Thanks for the reviews! They actually really do help with motivation and ideas! To answer a few questions. The story is taking place in the summer of 2019. The characters are still around the same ages that they were in the show, so Addison and Derek are 37. Also, while Meredith took the news that Derek had a family so well in the last chapter, that story line has not fully played out. As with everything surrounding the Grey's characters...it's complicated…..

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The next morning, Addison arrived at the hospital. Adele's niece had offered to take the kids swimming for a few hours that morning. As she was walking in, Meredith approached her.

"Addison. Um, Dr. Shepherd, can I talk to you for a minute?" Meredith asked, stumbling over her words.

"Yes?" Addison asked the nervous intern. The two walk to a quiet part of the lobby, but not without drawing a few head turns. It didn't take long for the story of the truth about Derek to spread throughout the hospital.

"What can I do for you Dr. Grey?" Addison asked, indicating that they should stick to professional names.

"Um, well, um, here." Meredith said, still very nervous around her ex-boyfriends stunning wife. She handed Addison a pair of keys. Addison recognized them at once. They were Derek's. "His Jeep was at my house the day he fell. George, another intern, drove it here this morning. We thought you might be able to use a car while you are here." she finished quickly.

Addison took the keys and looked at Meredith. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the girl. It was very thoughtful of her to bring Derek's Jeep to the hospital for her. It would definitely save her time from having to go rent one.

"Thank you." she replied. Meredith gave her a slight nod and then took off.

Addison made her way into Derek's room, where rounds were taking place. She noticed a blonde intern kept staring at her.

"The swelling has gone down enough to go in a place the screws in your ankle." Dr. Torres was saying. She gave Addison a nod of acknowledgement and continued. "We will operate first thing in the morning. We are also going to fit you for a special back brace to allow you to sit up better."

"Dr. Stevens is going to take you for the followup MRI soon. We will do another one in a week just to make sure." Dr. Nelson said. He took Derek's chart from Callie, finished signing off, and then handed it to Izzie. Then the two attendings left the room.

"Hi, Dr. Shepherd. I am Dr. Stevens." Izzie said, extending her hand out to Addison. "I have always admired your work. I would love to pick your brain on neonatal surgery!" she said excitedly. "I mean, that is, if you, uh, have time." she finished, a little embarrassed.

Addison gave her a sweet smile and said, "Of course, Dr. Stevens. Maybe in a week or so when things calm down?"

"That would be great!" Izzie exclaimed. "Uh, I mean, thank you." she said, again embarrassed by her overreaction. "I am going to go check on the time for the MRI, Derek. I will talk to you guys again soon." With that, Izzie left the room, leaving the married couple alone.

"Why is an intern addressing you as Derek instead of Dr. Shepherd?" Addison asked her husband.

"She is Meredith's roommate. She has become one of my friends." he said plainly. Addison shrugged her shoulders and started to pace around the room.

"Meredith gave me the keys to your Jeep by the way." Addison began to ramble. "The kids and I can use it while we are here, if that is ok."

"Of course. I actually have Ellie's booster seat in a box outside my trailer if you need one." he said. Addison raised her eyebrow.

"Trailer?" she asked in surprise. Where in the world had Derek been living these last 6 weeks?1?

"Oh, uh, yeah. I bought 40 acres of land outside of town. I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I also bought a small camper." he answered her.

"Ok….well that answers one question." Addison muttered to herself.

"What question is that?" Derek asked curiously. Addison walked over to his bed and crossed her arms.

"Well, the kids and I can't exactly stay with Richard and Adele much longer. I was hoping that maybe you had a house or apartment we could stay in, but obviously, we can't stay in a... in a trailer" she said with frustration, throwing her hands up.

"It is not like I expected to fall off the roof and have you all come out here!" Derek spat back. He started to try and sit up and cried out in pain. "Damnit!" he yelled. " I can't even hardly move!"

Addison took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry for getting frustrated, Derek." she replied. "I just have a lot to figure out right now, and considering, I don't even know where we stand, I am not exactly sure what to do." She walked over to the chair next to the bed and sat down. Both were quiet for a little longer.

