a/n: the last chapter -sob!- oh well, judging by the feedback i'm going to write a sequel, but i can't promise it'll be anywhere near as good as this one, because this one kinda just came to me... but look for it anyays! it'll probably called 'A Troubled Proposal' or something like that... don't worry, I'll put that it's the sequel in the summary, so check there.

disclaimer: let's put it this way... if you recognize it from the show i don't own it


After what seemed like days of waiting (but it was really only another hour and a half) Chief came to see Addison.

"How is she? Is she going to be okay?" Addison asked anxiously.

"She really took a beating. But it looks like she'll be fine, eventually. I just want to know what caused this."

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. Can I see her?"

"Go right ahead, she's in room 341 right now."

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When Addison walked into the room, she stopped at the door she was so frightened by what she saw. Someone had really done a number on Holli. She had cuts and bruises all over her face and her bottom lip was insanely swollen. She looked at her chart and saw that she had two broken ribs and had needed stitches on four deep cuts. She was ready to kill anyone who had done this to her godchild. And the worst part was that she felt like she could have stopped it. Like maybe if she hadn't pushed the topic of her black eye, it wouldn't have happened. She was supposed to be there for Holli, damn it! And not just as a godmother, but as a friend.

Holli looked so peaceful, like maybe she wasn't in pain, though, so Addison walked into the room and took her hand. A small smile graced Holli's lips, and Addison had never seen Holli look so content or beautiful. The fact that she was hurt completely disappeared whenever she smiled.

"I am so sorry, Holli. I shouldn't have let this happen. I should have been there. But why won't you tell me what's going on? It kills me that you think you can't talk to me."

"It's not your fault," Holli whispered, making Addison jump, but she stayed quiet; hoping that maybe Holli would finally tell her what was going on. "It's just- it's just so hard to talk about it. I mean- she's my mom. I'm supposed to love her. But I can't do that when she doesn't love me. You remember when you asked how I knew she didn't love me? This is how, okay? I make her mad and end up looking like this. I was so happy to leave and come here and get a fresh start. Like maybe if I was gone for awhile and then came back, she would realize that she was wrong. But it obviously didn't work," she made a feeble attempt at a smile, but it hurt, so it was more a grimace than a smile, "I wanted to tell you, but I- I just couldn't. I've never told anyone and I didn't know what to do or what to say. So I pushed you away, because you were so close to figuring it out, and no one's ever been that close to me before. I'm so sorry I yelled at you today. I didn't mean it at all. I don't want you out of my life, I like you here."

"I don't have any plans to leave, I promise. You said it to me and I'll say it to you, I'll always be here for you, alright?"

"Okay. Thanks."

"I haven't done anything," Addison protested.

"You've been here, and that's more than anyone's ever done for me."

"Aww… isn't that sweet? I was wondering where you had headed off to," a woman's voice sneered. Addison turned around, and sure enough, it was Marcie.

"You need to leave," she ordered coldly, standing up.

"That," she pointed at Holli, "Is my daughter, so back off. You have no right to keep me away from her."

"I do when you've been abusing her. What happened to you, Marcie? Why are you like this? When did you become so messed up?" she asked in a softer voice.

"Leave me alone, Addison. And don't you dare talk to me about messed up. I didn't get married and cheat on the guy with his best friend. If that isn't messed up then I don't know what is."

"Mom," Holli started bravely, banking on the fact that her mother wouldn't hurt her with someone else in the room. "Go away. And if your not going to, then stop insulting Addison, because she's a better person than you could ever even dream of being. She saves people's lives every day and she's saved mine twice. What do you do all day? You sit around and get drunk and hurt people. So you shouldn't even be allowed in the same room as her, because you're that insulting."

During her speech her mother had inched over to the bed, until she was standing right over it. Addison was watching her warily, ready to stop anything that might happen. So when Marcie raised her hand to strike her daughter, and Holli flinched, ready for the blow, her hand shot out and grabbed the hand. "Don't even think about it. Now I suggest that you leave, before I call the police," she said politely, icily. An insulted Marcie turned around and stormed out.

"Oh thank God. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Holli exclaimed, hugging Addison's waist.

"You don't have to put up with that you know," Addison commented, still staring at the door.

"Yeah I do, she's my mom and I'm a minor. What can I do?"

Addison thought about this for a moment. "You could become an emancipated minor."

"A what?" Holli shook her head, not following.

"An emancipated minor," Addison repeated, "Basically, you're a legal adult, even though you're technically a minor."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but it sounds complicated and like a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo and forms. The forms are especially difficult, considering I'm stuck in bed."

"I can help you out with all that. Come on. For a girl with an abusive mother, you sure don't sound like you want to get away from it…"

"I do, I really do! But, I don't know, it's like, well, she's the only thing I've ever really known, and it seems terrifying to be free from that, even though it's really terrifying just being in that situation every day."

"I'm not going to let you not do this. I'm not letting you stay in this situation. You don't get it, do you Holli? She seemed at least kind of sober right now. If this is what she's capable of when she's some form of sober, imagine what she could do really drunk! She could kill you, and not care. You've said it yourself, she hates you. Why should she care if you're gone? You think that I'm going to allow you to stay somewhere where you could be killed? I happen to like you, and I would prefer to talk to your face and not your grave!"

"Okay, so say I go through with this. What happens when I'm on break from school? I don't have anywhere to go! She's the only home I've ever had!"

"Stay with me."

"Excuse me?"

"You can stay with me. Come on, I've got an extra room, well, any house I buy will anyway. And it's not like we're bitter enemies or anything. You know you want to!"

Holli sighed, "I hope to God I don't regret this, but okay. Let's do it."

