Hey. Thank you so much for your kind reviews. Here is the next chapter. Do share how you find it.
Addison let the hot shower wash away all her guilt and worries. She pushed her secret in a box and got ready to please her husband. She looked over her image in the full length mirror. She hadn't packed anything sexy for this quick break, but she had a cute summer dress. She had bought it months back specifically to impress Derek. It was a lemon colored chiffon dress with a red cardinal print all over. The neckline was modest, strategically ending at the swell of her curves, teasing enough to ignite curiosity and leaving a lot for imagination. The flared skirt ended just above her knee, but its layers had a hidden slit which she could use to her advantage whenever she wanted to flaunt her toned thigh. It was a PG rated outfit, easily convertible in R. A perfect one for a romantic date in a family resort. Satisfied with her look, she stepped out of the bathroom. Richard Marx's Right Here Waiting For You was playing on Derek's ipod while he was occupied with his laptop.
The scent of hot steam mixed with shower gel filled the room as soon as Addison opened the bathroom door. Derek looked up with a smile. She had been in there for almost an hour. But the wait was worth it.
"You look beautiful." He extended his arm, asking her to come closer.
"What's up with you and your laptop? You are constantly glued to that screen."
"I was just killing time till you got ready. My lap is all yours now." He said, keeping the laptop away.
"That's my favorite seat in the world." She said climbing on his lap.
"This is a nice dress." Derek commented, running a hand over her side. He remembered the time when he first saw this dress on her, everything that he wanted to do but couldn't.
"Thank you. I specifically bought it for you." She admitted with a blush.
"Is it so? I can't wait to take it off you." He whispered in her ear.
Addison pulled herself back and held him at an arm's length. "I am afraid you have to wait for now mister. First you need to woo me. Sweep me off my fit."
"Woo you?" Derek smiled mischievously and picked up his laptop. He browsed through his inbox, opened an email and turned the screen towards Addison.
"Will this sweep you off your fit?"
Addison looked at his laptop screen. It was an email from some travel agent with quotations for tour packages.
"Paris?" She jumped out of Derek's lap, knocking the laptop down on the carpeted floor.
"This was supposed to be my surprise Anniversary gift for you. But I have learned that surprises are overrated."
"Really?" Addison sat down on the adjacent chair and picked up the laptop to read the rest of the mail. When they got married, they couldn't afford any long or expensive honeymoon. Derek had promised to take her to Paris on their tenth Anniversary. When Addison reminded him about that promise a few months before the anniversary, he just shrugged it off saying it wasn't the good time for vacation. Their eleventh anniversary, he completely forgot and the twelfth one was in four weeks.
"This year we will complete an era as Husband and wife. So I planned a twelve days trip to Paris followed by a five days visit to New York and med school." Derek revealed proudly.
"A seventeen days' vacation?"
"Yes. A day for each year of being Derek and Addison. I have already taken Chief's approval."
"Richard knew?"
"Yes. I thought he would make a big fuss but he was happy and supportive. Adele suggested this travel agent to me."
Addison threw herself at him, planting several kisses on his face. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Now that you know. I don't mind you taking over the planning part."
"I definitely will. We are leaving in three weeks! And we are not at all prepared. I need to go shopping-"
"Hey just slow down. Let's first enjoy the vacation we are currently on." He realized a surprise trip would have been a lot cheaper than a three weeks notice period for Shopping.
"Let's go out." Derek tucked her hand and pulled her up. His thumb brushed over her ring finger, it was an old habit. Her empty finger did feel unusual. When he looked at Addison she was staring at their intertwined hands. It was clear what she was thinking about.
He squeezed her hand and motioned towards the door. There was no cell phone reception so he didn't need to stuff his pockets with two mobiles and two pagers. He slipped the key card in his back pocket and they stepped out to enjoy their day off.
"The weather is nice today." Derek mentioned taking a deep breath.
"It's a beautiful day to vacation." Addison teased him.
"It is." Derek pulled her closer as they started walking towards the lake.
"I hope it doesn't rain." Addison wished looking at the cloudy sky.
"I hope it does." Derek said with a mischievous smile. Addison gave him a questioning look. "You will find out if it does."
They walked in silence, enjoying the cool breeze.
