Set late in Season 3 - before "Desire."
Addison/Alex one shot. Hope you enjoy & reviews are greatly appreciated!
The Bachelorette Party
"Dr. Montgomery," I have Mrs. Kennedy's labs," Alex said, as he entered Addison's office.
Addison looked up from her desk somewhat distractedly, "Oh, great, thanks, Karev," she smiled, and returned her attention to the paper in front of her.
Alex handed Addison the labs, but instead of leaving, he walked over to Addison's side of the desk and peered over her shoulder at the piece of paper that had been occupying his boss' attention before he interrupted. He was expecting to find a medical journal or maybe information about an incoming case but, instead, he found, in front of her, a list written in her meticulous handwriting.
"What's this?" he asked snatching the paper off Addison's desk.
"Karev," Addison exclaimed angrily.
"Hmm, let's see," he began reading from the list, "Have a guy give you a condom." Alex smirked, "I could help you with that."
"Karev!"
Alex chuckled and continued reading, "Do a body shot off of a guy…Kiss a guy with the same name as the groom…What the hell is this?"
"It's for Cristina's bachelorette party," Addison explained uncomfortably.
"Whoa, I think I need to sit down," Alex laughed.
"Or you could just leave," Addison said, rolling her eyes.
"Leave? No way, this is way too good," Alex smirked, as he brought another chair next to where Addison was sitting, and sat down.
"You know, you could have kept the chair on the other side of the desk," Addison muttered dryly.
"But then we both wouldn't be able to see the list," Alex answered smugly. "So, where to begin," he laughed. "Okay, let's start with the obvious – why are you throwing Cristina a bachelorette party?"
"Because she's getting married," Addison answered simply. "That's what you do."
"That's what normal people do," Alex corrected her. "We're talking about Cristina Yang. She's not normal. If you all would have just offered her one of your surgeries, you probably could have washed your hands of this whole bachelorette party thing completely."
"You're not telling me anything I don't know," Addison responded. "Do you really think it was my idea to throw Cristina Yang a bachelorette party? Do you really think my ideal Friday night includes a bachelorette party with Cristina Yang, Meredith Grey, and Izzie Stevens?"
"Okay, okay, point taken," Alex laughed, putting his hands up in surrender. "So why are you going, then? And why are you planning it?"
"I am not planning it," Addison shot back angrily.
Alex tapped the list that was still in his hand and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
Addison sighed, "I'm helping Izzie. I don't even know how it happened," she confessed. "I mean, one minute Izzie was trying to convince me to go to this stupid thing, the next thing I know, I'm helping her come up with a bachelorette party scavenger hunt. She must have drugged me or something."
Alex smiled, "Well, I mean, you are sort of the obvious choice for this kind of thing."
"Oh, really, how am I in any way the obvious choice for this kind of thing?" Addison retorted. "Because I've been married before? Callie's married now; she'd be a better choice. Hell, you'd even be a better choice. I mean, I hardly even know Cristina Yang."
"I just meant, you're the obvious choice because, well, Meredith doesn't do these kinds of things, and it's not like Izzie and Callie are on good terms with each other, so that kind of leaves you," Alex explained.
"Touching," Addison said dryly. Then, brightening, she added, "But Izzie did bake me muffins, as a sort of thank you." She gestured to a large basket of muffins on her desk. "Want one?"
"Sure. Thanks," Alex smiled, taking two muffins from the basket, and handing one to Addison. "So, you really think you're gonna be able to find a guy named Preston for Yang to kiss?" he smirked.
"My bet is that it won't even be an issue. I can't exactly see Cristina Yang agreeing to do any of the things on this list. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't show up," Addison confessed.
"Your party would probably be better for it," Alex chuckled. "By the way, you have chocolate chip muffin on your face."
Addison rubbed her face gently, being careful not to mess up her makeup. "Better?" she asked.
"No," Alex laughed. "Here, I'll get it for you."
"You don't have to. I am more than capable of doing it myself," Addison said stubbornly.
