3 Months Later

"I can't believe it, she's here; she's perfect," Derek smiles with pride as he holds the tiny pink bundle otherwise known as his daughter.

He glances back at Meredith who looks exhausted, and she must be. She just spent the last 14 hours in labor. She's almost three weeks past her due date but their OB said that she was healthy and normal. That should be enough for him, but when it comes to babies, there's only one person's opinion he trusts. Unfortunately, she's in Los Angeles visiting her friends for Thanksgiving.

"Derek, I can hear you thinking all the way from over here," Meredith gives him a tired smile.

"Am I that obvious?"

"You wanna call her, I get it, but Margret said-"

"I know, I trust her…," Derek sways the tiny child in his arms, leaning forward to press a kiss to her hair.

"I think she's gonna have your hair color,"

"Nah, she'll have your hair and your eyes; a perfect McDreamy baby,"

"She's already got your nose,"

"Let's hope that's the only thing she gets from me," The rest of their conversation is interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hey, we're not interrupting, are we?" Callie is peaking her head into the room, Mark is close behind.

"No, you're fine," Meredith waves them in with a smile.

"I still can't believe it; you're a dad again," Mark grins at his best friend, giving him a congratulatory pat on the back.

"It's so surreal," Derek murmurs as Mark carefully lifts the baby out of his hands.

"Alright kid, it's time I give you the talk I gave your brother and sister," Mark is a natural with a baby.

"Don't give her that talk, your talks with my kids are horrible," Derek teases.

"Rule number one, always ignore your old man; he gives terrible advice and he's a cocky bastard with a god complex,"

"Mark, be nice to the baby," Callie says with a laugh.

"That was nice; I told Carson and Ryan way worse than I'm telling her. You see the pretty lady sitting next to your mom, that's your Aunt Callie, the best aunt you'll ever have,"

"Don't let Cristina hear you say that," Meredith joked.

"Rule number two, be afraid of Yang, very, very afraid. She's rigid, no sense of humor whatsoever. I know your mom's gonna make her your godmom, so be prepared for lots of dark and twisty,"

"Are you done yet?" Mark gives Derek a grin before continuing.

"You're coming into a complicated family kid; your brother and sister are way older than you, but they're gonna be the best goddamn siblings you could ever have,"

"She's only been in the world and you're already teaching her to swear," Derek teases.

"Oh come on, it's not like she'll be repeating it anytime soon,"

"20 bucks says the baby's first word is a curse word," Callie teases Meredith.

"Anywho, you're family's huge…at least on your dad's side. Though I doubt you'll ever see any of them…maybe your Aunt Amy, you'll most definitely see Amy. Nancy may surprise you and show up in town but, I doubt you'll see any of them. If we're honest, I think your old man kinda likes it that way," Mark has taken the baby over to the far corner of the room and speaks quietly to her; sharing a secret that only the two of them will share.

"I fucked up the first go round with your brother and sister; but this time kid, I won't let you down, I promise,"

Los Angeles:

"I feel like I'm floating!" Carson is a giggling mess and she and her friends stand on top of an abandoned building. She needed to get away from her mother for a few hours; she's been a nagging, overbearing, bitch since the shooting.

"That's because you're high as a kite Car," her friend Anna is laughing at her.

"I've been getting high for almost 5 months now, I know what high feels like but…this is different," She's standing on the ledge of the building now; they're not that far from her mom's practice, correction, old practice because she handed the practice over to Charlotte to run. She still owns a fair portion of the shares but, that isn't her life anymore.

"Carson, you should get down from there," Beth is sitting on an old crate trying to keep warm. It's unusually cold for this time of year but Carson loves it. It's the closest she'll get to being back in New York. It used to get this cold during fall; sometimes colder than this.

"We should all take a road trip," She suddenly announces. There are 8 of them here; Beth, Anna, Lucas, Kit, Stacey; Rick is there with his girlfriend Julia. The only reason he's there is because he supplied the booze and the pills.

