A/N: Hello, fanfiction world. I'm not sure if there are still many ADDEK shippers over here but after last night's episode the only thing that I could think about was that I needed more insights on the story that we saw. This story practically wrote by itself, I would like to think that this is an extended version of last night's episode, you will see more into Addison's thoughts, some flashbacks and some bit of background before her leaving to Seattle.

Someone on twitter noticed that Addison was wearing a watch that she used to wear back in season two, that's also stated on the fic, credits to the person who noticed it. (If you read this, first, you're amazing for notizing it, and please let me know so I can give you the credit for it.)

There's also some hints of Jake/Addison and also mentions of Henry.

The tittle of the fic is dedicated to a line of Adele's new song "Easy on Me", because how can we not use it on an Addek fic after so long?

Also, this is my first story in a veeeeery long time, it feels like my first time writing. I hope you like this and enjoy it as much as I did while writing it.

Sorry for the long author's note.

GOOD INTENTIONS AND THE HIGHEST HOPES

Seattle. This was one of the places that Addison Montgomery said she wouldn't go back, at least if she could avoid it. Looking back to the time she had spent there, it was a very different moment on her life, a chapter where she fought for love and lost, a chapter she was proud to have gone through because if it wasn't because of it, she wouldn't have accomplished the life she had now. She wouldn't have been Henry's mom or she wouldn't have met Dr. Jake Reilly, her now husband.

She had been back to Seattle few times after settling down in Los Angeles, but each time had been completely justified, the first one was when she assisted on a case and Richard Webber asked her to assist on the surgery, the second time it was to save Archer's life, the third being when she helped Mark's daughter with her pregnancy, which ended up with Mark also going to LA and the last time she was one of the many doctors who helped Callie Torres survive her accident. But the truth was that Seattle was Derek's place, and Addison respected that. They've both moved on after the divorce and she knew that they both needed to have their own places, hers was Los Angeles, that's where she met her new family, where the people she loved was and where she now owned her practice, at one point, she couldn't even imagine living in other places (which for Addison was a strange situation, because that's how she used to feel about New York about twenty years ago), but Seattle, it was all Derek's, every place in that city immediately would make her think about him. The ferryboats, the woods, the hospital and every hall of it.

That was also the place where the people Derek loved was, and Addison made her peace with it, if she got the chance to be happy with her son and her husband, she could only expect that Derek was able to have the same kind of happiness that she was experiencing. They were at some point where they would talk at least a couple times each year as the friends they were before their marriage went downhill.

However, all of those feelings completely changed after receiving that dreadful call where she was informed that Derek Shepherd, who once was her best friend and the love of her life, had died on an accident. A small part of Addison also died that same day, Derek was probably the only person who had known her as no one else during a certain period of her life, and even know, during those small talks that they've shared, they were able to reminisce those times, but after that moment, the person who she shared those memories with, was no longer alive, and that was something that Addison refused to accept. Even though she was aware that Derek Shepherd had died, she had hope that somehow, he was still in Seattle, hiding on the woods or fishing a rainbow trout along with his children.

That was why the idea of returning to Seattle was unseemly, she didn't want to ruin that little fantasy of Derek being on his happy place all this time. Which is when she got the call from Richard Webber, a little part inside her wanted to refuse it, she didn't want to face the reality she had been hiding for years, going back to Seattle after so long meant that it was time to face the music.

"Going back there will give you closure, you know that, most people would tell you it is necessary. Especially when you shared that kind of bound with someone." Violet advised Addison as soon as she told her about the possibility of her visit to Seattle. "Besides, don't you always say that you want to see Amelia and her baby? This is the time to do it, Addison."

"You know that you're not my shrink, right? I should have spoken to Nae instead." Addison replied rolling her eyes, mostly because she knew that her friend was right.

