I had this idea after watching the s5 crossover episodes and some more of late S2 of Private Practice. Obviously I've changed certain things that happened in canon in both shows. When I wrote this I wasn't completely sure I wanted to post it. This wouldn't have happened in the show but this is fanfiction and this is just my take on Derek's coming to L.A after spitting up with Meredith. Please let me know if you like it and if you'd like me to continue.
Addison opens the door to her beach house and gasps in shock when she sees who it is.
"Derek, what are you doing here?"
"Remember when I asked you that same question once?"
"That was a long time ago. Now seriously what are you doing here?"
"I thought that now would be a good time to visit old friends. Well remember how we all were in Joe's after Archer's surgery before I got that page about Jen. Well we were all having a laugh and I'd forgotten what that was like. I know Mark is in Seattle now but it's not the same.. it was like having the old gang back together again."
"I remember Derek, we were laughing and joking and having a good time. But life can't always be like that Derek. Has something happened with Meredith?"
"Look can I come in Addie? If we're going to talk about this I don't really want to do it on your doorstep."
"Ok Derek, you can come in. I guess I can't really turn you away when you've came all this way."
Addison shows Derek to the living room and they sit down.
"Addison, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for the way I behaved to you during that surgery. I wanted to believe that I could save Jen, that it wasn't my fault, that I hadn't messed up so badly. You were right when you tried to stop me, Jen was already gone and I should have accepted that. The baby still had a chance and you saved the baby. Honestly my life has been a huge mess since then. I went out into the woods and my trailer and didn't come out for a while. I wasn't working and I couldn't do anything. Not until Meredith came to see me and told me that Izzie Stevens had cancer and that I was the only one who could save her."
"Oh god. How is Izzie?"
"Izzie is recovering. She got married to Karev and we gave them our day. Me and Meredith. I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't marry Meredith so they got married instead."
"Why couldn't you marry Meredith? I thought that you two were loves young dream. I mean your mom gave you that ring for her after meeting her for all of 5 minutes. Is that all it takes for your mother to make her mind up on someone? I guess she made up her mind about me in the first 5 minutes too and never changed her mind no matter how hard I tried to get on with her."
"I'm so sorry about my mom Addie. I know it must have hurt you all those years. I should have stood up to her more and I should have fought for the ring. It should have been yours Addie but it's too late now. I didn't give it to Meredith either though. I got pissed and whacked it into the woods with a baseball bat. I did manage to find it again cause my mom would have been so pissed if I'd lost it. It took me ages with a metal detector but then I still couldn't give it to Meredith, it wasn't right Addie."
"So you and Meredith? It's over now for good?"
"Yes it's over. I spent so long trying to make things right with her when I realised if it was right then I wouldn't have to try so hard. Everything should just fall into place but it didn't."
"I'm sorry Derek. When I left Seattle, when we separated I at least thought if you couldn't be happy with me anymore then at least you'd found someone else. I always wanted you to be happy Derek and I'm sorry that things didn't work out with Meredith."
"Well I'm sorry again for how everything played out in Seattle. The way I treated you back then was disgusting and I hate the way I made you think we had a chance. That I was giving us a chance to fix our marriage. I never gave it a real chance and I'm so sorry for that now."
"I was so angry for ages cause I was really trying so hard in Seattle and I never stood a chance. When I lost control and yelled that I wasn't Meredith Grey. I knew then that I'd lost you but I loved you so much that I was hoping that one day you'd see how sorry I was and that you'd love me again. But after all this time I just want to put it all behind us. I hope this can be a fresh start and we can be friends again."
"I'd like that Addison. I know we were getting on when everyone came to Seattle for Archer's surgery and I liked having the old gang back together again."
"No matter how shocked I was to see you and knowing the reason you're here. It is good to see you Derek and I know Sam and Naomi will be happy to see you too. Sam lives next door you know."
"Oh that's good. It'll be good to see them all. I don't really know what's happening I just thought I should leave Seattle to Meredith and get away for a while. I was thinking of checking out some hospitals - I get job offers from other hospitals trying to get me to work for them all the time and one of them was from Charlotte King so I was thinking of checking that out."
