a/n: a nice long last chapter. how sad. i'm not incredibly happy with this chapter, but i'll live and you will too.

for the last time, it ain't mine


Here's the thing, time moves on, whether or not you want it to. Time marched steadily on until Addison and Alex were dealing with a full blown teenager. At sixteen years old, Aiden was gorgeous (how could she not be?), smart, and way too stubborn. She loved English, drama and she claimed to love her boyfriend, Tuck Bailey. She hated surgery, she hated hospitals, and at times she claimed to hate her parents.

This was one of those times. "I hate you!" she screamed, slamming the door to her room. "I'm going to go live with Mark! He'd let me go to the movies with my friends!" This was one of her more common threats.

Addison sat down at the kitchen table, rubbing her temples. Alex walked behind her chair and started massaging her back. "She doesn't mean it," he told her, correctly reading into her slumped posture that she was hurting from the "I hate you".

"I know," she replied. Despite her words, tears glistened in her eyes. "But it doesn't help." She looked so tired. It was one of the few times Addison actually looked her age, when the lines on her face deepened and her eyes became tired.

"I know," he said, pulling her up and into a hug. "Don't cry," he pleaded. "I hate it when you cry."

"I know." They stood there for a minute, Addison's head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, letting it comfort her. Then she randomly asked, "Do you think we've spoilt her?"

"What?"

"Is she such a brat because we've spoilt her too badly?"

"Addie, she's a brat because she's a teenager, not because we've spoiled her."

"It's just that-"

"Addie, she is a great kid. She's just going through a phase."

"I know that, it's just that-"

"Addison, it is not your fault, it isn't my fault, it's no one's fault."

The both looked up as two nine year olds walked into the kitchen. They had brown hair and blue eyes and Addison's fair complexion. "We're home!" the girl nearly shrieked.

"Mom, what's wrong?" the boy asked, concerned.

Addison quickly brushed away her tears. "Nothing," she assured him. "How was school, Jake?"

"It was okay," he said.

"Only okay?" she asked, raising her eyebrow in her trademark style.

"It was more than okay," the little girl said, hugging her dad. "It was great. We had an assembly on selling magazines and we got to see the prizes. They're so cool!"

"Lacy, why don't we give Jake a chance to talk?" Alex asked her.

"Why? He'll just say it was okay some more and then you'd never get to hear about our day."

Alex looked at his son. "Jake, how was your day?"

"It was okay."

Addison dropped her head into her hands, struggling not to laugh. "What, Mom?" Jake asked.

"N-nothing," she sputtered. "Nice call, Lace."

"I told you. Where's Aiden? I want to tell her about the magazine assembly."

"I don't think that's such a great idea, sweetie. Aiden's grumpy today," Alex said.

"Understatement of the century," Addison muttered.

"Oh. Okay," Lacy said. She idolized her older sister and hated when she yelled at her. She knew that "grumpy" was code for "stay the heck away from that girl if you like your head where it is". "I'm gonna go do homework," she announced. "Come on Jake."

Together the twins walked out of the room. Addison and Alex watched them go. Addison marveled at how tall they were getting. "It seems like just yesterday Lacy was saying she was going to be Cinderella when she grew up," Addison commented.

"And Jake was going to be a firefighter."

"Isn't that what he still says?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"I miss those days," Addison sighs.

"I know. Me too."

Unbeknownst to them, Aiden had crept into the kitchen. Although she was subject to loud, messy blow ups, she was a good kid and a pacifist by nature. As much as she loved arguing, she hated anger and hate. She wrapped her arms around her mother and whispered, "I'm sorry, Mom."

"It's okay," Addison said, kissing her daughter's cheek. She never could stay mad at her. She was her little girl, always had been, always would be.

"Sorry, Daddy," Aiden said, moving to hug her father. Although she had long since stopped calling Addison "Mommy", she had never grown out of calling him "Daddy".

"Don't do that again," he whispered in her ear. "It really hurts your mom."

Aiden looked down guiltily. "I won't. Promise."

They went through this ritual at least once a month and her promise was always broken, but it couldn't be helped. The girl was doomed with the tempers of Addison Forbes Montgomery-Karev and Mark Sloan. Alex understood. His own kids didn't fare much better.

"Stop whispering," Addison ordered. "I feel like you're talking about me."

Aiden started whispering nonsense into her dad's ear, whisper-yelling "Mom" every once in awhile and throwing furtive glances at her. Alex played along. Addison got up and walked over to them, playfully swatting both of them. "Stop," she commanded.

