Editing fanfictions can't be considered studying for the TOEFL exam I have to take on Friday, right? What about watching random episodes of TV shows for the listening part? No, uh? *walks away pouting*

I almost promised this chapter to be delivered in the weekend, but I couldn't get to the editing sooner, so here it is, on Monday. I hope you don't mind this slight delay. It could have been worse, believe me.

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Addison sneaked in a room while she left Amelia alone with Derek and her mother. She had accompanied her almost sister to Seattle not for her sake only, she really did want to see that Derek and Mark were okay with her own eyes.

She still called Mark from time to time, just to see how things were with him, despite their conversations were kept to the basics for the most part. Derek had been shot and survived a plane crash since the last time she had seen him, he was more than ready to get out of the box she had put him in after their divorce.

Last time they all saw each other they weren't even parents and if somebody told her that she'd be the woman sneaking into an empty exam room to call home and check on her baby when she had left only five hours before, she'd laugh in their faces.

But in fact, she was that mother.

Something wasn't quite right when she entered the room though, because there was a slight commotion behind her and when she turned around she saw no other than Meredith Grey with her scrub top rolled under her boobs, her stomach exposed and a tub of gel in her hand.

"Crap" Meredith blurted, turning suddenly redder than Addison ever thought possible "Hi" she whispered

"What are you doing?"

"I was...uh..." Meredith stuttered and Addison imagined how uncomfortable it must be for her being caught doing self exams in a hospital full of competent doctors.

"I was looking for an empty exam room to call at home and check on my son for the fifth time since I got here –five hours ago; I'm not going to judge" Addison offered her own sneakiness with a warm smile, trying to convince the woman in front of her that she was not going to bite, despite their less than idyllic past.

"You have a son?" Meredith smiled surprised, putting the gel away and rolling down the top, her hand resting on the fabric almost in a reverential way.

"Yeah, his name is Henry. He's precious and it's the first time I leave him alone for more than a few hours and..." Addison trailed off, her rambling a little foreign to both women.

"You're freaking out" Meredith completed with a small smile of her own "Do you have any idea how much convincing I needed when I had to fly to San Francisco to take my boards and leave my sick baby at home with Derek?" she shook her head at the memory "You know him, he's wonderful, he's a surgeon, he can take care of a stomach bug, but there I was, with my phone in my hands every hour, dialing the number then hanging up before it could even ring." she rambled, then sighed "It comes with the territory"

Addison wondered how could they ended up talking about their respective children as they sneaked away from the world, despite all the water under their bridges.

Then something clicked, finally understanding why Meredith needed an empty exam room with an ultrasound machine. Somehow, Addison wasn't even a little bit angry or upset at the possibility of Meredith being pregnant. Mark told him that Derek had adopted a baby girl and she was happy that he could finally have the family he always wanted and they were never able to build.

"Are you being irrationally worried right now?" Addison asked vaguely, trying not to pry but unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

"A little. Maybe a lot" Meredith replied with a honest smile, her eyes looking down briefly at her stomach as she skimmed a finger along the imperceptible bulge gently. "I can't stop worrying that tomorrow I'd wake up and there won't be a heartbeat anymore. I'd have cramps and my back would kill me for weeks, I'd bleed for just as much and..." she stopped, her voice giving away "I can't worry about Derek's recovery, Zola, his family, our careers and add this to the list, so I come up here and I see it for myself" she admitted "Please don't tell Derek, he'll just...worry" she whispered when she diverted her gaze and Addison felt a wave of sympathy for the woman sitting in front of her. Something had happened and the sadness in Meredith's eyes after the confession was proof of it.

"As long as you don't tell anybody about my secret attempted phone call" she smiled, easing the situation and winning a smile from Meredith. "I'm sorry, I interrupted you" she was about to walk out when she rethought that "Would you like some help?"

"It's okay, I guess" she mumbled "I just need to hear the heartbeat"

Addison sat on a stool and waited for Meredith to get ready again for the exam, then watched her face relax as soon as the wand was placed on her stomach and barely a minute later a heartbeat filled their silence.

"Hi there" she mumbled, her eyes closed to enjoy the sound. It was a side of Meredith she never had imagined to witness, especially considering the woman she was back at the beginning of her internship. She had changed, but they both had.

