December 2009

Derek peeped through the door to confirm the corridor was empty and then signaled Addison to follow him. As a Chief of Surgery he should have been concerned that the nurse station was unmanned but as a father who was trying to sneak out to the nursery to see his daughter, he was relieved that there was no one around to question him.

He placed his hand on the small of Addison's back and helped her to walk through the dimly lit corridor. He could have offered to push her wheelchair, but that would have surely offended his independent wife. So he just offered some support for her back and walked at a slow pace.

It was a quiet night on the maternity floor. They easily managed to reach nursery without anyone noticing. The nursery had wide glass windows so almost every crib was visible from outside.

Derek scanned the room, looking for an infant in a blue ferryboat cap. "There she is." Derek smiled, pointing at Emily's crib. Their princess was sleeping peacefully in the dimly lit nursery, like a divine angel.

Addison stepped closer to the window. Derek stood behind, circling his arms around her. Addison relaxed, leaning back into his chest. "We made her." She whispered.

"We did." Derek nodded. He had a smile permanently plastered on his face ever since he heard his daughter's first cry through the intercom.

They stood there in silence, overwhelmed in love for their daughter. Derek glanced at Addison, she seemed lost in her thoughts. "Hey what's going on in there?" He asked, tapping her head.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about the past few years." She answered with misty eyes.

Derek noticed the tears and panicked out of reflex. Addison wiped her tears and gave him an assuring smile.

"I was just thinking how lucky I am. There was a time when our marriage was on a blink of divorce. We were so close to losing it all. Sometimes I feel it's a dream and when I wake up all of this will be gone."

"It's not a dream. It's real. I and Emily are not going anywhere." Derek assured her. "We were very close to losing it all but we didn't. We made it through everything. We survived the storm." He pulled her closer and planted a kiss on the crown of her head.

Addison nodded. They went through hell and came out of it stronger and closer. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You stirred us out of the storm. You did all the heavy lifting." Derek admitted, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

He was proud to admit that Addison was his rock. She made him a better person.

They had their fifteenth wedding anniversary a month back. It had been twenty years since their eyes met over the cadaver. Their love story may not be epic by Hollywood standards. They made mistakes, several ones. Their reconciliation was against all cliche folk wisdom. But they proved everyone wrong and rebuilt a beautiful life.

He was grateful to wake up every morning next to the love of his life, in his dream house. He had his dream job and still he managed to have good work life balance. The only missing piece was a child and it came into their life when they were least expecting it. Life was perfect.

He couldn't believe he once felt Addison was an obligation. He was chasing a fantasy but Addison guided him back home. He was eternally grateful to her for fighting for their marriage and he never shied away in letting her know that.

"Addie, thanks." He said sincerely. Addison gave him a questioning look.

"Thanks for everything, for believing in our love, when I didn't.." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Thanks for staying with me when I was pushing you away." He kissed her eyes. "Thanks for putting up with me when I was at my worst." He kissed away the tears on her cheeks. "Thanks for building a new life with me." He kissed her lips.

"Thank you for being in my life and loving me." He kissed her hand, letting his own tears flow. Fatherhood had made him soft.

She caressed his cheek, wiped his tears away and flashed her radiant smile. She didn't want any gloomy vibes around their daughter.

"You don't have to thank me for anything Babe." She told him softly. "A diamond necklace is sufficient." She added with a wink.

Derek rolled his eyes and gave out a chuckle.

"When are you giving me the necklace?" She stepped back, putting her hands on her hips.

Derek gave her a puzzled look.

"I know you bought me a necklace. I saw the charge on the credit card bill, then I combed the house and found the box under your fishing magazines. It's beautiful."

"Oh that box. That's not for you. I bought it for my girlfriend." He smirked.

"Well, I found it first and I loved it. I am keeping it. Buy something else for your girlfriend." Addison replied playfully.

"If you had little patience, you would have received it as a cute surprise. Amy was going to put it in Emily's crib. You were supposed to find it when we brought Emily home and put her in her crib for the first time. Thanks for ruining my well planned surprise."

"Whose fault is that? If you hadn't conspired with Karev and made me sit at home for two weeks, I wouldn't have bothered checking all credit card bills." When Derek failed to reason with her as her husband, he pulled his rank, threatened to freeze her surgical privileges and forced her to start her maternity leave.

