Chapter Seven- Baby Steps

Looking in on the little girl resting so peacefully, Addison's heart nearly swelled with happiness as she could only hope that sometime in her future she would get to experience this moment everyday rather than whenever Maya would come over. Sam had never broadcasted the fact that he had made a little space for Olivia because he knew how desperate Addison was to have a baby and the fact that he was a grandfather with a young toddler he just thought it'd be too much. Wanting to embrace every aspect of Sam's life she had snuck off one day and truly decked out Olivia's now proclaimed room and turned it into a princess dream but had made sure not to go overboard because she didn't want to seem like the crazed aunt who wanted a kid and would use any baby as hers. Realizing that she had been gone away too long from the table, Addison made her way out of the room after putting the night light on before she gently closed the door behind her before she headed back down stairs. Hearing the laughter between a daughter and father illuminate the room, Addison couldn't help but smile at how amazing Sam was as a father and that she couldn't wait to share her life with him as a parent.

"What'd I miss?" Addison asked as she joined them at the table

"We were just talking about Maya's attempt to be a cheerleader" Sam laughed "I remember you had one cheer and you thought it was sooo good but it was just the complete opposite" he laughed hysterically before Addison hit him on the arm

"Sam" Addison said

"You've heard the cheer" Sam said turning to look at both Addison and Maya

"You can be honest" Maya said in between laughs

"It was pretty interesting…it was memorable" Addison said before she busted into laughter "It was like a Bring it Less moment" she said as they all continued on with their laughter

"So what are our plans for this weekend?" Maya asked

"I don't know. Whatever you want to do?" Sam said as he got up to collect all of the plates to take to the kitchen

"Where is Dink?" Addison asked

"He's away on a tournament, and mom is off on a business trip so I'm all yours this weekend" Maya smiled "And Olivia of course" she added

"Well we're happy to have you guys" Addison smiled just as Amelia made her way inside the house with a case of beer and a box of pizza in hand

"Game is on in twenty" Amelia said putting the beer and pizza down on the counter before turning on the television while Sam quickly put ice in a cup and made his way into the living room to join Amelia while Addison and Maya looked on with confusion

"Okay, what's happening here?" Addison asked

"The Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers is happening" Maya laughed

"Okay, I'm guessing this is a basketball thing" Addison concluded as Amelia popped off the top of her beer before she leaned back in her chair looking depressed more than ever

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked as he sipped on his beer while Addison and Maya walked over to join them

"Marcus" Amelia muttered

"Marcus King, we've discussed a lot of his work in my health science class. He's like better than reading a textbook" Maya praised

"Why is Marcus the thing that's wrong with you?" Sam asked

"Because he's so damn…frustrating. I mean he just confusing and difficult" Amelia complained

"I thought you didn't like him or should I say couldn't stand him?" Addison asked

"I can't or at least I thought. Now I just think that I want to torture him just for the sake of it" Amelia said "Like really make him suffer" she said

"That sounds a little alarming" Maya said

"Not in that way" Amelia sighed

"I'm confused here, I thought you didn't like him?" Addison asked again trying to grasp the situation

"It's actually quite simple" Sam laughed "She's being beat at her own game. Marcus is very much like Amelia in the sense that he's slept with practically everyone, but now that he doesn't want to sleep with Amelia…it's driving her insane" he laughed

"Yes! It's driving me insane. I mean he's all hot one moment then cold the other" Amelia declared

"Hot one moment?…Maya, I think you should get ready for bed" Sam asked before he realized what this was leading to

"Its okay dad, this is better than Sex in the City" Maya replied fully invested in the story

"Maya, go to bed" Sam sighed as Maya just rolled her eyes then obliged her fathers wish

"Goodnight everyone" Maya said sadly as she headed upstairs

"Now what exactly did you do? And are we going to get a lawsuit?" Sam asked after he made sure that Maya was upstairs and not lurking around

"I tried to seduce him, it was working for a moment because he was responding but then he just lead me on and left with his girlfriend" Amelia told them

"He has a girlfriend?" Addison asked

"Yes, he has a girlfriend. So your theory on him being like me is wrong because clearly he can be monogamous" Amelia said

"You can be monogamous you just choose not to be" Addison replied

"Not the point Addie, the point is that he has to go" Amelia said "Can't we like move him off to those trips that Naomi takes all the time. He could travel and report back to the practice but doesn't have to be physically present" she suggested

"We can't do that, he brings in money to the practice with the patients he's bringing in. It'd be insane of us to just kick him out because he won't hop into bed with you" Sam replied

