Dr. Addison Montgomery found herself feeling unusually giddy. Much like the first time she laid eyes upon a certain neurosurgeon by the name of Derek Sheppard. She knew he'd eventually ask her to marry him. She knew that they would build this fantastic life together. The both of them doctors, practicing medicine in New York. What she didn't foresee was allowing Dr. Mark Sloan to corrupt that perfect life that she intended to have with her husband. She lost perspective.
She thought she regained perspective, trying to build something with the man she allowed to ruin her perfect life. Addison had a point to prove. To herself and to Mark. There had to be more between them that just sex. Mind blowing sex. There had to be a reason why they both chose to betray Derek. There had to be a reason to break up the union between them. They were no longer Derek and Addison, the perfect couple with the perfect life and the perfect hair. They were no longer Derek and Mark, brothers from another mother. Instead, Derek moved to the other side the country in order for him regain perspective. He gained that and then some. He met the woman who may well have been the love of his life. A scrappy young intern with dreams of her own. Her name was Meredith Grey.
Addison thought she regained perspective when she was summoned to Seattle, where Derek now called home. She had a second chance to make it work. Despite the fact that they gave it their all. Despite the fact that Mark followed her to Seattle in order to woo her back to New York. Despite the constant presence of Meredith Grey. Nothing could change the fact that the love was no longer there. Derek knew it. It took finding Meredith's panties in the pocket of his tux on the night of the prom, the same night Denny Duquette died, to make Addison realize that her marriage was about to come to an end.
With the divorce from Derek finalized and Mark now on the staff at Seattle Grace, Addison found herself a free woman. A wildly attractive free woman at that. What was stopping her from living her life? Derek was able to freely pursue a relationship with Meredith. Mark, initially in Seattle to comfort her, seemed intent on sleeping with anything with a pulse, including Addison's newfound friend, one Dr. Calliope "Callie" Torres.
Strangely enough, their indiscretions with Mark Sloan didn't deter them from becoming friends. It wasn't the same, realizing that Callie had done the dirty deed with him as it was finding out about Derek and Meredith on prom night. She loved Derek with all her heart. Mark was simply lust disguised as love. Addison and Callie bonded over sharing a harrowing experience. They witnessed a young married couple, clearly very much in love with each other, having their happiness shattered when their child was stillborn.
Addison was grateful to Callie for reaching out to her in her time of need. She often confided Dr. Miranda Bailey, a resident at Seattle Grace whose no-nonsense approach to guiding her interns earned her the nickname "the Nazi". Bailey told it how it was, straight, no chaser. Like the day Mark Sloan joined the staff at Seattle Grace. Addison once again found herself in need of finding perspective. She called Mark when it became evident that she would no longer be married to Derek. Mark had a way of making Addison feel as if she wasn't at the top of her game. When she was in need of advice, Bailey suggested keeping her legs closed. The advice clearly hit Addison where it hurt. Yet it was enough to jostle her out of the pool of self-pity she suddenly found herself immersed in.
It would have been nice, Addison thought, to have someone who could truly empathize with what she was going through. Bailey compartmentalized her life. What happened at home stayed home. And what happened at work wasn't allowed to interfere with went on at home. Bailey was disgusted with the fact that interns and attendings carried on relationships with each other. She was annoyed with how at times those relationships carried on inside the walls of Seattle Grace. It was unprofessional in her eyes. Yet, the one man who could possibly put an end to it all, the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Richard Webber, was dealing with the consequences of his own indiscretions.
Addison searched endlessly for Callie. Something had just happened and she needed her friend's feedback. Something totally unexpected that she definitely could not, would not seek any form of advice from Miranda Bailey. She knew that Callie's shift would be over soon, and so was hers. Yet she checked the OR board to see if Torres had any surgeries lined up. She didn't. Addison checked the Nurse's station. No one had seen her for quite some time. Nurse Debbie offered to send out a page, which Addison obliged to. As she walked away, Addison overheard the nurses resume the endless amounts of gossip they normally engage in. Something about how Dr. Torres was furious with Meredith Grey. So furious that she slammed Grey's petite frame up against a locker. Not even Izzie Stevens, who was more of match physically for Callie, was able to shield Meredith from the wrath of Dr. Torres. Addison figured perhaps the incident had something to do with another intern, one who Callie loved very dearly, one George O' Malley.