"I can't just act like I didn't walk in on you screwing Mark." Derek spat back, turning his head away from Addison.

"I never asked you to." she responded. "I already told you. If you want a divorce, just tell me. It isn't fair to any of us to keep living like we have been for the last month in a half."

"I don't want a divorce." Derek said quietly after a long pause. Addison was actually surprised by this.

"Ok." Addison responded slowly.

"But I also can't just move on and forget the past." Derek continued as he turned his head towards his wife. "But for the sake of the kids, I guess you guys should get a house to rent. I am going to be in the hospital for several weeks." Derek said, a little frustrated.

"And it will be another month after that until your tibia is healed enough to walk on." Addison pointed out. Derek closed his eyes as if to block out the magnitude of how much recovery he had ahead of him. "Let's just take it one week at a time." Addison said when she saw Derek's reaction. She tentatively took his hand. He gave her hand a small squeeze. They sit there hand in hand until Izzie comes back.

"The MRI is ready." Izzie said as she entered the room. She gave Derek a hard look and proceeded to get the bed ready to move. It was weird for her to see him holding hands with someone besides Meredith. "Do you want to come with us, Dr. Shepherd?" she asked Addison.

"It is up to you, Derek." Addison said, looking down at him.

"I will be ok, Ads." he said, giving her a small smile. Addison's heart soared. He was the only one who called her that. His smile was also enough to make her heart melt. Izzie started to move the bed out of the room.

"Wait." Addison said quickly. "Do you need anything? I mean from your, um, trailer?" she said, trying to keep the disgust out of her mouth. "I know you are going to be awhile. I could run out there and get some things for you, like maybe some deodorant and a toothbrush." she teased.

"Are you saying I stink?" Derek laughed. Addison just shrugged her shoulders. "You don't have to go." he continued, quietly.

"I don't mind. Really." she said, squeezing his hand.

"Ok." Derek replied. He gave her the address. Izzie took in the interaction between the married couple. Meredith had told her what happened between Addison and Mark. She wasn't sure what had led up to that, but from what she could see, there was truly a connection between the two Shepherd's.

"The MRI will take awhile, and he will be ready for another dose of medication shortly after that, which as I am sure you are aware, will cause him to sleep for a bit." Izzie rambled.

"Thank you." Addison replied, giving the intern a smile. And with that, Izzie rolled Derek out of the room.

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Addison walked out to Derek's Jeep and stood there and looked at it. They rarely drove his vehicle back in NY. Mostly, he would use it to take the kids on camping trips. She unlocked it and got in. She instantly caught the scent of lavender. It was obvious Meredith had been in the Jeep, as she assumed her husband hadn't started using floral scented

"Ok, I can do this." Addison said to herself. She plugged in the address to Google Maps. "Dang, Derek. You weren't kidding when you said this property was way out there. It is a 30 minute drive. She connected her phone to the car's bluetooth and started following the directions.

When she pulled up to the ferry, Addison couldn't help but smile. Of course Derek would pick a property that required a ferry boat to get too. Ferry boats were special to both of them. They took one to the Statue of Liberty on their first date. It was also where he proposed.

February 2005

"Derek, you can't be serious. You are going to propose to Addison already!?" Mark exclaimed to his best friend. "You have only known her for 6 months!"

"My mom and dad only knew each other 6 weeks before my dad proposed." Derek pointed out.

"Yeah, but that is REALLY rare." Mark said, still in complete disbelief. "Plus, you are only 23! Shouldn't you wait to get married until at least 40?" Mark said seriously. The idea of getting married completely terrified him. Derek laughed.

"Mark, my parents were married at 18. Both Liz and Nancy got married at 21, so in my family, 23 is ancient to get married." he countered. "Besides, I have known for a long time that she is the one. Why should we wait any longer?" Mark didn't have anything else to say. Even he had to admit Addison and Derek had an extremely close bond. They were the cheesy couple that seemed to just be made for each other.

On Valentine's day, which also happened to be Addison's birthday, Derek took Addison to all her favorite places. He even went shopping with her! If that didn't show her he loved her, nothing would! They ended the night riding a ferry boat for no particular reason except that they both loved it.

