Summary: Audrey adjusts to Los Angeles with her new family and notices how different it is from her old life while Addison enrolls her in a new school.

By dinnertime, Amelia called Addison to figure out where to meet. Jake had been stuck in surgery, so she had Henry with her. They agreed to meet at a quaint Chinese restaurant nearby, with Addison texting Jake the name and address before leaving the mall with Audrey. When Addison and Audrey got to the restaurant, they found Amelia already there with Henry, who was very excited to see both of them. By the time the hostess seated them, Addison got a text from Jake, telling them he was on the way.

"So, I heard you guys went shopping today," Amelia started after the server gave them some menus.

"Yeah. We got some clothes and some stuff for school," Addison replied.

"Does that mean you've finally picked what school she'll go to?" Amelia asked teasingly. Audrey looked back, confused.

"Yes," Addison answered, chuckling, half-embarrassed about how much time and effort she put into looking for schools for Audrey.

"Your mom's a perfectionist. She's been looking at private schools ever since Derek told her you were moving here," Amelia said.

"Oh," Audrey commented.

"Your mom is and always will be this…detail-oriented, let's say," Amelia teased.

"I just like being prepared," Addison blushed as Amelia chuckled. Henry, who was sitting next to her in a high seat, looked between them, confused as well.

"Or over-prepared," Amelia muttered. Audrey chuckled as Addison left it alone, rolling her eyes before turning her attention back to the menu.

A few minutes later, Jake walked into the restaurant, found them at the table, and walked right over. He ruffled through Henry's hair briefly, which was met by a small but enthusiastic, Hi Daddy, before kissing Addison's cheek and sitting down beside her.

"Sorry, I'm late," Jake smiled as he scootched his chair closer to the table gently.

"Don't worry about it," Amelia brushed off.

"Everything okay?" Addison asked, referring more to his work at the hospital.

"Yeah. Delivered a perfectly healthy baby boy. Seven pounds, four ounces," Jake smiled.

A few minutes after perusing the menus, their server came back and took their orders. Amelia grabbed a toy out of Henry's small backpack to distract him while everyone else talked.

"So, what'd I miss?" Jake asked.

"Just that Addie finally picked a school for Audrey," Amelia said.

"Did you talk to Derek yet?" Jake asked, looking over at his wife.

"Yeah. I sent him an email with everything, but I doubt he really looked it over much yet," Addison replied.

"So, which school did you choose?" Jake asked teasingly.

"Windward," Addison said.

"That's not the all-girls one you found, is it?" Amelia asked, making a face. Audrey's ears perked up curiously. She'd never even thought about going to a private school, let alone an all-girls school.

"No. You were right; we don't need her to go to an all-girls school," Addison replied. Part of Audrey was relieved hearing her mother say she wasn't going to one. Going to a private school would be enough of an adjustment, she thought.

"Good," Amelia said.

As the server came back with their food, the table conversation turned toward work and entertaining Henry while they all ate dinner. The idea of going to a new school as a sophomore was daunting to Audrey. She remembered her first day of high school and how she had to have all her textbooks, school supplies, and first-day outfit ready to go. Maybe that was the reminiscent perfectionist qualities in her that Amelia was making fun of Addison for.

Robert and Eleanor always made fun of her for it, too. Eleanor at least humored her by giving in to her commands about things like matching backpacks and binders, but Robert called her a prep-school brat. Audrey wasn't even going to a nice private school like the one Addison had picked back then, but she always had this sense of wanting to do her best. Maybe that's how her mom felt, too.

At the time, she'd been relatively excited about entering high school. It was a big step toward growing up and gaining some independence. But at least then, she had her friends going through it with her. Here, the only people she knew were her family members and her mom's coworkers. This time, Audrey realized, she'd be entering high school as the new girl. And that terrified her. She didn't even remember how to make new friends. Audrey had made her friends in Toledo in elementary school. She didn't have the slightest clue on how to make new friends as a teenager.