"Apparently, you're not," Alex teased. "But you really should make sure you wipe it off before our consult. I'm sure it won't inspire much confidence if our patient sees that she's about to be cut into by a doctor who can't even eat a muffin without getting it all over herself – even if she is a double board certified surgeon."
"Funny," Addison said rolling her eyes.
"I'm not trying to be," Alex smirked. "Now stop being difficult and let me help you," he said, leaning in, cupping her cheek with one hand, and gently rubbing the muffin off her face with the other. God, she's beautiful, Alex thought to himself. Why the hell did I tell her I wasn't interested?
"There," Alex said softly, not letting go of Addison just yet.
"Better?" Addison asked, meeting Alex's eyes.
"Perfect," he smiled.
They were so lost in each other's eyes that neither noticed Izzie approaching Addison's office.
"Dr. Montgomery, I wanted to – oh, wow, oh, I'm so sorry!" Izzie exclaimed as Alex and Addison quickly and awkwardly moved away form each other.
"I, uh, I can come back later. I didn't know," Izzie stuttered.
"Dr. Stevens," Addison interrupted, "it's fine; I, uh, I had some chocolate chip muffin on my face, and Alex, I mean, Dr. Karev was just, just wiping it off for me," Addison stammered, while Alex nodded emphatically.
"Yeah, 'cause that's exactly what it looked like," Izzie muttered to herself.
"So, uh, Dr. Stevens, what can I do for you?" Addison asked, still a little flustered.
Izzie smiled brightly. "What do you think of this?" she gushed, showing Alex and Addison a silver rhinestone tiara with a veil attached to it.
"Yang will never wear that," Alex and Addison answered together.
"You told him about Cristina's bachelorette party?" Izzie asked Addison suspiciously.
"It's not like I invited him. He came in and saw me working on the scavenger hunt," Addison explained.
"Oh, how's it looking?" Izzie asked excitedly.
"Like a bunch of stuff that Yang will never do," Alex smirked, handing her the list.
"Oh, this looks good," Izzie said approvingly. "But where are we gonna find another guy named Preston?"
xxxxx
"One bone dry cappuccino," Mark ordered, as he stood in front of the coffee cart.
"Well, look who finally learned to order his own coffee," Alex grinned, as he approached the attending.
"Hmm," Mark grumbled, "I guess, if you want something done right around this place, you've got to do it yourself. I mean, you clearly couldn't handle coffee."
"Hey," Alex defended, "if I were you, I'd be a little nicer to me, right now. I've got some information that I think you'll find pretty valuable."
"I'm listening," Mark said, raising an eyebrow.
"Izzie and Ad, I mean, Izzie and Dr. Montgomery are throwing Yang a bachelorette party on Friday. I thought it might be fun to crash – you know, mess with them a little. Wanna join?"
"I'm always up for messing with hot drunk women," Mark grinned. "I'm in."
Perfect, Alex thought to himself. Sloan had played into his plan just perfectly. Alex was dying to see Addison outside of work. It was hard to blame him – the last time they were at Joe's together they shared what was, perhaps, the most memorable kiss of his life. Of course, he had to go and screw it up by telling her that he wasn't interested. But, as they continued to work together, and as he continued to get to know Addison, it was getting harder and harder for him to pretend that he wasn't interested in her. He had a feeling that Yang's bachelorette party was going to be a bust and, after it crashed and burned, he figured that he and Addison might be able to grab a drink together – okay, maybe he was hoping for more than a drink. But he couldn't show up to Joe's alone – that would be stalker-ish. That's where Sloan came in.
xxxxx
"Cristina, you came!" Izzie squealed as Cristina walked into Joe's. "Here," she said, holding out the tiara, "you have to wear this."
"I'm not wearing that," Cristina said flatly.
"Told you," Addison chuckled.
"Let's get a couple of drinks in her," Izzie reasoned. "She'll be wearing it by the end of the night."
"Joe, can we get some drinks over here," Meredith called out.