"Do I need to remind you that you fainted in the OR?" He asked, giving her a pointed look.

"That was because Karev was smelling really bad that day." She insisted for the hundredth time.

"He was smelling fine. You shouldn't have been on your feet so late in your pregnancy."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Speaking of being on my feet..I shouldn't be standing for this long. Let's go back."

"Shall I sweep you off your feet and carry you to the room in my arms?" Derek asked sweetly.

"Do I need to remind you that you haven't set foot in a gym in two years?" Addison replied dryly.

"Ouch. You are mean."

"I prefer to be called 'Rural of all that is evil'" She smirked.

Derek shook his head and pulled her closer. "No. You are the mother of our angel."

They sent Emily flying kisses and left.

Addison held Derek's hand as they walked back to her room.

"Derek...I was thinking.." She began softly." I don't want to send Emily to the hospital's day care. It's convenient, but I want to keep her away from the hospital people. I don't want her to hear something unpleasant about us through hospital gossip."

Derek nodded. He knew where Addison was coming from. People still talked about them. He and Meredith had moved on but people hadn't. Gossips were passed on from generation to generation of interns. The new joinees knew everything about his brief fling with Meredith in spite of it being an ancient history. Every now and then there were rumors involving three of them. He and Addison had learnt to ignore it. But he didn't want someone's casual snidely remark to scar his innocent child.

"We have options, a full time nanny, other daycare.. and we have two months to finalize. Let's not worry about it right now." Derek said, opening the door for Addison.

Addison nodded. She was adamant to continue working till her water broke but post delivery, she had decided to use her full maternity leave of two months.

The short walk to the nursery, wore her down. She went straight to the bed to lay down. Derek sat on the edge of the bed and adjusted her pillows.

"Addie.." He paused, rethinking if he should bring that topic up. Addison gave him a curious glance.

"Today..umm...Did you think of.…" his voice trailed off. There was no need to say it out loud, Addison understood what he was trying to ask.

"Ella would have been three this year, if I hadn't.."

"Addie, you need to stop torturing yourself. You have to let Ella go." He urged her softly.

"I saw her today. I don't know if I was dreaming or hallucinating. She was standing there, at the bottom of the bed, staring at me with her big eyes, questioning me why I chose this baby but not her." She shared honestly.

Derek couldn't understand how to comfort Addison. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I shouldn't have asked."

"I am not upset. Not any more. After Emily's birth, it all changed. I think Ella knows how sorry I am. She would want me to move on and focus on providing a safe and happy family for her sister. She would look out for her little sister from wherever she is. She would be Emily's guardian angel."

"I like that idea." Derek said awkwardly. He was compassionate but it was difficult for him to empathize with Addison. Ella was a figment of Addison's imagination. For him it was a combination of biological cells. As a doctor Addison knew that, but she had personified her guilt. And her feelings were real.

He thought of saying 'Ella would have been a good big sister' to make Addison feel better. But he knew those words were meaningless. Ella and Emily couldn't exist in the same world. He doubted if he would still be with Addison, if she had kept the baby. He would have signed the divorce papers in rage. A hopeless romantic in him believed that eventually they would have found their way back to each other. But a realistic side of him knew that could have been the last time they saw each other.

He could be happy, may be with Meredith. He imagined, his relationship with Meredith could be what he wanted. He could pretend to be the perfect man, he would have easily bullied Meredith, she would have allowed him to be selfish. He would have fame, respect and a satisfying career but no friends, family and any life outside work. He had started walking on a lonely path. If Addison hadn't stopped him, he would have lost every connection to his early life. Addison was what he needed. She kept him grounded. Addison knew he wasn't perfect and she never hesitated in reminding that to him. Their relationship was of equal. He not just loved her but also respected her. She was his best friend who always made him laugh.

He glanced at Addison. She had fallen asleep. He planted a kiss on her forehead and went back to his bed. He tried sleeping but couldn't. He turned on his side, facing Addison. The redhead who caught his attention twenty years back was a mother now, mother of his child. Her hair was lighter and thinner than how they were in med-school. There were signs of wrinkles around her eyes and on her forehead. He thought of them as a reward for the experience and maturity. They earned it together.

