A/N: This is for all you Addek fans out there!

Addison stepped off the plane and into the airport at Seattle. She collected her bags at baggage claim and made her way to the rental car. She'd meant to drive straight to her hotel, but instead drove straight to Seattle Grace Hospital. She parked in the parking lot and made her way inside. What she saw made her stomach drop. Her husband was flirting with an attractive young woman. Addison's eyes began to fill with tears. She wanted nothing more than to run from the hospital, run from Seattle, and run right back into Mark's arms. However, Addison picked up her head and marched over to the "happy couple".

"Hi, I'm Addison Shepherd." The young blonde's eyes grew wide.

"Shepherd?"

"And you must be the woman who's been screwing my husband." Addison smirked. It felt good to be in control for once. Derek looked pissed. He quickly said good night to the woman, whose name Addison found out was Meredith, and grabbed Addison's arm and pulled her into the corner of the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he muttered. It hurt Addison to hear her husband talk to her like that.

"Look Derek, I came here because I need to talk to you about something…something important." Addison finished.

"Well, I'm all ears, let's hurry up and get this over with." Addison shook her head no.

"I can't tell you right now…"

"Why not?!"

"Because…because…"

"Because, because," Derek mocked. "Spit it out already!"

Addison's eyes quickly brimmed with tears. Derek's tone softened when he saw her face. He sighed.

"Look, Addison, I can't do this right now, so whatever you have to say, say it now, because I'm walking away."

"Is there somewhere else we could go? Somewhere, anywhere where we could be alone for a few minutes?" Addison begged. Derek was tired and just wanted to go home with Meredith. However, upon looking into his wife's eyes, he noticed something was different. Her beautiful cerulean eyes had lost the sparkle they used to have. They were now dull, lifeless, and tired. Derek sighed and gently took her hand, leading her to an empty on-call room. Addison walked in and sat down on the bed, she could already feel the familiar lump rising in her throat.

"What I'm about to tell you…it's hard for me…just, let me take my time…and don't interrupt me…please," Addison begged. Derek's scowl was immediately replaced with a look of concern. He sat down next to her on the bed and held her hand. Addison tensed at the touch but let Derek continue holding her hand.

"Ok, I promise," Derek answered urging her on.

"The night you found Mark and I together, I swear Derek, we weren't doing anything."

"But-"

"No Derek, you promised you wouldn't interrupt." Derek quickly shut his mouth and looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"You had just called and told me that you were coming home late. I got upset, so I called Mark to come over and keep me company. But before he got there…" Addison trailed off, unable to continue. She turned away from her husband, suddenly ashamed. They sat in silence for a few moments before Addison stood up in front of Derek. She took off her coat and began unbuttoning her blouse.

"Um, what are you doing?" Derek asked, clearly confused. Addison finished unbuttoning her blouse and took it off. She then unzipped her skirt and slipped it off her body. She now stood before her husband in nothing but a bra and panties. Normally, this would drive Derek crazy with desire, but not now. He stared at his wife's body and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Bruises lined the inside of her thighs and around her chest. There were even a few bite marks on her shoulder. Derek stood up so he was standing in front of Addison. She looked down at her feet, unable to make eye contact with him. Derek gently put his thumb under Addison's chin and lifted her head to meet his eyes. She had tears streaming down her face.

"Mark was the one who found me right after…it happened. Nothing happened between the two of us, I swear, he was just trying to comfort me."

"Oh Addison," Derek gently whispered. He wrapped his arms around his wife's delicate frame as she began to sob hysterically into his shirt. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, trying to think of anything to calm her down.

"Have you seen a doctor yet Addie?" Derek asked. Addison nodded her head.

"Yeah, Mark took me to the hospital," Addison answered. Derek felt guilt wash over him.

"That should've been me, I should've been there to take care of her," Derek thought."No, I should've been there to prevent it from happening in the first place."

He held his wife close, not knowing what else to do. Finally, Addison broke away, reaching for the clothes that were now lying on the floor. She quickly got dressed, then looked at Derek, not really sure what to do next. Derek finally broke the silence.

"Where are you staying?" he asked.

"In a hotel a few miles from here," she answered. Derek shook his head.

"No, that's not right. A husband should not be separated from his wife. Come on Addie," he said as he wrapped a protective arm around her and led her out into the hallway. Addison frantically wiped her eyes.

"I bet I'm a sight for sore eyes," she mumbled. Derek stopped and turned to face her, looking straight into her eyes.

"Babe, you're beautiful," he whispered. Addison blushed and could tell that he really meant it. They continued walking out to Derek's car. Derek opened the door for her and helped her inside. They pulled up to Derek's home and Addison's face dropped.

"A trailer? Seriously?" Addison asked disappointed. Derek gave her a soft smile.

"Just give it a chance, come on," he said getting out of the car. He opened her door for her and held her hand as they walked into the house. Addison stood in the middle of it and looked around.

"Wow…cozy?" Hey, at least she was trying to make an effort. Derek led her to the bedroom in the back and sat her down on the bed. He knelt in front of her.

"Addison, I owe you an apology," Derek began but Addison held up her hand.

"Can we please just move on-"

"No!" Derek stated firmly. Addison flinched at his raised voice and he immediately softened it.

"No, I was rude before and it wasn't fair of me to just leave you without giving you a chance to explain." Addison looked down at her hands.

"What are you thinking about hun?" Derek asked.

"Why does it take an act of violence to get your attention? Let's face it Derek, our marriage was on a downward spiral. Why the sudden change of heart?" she asked. Derek looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Because it hurts to see you like this. It hurts to see the woman I love in so much pain. I missed you Addison. Seeing you here made me realize how much I really did miss you and how much I love you. Give me another chance, let me show you how much I love you," he pleaded.

"What about your slutty intern?" Addison asked bitterly. Derek ran a hand through his hair.

"Richard told you about her?"

"Yeah." Derek sighed.

"Addison, I was hurting. I thought you had slept with my best friend. I thought you were over me so I was trying to get over you. What hurt even more was the thought of you not loving me anymore. I thought we were finished; you wanted to be with Mark, not with me anymore. I was trying to move on…I was trying to get you out of my head. But then you waltz back into my life tonight, looking more beautiful than I've ever seen you look before. And while I pretend to be pissed, my heart leaps for joy, because maybe, just maybe, the love of my life still loves me." Derek answered. Both of their eyes were filled with tears.

"Derek, don't you know me any better? It's always been you, I love you," Addison responded. Derek held her close.

"And it's always been you too babe. I promise to never leave you again, I promise to help you get through this, and I promise to help find the bastard that did this to you and make sure he never sees the light of day again," Derek vowed. Addison nodded, accepting his apology and promises for the future.

"So, nothing happened between you and Mark? Everything was completely platonic?" Derek asked hopefully. Addison hesitated before answering.

"Yeah, completely harmless," Addison lied. She'd deal with telling Derek about the "almost sex" she'd had with Mark another time…

A/N: Please review!