Country Kind of Love

A/N: I've had most of this chapter written before my month long road trip that I wish never had to end! Right now I'm trying my best to study/work but who are we kidding? I feel like I'm way to old to pretend to be taking this seriously. So, writing stories it is, apparently.

I've also written a new story, or two, but I might be posting one of them, if anyone is still interested in Addek fluff.

By the way, ADDIE IS BACK ON GA! This has caused me to forget about my past trauma and rewatch season two and it still is as painful as it was 15 years ago! (Are we really this old?!)

Kelsey: Some mama drama but hopefully not too much. Geez, Carolyn was a b*tch on the show! Poor Addie. Maybe we have, maybe we haven't ;)

Mcntgmery: Thanks :)

EvenmoreComplex: Addek really did have a lot of potential, it's kind of sad they've killed them off. And turned Addie into a hoe for some time. But since I've never really watched PP and have done my best to repress all those sad memories of Addek in S2 (until starting to watch it like two weeks ago) I'm content with the Added fluff world here.

GAforver: Here you go! :)

Magicforlife04: Thank you :)

Addiestan: Here you go, hope you like it!

Em: So sad that we still love Addek so much 15(!) years later. Despite what has been done to them on the show. I still can't believe that you remembered that show so much better than me… Somehow drama gets you too excited, I'm not even kidding here.

Lorenalims14: Thank you :) Oh god, Bizzy and the Captain, unfortunately they will have to make an appearance at some point or the other.

Chapter 19

Later that night Addison was upstairs in the bedroom she was to share with Kathleen and Nancy. It wasn't how she thought she would be spending their Christmas or the days leading up to Christmas. After all, she was far too old to be spending the night with a hall between her and her boyfriend.

"Alright, so since we like you," Kathleen grinned at Addison, "and we know that you probably at least want to say goodnight to our little brother, we can help you get out of here." When Addison looked a little confused at both sisters they laughed and rolled their eyes.

"Do you really think we grew up here and don't know how to get out without mom noticing?"

"The third floorboard from the door is the one you have to avoid. Mom goes to bed really early and even though she's a light sleeper she won't hear you if you're quiet."

For a moment Addison was debating whether she really should be doing this. But then again, his mother already wasn't too thrilled about her. "Thanks, guys." She smiled and quietly left the room.

xxx

"I cannot believe you actually disobeyed the rules." Addison chuckled in a whisper when Derek had come down the stairs. She had texted him to come downstairs and somehow she hadn't been so sure he really would sneak out of his room. Even the thought of it seemed so very high school.

"Oh please, like I'd miss the opportunity to spend at least some time alone with you." He gave her that smile that made her melt as he wrapped his arms around her. "So how about some hot chocolate?" Derek kissed her softly when he saw her nod her head.

Ten minutes later they had managed to make hot chocolate and move to the winter garden without waking anyone up.

"This might be my favourite part so far." Addison whispered and leaned back against him when they were sitting on the sofa facing the glass front.

"Has it been this bad?" He was mostly joking because, much to his surprise, she had gotten along with his sisters very well. His mother, on the other hand, had been cool towards all of them, but especially towards Addison.

"No, I just really like spending time with you." She chuckled and turned her head to smile at him. At first she had thought that it would bother him that his mother didn't seem to like her and that it would make everything between them more complicated because she knew how much Derek loved his mother and valued her opinion.

"Yeah, me too. Thanks to my sisters I haven't really seen you that much today."

"Mhm and thanks to this whole mid western conservative thing we can't even spend the night together. Even though I'm pretty relieved that this seems to be an universal rule in this house and hopefully doesn't have anything to do with me."

"It doesn't. Which is probably why you've been able to sneak out of the room directly next to my mother's."

"Yeah, Kathleen and Nancy really know their way around the creaky floorboards." Addison laughed softly, pretty grateful that Derek's sisters seemed to like her. He only rolled his eyes in response to that and pulled her closer. Not once had his sisters given him any tips on sneaking out. But then again, he wouldn't have had any place to sneak off to anyway. "So how come you said so many horrible things about your sisters?" She knew he had been mostly joking when he had told her about them.

"Because they're horrible."

"We seem to have quite a few things in common though. Hence why we get along so well." Addison raised her eyebrows at him, a grin on her face.