It took about a couple of days but Addison accepted to go to Seattle, mostly because the next (and last) patient on hers and Jake's clinical trial had family in Seattle which was a greater reason for her return (just like Bizzy always said, people plan and God laughs), both of them had been working on that trial for so long, and this patient seemed to be the perfect match for the uterine transplant to finally see the light. If they managed to go through the procedure, they will make medical history, how could she say no to that chance? Even Derek on his God complex would agree that doing the surgery was the better choice.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I'm sure Richard wouldn't mind to have another world-class surgeon within the hospital making medical history." Addison suggested Jake before leaving their house that afternoon, right before he drove her to the airport.

"Sweetheart, we've gone through this, you said yourself that it was better for one of us to stay with Henry. He's never been apart from any of us for that long. Sure, he's a mama's boy, but I think that these two weeks with just the two of us will be just fine. You don't need to worry, alright?" Jake knew that Addison small freak-out wasn't because of the ground-breaking surgery she needed to perform, he knew that she was more than capable to do it by herself, he knew that her reasons were beyond. "And… I think you need to do this by yourself. I promise that it will make you feel a lot better."

Of course Addison knew he wasn't talking about the surgery anymore, Jake being the supportive men that he was, he knew how much Derek's death affected Addison, he had been there before himself and he knew that it was a long way to recover.

Addison however, didn't say a word, she just nodded while her bright-blue eyes were getting teary.

"I promise we will facetime every time that it's possible, I'm sure Henry will be excited to tell you every day how he beats me on his new videogame each night… And sweetheart? Get one of those residents to film the whole procedure. You know how much it turns me on to see the Meryl Streep of the Maternal Fetal Medicine in action." Jake said making her wife not only blush but also she allowed to let out a small laugh. "Are you ready?" He asked while picking up Addison's suitcase from the floor.

Addison for a moment seemed lost on her thoughts and then, it hit her, there was something missing. "No, just… Wait, I'll meet you by the car." Jake didn't ask, being married to Addison for eight years now have taught him a lot of things, one of those being don't ask in certain situations. He just made his way to the car while Addison ran back to their bedroom, at the very bottom of her night-stand there was a tiny black box, a tiny box she only allowed herself to open once a year.

The tiny box had many things that she wouldn't even discuss with Jake, the content of that box was just for herself. This time, she took a watch she hadn't used in more than fifteen years.

FLASHBACK, SEATTLE 2005

Her life in Seattle was completely different as it was in New York, in Manhattan both Derek and Addison were this power couple, the one that everybody would look up to, they were the most respected surgeons on each of their fields and any of their friends would describe them as unbreakable. But since the moment she arrived to Seattle, Addison was only known as the adulterous bitch who cheated on her McDreamy husband with his best friend, or of course, Derek's new favorite nickname for her "Satan" or even "Ruler of all that is evil".

Most of the times, she found herself wondering if everything was worth it, if her marriage was still worth the fight… Because each day, Derek just seemed more distant, like he wasn't even just trying to hurt her, but he just didn't seem interested to make things work… Or at least that was what Addison was thinking that thanksgiving night when she kept waiting for her husband to show up. She had been waiting on his trailer, what would Bizzy say if she found out that Addison Forbes Montgomery was living on a trailer, and now waiting for a guy who didn't seem interested on her anymore. The readhead could almost hear her mother saying "Move on, dear, the Forbes Montgomery don't do that." But at the end of the day, what did Bizzy knew about love?

Those were her thoughts when Derek finally arrived on his truck, the rain didn't make the scene any better, but at the end of the day, both Addison and her husband agreed to give their marriage another try.

After spending the night together for the first time, Addison didn't want that moment to end. She wanted to stay on Derek's arms and pretend they were still those kids who fell in love during their time in Med School, those who would never imagine going through the mess they were living right now.

Once again, caught between her thoughts, she felt Derek wake up and even though she didn't even pretend to be asleep, he kissed her forehead, just like he used to do every morning before leaving their bed back in New York.

"Good morning, Addie." He greeted his wife with a soft smile.

"Hey. Good morning." She replied, still between his arms, holding tight because she missed that feeling. However, Derek was ready to leave the bed. "Let's just stay like this for a while." Addison demanded, but Derek had already left the bed to pick up some clothes.