"So, Cristina," Izzie began with a smile, "we have a little bachelorette scavenger hunt for you."
"Sounds lame," Cristina said.
"Well, just look it over," Izzie said defensively.
"Where am I supposed to find another Preston?" Cristina asked.
Meredith took two quick shots of tequila. "Is there anyone here named Preston?" she called out. "Guess not," she shrugged when no one answered. "Okay, what's next?"
"Oh no you don't, Mer," Cristina warned. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"This is going to a long night," Addison muttered to Izzie.
"Well, at least Cristina came," Izzie defended. "Speaking of which," she began, as her eyes shot towards the door, "look who else decided to come out tonight."
Addison followed Izzie's gaze and saw Alex and Mark enter the bar together. "What are they doing here?" she asked with annoyance.
"Well, it is Joe's, and it is Friday night," Izzie rationalized. "Hey, look, they're coming over here."
"Ladies," Mark said flirtatiously, as he approached the table and gave them his best McSteamy smile, "how goes the bachelorette party?"
"Who told you we were having a bachelorette party tonight?" Izzie asked him.
Mark shrugged and pointed to Alex.
"Thanks a lot, man," Alex said dryly. "Way to throw me under the bus. So, how's the infamous scavenger hunt going," he asked, hoping to redirect the conversation.
"Not very well," Meredith giggled. "We can't find another Preston."
Cristina rolled her eyes, "There's no way I'm doing the things on that list."
"Why not?" Alex asked with feigned innocence. "Here," he smirked, tossing a condom on the table, "I'll help get you started."
"Look at that, Cristina," Izzie began encouragingly, "you already completed one of the tasks."
"Don't patronize me, Barbie," Cristina shot back angrily.
"You know, Karev," Addison began, with a hint of flirtation in her voice, "if you really want to help Yang out, you could let her take a body shot off you. That's also on the list."
"No way!" Alex and Cristina exclaimed together. "I'd rather take a body shot off Bambi," Cristina declared.
"Well, it looks like today's your lucky day," Mark smirked. "Look who just walked through the door."
Everyone turned towards the door to find George and Callie O'Malley walking hand in hand into the bar.
"Perfect!" Izzie squealed, running over to them. "George, George, we need you," she exclaimed grabbing George by the hand and dragging him over to the table where the others were sitting.
Addison, Alex, Mark, and Meredith began clearing off the table, so George could lay down on it, while Cristina glared at them all angrily.
"What's going on?" George asked in confusion, as Izzie and Mark helped him onto the table. "I just came here to drop Callie off at Cristina's bachelorette party. I was gonna go home and order a pizza, ya know, watch some T.V."
"Change of plans," Izzie laughed. "Cristina's going to do a body shot off you instead."
"Absolutely not!" George exclaimed. "I'm married!"
"I'm okay with it," Callie said calmly.
Izzie nodded at her approvingly.
"But I'm not okay with it!" George declared.
"Me neither," Cristina agreed.
"Come on, Cristina," Meredith bargained, "if you do this, then you don't have to do anything else on the list."
"Fine," Cristina grumbled. "But I'm drinking the shot out of the glass, not off of George's body. And George's shirt is staying on."
"Okay," Izzie agreed, handing George a lime wedge to stick in his mouth.
"I feel like I need to take a shot before I do this shot," Cristina mused as sprinkled some salt on George's wrist.
"Just do it already, Yang," Alex said impatiently.
"Okay, here goes nothing," Cristina said. And with that, she licked the salt off of George's wrist, drank a shot of tequila, and bit into the lime that George had in his mouth.
"Ugh, gross!" Cristina and George exclaimed together, as everyone else cheered.
"This does not leave this table," Cristina warned, as George nodded in agreement.
Mark laughed, "Come on, Yang. That wasn't even technically a body shot."
"Whatever," Cristina defended. "I did it, and that means no more scavenger hunt for me."
"Come on, Yang," Alex encouraged her, "some of the stuff on there is really good."
