Thanksgiving Night

2002

Addison was upset with Derek that day. Carolyn, the day before, had fallen down the stairs of her house and broken her right wrist, which made it impossible for her to prepare any dish or decorate and organize the dinner they celebrated every year at their house. And Derek, as always, had improvised a last-minute solution.

He had invited all their relatives to their house in Manhattan and had only informed Addison of this minutes before going to sleep the night before.

"How am I supposed to know how to prepare a turkey if I've never done it in my life?" asked Addison with a look of disgust as she pulled the meat out of the bird. She held the phone between her ear and her shoulder.

"It can't be that difficult, Addie," Derek said from the other end of the line. He was at the hospital and would arrive minutes before the guests.

"This is disgusting, Derek. I feel nauseous."

"Addison, you cut human flesh every day. This is not a big deal for you, you're a surgeon."

"It's not the same! This really smells bad. Where did you get it from?"

"I bought it near the hospital, they're farm turkeys, good quality."

"What time are you coming?"

"In about 3 or 4 hours, when I finish my surgery."

"I hate you, you know that? I can't believe you're doing this to me! I'll kill you with my own hands full of turkey guts."

"I love you, see you later."

~•~

December 25th, present day.

"Addie..." he whispered in her ear. It was still early and she was sleeping, Arleth had not woken up yet.

"Mmm?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"Do you know where my underwear is?"

"What?"

"I can't find any boxers in my drawers."

"Didn't you send them to be washed?"

"I don't remember sending everything at the same time. My socks are also missing, as well as my ties and bowties. Have you moved them?"

"I don't know, Derek. I haven't touched anything."

"And the cleaning lady?"

"I don't think so, she doesn't move things around."

"So where are they then? I have to go to the hospital and..."

"Wait a moment, are you leaving for the hospital on Christmas?" she said, sitting up in bed, annoyed.

"It's just for a few hours, I'll be back for lunch. I talked to Mark and Arizona, Sofia, and Callie are coming. Bailey hasn't confirmed yet, but I think she'll come, and in fact, Meredith will come too."

"You invited Meredith?"

"Yes, she's coming with Dr. Hayes."

"Oh, Derek. So many people at home and you hadn't even told me?"

"I invited Richard and Adele too. And I might have accidentally invited Kepner and Avery. Oh, and Cristina and Owen are coming too."

"Okay, the whole hospital at home."

"And Mark might bring Lexie if they're not on bad terms."

"Why are you telling me all this today? The cleaning lady doesn't work on holidays and I don't have time alone to clean the house and prepare everything!"

"This came up last minute. Don't worry about it, I'll be back before noon and I'll help you organize everything. Amelia took the day off and will also help. And I already ordered the food last night. Plus, I'm sure each guest will bring something."

"Okay."

"Do you know where my boxers are?"

"I already told you I don't, I'm not stealing your underwear, those are your fetishes only. Go check the cleaning room if they're there."

"Can I borrow one of your panties?"

"Are you serious?"

"No," he said laughing and giving her a soft kiss on the lips, "I'll see you later. Let me know if anything comes up."

"Alright."

"Merry Christmas, Addie."

"Merry Christmas, Derek. Thank you for your romanticism."

~•~

"This is terrible," sighed Addison furiously, throwing a kitchen towel in Derek's face.

"What are you talking about? It looks delicious, Addie."

"Derek, there's no need to lie to me. I can't cook! Cooking has never been my thing, and you make me prepare the main dish!"

"It's delicious," he said, trying a piece from the edge.

"Well, I want you to eat it with that enthusiasm when everyone is at the table, saying it's awful. The filling is terrible."

"What did you put in it?"

"Ground beef, apples...raisins...olives, capers..."

"Well, it looks good, it's golden, it's filled. No one will complain. Stop worrying."

"Why did you invite so many people? Do you want to drive me crazy?"

"It's the same people as always...my family."

"800 people! All judging my incompetence in the kitchen!"

"Addie, calm down. You're a great cook, they'll like it."

"I want to kill you," she said, placing a hand on Derek's neck, gently choking him.

"Yeah?" he asked, taking her by the waist with both hands and pulling her close to his body roughly.

"Oh no, I won't get rid of my anger with that."

"I can make you forget everything...we have 20 minutes before the guests arrive," he whispered in her ear.

"You'll have to make a greater effort to make it up to me for this."

~•~

"Look how big you are, baby! How precious!" Arizona exclaimed, upon seeing Arleth in Addison's arms. She was very friendly and kept smiling at everyone who looked at her.

"It's her first Christmas," Olive said as she descended the stairs, dressed as a classical ballerina.

