Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, or any of the characters on the show.
A/N: Just a little bit of Christmas fluff that arose from a conversation on the Addex thread at The Incision. This is just a one-shot.
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"You're staring."
"Huh?" Alex shook himself out of a stupor to see Izzie standing beside him, grinning like crazy. It was Seattle Grace's Christmas party, and most of the hospital staff was gathered in the beautifully decorated lobby.
"Doctor Montgomery," she explained. "You're staring at her. Again."
"I was not!" Alex protested.
Izzie just laughed, "You're practically drooling."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Izzie rolled her eyes, "Come on, Alex. You've been staring at her for weeks. Did something happen between the two of you or something?" Izzie put her hand on her hip, "And don't lie to me."
Alex sighed, "Nothing happened."
"Alex..."
"No, Izzie. I mean it. There was just..."
"Just what?" Izzie asked when Alex trailed off.
Alex looked around carefully, to make sure no one else was in earshot.
"You remember that patient a few weeks ago? The one with the shard of glass in her heart?"
"Yeah, I think so." Izzie said after a moments thought, "She was pregnant, right?"
Alex nodded, "I was Sloan's intern that day, so I was working with him and Doctor Montgomery. I said some things to the girl, trying to get her to call the father of her baby, you know? And afterwards...There was just this weird thing. With Montgomery and me."
"What kind of weird thing."
"Well, she said that I was a good guy, and that I shouldn't let Sloan beat that out of me. And then there was this look. This weird, sort of awkward stare."
Izzie grinned, excitedly. "The kind of stare where you suddenly see someone in a whole new way?"
"I guess," Alex shrugged uncomfortably.
"That's a good kind of stare. I love that kind of stare," Izzie said with a wistful sigh.
Alex shook his head, "This conversation became way to girly for me."
He started to walk away, but Izzie caught his arm and pulled him back.
"You should kiss her," she whispered.
"What?"
"You should kiss her!" Izzie repeated.
Alex just stared at her. "You're insane. You realize that, right?"
Izzie sighed impatiently, "You obviously like her, so just go kiss her."
"I can't just go up and kiss her, she's my boss."
"Alex, look around you. Meredith is hanging all over McDreamy, Burke's got his arm around Christina's waist, and George just left with Callie."
"Izzie, it's Addison Montgomery. We might have shared some sort of moment, but she's still not the kind of woman you just walk up and kiss."
Izzie frowned for a moment as she watched Addison. Then a sly smile lit up her face.
"She is now."
"Why?"
Izzie pointed to where Doctor Montgomery stood.
"Look where she's standing."
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Addison used to love Christmas. But that was before she slept with Mark. Before Derek left her. Before he fell in love with Meredith. Before the divorce.
This was her first Christmas alone. She just didn't know how to deal with it. She didn't know how to be alone during a time that was supposed to be all about being with the people you love.
She hadn't wanted to come to the hospital Christmas party at all. She had wanted to just sit in her hotel room and eat room service and feel sorry for herself. But the Chief had insisted.
So here she was, nibbling on cookies and sipping campaign, and feeling absolutely miserable. At least she looked good. She was wearing an off-the-shoulders black velvet gown that fitted her like a glove. A few pieces of jewelry added just the right amount of sparkle. On the inside she might feel like shit, but there was no way she was going to show it. She didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her.
Everywhere around her, her colleagues were having fun. Mingling and chatting, enjoying the food and the beautifully decorated room. She caught a glimpse of Meredith and Derek, standing close together, sharing some sort of private joke. She quickly turned away and grabbed another glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She glanced at her watch, wondering how much longer she'd have to deal with this.
Looking around the room she saw countless happy couples, each one a little bit of a stab to her heart. It had taking all of her will power to turn down Mark when he asked her to attend the party with him. But she wasn't going to go down that road again, not just to avoid being alone. She couldn't use him like that.
Glancing around the room some more, a brief smile crossed her face when she saw a certain young intern across the room. Alex Karev looked damn good in a tux. Really, he looked good no matter what he was wearing. But that tux...
Addison shook her head when she realized she was staring. It was embarrassing, really. She couldn't get caught lusting after an intern. Though she had to admit, it wasn't just lust. She was very physically attracted to him, but there was something else there as well. The look that they had shared a few months back had shaken her up. She just couldn't keep in out of her mind.
Addison forced herself to look away from where he was talking with Izzie. The two were huddled close together, and Addison couldn't help but feel disappointed. She knew that the two had dated before, but she hadn't realized that they had gotten back together.
God, she hated Christmas.
Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Addison turned to find Alex standing in front of her.
When he didn't say anything, she raised an eyebrow.
"Is there something I can help you with, Doctor Karev?"
Without saying a word, Alex leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her lips.
Addison blinked in surprise. She raised a hand to her lips. "Wha--What was that?" she asked softly.
Alex's smile faded at the look of shock on Addison's face.
"You're...um...you're standing under the mistletoe, and I just thought..." He blushed slightly, "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have...I'm sorry."
Alex turned and was about to walk away, but Addison stopped him.
"Doctor Karev?"
"Yeah?" Alex asked turning back around.
Addison grabbed the lapels of Alex's tux and dragged him closer to her.
"I'm still standing under the mistletoe, Doctor Karev," she whispered breathily into his ear.
She pressed her lips hard against his. Alex responded immediately, sliding one hand around her waist, and bringing the other up to the back of her head. His hand tangled in her hair as he pulled her as close to him as possible. Their tongues dueled as Addison ran a hand inside his tux jacket and up his back.
Finally, they broke apart, both breathing heavily. They just stared at each other, both surprised at what had just happened. They could feel the eyes of the other party attendants on them, but neither on them cared.
They both smiled, slightly nervously.
"Well," Addison said at last. "Merry Christmas, Doctor Karev."
"Merry Christmas, Doctor Montgomery."
"I really should go check on a patient."
"Yeah," Alex agreed. "I should go too."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
With another pair of nervous grins, the two turned from each other and went their separate ways.
Addison couldn't keep the smile off her face, as she started out of the lobby, aware that almost every eye in the room was on her. Her hands brushed her lips again, remembering the feel of Alex's kiss.
God, she loved Christmas.