Okay, it has been AGES and I apologize for that. Like seriously, please forgive me…. But given that it has been so long, I think we (including me) need a little recap…. Derek and Addison were having some problems. So, they cooked dinner. Had more issues. Worked through them. Ruined the dinner. Made better dinner. Fell into bed. Went to the Hamptons. There was a party. Derek's patient died so he missed the party. This caused issues with Addison, but they fixed that too. Savvy and Mark slept together? Addison and Derek came home and went to a funeral. Then they went to dinner. The dinner was going great until Addison got a phone call that caused them to abruptly leave dinner and head to the airport.
Okay? Okay! So, let's paint the scene… the story starts a little after that. Addison and Derek left the restaurant, went home, packed, and headed straight to the airport. Much to Addison's disgust, they could only get coach seats, but it was better than nothing. So, they boarded the flight and Addison, who is struggling emotionally, finds herself reflecting back on a childhood memory….
…
"Everything is going to be okay," he assured her.
Rain droplets began to fall on them both. He ignored them, seemingly indifferent. To her, they were monumental, and she desperately tried to wipe her face on his shirt as he raced forward.
"Just a little further," he promised.
The blood trickling down her chin was mixing with the rain. The rain that the weather man had promised would not hit for several more hours. If only he knew that his forecast would be what led two children to sneak out of the house for a leisurely bike ride. After hours of being stuck inside prepping for a social gathering, they were both desperate for fresh air and the freedom that outside offered. They just needed a few minutes to themselves, and then they would be back with their faces clean, dressed their best, and fully prepared for however many WASPS swarmed them. Unfortunately, those few minutes of freedom had not gone as planned, and despite his best efforts, both her chin and leg were pouring blood. She rubbed her face against his shirt again, desperately trying to rid it of the tears and crimson that seemed to be on a continuous flow.
"You're going to be okay, Addie. I've got you," he said confidently.
His feet hit the familiar ground that belonged to them, and he couldn't help but sigh with relief. They still had a little longer but he could see the back door of the house and it only increased his speed.
"Okay, we're here Addie, we're here."
He began kicking the back door viciously and dropped to his knees when his father opened it.
"Where the hell have you two been? We've been looking-" The Captain's voice trailed off as he saw Archer cradling a bleeding Addison.
"She fell off of her bike. She hit her face and I think her leg is hurt," he yelled, desperately.
"BEATRICE," The Captain yelled, as he fumbled out onto the patio. He snatched Addison from Archer's arms and began yelling again. "BEATRICE, ADDISON IS HURT."
Archer stood by wiping his face of the tears and rain, unable to tell them apart anymore. Bizzy appeared in the living room wearing a white dress and a red scarf that was tied perfectly around her neck. Before Archer or a crying Addison noticed, she was standing outside in the rain with the them.
"CALL AN AMBULANCE," she screamed at the housekeeper and knelt next to the Captain as he cradled Addison. "CALL A DAMN AMBULANCE, NOW!"
…
"Everything is going to be okay," he assured her.
Addison looked over at him and glared, "how could you possibly know that?"
Derek sighed and said, "I am trying to be hopeful. There are plenty of reasons that a healthy man his age could be having seizures."
"And how many of those reasons are nothing to worry about?" Addison asked.
"Would you like an actual number," Derek thought to himself. He decided it was best not to bicker with her in this moment. Mostly because her brother was in the hospital, but also because a stressed Addison could be vicious. When she felt vulnerable, she was so desperate to hide it that she tended to carelessly lash out with complete disregard for who she hurt. "Typical WASP."
"Exactly," Addison hissed, taking advantage of his silence. "Let's be realistic. No matter the reason, it can't be good. You of all people should know that."
Derek fought the urge to roll his eyes and desperately suppressed the sigh he wanted to release. Her brother was sick, so he would allow whatever it was she threw at him. Should he have to take it? No. But he was willing to because of Archer. Even though he had never liked him, Addison always had. He was her brother, and he was the only other person on the planet that could possibly understand what it was like to grow up with Bizzy and The Captain.
"No matter what, we will be there for him," Derek said. "And no matter what, I'm here, okay," he stated, looking over and desperately hoping his affection would be welcomed.
She turned her head towards the airplane window on her right and was quiet for a moment. "I know," she mumbled. "I know."
