A/N: So this is the final installment to my little trilogy. It is the longest fic I've ever written, given how many scenes it has, especially when compared to the first two parts. I hope you all enjoyed this. Please R/R as always. Any reviews or comments would be greatly appreciated.
You are my home. You make me strong And in this world of strangers, I belong to someone
You are all I know. You're all I have. I won't let go
It wasn't long before the news of Meredith and Derek's breakup reached Addison. She didn't really know what to make of it or how she should react. To say that she wasn't slightly relieved would have been a lie. She'd spent months knowing that Derek still had feelings for Meredith and wishing that they would go away. Now that it seemed be coming true, Addison wasn't sure what to do with herself.
The strange feeling of hope she knew she shouldn't have overcame her once again. There was no way to ever get rid of it completely, even when she knew very well that Derek breaking up with Meredith didn't guarantee them anything. It was simply a choice he had made based on whatever it was that caused him to change his mind, nothing more. She couldn't just assume that it was because of her, no matter how hard she wanted that to be true.
Escaping the hopes and feelings that came to mind caused by all of the rumors wasn't possible. It was everywhere she went, all the time, following her like a plague as she heard hushed whispers in every corner of the hospital. If they weren't interns spreading the gossip, they were nurses doing some of their own speculating. Other than the few secluded places she knew of, there was no way of getting away from it.
Suddenly, a loud clatter was heard as a chart dropped onto the counter beside her, disturbing her from her thoughts and causing her to jump.
"Are you sleeping with Derek?" Mark asked flatly, his hand on his hip as he leaned an elbow against the counter and stared at Addison.
She looked at him for a moment, the question having taken her by surprise though her mind had been contemplating the topic of Derek for some time. The forwardness was something she hadn't encountered much. It was always people talking when they thought no one was around, or that she couldn't hear them. No one ever talked directly to her about anything going on in the Seattle Grace gossip mill, but this was Mark, and she should have expected this from him, especially with his confidence, otherwise known as his cockiness.
"What? No," Addison answered, trying to act slightly surprised even though images of her and Derek's tryst in the supply closet were coming to mind. She broke their eye contact and looked back down at the post-op notes in front of her, knowing that he would probably be able to read her if she kept their gaze any longer.
"Really, because word has it that Derek has dumped Meredith for you, again?"
She continued to stare down at her chart, scribbling the necessary notes as she spoke. "This is news to me, so no. I am not sleeping with Derek, and I don't believe that is why he broke up with Meredith."
Her voice was calm despite the fact that she was technically lying. She had slept with Derek, but only once days ago, so she could hardly be blamed for the "unfortunate" demise of Derek and Meredith's relationship.
"Well, alright then," Mark said firmly with a nod as he straightened up a bit.
"Alright," she nonchalantly replied.
He reached out and brushed her arm with his hand to get her attention. "Go out to dinner with me tonight, Addison."
The physical gesture hadn't been needed to get Addison's attention. His request had been enough to cause her to look up from the chart. "What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him slightly to try and figure out what he was getting at.
"Let's go out to dinner tonight," he explained. "We can go to a nice restaurant, and then go back to the ho—"
"No. No way, Mark," Addison cut him off before he could finish. "I'm not going to dinner with you, and we're not going back anywhere."
"Why not, Addison?"
She let out a small, disbelieving laugh and shook her head. "We've been through this before. You and I, we don't make a good couple, Mark. We didn't before, and we never will."
"You're still waiting for Derek," Mark stated matter-of-factly.
"I am not waiting for Derek," she said as firmly as she could, although her tone wasn't nearly as strong as she had hoped it would be. She turned back to the chart and tried to concentrate on finishing up her notes so she could get away from this.
He continued to speak, though she was no longer looking at him. "He left you, Addison, twice. And before that, he was never there for you. After everything he's done, you still want to be with him?"
Addison remained silent as Mark spoke, chewing on the side of her mouth lightly as she tried to ignore him but to no avail. On some level, he was right about everything. There were plenty of reasons why she should stop yearning for Derek. He'd been absent; he stopped seeing her, stopped caring. But in her mind, he was still Derek; the man she had always thought was supposed to spend the rest of her life with.
"Addie," Mark called softly when she didn't speak for quite some time. "You deserve better."
