AN: Alright! Thank you all for the encouragement. I've decided it's worth continuing, so here's the next chap. I really really need a beta, btw. Pleeaaasssee PM because I have no idea how the thing works. Hahaha. :) But yea. Thanks so much for reading the last chap, and for reviewing. :) You guys rock. :)

- I own nothing.

"We couldn't find any lead. Nothing, no street surveillance, no witnesses, no prints. Nothing. It's like we're not meant to find her."

Derek sighed, looking at the detective incredulously. "What do you mean no lead? My wife could be out there, freezing, dying, scared. And you're telling me we're not meant to find her?" His bellowing voice echoed across the small room, everyone flinching at the sound of his forlorn yet forceful voice.

"Dr. Shepherd…"

"Is this what everything has come to?" he asked, his voice still raised. "My wife could be dead and we're not doing anything!"

"Sir, trust me," the detective pleaded. "We've been doing the best we could."

He shook his head angrily, furious at the way things were unfolding. "No. No, you're not."

"With all due respect sir, the police department has been working its ass off trying to find your wife. We've checked every nook and cranny but there's nothing."

"Then explain to me how that happened," Derek challenged, his eyes ablaze with anger. He could not, for the life of him, accept that this was what everything had come to; that they were giving up the search for his wife.

Caden Smith sighed, eyeing Derek and begging him to understand. "It's been two months, sir. The chances of finding her… alive… is so small that we have to suspend the search for her or else things will be more futile."

"You seriously can't be giving up."

"Unfortunately, New York State orders that with missing person reports like these, we have to issue a death certificate. And that's usually… the end," he gulped, intimidated by the man who was fighting to retrain himself from throwing things and punching the lights out of all of them.

"Derek," Carolyn Shepherd said, standing up from the cold metal chair and laying a hand on her son's back. "Honey… we'll keep looking for her. We will. But it's protocol and we can't defy that."

Derek shook his head, shrugging his mother's hand from his back as Addison's family and Mark stared at him expectantly. "We're not even sure if she's dead," he stated.

"She's not dead," Carolyn said, although she wasn't sure if it was true. Of course she didn't want to get Derek's hopes up too high, but she could think of no other way to comfort him. "We'll keep searching. Even if it's just us. You, me, Mark, Savvy, the Montgomerys… we're all here, honey. And we'll keep looking."

"That's not enough," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not signing any death certificates," he stated firmly. "My wife isn't dead, and the only reason you're ruling her so is because you're too lazy to find her. You do such mediocre—"

"Derek!" Carolyn scolded, her eyes widening at the insult Derek could put. "Honey, they did the best they can. And they'll keep looking for her too, but it's standard protocol to issue a death certificate until she's found alive, and then we can declare the certificate void."

"That's right," the detective cut in. "The death certificate just makes you a free man—"

"I don't want to be a free man," he snapped. "I want to stay married to my wife!"

"And you will, but the certificate makes you eligible for more legal things. It'll be to your advantage," the detective explained, waiting anxiously for a reply.

Everyone looked at Derek expectantly, waiting for him to come to a decision regarding the papers. To Derek, signing them would make things final, as if he were conceding to the fact that she was dead indeed. And that was something severely out of the question. But it was protocol, and whether he signed it or not, Addison would still be missing, and he would still be in a state of misery.

After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed and finally acquiesced to it, albeit begrudgingly. He wasn't happy, but it had to be done.

Meredith watched as Derek stumbled through the front door, his eyes showing no apology as he met her questioning gaze. Sure she knew what today was, and she supposed she should've grown accustomed to the way he behaved on days such as these, but she couldn't deny that Derek's actions and the fact that he still missed Addison hurt her.

She knew since day one that she was putting herself in a position that would require great sacrifice. She knew that hurt and pain was inevitable. But she always held out hope that one day, Derek might actually see her and forget Addison, even for a split second.

His eyes, however, stayed haunted all throughout their 5-year marriage, save for those moments when he truly saw Meredith. He never moved on, and that was what made Meredith lose almost all faith that she would live a happy life with Derek. He was much too obsessed with his lost chance with Addison.

"You got home at a decent hour," she commented, sighing before helping him up that stairs. "Last year, you came home at six am. You're four hours early this time."

Derek didn't say anything, only allowed her to help him off his clothes and shoes and into bed. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Meredith. In fact, that would be quite the contrary. But he hated it when Meredith tried too hard on days he devoted solely to Addison.

Meredith sighed again, placing Derek's shoes by the corner of the bed and standing up straight to stare at him. He was reeking more than usual, and he stared back with empty eyes.

"Do you need an aspirin?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.

He put a hand on his face and rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the purple haze that was currently blocking his view of his wife's face. He squinted a couple of times before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I do."

She nodded curtly in acknowledgement before walking to the bathroom and filling up a cup of water and pulling out an aspirin from the medicine cabinet. It was nights like these that she thought she was too tired of the life she was living, but knowing she would never give him up. She'd only really seen pictures of Addison, one or two of them at most. Derek was very secretive of her, as if sharing her would make him lose her. But Meredith knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was tough competition, because she was beautiful and talented and… perfect.

