I wasnt sure whether or not to post this story due to the fact that its been floating, finished on my computer since last year, but soon it was time (I felt) to allow it the room to grow...

But basically its Addek in marriage councelling in the span of a week-ish. More importantly, its AU so I'm not really sure of a time line for this story. Oh and even more importantly, councelling sessions blend with everyday life in the story and differentiate with the characters, but you'll would have figured that out anyways.

I don't own greys- let it be known.

"Have you both ever considered a short separation?"

The bickering couple looked up, their arguments hushed by the blunt question. They looked nervously at one another before they spoke, their tones now vulnerable to the new situation.

"Well…"

"It hasn't really crossed our minds…"

"Not really something we've ever thought about…"

"We couldn't comprehend how to do it…"

Each others sentences fell short before the room resumed its eerie silence. The counsellor spoke up once more.

"Well have you?"

They both shook their heads feebly.

"Look doc I thought you said we were making progress that we were finally getting to the root of our problems, Addison's infidelity"

She winced.

"And my falling in love with another woman has both been established to have caused us problems, and we've" he sighed "gotten past that"

The counsellor looked to Addison "Do you agree Mrs Shepherd?"

Addison nodded unable to answer; her voice she was sure, would sound foreign to her, weak, pathetic, and Addison did not like to sound pathetic.

It was the counsellor's turn to sigh "Look, its clear to me that in every session we have made progress."

The couple looked at her

"And even through the fighting and the arguments that have sprouted in our sessions, you are probably one of the most open couples I have ever had."

The receiving party gave matching small smiles.

"From what I know, you have both hurt each other very badly, you have both done things which you are probably not very proud of" she took off her glasses "but maybe it's the time away from each other that you need to gain insight into what you want or when worst comes to worst don't want from each other" she sat up straighter "in other words, see your relationship the way others see it and if you were those people you could see how your current situation could be…improved."

"So there could be a chance if we did this that we could or couldn't end up back together?" Derek asked.

"Precisely, but if you do decide to do this you can feel free to see me on separate sessions during the duration you decide to part and then one last session to give the decider on whether or not you can be Derek and Addison" the counsellor looked at the over head clock "well our session has gone over at least five minutes but I think there have been subjects left in the air which on behaving yourselves, you could discuss properly" she put her glasses back on and smiled at the couple "I guess I'll see you next week, that should be enough time to consider what you are planning to do"

Addison cleared her throat "See you next week." she left through the office door, Derek following silently behind her.

XXXXXX

"Well…goodnight."

"Yeah…goodnight." she switched off the lamp beside her; her glasses however were still on, the comforter reaching her waist as her fingers fiddled with its ragged ends. She didn't have to turn sideways to see that her husband was in the same position. His hands however, folded neatly beneath his head; clearly she had her thinking position and he had his.

"How did we get this far?"

She looked to him "Excuse me?"

"We used to be…we were…" he struggled

"Yeah I know" she took her glasses off before turning fully towards him. She studied his profile seeing him furrow then relax as he made the adjustment to mirror her pose.

"You don't think it would work do you? That we should really consider taking her advice..."

"Well we have a time to decide and if nothing else works then we could try…" she trailed off and they went back into silence.

They stayed there like that facing each other, Addison's eyes struggling to stay open whilst Derek's neck stiffened, his reluctance to turn around wavering. Silently he watched his wife of more than eleven years in front of him, her eyes fluttering shut as she finally gave into sleep, her mouth falling slightly open and her hair taking a life of its own as she moved about seeking warmth, her body inadvertently moving closer to him, something she hadn't done much of since she had moved out to Seattle.

Pulling the comforter from underneath her limp arms, he arranged it around her shoulders, smiling as he saw her sigh contentedly. Edging closer, he paused before putting his arm around her waist, watching for any discomfort from the extra weight on her stomach, but was relieved when he felt her legs tangle with his.

Only then did Derek fall asleep.

XXXXXX

The small trailer filled its morning quota of sunlight, streaming into the small crevices that hid in the exposed corners. Shifting around slightly Addison's eyes creaked open registering her daily surroundings before her body registered its extra weight. She shuffled around feeling Derek's arm slink off her before she crept towards the tiny bathroom and sat around the toilets rim, her stomach heaving with its contents of last night. When she was sure she was done, she stood up, her legs shaky as she braced most of her weight on the sink.

"I thought morning sickness was supposed to be over by the first month"

She jumped when she heard his voice "Um yeah I thought so too..." she fell silent.

"I'll make you some tea." he said walking to the small alcove that was their kitchen.

Turning on the shower, she adjusted the temperature before shedding her clothes, her hands grazing her stomach as she felt the beginning budge of her soon to be prominent belly. She sighed, being pregnant wasn't really the best option for her right now, but extremely drunken sex with Derek, she knew, had its consequences and even though they weren't really as close as man and wife should be, she was more than happy to pay for the penalty that came with three bottles of merlot and ironically tequila shots.