He felt proud for making the right decision, for choosing Addison. Getting over the cheating and the affair wasn't easy. But over time he had learnt that no marriage was easy. Every relationship needed hard work and nourishment. Theirs needed it a lot, especially in the last three years.

The trip to the resort was a turning point in their relationship. All cards were put on the table and still they decided to go all in. He forfeited his right to be angry about the affair, Addison forfeited her right to be angry about him walking away. They stuck to the promise and never accused each other for past mistakes.

They cut their trip short and returned to work a day earlier to help Richard. At work and at the trailer, they were kind and polite with each other. Those were the most awkward days of their married life. They couldn't fight nor could they make love. So they politely discussed weather and medical cases.

Addison contacted a realtor for leasing an apartment. Derek gave her a free hand to choose the one she liked. But Addison interpreted his generosity as indifference. She wanted him to take interest in deciding their new home, so he did. He gave a few suggestions. Addison shot down all of them. It was difficult not to get frustrated. The apartment hunting led to some bickering and then it quickly escalated to full blown flights. Addison liked upscale premium apartments, he preferred a homely place which didn't look like a hotel. Addison wanted class, he wanted comfort and the realtor wanted clients who were little less difficult. Needless to say the politeness went out of the window soon after they started looking for apartments.

After rejecting an eighth apartment, his and the realtor's hopes of finding the right apartment were ready to jump out of the window. But the ninth time was a charm. A week before their Paris trip, they found an apartment which they both loved. It was a perfect blend of both of their personalities. As Addison desired, it was a high rise, spacious, equipped with all modern amenities, had elegant interiors, was close to the hospital and provided excellent service 24*7. As Derek desired it was in a quiet locality hidden from city's noise, the wooden interiors gave a classic look and the eager to serve concierge made the place easy to maintain. As Addison and Derek had both desired, it had a breathtaking view of Seattle's skylines and lake. They signed the lease immediately. After living in a trailer for a year, they were excited to have a real comfortable home.

In addition to apartment hunting, the planning for the Europe tour kept them busy. There was a lot of packing, shopping and repacking. All of that hustle helped in getting over the initial awkwardness. He would anytime take arguing over which and how many suits she should pack over the polite discussion about the weather.

Before leaving for Paris, he had a serious honest chat with Meredith. He didn't want her to learn about their second honeymoon through hospital gossip. She deserved an explanation and an apology. Addison supported his idea and encouraged him to offer Meredith some closure. They met on the hospital's rooftop. He first apologized to her. When Meredith asked if he loved Addison he was quick in responding. He was sure whom he loved. He told her that they were renewing their vows and starting afresh. He didn't want Meredith to have any doubts or Hopes. He told her about the apartment they had booked. Meredith couldn't picture him living in a place with a doorman and concierge. He could. He had to remind her that she didn't really know him. He was a different person before moving to Seattle. Living in the trailer like a hippie was just a phase. He appreciated sensible luxury and didn't mind paying up for comfort. He wanted Meredith to understand that he was willingly choosing that life with Addison. And he was happy with his choice. He knew he had broken her heart again by shattering all of her hopes. But that was the right thing for everyone involved.

The next day he and Addison went for jewelry shopping and picked the new wedding bands. He felt super proud that day, for not having to look at the price tags. When they bought their first wedding bands, he was almost broke. He was still repaying the education loan, he had already spent a fortune on the engagement ring and to preserve his self respect he had decided to pay for his guests at the wedding. After all of those expenses he was left with a huge credit card debt and tiny budget for a wedding band. Addison was supportive and selected the least expensive bands. But now when he had large sums of money in his bank accounts, he could buy any item he liked. Within a couple of weeks, he had spent almost a year's savings for their second honeymoon, the luxurious apartment and the wedding bands. But the smile which it all brought on his wife's face was priceless.

The Europe trip was amazing. They fell in love with each other all over again. They renewed their vows on their 12th anniversary, in front of Eiffel Tower. They didn't need any priest or a ceremony. They just exchanged honest promises and the new wedding bands. Instead of romantic cliches they went for more practical vows this time. They promised to always care, be honest about their feelings and never to take each other for granted. They decided to have at least one meal of the day together, not to spend a night at hospital unless inevitable and to speak to each other every night no matter where they were. Three years since then and they were still going strong. So he could say that the new vows worked.