Addison sighed and rolled on the bed holding a pillow, however, for her surprise, Derek sat back next to her with a small box on his hands.

"Addie… I know that being here has been hard on you, probably because I am making it hard… But I want you to know that I am trying… I want to try, because I am not ready to give up on us just yet… I don't want to throw to waste eleven years of our lives, and all I know right now is that I want us to keep counting more years together." Right after saying that, Derek opened the box on his hands, revealing a fancy watch he had gotten for Addison right before arriving to the trailer.

Derek himself took Addison's left hand and put the watch on her wrist. "I don't know what the future will hold for us, but right now… I want you to know that I want to keep trying."

Addison had tears on her eyes; she was speechless after seeing her husband's gesture. She responded with a soft kiss and nodded. "Thanks, Derek… Thanks for wanting to try… It is beautiful… The watch, I mean."

END OF THE FLASHBACK.

After their divorce, Addison never wore that watch until that day when she was finally returning to Seattle. She took a deep breath and joined her husband on the car.

"Everything's alright, babe?" Jake asked as soon as his wife finally got into the car. The watch didn't go unnoticed by Jake, but he didn't mention it, he figured it was something related to Derek and as much as he would prefer her wife not to be thinking about her former husband, he wanted her to heal those wounds and have the closure she needed.

"Yes, I'm ready now." She smiled, she was now ready to return to Seattle, to Derek's city.

Saying her goodbye to Jake at the airport was almost as hard as saying goodbye to Henry a couple hours ago, when they dropped him at Sam and Naomi's house. It was the first time that Addison was apart from both of them, and even though those two weeks in Seattle will go through very fast, it didn't mean that she wouldn't miss her two favorite guys.

The flight to Seattle was quicker than she remembered. Maybe because she kept making notes on her iPad about her clinical trial and she kept reviewing her previous patients' files, going through the procedure step by step, after all, this time needed to be flawless. In any case, it was better to focus on all the medical possibilities for her patients than thinking on the personal side of her visit to Seattle, the last time she visited, there were a lot of familiar faces, but now most of the people she cared about in Seattle were gone.

Not only Derek, but also Mark. They were the big trio during their med school and residency years, and now both of them were gone and she was the only one still alive. What kind of sick joke was that? She found herself thinking. There was also Callie and Alex Karev, they were also close friends with Addison and even though they were very much alive, they weren't there anymore. Definitely this time, being back in Seattle Grey – No, being back to Grey-Sloan Hospital, was going to be very different, unlike other times where she kept saying that that place would never change.

On the other side, she was looking forward to meet Amelia, there was so much she had missed from her life on the past years, that she was actually looking forward to stay up all night catching up with her "closer than sister". There was also Richard and Miranda Bailey, the ones responsible for her coming back after many years, she was excited to see them too, and of course, being back to teach the residents. As much as she loved now her work at her Private Practice, she missed the old days working full time at the hospitals with residents following her everywhere.

As soon as the news that Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery was back on the hospital ran through the halls of the Grey Sloan, everybody seemed to be excited to meet her, after all, as Jake himself would say, she was the Meryl Streep of the Maternal Fetal Medicine. Any resident would be lucky to work by her side.

Even though she spent a couple of years working on that hospital, it seemed completely different as she remembered it. Also, it was still a bit strange getting used to the idea to see Mark's last name even on her lab coat. However, that initial shock didn't break the double-board certificated doctor's confidence. She would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy the faces of the younger residents when she walked into the room.

She heard Richard's introduction and she was ready to jump in, however one of these residents asked: "What does it means?" right after Dr. Webber's explanation for their rounds of the day.

This time, Addison couldn't help but joining the conversation.

"…It means you'll be coming with me. Nice to meet, everyone. I'm Dr. Addison Montgomery, and you must be the group that's been screwing up the program?" The residents' faces at that moment were priceless, if she would have been twenty years younger, she would be the one taking pictures with her iPhone of each and any of them. However, she was the well-respected doctor they were impressed to see, which is why her immediate reaction was to break into a laugh and add "I'm kidding."