"You don't even live in LA anymore Carson," Stacey takes a swig of her beer; it's cheap, but that's what you get when you go to the East side to get beer from one of the only places that's willing to sell to minors.

"Doesn't matter; I can get my mom's car and-"

"Whoa Montgomery; you think your mom's gonna let you out of her sight?" Kit is teasing her now and she knows that, but being high makes her think he's being an asshole.

"Fuck you Kit; your mother would be up your ass too if you told a strange man to shoot you," Nobody says a word for a few moments; they're not sure whether or not they should. Beth has always told them that talking about what happened isn't a good thing…at least not to Carson's face it isn't.

"…You're right, though, she is being a bitch. And it's getting on my nerves like, I wasn't the only one who was there. My little brother's 11 and she's not all over his ass like she is mine. I mean, the only reason we're even in LA for Thanksgiving is because she couldn't stand being around my dad while his wife, girlfriend, whatever you wanna call her, is having a baby,"

"But I thought you liked Meredith?" Beth is the only one allowed to talk because she totally gets Carson's fucked up family situation.

"I mean I do but, do ya ever get over finding your dad's mistresses panties in his coat pocket? Lite me up, would ya?" She leans forward so that Lucas can light her joint.

"But I thought your mom cheated on your dad with his best friend?" Everyone's eyes slowly travel toward Rick when he blurts this question out.

"I mean, she's venting; are we not gonna pretend that we didn't google her after the accident? I'll be real if the rest of these losers won't," There's something about Rick that makes Carson shiver on the inside, but in a good way.

"Carson, I'm sorry, we-"

"No, it's okay Beth; I mean, who didn't google me after what happened? I'm just glad someone's deciding to be honest about it. Oh come on, did you guys think I wouldn't know that you've been talking about me behind my back?" Carson takes a pull of her joint holding her breath for a few seconds before letting the smoke blow out.

"So…we can talk about what happened?" Julia has been quiet for most of their little gathering; she's had her eyes on Carson though.

"Sure, why the fuck not?" She motions for Beth to hand her a beer.

But what no one is counting on, is for four policemen to open the door that leads to the rooftop.

"Freeze! Everyone get your hands in the air, right now!"

Well, this is interesting.

oOo

It's her first Thanksgiving without Kevin. Sure, she and Kevin weren't married but, she misses him. She's definitely enjoyed seeing everyone from the practice but, she's desperate to get back to the hustle, bustle, and order that is her life in Seattle. She's standing outside on her (or rather Amelia's) back deck, a glass of wine in her hand as she watches the waves crash against one another. The sky is completely pitch black, though the lights from neighboring houses as well as the moon, cast a beautiful reflection into the ocean waters.

"Hey, you okay?" She turns around and finds Pete staring back at her. She beckons him closer with a smile.

"How ya holding up?"

"I'm…is it wrong that while I loved Kevin I don't think-"

"You two would've been great together?" Pete gives Addison an easy smile before nodding.

"Yeah, that; y'know? I told him that if we made it out of the shooting that we'd get married? Thinking about it now, it just sounds so…stupid. I mean, I liked Kevin, maybe even loved him a little but, I don't think I was ready to be married again,"

"Then why'd you say yes?"

"I don't know; I guess…being in Seattle again after Carson's accident and having Kevin there and Derek and Mark not knowing that I was dating someone…"

"Ah, so this is about the plastics guy?" Addison blushes when she thinks about how Pete and Mark didn't exactly get along when he came to visit last year.

"No, it's not Mark…it's Derek. I should've been over whether or not he'd be offended or angry about me moving on I mean, he's post it married to Meredith and she's having his baby, right now, as we speak!" Pete doesn't say anything for a few moments, he just stands there taking small sips of his beer.

"Pete, I thought you were coming out here to ask me how I feel! Not stand there and be pensive!"

"You still love your ex-husband,"

"I do not-"

"Addison, I've known you for a while; and I like to think that, as your friend, I know you well enough to know when you're avoiding or stalling or, totally in denial about your feelings,"

"How do you-"

"Did you or did you not kiss your ex-husband not once but twice during the shooting?" Addison's mouth drops open and her eyes get wide as saucers.

