You're wish is my command. Here is the sequel to Let the Games Begin. Thanks to those who reviewed that fic, by the way.
As usual GA and its characters are not mine. Thanks to my quality control people - Ber and Ida. If you don't like this sequel, blame them. :)
GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY
Just hear me out, Chief" Derek Shepherd cried out in near frustration as he followed Richard Webber around the surgical floor. Getting his emotions settled, he tried again. "I think it's a good idea to organize another game."
"No."
"Richard, I really think we need another…" he grasped for the word. "… team building exercise."
Richard stopped and threw Derek a look at the choice of words but the other man ignored it and continued.
"Ever since Burke walked out on Yang, there had been tension all around. Torres and O'Malley are uncertain with each other. Stevens and Torres are this close to duking it out. Mark is… well, Mark is an ass. And Meredith …" he trailed off then tried again. "Well, Meredith is…"
"Sending death glares at you and at Addison ever since you ended it." Richard finished for him with a smirk.
"And Bailey is mad at you about the Chief Resident position." Derek fired back quickly.
The Chief ignored Derek's comeback. "I don't believe for a second that you are concerned about the relationships of the surgical staff. You just want a rematch" he accused.
"Well, there is that" Derek honestly agreed. Actually, that was only half of the reason why he wanted another game. The other part was about upholding a post-game tradition, one that involved a bubble bath, a couple of beers and a certain redhead he has yet to convince that he was serious in getting back together with. But the Chief did not need to know that.
"My team and I won that fair and square, Shep. There would be no rematch. I won our tie break. End of story."
"Okay, fine. You win that series. We'll start another one then." Derek said, crossing his arms.
Richard paused and thought the proposal over. Derek waited for his answer.
"I'll set something up" The Chief replied, then left the other man. Derek couldn't help the big grin spreading on his face.
Two weeks later, a game was organized.
X X X
When Derek arrived at the park, the others were already there. Meredith and her friends were off to one bench chatting. Addison and Callie were sitting underneath the shade of a tree with an annoyed look on their faces as Mark stood before them, telling a story with a smug smile. Bailey and Burke were near mid-field, talking. And instead of baby Tuck by her side, Miranda had her husband Tucker tag along.
Derek walked up to join the latter group.
"Hey!" he said in greeting. The three nodded at him in acknowledgement. "Tucker, good to see you" Derek said, offering his hand.
"Dr. Shepherd" Tucker replied receiving the shake.
"It's Derek, Tucker, please. Where's the baby?"
"Tuck's with the grandparents."
"And this fool here insisted on coming with me." Bailey interjected. "I don't buy his reason of wanting to spend time with me. Yeah, right, me and a dozen of my co-workers. He wouldn't tell me why he wanted to be here."
"I invited him" said Richard, coming up beside them. He was carrying the now familiar duffel bag and behind him, Nurse Debbie and Olivia followed, carrying a big water jug between them. The others started to gather around the group.
"You asked my husband to come? Why?" demanded Bailey.
"I asked Tucker to officiate the game with Nurse Debbie and Olivia." Richard replied. "The three of them have already been briefed on the rules of the game. So, if there aren't any more questions or delays, I think we're ready to start."
Tucker stepped away from the group, faced them and dug out a coin from his pocket. "Alright, if the two team captains could step forward please."
Before Derek and Richard could make their way beside Tucker, a protest rang out.
"Hey! Wait a minute, Chief! How come you and Derek get to be captains again?" Mark asked.
"Yeah. You said, we get our turns in the next game. Well, this is the next game." Burke added.
"I'm not giving up being captain. I was the one who suggested having a game in the first place." Derek said petulantly.
Richard was about to explain but the three other men converged on him and started arguing.
Only the sound of a whistle being blown stopped their argument.
"Okay, guys, guys. Let's deal with this rationally and fairly. As I understand this is a whole new game. What happened during the last game is irrelevant so I suggest that we determine captains by drawing lots." Tucker calmly said then motioned for Olivia to prepare scraps of paper.
The four men were skeptical but eventually and begrudgingly agreed.
