AN: I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter. That being said, it is considerably long then the other chapters, so hopefully that makes up for the wait. I hope you enjoy. Please review. :) LT.


(Don't) Kill Your Darlings

~o~

Chapter Six

Adjustment Period

~o~

"Okay, so since you'll be staying with us for a few weeks, we have some...ground rules," Mark starts a little awkwardly, sitting across the dining table from Sloan. Addison is sitting beside him and the kids are in bed. Their emergency session with Dr. Mendelsohn on Sunday had made them realise that they had to be in this together and that they should be a united front when making decisions. It sounded good in theory but neither are sure how well that will work with Sloan.

"Ground rules?" Sloan echoes, the distaste clear in her voice. She's only been here a day and already they were trying to give her rules. Mark may technically be her father but that didn't mean much to Sloan, who had grown up without him.

"We don't think they're anything unreasonable," Addison adds, giving the teenager her best warm smile. She and Mark are used to kids, young kids, and though this is only for a few weeks, she can't help but worry how they'll all adjust.

"We just want to make sure we can all live together as happily as possible," Mark tells her giving her a somewhat amused smile. Sloan just nods, leaning back in her seat as she takes in Mark and Addison across from her.

"Okay. What are these ground rules then?" Sloan asks, trying not to sound as sarcastic out loud as she did in her head. If they were too strict, she'd be out of there. She'd lived 18 years so far without a father, she didn't exactly need one now.

"The first one, we think is a fairly basic and reasonable request," Mark starts, glancing to look towards Addison, who gives him a slight nod, before looking back at Sloan. "We ask that you don't bring any strangers into the house. We gave the same request to Amelia, so it's not just you. We're just...very conscious of who is around Sam and Maddie," Mark explains.

Sloan nods, lips pressing together as she thought over their words. She wasn't used to having such a restriction but she wasn't at home with her mom either. She kind of thought it was a little overprotective of Mark and Addison, actually, even though she'd never say that. Plus, if it was true that they'd asked Amelia the same thing, she figured she couldn't really argue with it.

"Okay," Sloan shrugs, deciding that this was better at least then a motel or her friends' couches.

Mark sighs with relief. He was worried that giving her rules, or expectations as Addison put them earlier, were going to scare Sloan off. A part of him had, for a moment, wondered if Addison only wanted to give Sloan so many rules in an attempt to scare the teenager off; immediately, he felt bad for thinking of Addison like that. He knew it was overwhelming for his wife, hell it was overwhelming for him too and neither of them had ever been in charge of a teenager before either. They were good with Sam and Maddie but they'd had six years to learn how to handle their kids; Sloan was completely different in that regard.

"Good," Mark nods, giving her a smile. He looks over at Addison then, they had decided earlier that they'd both set down the rules; an attempt to be a united front. It wasn't necessarily that they weren't but more an effort to show Sloan that they were a team. They did it for Samson and Madison and saw no reason not to do the same with Sloan.

"So, is there a second one or…?" Sloan asks, catching the couples attention. She can't imagine they would only have one rule.

"Yes. So, we think you should have a curfew. We're not...sure how late, since you're not in school at the moment. But we were thinking, 11:30?" Addison says then, trying not to sound as clueless as she felt. Neither she nor Mark had ever had a curfew as teenagers, they weren't really sure what was appropriate.

Sloan frowns a little. She hadn't really had a curfew at home, her mother had been working so much that Sloan mostly just came and went as she pleased. But it had it's down side; if she'd had a curfew she probably wouldn't be pregnant right now.

So she nods. Even though she's 18, she figures she can do that curfew for a couple of weeks. "Okay. 11:30 is fine. Not that I've really got any friends in the City anyway," Sloan murmurs, shrugging once again. She wanted to go home but she knew her mother would never allow it. It was easier not to think about it all then admitting that she didn't know what she was going to do.

"Alright. That's good. Not the...no friends part. We don't want to be too strict but if you're going to stay here, we couldn't have you just...doing whatever you want here…" Mark says, grimacing a little when he feels like he's fumbled his words and meaning.

"I get it. It's fine," Sloan tells them, shrugging once again. "Is there...anything else?"

"This isn't so much a rule actually. But if you could just watch how you talk around Sam and Maddie, we'd appreciate that," Mark tells her, tone lighter then before. They hadn't really thought of any more rules to give to Sloan and Mark wonders if that's a good thing or not.