"Did you have a miscarriage?" Addison asked bluntly when her trained eyes picked up the signs on the grainy image on the screen. She regretted the bluntness immediately when Meredith's smile turned into a thin line and she physically flinched, her breath hitching in her throat.

"During the shooting. I needed a D-and-C afterward" Meredith recalled the painful memories in a free ramble "Then I was diagnosed with hostile uterus, the fertility treatments made me temporary blind and finally Zola waltzed in from Malawi" she smiled with unadulterated joy at the memory, though "We fought a lot to get to keep her, but it was worth every second spent arguing or running around in courts and with social workers" she stopped, taking a deep breath as more memories piled up "What about your son?"

"Well, I just signed up to be a foster parent and lost hope of ever having a baby until one of my patients called me because she wanted to give this little bundle of joy to me. I mean, the first night I had nowhere to put him, I hadn't been home the whole day and it was just a mess" Addison giggled, shaking her head

"I remember the first night with Zola..." Meredith recalled with a sad smile, trailing off.

"At least you could ask Derek to stay up and watch her breathe" Addison shook her head in amusement, imagining Derek doing just that.

"He wasn't there. We got into this huge fight and he didn't came home that night. And my house was still a brothel" Meredith giggled, cutting the tension "Zola was kind of amused to see the same faces she saw at the hospital having breakfast with her the following morning"

Addison smiled too at that and was relieved somehow -even if sorry- to hear that they still fought. The never really fought much, her and Derek, and after eleven years she understood why.

"He's amazing with her" Meredith sighed, smiling brightly "How old is Henry now?" she added

"Almost four months old" she grinned "It's amazing how fast they grow up"

"Right?" Meredith's eyes twinkled proudly with the same knowledge.

"You're what, eight weeks along?" Addison asked, still studying the screen.

"Yeah, seems like it." she confirmed "Nobody knows except for you and Dr. Bailey. I'm just trying to get to second trimester safely, then I'd probably stop checking for a heartbeat every chance I get"

"It's understandable, you know. Just sneak in every day and enjoy your moment of peace. Tomorrow morning we can pretend to have coffee together so we can sneak in the basement and do this again" Addison stated, surprising even herself.

Meredith wasn't a friend, but she wasn't an enemy either and if this helped her feel better Addison was willingly to do this.

"Wait, you don't think I'm crazy?" Meredith's eyes widened

"I think you're simply worried. I remember when Derek wrapped his motorbike around a pole..."

"The scar on his forehead" Meredith commented in a whisper

"He told you about that?" it was Addison's turn to be surprised

"Not in detail, just that he doesn't drive bikes anymore after that scar"

"His bike was in pieces. He was lucky enough to jump off before it could crash with a pole and smash against a wall. Well, when he was recovering at the hospital his mother yelled at him for a good half of a hour, then everything got quiet and when I went back in the room he was fast asleep and Carolyn was sitting there, watching him breathe. You're doing the same thing, more or less"

"We all faced death too many times already" she took a deep, cleansing breath, her thumb rubbing circles on her stomach for comfort.

"I hope you don't mind me here"

"I know you left on good terms. I'm sorry I didn't even think to call or something" Meredith bit her lip "There were so many people and I..."

"Amelia kept me in the loop" she added

"Did...something happen to her?" Meredith asked, steering away the conversation from the still too vivid memories of the crash "When she came up here she was sober and she looked wary, but not like this"

"Something happened, but wait for her to tell you. It's a miracle I even convinced her to face Derek and their mother"

"Alright." Meredith smiled, then sat up, fixing her top and redoing her hair "Are you ready to go or do you want a moment for your phone call?" Meredith grinned

"I'll just come with you, if you don't mind"

"Not at all"

The two women exited the exam room together, winning a lot of surprised looks from most of the staff in the halls, especially the ones who had been around for a while, since they were talking and sharing stories about their children like two normal mothers.

"Do you think I can visit Mark later?" Addison asked, her eyes darkening

"He's out of the medically-induced coma but he's still weak and in a dark place, you could try to cheer him up. He's not the same since Lexie..." Meredith trailed off, her eyes misty only at the mention of her sister.

"I'm sorry for your loss" Meredith faked a smile at that, fighting her tears, then knocked on the door of Derek's room and opened it of a crack to peek in, glad that they could avoid the issue.