On the trip they split their time between visiting big cities, museums, boutiques and exploring small towns, natural trails, wildlife and nature. The trip, just like the apartment they had chosen was a testament to the fact that in spite of the apparent differences in tastes, they could always find a perfect middle way. They had learnt the art of blending their differences and enjoying every experience together. On that trip, they made the big decision. Addison went off the pills.

The time in Europe flew by quickly. They were supposed to spend the next 5 days in New York, revisiting med-school, their old spots, central park. But after Addison's revelation, he didn't want to visit the city. It was too soon. But Addison insisted on going, not to reminisce but to close the unfinished matters. She wanted to put the brownstone on the market and ship some of the furniture and personal belongings to Seattle. They had a long argument about that. Derek wanted to forget New York and start a new life in Seattle. For him their entire life in New York had Mark's shadow on it. Addison wanted to just erase the last few years but preserve all the good memories they had. Addison had some very good points, long legs and dresses with deep necklines so in the end they decided to go to New York.

They didn't tell anyone that they were in town. They stayed in a hotel but spent their days in brownstone sorting through their belongings. In exchange for agreeing to bring the old stuff in Seattle, Addison gave him a veto right to discard anything that he didn't like or want. But except for some ridiculous pieces of art gifted by his in-laws and some things given or used by Mark, they ended up keeping everything. They shipped the essential stuff to the new apartment in Seattle and the rest to the Hampton.

Going back home wasn't as painful as he had anticipated. The first day in the brownstone was brutal. But they ripped off the band-aid. Within 2 days the painful memories were erased and replaced by moments of joy and laughter. The place felt like home again. Derek suggested spending their last night in the city at home. So they checked out of the hotel and stayed at home, making up for all the lost moments in their last year. On the last day, it was hard to say goodbye to their home of six years. While Addison cried openly, his eyes were also moist.

While they were in the city Addison wanted to meet Mark once and close that chapter forever. Derek wasn't thrilled by the idea but he didn't oppose either. He waited for her at home while she met Mark at their usual bar. Those were the longest two hours of his life. That day he had a glimpse of how lonely Addison must have felt waiting for him. When Addison met Mark, she told him that she and Derek had worked things out and were staying together in Seattle. She apologized for using him when Derek left. Mark shrugged it off, saving her from the guilt. He told her that he was moving to Switzerland. There was nothing left for him in the city. They wished each other good luck and parted their ways. That was the last time Addison saw Mark.

They resumed work after three weeks of much deserved break. Things at the hospital were chaotic. Everyone hated them for going on such a long vacation when they all were stomped with work. Richard warned them that they were not allowed to take a single day off until he said otherwise. They had to manage moving into their new home and setting it up on the weekends and late after work. For almost a month they lived out of boxes. But when they were done decorating, the place looked marvelous.

His favorite part of the house was the large garden balcony which he had personally designed. It offered an unobstructed view of the beautiful lake. They started each day on the balcony with a steaming cup of coffee. Fifteen minutes were reserved in their morning routine for that. Most of their days also ended on the balcony with a drink. The balcony was the favorite place of their guests when they hosted parties, which Addison did a lot.

It started with a housewarming party with their colleagues. After the party, Addison realized she needed more socializing and friends. That started a series of parties, dinners and game nights. Addison casted the net wide searching for new friends. Her guests lists included the hospital staff, their neighbors, people from her yoga class, that lady from the ferryboat etc. They clicked with a few of them. Callie was one of their closest friends in Seattle. Miranda Bailey didn't like socializing but she happily took them up on their offer to babysit little Tucker. He and Dave bonded over basketball. Rose and Mike from the fifteenth floor became their vacationing partners. The most surprising friendship was of he, Addison, Preston and Cristina. Addison and Preston had a lot in common so they all had dinners together far many times than he or Cristina preferred.

Cristina maintained a distance out of loyalty towards Meredith, but she never bailed on any plans. She enjoyed listening to their crazy med school stories and bizarre medical cases. Addison quickly earned Cristina's respect and trust. Cristina started consulting her for professional or personal advice. But it was an unspoken rule not to call themselves friends. They rarely spoke to each other at the hospital. But on game nights, they teamed up together to destroy him and Preston.