While they were standing on the edge of the boat, Derek turned to Addison. "Ads, you have made me happier these last 6 months than ever before in my life. I love your smile, your hair, your eyes. But mostly I love how kind and caring you are." He got down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"

Addison stared at him in shock for a minute and then screamed "Yes!". Derek placed the ring on her finger and got up and kissed her.

"We were just babies!" Addison thought as she stood on the deck of the ferry boat in Seattle. They couldn't wait to get married, so they planned an August wedding. It made Bizzy mad that they only had a 6 month engagement, but Addison didn't care. They wanted to enter their second year of medical school as husband and wife. A ferry boat was also where she told Derek she was pregnant for the first time.

April 2007

Addison was exhausted. The end of her 3rd year in medical school was wiping her out.

"Addie, are you sure you're ok?" Naomi asked her for the 5th time that day. The two had been studying at the Shepherd's apartment for most of the day. Sam, Mark, and Derek were off on a fishing trip for the weekend.

"I am fine, Nai. I just am so tired. I also feel like I am coming down with something.. I feel nauseous half the time" Addison said, closing her eyes and resting her head on the couch. Nai looked at Addison with an odd expression.

"Addie, do you have to pee a lot? Do your boobs hurt" Naomi said, tapping her pencil on her notes. Addison sat up and just stared at her.

"Naomi, I am not pregnant. I am on the pill." Addison said matter-of-factly.

"What about spring break when you forgot them on our trip to FLorida?" Naomi asked. "

"We used condoms." Addison pointed out. Naomi laughed.

"Think like a doctor, Addie. You know that even on the pill, people can get pregnant. Even more so with condoms!" Naomi pointed out. "It is uncommon, but it does happen." Addison thought about this for a minute and then realized Naomi might be right. She was 2 whole weeks late for her period.

"I need to go get a test." Addison said in shock. Naomi just smiled. Sure enough, Addison was pregnant.

"Naomi, what am I going to do?" Addison exclaimed, close to tears. "You know more than anyone, I want to be a mother. But we are still in medical school! And then we have internship, residency! How the hell am I supposed to do this?!"

"Addie, calm down." Naomi said hugging their friend. "We are all here for you! Plus, you have Derek's entire family that will help!"

Addison took a few deep breaths. She knew Naomi was right.

"I'm going to have a baby!" Addison smiled.

"You're going to have a baby!" Naomi squealed.

The next day, Addison insisted that her and Derek go on a ferry boat ride. While they were on the deck, Derek encircled his arms around Addison.

"Derek, I have a Christmas present for you." she said while looking out over the water.

"Ads, it is April." Derek laughed. She turned and looked him in the eyes.

"Yes, well, this present is going to take until Christmas for me to make." she said vaguely. Derek looked at her skeptically.

"You are making me something? And it is going to take almost 8 months to make?" he asked, confused.

"Well, technically, we both made it." she smiles, looping her arms around his neck. Derek just looked at her dumbfounded, and then it hit him.

"Addison Adrienne Shepherd. Are you telling me what I think you are telling me?" he asked, backing a way a little and looking from her stomach to her eyes and back to her stomach. Addison's tears and smile was all he needed for confirmation. He let out a whooping cry, picked her up and swung her around. He gave her a huge kiss when he set her down.

"We are going to be parents!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, the baby should be due sometime in mid December." Addison confirmed.

Their little bundle of joy, Apollos Christopher Shepherd had arrived on December 18, 2007. He was the easiest baby. Slept well. He was very content going with Addison to most of her classes her last semester of med school. Addison smiled as the many memories of her oldest as a baby washed over her. She thought about how he used to smile all the time, but lately, she rarely saw him smiling. She felt horrible at how both Derke and her actions had so deeply hurt their son. Slowly, Addison made her way back to the Jeep as the ferry neared the dock.

After getting off the ferry, Addison continued to follow the directions for Google Maps. Eventually it got so far out, she started to question if she had typed in the address correct. Soon it told her "Your destination is on the left." She only saw a dirt road surrounded by trees.