The search for Callie continued. Addison figured that Torres' needs were more important than her own at the moment. She wasn't in the Gallery, observing a surgery. Nor she was in the lounge, where Addison first realized that something had happened between Callie and Mark. Torres later confirmed that something indeed had happened between them. Addison could see how Callie would be attracted to Mark, better known to some as McSteamy. She herself was drawn in by his cocky demeanor. More times than she probably should've allowed herself to. She saw a kindred spirit in Torres. They both found themselves often on the outside looking in, Callie more so than Addison. Underneath Torres' tough exterior was someone who had been self-reliant for so long she struggled with the connections she made. She struggled with O'Malley and the fact that he was so gun shy from his failed attempt at being with Meredith Grey that he couldn't bring himself to say those three little words she had been waiting to hear from him. She struggled with the fact that O'Malley constantly put the needs of his roommates ahead of his own. That had Torres standing on the outside looking in once more after finding some semblance of being accepted. Addison arrived in Seattle intent on repairing her marriage with Derek. Which meant taking him away from Meredith, everyone's favorite. Probably the reason Addison initially received a less than friendly welcome from many at Seattle Grace.
Addison took a moment from her search to rest upon an empty gurney downstairs near the basement. She knew that interns used to frequent the area when not on call. They had long since abandoned that hideaway in favor of a new one, inside the room of a senior citizen in a coma. No ever visited the elderly patient, hence the interns were able find a few moments of peace and quiet before being called back to duty. Addison retrieved her Blackberry from resting on her hip. Torres' number was saved to her phone. She pressed the Blackberry to her ear, as she patiently awaited her friend picking up. After several rings, Callie's voice mail greeting played: "You already know what to do. Go ahead, do it." BEEP!
Trying hold in her laughter after the beep, Addison couldn't resist snickering at the beginning of her message. "Torres? It's me, Addison. Didn't I tell you that you should change that greeting of yours? It's not very professional." She began snickering even harder, to the point where let out a loud snort. No one fortunately was around to hear such a thing. Quickly she regained her composure, knowing that her time was limited for leaving a message. "Anyway, where the hell are you? I've been all over this place from top to bottom. You're nowhere to be found. Both of our shifts are just about done. I figured we maybe could head over Joe's for a drink. If not, we could do it some it some other time. Either way, give me a call as soon as you can. Bye."
The moment she hung up, Addison heard a noise that caught her off guard. She looked around, trying to find the source of that noise. Again she heard it. Addison was certain that the noise came from the basement. As she walked towards the darkness, her imagination brought to mind a scene from a horror movie in which she would be the next victim. Addison shook herself loose from her imaginary scenario. The noise grew louder. It was the sound of someone crying.
"Hello?" Addison called out to the unseen person overwhelmed with grief. "Is there someone down here?"
"Addison?" The voice called back, shaky and breathy.
"Yeah?" Addison responded sounding slightly unsure. She had a hunch about who the mystery voice belonged to. "Torres? Is that you?"
"Yeah. Come a little closer. I think I can see you."
Addison followed Callie's instructions. Torres was slumped against a naked wall, where posters of her favorite movies once hung. The area where she once called home was now barren.
"Torres? Are you alright? Better yet, why are you even down here, in this nasty old room?"
"Having a bad day."
"I can see that. But, why here?"
"Have a seat."
Addison looked at Torres as if she wanted to say Are you kidding? Were she wearing scrubs, sitting on the dirty floor near her friend wouldn't have been a problem. Obviously Callie needed a shoulder to lean on, a shoulder to cry on. Addison removed her pristine white lab coat, folded it up and placed it on the floor near Torres. She gently took her seat upon it. Callie immediately rested her head upon Addison's shoulder, her dark curly locks mingling with her friend's perfectly straight fiery red hair.
"Did you know I used to live down here?"
"Here? In the basement?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Did anyone else know you were living down here? Did O' Malley know?"
"Yeah. Funny you should mention him."
"Why? I thought you two were broken up."
"We are. I mean, I thought there was a slight chance we would get back together. But then somebody ratted me out. George found about me and Sloan."
"Is that why you threw Meredith Grey up against a locker earlier? Did you throw her up against a locker?"
"You heard about that, huh? God, all people do around here screw each other, stab each other in the back and gossip."
"Amen to that, sister."
"I told Meredith that I slept with another guy. I was so upset that I couldn't even think straight. I forgot I didn't even mention that it was Sloan. All I knew I was that I was about to break that skinny bitch in half."
Addison snickered, trying her best not to snort in front of Callie.
"Seriously," Torres continued. "Grey was about to be toast. And Izzie, she tried to jump in. Always in someone else's business, as usual. I never liked Izzie. She's so judgmental. Like she never did anything wrong. I'm surprised at the Chief for letting her Coo-Coo For Cocoa Puffs ass back in here. The bitch cut a freakin' LVAD wire, for crying out loud! She cut the LVAD wire of the man she was soooo in love with! And she's got the nerve to throw shade on me! She doesn't even know me!"
"Easy, tiger, easy."
"I'm just saying though, Addison. You know, I didn't really care for Grey at first either. She hurt George so bad."
"What happened between Grey and O' Malley?"
"One night stand. It went very badly. So bad that George moved in with Burke and Christina for awhile."
"Seriously?"
"Addison, I kid you not."
"Wow, I guess I'm not in the loop after all."
