Author's Note: Okay, so I have other fic to update. I know that. But I have Addex on the brain, and this chapter was literally eating me up inside. Once again, thanks to my amazing reviewers. I know I leave you guys hanging with more questions than answers sometimes, and as far as whether or not Derek knows...see, I haven't exactly figured out how much Derek knows. Actually, I have, but up until this chapter, not exactly how. Anyway, with that said, pretty much this entire chapter is Addex-ness...because they're addicting.

Addison's hair whipped around her face as she and Alex sat on the bench outside of the hospital. In her hand she grasped a bottle of water, and found herself suddenly fascinated with its blue cap.

"Addison-"Alex said, reaching towards her, his fingers brushing against her wrist. In that moment, he knew that a few people were walking by, and he was pretty sure there was someone on the glass-encased balcony staring down, but he didn't care. "I'm sorry I left this morning."

His words hit her as the cold wind blows past. It seemed to Addison that the day was particularly windy. A lot like how she was feeling-how she could go from feeling one thing straight to the next.

"It's okay."Addison said, still not looking at him.

"I just, I don't know why I did. I just figured you would need your time."

"It was your apartment. I can't kick you out of your apartment."Addison replied, letting her fingers intertwine with his. She stares at their hands together for a minute before speaking. She studies the lines on his tan hands, and how they perfectly sculpt straight into her ivory white. It's a perfect contradiction, and yet a perfect fit at the same time. "So what exactly do we have to talk about? At work, no less?"

"That, actually."Alex dead-panned. He stared at her, shrugging. "Well, that wasn't all of it. But it's definately part of the issue."

"What are you talking about?"Addison asked, meeting his gaze.

Alex sighed, shrugging again. "I just don't get how one day you can be this incredibly wonderful, you know, hot redhead...and then the next day you're just-shutting me out. If we-"He paused, contemplating. "If we're going to make this work, we're both gonna have to change things."

Addison, surprised by his words, managed to crack a smile. Alex had been thinking of it. Their future. "Both of us?"

He nodded, squeezing her hand. "I know you're my boss. Which-"He stopped, chuckling a little. "complicates this thing. But the Chief? He's atleast trying to make this work. And I'm just saying that in the five minutes that I do see you at work, that yeah, we act professional. But not so..."Alex stopped, almost cursing at himself. He was acting like a chick-or, well, almost to a degree like Meredith with the whole Derek thing. He had to stop hanging with them at lunch.

"Alex?"Addison asked, aware of the fact that they had been outside for nearly a half-hour.

"People are gonna find out about us, Addison. And yes, I don't care. The fact is just that..."

"You don't want any of this to jeopardize your career."Addison replied, cutting him off coldly.

"Adds, come on. That isn't what I meant. You can't-You can't take it like that. I'm just saying that-"Alex drifted off, studying the clouds stirring in the sky.

The fact that he had stopped talking didn't go unnoticed by Addison. She waited, counting to five before even trying to talk.

"If you want out of this..."

"No."Alex replied, gripping her hand even tighter. Staring into her eyes, the images of the locked in the exam room flashed before his eyes. He saw her scared, alone. Thinking back, it hit him that she had been pregnant then, with his child. If she had been hurt-the thought made him shudder, anger rising. "I'm just concerned about how much people know already without us telling them. And I'm concerned about what this is going to do to you...to your safety, and health, and I-"

"My health is perfectly fine, Alex. I haven't had a cup of coffee in..."Addison paused, laughing. "What are you getting at?"

Alex smiled, shrugging. "This baby is gonna...it's gonna change things."

She nodded. "It already has."

"Yeah, I know. But I mean-you...you still have your reservation at the hotel. Most of your stuff is already at the apartment, but with the hotel room. It just...it makes me wonder is all."

She felt the wind stir, her heart beginning to race in her chest. "What exactly are you trying to get at, Karev? Are you implying that something should be different about our...situation?"

"Situation?"

"For lack of a better word?"

"Relationship?"

"We're in one."

Alex nodded, his eyes staring at the big, glass doors of Seattle Grace Hospital. He knew it was true. That he and Addison were in a realtionship. That there was love there. But as his pager beeped, and he saw the flash of black hair above them, he realized he'd never been more thankful to not be interested in neurology.

Alex strided through the hallway, finding himself flipping through a patient's file. He now had less than an hour left in his shift, and therefore found the need to check up on patients before he left. It wasn't long before he noticed that Meredith had fallen in step with him.

"Hey."

He shrugged, shutting the folder. "Hey. Where are you headed?"

"OR 3...an appendectomy. You?"

"Seriously? You realize the shift is over in-"

"And I came in early. I've been working more hours. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"Meredith asked, pulling her hair up into a ponytail.