Saying that, she walked away, knowing all of the younger doctors would run after her, just like she did back in the days when Vivian Carlsmith or even Richard himself was teaching her.

While reading the patient's chart, Addison couldn't help but listening to the residents talk about her, about her past with Meredith and some other gossip that she didn't care at this moment, in another time, she would have said something to stop them, but right now, she actually enjoyed that this part of the hospital hadn't changed.

After a series of questions, Addison chose the resident to assist her on the surgery and introduced all of them to Tovah Freedman, her last patient for her clinical trial and the woman who will be having the surgery on that same day. She was so focused on the residents, the patient and the surgery that for the first time, she wasn't thinking about the last time she was on the hospital and all the people who was no longer there.

Once the surgery started, for a moment everything was going as expected, while she was working, she kept making questions for the residents to answer. Even though she was focused on the patient, she could hear all the younger doctors going crazy over the gallery to answer her.

"I swear my 8-year-old listens better than some of these guys."

Addison told Richard after hearing what the residents had to say, that was an understatement, because Henry being that young, had been an overachiever like his mother, Addison was sure that if he decided to become a doctor like his parents, he would be the one doing uteruses transplants during his residency.

The surgery was going well, she didn't mind the attention it was getting, because after all, it was something huge, a great step she was making on the medical community. The procedure was going without complications until it happened. All the AC system was down at the hospital, this concluded on Richard asking her to close up the patient and finish the surgery, but it took more than a heat wave and a broken Air Conditioner to stop Addison Montgomery.

"I'm halfway through a complex end-to-side vascular anastomosis, Richard. I can handle a little heat."

"You will need to close her as soon as possible to prevent infection."

"I am not stopping Tovah's transplant, she's been waiting months for this."

"Then find a way to double your speed."

"Find me a set of hands who is experienced in microvascular anastomosis of the abdomen. Get me Meredith Grey."

Addison was aware that going back to Seattle meant to see Meredith Grey once again, however, she wasn't expecting it to happen on the OR, while they need to work fast because of a failure with the air conditioner on what it seemed to be Seattle's hottest day. She didn't want to avoid her, every kind of rivalry between her and Meredith had been buried on the past, the truth was that Addison always respected her as a person and as a surgeon, even though they weren't exactly friends due the circumstances on how they've met, she had known about her accomplishments as a surgeon, she read about the article that got her the Catherine Fox Award and thought that it was a flawless procedure, she had also sent a letter when Alex Karev reached her to tell her that Meredith's license was being put on a trial, on the letter she firmly specified that a talent like Dr. Grey's couldn't be separated from the medicine.

This time, to complete her own ground-breaking surgery, Meredith was the only choice, it was kind of funny for Addison to look back, because when she first joined the (then) Seattle Grace Hospital, she requested for Meredith Grey as an intern on her TTS case, even back then she saw a great potential on the doctor, but now, she was requesting her as an equal, someone who was probably as good as she was on her field to make medical history together.

Isn't it crazy how everything changes over night? She thought.

"Dr. Grey" Addison greeted professionally as soon as Meredith walked in to the OR. They weren't exactly friends, but the respect had always been there for both of them.

"Dr. Montgomery" Meredith greeted back while preparing herself to join the surgery. "Congratulations on your uterine transplant" She added with a smile on her face.

"Congratulations to you too, abdominal wall transplant." As soon as Addison said that, one of the residents whose name Addison didn't catch, started to mention all of the achievements that Meredith had reached over the years, she was aware for most of those, during the research for her medical trial, both Addison and Jake found Meredith's articles very interesting.

"Yes. I am aware of that too." Addison added politely to the resident who seemed to keep quoting Meredith resume by heart, of course this was one of those doctors who was trying to figure out if both doctors were getting along, was this the one that said something about being team Grey? Addison thought again, finding even the thought of it embarrassing.

"Okay, Helm. We've got it. Thank you so much." With that, Meredith put an end to the resident's non-stopping praises.

