Phew! Okay, here is chapter four. It ended up being longer than expected. I know the other chapters were on the short side so maybe this will help make up for it. Hope you enjoy.

…

They both sat on the bed holding hands and wondering where to go from there. The lingering feeling of "what the fuck do we do now" was heavy in the air.

"You can't just say you're going to do better, Derek" Addison said, breaking the silence.

"I know."

"Do you?"

Derek turned to face her. "Addison, I want this to get better. I do. Our marriage means more to me than you think. You mean more to me than you think."

"Then how did this happen?"

Shaking his head, Derek stood up and walked back over to the window. "You just…. you get busy, and you tell yourself that work is important. You tell yourself that your wife will understand because she is a doctor too. When you tell yourself that long enough, it becomes the norm. Then once it becomes the norm, you feel like you can't stray from it."

Addison watched him run his fingers through his hair. He looked exhausted, but not physically. He was emotionally drained from realizing his own mistakes. He did this to them, and he knew it.

"Addison, I know it sounds stupid but-"

"No," she said, cutting him off. "It doesn't sound stupid. I wish you wouldn't have done it, but I understand how it happened. We both just…got busy. We both sensed it coming and did nothing to prevent it."

Derek walked back to the bed and stood in front of her. "We still have time," he said, giving her his best smile.

"I missed that."

"What," he asked, raising his brows.

"That smile. The Derek Smile. I haven't seen it in a long time."

He reached out both of his hands and said, "well, let's go do some actual cooking."

…

"Okay, so we have to cook the spinach first," Addison said, handing Derek the bag.

He looked from her to the bag and then back to her again. "And you expect me to know how that should happen?

"Derek, we can do this. We are doctors. Highly skilled doctors. Baking chicken is nothing," she said, trying to convince him, as well as herself.

She began putting the spinach into a pan with olive oil, as the instructions directed. Derek stood, watching her work.

"Open the chicken," she said, motioning towards the fridge.

Derek did as she instructed and removed the plastic from the cold chicken breasts. "Now what?"

"You need to make approximately a three-inch incision on the side, making sure there is enough room for stuffing."

"Okay, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd," he said, with a grin.

Her eyes darted over. "Are you making fun of me?"

"I would never make fun of you. Especially not when you memorize a whole recipe and recite the instructions as if we are removing a tumor."

She glared at him (in a loving way) and said, "okay. We will see who is laughing when you finish with that and have no clue what to do next."

"Fine, fine, fine. But I will have the last laugh when you don't know how to tell if the chicken is done."

"Derek Christopher, if you don't-"

"Make approximately a three-inch incision" he said, cutting her off. "Leaving enough room to properly stuff the chicken with an appropriate amount of cream cheese and spinach?"

She pointed her spatula at him and said, "thin ice, Derek. Thin ice."

…

"How is this," he asked.

She raised an eyebrow as they both stood observing the chicken. "I mean, it looks okay to me."

"I don't know how else it could look," Derek insisted.

"The incision is perfect, Dr. Shepherd," she teased.

"I was hoping you would notice, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd ."

Addison ran back through the recipe in her head. "okay, now we bake."

He nodded and said, "okay, boys. We will see you later," as he placed the pan into the oven.

"I think they might be okay," Addison said.

"They were in the best possible hands, so the odds are in their favor."

She looked over at him hoping to see that Derek Smile and there it was. "It's always an honor operating with you, Dr. Shepherd."

"We do work well together don't we, Dr. Montgomery?"

She raised an eyebrow, "just Montgomery?"

"It's a long name, Addison."

"Imagine having to sign it on everything."

"Hey," he said. "You chose it. I offered Shepherd to you and you chose to tack it on to Montgomery."

She rolled her eyes and said, "a Montgomery never forgets who they are."

Derek shivered, remembering Bizzy's words. "Would you have hyphenated if she didn't say that?"

"Honestly, I only took your last name to piss her off."

Derek raised both of his eyebrows. "You would have stayed Montgomery?"

"Derek, please. This isn't 1922. Plenty of women get married and don't take their husband's last name."

"I know, I know. I just didn't think it mattered to you."

"It doesn't," she said. "Having your last name doesn't change anything."

"It just pissed off Bizzy?"

"Exactly," she agreed, taking his scotch from his hand.

"Hey," he said, as if he actually cared.

"There's plenty in the fridge, honey."

He watched her take a sip and smiled to himself. Without even thinking he reached out and pulled her up against him. "You are absolutely beautiful."

"Even when I drink your scotch?"

"Especially when you drink my scotch," he mumbled, while leaning in to kiss her.

…

"Okay, so how long do we have," Derek asked as they started walking towards the living room.

