Against All Odds, a grey's anatomy fanfic

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Maddison story with Addek friendship. Time switching - Future fic Maddison and past Maddek. Review please.

Italics are flashback.

"Mommy, Daddy? Mommy?" Was all Addison could hear, pounding through her head. She could feel the flames licking her ankles, causing her to cry out in pain, but all she knew was her daughter's screaming cries.

"Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy!"

And then she tripped and fell, her hands out, jarring through her wrists as she hit the ground. The smoke was overpowering. She blacked out.

"So, Addie, did you speak to them yet?" Molly asked, and Sarah spun on her, eyes bright. They were walking side by side, home from town after a day of shopping and innocent girly fun.

"Who?"

"Don't pretend you don't know." Sarah said, with disgust. "Really, you have the two hottest seniors after you and you feign innocence?"

"They're not after me." Addison lied, and then burst into laughter. The joys of being sixteen years old. Mess guys up and giggle with your girlfriends after.

"Addie?" Molly probed. Molly was one of Addison Montgomery's newest friends. And she considered it an honour. Everyone knew Addison, along with Lucy Roberts, was acing biology, chemistry and physics, as well as English, maths and religious studies. And she was beautiful.

"Derek called." Addison stated blankly. "He asked me out."

Sarah squealed, "And you said yes, of course."

"I said I'll think about it."

"Addie-" Molly began, but Sarah interrupted.

"What's up?"

"Mark didn't call."

Sarah slung an arm loosely around her best friend's shoulders. "So you like Mark?"

Addison shook her head, then nodded, then shrugged.

"I just don't know."

Strong arms held her fast, but the moment she regained use of her limbs she started to struggle. When she opened her eyes she realised she was being carried to an ambulance by a paramedic, and what was her house an hour ago was not a burning inferno.

"Where's Katie?" she asked the paramedic, "Where's Mark?"

And she fought with all her might to get free, but then she was on a stretcher bed and the ambulance was speeding away.

"Where's Katie?" she demanded of the new, female, paramedic. "Where's my daughter?"

"She was inside one of the rooms. Your husband-"

"Mark."

"Pardon?"

"Mark. We're not married."

"Mark, went in for you and her. The firefighters tried to stop him, but he ran right through the flames, and when he came back, he was carrying you. Then he handed you over and he ran back inside. Then we drove."

Addison felt her heart sinking. She looked down at her left hand and the sapphire sparkling back at her jogged her memory. Last night she had had everything - a beautiful daughter and the man she loved - asking her to marry him. And a baby growing inside her.

Looking at the chart the woman was making - SEVERE TRAUMA GYNAE AND GASTRO - she realised that she might have lost all three.

"Addison! Where have you been?"

"I went to pick up Summer." she said, and her twelve year old sister poked her head around the doorway.

"Can you get some tea, Addison?"

She sighed. Then nodded, "Yes, Mom."

"Do pasta with bacon and mushrooms. Summer, grate some cheese."

"Yes Mommy." Summer lisped.

Addison shut the kitchen door and turned to the stove.

When her father got home about half an hour later, whilst Addison was frying the bacon, she heard them talking.

"Where are they?" her father asked, referring to his daughters.

"Summer's upstairs, watching TV, and Addison's in the kitchen - operating on the mushrooms."

There was a chuckle and then they started to talk in hushed voices. Then Addison's Mom opened the door. "Addison, honey, Summer's going to Nana's and your father's taking me out. Will you be ok?"

She nodded slowly.

When they left, they left Addison stood over her mushrooms, salt tears mixing with cheese sauce.

"Now you listen to me." she said to Bailey, who was wheeling her towards an OR, "You know full well I'm the best neonatal surgeon in the country, so you can just tell me what the hell is happening to my baby!"

"Addison-" Bailey began, but the other woman gripped her wrist hard. "We don't know. You're bleeding out, and the scans show that there might be a tear in the uterus."

"Shit." Addison swore. "Put me under local. I know what to do."

Bailey shook her head. "Not a chance, Addison. I know what to do, too. I'll go in, open the uterus, re-attach the placenta, perform the Bailey method and stitch you up. I've done it before. You've watched me do it before."

Addison couldn't argue with that.

"It sounds like a lost cause, Miranda." she said, "I wouldn't do it on anyone."

Miranda Bailey took her hand. "Addison, I don't know where your boyfriend is. I don't know where your daughter is. But I do know that I have a shot at saving your baby. So I will."

And with that, the anaesthetic was inside her, and blackness swallowed her.

"Hi, Addison. I wondered if you'd though about it yet."

"Yeah, I did."

"Well?"

"I'd love to go out with you, Derek. Course I would. When?"

"Tomorrow night? Mark and Hayley and you and me?" he cleared his throat, "Some movie?"

Hayley. Mark-and-Hayley. Addison-and-Derek.

"Ads?"

"Sure. Sounds...great."

"Good. I'll pick you up at seven thirty?"

"Seven thirty." she echoed, "Bye, Derek."

