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Cracks and Foundations, the continuing saga
The continuing repost. Below are Chapters 8 through 10. If I ever finish reposting the saga -- and perhaps writing the saga, although that's harder and harder to do after watching Derek become so despicable and disgusting on screen -- I'll repost my other works here as well.

Disclaimer: Sadly I still don't own Grey's Anatomy. After last night, I'm considering stealing Addison since the writer's clearly don't care about her. I'm not sure if I want Derek, since they've made him from McDreamy into Mc***hole. For the record, both Meredith and Addison deserve better.

Chapter 8



Chapter 8

Before she knew it, Addison Shepherd went from being the recipient of five "anonymous" romantic gifts from her husband to being the recipient of seven.

Number six was waiting for her after lunch, in the middle of the desk in her office, on top of the scattered papers that were meant to end up as the article she was procrastinating writing for the Journal of Neonatology.

She had stopped in at her office because she had a few minutes to spare after lunch and she needed to put together some patient files for Susan just in case a couple of her patients decided that they couldn’t wait to give birth until after she got back. None of them were insanely difficult cases, but they all had reasons they were using a specialist of the caliber of Addison Shepherd as their OB, and Addie believed in fully briefing her backup when she knew she was going to be gone for a while.

So she added the sixth rose to her collection, and wondered how many there would be before the day was done. And then she opened the note.

“You always amaze me – with your smile and your style.”

She opened the package and found a brand new Kate Spade bag, one she had been coveting during a shopping trip right before she moved from New York to Seattle.

She had a feeling that she could now identify another of Derek’s accomplices. Only Savvy would have known about Addison's desire for this particular bag. And, for that matter, the bubble bath package felt a bit like Savvy’s work as well, for Addison and Savvy had often hit that boutique together.

When you need expertise, it always pays to go to the very best. And when it comes to New York shopping, Addison liked to think that she herself was the best – although perhaps too much time in the Seattle rain was rusting her skills a little. But if Addison herself wasn’t around to power shop, Savvy was definitely a close second.

As Addison thought about shopping and about how Derek must have called upon Savvy for assistance, she realized that she hadn’t talked to her friend in too long. Addison added Savvy’s name to her ever-present “to do” list, with a note to thank her for aiding Derek.

Addie thought about calling Savvy now, but she had too much to do before she left for the day, and now she had every incentive to try to get out early.

Plus, it seemed Derek wanted her to enjoy his little mysteries, and too much investigation might spoil whatever surprises remained up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, as she thought about what might be coming up, about the fact that Derek seemed to have planned an extended weekend for the two of them, Addie smiled to herself and pulled out a package of her own from her file cabinet.

Derek wasn’t the only one capable of surprises, though today he was certainly full of them.

Number seven also seemed to be waiting for her, Derek having anticipated her movements this afternoon.

Addie had stopped by to talk with the Chief, both to confirm that it was fine that she take off with Susan covering for her and to discuss the future and training of Izzie Stevens.

The Chief was thrilled to hear about Izzie’s decision to follow in Addison’s footsteps. It could only do the hospital good to be training future neonatal stars, and the Chief had full confidence in Addison's decision to single out Izzie Stevens. She had much to learn, but great potential. The Chief knew that Addison would ensure that Izzie lived up to that potential. Thus, the Chief had needed little persuasion to allow Addison to work out with Bailey a scheme to give Izzie extra neonatal expertise even as she finished off her first year as a general surgical resident.

But before Addison could leave his office, the Chief had produced from behind his desk that seventh package, adorned just like the first six.

The Chief was unwilling to let her go – not when the package gave him a front row seat for the ongoing romancing of Addison Shepherd by her husband.

The Chief figured he was entitled. After all, he had watched Derek follow in his own footsteps, cheating on his wife with a Grey. And he had watched Derek deny his marriage and deceive his girlfriend.

The Chief had breathed a big sigh of relief when Addison had finally gotten the gumption to come to Seattle. After all, though he would never admit it aloud, Addison was his favorite. She was like the daughter he had never had. And though she had made a huge mistake, she was still Derek's wife -- and well, there was always that saying about glass houses.