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. Your choosing money over me?" Amelia asked hoping to tug on Sam's heart strings

"Yes" Addison and Sam both said at the same time

"Maybe you should focus on someone new, meet someone new" Addison suggested

"I tried that but the guy I ended up dating was friends with Marcus" Amelia said

"Then date someone other than one of his friends" Sam laughed

"Dating in L.A. sucks" Amelia pouted as Addison couldn't help but laugh to herself

"I see the tide has turned" Addison laughed


Cuddling up close to her, Sam rested his face in the crook of her neck before she slowly rolled over to cuddle up close to his body. A slight smile came to his face as she had become his teddy bear of some sorts that he had to have close in order to have a goodnights sleep. Taking in his scent, Addison would have bet money years ago that she'd never feel this content again with someone, she always kind of figured she'd be single for the longest ever since Derek remarried. Having Sam in her life just made things click and fit like a puzzle like it was suppose to be like this. All of this occurred just by being wrapped up in his embrace as they slept in the Saturday morning. Feeling more content as they rest they were brought back to reality when they heard cries coming from Olivia's room. It had been a while since Sam had heard this noise as a parent, but since he had decided to let Maya go over to her friends house for the weekend after one of her friends called last night, he knew that he'd have to assume the role of the proud grandpa but if only he could move was all he thought.

"I'll get her" Addison said as she broke away from his embrace to get out of bed while Sam sat up in bed watching her leave the room. Heading inside of Olivia's room, Addison beamed with happiness when she saw the little girl smiling back at her. Picking her up from her crib, the two headed back to Addison and Sam's room to join Sam back in bed. Putting her in the middle as she climbed back in bed, Addison and Sam looked on at the little girl who was fascinated with playing with the covers.

"What do you two want to do today?" Sam asked "I was thinking we could head out to the zoo or go to the aquarium" he suggested excitedly

"I think you know where I want to go but I think Liv should have the final say" Addison smiled as looked on at the little girl "How about Liv? The aquarium or the zoo?" she asked as the little girl clapped excitedly for the zoo

"Ha!" Sam laughed as Addison's choice wasn't selected "I guess that'll have to be another time" he smiled

"Yeah, well lucky for you I happen to love this little girl and am willing to go to the zoo. But you will be taking me to the aquarium very soon" Addison stated as she got up from the bed and walked over towards her closet just as she began to feel a kink in her lower back.

"So what do you think about this whole Marcus and Amelia thing? It could be bad" Sam asked her as he stayed on the bed playing with Olivia

"I think Amelia will eventually move on from him, I mean they haven't done anything so she'll get bored with him and find the next hot thing" Addison said

"But do you think its wise for her to keep finding the next hot thing? I mean its Amelia we're talking about and she should be trying to figure out what she wants" Sam said as Addison couldn't help but laugh at how parent like he sounded over the girl they both claimed to love like a sister

"Aren't we all protective" Addison laughed "Amelia is on Amelia time. She will figure things out on her own terms and we can't fault her for that" she said

"I'm not faulting, I just think that maybe she should focus on one thing at a time and not the plethora of things that catch her attention. She's a brilliant surgeon, but she's got to have more to her life than that. Its like my mom always told me…" Sam said before Addison quickly interrupted

"I'd tread carefully with the statement your about to say" Addison warned him

"Its like my mom always told me, what you do in this world is important but it's the things that you leave behind and the people you touch that leave the legacy" Sam told her

"Well maybe you should talk with her or better yet, set Amelia up with one of your friends" Addison suggested as Sam took a moment to process that thought for a while before Addison came out to put her clothes on the bed "What do you think Liv? Should grandpa set up Auntie Amelia" she said before laughing hysterically towards the end from calling Sam a grandfather

"Your horrible" Sam laughed


Desperate to just clear her head of all the things she had today from calling her mother, calling Derek, looking over this weeks surgeries, and finding a new cable network. Amelia just felt the urge to run, it was the best way to help her clear her mind and access. The more she explored California she began to realize more and more how much she enjoyed the change of scenery and how it was really nice to be around friends that were more like family to her. On her days when she was going through her addiction phase, it was easy to be surrounded by people but that didn't exactly mean they were good for her, but with Addison and Sam she felt like she was truly a part of family and that they embraced all that was her including her usual rude comments and her craziness. She wanted to develop a relationship with Derek but she knew so much of it had been damaged that the relationship they could have had was gone but they could work on the future. Maybe the future is what scared her she thought, maybe it's the things she supposed to know that she doesn't by know is what scares her the most about her life and that's what keeps her constantly on the go she just kept thinking as her fast paced running came to a halt. Taking a few moments to catch her breath she was caught off guard to see Marcus pulling up along the sidewalk. Not wanting to draw attention to herself she just pretended like she didn't see him as he got out of his car to pull out a basketball and a water ball from the trunk of his car. His face immediately lit up with a smile as he saw the brunette trying to pretend like he wasn't there.