After dinner, they said their goodbyes to Amelia and returned to the house, where Audrey assembled her new school supplies, deciding which notebook would be for which class and looking up what textbooks and whatever other things she'd need for school after asking Addison to use the family computer in her office. Addison put her new clothes into the wash before calling Derek about the school she'd picked for Audrey.

To no one's surprise, he agreed easily, claiming to only care about it being a good academic school, not too high in tuition costs, and having both girls and boys rather than an all-girls school. Much like his sister's comment from earlier that evening. Derek and Addison agreed to split up the cost, and they'd get their previous divorce lawyer to make it official through some kind of paperwork. Not that either of them thought this would be a point of contention between them, but they agreed it was best to be safe. Just in case.

Meanwhile, Jake played with Henry, going over the alphabet and numbers one to ten before getting him ready for bedtime. When Addison checked back in with Audrey in her office, she was focused, writing things down in one notebook they'd bought earlier that day. Addison peeked at the screen and saw the athletics page open on the school website and smiled.

"Am I interrupting?" Addison asked playfully, getting Audrey to turn around.

"Oh, no," Audrey said awkwardly, blushing slightly.

"It's okay. I was just curious about what you were looking at," Addison chuckled, walking closer.

"Anything of interest?" Addison asked, looking at the list of sports for the fall sports season.

"Maybe cross country and volleyball? I was always in track or cross-country at my old school, but I don't think I've ever played volleyball before," Audrey said.

"Well, you're in the right place for it," Addison joked.

"Maybe we can get Jake to set up a net in the backyard," Addison added, smiling.

"Did you do sports as a kid?" Audrey asked, curious.

"I did. More because Bizzy made me take some, so it'd look good on my transcripts, but I still enjoyed them," Addison replied.

"What kind of sports?" Audrey asked.

"Swimming, running, tennis…oh, and sailing," Addison replied, thinking back.

"I've never played tennis. Or gone sailing," Audrey commented.

"Well, I was never really good at tennis; I'm at least better at it than your father, but I was always more of a runner. Hopefully, you're better than the two of us," Addison chuckled.

"And sailing…I can hold my own, but Archer's always been the better sailor. The Captain made us both learn when we were kids," Addison added.

"Archer?" Audrey asked.

"My brother. Your uncle. Sorry, have I not mentioned him yet?" Addison asked, chuckling.

"I don't think so," Audrey replied.

"Well, you'll meet him soon enough. The Captain, too, I'm assuming. They're back in Connecticut. Or at least The Captain is. I think Archer said he was spending his summer in Miami," Addison said.

"Oh," Audrey said.

"Archer showed up at your first birthday with this big wrapped present, and it was one of those life-size toddler cars. It wasn't those red and yellow ones that everyone got, but it was this Jeep-looking truck, which was an interesting choice from Archer, but he got one that was pink and purple because purple was your favorite color. You had barely even taken your first steps, and he already got you a car. He even said something about wanting to get you your first car and…I don't know, I think he just wanted to get you the best present," Addison said, stopping herself from rambling. Audrey chuckled.

"You were so small I was scared you'd slump over or something, but you were so excited sitting in that car. Archer held onto your shoulder with one hand and pushed the car across the living room floor…he's not really a baby person, but he loved you. And he loves Henry. He's not a dad, and he never wants to be one, but he is a great uncle," Addison commented.

Audrey smiled at the thought. She'd grown up with Isaac as her uncle. He wasn't a bad uncle, and they saw him often, but his attention was usually on the Browns game. It was the same way with Robert a lot of the time. Eleanor was always the one who took care of her and took an interest in her interests, even though she probably wasn't interested in the same things. It was why she needed to see her before she left Seattle. But despite only being a few months of living with her birth parents, she knew she had to let her old life go.

"You know, he came to live with me for a while after your father left," Addison said.

"What do you mean, Dad left?" Audrey asked, confused.

"Well, after he found Mark in bed with me, who was just sleeping, mind you, he left. And I don't just mean he left the house and went on a drive; he packed a bag and left me. That's how he ended up in Seattle. I…I couldn't live in that house. Not alone. I called Naomi, sobbing, and she was over here on the West Coast, so she couldn't really do anything for me, so she called Archer for reinforcements. He came all the way from Hartford and just…stayed with me," Addison said.