"Charlotte's a good friend of mine and she's Chief of Staff at the hospital I sometimes work at."
"Oh that's good well I'll definitely check it out. Is everything ok with you Addie? How's Archer been?"
"Oh don't even get me started. Naomi thought everything was going great between them and I caught Archer cheating on her twice. He tried to convince me not to tell her but I had to tell her about it. I don't know what it is about Archer and me. We always seem to mess up everything good in our lives and tonight I almost made a huge mistake with a married man. There's this guy Noah who I met at the hospital. I didn't know his name for ages but we were just flirting a lot in the scrub room and this went on for months. At the same time I was treating a pregnant woman and guess who her husband turns out to be? I was still attracted to him but I walked away, but then I kissed him before pushing him away again. God I'm such a mess."
"Oh Addie I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that Archer was such an ass but I'm glad you walked away from this man. I know that I can hardly talk about being faithful but if you had went there with this man tonight then how would you have felt when you looked his wife in the eye knowing how it feels to be cheated on."
"You're right Derek. I've been on both sides of the situation- just like you I guess - we both know how it feels to be cheated on and to have cheated on the person we love. You know none of it feels good but you try and justify it to yourself. Make excuses for why you're doing it but it's never the right choice. I hated what I did to you with Mark. When it happened and you walked in and then left that night I felt like my life was over. Mark convinced me that our marriage was over and that you didn't love me anymore. I let him convince me that I could move on with him and try to be happy, and I did try. I thought I'd lost you and I wanted to believe that I hadn't thrown my life away on something so wrong so I kept trying but it was never right."
"When I walked in on you and Mark I felt like my life was over, that I'd lost you and more than that deep down I blamed myself for letting everything get so bad between us. But it was easier to blame you and Mark and then I went to Seattle and I met Meredith and she was like a breath of fresh air. Maybe that's why it couldn't work out with Meredith in the end though. It all started on a lie and I never told her I was married. I was in denial and living a lie. But then I thought it was easier that she could be a new start and things would be great for us again after you left. But I realise now that I never loved her in a way I should love someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. I did love her but not in the way I once loved you."
"Oh Derek. I'm so sorry. I think this is the most we have talked in a long time. Maybe we should have talked about all this years ago. Maybe our lives wouldn't be in such a mess if we'd talked more."
"That was my big mistake Addie. Taking you for granted and shutting you out. I'm so sorry for my part in the breakdown of our marriage."
"I'm sorry too Derek. I'll always be sorry for it but I hope we can move on now."
"Definitely I'm glad we talked about this Addison and I'm looking forward to having my friend back in my life."
"Of course Derek. I'm glad you came here tonight. I think this was just what I late so do you want to stay in the spare room? Unless you have a hotel to go to?"
"The spare room would be great. Thanks Addie."
"You're welcome I'll just make sure it's good fresh sheets and towels but it should be ok. Would you like a drink? There's cold water in the fridge and there's a coffee machine if you'd like one."
"Sure I'll go and make myself a drink and you go and check and see if everything's ok with the room."
"Ok see you in a minute Derek."
Derek find the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water and a few minutes later Addison comes back down.
"The spare room is all set up Derek."
"Thanks Addie. This is a really beautiful house. It's so different to where we've lived before but it's the perfect house for this beautiful beach."
"Yeah I love it here. It's my little bit of paradise. To just go outside and be right by the beach and ocean."
"Well I'm glad you found a place you love."
"Thanks Derek. I'm going to get a glass of wine. Do you want one? Or a scotch or something?"
"I'll have a wine too but only one cause I don't want to be hungover in the morning."
"Me too I have a few patients I need to see but I like to have a glass of wine on an evening sometimes. Do you want to go and sit outside? It's really nice out there and even if the evening it's still nice."
"Sure let's go outside."
Addison pours them both a glass of red wine and they go out and sit outside where they reminisce over old times and look out at the ocean.