She suddenly slammed the pen down onto the chart and whipped her head around to turn and look at him, an astonished look on her face. "I deserve better?" she asked, her hand going to rest on her hip as she stared him down. "And who's better, Mark? You? You who cheated on me with multiple women? I don't think so."
"Addison…"
"No, Mark. Just accept that there will never be anything between us. We're done here," she shook her head and grabbed the patient's chart, hastily putting it onto the appropriate rack before walking away without a glance back at Mark.
Addison understood where Mark was coming from, and she knew that she'd done her fair share of hurting him back. But she just couldn't do it. Sleeping with Mark the first time had been the biggest mistake of her life. Had she slept with anyone else other than her husband's best friend, maybe Derek could have forgiven her sooner.
Or maybe she really was Satan, the adulterous bitch who cheated on her husband with his best friend and the horrible woman who aborted her own baby. Maybe she didn't deserve better. Maybe she just deserved to be alone.
xXxXxXxXxXx
After breaking up with Meredith, Derek had spent much of his time outside of work thinking about Addison and how he was going to try to patch things up with his ex-wife. There were so many things he needed to make up for, he didn't know where to begin or what he could do to make everything right again.
Addison meant a lot to him and he'd lost sight of that, but he wasn't willing to lose her again, not without a fight.
When he entered the attending locker room and found Addison there changing out of her scrubs, he wasn't prepared in any way. He had hoped to at least know what he was going to say to her or have something to give her, but there was nothing. Derek just knew that he had to tell her something before it was too late and she found someone else or she thought that he didn't love her anymore, which he'd stupidly led her to believe.
"Hey, Addison," he greeted after a moment, watching her pull off her scrub top and admiring every curve of her body.
She looked up at him and gave him a soft, yet breathtaking smile, "Hey."
Derek smiled and let out a small sigh of relief, glad that she didn't seem to be mad or upset in any way. He took a few steps closer and sat down on the bench as she resumed changing her clothes, his eyes fixed on one of the lockers before him.
"I'm guessing you heard about me and Meredith," he said, slowly lifting his chin to look up at her.
"Yeah, I did," Addison said before she let out a small laugh. "It's kind of all over the hospital."
He chuckled uncomfortably for a bit, though slightly happy to see that she wasn't letting it bother her too much. He knew from the pensive look on her face when he walked in, however, that she wasn't doing as well as she pretended to be. She was battling her thoughts and feelings just as he was, trying to figure out what came next for all of them.
"Listen, Addie," Derek started, reaching out to her and pulling her down to sit beside him on the bench. "I broke up with Meredith because…I still love you. Now I know I've been an idiot, and I've done a lot of things that I can't take back, but I just—I thought that you deserved to know."
Derek watched her as she sighed and pursed her lips together, taking out the hair tie that was keeping her hair in a bun and letting her loose curls fall about her shoulders. She stared down at the elastic loop between her fingers and said nothing. With a feeling of dejection, he tore his eyes away from her and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees while he tried to form his next words.
This wasn't easy in any way. He was putting a lot out there, and he knew it was a long shot before they could ever be the two people who were so in love over a decade ago. There was a lot to work through and many obstacles to face, but in the end, he would be willing to go through all of it again for Addison.
He sighed and ran his fingers across his forehead. "Nothing has to happen right now or anytime soon. I'm not asking for you to forgive me right away," he paused and turned his head to look at her, waiting for their eyes to meet before he went on. "I'm just asking you to believe me when I tell you that I want to make things right again and get us back to the way we were."
Addison stared at him, seemingly searching his eyes. She stood and grabbed her lab coat from her locker before shutting it, putting the long, white coat on as she started to walk away.
His hopes of anything ever happening were just about gone when she suddenly turned around and spoke.
"I uh, I'm going to need some time," she said softly, "To think things through."
"Take as long as you need," he nodded.
With a sad smile and a barely audible "okay," she turned and exited the doors, leaving Derek with his thoughts.
Addison was going to think things through. That didn't bring them to where he wanted them to be, but it meant that there was still a chance for Derek and Addison. Things could still work out, and they could very well end up happy with one another. Only time would be able to tell what was next for the two of them.