Derek reached over and took her hand, realizing for the first time that it was trembling. He felt his own blood pressure elevate. Addison's hands never shook. No matter the situation, her hands and mind often times seemed as if they were fighting to see who could remain calmest. "Addie, it's going to be okay," he insisted, in the surest voice he could muster.
She finally looked over at him and asked, "do you really think so?"
Her eyes were pleading for the truth, even if that meant a painful answer. "I honestly don't know, but we can hope," he admitted.
She nodded and turned back towards the window. The clouds below them hung carelessly and the other plane passengers chatted away, indifferent to Addison's situation. They all existed in their own little bubble, completely unaware of the fact that Addison's world had been flipped upside down just a few hours ago. Right about now she should be drunkenly stumbling into the kitchen to pour a drink strong enough to assure Derek's level of intoxication would meet hers. She should be playfully flirting with Derek over their drinks and making comments about how good he looked in his button up. But no, she was on a plane, sitting in coach (because it was the only available spot) and she was staring out a dirty window agonizing over her brother.
"Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for landing," a voice rang out.
Addison and Derek both released hands and fastened their seatbelts in silence.
…
Derek of course sympathized with Addison's pain but he couldn't help finding himself dreading their stay, which made him feel selfish. Her brother could be dying and there he sat agonizing over having to spend several days with her mother. Bizzy had her own way of making awful situations even worse, which is why Derek had learned long ago that the only way to cope was to remind himself of why he dealt with it. Every time Bizzy said something awful, he would make a mental note of something he loved about Addison because let's face it, that was the only reason he put up with her. Although, Bizzy wasn't the only dreadful part of Montgomery gatherings. Addison herself was difficult to deal with when she was around her family. Something came over her when she was in their territory. The first time Derek had experienced it was college. He spent several months with the Addison he knew. The sweet, funny and clever Addison he loved, but after going to the Montgomery household for Christmas, he learned about WASP Addison. It wasn't her fault and he knew that, but still, it was hard to ignore. He hated to even admit it to himself, but she acted so very much like Bizzy when she was in Connecticut. She was harsh, hard to please, and just an overall unpleasant person, much like everyone else in her family. She became the person one had to be to survive in the place she grew up… around the people she grew up with.
"Finally," Addison said, reaching for the car door handle.
Derek hurried around to the other side of the car, knowing that Addison would not pause to wait for him. She made it to the door before he did and threw it open, not even slightly hesitating to make sure the door did not slam in his face. He grimaced and pulled it open before rushing behind her.
"Her brother is sick, Derek. Her brother is sick," he reminded himself.
Addison had not spoken a word to him the entire ride from the airport. The two of them sat in an awful, waspy silence.
"Montgomery, Archer," Addison said, while pushing open the glass that separated them from the receptionist.
The woman held up one finger to Addison and then gestured towards the phone that was in her hand. "That's exactly what I thought," she said into the phone.
Addison rolled her eyes and placed both of her hands on the desk in front of her, "Montgomery," she said, again.
"Addie," Derek mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed by her persistent attitude.
The woman looked up again and pointed towards her phone. "I'm speaking with a physician," the woman said, and she pushed the glass back to separate them again.
Addison pursed her lips and Derek cringed because he knew what was about to happen. "No, you are not," Addison insisted, as she aggressively slide the glass open again. "Since when do physicians call down to the front desk? Never is the answer. I have been a doctor for over ten years and I have never once called down to the front desk. Now, tell your friend or whoever you are actually talking to that you need to go so you can find out where the hell my brother is!"
Derek held his breath and looked at the floor, desperately trying to pretend he was anywhere else.
"I gotta go," the woman said into the phone. "What's your brother's name?" she asked, with a little too much aggression for Addison's liking.
"Montgomery, Archer," Addison said.
The woman, who had been staring at her computer, immediately looked up and said, "Montgomery? I should have known. He's in room 402. Go up to the fourth floor, take a right and he's the third room on the left. When you find a woman that looks and acts an awful lot like you, that's when you'll know you've made it."
Addison glared at her momentarily and then marched towards the elevator. Derek threw the woman an apologetic smile and mumbled, "thank you very much."
"Mmhmm," she hummed, nodding with her lips tight.