"Well, if you like it so much, why don't you do the scavenger hunt," Cristina shot back.
Addison and Izzie exchanged a quick, mischievous glance. "Actually, Cristina, that's a great idea," Izzie began. "Alex, why don't you do the scavenger hunt?"
"That's perfect!" Meredith exclaimed excited.
"I like that idea," Cristina said approvingly.
"This list is for chicks," Alex protested, running his eyes down the list. "You really think I'm gonna agree to kiss the hottest guy in the bar."
"Hey, it's okay, man, you're not really my type either," Mark grinned.
"What if we make it more guy appropriate?" Addison bargained. "So instead of kissing the hottest guy, you kiss the hottest girl – stuff like that."
"Okay," Alex said, softening a little, "but where am I supposed to find a woman named Preston?"
"Are there any female Prestons here?" Meredith asked. "I repeat, any female Prestons?"
Addison laughed, "How about you find a woman who has Preston Burke's initials and kiss her," she suggested.
"Oh, I like that," Callie smiled. "So what do you say, Karev, are you in?"
"No," Alex said simply.
No?" Cristina exclaimed. "Why not?"
"Well, the way I see it, I'm just doing a bunch of crazy dares just for the hell of it. You need to do something to make this worth my while," Alex explained.
"Oh, okay," Cristina nodded in understanding. "How about if you complete everything on the list, I'll give you all my best surgeries for a week?"
"Not a bad start," Alex smiled. "What else you got?"
"I'll bake you a basket of those chocolate chip muffins that you seemed to like so much the other day," Izzie offered, as both Addison and Alex looked at the floor in embarrassment.
"Okay, okay, anyone else?" Alex asked.
"You can have my best surgeries for a week too," Meredith chimed in.
"Okay, I'm in," Alex grinned. "Let me see the list. Okay, let's see," he said as he began to read, "Get a condom from a guy. Sorry Yang, I'm taking this back," he smirked, grabbing his condom off the table. "Do a body shot off of a guy. So, for me, it's do a body shot off a girl. And since Yang modified it, I think I should be able to do a modified version too."
"Okay," Addison agreed. Truth be told, she didn't think she could handle watching Alex take a body shot off of another woman.
"Okay, good," Alex smiled. Let's see, what's next? Kiss someone with the same name as the groom. So, I'm looking for a woman with the initials P.B. Then I have to get a guy's boxers. So I'm getting a woman's panties? Or should I get her bra?"
"Panties," Izzie and Addison said together.
"Get a guy's business card. So I'm getting a woman's business card. Okay, then I have to compose an impassioned speech in my head, and deliver it when the time is right," Alex read with a chuckle. "Order a sex on the beach from the bar," Alex continued, rolling his eyes, "and, lastly, kiss the hottest guy in the room, which translates into me kissing the hottest woman in the room," Alex confirmed, shooting Addison a quick glance. Well, at least that one would be fun, he thought to himself. "Okay," Alex smirked. "Yang, Grey, I hope you like the pit because this is gonna be child's play."
"Not so fast," Izzie cut in, "you have to wear this," she giggled, handing Alex the sparkly veil tiara that Cristina refused to wear.
The others began laughing hysterically, and Alex was about to protest when he realized that Addison was laughing along with the group. He didn't think that he had ever heard herlaugh so genuinely before, and he decided he loved the sound. He wanted to be able to make her laugh – even if she was laughing at his expense so, grumbling, he took the crown from Izzie, gave Addison his famous lopsided smile, and placed the veil-tiara firmly on his head. "Okay," he smirked, "let's get started."
Alex figured he'd start with the body shot first. He walked confidently over to a group of young women a few tables over, and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Alex," He smiled at them, "I was wondering if any of you would do me favor and let me take a body shot off you."
"You can take a body shot off me," one of the women offered flirtatiously.
"Great, thanks," Alex responded.
"My name is Candice," the woman smiled.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Candice," Alex said politely. "Joe, can I get a shot of tequila over here?"