"Yeah. The kids get enough of that from Mark and Amelia," Addison laughs, shaking her head as she smirks between Mark and Sloan. "Anyway, just no swearing and things like that," she continues jokingly.

~o~

"So," Sloan starts as she makes her way down the stairs and into the living room, "are you like, a sister wife or something?" she jokes, once she sees Amelia flicking through the DVR. She doesn't expect Amelia to snort at the question, turning to look at her with a wide grin. Amelia even looks amused by the words.

"No. No I am not the sister wife. But, oh my God, I've gotta tell Addie you said that," Amelia laughs, shaking her head as she gestures for Sloan to come and sit down with her.

"Well what am I suppose to think?" Sloan almost snaps back, a little defensive at being laughed at. "You're here and you're pregnant and Sam and Maddie call you aunty. You don't have either of their last names, so…"

Amelia is still smirking as she nods but she understands Sloan's point. She's only been here a few days and she doubts either Mark or Addison have sat her down and explained anything about their history. She knows they're still not even sure how to approach the topic when Sam and Maddie eventually start asking how they met and fell in love. She supposes she can cut them a little slack with Sloan, it's barely been two weeks since the teenager's been in their lives.

"Right. I've known them both for literal decades. In fact, I've known Mark since I was born, literally. And I met Addison when I was a teenager. They're...basically like my older brother and sister, you know? I've got an actual brother and sisters but...those two have always looked out for me," Amelia tells her with a fond shrug. Addison has always been her favorite sister and she's never truly felt judged by either of them, something she can't say about the rest of her family.

"Really?" Sloan asks curiously, surprised at the answer. She hadn't pegged either Mark or Addison as the kinds of people that had such close attachments to someone that wasn't family. Then again, she figures if Mark's known Amelia since she was a baby, maybe they did consider her family. "Wait, how have you known Mark your whole life?"

Amelia sort of grimaces then and Sloan is curious.

"He...is, was my brother's best friend. They grew up together and went off to medical school together. The whole shebang," Amelia says, a hand resting on her stomach. She realised she probably shouldn't talk about Derek, even though Mark and Addison didn't tell her not too. It feels wrong, somehow, to try and explain Addison and Mark's history with her brother, it feels like something they really should be doing.

"Your brother's a doctor too?" Sloan asks, sounding surprised and curious.

"Yep. He's a neurosurgeon too actually. All my siblings are doctors," Amelia adds on with a slight laugh. She was just glad her sisters were married so there was never an overabundance of Doctor Shepherd's at any given family function.

"Oh, wow. That's...kind of impressive. I've never known a family of doctors before."

Amelia smirks at the words, chuckling a little as she looks at the teenager. "Addison's from a family of doctors too. So, if they ever get all boring and stuffy and doctor-y, you can come talk to me. I promise I'm the fun one," Amelia tells her, though she can see by the look on Sloan's face she doesn't quite believe her. She supposes though that to an 18 year old teenager, she probably didn't seem that fun either. It suddenly makes her feel old.

"So, like, are you all surgeons or…?"

"No. Derek and I are neurosurgeon's, the best in our field I might add. And one of my sisters is an OB/GYN like Addie but she never did all the neonatal surgery stuff. The others a GP and a psychologist. Obviously you know Mark and Addie are surgeon's too."

"That's cool," Sloan nods, turning her attention to her phone now.

She's only been here a few days but Sloan can't help but wonder what her life would've been like if she'd known Mark was her father since she was a kid. Would she have spent every other weekend here with him and Addison? Would she have done better at school and be thinking about colleges and medical schools right now? Instead of being knocked up and kicked out of her mother's house? She can't help but think that her life would've been better with Mark and Addison.

~o~

The rest of the week passes quickly and Sloan realizes that she hasn't really spent any time with Samson or Madison since Sunday. Sloan has dinner with them every night, their nanny Josephine takes care of them after school until either Mark or Addison get home and they have a surprisingly strict bedtime routine. So Sloan finds herself alone for most of the week, especially when she realised that Amelia also works long, and sometimes unpredictable, hours.

She's kind of used to it though; her mother was a nurse. She doesn't mind being on her own but it surprises her when Friday night comes and both Mark and Addison are home early. Mark's hours are more flexible, since he has his own practice and his specialty doesn't involve too many emergency calls.

