A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back with a new Addek chapter story. This story is set shortly after Addison and Derek's divorce. I hope you like it! Thanks for reading!

The Shepherds

"Hey, Derek," Addison called out, quickening her pace to walk alongside the man who, up until a couple of weeks ago, had been her husband. "I need you for a consult."

Derek nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks," Addison smiled. "The patient's files are in my office. I could grab them quickly, or-"

"I'll just go with you," Derek offered.

"Okay," Addison agreed, as they made their way towards her office together.

"Hey, you know what I like?" Derek asked, as he and Addison approached Addison's office. "I like that we're civilized. We're these adult, grown-up people, who can be divorced and be friendly. We deserve a medal."

Addison nodded halfheartedly, as she removed her keys from the pocket of her lab coat. She understood that Derek was excited about rebuilding his relationship with Meredith, but his new bright and shiny attitude was starting to wear her down. The ink on their divorce papers had barely dried, and she wasn't finished mourning the breakdown of her marriage. She wasn't ready for bright and shiny.

As Addison opened the door to her office, Derek's eyes landed on the nameplate on the office door: Addison Montgomery Shepherd MD.

"You need to get a new nameplate for your door," Derek muttered to his ex-wife, who was going through her file cabinet, looking for her patient's file.

"And your desk," he added, picking up the fancy, metal Addison Montgomery Shepherd MD nameplate from her desk, and placing it back down.

Addison turned to look at him. "Why's that?" she asked.

"Because it's not your name anymore," Derek explained slowly, as if he were talking to a two-year-old, and not to a world-class surgeon.

"It's not my legal name anymore," Addison corrected him, doing her best to ignore how painful those words felt coming out of her mouth. "But, professionally, I'm keeping it."

Derek's eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-why would you do that?" he stammered.

Addison sighed. "You and I may not be married anymore, Derek. But I made my professional name under Addison Shepherd. I've published under that name. The medical community knows me by that name. Patients know me by that name. So, I'm keeping it. It's nothing personal."

"It feels personal to me," Derek insisted angrily. "I'm trying to rebuild my relationship with Meredith. How am I supposed to do that when you're prancing around the hospital wearing a lab coat with my name on it?" Derek stole a glance at the name on Addison's lab coat: Dr. Montgomery Shepherd. He sighed in frustration.

"First of all, I don't prance around," Addison smirked. "And secondly," she added, growing more serious, "I think that you and me and Meredith…I think that we're all mature enough to realize that me keeping your last name is a strictly professional decision."

Derek shook his head in disbelief. "It still feels like you're going out of your way to make me miserable."

"I hate to break it to you, Derek, but I don't spend my spare time coming up with ways to make your life complicated."

"You could have fooled me," Derek shot back.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Stop being petty."

"Stop being an adulterous bitch," Derek snapped back.

"Hey, you're a cheater too now," Addison reminded her ex-husband. She had tried to say it smugly, but it was impossible to miss the hurt in her voice.

Derek sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled. His comment was hurtful and out of line, and he knew it.

"It's fine," Addison said quickly, even though they both knew it wasn't.

"No, I shouldn't have said that," Derek admitted. "It's just…it feels like you're sabotaging my life on purpose."

"Derek-"

"I mean, come on, Addison, what are you still doing in Seattle? We're not married anymore, so you can go back to New York."

"Richard offered me a job here," Addison responded tersely. "If you have a problem with me being here, I suggest you take it up with him."

"Well, it's your fault that Mark works here now," Derek shot back.

"Mark used to be your best friend," Addison pointed out. "And, again, Richard offered him a job here. I think you're displacing your anger, Derek. It sounds to me like the person you're actually angry at is Richard."

"Oh, spare me the shrink talk, Addison. My anger is perfectly placed. I'm angry at you."

Addison was about to respond, when George appeared in the doorway of her office. "Uh, excuse me, Dr. Shepherd," he began. "We need you immediately. We just had a patient rushed into the E.R. and we need your help."

"Thank you, O'Malley," Addison nodded. "Where's the patient now? You can fill me in on the details of her case on the walk over there."

"Hold on a second, Addison," Derek smirked, stepping in between Addison and George. "He's not talking to you. He's talking to me."

"And what makes you think that he's talking to you?" Addison asked, raising an eyebrow at Derek.

"Um, actually," George cut in, but both Addison and Derek ignored him, and continued to argue with each other.

"O'Malley is my intern, today," Derek reasoned. "You permanently assigned Karev to your service, remember?"

"Um, we still have an emergency on our hands," George pointed out. "We should probably hurry...you know, if we want to save lives and all."

But Addison and Derek were too wrapped up in their argument to hear him.

"He's obviously talking to me," Derek insisted, jamming a hand on his hip. "I'm Doctor Shepherd."

"I'm also Doctor Shepherd," Addison reminded him smugly.

"Addison, the patient is clearly mine." Derek turned to face George. "Come on, O'Malley, you're scrubbing in."

"Actually, I'm not," George said. "And neither are you. The patient is a thirty-five year old female. She's twenty-seven weeks pregnant, and was in a serious car accident. We couldn't find a fetal heartbeat when she was admitted. Karev's checking again as we speak."

"Okay," Addison nodded. "Let's go then." She and George made their way through the hospital corridor, with Derek trailing closely behind them.

"Derek, why are you coming with us?" Addison asked in confusion.

"O'Malley said the patient was in a serious car accident. There might be spinal damage."

"Derek, the patient needs an OB, and the last time I checked, you weren't one, so stop trying to steal my patient."

"I'm not trying to steal your patient, Addison. And you're one to talk – you stole my last name."

Addison rolled her eyes. "I understand you're upset, Derek. But now really isn't the time for us to get into this. I have a patient, and this is unprofessional…not to mention, awkward and unfair to Dr. O'Malley." She turned to face George. "Sorry about this," she apologized.

"Oh, no, don't worry about me," George insisted. "I'm used to being in awkward situations. You two really shouldn't stop arguing on my account…but, uh, this here…this is your patient's room, so you guys might not want to argue in front of her and her husband."

Addison nodded. "Thanks for your help, Dr. O'Malley."

"What about the consult you needed?" Derek asked Addison, just as she was about to enter her patient's room.

Addison turned to face her ex-husband. "It can wait until after I'm through here," she assured him. "But if you want to read up on the patient's condition, the file's in my office. Here," she said handing him her keys. "You can go grab the file from my office if you want to."

Derek accepted the keys. "I think I'll do that."

"Okay," Addison nodded. "I'll see you later, Derek."

"Right, see you later," Derek said, as he began to walk away.

"Hey, Derek," Addison called out.

Derek turned to face her. "Yes, Addison?"

"Don't even think about touching or doing anything to the nameplates in my office."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I'm that passive aggressive?"

Addison shrugged. "I don't know. But I do know is that there is a land called Passive Aggressiva, and while I may be their queen, you spend a fair bit of time there as well."