A/N: Alternate ending to Private Practice 1x06 (if you don't watch, it doesn't matter) and GA 4x06. Other Addex lovers probably wish Addison or Alex went after the other, so I just put thought to paper for those Addex fans, so EnJoy! And Review, cuz it's already hard finding Addex inspiration w/o going thru my DVD set.
Summary: Addison seems to have forgotton something, or someone, in SGH. A oneshot on how Addie goes back to get what she wants. Alternative endings to Private Practice 1x06 & Grey's Anatomy 4x06, though no real spoilers. ADDEX.
Title: "In Which Addison Heads Back to Seattle for What She Left Behind"
Off in LA
"How about you Addison?" Naomi asked her what she would be doing if she didn't have long to live.
She paused with a slight smirk on her face at the abrupt answer that popped into her brain. But she hesitated, not wanting to let onto the thoughts of a man who never strayed far from her mind.
"I don't know," she drawled out, avoiding the curious gazes with a shrug.
Inadvertently she glanced over at Pete, who earlier that evening had repeated a line she had heard several times before. If she wanted to have fun, he'd be there, otherwise, he wasn't interested.
Why did she always attract the disconnected men, she bemused to herself? Naomi seemed to notice her glancing off, and noted Pete was right in Addison's sight.
"Liar," she nudged her, as she stood up to leave.
She didn't bother to deny or accept the accusation, because truth be told, it was easier to believe she wanted this man who was several dozen feet in front of him rather than a man several dozen miles away from her.
She walked over to Pete, pushing herself in front of him, forcing his attention on her, and boy, did she have his attention.
Addison didn't like being a tease, in fact, she hated being a tease. But so what, Pete had teased her with a kiss. Why couldn't she tease him, at least to make sure there wasn't a real connection there. Sure they had chemistry, and he was hot, and that kiss had left her breathless. But it wasn't unforgettable, and it didn't leave her tingling for more, or dazed and confused, whilst feeling like she had gained some wonderful perspective.
She didn't hesitate to kiss him, and didn't bother to lie to him, just said that he had 'good hands.' She wasn't looking for fun--she was looking for so much more. She wasn't going to take chances, and if she was going to do things on a whim, she was going to do them for the right reasons. She gave him a playful smirk, but did not give in to his seductive gaze. Pete was attractive, but she wasn't looking for attractive, charming, challenging, confident men anymore. She had found all of that bundled up into a honest, contemplative, sincere, and charismatic individual already.
So she walked away from Pete, with another good but not extraordinary kiss under their belt, and walked into the kitchen more convinced than ever that only one person could live up to her expectations. Even if he rejected her, she was willing to take one last chance. Addison knew what she wanted to be doing if she only had a limited amount of time to live, and she needed to see for herself if that which she wanted, wanted her as well. She was going out on a whim, was going to give herself another ounce of hope, because in her hearts of hearts she still pined for him.
"Naomi?" Addison stood beside her in rhe kitchen.
"Yeah?"
"I know the timing's off, and it's a bit too soon to be asking for this--but if had such little time to live, I'd want just one thing. I don't have a disease, as far as I know, I'm not going to die soon--knock on wood," she knocked on the counter," but I don't want to take any chances. I want to go after, well, after what I want."
"Okay," Naomi smirked," well, Pete's right out there, so…"
Addison chuckled at her friend's naiveté.
"It's not Pete," she laughed,
"Yeah, right," she scoffed.
"Naomi!"
"Okay, fine. Finish your train of thought."
"Okay, well, what I want is not exactly here in the Ocean Wellness group…"
"What? I thought you were warming up to it, I--"
"No, no, Naomi. The problem isn't Oceanside. This is a nice setting, and the lack of stress has done away with the pounding headaches. But I left something behind, and I don't want to look back ten years from now wondering what else I could have here in LA."
"What are you telling me Addison? You want to leave?"
"Well…yes, but just for a few days. I want this job, I need this job, because the alternative job practically made me into a woman I never wanted to be. But not everything at that job was horrible. Actually, I found a few things there that made me feel like the woman I always wanted to be."
"So you're asking for a few days off after working here for only a couple of months?!"
"Please, Naomi. I know it makes no sense, but I have to go back."
"What if you get what you want, and want to stay?"
Addison paused, having been thinking this as well.
"Addison?"
"That's a possibility, Naomi. However, you lulled me into this job because you said I needed to look out for my well-being. If I get my great chance to have this great thing back in my life, all the consequences will be worth it."
Naomi looked at her best friend, with concern. No doubt this had to do with a man, and the determination in her friend's eyes shone with the fierce resolve she had.
Naomi could look at this situation in two lights: As a professional, or as a friend. Addison was the best neo-natal specialist a medical community could grab a hold on, and a departure such as hers would mean loss of revenue and credit.