The Chief hadn't known what was going to happen once Addison flew back into Derek's life, but he knew that powderkeg needed to explode before any of his three mentees could move on with their lives. And, he had been pleasantly surprised when Derek, like he had so many decades ago, had chosen his wife.

But then he had been angered as he watched the ensuing events unfold within the walls of Seattle Grace. Because, as far as he was concerned, no one should be treated the way Derek Shepherd treated his wife for the past few months.

But if today was any indication, things were not as they had seemed. Things had improved.

Derek had removed his head from his proverbial ass.

Yes, the Chief felt entitled -- after dealing with endless personal fallout from the Shepherd-Shepherd-Grey triangle -- to watch Addison open her newest present.

So, just a little bit uncomfortable, Addie opened the package in front of her mentor.

If it was anything embarassing -- like lingerie -- she was going to kill Derek with a rusty scalpel.

Fortunately, she could spare her husband’s life.

“The red rocks of Colorado remind me of the brilliance of your hair.”

As usual, the card was just one sentence. And when she opened the package, there was a beautiful handcrafted necklace that incorporated small stones of that red rock. Literature enclosed described the artist, a native of the Denver area, and her technique for using the beauty of the Colorado red rock – in combination with other materials – to make funky yet functional and gorgeous adornments.

Derek clearly had found time to shop before ditching out of the end of the neurosurgery conference.

“That’s a beautiful gift,” the Chief observed. “It seems like you must be getting your marriage on the right track – or else Derek is seriously trying to buy himself out of a doghouse.”

“No doghouse,” Addie assured the Chief.

“Things have been going well. . . . Although I have to admit that I didn’t realize that Derek thought things were going well enough to inspire a day like today. This is all just as surprising to me as it must be to everyone else in the hospital.”

“Addison,” the Chief began. “You know how much I care about you. . . . I just want you to be happy.”

“I am,” Addison assured him again. “All these gifts, and the manner in which Derek is delivering them, remind me of how Derek and I used to surprise each other when we were interns ourselves – I know you remember we used to leave little surprises for each other all the time. . . . You certainly used to yell at us for it.”

The Chief smiled indulgently.

“I didn’t think we were back to that kind of relationship yet,” she confided. “But that’s certainly what I’ve been fighting for, to get the old us back. . . . And while I have no idea what suddenly prompted this round of gifts, I have no reason to question Derek’s motivations. . . . I know we still have things to work out, lingering baggage from our failure to keep our lives together in New York and from the consequences – extramarital affairs and otherwise – of our own failures. . . ."

"But this to me is a sign that we both want to get there, to build something even better than we had before we let everything fall apart.”

As Addison left the Chief’s office, she felt genuinely happy. She had traded out the necklace she had worn to work that morning for the new gift, which fortunately complemented the green sweater she was wearing. And as she walked down the hallway toward the elevator, she thought she glimpsed Derek ahead.

As she got closer, she realized that the figure was indeed Derek.

And that Derek was talking to none other than Meredith Grey.

She had a split second to make a decision.

Turn the corner and walk away, and Derek would never know she had seen them talking. Or confront them, because despite the gifts, Derek had yet to talk to her since his return. She couldn’t help that it bothered her that Derek would talk to Meredith before her.

Addie put her hand on the necklace.

Today was not a day for doubt.

Today was a day for hope.

She made the turn, avoiding Derek and Meredith altogether.

As long as she and Derek and Meredith worked in the same hospital, there were going to be those conversations, Addie acknowledged to herself. The fact was that both she and Derek remained Meredith’s teachers. And Derek wanted to be her friend.

Addison had questioned that desire.

Was the so-called friendship just a way for Derk to have both his wife and his mistress?

Or was the friendship merely a way for Derek to try to absolve his own guilt? She knew he felt bad that Meredith had been caught up in the wreckage of their marriage. Derek had lied to Meredith – a gargantuan lie of omission, a lie symbolized by the wedding ring that still did not grace his ring finger.

