A/N: Hello lovely readers! I finally got enough of a break in school to write for a little bit, which hopefully means finishing up this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter - it's on the longer side with a little bit of Grey's crossover thrown in :) Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 14

May 2012

Los Angeles, California

"Morning!" came Addison's chirpy voice from the foot of the stairs.

Alina groaned inwardly from her spot at the kitchen counter, dressed in skinny black slacks and a floral blouse, stirring milk into her coffee.

There was no arguing that the past month had bonded her and Addison indefinitely, which came with more blessings than Alina could count. As far as mothers went, she had only ever known criticizing and overbearing, never loving or protective. But she was quickly learning that with the love and protection came the overprotection, and that was taking Alina a while to get used to. She had been so independent her entire life, telling herself that she didn't need a maternal figure anyway, she could make it on her own; and that didn't just disappear over the course of a month.

Then, however unexpectedly, a feeling of warmth would pass through her. The same feeling that came whenever Addison would smile at her, or help her with her medication, or—when she was still in the hospital—to get up and walk for the first time. And that feeling would tell her that this was what a mother was supposed to be. She was supposed to love you so much it was annoying.

This was normal.

Still, standing there in the kitchen, she counted backwards from five in her head until the moment Addison told her to go lie down, that she would take care of the coffee.

And yet as Addison entered the room—more like flitted in high heels and a pencil skirt, Alina noticed—no such words came.

"Someone's in a good mood," Alina noted, rinsing off her spoon in the sink.

"Yeah well, I...had a good night," Addison admitted, opening the cabinet in search of a mug.

Alina made a face. She and Addison may be close, but the woman was still her biological mother. She didn't need to know every detail of her sex life.

"Do I want to know?"

Addison rolled her eyes, pouring herself coffee.

"No, not like that," she replied. "I um...I have some news that I haven't told anyone yet and I wanted you to be the first to know."

"Okay," Alina nodded, leaning back against the counter and sipping her coffee. "I assume it's good news?"

"Yes," Addison smiled. "It's definitely good."

"So..." Alina gestured with her hand. "Spill."

"Last night, Jake, he...he asked me to marry him."

Alina nearly spit out her drink.

"Wait, what? He what?!"

"Yeah," Addison grinned.

"When? How?!"

"After our last patients yesterday I found him in an empty waiting room, and I could tell something wasn't right," Addison told her. "You know we all have those patients who can just be too much, and this one was it for him. So I sat with him and we talked for a bit, exchanged 'I love you's,' you know all that mushy stuff…"

Alina chuckled.

"And then he just...asked me. I don't even think it was planned, but still...I think it was the easiest question I've ever answered."

"Oh my god," Alina smiled widely. "Oh my god! And you said yes!"

It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Addison laughed. "I said yes."

Alina immediately pulled her in for a tight hug.

"I'm so happy for you," Alina muttered into her shoulder. "For you both."

Addison held her close, kissing her temple.

"Seriously." Alina pulled back, placing both hands on Addison's cheeks. "This is...the best news." Before she could stop it Alina's eyes filled.

"Oh honey," Addison chuckled, pulling her into another embrace that only made Alina even more emotional.

That term of endearment Alina had craved for so long had now become her mother's primary name for her.

"I'm sorry," she half-laughed, wiping underneath her eye. "You just really deserve this. You've dealt with so many crappy men, and you save babies, and you take care of this random woman who shows up in your life four months ago…"

Addison laughed, rubbing Alina's back.

"I'm so glad you're getting your happy ending," Alina said.

"Well, even though you are just some random woman," Addison replied, pulling back and making Alina laugh. "Thank you."

Addison ran a hand through Alina's hair before leaving a kiss on her forehead.

"Hang on," Addison stopped, giving Alina a once-over. Apparently she hadn't noticed the work outfit. "Where do you think you're going?"

Ah, here was the much-anticipated overprotective mother reaction.

"Were you or were you not standing right there when my doctor said two weeks of house-rest and no driving?" Alina replied jokingly. "It's now been almost four and I figured I'd catch up on some patient notes before I go completely stir crazy."

She watched as Addison's smile morphed into her signature worried forehead crease.

"Are you sure you're ready? I mean I know what the doctor said but still three weeks isn't that much time...I could go with you, I'll cancel some appointments at the practice and-"

Addison was rambling, and Alina was surprised to find it more adorable than annoying. For the first time in her life she was being mothered.