"You okay?" Izzie asked, nudging Addison.
Addison turned her attention away from Alex and his new body shot friend, and faced Izzie. "Yeah, sure, why wouldn't I be?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't know," Izzie started, "you can't seem to take your eyes off Alex and you're gripping your martini glass so hard, your knuckles are turning white. Is something going on between the two of you?"
"Between me and Alex," Addison asked with a forced laugh, "no, of course not."
"I don't know," Izzie shrugged, "I mean, the other day, in your office, you guys seemed kind of…I don't know…intimate."
"Dr. Stevens, Karev and I work together…a lot. What you saw, that was just us being… civil," Addison explained.
"Really," Izzie countered. "You know, Dr. Bailey and I work together a lot, and I'd say we're pretty civil with each other, but I don't think you'd ever find us in the position that I found you and Alex in."
Addison was about to protest, when Mark cut in, "Oh, look, Joe just brought Karev his shot. Here we go."
Addison watched in annoyance as Alex licked salt off Candice's neck, took a shot of tequila, and bit into the lime that Candice had in her mouth. Why was she so bothered by that scene, Addison wondered to herself. It wasn't as if she and Alex had a shot at being anything. Sure, they had almost kissed over an incubator and actually did kiss at Joe's, but Alex had made it very clear that he wasn't interested. But, still, even after he told her that he wasn't interested, she and Alex continued to exchange countless loaded looks and shared several flirtatious moments, and maybe Izzie was right – maybe the whole muffin incident was just a little to intimate for coworkers. You're going to drive yourself crazy, she scolded herself. He said he wasn't interested; accept it and move on.
"You know," Izzie began, looking away from Alex and Candice, and turning her attention towards Addison, "it's okay to be jealous."
"I'm not jealous," Addison protested.
Izzie shot her a skeptical look.
"Okay," Addison admitted, rolling her eyes, "maybe I'm a little jealous."
"So, do I get extra points for getting a phone number?" Alex smirked as he returned to his friends, dropping a napkin with Candice's number on the table for everyone to see.
"No," the women said in disgust.
"I'd say yes, but I guess I'm outnumbered," Mark shrugged.
"So, what are you gonna do next?" George asked.
Alex looked at the list. "The business card," he decided. It took Alex three tries, but he finally managed to get a woman's business card. "Okay, on to the panties," he said as he dropped the business card onto the table. "Wish me luck."
Alex knew this next task was going to be a lot harder than the other two, but still, he was Alex Karev – he was great with women. He could do this. Alex walked up to a pretty, brown-haired woman who was standing at the bar. "Hi, I'm Alex," he introduced himself.
"Janine," the woman smiled back, eying Alex's tiara suspiciously.
"Hi, Janine. Um, this is gonna sound kind of weird, but would you mind giving me your panties?"
The next thing Alex knew, Janine was throwing her drink in his face. He could hear his friends laughing loudly behind him. Okay, that wasn't cool he thought to himself.
"Hey, no big deal," Mark said coming up behind Alex.
"What?" Alex asked in confusion.
"So, a girl threw a drink in your face; it happens to me all the time. And, don't worry, she's still interested."
"Who? The girl that just threw her drink in my face," Alex asked in disbelief.
"No," Mark responded. "Addison. You're doing this for her, right?"
Alex met Mark's eyes. "How did you-"
"Women are my thing," Mark explained, cutting Alex off. "You don't get a reputation like mine by accident."
"Excuse me," Candice said, stepping between Mark and Alex, "I believe you were looking for a pair of panties. I thought I might be able to help," she smiled handing Alex a bright pink thong.
"Uh, thanks," Alex said.
"Sure," Candice winked before turning around to join her friends.
"Hey," Mark said, nudging Alex, "look on the bright side, if things don't work out between you and Addison, I'm pretty sure that chick over there is a sure thing."
"I don't want her," Alex confessed. "She's all yours if you're interested."
"Nah, I've got my eye on someone else tonight."
