Sorry this has taken so long... Busy, busy little bee, that's me! Not really, but whatever. In any case, enjoy!

"Have a good time?" Alex asks when the door opens. Addison nods. She's been quiet since her revelation at the bar.

"Alex Karev, how the hell could you possibly be in LA and not tell me!" Bex practically screams as she walks in the door.

He blinks in surprise. "Bex?"

"No, Queen Victoria," she snaps. "Of course it's me! And you've been hiding from me!"

"What are you talking about?" he asks.

"Well, we can start with the fact that you hid from me in LA, and then we can move on to the fact that you hid from me here, and then we can talk about the fact that you hid your girlfriend from me! Is picking up a phone too much to ask of you? Really?"

"Sorry, Bex, we were a little busy," he says.

She glares at him. "Oh, don't give me that. You were there for a week. You weren't having sex the entire time. You had to have taken a break for food."

If Addison weren't paralyzed with embarrassment, she'd run out of the room.

Lauren giggles. "I missed you," she informs Bex.

"We weren't together then," he replies.

"Yeah, I know. Addison told me the whole story. Which reminds me; what were you thinking, just randomly running off with someone you weren't even on a first name basis with?"

Alex looks over at Addison, who seems just about ready to either faint or start crying. "Can I talk to you in private?" he requests, already grabbing her and walking her with him.

Lauren looks at Addison and guides her to the couch. "I'm sorry about Bex," she apologizes. "She doesn't think when she's talking sometimes."

Addison nods.

"She really likes you," Lauren continues.

"That's how she shows it?"

"Well, she's scared of you. We kind of all are," she explains. Addison frowns in confusion, so Lauren elaborates. "Bex is family to us. She's been through everything with us. Her family helped Alex pay his way through college."

"Oh. Did they ever…" Addison trails off, not sure she wants to know if Bex and Alex have ever had anything.

"No!" Lauren insists forcefully. "Bex is Alex's best friend and that's it." Before she can say anymore, like what she meant by Bex is scared of her, the woman in question and Alex reenter the room.

"I'm sorry if I said anything that may have offended you, Addison," Bex says, her monotone disinterest clearly stating that she's reciting something that Alex has made her say.

Addison nods tersely. She's not going to genuinely accept a fake apology, but she's not about to risk looking like a bitch to call her out on it either.

"Actually," Bex continues in a much more authentic tone, "Can I talk to you? In private?"

Addison's brow furrows. "Sure," she agrees with a glance at Alex. He shrugs and shakes his head. He has no idea what's going on. She follows Bex into Lauren's room.

"Look, I'm sorry," Bex says the second the door is closed. "I'm sorry I can be such a bitch. And I'm sorry you had to see that before I convinced you that I'm worth knowing. You probably have no idea why Alex is even friends with me."

Addison feels like she should say something, but she's not exactly sure what.

"It's just Alex… he's my best friend. We've been through a lot of crap together and I don't want to see him get hurt."

Finally something Addison knows how to respond to! "I don't want to hurt him, Bex. I know it's not enough to just say that, but I want you to hear it anyways."

Bex studies her for a long time. "You mean that, don't you?"

"Would I be standing here talking to you if I didn't?" she asks rhetorically.

"Probably not," Bex answers. There's an awkward silence, which Bex breaks by exhaling noisily. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm not used to being second with Alex. And when you're around, you come first, and you're always going to come first."

Addison looks down, hoping to hide her smile. "That's not true," she replies, and she does truly mean that.

"But it is," Bex insists. "He's in love with you."

"And that's really not true," Addison laughs nervously.

Bex rolls her eyes. "You're the only girlfriend I've ever had to apologize to. You're the only girlfriend he's referred to as a girlfriend. So I'm sorry, but I think I'm right."

Addison shakes her head. "No, that's… that's not… No," she stammers.

Bex laughs. "Uh-huh, sure. Well, whatever you think, I know what I know. And I know that we got off on the biggest wrong foot in the world."

"Maybe not the biggest," Addison concedes.

"I really don't want to make enemies with you. So do you think you could just forget about this afternoon?"

