A/N: This one-shot is dedicated to AmyHale – one of my favorite writers on this site – who wanted to see a story devoted to Addison and Angela. I loved Addison and Angela's dynamic so much and think that, had the show gone on, they could have had some really awesome storylines together. Anyway, here's my attempt at an Addison/Angela story; I hope you like it. And as always, thanks so much for reading!
Leading Ladies
You're supposed to be the leading lady in your own life.
-The Holiday
Addison had sat through her fair share of uncomfortable dinners. Growing up, family dinners were formal and stilted. Dinners with her ex-mother-in-law were always awkward – Carolyn had never liked her, and wasn't the best at hiding it. And then, of course, there was the Hotdog Thanksgiving – quite possibly the most uncomfortable dinner of Addison's life.
And now Addison could add one more uncomfortable dinner to the list – tonight's dinner with Jake, Angela, and Eli. Addison had envisioned this dinner going differently. It was supposed to be a way for Jake and Angela to make peace over the argument that they had gotten into, a few days ago, about whether or not Angela should be dating her college professor. But Jake wasn't in the mood to make peace; and an innocent conversation about basketball quickly turned into thinly veiled insults about Angela and Eli's relationship.
And before long, Jake was excusing himself from the dinner table, wine glass in hand, and making his way outside to the deck, with Eli trailing behind him. Angela stood up to go after her boyfriend and her father, but Addison knew that the conversation that was about to take place was one that Angela did not need to hear.
"No…no," Addison said gently, placing her hand on Angela's forearm. "Let them go."
Angela hesitantly sat back down at the dinner table, and Addison gave her a reassuring head nod. She wanted to say something comforting to Angela, but she didn't know what to say. She couldn't promise Angela that Jake would come around and start liking Eli, because she knew that this might never be the case. But, still, she didn't want Angela to worry. So she sighed heavily and met Angela's eyes, giving her a look that silently communicated that somehow everything would work itself out.
"Thank you," Angela said after a moment. "Thank you for trying to make things less awkward tonight."
Addison offered Angela a small smile. "I'm sorry things didn't go better," she apologized.
Angela nodded in agreement. "You were great, though," she complimented.
Addison looked at Angela in confusion.
"When conversation was stalling, I shot you a desperate look, and you stepped in," Angela explained. "You didn't have to do that. And I'm pretty sure that dinner tonight was your idea because there's no way that my dad would have made an effort to get to know Eli on his own. You went out of your way for me tonight and…thank you."
Addison smiled. Jake had truly done a wonderful job raising his daughter. "I was happy to do it," Addison nodded. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
It was the truth. She loved Jake, and part of loving Jake meant loving his daughter.
"Thank you," Angela smiled. "It's nice to feel like you're there for me."
"I am," Addison nodded. "I'm happy to be there for you."
That was months ago. And although Addison had meant what she'd said, she hadn't thought about that conversation in months. And it made sense. A lot had happed over the past several months – she and Jake had gotten engaged and married; Charlotte had had the triplets; Sam and Naomi had gotten back together and were expecting a child; and despite Jake's wishes, Angela was planning on taking the next semester off from school to spend time abroad with Eli.
But then, out of nowhere, that conversation that she'd had with Angela, all those months ago, came rushing back to her.
"Hey, Angela," Addison said into her cell phone. "What's up?"
"Did you really mean it when you said that you'd be happy to be there for me?"
"Angela, what's wrong?" Addison asked worriedly, as she registered the sense of distraught in her stepdaughter's voice.
"Did you really mean it when you said you'd be happy to be there for me?" Angela repeated.
"Of course I did," Addison said. "Angela, please tell me what's wrong."
"Are you alone?" Angela asked cautiously.
"I am."
"And, um, this conversation needs to stay between you and me."
"Okay," Addison answered hesitantly.
"Addison, you can't tell my dad," Angela warned, sensing that her stepmother was wavering. "He-he wouldn't understand."
"I'm sure he'd understand," Addison insisted. "But you have my word…this conversation stays between us."
"Thank you."
"So, um, what is it?" Addison asked worriedly.
"I think I might be pregnant," Angela said quietly.
Addison felt her breath hitch in her throat. "Did you…did you take a pregnancy test?"
