My Never
Chapter 11
Super Bowl today! My brother bribed me into watching with pizza and candy, so I'm going to pretend I know what's going on while I eat all his food. Well I do kind of know what's going on. I just enjoy making him explain it. Both my brothers and my dad are rooting for the Steelers, so my sisters and I are like, okay, whatever, as long as we get to eat your food.
I apologize if this is a bit choppy, it was originally two chapters. I decided to combine them because they were both rather short and also because I know you want Addison found quicker. All I can say is that you finally find out what happens to her in I think two or three chapters. Please stay with me – I promise it will happen soon and I think it'll be worth the wait.
Derek ~ the trailer ~ present
"Daddy! Daddy, wake up!" Devony said loudly, jumping onto the bed. Derek groaned and put a pillow over his head. "Daddy, I want to play! Daddy, you have to wake up," she said in her high, shrill voice.
He and Devony had been together for two months. He'd gotten used to being a dad. The trailer was filled with blankies and snacks and toys. He knew how to calm her when she cried, and how to play the Little Mermaid.
But that didn't mean that it wasn't hard sometimes. Devony was a very early riser, as she was demonstrating once again. She also got into all kinds of mischief unless someone was watching her 24/7.
Derek played with Devony for a few minutes, cooked her breakfast, and then got her ready to go to the hospital.
He was hailed the minute he walked through the doors, holding Devony's hand. "Dr. Shepherd? Dr. Shepherd!" Derek turned to find himself facing two policemen. "We have new information on the disappearance of Addison Montgomery."
"Really? What is it? Did you find her?" Derek asked quickly, talking a mile a minute.
"No, but it appears she disappeared outside LAX airport. Her phone was found, smashed and half buried in the parking lot. We spoke to the airport again. Addison rented a car the night she disappeared. Several flights had just gotten in, and the rental service was all backed up. The valet system was so slow that they were giving people the option to go out and find their rental cars themselves. Addison elected to do this. It was a short walk to her car, and her phone was found fifty feet from it. We suspect there was someone waiting outside and she was taken on the way to her car, although how they escaped notice by security we're still unsure."
Derek nodded slowly. "Okay, so . . . now what?"
"We're still waiting to hear from anybody who might have seen something that night. The area is roped off, but since it's been 3 months, we're not exactly sure if there'll be anything to find."
"Daddy, is mommy coming back now?" Devony interrupted.
"I'm not sure, Dev," Derek said.
"Daddy, I want Pluffie," Devony told him.
Derek rubbed the side of his face. Lately, she'd been asking for her Pluffie, but he was unsure who or what Pluffie was. Whenever he asked her, she'd only say, "He looks like Pluffie, Daddy."
"Devony, I'm sorry, but I'm really not sure what a Pluffie is, much less where he is."
"Then find him!" Devony said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Did Aunt Savvy send him?" Derek asked, remembering the boxes of stuff he'd been unable to open because he didn't have enough room. Devony merely shrugged.
"Honey, I got the groceries," Mark said sarcastically to Derek, walking into the toy explosion that was his trailer later that night.
"Did you get bowties, Unca Mark?" Devony asked, running up excitedly and tearing through the bag to find the bowtie-shaped noodles.
"I sure did, kid. And I got strawberry ice cream. And . . . I even went to the bookstore and got you a princess book."
"The Princess and the – what does that say, Unca Mark?" Devony asked, looking at the cover. Derek still thought it was strange to see his three year old reading.
"Pauper. Barbie's Princess and the Pauper. Is that a good one, Dev?" Mark asked.
"Yes!" Devony shouted breathlessly. "Guess what, Unca Mark? Daddy is going to find Pluffie for me!"
"Pluffie?" Mark asked. "What's a Pluffie?"
"A Pluffie," Devony said simply.
"Is it an animal?"
"A girfaraffe," Devony tried to say.
"A giraffe. Derek, Pluffie is a giraffe!" Mark called to Derek, who was going through the boxes.
"Like this one?" Derek asked, holding it up.
Derek ~ New York ~ 30 years ago
Two small boys sat on the old church pew. One had hair as black as night, and the other had a head of short gold curls. Both stared at the coffin in front of them in the empty church. Little Derek knew that everyone else was outside, at the funeral reception, but he couldn't leave. Mark loyally stayed at his side.