Both doctors worked together with great chemistry, being honest Addison couldn't remember the last time she had worked with someone who was at the same rhythm as she was and having in head the same steps or actions that she came up to. Definitely, Meredith Grey's name had become a legend by her great work and Addison was able to see that, somehow she was proud to see what she became and having the chance to work together was something that even though she didn't expect, she was glad it was just like that.

It wasn't a surprise to see how the transplant worked correctly once both doctors were done.

"Well done, team. We've made it." Addison cheered for all of them, and even though her mask was covering her face, everybody could see she was smiling. The first part of her trial was done successfully, and even though there was still a rocky road ahead, most of the work was done, at least the majority of her job.

It was a beautiful day to save lives. Addison wanted to say, or at least it was the phrase that she had on her mind since the surgery started, until it was done. For some reason, before leaving her OR, she looked back to the gallery, she knew that in other circumstances he would have been there cheering up for her. He would have been proud to see her making history, just as she was happy to know he had been working for the President of the United States. They saw each other become successful doctors, and even though they weren't together, they will always be happy for each other's careers, it was impossible to deny that they were a huge influence on each other.

Addison left the OR with that thought, however she was facing a strange mix of feelings at that moment, because even though he wasn't there to celebrate with her, she was still making history. Damn, she was even sure that she had the Catherine Fox award guaranteed.

Walking down to the elevator, she found Meredith, who was walking right next to her while the residents kept making assumptions about the two women.

"There was tension, there was definitely tension" Addison heard the residents murmur, and she tried her best to keep a straight expression, while Meredith on the other side, did cut them off directly.

"We can hear you!" She exclaimed right before the elevator doors closed, leaving only the two women inside.

When there was just the two of them, Addison couldn't keep it and started to laugh along with Meredith, she definitely missed this part of the hospital, and once again, she was glad that it didn't change, mostly because it made her think on how she left things the last time.

FLASHBACK SEATTLE, 2012

Callie's surgery was one of the hardest that Addison had done, not because of the procedure itself, because she had done emergency C-sections since her days as a resident, but this time being a close friend of hers and of all the doctors involved, made things more complicated than a routine procedure, however, at the end of the day, both Callie and the baby managed to survive thanks to their effort.

After doing her post-ops check-ups, Addison went back to the attending's lounge to get herself ready and catch a flight back to California, however once she was there, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You were amazing today, Addie. I don't think we would have make it without you." Derek smiled at his former wife, and now old friend.

"Look at you recognizing the job efforts on the others, I wouldn't think that things would change that much around here." Addison joked around, turning back to meet Derek's gaze. "I know Callie and even Mark would have done the same for all of us, I – I am glad that they're okay… I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if things would have gone the other way around."

"I was sure that they were going to survive, after all, they were in our hands." Derek joked this time, making Addison laugh.

"Now, that's the Derek I remember." She snapped between laughs.

After a long pause, Derek cleared his throat and continued "Addie, I… I've heard about Bizzy. I'm so sorry about that. I should have been there." Derek added looking down. "She was… She was a unique woman and… I just wanted to make sure that you're doing okay after everything, Addie."

"Yeah, well… I think that after all of that, with Bizzy, Susan and now this happening to Callie, it makes you think, you know? Life's too short. That's all I can think about. Bizzy spent her whole life living a lie, and when she decided to actually do something about it… Then, it was too late." It wasn't an easy topic for Addison, but she knew that if someone could understand her, it was Derek.

He just nodded while he listened carefully to his former wife, at that moment, Derek couldn't help but imagine his late ex-mother-in-law, with a dry martini on her right hand while bossing around through all of their wedding preparation. The thought of it made him smile, as a reflect and as a sign to be supportive, he wrapped his arms around Addison, giving her the comfort that she needed at that moment.

"It's not too late for you, Addie. Even if everything seems such a mess right now, I'm sure that there's still plenty of time and a long live ahead to live with those that we care about…" Derek broke the embrace only to look at her in the eyes.