"No reason...particularly."

"Oh, so it's the Addison thing."She said as they got into the elevator. "Going down?"

"Yep."He said, purposefully ignoring her gaze.

"You know you're still part of the family, right?"She asked. "The whole intern thing?..."

"I've been busy lately."Alex feigned. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

Meredoth sighed, crossing her arms. In truth, she had no idea why she was mentioning it to him. Because she knew exactly how George, or better yet, Izzie could react. "Because we're having a party soon at the house, you know to celebrate one year in the program and us surviving or whatever, and I just that you'd wanna come."

Alex laughed, trying to guage her reaction. It hadn't occured to him that it had been nearly a year since he began his work as an intern. So much had happened and changed, it was enough to make anyone dizzy.

"Alex? It was just a question."She said, walking through the doors of the elevator. "Or an invitation. However you wanna take it."

Addison pulled her hair back from her neck, fanning it as she studied her patient's chart. She adjusted her glasses on her nose, subconciously paying attention to the tapping sound next to her. Turning her head, she saw Callie. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long. Why?"Callie asked, sensing Addison's irritation.

Addison smiled, shaking her head. "You could say today hasn't been the best day ever...minus a few conversations, and delivering a set of twins, I'd say today is pretty shot."

Callie smiled, nodding. "I can second that."She said, her hand in her coat pocket. "Do you have plans?"

"Tonight?"

Callie nodded.

"That depends. What exactly did you have in mind?"She asked.

"Well I was gonna grab a drink at Joe's. George is..off planning his little intern shindig with Izzie and Meredith, like they don't have anything better to do."

"Places to go, lives to save?"Addison asked, smirking. "Anyway, I...can't."

"Oh. Okay."Callie replied, disappointed.

"No, it's-"Addison stopped, clearing her throat.

"Alex Karev."

"What? How did you-''

"Hey, I didn't exactly say how much I knew, or that I knew anything for that matter. But the fact is that you two were out talking on the bench earlier, and apparently a couple of nurses like to be chatty...anyway, I don't know anything."She stopped, trying to gauge her response. "Do I...need to know anything?"

Addison shrugged, sighing. "I wish I could answer that. But unfortunately I seem to have a lack of answers lately myself."

"Do any of them have anything to do with the reason you can't come to Joe's tonight?"Callie asked. She could tell that Addison was visibly stressed, and seeing that they, over the course of a few months had grown into friends, she wanted her to know that she could be counted on.

"Yes. And yes, I have...issues. Problems, I was locked in an exam room when a man held a gun at me, and I'm still having dreams about it. But I can't really say anything, because the person I was captured with is the man I'm sleeping with, who just happens to be an intern at this hospital who just..."Addison stopped, feeling heat begin to creep into her cheeks. She took a deep breath, leaning against the counter.

"I knew life was complicated, but I wish I would have thought of this Joe's idea sooner. 'Cause from the sounds of things you could really use it."Callie replied, suddenly realizing that what she said could have been taken as an insult. "Addison, I didn't mean-"

Addison nodded, waving a hand at her. "It's okay. Really."

"But you said you couldn't go. Life is complicated enough for me with the George thing, so with you and your Alex thing, shouldn't that be reason enough to want to-"Callie paused, studying the look on her friend's face. She laughed a little, just short of shaking her head in disbelief. "You aren't...are you?"

Addison suddenly found the linoleum of the floor particularly interesting,

Alex wan in the shower when Addison got to the apartment, but Addison let herself in, busying herself with the things she did after work. She went into the room, changing into a pair of shorts and, finding all of her clothes dirty, or not right for the occasion, she slipped on a T-Shirt of Alex's. Walking out into the kitchen, she grabbed a bag of pretzels from the cabinet, turning to the other side to grab a cup. Pausing, the calendar on the wall caught her eye.

The day for her appointment was marked, and she hadn't been the one to write it down.

Smiling, Addison pulled the glass out, hearing Alex enter the kitchen. She nodded at him, pouring her drink.

Alex walked behind her, wearing nothing but his shorts, his towel still around his neck. He kissed her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist. "So you find my clothes comfortable, huh?"

"If I would have known that you would need it, I wouldn't have."

"Nah. I, uh...It looks good on you."

She laughed, turning around. "But there is something you should know."

"Oh? Can it wait 'til after the chicken alfredo?"He asked, pointing to the microwave.

"I told Callie."

"Oh. And?"

"Actually...she...kind of...guessed. By the way, I see that you have, um-the date-"

"I was trying to ask you to move in."

Addison's mouth hung open, raising an eyebrow. She was thankful the counter was behind her, her hands held firm. "Oh."