Title: The Villain of the Story
Summary: She hated being in love, but because of him, she couldn't help it. He pushed her away, not really thinking, and both came out hating the other. All they need though, is one another to get through this life. (The one-shot complete with yelling, begging, confessions, and love, b/c it floats boats).
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A/N: Honestly, this one is purely for those of us hell-bent on keeping Addex alive, and for those who usually read my Addex stories b/c I haven't written Addex for awhile. Addison/Alex is my biggest ship, so I'm not giving up on them anytime soon. It's not posted under 'What She Left Behind' because I feel like this one needs to be on its own. The villain of the story can be anyone you want, btw, from Ava to Shonda...I wrote this on an impulse, and I haven't given it more than a quick lookover, so forgive my typos. All I ask if for you to ENJOY and to Review. Thank you.
She had driven back to Seattle, not to look back, but to keep looking forward. She had been in LA for a good five months now, and she deserved a four day weekend. She had only two patients booked, and they were fine with being pushed back a few days. The place wasn't an O.R. or anything, just a little wellness group that had being doing just fine before she arrived.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with her going back to Seattle to help a friend in need. And Addison's support is exactly what Callie needed that moment. She had been cheated on, drawn as the villain, and left alone to deal with the sudden break-up of her marriage. Break-up. Like this was all a high school scene in which the claws came out every other day, leaving a hero and victim in the wake of things.
After spending a good twenty minutes listening to Callie outpour her various feelings of pain, hurt, anger, and frustration, she had inexplicably fallen asleep on the bunk on which they had been conversing in the on-call room. Not really sleep, Addison had decided that she had gone far too long without so much as witnessing a real surgery in a real operating room. Thus, she stood and headed for the first one she could find.
She knew very well that this would mean a few run-ins with less than desirable people, but she kept her head high. She obviously wasn't in the hospital to work--she wasn't wearing a lab coat, nor was she carrying a clipboard.
As a matter of fact, when she walked in there that afternoon, she had walked right into Derek. She had immediately told him she was there for the sake of Callie, nothing more nothing less. And if he could, to spread that around, because she was so not in the mood for untrue rumors.
'Except for the ones of why you left?' he had smirked at her.
She gave him a little smirk, nodded, and said 'except for those, because there isn't even a story there.'
Yeah, Addison Montgomery had become really good at the lying thing. Probably because of so much time spent around Alex Karev.
Alex Karev, that guy that had made her want to be swallowed up into the earth.
That guy she was currently staring at, in what could only be called pure hatred and disgust.
Okay, get up and leave Addie. LEAVE!!!
That's the advice she had given herself when she had made a gruesome discovery whilst sitting in the gallery of an ongoing surgery.
It seemed as though it had only started 15 or 20 minutes ago, so they were just getting to the good part.
She sat on the second nearest bench, and ignored the little whispers and stares she was receiving from those who were supposed to be there to observe the surgery, not her.
She decided to ignore her surroundings, just to concentrate on the glorious surgery occurring down below. That is until she noticed a woman with bright auburn hair sitting in front of her. Addison took a sideways glance at her, and she swore it was none other than that Jane Doe she had worked on.
Or was it Ava? Or…what was that other name? Anyway, Addison sat perplexed. It couldn't be her--the chief wouldn't allow a former patient with possible ties to a doctor to observe a surgery.
She turned back down to the surgery, when she noticed him working right next to the attending. Then he looked up, right at the woman who sat in front of her. She turned away quickly, so he couldn't see her.
Oh God, it was true. Ava was observing Alex scrubbing in on a surgery. Addison moved closer to the edge of the bench, away from Ava, away from Alex's view. She shook her head mentally and kept her eyes on the surgery, but then she began talking with a female doctor, or rather intern (she was too young) who just walked in and sat next to her.
Ava began saying she was just there to watch her boyfriend operate, and she pointed at Alex. Addison rolled her eyes, how the hell could he like someone like her?
Addison couldn't help but turn a sideways glance at the girls, and noticed how the young intern tensed up at that.
"Do you know him?" Ava asked her.
The intern took a deep pause, and a gulp, before turning her head away.
Typical, Addison thought, he's sleeping with both of them.
She couldn't distinguish if she felt disappointed or satisfied at what Alex was doing.
On the one hand, Addison had always wanted to believe Alex was fully capable of being monogamous. On the other hand, Alex was cheating on the girl Addison resented for him choosing over her.
