A/N: Thank you so much for all of your kind feedback on the last chapter. I can't believe this story has reached its end. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you like the epilogue – which is pretty long. I guess I'm kind of having a hard time saying goodbye to this story and these characters. :(

I really appreciate everyone who's stuck with this story. Originally, I had only planned to make it eight chapters, but your reviews and encouragement pushed me to keep it going, and I'm so glad I did! Thanks again for all your support and thank you so much for reading my story – it's been fun!

* Song credit in this chapter – Kenny Rogers' "Through the Years."

"I don't understand the big draw about writing your own vows," Archer complained. "The way I see it, there are already tons of really good prewritten wedding vows. I don't see why we need to reinvent the wheel here."

"Archer, you're getting married in five hours," Addison scolded. "You should be using this time to write your vows, not to complain about how you wish that you and Jen had agreed to use prewritten vows."

"Some best man you are," Archer muttered dryly.

"Oh, as if you really had any other choice," Addison shot back. "I mean, come on, Archer, your groomsmen are Derek, Mark, Alex, and Sam."

"Hey, I'm friends with Mark and Sam," Archer defended. "And Derek and Alex…well, Jen wanted to have four bridesmaids, so I needed four groomsmen…and Derek and Alex are the only men I know whose wives I haven't slept with or fooled around with."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Okay, you realize how creepy that sounds, right? Even for you."

Archer shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't hate the player, Addie. Hate the-"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there," Addison interrupted. "And I hate to point out the obvious, but you haven't played the game for some time now, Archer. You've spent the last couple of years in a grown-up, committed relationship."

"Yeah," Archer smiled. "I guess I have."

Addison shook her head in amusement. Her brother was doing the unthinkable – he was getting married. And she, Derek, Alex, Izzie, Mark, Lexie, and the kids had all traveled to New York to celebrate the blessed occasion.

"I'm glad you're here, Addie," Archer said, growing serious.

"Archer, you're my brother. I wouldn't miss seeing you get married for the world."

"Thanks," Archer smiled. "Because I couldn't imagine today without you. And, hey," he smirked, "I'm pretty sure if it weren't for your kids, and the twin's first birthday party, today wouldn't be happening at all."

Addison laughed heartily at that. Her brother had a point.

"Okay, Willa," Archer whispered. "You know what to do, right? Just like we talked about, okay?"

"Okay," Willa nodded, as she and Archer approached the brunette woman that Archer had pointed out to her a little earlier.

"Hi," Willa smiled, getting the woman's attention. "I'm Willa." She gestured towards her uncle. "This is my Uncle Archer. And-"

"Archer Montgomery, right?" the woman interrupted.

"That's right," Archer said smoothly. "So, you've heard of me before?"

"I know all about you," the woman replied confidently. "I'm friends with Amelia Shepherd. We were college roommates. And she's told me everything I need to know about you."

"Oh, really?" Archer grinned cockily. "And what did she tell you?"

"She told me that you go after everything in a skirt."

"Hey, I never made a move on her," Archer defended.

"And she told me that your signature move at family functions is using your niece to pick up women." She looked from Willa to Archer. "It seems like she was right about that one."

"Me and Uncle Archer were going to have a tea party," Willa cut in. "Do you want to come?"

Archer looked at his niece proudly. That wasn't part of the original plan, but he could definitely work with it. He gave the woman a smug smirk. "You can't say no to a four-year-old, now can you?"

"No, I guess not," the woman conceded. She turned to Willa and smiled. "Sure, Willa, I'd love to have tea with you and your Uncle Archer."

"Well, if we're going to have tea together, I think you should at least tell us your name," Archer insisted smugly.

"It's Jennifer," the woman sighed. "Jennifer Manchester."

xxxxx

"So, Jennifer," Archer began, once the three of them had sat down for their tea party. "Where are you staying?"

Jennifer raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Why?" she asked hesitantly. "And you might as well call me Jen. The only time people call me Jennifer is in court."

"So, you're a lawyer?" Archer asked.

Jen nodded. "Criminal defense attorney."