"Somehow you're much more bearable company." With that he leaned in to kiss her softly, his fingers running along her shoulders and towards her hips. She smiled against his lips and turned around in his arms so that she was now facing him before she leaned back on the sofa, pulling him with her.

The next morning Addison awoke first the to someone clearing their throat and she jumped up when she cracked an eye open and saw Mark sitting in a chair in front of her, Kathleen right next to him. The sun was already up and Derek's arms were wrapped around her while he was still asleep on the sofa behind her.

"Oh my god!" She shot up, feeling like she was about to have a heart attack, waking up Derek in the process.

"Well, good morning, you two." Mark didn't even try to hide his amusement and neither did Kathleen. "It's already eight thirty, so you guys have about thirty minutes before the kids and all their husbands get here."

Addison looked utterly confused, her hair a complete mess as she looked over at Derek.

"We've brought you some coffee though." Kathleen handed her a cup. "If I would've known I would've gotten you a hairbrush." She laughed when she saw Addison trying to smooth down her hair. "Oh, not for you, but for Dr. McDreamy over there."

"How do know about that?!" Derek groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair, which seemed to do the trick.

"Like I wasn't going to brag that a few hot young interns call me McSteamy." Mark grinned and, if she hadn't been so very confused still, Addison might have noticed the annoyed look that had briefly flashed across Kathleen's face.

xxx

"Okay, so now that you've met everyone, does this mean you'll never want to come here again?" Derek asked his girlfriend after she had officially met most of his family: Kathleen's two kids, Nancy's three, Amelia's boyfriend and Sarah's fiancee.

"Are you kidding? Just wait until you meet my family." She chuckled softly because his family seemed absolutely wonderful and she couldn't help but smile at how well they had gotten along.

"You know, I'm really surprised they're all this nice to you." Preston said and Mark nodded his head. "Took them longer to warm up to me."

"Well, what can I say, I'm just a very nice person." Addison smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"I knew that's what you guys were doing on that sofa last night." Mark laughed and gave her one of those grins she hated so much.

"What?!" Preston looked disgusted and Addison turned as red as her hair.

"We didn't do anything!" She hissed in a whisper. The last thing she needed was for everyone, or anyone for that matter, to overhear this.

"We fell asleep and you both know it." Derek gave his friends a look. "Plus sleeping with her beats sharing a room with you two." It was after he had said it that he realised someone like Mark could make this sound so completely dirty in only a matter of seconds. "It's not what I meant!"

"Oh, sleeping with me wouldn't beat sharing a room with them?" He had failed to notice that Addison had looked almost as amused at Mark at his last comment and now she was raising her eyebrows at him, a grin on her face.

"Not you too." He sighed and shook his head. "But at least it was you and Kate waking us."

Just as Mark was about to say something about Derek's quick change of topic Preston cut in, "Kate and you?" He raised his eyebrows at Mark, a rather amused expression on his face. "You guys seem to be spending a lot of time together."

"Oh please, Shep brought his girlfriend, the rest is married or with their boyfriends so all I have left are Kate and you!" Mark said defensively and all of them only nodded their heads in reply, but all with the same grin on their face.

xxx

"Can I help with dinner?" Addison had walked into the kitchen where Derek's mother was preparing dinner by herself because everyone else preferred to stay outside and chat because Carolyn hadn't been in the best mood. According to Derek's sisters that was normal around the holidays but Addison had a feeling that it also had something to do with her presence.

"No, thank you. You don't look like you cook much." Was Carolyn's remark.

"Nice, thank you for the not so hidden insult." Addison really couldn't help herself any longer. Throughout the last two days she had only ever nodded and smiled graciously because she really hated confrontation and wanted Derek's mother to like her but now she was just so sick of it.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You obviously have some sort of problem with me and it would be much easier if you just got it over with and told me."

"I don't have a problem with you." Carolyn went back to the carrots she had been peeling, obviously not in the mood to continue this conversation whatsoever.

"Oh please." Addison snorted and rolled her eyes. "What is it about me that you hated from the very second you met me? Because all Derek has been telling me since like ever is that you're incredible and that he's never brought anyone home ever since college. He really expected you to be happy. I at least expected you pretending to be happy. So, please, tell me what your problem with me is because so far you couldn't have known that I'm a democrat, that I don't really understand why Derek and I can't share a room or that I believe that abortion is a fundamental right." Yeah, this really wasn't how she would get Derek's mother to like her. But thinking before speaking wasn't her strong suit in these kinds of situations.