"I didn't," Angela admitted. "But I'm late and nauseous. And even though Eli and I are extremely careful..."
"Sometimes things happen," Addison finished.
"Exactly," Angela sighed.
"What can I do?" Addison asked. "What can I do for you?"
"Can you come to my dorm?" Angela asked hesitantly. "I don't want to take the test alone."
"I can," Addison nodded. "But, um, are you sure you don't want Eli? He-"
"No," Angela cut in. "I…I'd rather have you."
Addison couldn't help smiling at this. "Do you need me to pick you up a pregnancy test?"
"Could you?" Angela asked gratefully. "They don't exactly sell them in the campus bookstore."
"Okay," Addison nodded. "I'll be over as soon as I can."
Twenty minutes later, Addison was standing outside Angela's dorm room, waiting for Angela to let her inside.
"Hey," Angela said quietly, as she opened the door. "Thank you for coming. I know you're busy and probably have a thousand other-"
"Stop," Addison interrupted, as she stepped inside, and took in Angela's tear-stained face. "I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now. So, um, I bought you a pregnancy test…and a chocolate bar," Addison said, handing Angela the grocery bag in her hand. "I figured the chocolate would come in handy either way."
"Thanks," Angela nodded, as tears began to form in her eyes. "I just…I can't be pregnant," she breathed, as the tears began to slide down her cheeks. "I just, I can't."
"Hey," Addison said gently, as she reassuringly rubbed Angela's arm. "It might be nothing. It could be stress. Or you could be getting sick. It really might be nothing."
Angela looked at Addison skeptically. "I've seen enough movies to know that it's never stress or the flu."
"It was with me," Addison said quietly.
Angela looked at Addison curiously. "When did you-"
"A long time ago," Addison said quickly. "So, um…"
"I guess I should probably take this," Angela sighed, gesturing to the pregnancy test in her hand.
Addison nodded. "I'm right here if you need anything."
And as Addison waited for Angela to come out of the bathroom, she couldn't help thinking about how different this felt from all of her other friends' and colleagues' pregnancies over the years. She had a feeling that Angela was pregnant. She had learned that a good rule of thumb was the more you didn't want a baby, the more likely you were to end up pregnant. And Angela certainly didn't want a baby.
But this time, unlike any other time, Addison wasn't thinking about herself, and how unfair it was that she – a woman, who devoted her life to saving babies, and who wanted to get pregnant more than anything – was barren, while her friends, who hadn't even been trying for babies, all ended up pregnant. But this time, these thoughts didn't even cross her mind; she was too worried about Angela.
"So…" Addison trailed off hesitantly, as Angela emerged from the bathroom.
"I can't look," Angela admitted. "Would you…"
"Yeah," Addison nodded, taking the pregnancy test from Angela and looking down at it. "Hey, Ang…"
"Yeah?"
"It's negative."
"What?" Angela breathed in disbelief.
"It's negative," Addison repeated, a smile spreading across her face. "Here, take a look" she said, handing Angela the pregnancy test so that she could confirm the news with her own eyes.
"Oh my god," Angela smiled. "I…I'm so relieved. Thank you," she breathed, wrapping her arms around Addison. "Thank you so much."
"I didn't really do anything," Addison shrugged.
"No," Angela insisted. "I couldn't have gotten through this without you." She sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair. "I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am. I just…it would have changed everything."
Addison nodded. "Yeah, babies tend to do that."
"And I would've had to have such an awkward talk with Eli."
"And finishing college and med school wouldn't be easy either," Addison added. "You're still planning on doing that, right?"
"Have you been talking to my father?" Angela asked warily.
"We talk," Addison nodded. "And I know he's concerned. But I'm not asking you for his sake. I'm asking because I want to know."
Angela sat down on her bed and sighed heavily. "I love Eli."
"I know you do," Addison nodded, sitting down next to Angela on the bed. "I just, I'd hate to see you lose yourself in the process."
"It's just one semester," Angela defended. "It's not like I'm dropping out of school for him."
"I know," Addison said. "But what are you going to do when he's teaching? You're not taking classes abroad, are you?"
Angela shook her head. "No. I, uh, I hadn't really thought about what I'd do during the day, while Eli's teaching. I mean, I guess I could register for classes out there or something."
Addison shrugged. "I guess."