"Impressive," Archer approved. "I'm a doctor. Neurosurgeon."

"Amelia told me as much," Jen nodded. "Apparently, you're pretty good too." She bit her lip in thought. "I'm staying at the Archfield."

"That's a nice coincidence," Archer grinned. "Because so am I."

"No you're not, Uncle Archer," Willa cut in. "Mommy said that you were staying at our house with us."

"Uh, no…no," Archer stammered, internally cursing his niece's naïveté. "Mommy must have heard me wrong. Hey, Willa, would you mind pouring me some more tea?"

"Very smooth," Jen muttered, as she watched Willa eagerly pour imaginary tea into her uncle's teacup, all questions about where Archer was staying, or wasn't staying, quickly forgotten.

Archer shot Jen a cocky grin. "So, which room are you staying in?"

"No. No. I draw the line there," Jen said, holding up her hands in protest. "I'm sure you could find plenty of other women who would be more than happy to be your one-night stand. But I'm not one of them."

"Who said anything about a one-night stand?" Archer asked, silently cursing Jen's perceptiveness.

Jen rolled her eyes. "We're both away on a weekend in Seattle. I live in Manhattan."

"So do I," Archer pointed out.

"Yeah, but I know your ways…from Amelia. And you're not what I'm looking for."

Archer was about to respond, when Carter and Colette came toddling over.

"Hi, Carter, hi Colette," Willa greeted her little siblings happily.

"Well, if it isn't the birthday boy and girl," Archer laughed, grinning at his one-year-old nephew and niece. "Happy first birthday, guys."

"Up, up," Colette said, holding her hands out towards a confused-looking Archer.

"She wants you to pick her up," Willa explained.

"Up, up," Colette repeated, as Carter toddled over to Jen, and reached his little arms out towards her. "Up, up."

"It looks like they want to join our tea party," Jen told Willa, as she picked Carter up.

Archer still looked at Colette suspiciously. "Promise not to spit up on me?" he asked his niece.

"Up," Colette repeated in exasperation, frustrated that her brother had gotten his way, and she hadn't.

"Okay, okay," Archer conceded, picking Colette up, and putting her on his lap.

"So, I take it you don't like kids," Jen assessed.

"I like these three," Archer defended.

Jen raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"I do," Archer insisted. "I mean, sure, I love them because they're my sister's kids. And anyone with eyes can see that they're adorable. But they also all have really different and distinct personalities…and I like that."

"What do you mean?" Jen asked, her interest piqued.

"Well, uh, take Carter, for example," Archer said, gesturing to the little boy on Jen's lap. "He's my godson, and he's easily the most easygoing baby I've ever met. I mean, he doesn't know you, but he was perfectly fine with you just picking him up and holding him. His sisters wouldn't be okay with that. And he's a really good brother already, and I'm proud of him for that."

Jen smiled warmly at Archer's words. "Okay, tell me about Colette."

"Colette," Archer grinned, sensing that he was gaining ground with Jen. "Colette's the most demanding of the three. Usually, she only likes being held by her mother or father…which is why I'm kind of surprised that she wanted me to pick her up. She's also the one that my sister and brother-in-law worry about the most. She gave them a scare when she was first born…and even when they learned that she was going to be okay, Addison and Derek were still worried that she might have problems down the line. But she hasn't," Archer smiled. "So far, she's hit every developmental milestone, right along with her brother. And she's doing a great job not spitting up all over her Uncle Archer," Archer cooed, pressing a kiss to his niece's temple.

"Okay," Jen smiled. "How about Willa?"

"Willa," Archer grinned, looking at his four-year-old niece lovingly. "Willa's probably the most charming person you'll ever meet. She has her mother's class and her father's easy charm, and the sweetest little demeanor. I mean, my mother likes Willa, and my mother doesn't like most people. That's gotta tell you something."

Jen chuckled before growing serious. "Look, I'll probably hate myself for this in the morning, but…2118."

"What?" Archer asked in confusion.

"2118," Jen repeated. "It's my room number. So, uh, maybe I'll see you tonight."

"You know, I really should have asked Willa to be my best man," Archer muttered to his sister dryly. "She's a lot more supportive than you."