"Ok…." she said out loud. She turned on the dirt road. "Holy shit this road is bumpy!" Addison exclaimed. She drove for a few more minutes, seriously questioning if she was going to end up dead somewhere in the woods, when the road came out into a clearing with a small trailer sitting on it.

Addison's jaw dropped as she got out of the jeep. It was one of the tiniest campers she had ever seen! Of course, she hadn't seen THAT many, but still! She looked around and saw a lake nearby, woods off to the other side, and a beautiful view of the mountains. It was completely opposite of New York City. She had to admit. It was actually really peaceful.

Addison walked up to the trailer and was not surprised to find it unlocked. Who in the world could even find this place?! She took in the porch in front of the trailer. There were a few crates piled up along with a small refrigerator. She opened it to find beer, soda, and water. She took a bottle of water and started to drink. She really wanted one of the beers, but as she still had to drive and take care of her kids, she opted for the water instead.

Finally, Addison braced herself for walking in the trailer. She really wasn't sure what she was going to find. Surprisingly, there wasn't a lot there. A few medical journals lay on the table, but otherwise, it was very clean.

"So if I want him to pick up after himself, I just need to get a trailer?" Addison muttered, rolling her eyes. She proceeded into the bathroom to start getting the items Derek needed and again caught the scent of lavender. She looked in the shower and saw lavender scented shampoo. That was definitely NOT Derek's.

The fact that there was proof of Derek having Meredith at the trailer, and enough times that she even had her own shampoo there, was really hard for Addison. She sat down on the bed and started to cry. She started to cry even harder when she realized that if it was this hard for her just finding Meredith's shampoo, it must have been a 100 times harder for Derek when he walked in on Mark and her actually in the throws.

After a few minutes of crying, Addison pulled herself together and started going through drawers to find some more comfortable clothing for Derek. Most of what she found was flannel shirts.

"Since when did he start wearing so much flannel?" Addison asked to herself, rolling her eyes. Although, she did have to admit that the button shirts would work really well in a hospital setting as they could be changed fairly easily. She grabbed a few shirts, a few pairs of boxers, and a few pairs of running shorts that would easily go over his casts.

After packing everything in a duffel bag she found, Addison headed back to the hospital.

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When she got back to the room, Derek was asleep. She started to unpack the bag. When she was done, she called Jamie, Richard's niece. "Jamie, hi. How is everything going?" Addison asked.

"Things are going great, Dr. Shepherd!" Jamie exclaimed. "Your kids are so well behaved." This caused Addison to smile.

"I was wondering if you would like to be our nanny for the rest of the summer. We are going to be staying here for the next several months, and I need someone to help with the kids." Addison informed her.

"That would be amazing!" Jamie replied, very excited about the idea of watching the kids. Addison sighed with relief. That was a huge burden lifted off of her shoulders.

"Can you bring the kids to the hospital around 2?" she asked looking at the clock. It was now Noon. Two hours should give her enough time to get some of the long list of things done she needed to get them established in Seattle.

"I can totally do that. See ya 2." Jamie said before hanging up the phone.

Addison sat down next to the bed, took a pad of paper and started making a list.

Find a house

Find a gym for Ellie

Find a place for Khaliel to do parkour

Look into schools

Search for a group for Apollos to do Dungeons and Dragons (DND)

"Addison, what are you doing?" Derek asked groggily.

"I am making a list of everything I need to get done." she said as she continued writing without looking up.

- Find a replacement doctor at the practice

"Addison" Derek said, trying to get her to look at him. "Addison, look at me." he finally said.

"What?" Addison asked, a little annoyed.

"Put the list down." Derek said gently. He knew by Addison's tight jaw and tense shoulders that she was getting overwhelmed. To most people, she would have looked normal, but after being with her for so long, he could read her across a room.

"Derek, I can't put my list down. I only have until 2 before the kids are here, and I need to find us a place to live, find places for the kids to do their normal activities, find schools, find a doctor to take over for me at our practice, and" Adison rattled off the list.

"Addison, please." Derek said loudly to get her attention. Addison stopped talking and looked at him. "Why do you have to get it all done by 2?"