"Wow," Audrey commented.

"He even started working at the hospital with me. I mean, we didn't work cases together, thank God, but he worked there for a few months. The chief let him work there on a three-month contract basis. He would've stayed longer if he needed to, but I told him to go back home when the time was up. I needed to…move on on my own," Addison added.

"Does he know that I'm here?" Audrey asked.

"He does. He came here when I came back and you were in Seattle with your dad since he thought you'd be here, and he wanted to come up to see you, but I told him he could wait until the holidays. Plus, he and your dad don't really get along and he was a little distracted trying to finish his book that his editor kept hounding him about," Addison said.

"He's an author?" Audrey asked, intrigued. Maybe she could read one of his books, she thought.

"He is, but I doubt you'd be into his books; he's a neurologist who writes books about his crazy patients. Well, maybe you would be into that, but there's a lot of medical jargon that's probably not as interesting to you," Addison replied.

"Well, maybe I can learn it while reading it," Audrey said, chuckling.

She liked a challenge, and Addison couldn't help but see a little bit of herself in her daughter. When she was a kid, she practically memorized some of her father's university textbooks by the time she was in high school. At ten years old, Addison was already telling her friends the difference between fetal and neonatal surgeries and what cases would work for which. No wonder Addison skipped fourth grade.

"I'm sure he'd love that," Addison said as they both smiled at each other.

"Oh, before I forget, your new school has some electives to choose from and it also requires taking three years of a world language to graduate. I didn't want to pick one for you, and they had French, Spanish, and Mandarin. Which one do you want to take?" Addison asked.

"Well, what language did you take?" Audrey asked, curious.

"French, but I don't want you to feel like you have to take it, too, just because I did," Addison replied.

"Then French," Audrey smiled.

"I just said…," Addison started.

"I know, I just…want to," Audrey interrupted.

"You're sure?" Addison asked.

"I'm sure," Audrey nodded.

"French it is then," Addison smiled.

"I also have a list of electives for you to look at later that the school sent me," Addison added. Audrey nodded, promising that she'd take a look at it later.

"Audi!" Henry yelled from down the hall before they heard little footsteps running into the room. When he came in, his hair was still damp from his bath and he was wearing pajamas with what Audrey realized were rocket ships on it.

"Hey, buddy," Audrey said as Henry got closer to her. From behind him, they saw Jake walk over and stand at the doorframe.

"Audi read me story?" Henry asked. Audrey giggled.

"Henry, can you ask your sister nicely?" Addison encouraged.

"Pwease, Audi?" Henry asked.

"Of course," Audrey smiled before taking Henry's hand and walking over to his room.

Jake moved out of the way to let the kids get through, waiting for Addison to get to him before they followed Audrey and Henry to his bedroom. They watched as they perused his little bookshelf before seeing Henry grab The Story of Ferdinand. Audrey hadn't read that one before, so even though it was a little kids' book, she was intrigued.

Audrey tucked her little brother into his toddler bed before pulling up the armchair to read Henry his bedtime story. Jake and Addison came closer and pulled up the other chair to watch the two, with Addison sitting on Jake's lap despite her initial protests. Audrey read and turned the pages, eventually reaching the part about the Banderilleros and the Picadores. Jake whispered the correct pronunciation, helping her through the rest of the reading as Audrey made a mental note about how the double L sounded like the Y sound in Spanish. She may have chosen French earlier, but it might be nice to learn some Spanish, too, Audrey thought.

Henry barely made it through to the end of the book before his eyelids grew heavy. The three of them smiled as the toddler fell asleep before quietly exiting his room. Addison grabbed the program Audrey's new school mailed her and the two went over the list of electives together before Audrey settled on photography and graphic design, in addition to her required French class. After that, Addison let Audrey continue looking over the booklet to get a better idea of her courses while she went to get ready for bed.