"Yes! Are you happy, Ollie?"

"No."

"Why not?" Callie asked, surprised.

"Because I don't want to be here. I wanna be in New York with my family, not with you."

"Olive, don't be rude," scolded Addison.

"You have a lovely tutu dress, are you going to dance?" Arizona asked.

"No."

"Why not, dear? You were supposed to dance today." Addison said.

"I don't feel like it."

"But you have a lovely routine, you should show it to the guests, they will like it."

"I don't want to."

Addison sighed and switched Arleth to her other arm. She had dressed her in a burgundy dress with golden stars. It was the first time in her three months of life that she had dressed her so elegantly. Because it couldn't be any less for the Christmas lunch.

"Everything okay with mini Addison?" Callie asked, laughing.

"We were going to go to New York, as we do every year, but Derek couldn't this time, and Olive is upset because it's her favorite celebration and she wanted to see her cousins."

"Oh, I understand."

"She'll get over it, as soon as Tucker arrives, she'll have fun with him."

"And Derek?"

"I'd like to know the same. Supposedly he was going to come before lunch to help me but that didn't happen. It's the Christmas lunch and my husband is not at home, wow."

"Don't worry, he'll show up anytime."

"Do you want some punch? Red wine? I have half the hospital in my house, I really need a glass of wine to endure this. I'm going to kill him."

~•~

"Your wife tried to poison us!" Carolyn shouted from the bathroom, she was with Nancy who got sick.

Addison had gone upstairs and locked herself in her room after that incident. She was dying of embarrassment and rage at the same time. How did they expect a person who never cooked a turkey in her life to know that it had to be washed with cold water the night before and bathed in white wine?

She simply removed the guts and stuffed it, too well for the first time doing it. Luckily, Nancy was the only one to taste it, preventing everyone else in the room from getting sick at the same time.

"Mom, what are you saying?" Derek said.

"She is getting revenge for making her do this gathering! She took advantage of her ineptitude in the kitchen to poison us."

"She would never do that!"

"Nancy could have salmonella! How could she not wash the turkey? She's a murderer! And the children? How are the children?"

"The children didn't eat the turkey. We removed it from the table before anyone else tried it."

"We are out of food!" Kathleen said, somewhat annoyed.

"I'm starving, Mom!" Morgan said.

"Don't worry, everything is sorted out. Uncle Derek will make hot dogs!" he said, looking at the children.

"YESSS!" all his nieces and nephews shouted in unison.

"Thank God we have you, son. If it were up to your wife, we would all be dead."

~•~

"Do you want to do a dance show?" Olive asked. She was sitting on the swing in her garden with Tucker, Bailey's son.

"No, that's for girls."

"Dancing is for boys too. Flynn is a boy."

"Who's that?"

"Flynn Rider, Rapunzel's boyfriend. From Tangled... he sings and knows how to dance."

"I don't watch that."

"But I can teach you the choreography. I made it up!"

"That's boring, Olive. Don't you want to go kill ants with my magnifying glass?"

"No. We shouldn't kill ants, it hurts them."

"You used to put dead ants in your mud pies before."

"That was when I was little. I don't do that anymore, I've grown up."

"You're still as small as ever."

"No!"

"And annoying."

"I'm not annoying... hey, what did you ask Santa for in your letter?" Olive asked, changing the subject.

"I didn't write a letter."

"Why not? How will he know what you want?"

"He doesn't need to know, because he doesn't exist."

"Of course, he exists. Didn't you see the presents in the living room? Santa left them and after we eat we're going to open them, my mom said."

"Your parents put those gifts, not Santa."

"Lies, my parents were sleeping. Santa put them at night! I saw them when I woke up."

"It was your parents when you were sleeping."

"No, it wasn't."

"Have you ever thought that Santa's handwriting is the same as your mom's? Or that the wrapping paper is the same as the one they usually use for your birthday gifts? It's because they are Santa Claus. After all, the old man you watch on TV doesn't exist. It's all a lie!"

"It's not a lie! In the movies, many kids have met him. And some have traveled to the North Pole to visit his toy factory!"

"In the North Pole, there's only snow."

"No, there are elves and magic reindeer."

"You'd be lucky to find a penguin because elves don't exist."

"I don't want to keep playing with you, I don't like lies. We shouldn't lie."

"Your parents lie to you, I'm just telling you the truth."

"How do I know what you're saying is true?"

"My classmates at school told me. And they're older than you. Second-graders know more than preschoolers."

"Of course not. I can read faster than you and I can subtract."

"We all know how to subtract, but you don't know how to multiply."

"Yes, I do."

"What's 2x3?"

"5."

"No, it's 6."

