A/N: Thank you so much for your feedback on this story so far! I love hearing what you think! This chapter is a little heavy on Addison scenes, but I guess that was bound to happen eventually – she's my favorite. I hope you like this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks for reading!
"Hey, have you got a minute?" Charlotte asked, as she knocked on the door to Addison's office.
Addison looked up from her paperwork in surprise. "Sure," she answered. "Come on in."
"Thanks," Charlotte smiled, closing Addison's office door behind her.
Addison raised an eyebrow at this. "Is everything alright, Charlotte?"
"Everything's fine," Charlotte nodded. "I just, I need to ask you something."
"Okay…" Addison trailed off hesitantly, unsure of what to expect.
"Listen, I know how gossip works around this place, so I need you to promise me that what I'm about to tell you stays between us."
"Okay," Addison agreed quickly.
"Good." Charlotte nodded. "I'm pregnant, and-"
"Charlotte! Congratulations! That's great news!" Addison exclaimed. But she quickly tamped down her enthusiasm when she noticed that her colleague did not seem excited. "You don't want a baby?" Addison asked delicately.
"No, I do," Charlotte said slowly. "It's just…the timing is terrible…with everything that's happened lately, and all."
Addison nodded in understanding. "What did Cooper say when you told him?"
"I haven't told him yet," Charlotte admitted. "The timing hasn't been right for that either."
Addison looked at Charlotte in confusion.
"I was gonna tell him last night, but he pretty much said he doesn't want another kid, right now."
"He said that?" Addison asked. "That doesn't sound like Cooper."
"He didn't exactly say that," Charlotte backpedaled. "It was more of an indirect, offhand statement, but..."
"Charlotte, you need to tell him," Addison advised.
"I know, and I will," Charlotte insisted. "It's just, I don't know, I watched what you and Sam went through with him not wantin' a baby, and I just…that's the type of stuff that tears people-"
"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there," Addison interrupted. "You and Cooper are nothing like me and Sam. Cooper loves you, Charlotte. You two would do anything for each other. I mean, you didn't have to become a mother to Mason, but you did. And, yes, you did it because you love Mason, but you also did it because you love Cooper. You and Cooper are willing to sacrifice for each other…to put each other's happiness above your own. Sam and I were never willing to do that for each other."
"I guess," Charlotte sighed.
"Trust me, Charlotte," Addison insisted. "Cooper is nothing like Sam…and I mean that in the very best way possible. And, sure, Cooper may have told you that he wasn't ready for another child when the two of you were discussing it hypothetically but, Charlotte, when he finds out about this, he's going to be so excited…and so supportive."
Charlotte nodded, recognizing the truth in Addison's words, and hearing the pain in Addison's voice, towards the end of her little speech. Charlotte knew that Addison had thought that Sam would be the man that she'd settle down and had a baby with, and she knew how hurt and disappointed Addison was when her relationship with Sam turned out to be a letdown. And Charlotte felt very thankful that Cooper was nothing like Sam in that respect – that he would never in a million years lead her on or hurt her the way Sam had with Addison.
Charlotte swallowed hard, mentally scolding herself for ever doubting Cooper and the strength of their relationship. "The timing still sucks," she muttered.
"Well, the timing's never right," Addison admitted; and Charlotte watched as a look of sadness graced the redhead's features.
"You okay?" Charlotte asked hesitantly.
Addison nodded, even though she wasn't entirely okay; this conversation couldn't help but remind her of a similar conversation that she had had with Sam.
"Sam, I have already waited too long. You know, first it was wait until you meet the right guy. And then I met Derek, and I told myself, 'Addison, be smart. Wait until you finish med school. And then wait until you finish your residency. And then wait until you finish your fellowship. And my marriage exploded! And then I had an affair. And I still thought that I had more time, and I had an abortion. And I waited and waited and waited until I only had one egg left. It's not that I didn't want kids; it's that I took having kids for granted. Because a thirteen-year-old girl can do it. Because a seventy-five-year old man can do it. But you know you can't do it? An over-educated, talented, strong, powerful woman in her forties. How ridiculous is that? How mad am I at my body! I waited too long…I'm sorry, I know that was a lot. You understand? Do you get it?"
"Yeah. Are we breaking up?"
