Author's Note: Well folks, we really are on the homeward stretch with this story now, just this chapter then an epilogue, which knowing me could run to two or three chapters. As far as this one goes however… you can thank me by hitting that little button that says 'Review' on it.

Rating Warning: This chapter is going to be M rated, but I'm not going to change the rating of the entire story for the sake of a chapter, so just please be warned, I don't wish to offend those of you with delicate sensibilities.

Disclaimer: As before

Alex was stretched out on the suede couch, making the most of it, as when Addison was at home, it was most definitely her territory. Not only was it the most comfortable spot in the entire apartment, he loved the way that even though it was new, the cushions that lay on it already smelt ever so slightly of Addison.

God damn it, you're turning into a soppy bastard, Karev, he thought to himself with a smile. He didn't care. He'd been like a robot for so many years that he had decided to embrace all this feelings thing – it made a pleasant change for him. More than pleasant. He knew it was sentimental rubbish, but he felt awake, or alive, or as if he was seeing the world in colour for the first time… or something like that anyway. He had never pretended to be an eloquent guy, but as far as he was concerned, as long as he could find the words to tell Addison how he felt about her, nothing else mattered.

Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him, and jumped up. Who the –?

He soon breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Addison stepping out of the elevator, and smiled widely. 'Hey, what are you doing home?' He noticed how naturally, easily, he used the word home. London, the penthouse, Addison. Home. 'You said you were going to be late.'

'Ah, turns out someone had a slightly different plan in mind,' she said ruefully, and as she moved closer to him, he saw the pale streaks on her cheeks where tears had washed her makeup away, and her eyelids were red and puffy.

'You lose him?' he asked simply.

She nodded. 'Reacted to the anaesthetic, he crashed almost as soon as he went under. We didn't even get a chance to help him.'

'I'm sorry.' He held out his arms to her, and she slid into them with a sigh. He folded her into his chest, and they stayed like that, locked together, for a while. Addison felt her strength returning just by being close to him, as she had known it would.

'Thank you,' she mumbled into his shirt.

'What was that?'

She lifted her head off his shoulder and smiled wryly. 'I said thank you.'

'What for?'

'For being you. For being here.' She looked down, suddenly shy at appearing so vulnerable, and fiddled with one of buttons on the front of Alex's shirt. 'For making things better.'

Very gently, Alex put a finger under her chin and lifted her face until she was looking at him again. Her eyes were very wide, and very blue, and she was gazing up at him with a sort of desperation.

'Let me really make things better,' he whispered.

He leaned in to kiss her, gently at first, and caressed the line of her jaw with his thumb. Her lips were soft, and he could still taste the salty tang of her tears lingering on them as he kissed her. Slowly, not wanting to rush her, he slipped his tongue into her half open mouth to touch the tip of hers, and was immediately rewarded with a moan that sounded as if it came from deep within her. Heartened, he slid his hand along her neck and up to tangle in her hair, pulling her closer to him.

Addison wrapped her arms tightly around Alex's neck, half afraid to let go of him. Thoughts of her upsetting day were melting away with every kiss. Sometimes, in the face of death, you needed to feel alive again, but this was more than that. Being with Alex made her feel alive all the time, and she wanted to feel like that every day.

After a while, she felt herself being carefully steered backwards and she let Alex gently manoeuvre her across the room without wondering where they were going. She trusted him, absolutely, on his word that he would make things better.

Alex eased them over to the couch, taking his time to make sure she didn't stumble while walking backwards in her heels.

'Alex…'

'Shh, let me do everything.'

Still standing, he unbuttoned her blouse, slipping the tiny white buttons through the material with his deft surgeon's fingers, before peeling the thin cotton off her shoulders and down her arms. He dropped the blouse on the floor behind them, and bowed his head to kiss one of the white shoulders he exposed.

'Did I ever mention…' he began, before moving to the other shoulder, 'that I love you very much Addison.'

The feel of his lips, the warmth of his breath, on her skin, sent a shiver up her spine. He was kissing her neck now, and she let her head tip back to offer him more of her pale throat. 'Yes,' she breathed, 'but you can tell me again.'

'I'm going to tell you every day.'

Addison let her hands fall from their position around his neck, and skimmed them down his back, feeling his muscles through his shirt. Suddenly, she desperately wanted to feel his skin, hot under her hands, and went to pluck his shirt from the waistband of his trousers, but she only got halfway there before he reached behind him, and caught her hands, placing them back round her neck.

