Summary: Derek and Meredith realize Audrey isn't doing as well adjusting to her new life as they initially thought. As they adjust their living arrangements for Audrey, Mark brings everyone together to celebrate Derek's birthday, including some surprising guests.
Derek shot up out of bed and grabbed Meredith's hand before leading her to Audrey's room carefully. On the way, he stepped on Zola's baby doll in the hallway, grabbing his foot while trying to keep quiet. After waving off Meredith's initial concerns, they crept on, veering into Audrey's room. It didn't take long before realizing the noise Meredith had heard before was Audrey, who was tossing and turning in her bed, mumbling something in her sleep.
"Audrey," Derek said softly, waking his daughter up. He didn't want to scare her or make things worse. After about ten seconds, she woke up.
"Honey, you're sweating. Are you okay?" Derek asked, sitting on her bed as he moved some hair out of her face.
"I'll grab a towel," Meredith said softly before leaving the room.
"I'm fine. It was just a bad dream," Audrey said, brushing it off as she sat up in her bed.
"Seems like a pretty bad dream," Derek said, brushing her hair softly as Meredith came back with a small towel for her face.
As Audrey wiped her face, slightly embarrassed, Derek rubbed his daughter's back. She was shaking. He pulled her closer, trying to calm her down.
"You wanna talk about it?" Derek asked softly.
Audrey bit her lip as she tried to convince herself that it was just a dream and that she was perfectly safe right now. Derek saw so much of her mother in her; the lip bite, the way she looked away when she felt embarrassed. Even without them in her life growing up, it was nice to see parts of him and Addison in more than just her appearance.
"It's fine if you don't," Meredith added, sitting beside her husband and remembering what it was like to be a teenage girl. She wished she'd had someone like Derek offering to hear her out when she was a kid.
"I…What if he finds me again?" Audrey asked, tears still in her eyes as she looked at her dad.
"What if who finds you again?" Meredith asked, confused. Derek shared the same look until it kicked in. Robert had already found her once. It wouldn't be hard for him to figure out she was living here with her real father.
"He won't," Derek insisted.
"How do you know that?" Audrey asked.
Derek couldn't give her a valid reason. He knew just as much as Meredith that he could find her again, and that he could take her all over again. The difference now was that she had more people fighting to keep her safe. Instead of answering, Derek held her close and laid back with her, continuing to comfort her. Meredith let them have their space and went back to bed after watching them for a minute. Derek waited until she inevitably fell asleep again before he slipped out of bed and went back to his and Meredith's bedroom.
"She's right, you know," Meredith said after hearing Derek come back to bed. Derek didn't immediately respond. Instead, he just looked into her eyes as they lay beside each other.
"She doesn't feel safe here, Derek," Meredith added, moving closer. Derek sighed.
"I'll get a security system set up," Derek suggested.
"It's not enough and you know it," Meredith said.
"She's my daughter, Mer," Derek said.
"I know she is. She will always have a home here, but she's not safe here, Derek, and she knows it, I know it, and so do you," Meredith pointed out.
"What am I supposed to do about it? I couldn't protect her last time. How am I supposed to protect her now?" Derek asked.
"I think…she should go live with Addison," Meredith said hesitantly, knowing Derek wouldn't like hearing that. While Derek had stayed with Audrey, her mind had wandered to what they could do to keep her safe. Being in California with her mother would make it harder for Robert to find her, she had thought.
"What?" Derek asked, sitting up.
"I thought everything was good with you two," Derek added. Part of him felt like she was suggesting this because she didn't like having Audrey here or because they didn't get along the way he thought they did.
"It is. I love having Audrey here, you know that," Meredith insisted, sitting up beside him.
"But Robert knows she's in Seattle, Derek," Meredith added.
"It's not like L.A. is that much farther," Derek pointed out. He wasn't ready to not have his daughter in his life anymore. She had just come back.
"But he wouldn't know to find her there, Derek, and you know it," Meredith said.
"I know you want her here, and if I thought we could keep her safe, I'd agree with you, but you and I know that's not true. I love having her here, and I know Zola does, too, but there's no way that was the first time she's had this nightmare, Derek. We have to do what's best for her, not us," Meredith added. Derek sighed, but nodded. She was right.
"I'll call Addie tomorrow," Derek resigned.