Derek didn't believe in the term best friend anymore but Preston was one of his closest friends. Despite the professional rivalry and initial dislike for each other, miraculously they became friends. He helped Preston in getting back on track after the surgery. They went camping and bonded over their shared love for nature.

Life was getting back to normal and then the tragic ferry boat accident happened. Richard sent him and Preston on the site with a team of residents and interns. He was responsible for his team. He kept an eye on all of them. That's why he quickly realized when Meredith went missing. He jumped into the water, brought her up and took her to the hospital, all the while thinking that he caused her to give up on life. He was overpowered by guilt. He couldn't have lived with himself knowing a brilliant young woman ended her life because of him. He sat outside, in shame and defeat while other doctors tried bringing her back to life. Addison sat by his side, extending her silent support. What Addison did took enormous courage, to stand by your husband who was falling apart over his ex's near death experience. His emotional response to Meredith's accident led to a lot of speculation and gossip surrounding his feelings for Meredith. But Addison never doubted his intentions. That day again confirmed that he had made the right choice. He wanted to speak to Meredith, so he waited by her bedside for her to wake up. Addison waited in front of the room, for him to return to her. He had prepared a heartfelt speech for Meredith. But when she woke up, she told him off. Apparently he was giving too much importance to himself. She told him that she had moved on and was happy with Finn. She insisted that she fell into the water by accident. He still doesn't know the entire truth but Meredith did absolve him from his guilt.

Richard announced that he was planning to retire in six months. That was sooner than he had expected. He and Addison had a detailed discussion about it. They both aspired to be Chief. Though the timing wasn't convenient. They were trying to have a baby. There was no success so far but they were hoping to get pregnant in a few months. Their family was their first priority but an opportunity to be the Chief of Seattle Grace was difficult to pass. If Burke got the job, he was likely to hold it for the next twenty years. After a lot of deliberate thinking they concluded that they could manage both. They both decided to contest and let the best person win. They agreed the other one would take a step back for a brief period to share a larger load of parenting.

The Chief's election soon turned into a war. He, Addison and Burke began lobbying, taking on more work, showing it off and openly declaring intentions to destroy each other. Addison played her feminist card, Derek banked on the long hours he had dedicated and Burke campaigned himself as a loyal patron of SGH, painting Shepherds as outsiders. Richard thought all of them were out of control, behaving worse than interns. Some people put their money on demise of the trio's friendship and Shepherds marriage after the election. But they looked at it as healthy competition and had fun competing.

They went home for the holidays. He was excited to see his family after almost two years. But Addison was dreading facing them all. Some judgments and taunts were expected from everyone. They were all upset about what happened. But he was sure they would get over it once they saw how happy he and Addison were now. But his family surprised him. Except Amy and Nancy every other adult treated Addison like an outcast. Lizzy had instructed her kids to stay away from aunt Addie. His mother, Kathy and Lizzy blamed Addison for everything from cold weather, the kids fighting to Mark leaving the country. The brother in laws maintained a cold distance, trying not to get caught into the drama. Addison asked him not to interfere. She felt she deserved the backlash. He gave them two days to get all of their anger out while trying his best to shield Addison from it. On the third day he sent Addison and kids out and sat his family down for a much needed talk. He tried to explain that they were unfair to Addison. What happened was between him and his wife and they had dealt with it. They had forgiven each other and had moved on. He expected the same from them. Unfortunately his family wasn't ready to forgive her. Kathy pointed out that Addison's cheating had collaterally hurt them all. Her kids favorite uncle was in a different time zone now. And there were three vacant seats at all family gatherings. His mother again insisted that Addison wasn't the right woman for him. He told them he loved Addison and by hurting Addison they were hurting him. When no reasoning worked, he gave them an ultimatum. He warned them if they wanted him to stay, they had to treat Addison with the respect she deserved. He packed their bags and left when Liz commented that Addison didn't deserve any respect. His mother added 'breaking the family' to Addison's list of faults.

For the first time in his life he preferred Montgomery mansion's cold silence over his own childhood home. No one questioned them when they showed up two days earlier than planned. No one cared that they spent most of their time in their room. All Bizzy wanted was to parade them in her New Year party to put an end to all rumors about his and Addison's marriage. He was surprised to see his family at the party. They came and apologized to him and Addison. Nancy and Amy had knocked some sense into the rest of them. The girls cried, hugged and forgave each other. His mother was cordial. She admitted that she still didn't like Addison but she was willing to pretend if that made him happy.