'Not tonight,' he explained, 'this is about what you want.'

'Oh, believe me, that is what I want.'

He laughed. 'Then let's speed this up a bit, shall we?'

Belying his words, he let the back of his fingers trail down her side tantalisingly slowly, before unzipping her skirt. It fell to the floor, and with a quick tug, her slip followed it. She stepped out of her shoes and Alex half lifted her up, and laid her carefully down on the couch.

Before he joined her there, he looked down at her, and couldn't help but smile. She looked so unutterably gorgeous laying there, her dark red hair fanned out over the coffee coloured suede, and he knew that this wasn't just what he had been waiting for seven years for, but his whole life. To love, and be loved, so unreservedly, was something that only Addison had ever given him. Izzie had been love, but it was complicated, screwed up – this was just beautiful in its simplicity.

She was beautiful.

Quickly, he undressed, and went to join her on the couch. He laid down carefully, half over her, and she lifted her head up off the cushion to kiss him passionately. This time, it was Alex who let out a low groan, and Addison felt him harden against her thigh. She reached down to him, but wasn't surprised when she felt his fingers curl around her wrist to stop her.

'Alex, let me,' she protested. 'I want this to be about both of us.'

He smirked. 'You do that, and it'll only be about me.' Before she realised what he was doing, his hand was underneath her, and had flicked the clasp of her bra open. He pulled it away from her, and tossed it over the back of the couch.

He kissed her neck, grazing at her skin but not enough to leave a mark – it would be too out of place on Addison's porcelain perfect skin. He felt her hands skimming over his back and her nails teasingly light in return, which drove him crazy. Slowly, he let his lips slide down her neck, and smiled against her skin as he heard her moan.

Addison was revelling in his touch, and couldn't help but arch her back towards him, trying desperately to feel every inch of his body, skin on skin. He'd said this would be all for her, and it completely was. Then she felt his lips move further down, over her breast, and she gasped as his mouth closed around one hard, pink nipple.

'Alex,' she panted. 'Alex, please.'

While he was using tongue and teeth to great effect, Addison felt herself slip gently into another world, where there was nothing but her, and Alex, and one amazing sensation after another. She barely noticed his hand trail down her ribs, fingers lingering over each slight rise, until all of a sudden, they were at the edge of her panties, fingering the hot, damp lace.

Without him even having to ask, she raised her hips, and he tugged them off. He stroked her a couple of times, but it was almost more than she could bear.

'Alex,' she begged. 'I need you now.'

She was writhing beneath him, and it took every ounce of effort not to oblige her straight away. He'd wanted this to last longer. 'Addison, I…' Her nails were raking through his short hair, pulling him down to kiss her deeply, cutting off his sentence before it even got started.

She broke away for a moment, and looked up at him, eyes piercing his. 'I love you. And we've both waited too long for this.'

That was all he needed to hear from her. Her body seemed to be cradling his now, and he could feel the silky smooth insides of her thighs rubbing against the skin at his waist. He slid into her, and groaned at the feel of her surrounding him. Slowly, he began to move inside her.

'Addison,' he gasped. 'God.

'Alex, oh Alex.'

He loved the sound of his name on her lips, and it drove him on to thrust faster. Her nails were digging into his back hard now, and he loved it. He tried to kiss her, but they both needed the oxygen too much, so he settled on resting his forehead against hers, gazing deeply into her eyes, not blinking once. He wanted to see her.

Addison felt the heat start to pool in her stomach, and urged Alex on. 'Faster, please. Please,' she panted.

If he could still think, Alex might have wondered why, exactly, they had waited for so many years for this, or even how he had survived those years, without this, but it was completely forgotten now. Everything he had and all that he was was right now, in the moment.

He was near the edge now. 'I love you,' he managed to get out.

She tried to answer him, but just then, she felt the first wave of ecstasy hit her, and as she tightened around him, and arched against him, he came as well, moving with her until they were both spent.

A full minute later, as soon as he had the energy, he lifted a damp tendril of hair away from her face and tucked it tenderly behind her ear. 'Addison, I… There's so many things I want to say to you.'

'Same.' She was still on the high that came from being with him. 'But I…'

'I know.' He sat up slowly, and held out his hand to her. 'Come on, let's go to bed. We've got all night.'

She smiled at him, and took his hand, squeezing it slightly. They both looked down at their hands clasped together, fingers entwined, then back at each other.

'We've got longer than that,' she replied.