And Meredith had fallen for him, which Addie could understand better than anyone. After all, she, too, had fallen for Derek Shepherd, and she remained – even when he angered her, even when he belittled her, even when he ignored her – hopelessly in love with him. So she understood and empathized with Meredith.

And she understood Derek’s guilt, made even more complicated by the fact that Derek genuinely cared about Meredith. It had ripped her heart out at Christmas when Derek had said that he loved Meredith, and Addie – perhaps in a fit of denial – still clung to the hope that it wasn’t really love, but something less. For otherwise, Addison could not believe that Derek would have chosen to stay with her. Still, those feelings for Meredith deepened the guilt, as did the fact that Meredith’s life was otherwise sad, particularly given Ellis’s situation.

Addison, never one for ignoring reality, had made gestures to be friends with Meredith, but she understood why the younger woman was reluctant.

Addison herself was reluctant, but it was hard to hate Meredith, particularly given that little in the situation was Meredith's fault. And once upon a time Ellis had been something of a mentor of hers. Plus, Addison figured that if she could become friendly with Meredith as well, she might be less insecure about Derek’s own friendship with the intern.

Regardless, the fact remained that she could not fly off the handle every time she saw Derek and Meredith talking.

Addison could not help the clutch that she felt in her gut every time she saw them together, the quick but deep fear that Derek might be changing his mind about saving their marriage. But Addison could control her reaction to that fear, and she was hopeful that with time perhaps the fear would fade.

Today, with seven presents from her husband including the necklace that Addie was wearing, it was easier to reject that fear. To walk away without interfering in their conversation.

As Addie walked away, what she missed was Meredith asking Derek about the reason for all of his gifts to his wife.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Derek responded, holding gift number eight as he talked to his former girlfriend turned somewhat uneasy friend.

“We’re friends, right? . . . Friends should know things like anniversaries and birthdays.”

“It’s not anything like that,” Derek responded. “It’s deeper, more meaningful. . . . And while we’re friends, we also were once, well, more than friends, and I have no desire to make this situation any worse for you than it already is by making you listen to stuff about my relationship with my wife.”

Meredith took a moment to consider how to respond. When she did so, she did so quietly but with conviction.

“I know a lot of people here – including, unfortunately, my best friends -- think I’m still obsessed with you. . . . That I want nothing other than to seduce you away from Addison. . . . I already tried, remember? I said, ‘pick me.’ . . . And you didn’t. . . . And it hurt. . . . And believe it or not, I’m getting past it. . . . . I have my good days and my bad days, but I am slowly getting past it, moving forward."

“For one thing, Addison -- while a professional perfectionist and thus sometimes a little bit difficult to work for -- is otherwise too damn nice. She’s nothing but professional and cordial to me. . . . Even though if I were in her shoes I would scratch my eyes out and rip my scalp from my head. She saved Christina and mentors Izzie and is just overall hard to hate. . . .

“For another, while she hurt you, . . . and I’m not saying this to hurt you . . . I’ve realized that it’s you who hurt me."

"You’re the one who didn’t tell me you were married from the beginning, who let me make a fool of myself both personally and professionally by publicly dating a married man in this hospital, where I had to come back every day after I was humiliated and heartbroken. . . . And you pursued me, even after I asked you not to, after I discovered that you were one of my boss’s bosses -- well before the subject of your marriage ever arose.”

“Nevertheless, you’ve also been my friend when I really needed one, and I don't really want that to end. But, if we're going to be friends, we have to deal with the reality that you married to someone else. . . . And I think as a friend that I’m entitled to know what is going on.”

Derek nodded. He took a breath.

“I guess you could say this is my apology to Addison.”

“Your apology?”

“Yes. . . . It’s sort of hard to explain. . . . And some of it maybe I need to explain to Addison before I explain to anyone else, even a friend. . . . But the bottom line is this. I’ve realized that I picked Addison for a reason and I have to play my part in putting our marriage back together. . . . And I owe Addison an apology, and so these gifts are sort of my way of doing that.”

Meredith studied Derek.

She realized that this was yet another defining moment in her ever-changing relationship with Derek Shepherd.