Charlotte didn't know if motherhood really had softened her or if it was the heartbreaking look on Addison's face but, in that moment, she knew there was only one thing she could do – she crossed the desk and pulled Addison into a hug. "You're an amazing mother, Addison," she whispered.
"Thank you," Addison said, giving Charlotte a weak smile. Sure, she appreciated Charlotte's compliment but, even more, she appreciated the way that Charlotte had unknowingly brought a sense of closure to what had been a devastating conversation between her and Sam. In Sam's defense, there wasn't much he could have said to make things better; but Charlotte's hug provided a her with a sense of comfort and support that Sam's 'Are we breaking up' hadn't.
Addison met Charlotte's eyes and sighed. "I get that the timing might feel all wrong…and it might very well be all wrong, but you shouldn't take having kids for granted. And I'm not saying you're gonna end up all dried up and barren, like I am, but I just…I'd talk to Cooper about it. And once you do that, the two of you can figure out the rest. But this is a good thing, Charlotte. You and Cooper deserve a little happiness."
"Yeah," Charlotte nodded. "You're right. I was just…overwhelmed, I guess. But you're right. Thank you, Addison."
"You're welcome," Addison smiled.
"And, Addison," Charlotte began hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"This won't leave this office, right?"
Addison smiled. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."
xxxxx
"So what do think of this shirt?" Addison asked, as she slipped on an understated, black Versace top. She looked over at Henry, who was lying contently on his stomach in the center of her bed, and chuckled. "You haven't had an opinion about any of the shirts I've tried on," she laughed, walking over to the bed, and kissing Henry gently on the forehead.
She knew she was being ridiculous. It was just a casual dinner at Jake's house. It surely didn't warrant four different outfit changes. She tried to rationalize her behavior by telling herself that she wasn't used to doing casual. She almost always wore a dress or a skirt and heels. Dressing up was easy for her. Casual required more work; and that's why she was struggling to decide on an outfit for dinner. That's what she told herself, at least.
"Okay, one more outfit," she bargained with Henry, who just continued to stare at her. "Oh, don't look at me like that," she laughed, as she slipped on a red Gucci top. "What do you think of this one?" she asked her son. She studied her reflection in the mirror and frowned. "You're right," she told Henry. "The black Versace top is classier. I'll go with that," she said, putting the black shirt back on.
After putting the top on, she scooped Henry up off the bed and cuddled him close. "Now, I need you to promise me, you're going to be good for Charlotte and Cooper tonight," she cooed to her son, who just stared back at her. "Oh, don't look at me like that," she chuckled. "I know that Jake invited you to his place tonight, but I think it's best for you to spend the evening with Charlotte and Cooper, and then I'll come pick up, and we'll go home. Besides, Charlotte and Cooper need the practice."
xxxxx
"Tell me something that nobody knows about you," Jake said, taking a sip of his wine.
Addison lightly swirled the wine around in her glass and met Jake's eyes. "I hate the Yankees," she said simply.
"And I hate strawberry ice cream," Jake chuckled. "Tell me something important," he said, growing serious.
"That is important," Addison insisted. "Derek and Mark and the entire Shepherd family…they love the Yankees. You wouldn't believe how many Yankees games I've been to over the years. And I hate the team."
"Have you always hated them?" Jake asked. "Or did it happen after you got divorced?"
"I've always hated them," Addison admitted. "I mean, there were a couple of times…well, maybe just this one time, when I thought that I might be able to like them," she went on, thinking about Mark and the onesie that he had bought so long ago. "But I never really liked the team…or the sport, for that matter."
"Well, you don't exactly strike me as a sports fan," Jake chuckled, "but if I had to picture you liking a baseball team, I would have pegged you as a Yankees fan without a second thought. They're the best team in baseball by far."
"That's exactly why I hate them," Addison nodded. "They always win. They're predictable. And I've always had a thing for the underdog."
"Is that why you went into neonatal?" Jake asked. "Babies are kind of like the ultimate underdog, if you think about it."
Addison laughed. "You know, there might be something to that," she admitted. She shot him a teasing smile; "So, what do you have against strawberry ice cream?" she asked. "Are you allergic to it?"
Jake shook his head. "No. It's just, it confuses me. I mean, is it a dessert that's trying to be healthy? Is it fruit that's trying to pass itself off as a dessert? It just doesn't make sense. And if I'm going to have dessert, I'm not going to have some type of half fruit, half dessert combo. I'm going all in."
