Notes: This is a fanfiction based on characters from the TV show, Private Practice. This fanfiction looks at Jake and Addison’s story (as well as the other doctors at Seaside Wellness Group) after Private Practice ends. They’re married and take care of baby Henry together. This story and chapter were originally posted on Archive of Our Own on June 17th, 2022. This is chapter eight, so it is necessary to read the seventh chapter before moving on. This has been edited to include headings and images.
Begin Again: Chapter 7
A week later, Henry’s birthday was quickly approaching and Addison was consumed with figuring out all the details. It was his first birthday, and she wanted to make sure it’d be special for him. Jake found it adorable that Addison was running around throwing the perfect first birthday party, complete with a Winnie the Pooh theme, with an emphasis on Tigger, Henry’s favorite.
“Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?” Jake asked as he watched his wife hang up a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed “Happy Birthday” banner on the wall.
Addison gave him back a look and with Angela also in the room, she gave him the same look. Instead of feeling intimidated by their looks, however, Jake chuckled slightly. It was nice to see Angela admiring Addison and as he saw her starting to pick up and imitate her mannerisms. In her own way, of course.
“Just a little bit?” Jake joked as he gestured with his fingers. Addison couldn’t help but laugh back, at least a little in response.
“It’s Henry’s first birthday!” Addison exclaimed as she finished pinning up the banner and started pulling out other party decorations. “I just want it to be perfect,”
“Perfect’s overrated,” Angela said, trying to put less pressure on the entire ordeal. “Henry would just be happy with a chocolate cupcake,”
“Right, Henry?” Angela looked down at Henry, who was sitting in her lap while they sat on his playmat.
“Yeah!” Henry exclaimed, looking up at his big sister.
Addison’s Party Planning
Addison giggled slightly, seeing her sweet and excited little boy. Though, truth be told, Angela taught Henry how to say yes every time she said that. Jake and Addison knew it could cause some problems down the road, but they also found it adorable. Addison sighed, knowing Angela was right. But it didn’t change how she felt. She still wanted to throw Henry the best first birthday party ever. Even though she knew the odds were, he wouldn’t remember it, anyway.
This wasn’t just for Henry, it’d be for her, too. It gave her a chance to show off Henry and, if she were completely honest, how well Addison was doing as his mother. She hated knowing that she was trying to throw this lavish birthday party for partly selfish reasons, but it was part of being a mother. And that part of it at least made Addison smile. She was a mother now. And that would subject her to other imperfect maternal feelings as well.
“She’s right, you know,” Jake said as he walked over to her. Addison put down some of the party supplies she was holding.
Jake Gives In
“But if you want it to be perfect, then perfect it’ll be,” Jake said, giving her a short but sweet kiss once he got to her.
He knew Addison knew they were right. But he also knew she wasn’t giving up this idea of throwing Henry a perfect first birthday party. If you can’t stop them, join ‘em, he thought. Plus, it was cute seeing how excited his wife was about throwing a birthday party for their one-year-old.
“Thank you,” Addison smiled, knowing that she had Jake in the palm of her hands. She gave him another small kiss and went back to decorating the house to prep for the party.
Angela Meets Archer
Another week passed and Jake’s sisters as well as Archer and the Captain flew in a day early to help with preparations. Or, more accurately, Jake’s sisters helped make sure everything was in place for the party. The Captain and Archer, however, kept insisting Addison hire some help to put the rest of the party together. But Addison refused. She didn’t want to be the mother Bizzy and her socialite friends were.
“This is the Captain,” Addison said after Archer stepped aside to give Jake and Angela a better view of their father.
“Hello,” The Captain said in a typical WASP-y fashion. His tone was polite, but it had an air of amusement, as per usual.
“Hi, Captain,” Angela said as politely as she could.
It was clear it was awkward. She found it odd that she was addressing a grown man by a ridiculous nickname. But she knew it was probably best to keep that thought to herself. The Captain gave her a slight smile and, like Archer, sat down with a drink in his hand and relaxed. Meanwhile, the rest of the adults continued decorating the living room for Henry’s party.