"…And sure, I know that Bizzy always said People plans and God Laughs, but… Maybe this time, we will be the ones laughing for once, don't you think? I mean, look at me, who would have thought that a New Yorker by heart would be falling in love with a place like Seattle, with the ferryboats rides, or even living in the nature fishing for breakfast, I'm sure that was a big laugh for the guy up there… And look at you, you're now living in Los Angeles, owning a beach house, running a Private Practice… Whether we have a long time here or not, I think we must hold on to it and make our best out of it."

"I hate that you always know what to say, Derek." Addison smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time.

END OF THE FLASHBACK.

That was the last time when she saw him, if someone would have told her back then that it would be her last face-to-face conversation with Derek, she would have laughed and would have never believe it. Sometimes, the things that we get for granted are the most painful, the ones that hurt the most when they're gone.

For Addison, this was Derek, somewhere deep down, she was expecting to see him, to feel his presence in that hospital surrounded by the people he loved, but sadly for her, that was when the reality hit her like a train. He was gone, the man he spent a third part of her life with and her best friend at the time wasn't there to receive her, to tell her that things will be okay or to give her some words of encouragement. Now he will only be a memory and that's something that Addison found overwhelming, so much that she broke into tears as soon as the laughs ended.

She hated herself for breaking down in front of Meredith, the only person that she needed to keep it together with, after all, she was the one who was mourning a husband while Addison had a happy marriage and a son back at home waiting for her.

She turned back, even though it was impossible to go unnoticed by Meredith, the reality was too embarrassing, she's a Forbes Montgomery and they are not supposed to cry in public, but again, the feeling that she had been avoiding for years and the wounds that she was refusing to heal were now open thanks to all the memories she shared on that place.

Once she finally faced Meredith, the tears were streaming down her face, and as much as she tried to wipe them with her own hands, it was inevitable to hide them.

"I thought… Coming back here… To Seattle, to Grey Sloan, he'd be here, that I'll be able to feel that he was still here, on the city that he loved, with the people that he loved… But he isn't… And it's real… He's not here... And I'm really sorry I'm doing this in front of you, because you're the one that actually went through it."

For the first time in years, since she was informed of those dreadful news, she was allowing herself to express how she was feeling about it, how she felt about losing him. Even though probably Meredith wasn't exactly the right person for it, some part of Addison was glad to have her there keeping it together.

"Addison, he's here… And he's on his children, and they're very real… And I would love for you to come and meet them." Meredith replied, it was strange that sometimes the people that you least expect are the ones supporting you, because she was doing what Derek would have done in that situation, and for that, Addison will always be grateful.

Once both women left the elevator, the walked on opposite directions, giving the residents more material for their gossip as it was visible that Addison had been crying.

"Grey made her cry… And I'm here for it." One of the residents joyfully exclaimed and the two women walked away.

Addison took some time for herself and to keep herself together, she took her iPhone and checked some of the messages on it, mostly the ones from Jake, he had sent her pictures of Henry before leaving for school, and what were his plans for the day, the last message she read said:

"Not that you need it, but good luck at the surgery, sweetheart. I know the surgery will be outstanding. Please let me know once you complete it. I want to hear all the details. Love you."

That line made her smile along with the pictures of their 8-year-old, at that moment, she felt more grateful than ever to have them both on her life.

"Hey babe, thanks for sharing all those pictures of Henry. I miss both of you so much. The surgery went well, the transplant was viable. I still have to check the pre-op but it looks promising. We'll facetime tonight and will let you know all about it, I promise. Please tell Henry that I miss him, love you both."

"Will be looking forward to that call ;) " Jake replied almost immediately, which made her smile, after all this time, getting messages from him was still exciting, even more when they were so far away for the first time since they've met.

After sending that text to her husband, she felt a lot better, like she was able to breathe again. She will always be grateful to have Jake and Henry, and just like Derek once said to her, whether we have a long time here or not, I think we must hold on to it and make our best out of it.

Not very long after that quick text-exchange with Jake, Addison went back to check on her patient, where Richard Webber also joiner her.

"Congratulations." Her mentor greeted her as soon as she left the patient's room, even though the time has passed, being next to Richard will always make Addison feel like she's back being an intern seeking for his guidance.