Meredith kissed him before they both laid back down, Derek keeping his arms wrapped around her as they fell asleep. It was only a few hours later when William woke up again, as did Zola. While Meredith took care of William, Derek kept Zola occupied, letting Audrey sleep in. To keep her distracted, Derek agreed to play house with Zola in her room. As it got later in the morning, Derek finally called Addison to talk, with Meredith in the background. She agreed that Audrey would be safer in Los Angeles with her and would talk to her with him later, after Audrey woke up.
By the time Audrey woke up, she could smell the sweet scent of butter and maple syrup in the air. After sitting up in her bed, she realized it was later than usual. She knew Derek and Meredith must've let her sleep in. Audrey got out of bed, put on a sweater over her pajama t-shirt, and went downstairs to find her dad, Meredith, Zola, and William scattered around the dining table or the kitchen.
"Morning. Pancakes?" Derek asked, standing behind the stove.
"Yes, please," Audrey smiled as she went to sit down next to Meredith, who was doing Zola's hair as she played with her doll.
"How'd you sleep?" Meredith asked, looking over at her.
"Fine. Thanks for letting me sleep in," Audrey said, still embarrassed.
"Here we are. Chocolate pancakes. Your favorite," Derek said, sliding a hot plate of pancakes in front of her alongside a fork and knife.
"Thanks," Audrey said.
"So, I talked to your mom earlier," Derek started, as he sat down for breakfast. Audrey didn't exactly call them Mom and Dad yet, but they wanted to give her time to warm up to it. She did, however, still refer to them as her mom and dad.
"You did?" Audrey asked as she started cutting a pancake.
"Yeah, actually, we wanted to talk to you together," Derek said. Audrey looked back, confused as Derek dialed Addison's number to FaceTime her.
"Hey!" Addison said once she saw Derek and Audrey on her laptop screen. She was already at the office by now and had gotten back from her morning meeting a few minutes ago.
"Hey," Audrey smiled awkwardly, still wondering what was going on.
"Hey, Audrey. Your dad told me about last night," Addison started cautiously. Audrey looked over at her dad accusatory.
"I'm sorry. We were worried," Derek said.
"It's not his fault. He should be telling me when something like this happens. I know we haven't been your parents for long, but we are still your parents. We're worried about you," Addison said.
"You have nothing to worry about. It was just a dream," Audrey brushed it off, pushing around the cut-up pieces of pancakes on her plate.
"It wasn't just a dream, it was a nightmare. And it wasn't the first time, Audrey," Meredith chimed in.
"So, we talked about it, and we think it'd be safer for you to go live with your mom in L.A.," Derek started. He even hated hearing it come out of his mouth, but he knew it was the right decision.
"I…I'm fine. I don't need to move," Audrey tried to protest.
"Yes, you do. It's for your own safety," Addison said.
"I'm fine. I'm safe here," Audrey insisted. She had just gotten used to living in Seattle; she wasn't ready to readjust her entire life again to live in an entirely different state, house, and family.
"I know it's a lot to ask of you to move again now that you're settled here, but your parents are right. We all need to keep you safe, and right now, that means going to live with your mom," Meredith said.
"So, we're just…not gonna see each other anymore?" Audrey asked, her voice sounding small, reminding everyone just how young she still was.
Everyone kept thinking about how much time they'd lost with her and how seemingly grown-up Audrey was. Never had they realized that she was still just 15 years old. She had a whole life ahead of her, and she was still just a teenager who never asked for any of this. They forgot just how young she was before, but Derek saw the little girl staring back at her, worried she'd never see her father again.
"Of course we are," Derek insisted.
"I'll fly up all the time," Derek added, rubbing his daughter's back.
"And I will remind him to fly up here all the time," Addison added, knowing Derek tended to forget to make time and space for things like this.
"Maybe Addison can fly you back here some weekends, too," Meredith suggested, to which Addison nodded in agreement.
"We're sorry we're changing everything on you again. It's not fair, we know, but we just want to keep you safe. Right now, that means coming to live with me and Jake," Addison apologized, wishing she could be there in person to hug their daughter.
"You know they're right, don't you?" Meredith asked as more of a statement than a question after seeing the look on Audrey's face as she looked down. She nodded back in defeat.