"Addison?" Alex asked nervously. This could throw a wrench in his plans. He was pretty sure that Addison was over Sloan, but he wasn't sure if Sloan was over Addison.
"Not Addison," Mark assured him. "Now, come on, let's get back to the table."
"So, it wasn't easy," Alex started as he and Mark made their way back to the group, "but I got a pair of panties," Alex finished, dropping Candice's thong on the table.
"Okay, seriously, Evil Spawn, take those off the table," Cristina complained.
"Yeah, this is a bar; people eat and drink here," Callie added.
"Okay, fine, I'll put them on the floor," Alex sighed.
"Gross, not by me!" George exclaimed.
"Well, I'm off to order a girly drink. You guys can decide amongst yourselves what you want to do with Candice's panties," Alex smirked, as he left the table.
"Hey, Joe," Alex said, as he approached the bar.
"Alex, nice crown," Joe complimented. "What can I get you, a beer?"
"Um, actually, I would like a sex on the beach," Alex said quietly.
Joe looked over to where Addison, Izzie, Mark, Meredith, Cristina, Callie, and George were sitting and gave them a wink. "I'm sorry, Alex, what did you say you wanted?"
"A sex on the beach," Alex grumbled.
"Wait, one more time," Joe teased.
"Yeah, not enough people heard you," Derek laughed as he and Burke joined Alex at the bar.
"What are you guys doing here?" Alex complained.
Derek shrugged, "Meredith invited us. So what did you say you were drinking again?"
Alex rolled his eyes and loudly repeated his order, doing his best to ignore the stares he was getting from the other customers.
"Sure thing," Joe smiled.
"Derek! Preston!" Meredith exclaimed, making her way to the bar. "Alex, we finally found a Preston for you to kiss!" Meredith said excitedly.
Burke looked at Meredith in confusion.
"Um, she's only kidding," Alex said quickly.
"Hey, Meredith," Burke began, "how about you take us over to the table, and tell us about what we've missed?"
"Sounds good, Preston," Meredith agreed.
"So, Meredith is allowed to call you Preston, but I'm not," Derek complained to Burke as they made their way over to the table.
"Yes," Burke said simply.
"Uh, here's your drink, Alex," Joe said, nudging Alex slightly.
"Oh, uh, thanks," Alex said accepting his sex on the beach. "Hey, Joe, would you mind turning the music off for just a minute?" Alex asked.
"Um, sure, okay," Joe agreed, eager to see what Alex was up to next.
"Thanks," Alex smiled. As soon as Joe turned the music off, Alex gently began clanking a knife against his drink in order to get the room's attention.
"Time for the impassioned speech," Cristina said excitedly. "This is seriously the best bachelorette party ever!"
"I told you that you'd have fun," Izzie grinned.
"Um, hello," Alex stammered, once the room quieted down, "I'm Dr. Alex Karev, and I want to tell you all about an experience that changed my life. So, um, when I first started my internship at Seattle Grace, I had my heart set on being a plastic surgeon. I was a wrestler in college, and so being a plastic surgeon seemed right to me – it was like being the jock of the medical world. But then I, uh, I was forced to work in neonatology," Alex smiled, turning his attention to Addison, "and at first, I hated it. But I've scrubbed in on some pretty cool surgeries, and I've come to respect neonatology – even if it is all squishy and pink. So, I just want to raise my glass, my sex on the beach, to the vagina squad – a specialty that I completely misjudged, and one that I am now seriously considering as a future career path. To the vagina squad," Alex declared, taking a hearty sip of his drink.
"To the vagina squad!" everyone echoed.
"Did Karev seriously just give an impassioned speech about the vagina squad?" Cristina asked Meredith. "How much do you think he's had to drink tonight?"
"I don't know," Meredith responded. "I don't think he's drunk. It seemed like a pretty genuine speech to me."
"Impassioned speech – check," Alex smirked as he joined his friends at the table.
"You know, I'm never gonna let you live this speech down, Karev," Mark teased.