"I'm supportive," Addison defended. "I'm just saying that you probably should have written your vows by now. But I am supportive. And that's why I'm going to help you write them."

xxxxx

"He's really great with them," Mark complimented as he and Derek watched Alex splash around with three-year-old Carter and two-and-a-half-year-old Wyatt in the shallow end of the hotel pool.

"He is," Derek agreed. "He'll be great with his daughter too."

Mark nodded in agreement. Alex and Izzie were expecting their second child – a little girl, confirmed by Addison just last week. Given their struggle to come up with a name for Wyatt, Alex and Izzie were already throwing names around, and at this point, the front-runners were Sophie and Harper.

"Do you think I'd be a good dad?" Mark asked Derek vulnerably.

"Mark, of course I do," Derek insisted without even having to think about it. "Carter and Colette adore you. And Willa…you're such a good person in Willa's life."

"Thanks," Mark said sincerely.

Derek nodded. "You know," he began, looking at his friend pointedly, "you haven't worried about this type of thing for years. Why are you so worried about it now, all of a sudden?"

Mark met his friend's eyes, but remained silent. But Derek immediately noticed the smile playing on Mark's face – and how Mark looked as if he were about to explode with happiness.

"Is Lexie pregnant?" Derek asked his friend cautiously.

Mark looked around to make sure that nobody was overhearing their conversation before nodding his head discretely. "She is," he confirmed. "We literally just found out…a couple our hours ago…when we checked into our room. We, uh, we were going to keep it quiet…but I had to tell someone. And you're my best friend, so…"

"Congratulations," Derek grinned, patting Mark on the back.

"Thank you," Mark breathed. Truth be told, he hadn't fully wrapped his head around his and Lexie's good news – because it was all so new. But, somehow, sharing it with Derek made everything seem more real.

"Hey, what are you two old ladies chatting about?" Alex teased, as he waded over to where Derek and Mark were sitting, Wyatt and Carter, each wearing little arm floaties, trailing closely behind him.

Derek and Mark exchanged a smile. "You can't tell anyone," Mark began in a hushed tone. "Lexie's pregnant."

"Wow, congratulations," Alex said sincerely, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Thank you," Mark grinned.

"I mean, it's about time," Alex smirked.

"Daddy," Carter interjected.

"Yes, Carter?" Derek asked, smiling down at his son.

"Thought you were gonna go swimming with me…not just sit on the side."

"Yeah," Wyatt chimed in. "And Uncle Mark too."

"We did promise them we'd go swimming," Derek conceded, before jumping into the pool, and scooping up his giggling son.

"Uncle Mark too," Carter insisted, when he noticed Mark still sitting on the side of the pool.

"Yeah, Uncle Mark too," Derek echoed with a laugh.

"How do you say no to that type of invite?" Mark chuckled, before jumping in the pool, and joining Derek, Carter, Alex, and Wyatt, who were already splashing around in the shallow end.

And as Mark splashed around with Derek, Alex, Carter, and Wyatt, he couldn't help thinking that in a few short years, he'd be able to do the same thing with his own kid.

xxxxx

"Hello?" Addison called out, as she let herself into her hotel suite. She had just finished helping Archer write his vows, and now she needed to take Willa and Colette to the hotel beauty salon so that the three of them could get their hair done. Izzie and Lexie had offered to watch Willa and Colette while Addison helped Archer with his vows, so that Derek and Carter could take advantage of the hotel pool with Mark, Alex, and Wyatt.

"Hello?" Addison called out again, walking into the suite and smiling at the sight in front of her. Willa and Colette, clad in their little white bathrobes, had taken the pillowcases off two of the hotel pillows and had placed them over their hair; and Lexie and Izzie were watching them in amusement.

"We're brides, Mommy," Willa explained, when she saw her mother standing there watching them.

"Yeah, we're brides," Colette echoed.

"I see that," Addison chuckled, smiling widely at her seven-year-old and her three-year-old. She quickly pulled her phone out of her purse. "Okay, smile for Mommy," she instructed her daughters, as she snapped a couple of pictures.