Mark, Addison, the two kids and Sloan are all around the dinner table and Sloan can't help but think how familial it all seems. She's never really had this with her mother; oh, they got along and they spent time together but it's always been just the two of them for the most part. Addison is asking the kids how their days were and then, much to Sloan's surprise, Addison turns to her.

"And how was your day Sloan? Did you get up to much?" Addison asks with a friendly, curious smile.

Sloan fumbles a little, unsure what to say. She really didn't do much all day; except use their internet and go out for lunch. But Addison was nice - she actually quite likes the woman even though they've barely spent any time together.

"Oh, yeah. It was good. I just, like, went out for lunch at that place around the corner. I don't really like being stuck inside," Sloan tells her lightly, giving her a shrug and a smile.

"Must be a Sloan trait," Addison muses teasingly, gesturing to Mark and the kids. "Those three don't like being stuck inside either," she laughs. She focuses back on Sloan then. "The kids have their activities tomorrow. Ballet for Maddie first and then t-ball for Sam. You should...come with us to t-ball," Addison suggests. She's promised Mark that she's going to try and get to know Sloan and welcome her and she figures after the hectic week they've had, inviting her out on their Saturday out may be a good start.

"Oh-" Sloan starts but Samson interrupts.

"Yeah! Come watch me play t-ball Sloan Sloan!" Samson says excitedly. The nickname had started a day or so ago, over dinner, when Samson and Madison were curiously asking her questions about herself. They'd forgotten her last name wasn't Sloan also and had erupted into giggles when Samson had called her Sloan Sloan the first time. She didn't correct them and now she was sure the nickname was going to stick.

"Sloan Sloan?" Mark asks, an eyebrow rising as he looks between his three children; Sam and Maddie giggling and Sloan shrugging.

"Yep. It's her name Daddy," Madison informs him matter-of-factly, sounding exasperated as if it should've been obvious.

Both Addison and Mark simply smirk at each other, eyebrows raised at the words. They were glad though that the kids, Madison especially, were warming up to Sloan. Dinner passed quickly then, Sloan agreeing to go watch Samson play t-ball and Addison and Mark helping the two little ones put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher once dinner was done.

Mark turns to her then and smiles as Addison ushers the kids out of the kitchen and upstairs. "So, we usually have some family time on Friday nights. A movie, or sometimes the kids want to play board games. You should join us," Mark tells her easily. "I know we haven't been around a lot this week, it's unfortunately what happens when you're a surgeon. But we usually try to focus on spending time together over the weekends," he continues as he grabs a few water bottles from the fridge, knowing the kids would want them and offering one to Sloan too.

"Uh, thanks," Sloan says, taking it a little awkwardly. She looks at Mark and contemplates just going up to her room but she hadn't come all the way to the City just to not spend some time with the man. "I...wouldn't mind watching a movie."

"It'll probably be some Disney crap," Mark tells her, reaching for a beer from the fridge and opening it. He heads out of the kitchen and gestures for Sloan to follow.

By the time they get upstairs the kids are in the bath and Mark turns the television on to the sports highlights, apparently he watches it in snippets these days, since the kids tend to have control of the tv. Sloan has to laugh at the thought and wonders if when she has her baby, she'll give up watching her favorite shows for it; if she keeps the baby at least.

Samson is the first one to make an appearance in the living room in his dinosaur pajamas, hair still slightly damp and curly from a bath. He's still a ball of energy but he's definitely not as bouncy as he was earlier in the evening; he immediately starts in on pleading his case for whatever animated movie he wants to watch. But Mark just chuckles, handing over his son's water bottle as he informs him that it's Madison's turn to pick the movie this week. Samson frowns, snatching up a couch cushion to sit on the floor, pouting a little. Mark tries not to laugh at his son, Addison's gotten on him about laughing at their antics and tantrums but Mark can't help it, sometimes little kids are just funny.