"Addison," she stopped her. "It's fine. I'm fine."

Still, the forehead crease remained.

"Honey, I just don't think being back in that building so soon is the best idea…"

Alina realized what Addison was getting at; her nightmares. Over the past few weeks she had managed to regain enough strength to walk without a cane, and the headaches and vertigo were down to a minimum. The only thing Alina hadn't managed to overcome, apparently, was her subconscious, as every night she'd wake up in a cold sweat to Addison's hand on her face, soothing voice telling her she was alright, she was safe right here.

And now she was about to willingly reenter the building where it all started. Where her ex had found and confronted her for the first time in nearly a year.

"Look, I know what you're thinking," Alina said as gently as possible. "But I came here to help people, and-"

Suddenly she was interrupted by the sound of Jake entering the kitchen.

"Good morning, ladies!" he greeted them cheerfully, kissing Addison's cheek before making a beeline for the coffee.

His face fell immediately upon noticing their expressions.

"Not good morning?"

"Oh, sorry!" Addison said, snapping out of it. "No it is, Alina was just saying she was going to the hospital to catch up on patient notes but I didn't think…"

"But hey, look at you man of the hour!" Alina interjected, nudging Jake's shoulder. "I was told you're about to become Mr. Addison Montgomery."

Jake laughed, and Alina noticed even Addison cracking a smile.

"Ah that would be Doctor Mr. Addison Montgomery to you, Dr. Levin," he winked.

"Well I am happy for you, so consider this my blessing," Alina said, going in for a one-armed hug before setting her mug in the sink. "And with that I am off to go join the human world for a few hours," she continued, kissing her mother quickly on the cheek. "I promise I will be back this afternoon and in one piece."

"Um, hold on, we are not done discussing this," Addison said pointedly. "Alina!"

"Bye!" Alina called, already halfway to the door and taking the out before she could let Addison change her mind.

In the distance she heard Jake laugh again, followed by an irritated what? from Addison.

"Oh nothing," he chuckled. "She is just so your daughter."

And Alina couldn't help but smile, knowing it was true.

Alina had no idea how much time had passed when she felt the ocean breeze send a shiver up her arms.

There she stood in front of St. Ambrose Hospital, bag slung over her shoulder, with every intention of stepping through the sliding doors and picking right back up where she left off. If only her legs would cooperate.

But Alina was stubborn. There was no way she was going to stand here for hours and then go home only to admit Addison was right; that she wasn't ready. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and willing the unwanted anxiety to leave her body. Or as Violet Turner would say, the post-traumatic stress.

"The last time I was in this hospital, I was attacked by a man I never wanted to see again," she said out loud to herself. Her palms began to sweat at the memory.

"But he's not here now," she breathed. "He's not here. And my patients are. And they need me."

Alina ran a hand through her long auburn waves.

"I can do this. Just one foot in front of the other."

One foot, and that was all it took before her whole body began to shake. She wasn't ready; not yet. Once again she looked up at the big building in front of her, silently cursing herself.

"The last time I was in this building," she repeated, in a desperate attempt to rationalize her fear. "I was attacked."

August 2009

Seattle, Washington

"Yes, Papa of course I will call you when it's over, as soon as I can," a 26 year old, newly third-year resident Alina told her father for the third time over the phone, dressed in her best blazer and walking briskly toward Seattle Grace/Mercy West Hospital.

"I expect nothing less," came the reply in fast Russian.

Alina grinned; her father was nothing if not annoyingly fascinated by her career. Still, she loved him for it, and it was at least ten steps up from her mother, who expressed nothing short of disappointment in Alina's choice to take on a pediatric surgery residency. As if working with children made her less of a doctor.

"Okay, I'm almost to the hospital now, so I will talk to you later tonight," Alina said.

"Alright, my darling," her father responded. "But first...you know how proud I am of you, right? The only one from your class invited to scrub in on such a groundbreaking surgery, and all the way in Seattle. You make your father very proud."

Alina smiled again.

"Ah, well you make me proud too, Papa," she said. "I love you."

Alina hung up, tucking the cell phone into the front pocket of her back as she looked up, fully, for the first time.