"Because that is when the kids will be here." Addison said as if it was obvious.

"Please take a deep breath." Derek said, trying to calm her down. She did as he said. "Now, let me see your list." he said, doing his best to remain calm. He read over the list she handed him. "Why does Ellie need to do gymnastics, Khaliel parkour, and Apollos DND now? Can't it wait?" Derek asked, seriously. Addison slumped back in her chair in frustration.

"No, Derek, It can't. Ellie has to keep training to be ready for competition season. Khaliel will drive Jamie crazy if he doesn't have an outlet for all his energy, and Apollos already hates us enough. The least we can do is let him do his favorite activity." she answered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Derek was quiet as he took in all that Addison was saying. He really had left a lot on her plate when he just up and left. "Ok" was all he said.

Soon Callie and George came in to check on Derek. "How is it going in here?" Callie said, brightly.

"Ok. Just trying to figure out everything I need to get done to temporarily move our children across the country." Addison whined. Callie walked over and read the list over her shoulder.

"My neighbors are looking for someone to sublet their apartment for a few months. I could talk to them and see if you could stay there. I live right down the street from the hospital. Plus, the building has a swimming pool, spa, and gym." Callie offered. Addison looked shocked.

"That would be amazing!" Addison exclaimed, hugging the doctor. Callie looked surprised. "Let me write down my number for you. Have them call me."

"Your son likes to play DND?" George asked as he too had glanced at the list.

"Yes. His friends and him meet every Thursday to play." Addison answered. Derek was surprised at this too. How did he miss a whole group of 5th graders meeting for DND?

"I used to play that all the time as a kid." George said. "I wouldn't mind playing with him if he needs more people."

"I will let him know." Addison said, still astonished at how nice Callie and George were being to her family.

"You could also do a video chat with his friends so he could still play DND with them every Thursday." George pointed out. "It isn't too hard to do."

"That is a great idea!" Addison said excitedly. "You guys wouldn't happen to know of a good gymnastics place around here, would you?" Addison asked. Both doctors looked at her blankly and shook their heads no. She knew it was too much to hope for that they would be able to mark off most of her list, but it was worth a shot!

"So what is the update on my ankle?" Derek interjected.

"Everything still looks good for surgery in the morning." Callie replied. She handed Derek the chart for him to review. He winced as he tried to sit up a little. Addison sat down on the bed next to him, took the chart from him, and held it for him.

"Don't try to sit up, Derek. Not until they fit you for the back brace. You know it will not hurt as bad." Addison instructed. Derek rolled his eyes, even though he knew she was right.

By the time Callie and George left, and Dr. Nelson came by with the latest MRI scans, which were normal, it was 2:00.

"DAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" yelled Ellie as she came charging into the room, her dark red curls bouncing. Addison caught her before she jumped on Derek's bed.

"Honey, you can't run near Daddy's bed." Addison reminded her. The little girl gave her a sheepish look and then walked over, took Derek's hand, and gave it a kiss.

"Hey, princess." he smiled. He didn't realize how much he had missed his kids. He didn't know how to explain it to anyone, but the previous 6 weeks really had been like living underwater for him. He wasn't trying to disown his kids. He just didn't know how to deal with what he had walked in on.

Jamie and the boys followed Ellie in the room a few seconds later.

"Derek, this is Richard's niece, Jamie. She is going to be our nanny for the rest of the summer." Addison informed her husband. He looked at her in surprise. He hadn't even thought about who was going to be watching the kids during their stay. Addison had always taken care of that.

"Really?" Khaliel and Ellie said excitedly. Addison nodded.

"So, I will meet you at Aunt Adele's house in the morning?" Jamie asked, smiling. Addison nodded as the girl prepared to leave.

A few minutes after Jamie left, Richard came rushing into the room.

"Addison, we have an intern collapse while in surgery. It appears she is pregnant. We could really use your help if at all possible." he said quickly. A look of horror crossed Derek's face.

"Which intern?" he asked quickly. It clicked in Addison's brain why he was concerned and a wave of nausea hit her.

"Christina" Richard said distractedly. Derek let out a sigh of relief.