"Already forgotten," Addison grants benevolently.

"And maybe…" Bex hesitates.

"What?"

"Maybe we could be friends?" Then she laughs. "Oh my God, I sound like I'm in kindergarten!"

Addison laughs too. "I'd like that."

0ooo0

About a week later, Addison and Alex are watching a movie when Bex pushes through the front door. Addison's still not used to the fact that people just don't knock here and jumps. Alex laughs at her. "Shut up," she says with a smile.

"Hey, Bex," Alex greets his best friend.

"Hey. Is your mom home?"

"What?"

"Alex. Mother. Where is she?" Bex says impatiently. "Not a hard question."

"You're here for my mom?" he laughs.

"Alex, you're in trouble,"Addison giggles.

"She's in the kitchen," Alex tells Bex. "Go on in."

"Nope," Bex says cheerfully. "You're coming with. Sorry, Addison, family meeting."

"Oh." Addison shrugs. "No problem."

"Come on." Bex tugs on Alex's arm and drags him into the kitchen.

Addison sits and waits for like three minutes before her curiosity gets the better of her. She pulls out a book and moves to the closest chair to the kitchen.

"No," Alex says. "It's too much."

"Alex, don't be stupid," Bex sighs.

"Too much," he repeats.

"Alex, I want her to have it!" Martha insists.

"Mom, that thing's like a family heirloom or something."

"And I want her to have it!"

"Alex, you have to take it," Bex says reasonably. "We're not taking no. Besides, Addison's like practically family now, so it'll stay in the family. You have to take it."

"Addison and I have only been dating for like a month," he points out.

"Alex, she's the first person I've ever seen who makes you smile when she looks at you. You never take your eyes off of her and you're always thinking about her. Plus, she's gotten your entire family's approval and your best friends', and she managed the herculean feat of dragging you out from under the rock called Seattle. She's family," Bex retorts.

"Fine," he sighs.

"Thank you," Martha replies. "I'll give it to her now."

Addison rushes to her old place on the couch, managing to throw herself down just before Martha enters the room. "Addison, I have something I'd like for you to have," she announces.

Addison looks up from her book in time to see Martha unhook the simple pendant she wears around her neck. She freezes. "My grandfather gave this to my grandmother on their wedding day," she explains. "It's been in our family for over fifty years now, and it always gets passed on to the eldest child. Obviously Alex isn't going to wear it, so I'd like you to take it."

Addison stares in shock. "Oh no, I couldn't possibly… No, I couldn't… I mean, thank you, but…."

"Addison," Bex smiles, "take the damn necklace and say thank you."

"I, um… thank you."

Addison holds up her hair as Martha fastens the clasp around her neck. "This is too much," Addison insists, touching the necklace lightly.

"This is the first time I've seen my son in almost ten years," Martha replies. "This is exactly enough."

"Welcome to the family, Addison," Bex smiles.

0ooo0

"Alex, can we go for a walk?" Addison asks.

He frowns. This is the first time since they got to Idaho that she's asked specifically to do anything. "Sure."

They exit the house and start walking around the block. He notices her fidgeting with the necklace. "Addison, if it's too much, you don't have to wear it. I'm sorry if they're pushing you too hard."

"We need to go to New York," Addison announces disjointedly.

"What?"

"We need to go to New York. I need you to know what you're walking into."

"What?" he laughs.

"Alex, do you know how lucky you are?" she asks. "Your family is amazing."

"It wasn't always like that," he says quietly.

"Every family has problems," she replies.

"After my dad left, my mom ended up in the hospital because she tried to kill herself. Danielle spent four years in and out of rehab. Lauren's on anti-anxiety meds. We've got more than problems."

"But you've made it through everything. The past doesn't matter; it's all about right now." She smiles at him. "And I love the necklace. But my family is different. All our crap isn't in the past, it's happening now. And I have to know that you can deal with that."

"Addison-" he tries to start. She assumes that he's going to say something about not letting her family get in the way and cuts him off.

"We just need to go New York, okay?"

"Okay," he agrees.

Look! See how the plot is actually moving forward now? FINALLY! Yay!

-Juli