About ten minutes later, Addison and Madison finally make it into the living room, the little girl wrapped up happily in her mother's arms. Her hairs still a little damp but it's warm enough that Sloan is sure it'll dry in no time. Sloan watches kind of fascinated, from her seat on the comfy arm chair, as Addison sits down on the couch next to Mark with Madison sitting on a pouffe in front of her. Madison is in Wonder Woman pajamas and Addison starts to brush her long red hair when Mark finally asks what she wants to watch. To everyone's surprise, she picks a movie that Samson likes too, Mark putting the movie on and settling in for the animated masterpiece. Once Madison's hair is brushed and braided neatly down her back, she snuggles into Addison's lap eagerly.

It's all very domestic, in a way that Sloan is a little surprised by. Obviously, she's seen their night routine during the past week but it's not as relaxed and together as this is and, it's kind of nice. She still feels like a bit of an outsider as she watches Mark and Addison sitting on the couch with Madison and Samson laid out in front of them watching the movie; they look like a family and she's kind of just there. It's practically picture perfect.

Until, about 45 minutes into the movie, an annoying beeping breaks the silence.

It startles Sloan for a moment until she sees both Mark and Addison reach for their pagers. She'd been focusing so hard on the movie, it was actually pretty good, that she'd forgotten almost that they were doctors that could be called into the hospital. She turns slightly in her seat to look at them, curious about who it was that had been paged.

Addison sighs as she reads the message on her pager, she wasn't supposed to be on call and she is the head of the department, she makes the rosters. So, she knew an emergency page would have to be for a good reason. "I'm sorry," she apologizes, glancing to Mark and then towards both her children. "I better call and check this," she tells them, shifting Madison off her lap as she stands up.

Three minutes later, she's back, cellphone in hand and frowning. Mark sighs, standing up and moving around the couch towards Addison. "I really do have to go. A woman came in, impaled from a car accident at 34 weeks, they need me. I'm sorry, baby," she murmurs to him, trying not to disturb the kids and their movie too much. But Madison is pouting and Samson's turned to look at them with a frown. She reaches over to pause the movie for a moment as she says goodnight to the kids. "Alright. Mommy has to go help another mommy and baby, okay? So I won't be here to tuck you in tonight but Daddy'll tuck you both in super tight. I love you both and I'll see you in the morning. Okay?" Addison informs them, leaning over to kiss Madison and then Samson.

"Goodnight Mommy," Samson says, giving her a quick hug as Madison simply side eyes her a little. Sometimes, Addison can't figure out just where her daughter gets her moodiness from. She does feel bad though, she knows Madison's been a bit more attached ever since she started kindergarten. But she really does need to go.

Once she's down the stairs and on her way to the hospital, Mark sits back down and restarts the movie, an expression on his face Sloan can't quite figure out. She's surprised though when Madison appears by her side, water bottle in hand and looking at her curiously. "Can I sit with you?" Madison asks, giving her a toothy grin.

Sloan's eyebrow rises as she glances over at Mark who is looking surprised himself but he is smiling at the interaction. "Sure," Sloan nods, though she's still a little unsure as she shifts on the arm chair, letting Madison squeeze in beside her.

"Thanks Sloan Sloan," Madison murmurs, sipping at her water bottle as she leans against the arm of the arm chair and looks back up at the television. It takes her a moment but eventually Sloan settles comfortably beside her half-sister, sipping at her own water as she becomes engrossed in the movie once again.

Mark smiles as he watches Sloan and Madison and then glances down at Samson, a warmth spreading through him at the image of all three of his children together.

~o~

Sloan is surprised when Sunday comes and she sees the outfits both Mark and Addison sport as she stumbles into the kitchen early in the morning. She gives them a confused look as she moves about the kitchen to grab a glass of juice and to make some toast. She can't hear Sam or Maddie and assumes whatever activity her father and his wife are dressed for is not a family one.

"Good morning?" Sloan murmurs, pouring a glass of juice for herself as she tries to figure out why Mark and Addison are dressed in fancy looking athletic wear.

They're both in crisp polo shirts, Mark's a navy blue and Addison's white, stripes of matching color ringing the hems of the sleeves. The skirt Addison is wearing is cute, in it's older woman type of way, that shows off her long legs and seems to be built for movement and Mark is in white shorts and Sloan wrinkles her nose a little at the fact she's able to see above his knee. They're both wearing sneakers and Sloan wonders if they always dress like this. She must have been staring curiously because suddenly Mark is talking to her, startling her from her thoughts.