"Derek, come on," Addison called from the elevator. He rushed over and stood next to her, desperately trying to suppress the urge to call her out on the way she spoke to the front desk worker. "I'll be speaking with someone about how she acted," Addison insisted. Derek remained silent as the elevator quickly rose to the fourth floor. "She was chitchatting with a friend while sitting at the front desk. Chitchatting is for break or the drive home," Addison hissed. As soon as the doors opened, she rushed forward and followed the woman's instructions. She took the first right and turned her head towards the left, counting the rooms. "Here," she mumbled, and pushed the door to room 402 open.
"It's about time," Bizzy sighed, as Addison and Derek fumbled inside.
"We caught the first available flight," Addison insisted.
"Living in New York might seem to be a poor choice now?" Bizzy asked rhetorically.
"There she goes," Derek thought to himself, and immediately made a mental reached for a happy thought about Addison. "Her laugh is contagious," he reminded himself.
"Where's Archer?" Addison asked, ignoring Bizzy and her attitude.
She threw both of her hands into the air and said, "off with some doctor."
"Well, they have to run tests," Addison said, as she walked over to the end of the bed and picked up his chart.
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Derek asked in the sweetest tone he could muster.
She ignored him and threw the binder open, flipping desperately. She read for a few moments and then looked up at Bizzy. "He seized for how long," she practically yelled.
"There's no need to shout, dear," Bizzy insisted. "The doctors gave him some medicine-"
"Phenobarbital," Derek and Addison both said in unison.
"Sure," Bizzy said. "Something like that, and he stopped." Derek reached for the chart in Addison's hand and felt his cheeks sting when she didn't acknowledge him. He glanced up at Bizzy to see if she had noticed and felt his cheeks burn hotter after realizing that she had. "I believe your husband is trying to look as well," Bizzy said, "perhaps you should let him glance since he is more…. knowledgeable on this particular topic."
Derek felt about two feet tall hearing Bizzy speak. She truly had a way of making an awful situation even worse, but the hardest part was knowing how much her words impacted Addison. Just being in Bizzy's presence stressed her out, but when Bizzy opened her mouth, things became monumentally worse. "I can read it when she's done," Derek said, trying to play nice.
"They don't know anything," Addison said.
"What?" he asked, taking the chart she was thrusting into his hands.
"They don't have any answers," she repeated.
"Well, I could have told you that," Bizzy groaned. Derek scanned the pages in the binder and sighed. Addison was right. They had no answers and from what he could tell, it didn't look like they even had a slight idea about what was causing the seizures. "Well?" Bizzy asked.
That was one of Derek's least favorite things about Bizzy. She had plenty of traits that infuriated him, how she treated Addison was of course at the top, but one of his least favorites was her way of expecting an answer without ever asking an actual question. "They have no clue why the seizures are happening, but this is honestly expected," Derek said. "It's still early and there are plenty of tests to run. Right now, they are probably assuming a tumor. That would also be my first guess."
Bizzy let out a sigh and walked over to the window so that she could fix her scarf in the sunlight.
"Addie," Derek whispered. "Are you okay?"
She glanced up and gave him a smile that let him know how grateful she was that he whispered. "Yes. I just want answers," she mumbled.
"It takes time. I know you know that, but it's hard being the waiting family member."
She nodded and reached for his hand. He immediately took it and stepped closer to her so he could wrap a supportive arm around her.
"Where's the Captain?" Addison asked.
"He went to get coffee or something," Bizzy responded, glancing back at Addison and Derek. Her eyes lingered on Derek's hand that was gripping Addison's waist.
Derek fought the urge to roll his eyes. Bizzy had never been a fan of public displays of affection. Hell, affection period for that matter. Or at least according to Addison, and based on the nearly two decades he had known Bizzy, Addison was right. Derek had never once noticed Bizzy and the Captain do anything as simple as hold hands. He always opened doors for her and brought her a drink when he made himself one. There was also that one-time Bizzy and the Captain had thrown a party for Derek and Addison (mainly Addison) after they graduated medical school. Bizzy came downstairs, debuting her party outfit for the first time that evening and Derek saw the Captain staring. He stared and smiled at Bizzy when she noticed him looking. That one instance was the closest thing he had ever seen his in-laws do that even remotely resembled affection for one another. As for her children, she sometimes patted their arms or hands to get their attention. She would pat Addison's hand and say, "be a dear and make me another drink." That was her way of telling Addison she made good drinks without actually telling Addison that she made good drinks. Addison pretended to be annoyed when talking about it to Derek, but he knew that she secretly enjoyed it. She would take what she could get from Bizzy, and Derek was not about to call her out on it.
