Author's Note: Ugh, so I know...this should have been up a few weeks ago. But I started writing in the day before Valentine's, and something about it just didn't mesh. I was going through documents tonight and found it again. I decided to rework a few things, and this is what happened. Addison and Pete. Valentine's Day. A little hint of fluff, but it really isn't too much.
We've gotta wait until fall to see PrP, something has to hold us over, right? So yeah, accept this for what it is...Reviews are welcome too, so don't be shy.;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Private Practice, and if I did, we'd be coming back soon, not later. I don't own Pete Wilder, either...which is sad enough to admit. But then to go and admit that that amazingness that is Addison Montgomery isn't mine either, well that just sucks. Hehe...
The clouds hung lightly overhead as Addison made her way into the Oceanside Wellness center. Waving to Dell, then asking if Naomi or anyone else had arrived, she walked into the room that she'd begun to call her office. A satisfactory smile crossed her face at that thought, because while she'd been working at Oceanside for months, she'd only recently had enough time to decorate and design a room that truly felt like home. She set her purse down on her desk with the intention of heading into the break room for coffee when something on her desk caught her eye.
A small envelope. It was no bigger than regular letter size, and had her name not been scrawled with care across the front, it probably wouldn't have caught her attention in the midst of files, pictures and pens that littered her desktop. Frowning curiously, Addison sat down in her chair, unable to stop the wave of curiousity that overcame her. She felt giddy, but mentally scolded herself for ever thinking such a thing. Whatever it was, and whoever it was from, were currently being hidden from her view. Choosing to end her battle with whether or not she'd open it, Addison grabbed a nail file from her purse, and tore the top open. What she pulled out was a single sheet of notebook paper, and whoever it was that had placed it there had clearly taken a great deal of thought. After unfolding the letter, Addison fixed her gaze, all the while trying to figure out who it could have possibly been from.
Addison,
I guess by the time you read this you will already have had plans set and made for tonight, so in the end it won't really matter. It already doesn't matter, because you don't know me. Well, not really, anyway. A part of me...a small part, but still big enough to be given a chance.
I'm a jerk, I know. You don't have to tell me twice, just as I don't have to tell you that what you deserve is someone who makes you happy. Someone who makes you equally frustrated and content at the same time. What you need is someone who isn't already damaged and scary and equally as scarred. I'm the type of person that should come with a warning label, or at the least a disclaimer. And don't laugh, because I can practically see it from here-
Alarmed, Addison quickly jerked her head up, curious to see if anyone might have been watching her. Not surprised, but somehow disappointed, she continued to read.
No, not literally, Addison. I'm talking fictionally. Because like it or not, I know you. Granted, not as well as I might like to, but enough to know that you appreciate what today is supposed to be. Valentine's Day...it isn't just for selling candy, or leaving flower shops severely understocked. I bet that when you were younger and in school, you were the one who always broke out the little heart stickers and decorated those little bags everyone put valentine cards in. Even if you didn't like someone, you still gave them a card. Heck, knowing you, you probably made them all.
Anyway, I guess that really isn't the point. In fact, if I'm being honest here, I'm not sure of the point. The only thing I know is that when I had a chance, I screwed it up. Royally. So if you wanna hate me, I wouldn't blame you. But before you do, if you haven't already formed your view of who I am, I'd like to think that I still have some sort of chance. Pretty stupid, huh?
So I'll let you get to work then. I know you've got more important things to do. I just figured maybe you'd like the thought that someone was thinking of you today. Happy Valentine's Day, Addison.
Oh...and by the way, I don't know you well enough to know whether you're a dark or milk chocolate kind of person. So go ahead..check your desk drawer.
Addison set the letter down, both equally confused and curious. Opening her drawer, she saw a Whitman's sampler box, and couldn't help but laugh. Whoever it was that had written her the note had also given her chocolate, but didn't do the stereotypical by adding roses. She was laughing again when there was a knock at the door.
"Hot Cop got you chocolate? I was under the impression that you two were over." Naomi said as she walked into the room.
Nodding, Addison slowly took the lid off of the box. "We have been. We...it was never going to work out between us. We broke up a few weeks ago."
Naomi crossed her arms, not looking convinced.
"What? I'm telling the truth." Addison replied, feeling defensive as she was caught under her friend's stare.
"Oh, I don't doubt that. What I'm wondering is why you didn't tell me you were already seeing someone else." Naomi said as she sat in the chair across from her.
"If I were, I would have told you. Now-" Addison said as she stood up. "-I've got a case with Pete. Holistic birth plan and all. Are we still on for lunch?"
"Don't think I'm going to just let the mystery man you've got now drop. But, Sam asked me yesterday about doing some sort of "unofficial date". If it's-"
Addison waved a hand at her as a signal that she could stop. "It's fine, Nae. I'll just grab something from the deli." She stood up and offered a hug, and after she pulled back, she saw Pete standing in the doorway. "Are we ready to go?"