Olivia handed him the bits of paper and Tucker took out a pen. He wrote something on two pieces and folded all the pieces in the same manner.
"Alright, those who want to be captain, draw lots. If you get a paper with a 'C' on it, you get to captain. Come on step forward."
The four men quickly stepped forward but there was an additional person.
"What are you doing?" asked Mark to the new player. The three other men also had incredulous looks on their faces at the new competition.
"Tucker said those who wanted to be captain step forward so here I am. I want to be captain." Addison said with determination.
The men started to protest.
"But…" Derek started.
Addison fixed them a glare, raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Problem?" she challenged.
A muttering of "No's" was heard. Tucker smiled and added another blank piece of paper to the pile. He cupped the pieces in his hands and shook it then offered them to the five people vying for the position. Each then took a piece with hopeful faces.
Derek took a deep breath and muttered a short prayer before opening his. His face broke into a smile when he saw what he got. Derek then looked at the other's reactions:
There was disappointment in the Chief's face.
Burke didn't say anything but the slight tick of his clenched jaw gave him away.
Addison just stood regally but impassively as if she didn't really care at all.
And Mark… well, Mark had a shit eating grin on his face.
"This is gonna be interesting" Derek muttered to himself.
Game on.
X X X
Tucker had asked the two captains to step forward and got ready for the coin toss. He motioned for Derek to choose a side.
The former best friends were staring at each other with smirks on their faces. They both knew that getting to choose teammates first was critical, especially since they were both eyeing the same woman.
Derek crossed his arms and said, "Heads". He was the picture of calm and confidence but his fingers were crossed underneath his arms and his right foot was shaking lightly in anticipation.
Neither man broke their gazes on each other.
"Heads" Tucker announced. Derek threw an arrogant smile at Mark and the other man retaliated with a scowl.
They all turned to the rest of the group and Derek immediately locked eyes with Addison. Without delay, he called out her name.
"Addison" he announced proudly with a charming smile.
Addison returned a small smile and walked to his side without fanfare. At the back end of the group, an ex-girlfriend sulked and emitted a loud "humph".
Mark trained his eyes to Derek and Addison and chose his teammate with an evil grin. "Meredith."
Meredith made her way over to her fellow dirty mistress's side but not forgetting to flash her ex-boyfriend a contemptuous look.
When it was Addison's turn to choose, Richard stood confidently and tried to catch her eyes. Addison avoided looking at her mentor and said her choice while looking at the ground.
"O'Malley."
The same shock as before came over the group for they did not expect Addison to choose O'Malley again. George looked around as if to ask if he had heard the name right and tentatively walked towards the redhead. She flashed him a smile and beckoned him with a nod.
"Are… are you sure Dr. Mont… I mean are you sure Addison?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm sure George. Come on."
Richard let out a loud huff and crossed his arms in annoyance.
Meredith once again chose Alex. George then picked Cristina without even realizing that he could have chosen Callie. His error earned him a mean glare.
Alex picked Izzie next and then Cristina chose the Chief over her ex-fiancé. Burke automatically went to Mark's team.
Now it was up to the Chief to make the last choice and he avoided looking over at Bailey when he made up his mind.
"Dr. Torres" he announced.
Callie giddily skipped over to Derek's team and got a high five from Addison.
Bailey, on the other hand, slowly sauntered over to the other team with a final look at the Chief. "So, that's how it's gonna be, huh?" she threateningly muttered, loud enough for Richard to hear.
X X X
It seemed that it was going to go all right for Derek as he won first possession and had also retained his team colors because Mark chose red. He only hoped his luck would continue and let his team take the victory at the end of the day.
The Blue Team huddled for a game plan.
"We'll go for a rush play." Derek started. "George and Callie will…"
"No. I think it's better if we make a pass play. I'll block for Addison and…" interrupted Richard. Addison was agreeing with this plan.
Derek gave the Chief a dirty look but quickly cut him off. "I appreciate the help, Chief but I'm captain here. Karev would probably be guarding Addison and I think that …"
"Are you saying I can't beat Karev?" Addison demanded.