"Add, I was thinking about the rings." Derek began seriously. "I think it's a good sign that you lost them. Maybe they were tented… we are starting afresh, Derek and Addison 2.0. That calls for a new set of wedding bands. I am thinking, we buy new ones and exchange them on our twelfth anniversary. Lets renew our vows in Paris."
Addison stopped in her tracks. There was no need to vocalize her response. Her glimmering eyes reflected her feelings clearly. She stepped in front of Derek and reached for his other hand. Derek smiled, remembering the moment almost 12 years ago when they stood in front of each other, holding each other's hands. He and Addison wished to have an outdoor wedding with just a few close guests. The idea was vetoed by Bizzy and they ended up exchanging vows in front of 500 people. It was a beautiful wedding and he cherished every moment of it. But this time, he wanted a quiet and intimate moment, just like the one they were having at the lakeside.
Addison took a step forward and leaned in, to kiss her husband. She was about to capture his lips when a beach ball came from nowhere and hit her in the head. They turned around and found two 7-8 years old boys running in their direction. "Catch the ball. Catch the ball." The taller one of them shouted pointing at the ball spiralling towards the lake. Derek promptly ran after it and caught it in time.
"I am so sorry." They heard a panting voice of an adult. A man was sprinting towards them, followed by an exhausted woman and a girl slightly younger than the boys. The kids mother started scolding them while the father repeatedly apologized on behalf of his sons. Derek and Addison assured them that it wasn't a big deal and quickly escaped from the screaming drama in search of a quiet place.
"This is a beautiful property." Derek said admiring the landscape.
"We should come here often. It's not that far from the city."
"Good idea." Derek agreed. "Let's stay in one of these cottages next time. I read in the brochure they have an open jacuzzi and a stone fireplace."
"We could upgrade right now if you want." Addison suggested looking at the cottages on the hill. "I like the green one near the waterfall. Which one do you like?"
"The green one looks worned. I like the grey. It looks new, must be recently built."
"We are not getting the grey cottage. The room we have is fine." She dismissed the idea and started walking down the path.
Derek looked at the cottages again and then back at his wife. The one Addison chose had a rustic look but they both preferred airy and fresh properties.
"Wait." Derek had to jog to catch up to her. "Are you mad at me because I picked a different cottage?"
"I am mad because you picked a grey cottage. I don't like that color." She said unapologetically.
Derek chuckled. "You don't like that color or you don't like the name?" He challenged, nudging her with his elbow.
"Fine. I don't like that name." She admitted throwing her hands in the air. "I know it is silly. You don't need to pronounce it." She warned him, looking down at the path beneath their feet.
"I don't think it's silly. I understand." Derek said, growing serious. He didn't like hearing Mark's name. He didn't even like any mention of any plastic surgeons. He had put thousands of miles between him and those memories. But Addison had to face the sign of his affair everyday at work. It was unfair.
"We can't avoid her while working at Seattle Grace. But if it bothers you so much, we can leave." He offered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We can go to Mercy West. We can leave Seattle, if you want. I don't want to go back to New York, but we can move anywhere else."
"You will do that for me?" She stopped and turned towards him.
"No. I will do that for us." He said with sincere eyes. Addison could see why interns called him Mcdreamy. With those eyes and that smile, he could make anyone's knees weak.
"Naomi has an empty office at her practice." Addison shared. When Addison was doubtful about her future with Derek, Naomi suggested she should move to LA.
"Nah. We are not LA people. How about moving abroad for a few years? You always wanted to live in Europe."
"Yeah. That would be cool."
"How about New Zealand?"
"New Zealand is nice too. We still have a year left on our SGH contract. Let's complete the contract and meanwhile keep exploring our options."
Derek nodded. Addison tilted her face and pecked Derek's lips for being a perfect husband.
"Babe.." She paused. It had been a while since she called him babe. She lowered her eyes and tucked her loose hair behind her ear.
"Yeah?" He looked at her curiously. He knew the tell a tell signs of his wife wanting something from him.
"Since you are in a generous mood today," She began tentatively "How do you feel about moving out of the trailer?"
He was amused and impressed when she subtly pushed her chest forward to give him a deeper peek at what she was hiding beneath her dress.
"Haha. I knew it was coming." He chuckled, shamelessly staring at her breast. Addison crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pointed look.
