New mini story! So, I was re-watching Season 2, and I noticed that at the end of the Thanksgiving episode they leave Addison and Derek kissing in front of the trailer, the in the next episode (the next day presumably) Addison mentions to Derek that she didn't hear him leave the hotel, and then she missed him at breakfast. So how did they get from outside the trailer to Derek staying with her for the night at the hotel? The thought wouldn't leave me alone so this was born, just to 'fill in the gaps' This isn't going to be very long, probably only 4 or so chapters, and to everyone who reads 'New Beginnings' a new chapter will be up within the week. Title is from "Imperial Hotel" by Stevie Nicks.

Rip the stitches, they'd said, no anesthesia they'd said. The process – calling sex a 'process' was bad enough – was supposed to be fast. Painful perhaps, but quick, and once over would hopefully bring a sense of relief. But it didn't seem to be happening, at least not the way Addison thought it would. The Thanksgiving lunch reservation had been long forgotten, all calls just directing straight through to Derek's voicemail. The longer she waits for him, outside of his trailer, the more painful the situation feels. He's not coming to rip the stitches yet, and the hurt burrows within her, meshing, binding deeper within her, like a stitch ingrained into skin. By the time she saw the headlights of his jeep swing past the trailer the hurt felt so buried into her that the welcome fog of anesthesia would be a relief. Anything to stop this pain.

She watched as he approaches and she can't read his face – When was the last time she could read it? – She sits, almost defeated, no fight left inside of her anymore. There was no need for her to shout at him or question his whereabouts. She knew where he had been. No questions, no answers. Instead she lifts her eyes up to his encroaching figure, and, instead of berating him, simply asks. "Are you done Derek? Hurting me back I mean?" There's no answer and he stands, leaning against the porch frame rain dripping down from his hair onto his jacket, pushing a hand idly through his drenched locks he simply takes a seat next to her.

"Here we go" he says, and he leans towards her, softly finding her mouth with his whilst his arm moves to her torso, winding around the curves of her stomach, pulling her gently towards him, closing the gap between them. The feel of his lips caressing hers felt both familiar and strange all at once, and she can't remember the last time they had kissed – That day in the NICU- she suddenly thought – but she couldn't remember the last time in New York they had kissed like this, with his tongue lazily slipping into her mouth, meeting with hers, battling against each other gradually. The last few months of their marriage was just a blur of pecks on the cheeks or lips a mere second long. She tried to turn her mind off and focus on the fact that the kisses she had missed so much were now playing out in front of her. She began to spend up the kiss, as suddenly all the pent up emotion she had felt sitting alone on the porch, and all those lonely nights in New York came to a head and she pushed himself into his embrace, kissing him forcefully and winding her arms around his neck, needing to feel his soft skin under the pads of her fingers. She crushed her hands into his hair, before reality crashed in as she realised her hands were soaking wet. She pulled away from him, chuckling softly. Derek gave her a sideways glance.

"I'm glad you find my kissing so amusing" he said, sounding confused.

"It's not that" she said, "you're just all wet." She showed him her saturated hands. He glanced down at his clothes.

"I think my hair caught the brunt of it, but I should properly towel off and we can…." He cleared his throat. "Continue in the….in the warm." He got to his feet and walked into the trailer, Addison following behind him. Derek made a bee line for the bathroom, firstly handing Addison a towel to dry off her hands. He gestured her towards the bedroom. "I won't be long." She sat down tentatively on the bed, feeling confused and overwhelmed by the trailer. It symbolized a change in her husband, one that she didn't understand. It was Derek who decided on the brownstone with her because of the space it granted them back in New York, and now in Seattle… living in what essentially was a tin can in the middle of the forest…he seemed like a different person. One she didn't know anymore. Perhaps it was just her, she mused. The brownstone fitted him back then because he wanted the space from her. She shook her head in an effort to rid herself of these negative thoughts, knowing full well that it was just the surroundings that were causing her to feel this way. Derek called out from the bathroom.

"You okay Addie? I'll only be a couple of minutes."

"Yep…fine." She said, hoping her voice wouldn't betray the way she was feeling.

Looking down at the bed she twisted her hands into the sheets, noting for the first time that they were freshly put on. New, and soft like the thread count she was used too, but the pattern was unfamiliar, not one that she would have chosen, but one that seemed to fit in with the whole tone of the trailer. If a stranger had walked into the trailer, they wouldn't be able to glean anything about his life. It was empty. Empty of her, she realised. Just like his life was for those few months before she turned up.

Empty of her and full of Meredith. She turned towards the bed feeling her head spin as the truth dawned on her. He had slept with Meredith in this bed. It was horrible irony. She had slept with Mark in their marital bed, and now she was expected to sleep with her husband in the same bed where he had laid with his girlfriend. She blinked away tears as Derek exited the small bathroom.

"All dry" he said, smiling.

"That's great" Addison said, swallowing her emotion down and trying to disguise her voice so that Derek wouldn't recognise that anything was wrong. "These sheets are nice" she says, trying to stop her voice faltering.

"They're new" he says, sitting hesitantly next to her on the bed. "Are you ready?" he asks. She nods, not trusting her voice anymore and he leans in, recapturing her mouth with his, using his tongue to gently probe inside her mouth, searching for her tongue and sliding them together. Gently he manoeuvred himself so that he was in front of her and he pushed her down onto the bed. As they continued to kiss Addison tried to focus on everything he was doing and enjoy the touch of her husband but, as he slid his hands up her waist and under her shirt, palming her soft breasts whilst also moving his lips down to her neck and kissing down her nape, all she could see was Derek and Meredith. Derek kissing Meredith on the bed Derek running his hands under her shirt. Suddenly she felt dizzy and nauseous, her chest tightening at the images in her head causing her to feel short of breath.

"Derek stop" she managed to gasp, feebly pushing him off of her.

"Addie what's wrong?" his face hovered above hers, etched in concern at her sudden onset of panic. "Did I hurt you?" She shook her head. "It's you…you and Meredith…..both of you….in this bed. I can't…I just can't…"

She summoned the strength to stand and burst out of the room, desperate for fresh air. Once outside she sank down onto the porch, desperately trying to breathe deeply and quell the sick feeling that was growing in the pit of her stomach.

Rip the stitches they'd said. He'd ripped something, but it wasn't stitches. He'd caused a new wound, deep and cavernous inside of her, and she had no idea how he would stitch it back up again.

Thoughts? It's a cliche but reviews make me write faster!