Stepping into the shower, she made sure that the lock clicked into place before finally allowing herself to relax underneath the hot spray, her hands wiping back the wet hairs that fell in front of her face. Closing her eyes she allowed the water to pummel her lightly, her once previous feeling of nausea was now gone and she even managed a weak hum to herself before a knock on the door startled her.

"Addison?" Derek knocked again "Addison?"

She called back out to him her tone a little frustrated "Yeah?"

"Your tea's ready."

"Thanks, I'll be out soon."

"Oh, ok" he moved away from the door and went back to the kitchen. Soon the door clicked open and Addison stepped out, her hair dripping onto her shoulders as she moved towards him accepting the tea.

"Thanks." she said before sipping it quietly.

He looked at her for a moment, his eyes appreciating the soft crinkle of her nose as she sipped at her tea. "Well I'll just go to the bathroom" he said brushing past her.

She nodded after him "Sure, ok"

"Right." he rapped his knuckle against the countertop "Right" he repeated before walking away.

XXXXXX

"So I um I have a surgery at 10 this morning but we can meet up at lunch?" he looked to his wife who was walking besides him towards the hospitals glass doors.

"Sure, that sounds nice." she smiled at him

He returned the smile, his hand tentatively taking hers feeling how the warmth of her fingers made his cold hand tingle in appreciation. Getting strange looks from surrounding staff they passed, they made their way over to the nurses station where they read their respective charts in silence.

"Hey Shep, Addison" Preston said walking up towards the couple.

"Preston hello." Addison smiled politely at her colleague.

"Why is it that you never say Derek? Always Shep or Shepard."

"I still don't like you enough." he replied smugly, enjoying the look he got out of Derek whenever he teased him like this.

"I've known you for how long now? And yet still its Dr Shepard." he pouted.

A pager beeped and all doctors looked down, the beeper belonging to Addison.

"Excuse me." she said before she left the two men standing alone.

Preston looked at her "Is something going on?" he looked back towards Derek.

"No" he sighed "no we're fine" he gave Preston a smile before his own pager beeped and left.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So tell me, how did you both meet?"

Addison toyed with the ends of her woollen scarf, plaiting the soft ends until she had one successful plait "He'd asked me out for coffee, I said yes"

"That it?"

She shrugged "It's the nicer version."

The counsellor sighed "Dr Shepard you have fifty five minutes left of an hour session, both you and I know I would be robbing you blind if we finished now."

Finishing her fourth plait she made eye contact "What do you want to know?"

"Well anything you're comfortable in telling me" she reclined, her clipboard flat against her thighs "we both took an oath of sorts, so there's nothing I can relay to anyone."

She sighed, brushing her hair out her face before she turned her attention back to the raggedy ends of her scarf "He was sleeping with my best friend before getting to know me."

"So not exactly a romantic beginning?"

She shrugged, then sighed realising there were two threads left making her sequence uneven "It depends on how you look at it, they weren't really seriously involved with each other, just two people who had sex to ease the tension" she unlaced her hand made ties "friends with benefits, and besides they had known each other long enough."

"I see."

Addison heard as she scribbled down something on her clipboard, before starting her plaits again, leaving two twists at each end so the pattern was remotely correct.

"So it bothered you? Them sleeping together then him taking a sudden interest?"

She shook her head "Like I said, they had known each other long enough, and anyways I was already involved with someone, I couldn't care what Derek Shepard did, or why he began looking at me differently."

"Differently?"

"Like he was always speculating something." She sipped on her bottled water which she had kept loosely screwed by her leg "He'd always ask me questions, come out with me and my friend quite often, till the point when we became a threesome and his company was less annoying."

"Even though he had motives?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm" another scribble and she continued "So tell me, this other relationship at the time, how long did that go on for?"

"Three years give or take."

"And would you say you loved him?"

"He was a nice guy, wanted to be a lawyer."

"So that's a no?"

"I guess, I mean he was great, we had good conversations, fun times together" she stopped plaiting and began to fiddle with the ends instead "he was the guy he wanted to be married before he was thirty with the trophy wife and the beautiful children, he was a catch."

"But just not your catch?"

"No."

"Ok then" she wrote what Addison could tell was a sizable paragraph before she continued talking "so this separation suggestion, any plans to go through with it or have you both missed the idea?"

She looked out the window, seeing the beginnings of a light shower "We talked about colours, for the baby's room"

"Yeah?"

She nodded "So how am I supposed to know what he wants, when all he does is talk about pink or blue?"

XXXXXXXX

I like the councellor, because she never has a name...she's like a tin with no label! Ooh!

Review if you liked it, I'm flu-ey and every review goes to my better health *cough*