His mother met Robert, Captain's attorney, at that party. They had been together since then. He was grateful to Robert for changing his mother's outlook towards old money. Few months back, his mother admitted that she was wrong about Addison. Addison thought it was because of the pregnancy, but he knew Robert deserved a lot of credit for making his mother realize, everyone who was privileged wasn't evil.

On their flight back home Addison said she was eager to go back home. That was the first time she had called Seattle home, until then Seattle was the place she lived in. She admitted that she needed to go back to her old life to realize how much she loved her new home. They decided to stay in Seattle and build a dream house for their family on the land they owned.

When they returned Addison booked an appointment with a fertility specialist. They had been trying for months but hadn't had any success yet. The tests showed very low fertility potential. The doctor offered a treatment plan but chances of success were low. They were shattered by the news. They always wanted kids, but they didn't realize they were running out of time. They weren't ready to discuss other options yet. They decided to put it all on hold until the Chief's selection.

The competition turned from friendly to fierce. They both wanted to win, to fill the void caused by the fertility report. They managed to keep the competition out of home initially, but as the interview day approached their home became a battlefield. Being a Chief had been his ambition for a few years. He believed he was a better candidate than Addison. He had been preparing for the role for a few years. The staff hated him little less than they hated Addison. And lastly he thought Addison was too sentimental to take tough decisions. Addison heard him discussing this with Edward, his former boss and mentor. She was furious to learn her husband was underestimating her. She slammed the bedroom door on his face and showed him she could take tough decisions when needed. She was tired of not getting the respect she deserved at the hospital. She needed that win to change that.

They competed fiercely until the interview day. But on the day of the interview, they helped each other pick the right outfit and look their best.

He threw a lame bachelor party for Preston at Joe's. It was just him, Addison and Preston. They had a drink. Addison and Preston danced. They played pool and went home before nine o'clock. They wanted to be well rested for the big day.

He was sure he was going to win. What he was worried about was how Addison would take the news. But Addison was right. He had underestimated her. She was a real sport. On the selection day, when he went home, he was greeted by a large banner congratulating him. Addison had decorated their living room with photos and certificates of all of his achievements. He knew she had left early from work, after talking to Richard. He thought she left, because she was disappointed. But he was wrong. She left early to prepare for the celebrations.

He still remembered that image. Addison stood all dressed up under the banner. A champagne bottle was ready on the center table. She shouted congratulations as he entered the room and popped the champagne bottle open. He accepted the champagne glass and the sensual kiss she offered and then told her that he had turned the job down.

It was her turn to be confused. She knew neither her nor Burke got the job. She asked Richard informally, if she lost to her husband and he confirmed. She was excited for him and didn't want her defeat to overshadow his achievement.

Richard told Derek that he was the best man for the job. But Derek didn't want it. He thought it was too early for Richard to step down and more importantly he thought it wasn't the best time for him. He wanted him and Addison to take their chance with the fertility treatment. The chances were low but there was a chance. If Addison was to pump her body with loads of hormones for their baby, he wanted to ensure that he was there to help her get through it.

They went to the wedding. He ensured that the groom didn't run away. He and Meredith walked down the aisle together. But his eyes were fixated on his bride of twelve years. During the reception even Preston was surprised to learn that Derek had turned the job down. They all laughed realizing they wasted the last six months for nothing.