"I've got everything I'll need. You'll need to brief her on everything on your end of course, but-" Pete paused as he spotted the box. He smiled as he crossed then uncrossed his arms, hoping that he'd done the right thing. He saw Naomi watching him, and knew that he had to get to work. "Lead the way." He said, gesturing for Addison to walk into the hall.
With help from Addison and Pete, a beautiful baby girl was born that morning. Her mother and father were standing by happily as Addison performed her examination, and took their child gratefully in their arms when it was finished.
Later that afternoon, Addison was preparing herself to head out for lunch when she heard another knock at her door. Looking up, she found herself smiling. "Hey."
Pete nodded before stuffing a hand in his pocket. "Hey." He said, and upon seeing the purse that hung from her shoulder, felt his hope begin to deflate. "Oh, you were already heading out. I'll just-"
"No, I was...I mean, I was heading to lunch. Is there something you need?" Addison asked.
He shrugged. "I just came by to thank you for your help earlier. I know that in the past you've been a little reluctant to assist in my methods, but...thank you." He said. Studying her, Pete could tell that something was bothering Addison. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. You're welcome, I guess." Addison replied before readjusting her purse strap. "Hey, Pete?" She called before he walked away. She eyed the box of chocolates that sat atop her desk, and began to feel the cuiousity eating away at her again. "Did you see anyone come to my office this morning?"
"Before you were here? No, I didn't." Pete said, knowing full well what she'd meant. He watched her, and hoped that what he'd done hadn't been a mistake. He wasn't a romantic guy, but knew that she was the type to appreciate gestures such as the one that he done for her. It was the least that he could do, but at the same time, it was the most.
"Oh." Addison's face fell. "Well, nevermind, then. Hey, if you aren't busy..." She felt ridiculous for even asking, because after everything that had happened between them, she knew that he'd say no. It was worth a shot though, she reasoned. Better than sitting in her office reading over a letter from someone that she probably didn't want to know. She'd broken up with the officer, and decided it was best at the moment to just be herself. It didn't stop her from wondering what could have happened had she not screwed everything up with Pete. "...I was going to lunch."
Pete raised an amused eyebrow as he hadn't expected her offer. He watched as she twitched in anxiety, and could tell she was more worried about it than he was. "You want me to go with you." He said, not wanting to take any unnecessary leaps.
Addison weighed the thought a moment, and wondered if it was something she truly wanted. They had forged an awkward kind of friendship due to working together, and at best, it was just two colleagues out to lunch. "Yeah. Would you?" Her voice sounded weak and unsure, but at his nod, her heart did a little leap.
Over lunch, Addison couldn't helo but notice how distracted Pete seemed. She tried talking, tried mentioning things she'd heard, or a movie she'd seen. He'd nod and say something in return, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
On the other hand, Pete was focusing harder than he should have. He was chastising himself, because he knew he should have been paying attention to what Addison was saying, but instead he found himself going over what he'd done that morning. Dell had been the only one to see him come in, but even then, still hadn't seen him enter her office. He'd actually gone back in to take the letter and chocolates out, considering the idea stupid, but then quickly put them back. She was going to find out sooner or later, and it was better if she heard it from him.
"If you didn't want to come, why'd you agree?" Addison asked, crossing her arms as she stared across the table at him.
Pete blinked before sending a look her way. "What are you talking about? I wanted to come. I was hungry."
Addison felt sad for some reason at what he said, because on some level, she thought it was because of her. True, what she'd invited him on wasn't a date. It didn't even fit the normal standards, despite the fact that it just so happened to fall on Valentine's Day. Addison's eyes fell to her plate as she again picked up her sandwhich. Her mind drifted back to the letter, and what it had said, and she found herself mentally crossing Pete's name off the list. What she felt next was something she couldn't quite define. Sad? Happy? Disappointed? "Come on." She said once they finished their food. "I guess we'd better get back."
Addison spent the rest of the day examining patients and checking up on emails. She wrote Callie back, feeling guilty for not writing her in so long. Every once in a while, her eyes would dart across her desk to the envelope that sat dauntingly there, and she'd quickly look away. She hadn't read it since that morning, but the words still seemed fresh in her mind. Who was this guy, and why had he written her?
In all of her years with Derek, he'd never written her a letter. He'd written her a note once tell her he'd be coming home from the hospital late, and one telling he they were out of milk. Mark himself had never written her anything, so the idea that a man had taken his time to write her a note seemed incredibly new to her.
Naomi came to tell her that she and Sam were leaving, and that Violet was in her office finishing up with a patient, but after that she and Cooper would be gone as well. Dell had already left, so other than she and Pete, the office was near empty. She laughed. Everyone seemed to have a date except her. Violet and Cooper had somehow managed to get it together enough to have a "non date" date for Valentine's Day, and Dell was probably off somewhere sulking over his loss of Naomi. Not that it mattered, because Addison was perfectly content with her sappy old movies and tub of ice cream. But somehow, she found herself wishing that something were different.
"What are you still doing here?" Pete asked from the doorway.
She looked up, clearly annoyed at having been interrupted. In truth, she was still a little put off by his attitude at lunch, but was trying not to show it. "I'm finishing up some paperwork. Why are you here?"