"So far, so good. There's minimal output from her drains. Doppler studies look good, but the true success will be when she gets pregnant and we deliver a healthy baby." Addison explained, even though the results of the surgery were successful, there was still a long way to go. She needed to remember to send the patient file to Jake, so he can check the fertility rate and more specific details on his field.

"Sorry for the HVAC, it wasn't designed to be push that hard." Richard apologized, the last thing that he wanted was that failure during Addison's surgery.

"The earth wasn't designed to push this hard. Speaking of pushing hard, the residents they're almost there, Richard. You made it sound catastrophic." Addison observed, when Richard first called her seeking for help with the Residency Program, she was thinking those doctors were a mess, but they were just residents as she once was, they will probably get great careers of their own, like most of the residents of her program back in New York.

"Well, they aren't like you and Derek back in New York. I mean, I remember you two were machines. All this generation wants to do is complain." There was another mention on Derek, this time directly, until now she hasn't been able to say his name, but surprisingly now she didn't break down like she did some minutes ago, on the contrary, Richard's words made her think during those times that even though they were hard and filled with endless shifts, they were also one of the happiest moments of her life.

"They're not complaining, Richard. They're standing up for themselves. They're not willing to work to death by a system that frankly, should have been considered inhuman. I think that's progress. Doctors are overworked. You know, they're getting sick, retiring earlier. There's a reason for that." Addison was being honest about her take on the residents, she had always spoken the truth to Richard Webber and that was one of the amazing things about their relationship, and the best part, she knew that he would listen.

"You're saying it's our fault?"

"I'm saying that we can do better. I'm saying that there's always room for improvement…" She added, and after a long pause, she continued. "…And okay, yeah… Sometimes they are a little whiny." Addison laughed.

"It's really good to see you, Addie."

"It's good to see you too, Richard."

The long hours of work had finally ended, and Addison was ready to leave the hospital to make her way to Meredith's house, she would have never thought of it, but it will be actually the first time she will ever meet that place, and even now, she was a bit excited to meet Derek's children.

But before leaving the hospital, she ran into the only person that she was looking forward to see since even before leaving Los Angeles. As soon as both women's eyes met, they practically ran into each other. It had been a very long time since Amelia Shepherd left California to move to Seattle and a lot had happened to her, a lot of things that Addison missed and even though they would have facetime calls at least once every two weeks, it was never the same as being right there in front of each other.

Amelia was the little sister Addison always needed, and for Amelia, Addison was her big sister, they had always been there for each other, or at least since Amelia was a teenager (which was when Addison first met her). As soon as they got closer, both of them wrapped their arms around each other with huge smiles on their faces.

"Oh my God, I've been waiting for this moment all day. I was stuck with a brain when the stupid AC went down."

"I was with a uterus and... Oh, the air is back on, just when we're leaving… So typical of this place, right?" Once again, things seemed to fit into place, maybe after all its ups and downs, the lost and the changes, that place was still the same after all, but at that point, Addison was so happy to have Amelia in front of her, that she couldn't even hide it.

The two women started to walk by each other's side, still grabbing each other's arm, it was like they didn't want to let go, not during the small amount of time that they will have together, and not while they have years to catch up to.

"So… Where do you want to go for dinner?" Amelia asked right away, she couldn't even wait to have her long conversations with Addison, besides she still needed to meet Scout.

"Your place, uh… Meredith invited me over." Addison replied, which caught Amelia's immediate attention and surprised her.

"She did? Isn't that weird?" Amelia asked again, which caused Addison to laugh.

"Why would it be weird?" Addison made a gesture, mocking Amelia's question, sure, some years ago it would have been weird, but not now, not when both Meredith and her have grown and learn from their past.

"No reason. Though, I did hear that you guys had a threesome one time." That made Addison laugh once again, sure, that was the gossip again, and yes, she was enjoying it. She also thought about that time when she found Derek and Meredith talking and sarcastically mentioned "Can I join in? Or are you not into threesomes?"