"Hey Sheperd" Marcus smiled as he walked up towards her "What are you doing up so early?" he asked

"I was out for a run" Amelia said still out of breath "You play?" she asked

"Yes, I treat them and I'm one" Marcus laughed "My game has gotten a little rusty though" he told her

"Your game is far from rusty" Amelia replied as he just smiled at her

"Oh, well thank you. You weren't that bad yourself" Marcus said "So you run a lot?" he asked

"Small talk, really? We're going to just pretend like what happened never happened?" Amelia quickly asked him

"Somehow I was wondering when your bluntness was going to come out" Marcus said knowing that this version of her was unreal "Nothing happened between us" he said

"And does your girlfriend know that?" Amelia asked

"Girlfriend?" Marcus asked confusedly

"Oh, your one of those guys. Out of sight, out of mind" Amelia laughed to herself

"No, I'm not because I don't have a girlfriend" Marcus replied

"Uh, yeah, you do. The receptionist said you girlfriend was there to see you. I have great hearing and that's what I heard" Amelia said

"Girlfriend as in dating and monogamous relationship, right?" Marcus asked

"Or in your case a cheating one" Amelia quickly replied

"The other night I went out with a girl friend, as in friend that happens to be a girl. We went to college together and she happens to be engaged" Marcus laughed

"You said it was a date though" Amelia said

"Because my schedule has been so crazy that I literally had to set it months ago. It was date between friends" Marcus said

"That's just great" Amelia said becoming angry before she began to storm off as Marcus just followed behind

"So what? Your mad now?" Marcus asked before Amelia quickly turned around to look at him

"That makes it twice. Two times that you turned me down!" Amelia said angrily "I mean what is it with you? Is there something wrong with me or are you gay because I'm a very hot" she declared

"First of all, we weren't going to have sex in my office. I was just going along with the game you were trying to play on me, but I had not intention of taking it further than teasing. And nothing is wrong with you, its just…" Marcus said before Amelia cut him off

"I'm what?" Amelia asked "I don't want to know. Don't tell me because I don't care what you think of me" she said

"Do you have to be so aggressive? I mean damn, its like you're the guy" Marcus said as Amelia just looked at him

"Aggressive? Because I know what I want or who I want?" Amelia asked

"When you say want what do you mean? that's the confusing part because you say want in general text of I want you and only you but what you actually mean is I want you for now" Marcus said

"And what's wrong with that? You should be used to it because you've clearly made your rounds in this city" Amelia said

"Yeah, and I have nothing to show for it. I've had the girls and had the benefits of memorable one night stands but I'm getting older and I want something real now" Marcus said

"Real? I bet I can go on the internet right now and look you up and find random girls you've been with over the course of a month" Amelia said

"Those are just photographs to show who was there or spotted with who, but it doesn't mean I was with that person. I go out, I'm not going to lie about that but my bed has been a solo sleep" Marcus said

"I don't believe you" Amelia replied

"That's fine because I'm not trying to get you to believe me, but if your wondering why I'm not so desperate to tear your clothes off those are my reasons" Marcus said before he walked off leaving her behind to stew in confusion yet again from their encounters. Unable to take the confusions, Amelia pulled her cell phone and called up her only lifeline in this fight.

"Hey, what's up?" Sam asked as he answered his phone

"Where are you?" Amelia asked hearing crazy noises in the back round "Are you having sex?" she asked

"Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm at the zoo" Sam said

"Oh, sorry. I need to ask you something?" Amelia asked

"Okay, what would that be?" Sam asked

"Do I act like a guy when it comes to meeting people?" Amelia asked

"Yes" Sam replied as Amelia sighed in frustration "Where is this coming from?" he then asked

"Marcus" Amelia sighed "I just ran into him" she said

"Please tell me you didn't try to force yourself on him?" Sam asked

"No, I didn't" Amelia replied "But I need your help with something, I need your help with him" she said

"Why are you targeting him?" Sam asked

"Because he's wrong about me, and I'm tired of seeing that stupid smirk on his face every time he thinks he is" Amelia said

"So what am I suppose to do?" Sam asked

"Invite me over for dinner tonight" Amelia suggested

"That's crazy, you come over all the time. You're the one who eats up all the leftovers" Sam said