"You realize that makes no sense?" Addison laughed.
"I think it makes sense," Jake disagreed. "But I do realize that I'm in the minority here. Angela loves strawberry ice cream. It's her favorite."
Addison smiled. "Tell me something that nobody else knows about you," she said, raising an eyebrow coyly.
"Okay," Jake nodded, suddenly growing serious. "I've, uh, I've always kind of blamed myself for Lily's death."
"Jake, you know that's not-"
"Rationally, I know. I know it's not my fault. But, still, I can't help thinking that maybe if I would have pushed her a little harder to get help, or just flat out dragged her to a professional…I don't know," he trailed off. "I just, I wish she would have let me in. I wish I could have been there for her."
Addison blinked back the tears that were stinging her eyes. "But you were there for Amelia," she said softly, moving next to him on the couch, and taking his hand in hers. "She let you in when she cut everyone else out.
"Yeah," Jake nodded, a weak smile coming to his face.
"You know," Addison began, "you are harder on yourself than anyone I've ever met."
"Addison."
"I'm serious," Addison insisted. "I mean, remember Nina's surgery? The uterus transplant may not have been successful, but you saved her life. You were amazing, and you were disappointed. And you blamed yourself for what happened with Elyse, even though that wasn't your fault either." She paused for a moment, waiting for him to look up and meet her eyes. "And then when you are in a position to judge…like with me and my relationship with Sam that had a honeymoon period of maybe a day…or me trying to get pregnant behind my ex-boyfriend's back…you're supportive. You don't judge." She gave him a soft smile, before leaning in and kissing him softly, gently caressing his cheek with her hand.
He kissed back, but pulled away after a moment. "Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, his eyes clouded with desire.
"I'm being supportive of you," she whispered, drawing him back in and molding her lips against his, groaning in disappointment when she felt him pull away again.
"Addison, I don't want you to do this out of pity, or because you feel bad for me."
Addison looked at him pointedly. "Does it look like I'm doing this out of pity?"
Jake smiled before crashing his lips up against hers and, this time, nobody was planning on pulling away any time soon.
xxxxx
"Hey, Coop, can we talk for a second?" Charlotte asked, as she and her husband were settling down for bed.
"Sure. What's up?" Cooper asked.
Charlotte sat down on their bed and motioned for her husband to join her.
"Uh, is everything okay, Charlotte?" Cooper asked in concern. "You're kind of scaring me."
"Everything's fine," Charlotte reassured him. "It's just, I'm pregnant."
"What?" Cooper asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"I'm pregnant," Charlotte repeated.
"Are you serious?"
Charlotte looked at him pointedly. "Why would I lie about something like this?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant," Cooper defended. "It's just…this is great news," he breathed, leaning in and kissing his wife deeply.
"You're excited?" Charlotte asked, once they broke apart. Even despite Addison's assurances, Charlotte still needed to hear it from Cooper's lips to feel completely reassured.
"Of course I'm excited," Cooper smiled. "Charlotte, I love you. You know how much I've wanted to start a family with you. How could you think that I wouldn't be excited?"
Charlotte was prepared to bring up the fact that a new baby would inevitably mean moving, changing a family dynamic that had already been drastically changed over the last couple of months, and potentially upsetting Amelia. But she pushed those thoughts aside, and remembered Addison's words from their earlier conversation – she and Cooper deserved a little happiness. So, she was determined to make this moment about them. And as she took in the wide smile on her husband's face, all of a sudden, these things that had once seemed like big deals now seemed more manageable.
"You know I love you, right Coop?" she smiled, as she kissed him softly.
"Yeah," Cooper murmured, once they broke apart. He looked at her and smiled; "I'm really excited," he admitted. "I mean, you know how much I love Mason, but I feel like I sort of missed out on the whole raising a baby thing…you know, first steps, first words…and now, now I get to do that…with you. You're excited, right?" he asked. Charlotte was undeniably amazing with Mason, but Cooper also remembered how resentful she had felt when motherhood had initially been thrust upon her, and he wanted to make sure that this wasn't the case again.
"I'm excited," Charlotte nodded. "I'm a little less excited about the part where you and I become boring parents because, let's face it, with two kids, we're not gonna have much of a social life."