She could try to question his reasoning, insist that he was wrong, that he owed Addison nothing since she cheated first, that he had made the wrong choice.

Or she could accept the choice Derek had made, release him and herself from the tortured knot they had tied themselves in, and move forward.

Making a decision, she posed a single question.

“Would you like me to deliver that gift for you?”



Chapter 9



Gift number eight would have to wait.

While Meredith had every intention of delivering it to Addison as soon as possible, her pager went off and she was forced to actually attend to one of her patients, who needed an emergency procedure to install a shunt.

Like it or not, patients in distress did come before personal errands, no matter how offbeat the errand.

Meredith saw Bailey eye the gift she was carrying when she came running into the patient’s room, not two minutes after she received the 911 page.

After they were done with the procedure and the patient was stabilized once again, the two doctors exited the room, Meredith having retrieved Addison’s eighth present from the corner where she had stashed it for safety while she worked.

Bailey looked from the package to Meredith and back again.

“Which of you thought Addison was going to want a romantic present delivered by her husband’s ex-girlfriend?”

“I offered to deliver, and Derek accepted. . . . And I know under ordinary circumstances you would be right, but I think . . . under our circumstances . . . this is the right thing to do.”

Bailey didn’t say anything, just kept staring at Meredith.

Once again Meredith marveled at Bailey’s ability to reduce fully grown adults to the mentality of guilty five-year-olds. She thought about trying to ignore the stare and just leaving Bailey there to wonder, but the Bailey stare was simply undeniable.

“Look, I realize that Derek is trying to do something extraordinarily nice for Addison today. . . . And I realize that under normal circumstances it would be insane for the woman Derek had an affair with while they were separated to deliver a present. . . . But nothing about this situation is normal.”

“For one thing, like it or not, the three of us all work together. . . . For another, I realize you're probably Addison's best friend here, but you have to realize that I’m not the villian in this piece. I did not set out to break up their marriage, because I had no clue there was a marriage. Addison and Derek caused their own marital problems without any help from me. . . ."

"And I know everyone thinks I’m still pining after Derek, and I know I haven’t handled everything perfectly since Addison came to town . . . and maybe even especially since he chose to go back to her, but I am trying.”

“Believe it or not, I have accepted that Derek and I are only friends . . . but no one seems to believe me, which just for the record seriously sucks. . . . Do you think I don’t hear the whispers? ‘Look at Meredith, still hung up on her married ex-boyfriend.’ Do you think Addison doesn’t hear them? Because let me tell you the gossips in this hospital are so loud, it’s amazing she didn’t hear them in New York. . . . Oh wait, she did. . . .”

“So there is a reason I’m delivering this gift. It’s a message -- to Addison, to Derek, and to all the crazy people in this hospital who don’t have anything better to do than dissect my love life instead of worrying about their own lives and patients. . . . While we are friends, I accept that Derek chose Addison, that Derek forgave Addison, that Derek loves Addison, that Derek is making a life here with Addison. . . . And the rest of you can just go to hell.”

With that, Meredith took Addison’s present and stalked off, leaving behind a dumbstruck Miranda Bailey. It took her a moment to process everything Meredith had just said, and then she muttered to herself, “Maybe there’s hope for you yet, Grey.”

Meanwhile, Meredith’s delivery was delayed yet again, this time because Addison herself was unreachable, in an operating room with an emergency patient, a pregnant woman who had been in a car accident.

The trauma had caused the placenta to partially tear from the lining of the uterine wall, and it was taking all of Addison’s trademark focus and skill to fashion a repair that might hold long enough for the 18-week-old fetus to reach viability. And the key word there was might, because despite the best efforts of Addison Shepherd and her whole surgical team, this would-be baby might not survive. The surgery lasted almost four hours, and was both emotionally and physically draining for everyone involved.

Assuming the surgical repair did hold, the patient would become Susan’s problem for the weekend, and Addison made detailed notes on her chart as she walked out of the OR.

Then, once again, she closed her eyes and leaned against the same wall she had leaned upon early that morning, and she sighed.