"Bye, Addison."

The movie was a chick flick Hayley - who was exactly how Addison had pictured: blonde, busty, without enough brain cells for complex sentences - had chosen. Addison hadn't really concentrated on the movie. They had sat in a row - Mark, Hayley, Addison, Derek. Mark's arm was around Hayley's shoulders. But the tips of his fingers just reached her shoulder. She couldn't breathe.

After the movie Hayley met up with some girl mates and went off to the club. Addison, Mark and Derek wound up at an ice cream cafe. Sandwiched between the two of them, it felt like they had been friends for years. Derek's shoulder touching hers, and her knee touching Mark's.

"I've got my entrance next week." Derek said gloomily, and Mark's head snapped up.

"Me too." he said darkly.

Addison looked between them. "For what?"

Mark gave an exasperated sigh. "For Harvard. Med School."

"But you're only 18."

"Ads, we're not actually gonna go until we're 21. But we've gotta get into pre-meds first. Think of it as like a waiting list. We get into pre-meds at college, we can hope for Harvard. If we don't, we may as well give up trying." Derek smiled.

"Oh." she sighed.

"What about you? What are you taking next year and the one after?" Derek asked.

"The sciences, english lit, maths, European history and religious studies."

Mark snorted, "Religious studies?"

"For medical ethics." Addison said dryly, "I want to do medicine, like you two."

For a while, they were friends. Addison and Derek and Mark. Two college freshman and the cute red headed school girl. But things were sometimes awkward. They would both offer to drive her home, and she would have to choose. Mark would start to talk about his latest girlfriend, and Derek would noticed Addison had paled.

Derek bought her a necklace for her seventeenth, Mark bought her some Oreos and invited her to a movie. Derek called her everyday, Mark never returned her texts. Derek made her laugh, but Mark made her heart beat faster.

It was coming up to her eighteenth birthday, and Prom, when Derek asked her to be his girlfriend. They were in a bar, and she could see Mark across the room, chatting up a barmaid in an insanely low top. And then his eyes met hers.

"Sure." she said, and kissed Derek right on the mouth.

They went out for a year, and everything was great. They saw less of Mark, but that was good because it would have been awkward - Addison-and-Derek, with Mark tagging along behind. But then the day came when they had to leave for Harvard without her.

"I'm gonna miss you, Ads." Derek said, and kissed her. "I'll call you when I get there."

"See you." she said, and he was gone.

That night, when he parents were out, a knock on the door startled her. Mark.

"I am very drunk," he said, "And probably won't remember anything tomorrow."

"Shouldn't you have left for Harvard?" she said, ushering him in the door.

"No. Derek just went early to visit Nancy up there. Don't have to be there til tomorrow night" He swayed on the spot, and she caught him by the shoulders.

"D'you wanna make out with me?" he asked, and she thought: finally. And then she let her lips touch his.

"Shit." Addison said when she opened her eyes. She was so lucky her parents and Summer had gone away for the weekend. Mark Sloan was naked in her bed. She slapped him.

"Mark! Get up!" she hissed as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. She slipped out of bed and wrapped her dressing gown around her. Mark got up and she handed him his pants and shirt.

"Addie?" he asked.

"Out!" she said, and she was almost hysterical. He clutched his head, obviously feeling the effects of the incredible amount of scotch he had drunk last night. He pulled his clothes on and so did she.

"Addie-"

"Don't speak to me!" she snapped, "Get out of my house, and don't come back!"

He grabbed her arms. She slapped him - hard.

"This didn't happen, you hear? Say nothing to Derek. This meant nothing. You were drunk. It meant nothing."

She was pushing him towards the door. He grabbed her face and kissed her hard.

"Nothing." he repeated, and then he was gone.

It was Bailey's face above her when she came round. The other woman was smiling.

"Yes?" Addison said, unable to bear the waiting.

"You have a very healthy, totally normal, completely uninjured baby inside you."

She let out a deep sigh. Bailey squeezed her hand tighter and Addison felt her heart skip a beat. "Mark? Katie?"

"Katie's got a bad head injury, Addison. She's in a coma. Derek reckons he can sort it - but they need parental consent before going in for a craniotomy."

She was chilled to the bone. "Mark?"

There was a tear running down Bailey's cheek. "He's in Intensive Care. He fell, and broke his back. And he's got really bad head trauma. At the moment all that's keeping him alive is a life support. He's... he's quite possibly...well..."

"Spit it out." Addison snapped, her knuckles white from clutching the bed rail.

"Brain-dead, Addie."

"Don't call me that!" she shouted, "Only Mark gets to call me that!" And then she started to sob, clutching the engagement ring to her heart.

And before she knew it, Addison Montgomery was twenty one and had a place at Harvard medical school.

"I did it, Derek!" she yelled down the phone.

"That's brilliant, sweetheart. When do you start?"

"September 14th."

"I'll come down to New York and pick you up."

"Would you, darling? Mom and Dad are busy."