"Uh… no, no. I'm… uh… just being cautious." Derek lamely finished as he was afraid to offend Addison.
"Fine. We'll do the rush play" she conceded and everyone agreed including the Chief.
Meanwhile on the Red Team huddle, Mark was giving out defensive assignments.
"Burke, you guard the Chief. Stevens, Torres. Dr. Bailey, intimidate the hell out of O'Malley. Karev, Addison. Grey, you got Yang."
"Wait! I want Addison." Meredith said.
"What? You can't take her on." Mark said dismissively.
"Oh, I can take her" she replied with fire on her eyes.
Mark saw her determination and figured it might work to the blonde's advantage. He still doubted Meredith's ability but relented. Addison may just run over the blonde but he's certain Meredith would put up a fight and seeing that would be fun.
"Okay, fine. You take on Addison. Karev, you guard O'Malley, Dr. Bailey, Yang's yours."
Tucker blew out his whistle and both teams took position.
"Seriously?" Addison said disbelievingly as she saw who was guarding her.
"Yep, seriously." Meredith answered with a challenging glare.
Addison just smirked.
The play began. George snapped the ball to Derek. He then handed off the ball to Cristina who ran for 5 yards until Karev yanked her flag.
Derek quickly motioned for his teammates to gather for a short huddle.
"Pass me the ball" Addison quickly demanded. Derek was about to protest. "Meredith's guarding me" she added.
Derek nodded.
"R-20, SP" Addison said to Derek who shook his head in agreement.
"What's R-20, SP?" Cristina asked.
"Addison's going to run for 20 counts, stop then pop. You and O'Malley run too as decoys. The Chief and Callie will just have to protect me long enough to give me time to get the ball to Addison." Derek explained.
The team broke their meeting and took their positions.
"Blue 22, Blue 22. Hut, hut, hut" Derek shouted then Richard snapped the ball.
Addison ran but Meredith kept pace. It didn't surprise Addison as she wasn't really running that fast. Meredith was a step ahead of her actually, which was what Addison really intended.
"… one thousand 19… one thousand 20…" Addison finished counting and suddenly stopped then quickly faced Derek's direction. Meredith was caught off guard by Addison's move and that had caused her to be a few steps away from the other woman.
Derek threw the ball directly into Addison's waiting arms. She secured the ball in the crook of her right arm then immediately turned towards the end zone and faked a move to the right. Meredith took the bait and lunged for the redhead. Addison anticipated the younger woman's move and quickly side stepped it then made a 360. Meredith fell to the ground and Addison ran towards the goal line.
"Touchdown!" Nurse Debbie shouted when Addison reached the end zone.
Blue Team – 6, Red Team - 0
X X X
The Red Team quickly countered with a touchdown by Burke. Two more possessions by both teams ended the first quarter with the score still tied at 6 apiece.
Derek's team started the second quarter with a rush play for the Chief. They were on the Blue team's 25 yard line on 2nd down and 8. When everyone on Derek's team had their blocking assignments, they broke the huddle and both teams took their positions.
Derek called for the snap of the ball and the play was in motion. He handed off the ball to the Chief, who then ran his route with the help of blocks by Callie and Addison. The end zone was just a few feet away and Richard thought he had cleared all defensive stops when Izzie suddenly poked the ball out of his grasp.
The fumble was quickly picked up by Karev who ran for a touchdown.
Blue Team - 6, Red Team - 12
Richard was incensed at his mistake. He demanded for another play designed for him but Derek said they'll go for a pass play instead for Cristina or George. They devised a plan then broke off to take their positions.
The Chief had determination in his eyes as he bent down and took his position as center. His concentration was broken and his determination wavered when he looked up and saw who he was facing against.
Miranda Bailey stood in front of Richard Webber. Her hands were on her hips and she was giving the Chief of Surgery the Nazi stare.
Richard quickly looked down.
Derek took his quarterback position behind the Chief and then glanced at his receivers in the flanks and started his countdown.