"I've heard it was a foursome." Addison joked as well.

Amelia drove her back to her place, which was Meredith's place, during the car ride, Amelia asked about everyone at the practice and Addison talked to her about all of them, about Cooper, Charlotte, Mason and the triplets, about Violet and Lucas, about the Bennets, and of course, about Jake and Henry, with the 8-year-old being the main topic of the conversation. Addison took the chance to show her some pictures of the kid, also a couple of ones with Jake, Henry and her taken just some days before her departure to Seattle.

"He's such a big boy now, it's so crazy that he was just a baby when I left." Amelia reacted as soon as she saw the latest pictures of Henry.

"I know; he's growing up too fast. That's also another reason why I wanted to come, I demand to spend some quality time with my nephew, he's been missing his aunt Addie all his life."

Amelia smiled and nodded. "Of course, you can keep him all day but just and FYI, I don't have a return policy" She joked along Addison.

They kept talking about the people in Los Angeles, and about Addison's married life until they finally arrived to Meredith's house. Addison took a look at the place and before coming in, she took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" Amelia asked before opening the door.

"Yes, I am." Addison nodded, right after getting her approval, Amelia opened the door, of course the kids were all over the place, running through the living room, which caused the readhead's attention. She barely looked at Meredith to greet her, because the kids were there being as welcoming as Derek would have wanted.

"We're here. Come here, there's someone I want you to meet, guys."

Amelia announced, and just like that, they gathered right in front of her. Addison remembered hearing about Zola, the little girl Derek and Meredith adopted, she remembered how excited Derek was when they kept her, just like she was herself when Henry's adoption was completed.

"Hi" Addison exclaimed while Meredith also got closer to introduce the kids to her.

"So, this is Zola… And Bailey, and the youngest one is Ellis, she's upstairs in a mood, she got that from me." Meredith greeted with a big smile, but Addison was again to focused on the kids, seeing Bailey in front of her filled her eyes with tears, because Meredith was right, seeing her was like having a mini version of Derek in front of her, he definitely had those dreamy blue bright-eyes. She was overwhelmed by the similarities between the little boy and his father.

"Hello, were you daddy's friend?" The boy asked with a bit of hope on his eyes, she hadn't thought about that but they didn't get the chance to meet their father completely, of course they would have love to meet an old friend of him. Even though they were much more than that, it wasn't her place to tell any of that to the kids, she was just grateful to meet them and probably later, share some cool stories of Derek during her Med School years.

"I was, yes. I – Uh… I am Addison. But he…" Addison's eyes kept looking at Bailey, she wouldn't admit it, not probably even to herself, but he was what she used to imagine when the thought of having kids with Derek was a possibility on her life. He was so perfect and so like him, she was sure that Derek would have been proud of his little boy. "He called me Addie". She added at the end.

If she closed her eyes, she could even listen to Derek's voice saying her name, she remembered how much she loved hearing it from him. The first time that Derek referred to her as "Addie" was after their second date, because she only allowed the people who was close to her to call her like that, and at that point, they already felt closer, and that's how he would call her even at their lowest points, during their fights, during their divorce and even during the friendship that came after, she would always be "Addie" to Derek.

Addison kept smiling at both kids and the only thing that took her out of her thoughts was little Zola's voice saying "Want some ice-cream, Addie?"

"I do, I would love that." Somehow, those kids also made her think on her own child, probably Henry would get along with them, they seemed so sweet, just like Derek (and of course, Meredith) would have raised them. Both kids took Addison's hands and guided her to the table where Meredith was preparing the ice-creams, where she joined with them.

During that whole time, Addison knew that Meredith was right, Derek had been right there all the time, he was on his children's eyes, on their smiles, on each laugh they shared and on how welcoming they had been to her. Somewhere deep down, she wanted to think, that on that moment, he was present and he was happy to see her getting along with his family, because, from one way or another, that was Addison to him, family, and that's something that she will always keep on her heart.

A/N: Please, let me know what you think, if the next episode is as good as this one, I will probably write a second part.