For now, Derek was going to have to take things as they came and be wary of keeping his hopes up for Addison.
xXxXxXxXxXx
It was a mystery to Addison how her life had become so unbearably complicated. More often than not, she found herself missing the days when everything had an easy answer. Before, she was rarely forced to face life-altering decisions, and when she was, the correct choice would be clear after weighing the pros and cons of the situation.
Her current predicament wasn't so simple. If she chose not to try and work things out with Derek again, she might regret it for the rest of her life, but if she did, she was possibly setting herself up for another bout of pain and heartache.
"I love being a married woman," Callie proclaimed happily as she took the seat next to Addison and set her tray of mediocre hospital food down onto the table.
"What?" Addison asked distractedly, trying to take in what was going on around her for the first time since she sat down and began to think about her problems.
Eyes narrowed at her as Callie let out a noticeable sigh. "Is this another one of those 'everything's about Addison' moments, because my life can totally wait?" Callie asked with a hint of sarcasm but enough sincerity that she knew Callie was willing to listen.
She laughed softly and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "It might be, but I'll be nice this time and let you go first."
"It's not that important," Callie shrugged, "Just really happy about marrying the help."
"That's really great," she said, a small smile gracing her face in congratulations to her friend. "I'm glad that you're happy with him."
"Yeah, me too," Callie said, returning the smile. "So now, what's happening in the world of Addison?"
A sigh escaped Addison's lips as everything came back to her and she was reminded of how messed up her life truly was. She really missed her newlywed days when things with Derek were less complicated, their biggest concern being their exam on Friday, or what they could afford to have for dinner on a medical student's income (which wasn't very much).
"I slept with Derek," Addison answered after several moments of being lost in her thoughts. "Now he's broken up with Meredith and wants to give us another chance, and I—I don't know what to do anymore."
"Wow. So the rumors are true," Callie said seemingly shocked.
"Yeah," she sighed.
There was a long pause where neither of them spoke. Addison was too preoccupied with her thoughts and worries to think of anything else to say. Everything was right there in front of her. She was just supposed to make a decision, one that she didn't know how to make after everything that had happened.
Callie finally broke the silence, "Do you still love him?"
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head slowly. "I mean, I know a part of me will always love Derek. But am I still in love with him? Do I love him enough to risk getting hurt again? That I don't know."
"Addison, I think you know what to do," Callie said as she sat up and got closer to Addison, her voice lowering. "You just have to follow your heart. Forget about all of the things you know and don't know. Do what feels right."
"I don't know what feels right."
"But you do," Callie insisted, putting her hand on Addison's arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Okay, when you look to the future, is Derek the one by your side?"
She gave Callie a look and didn't answer her question. She didn't have to. They both knew what she saw in her future, and that was Derek. It would always be Derek as long as they still had a chance. There was too much history to give up even if there had been a lot of pain, because when she looked hard enough deep within her, their blissful memories always shined through.
"Well there you have it," Callie smiled knowingly.
There she had it. Addison was finally done with all of the thinking and the contemplating, ready to give Addison and Derek another chance at happiness. Once again, she was putting her heart on the line and giving Derek the opportunity to hurt her. She was well aware of that, but just the thought that they might make it through this and end up happy together made all of that pain seem worth it.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Derek was sitting in the trailer nursing some scotch when he saw headlights coming up the dirt driveway. He'd spent much of the day thinking about Addison and now hadn't been any different. She was all that was on his mind; whether or not she would allow them to get back together, if there was some way to win her over.
This was something he truly wanted. He was just afraid that he'd already ruined all of the chances of it ever happening.
Downing his scotch, he stepped out onto the porch and was surprised to see the familiar black car parked next to his Range Rover. He watched her carefully as she got out of the car and slowly made her way toward him, ending at the bottom steps of the porch. He observed her for several moments, trying to determine whether her visit would provide him with some sort of hope, or only shatter his dreams.
Her eyes were almost unreadable, having a certain sadness to them, but there was something else, something he could not put his finger on.
Addison climbed up the steps and walked toward him. Before he knew it, her soft hands were on either side of his face and their lips had met in a tender kiss. It was slow, enveloping him in a warm blanket of comfortable security.
She pulled away several moments later and took her hands from his face, however, keeping their close proximity. "Promise not to hurt me this time," she pleaded softly, looking up at him with her sad, but hopeful eyes.