He gave her a pour and threw his arm around her. "Honestly Addie, I am surprised you let us live in the trailer for so long. I love the trailer but I am ready to move to a real house."
The joy on her face was priceless. Her excitement had rendered her speechless. Derek smiled seeing how happy she was.
"I wanted to build a house on our land. But if we are moving out of Seattle after a year, let's just rent an apartment closer to the hospital."
"I will contact the realtor. I have few localities in mind. I want the view of the space needle from the bedroom."
Derek pictured snuggling with Addison in bed late at night, talking about their day while gazing at illuminated Spaceneedle. He often complained about his wife's spending habits but he knew she had the best taste.
"I have already started planning the interiors." She admitted, with a child-like enthusiasm.
"I am sure by the time we return to our room, you would have the entire blueprint ready."
"Shall we return to the room? Looks like it's about to rain." Addison suggested noticing the dark clouds.
"Nah. I want to stroll in the rain with you. Please?" Derek requested, making best use of his dreamy eyes.
Addison just shook her head in amusement and continued walking. She wasn't a big admirer of rains, but she had learnt to tolerate them for Derek's sake.
Rains looked romantic in movies but in real life, rains tended to mess up her perfectly styled hair, water-proof makeup, expensive shoes and clothes. But she also knew Derek was a hopeless romantic about rains. He had a thing for kissing in the rain, The Notebook style. She remembered their first kiss in the rain. It was a Friday afternoon, they had just finished a class of Gross Anatomy and were walking through the garden to the next Pathology class. Suddenly it started raining and Addison's first instinct was to run towards the nearest psychiatry building. But Derek pulled her back and pressed his lips on hers. They had just started dating and Addison was still in the early stage of trying to impress the Derek Shepherd. So she did not protest, just went with the flow, letting the rain drench every piece of clothing on her body. Lost in Derek Shepherd's strong arms and warm lips, she couldn't realize the rain was washing away all of her Gross Anatomy notes, but all of that hustle was worth the look on her new boyfriend's face. After that kiss while they were drying off their clothes and notes at Derek's dorm, he sheepishly shared his teenage fantasy of kissing his love in the rain. That was the first time either of them had uttered the L word. It was premature and still it felt natural. Since then Addison hated the rain a little less.
Soon it started drizzling. Derek's smile widened as the raindrops started brushing their skin. Addison's heart rate increased in anticipation of the kiss, but Derek continued walking casually, discussing different localities in Seattle they could move into. Addison inched closer, leaning into him. She looked up at the sky. Sun was reappearing from behind the clouds. She figured the drizzle would stop soon.
She spotted a cherry blossom nearby and dragged Derek towards it.
"Do you want to kiss the love of your life?" She asked slyly.
"Always!" Derek whispered, brushing her damp hair away from her face. He ran his fingers through her silky hair, curling a red strand around his finger.
"They are darker now."
She knew what he meant. They were darker than how they were when she first arrived in Seattle.
Derek tilted her face up and started tracing her lower lip with his thumb. The rain had washed away her light makeup, exposing her natural pink lips.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Addison closed her eyes, giving a soft moan. Derek leaned forward, planting a kiss on her eyelid. The slow burn was killing Addison, she directed his mouth to her lips. She warmed his lips with her tongue and then allowed his tongue to explore her mouth. His hand was freely moving over her back and her sides. She could feel his heat through the thin fabric of her dress. She pushed her hands under his sweater and moaned when his hand found her breast. She had started taking his sweater off, when a sound of giggling interrupted them.
She groaned in frustration when she saw the Turner kids behind them. Three pairs of little eyes were staring at them with amusement. Derek took a step away from Addison and smiled at the kids.
"Hello, Mason, Charlie and -" He tried to recollect the girl's name. The boys' names were tossed around several times when their mother was scolding them so he remembered them very well.
"I am Page." The little girl announced proudly.
"Hello Page. That's a lovely name." Addison said stepping forward.
"Hello Mr. And Mrs. Shepherd." Charlie, the eldest one greeted them.
"Where are your parents?" Addison asked, surprised to find the kids alone.
"Mommy and Daddy wanted to kiss so they sent us ahead." Mason shared nonchalantly.
"You have Ariel's hair." Page observed and held up her doll as a proof.
Addison chuckled. "Yes I do. Do you like Ariel?"
