A/N: You make me very happy when you review...
When the alarm blared to wake her up the next morning, Addison trailed her hand out to hit the snooze and silence it, but she didn't open her eyes. She was afraid that, if she opened her eyes, she would find that it was all a dream. She would discover that Derek hadn't ended things with Meredith Grey, that he hadn't told her he loved her, that they hadn't had some of the most amazing sex of their relationship. Keeping her eyes closed assured that the dream didn't disappear to quickly.
And, if it wasn't a dream, Addison still didn't want to open her eyes. Derek had promised to end things with Meredith before. He had told her he loved her. They had made love. They had done all those things and nothing had ever changed.
The way Addison figured, opening her eyes was just too risky. So she kept them closed. Reliving the feel of Derek's hands against her skin. Remembering the taste of his lips against hers. Recalling his repeated murmurs of love. It had been the epitome of perfect, and Addison wasn't quite ready to give that up.
But, of course, she was only granted solace for a few minutes before a wave of nausea sent her almost flying out of bed and into the bathroom. She sat back on her heels after emptying the contents of her stomach and sighed. Her eyes were open now. She had to face reality. Which, she realized as she stood to rinse her mouth at the sink, involved trying to figure out exactly where her husband was.
She stepped from the bathroom and confirmed that Derek wasn't in the trailer. She momentarily considered that he had left her and that last night had just been a good bye. But Addison decided that wasn't likely, considering Derek had nowhere left to run. She also knew there were many other, more likely, explanations for his absence. Fishing, walking Doc and a page from the hospital topped that list.
Worrying about Derek's absence was a futile task; Addison knew. She had spent more than her fair share of time wondering about her husband's whereabouts and waiting for him to return home.
So she glanced back to the bed, wanting desperately to crawl underneath the covers and retreat to her blissful state. It wasn't even an option, though, because she needed to shower and dress. A few extra minutes in bed reminiscing about great sex wasn't worth not looking completely put together at work.
With this decision made, Addison snaked her arm inside the trailer's pathetic excuse for a shower and turned the water on full blast. When the temperature was to her liking, she discarded the T-shirt of Derek's she had put on sometime during the night and stepped in. Addison dipped her head back underneath the stream of water to wet her hair.
Just as Addison was preparing to reach for the shampoo, the shower door opened and she jumped into the air.
"Did I scare you?" Derek asked, blatantly perusing her body up and down.
"Half to death," She admonished, but then wondered, "Where were you?"
"I once heard that ginger ale was helpful in curbing pregnancy nausea," He answered, "So I ran to the store to get some. Am I too late?"
"Yeah," She confirmed, not able to contain the huge smile that was spreading across her face.
Derek had gone out of his way to take care of her, something he had done often in the early stages of their marriage. He was always the first one to make sure she had chicken soup when she came down with a cold, and he had spent almost an entire sleepless night holding her hair after she'd eaten some bad fish. But that comforting, caring Derek had been lost over the years. The fact that he was making some gesture to take care of her was a positive sign.
"Sorry," He apologized.
"It's okay. Thank you," She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
"Your welcome," He kissed her again.
"Now would you please shut the door; you're letting all the cold air in," She admonished.
Derek stepped back and started to shut the shower door, but then he stuck his head back in the opening, "Do you mind if I join you?"
Addison had to do a double take at his question. Was he really being spontaneous and sexy? Was he really showing a distinct interest in spending time so close to her naked body? Was he really being the Derek he used to be?
Sure, he had told her had chosen her. He had told her he'd called things off with Meredith Grey. They had made love, and she hadn't had to wonder if he had spent the entire time picturing an intern. All of these things should have made it very easy for Addison to believe that Derek was actually standing at the shower door with a playful grin and a devilish gleam in his eye.
But it seemed to good to be true. It seemed foreign. And it was definitely not expected.
"Addie?" Derek spoke slowly; the grin fading from his face.
She figured this was proof that he was really asking. So she raised an eyebrow suggestively and grinned, "Of course."
At that, Derek hastily pulled his T-shirt from his head and set to undoing his blue jeans. But, just as he was getting ready to slide the Levi's down his hip, a pager sounded from the bedroom. He instinctively glanced in that direction then back at Addison.
"It's mine," She heaved a disappointed sigh, "Would you see what they want?"
"Sure," He agreed, giving her an apologetic kiss and heading off to find her pager.
The page had been a 9-1-1 from one of the OB residents asking Addison to come in because one of their high-risk patients had suddenly taken a turn for the worst. Addison had told Derek he didn't need to come into the hospital a full two hours early just because she was. Derek would hear none of it. A few extra hours at work couldn't really do any harm, and if it meant a ferry ride with Addison, he was willing to do it.