"Oh...my god," she whispered, taken aback by the sight of this majestic building in front of her. Mass. General Hospital had certainly taken her breath away on her first day of residency year one, but right now it felt like nothing compared to the massive glass walls of Seattle Grace/Mercy West.

This was where it was happening. The youngest patient ever to receive a partial facial transplant by none other than the world-famous Doctors Mark Sloan and Arizona Robbins, and Alina had been chosen as a visiting resident to witness it firsthand.

She had considered doing her full residency here after finishing med. school two years ago, only to be disappointed when she discovered Dr. Addison Montgomery was no longer running the Neonatal department. The hospital was then sorely lacking in the pediatric field until Dr. Robbins showed up.

Alina exhaled.

"Well, here goes nothing."

Heading straight for the automatic doors, Alina had a one track mind; find locker room, change into scrubs, find Dr. Robbins and Dr. Sloan, kiss their feet, scrub into surgery and wow everyone with some out-of-nowhere medical discovery (yeah right), get famous, then become the youngest doctor ever to receive the coveted Harper Avery award.

Right. A foolproof plan.

That was, until she found herself approaching a tall woman with short, wispy blonde hair and dressed in light blue scrubs, standing stock-still and staring up at the big building in front of them. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

Alina's brow furrowed in concern..

"Excuse me," she said gently to the woman, hoping not to startle her. "Are you alright?"

The woman blinked quickly, appearing to snap out of it.

"Oh…" she said. "Oh, yes I…"

She took a breath.

"I'm trying to convince myself…to walk through those doors."

Alina gave her a comforting smile.

"Don't worry, I've been there. First year intern jitters?"

To Alina's surprise, the woman grinned. Chuckled, even.

"Oh god no," she laughed. "I'm going on year four of residency. No, it's just…the last time I was in this building, I was being treated for stage four cancer. I almost died. But then I didn't. And my best friend did."

"Oh," Alina breathed, resisting the urge to place a hand on this woman's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. Do you...I mean I know I'm just some stranger off the street, but if you need somebody to talk to…"

The woman looked over at her, meeting her gaze for the first time. Alina noticed her eyes narrow.

"You look familiar," she said. "Have we met before?"

"Um, I don't think so, but I've met a lot of doctors over the years so if we have I'm so sorry I don't remember," Alina replied. "I'm Alina. Dr. Alina Levin. I'm a resident too, visiting from Mass. General for a surgery Dr. Sloan and Dr. Robbins are performing. My attending is also scrubbing in."

"Oh, yeah, the partial face transplant," the woman said knowingly. "It's all my husband has been talking about for weeks. He's a doctor here too. I'm Isobel Stevens, but everyone calls me Izzie."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Izzie."

"Likewise," she nodded.

"So…" Alina continued slowly. "What's the plan? You just gonna stand out here all day? Because believe me I'm not one to judge but don't you want to see your patients? I'm sure your husband is excited to have you back too."

Izzie let out a long breath, closing her eyes and looking down.

"I just...I don't know if I can do it without George."

Gently, Alina led them both over to a nearby bench.

"I take it George was the best friend?"

"Yeah," Izzie nodded, her voice heavy. "He was there for me the whole time I was sick. I wasn't even supposed to live." She wiped away a stray tear quickly. "I had stage four melanoma for god's sake. And yet here I am, and thanks to one afternoon and one negligent bus driver, he's…not."

Alina blinked, looking the blonde woman in the eye and silently placing a hand on her arm.

"He was a doctor here too," Izzie continued. "Same cohort as me. I'd only known him for a few years, but it kind of feels like a lifetime, you know?"

"I do," Alina nodded, thinking about her own intern cohort, how close she'd become to her colleagues in such a short amount of time.

"I don't know if I can do this without him."

"Well," Alina sighed. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say he liked working with you?"

Izzie nodded.

"And that he believed in you?"

She nodded again.

"So what do you think he would say, if he knew you were standing out here, right now?" Alina asked, somewhat rhetorically.

A small grin formed on Izzie's lips.

"I figured as much," Alina smiled. "Listen," she continued. "I'm sorry but I do have to get inside. If you need someone to talk to later, my pager's always on."

"Thanks," Izzie nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Alina. Even though I swear I've seen you before…"

Alina shrugged, smiling. "Well, it's a small medical community. You never know."

The two women exchanged goodbyes before Alina turned on her heel, making her way toward the front doors of Seattle Grace/Mercy West.

