Notes: This is a fanfiction based on characters from the TV shows, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice. This rewrites parts of the second season finale of Grey’s Anatomy. But this fanfiction tells an alternate story of what happens after Derek and Meredith have sex in the exam room at Seattle Grace hospital. Instead, it asks the question: What if Derek and Addison didn’t end things after Derek cheated on her with Meredith? What if they decided to give their relationship one more shot? This story and chapter were originally posted on Archive of Our Own on February 24th, 2022. This is chapter nine, so it is necessary to read chapter eight (and the previous chapters) before moving on. This has been edited to include headings and images.
Start Again: Chapter 9
“You guys sure you wanna do this?” Naomi asked for the second time.
“We’re sure,” Addison confirmed, looking back at Derek as they both sat in Naomi’s office.
“Okay, well, you already know the drill,” Naomi said as she zipped up the small container full of hormone shots. “And if you need anything, you know where to find me,”
Derek and Addison looked back at each other and both their smiles only widened. This was it. Step one. Addison was still worried they might not get any good eggs but she was trying to stay positive. With Derek’s encouragement, of course. It may have only been the first step in what they knew would probably be a frustrating process, but Derek was optimistic. He always was. But even then, it amazed Addison how he managed to stay so positive about the whole ordeal.
Later that afternoon before they went home for the day, Derek gave Addison her first shot of hormones. And it wasn’t a fun process for either of them. Getting a shot in the ass, not ideal. Nor sexy. But they both knew it’s what they needed to do if they wanted a shot at having a family. A biological family, that is. And while they were definitely open to getting a surrogate or adopting, they wanted to at least try to have their own baby. When they got home, they were surprised to find their front door unlocked. Which was troubling because they both swore they locked it.
The Police Show Up
“Should we call the police? Just in case?” Addison asked.
“Yeah,” Derek said, cautiously. Part of him wanted to just brush it off and just go inside. But hearing the worry in Addison’s voice made him think twice about playing the knight in shining armor. As Addison dialed 9-1-1, Derek heard a noise coming from inside.
“Did you hear that?” Derek asked as he instinctively held Addison back with one of his arms.
“Hear what?” Addison asked as she held the phone up to her ear.
“I think there’s someone in there,” Derek said, honestly. If this didn’t already scare Addison before, this really did the trick.
“What?!” Addison crept closer to Derek’s backside as he kept his arm out to protect her.
After that, Addison spoke to the 9-1-1 operator and it wasn’t long until a small swarm of police officers showed up.
“Hi there, I’m Chief Davis,” The police chief introduced himself to both Derek and Addison.
“Is there anything we can do?” Derek asked, just wanting to help.
“For now, just stay back and we’ll handle this,” Chief Davis explained as he then began instructing his men on what to do next.
“Officer Nelson?” Addison recognized the cop from the practice. From the Susan McCullough case.
“Dr. Montgomery, Dr. Shepherd,” Kevin nodded to them in acknowledgment but he was clearly busy doing his job.
Not long after that, officers stormed into Derek and Addison’s place and found two people naked on the floor of their kitchen. They announced they were LAPD, got them to cover up a bit, and started arresting them. However, the man insisted he wasn’t an intruder. In fact, he insisted he knew Addison.
Archer Says Hello
“Dr. Montgomery, do you know this man?” Kevin asked as he pulled slightly to a now-handcuffed Archer Montgomery.
“Archer?!” Addison exclaimed.
“See? What’d I tell you?” Archer glared back at Kevin.
“He’s my brother, Archer,” Addison explained.
“What are you even doing here?” Derek finally chimed in.
“What? I can visit my little sister?” Archer joked.
“I’m really sorry for the trouble officers,” Addison apologized to the slew of cops that stood around them.
“So, I’m guessing that means you’re not gonna press charges?” Chief Davis asked, just to be sure.
“You know, maybe letting him sit in jail for a night isn’t such a bad idea,” Derek said, half-joking.
“Derek,” Addison warned. Although, she had to admit it was a little funny.
“Haha, very funny,” Archer mocked as he walked himself back into the house.