"I knew that, I just wanted to see if you were paying attention."

"2x7?"

"9."

"No."

"11."

"Olive, you don't know. Stop guessing. You don't know how to multiply."

"My mom will teach me. She knows everything."

"They teach you at school. And you haven't even gone yet. That's why you're dumb."

"I'm not dumb!"

"Yes, you are, only dumb kids believe in Santa Claus."

"You're dumb because they do exist. Santa left the gifts there!"

"Okay, if you say so."

"It's the truth. I'm right and you're wrong."

"You're wrong, and you won't admit that you're a little dumb girl."

"MOMMY!" she shouted angrily as she ran away.

As she ran, tears streaming down her face blurred her vision, causing her to accidentally run into Derek, who was late for the meeting. Olive fell to the ground from the impact and began to cry even louder.

"Hey, honey. Slow down," he said, picking her up and carrying her in his arms. "What's wrong?"

"Let me go!"

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

"I want my mommy!"

"Did you hurt yourself? Did you hit yourself hard?"

"I WANT MOMMY!"

Derek quickly put her down and watched as she ran inside to find her mother. He was confused, what was wrong with his daughter and why was she acting this way? He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Olive cry like that.

~•~

"I hate you! I hate you so much!" yelled Addison furiously.

The guests had already left. Derek's impromptu dinner had been a success, and all the children had been happy. Everyone, except Carolyn, was content.

"Addie, it's over."

"It's not over! Now everyone will remember forever that I poisoned your sister!"

"Of course not, no one thinks that. They had fun."

"Your mother hates me. She will never forgive me."

"She loves you."

"Stop lying! She hates me! Every chance she gets, she lets me know. She thinks I'm rich and privileged and not right for you. She wants a homemaker who will stay home and take care of the kids and cook for you when you get home. She doesn't want me!"

"Of course she wants you, you're making things up."

"Don't make me out to be crazy! You know what I'm saying is true! How long are you going to deny it? We've been married for eight years, there's no need for you to keep pretending. I've figured it all out."

"Addison..."

"I hate you for putting me in this situation. You fill my house with people, you make me cook a meal I've never made in my life, it turns out disastrously, and then you're the hero who comes to rescue the night. As always, you're the good one and I'm the bad one. You're the hero and I'm useless."

~•~

"Addison, are there no more drinks?" Callie asked.

"There should be some in the kitchen. Do you think we'll need more?" Addison asked as he cleaned a salsa stain from the living room floor. It was incredible how quickly the house got dirty.

"Is there no ice?" Owen asked, peeking in from the kitchen.

"It's in the freezer."

"The kids want dessert now," Bailey said.

"Not yet, tell Olive to wash her hands first."

"Addison, do you have something to clean the couch?" Mark asked.

"What happened to the couch?"

"I think one of the kids spilled their drink there," he said timidly.

"On a child or you?" Callie asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Okay, it might have been me, but..."

"God, I'm about to collapse. Where's my daughter?" Addison said.

"With Arizona," Callie replied.

"Wasn't she with Lexie?" Mark asked.

"No, Lexie gave her to April and she gave her to Arizona."

The front door of the house opened, and Derek entered with his best smile and an apple pie under his arm.

"Good afternoon... Merry Christmas," Derek said as he walked in.

Addison rolled her eyes. How was it possible that he always entered triumphantly and was applauded by everyone?

"Where were you? It's almost time for dessert," Addison said.

"Sorry, Addie. There's a potential lawsuit against the hospital, and I had to get an emergency lawyer. And there were two seriously injured people, I had to perform emergency surgery because Amelia wasn't on duty."

"Amelia isn't here. I thought she was at the hospital."

"She's not, she requested the day off. Where is she?"

"I don't know, Derek. I can't think about this right now. You did it again, you filled the house with people and left me alone. I can't handle all the guests," she said as she finished cleaning the floor.

"Addie, it was just a small delay. I'll stay here for the rest of the day. Why was Olive crying?"

"Just kid stuff, she argued with Tucker. They're playing on the PlayStation now as if nothing happened. Tell her to wash her hands before eating dessert."

"Have you seen my underwear? I couldn't find any this morning, luckily I had a change of clothes in my office and was able to change, but I was wondering if you..."

"No. I already told you, no."

"Is Olive still mad at me?"

"Yes."

"And Arley? Where is she?"

"She's being passed around, I think she's with Arizona now. She's thrilled while I go crazy. I'll go check if there are more drinks in the fridge."

"Go with her, I'll take care of it," he said as he took the floor cloth from her hands.