That was what it was: hope. She still had hope for Derek and Addison, and that was all that he needed to make this work. He knew that as long as she still believed in them, he could make her remember just how good they used to be, reminding himself of that as well. Silently, he vowed never to forget again.
"I promise, Addie," Derek said as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her hair as he urged her head onto his shoulder. "I never wanted to hurt you, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I know I've done so many stupid things that have caused you a lot of pain, but if you give me a chance, I promise to find some way to make it up to you."
He rested his cheek against her forehead as his hand absently rubbed her back. Moments later, Addison lifted her head from his shoulder to look up at him, bringing her hand up to gently stroke the side of his face.
"I believe you," she smiled softly and tilted her head up, pressing her lips to his in a deep kiss as her hand traveled to his chest.
It was sensual and languid, his tongue slipping between her soft lips to explore the contours of her mouth as he relearned her body.
His fingers knotted in her hair as she pulled him closer to her body, her hands roaming his back before coming forward to his chest. The beating of his heart quickened underneath her hand, his chest rising and falling at an increasing pace just as hers was.
Derek felt her unbutton the top button of his shirt and pulled away slightly, unsure if this was really the right thing to do at this time. He brought his hand up to brush her cheek with the back of his fingers, "Addie, are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm sure, Derek," she affirmed with a nod as her hand lovingly ran down his chest.
He took her gesture as a sign that everything between them was going to work out and that this was merely the beginning of a new chapter in their life. They may have gone through difficult times and caused each other pain, but they still managed to get back here, willing to go through all of it again if it meant that they could still be together.
In the grand scheme of things, this was all that mattered, not the adultery or the affairs, but their love for one another.
Opening the door, he led her into the trailer where their bodies were immediately pressed against each other again, hands sliding across the fabric of their clothing. His fingers worked on the zipper at the back of her skirt while she unbuttoned his shirt. He pressed a trail of kisses along her jaw and down her neck, eliciting a soft purr from the back of her throat as he pushed her backward slightly and guided her to the bedroom.
His shirt was shed quickly, getting left on the floor by the kitchen sink. Her skirt had pooled down to her ankles and she stepped out of it in front of the shower. After, they stood in the bedroom gazing at one another as they waited for the next move to be made.
Addison's hands slowly reached out, her fingers dancing along the bare skin above the waistband of his pants before moving down to unbuckle his belt. She worked unhurriedly, staring down at his body as she pulled his belt through the loops.
When she finished, he pulled her blouse over her head, leaving her clad in only her lace bra and matching panties before him. His fingertips traced random patterns onto her skin along her waist, admiring its silkiness underneath his touch. Reaching up as she undid his pants, Derek unclasped her bra and slid the straps down her arms, taking the time to gaze at her body and remember that this was what he was giving up if he were to ever mess this up again.
He urged her back onto the bed, laying her down as he divested his pants and went down to lie beside her. His eyes locked with hers for a moment, and she smiled before he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly and tracing her lips with his tongue.
He began to trail kisses down her neck as his hand ran along her side and up to cup her breast. As he moved further down, Derek pressed sweet kisses to her smooth skin, going to the valley between her breasts before kissing his way to her nipple. He encased it in his mouth, swirling and flicking it gently with his tongue, causing her to moan in pleasure.
His hand came up and palmed her other breast, running his thumb over her nipple and feeling it harden further. Her fingers tangled in his hair when he switched breasts, his tongue paying the same attention to her other nipple.
She brought her hand down, gliding it along his back and bringing it to the front of his boxers to cup him. The gentle stroking of her hand upon his increasingly hardening erection caused him to let out a groan, softly biting down on her nipple. She gasped and arched her back at the new sensation, pushing her breast further into his mouth.
Derek shifted and settled between her legs, hovering above her as he looked into her half-lidded eyes. One of his hands traveled up the inside of her thigh, going to rest at the convergence between her legs, a smile coming over him when he felt how damp her panties already were from her arousal. He watched as her eyes fluttered closed and her mouth fell slightly agape while he rubbed her through the lacy fabric.
A kiss was pressed to her chin and one to the side of her neck as Derek made his descent upon her body. He kissed the hollow of her neck, the sensitive skin between her breasts as her chest heaved up and down, and the top of her abdomen. When his lips reached the skin just below her navel and his fingers were pushing her panties to the side, brushing against her center, Addison gripped his shoulders and called for him.