"Who-"

"I overheard Naomi and Violet talking about it after Nae came back," Pete shrugs lazily, but doesn't fail to give Addison a knowing smirk.

"Wipe that smug look off your face Pete Wilder,"

"Oh come on, just admit it Addison: you're still in love with your-"

"Shh! Alright yes, fine; I may still have…feelings for my ex-husband. But isn't that normal? I mean, you still love Anna, right? Even after all that happened between you two, you still love her, don't you?" Pete sighs heavily but nods.

"I do; it's been years since Anna died and I still love her,"

"See,"

"What you've got going on isn't the same; you still love Derek in that 'I-wanna-get-back-together' type way."

"You're ridiculous," Addison scoffs.

"Alright then, tell me how you managed to kiss your ex-husband twice in a day?"

"I…you're right; this is so fucked up! I thought I was over him!?" Addison groans, running a hand through her hair.

"It's like that sometimes; I thought for a while I was over Anna but then it just…"

"Hit you out of nowhere huh?"

"Hey, it's okay to not be over your ex. You two were together what-"

"Married for 13, together for about 16,"

"That's a long time to spend with someone, and you've got two kids together,"

"It is but…Derek and I weren't happy for years before that and then there was everything with Meredith and Mark. We've been divorced for almost 3 years now, I should-"

"Addison, think about what you just said; you don't just get over someone in 3 years. You two have way too much history for you to be over it so quickly," Addison rolls her eyes in annoyance at Pete.

"I hate you for being right,"

"No you don't; hey, it's okay if you're not over him. Chances are if he kissed you back, he's not over you either," Pete gives her a knowing look.

"Yeah, well, he's gonna have to get over me because…hold on a sec Pete. This is Doctor Montgomery? Yes, this is her mother; I'm sorry officer, you must be mistaken because my daughter doesn't…oh, I see. Well, thank you for calling me, I'll be down to pick her up in just a few," Pete instantly notices the change in Addison's mood and reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Is everything okay, Addison?"

"Uh no; that was a cop that used to work with Kevin. Apparently, my daughter was arrested for trespassing, underage drinking, and drug use. I told him he had to be wrong because there's no way Carson would do that but, he said she was with a group of kids and she looked pretty high,"

"That doesn't sound like Carson,"

"I know; which is why I'm going to pick her up from a nearby Starbucks. He said he didn't cart her in with the rest of the kids because of Kevin…"

"Now you're starting to feel guilty because of what you said earlier, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Addison hangs her head in shame as thoughts and feelings of guilt swarm through her mind.

"Listen, your secret's safe with me; how you feel about Kevin is completely your business. I won't say a word, I promise," Addison smiles at Pete before giving him a peck on the cheek and leaving to go get Carson.

oOo

She's sitting in Starbucks with James, one of Kevin's friends. She's lucky; he spotted her and pulled her off to the side before calling her mother.

"So, how'd you end up with those kids?" James is leaning back in his chair drinking a latte.

"We were just…messing around, that's all," Carson can't look at him; she remembers James from a few get-togethers at the house. Looking at him will only make her think about Kevin, and she doesn't wanna do that.

"There was weed, alcohol, and Xanax bars. Plus, we've arrested a few of those kids more than a time or two,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, especially that Rick kid; he's notorious for selling prescription drugs to kids," Carson stares at her hands. She'd heard from a few kids at her old school that Rick was bad news but, she'd never seen it for herself

There's not much time for her to talk, because soon, her mother is rushing into the Starbucks, frantically looking around for her until James motions for her to come towards their table.

"Carson, thank God! What the hell were you thinking?! Drinking, and trespassing, and doing drugs!?" Her mom is still ranting; Carson's too high to care.

"Carson Danielle, are you even listening to me!?"

"Addison, Carson didn't mean any harm by what happened tonight. I think she was just…being 17, that's all." Addison looks over at James and sighs heavily before rolling her eyes.