"Make me," Alex challenged.

"Gladly," Addison replied coolly. Alex moved over to her and kissed her.

"Ew, gross!" Aiden moaned. "I can't see! I'm blind!" she yelled dramatically. "God, just go into your bedroom and shut the door if you're going to do that," she ordered. Alex looked as if he was seriously considering it. "Okay, double ew! Ugh!" Aiden grunted and walked off. Alex threw a sidelong glance at Addison. Their room was on the ground floor while the kids' rooms were on the top and on the other side of the house for precisely this reason. The door to their bedroom was closed and locked as they walked through it. When Lacey and Jake asked where their parents were Aiden replied that they were taking a nap even as she grimaced, knowing what was going on behind that closed door.

GAGAGAGAGAGAGA

Every Friday the entire family would get together with the Duquettes and the Shepherds, the remainder of the original staff from years ago. Addison always loved this tradition, it filled the house with noise and laughter. It was tradition they would keep even after the kids had gone off to college.

"Alex?" she yelled into the living room from the kitchen where she was making pasta. "Can you run to the store?"

"I'm not running there," Alex replied as he walked into the room. Addison stared at his blatant no. "I'll drive, but I'm not running. What do you need?" Addison swatted him and returned to the stove. "See, for that I should just not go," he said.

"Eggs," Addison talked over him. "I forgot eggs and Izzie needs eggs for cookies. And unless you go to the store and get those eggs then we won't have cookies. And I know how much you love those cookies."

"They are amazing," Meredith put in from the counter where she was making the salad, the extent of her culinary skills, even after four kids.

"I know," Izzie said smugly.

"Hey, Iz, can you go ask Denny when the steaks are going to be done?" Addison asked. This was how the dinner worked. The guys rotated grilling something, Addison cooked pasta, Meredith made salad, and Izzie did dessert. Aiden and Amaryl watched over the younger kids, the youngest of whom was Millie at five years old and Derek and Meredith's fourth, and gossiped. The other kids ran around and stirred up troubled.

"'Scuse me, coming through!" Lacey yelled as she ran through the kitchen, away from Matt Shepherd.

"Lacey, don't run in the house!" Addison called after her, but her cries fell upon deaf ears.

"Matthew Shepherd, calm down!" Meredith yelled at her son, who also didn't listen.

As hard as the parents tried to exert some sort of power and control over their collective eight children, Friday nights seemed to have an effect that made any control the children's.

"I'm going," Alex announced as he grabbed his car keys. "Be back," he promised, kissing Addison on the cheek.

"Drive safe. Don't get in a car crash. I will kill you if you do," she threatened as she always did.

"No worries, Adds."

He returned safely, as he always did, gave Izzie the eggs, and returned outside to listen to a conversation that didn't involve what scrub nurse Mark Sloan was currently sleeping with.

"Dinner!" Addison called minutes later.

"Everyone please note the wonderfully tossed salad," Meredith said when everyone was seated.

"And the beautifully prepared pasta," Addison added.

"And the cookies!" Izzie exclaimed, "Don't forget the cookies."

"The salad looks great, Mer," Derek complimented his wife.

"And the cookies are going to be great," Denny added.

"Yeah, can't wait for those cookies," Alex added. Addison slapped him playfully when he was silent. "And the pasta. Doesn't the pasta look great, Aidie?"

"Pasta looks great, Mom," Aiden agreed. She was used to this sort of thing, it happened every night at dinner. Sometimes she even said it before her dad asked.

"Thank you," Addison said graciously. Alex leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Aidie and Addie," Derek said randomly. Everyone over fifteen stopped and stared at him. Matthew poked Lacey and Jake poked Theresa, imitating his idol. Theresa swatted Jake and Lacey swatted Matthew. Millie tried talking to her older sister Christie, whose real name was Christina (after a long struggle, Derek finally agreed to let one of his kids be named after Meredith's person), but who was too busy trying to look grown-up, and listen to the conversation the adults were having, to talk back.

"Yeah. What about it?" Addison asked.

"I just never noticed the similarity," Derek said.

"Oh my God, Derek," Izzie groaned.

"Seriously," Meredith added. "You're a moron."

"Ah, Mer, I love you too."

"Shut up."

After dinner the adults sat around the table while Aiden and Amaryl put on a movie for the kids to watch.

"So… how's it going in neuro?" Addison asked the Shepherds.

