Since discovering her daughter's true feelings about her, Addison did everything to steer clear of an awkward meeting. She had promised Alexa that there would be no more need to forge guidelines between them. She didn't want her relationship with her child to feel forced or unnatural. She didn't want to put herself or Alexa in a situation that would only further complicate things.

So she changed her entire schedule to avoid being in the hospital at any time her daughter may have been roaming the halls. She took on the night shift and scheduled all her surgeries to end by noon.

"Addison." Derek exclaimed when he saw her walking into the hospital as he was walking out at the end of the day. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of his voice. "Where have you been, I haven't seen you in weeks. Are you just getting to work?"

"New shift." she explained briefly.

"Oh, well... since I finally caught you I should ask: Are you planning on doing anything with Alexa anytime soon?" he wondered. "You just seemed so anxious to have her back and all but I just realized that you two haven't really spent too much time together. I think the only time you've seen her outside this hospital was at the police station."

"What are you talking about?" Addison asked. "Is this something that Alexa said or..."

"No! It's just an observation." he answered. "I was just wondering why you never do anything together, why you never talk...or even see each other. I thought you guys spoke and worked things out."

"We did speak and she told me that she doesn't want me in her life so I'm respecting her choices." Addison answered. "I don't want to force her to respect me or spend time with me. If she doesn't have a place for me in her new life than that's up to her."

"How can she not have a place for you? You're her mother. Doesn't that entitle you to the first position?"

"Derek, you make it sound like this was my choice. I didn't decide this, I'm simply respecting her wishes. She said that she wants nothing to do with me so... I did everything I could to respect her choices." she explained. "I promised that I wouldn't get into contact but I do still care, you know. I do think about her and wonder how she's doing with all of this."

"She's doing great, she's loving school. She took a placement exam to get in, and Meredith and I both thought she'd place low because she's never been to school a day in her life but she actually placed one grade higher than she's suppose to be in."

Addison smiled proudly. "That's great. I'm glad she's doing well." she replied softly. "I should go, I'm running late."

Mark was known for doing what he wanted and not caring what people thought of him. He didn't care that Addison and Derek didn't want him in Seattle. He was there because they were his family and he needed them to know exactly how sorry he was for his mistakes. He didn't expect them to forgive him, but at least he would know that he put in effort of mend the relationship.

He had been sitting in the lobby of the hospital for over an hour, assuming that he would eventually see Derek or Addison walking out. He somehow managed to miss Derek but saw Addison as soon she walked in. He got up and rushed to catch up with her as she practically ran up the stairs. "Addison!" he called, causing her to turn around.

"Mark." she returned into a small smile as she continued to her floor at a more manageable speed with him beside her. "I didn't see you, I'm running late. I'm not really paying attention to anything around me."

"I thought you'd take off your five and a half thousand dollar shoes and hit me with the end that has the heel." he admitted. He smiled and looked into her eyes, his lips automatically turning upside down in a frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." she insisted convincingly.

His brows furrowed together, her tone obviously sparking some sort of concern in him. "I'm not believing you." he told her smuggly. "Believe what you want, Mark. I really have to get going. I've got a hysterectomy scheduled in like...half an hour and I'm just getting to work."

"Who schedules a hysterectomy at like...midnight?" Mark asked.

Addison shrugged. "Well I have the night shift, so if someone wants me as their doctor than they've got to deal with the fact that I'm nocturnal." she replied semi-sarcastically.

"And there is the sarcasm. You are officially in defense mode, which means there is something that you're hiding from me. You pulled the 'It's nothing, I'm fine' move after Alexa was kidnapped, every time Derek would bail out on you you'd say that, you said that when he left you... I think it's only natural that I don't believe you this time." he answered. "Talk to me, your hysterectomy can wait- well not your's, the one you were suppose to do."

She sighed and looked up at him timidly, she walked into her office and left the door open for him,wordlessly allowing him to come in. "My mom died." she admitted in a low dull voice.

"Oh..."

"She had breast cancer apparently. She knew, according to her doctor. She found out about a month before she died. She didn't tell anyone, not even my dad knew." she continued. "He called me to let me know and I don't know what went through my mind but I went out and got tested to see if I have the gene... turns out I not only have the gene, but I've already got the disease."

"Addison." he gasped softly, wishing he could do something to turn back time and figure out a way to save her of the pain she was going to have to endure through the next few months. "Does Derek know? Have you told him? What's going on with him? I know we're not really friends anymore and you may hate me but...talking about it helps."

"Derek doesn't know. I don't want him to know, he's not going to find out. He and I- we weren't meant to be. He's got a girlfriend and he's happy. They're raising Alexa together and they don't need to know about me and my drama."