“So, you’re Addison’s brother?” Angela asked as she took a seat next to Archer on the couch.
“Yes, and you are..?” Archer put his hand out for a handshake and gave her a slightly smoldering look.
“Angela,” Angela answered, chuckling to herself a bit.
Addison warned her beforehand that Archer was the womanizing type. And she was determined not to be that girl. Especially after everything that happened with Eli.
“Hi,” Archer gave her his signature womanizing smile.
Angela smiled politely back, but she wasn’t falling for it. And she made it clear by rolling her eyes slightly at Archer’s gesture of kissing her hand.
Addison Warns Archer
“Don’t even try,” Addison warned.
“What?” Archer asked, feigning innocence.
“Don’t pretend you don’t what I’m talking about,” Addison countered.
“It was bad enough you slept with Kathleen,” Addison spoke just above a whisper.
“Who’s Kathleen?” Angela whispered to Jake as the two continued arguing. Without answers for her, Jake just shrugged back.
“And then there was Nai,” Addison continued.
“Wait, he slept with Naomi? Like, from the practice?” Angela, again, whispered to Jake.
“I guess so,” Jake said, sheepishly. He also had no idea that Archer and Naomi were ever a thing.
“You are not, I repeat, not, laying a hand on her,” Addison warned.
“And the same goes for Jake’s sisters,” Addison added. Jake and his sisters’ ears perked up, listening closely to their conversation.
“You do realize that I’m the older one,” Archer teased.
“You do remember that I know your secrets,” Addison countered.
“I don’t think you even know half of my secrets,” Archer said back confidently.
“Maybe, but I know the worst one,” Addison teased coyly.
“What?” Archer asked, confident that Addison couldn’t hold anything over him. Then it came to him.
The Annual White Party
There was this one party at the Montgomery estate. The annual white party. Bizzy called Archer a week prior to making sure he’d be there to attend. Addison, however, was still in high school but was working on her college applications. She had her eyes set on getting early admission to Yale. Mostly because the Captain wanted it. Or, more accurately, expected it.
The party went down as expected. A swarm of rich people wearing white, eating and chatting away in a manner that Addison assumed must be like a rich person’s backyard barbecue. Except the food was dainty, so people could still eat and not make a mess of their best whites. Addison’s school friends were around, as their parents were also friends with Bizzy and the Captain, but they were all dreadfully bored. As per usual.
As her friends chatted away, Addison thought it’d be a fun idea to grab some wine from the cellar and sneak away to the pool house. After all, it was events like these that made it easy to fade away into the background. But knowing that someone was bound to take the poorhouse as their hiding spot, Addison went there first to see if it was available. When she got there, she found Archer, half-dressed, on top of someone on the couch, whose skirt was around her ankles. No surprise there. But when Archer turned around, she surprisingly found Olive, their cousin, underneath him.
Addison Holds it Over Archer
“Addie!” Archer shouted.
“Oh…my… God,” Addison started laughing.
Addison opened her mouth to say something else but couldn’t even think of what to say. She was too shocked. Instead, she just kept laughing.
“Shut up,” Archer said, getting up from his place on the couch. Olive followed by zipping up and straightening out her dress.
“Say anything, and I’ll kill you,” Archer warned as he started putting his clothes back on.
“You might wanna change your shirt,” Addison said, pointing out the lipstick stain next to one of his buttons.
Archer unbuttoned his shirt and opted to just wear the white t-shirt he wore underneath.
“Don’t say a word,” Archer said quietly, getting closer to Addison’s face.
“Fine,” Addison said, nonchalantly.
“But you owe me,” Addison added, winking as she left the pool house.
It’d been forever since then and other than the constant teasing the following week, Addison never brought it up again. It’d been so long that Archer figured she forgot about it. No such luck, however. Which was a shame because it really was a one-time thing with Olive. They were both hammered, and they excused their behavior as a drunken mistake. That and the fact that half of their family married someone within the family as well. So, it wasn’t that crazy. Or at least that’s what they told themselves.
