Author's Note: Okay, this update should NOT have taken as long as it did, but I do have some excuses! I got horrific sun poisoning which wasn't bad at first, so I got a lot done during my bed rest. But then it got bad, to the point where it hurt to even move my fingers. So that stalled me for a few days (on the up side I finished season 2 of Private Practice in that time! Yeah, I still only want Addison with Alex. I could care less about that married guy or the cop or Pete) but then I got A LOT done. And THEN (that word is getting used a lot in this author's note, my apologies) my computer decided to just shut down randomly on me (no virus or anything. It did it just to irk me … sort of like why I think Shonda's always bringing back Denny… I hate Denny) and my auto-recovery failed. So I had to rewrite basically this whole chapter off of memory, and my memory sucks. THEN my internet was out for like, a week. The computer gods did not want anyone to see this chapter apparently; I hope that's not a sign that this sucks. Anyway, woohoo first fan fic of mine that has made it to double digit chapters! YAY! Okay, enough of me … go read the chapter!

Chapter 10

The reception lasted until two o'clock in the morning when Richard went back to chief-mode and decided his staff needed to get home if they were going to be able to function properly at work in the morning. Addison and Alex tiredly made their way to his car, got in, and began their drive back to his apartment. Normally, Addison would have enjoyed the comfortable silence that enveloped her car, but ever since her conversation with Callie she felt she needed noise. Anything to distract her from her thoughts. Thoughts were right up there with touching and feelings now. No touching. No feelings. And no thoughts.

"That was awfully nice of Richard to give us tomorrow off." She commented.

"Yep, very nice." Alex stifled a yawn as he turned onto their street.

"I mean, the reception was generous enough, he didn't have to do that, either." Addison continued.

"Very generous. No he didn't." Alex replied, once again trying to hold back a yawn.

"And it was so great of Izzie to throw all that together. She's a good friend for you." Addison added.

"Good friend." Alex nodded drowsily and pulled into his parking space.

"Is there a reason you're giving me the crappiest responses ever?" Addison finally snapped.

"No." Alex shrugged.

Addison groaned, completely frustrated. "Can you please say something in a complete sentence?"

"It's two o'clock in the morning. I worked all day. I'm just a little tired." Alex said through clenched teeth and slammed the car door shut.

"Fine. We'll just not talk then." Addison rolled her eyes as they walked to the building and got into the elevator.

"Perfect." Alex agreed.

The elevator stopped at their floor and they got out and wordlessly entered the apartment. Addison immediately went to her room, pulled her hair out of its bun, and got into her pajamas. She flung herself down on the bed and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She wasn't actually mad at Alex. She knew when he got quiet when he was tired. She was mad at herself for the thoughts she was having. They needed to stop.

The door opened up and she picked her head up. Alex was standing shamefacedly in the doorway.

"May I help you?" She asked sarcastically.

"I can't sleep." He offered as an explanation.

"Not five minutes ago you were basically biting my head off because you were so tired and now you can't sleep?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Come in." She moved over from the middle of the bed and he lay down next to her.

They laid in silence for a few minutes before Addison spoke up.

"I know there's a conversation we need to have."

Alex groaned inwardly. Here it comes: The Divorce Talk.

Outwardly, he put on a brave face. "Yeah, there is."

Addison hesitated.

"Do you want to talk about it right now?" Alex asked.

"We can if you want to." She yawned and settled more into the bed.

"It can wait." Alex, too, got more comfortable in the bed.

"The important thing is that we talked about the talk we will have. So at least it's out there." Addison snuggled down into the covers and her eyes closed.

Alex yawned. "I'm not even going to pretend to know what that means."

Addison murmured something about Callie and drifted off to sleep.

Alex watched Addison for a moment. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, which he knew was such a cliché thing to think but she really did. Addison's life was one big ball of stress: the crappy marriage, the affair with Mark, the getting caught, the moving-to-Seattle-only-to-discover-crappy-husband-moved-on-with-Meredith-Grey, the divorce, the drunken marriage … the poor woman never got a break. It was a wonder her hair wasn't snow-white! But when she was asleep, it was as if all her troubles melted away and she was free. Alex would have gotten a camera and taken her picture, if he was that kind of guy, and if he was in love with her…

'Which I'm not.' He thought defensively to himself.