He looked up and met her gaze, immediately knowing what it was that she wanted.
Tonight was about the closeness and their reconnection as they built the foundation to their relationship once again, not the instant pleasure or the height of their climax. Tonight, it was just about Derek and Addison.
Derek sat up and hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties, pulling them slowly down her long, slender legs before he discarded them with his boxers. Settling in between her legs again, he placed his hand on her hip as their faces hovered inches apart. He captured her lips, tracing the soft tissue with his tongue, mentally preparing for what was to come.
His hand slid down her thigh to the back of her knee and lifted it up as he pushed into her warmth, their lips breaking apart as both let out a groan at the sensation. He pressed his forehead to hers, holding still for a moment to let them adjust to the feeling of being so physically close again.
Addison soon sought his lips, draping her arm over his shoulder and insistently moving her hips against him, conveying to him that she was ready to take this further.
Slowly, he began to move above her, thrusting all the way into her depths as their tongues collided and danced around each other. Lifting her leg and keeping it around his waist, he explored every angle, listening to the sweet sounds of her moans of ecstasy and taking pride in knowing that it was he who was doing this to her.
She wrapped both her legs around his waist and pulled him deeper, causing a groan to escape their lips. She grasped his arms tightly when he suddenly quickened his pace, moving in and out of her as he hit just the right spots with each inward thrust.
Derek took one of her arms from around his neck and laced their fingers together above her head. With his other hand, he spread her legs further apart, increasing the length of his strokes as he pulled out of her almost completely and plunged into her, over and over again.
Her breaths came out in rapid spurts, moans growing louder with every thrust. He could feel her muscles beginning to contract around him as her hips bucked against his.
Removing his hand from her thigh, he slipped it around her back and pulled her to sit up, legs wrapped around his waist as he sat on the back of his legs. He continued to thrust into her, using his hands on her bottom to guide her hips and increase her pleasure.
She moaned, calling out his name as he brought her closer to her peak by pulling her down onto him with each thrust. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved faster above him, their sweat-covered chests gliding against one another as the grinding of their hips stimulated her bundle of nerves.
After being with Addison all of these years, Derek knew that when she was biting down on her lower lip to stifle that low moan and clenching her eyes tightly, it was because she was moments away from her orgasm. So he slipped a hand between their bodies and circled her clit with his thumb, pressing it harder as he felt her inner walls start to tighten around him.
His name escaped her lips over and over again as her legs trembled, body shuddering from the sheer euphoria and her muscles convulsed around him. With a few more thrusts, he came too, gently nipping at the salty skin of her neck, filling her completely as their bodies stilled apart from their heavy breathing. He pressed several fleeting kisses to her shoulder, holding her body close to him and feeling her heart beating rapidly against his chest.
When they caught their breath, Derek gently lay her back down against the mattress, pulling out of her and rolling over to lie beside her. He pulled her close to him and let her arm drape across his middle as he absently rubbed her back. Their eyes met as she looked up at him, and he pressed his lips to her forehead, smiling softly against her skin.
"Thank you for giving us another chance, Addie," he whispered softly, tracing small patterns onto her back and shoulder.
"You're my home, Derek," she snuggled against him. "This is where I belong."
He grinned and wrapped his arms around her tighter, "You're my home too, and I love you. I won't mess this up again. I can promise you that. Things won't always be perfect, but it'll be okay as long as we're together."
"I know," she said softly, both of them knowing that no matter how many fights they would go through or how lost they could get, Derek and Addison always found their way back home to each other's arms.
xXx Five Years Later xXx
"Come here, sweetie," Addison said in her sweet voice as she held out her arms in front of her. "Come on. You can do it."
"Jules, go to Mommy," Derek coaxed, sitting between his wife and daughter with his legs underneath him, video camera in hand so as not to miss anything.
Little Julia Shepherd stood in her yellow Care Bear onesie dress, holding onto the side of their couch as she looked from her dad to her mom with her bright blue eyes. She had a perplexed expression on her face, small creases on her forehead. Her bottom lip stuck out in a small pout when her tiny hands left the cushion and she took a wobbly step toward her parents.
"That's it, baby," the two adults said together, glancing at each other and sharing a laugh before they turned their attention back to their baby.