"So, I'm gonna install a good security system and we're gonna fly you down to L.A. after this week. Sound like a plan?" Derek asked.
They all nodded in agreement. It wasn't how she wanted it to happen, but Addison had always wanted her daughter with her in Los Angeles. She had a room ready for her here, and Henry was already asking about his big sister, Audi, and when she'd come to play with him. At least now, Addison could tell him she was coming to live with him. As expected, Henry was ecstatic when she told him later that week.
"Just one more thing," Audrey said hesitantly. The adults looked at her curiously.
"I want to see Evelyn first," Audrey added, trying to sound more confident
"Are you sure?" Addison asked. They'd cut contact with Evelyn ever since the police took her away that day at the restaurant, and they'd done it to keep Audrey safe.
"Yeah. I just…need to say goodbye or something," Audrey said, finding it hard to articulate how she felt.
Derek and Addison looked at each other through the phone and laptop screens, having a silent conversation with each other based on looks alone. Meredith watched, curious. She and Derek talked like this sometimes, and she'd do it with Cristina when they had something to say to each other, when there was something they didn't want to say in front of other people. Meredith had even seen him do the same with Mark on occasion, but it never occurred to her that it'd happen between Derek and Addison. Then again, it made sense. They'd known each other since they were in their early 20s. When you know someone that well for that long, it just becomes second nature after a while, she thought.
"Okay," Addison finally said once she and Derek agreed.
"On one condition," Addison added. Audrey and Meredith listened instantly for what she'd say next.
"I'm going with you," Derek said, finishing her sentence.
"It's non-negotiable. And for your own safety. I can't protect you if I send you in there alone," Derek added.
"We," Addison corrected, rolling her eyes.
"We can't protect you if we send you in there alone," Derek said, correcting himself and sighing.
"Okay," Audrey agreed.
It made sense, and she liked the idea of not being in there alone. Her feelings toward Evelyn were complicated, and she felt the need to uncomplicate it somehow. Maybe she was putting too much stock into this one conversation, but she had to at least try. Knowing her father would be in there with her to pull her out or to help untangle the mess of feelings she had for the woman she thought was her mother for the last 13 years made her feel much more at ease.
"Addison?" Violet asked, barging into her office.
"Sorry, Audrey, I've gotta get back to work," Addison started.
"Wait, that's her?" Violet asked, intrigued, as she came closer to Addison's desk.
"I'll see you guys next week. Call me if you need anything!" Addison said before shutting her laptop, leaving Violet unsatisfied that she'd have to wait until Addison introduced Audrey to her and the rest of the practice.
"You'll meet her next week!" Addison laughed when Violet pouted.
Derek went out after breakfast that morning and bought the best security system on the market, at least according to the guy at the store, and got Mark's help to install it. Meanwhile, Audrey packed her things, which weren't much beyond a few sets of clothes, her old sneakers, and some books Derek had bought her while she was here. The suitcase Meredith gave her was more than big enough for her things. Her stuff only took up half of the space.
"Hey, kid. I heard you're moving to L.A.," Mark said as he helped spot Derek as he climbed the ladder to place one of the security cameras.
"Yeah. Apparently, I'm not safe here," Audrey said, half-jokingly.
"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but your parents are right. Plus, L.A.'s nicer anyway. Much less rain and a lot more sun," Mark smiled, cheering the girl up.
"Then why don't you live there?" Audrey teased.
"Because, apparently, Derek likes the rain," Mark replied as they both chuckled.
"Just do me one favor," Mark said, his tone sounding mischievous. Derek looked at his friend as he climbed down the ladder, curious.
"Don't forget me while you're out there," Mark joked.
"I'm not leaving for good. They said I could come back to visit," Audrey pointed out, giggling.
"Alright, fine. Then…find me the best food truck. Or we can find one together when I come to visit," Mark said.
"Deal," Audrey smiled.
"I'm still her godfather, right?" Mark asked.
"I mean, I know she's been gone awhile, but it's not my fault she got taken away. That was not in the godfather rulebook," Mark added jokingly.
"You sure you read the book? Or did you just watch The Godfather movies and call it a day?" Derek joked, laughing.
"Hey! Don't ask me about my business, Kay," Mark replied, reciting a line from the movie while doing his best Al Pacino impression. Derek and Audrey looked at him, confused.