“No, we won’t be pressing charges,” Derek clarified, sighing. “Thank you for everything. We’re sorry about the trouble,”
“Don’t worry about it,” Chief Davis said back.
Kevin Says Goodbye
“It was nice to see you again Dr. Montgomery. Addison,” Kevin added before he left as Derek started walking into the house. After their first meeting, Addison initially introduced herself as Dr. Montgomery but also gave him her first name. She could feel him staring at her when she first came out to the lobby and as happy as she was with Derek, it was nice to get the attention.
“You too, Officer Nelson. Thank you, again,” Addison added, gently placing a hand on his shoulder before he left.
Derek was already back inside, but he heard them talking. And caught a glimpse of Addison putting her hand on his shoulder. Was there something going on between them? Or was she just being nice? As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Addison craved attention, especially from him because he refused to give it to her for the longest time. But this was just a small thing. Maybe it was nothing, maybe he was just being paranoid. But what made all this worse was looking up to see Archer with a cocky smirk on his face.
“You know, most people call before coming to visit,” Derek glared at him as he crossed the room.
“What fun would that be?” Archer joked as he put on his pair of jeans that had been laying on the floor.
Instead of trying to think of some quippy and sarcastic response, Derek just sighed and started getting the Barolo out from the top shelf. It was something Archer and Addison still had in common: their taste in wine. It was something Derek had to learn when he met the Montgomerys. Or rather, it was something he wanted to learn more about to try to impress Addison’s parents.
How Derek Tried to Impress Addison’s Parents in the Past
“Derek, this is ridiculous!” Addison laughed as Derek’s head stayed buried in a “Wine: A Beginner’s Guide” book.
“I want your parents to like me!” Derek claimed as he started chuckling alongside her.
“You know I don’t care what my parents think of you, you know,” Addison insisted as she pulled herself closer to Derek on the floor, wafting away the book still in Derek’s hands.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t care,” Derek said.
“I know you do,” Addison smiled as she placed her hands on his cheeks. “And I love that. But the Montgomery’s are hard to please. They don’t even like their own kids half the time,”
Even though Addison said it jokingly, Derek could tell she meant it. It shocked him how Addison was so cavalier whenever she talked about her family. She spoke fondly of her brother, Archer. He looked out for her and said they commiserated together over their family woes. But as much as she loved him, even she admitted he was an arrogant ass. But she just chalked it up to being his mother’s son. Beyond that, Addison described her family as WASP-y: polite but cold. But if her family was so cold, how did Addison turn out to be so warm?
Derek Gets Addison’s Help
Derek sighed and momentarily gave up on his quest of learning about wine from a book. So, he finally put the book down and focused his attention back on the gorgeous redhead in front of him. Then, it donned on him. He had a wine expert right in front of him who could teach him everything he wanted to know.
“You know,” Derek started. “ You know a lot about wine,”
“Yeah…,” Addison said, suspiciously.
Instead of saying more, Derek just smiled wider. And Addison followed suit until she realized what he was asking her.
“No!” Addison exclaimed, laughing as she picked up the book. “Honey, I told you, you don’t need to impress my parents with useless wine knowledge,”
“I know I don’t need to impress your parents,” Derek said, pulling her closer to him as they both sat on the floor of his dorm room. “Maybe I wanna learn to impress you,”
To that, Addison couldn’t say no. So, she started flipping through the book to see where she could start. And thus began Derek’s journey into wines.
Archer Teases Addison
“Archie, what the hell were you thinking?” Addison asked as she walked over to sit on the couch. “And who even was that?”
“I went for a swim. I thought she was a neighbor, so I invited her in to be neighborly,” Archer said, nonchalantly.
“This is LA,” Addison playfully hit Archer with his own white sweater he’d left on the couch. “No one is neighborly,”
“Well, in that case, you should really do something about your alarm system,” Archer joked as he got his sweater from Addison and proceeded to put it on.
“Then again, it looks like you had your own private cop to keep you safe,” Archer joked, knowing it’d piss Derek off, who was already coming up to them with the bottle of Barolo and two empty. One for Archer and one for him and Addison to share.
“What are you talking about?” Addison laughed as she handed Archer a glass before grabbing the other for herself.
