Author's Note: There's one more after this one, that will pretty much serve as an epilogue. However, I'll be starting a season four fic pretty soon. I'm debating whether or not I should make Addison stay-because I do want it to be realistic. Anyways, reviews, as always are welcome. Thank you so much!
Enjoy!
Addison sat in the living room, carelessly watching television. She knew she was safe, of that much she was certain. Still, as the baby moved inside of her she knew it would have to say that way. As if on cue, the sound of bowls crashing was heard from the kitchen. Curious, Addison stood going to see what happened. When she got to the doorway, she couldn't help but laugh. "Are you okay?"She asked, a faint smile on her lips.
"Yeah, yeah...I was...tryin' to make an omelet, but it turns out it is kinda hard to flip anything with this on."Alex said, waving his brace. He kneeled down to the floor, picking up the bowl that had once held the eggs, but now instead held the shells.
"Come on, Alex...just...let me help..."Addison offered, noting that he seemed embarassed.
"No, it's fine, really. It's just you know, some egg shells on the floor. I've gotta sweep it up. Can you...well, you know, flip the omelet?"Alex offered, knowing she wouldn't leave with nothing. For the first time since it happened, he looked up at her. He was happy, not bothering to hide a smile that graced his face.
"What?"Addison asked, her mouth hanging open. "Are we going to just stand here?"
Alex blinked, shaking his head. "No. No, I'm...I'm fine. It's just..."He sighed, the seriousness hitting him. "You...you're..."
"Alex..."Addison said, ignoring the shells on the floor to walk towards him. "Alex Karev, look at me."Once he did, Addison nodded. "I'm tired, yes. And I'm still...coming to terms with things that happened. But I'm okay. Me, our baby...Meredith. We all got out just fine."
"I know. It's just...sometimes, things happen that make you realize how...how important life is, you know?"Alex offered.
Addison nodded, a sigh escaping her lips. "I know."She said, moving her fingers slowly across his cheek. "But we're going to get through this. I promise."
He laughed, trying to push it away. Wrapping an arm around her, Alex kissed her. In that second, it didn't matter that egg shells currently adorned the kitchen floor or that an omelet was burning in the pan. As he felt Addison respond, her lips slowly forming against his, Alex immediately knew it was right. They were home.
The beeping sound from the smoke detector broke them from the kiss, both in a fit of laughter.
"Wow..um...Oh, Alex...come..come here-"Addison said, pulling his hand against her stomach. "It uh, looks like someone else is excited, too."She said, smiling.
"That's...wow."Alex remarked, the smoke beginning to swirl. "Listen, um..I'm gonna...just...clean this up. Just, go and um..."
"Yeah..."Addison remarked, retreating from the room. She rested on the couch, spotting the phone on the table. Biting her lip, she hoped she was making the right decision. Unsteadily, she dialed a number she knew she had to. "Meredith?..Hi, it's Addison. Listen, um...this is-kind of awkward. Um...I was...hoping maybe we could...you know, meet up sometime? Like-breakfast tomorrow. I have to go down to the station to give my statement. And I just..."
"It's okay."Meredith replied, thankful to recieve the invitation. "I have to as well, so...that sounds good. I'll see you in the morning, then?"
"At um..oh, what's the name of that place?...The cafe' on the corner of Park?...Bingham's? It's new. Anyways, I'll see you there."Addison said, nervous. Still, she knew she had things to say in Meredith, that perhaps would have been better to say in person.
"Sure. I'll see you there. Night, Addison."Meredith said, turning the phone off. She then turned to Derek, nodding. "I'm having breakfast with Addison."
Addison and Alex saved what they could of the omelet, eating some fruit as well. Afterward, Alex cleaned up as Addison went to take a shower. Whatever it was, weariness was beginning to take over and she knew she'd be sleeping soon. She'd need all the strength she could muster to get through the following day.
That night, she kissed Alex goodnight before following asleep, his arms wrapped around her. Though Addison slept, she woke a few times, dreams slowly creeping through her sleep. Alex woke up once, as Addison had jumped. It hurt him to know she was still scared, but once he assured her that Jason was in jail and that there was no way he'd reach her again, she decided it was okay to sleep again. Alex knew it was something he'd have to deal with for a while while she was getting used to things again. Strangely enough though, Alex didn't care. He wanted to be there.
The next morning, Addison woke up, temporarily taking a moment to gather her surroundings. Somehow she'd managed to convince Alex that she'd be fine, she watched as he went to work before heading off to breakfast with Meredith.
At the restaurant, she sat comfortably in a booth near the window, offering a smile as Meredith sat opposite of her.
"Sorry I'm a little late. Izzie tried giving me food before I left, despite the fact that I said I was going out."Meredith said, flipping open her menu.
"That's fine. Alex, um...didn't want to go to work."Addison added, laughing nervousily. She knew that Meredith was aware of her relationship, but she still didn't want anything to be awkward.
The waitress walked up to their table, notepad in hand. "Can I take your orders, or would you like a minute?"
Meredith placed her order first, closing her menu. "Oh, and a coffee, too...oh-"She remarked, looking over at Addison.
She laughed, feeling the swell of her stomach. "It's fine. I'll have a water, please. Actually, if you have milk..."Addison said, then placing her order. As the waitress walked away, she turned her attention back to the table. "So, um..when do you plan on going back? To work, I mean."
"I don't know. I want to, but Chief says he's pretty much ordering me to stay home until the end of the week. After that, I'll go."Meredith replied, the waitress returning with their drinks.