Addison Threatens Archer Again
Addison acting this way proved to Archer that she was serious about Jake. Not that she wasn’t about Derek, but it felt different. Addison was still his little sister, but he could see the effect he had on her. Henry too. They were everything she ever wanted. Addison loved Derek so much and, for a while, he loved her just as much. He was everything to her until he wasn’t.
This was different. Not only did she have the great guy, but she also had the baby she always wanted. What she’d worked so hard to finally get. Archer may not know Jake all that well yet, but he knew he was far better than Derek ever was. He couldn’t explain it, he just knew that Jake was the better guy. That he’d treat her better than Derek ever did or could.
“You wouldn’t,” Archer warned after realizing what she meant.
“Off. Limits,” Addison repeated herself.
“Fine, you have my word,” Archer said jokingly, putting his arms up in defeat.
He didn’t want Addie to say anything, but he also didn’t want people to get suspicious. The best move here was to pretend like it didn’t bother him as much as it did.
The Captain Chimes In
“Are they always like this?” Jake asked the Captain.
“No,” the Captain said, not saying much more than that.
The Captain was notoriously hard to read. In all honesty, he didn’t feel all that strongly one way or another about Jake. But he could see that Addison was happy with him. And he had to admit that Henry was cute. Bizzy was usually the one who had a stronger opinion about these things. She was the one who dictated how they both felt, and the Captain went along with it.
She wasn’t all that fond of Derek, so the Captain, in turn, also didn’t like him all that much. He wondered what Bizzy would think of Jake. But knowing her, she probably wouldn’t approve of his humble background, either.
Eventually, the food, which Addison agreed to order, came, and they decorated the main areas of the house for Henry’s Winnie-the-Pooh-themed party. In the middle of decorating, Henry went down for his nap so he hadn’t seen it fully decked out yet. As the Seaside Wellness doctors began arriving, Jake made his way upstairs to get Henry after saying his brief hello to everyone.
Jake Brings Henry Downstairs
“You know Henry,” Jake started as he got Henry out of his sailboat onesie. “Your Mama worked really hard to get this party perfect for you,”
Henry looked back at him and gave him a small smile.
“She got you all your favorite things, all things Winnie the Pooh, and even chocolate cupcakes,” Jake said enthusiastically.
At the sound of that, Henry got excited as he giggled and started bending his knees, like he was trying to jump and wiggling his little toes. Jake couldn’t help but chuckle back, knowing that while he didn’t completely understand the concept of birthdays, he recognized the words Winnie the Pooh and chocolate.
“Alright little man, let’s go see Mama,” Jake said after he finished dressing Henry in a nicer pair of slacks and a t-shirt with a slightly nautical theme. One that Addison undoubtedly picked out for him. She thought The Captain would appreciate the boat reference.
When Jake came down the stairs with Henry in his arm, everyone cheered upon seeing him rub the sleep from his eyes. When Henry finally took in all the party decorations around the house, everyone could see his eyes light up. As Henry excitedly bounced in Jake’s arms, he couldn’t help but chuckle and look over at his wife, whose smile couldn’t be bigger.
“Mama!” Henry exclaimed once he saw Addison in the crowd of people gathered at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hi, baby!” Addison exclaimed as she got the squirming boy out of Jake’s arms.
“Happy birthday, Henry!” Addison said as she kissed his forehead.
“Big boy!” Henry said, excitedly back.
Addison and Henry Greet Everyone
At the sound of this, everyone else at the party smiled along. Jake started calling him a “big boy” about a month ago, and Henry quickly caught on. And he loved telling everyone that he was, indeed, a big boy.
Then, Addison went around for Henry to greet everyone, but after the fourth person, Henry was getting restless and wanted to be put down. After that, Jake and Addison went around socializing with family and friends that showed up for the party as Henry went off to play with the other kids. Everyone was in awe of the party and of Henry.