"Of course. I love you, Ads."

"You too. See you then."

"See you."

She stared ahead in silence as Meredith wheeled her towards the paediatric ward.

"Addison - Dr Montgomery - I'm so sorry..."

"Don't." Addison said sharply, and then softer, "Please."

Meredith wheeled her up to her daughter's bed. The four year old looked like she was just sleeping, peaceful. Meredith pushed the chair close to the bed, so that Addison could reach out and take her daughter's hand. Katie didn't move.

Meredith slowly turned away. "If you need..."

"Could you get your husband for me?" Addison asked, "I need to know if he can do this for my baby."

Derek was there within minutes. He wrapped her in his arms and let her son.

"Addison, shhhh." he soothed, and slowly, her tears dried.

"Do you think you can do it, Derek?"

"Do you trust me, Ads?"

She nodded slowly.

"I will do my best."

"Why are you here?"

"Derek got invited to watch a heart transplant last minute. He sent me to pick you up."

She shook her head. "Oh no" she said.

Exasperated, he put his hand on her arms.

"Addie, I'm not going to jump you and initiate sex on the highway on the way to Harvard. That was two years ago. I've moved on, and you're a big girl now. You can look after yourself."

She sighed, "I have half a mind to phone Derek and tell him no."

He grinned, "And start a very awkward discussion about why."

"Ok." she sighed, "but once I get there, you leave me alone again. Deal?"

He shook her hand. "Deal."

Somehow, with three hours, they were in Mark's dorm room, Mark pinning Addison down on his bed, kissing her face repeatedly. Slowly he pulled away. She pulled him back down, ripping his shirt open, giving way to desire.

"I love you so much, sweetie. I promise. And now Uncle Derek's going to make you all better. Mommy and … and Daddy love you, baby girl."

And then Derek, Meredith and Cristina were wheeling her away.

"Addison?" said a soft voice. Richard Webber stood behind her.

"Hey, Richard." She said.

"I'm sorry, Addie."

She winced again. "It's Addison, please."

For a moment they stood in silence. Then he put a hand on her shoulder.

"You wanna see him?"

"Please." She said, "I do."

"Hey, gorgeous." He said, and leant over and nibbled the base of her ear. She sighed and kissed him. And then she registered. She was in Mark Sloan's bed, and it was her first day of med school. She sat up and flung her clothes on.

"Bastard." She said, and he looked genuinely hurt.

"What? I clearly remember you jumping me, Miss Montgomery."

"He's your best friend, Mark! Your best friend! And I'm his girlfriend!"

He pulled his pants on, not looking at her.

"Nothing, like before, right?" he said.

"Right." She said, "Tell Derek I was tired yesterday so I went straight to my room to sleep."

"Fine."

"Bye."

He lay there, pale and still. Richard, like Meredith had, pushed the chair right up to the bed. When he did, Addison clutched Mark's hand and cried.

"I love you, Mark." She said, "I've loved you forever. Forever."

She kissed his lifeless mouth. "Katie's touch and go, but the baby's going to be fine. You need to wake up, Mark, so that you can be a father to our little one. And for Katie. She won't be the same without Daddy. And for me." She sobbed, "Because I love you and I can't live without you."

And slowly, ignoring the splitting agony in her side, she heaved herself out of the wheelchair and onto the bed, where she wrapped her arms around his neck, curled up, and wept.

"Hey, baby." She felt Derek's arms curl around her waist. Her head still reeling from the first class, she spun on the spot and kissed him. She could feel the eyes of most of the other first years on her.

"Mark said you went to bed early last night."

Yeah, with him. "Uh, yeah, I was tired."

"Sorry I couldn't come pick you up. But Mark said you two had fun."

You could put it that way.

"Yeah. I've missed you, Derek."

"I've missed you too, Ads."

He hugged her tightly. "Sorry for not picking you up." He whispered.

Sorry for sleeping with Mark.

Then he murmured something about a class and was off, careering down the corridor.

"So?" Dani, one of her classmates said, "You bagged Derek the Dishy."

Addison laughed half heartedly. Across the green, Mark was sat with his arm around a blonde girl. He smiled, and waved. Addison Montgomery gave him a steely glare and turned coldly away.

Someone was carrying her. She had her arms around their neck, but she didn't want to open her eyes. Whilst they were closed she could pretend it was Mark holding her.

"Ads? Shhhh. Wake up now."

Her eyes opened slowly. Derek was looking down at her, sadly.

"Katie's gonna be ok, Addison. The bleeding was easy to stop. She's still under anaesthetic, but she should wake up some time in the next 10 minutes."

And he stepped away to reveal her daughter, a huge bandage around her now bald head, but no tubes. Only the intravenous drip. Nothing keeping her heart beating. Cristina Yang smiled at her from where she was checking Katie's charts. Then both Derek and Cristina left, leaving Addison alone with her daughter.

"It's ok, baby. Mommy's here. I love you, baby. I love you loads. Uncle Derek made you all better, just like I told you he would. It's gonna be ok now Katie, darling."

