A/N: Welcome to the end of the story. Thanks for reading along and I hope you've enjoyed it! :)

Chapter 13

The ride home seemed longer than normal. Addison was unusually quiet, and it did not go unnoticed by Derek.

He cleared his throat and adjusted his hands on the steering wheel, feeling the leather twist beneath his sweaty palms. "Earlier… I didn't really get to finish."

Addison stared straight ahead, unable to look at him. "Did you really mean all of that? Or is it just because Mark showed up and you want to 'win'?"

"You're not a competition, Addie."

"I'm finding that harder and harder to believe."

Derek abruptly pulled the car over several lanes, eliciting a series of angry honks from the cars around them.

"Jesus, Derek," Addison huffed as she looked over her shoulder at the traffic, surprised they made it through unscathed.

Derek put the car in park and turned to face her. "I meant every word I said in the hospital. I want you to know that."

"What if this never happened? What if Christmas night never happened? Would you still feel the same way, or is it obligation that's caused you to have a change of heart?"

A few beats of silence passed as Derek soaked in Addison's words and the reality of how far they had fallen. He looked around at the interior of his old jeep. The leather seats were cracked in places and the faded khaki colored fabric on the ceiling was beginning to tatter at the edges. It felt like home, though it could use some repairs.

The same could be said for his marriage.

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and took a deep breath.

"I think no matter what, I would have realized my mistake in letting you down and letting you go. Would it happen as quickly or in the same way? I can't say. But I know that no matter what, I'll always need you in my life and that will never change. However long it would have taken me to realize that, had Christmas night never happened, is hard to say too, but I would hope it was just as soon. Because I love you, Addie."

Addison felt a battle raging inside. One side of her wanted to joyfully weep for the repair of her marriage. The other warned her sinisterly of how much Derek hated her at one point and of how alone she had been in going through one storm after another. But one thing remained true, she had never wanted to stop fighting for their marriage.

And now Derek had finally joined her in the fight.

Addison looked down at her wedding ring. The little circle of hope she had clung onto so desperately. She twisted it around and around as she mulled over her own thoughts.

"I know I came to Seattle so that we could save our marriage, or at least try. But you know, between being alone all the time in New York, fighting with you as much as we did and everything that's happened here, I really lost myself somewhere along the way."

Addison's blue eyes met Derek's.

"I don't want to go through that again. If we're going to fight for this marriage, I need us to really fight. I can't do it if that's all we'll become again. We were really great for a long time. We were a team. I don't even remember when it started changing, or why really."

"I was prioritizing the wrong things. That's what happened," Derek interjected. "You had started talking about having a family, kids. I thought my work would suffer, that I wouldn't achieve what I wanted to achieve. I was an idiot."

"I shouldn't have pushed so hard," Addison said.

Derek shook his head. "No. We should have had a conversation about it instead of me burying myself in work to avoid it. So many fights could have been prevented. I should have been present. I shouldn't have let Mark fill my role."

"I shouldn't have either," Addison said so quietly, Derek almost didn't catch it.

She looked past him out of the car window. Cars zoomed by so fast on the freeway that they had become blurry lines of color. She briefly wondered if they'd survive if one of those cars hit them.

Addison's face twisted with uncertainty. After a pregnant pause, she finally broke the silence.

"So, what do we do?"

Derek's hand slowly crept over the console to hers. "How about we start over?"

"And how do we do that?"

"By loving one another, fully. Like we did before we got into our residency."

A small close-lipped smile bloomed across Derek's face, and he watched as an equally trepid smile stretched across Addison's own beautiful features.

"Okay then. Let's start over," she said quietly.

"How about a cab?" Derek called as he rifled through his small collection of wine bottles. It was a far cry from their selection in New York.

"Perfect," Addison answered as she breezed through the trailer and stepped outside, clad in a heavy coat of Derek's that hung loosely around her shoulders.

Derek removed the cork, releasing a little burst of air with a soft pop! He poured two generous glasses and headed outside to join Addison.

She was already sitting on the edge of the makeshift deck when he walked over and sat down next to her.

"It is a beautiful piece of property," she admitted as she accepted her glass of wine.

Derek looked out at the view through her eyes and nodded. A sea of overgrown grass blew in the wind and revealed a deep valley just beyond the edge, where weeds and flowers grew wildly in patchy clumps. "I'm glad you've come to your senses," he teased.

Addison nudged his shoulder gently. "The property," she stated matter-of-factly. "Not the trailer. Just so we're clear."

"Well then, what kind of house would you build here?"

"A big one," she laughed, causing Derek to grin.

"Okay, okay. I would build a house with exposed framework of patinated wood and cathedral ceilings so it would have big, beautiful windows." She lolled her head to the side and sighed wistfully.

"That does sound nice," he mused. "You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

"Only when I can't fit but one of my dresses in that tiny closet or when I bump my toe on the stove that's right next to the tub."

Derek rolled his eyes playfully. "That's a bit dramatic. The stove isn't next to the tub."

Addison pulled her legs up and rested her cheek on her knees so that she was facing Derek. She gave him a sly smile with the side of her face that wasn't pressed against her knees.

"Fine, but it might as well be."

"What, you don't want to cook and shower at the same time?"

"I think I'll pass."

"Well then. I guess we'd better get to planning." He took a sip of his wine nonchalantly.

Addison raised an eyebrow. "Suddenly ready to jump on a house, are we?"

"Oh, well if you'd rather stay in the trailer a little long-"

"No, no! Jumping is good. Let's jump!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, sitting up straight again.

Derek laughed. It felt good to laugh with her again. No one could play a match of playful banter like Addison could.

"Can we finish our wine inside? It's really cold out here," he admitted.

"I'm so glad you said something," she said hurriedly as she climbed to her feet. "I'm freezing. I need blankets. And lots of them."

"I can think of something else that might warm us up."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Oh yeah," Derek replied before chasing her into the bedroom and falling onto the bed with her. He pressed his lips hot against hers.

"I think this will do," Addison grinned before shedding her clothes.