Okay. Yes, I am supposed to be working on Half Love but this is what happens when I get writers block. I start something else. This isn't going to be super long, but I wanted to post it to see what y'all thought. And I promise, I am working on Half Love.

Destination: Almost Perfect

"Into The Fire"

Come on, come on
Put your hands into the fire
Explain, explain
As I turn and meet the power
This time, This time
Turning white and senses dire
Pull up, pull up
From one extreme to another –
"Into The Fire"
By Thirteen Senses

Richard Webber set the stack of charts on the floor and sighed. In three weeks he would be announcing who would be taking over for him as Chief, and he was starting to get tired of the pestering. He knew he was going to make the right decision; he just wasn't sure how the others were going to feel. As Richard leaned back in his chair, a soft knock came at the door, and he looked up to see a young woman standing in his doorway.

"Well. I'm a little surprised." He said, standing.

"Why is that?" She asked, giving him a hug.

"I figured that I would see you a little sooner."

The girl shrugged. "I've been busy. I tried to get out here sooner, but the soccer season just finished."

Richard nodded. "Right. I forgot. You know all the details, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I know all of it." She took a deep breath. "Are they here?"

"Of course they are. He's in surgery, and she's...either asleep in one of the on-call rooms, or watching him." Richard shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. OR1 is to your right."

"Thanks." She left the room and Richard poked his head out the door.

"Kalen?" She turned. "I'm glad you're here. They'll be glad you're here."

Kalen sighed. "I certainly hope so."

Meredith Grey sat and watched her former love operate with a heavy feeling. She still hadn't told him about Finn. She didn't feel like she had to, but then again, he was trying to be her friend. Meredith jumped as she saw someone else come in to the room out of the corner of her eye. It was two in the morning, and she was the only intern on call. Another person was highly unexpected.

"Can I help you?" She asked, noticing that the person was a girl of about 20.

"I'm actually looking for Addison Shepherd." The girl said, looking down in to the OR and watching Derek intently. "I was told she might be in here."

"She left to get coffee twenty minutes ago."

The girl laughed. "Classic. She got distracted." The girl took a deep breath and stuck her hand out. "I'm Kalen."

"Meredith." Though Kalen shook her hand, Meredith could feel the sudden tension. "Let me guess. You know who I am."

Kalen looked down. "I'm sorry. I'm not a snap judgment kind of a person, but..."

Meredith shrugged. "It's okay. If you're a friend of Addisons, you're entitled to hate me."

Kalen laughed. "Like I said, I'm not a snap judgment kind of a person. I don't hate people." She sighed, glancing down in to the OR. "Where exactly would be the best place to find Addison?"

Meredith shrugged. "Uh...I'm not sure. I'll take you to the nearest on-call rooms, and if she's not there we can page her. There aren't any surgeries scheduled until 8 am, so she's probably not doing anything." Kalen nodded and followed Meredith out of the room. They hadn't even made it down the hall when they saw Addison leaning against the front desk, flipping through charts.

"I think I can take it from here." Kalen said, smiling. "Thank you though." Meredith nodded. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too." Meredith headed back down the hall towards the OR, only to run in to Derek.

"Hey."

"Hey." Meredith followed him in to the scrub room, waited for him to wash, and then popped the question. "Who's Kalen?"

Kalen slid off her heels in order to sneak up on Addison, but was stopped by a call from the other end of the hall.

"K?" Addisons head jolted up just as Kalen turned around, smiling at the sound of Derek's voice.

"Hi."

Derek made his way down the hall at a fast pace, reaching Kalen before Addison had even moved. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, it worked. Nice timing too."

Kalen laughed. "That was because I had my last soccer game at 2:00 yesterday. I took the crap flight."

Derek laughed. "Well I'm glad you did." Derek pulled her in to a hug and she relaxed in his arms.

"Do you know how long its been?" She asked, tears in her eyes as she stepped back.

"Too long. I'm sorry."

"And you..." Kalen swung around. "What, now you freeze when I walk in to the hospital?"

Addison shook her head, a grin on her face. "No. I was giving the two of you time."

Kalen laughed. "Screw time. I came to see both of you." Addison pulled Kalen in to a hug only to have Kalen burst in to tears.

"Hey, hey..." Addison stepped back. "What is this? You don't cry..."

"I missed you." Kalen whispered. "God, I missed you."

Addison felt tears come to her eyes. "I missed you too. You know I wouldn't have left if..."

"No, no, I know..." Kalen looked down the hall. "Can we...?"

"Yes." Derek said, ushering the two women in to the on-call room. "I forgot she was there."

"Who?" Kalen asked, confused. "Oh...no, I just didn't want to be in the middle of the hall. She doesn't even know who I am anyway..."

"It's not like we were hiding you..." Derek said, looking down.

"Oh, God...Dad, I know. That's not what I meant. I...forget it." Kalen leaned against the door. "I just hate being in the middle of hospital halls. You know that."

"Kalen, are you okay?" Addison asked, sitting down on the bottom bunk.

"Physically? Yes. Emotionally? Not so much." Kalen sat down next to Addison. "I miss my parents." Kalen laughed. "Never thought I would say that."

Addison laughed. "Me neither."

Derek stepped out in to the hallway, leaving his wife and daughter to talk. As much as Kalen loved him, she was much closer to Addison. Rightfully so.

"She's your daughter?" Meredith asked, stepping away from the desk. "If we had stayed together, would you have told me?"

"Of course I would have, but...Kalen is twenty years old. And she's not biologically my daughter. When Addison and I met our sophomore year of college, K was 7 months old. The guy had bailed on Addison, but she wanted to raise her own child. I didn't adopt K until right before med school, when Addison and I got engaged." Derek looked down. "She and Addison are closer than close."

"I figured as much. She stiffened when I told her my name."

Derek looked shocked. "Really? That's not really like Kalen...although considering the circumstances..." Meredith nodded, cringing, and then half-smiled as Kalen came out of the on-call room.

"Dad? Oh...sorry...I didn't mean to interrupt..."

"You didn't." Derek said, throwing a smile at Meredith and then turning back to Kalen. "What's up Button?"

"Uh...I was looking for coffee..."

"Yeah, come on. I'll take you." Derek led her down the hall, leaving Meredith standing in the middle of the hall, still a little shocked.

"So. Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Derek asked, filling Kalen's coffee cup from the machine.

"Dad..."

"K, you're at Ithaca on scholarship..."

"One, it's a soccer scholarship, and I finished out the season and talked to my coach before coming here, and two, if they take away the scholarship, it's not like we can't afford to pay for it."

"Kalen!"

"What? Do you not want me here?"

"K..."

"Dad, I came here because Mom needs me. You're still making googly eyes at Meredith Grey, and she's dying. She told me not to come, but I can't sit in New York and know that my Mom is emotionally dying. Not going to happen. Screw Ithaca."

Derek sighed. "Kalen, I love your mother. You know that."

"Does she know that?" Derek looked down. "I'm only going to be here for a few days, but I needed my Mommy...and she needed me. You can either deal with it or you can't, but I'm here. And that's it." Kalen left the room, heading back towards the on-call room, and Derek let out a deep sigh. Sometimes that girl was just like her mother.

So? Any thoughts? Like? Don't like?

Mel.