a/n: uh, basically... here's a new chapter. i won't update again probably at least until monday (expect later), since my family's taking me to, wait for it... DISNEYLAND! score one for the disney nerds! anyways... here, go. read.

yes i own grey's... in my head.

Derek is coming to visit today. He confuses me. On one hand, there's nothing really wrong with him. On the other, I just don't like him that much. I mean, like I said before, he's nice to me and stuff, and he brings me candy, but I don't like him. He always talks to me like I'm five. I hate being talked to like I'm five. I'm ten years old, for heavens sake! There's no reason that I should be talked to like I'm still learning my ABCs! I know them all the way through, and my multiplication tables all the way up to twelve, and that George Washington was the first president, and that Paris is the capital of France, and Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States. I'm not stupid, and there's no reason to talk to me like I am.

So anyways, he's coming to visit today, and the only good part of this is the fact that it means that I will most definitely be getting candy. Candy is always a good thing under any circumstance. But I don't want to listen to Mr. Chatty Cathy talk and talk about his last surgery as if everybody in the whole entire universe needs to know exactly what the stupid thing is and exactly why it had to be done and what he did and what the actual surgeon did and what music they listened to and what the weather was like in the operating room. Not that there's weather indoors, but for all that Derek says, he basically tells it to you. It was a lovely day for surgery, and the operating room was at 72 degrees, as per usual, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, because there is no sky in an operating room, and therefore no sky for there to be clouds in. Okay, he doesn't actually say that, but he might as well, and I'm just trying to prove a point here, so there's no need to give me grief about it!

Anyways, my mom totally adores Mr. Derek Shepherd. I think that she's thinking about throwing him a parade and banquet the last time he visits before the wedding, which is really soon. Okay, so I'm kidding. Well, about the parade anyways. In any case, she looooves Derek. And my dad doesn't mind him either. After all, Daddy gave him permission to marry Addison, didn't he? That means he has to like something. And Daddy's usually right, so I'm trying to convince myself that there's nothing wrong with Derek and that he gets better the longer you know him. After all, everybody in the house has known Derek for longer that me. I only got to know him when they came home for Thanksgiving, and that was after he and Addie were engaged. So maybe they know something I don't. I'm trying to figure out what that is. I really am!

It's just that… I think he likes my sister a lot. I mean a lot. They kiss all the time, which is really gross, by the way. So yeah, I think he likes my sister. And I think my sister likes him too. But I don't think they actually love each other. I know what you're thinking: Audrey, you're only ten years old, how do you know what love looks like? But like I said before, I'm not stupid. I do watch movies, you know. And besides that, I have eyes and ears, I can observe people.

The thing about Derek is he's just so stuffy. All he ever talks about is surgery and his big plans to be a neurosurgeon (that means he'll operate on brains), and how it's really the most difficult specialty because of the small area and the small tools, and the huge consequences and yadda, yadda, yadda. The second Derek says "surgery", I stop listening. He never notices. He never expects anybody to actually converse with him, he just wants to talk. That's really why I don't like him, when you get right down to it; he's boring!

Anyways, he's here, so I kind of have to stop talking badly about him, because it would be really bad if he heard me.

0ooo0

Derek brought me M&Ms, like usual. I do love M&Ms, and he picked out all the brown ones (they're so disgusting! The whole point of M&Ms is to be colorful, so why would I want to eat gross looking brown ones?), which is definitely one thing I do like about him. I get the feeling that Alex would make me pick out all the brown ones myself. So that's one point for Derek.

I spent all afternoon watching him, because we were together for a really long time, because whenever Derek comes, it's this big family gathering. I guess he's nice, which is good. And he's polite. Mom says that you can tell a lot about a man from his manners. Derek has good manners, and he doesn't chew with his mouth open, which is good, because I do not want to see people's food post-chew. Ew. And he makes Addie smile, which is good. Plus, he does look at her funny. I mean, good funny, not weird funny. He looks at her like, um… like she's very important. Which she is. So that's good. But the thing is, I don't think he looks like he loves her with everything he has. I think he just looks like she's very important to him. You know, my dog, Donald (his full name is Donald Duck), is very important to me, but you don't see me going around marrying him now, do you? Why are grown-ups so stupid all the time?