A little later, Addison walked over to the office to say goodnight when she saw Audrey looking through the bookshelf. There were old medical textbooks, a variety of memoirs, fictional novels, and a handful of old photo albums. Audrey had been flipping through, looking at Jake and Addison's wedding album. She saw pictures of Henry in a little suit with Angela, who was also wearing a suit, Jake and Addison's first dance, the doctors from the office, and some other unfamiliar faces. Addison smiled before knocking on the door, snapping Audrey out of her reverie.

"Find anything interesting?" Addison asked.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…," Audrey stuttered.

"No, don't be. This is your home now, too," Addison said, walking over and leaning to see what she was looking at.

"It looks pretty," Audrey commented, looking at a photo of Jake and Addison from afar, sitting at their table at the wedding, talking.

"It was," Addison smiled.

"Angela was Jake's best man, hence the suit," Addison said, seeing the picture of Angela standing behind Jake during the ceremony. Audrey smiled fondly. Her wedding must've been nice, she thought.

"But…I think this is probably more of what you were looking for," Addison said, reaching down for a different photo album that was placed on the bottom shelf.

After placing it in her hands, Audrey looked at the cover, curious. It was different from the rest on the shelf. It was still a black photo album book, but instead of a sample photo at the front like the wedding album, it was a stark black with the year 1999 embroidered into it. At 15 years old, it didn't take long before Audrey realized it was from the year she was born. She looked over at her mom with hopeful eyes as she smiled back at her and opened it to the first page.

The first page had a photo of Derek and Addison in the hospital room while she held a newborn Audrey while sitting up in a hospital bed. Their faces were flushed, with apparent sweat on their foreheads and their hair tousled. Audrey traced the edge of the photo with her finger while examining every single frame of the photo as she could. The hospital bed, the stark white but textured walls, Addison in a hospital gown, and Derek sitting beside her on the bed wearing a tan cable-knit sweater with a white collar sticking out from the top, a pair of simple blue jeans, and loafers. Addison's hair was a lighter color than it was now and in a messy ponytail, and Addison held onto a swaddled newborn Audrey in a light pink blanket with closed eyes.

"That's me," Audrey finally commented.

"Yes, it is. You were a very cute baby. And small; just barely over six pounds," Addison said.

The two flipped through the pages of the book, with Addison pointing out her and Derek's old friends and colleagues, most of whom were still in New York. There was one with Richard when he came to visit, some with Weiss and Savvy, a few with Sam and Naomi, and plenty of photos with Mark. Then came the family members as Addison pointed out every one of the Shepherd siblings, their husbands (for those of them that were married at the time), their kids, Archer, Bizzy, and the Captain.

Audrey noticed the setting changed by the time they saw the photos of Addison's side of the family; they were in a living room instead of a hospital room now. When Addison told her they didn't come to visit until she and Derek brought her home, it all made sense. As they continued, there were photos from inside Audrey's old nursery, with pink accents and hand-drawn animals in picture frames. They even found a few photos of Addison's grandfather holding her as a baby that they'd told her about weeks earlier.

They kept flipping through the pages until they got to the end of the book before Addison grabbed the next one, labeled 2000. They watched as Audrey grew as time went on. It went from Derek, Addison, or someone else holding her in their arms to holding her up to stand against the coffee table in their living room to Audrey standing or walking all on her own, to the excitement of her parents. A blank face on Audrey's face turned into small smiles and laughter beside her parents, and she couldn't help but see just how happy they were.

When they got to the last photo album of Audrey's, most of it was full of her first birthday party, with Amelia laughing at something someone else had said while holding Audrey and Archer pushing her in a pink and purple Jeep ride-in car. Aside from her first birthday party, there were a few other photos of family outings at the park and playing around in her room.

Derek's hair was a little longer, the curls more apparent. His facial hair was also less clean-shaven. Addison told her it was just part of early parenthood - it was normal for new parents to let their hair grow out a little more and their personal hygiene fall by the wayside, she said. She even pointed out how her hair had gotten greasier and how she'd let her hair go on for too long before getting a fresh haircut, as was obvious by the split ends. However, Audrey didn't really care about either of those things because all it really meant was that they were happy.

The album came to an abrupt stop about halfway through. Audrey shut it close and looked up at her mother standing behind her.

"Sorry," Audrey apologized.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Addison stressed.