For a moment she thought Carolyn either wouldn't answer at all or would run her out of her house but after what felt like an eternity she finally got an answer. "You'll be leaving. You'll get bored here. Just like my daughters did and then you'll leave."

"Well, I'd think you'd be happy about that prospect." Addison mumbled, unsure where this was going.

"He'll go with you." And there it was. This was why Carolyn seemed to dislike her so much. "I've seen the way he looks at you."

"I don't have any intention of leaving —"

"That's what you say now, But look at you with your fancy clothes, nicely done hair and nails. You don't belong here. At some point you will get bored because there really aren't that many fancy restaurants and shows and whatever it is that draws people to those coasts. And then you will want to go back and my son will go with you."

Addison stood there for a moment and felt absolutely dumbfounded. She should have known that this was the reason Carolyn didn't like her. "I'm not leaving." She said again. "I came here and, to be honest, I really hated it. I hated the fields, that people dressed so very differently and I especially hated the crickets at night." It probably was for the best not to mention the fact that she had hated Derek in the first few seconds they had met. "But I left New York for a reason. I have absolutely no intention to go back because, just in case you haven't noticed, I love Derek. So, if you still hope that I'll leave, I'm sorry to disappoint you." With this she left the kitchen, not intend on circling around the same issue because she was sure that Carolyn wouldn't believe her.

xxx

After a rather quiet dinner Addison and Derek were sitting on the sofa in the winter garden again. The next day it would be Christmas morning and the kids had been beyond excited about the presents that they would be getting that it had taken Kathleen threatening them that she would burn all presents if they wouldn't finally go to bed. And, since they all obeyed, there really was a possibility that she would go through with it.

"Hey, I have something for you tomorrow too but I want to give you something tonight." Derek got up and returned not even a minute later with a small box.

"Oh! My! God!" Nancy shrieked. "IT'S A RING!"

Addison's eyes widened in shock when she looked form Derek to the small Tiffany's box he was holding.

"What?!" Kathleen had rushed over as well, Preston, Mark, Amelia, Sarah and Carolyn following.

"Are you proposing?!"

"This really isn't the way to do it, big brother!"

"STOP!" Derek gave them all a look. "I'm not proposing!" He looked at Addison, who still stared at him like she was trying to figure if she had packed anything she absolutely needed or if she could just run out of the house. "I'm not, I promise." He whispered and saw her looking relieved. "Could you all just leave us alone now?" He was annoyed that they had ruined their moment and that he knew this would be a rather awkward conversation later on.

"No way, we have to make sure there's not actually a ring in there!" Sarah chuckled, just like her sisters very amused about the current situation.

"It's a necklace." Derek opened the box so they all saw that he really had gotten Addison a necklace.

"Too bad…" Amelia mumbled.

"It's just like the one my grandma used to have." Addison whispered and looked at Derek with tears in her eyes. They had walked past an antique store over a month ago and she had seen the necklace. "But he said that it had already been sold…"

"Yeah… It took me a while to track down the buyer." Not to mention how long it had taken Derek to get the buyer to agree to sell it again.

The rest looked rather awkward that they had managed to ruin the moment Derek had wanted to spend in private and Mark was now quietly ushering everyone out of the winter garden again as Addison smiled widely at her boyfriend, tears running down her cheeks.

"You know if I had known that this would be making you cry…" He wiped her tears away softly.

"You're perfect, thank you." She whispered and kissed him. "I can't believe you remembered…" She had told him about the necklace and about how much she had always loved to spend time with her grandma. As a little girl her grandmother and Addison had gotten dressed up in the fancy clothes her grandmother still had in her closet and then had tea parties. When she had passed away Addison had lost one of her best friends, the one person who had always been there for her. Unfortunately the necklace had been passed onto her father who had then given it to his flavour of the week.

"And yet the thought of me proposing made you look like you were about to run for the hills." The look on his face told her that he was rather amused, maybe even more amused now that her cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment.

"I… I…" She started and didn't know what she should say, making him chuckle at her loss of words. "It would be so soon… It's not like I wouldn't want to marry you, at some point, but—" she stopped when she noticed that he was messing with her. "Very funny."

"It was kind of funny." Derek laughed and she had to smile as well. "I love you, Addie, but I don't want to get married. At least not yet."

