Seriously, I want to marry everyone who reviews! You guys are so awesome and thank you for the positive feedback. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones! Note: This chapter picks up where the last one left off.

"Adele, tell me what to do. Bailey wouldn't, but I don't know anymore. Everything's a mess."

"No it's not. You know what to do. That's why you're having so much trouble." By this time, Derek and Adele had reached the hotel's lobby where most everyone had congregated in wait for the valet to return. Small talk was everywhere, but all Derek could hear were Adele's words ringing in his head. He couldn't believe they could be true. Three months ago Addison was barely a blip on his radar if Meredith was around, and even then he couldn't be close with her and not feel withdrawn or angry about something. Now, he had what he thought he wanted, and more. He was with Meredith. They were happy. He wished that could be it, but it wasn't. With so much on his mind, he didn't even realize Richard standing right in front of him.

"Derek?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to need to steal my wife back. Our car's here." Derek looked down to see their arms still intertwined.

"Of course."

"You alright, Shep? You look tired."

"I'm fine. Just a long day at the hospital." Derek wanted so badly to scream out at how not alright he was; how his being tired was totally unrelated to work; how he just wanted his feelings for Addison to remain plutonic. He wanted answers that no one would give him.

"Alright. Good night. Get some rest. We have our new attending arriving tomorrow and I want you to show him around if you can."

"Sure, Chief. Good night. Good night Adele."

"Good night, sweetie." Hugging him goodbye, she gently whispered in his ear "Just follow your heart and worry about the rest later." She winked, and followed her husband out. Derek got his coat and headed towards the car. The entire ride home, all he wanted was to talk to Addison. He told her everything, and she always knew what to do, what to say to make him feel better. Even talking about Meredith, which he knew must have killed her but she did it anyway. This, however, was asking too much. There was no way he could ask her how to make him stop loving her, and she would never tell him to abandon Meredith. She asked for the separation to give him room to sort out his feelings, because until he did, they could never be whole again. The time apart proved to in fact be the key. Addison rebuilt her inner strength and learned to relax. Taking away the stress of a marriage in shambles saved them both. Derek arrived at Meredith's before he could put any more thought into it. Creeping upstairs, he began to undress quietly. Eager to give his brain a rest, he attempted to sleep. His efforts proved to be futile, as all he could think about was Addison. What else was new?

Seattle Grace

9:30 a.m.

Derek hadn't slept all night, and it showed. Unlike his usual dreamy self, his hair was out of control and he had defined bags under his eyes. Addison spotted him leaning against the nurses' station, rubbing his temples. Grabbing the extra cup of coffee she had bought for him, she walked over to where he sat filling out charts.

"You look like hell." She placed one cup in front of him as she sat, and sipped her own.

"Thanks."

"Anytime. So, what's wrong?"

"I didn't sleep well. Had a lot on my mind." He sipped his coffee. "Why are you so energized?"

"Kickboxing class."

"Kickboxing class? Since when?"

"I started this morning. Kicking the crap out of a bag really gets the blood flowing. Johnson from Pediatrics asked me if I was interested in going. I thought why not try something new?"

"I always liked that about you."

"What?" She asked, blushing.

"You were always so open to new experiences. You'd try anything once just for the hell of it. It's one of the things that made me fall for you, you know." He took another sip of his coffee and smiled. Being around Addison had caused his headache to diminish significantly.

"Really? That's good to know."

"Why?"

"No reason you need to concern yourself with."

"If you say so. Hey, what time do you have?"

"9:35, why?"

"Crap. I need to go. Richard wants me to show around our new attending. He asked me last night and I blindly said yes."

"Alright. By the way, what was on your mind that kept you up all night?" Derek paused before answering her question, looking for the right way to tell her that he is pretty sure he's fallen for her again and is now too stupid to figure out why he won't just let himself.

"No reason you need to concern yourself with." He winked and headed for Richard, his heart silently aching.

Seattle Grace

9:45 a.m.

