As always - thanks for the reviews!! Hope you enjoy this chapter... Since I can't decide on whether it should be Addek or Addex, I have put on a poll on my profile and I decided that I was going to make the guy with the most votes get the girl...

But feel free to tell me who you think she should pick and why and I am actually just begging for reviews. Lol.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

CHAPTER 4

"Come in!"

Richard Webber looks up when Addison enters his office, flashing her a quick smile.

"Addison."

"You paged me?"

"Yeah… sit down…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all…"

"Did you want to talk to me about a new case?"

"No."

She quirks an eyebrow, staring at him.

"Okay… so what's going on?"

"I wanted to talk to you as a friend, Addie…"

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

This was not going to be easy, Richard realised as she stared back at him – her eyes devoid of all emotion.

"Come to dinner with me… Us. Tonight. Me and Adele."

"Richard, I don't know…"

"Come on, Addie. Adele misses you. She's barely seen you in the last year, you know how she is."

"You know what… why not. I'd love to come to dinner with you. See you tonight then?"

"Say seven? My place."

"Okay. Thanks, Richard."

"Anytime."

"Dr Karev."

Alex turns around when Derek enters the on-call room, burrowing his face in the pillow.

"If you don't mind, I want this bed."

Alex looks up at Derek grumpily.

"There's another one. Just above this one. Sleep on that."

"I want this one."

"You can't have it."

"Is this about Addison?"

Alex sits up to look at Derek and the older man frowns.

"Why would this be about Addison?"

"Because you want her back. It's obvious. Oh and you feel threatened by me."

"Why on earth would I feel threatened by you?"

"Because you and I both know that I stand a better chance with Addison than you."

"Oh do we now?"

"Please. You screwed Meredith while Addie was down the hall. I stand a way better chance than you."

"Just so you know, Dr Karev… Addison and I will get back together. It's just a matter of time. We've gone through rough patches before and we always find our way back to each other. Because we're Derek and Addison."

"Please. She deserves way better than you."

"And you think you're way better than me? You think Addison would ever be serious about you?"

"Why wouldn't she be?"

"Because, Karev, the two of you have nothing in common! Addison is like seafood and cocktails while you're like pizza and beer. She is out of your league."

"You know what, Dr Shepherd… I might not be good enough for Addison. I'm an ordinary guy and she is the most extraordinary woman I have ever met. But there's one thing I can give her that you can't."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"The promise that she'll never become invisible to me. I will never stop seeing her the way you did. And you have no guarantee that it's not going to happen again. If she takes you back. So… good day Dr Shepherd."

With that, Alex lies back on the bed, burying his face in the pillow again.

Derek lifts his chin angrily before storming out to the hall, causing Alex to smirk.

As luck would have it,

Addison passes the on-call room just as he exits it and he lunges forward, grabbing her arm.

"Derek what are you…"

He cuts her off by fusing his lips to hers, softly biting down on her lower lip. Addison moans slightly before responding to the kiss, her arms locking around his neck. Derek smiles against her lips before picking her up and dragging her inside the on-call room, pushing her against the door before continuing to kiss her.

Alex stares at the kissing couple, unable to form a coherent sentence. He finally clears his throat, causing Addison to push Derek away and look at him in slight horror.

"Alex…"
He laughs, looking at Derek smugly.

"Wow, Shepherd. That's a low blow."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please. You dragged Addison in here, kissing her, because you knew it'd get to me. All because I didn't want to move from the bed?"

Addison gasps, looking at Derek in shock.
"Derek?"

"Addie, I don't know what he's talking about."

"Addison, you saw him coming out of the on-call room. He knew I was here."

"Addie…"

She stares at them quietly.

Derek. Alex. Alex. Derek.

Suddenly the walls are coming closer, suffocating her, pushing the two men closer and…

She starts running, up the stairs, more stairs… just running until she finally reaches the roof, falling down on her knees, her body jerking with sobs.

"Addison? Are you okay?"

"You really thought you won?"

Alex looks at Derek smugly and the latter glares at the intern.

"I can't believe you did that."

"What did you think was going to happen, Shepherd? That I was just going to sit here and watch you make out with her?"

"Well, since she's my wife and you have no say in her life…"

"Your wife? Oh, now she's your wife again. You don't love her."

"You don't know how I feel."

"Yes I do. You don't love her. If you did, you wouldn't have screwed Meredith. You wouldn't have pursued Meredith while you promised Addison the two of you were going to make things right."

"I'm trying now."

"Yeah. Because you can't handle her moving on."

"That's ridiculous."

"No, it's true. You don't love her. You just don't want her to be happy."

"I want her to be happy. I want her to be happy with me. She'll never be happy with anyone else. Not like we were."

"Yeah, you were so happy she slept with your best friend."

"You have no idea what the circumstances was, so shut the hell up about that, Karev!"

"Ooh. Hit a nerve there."

"Shut up."

"And if your love was so strong, if she loved you so much that she couldn't be happy with anyone else… why did she call my name last night? Multiple times."

"Her mouth might have been calling your name. But her heart was calling mine."

"Yeah? Like you have any idea what's going on in her heart."

"I know Addison like you'll never know her. I know what she's thinking when her brow is creased, when she's biting her lip and when she's quirking an eyebrow. I know the click of her heels. And I know what's in her heart every time I feel her lips on mine. I know her, Karev."

"I can learn."

"You can try. But you'll never know her like I do. Never."

He nods curtly before walking out, closing the door behind him. Alex frowns standing up and putting his lab coat on angrily.

It was no use trying to sleep now.

Not anymore.

"They're both just… making it so hard and I don't know what to do, how to react anymore… And I don't know why I'm unloading all of this on you,

Preston… I am so sorry."

Burke smiles, reaching out to squeeze her hands.

"I can't tell you who to choose, Addison. Just… listen to your heart."

"Well you're the expert when it comes to hearts… how do I know what my heart is saying?"

"When you know… you'll know."

"Seriously? That's all I'm getting from you?"

"That's all I can give you."

She sighs, slowly standing up.

"Thanks, Preston. For listening for… for everything."

"Anytime."

She turns to leave, but at the last second turns back to him, lifting a brow.

"Why are you up here?"

"I'm trying to figure out a way to propose."

"You're going to propose to Cristina?"

"Yeah. I just… need to figure out what I want to say."

Addison gives him a small smile, quirking her brow.

"Say what's in your heart."