While the Seaside Wellness doctors and their families saw Henry almost every day, most of the family hadn’t seen him for months. He was walking now and talking more. He was getting big fast and clearly had a real affinity for both his parents. As the party continued on, Addison couldn’t help but look around to see the life she built for herself here. This is what she always wanted. And she never knew if she really believed she’d get to this point.
She had the best job, the man of her dreams in Jake, two beautiful children, a group of friends that felt more like family, and a place that she not only called home but felt like one too. Her time in New York felt like a lifetime ago, and she was glad that her chapter in Seattle was also behind her. And it amazed her that even her relationships with Archer and The Captain were on good terms. Better than they’d ever been really with Henry in the picture. This was home for her, this was forever for her. And she finally felt both happy and settled.
The Montgomery-Reilly’s Get a Surprise Visitor
“Who else could be at the door?” Charlotte yelled over some people after hearing the doorbell ring.
“That’s a good question,” Jake said, as he thought about it for a minute. Everyone was here. Even Sheldon showed up to say hello.
“Surprise!” Jake opened the door to find Amelia Shepherd at the door.
She was struggling to hold a big stuffed Pooh Bear. It was almost the size of her and Jake wondered if she stuffed it in the back of her car or properly gave the bear a seat. Seatbelt and all. Knowing Amelia’s sense of humor, he liked the idea of her securing the bear safely with a seatbelt in the backseat.
“Amelia!” Addison squealed with excitement as she walked to the front door to greet her, making sure to not accidentally hit any little kids running around.
“Oh my God, what is this?” Addison referred to the big stuffed bear as she tried squeezing through to give her a hug.
“Henry’s present,” Amelia shrugged like it was an inconsequential thing, but couldn’t help but start chuckling afterward. She knew this was a little ridiculous, but truth be told, she wanted to spoil her godson.
“Pooh Bear!” Henry exclaimed and pointed as Charlotte came up to them, holding the excited little boy in her arms.
“Happy birthday, Henry!” Amelia exclaimed as she put down the Pooh Bear near the front door and went to take him from Charlotte’s arms as he held his arms out. In all honesty, he was reaching more towards the Pooh Bear, but he was content enough in Amelia’s arms in the end.
“You’re so big now!” Amelia said as she examined the boy in her arms.
Henry and Amelia
“Big boy!” Henry said back, excitedly. Amelia couldn’t help but giggle back after hearing him say that.
“I taught him that,” Jake said proudly. Addison couldn’t help but giggle at how much Jake embraced being Henry’s dad.
“That’s right, you are a big boy,” Amelia said as she bounced him in her arms as they both giggled together.
“Pooh Bear!” Henry pointed at the bear sitting behind Amelia.
“Henry, can you say thank you to Auntie Amelia for the Pooh Bear?” Addison asked as Amelia lowered him to the floor to get to the stuffed bear.
“Tates you!” Henry said enthusiastically as he thanked Amelia before running to hug the Pooh Bear. His pronunciation wasn’t quite there yet, but it was close enough that people could still understand him.
After that, all the other Seaside Wellness doctors came up to say their hellos and get their hugs in as the kids played, or more accurately tried to play, with the giant Pooh Bear Amelia brought. The kids, other than Mason, who was going through a growth spurt, were all too small to play with the giant Pooh Bear.
So, Mason playfully waved around Pooh Bear’s arms as he play-acted for everyone as Henry and Lucas tried climbing the toy. They didn’t get very far with it being bigger than them and the bear was stuffed pretty well as it held its structure. Despite Lucas and Henry’s failure in trying to climb the bear, they still had fun watching Mason goof around with Pooh Bear’s arms.
Amelia Catches Up with the Seaside Doctors
“I can’t believe you’re really here!” Addison said after everyone got their hellos in.
“What, and miss this?” Amelia said, referring to all the people as well as the Winnie the Pooh decor all around Addison’s living room.