Addison had also been there through her worst times, and she had seen Addison endure heartache after heartache, and Addison had seemingly given up believing in men long ago. Now, Addison looked renewed and ardent in 'getting her man.' Here was Addison's chance to live the life she always wanted, and as her friend, she couldn't exactly deny her happiness.
"Okay, but first you sit down and tell me all about this guy that's got you willing to leave the sunnier pastures."
"What makes you think it's a guy?" she laughed.
"Honey, only men make women sound like raging lunatics, so spill!"
She rolled her eyes, and gave in. "His name's Alex Karev, and let me just say, he isn't the typical Prince Charming…"
Off in Seattle
Now why did this remind her of that time she came here a little over a year ago, bag in hand, ready to win her husband back?
Right, because she had returned to Seattle Grace Hospital for a man. Now that is what one might call pathetic, but Addison knew it was determination. She knew what she wanted, and was not going to give up on it so easily.
She told herself this, and nodded her head to herself. 'Come on Addison, keep moving,' she willed heself.
That is until she saw the person she had come for walking out of the hospital with a woman trailing behind him.
She almost called out to him when she saw the woman grab Alex's attention, and instead Addison stepped into the shadows, a little curious as to what this woman wanted with her Alex. Well, not her Alex…
She tuned out the other noises and listened intently on their conversation.
"What are you doing tonight?" she heard the girl say. Whore. Wow, that slipped out of nowhere.
"As in?"
"What are you doing tonight?" ugh, couldn't that lady leave already?
"Listen, um, I'm not a nice guy. I don't date, I don't call the next day, I'm not looking for a relationship cuz I'm never good at 'em," he paused as Addison smirked at him thinking so lowly of himself. If he wasn't a nice guy, he wouldn't be warning the poor girl.
"And honestly I'm kinda hung up on somebody else, so, the only thing you're ever gonna get from me is sex, and uh, that's never good enough for girls like you. "
She winced. God, why had she come back here. The man was pining over that frickin' Jane Doe. And he was practically referring to the day she and Alex had sex, and he had dismissed her saying she wasn't his girlfriend. Of course Alex wasn't looking for her, he probably hadn't even noticed she had left.
She looked back up to keep listening in, but instead saw that Alex was headed her way. Shit.
She looked frantically for a place to hide, but couldn't so she did her best to cover her face and turned away from Alex, so he'd only see some random passerby.
She felt him walk right by her, as their shoulders brushed for a second, and she felt the electricity surge right through her. She kept still, hoping he'd keep walking, waiting several seconds to turn back around.
But right before she turned around, he heard her call her name.
"Addison?" he didn't sound quite sure of himself.
Cursing her luck, she turned around with a plastered smile.
"Dr. Karev! How--how'd you recognize me?" she exclaimed a little too cheerfully. She saw him gulp, and a look of hurt pass over his gaze.
"The hair," he gave as an inadvertent response, so he quickly added another thought," Aren't you supposed to be on the other side of this country?"
Her eyes flickered downwards, at his cutting tone. She recovered quickly and grinned up to him.
"Just here for a quick getaway."
"So soon?"
"Do you have a problem with my being here, Karev?"
"Only if you have a problem with you being here," he gritted through his teeth.
"You left Addison, why the hell are you back?" he gave off an accusatory tone, and she swore his anger came from disappointment.
"I forgot something," she answered honestly.
"Yeah, well that happens when you leave too quickly," he turned on his heel and began walking away.
"Maybe I wouldn't have left too quickly if someone would have stopped me," she yelled behind him.
He stopped mid-step and bit his lip, a fusion of offense and resentment running through his blood.
Alex turned back around and marched up to Addison.
"You didn't tell anyone you were leaving," he whispered harshly.
"Everyone was too wrapped up in their own lives to care for mine. No one asked, so I didn't say anything," she felt herself growing in intimidation amidst his glare and now towering figure.
He hesitated to answer, and his eyes glanced around their surroundings. As he stared at the ground, he said, "How long are you here for?"
"I'm not sure. It depends."
"On what?" he looked back to her.
She didn't verbally answer him--she just locked gazes with him, her senses picking up on all the familiar smells and feelings she got when she was near him.
From the way she looked at him, he knew what she'd come back for, and he practically had the urge to give him the speech he'd given Lexie.
"You sent me in another woman's direction, Addison. Don't be giving me this crap now."
"You went after her Alex. Actions speak louder than words, and I only spoke some thoughts I figured you had."
"And you didn't walk away Addison? I went after some girl, in some misguided, self-destructive notion. But I came back, and you weren't in that church anymore."
"You said you weren't interested."
"I lied! And you knew that, but you kept pretending you only wanted me for some sex game!"