"That's Richard for you. But I guess it's to be expected. I'm working the next few months...as long as I can. But it won't be too long before the baby..."She shrugged, running her fingers over the rim of her glass. "Anyway..."
"Can I...nevermind."Meredith said, shaking her head. She'd wanted to ask Addison a question, but wasn't sure how to approach it. "It's just...breakfast..."
Addison nodded, knowing the question Meredith was trying to ask. "I know that it's kind of awkward. But Meredith? Contrary to what might be the general belief around the hospital...I don't hate you. Even if I did, after everything that we went through...if it weren't for you, I'd probably be in Oregon or somewhere with him...and I just...I wanted to thank you."
"You're welcome. If it weren't for you, I mean...I probably wouldn't have been as...I wouldn't have known what to do."Meredith said, coming to a consensus.
"And I was hoping...that maybe after everything...we could be friends?"Addison asked. "I know that there's still the whole...Derek thing. But that's just it. It isn't a thing anymore. You guys...I've...never seen him happier. And Alex and I..."
"About that..."Meredith said, slightly cracking a smile as the waitress came with their food. "You guys are serious now, obviously. So you're you know, part of the family. We're um...we were going to throw a party. You know, sort of an end of the year thing. I'm not entirely sure how soon, especially after...everything. But I'm okay. And I just...I think you should come."
Addison took a bite of her food, nodding. "I'd like to. So, friends?"She asked, sticking out her hand.
Meredith did the same, setting her fork down. She shook Addison's hand, knowing it was the right thing to do. She knew it was the right thing to do, because after what they had gone through, they needed to stick together.
Alex was walking down the balcony walkway when he saw someone who looked like Addison walking into the hospital. Frowning, he headed for the elevator, hoping he could catch her. "Addison-"He called, just as he was about to step off. In coincidence, she was the one who had pressed the elevator button to go up. "What are you..."
"I need to talk to the Chief. Why are you down here?"Addison asked, stepping on the elevator with him. After a few seconds of him not answer, she gathered her own answer. "Oh."
Halfway up, Alex pulled the stop button. Turning to face her, he studied her eyes, unwilling to let anything slip by.
"Alex. Why-"Addison stopped, sighing. "I'm fine, okay? I am. I'm...I went to the station. Meredith and I both..."Addison said, shaking her head. "Things are still a little complicated, but I'm trying. I'm okay."
"You sure? We can stay here as long as you need..."Alex offered, worried that maybe she was pushing things too fast. His hand rubbed her shoulder, her red hair ruffling around his hand.
She nodded, closing her hand. "I was worried. But I know now. I know that we'll get through this."
Alex nodded, eyes full of concern. His tongue darted out, wetting his lips. "I love you, Addison. Nothing that happens is going to change that. Are you..I'm mean you're okay with that?"
Addison smiled, tears brimming her eyelids. A laugh broke the bubble of tension in the elevator.
"Are you..sure you're okay?"Alex asked, concerned.
"It's just...hormones. You know? That and..seeing you as not sarcastic and cocky. It's a nice change."Addison declared. "That, and Meredith and I are friends now. I guess it's a sign of change."Addison said, pulling a tissue from her purse. She blotted it against her eyes, using the other end to blow her nose. "So um..can we get this elevator moving before someone figures out we're down here."
"Are you kidding? This is Seattle Grace, there's probably a dozen interns up there taking bets as to who's in here already."Alex added, if for nothing but to cheer her up.
"You've got a point there."Addison said, her hand reaching up, curving behind his neck. She leaned foward, her lips roaming over his. Maybe it was hormones, or the fact that they were trapped in a stopped elevator, or the fact that she was tired of being expected to be this fragile, useless being-but Addison needed him in that moment. She parted his lips, tongue slowly sliding against his, her hands running circles on his back. A moan slowly escaped her lips, noting how careful Alex was trying to be with her.
Their moment was broken by Alex's pager going off. "Damn."Alex whispered, reluctantly breaking their kiss. "I've..gotta get this."He said, relieving the stop button. "But what was..that for?"
Addison leaned in close, whispering to him as the door dinged open. "Because I've missed you."
They walked out, standing several feet away from the elevator. "So you're going to talk to the Chief..then what?"Alex asked.
"I'm...going home. Until the end of the week. But I'm coming back."Addison replied. "I'm tired, too...turns out giving my statement was a little harder than I had expected..."She said.
"Did it go bad?"Alex asked.
"No, no. It just-it took a lot out of me."Addison said, nodding. "Anyway, I'm going to talk to the Chief. Oh, and I've um...I've been having this craving for jello, so...there's probably going to be some made by the time you get home."
"Jello? Seriously?"Alex asked, making his way to where they needed him. "Anyway, I've gotta get going before Bailey catches me..."
"Sounds good to me. I'll um, I'll see you at home."Addison said, turning back to the elevator before giving him a quick kiss goodbye. She rested against the back of the elevator, letting out an exhausted sigh. After she talked to the Chief, Addison would go to the grocery store for some Jello, and then make her way home. Home, Addison thought happily. Alex and Addison's home. Running her hand over her stomach, Addison decided that she'd never felt safer.
A/N: So there you go. It's not the end yet, but there's only one more chapter to go. I've got names in mind for the baby, but if you'd like to give me any suggestions, I'll take them into consideration. Thanks! Now, please click that little button, and leave me a review!-One more to go...