“I just wanted to throw him the perfect birthday party,” Addison said, feeling the need to defend herself slightly.
“Well, you certainly have,” Amelia said, taking another look around the room.
As Addison smiled back, she felt Jake’s hand wrap around her waist as he pulled her in from the side for a sweet kiss on the cheek.
“Welcome back,” Charlotte said as she walked up to Amelia with a small plate of food.
“I am not back,” Amelia insisted. “I’m just visiting,”
“You will be,” Charlotte teased as she gave her a quick wink.
Amelia didn’t give back a spoken response. Instead, she just laughed back. Seattle was great for her. She got to operate more and work alongside her big brother. But seeing everyone here all together like this made her miss this. It was much more relaxed and zen here. And they all loved and cared for her so much. In Seattle, she was still the new girl. Derek’s baby sister, the she-Shepherd. But God, did she love the rush of being in the OR all day.
Addison and Amelia Catch Up
“So, how’s Seattle?” Addison plopped herself down next to Amelia on the couch with her own plate of food.
“Good,” Amelia said, as she took a bite of her food.
“Derek giving you a hard time?” Addison joked.
“No more than usual,” Amelia said back, chuckling.
“So, those are Jake’s sisters?” Amelia looked over at the three women and Jake talking amongst themselves as Jake fed Henry some food in his high chair.
“Yup,” Addison confirmed.
“What are they like?” Amelia asked, curious for details.
“They’re nice,” Addison said, honestly.
“…And?” Amelia asked, wanting to know more.
“I don’t know!” Addison exclaimed, not knowing what else to say.
“They’re no you, but they’re great,” Addison finally said upon thinking about it for a minute.
“Well, no one’s beating me out in the sister game with you,” Amelia joked.
“But I’m glad you like them,” Amelia added.
“Yeah, I really do,” Addison said, admiring Jake, his sisters, and Henry from across the room.
The End of the Night
The party continued well into the evening until it got closer to the kids’ bedtimes. Addison said goodbye to the guests as they left. However, Jake’s sisters offered to stay a little longer to help clean up. Amelia’s old room had now transformed into Angela’s but Angela suggested they stay in the room together. She didn’t mind sharing the bed. Especially considering it was a queen-sized bed. And Amelia couldn’t refuse.
Archer and the Captain didn’t stay to help clean up, unsurprisingly, but they did stay a little later than most of the other guests. The Captain continued insisting she hire some help, but Addison refused. But before they left, Addison thanked them both for coming as they made lunch plans for the next day. Then, Addison headed upstairs with a sleepy Henry, with Angela following closely behind. By the time they reached Henry’s crib, he was finishing off his bottle.
“Did you have fun today?” Angela asked as Addison changed Henry into his pajamas.
“Yeah,” Henry mumbled with the bottle still in his mouth, nodding his head up and down.
“Yeah? You have a good birthday?” Addison asked as she gently pulled the bottle out of his mouth.
Henry nodded his head up and down again, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Addison smiled back and kissed his temple before laying him down in his crib.
“Happy birthday, Henry,” Angela whispered as Addison stood back up.
They both watched Henry as he fell asleep in his crib. He was such a peaceful sleeper; it was nice to just watch him sometimes.
Addison Tells Angela About Amelia
“So, Amelia is your ex-husband’s sister?” Angela asked as they left the room.
“Yes,” Addison confirmed.
“I’ve known Amelia since she was 13,” Addison started after Angela gave her a look that signaled she wanted to know more.
“And Derek and I were married for 11 years,” Addison continued.
“Derek and I getting divorced doesn’t change the fact that Amelia’s family,” Addison smiled.
Instead of saying something back, Angela just smiled back. If there was anyone who understood unconventional families, it was her. Before Jake, it was just her and Lily. She had grandparents, but Lily and her grandparents had been estranged for a long time. Then, Jake became her dad and suddenly, his family was hers.
“So, I’m hoping Archer was on his best behavior,” Addison said as they stood.
“He was,” Angela confirmed.