"Blue 32… Blue thirty…" Derek faltered when he looked straight ahead and saw the Nazi, hands on her hips, staring him down.
He swallowed hard and averted his eyes. Bailey smiled in satisfaction, as she had successfully intimated both Shepherd and the Chief, and bent down.
Derek cleared his throat and started again. "Blue 32, blue 32! Hut, hut, hut!"
He watched as George, Cristina and Addison ran up ahead. He looked first at Addison but Karev was guarding her too close. George had Sloane on his back. Just a few steps in front of them, Cristina was struggling to break free from Meredith. After a few seconds of slapping hands, Yang pushed Meredith away. Derek took the opening and launched the ball at his teammate.
Mark saw the play and quickly stepped in front of Cristina. He then jumped up and tried to intercept the ball only to graze it with his fingertips. The ball aimlessly floated in the air and then fell right into the waiting arms of George.
He was momentarily shocked at his luck and stood there dumbfounded.
"Bambi! Run!!" Cristina shouted as she tried to block Mark into coming after him.
George ran as fast as he could towards the end zone amidst shouts of "Go! George Go!" He reached the goal line and slammed the ball to the ground.
"Touchdown!" Tucker exclaimed.
The ball game was tied.
X X X
Addison was pissed. They were in the last 3 minutes of the game with the score tied at 36 all and she, the best lacrosse player during her high school and college days and not to mention an All-American, had only one touchdown. This was unheard of. In all the years she had played flag football, Addison had an average of 2 touchdowns even before the end of the half.
But this game, well in this game each and every one of her teammates had already chalked up a touchdown. Even Bailey on the other team had one to her name. Actually, Addison was pissed not because she hadn't scored any TDs since the first quarter. No, she wasn't miffed about sharing the glory with her teammates; after all she's a team player. Addison was sulking because she hasn't even touched the football since her first touchdown.
And she blamed it all on Mark Sloan, who had switched with Karev in guarding her, - the former lover who hasn't even given her an inch to breathe whenever her team was on the offensive.
It was time for retribution. Mark had made one too many sexual remarks with that sexy smile of his and Addison was just itching to wipe it off his face. And no better way to do it but to beat him at his own game.
"Throw me the damn ball." Addison demanded.
"Addie, I can't risk it. Mark is onto you like a leech." Derek said.
"Just look for me in the next play, Derek. I'll take care of Mark. Trust me."
Derek looked at her skeptically but nodded his head.
"Give me a sec before we go to the line of scrimmage" Addison requested then quickly dashed off towards the bleachers. Callie followed her; curious at what the redhead was up to.
"Hey. What's up?" Callie asked as she watched Addison rummage through her bag.
The redhead ignored her friend and continued to search her bag. She let out a triumphant "Aha!" when she found the item she was looking for.
Callie sent a hard stare at the item in Addison's hand then gave her a quizzical look.
"What are you doing?" Callie finally voiced out as Addison snap open the perfume bottle in her hand and started spraying herself.
"Mark is playing dirty and I'm about to give him a taste of his own medicine."
Again, Callie shot her a questioning look.
Addison continued, "Sleeping with Mark taught me a few things. A lot of which I would have never thought would be useful in the future… until now. The smell of my perfume mixed with sweat drives him crazy."
A look of understanding crossed Callie's face.
"I just need that few precious seconds of him distracted to get away. Then I need you to block for me."
"Okay, I'm on it." Callie replied.
They were about to go back to their teammates, when Addison pulled back.
"Oh, wait" she said then discarded the long sleeved shirt she was wearing. That left her with a tank top on but then she pulled the neckline further down to give an ample view of her cleavage.
Addison turned to Callie, putting her chest out. "Girls look good?" she asked.
"The girls are looking good." Callie answered back with a mischievous smile.
They walked back towards their team then everyone took their positions at the line of scrimmage. Immediately and without fail, Mark's eyes traveled down Addison's chest.
"Well, hello there Addison" Mark said with a leer.
Addison ignored him but hid a smirk and focused on the snap of the ball.