She turned back to stare at Alex, who began displaying some cocky behavior. In surgery. Apparently he was trying to impress his little girlfriend, but Addison knew it would backfire on him. Such things always did.
Okay, get up and leave Addie. LEAVE!!!
Addison willed herself to get up, and leave the gallery. She was not going to stick around for the mess that was bound to explode. Things like this were inevitable in Seattle Grace, which is why she left. Or rather, it should have been why she left.
Unluckily for her, once she stepped out of the gallery, she ran into Miranda Bailey.
"Dr. Addison Montgomery," the petite tornado said through gritted teeth.
"Dr. Miranda Bailey," she imitated her tone, but couldn't help the smile that bore through her features.
"Don't you smile at me, you fool. You left this hospital, left without so much as a goodbye. You just thought your Manhattan ass was too good to tell anyone, 'hey, I'm leaving.' No, you expect the chief to spread the news, and for everyone to be okay with that. Well, let me tell you something missy--no one leaves Dr. Bailey without a warning, without some damn good repercussions," she paused, shaking her head in disappointment," now get over here, and give me a hug!"
Addison laughed, and she gave her friend a big hug.
"I missed you too, Miranda," Addison pulled back and saw her smiling back at her.
"Who wouldn't?" she chuckled. "So are you back, or just visiting."
"Just visiting--Callie's been having it tough," Addison explained.
"That she has," Miranda nodded at her," but tell me, what's been going on with you. Anyone new in your life?"
Addison rolled her eyes, and in a sigh answered, "afraid not."
"Who needs men anyway," Miranda shrugged," they're all--"
Addison tuned out when her gaze caught Alex leaving the OR angrily, muttering some obscenities under his breath. On his trail was Ava, and Lexie who seemed to be wanting to escape the scene.
"Hey, what happened in there?" Ava asked him.
"Nothing, I--" he looked at Ava, and noticed Lexie not too far behind her.
"Hey Lexie, were you in there--watching?" he played off his worry with a cool tone.
Lexie only opened her mouth slightly, and Ava looked between the two.
"I thought you didn't know him?" Ava furrowed her brows in confusion.
"No, what I meant was, I-I don't know him, know him. I'm just an intern,"' she chuckled nervously, but Ava was already catching on.
"Addison? Addison?! Hello!" Miranda waved her hand in her face.
"ADDISON!" Miranda yelled, snapping Addison out of her trance. Unfortunately, Miranda's call caught other's attentions.
"Shh!" Addison heeded," they'll hear you."
Addison ducked her head, and bit her lip.
"Too late, and you do know you're still perfectly visible?" Bailey crossed her arms, and gave Addison a look of disproval.
Addison looked at her sheepishly, and decided to take a look back at Alex. Maybe he hadn't spotted her?
But he had, and he looked at her, with fuming eyes, before turning his back and leaving Ava and Lexie without a word.
The girls looked at one another, confused in distraught. They spoke a minute or two, before shaking hands, and going on their ways. Neither however, took off after Alex, like the two had agreed he wasn't worth it.
"Please tell me that boy is not why you left this hospital."
Grinning haplessly at her, she took a step backwards, obviously scared by Bailey's menacing glare.
"Lord help me, this entire staff is crazy!" she threw her hands up, and kept nodding her head in disbelief.
"What do I do Miranda?" she pleaded to her friend.
Rolling her eyes, Bailey nodded haplessly at her friend.
"You are a grown woman, a grown and wise woman. So wise up, woman. Because out of all of this, only one thing is a big surprise--that you gave into Alex Karev," Bailey rested a hand on Addison's shoulder.
"I saw the way that by looked at you, how he always made up some excuse or another to be near you, and how he gave up plastic surgery for neo-natal. I saw that angry look he just gave you, cross his face when the chief informed us of your departure. He marched out of that meeting, smoke practically coming out of his ears, and I was one of three people who knew why he walked out so angrily," Bailey admitted to her knowledge, while Addison looked at her, stunned.
"So what surprises me is that you let his little infatuation for you get to you, and you actually returned whatever feelings he had for you. He moped around this hospital, but while most people thought he was missing Ava, I knew better. That girl was a distraction, a distraction he has quickly gotten out of his system. So don't ask what you're supposed to do Addison. Ask yourself, and then do something. But if so help me you run away again, I will personally hunt you down and kick your ass. You got me?"