Addison sighed in her sleep and snuggled up closer to him. Out of instinct he wrapped an arm protectively around her.

'Oh, who are you kidding?' Was his last thought before he, too, drifted off to slumber.

"You cook?" Addison stumbled out of the bedroom at noon when she smelled bacon, only to find Alex in the kitchen whipping up the world's most delicious smelling breakfast.

"Good morning to you, too! Actually, good afternoon is more like it." Alex called over his shoulder from his place in front of the stove.

"No, seriously … you cook?" She asked again in astonishment.

"Yes, I cook." Alex took the bacon off the stove and placed it next to a steaming pile of fluffy pancakes.

She sat down at the table as he placed a cup of coffee in front of her and a plate brimming with food. "You don't strike me as the cooking type." She mused.

"You don't strike me as the getting married in Vegas type." He countered.

"Ah, touché." She mock saluted him.

He sat across from her with a plate of his own and they dug in.

"Did you ever get to sleep last night?" She asked.

"Oh…er, yeah….I kind of crashed next to you ." Alex blushed.

If Addison was embarrassed by the situation, she didn't show it. Instead she grinned triumphantly. "Aha! So you did miss your bed! I knew you just gave it to me to be nice!"

Alex laughed. "I was trying to do the gentlemanly thing. Excuse me!"

"Well, I don't blame you for missing your bed. That bed is a godsend. I can't remember the last time I slept until noon." She flashed him a smile and then focused her attention back on breakfast.

"So," Addison said after a few minutes of stuffing her face with the blissful food, "Where'd you learn to cook like this?"

Alex laughed. "It's just pancakes and bacon, Addison. It's not like I just served you some five star restaurant dish."

"I know but still! I can't even fry an egg let alone make what can only be described as the most delicious pancakes I've ever had!" She exclaimed.

"I used to have a grandmom. I'd go stay with her when things got bad at home. She liked watching cooking shows … I guess I just picked up a few things from that." He shrugged.

"Oh," Addison nodded, "I'm sorry things were bad at home."

"It's okay … you weren't my shitty father … nothing to be sorry for." He kept it short and simple.

Addison nodded again and they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, which Addison broke.

"So … what are your plans for our day off?"

"Oh, I dunno … I'll probably go down to the gym for a little bit, then maybe head over to Joe's or something. You?"

"Paperwork." Addison rolled her eyes.

"No way. You're not doing paperwork on your day off." Alex shook his head.

"I … but … there's so much to—" Addison fumbled for an excuse but Alex interrupted her.

"How often does the chief hand out days off?"

"Um … not often?" Addison guessed.

"Try never. And when was the last time you took a day off?"

The look on Addison's face answered his question for him.

"You don't even remember, do you?"

"No." Addison murmured sheepishly.

"Okay, so go get dressed. We're gonna do something!" Alex hurried her out of the kitchen excitedly.

"Well that worked out well." Alex grumbled as he slammed his apartment door open and threw his soaking wet coat on the floor.

"You couldn't have predicted the weather. Even the weatherman said today was supposed to be a nice day." Addison said comfortingly as she picked up his coat and hung it up along with her own drenched one.

"It's freaking Seattle, Addison. It's always raining here."

"Well still. It was really nice out when we left. And I think it's very sweet that you were taking me to a carnival…even if as soon as we stepped foot out of your car the skies opened up and down-poured on us." She tried to hold in her laughter but the look on his face was too much for Addison. She broke out into hysterical laughter which Alex soon joined in on.

"I'm sorry," Addison said between laughs as she wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes, "It's just … the look on your face….and you're soaked!"

"You're not much better off!" Alex dragged Addison over to the mirror hanging on the wall and fresh peals of laughter enveloped the living room.

"I look like a drowned rat!" Addison exclaimed as she stared at her reflection.

"Me, too." Alex agreed.

Addison felt her mouth go dry as she really looked at Alex. Alex was wet. Dripping wet. That was possibly sexier than Alex in a tux and Alex in scrubs.

"I … uh, I'm gonna go … uh …" Addison stumbled.

"Get dried off?" Alex supplied.

"Get dried off." Addison finished her sentence and fled the room, leaving a befuddled, dripping-wet Alex behind.

"Everything alright?" Alex called out.

"Fine! Everything's fine!" Addison yelled back, cursing the strangled tone of her voice.