He shrugged with a light laugh. "Because somehow being here at this place seems better than going home."
She frowned, clearly not expecting the answer she'd gotten.
"Figured you'd be out with what's his name or something." Pete mused.
"Why is that?" Addison knew it was useless conversation, but if they stopped talking, she knew it would become unbearable.
"You just seem like the type who'd go out on a night like this. Valentine's Day and all." Pete said as he leaned against the wall of her office. He seemed to be challenging her, not coming any further but not backing away.
"Maybe, but I don't have to be. After I'm done here, I'm just heading home...you probably should, too." She replied, not looking up from the folder she was reading.
"You deserve to be happy, Addison. I just thought that you and...that guy-" Pete smirked, knowing that not calling him by name irritated her. "-figured that you two would be out having a good time. You seemed happy when you were with him."
Addison shifted uncomfortably in her chair. If there was anything she wanted to avoid, it was a relationship talk with Pete. Despite that, she could already feel it beginning. What he said clung to her mind, and it was then that it occured. A sudden synapse. You deserve to be happy. Her eyes narrowed as her mouth hung open. No. It couldn't be. Of all the people she'd ran through, he seemed like the least likely. They'd barely talked, and when they did, they argued. He couldn't have; the idea seemed irrational. "Pete?"
He looked up from the floor and saw her holding the envelope he sealed that morning. "Addison?"
She felt a nervous flutter as she held up the envelope, and found in that moment that she was wishing it was him. If it wasn't, she'd have a lot of explaining to do. "Did you write this?"
"What if I did?" Pete asked, his voice sounding wary.
"Pete..." Addison said, slowly setting it down. She stood, but remained behind her desk. "I don't understand how you could-"
"I don't either. Look, just take it for what it is. I know you enough to know that you would have been all mopey and depressed if no one got you anything today, so..." Pete said before returning to his inspection of her floor.
"Hey." Addison called, slowly walking around her desk. "Don't try to downgrade it. It was a nice gift."
"So you found the chocolate, then." Pete said, still not looking at her. "Look, Addison...I don't expect anything to change. I still think today is an overly commercialized holiday. If you love someone, you shouldn't just save it for one day. You should be able to tell them all of the time, not just wait to swarm the candy and flower shops in one day."
Addison laughed, and found that the anxiety she'd been feeling before had disappeared. She found herself staring at Pete, completely transfixed. Something about him made what she was feeling make sense, but at the same time, there was the slightest hint of fear. A question hung in her mind that begged to be asked. "You just assumed that I was that kind of girl?"
"Well, no. I just...it's something that I thought you'd like. As for what I wrote you, you don't have to worry about it. I know it was a lot to ask for in the first place, so if you wanna go back and pretend like it never happened, I can understand." Pete said, finaly looking up to see that Addison had moved from behind the safety of her desk.
What compelled Addison to do what she did next, she'd never be able to explain. But standing there with Pete in her office, she realized that if anything, he got her. He got that she was complicated, and that she appreciated holidays, and that she was the type who liked understated gestures. Yet as he was speaking, Addison could practically feel him recoiling, and she found herself not willing to let it happen. Taking the steps toward him, she placed her lips against his.
Surprised by her bold move, it took Pete a minute to react. When he did, one hand moved to settle against the small of her back while the other cupped the back of her head. It seemed so different, yet at the same time it felt real. He felt her slowly sliding her tongue, as if she were afraid to test the waters. Had they not been kissing, he would have smirked at her unsure behavior, but instead he took the intiative.
She felt a gasp escape, but get lost somewhere along the way and slowly turn into a moan. Her hands had suddenly taken on a life of their own as they were pinned against the wall. One had snaked its way up his chest, and rested against his shoulder while the other rested firmly against his cheek. Something about the way he was holding her, the way his hands felt, everything took on a little bit more meaning than when she'd kissed him before. The need for oxygen registered somewhere in her mind, and she reluctantly pulled back.
Pete sighed as he slowly let go of her. "I'd say wow, but that just seems cheesy."
Addison let out a laugh as her eyes met his. "Yeah, you're right. Listen um, I should...I mean, it's getting late."
"Right." Pete said, not wanting to pressure her, but at the same time feeling a little disappointed.
"And I should get home." Addison said, biting her tongue the minute she did.
"Uh-huh." Pete smirked. Addison was shy? "I'll see you later, Addison." He said, beginning to leave.
She remained frozen in her spot, but felt his name itching at the back of her throat. "Pete?"
He turned, eyes expectant, but his mind knowing otherwise. "Hmm?"
Addison's lips twitched into a smile as a wordless agreement was sent between them. Eventually, they'd get past whatever it was that ws blocking them. In that moment, she found herself wishing it wouldn't take too long. She shrugged before letting out a sigh. She nodded. "Thank you."
He wanted to say the kiss had been more than thanks enough, but knew that it was tacky. Knew that she deserved better, that they deserved better. Feeling that somehow, they'd reached a moving point, Pete nodded in return. "Anytime. Good night, Addison."