“What?” Archer looked up at Derek, who still looked annoyed. “Are we just supposed to pretend we didn’t hear you with that cop,”
“Oh, come on! He was a friend of a patient, that’s all,” Addison laughed it off.
Addison Reassures Derek
Archer looked his normal self, sarcastic and joking as he always was. But when Addison looked over at Derek, he sat on the coffee table pouring the wine into the glasses. He couldn’t even look at her. Was this…jealousy? He couldn’t really think there was something going on. Could he? This was a rare occurrence. He’d only ever seen Derek jealous when it came to Mark. And only post affair. Derek had always been the optimistic one, the one that was so sure of their relationship. Or at least he was. Maybe he really did care that Kevin flirted. Even if it was brief.
“Derek,” Addison put her glass on the table as he looked away. “There’s nothing going on,”
“Well, he doesn’t seem convinced,” Archer commented as he took a sip of wine.
Instead of giving him an equally snarky comment back, Addison just glared back at him.
“Derek,” Addison put a hand on Derek’s leg, causing him to finally look up at her.
Looking back at her, he knew she was telling the truth. Something about Archer made him crazy. It didn’t help that neither one of them hid their contempt for each other. Once Derek felt reassured, he slowly gave her a small smile, and Addison sighed in relief.
“What are you even doing here, anyway?” Addison asked as she let the situation die down.
“My publisher suckered me into attending his winter launch party,” Archer explained.
Derek snickered quietly as he got up to sit next to Addison on the couch and took the glass out of her hand for a sip.
Archer Spying for Bizzy
“He needed some star power, so, I figured it would give me an opportunity to see you and get drunk,” Archer put his glass down and leaned back slightly.
“Your publisher couldn’t get anyone better?” Derek joked as took a big sip of wine. Addison glared at him just slightly as Archer gave him a sarcastic smile.
“That’s not why you’re really here, though, is it?” Addison said, taking a sip of wine after getting it from Derek’s hands.
“You’re here to spy on me for Bizzy,” Addison added.
Derek sighed. He knew his mother-in-law never really liked him all that much. The Captain didn’t either, but he was at least polite enough not to make snarky backhanded compliments like his wife.
“She’s not happy with you,” Archer revealed. “First Seattle, now this? She thought you’d come back to civilization,”
“Since when is L.A. not civilization?” Derek countered.
“L.A.’s sodom and Gomorrah as far as she’s concerned,” Archer commented.
Addison rolled her eyes mockingly as she put the glass on the coffee table and leaned back into Derek’s arms which wrapped around her shoulders and around her neck. Archer stared at them curiously, which caused Addison to look up at Derek, who was looking back down at her.
“What?” Addison asked Archer, who was still eyeing them.
“Nothing,” Archer said nonchalantly. “I just forgot how obnoxious you guys could be,”
Derek and Addison’s Past
Addison smiled up at Derek, who mirrored her expression. They hadn’t been called obnoxious for a long time. The last time Archer saw them was for the Montgomery’s annual Christmas party. They always stopped there before going to Carolyn’s place but Addison dreaded it every year. As did Derek the last few times they went. It was before the affair, but it’d only be a couple more months before Addison fell into Mark’s open and available arms.
They weren’t fighting, but they weren’t talking either. It’d been that way for the last few years and Addison was getting restless. Derek avoided Addison, and she pretended like she was okay. Somewhere in their marriage, it started to feel like they were together because they’d been together for so long. It wasn’t about the love between them anymore. Or even the friendship. It was a necessity rather than a desire. And it started feeling like more of a struggle to stay together than it did to be alone.
The last few years were torturous. But it only intensified when they went home to see their families for the holidays. It was a little easier to hide it with the Montgomerys. Bizzy and the Captain’s marriage already felt stiff. If anything, Derek and Addison blended in more when they weren’t talking. Or saying the bare minimum.
Archer Meets Everyone
When they went to see the Shepherds, everyone noticed. The tension between them was palpable. But Derek’s family tried their best to ignore it, to go on with their holiday festivities. Carolyn, however, couldn’t help herself. It was one flippant comment about how quiet they were, but it was something. They both brushed it off and pretended to not know what she was talking about. But they both knew their marriage was sinking. Only Addison still found it worth saving. Derek already looked defeated, like he accepted the fate of their marriage would always be this.