"Come in." Richard shouted to the knocking on his door.

"Hey Chief, sorry I'm late."

"No worries. Dr. Derek Shepherd I'd like you to meet our new attending of Oncology, Dr. Andrew Price." Both men extended their hands.

"Nice to meet you." Derek said.

"Same here." Andrew replied back.

"Alright Derek I pushed back our attendings' meeting until 11 today so you could give Andrew the lay of the land and then come after so he can formally be introduced."

"Okay. You ready?"

"Why not?"

"Great. See you boys soon." Both men nodded and headed for the door. As they began their tour of Seattle Grace, Derek searched his mind for a good jumping off point.

"So, where you from Andrew?"

"Originally, New York. Went to Dartmouth undergrad and then med school at Columbia."

"Really?"

"Yea, why?"

"I went to Columbia as well."

"No kidding. Where did you intern?"

"Stayed in New York. Yourself?"

"Stanford. Needed a change from New York."

"Understandable. What brings you to Seattle?"

"Honestly? Another change. I'm not some weird nomad I swear, I just enjoy changing up my scenery whenever I can. As a doctor it's difficult, but when I heard of a short stint in the northwest, I thought why not."

"Sounds good to me. Sometimes we all just need a change." Derek's mind shot back to how he was brought to Seattle. A "change" from New York, and a then-cheating Addison. It had been awhile since he had thought of her in that light, making him uneasy to say the least.

"So, what's Seattle like?"

"Definitely not New York. But it does have its appealing qualities." As if on cue, Derek could spot Addison leaving a patient's room. Her red hair made her stick out everywhere. She didn't see him, and she didn't need to. Just knowing she was close made his heart skip a beat or two.

"Dr. Shepherd." If it hadn't been for Dr. Burke's arrival, Derek would have continued to watch her go about her day.

"Dr. Burke. There is someone I would like you to meet. Dr. Andrew Price is our new Oncology attending. This is Preston Burke, head of Cardio." Both men extended their hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here. How do you like Seattle so far?"

"Lots of rain, but otherwise it's great. Really only seen the hospital and my hotel room, but I have high hopes."

"Well that's good. If you'll excuse me, I need to check on a patient before the meeting. Enjoy the rest of your tour Dr. Price."

"Thanks, and call me Andrew."

"Will do." Preston nodded at Derek and smiled as he headed in the other direction. Derek thought back to that day when they finally called each other by their first names.

"You seem do be doing better than before." Once again, Derek needed to be snapped out of his day dreaming, this time by Addison. She had seen Derek and Preston talking and made her way over.

"I am. The coffee was perfect."

"I do what I can."

"Oh Addie, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Andrew Pierce, the substitute Oncology attending while Wilson's on leave. Andrew, meet Addison Montgomery, head of Obstetrics and Gynecology."

"Nice to meet you Andrew."

"Yea, same here." Andrew shook her hand and smiled, but was clearly mesmerized by her beauty. Derek took note of this, but before he could dissect his interest more, his pager began to beep.

"It's the ER. Andrew, do you think you could find your way back the way we came, I need to take this."

"Why don't I finish his tour? I have time before Richard's meeting of the week and it will let Andrew flesh out the place a little more."

"Sounds good to me. And please, call me Andy."

"No problem. That okay Derek?"

"Huh, yeah. Thanks."

"Shall we?" Addison began to walk, Andy following closely behind her. They quickly fell in stride as they turned the corner, Derek silently cursing his pager for beeping and leaving them alone. Granted, he lost the right to care when he found himself obsessing over Meredith. He saw how Andrew looked at her, and regardless of circumstance, he was upset.

Seattle Grace

10:30 a.m.

"Okay Mr. Jones, your x-ray looks good, but I'd feel better if you'd stay in the hospital overnight just to be safe. I'll be back to check on you in about an hour, but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask Dr. O'Malley." Derek reassured his patient and headed through the door, motioning for George to follow.