"I'm not done yet, invite me and invite Marcus. We'll accidentally be there and then he'll see a different side of me" Amelia revealed her plan

"Your still the same person that you are at the office, but more rated R at home" Sam told her

"I'll see you tonight, and don't forget to call him" Amelia said "Oh, and make that chicken dish I love. Make extras because I don't feel like grocery shopping" she then added

"I'm ending this call" Sam told her


Sitting on the living room floor playing with Olivia, Addison secretly couldn't wait until Sam was done with dinner because she was dying to eat what smelled so good in the kitchen. Feeling yet another slight pain in her back, she was just anxious to get this kink out of her back that had seemed to be bugging her all day while she did her best to be the fun and playful aunt for Olivia. Grabbing a beer from the fridge as he waited for the rest of the food to finish, Sam walked over to the living room to join Addison and Olivia on the floor just as Amelia came charging in. Inspecting the house like it was hers, Amelia went into the kitchen and observed the food selection along with the wine that Sam had chosen and felt a bit at ease to see that he had things covered. Grabbing a wine class from the pantry she immediately poured herself a drink to take the edge off if that were possible for her.

"You know they always say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Maybe you should trying cooking next time" Sam told Amelia as she began to pace the living room floor

"What's with you?" Addison asked

"I don't know. I've been like this ever since I went running this morning, its.." Amelia said before Addison and Sam cut her off

"Marcus" Addison and Sam said

"Exactly" Amelia declared not noticing where their attention had gone towards the door to see that Marcus was standing outside "I mean I don't know what it is about him…its just so…confusing" she went on to say as Marcus just stood there listening in on the words that Amelia was telling her friends before Addison got up to give Amelia a comforting nudge before she walked over to the door to let Marcus in. Secretly dying inside, Amelia kept telling herself that there was no way he could have heard anything she said, but thinking back to the moments when she would come over and happened to interrupt Sam and Addison during sex…she heard every bit of the whispers they would tell each other as they scurried to put their clothes on.

"Was it hard finding the place?" Addison asked Marcus as he made his way in to stand beside Amelia who still looked mortified out of her mind as Sam just laughed

"I remember Sheperd's place, and I remembered she said she said you two lived next door" Marcus replied

"Well dinner should be almost done. Sam, why don't we see about that?" Addison asked as Sam seemed perfectly content on watching Amelia

"No, I'm good" Sam replied as Addison picked up Olivia then walked over to Sam

"Help. Now" Addison said as Sam reluctantly followed behind her into the kitchen while Marcus and Amelia stood alone in the living room

"Confusing, huh? I always thought I was simple to understand" Marcus said as he leaned over to put the bottle of wine he had brought down on the table "If you have a question, you can always ask. I don't want you to be confused" he said flashing his million dollar smile that she realized was making her weak in the knees.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Sam looked on at the two of them making awkward conversation as Amelia tried to suffer through her embarrassment while Addison prepared a bottle for Olivia. Noticing how much attention Sam was paying to Amelia, Addison quickly kicked him in the but to catch his attention. "Really, Sam" Addison told him as he began to massage his bottom

"This is pure comedy right here" Sam laughed as Addison just looked at him

"I need you to go run the bath water for Olivia" Addison instructed him

"Why? We're about to eat" Sam said

"You need to be occupied" Addison said as she pushed Sam towards the staircase as he eventually obliged her wish. Bouncing the baby in her arms she just smiled on happily at the little girl as she could see that she was enjoying it "I hope someday that you meet a guy and you don't play all these games with him. The only games you should be playing is dodge ball or chess or something" she told the baby as Olivia just smiled back at Addison


Dinner had gone as smooth as to be expected with Marcus and Sam talking about their prospective sports teams, on occasion Amelia would jump in with her two scents but Addison just listened on as she was in the beginning stages of learning sports. It was easy to see what Amelia found appealing about Marcus or what she wanted to corrupt in him as Addison kept thinking to herself. Marcus of course was the playboy doctor that you would most likely find on a television series, but there was something sincere about him that made her see that this image that was projected through the media about him was far from true. In some ways, Marcus reminded her of Derek and how he was as a fresh and up and coming doctor that was only just beginning the prime of his work. Feeling waves of tiredness come over throughout the day, Addison would have been lying to say that she thought this could have been symptoms but she knew in her case it was just her being exhausted and she didn't want to alarm Sam because she knew he'd be worried. After dinner was over, Amelia and Marcus had decided to hang out a little bit more so that they could give Addison and Sam a break. Knowing that Addison was most likely tired after their long day, Sam cleaned up the kitchen while Addison put Olivia down to sleep. Heading into the bedroom he saw Addison all ready in bed looking as if she was halfway asleep, climbing in the bed beside her he just brushed away the strand of hair that rested on her face.