No wonder Archer was surprised. When was the last time Derek wrapped his arms around Addison like this? It was simple, loving. A drastically different image of them from when they barely looked at each other at the Montgomery’s estate. When they barely said two words to each other, or anyone else really, at Carolyn’s house.
The next morning, Derek and Addison took Archer to the office so he could see the place. He met all the other doctors and Addison rolled her eyes when he tried flirting with all the women. Unfortunately, it was a tense day to show him the office. Violet informed them all that they’d have a pedophile in the office for court-mandated therapy. They weren’t happy about it but they were all aware they couldn’t really do much to change it.
Later, they all got dressed and attended Archer’s publicist’s party. Archer pointed a cute girl toward Sam while he stayed close to Naomi. But Addison didn’t notice because this was the first time in a long time where she and Derek were at a formal party and she wasn’t sulking in the corner.
Derek Asks Addison to Dance
“What?” Addison giggled slightly when she caught Derek staring. “Do I have something on my face or something?”
“No,” Derek said simply, his smile only widening.
“Then, what is it?” Addison asked, returning the smile.
“Dance with me,” Derek finally said after waiting for a beat.
When all Addison did was smile back, Derek took her hand in his and led her to the center of the ballroom. Once people saw them dancing, a few joined in. Derek and Addison looked to see other couples join them on the floor just briefly but soon, it felt like they were the only ones in the room. And Archer and the other Seaside doctors definitely took notice.
“She’s happy here Archer,” Naomi finally when she caught him watching Derek and Addison.
“Yeah,” Archer said. “I guess she is,”
The next morning, Derek and Addison continued their routine but were only mildly surprised that Archer hadn’t come home the other night. They both figured he must’ve had too much to drink and shacked up with someone. But Addison still wasn’t happy about it.
“A polite houseguest would’ve called to say they weren’t coming home,” Addison commented as Archer came in through the back gate.
“Good thing I’m not polite,” Archer remarked as he sat down and grabbed the paper she was working on. Even in LA, Addison still liked reading the New York Times, even if it was just to fill out the crossword, which was clearly a family trait as Archer also grabbed the pen out of her hand as well.
“I thought I was doing you a favor staying out,” Archer added. “You and Derek looked pretty cozy last night”
Addison Confronts Naomi
“Look who finally decided to show up,” Derek commented as he stepped outside with a French press full of coffee and two mugs.
“Yeah, well, I had to come back for my clothes eventually,” Archer joked.
“Well, I at least hope you got Naomi home okay,” Addison said. “Before what I can only imagine was a night of drunken debauchery,”
Derek and Addison decided to leave the party early but they also gave Naomi a ride. So, Archer graciously offered to drive her home. They knew Archer would be back eventually but they thought it’d be nice to have a little alone time. Especially after that romantic dance.
“Yeah,” Archer said as he wrote in a word on the crossword. “I absolutely got her home,”
The way he said it caught both Derek and Addison’s attention. They knew Archer was not only arrogant but a womanizer. But they also knew Naomi was smart. She knew this about him. She wouldn’t really sleep with him, would she?
“What did you do?” Derek asked, accusingly.
“Nothing!” Archer feigned innocence.
Neither Derek nor Addison were convinced, but they left it alone. For now.
“Did you sleep with my brother?” Addison asked Naomi as she stormed into her office.
“Yes,” Naomi said, with a grin on her face.
Then, Addison continued arguing with her. Archer, of all people. She chose to sleep with Archer of all people. What the hell was she thinking? Naomi was thrilled about it and Violet couldn’t be happier for her. Violet even asked if she could sleep with him. She needed someone to vent to. Someone that would understand.
Addison Vents to Derek
“They did it!” Addison exclaimed as she entered Derek’s office.
“What?” Derek asked, confused.
“Archer and Naomi. They slept together,” Addison filled him in.
“What the hell was she thinking?” Derek sighed, his hand brushing through his hair.
“I don’t know,” Addison said honestly, sounding like she was on the brink of tears.
