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Seattle is really different from LA. It's raining a lot in here. Also, her ex-husband is here.
No. Her relationship with him got better over the years, but she hasn't seen him in person since the day they settle their assets after the divorce. There are few phone calls between them, mostly about work since Derek is one of the best neurosurgeons and Addison is one of the new double-board certified neonatal surgeons and OBGYN in the country. Other than that, Addison thinks they're in a good place. But his relationship with Mark Sloan, the best friend Addison's slept with, doesn't really go anywhere. The last time Derek and Addison met, they talked a lot. Both of them admitted to their fault for their failed marriage. Derek confessed he was absent, didn't pay enough attention to his wife, and put surgery over her multiple times. Addison admitted sleeping with Mark was a mistake she shouldn't have done. She should have talked to him, reached out to him or done something to save their eleven years of marriage. But she slept with Mark instead. Derek mostly blamed Mark for taking advantage of her when she's vulnerable. But they both knew, their marriage was over long before Mark came along.
Derek moved to Seattle and Addison moved to LA. Their divorce was settled within a year.
In that year, Ella Rose Montgomery was born.
She was really surprised when she found out she's pregnant with Mark's baby a day after she walked in on Mark with some woman she didn't know. She was thinking about getting an abortion because she was sure she didn't raise a baby with Mark. But after an ultrasound and a long talk over the phone with Naomi, she decided to keep her. Then she decided to move to LA, thinking maybe a change of scenery will do her good.
Mark tried to mend things with Derek by moving to Seattle. But Derek was disappointed with him. Even after Mark's relentless attempts, he's still somewhat wary of him. After Addison told him about her pregnancy, he was torn between staying in Seattle for Derek or moving to LA to be with Addison and their daughter. After a while he decided to stay in Seattle, choosing to fly back and forth between LA and Seattle.
And now, the reason she's in Seattle is because of Mark's 18 years old daughter.
"Addison!" Richard exclaimed happily as he saw Addison walking through the hospital's entrance. "It's good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Richard." Addison smiled at her former mentor.
"Did you bring her with you?"
"No. I left Ella with Naomi, I don't want her to miss school."
Richard looks disappointed. "That's a shame. I really wanted to see her in person. Mark has been showing pictures of her so I feel like I've known her all of her life. She really looks like you, aside from the hair and smile."
"She is. So, Richard. Tell me about little Sloan."
.
It's not Addison's first time to see Lexie Grey. Mark brought her to meet Ella a couple of months ago. Addison thinks she's too young for Mark, but she never said that out loud. Not when she sees Mark's so happy for the first time in years. And he's committed to her, she doesn't want to be one to rock their boat. Ella loves her, though. She always asks for Lexie whenever Mark calls her. Lexie, in turn, can't help but fall in love with the little girl.
Now Addison and Lexie sat in the cafeteria, waiting for Mark to finish his surgery, another boob job.
"You hate Sloan." It's a statement, not a question. Addison has seen the way Lexie look at Sloan, it's certainly not a friendly one. And Lexie always wears her heart on her sleeves.
"She's insufferable. She asks for more money than she should and Mark always give in to her. And--and yesterday, Mark talk about raising the baby! I don't know if I'm ready for that! I know he loves Ella, I love her too, and maybe he thought he could have that again with me. But I know I'm not ready for that, he just doesn't listen!"
Lexie's pager beeps loudly. The young resident stood up abruptly, then ran away from the cafeteria, leaving Addison behind with her thoughts.
Mark came not long after, asking where's Lexie had gone as he sat in front of Addison. Addison replied by smacking his head from across the table.
"What the hell Red?!"
"You asked Lexie to raise Sloan's child with you?! What the hell is wrong with you!"
"Wha--I want the kid to have a good life! With their family! Not some strangers we barely know!"
Addison sighed. "Lexie is still young. Too young to become a mother. She's not ready, Mark. You can't force this on her, if you keep doing this you're going to lose her. And honestly Mark, we've known each other for more than a decade. Yet, I've never seen you this happy. Lexie Grey makes you happy, Mark. She could be the one for you, are you willing to let that go because a girl you barely know shows up at your front door? Do you have any idea how her existence affect Lexie?"
Mark frowned. "I--Sloan's my child. She's Ella's sister--we keep Ella!"
"I understand Mark, I do. But Lexie is too young, she's not ready for the responsibility. When Ella was born, we're both older than she is now. We're attendings. You can't keep the baby and expect Lexie to fill the role as the mother for the child. She's barely a resident, she has a life ahead of her." Addison shakes her head. "I'm not telling you what to do Mark, you do what you think is best for you. What I'm asking you is are you willing to lose Lexie in order to keep the baby? Because if you do, I need to talk to our daughter about why she's not seeing her Aunt Lexie anymore."
Mark was stunned. He looks down at the table, thinking deeply.
"And Mark?"
Mark looked up at her.
"Please don't hurt her. Don't hurt Lexie."