"We'll have plenty of photos to add to a new photo album," Addison added, stroking some of the teenage girl's hair before putting the book in Audrey's hand back on the shelf.

"Hey, there you are," Jake said, poking his head into the office doorway.

"Oh, right. I was just supposed to tell you goodnight," Addison giggled.

"Sorry. We were looking at some of the old photo albums," Audrey smiled.

"Remind me to pull out the honeymoon video for you someday. And you said you had the video of her first steps somewhere, right?" Jake said, directing his question toward Addison.

"Yeah. I'll have to go through some boxes in storage, but yes, the video Derek got of your first steps is in there somewhere," Addison confirmed. Audrey smiled.

"Goodnight. Don't stay up too late," Addison finally said after giving it a minute.

"Goodnight, Audrey," Jake echoed.

"Goodnight," Audrey said before watching the two of them walk away.

Audrey stayed a while longer, flipping through the rest of the photo albums. She even found some old yearbooks of her mother's and a few of Jake's as well. Henry's baby album was among some of her favorites, and she had to admit her mother was right about him just looking like a Henry. Even as a newborn. Eventually, Audrey went upstairs to her room and got ready for bed, grabbing a book off the shelf before getting underneath the covers. She'd been reading Addison's old copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd that she found buried in Addison's wide collection of novels when Audrey's eyes fell heavier and fell asleep.

"Everything okay?" Jake asked as he and Addison returned to their bedroom earlier in the night.

"Yeah. I just…I haven't seen some of those pictures in a long time," Addison replied.

"Well, I for one am glad she's here now and not in Seattle or…what was it? Toledo?" Jake asked as he grabbed his pajamas out of the closet.

"Yeah. Of all places…," Addison's voice trailed off as she went in the opposite direction into their master bathroom.

Addison smiled, surprised when she felt Jake's hands slide around her waist and her lips touch her cheek while her toothbrush was in her mouth. After spitting the remaining toothpaste in the sink, she wrapped her arms around her husband and kissed him.

"I've missed you," Jake commented.

"I'm right here," Addison chuckled.

"You know what I mean," Jake said.

The last few months of their lives had been all over the place, with Addison flying back to Seattle every weekend to visit Audrey. They both knew it was the right thing to do, but it didn't make it any easier. And even though Addison was home more often than not, most of their time was spent with Henry. He'd been taking the changes the hardest, with his mom gone on the weekends and unable to play with him on the weekdays while she was at work. Now that the constant traveling was over, they could ease up on attending to Henry's needs and focus more on helping Audrey adjust to her new life and on each other.

Jake and Addison knew they wouldn't just be husband and wife when they got married, they'd also be parents. Henry was just a little over a year old, and Angela was a sophomore in college when they got married. Addison had barely gotten used to being a parent when she and Jake officially got together. It didn't take long for the both of them to realize that they wanted this relationship to last. That it wasn't just some fling. Something about having a baby around just intensified the feeling, but it hadn't scared Jake away. If anything, he accepted the challenge with open arms.

He loved being a father to Angela, but he'd always felt like he'd missed so much of her life. Jake met his late wife, Lily, when Angela was already five years old. With Henry, he could experience the years he'd missed with Angela. Henry wasn't a replacement, instead, he was more of an addition. And it helped that Angela loved being a big sister.

"I don't like being here without you," Jake said, holding Addison in his arms from behind after she turned around and squeezed some toothpaste on his toothbrush before handing it to him.

"I don't like not being here either," Addison commented, snuggling her head underneath his chin.

"I used to be fine sleeping alone, you know?" Jake asked, chuckling. He was still holding his toothbrush in one hand as he and Addison pulled away.

"Oh, I know what you mean - it took me a long time to adjust to sleeping alone again after my divorce, and then I got used to having you in bed with me," Addison said.

She may not have always been single in L.A. before she and Jake got together, but there's a difference between being with someone and living with someone. And then again, with marrying someone. For a short time, Sam lived with her, but he never really lived with her. He never really moved in aside from hanging some clothes in the closet and leaving his shoes underneath the couch in the living room. Whenever they argued, he'd just go right next door to his place. And Addison did the same - she left some of her clothes at his house and even went as far as helping him pick out some new bedding, but they very much still had their own houses. They still told themselves and everyone else they lived together, but they didn't. They had just said they did.