"I can't wait to be boring parents," Cooper smiled. "And, come on, aside from our coworkers, we don't really have any friends anyway."
"Hmm," Charlotte smirked, raising an eyebrow seductively, "You may have a point but, still, I don't think I'm ready to be a boring parent just yet," she said, pulling Cooper in for a kiss. Cooper responded in kind, drawing his wife in even closer, and deepening the kiss. Charlotte was immediately lost in the kiss and, without breaking apart from her husband, she eased herself down on their bed, and pulled Cooper on top of her. She slipped his t-shirt over his head, and he did quickly did the same with her silky negligee, breaking apart from her, and allowing his eyes to roam over her body with a new sense of appreciation for it. But this didn't last very long, because Charlotte quickly pulled him back on top of her, and continued kissing him heatedly.
Charlotte had been told many times in her life that sex doesn't solve things. And she knew that there was truth behind that. But, she had to admit, sex with Cooper certainly made things better.
xxxxx
Sheldon was just about to head off to bed, when he heard a knock at the door. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was too late for casual visitors, and his mind immediately went to worst-case scenarios – he worried that one of his friends or coworkers or patients was in serious trouble. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, and shakily made his way to the door, and opened it to find Amelia standing outside.
"A-Amelia," he said worriedly. "Is everything okay?"
"If by okay, you mean that I'm not strung out…then, yes, I'm okay." She shook her head and sighed. "It was mistake for me to come here. Sorry for bothering you so late at night."
She turned to leave, but Sheldon placed a gentle hand on her arm before she could. "You're not bothering me," he said softly.
"I don't know why I'm here," Amelia admitted.
"Do you want to talk?" Sheldon asked.
Amelia shook her head. "No. I want to sleep. I…" she trailed off.
"Amelia, would you like spend the night?"
A small smile graced Amelia's features. "I'd like that."
"Yeah," Sheldon nodded. "I'd like that too."
xxxxx
"Okay, Henry," Addison cooed, looking down at her son in her arms, the next morning, as she stepped off the elevator and into the practice. "We've got some work to do."
She moved towards Jake's office, and tried to open the door, frowning when she realized that it was locked. "That's the beauty of owning the practice," Addison told her son, as she reached into her purse and retrieved a set of keys, "I can get into anyone's office."
She let herself into Jake's office, put a blanket down on his leather couch, and placed Henry down on the blanket. "Jake's a good guy, and he'd probably understand, but I think we should avoid getting drool on his couch, if possible," she told Henry, as she removed a bottle of champagne, two champagne flutes, and a box of chocolate cake from her bag, and placed it on Jake's desk.
"Perfect," she approved, walking back over to the couch, and picking Henry up. "Now we wait," she told her son, as she sat down in Jake's swivel desk chair, and put Henry up on the desk.
They weren't waiting long; a few minutes later, Jake got off the elevator, and began making his way to his office, smiling when he saw Addison sitting at his desk with Henry. "I like your scrubs, Henry," Jake complimented, tickling the baby under his chin. He turned to Addison. "What's this all about?" he asked, gesturing towards the champagne and the cake box on his desk.
Addison smiled, and opened the cake box to reveal a chocolate cake with the words, Happy 1 Year, written in white frosting. "You joined the practice exactly one year ago, today," Addison explained. "So, Henry and I wanted to do a little something for you."
A wide smile spread across Jake's face. "Addison, you didn't have to do this. Thank you."
"Please," Addison laughed, dismissing his thanks, "after everything you've done for me this past year, this is the least I can do. And Henry felt bad about missing dinner at your place the other night, so he wanted to do something for you too."
"Well, I appreciate it," Jake grinned, leaning in, and kissing Addison softly. "It's been one hell of a year."
"It has," Addison agreed.
"So," Jake said, checking his watch, "it's a little early for champagne, but I'm sure there's got to be a carton of orange juice in one of the break rooms. Feel like having mimosas?"
"I have a patient in ten minutes," Addison said. "How about right after that?"
"That works," Jake nodded. "Who's watching Henry?"
"Violet is."
"Oh, okay," Jake nodded.
"But I'll bring him by when I come back for mimosas," Addison promised. "Thanks for offering to watch him."
"I never offered," Jake pointed out.