"Me either," Addison laughed. Then, growing serious, she added, "Thanks, Alex."
Alex smiled as he and Addison locked eyes, holding contact a bit too long to be considered appropriate. Suddenly, Alex snaked his arm around Addison's waist, and crashed his lips against hers. Addison was surprised but, instead of resisting, she found herself responding eagerly, pulling Alex in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck, and deepening the kiss.
Alex and Addison were oblivious to everything and everyone around them, until Derek loudly cleared his throat and brought them out of their haze and back to reality.
"What the hell was that?" Cristina demanded.
"Karev, I really hope you have a good explanation for this," Derek added, anger creeping into his voice.
Alex shrugged as he took in the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "Just kissing the hottest woman in the bar," he said simply. "Now, wish me luck, I only have one task left to complete."
While the others tried to wrap their heads around what had just happened, Mark whispered to Izzie, "Hey, wanna come with me to give Candice her panties back?"
"I think I'll pass," Izzie laughed.
"Come on," Mark pressed, "Karev is clearly not interested in her, and we shouldn't lead her on. I'll buy you a drink if you come with me."
"Okay," Izzie agreed reluctantly, "but you have to do all the talking."
"Deal," Mark laughed. "You know," he began, as he and Izzie made their way towards Candice's table, if I had to kiss the hottest girl in the bar, tonight, I would have chosen you."
Addison smiled as she watched Mark and Izzie walk away from the table together. She had to admit, they made a cute couple. But, right now, she kind of hated Mark for taking Izzie away from her. Over the course of the evening, Izzie had slowly become Addison's confidant and, after the kiss that she and Alex had just shared, she really needed to talk to someone. She looked around the table for another option. Burke – no, Yang – definitely no, Derek – no, Meredith – no, Callie – normally, yes, but she was busy talking to George, and George and Callie together was definitely a no. So Addison decided to do the next best thing – refill her drink.
She made her way to the bar and ordered another martini. While she was waiting for Joe to make her drink, she felt a light tap on her arm, and turned to see a young blonde-haired woman. "I think it's really cute that you and your fiancé are doing a joint bachelor and bachelorette party," the woman said to her.
"My what?" Addison asked in confusion. "Oh, I, uh, I'm not engaged," she stammered.
"Oh," the woman said in embarrassment. "I just figured that man over there wearing the veil-tiara was your fiancé. I mean, that was one hell of a kiss. And that speech he gave to you, I mean, wow. And, well, you two have been staring at each other the entire night," she finished. "So, is he your boyfriend then? You guys make a very cute couple."
"Uh, no," Addison stuttered, wishing Joe would hurry up and finish making her drink. "We, uh, we just work together," Addison explained.
"Oh, okay," the woman said uncomfortably. "I'm so sorry about that. I just thought-"
"Don't worry about it," Addison said, cutting the woman off with a forced smile. The last thing she needed right now was for this woman to go on and on about how she and Alex looked like a couple. She couldn't handle that.
"One vodka martini," Joe said, placing the drink in front of Addison.
"Thanks," Addison smiled at Joe. "Well," Addison began, "I should probably get back. It was very nice to meet you…"
"Pamela," the woman finished for her.
"Pamela?" Addison asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Tell me, Pamela, your last name doesn't happen to start with a B, does it?"
"It's Berliner," Pamela said, confusion lacing her face. "Why?"
"Come with me," Addison declared, grabbing Pamela by the arm, and dragging her to her table.
Back at the table, Alex was complaining to the group, "I feel like I've talked to every woman in the bar, and I still haven't found anyone with the initials P.B. Burke, you must have the most uncommon initials in the world."
Cristina grinned, and turned to Burke, "I love you for having such uncommon initials."
"Whoa," George shuddered, "a proclamation of love from Cristina; that was kind of weird."
"Who's your friend, Addie?" Derek teased, as Addison dragged a woman that he didn't know over to the table.