That had been his first attempt at showing Addison he'd made his choice. They weren't fixed, by any means, and he knew it wouldn't be easy to remember Richard's sage advice. But Derek was determined to do his best. He was determined to show Addison that he loved her. He was determined to be the best father possible to their child. He was determined to work past their problems, of which there were still many.
But after last night's amazing events, all Derek really wanted to do was have sex with his wife. She was gorgeous and terribly sexy, both in scrubs and her typical clothing. It was hard to understand how a man married to all of that wouldn't be content to simply spend his days making love, but Derek knew it was entirely possible. Because last night was the first time in years that he'd actually initiated sex. It had been nothing short of perfect, and he had felt as close to Addison as ever.
To top it all off, he'd been given a fantastic opportunity that morning when he'd come across her in the shower, but he hadn't had the time to act on his desires. And that disappointment was slowly eating away at him, making it difficult to concentrate on the chart in front of him.
With all the concentration he could muster, Derek forced himself to scribble down the post op instructions for the patient in 313. Upon finishing that task, Derek replaced the chart and glanced at his watch. It was 1:30, and he wondered if Addison were free for lunch because he hadn't seen her since they'd gone their separate ways early that morning.
After going to his locker to retrieve a can of ginger ale, Derek set off in search of his wife. He didn't have to look far; she was currently leaning against the nurses' station going over a patient's chart with Izzie Stevens. With a smile, he approached the two women coming up behind Addison.
"Dr. Stevens," He greeted Izzie and brushed Addison's hair behind her shoulder so he could kiss her cheek, "Addison."
"Dr. Shepherd," Izzie responded politely, although she wasn't particularly skilled at hiding her surprise at Derek's affectionate actions.
Addison, too, was surprised, but she didn't really bother to hide it, "What is it, Derek?"
"I was hoping I could steal you away for a bit and buy you lunch?" He suggested.
After glancing down at her watch, Addison nodded, "Uh, sure. That sounds good. Can you hold on?"
"Take your time," Derek took a few steps backward and leaned against the counter while waiting.
"Our biggest worry right now is the liver," Addison continued her explanation to Izzie, "So you'll need to update me on her bili count regularly."
Izzie nodded, "I can do that."
"I'll be back before Mrs. Johnson's C-section at three. Page me if you have any problems," She instructed the intern.
"I will do that," Izzie agreed, "Have fun."
"I will," Addison smiled and turned around to face Derek.
"Ready?" He offered his hand to her and showed her the can in his other hand, "You feeling alright?"
"It comes and goes," She shrugged, taking the can from him and opening it, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Derek responded, "Do you have time to walk down to that deli around the corner or should we just settle for the cafeteria?"
"I have surgery at three and a few patients to check on before then," She pushed the down button on the elevator, "The cafeteria is probably the better option."
"Cafeteria it is," He agreed, leading her onto the empty elevator.
Derek had a thing for elevators, something most of Seattle Grace's staff had figured out in his short time there. Now he was alone in an elevator with his wife, and he couldn't seem to shake the visual of her gorgeous body in the shower from hours before. So it only stood to reason that the instant the doors to the elevator shut, Derek had captured her lips with his and moved his hand onto her stomach.
He was exceptionally grateful when Addison reciprocated the kiss and actually worked at opening his lips with her tongue. Derek stepped in closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, and continued kissing her languidly. Of course, the trip between floors only lasted a few seconds, and they were forced to end the kiss too soon when the doors opened at their desired floor.
He allowed Addison to lead the way out of the confines of the elevator and in the direction of the cafeteria. Derek kept a supportive hand on the small of her back and didn't mention his disappointment until she stopped outside the doors of the cafeteria.
"I'll bet I could find us an empty on call room," He leaned in and whispered suggestively in her ear, fully expecting her to chide him for his suggestions.
After a moments pause, Addison turned and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "I think we deserve it."
Derek was forced to do a double take, not instantly able to believe that Addison had agreed so easily. At one time, he wouldn't have found her willingness so surprising. They were Addison and Derek, after all, and Addison and Derek tended to come with a lot of sex. The current state of their marriage wasn't quite the same, and they both had to work past hurdles. At times he had fleetingly wondered if they had both simply lost interest.
But, now, she was looking at him with a dirty gleam in her eye, waiting for his confirmation, and Derek grinned. Maybe having sex in the on-call room would finally push the sex-crazed thoughts out of his head, and he could concentrate on repairing their marriage and being a neurosurgeon. Or the encounter could make his situation worse, increasing his desire for Addison significantly.
Derek's thoughts were interrupted when Addison shoved him against the closed door of the on-call room and fused her lips to his.