"Good. I think it would scare your mother more than it would scare me."

"Yeah…. About that," he sighed, now looking rather serious, "I don't care how she feels about you, I don't understand it, but it doesn't change anything between you and me." With this he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "I'm really sorry that I've told you she would love you, maybe almost as much as me, but I don't care if she doesn't, even if she never does."

"I could tell you why…" Her heart had melted at how sweet he was. "But it's not my place. She has a point, when you look at it from her point of view. Maybe you should talk to her."

"How come you know?"

"Because I asked her. And I gave her about four more reasons to dislike me because I hate confrontation and then I start rambling." She realised that this was what she was doing just now. "In case you haven't noticed, I do that sometimes."

Derek chuckled "You could tell me the reasons you gave her though? Because that really sounds interesting."

"Well, I've told her I'm a democrat, hated Kansas when I came here, don't get why we can't share a room and that I believe abortion is a fundamental right." She rolled her eyes when he started laughing. "This really isn't that funny."

"The only way you could have made it worse it probably by saying that we've had sex, Addie."

"If you keep laughing, it'll all stay in the past tense."

"Even after the necklace?" Derek raised his eyebrows at her, still chuckling, and she shook her head, leaning in to kiss him again.

xxx

"Mom, what's going on?" Derek asked his mother that evening after dinner. She had been quiet and just looked everything but pleased when he'd wrapped his arms around Addison and held up a mistletoe over her so she'd have to kiss him.

"I've told you, it's nothing."

"So you tell her but you won't tell me?" He watched his mother, who pretended to be too busy cleaning the kitchen to look at him.

"So she's already told you then."

"No, she hasn't because she says it's not her place to tell me. Now come on, mom, you've never been one to hold back with your opinions, so don't start now. You've told Addison, so tell me."

"Only because that woman is as impossible as your sisters!" She snapped.

"That woman is my girlfriend. Who has been nothing but sweet to you, apart maybe from whatever happened in this kitchen before, and you've been so cold towards her. She's the first woman I've brought here. I thought you would be happy that I've finally introduced someone I was seeing, despite my impossible sisters…"

"Don't you see how much alike they are?" Carolyn raised her eyebrows at her son, nodding at Addison and his sisters standing around the fireplace in the other room. All of them busy chatting and laughing with mugs containing mulled wine in their hands.

"They get along, so what?" Derek wouldn't have thought it would bother his mother that his girlfriend got along so well with his sisters. If he were completely honest he would have thought it would be bothering him but now he couldn't help but smile at how well she seemed to be fitting in. And not just with him and his friends.

"You're so much like your father sometimes." She shook her head. "He would have been so completely charmed by her looks that the would have overlooked everything else."

"What? Her looks?! Is that what you think this relationship is built on?!" Derek was starting to get annoyed now. He didn't care if the rest of the world would think so but his mother of all people?

"Do you really think she will be content staying in Kansas, Derek?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

"She's like your sisters. Nice hair and nails, fancy clothes you can't buy around here. She will get bored without whatever it is people see in those noisy and dirty cities your sisters crave so much. At some point she'll want to go back there."

"So what?" Derek didn't understand the problem.

"Will you go with her?"

"Of course, I love her." He said without thinking but quickly noticed the look on his mother's face. "Really, that's what this is about?"

"You've always said that you belong here. That Kansas is your home. You and Mark, you moved back right after your fellowships were over, you've always wanted to stay here. And now you meet this woman and suddenly you would move? Give up everything you've always wanted?!"

"Again, this woman you seem to dislike so much for being a lot like your daughters is the woman I love. She moved here from New York and so far has absolutely no intention of moving back there. Just because she dresses differently doesn't mean anything. And even if she wanted to go back I'd go with her in a heartbeat because she makes me happier than a stupid piece of land!" Derek had raised his voice, causing the women to turn into his direction, a horrified look on Addison's face because he was sure she could guess what the reason for this argument was. With this he left the kitchen through the backdoor, needing some time by himself.

"So…" Mark had come up next to his best friend who was sitting in the gazebo and offered him a cup of mulled wine. "Kate gave me this when I asked for coffee." He said with a shrug and sat down next to Derek. "What happened with mom?"

"Doesn't matter… And really, mulled wine?"

"It's hot, theres alcohol in it, just drink it."