Page nodded with a big smile.
"Ariel is stupid. I like Hulk." Mason announced and looked at Derek for confirmation.
"I like them both." Derek said with a shrug.
"Do you like foot-"
"Charlie!" They heard Nick, the kids father, calling for the kids.
"Oh. Did they bother you again?" Julie, their mother asked seeing the Shepherds with the kids.
"No, not at all. We were just chatting." Derek responded.
"They run so fast and it's difficult to keep up with their speed in my condition." Julie explained apologetically, gesturing towards her growing belly.
"Oh don't worry. Your kids are lovely." Addison assured them.
"Kids, let's head back, mommy is tired." The adults wished each other a good day and the Turner family started descending back.
"Mommy is always tired."
"If we had ordered a puppy instead of that baby, it would already be here and Mommy wouldn't be so angry all the time."
Derek and Addison watched the family walk away. Julie and Nick clearly looked exhausted but they sure were a lucky couple.
Derek and Addison chose a bench near the lake and settled on it. The rain had stopped and it had started getting sunny again.
"Why do you have that goofy smile?" Addison asked, realizing Derek had been continuously smiling.
"Nothing, I am just happy." he shrugged, playing with her hair.
"Are you cold?" He asked, noticing goosebumps on her arms.
"I grew up in Connecticut, this is like summer for me." Addison boasted proudly.
Derek shook his head with amusement and rubbed his fingers over the thin material of her dress.
"You wore this dress when you visited the trailer for the first time."
"You remember it?" She was surprised to learn that Derek had noticed her dress that day.
"Yep. I remember it very well." He admitted coyly, sliding his hand under the dress.
"After you invited me over, I spent two hours shopping for the perfect dress for our first..whatever it was."
"It was more like you invited yourself." He teased her lightheartedly.
Addison had been in Seattle for six weeks now and they hadn't spent much time together outside work. Derek had visited her hotel a couple of times but Addison still didn't know where Derek lived. She had first subtly and then clearly demanded that she wanted to see his place. But Derek ignored her request every single time. Addison was determined and kept asking every now and then.
On a Saturday after her shift, she ran into Derek in the parking lot and just to annoy him asked her standard question. "When are you going to show me your place?" She didn't expect him to answer but he did.
"Come over for lunch tomorrow. I will text you the address." He said plainly and walked away to his car.
"That's not the point. The point is I tried at least a dozen different looks for that lunch, from a modest nun to a sexy bond girl and then chose this one." Addison admitted with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"I think you made the right choice but I will reserve my verdict till I see that sexy bond girl look."
"That was one of my worst days in Seattle." Addison admitted, playing with Derek's fingers.
"Why? I thought your visit went very well." Derek asked, scooting closer to her.
He texted his address to her late at night and asked her to come by noon. She replied saying she would be there by 10 am.
We woke up early, cleaned the trailer, kept the basic preparations for the lunch ready and was at the patio with his coffee mug at 9.30. He didn't want to miss the look on Addison's face when she saw where he lived.
She came 15 mins late, looking confused and frustrated. She wasn't that great with directions and following the directions to the trailer was challenging even for the best drivers.
"Why did you call me here?" Those were her first words as she stepped out of the car. The first thing he noticed about her was the four inch high heels and how inappropriate they were for the place.
"I live here." He got up and revealed, spreading his hands.
"What do you mean? How can you live here?" She asked dumbly.
"I own this land. The previous offered the trailer complimentary with the land. I live in the trailer now." He shared, smiling widely.
Addison looked around. She was in the middle of woods, no sign of another human being around. The tin can, where Derek claimed to be living was probably smaller than her closet. She was sure it was Derek's practical joke and she decided to play along.
"It's a nice land." She commented stepping up on the patio. "Very fresh air." She added to sound convincing but she knew Derek wasn't buying it.
"Let me show you around." He gestured in a general direction behind the tin can. Addison hoped to see an actual house hidden behind the trees and started following Derek. It was difficult to walk on the damp soil in her high heels, but she kept her complaints to herself. It was windy and her flary dress was forcing her to be Merilyn Monroe. But she managed somehow. Ten minutes into the walk, rain started pouring down and they had to return to the trailer. Derek cooked meatballs and spaghetti, they ate together and then she went back to her hotel.