Addison's eyes lit up as she watched her daughter take a few more small steps, feelings of pride and joy washing over her. She'd waited so long for this day. Maybe not this particular day, but she'd spent a lot of time picturing events such as this one: her baby's first step, first word, first everything. It was every woman's dream to create this little life that needed to be protected and cared for.
The perfection of her life amazed her. At times like this, she wondered where all of the time had gone and how she had managed to get here.
It felt like it was just yesterday that she was getting married to Derek for the second time after having worked through all of their issues. Getting over their past hadn't been an easy task, but they had managed to do it, finding their everlasting love for one another once again.
She could still remember the day she found out she was going to have a baby with Derek, how happy she was to finally get that chance. That night when he came home, she had a romantic candlelit dinner made with his favorite dish, and as they ate, she had told him the good news. Seeing the look of pure joy come to his eyes was one of the most breathtaking things she'd ever experienced, the way he looked at her with such love and affection. It was just magical.
After Julia took a few more steps, she started to lose her balance and fell on her bottom with a small thud moments later. Her lip started to quiver, and her eyes became glossy with tears. Before she could begin to cry, Addison had already made her way to the baby, taking her into her arms.
"Oh honey, it's okay," she said, smiling and bouncing Julia up and down as she cuddled her against her chest. She made funny faces and played with her daughter's little fingers, causing Julia to erupt in a fit of giggles.
Derek set the camera onto its tripod, pointing it at them just in case anything spectacular happened, before he went over to Addison and Julia. "How's my big little girl?" he inquired, tickling her tummy.
"I think she's okay after surviving her big fall," Addison answered as she listened to Julia's laughter increase in volume.
"Good. She's strong, just like her mommy," he wrapped his arm around Addison and ran his hand up and down her side.
"That she is," she said, leaning over to kiss the corner of his mouth. "Oh, and wasn't that a bit oxymoronic back there, honey? 'Big little girl?'" she raised her eyebrow at him.
Derek rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well, our little Jules is turning one tomorrow," he said, taking the baby into his arms and balancing her on his slightly bent legs stretched out in front of him. "Yes, you are…But you'll always be Daddy's little girl."
Suddenly, the melodious sound of the doorbell rang just as Julia laughed and reached out to press her hands against Derek's cheeks.
"I'll get it," Addison said, giving her two favorite people each a kiss before she stood and went to answer the door.
Once Addison was out of the room, Julia turned her head from side to side, searching for her mother. She carefully climbed off of Derek's lap and stood next to him as she held onto his arm. She walked around his back, keeping her hands on his shirt so she wouldn't fall. Ending at his other side, Julia squatted and leaned her arms on Derek's leg with her little bottom up sticking out. She looked up at him, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Mommy will be back soon, sweetie," Derek told her, laughing as he gently tightened one of her ponytails.
Addison came back into the room with a large box in hand, letting it rest on the back of the couch. "Look whose present just came," she said excitedly as she examined the sides of the box.
Carefully, Julia pushed herself to stand on her two little legs and made her way across the room, one small step at a time. Her pace varied, going from slow to fast and back again. She ended at her mother's feet, her tiny arms wrapping around Addison's leg.
"Just a minute, Jules. Mommy's going to—," she stopped mid-sentence upon realizing what just happened and looked down at her little girl before glancing back over at Derek. "Did she just…"
Her voice trailed off, the answer made obvious by the stupid grin on Derek's face. She smiled brightly and set the box for Julia's play gym on the cushions of the couch before kneeling down next to her daughter.
She took Julia's hands and kissed them softly, making the baby smile and laugh as it always did. "Can you show Mommy how you walk?" she asked in a singsong voice. "Go back to Daddy, sweetie. Go on."
"Come here, Jules," he said, holding out his arms. "Come on."
Not a moment later, their little girl walked briskly to Derek, running straight into his loving arms. He hugged her and then lifted her up into the air, eliciting small squeals from Julia as she kicked her legs around and laughed.
Addison quickly joined them, sitting down beside Derek as she watched him play with their daughter. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder, a smile playing on her face as she listened to their peels of laughter.
The three of them were a family living an almost perfect life. As with everybody, things weren't always going to be exactly the way they wanted it, but as long as they were together, that didn't matter. They were happy and had people who loved them more than anything, living in a home that was everything they could ever wish for.