"Have you guys never seen the movie? I mean, you, you're too young for it," Mark asked, directing his comment toward Audrey.
"But you - we saw the movie together, remember?" Mark reminded Derek.
"Yeah, when we were 13," Derek pointed out.
"So?" Mark asked.
"So, there's no way I remember every line from a movie I watched once when I was 13 years old," Derek replied, chuckling.
"See, that's why. You've only seen it once! It's The Godfather. You can't just watch it once," Mark said. Derek shook his head before grabbing the instruction book that came with the security system.
"Someday, we'll watch it together," Mark said, directing his comment toward Audrey, making her smile.
"And I'll drag your dad into it, too," Mark added. Derek rolled his eyes.
"Would you be giving me this much slack if I was Addie?" Derek asked, knowing his answer would be no.
"No, because I guarantee you she hasn't seen it," Mark pointed out, pulling out his phone.
"What are you doing?" Audrey asked, curious as Mark texted Addison about something.
"Ha! See?" Mark said, showing them his phone and Addison's almost immediate response.
Have you ever seen The Godfather?
No.
"Well, that's not surprising," Derek said before they heard Mark's phone ding again.
And for the last time, no, I don't think you have a good Al Pacino impression.
Derek and Audrey laughed after reading Mark's phone before he put it back in his pocket and grabbed the instruction booklet from Derek's hand.
The next day, Derek went off to work early since he had a surgery scheduled, and Audrey stayed with Meredith, Zola, and William. She'd already finished packing, so Audrey had moved on to helping Meredith around the house by cleaning up and playing with Zola and her dolls. As it got a little later in the morning, the front door opened to reveal Mark holding a pink bakery box sitting on top of three pizza boxes.
"Mark? What are you doing here?" Meredith asked, bouncing William in her arms.
"What do you mean? Where's Derek?" Mark asked as he put the boxes on the counter as Audrey walked over to get a closer look.
"At the hospital. He had a craniotomy scheduled," Meredith replied.
"What? Why?" Mark asked.
"What do you mean, why? Because he actually works for a living," Meredith replied.
"It's his birthday! I told him, birthdays are not for working; birthdays are for partying," Mark said.
"It's his birthday?" Audrey asked.
"Oh, my God. It's August already?" Meredith asked. Everything with the new baby and Audrey made time feel fuzzy, but upon checking her phone, she saw that Mark was right: it was the first of August.
"Okay, I'll call Hunt and get him to give Derek the rest of the day off," Mark said before pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"Kid, do me a favor and grab the rest of the pizza in the car. And there's a salad in there, too," Mark said, grabbing his keys out of his other pocket and handing them to her as she walked toward him.
"Mark, it's fine. We don't exactly have anything planned for him," Meredith said as Audrey accepted the keys from Mark before going outside to retrieve the rest of the food.
"Maybe you don't, but I definitely do," Mark replied before leaving the room to make his phone call.
Meredith sighed and admitted defeat. There was cake, there was food, and at least this way, Derek could spend more time with his daughter before she left in a few days. Plus, even though Meredith had forgotten her husband's birthday, she was glad he spent some of it in the OR. Much like her; it was one of his favorite places in the world.
"Okay, he'll be here in an hour," Mark said when he came back barely two minutes later.
"That was fast," Audrey commented as she returned with the boxes in hand.
"Yeah. Hunt's a softie," Mark joked, chuckling.
"What's with all the pizza, anyway?" Meredith asked. Six pizzas felt excessive.
"Derek likes pizza," Mark answered simply before Audrey placed the three other boxes on the table before giving Mark his keys back.
"Why is there so much of it? There's only six of us. And only five of us who can actually eat it," Meredith asked, referring to William as the sixth person while bouncing him in her arms.
"It's his birthday; you didn't think it'd just be us, did you?" Mark asked teasingly.
"Mark! This place is a mess!" Meredith exclaimed. It was much cleaner than it was yesterday, but it wasn't necessarily clean enough for a big party.
"It's fine! You have a new baby. No one's gonna care," Mark brushed it off. Their house was clean enough, he thought.
"So, who's coming?" Audrey asked.
"Your grandma. And the rest of the Shepherd clan," Mark smiled.
