A/N: I'm sorry this has taken a while to be written, but I've ben really stuck with it. I'd get so far, then I'd go blank and have no idea what to write next. It's just been sat laughing at me. Anyway, now I get to go and write the eight chapter. Any requests from anyone? Any ideas?

Enjoy and review please.

Six months later and Addison stood in her bedroom and smoothed out wrinkles in her dress that were not there to begin with. Her and Derek had been dating for just under six months and now they were going to go to a meal with her parents and Archer. She hadn't introduced Derek to her family yet, wanting to put it off for as long as possible, she was afraid he'd break up with her after meeting her family. Archer kept on at her, saying that he wanted to meet Derek but she kept refusing, giving an excuse of why he couldn't meet him, but now, now her parents wanted to meet him as well so she had no choice.

Addison ran her hands over her dress once more, looking at herself in the mirror, making sure she looked presentable. She looked over her shoulder at her friend as Naomi opened her bedroom door.

"Derek's here." Naomi smiled. "You look lovely, Addi."

"Thanks." Addison smiled back and took a deep breath. "Well, I better go then."

"Yeah." Naomi smiled and watched her friend walk out into the small living space of the dorm room where she greeted Derek with a hug and a kiss.

"Ready to go?" Derek looked lovingly down at his gorgeous girlfriend who stood in front of him.

"Yes, you?"

"Yep, let's go." He grinned and held his arm out for her which she took before they left the dorm, making their way to the restaurant that her parents had chosen.

---

Addison held onto Derek's arm as they walked into the restaurant and she instantly spotted her parents sat with Archer. She took a deep breath before her and Derek made their way over to the table where her parents and Archer stood up.

"Derek, this is my father, Edward, my mother, Bizzy, and my brother, Archer. This is my boyfriend, Derek." Addison introduced them and Derek shook their hands before they all sat down. They all ordered their food before Edward turned to look at Derek.

"So, Derek, you're in med school with my daughter then?"

"Yes I am sir." Derek nodded. "I plan to become a surgeon."

"So you'll take good care of her?" Edward gave Derek a hard look.

"Of course I will. I will give her everything she deserves. I will give her the best." Derek reassured Edward, Addison giving his hand a small squeeze.

Edward and Archer continued to question Derek on his life, what he planned to do, how he planned to look after her. They wanted to make sure that Addison had chosen right, that she would be looked after properly, like she deserved to be. Edward wanted the best for his daughter, he wanted her to be with someone who really loved her and would look after her like he didn't.

After the meal Derek excused himself from the table to use the bathroom and Bizzy just turned to look at her daughter. "Break up with him."

"What?" Addison looked shocked at her mother.

"He's not right for you, Addison, he will not treat you like you should be treated. He will hurt you."

"This isn't your choice." Addison looked at her mother. "This is mine, and I want to be with Derek."

"Addison, he's not the one for you, you will end up hurt. Maybe not soon, but in the end you will. This won't be forever." Bizzy looked at her daughter, she could just sense that this wasn't a good thing, that her daughter should not be with Derek.

"I agree with her, Ads." Archer looked at his baby sister. "There's just something about him that I don't like. I don't know what it is, but I know that he is not right for you. You can do so much better, be with someone who won't hurt you like he's going to."

"He's not going to hurt me." Addison looked at Archer, angry that he was suggesting something like that.

"He is." Archer nodded. "I know. He might not do it soon, but he will eventually and you will end up heart broken." Archer looked at his little sister, not wanting her to have to go through any heartache. He could just tell that Derek would eventually hurt her, whether he would do it on purpose or not, he would and Archer did not want that to happen.

"You don't know that he will." Addison was angry at what she was being told. She just knew that Derek wouldn't hurt her and she was going to prove them all wrong.

"I just do. Don't ask me how, but I know that he is going to hurt you." Archer looked into his sister's eyes and Addison got an uneasy feeling, making her tear her gaze from him and looked at the faces of her parents.

"He's not for you, Addison." Bizzy looked at her daughter, wanting to protect her.

"You've never approved of anything I've done so why would you start now." Addison glared at her parents. "I don't care what you think, I'm happy with Derek and we're together, there's nothing you can do about it." She didn't turn and glare at her brother, knowing she would get that uneasy feeling back and she didn't want to feel that. She couldn't explain why she was feeling that, nor did she know why.

When Derek returned from the bathroom he could feel the tension at the table as he sat down and Addison was refusing to meet the gaze of Archer, while Archer watched his baby sister silently. Their parents never said a word and didn't acknowledge his return to the table, the only acknowledgement he got was Addison looking up and smiling softly at him, kissing his cheek once he had sat down. He smiled and took hold of her hand under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze.