"Of course, because if you take care of it, it means the party is saved. You're the hero"

~•~

"Hey, why don't you want to go open the presents Santa brought you?" Derek asked as he entered his daughter's room. The guests had already left a few hours ago.

"Because Santa doesn't exist."

"What do you mean? Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters, you don't have to believe in it. Santa came and brought you a bunch of gifts. Come and see them, Ols."

She looked at him still angry. He had not been around most of the day and now he appeared as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't ruined all her Christmas plans.

"Come on, come," he reached out his arm and she refused.

Olive was not easy to convince. She never had been, it reminded him too much of her mother in that sense.

"Okay, I'll bring your gifts and leave them here. And when you want, you'll open them. I was peeking a bit and I think one is a new costume... maybe of... Jasmine."

"Of Jasmine?!"

"I think, I'm not sure... did you like that?"

"Yes!"

"Well, come then. Let's see if I'm right or not. You wouldn't want Santa to take it away again, would you?"

Olive quickly stood up and went with him, she was excited again, although still angry with him.

~•~

"What do I have to do to make you forgive me?" Derek said, sitting on the floor, leaning against the bathroom door of the bedroom.

"I won't forgive you, I just won't," Addison replied. She had been locked in there for hours. She didn't want to see him anymore and he kept insisting.

"I'll talk to my mother and Nancy is fine... there's no point in still being upset about this."

"I don't care. I won't forgive you. I never will."

"Never? So you're going to be mad at me for the rest of our lives?"

"Yes."

"I can make it up to you. We can go shopping, or go to the beauty salon, or do whatever you want... whatever. If you want, I can dye my hair blue."

"Why would I ask you to do that?"

"To make me suffer? To make me embarrassed in front of my patients?"

"Hmm..."

"And the eyebrows too. Green."

Addison got off the sink counter and opened the door.

"Pink is a better color..."

"Is it?"

"Blue suits you, pink doesn't... and we want you to suffer, right?"

"Okay. Then it will be pink. Bright fuchsia."

"Okay..."

"I love you, Addie. I'm sorry for what happened today. I shouldn't have made you cook."

"You also shouldn't have brought so many people home without giving me much notice."

"I know. I'm sorry, really. I don't want you to be upset about this..." he said, lifting her chin with his hand and looking into her eyes. They were red, she had been crying a lot and that pained him.

He got a little closer to her and took her lips in his. Addison could have screamed or pushed him away, but she was tired of arguing. She ran her hands around his neck and continued the kiss.

Derek quickly lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist without stopping kissing him, and the rest was a night of fury and passion in the shower of their old home.

~•~

"Tomorrow I can be dressed as Jasmine all day! And Milo will be Rajah. It's the same thing, Mom!

"Yes, my love," she smiled as she tucked her in, struggling a little because she had her sister in her arms.

"Can I use the carpet in your room to fly?"

"Yes, but you have to be careful. Don't throw yourself down the stairs, okay?"

"I won't do that, Mommy," she laughed mischievously. Of course, that was the first thing she thought of.

"I know you well as if you had come out of me."

"I'll behave."

"Alright... did you have a nice Christmas?"

"Yes..."

"Did you see that Seattle is also beautiful at Christmas?"

"I wanted to go to New York."

"I know, baby. Next year we will do everything possible to spend the holidays in New York."

"Mom...?"

"Yes?"

"Does Santa Claus exist?"

"Of course he does."

"Is it not you and Dad?"

"No," she quickly lied. She didn't want her daughter to lose her innocence and illusion at such a young age.

"I knew it," she said, turning around to fall asleep.

"Goodnight, Ollie," Addison whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

At that moment, as she bent down, Arleth's pacifier fell to the floor. Addison reached out to search for it under Olive's bed and saw a lot of clothes underneath.

"What do you have here?" she asked as she pulled out a blue boxer brief, which she knew was Derek's.

"Oh... it's Dad's."

"Why do you have all of Dad's underwear down here?"

"Because I was mad at him and I hid it."

Addison made a big effort not to laugh. It was brilliant, she had managed to make her father mad with something so simple.

"Hey..." she took a deep breath and suppressed a laugh to continue... "you don't have to do this..."

"He deserved it! I wanted to go see my cousins!"

"Ollie..." she pressed her lips... "Revenge is never good... you have to give all of this back to your father."

"Now?"

"Not now... tomorrow. And you will apologize."

"Oh, Mom."

"Yes, Olive... you shouldn't have done that."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Mommy."

Addison smiled and turned off the lamp in her room, cracked the door, and walked with Arleth in her arms to her room. Derek was coming out of the shower at that moment, with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Here," she said, throwing the blue boxers she had taken from under the bed.

"What is this?"

"Merry Christmas."