Off Screen: Waiting In The Wings Part 14

"Yes, you are," Emma said, finally releasing Addison.

"Em," Addison looked at Emma in awe. Emma smiled. "Do you ever wonder?" Addison asked as she fell into Emma's arms.

"About what?"

"How we ended up here? I mean, no one would have imagined us."

Emma kissed Addison's head and stroked her back lovingly. "Oh, I don't know. I imagined us my whole life; I just didn't know the face until I met you," Emma said. Addison kissed Emma's shoulder and lifted herself to look at Emma again. "What?" Emma asked.

"I think you should write for the show."

"What are you talking about? Are you still drunk?"

Addison chuckled. "No. Okay, well, I might still be a little drunk, but that has nothing to do with this."

Emma snickered. "You just want me to write your love scenes."

"True," Addison said. Emma smiled. "But, I'm not kidding. You could write and produce. Stay behind the scenes."

"Addy... I..."

"I know," Addison said. "I know you want to be with the kids. I do. Just think about it before you say no."

"You don't need me to do this show," Emma said.

"I know," Addison said with a smile. "I don't need you to do it, and I won't push you to do it. But, I would love you to be a part of it. The thing is, Em, no matter how I write it, it will always be a part of us. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think so."

"And, even if it was only once in a while, I like having you there. I miss you. I miss the munchkin. And, I will miss King..."

Emma swatted Addison. "Actually, Addy, you won't miss King," Emma said.

"I won't really make you name him King."

Emma laughed. "Really?"

"Of course, not!"

"I thought you always wanted to name a dog, King."

"Uh, Em? Are you drunk?" Addison teased.

Emma laughed harder. She'd listened in the car as Addison had prattled on, explaining the surprise she had planned for Emma. Addison had been upset that it had been ruined. Unbeknownst to Addison, Emma had planned a surprise of her own. She thought perhaps it was only fair that she give up hers as well. "Unless someone spiked my juice, I think we are safe, honey," Emma said. "You know how you told me about the baby's room in the car?"

Addison groaned. "I'm sorry about that, Em. I wanted you to be surprised. I know how stressful it got last time and..."

"Addy, stop," Emma said with a kiss to Addison's lips. "I love it. I love that you even thought of doing it. Believe me, I do. The last thing I want to deal with when we get home is putting together a nursery. It sounds fun and all, but with two little ones running around, and..."

"What?"

Emma smiled. She got up and threw on her robe.

"Where are you going?" Addison asked. Emma held up a finger and left the room. "What the h.e.l.l?" Addison muttered. Emma had been gone for about fifteen minutes before the door opened. When it did, it was not Emma who came immediately into view. Addison strained in the faint light. "What is that?" she asked.

Emma smiled and lifted a groggy puppy onto the bed. "That is King. I had planned to introduce you tomorrow," she said.

Addison picked up the puppy. It licked her face happily and yawned with a faint howl. Addison laughed. "You got a puppy for me?"

"Looks that way."

"He's a husky," Addison said.

Emma nodded. Adam had shed some light on why Addison might have been so inclined to want a dog named King. Addison had never told Emma about her grandparents' dog; a Husky named King. King had been a present from Addison's mother to her parents and had lived to be a whopping sixteen-years-old. Adam told Emma that the dog had been attached to Victoria until Addison had been born. Since that day, King had been devoted to Addison. He had walked Addison to school, waited for her at the bus stop, even slept most nights in Addison's bed. He'd become Addison's best friend until his death when Addison was ten. Emma was surprised that Addison had never mentioned it. At least, not the way Adam described. She knew that when Addison was little she had a dog. That is where Addison had left it. Adam had said that they had taken Addison to look at puppies, but Addison had just shrugged. None of them had been King. After hearing the story, Emma understood the significance of Addison thinking about a dog. While Addison battled insecurity, she was also beginning to heal from the deepest memories and losses she held.

"He's been upstairs since you got here," Emma said. "I didn't expect you until tomorrow."

Addison looked at Emma. "How did you..."

"Honestly, I can't believe the sprout didn't give it away. He's been following her everywhere since last night. I think the skinned knee bought me some time," Emma laughed.

"Yeah, but how did you know about King?"

"Your dad told me about King when I called to invite him. We got talking about the baby and you teasing me about naming him King," Emma explained.

Addison kissed the puppy's head. "But, how did you..."