"You ready for this?" Sam laughed

"Not tonight, I'm tired" Addison said as she cuddled up close to him "Can we just cuddle tonight" she laughed

"I wasn't talking about that" Sam laughed "I meant having a baby. Today was fun but we're gonna get those nights where they can't go to sleep or they get up early" he told her

"Today was fun though" Addison smiled "I liked going to the zoo and looking at her eyes light up with all the different animals. Then with you being scared by the monkeys" she said laughing at the image of Sam freaking out about the monkeys and he tried to shield Olivia and her away from them

"I've never been a fan of monkeys" Sam laughed as Addison leaned over to kiss him a few times on the lips "They're dangerous" he said in between kisses

"I know it will be difficult at first for us but I believe we can do it" Addison said

"Even though my track record as a father hasn't been so great?" Sam asked shying away from her eyes "I mean don't get me wrong, I love my grandchild but Maya getting pregnant at a young age wasn't ideal. Maya should be spending nights over at her friends all the time and not when she can get a babysitter" he sighed

"I happen to think you're a great father" Addison smiled proudly at him "And a great grandfather, even though you hate that title, I happen to think you're a great guy that I'm so lucky to have" she told him "I don't know how we'll be as parents but I know that as long as we do this together then it'll work. I love you, you know that right?" she said

"So if I supply our kid with drugs, you'd be fine with that?" Sam teased

"Oh, yeah. We can have a little crack baby" Addison laughed "We could raise a lady of the night" she then added

"Yes, yes. Make it like a combo order thing. It could bring in business for the practice, get a possible std then we'll cure it" Sam laughed

"This makes us sound like horrible parents. Us joking like this is so horrible" Addison laughed hysterically

"Hey, it just might happen with me as a parent" Sam laughed

"No, it won't. I won't let it" Addison said pulling him into a kiss

"You should stop kissing me because if we keep kissing then I'm going to want to" Sam laughed as he broke the kiss as Addison fell back on her pillow in laughter "We can keep kissing but if I have to take a cold shower don't be surprised" he said Addison continued to laugh hysterically before she got up from the bed "Where are you going?" he asked in between laughter

"I'm laughing so much that I have to pee" Addison said on her way into the restroom


Digging her feet into the sand, Amelia thought to herself how rare she did this on her spare time of being in Los Angeles, just sitting in the sand looking out at the ocean. Marcus would occasionally point out the many stars that he had knew of but in his own way he was just trying to impress her. Tossing her shoes to the side of her, she wanted to fully enjoy the moment as she just kept telling herself how beautiful it was to live so close to this type of scenery. Growing up she never really stopped to look on at stuff like this because she was so busy running from everything and anything after her father had died. Much of her relationship with Derek was ruined because she just couldn't manage to slow down, but now she finally understood or had an inkling of an idea of what it meant to slow down to enjoy the moments.

"My father was gunned down and shot when I was little, and I have to say ever since then I never really thought there was a reason to just sit and stare. Ever since then…taking care of my mom and all…I just didn't see the point of this…but now, I want to" Amelia said

"Did you have a good relationship with your father?" Marcus asked

"Yeah, the best. My mom always tells me that I was my father's shadow, wherever he went I went as well. I just remember he'd always give me a dollar in quarters so that I could buy my favorite candy before heading home, he'd say that it was our little secret and that my mom never had to know" Amelia laughed

"It's amazing how the simple things always made us smile and now simple just doesn't work for us anymore" Marcus told her as he stared off out onto the ocean

"Simple never works now, its always the grander things" Amelia laughed

"I know you can't go back and change what happened to that girl, who lost her father, but you could go back to that belief" Marcus said

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked

"That girl who believed that her father was the greatest…the girl who probably modeled her first love and the man she would marry after her father" Marcus said "I think you deserve that, you deserve to have a man with the spirit of your father" he said

"And you? What do you think you deserve?" Amelia asked after a moment of silence passed between them

"I haven't quite figured that out yet" Marcus replied "But I'll let you know when I do" he said as he rose to his feet

"So your leaving?" Amelia smiled as she rose to her feet

"I was kind of hoping that we could grab some dessert or something. I know this great bakery, and I have a real dessert craving right now" Marcus laughed

"Dessert sounds good" Amelia smiled