Even Richard Webber doted on her like a daughter, somehow feeling sorry for Meredith because she had to fill such big shoes. But Meredith was Meredith, and she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

Meredith shoved the aspirin into Derek's hand, waiting for him to put it in his mouth before handing him the cup of water. "I'll call the chief in the morning," she stated. "I'm sure you won't be able to work in the morning anyway."

Derek nodded, slowly peeling off the covers and burying himself underneath it. "Any mail for me today?" he asked tiredly.

She shook her head as she turned off the lights, allowing her eyes to adjust to the cloak of darkness. "No mail," she answered. "But our machine was full of your messages when I got home."

He knew they were all probably sympathetic messages from family and friends, wishing him well on a day they all knew was particularly hard on him. He got used to the pity over the years. "More pity?" he almost snapped, his headache intensifying.

Meredith shrugged, lying down on the bed and covering herself with a blanket. She turned to her side and stared at Derek's form, wondering how she was going to get through the rest of her life that way.

"Well?"

"Pity. Yes," she answered. "But someone left a message for you, he sounded important."

"Important?"

Meredith nodded. "Someone from the NYPD. I don't know, go and listen to it when you wake up. But right now just… go to sleep," she said before turning her back to him, honestly quite tired of dealing with him tonight. "Good night, Derek."

"Good night," he answered gruffly, closing his eyes and finally allowing himself much needed unconsciousness.

"I love you," she whispered into the night, but he was already fast asleep.

It was a dreamless sleep, something he was thankful for. Having Addison in his dreams would make things harder, and he had resigned himself to the numbness slowly ebbing at him since Addison first went missing. There was simply no use denying it, and he had to accept that she was gone.

He woke up the next day close to noon, alone and with the biggest hangover yet. And deciding life had to go on yet again, he forced himself out of bed and to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.

With the coffee in hand, he proceeded to the answering machine whilst remembering Meredith's words about an important call and tons of pity messages. Sighing, he sat down next to the machine and pressed play, mentally preparing himself for another June 16th tradition. He noted though that year after year, less and less people called him, no doubt believing he had slowly moved on.

"Hi Derek, it's Savvy. Weiss and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It's June 16th and yeah… I guess we just wanted to be sure you're fine. We haven't spoken in a while, and I tried calling your cell but you weren't picking up. So yeah. Okay. Well, let us know if you need anything. Your east coast friends are never too busy for you. We love you."

"Meredith? Derek? It's Nancy. If any of you are at home please pick up… okay. You're not there. Anyway, Derek, I hope you're holding up well. Twelve years down, a lot more to go. I know you and Addie would've stayed strong if she were alive. Oh, shit. Did I just say that out loud? Pardon me. Uh… Hi Meredith! Hope you're doing well yourself. See you in the summer? Give me a call. Okay. Bye."

"Son? It's Anthony. I don't know if your mother's called you but the court's granted me a re-opening of the case. Now, I don't know if that's good news to you because it gets our hopes up too high, but it's a start, right? Let me know if you want to come over and go horseback riding again. Remember last time? Okay. Talk to you soon."

"Derbear, it's mom. I was just calling to check up on you. Put the bottle down now and stay away from sharp objects today. I'm not kidding. Give me a call when you get the chance. And, hello Meredith. Stay right where you are, okay? I love you both."

"Hello, this is Detective Caden Smith from the New York Police Department. We're calling for Dr. Derek Shepherd. When you get the chance sir, please give us a call at the station. We have some important news for you. Thanks."

Derek sighed, fishing his phone from the pocket of his robe and dialing the police station. He honestly had no idea what it was about, but like Meredith's perception, it sounded important. He waited patiently as the line rang, and politely asked to be directed to the Detective Smith's line.

"Detective Smith."

"This Dr. Shepherd," he said. "Good morning."

"Oh! Dr. Shepherd. It's great to hear from you. I assume you got our message?" he asked, his voice friendly, something Derek was unaccustomed to. In all the years Derek had known Caden Smith, he was but the epitome of professionalism, never friendly, seldom sympathetic.

He nodded. "I did. But detective, I'll have you know that I don't appreciate false hope. I think I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll never find her, so make sure that whatever news you're going to give me is something I can actually hold on to."

The detective cleared his throat, understanding the viewpoint from which Derek Shepherd was coming from. Of all the cases he'd handled throughout his career, it was Derek's quick shift from optimism to pessimism that was most remarkable to him. Most people went through the anger cycle, with the denial and 'if's. But Derek Shepherd found it difficult to hope, as if he knew hoping would only make him hurt more.

"Detective?"

"We didn't tell you this bit of information seven years ago, sir. But, over the course of three years, 16 other women have gone missing, with only their cars eventually found. There have been no trace of them whatsoever since then, and it was a strong hypothesis to assume that we were dealing with a serial killer. Or rapist. We couldn't know for sure because no bodies have turned up."