Derek's arms were curled around his stuffed giraffe, although he knew he was far too old for such toys. The purple and blue pattered fuzz was worn thin, since Derek's father had given the toy to him when he was two. And now his father was dead, and all Derek had left was his giraffe, who he'd named Ernie.
Mark, thoughtful for once in his life, didn't say anything about Ernie. Both boys had eyes full of tears, although neither of them let their tears fall. Mark was quietly mourning the man who had pretty much raised him. But Derek was fighting his tears furiously, not wanting to let anyone see him cry. Especially his sisters. So he clung to Ernie as tightly as he could.
Derek ~ the trailer ~ present
As Derek handed the giraffe Ernie, now named Pluffie, to Devony, he had to once again fight tears. No matter how much she'd hated him, Addison had dug Pluffie out of the attic of the brownstone to give to his daughter.
"Daddy, ready to play princesses?" Devony asked as soon as she was done hugging Pluffie to death. Derek sighed.
"Okay."
Devony smiled and delight and ran to get her Cinderella dress on. She handed Mark a pink crown, and Derek his purple seashell bra, which he resignedly pulled on over his tee shirt.
"Now, Unca Mark, you have to dance. And Daddy, you sing, okay?"
Addison ~ the brownstone ~ 6 months ago
"Okay, Dev, blow out your candles!" Addison told her daughter.
Devony grinned and took a deep breath before puffing on the three candles stuck into her pink frosted cake. Addison smiled and clapped. "Did you make a wish?"
"Yes!"
"I suppose you can't tell me, or it won't come true, right?"
"I guess I could tell just you, mommy," Devony said doubtfully.
"Okay," Addison laughed. She bent down, and Devony put her mouth next to Addison ear. Her warm breath tickled, but Addison didn't pull away. "I wished for Daddy to come to my birthday party on Saturday."
Addison sat back in shock. "Dev, I'm sorry, but I don't think that's gonna happen."
"Why not?" Devony asked, her eyes filling with tears. "All my fwiends get to see their daddies."
Addison hesitated. "Daddy lives far away, Dev. In Seattle. I'm sorry," she said, bending to give Devony a hug. Devony wrapped her arms tightly around Addison's neck.
"Sewattle?" she asked. "Can we go see him there?"
Addison bit her lip, torn. She did want Devony to meet Derek. She just wasn't ready. But he needed to know he had a daughter. "How about we go visit Daddy when you turn four, sweetie?"
"Is that a long way away?" Devony asked.
"Not, not really."
"You promise, mommy? You promise we'll go see Daddy when I turn four?"
"I promise, baby," Addison said, picking Devony up to twirl her in a circle.
Derek ~ a Christmas tree farm somewhere in Seattle ~ present
"Daddy?" Devony's piercing voice broke through the early morning mist.
"What, baby?" Derek asked distractedly.
"When's it going to be Cwistmas?"
"Hmm . . . let me see. Only twenty-six days. That's why we've got to pick a tree."
Devony tightened her mittened hand around his and stood up on her tiptoes, trying to see all the trees. "How about that one, daddy?"
"That one? Seriously?" Derek looked at it doubtfully. It was puny, no more than three feet tall, and squat. Probably the most dysfunctional tree in the place. "You don't like that one?" he asked, pointing out one he'd had his eye on.
"That one?" Devony asked, as if it was the most ridiculous idea ever.
"What's wrong with that one?" Derek demanded. Christmas trees were a sensitive topic. Addison had always mocked his choices, and made him search for hours until they found the perfect one.
"Daddy, that one is a loser. Plus, it's ugly."
Derek laughed and picked her up, setting her on his shoulders. "I have an idea. We'll make a deal: you can get your tree if I can get mine. How about that?"
Devony considered him suspiciously for a minute. "I suppose," she finally conceded. Derek sighed in relief and got to work cutting down their trees. Finally, he got them onto his car and went to pay the man who owned the farm.
"Hey, cute kid," the man behind the counter said to Derek, handing Devony a candycane.
"What? Oh – yeah, thanks," Derek said. "She, uh, looks like her mother." Some moments, even now, the fact that he was a dad still surprised him. He handed the man his money and got Devony strapped into her booster seat before climbing into his own seat and starting the car.
As were driving back through the lush green forest, Derek's cell phone began to ring. It wasn't a number he recognized, but thinking it could be something about Addison, he answered it anyway. "Derek Shepherd."
"Derek." He recognized the ice cold voice of Bizzy Montgomery right away.
"Hello, Bizzy," Derek said politely.