The snap came and the play was in motion. Addison ran her route with Mark in front of her. She stopped and so did Mark. But before Addison turned her back away from him, she shoved her chest into his.
"I know you want me but…" before Mark could finish his lewd remark, he caught a sniff of Addison's scent and that made him pause.
Addison took the opportunity of Mark's momentary distraction and quickly stepped past him and faced Derek. When she got the ball, Addison pushed her legs and ran for the goal. Mark snapped out of his trance and quickly ran in pursuit.
But Addison had the advantage and momentum. She was at least 4 steps ahead of her pursuer and could see the end zone. A few yards more to clear and she would get her team the lead. But when Addison surveyed the field, she saw Izzie Stevens, in her 2 o'clock, running towards her. She weighed her options quickly but decided that the only way was to face Stevens head on as Addison cannot afford to stop her stride and divert since Mark was on her heels. If she could just beat Stevens, the touchdown was surely hers.
The redhead quickened her pace, squared her shoulders and then braced herself for the oncoming tackle coming from her right but it never came as Callie intercepted the tall blonde and shoved her unceremoniously to the ground. Addison ran the remaining yards and then slammed the ball at the end zone.
Blue Team takes the lead 42 to 36.
The rest of Addison's teammates gathered around her to celebrate when all of a sudden Mark scooped her out of the circle and started tickling her.
"Why you little…" Mark started and continued his tickle attack.
"Careful how you finish that sentence, Mark" Addison warned in between giggles.
"bi … tease!"
And as the former lovers continued their giggling, an ex-husband was simmering in a pot of jealousy.
Derek had enough. "Hey! We've got a game to finish" he shouted and threw a dirty look at the two.
The others complied and Mark and Addison exchanged looks in response to Derek's behavior but said nothing.
The red team took their position in mid field and readied themselves for a scoring run. Derek, still seething in his jealousy, watched Mark like a hawk.
The red team's play was in motion. Mark handed off the ball to Karev and then he immediately shoved it to Meredith who in turn passed it to Mark before crossing the line of scrimmage. The plastic surgeon secured the ball in his arm and then ran.
But Derek was onto the red team's reverse play. He waited and when the opportunity came, he lunged for Mark, aiming for the other man's waist.
The officials had been very lenient on the physical plays of the game. Slaps and shoves were okay but tackling someone hard, like what just Derek did, was a major no-no. It caused injuries and bruised egos.
The impact of Derek's tackle forced both men to hit the ground hard. Mark's back bore the brunt of the fall and Derek's weight added to the impact. But he got his retribution when his elbow connected to the side of Derek's head. In an instinctive response, Derek's knee found Mark's side.
Mark winced in pain at the contact and pushed Derek away from him. Both men were quickly on their feet.
"What the hell, Derek!" an incensed Mark shouted, getting into Derek's face.
Derek stood his ground. "It's not my fault you can't take a tackle!"
"It's flag football you idiot! Tackles are illegal."
Before Derek could retort, Tucker raced towards them and stood in between the two.
"Take it easy, guys" he said, placing a hand on each man's chest to push them back.
"Unnecessary roughness, ref! Personal foul. Call it!" Mark said to Tucker.
"What?!" exclaimed Derek.
Tucker thought for a moment then decided to call the penalty. "Unnecessary roughness, 10 yard penalty, first down."
"What?! You can't do that. I didn't do anything!" Derek said, still protesting.
Finally, Richard stepped up and grabbed Derek away from Mark and Tucker.
"Let it go, Shep. We'll get them. Don't worry." Richard said, patting the other man's shoulder.
Everyone walked towards the new line of scrimmage and took their positions. A slight drizzle had started. Tucker placed the ball on the ground and then he held up his hands for everyone's attention.
"Just to remind everyone, the score is 42 to 36 in favor of the Blue Team. There's a minute and thirty eight seconds left on the game clock. If the red team equalizes and then neither team is ahead by the end of regulation, we will play an extra 5 minutes of overtime."
"Overtime?" Cristina protested, "But we're tired and starting to get wet and we've got surgeries tomorrow!"