"You think I'm making a mistake if I go," Angela said, looking at Addison pointedly.
Addison held up her hands innocently. "I didn't say-"
"I know." Angela cut in. "But if it were your daughter we were talking about, you wouldn't want her to go, right?"
"First of all, it is my daughter that we're talking about," Addison insisted, meeting Angela's eyes. "And if we're being honest, it seems like you're giving up a lot to spend the semester abroad with Eli. I mean, it seems to me like you're putting your relationship with Eli ahead of yourself and your future."
"But Eli is my future," Angela pointed out.
"He may be," Addison nodded. "But he's just one aspect of your future. You still have so much going for you outside of your relationship with him."
"So, you don't think Eli and I are going to make it," Angela assessed.
"I don't know," Addison said honestly. "You never really can know. I never imagined that my ex-husband and I would end up getting divorced…but we did. So, you never can tell. But I can tell you that I was happy that I had built a life that didn't completely revolve around him…so when our marriage collapsed, I was devastated, of course, but I still had a career that I loved and a name that I'd built for myself. I guess I'm just saying that I'd hate to see you build your life around someone else."
"I, um, I don't know what to say," Angela admitted, swallowing hard.
"It's been a rough few hours," Addison chuckled, rubbing Angela's arm reassuringly. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."
"Thank you, Addison," Angela said quietly. "And thank you for being here for me today."
"You're welcome," Addison smiled. "I'm happy things worked out for you."
"Yeah," Angela breathed. "Me too. Anyway," she went on, looking at her watch. "I should probably get to class. Eli will notice if I'm not there."
Addison did her best to suppress a chuckle. "Hey, Angela," she said, after a moment.
"Yeah?"
"You know that if you want to talk more…about anything…you can call me, right? You know that you can always come to me?"
Angela smiled. "I know. And thank you."
xxxxx
"Honey, sorry I'm late," Jake called out, later that night, as he walked into his and Addison's beach house, and joined his wife on the couch.
"That's okay," Addison smiled. "Patient?"
"Nope," Jake said, shaking his head. He leaned in and kissed Addison softly. "Angela stopped by."
"She did?" Addison asked in surprise, thinking back to her own interaction with Angela, just a couple hours earlier. "What did she stop by for?"
"She wanted to tell me that she's not taking next semester off to go abroad with Eli."
"Really?" Addison asked in surprise.
Jake nodded. "Yeah. She suddenly realized that if she wants to be pre-med, she doesn't really have the luxury of taking a semester off to be with her boyfriend in Europe. I mean, she's still insisting upon visiting him during school breaks, which I guess I can live with…but she seems really intent on focusing on herself and making sure she's building a life for herself that doesn't completely revolve around her relationship with Eli."
"Sounds pretty mature," Addison approved.
"Very," Jake agreed.
"So, something you said finally sunk in?"
Jake shook his head and smiled at his wife adoringly. "No," he said softly. "But something you said did. Ang told me that she spoke to you today…and, um, I don't know what you said, but thank you."
"I love you, Jake," Addison whispered, leaning in and kissing him tenderly.
"I love you too," he murmured against her lips. "So much."
Addison met her husband's eyes, and he wrapped his arms around her lovingly. And she couldn't help smiling as she thought about the way that things had worked out – not just for Angela, but for her as well.
Addison could relate to what Angela was going through all too well – not so much in her marriage to Derek, but in her relationship with Sam. With Sam, everything revolved around him and the life that he wanted. And every time she gave into him, and put her own life and her own wants after his, she became more and more removed from the strong and accomplished woman she had previously seen herself as, and came no closer to living the type of life that she wanted.
She had lived through that for too long, and she never wanted Angela to experience the same intense self-doubt and disappointments that she had once experienced. She wanted Angela to always be the leading lady in her own life – because you're supposed to be the leading lady in your own life.
And based on Angela's conversation with Jake, Addison was pretty certain that she'd get her wish. In fact, she'd get more than that. Because Angela wasn't the only one who had become the leading lady in her own life; over the past year, Addison had once again become the leading lady in her own life as well. And as she looked at her husband, and took in the look of pure adoration in his eyes, she couldn't resist smiling; because she knew that in addition to being the leading lady in her own life, she was also the leading lady in his.