When Jake moved in, it was the opposite. Jake moved everything into her place and put his house on the market while he was still packing up his things. So, over the years, Addison learned that it wasn't simply about having someone beside you at night, nor was it about the other activities that occurred in that bed (of which she and Jake have enjoyed many); it was the feeling of coming home to someone. Jake was home to her. He always had been.

"I have spent a lot of nights sleeping alone before you. I mean, I dated, sure, but even then, I went home at night. Even when Angela was at a friend's house. But now? Now I hate sleeping alone," Jake said.

"I hate sleeping alone, too," Addison smiled before giving her husband one more kiss before going to the closet to change into her pajamas.

"So, how was it earlier, anyway?" Jake asked after coming out of their bathroom to find Addison in her pajamas, sitting up with a book in her hand and a pair of glasses resting on her nose.

"You know, besides looking through the photo album," Jake added as he got into bed beside her.

"Good. I think. She was looking at the school website and the sports they have for the fall season, and I may have offered you up to put up a volleyball net if she decides she wants to join," Addison admitted, taking off her glasses and putting them on the nightstand, her book still in her hand and her index finger serving as a temporary bookmark.

"You did, did you?" Jake asked playfully, chuckling.

"Okay, how about this? I'll put up the net if you let me go surfing this weekend," Jake offered, repositioning himself to sit up more upright and closer to Addison. He looked at the weather forecast, and the wind would be optimal for surfing early on Saturday morning. Addison giggled before leaning in for a kiss.

"Only if you don't try to teach me again," Addison added playfully, pulling away from the kiss briefly.

"Deal," Jake smiled before kissing her again.

"Just so you know, I would've agreed to just the surfing part," Addison teased.

"I would've agreed even without the surfing part," Jake chuckled before pulling her in again as Addison put down her book for the night.

Around four in the morning, Henry woke upon hearing a noise. He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, but he could still hear something. It was some kind of whimpering noise, but as a toddler, he couldn't tell what it was, just that it was something distressing. Milo the cat wandered in, his nametag bouncing against his collar, making a slight clinking sound.

Instead of just sitting in front of Henry's bed like he usually would, he turned around and left Henry's room. Henry, confused, followed him out, holding his dinosaur plush, where the cat led him to Audrey's room. The fact that it was still dark all around clued him into the fact that it was still nighttime, and his parents told him that people slept when it was nighttime. It wasn't until Henry got in there that he realized the sound he'd heard earlier was coming from his big sister.

She was tossing in her sleep. He didn't completely understand what was going on, but something in him knew something was wrong.

"Audi?" Henry asked. Maybe she'd tell him what was wrong if he got her attention.

When Audrey didn't respond, Henry decided he'd get his parents. Surely, they'd know what to do. He ran over, and Jake woke up upon hearing Henry's little footsteps running.

"Henry?" Jake's eyes blinked sleepily as he turned around to face the bedroom door. He felt the mattress move, signaling that his wife had also woken up.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Jake asked gently after seeing the worried look on his son's face.

"Audi," Henry replied.

It didn't take long for Jake and Addison to jump out of bed, with Jake picking up Henry before following his wife to Audrey's room. Just like before, Audrey was still asleep, murmuring in her sleep as she tossed around. When she didn't wake up from Addison's gentle nudging, she tried a more hands-on approach.

Derek had told Addison about her nightmares in Seattle, but this was the first time she was experiencing it for herself. Derek had stayed with Audrey until she fell asleep, making sure she'd get some sleep and felt safe to do so. Addison intended to stay all night if it meant her daughter would be okay. She'd do anything to make it easier for her.

"Mom?" Audrey asked, half-asleep while feeling an arm wrap around her. She hadn't even noticed that it was the first time she'd called Addison, Mom.