She made it about halfway before hearing her name being called out.

"Wait up!" came Izzie's voice.

Alina turned around.

"I'm coming with you."

Alina let out a deep breath, tying the last knot in her scrub cap—appropriately decorated with llamas, her favorite animal and a big hit with the kids—before heading into the OR, fully scrubbed.

Not only had she spent hours upon hours preparing for this surgery, she also knew the level of mental toughness that would be needed for a surgery like this.

The patient: an eight year old girl named Alice.

The procedure: a partial face transplant, from the cheekbones down.

The injury: severe facial burns from a mother who tried to burn the house down, locking the child inside.

Alina was familiar with maternal abuse, but this was a whole other level. Her mother may have been a lot of things, but never once did Alina feel her life was in danger.

But she was prepared. When her favorite peds attending at Mass. General asked Alina to accompany her on the trip, she knew there was no way she could say no. She could handle it. She was a doctor, first and foremost, and her patients needed her. The tiny humans needed her.

As soon as she entered the OR and the familiar smell of disinfectant passed through her nostrils, she was immediately met with the sound of chatter from the two surgeons standing on either side of the sleeping patient.

"Oh come on, I asked Lexie to move in with me, didn't I?" came a male voice Alina could only assume was Dr. Mark Sloan. "Tell me that's not commitment."

"I'm just saying," said the reply, who Alina assumed was Dr. Robbins. "You can't blame a girl for wanting to know that she's more than just...your girl."

"Okay, well I'm gonna wait until Alice wakes up to finish this conversation since I know at least she's on my side."

Alina chuckled to herself, sensing the strong connection these two doctors had formed with Alice.

"Oh!" said Dr. Robbins, looking up. "You must be one of the visiting surgeons."

Before Alina could respond, Dr. Sloan turned around.

"No way," he said, catching her off guard, clearly thinking she was someone else. "Addie?! What are you doing here? And consulting on a peds case?!"

"Um," she replied, surprised. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, I-" Dr. Sloan interrupted, after hearing her voice. "I'm sorry I thought you were-"

"Torturing my residents already, Sloan?" came the familiar voice Alina knew to be her attending.

"Lizzie Shepherd, is that you?" Dr. Sloan smiled.

"In the flesh," Lizzie grinned. "I'd hug you but I've already scrubbed in." She glanced at Alina, gesturing with her head for her to follow. "Dr. Sloan, Dr. Robbins, this is Dr. Levin, she is one of my best residents so I fully expect her to be treated as such," Lizzie said, followed by a pointed "Mark."

Alina felt herself blush through her scrub cap.

"What?" Dr. Sloan replied. "I have done nothing other than mistake her for...oh come on, you don't think she looks exactly like Addie?"

"Apparently I have a doppelganger out there somewhere," Alina chuckled, approaching the patient on the table.

"He seems to think you look like my brother's ex wife," Lizzie said dryly. "Which if you knew the whole story you'd know he's part of the reason she's his ex wife to begin with."

Dr. Robbins held back a laugh.

"Ouch." Dr. Sloan held a hand to his chest. "Low blow."

"Anyway," Lizzie continued, rolling her eyes. "Should we save this little girl's life or not?"

"Whatever you say, boss."

"Okay," Lizzie declared the way she always did before a surgery. "Scalpel."

May 2012

Los Angeles, California

Alina looked up at the clock.

12:42pm.

Going on hour three in the hospital, but feeling more like day six. No matter how glad she was to be back with her patients, time seemed to drag on. Thus far she had managed to avoid a full-on panic attack; then again, she had also managed to avoid the ER and the ICU floor like the plague.

The two places in this hospital that had anything to do with him.

Filing some patient notes away at the PICU nurse's station, Alina smiled politely at a few unfamiliar doctors passing by. She was just about to call it a day and head home—or rather, back to Addison's house—when she heard it. A monitor began to beep from the room directly across the hall.

To her surprise, no one reacted.

Frowning, Alina pulled the stethoscope from around her neck and entered the room. The infant squirmed, clearly agitated. The monitor continued to beep, but thankfully not indicating cardiac arrest. She glanced at the sign on the baby's crib that read I'm a boy! in blue lettering.

"Hey, little guy," she cooed, warming the stethoscope before placing it on the baby's chest. "What's going on, huh?"