The little girl's eyes flickered open and Addison caught her breath.

"Mommy?" she whispered, and then Addison couldn't hold back the tears.

"Right here, sweetheart." She said, and kissed her daughter.

"Where's Daddy?"

Then, one night, at a posh dinner dance one of Derek's friends was having, everything changed. She was sat beside Mark and the latest date, a tall African American called Sara, laughing and talking about med school and the future. She glanced up at the small stage and could see a group of classmates singing karaoke. She turned back and Mark was gone. She didn't mind. Sara was a nice girl.

Something across the room caught her eye. Mark, and a blonde, making out in one corner. Shit, Mark, she thought, as Sara spotted it too and swallowed. Addison got up and walked over to him.

By this time Blondie had gone and she grabbed his wrist and pulled him outside into the cold air.

"What the hell are you doing, Mark?"

"What?"

"Being such a man whore! Two girls in one night - that's cruel! You're 25! When are you gonna start acting it?" she was shouting now, but the music inside was turned up loud and no one could hear them. "Why do you have to hurt women, Mark?"

"To forget."

She was shocked. She'd expected him to defend himself, apologise or back away. Anything but the direct, cryptic answer, and the honesty in his eyes.

"What?"

"To forget - that the woman I have been in love with forever is my best friend's girl."

And then he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her. It wasn't like the other times, and the lusty, wild kisses. It was soft, gentle and…loving.

She slapped his face away. "No." she said, and tears rolled out of her eyes. "You don't get to mess me up like this. I'm happy - with Derek!" she turned, and he caught her wrist.

"Can you honestly tell me you're in love with him?" he asked, desperately. She looked into his eyes, until she was forced to look away. Then she turned and ran back inside, without a word.

Derek was inside, on the stage.

"Addison Montgomery!" he bellowed out over the speakers, "Addison!"

Oh God. He wasn't going to ask her to sing, was he? She stuck her hand in the air, and began to walk to the stage. When she got there, one of Derek's mates pushed her into a chair.

"For the past seven years of my life, Addison has been the best thing I've got. She's been the best friend any guy could ever want and I love her more than anything. It's been 7 years, Ads, 7 years, and now I wanna go one step further. I love you, Addison Montgomery. Will you marry me?"

He was down on one knee in front of her, holding out a ring. Her eyes focused on something behind Derek. Mark, stood in the doorway, eyes searching out hers, pleading.

"Yes." She said, and let Derek slide the ring onto her finger and kiss her. When she looked up, Mark was gone.

"Why won't Daddy wake up, Mommy?" Katie asked, her bottom lip quivering. Addison had wheeled her to Mark's bed. He lay as still as always, and Katie reached out a hand and held his. Addison blinked her tears away furiously. She left Katie with Mark and went to Derek just outside.

"Was that a good idea, Ads?"

Addison gave him an acid stare. "Don't tell me how to raise my daughter, Derek. I'm all she has now. A week ago she was in brain surgery."

He said nothing.

"Derek, is there anything you can do for him?"

"No." he spoke so quickly she could tell he was lying. She looked him straight in the eyes.

"Please, Derek. Imagine if it was Meredith."

He shuddered involuntarily. Then he returned her honest stare.

"There's one procedure. Chances are low. But, Ads, it's brain stem transplant."

Addison said nothing, willing him to go on.

"It's been done twice before, but neither case has been considered successful, as both patients had heart attacks due to the strain. We need to go open heart and open brain, to keep the heart pumping whilst I half replace the brain."

"You can't give him someone else's brain!"

"Brain stem. Just some balance and neurons. It'll make it able to function again. In theory, I could do it."

Addison's heart caught.

"But in practice?"

"It's not been made legal in Washington, Ads. We'd have to go to the Ethics Committee. It could take months."

"You'd do this for me?"

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'd go to the end of the earth for you, Addison."

"What do you think, Cath? Red bridesmaids or burgundy?" Addison asked Mark's latest conquest whilst sat at dinner.

"Neither." Mark said simply, "Dark purple."

Derek raised his eyebrows and Mark shrugged, "It's Addie's colour."

Addison gave him a piercing look. He looked away first.

"Dark purple it is." Addison breathed, and then seemed to pull herself together. "What about me?"

"White." Mark and Cath said at the same time as Derek said, "Ivory."

She leant up and kissed his cheek. "Looks like you're outnumbered, baby. I prefer white myself."

And then she kissed him right on the mouth. And got some kind of grim satisfaction as Mark stiffened.

"We've got the meeting with the Ethics Committee. Next month."

She took a deep breath. "Wow. Thanks, Dr Grey."

"Meredith, please." The woman said, and Addison smiled. Since being released from SGH, she had been staying at Meredith and Derek's. They'd both been phenomenal these past three weeks. Katie had come home last week, and she would be back at school in two weeks. Addison had spent every day beside Mark, writing and rewriting her speech for the Committee.