"Are you going to show those to Daddy and Carter?" Willa asked curiously.

Addison nodded. Sure, she had every intention of showing the pictures to Derek. But, more than that, she imagined that it might be nice for her and Derek to look back on the pictures and reminisce one day down the line – when the time came for their daughters' actual weddings.

And as Addison watched her daughters continue to amble around the hotel suite in their little white robes and make-shift veils, she felt tears of happiness sting her eyes. Her daughters had such a sweet bond with each other. And Addison was reminded of that day, shortly after her miscarriage, when she and Willa had met those two teenage sisters at the nail salon. There was something about those sisters that had struck a chord with Addison. There was something in that relationship that she wanted for own daughters. And as she watched Willa and Colette together, she could easily see them going to get their nails done together as teenagers. She could easily see them going to each other about boy problems. She could easily picture Willa, one day, in a white wedding dress, with Colette standing proudly beside her as her maid of honor.

"Mommy," Willa said in concern, when she noticed that Addison's eyes were moist with tears. "Are you okay?"

"Mommy sad?" Colette echoed, running over to Addison, and wrapping her little arms around her mother's legs.

"I'm okay," Addison reassured her daughters, bending down, and pressing a kiss to Colette's temple. "I was just thinking," she smiled, "that you two are going to make such beautiful brides, one day."

"Really?" Willa asked, meeting her mothers' eyes. "You think so?"

Addison nodded, as she held Willa close. "Yeah. Just don't grow up too fast, okay?"

xxxxx

"You know," Lexie began, as she and Izzie made their way down to the hotel pool to join the guys. "Seeing Addison with Willa and Colette today…I don't know…it kind of makes you want that. You know what I mean?"

Izzie nodded at Lexie's words. Watching Addison with her daughters, she couldn't help thinking about the baby girl that she and Alex were expecting. Initially, she had been hoping for another boy. Wyatt was amazing – Alex's mini-me in almost every sense. And Izzie would have been thrilled to have another little boy just like him…to have three guys who she loved more than anything. But things hadn't worked out that way, and she and Alex were having a girl.

"Izzie," Lexie said, cutting into her friend's thoughts.

"I, uh," Izzie stammered, as she thought about her own daughter. "Yeah," she said, giving her friend a genuine smile. "It kind of does."

"I know what you mean," Lexie nodded, suddenly very aware, and very self-conscious, about the words that had just come out of her mouth. "I mean, maybe I don't know exactly what you mean," she backpedaled, doing her best to honor her and Mark's agreement to keep things quiet. "I, uh, I guess I could…imagine feeling the way you feel."

Izzie looked at Lexie suspiciously. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course everything's okay," Lexie insisted. "Do things not seem okay?"

Izzie shrugged. "Not really," she admitted. "I mean, you're rambling…over nothing." She looked at Lexie pointedly. "What are you hiding?"

"Hiding?" Lexie asked in surprise. "Me? Nothing."

"Okay," Izzie laughed. "You're easily the worst liar I've ever met. I mean, even my two-and-a-half-year old is a better-"

"I'm pregnant," Lexie whispered.

"Wait, you're what?" Izzie asked, her eyes widening in surprise, a big smile spreading across her face.

"I'm pregnant," Lexie repeated. "But Mark and I-"

"Congratulations!" Izzie exclaimed, cutting her friend off, and hugging her tightly. "You and Mark are going to be such great parents. This is amazing news."

"Thanks," Lexie said sincerely. "It's all still very new to me. I mean, the positive pregnancy test is literally sitting in the trashcan in the bathroom of my hotel room. Mark and I have only known for a couple of hours."

"And you wanted to keep things quiet until you had an appointment with Addison," Izzie assessed knowingly.

Lexie nodded.

"I won't say anything," Izzie promised. "But I am going to hug you again," she grinned, wrapping her arms around Lexie. "I am so, so happy for you."

"Thank you," Lexie smiled. "I'm really happy for me too."

xxxxx

"Carter, you look so handsome," Addison complimented, as she took in how adorable her son looked in his little tuxedo. Derek and Carter had joined her, Willa, and Colette in the hotel beauty salon, and seeing her husband and son in their matching tuxes was melting her heart.