She cut across him, "How dare you not inform us that our daughter is missing?"
"That's funny," Derek retorted angrily, "I didn't know you would care."
"Don't be ridiculous, Derek Shepherd." She sighed. "I suppose she got herself into this mess, did she?"
"She was kidnapped, for god's sake!" Derek yelled. He heard a little gasp from Devony in the back and internally cursed himself. "And I know she hadn't talked to you guys for a long time, so don't pretend that not telling you was the crime of the century. As for Devony-"
"Who's Devony?" Bizzy asked.
"Who's – when's the last time you even talked to Addison?"
"Well, I've talked to her a few times on the phone. The last time I saw her was once I heard about the affair, of course. She never did make good decisions."
"Shut up!" Derek growled, gritting his teeth. "You never cared about her; you never paid any attention to her and her father . . ." Derek was unable to finish that sentence. "She was raised by a nanny; she told me all about it. And she didn't turn out like you; she's a good person, so just shut up about her, alright? I messed up. Not her, me."
"Don't be preposterous, I know exactly what happened in your marriage. Are you going to tell me who Devony is?"
"Your granddaughter," Derek said, and snapped the phone shut. Bizzy didn't call back.
"Mommy was kidnapped?" Devony asked from the backseat, sounding quite panicked.
"Devony, we don't know that. You don't worry, okay?"
"You won't leave me, right daddy? 'Cause Miss Janice said if you didn't want me, I would have to go to other strangers far away."
"That won't happen, Devony, I promise. I promise."
Addison ~ John F. Kennedy Airport ~ 3 months ago
"Sav, can you put Devony on the phone, please?"
"Alright, Addie, I'll see you tomorrow. Take care," Savvy said.
"Mommy?" Devony's voice came on the phone.
"Hey, baby," Addison, smiling. She was sitting and watching the planes take off, waiting for her flight. "Mommy is getting on the airplane soon. I won't be able to talk to you for a while, and by then you'll be asleep. But I'll call you tomorrow morning, okay?"
"Okay, I guess," Devony grumbled. Addison laughed.
"Be good for Savvy and Weiss, alright? Promise?" she asked.
"Fine," Devony said petulantly.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going, mommy?" Devony asked.
"Well, I have a doctor thing, but then I'm going to see Sam and Naomi and Maya, in Los Angeles. Hey, I have an idea. Maybe sometime next summer we can both visit them. How does that sound?"
"Good!" Addison could picture Devony smiling and jumping up and down.
"And when I get back tomorrow, we can go see the play."
"Cinderella, mommy?"
"Yeah, Cinderella," Addison said softly. Devony loved Cinderella and had been asking her to go for months. She was not personally keen on Cinderella, she suspected because she was the evil estranged ex-wife in a certain someone else's Cinderella story. Except that story was worse. She wished Meredith Grey had left behind a shoe instead of panties in her quest to get her Prince McDreamy.
"So, eat your vegetables, listen to Savvy, and don't cause trouble. I mean it, okay?"
"Mommy, I miss you already."
Addison felt her eyes involuntarily fill with tears. She rarely left Devony, only because she could never find anyone to watch her. Still, she didn't want Devony to ever feel like both of her parents had abandoned her. "I miss you too, Dev. But don't worry; it's just for one night."
"Okay. Bye mommy. I love you."
"I love you too, Dev. More than anything. Tomorrow will come in no time, alright? Bye, honey." Addison sighed and hung up the phone.
Derek ~ the trailer ~ present
"So, Dev," Derek said as he started unpacking Christmas ornaments, "have you made a Christmas list yet?" He hated to get more stuff out because the trailer was a mess and he never had time to clean it, but he wanted Devony to have a good Christmas.
Devony looked up from her coloring and pushed her dark hair out of her eyes. She was wearing Beauty and the Beast pajamas. "No," she said.
"Well, Santa and the elves have to have enough time to make your presents. Can you think of anything you want?"
"I want mommy to come back," Devony said, biting her lip in the same way Addison always did. "I'll be really good if she does, daddy, really." Her voice was heartbreakingly sad.
"I – Dev, I want your mommy to come back too, believe me. But I don't know if that's going to happen. I have an idea – why don't we go to the store tomorrow after work and you can get some ideas?"
"Shopping?" Devony asked excitedly.
"Right, I almost forgot whose kid you are. Yes, shopping," Derek said unenthusiastically.
I hope you liked it! Write me any suggestions or comments you have :D!