"Some sex game?! Karev, I don't have one-night stands. I don't sleep with someone just for the hell of it! But you used me, you said I wasn't your girlfriend!"
"And you drove away, across the frickin country, Addison! Don't call me a coward if you're not gonna admit that you are one!"
Addison blinked back tears, already regretting the trip she had made over here. She gave him a hurt look, hating him for calling her a coward, for driving her away. But he didn't seem to care, because he kept shooting her glares of anger.
"I seem to have made a mistake in coming here. I thought good people deserved good things, but apparently I haven't been as nice as I should be, otherwise I'd be doing exactly what I want to be doing. And I wouldn't have to settle for something less than what I want," she spewed bitterly.
"Just the way the world works," he shrugged. With that dismissive look of his, she berated herself for believing Alex Karev would want her, and so she brushed past him, pausing a bit to feel their shared electricity, and walked away.
Only a few feet away from him, with her back to him, she threw caution to the wind, and looking over her shoulder, through the air that separated them, she whispered, "I loved you, Alex."
He shot through his stunned expression and wide gaze, and turned around to her," Then don't walk away."
He smirked when she turned back on her heel.
"What?" she said with an incredulous gaze.
"Don't walk away," he shrugged nonchalantly, diminishing all the distance.
"If I don't walk away Karev, what's to say you won't either. I did just hear you telling that girl you were only good for sex, and that you were hung up on somebody else."
"Well, I wasn't lying."
"Just like you weren't lying when you said you weren't interested."
"Thought I'd get over you," he began leaning into her. "But I didn't, and I haven't. You're the only person I've ever missed Addison, I'm pretty sure that means something."
The small grin on her face grew, and she stopped thinking, stopped wondering if this was right or not. Because by the way her knees weakened just by the look in his eyes, and just by the way her senses went into overdrive with his proximity, she knew it was right. Some chemistry cannot be denied, and she's never had this sort of chemistry with anyone before.
She grabbed his face, closing the remaining distance, and kissed him full force, the world stopping at their feet. His hand combed through her soft red hair, and he wrapped his arms around her, returning the kiss. Passionate, hardcore, yet tender and caringly, they kissed, melting together their best facets in their kiss.
They broke apart, and they rested their heads together.
"So what is it exactly that you want to be doing, cuz I'm pretty sure we're both deserving of what we want," he smirked.
"Hmm, then why don't we go get what we want, Karev?"
He grinned and pressed his lips to her. "Come on, my car's this way," he dragged her away.
--
"That was so much better then the on-call room," Addison laughed as Alex kept tracing kisses down her chest.
"Although we could get someone to clean this room of yours up."
Alex made his way back to her lips, his tongue pushing past her lips, and he smirked at her. "You offering?"
"That's not my job, Karev," she scoffed.
"As my girlfriend, it is."
The playful look in her eyes dissipated, and she looked at him wearingly.
"It's just a label, Addison, but if you want it, it's yours."
"Do want the label of boyfriend, Alex?"
"If it keeps the guys away," he shrugged.
She kissed him softly, and caressed his cheek. "We don't need the labels, but that doesn't mean we're not…"
"Yeah, whatever," he tried keeping away from getting to mushy.
"I don't think that's a definitve answer."
"You can trust me Addison."
"Okay, then, where's the restroom?"
Alex jumped off the bed and helped Addison up. She wrapped the sheets around her, and they walked over to his doorway.
"Down the hall, second door to your right," he pointed.
"Alright," she peeked down the hallway.
"Hey, Addison?" he scratched his head nervously.
"Yes?"
"Are you--are you going back to that place?"
She sighed, not sure either of whether she going back or not.
"I don't know Alex, but tonight, I'd rather not dwell on the particulars."
"You're right," he smiled and leaned in to kiss her.
They kissed tenderly, just savoring their moment. But like all moments in Seattle, they were interrupted.
"Addison?" Meredith's squeaky voice came from the door opposite them.
"Hello, Dr. Grey," Addison smirked at the confused look of Meredith.
She looked at Alex and whispered," I'm going to the bathroom, in the meantime, try getting that look off her face."
She raised her eyebrows at the shocked Meredith, who in turn yelped at Alex.
"You and Addison?!"
Alex simply nodded.
"Well, is she back indefinitely?"
Alex glanced in the direction Addison went, waiting patiently for her to come back.
"I hope so," he answered softly as Addison came back to him.
Without another word, Addison wove her fingers with Alex's, and they went back inside their little private quarters.
I know, a little fluffy and not a lot, but after everything, Addison and Alex need mushy and a little something. Together. Seriously, cuz in my mind those two are still meant to be together, and if you agree, I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot and that you will REVIEW (please!).