Addison nodded solemnly.
"Good, now I'm leaving."
Addison stood in place for a moment, contemplating her actions, until she took off after Alex.
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"I never thought I'd be witness to this again," she spoke softly, hoping to not scare him off.
He didn't answer her, just kept his finger in the baby's fragile little hand.
She walked from the doorway, to stand beside him, in front of the incubator that held the baby he looked so intently at.
"She's beautiful," she commented, laying a hand on the transparent box of life.
He didn't answer this time either.
"I should have told you, because it was eating me up inside," Addison whispered. She looked at him, fighting to keep his emotions in check, remaining so stoic.
"I don't know if it would have changed anything, or if I even owed it to you, but I should have said it."
She lifted a hand, and placed it on his wrist.
"Alex…?" but he flinched his hand away.
"Said what?" he asked after pulling away from her.
"Are you going to make me the villain here, Alex? Are you making yourself out to be the victim?"
"That's what you should have said?"
"No," she licked her lips," that's not it. But I just need to know why you're so angry, when the one who was hurt purposely was me?"
"Who said it was on purpose?" he kept his eyes on the baby the entire time.
"What then? You pushed me away, ran off to Ava, without even considering the fact that I'd be hurt. Even you know me better than that, Karev."
He let a silence pass before his next, carefully chosen words.
"If I wanted to hurt you," a sad smirk passed over him," I would have let you stay near. I would have let you fall in love with me, would have allowed us to get in a relationship. And right when everything was absolutely perfect, I would have done something to royally screw us up, like some tragic Hollywood script. Because the good girl never comes out on top, and to make sure of that, a bad boy comes along to ruin her happy ending."
"Things don't happen by choice Karev," her voice trembled, in disbelief that he had come to construct and believe such a twisted tale.
"Oh God, I should have told you," she scoffed.
"Look Addison, are you going to keep repeating that or should I just walk out right now!"
"Don't me give me that walking out crap right now! I walked out of this fucking hospital, and when I come back, you look at me like some demon! So don't give me that hypocritical crap!" her tears turned red, and she bit her lip to keep from crying.
She sighed, and told herself to calm down--they didn't need to disrupt the baby's tranquility.
"That's right, you walked out of this hospital. You left everyone who cared about you, like we don't mean shit to you," Alex spewed, his own eyes growing red.
"Do I mean shit to you, Karev, do I? Because you sure got a hell of a way of showing it. Acting like some martyr, like pushing the woman who loved you away for her own sake," she turned her eyes, now wet with tears to his shocked ones.
"That's right Karev, I loved you, and from the look of things I still love you, because no matter what I do, all I want is to be near you. To hear you talk, and to feel like you still feel a little something for me."
Her voice was strained, and her tears left him feeling pained.
"And I don't want to be in love," she said in a whisper," because then I'd be able to date without feeling guilty, and I wouldn't be desperate enough to let any guy near me."
"So, should I have told you?" she gave him an embittered smirk, and his gut churned, despising himself for bringing her to this point.
"Guess I am the villain," he muttered, and he turned back to her gaze painfully, "but no, you shouldn't have told me."
With those words, her shoulders drooped, and her hopes fell. She turned herself around, wanting to leave the room immediately.
"But I'm glad you did," he turned her around by the arm, and pulled her to him. He grabbed her waist, held her to his chest, and looked her deeply in the eyes.
"I really didn't want to hurt you. Guess I wasn't quick enough, huh?" he grinned at her.
She only gulped timidly, still afraid.
"Just tell me what to do, Addison? I've never traveled on this road before?" he searched her eyes, looking for life's answers.
"Just love me," she answered, "that's all you have to do Karev. Love me and nobody else."
She took her hands, and placed them on his shoulders, a slight tremor in her fingers.
He smiled at her, eliciting a smile from her, and he dipped down, capturing her lips.
He delved into her mouth, kissing her like he hadn't seen her in ages, like he wouldn't see her in ages. He kissed her in a way she had never been kissed--feverishly, passionately, lovingly.
"I love you too, Addison," he said when he pulled away from her for a second.
Grinning, she pulled him back in, now with the full realization that the other side of this life was nothing compared to that which resided right there in Seattle.
In between their kiss, she was able to murmur," that's all I need, Alex."