She was three months pregnant now and had a little bump. Every time she thought about the pregnancy and her baby, she couldn't hold in the tears. How would her child live without Mark?

"Mommy?" she let her daughter crawl into her lap. Meredith smiled and left the room.

"Yes, honey?"

"Why do Denny and Ellis' mommy and daddy live together?"

"What, sweetie? I live with daddy."

"No. Daddy lives at the shiny place now. With Auntie Izzie and Uncle Alex, and Uncle Derek and Auntie Mer-Mer, cept they come home too, but Daddy stays there. And he always sleeps."

But then she heard something over the ringing. The sound of a TV. She walked into her bedroom. Mark sat on her bed, a bottle of whisky in his hand, the TV on the news, snoozing. Slowly, she gathered herself together, took the bottle of whisky from him and began to take off his shoes.

He opened one eye. "Addie."

"You're drunk." She said with contempt.

"I had to break up with Cath."

Addison's heart sunk. "Oh, Mark. But she's gonna be there tomorrow."

"I had too, Addie. I couldn't live a lie any more."

He caught her wrist. She drew a deep breath.

"You're trashed, Mark."

"I'm in love with you, Addie."

She felt the tears pricking. She pulled her arm away.

"Don't do this to me now. I'm getting married tomorrow, and you are Derek's best man. Get over yourself and stop being so selfish!"

He went to shout back but she collapsed on the bed next to him, sighing.

"We had a complex relationship, didn't we?"

"If you're talking about the two nights of illicit sex and the few stolen kisses, yes."

"But it's all over now. I'll be married this time tomorrow and -"

"Addie, I don't want to think about what you'll be doing this time tomorrow."

"What? Oh." she said, and felt a blush creeping over her cheeks.

"I wish things had turned out differently between us." Mark said, propping himself up on his elbow. He reached out a hand and stroked the side of her face. She shuddered but didn't move.

"You should have called me. When we were in high school, and both of you wanted to date me. I liked you, but you never called." A tear rolled down her cheek.

He bent his head and kissed her cheekbone where the tear rested. She stiffened.

"I should have called." he repeated, and then he kissed her softly, wrapping his arms around her.

It was Katie's fifth birthday. Addison had taken her to see Mark in the morning and then Derek and Meredith had a barbecue in their backyard. Katie was tearing round the garden with Denny Shepherd, Ricky O'Malley and Mikey Burke, Ellis Shepherd and Miranda Karev struggling to keep up.

Addison sat next to Callie, who had her one year old son Luke in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Addison." Callie said, for what must have been the thousandth time.

"Don't be." Addison whispered, "Please."

"Mommy! Mommy!" Katie came tearing over, "Isn't it true that your fat tummy is my little brother or sister?"

Addison sighed, "Yes, sweetie."

"Denny doesn't believe me. He says babies come from storks."

"Tell him that babies come from ladies' tummies. Get him to ask his dad." Poor Derek. He'd have fun with that one. Katie ran off to tell Denny Shepherd. Callie raised her eyebrows.

"For an OB/GYN, that wasn't a very scientific explanation."

Addison wanted to laugh, but realised she'd forgotten how.

"Nothing happened. Right? Nothing." she said, "Nothing at all."

Mark struggled into his clothes. "So you're still gonna marry him? After everything?"

"Of course I'm still going to marry him. He's Derek. You're just - you're just Mark."

He looked hurt. She hadn't meant to hurt him.

"Three times now, Addie. What makes you think you'll be able to control yourself more when you're married?"

She slapped him round the face. "Because after today - after being Derek's best man - you will get out of my life. Hang out with Derek all you want, Mark, but consider us no longer friends."

He caught her hand in his. "Can I have one last kiss?" he asked, and leant in. Addison closed her eyes and her lips found his.

When he broke away, both of them breathless, he shoved his feet into his shoes and left without a word.

"And I know, if Mark was awake right now, he'd want us to do this. I'm an obstetrician gynaecologist and a neonatal surgeon, so I know the risks and the chance of survival. But if this procedure is never tested out, we can never move forward in neurology. If we make this a success, this is one of the biggest advances in medicine since the heart transplant.

"I know what you're all thinking. That I'm mad with grief and am clinging to the last possible hope. But I have a five year old daughter at home and for her I won't let myself go mad. I just know that this procedure needs to be tested again sometime, so why not Mark Sloan? He's a healthy, fit adult male who doesn't smoke, drink excessively or take any form of medication. He is the perfect candidate. And he has a daughter and another child on the way. And until there is a straight line on that pulse oximeter no one ought to give up on him."

There was a stunned silence as Dr Addison Forbes Montgomery took her seat. Derek patted her shoulder, and she wiped her eyes fiercely. The entire Ethics Committee looked stunned. The four and a half month pregnant fiancée had sold Mark's surgery to them better than anyone else ever could.

"Committee dismissed."

"I, Addison Montgomery."

"Do take this man, Derek Shepherd."

"As my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold."