Addison looked from her kids to Derek. She was torn. On one hand she wanted to help the woman, and if she was honest, had missed performing surgery. On the other hand, her husband and kids needed her.

"Addison, go. We will be fine." Derek said when he saw her hesitation. "The kids can hang out with me."

"Ok. I want all 3 of you to listen to your father and not get too loud." Addison said sternly, pointing at each of them in turn. They all shook their head in assent as Addison followed Richard out the door.

"So what have you guys been doing today?" Derek asked his children. He was only slightly elevated, so it made it hard for him to really look at them. All 3 brought chairs over to the bedside and sat down.

"Jamie took us swimming at her house! It had a slide AND a diving board!" Ellie said seriously.

"I was doing front flips. It was so much fun!" Khaliel exclaimed, jumping up. He quickly sat back down when he remembered he was supposed to be quiet.

"It was alright." Apolos said quietly, shrugging his shoulders. Derek smiled at his kids.

"Hey, I have some candy in my office. Apollos, if you want to take your siblings to get some, it is on the desk. My keys are in your mom's purse over there." he said pointing at the shelf across the room.

The 3 kids gladly followed their father's directions to his office to find the treasure. When they got back, Ellie said, "Daddy, your office is so boring compared to your office at home. You really should let Mommy decorate it."

"Yes, but his office at home doesn't have candy." Khaliel pointed out.

"Tell me what you guys have been up to these past few weeks." Derek said, trying to distract his children from arguing over which office was better. Ellie proceeded to tell him all about her new skills at gymnastics. Khaliel told him all about his parkour class, some of which he even attempted to demonstrate between the chairs before Derek stopped him. He told him about the basketball camp he did, the Lego robotics camp,, and the science camp.

"Wow! You guys have been really busy." Derek said, impressed. "Apollos, what have you been up to?" he asked his oldest son, trying to get him to open up. The young boy just shrugged his shoulders.

"Apollos has been taking art classes and learning to play the guitar." Ellie answered for him. "He is really good at drawing dragons!" she said.

"I would love to see some of your drawings, son." Derek said, smiling.

"If you hadn't left, you would already have seen them." Apollos blurted out before he could stop himself. Everyone in the room got really quiet.

"Daddy, why did you leave?" Ellie eventually said very quietly. Derek looked over all 3 of his children. He knew this was going to come up at some point. He wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"I needed time to think." he tried to explain. "I am sorry for leaving without saying goodbye or for not calling."

"Was it kind of like when Mommy sends us to our rooms to calm down if we throw a fit?" Ellie asked, wrinkling her eyebrows trying to understand. Derek was struck by how much like Amy she looked, except for the red hair. "Mommy always tells us we need time to think in our rooms."

"Something like that." Derek answered. This seemed to be enough of an explanation for her.

"Are Mommy and you going to get a divorce?" Khaliel asked. "My friend Caleb's parents got a divorce last year." Derek wasn't quite sure what to say to this. Addison always handled the serious conversations with their kids he realized.

"We aren't planning on getting a divorce." Derek started. "But, if anything were to happen between your mother and I, you need to know that it wouldn't change how we feel about you. We love all of you so much." This response seemed to calm Khaliel's fears.

Apollos didn't say anything else but just looked at his father thoughtfully for a while. Derek turned on the TV for the kids while he fell back asleep.

A few hours later, Addison exited the OR. Sadely, Christina had an ectopic pregnancy, and she hadn't been able to save the overy. But Christina had pulled through.

"Addie, you were amazing in there!" Richard exclaimed as he walked into the scrub room.

"Thanks" she replied as she dried her hand. She looked up at the clock. It was almost 7! The kids must be starving "I have to go, Richard. I need to go get my kids some food." She rushed out of the room before he had time to reply.

As she got close to Derek's room, she was stopped by a small, dark haired woman.

"Amy?" Addison exclaimed, confused to see her sister-in-law. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Addie. We all tried to stop her, but she insisted on coming." Amy said, looking nervously at the door to the women's restroom. Addison found her gaze and gasped.

"Addison." Carolyn Shepherd said icily.

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