“He kinda reminds me of Eli,” Angela said nonchalantly.
“In what way?” Addison asked curiously. Hearing her mention Eli’s name perked her ears up. But she didn’t want to seem too intrigued.
“I don’t know, just the way he smirks and smiles at people,” Angela started.
Addison bit her lip. She wanted to say more, but she didn’t want to push.
Angela Confides in Addison
“Jake was right about him,” Angela finally said after a moment of silence hung between the two.
“I’m sure he doesn’t think of it that way,” Addison said, trying to comfort her. They both knew Jake wasn’t the “I told you so” type, but still.
“I know,” Angela appreciated the sentiment. But she still had to admit her father was right.
“I think I knew he was right before…I just didn’t want him to be right,” Angela admitted.
“Angela, what happened between you two?” Addison finally asked.
“I caught him with someone else,” Angela revealed.
“Another student,” Angela added.
“I’m sorry,” Addison said, gently stroking her shoulder.
“Thank you,” Angela sniffled, on the verge of tears.
“Oh, come here,” Addison roped the girl into a hug and let her cry softly into her shoulder.
“You’ll be okay,” Addison said as she stroked her hair.
Then the girls started going back downstairs. But before they did, Addison saw some of Angela’s mascara smeared on her face and went to fix it for her.
“Thanks,” Angela sniffled.
“Anytime,” Addison smiled back and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they descended the stairs.
Jake and His Sisters
When they reached the bottom, they found Jake, his sisters, and Amelia chatting as they dried off the rest of the dishes.
“Henry go down okay?” Jake asked as he went over to give Addison a sweet kiss.
“Yeah, he fell asleep pretty fast,” Addison smiled as Jake wrapped an arm around her waist.
“So, your brother was an interesting character,” Luna commented.
“Yeah,” Addison chuckled.
“He’s an acquired taste,” Amelia joked.
“I know he can be arrogant,” Addison defended her brother.
“But he’s just his mother’s son and, he’d do anything for me,” Addison said.
“It’s true,” Amelia confirmed.
“Archer’s a lot, but he comes from a good place,” Amelia added.
Addison nodded in agreement as she took a sip of Jake’s wine glass. Eventually, Addison and Jake’s living room looked closer to what it had been before Addison put up all the party decorations. After thanking them for helping with the clean-up, Jake, Addison, Angela, and Amelia said their goodbyes to Luna, Sofia, and Grace. Then, they all went up and got ready for bed.
Amelia Stays Over
“I like what you’ve done to the place,” Amelia commented as Addison helped bring her luggage into Angela’s new room.
“Thanks,” Angela said.
“I had a lot of help. Addison’s definitely the better decorator here,” Angela added. Addison just chuckled back.
“That’s one thing you can say about the Forbes Montgomerys,” Amelia said. Angela looked back confused.
“They always have great taste,” Amelia clarified.
Additional Notes
Sorry it took so long for me to update this one. Writing happier plots/chapters is just a little harder for me to write. I made Henry’s birthday party theme Winnie the Pooh because Addison mentioned once that Henry really loved Tigger. So I’d assume he’d also love Winnie the Pooh. I wanted to eventually say something about what happened with Angela and Eli’s relationship, so here it finally is. I feel like the writers tried to make Eli seem like more of a good guy overall, but the fact that he was Angela’s professor always rubbed me the wrong way. So, I wrote him into someone that just sleeps with his students, even though I don’t think the Private Practice writers wanted him to be that guy.
Lastly, I am well aware that the timing is off when it comes to Amelia. If I tried to match the Grey’s timeline, Amelia’s probably not even in Seattle yet so that’s on me. But this is my fic so I’m just messing with the timeline instead of going back to fix previous chapters. And as for Archer in this chapter, hopefully you guys realized that Kathleen is actually Kathleen Shepherd. I really put that line in more for my friend Stephanie on Twitter so if you’re here reading this, I hope you appreciated it! Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I will try not to make you guys wait too long for the next one!