"Bizzy," a voice called from the door. Derek and Addison both turned to find the Captain walking into the room. "Kitten," the Captain said with a smile, noticing Derek and Addison for the first time. "I would have brought more coffee if I knew you were already here."
Bizzy held her hand out to let him know that she was waiting for her coffee. He rushed over and gave her a cup that she quickly sipped. "They aren't missing much," she grumbled. "Cheap hospital coffee is a disgrace."
"Addison is a fierce friend to everyone she cares about," Derek noted, desperate to push Bizzy's negativity from his mind.
"It's all they had," the Captain insisted.
"Hospital coffee isn't as bad when you add a little bit of cream," Derek suggested.
"She prefers her coffee black," the Captain said, while gesturing towards Bizzy.
"Just like her soul," Derek thought.
Addison eyed Derek, making him self-conscious over whether or not she could read his mind.
"Where the hell is my son?" Bizzy asked to no one in particular.
As soon as the words left her mouth a voice rang out down the hall, "I said let me see the damn scans."
"Found him," Derek mumbled. It was hard to mistake that rude and narcissistic tone for absolutely anyone other than his brother in-law.
"Mr. Montgomery the doctor will be in shortly to discuss everything with you," a desperate voice said, as the doors to the room opened.
"I don't give a damn about some quack. Just let me see the scans. And it's Dr. Montgomery," Archer hissed.
The poor nurse wheeled Archer in and gave everyone a forced smile. "The doctor should be in soon to talk with you guys."
"Thank you," Derek and Addison both said.
"Any idea how long it will be?" the Captain asked.
She shook her head in an apologetic manner and turned towards the door. "She doesn't know a damn thing," Archer said.
"Son, watch your mouth," the Captain said.
Archer rolled his eyes and said, "why? She's even more clueless than the attending they're going to send in that will tell me the same damn thing everyone else did. THEY KNOW NOTHING!"
"Archer Forbes-Montgomery, behave yourself," Bizzy hissed. Archer immediately closed his mouth and glared at the floor. "You'll tell the doctor we would like to see him sooner rather than later," Bizzy stated.
Yet another thing Derek hated about Bizzy. She would state things that should be a question. A normal person would ask the nurse to speak with the doctor about his time management, but not Bizzy. She told people what they would be doing, and she did it with such certainty that Derek had never once seen anyone back down.
The nurse nodded and said, "yes ma'am," before reaching for the door.
Derek mumbled a thank you and found himself giving yet another apologetic smile to hospital staff because of the Montgomery family.
"Well, I'm going to die," Archer stated, as soon as the room was silent.
"You're not going to die," Addison insisted.
"Yes. I'm going to die, and you're all going to watch."
"Archer, quit with the dramatics," Bizzy said. "There's a time and place for that, and it isn't here."
"Says the person not having seizures," Archer mumbled.
Derek and Addison both cringed at the same time, full preparing for the tongue lashing that Bizzy was surely going to give Archer. They both waited for a moment and then gave each other a questioning glance when she said nothing. She simply took another sip of her coffee and glanced out the window.
"Was this the first one?" Derek asked, glancing at Archer.
"No, I've been having a few a day but decided not to seek medical attention because I like to live on the edge," Archer hissed.
"Archie," Addison groaned. "He's just trying to help."
"No, he's trying to be a surgical God," Archer retorted.
"He's a neurosurgeon, Archer. Just answer the question," Addison pleaded.
"Why is a baby doctor involved in this conversation," Archer asked, glaring at Addison.
Derek pulled his arm from around Addison and walked towards the bed. "You might be having seizures, but that doesn't give-"
"Derek stop," Addison yelled. "It's fine."
"All of you act your age," Bizzy hissed, without even turning from the window.
The room became silent and Derek glared at Archer who refused to meet his gaze. Addison reached for Derek's hand, hoping to break his hateful glare at her brother. When their fingers linked, she squeezed his hand. He glanced at her and gave a reassuring smile before reaching his arm back around her waist.
They all stood quietly until the Captain reached for a chair and then said, "do you want to sit down?"
Derek looked up, unsure of who he was speaking to.