"To love and to cherish."

"For richer or for poorer."

"In sickness and in health."

"Til death do us part."

Then Mark stepped up and handed Derek one of the rings, as her maid of honour, Sarah, handed her hers. She slid her ring on Derek's finger and then he slid his onto hers. She could feel Mark's eyes on her.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

It gave Addison that grim satisfaction again to see Mark stiffen as their lips met.

"Come in." Addison responded to the knock on the door. It creaked open and Meredith walked in, Ellis on her hip, Denny and Katie trailing behind her.

"Happy Birthday, Addison." Meredith said, and Katie jumped onto the bed beside her mother. Meredith put Ellis down and Denny clambered up too. Katie thrust something into Addison's hands. A piece of paper, with a painting on it.

"That's my present, Mommy. It's you and me and Daddy and the new baby."

Addison kissed her daughter, and buried her head in her red curls, hiding her tears.

"It's beautiful, baby." she murmured, and then took Meredith's present.

"From all of us." the younger woman said.

It was a few sets of baby clothes and a new cot for the baby. Addison smiled.

"You shouldn't've."

Meredith was firm. "Yes, Addison, we should. You're 40."

Addison sighed.

"Ads? Come to bed." he called.

"One minute." she replied. She stared out across the beach below and out to sea. Her eyes still burned with the image of a certain man staring at her all night at the reception. Her cheek still felt the graze of his chaste, polite goodbye kiss. Her heart still hurt.

The thought of going inside to bed with Derek made her feel a little sick. She didn't know why, because sex with Derek before had been good. Good, but not great. Great was Mark's league. Her phone beeped.

From: MARK MOB

SORRY FOR EVERYTHING, ADDIE. YOU AND DEREK WILL BE GREAT. SORRY. MARK XXX

She slid the phone away, tried to ignore the sting in her eyes and went inside.

She was 7 months along now, and practically waddling into the Ethics Committee meeting hall. She had Derek with her, Cristina Yang and Miranda Bailey, who would assist on the surgery if it was granted. She had left Katie with Meredith, Denny and Ellis, her daughter oblivious to the fact that her father's life was being decided.

Richard Webber reached out and took her hand. She smiled weakly. He'd been amazing. Every time she'd sat by Mark's bedside for hours he had been there, whatever time, to drive her home at the end. He had been like a father to her.

She took her seat, letting go of Richard's hand at last. The chairman of the Committee stood up.

"We meet today to announce the result of the discussion based on the brain stem transplant surgery for Dr Mark Sloan, from the plea of Dr Addison Montgomery."

"What has the Committee decided?" the judge spoke.

"The brain stem surgery for Dr Mark Sloan, to be attended by Dr Derek Shepherd, resided by Dr Cristina Yang-Burke and Dr Miranda Bailey, and Chiefed by Dr Richard Webber at Seattle Grace Hospital, has been granted."

Addison collapsed into tears.

Addison's first 10 years of marriage were just right. Not perfect, but right. She was happy. And then Derek took the neurology attending position and Mark took the plastics position at their hospital, and moved back to New York.

Addison got out of residency early to be offered the ob/gyn neonatal attending's post. She soon gained reputation, and publicity, becoming known as New York's best neonatal surgeon.

But Derek was absent.

"Goodbye, Mark. I love you. Good luck." she kissed the top of his head. Then they wheeled him to be prepped for surgery. She stood with Izzie Stevens, her ob/gyn resident who had done such a good job since she'd been off. She felt the knot of apprehension in her stomach tighten.

And then the gush of water around her ankles.

"Shit. My waters just broke. I can't go into labour now. I'm only eight months. Mark's going into surgery."

She remembered Miranda Bailey, when her husband had been in brain surgery. A lifetime ago. God, she felt like such a hypocrite.

By this time, she'd been shoved into a wheelchair. Derek was there.

"Ads, you're going in the ambulance to Mercy West."

"I'm not leaving Mark."

"You can't do any more for Mark now. Let me do my best. Dr Stevens is going with you."

"No!"

"Ads, you can't stay here. Good luck!"

And then she was being pushed onto an ambulance, heading for Mercy West, and away from Mark.

She couldn't help feeling disappointed. Seven times now Derek had sent Mark instead of coming himself. She ushered Mark inside.

"What's his excuse this time?" she said boredly, trying to disguise her pain.

"Addie...don't be too hard on him - he's got a craniotomy."

She sighed, "It's always something."

"Addie-"

"No, Mark, there's no excuse! He's my husband!" she swallowed, "We don't act like husband and wife anymore! We're like two people who pass on the stairs! I can't even remember the last time we had-"

"Stop." Mark said, "I don't wanna know, Addie. Something you don't want to think about, you best mate and the woman you love, doing - that."

She'd stopped being angry and was staring at him - standing too close.

"Still?" she whispered. He nodded weakly.

"Mark, am I so old or ugly or boring that Derek can't stand to be with me?"

He looked her in the eye. "No. Never."