Hold up! The doorbell's ringing! Mystery guest! "I'll get it!" I exclaim and skip out of the room before Mom can tell me to sit back down and let Rodger get it. Well, it's not like I totally scandalize her; I let Rodger open the door, which swings open to reveal Alex.

"Hello, Alex, Alex Karev!" I greet him cheerfully. I've taken to saying his first name twice. It's fun, plus that is how he introduced himself. "I'm going to take a wild stab, and say that you're looking for my sister."

"Yeah. Is she around?"

"She is. Uh, she's a little busy, but I think she'll make time for you."

"Oh, that's okay, it's not important. I was just wondering if she wanted to go see a movie or something, but if she's busy…"

"Don't be silly," I say. "Come in. You can meet Derek."

"Derek? As in Addison's fiancé Derek?"

"That would be the one. I don't know about you, but he's the only Derek I know."

"I… that's okay. I'll just go."

"Well, if you really want to…" I sigh.

"Audrey, who's at the door?" Addison asks, poking her head out from the living room. "Oh! Alex! Hi."

"Hey," he says.

"Uh, were you… I mean, are you looking for me?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Sort of? You're sort of looking for me? Really? Only sort of?"

"No need to be sarcastic," he replies.

"Sir, if you'll step inside, so I may close the door?" Rodger says to Alex.

"Oh, yeah, sure." He does as Rodger asks. That doesn't surprise me. Everybody does what Rodger asks. He's kind of imposing in that way.

"So you're looking for me?" Addie asks him once he's inside. She's fully out of the living room now.

"Yeah, but it's not important," he says.

"Babe, who is it?" Derek asks as he comes out of the living room.

"Oh, uh, Derek, this is Alex Karev. Alex, this is my fiancé Derek."

The two guys size each other up. "It's nice to meet you," Alex finally says, offering his hand to shake.

"Yeah, you too."

"Well, you're busy," Alex says. "So I'll just go. Uh, I'll see you later, Adds. Bye, Ree."

"Bye Alex!" I reply. When he's gone, I inform Addie and Derek, "He's so nice." They don't listen to me, though.

"Who is he?" Derek asks Addie. He sounds angry.

"He's just an old friend. I haven't seen him since high school."

"Really, because you two seem to know each other pretty well."

"You only saw the guy for three minutes, Derek! How could you possibly know that we're close?"

"For one, the way he looks at you. And two, he calls your sister Ree. I'm not even allowed to call her that."

"Yeah, well, he's known Audrey since she was two, so he's known her a lot longer than you have. We all used to call her that. Nobody does anymore, because she doesn't really want to be called that." That's true. I asked everybody specifically not to call me Ree. "And Alex doesn't look at me any differently than anybody else. Does that mean I'm not allowed to talk to anybody anymore?"

Derek sighs. "Of course not. Look, I really don't want to fight right now."

"You never do."

"What?"

"We never fight, Derek. Have you ever noticed that? We don't fight. We always put it off, and we never fight."

"Yeah, so?"

"So it's not healthy! Derek, we're going to have to fight at some point! We're going to have to settle things somehow!"

Derek pulls Addie into a hug. "I can think of more fun ways to settle things," he tells her and kisses her. Addie blushes, then looks over and sees me.

"Geez, Derek, my sister's in the room! God. Can you just stay on track for one second and try not to distract me?"

"Is everything okay out here?" Mom says, coming out of the living room.

Addison shoots Derek a look. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"You sure? It sounded like you might be arguing."

Addison sighs and looks at Derek. "No, we weren't fighting. We never do."

so, i'm pretty sure that you're wanting to review right about now... ;)

p.s. i'm thinking that this is going to be one of my shorter stories (aside from the oneshots, which so don't count). i'm guessing maybe three, four more chapters... is this agreeable with everyone?

-Juli-