"Wait. They're all coming here?" Meredith asked, her eyes wide.
"Well, not all of them. Just Mrs. Shepherd and the sisters. Except for Amelia, but she said she'd call later," Mark replied.
Meredith muttered something inaudible under her breath before walking away to put William down in his crib. It was one thing to have her house a mess when their friends from the hospital came for dinner or a party, but Derek's family was another story. She barely knew them, and impressing family members was not her forte. Audrey glanced over at Mark, who shook his head, choosing to ignore Meredith's internal freakout. Then she went back to helping Meredith clean up around the house.
About an hour later, Derek walked back into his house to the sound of a vacuum. He hadn't even realized it was his birthday until Owen told him. The last thing he expected while scrubbing out of a surgery was to get told to go home for the day. When Owen said it was because it was his birthday, Derek realized he hadn't been paying attention to the date recently. After stepping into the house and hanging up his bag, he heard the vacuum stop before seeing his little girl coming out into the living room.
"Daddy!" Zola exclaimed upon seeing her dad as she ran toward him.
"Hey, Zozo," Derek smiled widely before picking her up and kissing her cheek.
"Happy birfday!" Zola exclaimed. Mark had informed her earlier that it was her dad's birthday.
"Thank you, Zozo," Derek chuckled before kissing her forehead and putting her back down.
"Hey! Surprise!" Meredith exclaimed, chuckling as she wrapped the vacuum cord around the hook.
"Thanks," Derek chuckled. He knew they had both forgotten his birthday.
"There's the birthday boy!" Mark exclaimed, coming out with Audrey. After a while, Meredith and Audrey (but mostly Audrey) got Mark to help clean up around the house. It was the least he could do for springing a surprise birthday party on them at the last minute.
"I know you have a baby, but to forget your own birthday…," Mark joked playfully before he and Derek hugged.
"Yeah, yeah. So, what'd you get me?" Derek asked jokingly, chuckling.
"Check it out," Mark smiled widely before opening the pink cake box, revealing a cake with Derek's face on it. It was one he recognized well since it was the picture they took of him when he was the hospital's chief of surgery; the one that hung in the cafeteria alongside the other photos of past and present chiefs of surgery.
Derek laughed as Meredith and Audrey came over to get a closer look, laughing alongside him after realizing what they were looking at. Audrey even picked Zola up to see the cake, and she also giggled. While admiring the cake, they heard the doorbell ring. Derek looked over at Meredith, who made a not-me face before he turned to Mark, who smiled back mischievously.
Mark went over to the front door, hugging Carolyn first before doing the same with Derek's sisters. Derek's smile widened as they piled inside, one by one. Audrey watched everyone greet each other before cooing over how big Zola had gotten since the last time they'd seen her. After a few minutes of everyone greeting their new guests, she saw the older woman look at her and put a hand over her mouth in awe.
"Wow. You're really…you're really here. I can't believe it," Carolyn commented before holding her arms out for a hug and walking closer to her. Audrey let her wrap her arms around her while she stood awkwardly, wrapping one arm around the woman.
"You must be Audrey. I'm sorry, our mother's a hugger. I'm your Aunt Nancy," Nancy smiled as Carolyn pulled away.
"Hey. She's family. In this family, we hug," Carolyn said before pulling away from the hug.
"I'm your Aunt Lizzie. It's so good to see you again," Lizzie said, smiling widely.
"Kathleen. Your other other aunt," Kathleen said, giving her a small wave.
Audrey smiled back, unsure of what to say. She knew next to nothing about them other than they existed. She also didn't know anything about her grandmother on her dad's side.
"And you've already met Amy," Nancy added.
"Amy?" Audrey asked, confused.
"Amelia. She doesn't really go by Amy anymore, but her family still calls her Amy," Mark said. Audrey nodded in understanding.
"I can't believe you guys are really out here," Derek commented, chuckling. It'd been years since they'd all been together; before he and Addison got divorced, if he was honest with himself.
"Us? She's the one we can't believe is here. I mean, I know you told us on the phone, but she really does look like Addie," Nancy said. Audrey smiled; she'd come to terms with the fact that she was a spitting image of her mother when she was younger.
"Why don't we sit down to eat? I got sausage and peppers, double pepperoni, and Margherita," Mark said.
