Hey! So, guess what. That's right, it's my annual Christmas oneshot! Hopefully it makes up for my long periods of absence, even though it's totally cheesy. Well, enjoy anyways!

I own nothing.

He frowns as he looks at the broken woman before him. This time last year, she was probably sitting in front of a roaring fire with Shepherd, drinking cocoa and watching the snow or something. Now she's practically folded over on her bar stool, studying an empty glass.

"Hey," he greets her, driven by some strange impulse to join her.

She looks up. "Hello," she says formally.

"You okay?"

She rubs at her eyes. "Do I look okay to you?"

"Not really," he admits. "I thought you loved Christmas." The last comment is out of his mouth before he realizes just how clumsy and hurtful it might seem and he cringes as he hears it.

She traces the rim of her glass, glaring at it like it was the one that had divorced her. "Every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart," she snaps.

His brow furrows and she catches him frowning. "Relax, Karev. It's a quote from A Christmas Carol. I don't hate Christmas that much."

"You shouldn't hate it at all."

"Oh, look who's talking!" she scoffs. "The king of Christmas Scroogery!"

"Scroogery? Really?"

"Shut up. I'm drunk and it's Christmas. I get to make up words if I want."

"But Scroogery?"

"Scroogery is a great word and you're just mad that you didn't come up with it first," she slurs.

"You really are drunk," he comments.

"I swear to drunk, officer, I am not God," Addison murmurs with a little laugh. "I'm not that drunk. I'm just… sad." She goes back to looking for answers in her glass.

Then he does something that really surprises him. "Let's get out of here," he suggests.

"What?"

"Yeah, let's, uh, let's go for a walk."

She raises an eyebrow. "You do realize it's snowing and very cold outside, right?"

"Come on," he says and stands up, handing her the gloves that are lying on the bar.

"You're insane," she comments with a shake of her head. But she tugs on the gloves and puts on her coat anyways.

"Joe!" Alex calls. When the bartender responds, he asks, "Can you take the lady's purse?"

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"We're going for a walk, Joe," Addison answers with an eye roll.

"Because that's what sane people do in the freezing cold?"

"The man wants to go for a walk, Joe," Addison says, the patient humor in her voice ringing quite clear. "So we're walking."

He takes her purse and waves. "Have fun."

0ooo0

They push out into the world that is slowly being covered in snow. Addison shivers. "Okay, I told you it was cold out here!" she exclaims.

"Come on," Alex orders. "Quit being such a baby."

"I am not a baby!"

"Then will you come on?"

She pouts but does as he asks. They walk in silence for what seems like an eternity. And somehow without speaking they agree to sit down on a bench. Addison rubs her hands together and brings them to her mouth to blow into them, even though she already has gloves on.

"Are you cold?"

"It's snowing and I'm sitting on a park bench. What do you think, Karev?"

"Sorry. Did you want to go back?" He starts to get up.

"No!" Addison exclaims, grabbing his arm to stop him. "I mean, no… I mean, it's better than sitting and wallowing in self- pity, right?"

They sit in silence again until he breaks it. "Look, Addison, I-"

"Let's play a game," Addison announces suddenly, interrupting him. She can sense him heading somewhere she's not sure she's comfortable with him going.

"A game?" he asks skeptically.

"A game. We'll play… we'll play the Question Game!"

"The Question Game?" he repeats, his voice never dropping the skepticism.

"You can only speak in questions. If you don't ask a question, you lose. And the loser… the loser has to answer questions."

"You are drunk, aren't you?"

"I am not," Addison insists. "Will you play or not?" He shrugs. "Okay, can I start?"

"Haven't you already?" he shoots back with a grin.

"Are you playing?"

"Aren't you?"

"Why is it so cold?"

"Do you realize where you live?"

"Why does that mean it has to be cold?"

"Why are you so against cold?"

"Why wouldn't I hate the cold?"

"Why would you move to Seattle then?"

"Remember that whole thing about being married to the neurosurgeon thing?"

He's quiet for a minute. "Why'd you change the subject earlier?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Do you not want to talk about it?"

"Do we have to talk about it?"

"Don't you think we should?"

"Why?"

"Have you really not figured it out?"

She bites her lip. "You really want to talk about it?"

"Don't you know the answer to that already?"

"Did you mean what you said in the supply closet?"

"Could you not tell I was lying?"

"Why?"