"Fine. In neonatal?" Meredith answered. Meredith seemed a little stiff tonight Addison noticed, like she was upset about something. She had done the bantering thing well and she had never yelled or anything, but she seemed off, like she was trying too hard or something. In fact, something seemed off about the whole night. Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what it was. Then she realized. The Shepherds, normally the most touchy-feely couple in the bunch, hadn't touched once all night.

"Fine. Um, don't take this the wrong way or think I'm being rude or anything, but is everything all right between you?" Addison inquired, glancing between Meredith and Derek.

Meredith glanced around to make sure that none of the children were around. "No," she answered. "Derek told me something today and I'm not sure if I can forgive him."

"Derek, what'd you do this time?" Izzie moaned.

"Oh, he did plenty," Meredith answered for him. "He slept with Addison."

Everyone looked at Derek and Addison. Addison found something in her wine glass very interesting and Derek stared straight ahead. Alex, who had been holding Addison's hand under the table, drew his hand back. It caused Addison to look up and realize how Meredith had just made it sound. "Years ago!" she explained to Alex. "You knew about it, I told you. She doesn't mean now, I haven't slept with anyone except you since the first time we slept together, I swear." She grabbed his hand, not wanting him to be upset with her. "I know I don't have a stellar record in the monogamy thing, but please believe me," she pleaded.

His face remained impassive for a moment, during which Addison's bottom lip started to tremble, a sign that she was about to start crying, then looked at her. "Always," he said.

Addison smiled at him and turned to Meredith. "I'm really sorry. We were drunk and I don't even remember what made it seem like a good idea at the time."

"I'm not mad about that," Meredith insisted, "I'm mad that no one thought, 'Oh, maybe we should tell Meredith. Maybe Meredith has a right to know. Maybe Meredith might want to know that she was cheated on, that her husband slept with his ex-wife after they split.' I just want to know, why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I left it up to him," Addison replied, nodding at Derek, placing the blame away from her, "I figured it was his decision."

Derek opened his mouth to explain, but Meredith said, "We will talk about this later. For now, I'm not talking to you and we are going to get the kids and go home." She stormed out of the room and Derek trailed after her.

"They'll make up," Izzie said. "They always do."

"They have to," Addison agreed.

"They will," Alex said confidently.

They did.

GAGAGAGAGAGAGA

Two years later, Addison and Alex were helping Aiden settle into her dorm room at UCLA. Addison did an admirable job of staying composed until the time came to say goodbye. "You have everything?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, Mom."

"You have your phone?"

"That would be included in everything, so yes."

"And you have both my number and your dad's?"

"Yes, Mom."

"And you'll call soon?"

"Yes, Mom."

"And you have Naomi's number?"

"Yes, Mother."

"And you'll call her if you need anything?"

"Mother! Yes! Okay?"

"Right, sorry. It's just…"

"I know," Aiden said. "I'll miss you too." She hugged her mom one last time and looked over at her dad. "I assume you want one too?" He didn't respond, so she moved over to him anyways. "Bye, Daddy, love you."

"Love you too, Aidie. Stay out of trouble."

"Always! Love you, Mom."

"Enough for one last hug?"

Aiden rolled her eyes. "One last hug." She opened her arms and let her mother hug her again. "Okay, and now you need to go if you're going to make your flight. I love you both. Bye!" She kissed both her parents and shoved them towards their rental car.

As they climbed into the car and Alex started the engine, Addison turned to him. "She's grown up."

"She's grown up," he agreed.

"When did that happen?"

"I don't know."

"She'll be okay, though, right?"

"She'll be fine. Addie, you need to stop freaking out. She's ready."

"I know, but-"

"She's going to be fine. And we're going to fly home, pick up Jake and Lacey and take care of them, okay?"

Addison nodded. It was times like these when she was so glad she had Alex. He was her rock, the one who saw the rational side to things, the one who comforted her when she needed it. There was no way that she could have possibly sent Aiden off to college without him, she would have broken down. "I can do this," she said.

"We can do this. You're not alone, Addie."

Looking at his face, she knew he meant it. She'd never be alone, not ever again. It felt good. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too."

"Let's go home."

If asked what one thing she learned in her life was, Addison knew what she'd answer; when things get tough, find someone to take care of you, it's the only way to survive. Alex took care of her and she took care of him. They'd survive.


ah, i'm going to miss aiden. oh well, all good things must come to an end. so for the last time,

reviews?

-Lauren