“Hey,” Derek said softly as he got up. “It’s okay,”
“I know,” Addison said as her voice continued to break slightly. “My brain knows it’s fine but I -,”
“The hormones are driving you a little crazy,” Derek finished her sentence as she pulled her in for a hug.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Addison cried slightly into Derek’s arms.
“You have a massive dose of hormones running through you, that’s what’s wrong,” Derek chuckled and kissed the top of her head.
“I don’t know how to act normal anymore,” Addison laughed along with him as she pulled away from his embrace.
“Just take a deep breath,” Derek instructed her and she proceeded to follow his advice. “And know I’m right here if you ever need anything,”
Archer and Naomi
Addison chuckled slightly as Derek softly wiped away the few tears that had fallen down her face. Then, Addison placed a hand on his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. It started small and sweet but she quickly deepened it. Something about being in Derek’s arms calmed her. After all these years, even during their tougher times, he was still her home. He was still the one she wanted and loved, even when she knew she deserved better.
The rest of the day went fairly smoothly. Archer continued being his womanizing self and Naomi was unbothered by how bothered Derek and Addison were about her one-night stand. Addison’s anger towards Naomi and Archer kept building but she tried to keep her cool. She took deep breaths and walked away when she knew she needed a break. It was working for her. That is until it was time for everyone to head home.
When Addison came out of her office, Derek was already waiting for her near the reception desk. And Archer and Naomi were giggling like teenagers. And Derek looked on, disappointed at both their friend and his cocky brother-in-law.
“Seriously?” Addison exclaimed, causing both Archer and Naomi to look back at her.
“What?” Archer asked, feigning innocence.
“It wasn’t bad enough that you two slept together?!” Addison continued.
Sam Overhears
“You slept with Archer??” Sam asked as he had just stepped outside his office to overhear their conversation. Apparently, no one filled him in on what everyone else already knew.
“It was just sex,” Naomi insisted. “And this isn’t about you, any of you,”
“How?” Addison countered.
“This is about me. This is about me and a really handsome man who I was attracted to who wanted me! And for once in my life instead of second-guessing, I just…let go,” Naomi said happily, disregarding Addison, Derek, and Sam’s feelings.
“You can’t really be that naive,” Derek commented.
“Excuse me?” Naomi said back, insulted, even though she didn’t fully know what he meant by it.
“Look Nai, you know I love you but this isn’t you,” Derek started.
“What? I’m not the kind of girl who can get with attractive men?” Naomi said, still insulted.
“No, it’s not that,” Derek was still surprised by the whole idea, quite frankly. He sighed, frustrated and disappointed in his friend.
“So, you can sleep with some intern in Seattle while you’re still married but I can’t sleep with some guy even though I’m divorced?” Naomi said back.
The room went dead silent. It was a low bar, bringing Meredith back up. Even if it wasn’t by name, everyone knew what she meant. Derek winced. It’d been months, almost a full year since they left Seattle. Naomi, more than anyone perhaps, knew how hard Derek and Addison were trying. How far they’d gone since then. Instead of dignifying an answer, Addison just walked back to her office, not knowing what to say.
“Real nice,” Derek commented as he chased after her.
Addison’s Hormones Get the Best of Her
After that, all the other doctors, Archer included, started leaving, not knowing what else to say. Even though she didn’t say anything more, Naomi instantly regretted it. But it was too late. It was already out there. Instead, Naomi stood there, frozen. Why did she have to bring up Seattle? She felt attacked, but over what exactly? She knew deep down that Derek was right. Naomi was a serial monogamist. She knew in the long run, she couldn’t handle a casual relationship. No matter how much she wished she was that kind of girl.
“Are you okay?” Derek asked as Addison stood, slightly leaning over her desk. He knew she needed a minute and they needed some space after Naomi’s comment. So he opted to stand near the door frame before moving closer.
“The hormones aren’t helping,” Addison’s voice croaked out. Derek gave her another minute before coming closer. The last thing he wanted to do was make it worse.
“How do I make it stop?!” Addison exclaimed. After that, Derek immediately moved to her side to wrap an arm around her waist.