"O'Malley, keep any eye on him. His scans are clean but the type of accident he was in concerns me. Any pain or blurred vision and I want to know."

"Yes sir."

"I have a meeting, but I'll be back around 12."

"Will do." With that, Derek hurried away towards the conference room, fearing Richard's wrath if he were to be late. As he arrived at the door, he could see everyone still standing and making small talk and knew he was in the clear. He walked in quietly, scanning the room for Addison and Andrew. He spotted them both sitting on the window ledge, his usual spot to sit with her. Before he could make his way over, Richard needed him.

"Good, Shepherd you're here. Where's Dr. Pierce?"

"I got paged to the ER so Addison offered to finish his tour."

"How nice of her. Will you send him up here? I want to introduce him."

"Sure." Derek maneuvered through the crowd to the ledge. "Hey."

"Hey." Addison replied first.

"How was the rest of your tour?"

"Excellent." He said, speaking to Derek but smiling at Addison. She returned the gesture. Derek was just glad he had an excuse to break them up.

"Richard wants you up front for your big unveiling."

"Sounds good. Everyone needs a good dose of embarrassment to start the day. I'll be back." Andrew pushed himself off the ledge and made his way to the front. Before Derek could react, Bailey swooped in to the vacant seat.

"Hey! I was going to sit there."

"Hey! Now I am." Bailey shot back and turned towards Addison, who couldn't hold in her laughter.

"Don't encourage her."

"She's Bailey. She doesn't need encouragement." Derek nodded and rested his shoulder against the wall by Addison. He did his best to covertly eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Who were you sitting with?"

"Andrew Pierce, substitute Oncology attending."

"Really? How'd you meet him?"

"Gave him the tour."

"He's cute." Derek's ears perked up at Bailey's remark as he waited for Addison's response.

"I know." Derek cringed.

"You think…."

"Miranda, we just met. He did ask me to lunch though." Derek cringed some more, cursing himself for taking that page.

"Lunch, huh? Interesting." Bailey gave Addison a suggestive look.

"What's so interesting about a meal between colleagues?"

"If it's just a meal, nothing. But he looks like a young George Clooney, and if I remember correctly, you are very much single." Addison paused, contemplating Bailey's very truthful statement. She had yet to date someone since the separation. She wasn't even looking. Her focus was getting herself back to a place she could be happy with, as well as her friendship with Derek. She had both of those now, so maybe it was time. Derek on the other hand wanted to shut Miranda up as soon as possible. Why would she suggest that? What did she have against him? Why did he care who Addison dated? The more and more Derek thought about it, the more questions without answers he came up with.

Seattle Grace

3:30 p.m.

Derek's day had not been memorable. His lack of sleep had caught up with him and he was struggling to stay awake. Put on top of that all the stress he had over the possibility of Addison and Andrew and he found it a miracle to still be moving.

"You still look like hell." Addison said behind Derek's shoulder as she slid around him to put away a chart. Instead of responding kindly like this morning, Derek let his anger at his state of affairs out.

"Thanks." He responded bitterly.

"Excuse me. What's with you?"

"Nothing. Nothing's with me. I'm fine." He slammed his chart closed and went to walk away. Addison's hand on his arm stopped him.

"You're not fine. Fine people don't snap at their friends. What's going on?"

"I can't tell you."

"You tell me everything."

"Yeah, well, not this. Now if you'll excuse me I have a patient to check on." Addison released her grip on his arm and watched him storm off. She didn't appreciate his attitude, especially considering she had done nothing to bring it on. Derek turned two more hallways to make sure no one was with him and plopped down on the empty gurney. Why did he just snap at Addison? It wasn't her fault. It was his for being such a moron. She would not let his go either, so now that he showed her his issue, he was going to have to talk about it.

Attendings Locker Room

7:00 p.m.