Emma grinned. Addison was full of questions. It reminded Emma of their daughter. "Well, Jackson's friend breeds them. I just got lucky that they had a litter ready to go while we were here. King was the last one unspoken for," Emma explained as she climbed back into the bed. Addison looked at Emma hopefully, and Emma laughed. "Yes, he can sleep here tonight," Emma said. "But, not in between us," she finished.

Addison grinned. "Em, the only people climbing in between us are our kids when they are scared or sick or something."

"King's not a people, honey."

"You've never had a husky," Addison said.

Emma laughed. "Addy?"

"Hum?" Addison responded, as she snuggled back into Emma's arms and held a yawning puppy.

"I'm glad you worked some things out with your dad."

"We have a long way to go," Addison admitted.

"I know."

"You know, he loves you," Addison said proudly.

"I hope so. I love him too."

"Really?"

Emma kissed Addison's head. "Yes, really. You are a lot like him in some ways."

Addison chuckled. "If you had said that a few weeks ago, I'd have been p.i.s.sed."

"And, now?"

"I know I am," Addison replied. She settled her new, sleeping puppy at her feet and turned in Emma's arms, and sighed. "I guess that I realized how much like him I am when he told me about my mom tonight," Addison said. Emma smiled and waited for Addison to continue. "She was sick a long time, Em. A lot longer than I knew."

"I'm sorry, Addy."

"Yeah... At first, I was p.i.s.sed. Oddly, not a him. I mean, at them both."

"What changed?

Addison sighed. "I get it. I mean, I get why she didn't tell me. She knew I'd want to leave school and she wouldn't have wanted that. I loved it there. She knew that too," Addison said.

"And?" Emma asked, sensing there was more.

"I thought about you."

"Me?" Emma's surprise was genuine. "How so?"

"If that was ever us... I hope it never is, but if it were Vicki or this baby? If you asked me to... I just... I would never betray your wishes, Em. I might try to convince you otherwise, but in the end? I just..."

"I think I get it," Emma said.

"He loved her so much," Addison said as her tears began to spill over.

"I'm sure he did."

Addison nodded. "I understand; I think... More than I did, I guess... I love our kids, Em. I do. I love them so much it hurts, and I haven't even met them both yet."

Emma smiled and brushed away Addison's falling tears. "I know that."

"But, you? Emma, you are... You're the biggest part of all of it. Listening to him-I don't know-after spending that time with Sandra, I guess maybe I just realized that someday it will be one of us. I hate that, but I know it."

Emma nodded. "Not for a long time, honey."

"I know," Addison replied. "It'll never be long enough, Em, not even if it was a hundred years from now. Maybe I just never wanted to think about it. I don't know; it's like if I did, I'd make it happen somehow or if I..."

Emma brushed her lips across Addison's. "It's okay, Addy."

"Yeah, it is. The thing is, Em... He was afraid of losing me. Crazy, right?"

"Not really," Emma said.

"I don't ever want our kids to think that I'm not there for them. I mean, I want to make sure that they know they can talk to me. I just wish he would have..."

"Let it go, honey," Emma said.

"What?"

"The wishing. Let it go. Concentrate on where you are now. That's what your mom would want for both of you, I think."

Addison smiled. "Yeah, she would. She would have loved you. Even my dad says you remind him of her sometimes.

"That's a lot to live up to," Emma commented.

"Nah. You're you. You just remind me of her... in a good way. But, I will tell you a secret."

"What's that?" Emma inquired.

"Your cookies are way better than my mom's."

Emma laughed. "You are priceless, Addy."

"Guess that means you should keep me."

"Always," Emma promised.

Addison closed her eyes and nestled into Emma. "Em?"

"Yes?"

"My head hurts."

Emma chuckled. "Well, I imagine that's another thing you and your dad have in common," she teased. Emma looked down at Addison and shook her head. Addison was asleep, and King had stretched out over her feet. "Only you could get me to have a dog, Addy. Only you."

Epilogue.

"They call yet?" Sandra peeked into the living room of Addison and Emma's house.

"No," Tamara answered.

"What time did they leave?" Jeff asked.

Tamara added a block to the tower she was building with Vicki. "I don't know. Em's Mom and Dad were here all night with Brody. Addy called me at 2:30 a.m. and asked if I'd watch King when her parents left this morning. I guess, Emma had kicked her out for a few minutes to go get some coffee, which means she was stressing Emma out," Tamara laughed. "So, before that."

"That's a long time," Jeff said. It was already noon.