Today had been a good day – both in terms of her patients surviving, knock on wood, and as a result of Derek’s surprises – but that didn’t mean she wasn’t exhausted.

And, as much as she wanted to leave the hospital right then and there, and embark on whatever adventure Derek had planned, she still had rounds and some other things to take care of before she could leave with her husband and discover exactly what was going on.

The only way she was going to make it through the rest of the day was with a shot of caffeine. So, pulling herself away from the wall, Addie quickly headed down to the coffee cart to grab a large, extra-caffeinated latte before rounds.

As she was standing in line, she heard someone calling her name.

When she turned, she realized that Meredith was approaching her.

Addie simply couldn’t believe her eyes.

Meredith Grey was delivering her next present.

“Oh, Derek, you oblivious idiot,” Addie thought to herself. “How could you do this to her?”

“Meredith, can I buy you a cup of coffee?” Addison asked, as friendly as she could make herself be, though still more than a little in shock.

“That’d be great,” Meredith replied. “I can certainly use a shot of caffeine before rounds. . . . Someimes I think it would be easier to just inject it directly into the bloodstream.”

“I wish I could say that feeling goes away once you become a resident, or an attending, but the fact is there are many days when intravenous caffeine still seems like the way to go.” Addison ordered, then paid for the coffees before turning her attention back to Meredith. The two walked outside to take a minute, away from at least some of the prying eyes in the hospital.

“I feel like I should apologize to you.”

“For what?” Meredith asked, genuinely confused.

“I’m assuming that package is for me, and I cannot believe that Derek would ask you to deliver it. . . . I know we're all trying to be friends, but this just seems insensitive and I'm really sorry.”

“It is indeed for you,” Meredith said, handing over the package as she and Addison found a seat on a bench just outside the hospital. “But Derek didn’t ask. . . . I offered. . . . And he only reluctantly agreed.”

“Why on earth would you want to do that? . . . I mean, no offense, but if I were you, the last thing I would want to do is to help Derek in his romantic scheme. . . . As it is, I know that he hurt you and it would seem like something like this would only be like pouring salt in the wound. And that, regardless of what you might think, is certainly not my intention.”

Meredith paused, took a sip from her drink, and thought about the best way to respond.

“I appreciate that.” Meredith sighed. “And for what it’s worth I realize that for you, this whole situation was not really about me so much as it was about saving your marriage. . . .”

“Anyway, I offered to deliver the gift for a lot of reasons. To prove to everyone – including you -- that I have accepted that you and Derek are putting your marriage back together. . . . I guess you could say that delivering this gift is my peace offering, or sign of good will, that I have no interest in doing anything to get in the middle of you. . . ."

“I know regardless of what has happened or will happen, we all have to work together," Meredith continued. "I have no desire for you or anyone else, for that matter, to assume that every time I’m talking to Derek, that I’m trying to rekindle something. . . ."

“And, though it is not always be easy, I would like to stay friends with Derek, because he has been there for me when I’ve really needed someone. But for that to happen, you and I have to come to terms as well. There have been times when you’ve been friendly, and sometimes I’ve been less than receptive, and I guess this is my way of trying to get past that.”

Addison looked at Meredith, trying to ascertain the level of sincerity behind her words. She could not deny that Meredith’s declaration helped a little, helped loosen the pang that had developed after she witnessed Meredith’s and Derek’s quiet conversation earlier.

“OK,” Addison finally said. “Would you prefer I open it with you, or without you?”

As Meredith assured Addison that she was dying of curiousity, having been carrying the package around for a few hours prior to successful delivery, Addison nodded.

Once again, she salvaged the peach rose, letting her eyes linger on it for a minute. Then, she opened the card, which said only, “Why is it that all my plans went haywire?”

Then, Addison opened the present. Inside were two DVDs, and a stuffed animal. The first DVD was The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Attached was a post-it note, which read only, “Intended.” The second was The Great Muppet Caper. Attached was another post-it note, which read only, “Actual.” And then there was a medium-sized stuffed Kermit, with yet another note attached:

“It ain’t easy being green . . . or planning the perfect first date!!”