"It's stupid," he grumbles, turning away.

"That's not a question!" Addison points out triumphantly. "Now you have to answer my questions!"

He rolls his eyes. "Fine."

"You lied?"

He kicks the snow at his feet and concentrates on that. "Yeah."

"Why?"

He shrugs.

"You lost, Alex. That means you have to answer my questions."

"You're… you. And I'm me and it's just… not worth it."

"Not worth it?" She sounds offended and for good reason.

"Look, it's… different with you. It's not something I do. It's… serious. And you're you."

"I'm me?"

"You're Addison Forbes Montgomery and I'm… me."

She give a harsh bark of surprised laughter. "Do you think I'm too good for you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She laughs again, bitterly this time. "Let's recap: you think the adulterous bitch who cheated on her husband with his best friend, lived with said best friend, aborted said best friend's baby, and then, and only then, chased her husband across the country, wouldn't give him up when she should have, was cheated on, only to repeat the same mistakes with the best friend, you think that's too good for you? You must have a really low self-esteem, if you do."

"I…"

"Alex, just give this a chance."

"I cheated on Izzie," he blurts out. "What if I do it to you? I… I couldn't hurt you like that."

"Bullshit."

"What?"

Addison rolls her eyes. "I'm calling bullshit. Don't pretend this is just about you not wanting to hurt me. You're trying to make it seem like you're doing me this huge favor. But you're not. All you're doing is screwing me up. The truth is you're just scared that this might actually go somewhere. You're scared that this might be more than a one night stand, because that's where you're comfortable. I'm fine with not being together, but don't pretend for one second it's for my own good. Because it's not."

He stares at his hands. "You're right."

"I know." Her voice and eyes soften as she smiles nervously at him. "I'm scared too, you know?"

"What could you possibly be scared about?" he scoffs.

"Everything," she breathes and suddenly looks just as broken as when he first found her at the bar.

"So what if this… thing doesn't work?"

"Then we go back to whatever," she shrugs. "But I don't think we can go back from here."

"I really, really suck at this, Addison. You should know that."

A soft laugh burbles from her lips. "Oh, I know. But so do I."

He nods. "Okay. Yeah."

She grins back. "Okay."

"But I'd like to hear this all again when you're sober. Just to be safe."

3 Years Later

"Alex, it's cold!" Addison cries, incredibly annoyed that he's dragging her out into the snow, even though she's totally bundled up.

"Don't be such a baby."

"You're a bitch, you know that? An honest to God bitch."

Alex laughs. "I think that may be the first time I've ever been called a bitch."

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"Just for a walk," he says, threading his hand through hers.

"I'm not happy about this," she grumbles.

"There's a surprise," he laughs.

She looks a little surprised when he leads her to the park where they once played the Question Game. "What are we doing here?" she inquires suspiciously.

"Let's play a game," he replies.

An eyebrow rises. "A game?"

"Let's play the Question Game. I know you know the rules."

"Um, okay."

"Do you want to start or should I?"

"Wasn't that already a question?"

"Do you always have to be a smartass?"

"Isn't that what you love about me?"

"Every minute of every day though?"

"Are you really just jealous you're not as quick-witted as me?"

"Do you really think I'm going to fall for that?"

"Why are we playing this game?"

"Why wouldn't we be playing this game?"

"Do you realize how cruel of an answer that is?"

"Will you marry me?"

Addison stares at him in shock. "What?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

"I… Oh my God."

He grins. "That was not a question. And now you owe me an answer."

"I… Alex… I just…"

"Okay, you had to convince me to start this thing. Am I really going to have to convince you to marry me? That doesn't really seem fair. You started it."

She grins and tears spring to her eyes. "And you better not end it," she replies, kissing him deeply. "You have a ring for my suddenly very lonely finger?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Alex, as your newly-appointed fiancée, I demand to see that ring!"

"Demand? Really? Well," he sighs, "I do love it when you're bossy."

He pulls a small box out of his coat pocket and she tears off her glove in order to inspect the stone on her finger. "I love it," she declares. "It and you."

"I know," he smirks.

She stops staring at her finger long enough to glare at him. "Don't be an ass."

"Isn't that what you love about me?" he mimics her answer from earlier.'

"I could very easily take this ring off," she lies.

"Addison?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you said yes."

She kisses him again. "So am I."

I TOLD you it was cheesy! Happy Holidays!

Love,

-Juli-