"Alexa? As in your daughter? She's back?"

"She is." Addison smiled. "She's back and she's beautiful and...everything I would ever ask for in a child. Getting the opportunity to see her again was seriously more than I could ever ask for. It's been hell since she was abducted, especially these last few years. But she's back and she's okay and... that's all a mother could want."

"What about you? What's going on with you? When does your treatment start?" he questioned. "You can't go through treatment alone, if you don't want to depend on Derek than you can come back to New York. I'm not going to force you to be with me, but I will be there for you no matter what." he offered sincerely.

She shook her head, wiping away the tear that was making it's way down her cheek. "I'm not getting treatment." she whimpered.

"What? That's insane, Addison. No! You are. You are getting treatment. You can't not get treatment. If you found it early than the survival rates are in your favor. You can do this, if anyone can do this it's you." he told her encouragingly.

"I will not put myself through that. The nausea, the weakness, lossing all my hair. I can't do that..."

Mark cut her off before she could go on. "You could get a mastectomy if it hasn't spread. And when you've recovered you can get reconstructive surgery, I'll find you an amazing surgeon. You'll literally have the most perfect boobs known to man. No one will know the difference."

"I am not cutting off my breasts, Mark." she told him with her mind made up. "How would you feel if I told you that you should cut off your penis."

"You've threatened it a few times." he joked, then hit himself for not knowing how to control himself. "I'm not asking you to sew your vagina shut, Addison. You can have breasts again.."

"Not mine." she specified. "I don't want little bags filled with some liquid in my chest. This is my decision, Mark."

"And there is no changing your mind?"

"No."

"I guess we'll see about that." he answered, obviously willing to give up on her or let her give up on herself. He walked out of her office, determined that something good should come out of his trip to Seattle. That something good being rescuing Addison from herself.

When Derek opened the door to his trailer the last person he expected to see was Mark. It took a lot of will power not to slam the door in his former best friend's face. He groaned and stood in the door frame. "What do you want?" he asked with no greeting.

"I need to talk to you." Mark told him firmly. "About Addison.. it's important. I just need you to listen to me, Derek."

Derek crossed his arms. "Are you trying to get my permission to date her or something like that?" he asked dryly.

"I came out here to try to apologize to you guys, see how you're doing. And I saw her and forgot all about that. She looks...it's like she's a whole new person. I got her to talk to me, and she told me that you didn't know and I didn't know how to tell, or what to tell her. So i figured I'd go behind her back and tell you even though she doesn't want you to know." He rambled. "I mean, she should have known, you're my best friend, I tell you everything."

"Mark!" Derek interrupted his seemingly endless monologue. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard that Alexa is back, by the way. Congratulations on that." he exhaled, taking in a fresh breath before he could tell Derek what he was there to tell him.

"Thanks." he mumbled, "Now what's going on with Addison that I absolutely need to know about? I saw her as I was leaving the hospital, you're right She doesn't really seem life the Addison we knew. She's become so...withdrawn recently. I thought it was because everything going on with Alexa. She's says that's all it is but now I'm guessing there is more."

"Bizzy died." Mark stated as soon as Derek closed his mouth. "..of breast cancer."

"That's why she seems so depressed?" Derek asked, his voice sounding less harsh about his presence. There was more concern and softness in his tone. "I know they weren't too close because Bizzy wasn't exactly maternal but she was still her mother and I guess there is some sort of sacred bond there."

"Yeah..."

"Is Addison worried that Alexa wouldn't feel anything if something were to happen to her?" Derek wondered, assuming that would be the worst thing for her at that point. Little did he know that the actual truth was a lot worse.

"She's got breast cancer too, Derek. And she doesn't want treatment." he said softly, not knowing exactly how he could tell his estranged best friend that his estranged wife was dying. "But now that you mention it, I think your assumption is probably somewhere on his mind."

"Addison has cancer?" Derek said slowly, seemingly now lost in a trace of his own. One that was very similar to the one is wife was currently in. Mark could literally see the color draining from Derek's face, and thought it was impossible, he could swear that he could hear his heart pounding faster than normal.

"I'm sorry, Derek." he offered solemnly, not knowing what else to say. "I don't know what's going on with you two. She mentioned you having a girl friend but.." he stopped talking and shrugged. "It's hard to imagine you with any other woman by your side. You're always gonna be Derek of Derek and Addison to anyone who knew you before...I happened. I'm sorry for everything but she needs you."

Yes, I really gave her breast cancer. It makes the whole situation more delicate.
What do you think? Wanna kill me for it?