"We play tennis sometimes," Mark says, catching her attention as he finishes off his coffee and stands up to place the mug in the dishwasher. Addison is drinking her green juice, something Sloan had tried a few days ago when the redheaded woman had been blending her own and quickly decided it wasn't for her. Or maybe the baby just didn't like it but she's not sure.

"Tennis?" Sloan echoes because that was absolutely not what she'd expected Mark to say. Though, looking at them, it made sense. They were two successful surgeons, with a five storey multimillion dollar home and a Nanny - of course they played tennis too. It made all the sense in the world.

Mark nods, smirking a little as he leans against the kitchen counter, arms crossing over his chest. "Yep. You play any sports kid?" he asks curiously, wanting to learn as much about Sloan as he can while she's with them.

Sloan shakes her head as her toast finally pops and she spreads butter on it. Plain toast is the only thing she can eat in the mornings now, her morning sickness still going strong even though Addison says she's almost out of the first trimester. Being pregnant was so uncomfortable.

"Uh, no. I played soccer when I was a kid but that's it," she says, taking a tentative bite of her toast. "You always been into sports?" she asks then, glancing between Mark and Addison. It hadn't been hard to tell that Mark was the sporty type but it surprised her that Addison was too.

"Yep," Mark nods. "What can I say? I'm an athletic guy. Football and baseball all through high school and baseball in college. I like sports, I've always been pretty active," he tells her, grinning widely. And looking at him, Sloan believes it. Addison though, comes off a little too rich and maybe a little nerdy to be that into sports.

Addison snorts, grinning as she finishes off her green juice. "I was not at all sports inclined growing up. Actually, I was a band geek," Addison laughs, shaking her head a little. "I learnt to play tennis when I was a child, with my brother and when Mark found out, he decided to drag me to play tennis with him. Hence, why we now play tennis together," Addison tells her, rolling her eyes a little. Mark had made a case about the cute little skirts she could wear and about how it could be a good couples thing to do together. And once she'd seen him in his tennis outfit, she'd readily agreed.

Sloan can't help but smirk a little at Addison's explanation. That sounds about right. "That makes sense," is all Sloan says, nodding because despite Addison's very rich, put together appearance, she can totally see her as a former band geek.

"Anyway, Josephine will be here soon and then we'll be out for a little while. Amelia usually stays with Sam and Maddie when we go out but, she's working today. They really liked spending time with you yesterday, if you want to hang out with them again," Mark says lightly, giving her a smile. He wanted his children to get to know each other and get along with each other.

"They did?" Sloan says in surprise. Sam has been pretty sweet with her but Maddie still seems unsure about her, which seems fair. They've only known each other for like, a week. She shrugs. "They're pretty cool kids. I guess I can hang out with them," Sloan replies casually. She kind of does like the two little kids.

"I'm sure they'll love that," Addison says then, as the door bell rings out loud through the first floor. She makes her way out of the kitchen to let Josephine in; they'd given the woman a key but she doesn't use it when they're home, even though they've told her they don't mind.

Sloan watches the redheaded woman go for a moment before turning back to her toast. It's only half eaten and she's starting to feel nauseous again. "Okay kid, we better get going. We'll be back before lunch though," Mark tells her as he makes his way out of the kitchen.

"Bye," Sloan calls after him, regretting the juice she'd poured and focusing back on her phone instead. It isn't until a few hours later, when they've finally come back, that she realises they don't have any rackets with them.

~o~

The next couple of weeks pass in the same manner. It wasn't hard to fall into some kind of routine with Sloan in the house. Samson and Madison were enjoying having her around, they seemed to think of her as a new playmate, which she didn't mind. Even though they were young. And she was focusing on them so much, it was easier to pretend that she wasn't pregnant.

Until of course she hits 13 weeks and she's reminded by Addison.

"You know Sloan, if you want to come in sometime this week and get the baby checked, I'd be happy to arrange that," Addison suggests lightly as she sips at a glass of wine, flicking through a take out menu.

The suggestion startles Sloan, she and Addison have talked minimally but not for long and nothing about the baby.

"Yeah. Uh, okay," Sloan nods, looking up at the older woman and shrugging a little. They're rarely alone together and it's not exactly awkward but they're not completely comfortable with each other either.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do about the baby?" Addison asks lightly, genuinely curious about what the girl's plans are. She can't imagine how scary it must be to be pregnant at 18; she'd been terrified at 37 finding out she was pregnant. She wants to help the girl in any way she can.