Derek knew other women went missing around that time, too, but he couldn't draw a connection to it until the detective painted him a picture. Did it matter that he was only told this bit of information now? No, not really, because then she would still be missing. But what was of interest to him was why the detective brought it up now. "Okay… go on," he coaxed.

"One of the women," he continued, "sprung out from out of nowhere and walked right into her mother's home without so much as a scratch. We have yet to ask her what happened, but she wouldn't talk. Physically she was fine, but emotionally… everyone knew there was more damage."

Derek's face paled, his heart beating more times than he could count. He was breathing in and out so deeply to calm himself that he didn't notice his hands ball into fists and his body start to tremble. This was it, the glimmer of hope that Addison was alive. But he couldn't hope, right? He was married now. "Are you… are you saying there's concrete possibility that my wife is alive?" he whispered, needing to take a seat as the news was slowly processed in his brain.

Caden sighed. "I'm not sure, sir. But this woman was linked to the kidnappings and she turned out okay, right? I'm not… trying to give you false hope, but I thought you would appreciate the update."

Quite honestly, he didn't know what to make of it. It made everything so much more complicated. Addison. Meredith. Addison. And then what? But then again, he wasn't sure if she was alive yet, and that would postpone the confusion to a later time. "Well… thank you for the update, detective," Derek managed. "You'll be sure to contact me if you get more information?"

"Of course," the detective said. "Have a good day."

Derek hung up, his face emotionless and pale. Addison's disappearance, as well as the other 16 girls' was such a mystery back then. But now, with the reappearance of one of them, it was so much more a mystery than they could have ever imagined. First they went missing for 7 years, and then they turn up again without so much as a scratch? What has this world housed for satanic deeds?

But deciding that he would cross the Addison bridge when he had come to it, he shook himself of the thoughts that were to once again plague him, and proceeded to dress up for work, wishing that he would be able to concentrate.

The possibility that she was alive had always crossed his mind, and now, with the concrete idea of its plausibility, he couldn't even begin to wonder how he would sort his life out after it. Things were surely going to be interesting, and he had to prepare himself for the emotional roller coaster ride he was about to embark on.

Once at the hospital, he leaned casually on the nurse's counter and filled up charts, slightly flirting with the pretty nurse that gave everyone syph. He had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. But just as he gave her his infamous McDreamy smile, he saw Meredith out of the corner of his eye, walking right to him with a smile on her face.

"Hi, honey," she greeted, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "What time did you get to work?"

He was lucky to have prevented a scowl from forming on his face, so he forced himself to smile. "A little after 12," was the answer. "What time does your shift end?" he asked absently, turning his attention back to the charts.

"Well," Meredith said enthusiastically, "I'll have you know, Dr. Shepherd, that I get off at 6. And that I made us some reservations at the Chateau for 8," she grinned. "Just the two of us, you know. Nice and quiet evening."

One would wonder at Meredith's strange behavior. But it came as true June 16th fashion. June 17th was Meredith's day, her chance to get Derek back on track and focused on her. It was her way of comforting herself after such an emotionally draining day.

He looked at her quizzically. He wasn't blind to the fact that Meredith was trying. So he shrugged and forced a grin and nodded. "Sure. Dinner sounds lovely," he said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

There were times that he wondered why he even married her in the first place.

Meredith went off to babble about her day, squealing slightly with delight at the prospect of having him all to herself that evening. But Derek couldn't concentrate. Because as soon as he agreed to the dinner, a flash of red caught his eye, and his heart started to drum against his chest.

"… so I called Cristina's friend who works at place and who could bump us up at the reservations. I mean really, Derek, the Chateau is like… the place to be and it's so hard to get on that list," she sighed dramatically. "Sometimes, it takes up to six months to get a vacancy, right? You know that—Der?" she asked, suddenly aware of her husband's distraction.

He kept staring straight ahead, unable to look at the spot where the flash of red was more than just a flash, but a concrete figure at the corner of his sight. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't begin to fathom the reality of it. He could feel her. He could feel the less than subtle but loving stare at his side, beckoning him to turn and see her, taste her, feel her concretely.

Meredith huffed. "Seriously Derek. You're not listening to me. Why aren't you listening to me? I mean, god. I worked my ass off to get us these reservations and the least you could do is to pretend to be enthusiastic about it."

"Addie," he whispered, feeling the rather familiar sensation of unexpected tears burning at the back of his eyes.

She sighed. "What?"

And then, ever so slowly, he turned his body, hesitating only slightly but with such renewed confidence. He had to prove to himself, whether it was his imagination or reality, that he was completely sane and that things would fall into place.

His breath hitched at the sight before him, and his body stayed frozen at beauty of the image.

There she was, her face with retained pulchritude, her hair as red and tantalizing as ever before, and her green eyes, empty save for the love that filled them. His dreams had come true. She was standing a few feet from him; a sight to behold of a woman whose strength had not ceased to exist.

His Addison was alive, and in that moment, what was once black and white had turned into a beautiful vision with shades of sheer joy.

So this is where it all gets interesting. Addison's back, and the drama is going to unfold. :D Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! :)