"Yeah, who are you?" Cristina asked the woman rudely.
"Alex, everyone," Addison smiled, "this is Pamela Berliner."
"P.B!" Meredith exclaimed. "Preston, it's your initial twin!"
"This is so unfair!" Cristina protested. "I'm not giving Karev my best surgeries. Pamela, what's your middle initial? It should have to match Burke's."
"Cristina, this is fair," Izzie laughed. "We're not doing middle initials; Pamela works."
"Um, excuse me, not to be rude or anything, but what exactly is going on?" Pamela asked the group.
"Oh," Addison laughed, "Alex has been doing a scavenger hunt all night, and the last thing he needs to do is kiss a woman whose initials are P.B. That's where you come in."
"So, what do you say, Pamela?" Meredith asked.
"Um, okay, sure. I mean, Alex, you're definitely a good looking guy. Uh, but are you're okay with it?" she asked Addison.
No, Addison wanted to scream. But she really couldn't protest. After all, she was the one who found Pamela and brought her over to Alex in the first place. So she buried her feelings, took a long sip of her martini, and muttered, "Yeah, it's fine."
"Then, let's do it," Pamela said excitedly, leaning in towards Alex.
Alex began leaning in as well, but he hesitated when he saw Addison, who looked clearly uncomfortable, doing her best to give him an encouraging smile. He couldn't do this to her.
Pamela noticed Alex's hesitation. "Is everything alright?" she asked him.
Alex looked at Addison again. She swallowed hard, and nodded her head supportively. "Uh, yeah, yeah," he lied. "Sorry."
"Okay," she said, moving in towards him.
Alex began leaning in towards Pamela again, but he couldn't stop thinking about Addison. He didn't want Addison to think that the kiss that they had shared earlier meant nothing to him – that it was just something for him to check off a list. If he kissed Pamela, Addison would have every right to see the kiss that they had shared as meaningless, and he didn't want that. Plus, he didn't want to kiss Pamela. He wanted to kiss Addison. He wanted to be with Addison. He wanted a future with Addison.
"Pamela," Alex began, moving away from her, "I'm sorry, you seem like a really nice person, but I can't do this."
"Oh," Pamela said, sounding disappointed. "Uh, yeah, that's okay. Good luck to whoever's getting married," she called out, as she walked away quickly.
"What the hell was that, Karev?" Cristina asked in astonishment.
"Consider it my wedding gift to you," Alex smirked.
Cristina grinned, "Best wedding gift ever!"
Alex laughed, as he moved over to where Addison was standing. "Hey," he said softly.
"Hey," she smiled back. "Why didn't you kiss Pamela Berliner? You could have had Yang and Grey's best surgeries."
Alex shrugged, "I didn't want to. I didn't want her. I want you. And it wouldn't be fair to lead her on. Speaking of which, I should probably give Candice her panties back."
"We already took care of it for you, man," Mark laughed, putting his arm around Izzie.
"Thanks, dude," Alex grinned, and then quickly turned his attention to Addison. "I want you, Addison," he said softly.
"I thought you said you weren't interested," Addison whispered.
"Addison, I am so ridiculously interested, it's kind of pathetic. I mean, I did all of this stuff tonight just to get your attention. I had a drink thrown in my face for you. I wore this veil crown for you. What I did tonight is, without a doubt, the most insane thing I've ever done to get a woman's attention. Trust me when I tell you I'm interested. The only question is are you?"
Addison smiled widely, "Of course I'm interested. I mean, its not every day, a guy wears a sparkly veil-tiara and gives up good surgeries for you."
"Well, you mean a lot to me, Addison. You really do, and I am so sorry if I ever made you think otherwise," Alex said with a warm smile.
"You mean a lot to me too," Addison said softly.
Alex smiled at her confession. And even though they were standing in front of Addison's ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, and his closest friends, who would be sure to tease him later, Alex pulled Addison in and kissed her for all he was worth.
Two years later, they shared a nearly identical kiss. Only this time, Addison wore the veil.