Chapter 10



A few minutes later, Addison found herself in the hallway outside the neonatal unit with Meredith Grey, Izzie Stevens, George O'Malley, and Susan Stricker. They were waiting on Bailey, Yang, and Karev, all of whom were late for rounds.

As she waited, Addie impatiently checked her watch, wanting to get the show on the road so she could meet Derek and get out of the hospital . . . for four full days with her husband

"Addison?"

Addison turned her attention to Izzie and raised an eyebrow, as if to invite whatever question Izzie was prepared to ask. Addie smiled to herself because she knew that Derek's gifts had a lot of people wondering about the Shepherds' past together.

Most people in the hospital only knew the Derek and Addison post-Titanic-sized marital disaster. They knew bitterness, verbal sniping, sarcasm and gaping wounds.

The Seattle Grace staff hadn't had the opportunity to witness the couple of Derek and Addison at their best -- indeed at anything other than their worst. With a couple exceptions, the Seattle Grace doctors and nurses had missed out on the best of Addison and Derek: falling in love, dating, engaged, newlyweds, the first several years of their marriage.

They didn't realize that the recent problems were fissures, albeit deep ones, in an otherwise solid foundation. That days like today once upon a time were not all that unusual.

And Addison couldn't help but think that the gifts symbolized that Derek had finally decided that it was time to start repairing the cracks.

Meanwhile, Izzie's only problem was that she was unsure which of her many questions to ask.

What did Derek mean when he said that the gifts were "just because"?

Was there something significant about the manner in which the packages were wrapped -- about the peach roses?

What was the deal with the Kermit the Frog doll that she had seen Addison take into the locker room before rounds?

Was there any possible rational explanation for the salmon scrubs?

Did Addison know how many packages to expect?

As she looked at the others gathered around, Izzie realized that perhaps she didn't want to ask the most personal of questions. Curiosity never had – to her knowledge – actually killed an intern, regardless of what it might do to a feline. So she picked one of the easier questions, certain she'd get the opportunity to find out more about the Shepherds as she worked with Addison in the future.

Now that she'd chosen a mentor, Izzie was determined to be Addison's friend as well as her student. She felt confident she could walk a line that would allow her to be a good friend to both Meredith and Addison.

So she picked her question: "Is there something we should know about peach roses?"

"Other than that they are my favorite?"

Addie thought about how much more to say.

Notwithstanding the explosive shows she, Derek, and Meredith had put on for the rest of the hospital in the past few months, she still felt certain things were too personal for hospital hallways.

Like the time she had come home to discover that Derek had redecorated her med school dorm room with peach rose petals covering every surface.

Or the time that he had set up a scavenger hunt with a peach rose marking every clue. The last clue had led to a romantic setting at a cozy French bistro that was their favorite. There, after the to-die-for crème brulee, Derek had finally proposed. She had burst into tears, scaring the living daylights out of him, before accepting.

"You know how flowers have meaning. Well, different colored roses have different meanings, too. . . . Red roses are passion and love. White roses are purity and innocence. Yellow roses are for friendship. Pink are for romance, for elegance and poetic romance. . . . But peach roses were always my favorite. They stand for desire, anticipation, and optimism for the future. . . . I feel like they are the forward-looking flower -- the flower of hope. They are more unusual than pink or red roses, so they seem more special to me. . . . And I also just love the way they look."

"That's it?"

Addison debated how much more to say. The last thing she wanted to do was take Meredith's peace offering and throw it in her face by repeating stories of the Romance of Derek and Addison.

"Well, peach roses were also the flowers in my bouquet when Derek and I got married. . . . I guess that's hardly a surprise, given that they are my favorite."

Addison was saved from having to decide whether to say anything else, because Karev finally came running up. In his hands, believe it or not, was yet another gift from Derek.

"Sorry I'm late. As you might be able to tell," Karev said, gesturing with the package. "I got intercepted on my way here."

Addison reached for the present.

"No problem about the tardiness this time, and thank you for making Derek's delivery. We're still waiting on Bailey and Yang. This is getting ridiculous. O’Malley, would you please page them?"