---

After the dinner with her parents and Archer, Addison hadn't spoken to them for fours days, spending all her spare time with Derek. She wanted to prove to them that he was the one for her. That he wouldn't hurt her and she couldn't see how he would when he was so caring towards her.

When on the fifth day after the dinner, when her phone rang and she saw it was Archer, she had no choice but to answer it.

"Hey…" Addison pulled her legs up underneath her as she sat on the couch in the small living room of her dorm.

"Ads! Hey. You've been ignoring me." Archer stated and sighed, knowing the reason why.

"I've been busy."

"No, you haven't. You've been ignoring. It's because I said Derek is going to hurt you isn't it?"

Addison just sat picking at her jeans, not replying to him.

"Ads." Archer sighed and knew the answer. "I'm sorry okay? I'm just looking out for you. You're my baby sister. I just want to make sure that you're happy and being taken care of, that's all. I love you, Ads."

"I'm not a little kid, Archie."

"I know you're not, but I still get to look out for you. It's what big brothers do, and I made a promise to you when you were a baby. I'm not going to break that I don't want to upset you or make you angry at me, but I really think that Derek isn't the right one for you."

"You keep telling me that." Addison could feel the angry bubbling inside of her.

"I know, but." Archer took a deep breath. "This is your choice, and I'll stand by you no matter what."

Addison was silent, surprised at her brother's words. "Thank you, Archie. That means a lot to me."

"Just don't ask me to like him."

Addison rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay. Just…be civil, no punching each other out, for my sake."

"Okay, deal. Love you baby sis."

"Love you big bro." Addison smiled before they finished their conversation and went back to what they were doing before.

---

When Derek proposed after they had been together two years, Addison had instantly accepted and rang Archer to tell him the good news. She was so happy and excited that she missed the disappointed tone in Archer's voice. He was secretly hoping that Addison would figure it out before it got to the stage where Derek proposed. Archer was angry. If Addison married Derek it would mean that she would be even more hurt when Derek did whatever and hurt her. And what if they had kids? Not only would Addison be hurt then, but so would their kids.

Archer hated this. He hated Derek, and Derek hared him. It was something that had developed and grown between the two of them throughout the two years, but Archer had kept his promise, being civil to Derek for Addison's sake. Okay, so if Addison was out of ear shot then maybe they'd let rip and tell each other exactly what they thought, never had they blown in front of Addison. She knew of their mutual hatred towards each other, and many times she had heard both parties slagging off the other, but not once had she been forced to choose.

Archer had supported Addison throughout the planning of the wedding. He had gone to dinners with the two and both sets of families. God, those had been boring, although, he didn't mind when he got to chat to Derek's sister Nancy, or even Kathleen. At the end of the day he didn't mind so long as Addison had a smile on her face.

Just over a month before the wedding and Addison learnt about how much Archer didn't want her to walk down that aisle and they had had a huge argument, resulting in Archer storming out of the house, slamming the door behind him and Addison sobbing like Derek had never see her sob before. Derek was furious with Archer and decided to punch him next time he saw him, but he never got the chance. Addison and Archer avoided each other for a whole week before Addison gave in and needed her big brother again, calling him and apologising for acting like a bitch and begging for him to forgive her. he had only responded with he was the one who should be apologising, saying that he just wanted her to be happy and not get hurt. They had made up like siblings did and Archer was once again helping with wedding arrangements, he'd tried so many different cakes he was sure he's put on weight and he's seen and smelt so many different flowers they had all blended into one. He had wondered why Derek wasn't the one there helping Addison but he never questioned it, deciding against another argument for now.

A year later and Archer watched his baby sister walk down the aisle, their father giving her away and he hears their mother give a small sniff next to him and he was able to feel his own tears beginning. Addison looked so beautiful. Archer kept himself together, not going to cry at his baby sister's wedding, nom he wasn't going to do that. He watched as their father handed Addison to Derek, giving him a look that said 'hurt her and you're dead'. He sat next to his mother for the service, watching as Addison married Derek. Archer could see the love for Derek in his sister's eyes, and when he looked at Derek, he could see he loved her as well. Archer just hoped that he was wrong, that Derek wasn't going to hurt her in the end.

Archer plastered a smile on his face as Addison turned to look at him after she had become Mrs. Shepherd and she grinned widely. Archer watched Addison and Derek, and he could see that she was really happy, and Derek was as well. He just hoped that it wouldn't end in tears.