Meredith was pleasantly surprised to see Derek sitting up in bed with Amelia curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder as Carolyn watched over them. Probably, everything that they needed to say had been said and she was relieved that Derek could have brought her some comfort.

"We can come back later" she whispered, her eyes locking with Derek's as she spotted his sadness ready to overflow.

"No, stay" Amelia croaked, entangling from her brother's arms

"You stay there too" Meredith smiled, walking closer to Derek's bed and kissing the top of his head, before she could sit on the opposite side and smile at them.

Addison instead stepped in and stood at the end of the bed, a small smile on her features.

"Hey Addie" Derek greeted her warmly "Thank you for traveling with Amy"

"How's your hand?"

"Not better enough, but I'll be fine" he smiled "How are you?"

"Worried about my son" she met Meredith's eyes and they grinned "It's stupid, I know..."

"Please, don't turn into my mother" he flashed a grin to Carolyn who faked to be offended.

"Hey, I just suggested that I can stay indefinitely here, not that I'm moving to Seattle"

"Well, it does have ferryboats" Derek shrugged, finally making Amelia smile and with her the whole room followed suit.

"We are surely not staying indefinitely" Amelia said, locking eyes with Addison.

"I have a case in three days and I believe we'll be out of here tomorrow with a red-eye"

"You can come visit any time" Derek smiled softly, his eyes moving alternatively from Amelia to Addison.

"What about you fly South someday? Take a stroll on the beach, nag Sam a little..." Addison smirked.

His eyes locked with Meredith's and they both could spot the fear deep rooted in there "Maybe. But I believe we'll drive" he sighed, holding up his wrist.

"Oh" Addison shut up, swallowing thickly.

"Maybe a consult, a lecture, a conference; who knows?" Meredith piped up, trying to ease the tension and succeeding.

"Yeah, that could be nice"

"Indeed"

The silence that fell for a moment in the room was cut when the door opened and Cristina got in the room. She was holding Zola from under her armpits, keeping the girl at arm's length, Cristina's nose wrinkled up in disgust.

"She stinks" she stated putting her down and watching as Zola waddled pitifully towards Meredith.

"I left you the diaper bag. It's not a chemical weapon" Meredith said in disbelief, shaking her head amused at her friend's reaction.

"Smells like one" Cristina defended her pride as she handed Meredith the diaper bag.

"I'll be right back" she excused herself from the people in the room and led Zola towards the bathroom, changing her quickly.

"There all clean" Meredith exclaimed, coming back in the room and noticing that all the seats were occupied then. "Go say hi to all these people, Zo" Meredith locked eyes with the baby, who shyly walked towards Derek's bed.

"She's gorgeous" Amelia smiled sadly, her eyes filling with tears

"Hi" Zola mumbled as a greeting while Meredith helped her up to sit next to Derek on the bed.

"Hi Zola. I'm your aunt Amelia, do you remember me?"

"Me-lia" Zola studied the woman in front of her until her face lit up in a gorgeous smile. Derek grinned as well, amazed by how easily Zola could remember faces and people.

"That's me. You're a little lady already" Amelia cooed, a genuine smile brightening her features.

"I almost believe that when I put her in the tub she grows an inch" Derek shook his head "You know, that lady next to your Auntie is Addison, say hi" he prompted

"Hi Zola" Addison smiled, a little blown away by the situation itself. Never she had imagined to see her husband having children with someone else and not being even mad in the slightest.

"Hi" Zola grinned and Addison's smile stretched before she could notice. That baby had a way to steal smiles.

"I have a baby too you know? His name is Henry, I think you would be great friends"

"We have to drive down to LA then someday" Meredith smiled, locking eyes with Derek and watching as he happily agreed.

Happy suited them.

Well, Amelia and Addie had their visit. I know Addison might seem a little out of character, but years have passed since she had been dubbed Satan and well, I always imagined her and Meredith getting along as their lives established. Let the past be the past or whatever, right?

Anyways, that bit with Cristina completely wrote by itself, I have no idea how I could come up with such a thing but at least it was hilarious after a bunch of more serious chapters and themes.

I'll be updating 29 Years before posting chapter 8 here, but it won't be long hopefully. This might become a weekly thing, if my schedule remains the same. I'm starting to balance things after two full weeks of courses (and curses).

Thank you for stopping by and the great support you always show for this story!