"Audrey, honey, are you okay? You're shaking," Addison asked, moving some hair out of her daughter's face. Addison noticed the verbiage, but she was more concerned about the sweat on her daughter's face.

"I…I'm sorry," Audrey apologized, and she felt even guiltier upon seeing Jake letting an insistent Henry down.

"It's okay. Are you alright?" Jake asked as Henry ran over to the bed, climbing up to cuddle with his older sister.

"Yeah. I didn't…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you all," Audrey said, ashamed as she shakingly tried to sit up in her bed.

"Don't be. It's okay," Addison said, still rubbing her daughter's back, encouraging her to lie back down. Addison laid down beside her, holding her close and moving the duvet to go over her legs.

"You don't have to…," Audrey started before Addison shushed her and squeezed her tighter.

"Just get some sleep," Addison whispered.

Audrey took a few deep breaths, trying to match her breath to her mother's before feeling her mattress move again. When she opened her eyes again and looked up, she saw Jake's arm swing around.

"Jake…," Addison whispered.

"I meant what I said earlier; I don't wanna spend more nights without you. I'm here to stay," Jake whispered back before kissing his wife behind the ear, as that was the closest he could get to her cheek.

Audrey wasn't sure if she was supposed to listen to them talk or if she was supposed to focus on getting back to sleep, but she had to admit, hearing them made her feel a lot better. Here she was, surrounded by family. She never thought she'd felt unloved growing up with Robert and Eleanor, but she'd never felt loved quite like this before. As Henry buried his head beside her, Audrey let the thought comfort her as she succumbed to sleep once again.

Hours later, the sun peeked into Audrey's bedroom window. Audrey turned around and snuggled into her mother as Jake woke up from the sun in his eyes. He smiled, watching as Henry stirred in his sleep in the way he always did when he was about to wake up. After taking a quiet yawn, Jake got out of bed and walked over to the other side of the bed, lifting his little boy and leaving the room to let the girls sleep in.

Meanwhile, Jake brought Henry downstairs with him to help him make breakfast. But not until after gently waking him up, rocking him in his arms outside of Audrey's bedroom door. As the sun hit Addison's eyeline, she sleepily opened her eyes and turned around after hearing Henry's faint whimpering.

"Shh…it's okay. Daddy's got you," Jake whispered while rocking the toddler in his arms. Addison smiled, her eyes still struggling to stay open as she saw an orange cat tail walking toward the door before turning back around toward her daughter and letting sleep overcome her once again.

An hour passed before Audrey woke up. She opened her eyes to see her mother still lying beside her, asleep. Audrey tried to suppress a yawn, not wanting to wake up her mother, but failed while trying to stay still. Addison smiled when her eyes fluttered open upon seeing Audrey bite her lip, feeling guilty. It was a bad habit Bizzy always pointed out that she actively tried to fix as a kid. After moving out of the Montgomery estate, Addison's old habit of biting her lip came back.

"Sorry," Audrey apologized.

"Don't be. It's okay," Addison smiled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Addison asked gently.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. But it might help," Addison added, moving some hair out of Audrey's face.

"It was about Robert…," Audrey muttered quietly. Addison gave her a small smile, encouraging her to keep going.

"He took Zola and Henry before taking me with them. I didn't…I couldn't stop it," Audrey said.

"I can't promise you anything when it comes to Robert. If there's anything I've learned about him, he'll do whatever he wants. What I can promise you is that we - Jake, your dad, Meredith, Mark, Amelia - all of us, are doing everything we can to keep you safe, so you let us worry about him. You just focus on being a kid," Addison said. Audrey nodded, but Addison could tell she still felt a little uneasy.

"If it helps, there's only one of him and plenty of us. So, you know, strength in numbers or…whatever," Addison said, trying to cheer her up.

Audrey smiled bigger this time and nodded again. Audrey's fears were completely warranted, and Addison didn't want to discount them, but she still wanted to do everything she could to make sure her daughter felt safe in their home. While Addison rubbed Audrey's back gently, they heard something drop on the floor and a sweet little uh oh coming from Henry downstairs. They laughed before getting up to see what was going on.

"See? Like this," Jake said, showing Henry how to mix the batter without it flying out of the bowl.