Derek's day from hell was almost over. He had done his last check of his patients, all of whom were doing fine. Meredith was on call for the night, so his plan was to head to the trailer for some peace and quiet. Being there was his escape. The water, the trees, the sky at night; everything was serene. He needed serene right now; he needed to sort out his thoughts and figure out what he wanted. Pushing through the door of the locker room with his head down and eyes closed, he could feel her there. It was amazing to him that even after everything, he always could sense her. Her back was to his as she fixed her hair, not even turning to see who entered. She too didn't need to look. She knew it was him, and with how he yelled at her before, she wasn't up for talking.

Derek made his way to his locker across from hers, trying to think of a way to break the ice. All he could come up with was hey.

"Hey."

"Hi." Addison barely acknowledged him as she sorted through her files and decided which ones to bring home.

"Look, Addi…"

"Derek, don't bother. It's not a big deal. We aren't together anymore and there is no need for you to tell me everything. You certainly didn't while we were married, why start now?" As soon as the words escaped her lips, Addison wanted them back. That had come out meaner than she expected. "Derek, I didn't mean that to…"

"No. You're right. I shut myself off from you when we were married. It was simpler to internalize and not talk about it. Talking about it required thought and contemplation, which often hurt more. It's just…" Derek took a deep breath, not really sure of what to say next.

"What? Derek you can tell me anything you know that. No judgment, no criticism, I just want to be there for you. No falling in to the same trap as last time." At this point, Addison had moved to Derek's side. He looked into her eyes and could tell she was being sincere.

"Lately I have been just feeling lost. So much has changed in these last few months and I don't know what to do."

"Anything specific that you're conflicted about." This is your chance. Tell her how you feel. You don't need to proclaim love, but tell her…something!

"Yes. You."

"Me?"

"Spending these last few months rebuilding our relationship has been great. Being able to get back to even being friends after all we went through, much less as close as we are is remarkable to me. After Mark, I never thought I could love you again in anyway. But for you to let me go and explore this thing with Meredith took courage. We both changed as individuals when we were together, and I'm not sure it was for the better."

"To be honest, I didn't think I could ever look at myself the same way after what I did with Mark. I never pegged myself as the cheating type, and never thought I could cheat on you. But the truth was, I was so in love with you that I lost my ability to stand alone. That's really why I fell so hard when you stopped noticing me. These last few months have been the best of my life. Not because I was without you, but because I was able to show myself I could be alone and not crumble." Derek watched her speak. He took in everything she said. It killed him to think he broke her, or dared to drive her to another man.

"Addison, I'm sorry I…broke you."

"Hey! You did not break me. I'm not a glass vase. It wasn't your fault I lost myself in our marriage. It was mine. But that's in the past. I have a whole new outlook on life. Our separation allowed me to start over, and I couldn't be happier with where I am now. Work is great, I'm making lots of new friends, and I have you."

"Well then I'm happy for you. Independence suits you well."

"Thank you. Come here." Extending her arms, she hugged Derek firmly. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he wanted nothing more than to pull back and look her in the eyes, and kiss her with all the love for her he had. Her whole speech about rebuilding and independence took him back to the Addison he knew in med school; the one he fell in love with fifteen years ago.

"What would I do without you Addi?"

"You'll never have to worry about that." Kissing him on the cheek, she stepped back over to the bench and grabbed her things.

"You free for a drink? Meredith's on call and I was going to go sulk at the trailer, but I suddenly find my mood has improved.

"Tonight I can't. Rain check?"

"Sure." Derek watched Addison leave the door stop swinging behind Addison before changing. Their talk had put a lot in perspective for him. He loved Addison, but was he in love with her again? Was his love enough to sustain a marriage? The answers to his questions were out there. He just needed to put himself in a place to find them out. The only problem, which Derek overlooked is would he be in time to win her back?

It's only a mini cliffhanger so you all can't get as mad! Hope you enjoyed the latest installment. I'm currently writing the next one and will get it up as soon as possible! Review, review, review: they make me happy and will inspire faster writing  As always, suggestions/criticism are welcome so give me what you got!