Okay, this is a short, kind of transitional chapter… I was originally going to make the details of Caroline's surgery longer, and dinner longer and more awkward. Then I realized that I'm not a doctor, so I should wiggle out of surgical details as much as possible, and, I decided that long and awkward wasn't necessary… That summary would work as well as dragging it out, because I was excited to get straight to the point! But, I think (hope!) that you guys are REALLY going to like it, anyway, and that you'll agree that it's probably better this way... ;)

"Derek, how are you?" Elisabeth leaned forward and hugged her former son-in-law.

"I'm doing fine, Elisabeth. Have a seat. All of you." Derek gestured to the couch in his office. Addison, Elisabeth, and Kenneth all took their seats.

"Your ass is mine later for this." Caroline mumbled, so that Derek could hear her, but her parents couldn't. "What did I ever do you that you did this to me?"

"Carrie, you have a brain tumor. You need any support that you can get."

"Have you met my mother?" Carrie asked through gritted teeth, then walked to the couch and flopped down on it.

"As you know, Kenneth, these tumors are highly treatable. I just wanted to let you know what method I'm planning to take with your daughter."

Derek explained the surgery, the procedure, the risks. He was speaking to all of them, as he normally did with families, but only Kenneth and Addison actually had a clue about anything that he was saying.

"And all of that means what?" Caroline asked.

Derek took her hand. "It means that there are risks, but that I truly believe that you're going to be fine. You're going to have to trust me."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"Oh, Alex… Hi." Addison smiled when she caught sight of Alex as they were leaving Derek's office. Alex smiled back and approached her. He recognized Caroline as "McBarbie" from lunch, but he wondered who the other two people who were flanking Addison were.

"Mom… Dad. This is Alex. He's an intern and we've been…" Addison took a deep breath. "Well, we've been… Dating. Alex, this is my mother, Elisabeth Montgomery, and my father, Kenneth Montgomery… And my sister, Caroline. They're here because Derek will be doing surgery on Caroline for an ependymoma."

"Well, hello." Elisabeth offered a hand, which Alex shook, still overwhelmed by all of the new people and information. "My, my… You are young." Her tone was somewhat condescending.

"Um, yeah." Alex was still shaking hands with Addison's father and sister, so he was grateful that he didn't have to look at her as she said it.

"And you'll be joining us for dinner tonight, of course." Elisabeth eyed Alex.

"I, uh, will?" Addison shot him a look that said he had better agree. "I mean, yes, of course. I will."

"Good. We'll look forward to it."

"Where did you go to school, Alex?" Elisabeth asked.

"University of Iowa." Alex replied. The past 45 minutes had been some of the most uncomfortable of his life. To begin with, he was wearing a suit, which he hated, and Elisabeth had looked at him disapprovingly the entire time, asking various questions of him. He was stuck in the hot seat. It seemed as though most of his answers had confirmed her disapproval.

"Oh, well, we're all Columbia graduates, ourselves…" Elisabeth turned back to Addison. "Speaking of Columbia, Addison, if you had just stayed in New York, your life would have been so much better. Come home."

First, it had been her hair. Elisabeth had declared that she needed highlights. Then, it was her lipstick. It was too dark, and made her look like a vampire. Then, it was her choice of specialty. Why did she want to waste her talent by looking at women's vaginas all day when she could do something glorious, like heart surgery? Finally, it was New York. Alex had listened to Elisabeth nitpick Addison for the entire meal, and had seen Addison's face fall more and more. He couldn't believe that Elisabeth had found so many things "wrong" with such a confident, poised, and successful woman. He had never seen Addison be torn to shreds so easily, not even by Derek. And he was sick of it.

Alex looked at Addison. "Please forgive me for what I'm about to do."

"What are you…"

"Leave. Her. Alone." Alex said the words slowly, and hit his hand on the table after each one, while looking directly into Elisabeth's eyes.

Elisabeth's jaw dropped. "Young man, I don't think that…"

"I'm not going to sit here and watch you insult the woman that I am in love with any longer!" Addison's eyes widened in shock. "She's a surgeon! A world-class surgeon who saves women and babies every day of her life! She's screwed up in the past, yeah, but who hasn't? How can you possibly act like what she does, who she is, isn't good enough? She's an incredible woman, and I don't see how you can sit here and destroy her like you have been for the past 45 minutes!"

Caroline chewed her lip and suddenly became very interested in the pattern of the tablecloth. Kenneth's facial expression, as usual, was unreadable. Elisabeth was stunned, having never been treated with anything but utmost respect from polite society.

Alex realized his admission, and slammed his napkin down on the table. "Excuse me."

He stood and walked out the front door of the restaurant. Addison sat there for a moment in shock, then stood, grabbed her crutches, and followed him out. Rain was slamming the ground outside, and she was soaked the moment she stepped out of under the awning of the restaurant.

"Alex… Alex, wait!"

Alex was afraid of what he just said, what she'd just heard, what she might say or think about it, so he kept walking. Addison hobbled along after him.

"It's hard to catch you on crutches, you know." Addison called out in frustration.

"That's the point."

"I'm in love with you, too!" Addison shouted. Several people turned to stare. She couldn't blame them. She must have looked like a lunatic, chasing him on crutches in the rain, but she didn't mind. At that point, she would have shouted it from the rooftops for all of Seattle to hear. He had defended her, and rescued her from her mother's constant critical remarks. If she hadn't been sure if she was falling for him before, she knew it then.

Alex stopped in his tracks and allowed Addison to catch up to him. "Do you really mean that? You're not mad at me for what I said to your mom?"

She shook her head, and wiped away the rain that was making trails down her face in her makeup. "The opposite. No one has ever taken up for me like that before. I've been listening to her talk to me that way for 37 years… I never had the guts to take up for myself. But, you? You did. Thank you."

Alex wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her into him, crashing his lips against hers and kissing her with all the passion that had been building up for her over the months. They enjoyed the kiss for a few minutes, not caring that it was raining, not caring that he had just ruined his chances of her parents ever liking him, but just enjoying the moment, enjoying the way they felt about each other.

He finally released her, reluctantly. His fingers toyed with a stray strand of her damp hair, and tucked it behind her ear. His eyes met hers, and he smiled a little. "I love you."

"I love you too, Alex."

Are you crazy, crazy Addex-ers happy now:)