“It’s okay,” Derek whispered as he held her in his arms. “It’s just the hormones,”
“I know,” Addison sniffled as she pulled away. “I just wanna stop crying,”
Naomi Goes After Her
Derek looked back at her and gave her a sweet smile. Something about Addison crying over the fact that she couldn’t stop crying because of the hormones amused him slightly. After softly wiping her tears with his fingers, he pulled her in for a kiss. And that seemed to not only stop Addison from crying but it also reaffirmed the trust and love they had for each other.
As for Naomi, Archer tried to convince her to let it go. This was their problem now, he said. But Naomi wasn’t convinced. She couldn’t leave things like that. Things with her and Derek had always been fine, civil. And things with Addison had been better now that Naomi came to her senses over how Addison saved the practice. But she’d never really confronted her feelings over the couple’s whole situation in Seattle.
From what she’d heard from Addison, it sounded miserable. And it became clear to not just them but everyone around them that Derek was clearly still hung up on the intern. Addison didn’t really say too much about it but she could tell things were grim just from the sound of her voice. Naomi was angry, and it wasn’t justified because she knew Derek was right about her. But she lashed out and brought up Seattle. She took things too far and she couldn’t just leave things as they were. Especially since she knew deep down that Derek and Addison coming to work with them in LA was their practice’s saving grace.
“Addie,” Naomi said when she finally barged into Addison’s office, where she and Derek were caught up in a mini make-out session.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Naomi continued. “I didn’t mean it,”
Archer Interrupts
As Naomi walked closer, Addison finished wiping away whatever tears were still left on her face.
“I was angry for nothing and I didn’t mean it,” Naomi took her hand in one of hers and clutched her shoulder in her other hand. “Please tell me you know I didn’t mean it,”
“I know,” Addison said softly, squeezing her hand. “I’m fine, I’m just being crazy and hormonal,”
At that moment, Archer popped his head in.
“Wait, are you pregnant?” Archer deduced from the conversation.
“No, I’m not pregnant,” Addison corrected, sniffling what was left of her residue tears.
“We started fertility treatments yesterday,” Derek added. He dreaded what Archer was going to say next. His arrogant brother-in-law always had something snarky to say. He knew exactly how to get on his nerves. And it annoyed him that he couldn’t have the same effect on him. But he was surprised at what he said next.
“I’m gonna be an uncle?” Archer asked excitedly.
Archer’s Surprising Reaction
“Maybe,” Addison warned. She wasn’t pregnant. Yet. And she may not actually get pregnant. The last thing she wanted was to get everyone’s hopes up. Especially since it was just her second day on these hormone shots.
“But you’re gonna have a baby. Even if you’re not gonna have it yourself, I doubt you’re just gonna give up if this doesn’t take,” Archer said as he walked closer to Addison.
“Well, yeah,” Addison stuttered. This was unexpected. Was he actually excited that he was going to be an uncle?
“That’s great, Addie,” Archer said as he went in for a hug. Addison stood there, frozen, while Archer hugged her. This was…unexpected. And everyone else in the room felt it too as Derek and Naomi watched, utterly confused at Archer’s surprising reaction.
“Who are you and what have you done to my brother?” Addison finally said as Archer let her go from their hug.
“What? I can’t be excited for my little sister?” Archer joked.
Without knowing what else to say and not wanting to argue, Addison just chuckled back. She never thought she’d see the day that Archer would be excited to be an uncle. If anything, she thought he’d try to talk her out of it or just act distant when it came to her future kids. It wasn’t an ideal outlook, but Archer had never really been a fan of kids. If anything, he was good at teasing or mocking them. This was a surprise. But a nice one.
Additional Notes
A lot of you that commented on previous chapters (thank you so much for that, by the way, I read and appreciate them ALL) really wanted to see Addison’s family show up at some point, especially Archer because he appears on Private Practice first, so here he is! I’m sorry this chapter doesn’t have as much plot or drama but I have something in mind that’ll have more drama in it coming up. And it does involve the rest of the Shepherds so look out for that! Thank you everyone for reading, commenting, and sharing this story! It warms my heart as a newer fanfic writer to read all the nice things you guys are saying, so thank you!