burke?" Mark asked. He took the glass of wine from Addison, sipped it, and handed it back before collapsing onto the couch next to her. "She come through it okay?"
"They did great," Addison told him. "Lily is a little on the small side but she'll pull through just fine. And Yang is already trying to get out of bed and back to her patients."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
"Um, I have a patient in LA that I really need to get back to," Addison said quickly. "We're going back tomorrow morning."
Mark just looked at her, stunned. "But..."
"I want you to come with us for a few days," Addison added. "And I think that we should tell them tonight."
"Um," Mark took the glass of wine from Addison and downed it in one gulp, "okay."
"But only if you want."
"No, I think we should." Mark nodded. "I just... You just sprang this on me a little suddenly."
Addison frowned. "I'm sorry."
'No, it's fine." Mark bit pursed his lips. "You want me to go get them?"
"Yeah."
Mark nodded and slowly got to his feet. He called for Cam an Jaime to come inside and then wandered back into the living room. After a few moments of pacing he sat down and waited for the twins to situate themselves on the floor.
"We need to talk to you two about something," Addison started. She glanced at Mark and then focused back on Cam and Jaime. "This is really important so you have to pay attention, okay?"
They nodded.
"Cam, remember the other day when you drew that picture of the four of us?" Addison asked.
"Yes."
"Remember when we were putting it in the frame and you told Mark that he was like the daddy in the picture? Well he's not just like the daddy. He is the daddy." Addison watched them for a reaction. "Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
Cam seemed to be working it out but Jaime looked more interested in the carpet than what they were trying to tell him.
"Guys, I'm your dad," Mark said slowly.
"But I..." Cam looked completely confused. "I thought we didn't have a daddy."
"You do baby," Addison said. "He just didn't know about you until this weekend."
"Oh." Cam seemed to be letting this new information. Her forehead wrinkled in concentration. She slowly said "Daddy" and let the word roll around her tongue. After a few moments she looked up at Mark. "So can I call you Daddy instead of Mark?"
"Nothing would make me more happy," Mark told her softly and pulled Cam into a tight hug. After a moment he looked down at Jaime and frowned. "You okay Jaime?"
"Um, I know Momma told me to pay tension," Jaime said slowly, guiltily, "but I kinda forgot to."
Both Addison and Mark burst into laughter.
"Mr. Mark is our daddy," Cam said, rolling her eyes at Jaime. "We get to keep him."
Jaime giggled. "Cool!"
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(one year later)
"It was a beautiful ceremony," Callie told Addison. "And the kids looked absolutely adorable."
"I know." Addison pointed to the middle of the dance floor and chuckled. Mark had Cam on his toes as they danced around the reception hall. "I hope the photographer gets a shot of that."
"And that," Callie said nodding at Jaime and Lindsey dancing together beside one of the tables. "That tux is just... There really aren't words."
"Seriously."
"So Addison Montgomery-Sloan," Callie grinned at her friend, "how's life?"
Addison watched as Mark scooped Cam into his arms and Jaime ran up to them. She smiled and said, "It's pretty perfect Callie. Pretty perfect."
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