"You sure?" Alex asked, and the note of concern in his voice made Addison's knees go weak.

"Yes! I'm sure! I'm just gonna get changed and then get to work on catching up on my paperwork and then go to bed!" She prayed a silent prayer that Alex would just buy her story and leave it at that.

Prayer was not on Addison's side. "It's not even 5 o'clock!" Alex exclaimed confusedly.

"Uh … well, there's a lot of paperwork." She replied lamely.

Alex must have been worn out from his failed attempt at going to the amusement park, because he bought her story. "Okay, have fun."

Addison heard the sound of his footsteps as he retreated to the bathroom to change out of his clothes. The thought of Alex peeling his wet clothes off his body was enough to make Addison's stomach flip flop.

'Stop it, Addison. Stop thinking of him like that. He is a measly little intern who means nothing to you. Nothing. This is all just a result of Callie saying it wouldn't be a bad thing if I fell in love with Alex. That's all. I'm not actually in love with Alex. I'm just dwelling on what Callie said."

The sound of the shower running in the bathroom interrupted Addison's thoughts. Oh God. Alex in the shower.

'Okay, so you're attracted to him. That's all! Nothing else. Snap out of it Addison!'

A few minutes later she heard the bathroom door open and Alex called out to her, "Hey Addison? I'm gonna run out and get a pizza. I'll save you a few slices, ok?"

"Sounds good!" Addison yelled back.

'Aw that's so sweet, he thought about me for dinner. I love him … wait, what? Oh, crap.'

"Addison!" Callie spotted the red headed doctor making her way down the hospital hallway and quickly caught up to her.

"Oh, hey, Cal. How are you?" Addison stopped walking and greeted her warmly.

"Oh skip the pleasantries! How was your day off with your hubby?" Callie wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Don't do that. Don't use cutesy terms like 'hubby' and wag your eyebrows at me like that! This marriage means nothing!"

"Still with the denial? Really? Oh Addie." Callie looked at her friend sympathetically.

"I am not in denial." Addison declared stubbornly.

"Denying denial." Callie singsonged.

"I am not denying denial, there's nothing to be in denial about in the first place!" Addison cried exasperatedly.

"Denying the denial of denial." Callie chuckled.

"We can keep this up all day." Addison challenged Callie.

"As much as I'd love to…here comes the groom, so I'm gonna skedaddle!" Callie pointed over Addison's shoulder to where Alex was exiting one of their patient's rooms and then took off in the opposite direction.

"Hey," Alex said as he approached Addison, "Mrs. Pierce's test results." He handed her the chart.

Addison quickly scanned over the chart. "Okay, everything appears to be fine, let's go give her the news." She led the way back to the room.

"Mrs. Pierce, hi, how are you feeling?" Addison asked as she walked into the room. She nodded to Mr. Pierce and smiled as she spotted the couple's daughter and son in the corner, playing some sort of game with one another.

"Tired, fat, the usual." The pregnant woman quipped.

"Doctor, when can I take her home?" her husband asked from his seat next to the bed.

Addison smiled. "She can go home in a few hours, just take it easy, only six more weeks to go!" She turned to Alex.

"Doctor Karev, would you mind checking her stats one more time before I draw up the release papers?" Addison asked, expecting Alex to get right on it. Except Alex didn't get right on it. Alex was frozen in his place, watching the children's game intently.

Addison followed Alex's eyes over to the children, who were playing with a pair of dice.

'Why is he so fascinated with them? They're just playing with dice….Oh. Oh no.' Addison paled as she met Alex's eyes. They exchanged looks of utter shock.

"Can you excuse us for just a second?" Addison turned to the waiting couple and tried to mask the look of horror on her face with a calm one instead.

Without waiting for an answer, Alex pulled her out of the room, rushed her into the nearest conference room, and locked the door.

"Oh my God." Alex muttered.

"I know." Addison nodded her head, still in a state of shock.

"The dice … it all came flooding back." Alex sank down onto a chair.

"Every last second of it." Addison plopped down on the chair next to his.

They sat in stunned silence as the memories flooded back into their minds…

Memories of that fateful night in Vegas.

Up next: A chapter I affectionately like to call "What Happened in Vegas!" We find out what happened before the wedding chapel stuff. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!