"Promise me you'll save at least one dance for me?" Addison asked her son.

"I promise," Carter answered earnestly.

Addison smiled as Derek leaned in and kissed her softly. "You know," she breathed when they broke apart. "You look handsome too."

"Thanks," Derek smiled. "Promise me you'll save at least one dance for me?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"Gladly," Addison winked before kissing Derek's cheek sweetly, inhaling the familiar scent of his aftershave.

"Girls, you look very pretty," Carter complimented, causing Derek and Addison to put their flirtations on hold for the time being.

"We haven't had our hair done yet," Willa pointed out with a giggle. "And we're not wearing our flower girl dresses."

"Umm…" Carter trailed off, looking at his father to bail him out.

"I think Carter's trying to say that you girls always look pretty," Derek recovered smoothly. He turned to his son. "Right, Carter?"

Carter shrugged. "Guess so."

"Thanks, Carter," Willa smiled. "You and Daddy look very handsome. And kind of like twins."

"No," Colette piped up. "Me and Carter are twins."

"That's right," Derek chuckled, ruffling his daughter's hair. "You and Carter are twins. You're my and Mommy's favorite twins."

"And mine too," Willa inserted.

"And Wyatt's too?" Colette asked hopefully.

"Definitely Wyatt's too," Derek chuckled. He turned to his wife. "You should have heard Wyatt babbling on and on about Colette while we were at the pool. I think Alex was behind it…you know, to rile me up. But we set them straight, didn't we, Carter?"

"Oh no," Addison chuckled. "What did you and Daddy say to Wyatt and Uncle Alex?" Addison asked her son.

"We said 'no funny business,'" Carter told his mother proudly.

Addison shook her head in amusement. "Derek."

"What?" Derek asked, shrugging innocently. "We can't help it. We're her father and brother."

"You sound like Archer," Addison laughed. "Speaking of which, aren't you and Carter supposed to be with him right now?"

"We are," Derek nodded. "But he's being kind of, um…"

"Groomzilla-ish?" Addison filled in knowingly.

"I think that's putting it nicely," Derek chuckled. "He's complaining about the bowties we're all wearing. He thinks they look too stuffy, and he's threatening to put in a call and special order silk ties. Mark's trying to talk him out of it. Alex and Sam think he's nuts. And I told him I'd go and get your opinion on the matter." He looked at his wife expectantly.

"Keep the bowties," Addison advised. "They're more formal. He's getting married at the Plaza…you should all be wearing bowties."

Derek nodded at his wife's words.

"It's just cold feet," Addison continued. "Until he met Jen, Archer never did commitment. Now he's getting married. That's a huge step for anyone…but especially for him."

Derek smiled at his wife lovingly before glancing over at their kids, and smiled at the sight of Willa straightening Carter's little bowtie. "They're so much like you and Archer already," Derek told his wife, as he motioned towards Willa and Carter. "I really hope that Willa and Colette will be there for Carter the way you're always there for Archer, and vice versa."

"They will be," Addison reassured. "But I don't think Carter will need his sisters on his wedding day as much as Archer needs me."

"Why's that?" Derek asked, surprised that Addison was already making that type of definitive assessment about their three-year-old.

"Because," Addison smiled, leaning in and kissing her husband softly. "Carter's your son. And you're the most committed man I've ever met. I bet he'll get that from you."

xxxxx

"I can't believe he did it," Derek marveled, as he and Addison danced together at Archer and Jen's wedding reception. "I can't believe your brother's a married man. No more using our kids to hit on women, no more one-night stands, no more-"

"He hasn't done those things for a while, Derek," Addison pointed out with a chuckle.

"I know," Derek agreed. "But still, I can't get over the fact that Archer's married."

"Well, believe it," Archer smirked, coming up behind Derek, and smacking his bicep playfully.

Derek laughed good-naturedly. "Congratulations, Archer," he said sincerely.

"Thanks," Archer nodded. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get a dance in with my sister."