Immediately she could hear the rapid heartbeat.

"I know, I know, this is no fun," she soothed, as the baby let out a cry. "You've got a temperature. What are we gonna do about that?"

She stroked the thin wisps poking through the baby's cap, and as if by reflex the baby reached up and grabbed hold of her finger, his whimpers quieting.

"Hi," she whispered down at him. Big, chocolate brown eyes stared back at her, and in those few seconds she felt an unexplainable bond form between the two of them.

"Is he okay?" came a voice from the doorway.

Alina spun around, her finger still caught in the baby's hand. A young woman approached, who she could only assume was the baby's mother.

"Oh," Alina breathed. "Yes, everything's fine, I was just passing by and heard the monitor go off, so I thought I'd check in on him. He's got a slight fever…"

"Still?" the woman's expression saddened. "I brought him in yesterday because his temperature spiked, and now it just won't go down. I didn't know what else to do."

"Well, you did the right thing," Alina replied. "Could just be a bug. Have they run many tests yet?"

"Just some labs," the woman sighed. "But nothing conclusive came from it."

"Hmm," Alina frowned. "What's your name?"

"Judy," the woman replied. "And this is Henry." She looked down at the baby. "He's not even a week old. If...if we're being completely honest, I've been trying to put him up for adoption, but no one's felt right yet. He deserves the world, you know? At least, more of a world than I can give him."

Alina's heart twinged, sensing the young mother's anguish.

"Well," she began softly. "As someone who was adopted by a wonderful father and has a birth mother who cares very much, I can tell you your heart's in the right place. If you feel you're doing what's best for him, that's all anyone can ask for."

"I love him more than I've ever loved anything," Judy whispered, watching Henry close his eyes, still holding onto Alina's finger. "But I can't raise him."

Alina looked into this woman's sad eyes, and suddenly it hit her. She knew exactly what to do. She knew exactly how to help.

"Judy," she said, taking her hand. "My name is Dr. Levin, and I'd like to help you."

Hours later, Alina braced herself for a confrontation as she closed the front door behind her, hanging up her jacket.

She had originally told Addison she would be home in a few hours...about eight hours ago. And thanks to Judy and Henry, Alina had been away from her cell phone most of the afternoon.

But if the past month had taught her anything, it was that Addison was a Mama Bear through and through; her confrontations were never motivated by anything other than love. So as annoying as the overprotectiveness could be, Alina couldn't help but feel incredibly loved because of it.

And this time, as she slipped off her black loafers and felt the cold hardwood floor against her bare feet, she was ready for it, because this time, she had something very important to say.

"Alina?" came Addison's voice from the kitchen, and Alina found herself smiling at how easily she could predict the older woman. "Honey?"

Not two seconds later, Addison entered the hallway, and was walking quickly toward her.

"Oh thank god," Addison breathed. "I thought you said you'd be home hours ago, and I couldn't find you at the hospital, and...what happened? Are you okay? Are you feeling okay? Are-

"Addison," Alina cut her off, placing a hand on her arm. "I'm fine. I had an...unexpected patient this afternoon and was held up for a few hours."

Addison responded by placing both hands on Alina's cheeks.

"You really shouldn't be overdoing it right now; you know I worry about you pushing yourself too hard, and I…"

Maybe it was the feeling of Addison's warm hands against her face, or maybe it was the adorable way this woman seemed to care for her as if her own life depended on it. Either way, Alina suddenly felt the backs of her eyes prickle, until they were filled to the brim with tears.

Of course, Addison noticed right away, stopping herself mid-ramble and eyes growing even bigger with worry.

"Sweetheart, what is it?" she asked.

"I um," Alina began, blinking away the tears. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about, or rather ask you I guess...can we maybe sit outside, or go for a walk or something?"

Addison blinked in surprise.

"Sure," she replied. "I'll put on a pot of tea and we can sit out back, is that okay?"

Alina nodded, smiling slightly.

"That sounds perfect."

About 10 minutes later Alina sat up straight on the edge of one of Addison's deck chairs, still dressed in her work attire and bouncing one foot up and down nervously. In the distance, the sun nearly touched the ocean, giving the evening a warm glow.

She knew Addison loved her. That was a nonstarter. If anything, the woman had told her several times over the past month. Often more than once a day.

And even if she didn't say it as much, Alina knew she loved Addison back.