"Thank you, James, for looking out for her. This could've been so much worse. This could've been so much worse Carson, what if it wasn't James who saw you? You could've-"

"Jesus mom, I get it; it was a dumb and stupid thing to do. Now can we drop it, please?"

"No, we cannot 'drop it'; as of this moment you're grounded,"

"What?! You can't be serious!?"

"I am; no cell phone, no TV, no internet, no laptop, no going out with friends, no friends over, and you're driving privileges are revoked, one month," Carson's eyes widen in shock; her mother's never really disciplined her before. She's never been a bad kid to warrant such punishments.

"But mom…"

"One month and I don't tell your father about this; that's the last thing he needs to worry about right now," Carson sighs; while her father's heart has been perfectly fine since the shooting, Teddy advised him to stay away from stress. Learning that his kid got caught getting high, trespassing on private property, and doing drugs…yeah, that'd most definitely stress him out.

"Fine, but I have to drive I have school,"

"Only to school; afterwards, you come straight to the hospital and you sit in my office until I'm finished for the day. Is that understood?" Her mother doesn't seem to be in the mood to argue nor does she seem happy to be dishing out this type of punishment, especially to Carson.

"Fine," Carson lets out a huff of air before grabbing her bag off of the floor.

"Thanks again James, and I'm really sorry about all of this," James stands with them as well; he's still on the clock so he has to report back to his station.

"It's fine; but Addison, go easy on her, okay? She's been through a lot. In fact, I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries with this but, I think she should see somebody; y'know, like a therapist. It wouldn't hurt you to see one either," Addison gives James another kind smile before reaching out to hug him. Carson can't quite make out what she's saying to him but it seems polite and innocent enough.

While her mom is exchanging pleasantries with James, she sneaks off to the bathroom. Luckily, the bathroom is only big enough for one person and the door locks. She quickly reaches into her bag and grabs her cell phone. Shit, four missed calls from Beth, a few texts from Anna, and there's a number she doesn't recognize off the bat.

Hey, it's me; you didn't get into too much trouble, did you?

There's another text that follows; one that makes her heart flutter.

It's Rick btw; I sorta stole your number out of Jessica's phone when she came and bailed us all out. Lemme know if ur okay.

There's a knock on the door that scares her half to death; it's her mom, of course, wanting to see if she's okay.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine," She rolls her eyes; God, she never knew how overbearing her mother could be. Carson looks at herself in the mirror and sorta smiles. She looks…better than she has in the last 6 months. Her hair is still that dark color; she tilts her head to the side to really check herself out.

"Oh yeah, the Red is coming back for sure," she reaches into her bag and pulls out her winged liner and her lipstick.

She decides to pull her hair out of the greasy looking bun it's been in for the last few months. She hasn't bothered to really put her look together. Carson's always been a girl who's cared about her looks. Her hair has definitely gotten longer; she makes a mental note to have her mom make an appointment for her. Lastly, she digs into her bag in search of the plastic baggies that contains her drugs. Okay so, it sounds bad to refer to them as her drugs but, that's what they are. They make her feel good, they make her forget and they help her to relax.

It's the only reason she even still takes them. If she could just relax, she'd be fine; but for some reason, she can't. She goes for the pills with the lower buzz. She's smart enough to know that too many at a time can cause her to OD. She knows what that's like; she was 4 when it happened to Aunt Amy. Cupping her hands, she swallows the pills and stands there for a few moments, allowing her body to float off into that euphoric state that she loves being in. Pretty soon, her mother's incessant knocks don't even bother her as much. It takes a few minutes (maybe 15) but soon, she's making her way out of the bathroom, calm, cool, and collected. She doesn't miss the strange stare her mother gives her, but she's on top of the world, what's the worst that could happen?

Part III to follow…


I think this is a good place to end this installment. It's longer than part I but still significantly shorter than the final installment will be. I'm so excited to start working on the third and final installment of the FOW series. There's some pretty serious stuff that's going to happen in the third installment. I've got a few shocks and surprises up my sleeve and I can't wait for you all to read them in the upcoming installment. Thank you all so, so much for reading!

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