As George took care of paging them, everyone else stared at the present.

Addison looked at them watching her.

"OK, OK, I'm opening it."

Nine roses. Nine cards. Nine packages. Addie figured if Derek was going for symbolism, there'd have to be either 11 or 12 in total. After all, they had been married 11 years. And this anniversary – still a few months away – would be number 12. Neither 9 nor 10 had meaning to them as a couple, at least none that Addison could think of.

But for now there were nine. Addison slipped open the card.

"May all surprises be good."

Addison smiled and opened the package. Inside was an enormous box of chocolate truffles. There was no way to tell from the outside of any one piece of chocolate the flavor of the filling. Addison smiled. Chocolate truffles could never be a bad surprise. She pulled out a truffle, and then offered the box to her colleagues. As Izzie, Alex, Meredith, George, and Susan each pulled out one in turn, Bailey and Yang finally came running up.

"Sorry we're late . . . ."

"I should deny you chocolate as punishment," Addison said, "but I'm in too good a mood. . . . So, here, get choconated."

Miranda and Christina each took a piece before Addison closed the box and led the way into her first patient's room. Everything went quick and easy, with Addison reassuring the patient that she would be in good hands with Susan in her absence and giving a few last minute directions.

It wasn't until the gang hit the second patient's room that surprise number 10 appeared, Addie's patient telling her that a handsome man with dark curly hair had dropped it off for her.

As with the earlier package delivered by a patient, the patient was interested in seeing what was inside, so Addie obliged by opening her tenth present of the day. She started with the card. Derek was his usual succinct self:

“You’ll always be my Elizabeth.”

Number 10 is a hardcover, beautifully bound antique version of Pride and Prejudice. All of the women in the room let out a simultaneous sigh.

“Chick lit,” Karev said. “I’ve never understood why women go for that book.”

Meredith and Izzie simultaneously slapped him.

“Shut up, Satan’s spawn,” Christina added.

Bailey just glared.

“It’s my favorite,” Addison confessed with a smile, touching it lovingly.

Having opened her tenth present of the day, Addie was even more anxious to finish, and she pushed the interns to make it through rounds on the rest of her patients in record time (although not so fast that she left out anything crucial that Susan might need to know). Once they were done, Addison headed back to the locker room and then her office to collect her presents.

Present number 11 was waiting for her in her office. Addison added the peach rose to her collection. Realizing that she wasn't going to be back at the hospital or anywhere else where she would be able to take a vase of flowers, she decided to dry one as a keepsake and to give the other 10 to a nurse to distribute to a patient who needed cheering. After taking care of that errand, she turned her attention back to the gift, opening the card first:

"New beginnings require new sheets."

Opening the box -- the largest of any today -- she found an array of sheets. Flannel sheets. Satin sheets. Cotton sheets.

The sheets brought tears to Addison's eyes, as she tried to interpret the message Derek was sending.

The sheets reminded her of the argument she and Derek had had when she first came to Seattle, when he accused her of sleeping with Mark on his favorite sheets.

Which, of course, was ridiculous, because the sheets were the least important part of the mistake she made.

But she thought -- although she was not certain -- that these new sheets meant something, meant Derek was ready to forgive and to move forward. He coupled the sheets with a message about new beginnings, and even though they had been back together for months, she thought maybe this day and these sheets meant he was finally ready to put his whole heart back into reclaiming their marriage, their relationship, their love.

She added the sheets to the box of gifts that she was bringing with her as she left the hospital. Then she doublechecked to make sure that her own surprise was tucked in her briefcase, in case she wanted to use it.

Before she knew it, she was stepping off the elevator into the lobby of Seattle Grace, her box of treasures in her hands.

And there, waiting patiently for her, was none other than her husband.

Derek was wearing jeans and a sweater, standing there looking – as the interns would say – McDreamy. He was carrying one more rose. The twelfth rose.

“Hey stranger,” Addie greeted him with a kiss. “This has been the most amazing day. I love every, single thing about today. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

Addison smirked.

“Although I might have a few ideas.”

“It’s not over yet,” Derek promised. “Today is just a beginning.”