They started fertility treatment and the contractor started constructing the house. Meredith approached him with an idea for a clinical trial. Her proposal had potential. If someone else had proposed it at some other time he would have immediately said yes. But he wasn't sure how hormonal Addison would feel about him working extra hours in close proximity with Meredith. He told Meredith he would think about it. He wanted to consult Addison before committing. But he couldn't figure out the best way to ask his wife if she was okay with him working with his ex-girlfriend till late in the night. The mood swings were already terrible, he didn't want to add fuel to it. He stalled Meredith for two week. After that she took matters in her own hand and directly asked Addison if she had any problem with Derek and her working together on a clinical trial. Addison told Meredith that her husband didn't need her permission but secretly she was pleased knowing Derek cared for her opinion. She encouraged Derek to take up that trial. She thought it would be a good distraction. And it was. The trial took his mind off the treatment. It also took Addison's mind off the treatment and failure of their first IVF. Addison spent most of her free time in the lab with them. Sometimes even without them. Addison got so much involved that Meredith filed a complaint with HR saying The Shepherds had hijacked her clinical trial. He and Addison had to sit through an hour of HR's presentation on professionalism, maintaining boundaries and work-life balance. They apologized. Addison stopped dropping by in the lab. The brainstorming sessions got moved from the lab to their bedroom. Meredith noticed he was going home earlier than before and came up with brilliant solutions in the morning. She realized she was missing on the interesting discussions. She asked him to either invite his wife back to the lab or invite Meredith to their home. In the end, with the help of two brilliant women, he completed the trial successfully. He and Meredith had reserved a champagne bottle for celebrating their first successful patient. When he invited Meredith to the rooftop for a toast, Meredith insisted that Addison should join them. She personally went back and brought Addison up with her. They had to share about IVF when Meredith asked why Addison didn't want the champagne. They revealed Addison had the embryos implanted a week before and they were waiting for the results. Meredith wished them good luck. She was genuinely happy for them. Three of them felt proud of how far they had come.

The second round wasn't successful either. Addison didn't want to try again. They explored other options. Neither of them were comfortable with surrogacy. They decided to adopt.

Meanwhile their dream house was built. His entire family flew down to Seattle to help them pack, move and then unpack. The tension between Addison and his sisters had resolved. They continued to complain about their move to Seattle but now they blamed him for it and Addison got all sympathy for her painful separation from 5th Avenue. In exchange for his sisters' blessings for staying away from the family, he had to promise to visit for every major event. They were still settling on the definition of 'major'. For example in his opinion Kathy's forty sixth birthday wasn't a major event in anyone's life.

His sisters invited themselves to Seattle when he announced that they were ready to move. He was grateful for that. The house turned into a home because of them. With all hands on deck, the new home was set in no time. Everyone loved the house and the land surrounding it. The kids declared that they wanted to spend all summer vacations in uncle Derek's backyard. His sisters were annoying as usual but they were very supportive of their decision to adopt. Amy offered to be their surrogate but they declined her offer politely. Amy confessed she wasn't enjoying working with Ginsberg and she wanted to join Seattle Grace. Lizzy teased her that she wanted to move there so she could live in that beautiful house. He knew they all did but were too proud to admit it. About Amy, he had a feeling that she was lonely and needed her family. Amy always openly admitted that Addison was a better sister than her own siblings. She and Addison both were excited when Amy moved to Seattle.

Their application for adoption went through smoothly. Then the wait for getting picked by a mother began. He thought they would be a hot pick. They were intelligent, successful, rich and had fantastic recommendations. They soon found out, most of the mothers didn't care about those things. They needed a loving family who would take best care of the baby they were giving away. Two famous and rich surgeons didn't give off the vibe of a loving and caring family. The first mother they met, she was inspired by Addison. She wanted to be a doctor like Addison. Addison delivered the baby, but in the end she chose a family from her church. The mother doubted if he and Addison would have time from their busy schedules to look after a baby. There were a few mothers who didn't mind having working professionals as parents for their baby. But there, his and Addison's recent marital problems put them on back of the list. They wanted to be completely honest with birth-mothers. In the second meeting with every mother they put their entire history on the table, including the abortion. They hardly got any call backs after their complicated history was revealed. He didn't blame them. If he was in their position, he would have done the same.

The process was frustrating. Couple of times they got their hopes up but came home without a baby. Amy witnessed all this struggle and again offered to be their surrogate. But they couldn't let Amy do that. They had selfishly delayed having a child to establish their careers. They couldn't let Amy put her career on hold to help them have a baby. And more importantly, they wanted her to experience her first pregnancy with her own child.

Addison thought they were getting rejected because they looked bad on paper. But if a mother knew them, she would see how wonderful they were. Addison suggested adopting from someone they knew. The social worker advised against it. But they were desperate to try any alternative. Luckily being an ob/gyn Addison met a lot of pregnant women on a daily basis. When Maria, their cleaning lady brought her daughter for Addison's consult, their hope was reignited. Rosa was going to give her baby up for adoption. Addison requested her to consider them. Maria and Rosa both were delighted. They decided to have an open adoption so their son could be in touch with his birth family. In the month leading to the delivery, he and Addison purchased all kinds of clothes and toys for the baby and got the nursery ready. Addison delivered him. Derek was in the room too. He cut the umbilical cord and presented the baby to Rosa. At first she refused to look at the baby. But then she held him. That was a tough moment for all of them. They saw Rosa with the baby and knew she wasn't giving him up.