"I hope you got some vegetables, too," Carolyn commented.
"Pepper's a vegetable," Lizzie joked, making Audrey laugh to herself. Carolyn gave her a look.
"Don't worry, I got a salad, too, Mrs. Shepherd," Mark chuckled before they all went toward the kitchen to grab themselves some food.
"Is that the baby?" Lizzie practically squealed upon seeing Meredith pick up the baby from the pack-and-play crib in the living room.
"Will, these are your other aunts from your dad's side of the family," Meredith said playfully, before handing him off to Lizzie. She cooed and rocked the baby before passing him over to her mother for a turn. Eventually, all the sisters got their turn before returning him to Meredith.
While eating lunch, Derek's sisters and mother asked her questions about how she liked Seattle, how she was doing, and how she felt about moving to Los Angeles. Any time Kathleen, who Audrey realized was the bluntest one of the pack, tried to ask about anything more probing, Derek interrupted and told her to ease off. He and Addison, as well as their respective partners, had been careful with Audrey, making sure she felt comfortable about talking about her past with Robert and Evelyn. On her time and on her terms. Derek didn't want to ruin that progress in one fell swoop in the form of his sister.
A while later, doctors from the hospital started showing up to join the party. Audrey fielded similar questions from Derek and Meredith's friends as they expressed their curiosity and compassion gently. Callie had even joked that Addison owed her a night out. After a few hours of smiling politely and answering the same handful of questions over and over again, Audrey escaped to her room, just to get a minute alone. But when she got there, she found her grandmother and her aunts on her dad's side already inside.
"Oh, sorry," Audrey said upon seeing everyone. It was her room, but seeing her newfound aunts and grandmother in there made her feel like she was intruding.
"Oh, no. Don't be. I told them we shouldn't be snooping," Kathleen apologized.
"Please, Kate. You're the one who wanted to see the room," Lizzie commented.
"Look, the point is: we shouldn't have come in here. We're all sorry," Nancy said, trying to stop the girls from arguing before pulling her sisters with her toward the door while Audrey smiled awkwardly, not knowing if she was supposed to say or do something else.
"I just…Meredith told us that you were gonna visit your…kidnapper before you guys go to L.A., and I…I don't mean to intrude, but we're just…concerned," Kathleen said before they all reached the door.
"Oh. Yeah…," Audrey confirmed, still feeling uncomfortable standing just inside her bedroom door.
"Kate, leave her alone," Nancy said under her breath.
"Could I just ask you why? You know, she's behind bars for a reason," Kathleen asked.
"Kathleen," Carolyn scolded.
"What? She pleaded guilty! So, it's not like she was some innocent bystander or something," Kathleen said.
"She took a deal," Nancy pointed out.
"So? You don't take a deal pleading guilty if you're completely innocent; don't tell me you're that dense," Kathleen responded.
"You don't know that; people make deals for all sorts of reasons," Lizzie chimed in.
"This isn't one of those cop shows or murder mysteries you watch, Liz. This is real life," Kathleen said.
"Girls," Carolyn interjected firmly. Audrey stood watching awkwardly while the girls argued.
"I never said it was!" Lizzie replied.
"Look, no one's disputing that that woman is despicable, but can we not do this in front of the poor girl?" Carolyn asked, walking over to try to comfort Audrey. She still felt so unfamiliar with these people that Carolyn touching her arm and rubbing her back just made Audrey feel even more uncomfortable. When she felt her flinch, Carolyn pulled her hands away.
"I'm only asking because I'm worried; we all are. You're finally safe here; why would you want to talk to that woman?" Kathleen asked.
Audrey felt like a deer in the headlights; she didn't know much about Evelyn's involvement in the whole thing. Was she Robert's partner in crime, or was she just someone who got sucked into his nefarious scheme? She wasn't sure, and she doubted anyone else had the answer other than Robert and Evelyn. Robert was still out there somewhere in hiding, but Evelyn was behind bars at the women's correctional center of Washington. She couldn't ask Robert why he'd done what he did, but Audrey knew she could ask Evelyn. If she didn't ask before she left to go live with her mother, she was afraid she'd never ask. And she knew not asking would just haunt her until she asked the question.