"Oh, it gets better. Yang made Burke kick George out."
"I'm not so surprised by that."
"Yeah, me neither. She's so hardcore."
"Torres, you of all people shouldn't talk."
"Whatever. Anyways, George crashed with me down here for awhile. Eventually he made up with Grey and moved back in with her and Stevens."
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"So, you never really answered my question. Why are you hiding out down here?"
"Grey managed to talk some sense into me. It turned out she didn't say anything to George about the thing with Sloan at all. George told her. He thinks I cheated on him. But I didn't."
"I know you didn't, sweetie. But, who told George?"
"At this point, I don't even care if the freakin' Easter Bunny told him. I tried talking to him earlier. I tried to tell him that I didn't betray him. But he wouldn't listen. He yelled at me. He never raised his voice at me, ever. That scared me, it really did. It's like the guy I fell in love with isn't there anymore. Instead there's this guy who looks like him. Who walks and talks just like him. But he's all dark and twisty inside." Callie's voice began to tremble again. "I know I sound like I'm being selfish, Addison. I know he's having a rough time with his dad being treated here for his heart on top of having cancer. All I wanna do is be there for him. But he won't let me. And you know what? It's all my fault. All. My. Fault. I should never broken up with him in the first place. If I wouldn't have gotten frustrated with him and walked away, I would've never, ever slept with Sloan. I would've never thrown Grey up against a locker like that. God, I owe her an apology. But, I just can't face her right now. Not like this."
"I'm sure she'll understand. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"You don't understand. I never used to be like this, Addison. I was out there in the world. Me, myself and I. Guys would come and guys would go. Wouldn't have cared to shed a tear over 'em. And didn't. Then along came this guy who did such an amazing thing. He performed open heart surgery on an elevator stuck between floors. I don't even remember how high up they were. All I know that drop would certainly killed everyone on that elevator. But he kept his cool, he put his life on the line to save somebody else's. I just had to meet him. The other guys I've been with, they don't add up to half the man George O' Malley is."
"Yeah, he's seems like such a sweet guy. A kind, decent, sweet guy."
"He is, Addison. He is. You know what's funny though. Grey told me that Izzie, of all people, said that George was my McDreamy."
"What the heck is a McDreamy?"
Callie suddenly sprang up, finally looking at Addison eye to eye. "Oh, so you don't know then?"
"Obviously not. Care to fill me in?" Addison shifted in her seat trying to get more comfortable.
"I don't know if you wanna hear this but…"
"Go ahead. I have a feeling it's about Derek. At this point, anything regarding him, I'm practically bulletproof."
"Okay, from what I understand, Grey and Derek hooked as soon as they both started working here. It was on the hush-hush, 'cause as you well know attendings dating their interns is not allowed."
"Uh-huh." Addison broke eye contact with Callie.
"Uh-huh what? What was that?"
"Oh, nothing." Addison re-established eye contact with Torres.
"Yeah, it was something alright."
"No, trust me. It was nothing."
"Addison Forbes Montgomery." The way Callie uttered her friend's entire name was stern, yet she maintained a grin on her face. "You did something. Something that's got you feeling really guilty right about now. So come on, spill it."
"Okay, it's not really something that I did. It was more like I vibe felt. A moment. With an intern."
Callie was silent for a moment. The only other male intern she knew of besides her beloved George was "Karev? You had a 'moment' with Alex Karev? Yuck!"
"What's wrong with Karev?"
"What's wrong with Karev? How about what's right with Karev? Not a damn thing. He's so freakin' arrogant! He's like Mark Sloan's mini-me!"
"He's not that bad, at least not yet he isn't. That's what I told him. When we had our, um, moment."
Callie glared at her friend armed with a smirk. She began to laugh infectiously enough for Addison to follow suit.
"We are a mess, Torres."
"Speak for yourself. I mean I know I'm a mess. But you, Addison, you are the definition of a mess."
"Whatever, Torres. Come on. Let's get out of here and head over to Joe's. We never did get that drink we talked about."
"Screw Joe's. Let's do shots back at the bar at the hotel. That way, we won't have far to go when we're finally drunk."
"Sounds good to me. No interns. No work related drama. Just two gals enjoying each other's company. Only thing is I'm not trying to get drunk tonight. I'm just looking to unwind."
"You're such a wuss."
"Yeah, you're BFF's with said wuss, so what does that say about you?"
"BFF? Is that like a snooty New York thing?"
"Shut up!"
Torres threw her head back in full on laughter as Addison rose up from the floor. She picked up her lab coat and began dusting it off as Callie slowly stood up. She looked over at Torres, still laughing as if she performed the greatest joke ever told. Addison couldn't help but to laugh along with her again. The two doctors emerged from the darkness of the basement together, off to enjoy their after work hours, bonding over guzzling enough alcohol to allow them to forget the stress they endured that day.