"Thanks, I guess…" Derek took a sip, knowing Mark was patiently waiting for him to tell him what was going on. "Mom thinks Addie will want to move."

"Does she?"

"No. At least not that I know of. But I don't get what the big deal is here. It's not like I come over every damn day, not even once a month so I don't think I'd see mom any less if we were to move."

"So you'd move if she wanted to?" Mark already knew the answer to that question before he had even asked.

"She's making it sound like I'm giving up on my believes or something."

"Might want to tell her that that girl of yours even started wearing jeans and hung out with Preston and me to be with you." He laughed, glad that Derek did as well. "Mom will come around. It'll take some time but you know she will. I guess she's just afraid that she's losing you. Come on, she's never met a girlfriend of yours, well not ever since the night in college where the girls were so horrible to her that she immediately left and wanted nothing to do with you anymore." He had to laugh again, especially when Derek only shook his head at the memory. "You pretended to be upset about it then but we both know you knew she wasn't the one. Which is different now because Addison is the one. Don't even try to deny it, you're like my brother. Anyway, you show up here for Christmas with this very gorgeous girl who wants to meet your mom and your entire family. And she's everything but who mom thought you'd end up with because we've both spent the past decades making fun of your sisters for the amounts of money they spend on hair, nails, makeup, clothes, shoes… But now you bring home this big city girl with her heels and skirts. Her only son. Her only real son," Mark continued at the look on Derek's face, "and she's just afraid you'll be leaving."

"You think so too then?"

"Nah, Addison is about as crazy about you than you are about her." Mark rolled his eyes. "It's really sickening to watch you sometimes. But my point is that I'm sure she'd do anything for you and she knows the true country boy you are. Plus she seems to be happy here. Or at least to be happy with you."

xxx

"You okay?" Addison asked Derek that evening when she had managed to sneak out of her room, still very much amused at the fact that Kathleen had kicked Preston out because her and Mark had to 'talk'.

"Yeah, it's really good to see you." He smiled at her before wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close.

"Are you sure? Because you spent an awful long time sitting outside in the cold." She smiled softly at how cute he was.

"I'm sure. Just my mom reminding me she's the reason all of my sisters are about as impossible as she is…"

"She's just worried that this wicked witch of the east will drag you to New York with her."

"Wicked with of the east? I hope not her words?" Derek was laughing softly when she shook her head.

"I don't plan on moving back to New York, you know." She told him, her arms still around his neck, but the look on her face more serious now. "I know that this is your home and it's my home too now. It's sweet that your mom thinks you'd move to the big bad city for me but there's absolutely no need for that." She brushed her lips over his. "I might have to go back there to do some shopping, visit my best friend and take a walk through Central Park every now and then. But I love dragging you to Wal Mart and buying all those different Mac and cheese packets so we'll finally be able to settle that debate of which is the best and taking walks on the land you actually own that might be even more beautiful than Central Park. And as for Savvy, she'll just have to come and visit me."

"That wicked witch of the east really sounds pretty perfect." Derek grinned and leaned in to kiss her again.

xxx

"We really have to go shopping soon!" Kathleen said when she and Addison hugged goodbye, causing Mark, Derek and Preston to exchange uncomfortable looks. They were saying their goodbyes, Amelia and Sarah having left already. Carolyn still seemed to be upset, even though even Mark had tried his best to talk to her and Addison felt bad about being the cause for that.

"Yes, celebrate that divorce of yours!" Nancy laughed at the way her sister nodded her head.

"Oh, count me in for that." Mark grinned and looked Kathleen up and down.

"Careful, Derek might kill you for that kind of celebrating." Preston whispered to him, making everyone laugh.

"I'm a little freaked out about the fact that you and my sisters have been getting along so well…" Derek told her when they were driving back.

"Not to freak you out even more but we're texting now." Addison laughed at the way he threw his head back and groaned. "You said we'd get along! So be happy that we did."

"I am, I'm just a little… Freaked out, you're fraternising with the enemy here."

"You're being very dramatic." She shook her head in utter amusement. "I had a really wonderful Christmas, Derek."

"Yeah?" He smiled at her and took her hand in his when she nodded. "Me too. I love you, Addie."

"I love you too."

THE END! At least for this chapter! As you can see it's all sparkles, unicorns and a whole lot of fluff! It'll stay this way, at least I don't think there will be any major drama again.