"Eleanor was still her mother before this, Kate. She's a kid; it's not like that…feeling just goes away just because she has Derek and Addie now," Nancy said.
"Does she still feel like your mother? Do you want her to get out and go back to being your mom?" Kathleen asked, creeping closer to the teenager, causing her to back up.
"Hey, there you are," Derek said. Audrey had stepped backward into the hallway and bumped right into her father.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Derek asked gently. He could see something was wrong just by looking into his daughter's eyes.
"She'd be fine if Kate hadn't just interrogated her," Nancy commented.
"What? What do you mean?" Derek asked, looking over at his sister.
"I didn't interrogate her, I just asked her a few questions," Kathleen brushed it off.
"Audrey, why don't you go back out to the party? Or you can go to Zola's room if you want a minute alone," Derek suggested gently. Audrey, still a little panicked and confused, left the room, taking the excuse to leave before finding herself in Zola's room.
He wanted to protect her while simultaneously wanting to warn his family to leave Audrey alone. They'd all made such an effort to make this transition in Audrey's life go as smoothly and as delicately as they could, and he knew all it would take was a few minutes in a room alone with his family to unravel all of their hard work.
Audrey had been a godsend, not just because it was a miracle that she was alive and back in their lives, but also because she'd been so open and willing to connect with him and Addison. They were her parents, but they were still practically strangers, only really reconnecting over the last two months. If Audrey felt in any way threatened by her quote-unquote, real family, Derek was afraid she'd retreat and close herself off from all of them.
"What do you think you're doing?" Derek asked sternly.
"Meredith mentioned she wanted to see Eleanor before you all flew her out to L.A.," Kathleen started.
"So?" Derek asked, still angry.
"So, we were concerned, Derek. That's all," Nancy continued.
"That woman raised her as her mother, Derek. And now she knows the truth, and she still wants to go see her? She still has some kind of twisted attachment to her. I'm just making sure it's not anything more than just some…misguided or residual affection for her," Kathleen said.
"She thought she was her mother until a few months ago, Kate. She has the right to feel confused. And it's not like we really know much of what happened: all we know is Robert took her," Derek argued.
"She still pleaded guilty, Derek," Nancy reminded him.
"She took a deal to avoid a trial. There's a difference," Derek corrected her.
"So, you're saying you think she's innocent?" Kathleen asked.
"No, I…I'm saying there's a lot we don't know, and Audrey doesn't have all the answers, either. She hasn't seen either of them since they arrested Eleanor at the restaurant. Eleanor's the one person who can answer at least some of her questions," Derek replied.
"Well, yeah, we all want some answers, but it doesn't mean Audrey should be the one to ask her," Kathleen said.
"Maybe Audrey's the only one who will get an honest answer out of her," Lizzie suggested. Derek gave her a look that signaled he agreed.
"Look, I know you're curious and that you were just…trying to help, but we've got her. All of us: Meredith, Addison, Jake. I'm going with her when she goes to see her tomorrow. We're not letting her go through this alone," Derek added.
The girls nodded, finally letting the argument end there. He was right, and they knew it. This wasn't going to be easy for any of them, but they were confident that Derek and Addison had it handled, and that Audrey would be more than okay in their hands. Derek gestured for them to leave the room before the girls filed out, one by one, and Carolyn kissed his forehead before they left the room together.
The rest of the day consisted of eating, conversing, and celebrating Derek's birthday. Audrey came back out to the living room about ten minutes after Derek and his family came out. Derek almost went to find her in Zola's room, but decided to give her some alone time. Addison and Amelia called after dinner, and they even joined everyone in singing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy, who blew out his candles while laughing as he saw his own face staring back at him on the cake. That night, Derek told Audrey he could take her to visit Evelyn after lunch the next day. She nodded back as Derek went over to sit next to her on her bed.
"I'm sorry about earlier. My sisters…they mean well, but sometimes…they tend to go overboard," Derek apologized.
"It's okay," Audrey replied.
"You nervous?" Derek asked, referring to their visit with Eleanor.
"A little," Audrey replied honestly.
"I'll be right there with you. If it gets to be too much and you want to leave, just squeeze my hand twice," Derek said, grabbing his daughter's hand and squeezing it twice.
"Thanks," Audrey tried to smile. Derek smiled back reassuringly before kissing her forehead and telling her goodnight.