Sloan shakes her head though, lips pressing together at the question. "Not really," she replies, glancing down at her phone. Her fingers move quickly over the keypad, texting one of her friends. It's an easy way to get out of a conversation.

It's two days later when she makes her way to the hospital Addison and Mark work at. She feels awkward and out of place as she waits outside of Addison's office; Addison who is the head of OB/GYN and something called neonatology. Sloan knew of course, that Mark and Addison were successful and educated, she had just never realised how educated they were; Sloan couldn't imagine ever being that successful especially considering she'd gotten herself knocked up at 18. Again, she couldn't help but think that if she'd had Mark and Addison in her life growing up, she wouldn't be pregnant right now.

She's pulled from her thoughts when Addison appears, not from her office but from the corridor, hair pinned up and messy in a way Sloan hasn't seen before, and most notably, in pink scrubs.

"Hey Sloan," she calls out easily, giving her a smile. "I'm sorry I'm a little late. I got called in to a surgery," Addison tells her apologetically. "I wouldn't usually still be in scrubs. But, anyway, why don't we get started?" Addison continues, ushering her into the exam room attached to Addison's office.

"That's fine," Sloan says as she follows the redhead a little awkwardly. "Uh, where do you want me?" She asks, looking around the room.

"Up there," Addison gestures to the exam bed. "This is just a routine ultrasound. But let me grab your notes from the first ultrasound. Okay?" Addison says calmly, giving Sloan a comforting smile.

Sloan nods and pulls herself up on the exam bed. She watches Addison with interest, as she looks over her file before finally settling on the stool beside her. Addison readies the ultrasound machine and Sloan grimaces a little when she undoes her jeans and lifts up her top, so that Addison can start the ultrasound.

"This is gonna be a little cold," Addison tells her as she squirts on the gel and presses the wand to Sloan's stomach. Sloan watches curiously as Addison moves it around until she can see the baby.

"Can you tell whether it's a boy or girl yet?" She asks after a moment, eyes glued to the black and white screen.

It takes a moment for Addison to answer, she's concentrating on the ultrasound and the baby's measurements. "Not yet. It's a little early but the baby seems to be healthy and growing at the right rate. Do you want to hear the heartbeat?" Addison asks lightly, a smile on her face once she turns to look back at the teenager.

"Yeah. Okay," Sloan nods, an almost eager smile on her lips.

Addison grins back, fiddling with a few buttons before the sound of a heartbeat pulses through the room. She remembers the rush of emotions she felt the first time she'd heard Samson's and Madison's heartbeats. She lets her gaze settle on Sloan's face and what she sees more than anything, is how terrified Sloan is.

She takes a few pictures before eventually pulling the transducer from Sloan's stomach and handing her a handful of paper towels. "I'll let you get cleaned up while these are printed out, okay? And then maybe we should have a chat, I think," Addison tells her warmly.

Sloan frowns though, already starting to wipe the gel off her stomach. "Is there something wrong?" she asks quickly, worried as she looks up at her father's wife.

"No. No nothing's wrong Sloan," Addison reassures her, reaching a hand out to tap her shoulder lightly. "I do think it might be good to discuss your options though," Addison says before disappearing out the door.

When she comes back, Sloan is sitting on the edge of the bed, legs swinging slightly. She's nervous. Addison said there's nothing wrong with the baby, which is good but she still doesn't know what she's going to do about the baby. She knows she could have an abortion but she's not sure if that's something she can do. The thought of raising the baby though is terrifying.

"I don't think I can have an abortion," Sloan blurts out, cringing as Addison sits on the stool opposite her. The other woman seems the type to be horrified at the thought of abortions. She's too classy and put-together for that. "I mean, it's already trashy enough that I'm a pregnant teenager. Having an abortion just feels, I don't know...trashier? I just don't know what to do," Sloan sighs, a frown on her features and her hands pressing together tightly. She really has no clue what she wants to do.

Addison sighs softly, giving Sloan a warm smile. "That's okay. An abortion isn't the only option. But, you should know Sloan, if you want to have an abortion that's completely your choice and there's still time."

"I know but I just don't think I can kill my kid," Sloan murmurs, shrugging a little. She didn't know her well but she didn't want Addison to judge her.