They both cried that night. Amy had cleaned the nursery before they reached home but she couldn't erase the mental preparations they had done over last month. They decided to stop the process. It was too painful. They accepted it as God's plan. God was punishing them for prioritizing their career over a child. They informed the social worker that they were done. She tried to convince them not to lose hope. She suggested not withdrawing their file but to put it on hold for a few months and revive it when they were ready again. They had already made the decision but agreed to her suggestion anyway.

They immersed themselves in work after that. Addison started a new study on gestational diabetes. He informed the board that he was interested in the Chief's position. Richard was thinking of stepping down to take care of Adele. The timing worked well for both of them. After a month he accepted the responsibilities of Chief of Surgery, but there was no excitement about it. What he really wanted was to be a father.

The news of his promotion was published in a few medical journals. He got an email from Mark, congratulating him. They hadn't heard from each other in years, though they had followed each others' professional journey through publications and news. Derek responded to him cordially, praised him for his latest paper and asked how he was doing. He had made new friends but he sometimes missed Mark. Mark replied with a long email. He was engaged. His fiancee was a professor and had two kids from her previous marriage. Mark was learning to be their father. He had attached their photo. The family of four looked adorable. Derek felt jealous of Mark. They kept in touch, sent occasional emails and empty promises to call if they were in each other's city.

One late night, while he and Addison were watching TV, he got a call from Naomi. Archer was in LA and needed immediate medical help. He got him immediately transferred to Seattle. Archer's condition was deteriorating rapidly. Derek couldn't find a way to operate or a heart to break the news to his wife. Amy proposed an unusual technique. The risks were high but if they didn't do anything Archer was surely going to die. Addison begged him to save her brother. She wanted him to be a god. He tried his best and pulled a miracle. He, Addie, Sam and Naomi celebrated his greatness at Joe's. They drank and danced the whole night. It was nice to be back with the old gang.

Archer thanked him by doubting his skills and demanding a second opinion. It was easy to handle Archer when he was sedated but it was impossible to deal with him while he was conscious and talking. He was discharged from the hospital in a week but then Addison insisted on keeping him home till he fully recovered. Derek prayed to god everyday for Archer's speedy recovery. Archer left after a month. Derek came home early that day and took Addison out for a lovely date. The last couple of months were exhausting. They thought of going for a short vacation. Addison opened her calendar to check suitable dates. While they were discussing possible dates, Addison froze. She scrolled back and forth between a few months and then informed him that she had missed her period. She suspected it was an early menopause. Next day morning she requested Karev to run some tests on her. Karev fast tracked her reports and gave her the results in two hours. He was in a meeting with the CFO and budgetary committee when Addison burst into his office with tear stained eyes. The gentlemen sensed the urgency of the matter and excused themselves. Addison showed him her results. She was pregnant.

It was a miracle. He couldn't say a word. He sat down, staring at the paper bearing the best news of his life. Tears started flowing down his eyes. After so much wait and struggle, they had conceived the baby. They hugged each other and cried silently. They immediately had an ultrasound to confirm the news. Alex Karev showed them the first glimpse of their baby. She had a strong heartbeat. They took the rest of the day off to celebrate. In the evening when Amy came home, they presented her a coffee mug with an imprint of 'World's best Aunt'. She was as excited as they were. They waited till the second trimester to share the news with the rest of the family but Amelia was a part of the pregnancy from day one. She looked after Addison, bore grunts of her mood swings and accompanied Addison on her endless shopping trips.

Amy deserved part of the credit for Addison's smooth pregnancy. A lot of credit went to Addison. She had a holistic pregnancy plan which included healthy diet, moderate exercise, yoga, meditation and some eastern medicines suggested by the guy from Naomi's practice. Being stress free was most important during this time and Derek ensured that she was always happy. Her pregnancy was easy and uneventful. The months quickly flew by and now here they were. Proud parents to their baby girl. Ready to start the new exciting chapter of their lives.

And they lived happily ever after!

The end.