"We never talk. We never spend time together. God, I miss sex."

He hadn't taken his hands off her shoulders.

"I think I can help with that one." he murmured and kissed her.

The pain was excruciating, so Addison screamed. Quite simply, screamed. She'd seen so many women in childbirth, and delivered Katie herself - 5 years ago. But now she needed to scream. She screamed for Katie, as she'd seen her on the table. She screamed for Mark, his life hanging in the balance. She screamed for her unborn child, who might never know their father. And then she screamed for herself.

"That's it, Dr Montgomery, push! Come on, push!" Izzie Stevens encouraged.

"Fuck it, Izzie, call me Addison. You've known me...long...enough." she said through gritted teeth.

"Addison, then. Push hard. You know the drill..."

"Yeah." she nodded. And screamed some more.

"I can see the baby's head, Addison! It has dark hair!"

"I can't do this without Mark." she said, stopping suddenly, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Yes you freaking can. And you will. Push, dammit, for the baby at least!"

And in one hot, slippery, rush, the baby was born.

"You have a daughter, Addison." Izzie said, and one of the nurses wrapped the tiny little girl up in a towel and handed her to Addison.

Addison cried.

Light blinded her. She looked into the doorway, and silhouetted against the light was the shape of her husband. Who turned and walked away. Mark climbed slowly off her.

The next months ended her marriage. She stayed with Mark for a while in New York, but then that night she crept out of their room and left, no note, nothing. Then there was Meredith Grey and Seattle, and the divorce. Then there was the warped relationship with Mark, the 60 day pact, and then Alex Karev. The confession to Mark, about the abortion, and then leaving for LA.

She'd been there two months when she found Mark on her doorstep.

Addison looked up at Izzie's smiling face, and at the scrubs the midwife was wearing: MERCY WEST HOSPITAL.

"Mercy." she smiled, looking down at her daughter, the little girl's baby blue eyes wide, "Mercy Isobel Montgomery - Sloan."

"Oh." Izzie said, "Thank you."

Addison smiled weakly.

"We'll get an ambulance car back to Seattle Grace. There's no news yet."

Mercy suckled and began to feed. Addison was wheeled into the car.

And then they were zooming back to SGH.

"But you said-"

"I lied. I saw you and Karev."

"Shit. It didn't - it wasn't - I thought it would sort stuff out. But it screwed me up. I... I'm sorry, Mark."

"I'm sorry I lied, too, and for all the times I've gone and screwed you up."

"That's ok. Honestly. Come in, please."

Moments later they were drinking coffee sat cross legged on the floor in Addison's lounge. "So, how's sunny California?" he asked.

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"I hate it. I miss doing surgery, I miss having interns, I miss Richard Webber, Miranda Bailey - I miss you, Mark."

And he took her into his arms and kissed her and held her. "I love you, Addie."

"I love you too, Mark."

"Good job I came to bring you home then."

Mercy was asleep, and she had her fingers curled around Addison's little finger in a tight fist. It was 11 o clock at night. Katie was leant up against her, sound asleep, sucking her thumb. Izzie sat across from her, dozing in her chair, lucky devil.

Then Derek stepped out. Tears blinding her, she couldn't see his face. And then he came up close to her, and she could see his exhausted smile.

"We did it, Ads. We have a brain response." he said, "She's beautiful."

Addison let out a huge sob, and passed Mercy to Derek. I am not the sort of person who faints, she told herself.

But there she was wrong.

She had it checked out with a specialist. Positive. Addison Montgomery was pregnant. And she had no idea how to tell Mark.

She kept it from him for two months. Then, one morning he walked in on her throwing up over the toilet bowl. He stepped forward and held back her hair.

"How many weeks?"

"Ten." she said guiltily, and wiped her mouth, "How did this happen, Mark?"

"Well, you're the ob/gyn..."

"Not what I mean. I can't do this, Mark."

"Maybe not on your own. But together we can. Addie, we're having a baby!"

She clung to him.

Katie held on of Mark's hands, and Addison held the other, Mercy tucked in her arms.

"Derek fixed you, Mark. You're gonna wake up, and you're gonna meet Mercy, your daughter, and you're gonna be ok."

Derek had done a brilliant job. But one thing nagged at the back of Addison's mind, constantly. What if he didn't remember anything? Had the lack of complete communication in his brain been too long? Was he going to even be half the man he had been? Derek assured her he would, but the thought still terrified her. So she held his hand, and she waited.

Addison smiled and held the newborn to her. "Katie Marcia Montgomery Sloan."

"Addie."

Exhausted, Addison laughed, "You're blushing, Mark."

"You can't call her Marcia."

"Yes I can."

He kissed her softly, and then the top of Katie's red head, "Whenever can I propose to you now?" he joked. Addie's eyes filled.

"When she's old enough to understand. And be a bridesmaid."

Mark nodded, "Ok."

His eyelids fluttered. Addison's heart caught. This was it. His eyes focused on flame red hair.