Still, what she was about to ask her now would bring them to an entirely new level. And she wasn't sure she was emotionally ready to handle it if Addison were to tell her no. She had been rejected by the only mother figure in her life so many times over the years; she should be used to it. But Addison was different. Losing her would be like...losing a limb. More painful than anything Alina had ever dealt with.

"Okay," Addison announced, walking outside with two mugs in tow. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about? If it's about you moving back to your house can we at least put it off for another week, because I just started worrying about you being back at work and I'm not sure I could handle worrying about you being on your own 24/7 so soon after surgery…"

Alina chuckled, swallowing more nerves.

"No, no it's not about that," she said, accepting the mug of honey lavender tea, another favorite.

"Oh," Addison exhaled, sitting down beside her. "Okay, good."

"Honestly, I do miss my house and I do miss being on my own sometimes, but I'm content with where I'm at right now. The company can be a bit overprotective, but I could do a lot worse."

Alina bumped her shoulder against her mother's playfully.

Addison smiled in relief, leaving a kiss on Alina's temple.

"No, um," she started. "I know I haven't really said it unless it's been in response to you saying it, but I um...I really do love you, Addison. And even though sometimes it feels like this whole thing is just moving so fast, I'm so...I'm so glad we found each other."

Alina looked down at her feet, feeling Addison's hand running up and down her back.

"Well that's good," Addison replied, and Alina could hear the emotion in her voice. "Because I love you too."

"I had this patient this afternoon," Alina continued. "That unexpected one I mentioned earlier. It wasn't even planned or anything, it was just this week-old little boy who'd come in with a fever, and for some reason his blood work wasn't getting done. So I took some more, and put a rush on it...but then I got to talking with the mother, and she said she was considering putting him up for adoption.

She said she kept going back and forth on what to do, and ultimately what would be best for him since she didn't think she could raise him, but there was one thing she said that stuck out to me. She said that no matter what, that she loved him more than she'd ever loved anything else in the world."

You know it's funny," Alina continued. "Obviously, I was adopted, and I've helped facilitate so many adoptions throughout my career, but the one thing I've never heard a birth mother say was that she loved her baby." She looked up at Addison. "Until you."

Her mother's eyes glistened and slowly she reached for Alina's free hand.

"I used to think it was so black and white; that if a mother wanted her child she would be the one raising it, period. And growing up, my mother used to tell me that that was the reason she adopted me; because you didn't want me. That no one else wanted me. But I know better now. That was never true."

"No," Addison whispered. "It wasn't."

"I think you're the most amazing person," Alina said, her voice heavy. "Hell, I've admired you as a doctor before we even met. You're like...everything I'd ever hoped for in a mother wrapped up in this tall and brilliant package." She laughed, wiping a stray tear from underneath her right eye.

"And so I wanted to ask, if it's okay with you, if I could...call you Mom?"

She barely even caught the expression on Addison's face before she was pulled into the tightest embrace. Her ribs ached, but she wouldn't dare tell Addison to let go.

"Oh my girl," Addison managed. "Yes. Yes, a million times yes."

Alina choked on a sob.

"Thank you," she mumbled, burying her face in Addison's shoulder and smiling against her.

"All I ever wanted was you, sweetheart," Addison choked.

Alina pulled back, and felt Addison's hand on her face, wiping a few stray tears.

"There's one more thing," Alina said. "I know it's hard, and I know you've been through a lot, but I really think you should keep trying. For a baby, I mean. Adoption could work out, and I know for a fact there's a kid out there who needs you as much as you need them."

Addison exhaled, wiping her own tears.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I just...there's only so many times I can have my heart broken, Alina."

"I know, and I hate the thought of you getting hurt, so much, but...look at us! If that's not a sign from the universe that anything is possible, then I don't know what is."

Addison exhaled. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Okay," Alina nodded.

"But in the meantime," Addison continued, pulling her into a gentler embrace. "I just want to sit here and hold my daughter."

Alina breathed in her scent, relaxing into the embrace, when from Addison's pocket she heard a cell phone buzz.

"Oh," Addison said, startled. "Sorry, let me just…"

But she stopped upon seeing who it was.

Alina saw it too, and a smile tugged at her lips.

"I think," she said. "You're going to want to answer that."

Thank you for reading! Reviews would be lovely :)