"I mix!" Henry giggled as Jake handed the new spatula to him. He watched for a few seconds before hearing Addison and Audrey coming down the stairs.

"Morning," Jake smiled before leaning in to kiss Addison on the cheek.

"Morning," Addison and Audrey said in unison.

"What's that?" Audrey asked, walking up closer to Henry, who was standing on the stool behind the kitchen island.

"Pancakes!" Henry informed her enthusiastically.

"Wait, then what's in the oven?" Addison asked, seeing that the oven was on at 375 degrees and there were three minutes left.

"French toast," Jake smiled.

"In the oven?" Audrey asked.

She'd seen Eleanor make her breakfast before, and she'd seen her make French toast in a pan on the stove. It was never very good; none of her food ever was, but she'd pretend to like it. Apparently, she'd been a fan of her French toast as a toddler, but by the time she hit ten years old, she didn't know what the younger version of herself saw in it.

"Yeah. I saw it on Food Network and I just kind of perfected it over the years," Jake replied, smiling. Addison giggled; it was cute how much Jake was into cooking sometimes.

"It's really good that way, too," Addison commented before passing Audrey to check in on Henry, getting him to show her how to mix the pancake batter.

"Do you need help with anything?" Audrey asked.

"You want to try to make some pancakes?" Jake asked.

"Sure," Audrey smiled before moving to stand beside Jake behind the stove.

While Addison helped Henry down from his stool, Jake and Audrey took the bowl of batter away and started making pancakes. He taught her to use the 1/4 measuring cup to portion out each pancake and wait for there to be bubbles near the center of the pancake (and not just the edges). Audrey watched intently as the pancake started to cook on one side before looking up at Jake again, when she thought they were ready to flip. He smiled back and handed her the flat spatula, letting her try her hand at flipping. When it resulted in a perfect flip, they all cheered her on, including Addison and Henry.

After they'd made a handful of pancakes, Addison heard the front door unlock before Angela and Amelia walked in.

"Sissy!" Henry exclaimed before Addison let him down off the stool before he ran over to his other big sister.

"Hey! What about me?" Amelia asked playfully as Addison went in to hug her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Addison asked before pulling Angela in for a hug after she let her brother back down.

"Hi, Auntie!" Henry giggled as Amelia picked the little boy up again and kissed his forehead.

"Dad told me to come over for breakfast," Angela replied before taking off her jacket and hanging it up on the coat rack.

"And he texted me pancakes. He knows I'm always gonna show up for free food," Amelia added, chuckling.

Earlier on in their friendship, Jake was a little more formal, asking about coming to dinner a week in advance, which then turned into a few days, then a few hours, and then even less. He also discovered that he no longer needed to formally ask; Amelia even jokingly showed him how to send emojis of different foods.

"Alright, who's hungry?" Jake asked as he and Audrey were finishing off the rest of the pancake batter.

"Me!" Amelia, Angela, and Henry exclaimed in unison. Addison chuckled before helping everyone move plates and utensils to the table outside. It was nice out this morning and now that more people were here, they'd need the extra space. Meanwhile, Jake stayed with Audrey behind the stove, finishing off the last batch of pancakes.

"Thanks for staying last night, by the way," Audrey finally said. Jake had always seemed like a nice guy, but she never realized how much until last night, when he stayed with her, Addison, and Henry.

"Don't worry about it," Jake smiled.

"You didn't have to, you know," Audrey muttered.

"We're family now, kid. Get used to it," Jake said playfully before turning her attention back to the pancakes, which were now ready to flip.

A/N: Chapter title inspired by the song, I'll Be There by Jess Glynne. It was fun bringing Archer into the story and realizing that I hadn't brought him up yet in this story, but he will come back to meet Audrey as a teenager (or meet again, rather). And, just as a side note, but it's a shame we never saw Archer meet Jake. Audrey's slowly been settling into her new life in L.A., and she will soon be going to school, but I think this chapter was really more about Audrey learning more about Addison's side of the family and realizing how different this new family of hers is from what it was like with Robert and Eleanor. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Until next time! 3