"Addie?" he whispered.

"Oh, baby!" she sobbed and threw her arms around him.

"Where am - there's a fire! Is Katie safe?"

"I'm here, Daddy." the little girl said.

"Come here, sweetie." Mark said and hugged his daughter, "I love you so much. Both of you."

"It's been seven months, Mark. You've been in a coma. They said you were brain-dead - but Derek and me went to the Ethics Committee - you had a brainstem transplant."

"Sweet Jesus." he whistled, "Seriously?"

"Yes. Oh, Mark, I thought I'd never speak to you again." she cried.

"Shhhh, Addie." Hearing Addie from his lips made her smile. "Wait - seven months - Addie?"

And Derek walked through the door, and handed him his daughter.

"Mercy Isobel Montgomery Sloan. 1 month exactly."

Now Mark cried. "Mercy. It's beautiful."

"I had her at Mercy West. You were in surgery."

Mark held Mercy, whose blue eyes stared at him, wide. He put one heavy, limp arm around Katie, and Addison climbed onto his bed next to him.

"My three girls." he murmured.

"Night, night, Katie." Addison kissed her sleeping daughter and tucked the covers around her. Then she headed downstairs. Mark smiled at her from the sofa.

"Addie, I have something to say." he grinned at her, "This baby's messed up my plans, so this has to happen now. Addison Montgomery - will you marry me?"

He was down on one knee, popping open a ring box, revealing a silver set sapphire. Her last engagement ring was a gold set ruby, and he knew to be completely different.

"Yes." she said, slid the ring on and jumped on him, kissing him breathlessly. They stumbled out the room and up the stairs, oblivious to the fact that they had knocked over a candle.

Which would set their house, and their lives, ablaze.

As he turned his head to watch her coming down the aisle he smiled. Next to her walked two girls, a fiery haired nine year old and a dark haired four year old, both dressed in baby pink. Katie and Mercy.

And then she took his hand, warm in his as they made their vows. Derek handed him the ring and Callie gave Addison hers and for a moment Mark reflected on the bizarre role reversal. But then came the words: You may now kiss the bride, and they lost themselves in one another.

Epilogue

The adults, the parents, sat on the veranda of Derek and Meredith's cabin. Every year for the past 14 they had come out here, to the fishing cabin in Canada, for a week, to be together, the Seattle Grace family. Mark, Addison, Derek, Meredith, Preston, Cristina, Alex, Izzie, George and Callie.

"Look at them." Meredith said, and Addison smiled as she watched Denny and Katie, Kate now, holding hands on the little jetty. Kate was 20 now, and in September she was headed for Harvard law school, with Denny going to study veterinary medicine. They had been together for two years now, and they were happiest in each other's company. It had always been a certainty that at least two of the Seattle Grace children would wind up together, it had just been a question of who.

A bit further down the pier with submerged fishing rods, the others sat, legs dangling into the lake. Richard O'Malley, eighteen and headed for military college, wanting nothing more than to be a pilot. Ellis, Ellie Shepherd, arm in arm with Mike Burke, daring to touch on a tentative relationship with him this past holiday, both of them seventeen and in their last year of high school. Miranda Karev and Luke O'Malley, both of them sixteen, laughing and splashing each other, Luke never daring to admit the crush he had on Miranda.

"They look... so right." Izzie said, and Alex put a hand on her arm. Burke leant in and whispered something in Cristina's ear. She laughed.

"Ashamed that Rich didn't go for the family tradition, Callie?" she asked.

Callie bristled and looked at George for encouragement. It had been her dream that her sons become surgeons like their parents, and when Richard had first told her he had no intentions of it it had fallen hard. But she was warming up to the idea of him being in the air force now, though she would never be 100 percent comfortable with it.

"She's beautiful, Addison. She looks just like you." Mark whispered, talking about Kate.

"Haven't decided to castrate my son yet, then, Mark?" Derek joked.

"I'm working on it." Mark laughed, still very protective of his now adult daughter.

"Maybe Denny's a bit of a ladies man, like you used to be, honey." Addison laughed.

"I still am a ladies man. I just devote myself to my 3 ladies. One of them in particular. And I proved that to you last night..."

"Way too much information, Dad."

Mercy Isobel Montgomery Sloan rolled her eyes in disgust. She was shadowed by the two other youngest, Annie Burke and Lisa Karev, 14 and 13. She had long, dark hair and pale blue grey eyes, courtesy of her father. Other than that, she could have been Addison as a child. She was the only one of the children already intent on studying medicine. She dreamt of being a neurosurgeon someday.

She flopped down onto the decking whilst the adults laughed at her outburst, and looked out over the lake.

"It's beautiful, this place. I could be here forever." she whispered, and the sun shone, reflecting off her hair. "I could be here with all you lot forever."

"Hear, hear." Alex said, and raised his glass. 9 other glasses were raised to meet it. Addison felt a tear sting her eye, and silently she reached out and took Mark's hand.

FINIS

xgreyslostwhox