Bizzy immediately turned and sat down in the chair that the Captain had turned for her. She crossed her ankles beneath the chair and cradled the cheap hospital coffee in both of her hands. Her head rose when the door opened.
"Okay, you must be Archer Montgomery," a voice called. Derek and Addison both looked over at the man that had walked in wearing a white coat. "I'm Dr. Charles," he said in a kind voice. "I am the head of neurosurgery here."
"Pleasure to meet you," Archer said in a sarcastic voice.
Dr. Charles glanced at him and then over towards Bizzy and the Captain. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery," he asked.
"Yes," the Captain said, walking forward to shake his hand.
"And you two?" he asked, glancing at Derek and Addison.
Addison reached out her hand and said, "Addison Montgomery-Shepherd."
He shook her hand and then reached for Derek's. "Derek Shepherd," Derek said, taking his hand.
The man nodded and looked at Archer before quickly turning back to Derek. "Did you say Derek Shepherd?" he asked. Derek nodded at him. "Dr. Derek Shepherd?"
"Yes," Derek said.
"It's an absolute honor," Dr. Charles said, reaching back out to shake Derek's hand again. "I read the article you published a few months ago-"
"JESUS CHRIST," Archer yelled. "CAN YOU JUST GET TO THE DAMN POINT?"
….
They all sat in a small room reserved for families that were waiting on their loved ones to be operated on. Luckily, they were the only ones in the room. Addison was gripping Derek's hand like it was life support. The Captain was pacing from the door to the couch where Bizzy and Susan were sitting. No one was speaking, which concerned Derek. He was certain that under most circumstances Bizzy would have made her negative feelings about the Captain's pacing clear. However, they all remained silent. It was the kind of quiet that Derek had never heard the Montgomery family reach. They were always quiet, but this was different and Derek was sure of it. Regardless of whether or not Bizzy and the Captain wanted to admit it, they were worried about Archer. Or at least Derek thought they were. He was their child, so they had to be worried, right?
"Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery," a voice called from the door. Everyone looked up at the nurse standing across the room. "There was a six-car pileup down the road and they just had to take several people in for emergency surgery. Unfortunately, that means there are not enough ORs to accommodate Mr. Montgomery. His surgeon wanted me to tell you that they're going to start the surgery first thing tomorrow instead."
"Excuse me," Bizzy said. "We have been sitting in here for two hours thinking the surgery was underway and now you've come in here to tell us that not only has it not started, but it won't start until tomorrow?"
The nurse nodded apprehensively. "I'm so sorry you've been kept waiting, but Mr. Montgomery is stable and the crash victims are not, so they have to be seen first. They're going to give Mr. Montgomery something to sleep so he will be just fine."
"My son is not stable. He has worms in his brain. Would you consider that to be stable?" she asked the nurse.
The young girl stood, staring blankly. Derek couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He was almost certain there had been a conversation about who would be the unlucky soul tasked with delivering this news to them. After just a few hours, the Montgomery family had already left an impression on the hospital staff. There was more than likely a straw drawing contest among the nurses since no one wanted to deal with them.
"Thank you for telling us," Addison said, saving the nurse from having to answer. "Is he asleep," she asked.
The nurse nodded and said, "he was already under so they're just going to let him sleep off the anesthesia. He shouldn't be awake for several more hours."
The nurse quickly exited the room and left them all in silence.
The Captain sighed and stood up. "Should we go home?" he asked.
Bizzy nodded and said, "if they aren't even going to start until tomorrow evening then there's no need to be in this horrid place."
"We can't just leave," Addison insisted.
"He's asleep," Derek said. "I'm sure when he wakes up, they'll give him something. There's nothing we can do."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Susan insisted. "The nurses seem to be very attentive."
The Captain glanced over at her and rolled his eyes before looking at Bizzy. "Do you want to go home?" he asked. She nodded and began walking towards the door. Susan followed behind her immediately.
"Someone should stay," Addison said, "in case they are able to start the surgery."
"Well, you two flew here, so I'm sure you're exhausted," the Captain said, glancing at Derek and Addison. "And Bizzy and I both need rest," he continued. Derek followed the Captain's eyes that had landed on Susan. "I think it would be good for us all to be together as a family right now," he finished.