A few shook their heads in agreement; most of them were the women.
"Don't worry, Cristina. There wouldn't be a need for overtime. Mark's team won't score on this run." Derek boasted loudly.
"Don't be sure about that, Derek." Mark retorted.
Tucker then blew his whistle to signal that the game had resumed. The red team started their play but only got 2 yards in their forward progress.
They gathered for a quick huddle where Mark gave specific instructions on getting the first down or better yet to score but to eat as much time as they can on the game clock. The objective was to tie and force overtime.
Three plays later, the red team equalized with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mark to Burke.
"Touchdown!" Tucker shouted when Burke slammed the ball down.
"Yeah!" Mark exclaimed in celebration. "Eat your words, Shepherd. We're going to overtime."
"No, we are not. There's still time on the clock." Derek replied back.
"You think you're team's gonna score and take the win in 25 seconds? I don't think so."
"It's been done before. It's been done before in even less time."
"Newsflash, Derek, you're not in the NFL. Why can't you just admit that we're going into overtime. What? You don't want to play anymore? Are you tired? Afraid we'd crush you in OT?" Mark said smugly.
"I'm not tired at all. And we can take you for four more quarters. It just isn't necessary." Derek said confidently. "And besides, I don't want to waste my time and energy with you guys when I have a date to go to after the game." His eyes connected to Addison's when he said the last part.
Addison just raised an eyebrow as if to say "really now?"
"You better call your date then and tell her you'd be late."
But before Derek could answer back, Bailey interrupted them.
"Hey! Heckle and Jeckle! As annoyingly not-amusing your pissing contest is, could we please get on with the game? It's not only your lives, romantic or not, that's been put on hold because of this stupid game here. We've got our own schedules to keep, homes to tidy up and children to pick up. And we would like to get on it rather than hear the two of you bicker in a 'my ding-a-ling is bigger than yours' contest. The sooner we finish this game, may it be in overtime or not, the sooner we get home and do whatever we all please." The Nazi reprimanded.
Addison and the rest snickered but they quickly smothered it when Bailey threw them a glare that clearly meant that nobody was allowed to add anything to the discussion that would further delay the game.
Eventually, Derek called on his teammates for a quick game plan.
"I'll throw the ball near the sidelines so that the receivers can quickly step out of bounds to save us time. We'll allot about 10 seconds for that strategy and then do a Hail Mary pass or something in the last 15 seconds. If we could just get to the 30 yard line at least, then we still have a chance. I know what to do then. We can do this, guys." Derek said, rallying his team.
Three plays and 11 seconds later, the blue team had advanced the ball inside the opponent's 30 yard line. Derek quickly called for a time out and beckoned his teammates over to let them know about his plan.
X X X
By the time Derek's team had broken their huddle, the rain started to fall harder. The grass was getting slippery and the earth had turned to mud.
"We can do this!" Derek shouted in encouragement to his team. When Addison passed by, he grabbed her hand then pulled her against him. "We can do this" he gently whispered against her hair, squeezing her hand softly. He let her go and then took his position.
The Blue team was in shotgun formation. Derek was a few steps away from Richard for the snap while Addison was a few feet on his left side. The others were crouched down the line of scrimmage, waiting for the play. Derek wiped the rain off his face, readied his hands for the ball snap and started his countdown.
"Blue twenty five! Blue twenty five! Hut, hut. HUT!"
But instead of having the ball hiked back to the quarterback, Richard snapped the ball directly to Addison while Derek ran for the end zone.
Cristina and George also ran with Meredith and Alex on their heels respectively as decoys.
Mark abandoned waiting for Addison and chased after Derek instead.
Callie and Richard were busily giving Addison the protection she needed against Izzie, Burke and Bailey.
Addison saw Derek ran and then muttered a quick prayer before launching the ball as hard as she can towards her ex-husband's direction.
Derek's legs pushed against the ground, mindful of not losing his footing. He took a swift peek at Mark who had almost caught up with him and then returned his gaze at the projection of the ball coming towards him. He was nearly in the end zone and Derek realized that Addison had overthrown the ball just a bit.