"No problem," Derek agreed, silently resolving to get a dance in with Willa and Colette. He gave his wife a loving smile, as he and Addison shared a look of understanding – there'd be time for them later.

xxxxx

"I have a confession," Mark began hesitantly, as he and Lexie danced together. He looked around to make sure nobody was overhearing their conversation before continuing. "I know we agreed to keep your pregnancy a secret…but I told Derek and Alex. I'm sorry. I just…I was excited and…please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad," Lexie chuckled, smiling at her husband lovingly. "I, um, I may have told Izzie. And by may have…I did."

"Really?" Mark asked, a wide smile coming to his face.

Lexie nodded guiltily. "Yeah." She met her husband's eyes and smiled. "Wanna call it even?" she offered. "You told people and I told someone."

"Okay," Mark agreed. "So, wait, that means that the only person that doesn't know is Addison?"

Lexie chuckled. "Leave it to us to completely leave our OB out of the loop."

Mark grinned. "She probably knows already."

"Mark," Lexie said skeptically. "I know Addison's good at her job, but it's way too early for her to be able to tell anything." She glanced down at her flat stomach. "There's no way she'd be able to tell. I mean, we literally just found out."

"Derek will tell her."

"Oh," Lexie nodded, realizing that her husband was right.

"Are you upset?" Mark asked. "Are you upset that we didn't keep this just between the two of us for a little longer?"

Lexie shrugged. "I mean, it might have been fun to keep it a secret for a little while. But I'm not upset about the way things turned out. Not even close."

"Really?" Mark asked.

"Really," Lexie smiled, leaning in and kissing her husband softly. "I'm having a baby with the man that I love. How could I possibly be upset?"

xxxxx

"What do you think about Alexis as a middle name?" Izzie asked her husband, as they slowly swayed to the music together.

"Alexis?" Alex repeated cautiously.

"Yeah," Izzie nodded. "I just thought that since Wyatt's middle name is linked to my maiden name, our daughter's middle name should somehow be connected to you."

"But she's getting my last name," Alex pointed out. "Her middle name doesn't have to be connected to me too."

"What if I want it to be?" Izzie asked.

"Do you?"

"I do," Izzie nodded. "Because you're an incredible father to Wyatt, and I know you're going to be incredible with our daughter too. And I really like the name Alexis."

"It sounds good with both Harper and Sophie," Alex assessed, a slight smile playing on his features. "But, Iz, are you sure about this?"

"Alex, of course I'm sure," Izzie insisted, leaning in and kissing her husband, sighing contently when she felt him deepen the kiss.

"I love you," she breathed, when they broke apart.

"I love you too, Iz."

Izzie smiled at her husband lovingly before she looked over at Wyatt, who was a few feet away. He was holding Colette's hand, and the two of them were dancing to the music together – well, not exactly dancing; but doing a toddler version of dancing.

"We have the cutest kid ever," Alex said proudly, following Izzie's gaze.

Izzie nodded, as she continued to watch her mini-Alex. "He's such a charmer already."

"Yeah," Alex agreed, pulling his wife in close, as they swayed to the music together.

And as Alex continued to dance with his wife, while keeping a protective eye on their son, he thought about his life. Never in a million years did he think he'd be the type to settle down, get married, and have a family. To be honest, he wasn't sure he wanted it, and wasn't sure he deserved it. But he had gotten it…all of it. And now that he had Izzie and Wyatt and a daughter on the way, he couldn't imagine his life playing out differently.

"Wait, hold still a minute," Izzie instructed, ripping Alex from his thoughts.

"What," Alex asked in confusion, as Izzie's right hand traveled towards the corner of his eye.

"You have an eyelash," Izzie explained, placing the eyelash on her open palm, and holding it out towards Alex. "Make a wish."

"Iz," Alex chuckled.

"Alex," Izzie smiled, meeting her husband's eyes. "Make a wish."

Alex nodded before blowing at the eyelash in Izzie's palm.

"So, what'd you wish for?" Izzie asked coyly.

Alex shook his head. "I can't tell you," he teased. "If I do, it won't come true."