Susan eyed him for a moment, but before she could speak Bizzy did. "There's no need for anyone to stay. We can come back tomorrow when he is awake. We can see him before the surgery."
"I'll stay," Susan said. "Addison is right. Someone should stay in case they decide to do it early, and the Captain is right about all of you needing to be together."
"Susan," Bizzy said, "there's no need-"
"It's fine," Susan interrupted. "I'll call you if anything happens." They looked at each other for a moment and Bizzy nodded. She then thrusted her second cup of horrible hospital coffee into the Captain's hands and made her way towards the door. He stood momentarily and then glanced over at Susan. He gave her a smile unlike any Derek had ever seen and then he followed Bizzy. Susan was grimacing before she noticed Derek's gaze. She instantly wiped the look off of her face and smiled at him. "Go ahead," she insisted. "I promise I'll call Bizzy if anything happens."
"Thank you, Susan," Addison insisted. Derek followed her out of the room and replayed the look the Captain and Susan shared. It made no sense. The two of them seemed to be fighting. But over what? It felt as if the Captain didn't want Susan to go home with them all and Susan seemed as if she wanted to, but was willing to accept defeat when he pushed back. "Hold the elevator," Addison called, pulling Derek from his thoughts. The two of them rushed forward and into the elevator that the Captain and Bizzy were in. Bizzy stood stiffly next to the Captain who kept glancing at her apprehensively. "It was nice of Susan to offer like that," Addison said, completely oblivious to the awkwardness in the air.
Bizzy cut her eyes at the Captain. "It was, wasn't it," she said, before pursing her lips.
Derek felt his eyes widen. His brain played back the agony in the Captain's eyes when Susan had arrived at the hospital waiting room. They had all been ushered in after the surgeon explained the parasites and what would be needed to remove them. After being there for less than thirty minutes, Bizzy had excused herself to call Susan and explain the situation. Susan quickly arrived at the hospital to show her support. But when she had arrived, the Captain looked unhappy. At the time, Derek was focused on Addison. Now that he was playing it back, the Captain seemed upset that Susan was there.
"Susan and the Captain are sleeping together and Bizzy knows it," Derek thought to himself.
He glanced back and forth between his mother and father in-law, unsure of how to feel. According to Addison, his father in-law was a notorious cheater but Bizzy never knew. Or at least Addison thought she never knew.
"Do I tell her," Derek asked himself.
He continued looking at the Captain, absolutely disgusted. This man was sleeping with the woman his wife trusted with everything. Susan was probably the one person Bizzy had counted on not falling prey to the Captain's philandering ways. Plus, Susan had been in Addison and Archer's lives since they were teenagers. Addison had never loved Susan, which Derek suspected was out of jealously for how close she was with her mother, but still. Susan had been a fixture in her life since she was a child and now, she was sleeping with her father. She was yet another one of those women that kept Addison awake at night. Susan was one of those small indiscretions that Addison had to keep from her mother, like the French tutor and the two nannies.
Derek shook his head and looked away from his in-laws. There was no way that a few weird glances meant that Susan and the Captain were having an affair. He was reading far too much into everything and assuming the absolute worst. Besides, there was far more to worry about. Like the fact that he was about to spend the rest of the week sleeping in the Montgomery household.
…
"I would like a drink," Bizzy stated as soon as they entered the Montgomery residence.
Derek shivered when the cold hit him. It wasn't the typical cold one feels though. It was the very specific cold that only this house could cover you in. The entire residence lacked emotional warmth, causing Derek to shudder every single time he crossed the threshold. He felt the coldness tear at him, and he felt his heart ache for Addison because she was forced to grow up in this frozen hell.
"I'll get the gin," Addison responded.
Derek watched her walk towards the bar as he took his coat off. As soon as he hung it on the rack, he regretted removing it even though he knew no number of layers could protect him from the particular coldness that was so specific to the Montgomery estate.
"Make me one as well, Kitten," the Captain called. The two remaining Montgomerys lead Derek into the sitting room where he found a place on the loveseat. Bizzy walked over to the fireplace and nodded her head towards it, saying nothing. "Niles," the Captain yelled, "can we start a fire?"
Derek glanced around for Niles, the family butler that had been around longer than Derek. He heard footsteps but recognized them as Addison's. She entered carrying four drinks and Derek immediately threw himself into a standing position and rushed to help. She gratefully handed him one of the drinks and then placed the other two in Bizzy and the Captain's hands. "What about you," Derek asked her.