"You kept saying you had changed but I didn't know you had changed so much. Seeing your new, fisherman lifestyle was a big shock."
"I needed a change."
"You were so mean and distant that day." Addison said simply, she wasn't accusing him, just sharing how she felt.
"From what I remember, I was a perfect host. I didn't snap, I didn't bring up any unpleasant topics."
"You walked ten feet ahead of me, barely talking or even glancing at me. You made me walk in the mud, in the feels. It's a wonder I didn't fall."
"I remember giving you a sturdy stick for support."
"I would have preferred you offering your hand for support."
"In my defense, it happened in those early days when I still hated you."
"Yeah it was pretty clear when you refused to give me any clothes to change." The dense threes in the forest, saved them from getting completely drenched but still her clothes got wet. When they reached the trailer, Derek promptly gave her a towel and streaming coffee but when she asked if she could borrow a shirt, he said no outright.
"I didn't say no because I hated you. I was enjoying the view so I didn't want you to change."
"What view?"
"This dress. While we were on our way back to the trailer, the raindrops made your dress pretty transparent. I could clearly see your red lacy bra and your erect nipples through it. And against my own will, I was enjoying the view." Derek admitted sheepishly.
"You made me sit in drenched clothes so you could enjoy my ….view?" She gave him a pointed look.
"Don't be dramatic. You weren't drenched, your clothes were just a bit damp. If you remember, I didn't change my clothes either and I made the trailer warm."
Addison was amazed by Derek's unapologetic confession. She had put on sexy red underwear, just in case.. She had no intentions of flaunting it but she didn't realize how transparent the dress could get under rain. She learnt her lesson that day and shifted to beige colored undergarments for the dress. Still she had no idea that Derek was checking her out that day. Rather she had a feeling that Derek was avoiding looking at her at all cost.
"I was irritated when you stepped out of your Mercedes in your Manhattan style. It just confirmed my belief that our lifestyles were completely incompatible. You surprised me when you walked through the grass without complaining or falling. Then the rain washed away your makeup and artificial curls. You know I like it more when you look natural. Your blossom confined in that red lace was hard to miss."
Her cheeks turned pink at Derek's vivid description. There was no good mirror in the trailer, so she had no idea how she looked.
"Addie!" Derek groaned remembering his condition that day. "I just wanted to pin you against the wall and ravish you."
"Why didn't you?" She asked in a low voice.
"The wound was still fresh. I was mad at you. I got mad at myself for getting attracted to you. I avoided looking at you. It was so hard not to fantasize when I clearly remembered that red bra and how it felt under my touch." Derek inched closer and cupped her breast.
Addison pushed his hand away. "I wished you had said something to me that day. I cried on my way back because you acted so distant."
"I am sorry."
"Even on Thanksgiving you acted so indifferent. It was so humiliating to ask for sex and then get stood up. I waited for four hours, outside your trailer, in the rain."
"Yeah. It was very insensitive of me. I realized it even then. I felt guilty seeing you so vulnerable and raw. Under the rain, you looked pure, necked without any makeup or pretense. I saw my Addie that day."
"I know, that night was difficult for you. I could see you were trying to mask your discomfort. I did appreciate that. You were quite gentle and polite the next morning."
"That was an awfully awkward morning. You were awfully quiet."
"Yeah. I was disappointed. The sex was good. But I had this naive expectation that we will make love and it would make everything normal. Clearly it didn't. I was hoping that you would ask me to move in."
"I did give you a key."
"You didn't. You just showed me where you had hidden the spare key."
"That was my way of telling you that you were welcome at the trailer."
"Could you be any more subtle? I figured you weren't going to make any moves and so I had to take charge."
"You just walked in the doctors' lounge and told me you were moving in the trailer on Saturday."
"And you said, don't move around any of my stuff. That's it. I was prepared to fight but you just dropped your weapon. Didn't you have any opinion on me moving in?"
"I didn't. I tried not to think much about anything. I just took every day as it came. I wasn't thrilled to have you in the trailer but I knew it was a logical thing to do and I couldn't avoid it indefinitely. So I let you move in."