Izzie gave a concessionary nod, and Alex smiled at his wife adoringly. Truth be told, he hadn't wished for anything. He didn't feel the need to. Because he already had everything he ever wanted.

xxxxx

"I'm gonna kill Karev," Derek muttered to his wife, as they watched Colette and Wyatt together.

"Honey, relax," Addison chuckled, as she and Derek continued to dance together. "I mean, you have to admit, it's kind of cute."

"I guess," Derek conceded reluctantly.

"Could you imagine if they got married one day?" Addison mused. "How would that be for a fairytale romance? Although," she went on, frowning slightly, "Colette Karev doesn't sound very good."

"Doesn't matter," Derek insisted, shaking his head. "Colette's a Shepherd…no matter who she goes on to marry."

Addison smiled at her husband lovingly, before pulling him in a little closer and contently resting her head against his chest, deeply inhaling the scent of his Yves Saint Laurent cologne.

"Happy?" Derek murmured, pressing a kiss to his wife's temple.

Addison met her husband's eyes and smiled. "Very. You?"

"Extremely."

Addison smiled contently, as she felt Derek's arms wrap around her a little tighter, the sound of a familiar song playing in the background.

I swear, we've been through everything there is;
Can't imagine anything we've missed.
Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do.

"You know I love you, Derek," she whispered.

"Yeah," he smiled, kissing her softly. "You know I love you."

"Yeah."

Through the years I've never been afraid.
I've loved the life we've made.

And as she danced with her husband, Addison couldn't help looking around the ballroom. It was filled with all the people who meant the most to her. She saw her mother and father dancing together – perfectly imperfect, as usual. She saw Amelia chatting it up with an attractive, dark-haired man in a tux (obviously one of Jen's friends, because Archer didn't have male friends). And she smiled at the sight of Archer and Jen dancing together, happy that her brother had found someone who made him happy and who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

And then she saw her friends – Mark, Lexie, Alex, and Izzie. Her friends, who had become family. Well, Mark had always been family. But the other three, plus Wyatt, had become family.

She smiled as she watched Mark and Lexie dance together. She had to admit, they had initially struck her as an unlikely pairing; but they were an undeniably sweet couple, and they were going to be such incredible parents (Derek had, of course, shared their good news with her).

She looked over at Alex, Izzie, and Wyatt, who were all sitting together at their table. Wyatt was sitting on Alex's lap, speaking animatedly, as his parents hung onto his every word, every so often, glancing away from their son to smile at each other lovingly.

But through the years it seems to me
I need you more and more.

And then she caught sight of her kids, standing together, watching her and Derek, wide smiles on all three of their little faces. The scene made her heart melt.

"We have the best kids," Derek murmured, following his wife's gaze.

And Addison couldn't disagree with him there. Their kids were amazing – and all so different. Colette would always be her little fighter. Carter, a spitting image of his father, could melt her heart with a smile. And whenever she was stressed or having a bad day, she knew she could count on Willa to automatically make her feel better.

Through the years,
Through all the good and bad,
I know how much we had.
I've always been so glad to be with you.

And then there was Derek. Derek, who, through the years, had been through so much with her…med. school, residency, marriage, divorce, remarriage, miscarriage, births, hospital scares, and lazy Sunday afternoons.

She knew their future, like their past, would be filled with lots of ups and downs. But they'd get through it – together. Just like they always did.

She sighed contently as her husband pressed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply.

"What was that for?" she breathed when they broke apart.

Derek cocked his head to the side, and Addison followed his gaze to find Willa, Carter, and Colette making their way towards them.

"I figure we only have about thirty seconds left to dance together, just the two of us, before our kids insist upon cutting in," Derek explained with a chuckle. "I thought we might as well make the most of it."

Addison smiled at her husband lovingly, and the two locked eyes, sharing a look of understanding. They might not have much time left to dance together, just the two of them; but that didn't matter. Because a couple of minutes of dancing could never compare to the life they'd made together – her, him, and their kids. And a couple of minutes of dancing could never compare to everything yet to come.

As long as it's okay,
I'll stay with you
Through the years.

xxxxx