"Yeah," Addison winked, "but I know you, and you were definitely going to."
xxxxx
"Do you have a minute?" Sheldon asked, as he knocked on the door to Jake's office.
Jake nodded. "Yeah, come on in, Sheldon. Take a seat," he said, gesturing to the seat across from him.
"Whoa what's with the champagne?" Sheldon asked.
"Addison got it for me. There's cake in the refrigerator too if you want some."
"Why did Addison get you champagne and cake?" Sheldon asked in confusion.
"It's my one year anniversary at the practice," Jake smiled.
"That's funny," Sheldon mused. "I've been working here for several years now, and Addison's never bought me champagne or cake."
"You said you wanted to talk," Jake cut in, redirecting the conversation.
"Right," Sheldon nodded. "I do."
"So, what's up?" Jake asked.
Sheldon took a deep breath. "I'm sleeping with Amelia," he confessed.
"What?" Jake gasped. "Since when? I mean, I kind of thought you two had potential, but this…this seems awfully fast. So are you two dating?"
"Oh, no, we're not together," Sheldon explained.
"You know, I could be wrong here, but you don't exactly strike me as the type to have meaningless sex, Sheldon."
"Oh, we're not having sex," Sheldon clarified. "We're just sleeping together…you know, spending the night at each others' places."
"So sleeping in the literal sense of the word?" Jake asked in confusion.
"Yes," Sheldon nodded. "Now the shrink in me, the shrink in me knows this is wrong. But then again, it's Amelia, and I know, I know she's like eight-years-old, and I know she's vulnerable, right now…but it's Amelia, and I'd do anything to make her feel better. And if sleeping together makes her feel better, then I'll do it."
"So, I'm confused," Jake admitted. "Do you want me to tell you that this is okay? Or do you want me to convince you to stop sleeping with Amelia?"
Sheldon sighed, and put his head in his hands. "I want a piece of that cake that Addison bought for you," he mumbled.
"Sure, distract yourself with food," Jake teased. "Because that's healthy."
"Don't shrink me," Sheldon said irritably.
"Hey, I thought you came in here for advice," Jake defended.
"I did," Sheldon agreed. "And I still want it. I just want cake first."
xxxxx
"So, this is going to be a little cold," Addison warned, as she squirted some gel onto Charlotte's exposed abdomen, and began the ultrasound portion of the exam. She couldn't help smiling over at Cooper, who was sitting next to Charlotte, holding her hand, a wide smile on his face. He was so undeniably excited and already supportive – not that Addison ever had ever doubted him for a second – and she could tell that his enthusiasm had really helped to relax Charlotte.
"So," Addison began, with a wide smile on her face, "here's your baby." She stopped the transducer and turned the screen so that Charlotte and Cooper could get a better look, and Addison couldn't help smiling at the mesmerized looks on both of their faces. She returned her attention to the screen, and something caught her eye.
"Addison," Cooper began, seeing the change in his colleague's demeanor. "Is something wrong?"
Addison shook her head. "Everything's fine. It's just, here's your other baby."
"Other baby?" Charlotte asked in surprise.
"Wait, twins?" Cooper breathed. "We're having twins?"
"You're having twins," Addison confirmed.
A wide smile spread across Cooper's face. "This is such great – ow!" he exclaimed, as Charlotte slapped him on the arm. "Hey, what was that for?"
"You couldn't just knock me up like a normal person?" Charlotte asked angrily.
"I, uh, I think I'll give you two some time," Addison said uncomfortably, as she made her way toward the door. "Congratulations again, you two," she said brightly.
"Okay, I know this was unexpected," Cooper started, once Addison had left the room, "but hear me out-"
"Cooper, a year ago, I didn't have any kids. Now, suddenly, I'm going to be a mother of three. Unexpected doesn't even begin to cut it."
"But unexpected isn't necessarily bad," Cooper pointed out. "And we can do this."
Charlotte looked at him skeptically.
"You know I'm right," Cooper insisted
Charlotte did her best to fight the smile that was forming on her face, but she couldn't help giving in. "You might be right," she mumbled.
"Might be?" Cooper teased.
"Fine, you're right. Happy?"
"Very," Cooper smiled. "Are you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know," Charlotte began, as a small smile spread across her face, "I think I am."