Addison remembered her moving in day. Derek had the weekly day off but still he went to the hospital. Addison used the spare key and carried all her bags and boxes on her own. She checked the cupboards and cabinets, they were all full. She stashed all her boxes at the rear end of the trailer and waited the whole day for Derek to return. Eventually most of her boxes found their place in the trailer and Derek moved most of his stuff outside. But in the early days, Derek made it clear that she wasn't welcome.
"Moving in together was the right move. I eventually warmed up to having you in the trailer. When you stayed at the hotel with Amy, I missed you. I think that was the turning point of our relationship."
"I think so too."
"Addie, I want to keep the trailer. We can move into an apartment and keep the trailer as our love nest. We can visit it over the weekends, have a picnic at the lake?"
"I don't know.. I don't hate it anymore but I am not sure.."
"We don't need to decide anything right away."
Addison nodded and rested her head on Derek's shoulder. Derek wrapped his arm around her and started rubbing her bare arm. He realized, talking about those early days had dampened her mood.
"Let's have ice cream." He suggested, to cheer up her mood. It did work. There was an ice cream parlor near the restaurant. They tried half a dozen different flavors before ordering their usual chocolate chip and coffee walnuts scoops. They were busy licking ice cream off each other's lips when the Turner family stepped in through the door. Page was delighted to see red headed Mrs. Shepherd again and quickly ran to their table to discuss her favorite ice cream flavors. Even after Nick dragged Page back, it was impossible to talk over the Turner family's loud debate over who was getting what. Derek gave a sigh of relief when the Turners finalized their order and the ice cream cones silenced the kids.
"I want that." Derek said looking at the Turners.
"What? Strawberry ice cream?" Addison asked nonchalantly.
"You know what I mean! I want a big messy family." He reached out for her hand and told her.
Addison stared back at him.
"I am ready. I want to start trying." He told her. Addison had been ready for a while. But Derek wanted a few more years. He was next in line to be the chief and he needed time to focus on his career. "I have realized we don't need to pause our life for our career. We can manage both."
He looked expectantly at Addison waiting for her response but she couldn't formulate one. She wanted to have a family, she wanted to get pregnant but she already was once and Derek didn't know that. Her ice cream had started melting, it was running over her fingers. She tried to wipe her fingers with tissue but ended up dropping her scoop on her dress. She excused herself and went to the restroom to clean herself up.
When she returned Derek was in deep conversation with Nick.
"They have a guided cycle tour. Nick is going." Derek looped her in the conversation. "He was asking if we wanted to join. It's an hour's ride up the hill. The sun set is supposed to be beautiful from up there. We can leave the cycles there and return by a shuttle or we can ride back on cycle if we have any energy left. What do you say?"
They had been cycling around the land on the weekends. Addison enjoyed cycling and it was a great excuse to avoid the discussion about starting a family. So she agreed immediately.
By the time they came back to the resort, it was already dark. They returned the cycle keys at the reception and were about to head for their room when the receptionist informed them that there was a call from Dr. Webber for Dr. Derek Shepherd. Exhausted by the ride, Addison decided to go ahead while Derek talked to Richard.
"Do you want to join me for a hot bath?" Addison asked when Derek returned. She revealed her long leg through her pink bathrobe to make Derek act faster.
"I do. But there are some news from the hospital. You should listen to them first."
Addison fastened the bathrobe tightly around her and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Burke was shot. There was a loose gunman in the parking and he shot Burke in the shoulder. Nelson operated on him immediately and surgery went well. His chances of full recovery are high."
"Oh my God! A gunman at hospital! That so freak-"
"Yeah I know. And Burke was caught in it for no reason. Richard's niece is also in the hospital and her condition is deteriorating."
"I should talk to Adele."
"And on a positive note, we escaped a hospital prom. Richard's niece can't attend her high school prom so Adele made him throw one at the hospital. All interns are blowing balloons and Richard has made it compulsory for everyone to attend. I am so glad, we are not there."
"I don't know. A hospital prom doesn't sound that bad. Unlike my prom, I could have had a hot date. After the prom we could have made out in the car, without worrying about Bizzy finding out.."
"We could directly jump to the make out session. I believe you were talking about a hot bath.." Derek slowly walked towards her and pulled the belt of her bathrobe. They made out on the bed, then some more in the bathtub, a lot more in the shower and again some more in the bed.
After the day's exertion, they quickly fell asleep, dreaming a sweet new life.