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A couple months later and it was official, Holli was an adult. The bruises and cuts were also gone from her face, save a few small scars, and her ribs were well on her way to being completely healed and she was up and walking. Every day Addison would come and talk and they'd walk around the hospital. Didn't matter where, they just walked wherever their feet would take them. One day the elevator they were on stopped and opened to find Alex standing there waiting to get on. Addison froze up, and Holli stood quietly in the back of the elevator. "I'm sorry, I'll just wait for another elevator," he mumbled.

"Karev, don't be stupid," Holli interjected, "It's not a big deal, just an elevator ride. Come on; get on before the doors close."

"Alright," he said to Holli, and then to himself, "This is gonna be awkward."

They rode in silence for a couple floors, but as they were between floors the elevator grinded to a stop. "Great, just great," Addison muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I don't want to be here any more than you do," Alex said to her. That just made things worse so they just stood in silence for five minutes, until Holli couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh for God's sake! You two are acting like your five years old, giving each other the silent treatment! Can't you at least talk about it? Because we're going to be here for awhile, and I can't stand that much silence!"

"I tried to talk to her about it, to apologize to her, but she told me to go away, so I did. I have nothing to say," Alex said.

"You apologized to her?" Holli asked. When he nodded, she looked over at Addison, "You never said he apologized! And you didn't accept it? What are you, crazy?!"

"I- I don't know."

"Addison," Holli sighed, "He did apologize."

"I know."

"Did it ever occur to either of you, while you're talking about me like I'm not in the room, that maybe I don't mean it anymore?" Alex almost yelled. "That maybe the fact that she pushed me away made me think? That maybe I don't want her anymore?" Now he was yelling.

"Well, I don't have an issue with that!" Addison yelled back, "Because I don't want you either! I am so sick of you, Alex Karev! You act like you're the hottest thing ever, and everyone should want you! I've got news for you, Karev, not everyone does!"

"May I remind you that it was not me who made the first move? That was all you, Addison!"

"Yeah, and I'm sorry I did it! Face it; you're just another Mark Sloane, another manwhore! You mean nothing to me anymore."

"Would you both just shut up?" Holli screeched. "You're hurting each other, and I know you're both lying! Adds, I know he means everything to you, and Karev, I've seen the way you look at her, and that is not the look of a man who doesn't want her. Both of you clearly have issues, that we may as well clear while we're stuck here."

Addison and Alex both stared at her in shock. But she wasn't quite done yet, "What are you both so afraid of?" she carried on at the same level of loud, "What is keeping you from being happy?"

"I tried to apologize, I did, this is all her," Alex replied, hands in the air in defense of himself.

"Well, Addison?" Holli looked at her expectantly.

"It's just- well, it's just that- I don't know why, okay?"

"Then we're just going to have to talk through the entire thing, because neither of you are getting out of this elevator until this is solved," Holli crossed her arms, "Let's start at the beginning of this entire thing. Karev, why the hell did you tell her she wasn't your girlfriend?"

"Are we in couples' counseling or something?" he asked, stalling.

"Answer the question, Karev," Holli sounded annoyed.

"For two reasons, I guess. Ava told me she heard you talking to Dr. Torres outside of her room saying that you wanted someone to settle down with, and that scared the shit out of me, that I was possibly that guy. And then I thought that even if we did have a relationship, what if you cheated on me? Because I couldn't take that, I just couldn't."

"How do you even know that I would cheat?" Addison asked angrily.

"Addison! You cheated on McDreamy! What's going to stop you from cheating on me?"

"How about the fact that I was drunk when I cheated on him?"

"So what's going to stop you from getting drunk and cheating on me?"

"I wouldn't do that! Why do you think that I'm capable of that anymore? I'm not. I have to live with the fact that I cheated on my husband every single day of my life. I have to live with being disgusted and angry with myself! I can barely look at myself in a mirror anymore, I hate myself that much! You think I enjoy cheating on people?" she yelled, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Addison- I am so sorry," he stated simply. "But you pushed me away, why?"

"I don't know, I just don't know. I think I was afraid if I let you in then you would see that I'm not perfect, I'm broken and I hate myself and then you wouldn't want me anymore," she answered, staring at the floor.

He crossed the small space and gathered her into a hug. "You shouldn't hate yourself. There's absolutely nothing to hate," he murmured, stroking her hair.

"This is all very cute and all, but would you please just kiss her, cuz you're starting to get on my nerves," Holli demanded. Alex complied and kissed Addison sweetly on the lips. Addison surprised him by deepening the kiss. All the pent up emotions were coming out in this kiss, and it was getting quite hot. "Okay, I didn't say have sex with her here and now. Could you just please wait until you can get an on call room or something? Cuz as much as I love the two of you together, it would be really traumatizing to watch you go at it," she said bluntly, causing them to jump back guiltily. And then miracle of miracles, the elevator started moving.

"Well, that's convenient," Addison commented, "Almost like someone planned it," she glared at Holli, who held her hands up in self-defense.

"I didn't do it, I swear. It was just really lucky is all," Just as she finished saying this, the doors opened and she walked off. Addison started to get off but Alex grabbed her hand.

"Oh no you don't. You don't get to leave 'til I say what I have to say."

"And what's that?" she asked teasingly.

He took a breath and simply said, "I love you."

She stared at him in shock. It seemed like her heart had stopped and it took it a moment to start functioning again, during which time Alex started to worry that he had said too much and she was going to run again. But when she finally gained control of her body again she said, "I love you too."

So he kissed her, soft and sweet, like he had imagined kissing her so many times.


THE END!!! aw how sad! want to review and make the buttons day?!