The next day, Derek took the morning off and spent the day with Audrey, taking her out to lunch before driving up to the correctional center. They signed their names on the sheet before the officials gave them guest passes. After the guards let them in, they saw Evelyn on the other side of the glass before Audrey picked up the phone.
"Zoe…," Evelyn started.
"My name is Audrey," Audrey replied. Evelyn bit her lip but continued, nonetheless.
"They told me you were here to see me, but I just…I can't believe you're really here," Evelyn said.
"I didn't come here to…catch up or anything," Audrey said.
"Then why are you here?" Evelyn asked, her voice sounding desperate.
"I just want to know why," Audrey said.
"Why did he take me? And why did you keep me all those years?" Audrey asked, her voice trembling as Derek rubbed her back to comfort her.
"I didn't know. I didn't know Rob took you," Evelyn started softly.
"You're really gonna tell me that for over 13 years, you had no idea he took her?" Derek asked, interrupting.
"I knew something was wrong. He told me he found you on someone's doorstep, but I knew something was off. I…I knew he was lying," Evelyn said.
"Then why didn't you do something about it?" Audrey interrupted her, getting angry.
"Because I loved you. Since the moment I laid eyes on you, I loved you. If I asked him, pushed him harder, I'd have to give you back," Evelyn replied.
"And that's your excuse?" Audrey asked
"It's not an excuse; it's the truth. I love you, Zoe. I have ever since he put you in my arms," Evelyn said, getting emotional.
"My name is Audrey! I should've never been a Zoe, you never should've taken me," Audrey said, feeling her blood boil before her dad slipped his hand into hers to try to comfort her.
"I didn't take you; your father did," Evelyn said, falling back into old patterns of referring to herself and Robert as her parents.
"He's not her father; I am," Derek said sternly, trying to keep his anger in check. He was just as mad as Audrey, if not angrier, but he wanted to set a better example for his daughter.
"You know what I mean," Evelyn said softly.
"You should've pushed him harder for the truth. I wasn't yours to take. Or Robert's," Audrey said, fighting tears.
"I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen," Evelyn said through tears.
"All I wanted, all I ever wanted, was to be a mother. When Rob came home with you, I…I couldn't give you up. We tried…for years, but we couldn't…I couldn't get pregnant. Something about my hormones or something. Rob just…he was trying to help," Evelyn said.
"He didn't help. He destroyed me and my family. My real family. They should've been able to see me grow up, but you took that away from them and you took that away from me," Audrey said, tears rolling as she wiped her face.
"I should've grown up watching The Godfather movies with my Uncle Mark and played house with my Aunt Amelia, and I should be able to call my parents Mom and Dad without it feeling weird because I've only known them for a few weeks. I should've had all these things and all these memories that I'd have now if you and Rob hadn't taken me away from them," Audrey said, continuing to cry.
"Tell Rob to stop looking for me," Audrey added, her voice hoarse and her face wet.
"Zoe…," Evelyn said, not even attempting to correct herself now. She'd always been Zoe to her, and in some weird way, she always would be.
"I'm sorry," Evelyn added.
"You didn't deserve me then, and you definitely don't deserve me now. Just stay away from my family," Audrey said, squeezing Derek's hand twice. He squeezed it back before standing up, his hand still holding his daughter's, and led her back toward the exit.
A/N: Chapter title inspired by the song, Love Made Me Do It by Ellise. For now, that is all we'll be seeing of Robert and Evelyn for a while, but they will pop back up, eventually. I am still kind of figuring out more of Evelyn's backstory, but I do have a plan for her and Robert for later in the story - it's more of the details that still need to get sorted.
This chapter originally didn't have any of Derek's birthday stuff, but I basically outlined and created a rough timeline of characters' birthdays, and I know generally where we are and I didn't realize until a few days ago that I completely skipped over where I decided his birthday would be (because unlike Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, I'm adding at least some of people's birthdays into the story), so I spent the last few days writing this chapter, which is also why I'm posting this a day later than I was planning to. Next chapter will go back to some fun fluff though, and there will be some other drama in this fic later on, but for now, Derek and Addison will have more time to bond with their daughter. References include the movie, The Godfather, which I actually haven't seen (don't hate me!), so thank you Google for that one. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