Addison paused to finish off her wine and said, "about twenty more minutes."

"Refill?"

"Please," Addison responded, even though he was already taking the glass from her hand.

He filled her glass, topped his off, and they headed towards the living room. Derek sat down on the couch and reached his arm out for her to sit right up against him. Something he had not done in forever.

Addison sat down underneath his draped arm and leaned her side against his. It felt good to be so close, but it felt even better knowing he wanted her that close. He was the one that motioned for her to sit that close to him.

"Derek," she whispered, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry I said our marriage was over."

He was quiet for a second before saying, "I'm sorry I left without telling you where I was going."

She thought of the perfect flowers he had returned with and leaned in closer. "How did you get the flowers so fast?"

She felt his chest vibrate against her as he laughed. "It doesn't matter. Just please don't check our bank account."

"God, you really didn't have to do that."

"Well, if I wouldn't have it probably would have saved us a whole fight."

"But that led to us having a good discussion," she added.

He pressed his cheek against the top of her head. "Yes, that is very true."

They spent the next few minutes sitting quietly, feeling each other breath. They needed some time to take in the events of the day. A lot had taken place. Over the course of three hours Addison had gone from thinking her marriage was over, believing there was a shot, and thinking it was over again, all the way to sitting contently on the couch with Derek.

Maybe this is not what I planned, but I wouldn't change it. Our talk was good, and he genuinely seemed to mean what he said. We will be okay. We are fine. We fought, we talked, we cooked the chicken- oh god.

"THE CHICKEN," Addison yelled.

They sprang to their feet, both spilling a bit of alcohol as they did so.

"How long has it been," Derek asked desperately as they approached the stove.

"I really don't think it has been that long."

Derek opened the stove and they both looked at each other.

"It…well it isn't burnt," Derek said.

"What the hell happened?"

Derek sat the pan down on the counter and they both stared. The cheese and spinach they had stuffed the chicken with was no longer in the chicken. It was surrounding both pieces of meat and it was crispy looking.

"This is why we don't cook," Derek said, with a look of disgust on his face. He glanced over at Addison who looked very much upset.

"I followed the instructions. I did. I don't know what-" but she trailed off.

She dug through her purse looking for the recipe she had stuffed in there hours earlier.

Derek could sense her embarrassment and began walking over. "It's okay," he said, reassuringly.

"No, Derek. It isn't okay. This was supposed to be perfect and it is ruined."

Derek pulled the recipe from her hands and laid it on the counter. "Addie, it's just chicken."

"It's our anniversary chicken, and it is ruined."

"It's okay," Derek said, wrapping his arms around her. "I promise. It's fine. Even if the chicken would have worked out, it still wouldn't mean nearly as much as our conversation earlier. That is what has made this a good anniversary."

"Do you really mean that," she asked, burying her face further into his neck.

"Of course, I do."

They stood there holding each other for a moment and he rubbed small circles into her back, hoping to soothe her.

"Derek," she mumbled, pressed against his neck.

"Yes?"

"Will you admit that it was your less than perfect incisions that ruined the chicken," she asked.

He felt himself smile. "I will gladly take the blame. But, I do think I can make it up to you."

She pulled away and gave him a questioning glance.

"Give me just one second," he said, and took off towards the stairs.

Addison stood patiently and listened as his footsteps led him upstairs and back down into the kitchen.

"Here," he said, handing her the grocery bag he had brought home with the flowers. "I got it as a joke but turns out we need it."

Addison reached into the bag and pulled out two packets of ramen noodles.

Derek leaned back up against the counter and said, "I was going to joke about how there was no shot we could actually make chicken, but apparently we really can't, so here is our backup."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," he said, grinning at her.

…

"I don't think I have eaten this since-"

"Medical school" Derek finished for her.

"God, the amount of this we ate. But not just from the packages. Remember that little-"

"Ramen bar down the road from your apartment? I forgot about that place," Derek said with his mouth full of noodles.

"It was so good."

"And expensive," he added.

She nodded and said, "who would have thought?"

"Thought what," he asked.

"That medical school Derek and Addison would be sitting here all these years later eating ramen, once again."

Derek looked up from his bowl and said, "I think it is pretty perfect."

She smiled at him and reached over to take his hand. "You know what, it is kind of perfect."

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "happy anniversary, Addie."

"Happy anniversary, Derek."

…

I hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing this. I'm not saying never, but I can't see it going any further.

I have already started on another fic (medical school Addek). It doesn't have a title yet, but I hope to have it up in a few days.

My mind is going crazy with ideas for young Addek, and I plan to write them. So, if you are interested, keep checking back.

As always, please let me know what you thought of The Before. xx