"That's fine Sloan. I understand, it's a very difficult decision to make sometimes. Like I said before, it isn't your only option. You can put the baby up for adoption, you know Mark and I would be happy to help you figure that out. There is always the option of...keeping the baby," Addison informs her gently. She's done this long enough to know that this can be a very difficult time for women, especially if they're dealing with an unwanted pregnancy.

But Sloan quickly shakes her head, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. "I don't think I can keep the baby either. I'm 18, I can't look after a baby. I think I want to give it up for adoption," Sloan tells Addison, though she sounds anything but sure. She's been trying not to think about it but now she can't help it - she's pregnant and she's going to have to make a choice about what she wants to do and soon. "Maybe then I can go back home," she muses softly.

"What do you mean?" Addison asks then, brows furrowing as she looks at the teenager.

"I called my mom yesterday. She told me I was ruining my life… That she thinks it's stupid to keep the baby. But like, I'm not going to keep it! I tried to explain that to her, that I wasn't sure. She didn't care…" Sloan sighs.

Addison frowns sadly, shaking her head as she reaches out to give Sloan's hand a little squeeze. It was instinctive but she looks like she needs some kind of comfort. "I'm sorry. I'm sure your mom will come around though. It...might just take some time," Addison tries to reassure her. She stands from her seat then, smoothing out her scrubs instinctively. "Mark should be about done for the day. I've got a few patients to check up on before I leave but I'll walk over to his office with you, if you'd like?" Addison suggests, smiling at the teenager.

"Okay," Sloan nods, standing too and grabbing her handbag. She follows Addison out of the exam room and the silence is comfortable at least as they walk. It's only when they reach Mark's floor and are heading for his office, that a question pops into Sloan's mind. "Hey, um, Addison?"

"Yes?" Addison asks, glancing down at the girl as they walk.

"You know before, you said you like, understood? Did you mean like, understood what it's like to...have an abortion?" Sloan asks slowly, frowning as she looks at Addison. She can't imagine someone like Addison ever considering having an abortion.

Addison sighs, grimacing a little at the questions but a part of her kind of feels like she has to answer her.

"In a way," Addison tells her softly. She'd rather not have their conversation being overheard. "When I first found out that I was pregnant with Samson, I considered getting an abortion. More than considered actually. I made the appointment and everything," Addison admits, smiling tightly. There were only three other people who knew she'd considered an abortion with Samson. "It wasn't a good time. Things were...complicated but I realised that I wanted Samson and I wanted him with Mark. If I'd gone through with it though, I don't think I'd have regretted it back then. But it is difficult, I do know that and I was a grown woman with a career. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you right now," Addison tells her softly.

"Oh. Wow," Sloan murmurs, completely surprised by the words. She honestly didn't expect that.

"Yeah," Addison chuckles. "So, I do get that it's difficult. But you do have a bit of time to make a decision. A decision that's right for you. Okay? And if you ever do need to talk, you can come to me," Addison tells her, giving her a warm smile as they finally stop outside of Mark's office.

The door is open and so Addison leans against it, knocking on it as she pops her head in. "Hey babe," she greets her husband, smiling when he looks up and beams at her.

"Red! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Mark teases as he stands and makes his way over. His grin widening when he sees that Sloan is also with her. "Ah, you had your appointment. That's right. Everything good?" he asks as he presses a kiss to Addison's cheek.

"Yep," Sloan replies with a shrug and a nod.

"So, I've still got a few patients to check up on before I head home. The Martinez baby? Anyway, I figure you and Sloan could go home together and I'll bring pizza home for dinner? That sound good?" Addison suggests, glancing between the two with a smile.

"Sounds fine to me. I'm done for the day. Give me a minute and then we can go," Mark replies, pulling his coat on and grabbing his briefcase. Sloan nods and takes a step out of the office, leaning against the wall, eyes back on her phone once again.

"I shouldn't be more then an hour and a half," Addison informs him, giving him a quick kiss goodbye. "I'll see you at home. Alright?" Mark grins, nodding at her words as they both exit his office. It's a familiar routine for both Addison and Mark.

Then the trio move their separate ways, Addison back up to the NICU and Mark and Sloan towards the exit. It isn't until they walk out of the doors of New York hospital, Sloan decides to speak.

"So, I think I want to put the baby up for adoption. Could you help?"