"I had to leave it at the bar," she mumbled before turning to leave the room.
Addison around her family was a different Addison and Derek hated it. He of course understood, but he hated to witness the strong women he knew turn into a child. And that's exactly what Bizzy and the Captain did to her. That's exactly what these cold walls did to her. They turned her back into a little girl whose fate was decided by the will of two WASPS.
"Niles," Bizzy called, in a slightly elevated tone. She never yelled. It was unbecoming. Derek glanced around desperately, fearing for Niles' fate if he continued to keep the queen B waiting. "Niles," she called once more, while patting her foot.
"I'll start a fire," Derek insisted, as he rushed forward.
"There are logs outside…I think," the Captain admitted.
Derek turned immediately and walked towards the kitchen where he found Addison. She was standing over two half eaten plates of food. "What is it," Derek asked.
She lifted the plates and walked over to the sink. "I guess they were eating when they got the call about Archer." Derek nodded and then remembered the firewood. He was certain Bizzy was counting down the seconds he spent. "But the Bizzy doesn't like lamb," Addison said. Derek stopped at the door and turned to look at her. "She says it's too heavy to eat in the presence of others," Addison said, imitating her mother's voice.
Derek felt his body go ridged, "I'm sure she doesn't feel that way around your father," he insisted.
"Seriously," Addison asked. "I'm her child and I've never seen her eat anything that wasn't green."
Because she wasn't eating at all. It was your father and Susan, Derek thought to himself. But he shrugged that idea away and said, "maybe she was really hungry."
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I have to start a fire," Derek responded. "Bizzy wants a fire and Niles is nowhere to be found."
Addison nodded, seeming to understand his rush.
When Derek walked through the back door the cold air hit him and he welcomed it. Somehow the below freezing temperature was warmer than where he had just been. He scurried towards the wood pile and played back Addison's observations in the kitchen. If the Captain was trying to keep Susan away from his family then why was he having dinner with her? The Captain didn't seem to be the type of man that dined with his mistresses, especially in the home he shared with his wife. His father in law was many things; a fool wasn't one of them. He again shrugged off his thoughts about the Captain and carried the logs back into the house.
"I was beginning to think you got lost," Bizzy muttered, as he entered the living room.
As per usual, Derek ignored her rude comments and reminded himself of how much he loved her daughter. "Addison looks stunning in everything she wears."
"Thank you, Derek," The Captain muttered.
Derek caught himself fighting back the urge to glare at him and tended to the fire.
"Okay, everyone has a drink, right," Addison asked while entering the room.
No one spoke so Derek did. "Yes, and mine is great, Addie."
She smiled appreciatively and sat down on the couch next to her mother. Derek used a lighter on the mantle and lit the fire. After observing it for a few moments, he walked over to the loveseat, unsure about why Addison had chosen to sit next to Bizzy and not him. Everyone sipped their drinks quietly with only the crackling fire filling the silence. It was a good quiet. Everyone seemed to be absorbing the events of the evening. Not that the Montgomery family would ever actually discuss them anyway, but Derek was grateful for their silence. If they were quiet, they weren't fighting or complaining.
"Have you gained weight?" Bizzy said, breaking the beautiful silence.
Everyone looked at her and Derek felt his entire face light on fire when he realized she was asking Addison.
"Oh, I don't know," Addison answered, clearly embarrassed.
"You have to mind your calories, dear. Letting yourself go is very easy as a woman gets older, but you can't let it happen," she insisted.
Derek opened his mouth to protest but felt Addison look at him with pleading eyes. She shook her head, quietly begging him not to say anything. He took a deep breath and chased the words he swallowed with alcohol.
"Addison is the love of your life," he reminded himself, and took another sip of his drink.
…
Full disclosure time…. I wrote this entire thing ages ago and didn't feel like proof reading so I stored it away. I forgot all about writing it and couldn't bring myself to even try again. I spent months trying to decide what should happen after chapter 13th and decided I would just never update again. Then I happened to find this and started reading and actually liked it. So, I'm sure it will not be worth the ridiculous wait, but I hope you enjoyed a little. I'm going to be honest, idk when or if I'll update again. But we'll see! As always, let me know what you think and feel free to yell about the long wait xxx