He had to time this perfectly and when he figured he got it, Derek dove for the ball and the end zone.
Derek instinctively closed his eyes during his dive but he knew he got the ball and had secured it in his arms. He could feel the impact of his body meeting the ground and the mud streak his face. He also sensed the heavy weight on his legs which he guessed was Mark who tried to tackle him.
Derek distinctly heard Tucker shout touchdown and the sound of a whistle and when he opened his eyes, he saw that, indeed, he made it to the end zone. He softly kicked his legs out, careful not to hit Mark and rushed to his feet.
"Yeah!" Derek shouted and raised his arms in victory. He could hear Mark moan in defeat.
The rest of his team gathered around him to celebrate. Derek had barely turned around at the sound of his name when all of a sudden he felt Addison launch herself into his arms, her legs locking around his waist.
Addison hugged him. "We did it!" she almost shouted in his ear.
The display between the former Mr. and Mrs. only garnered brief glances as the rain started to pour harder. Everyone scrambled for their things and barely said their goodbyes before running towards their respective cars to drive off.
Derek hardly noticed the commotion as his attention was solely focused on the woman in his arms.
Addison locked eyes with him and then suddenly pecked his lips quickly.
"Get pizza and beer" was all she said before sliding off Derek and then running for her car after grabbing her stuff.
X X X
Derek stood nervously in front of Addison's hotel door. The pizza was on his left arm, the beer on his right hand and a duffle bag was slung over his shoulders. Addison specifically asked for beer and pizza and he interpreted that as an invitation to come over. What he wasn't sure of was if that invitation extended to the reestablishment of their post game tradition. He did not want to be presumptuous despite the fact that he had promised the last time not to be late for the next opportunity.
So there he stood, still in his wet and dirty clothes from the game. It just occurred to Derek that maybe Addison meant for him to get beer and pizza after he had showered and changed. As much as he wanted this post game bath time with Addison, Derek was more concerned about getting into her good graces in general. He's looking at the bigger picture here. After all, if Derek had Addison convinced that he's worth giving a second chance, bath times need not be an exclusive post game tradition. He could have his bath and beer with Addison anytime he liked (well, provided she's willing).
He sighed loudly and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the door swung open.
"About time you got here. I'm starving." Addison said, grabbing the pizza box and leaving the door for Derek to enter.
He stepped through but said nothing as Derek tried to banish the sinking feeling at the sight that greeted him at the door. Addison was in a bathrobe with her hair wet. He had been late. She already took a shower.
"Derek, did you not hear me?" asked an annoyed Addison.
"What?" he replied back, confused. He didn't realize he zoned out.
"I said, take off your shoes, put the beer in that bucket of ice and meet me in the bathroom" she repeated casually before going into the bathroom with the pizza.
It took a moment for Derek to spring into action as his whole being stopped functioning when the words "meet" and "bathroom" registered in his mind. But the moment the lust induced fog that clouded his mind lifted, he quickly toed off his shoes and scrambled to get the beer out of the grocery bag. Very uncharacteristic of a surgeon and as a man in general, Derek clumsily made his way towards the said bucket, hitting his shin at the coffee table in his haste. He ignored the pain and arranged the beer in the ice and made his way towards the bathroom excitedly.
The sight of Addison soaking in the big bathtub covered with bubbles was heavenly. Her eyes were closed, her head nestled back on a towel and she was slowly chewing a bite from the pizza on her hand. Derek placed the bucket beside the pizza box and then shook away the disappointment he felt when he realized that he didn't get to see her naked before going in the tub. He just thought of the now and the later and rushed to divest his clothes.
Addison heard the rustling of clothes and then opened one eye in time to see Derek lifting a foot to join her in the bath.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Derek froze. "Uhm… joining you? Bath and beer? Tradition?" he stammered.
"No, you're not."
His face fell. The disappointment was unmistakable. "But… you said…"
"Derek, you've got mud on your hair, on your neck, on your legs, not to mention dried sweat. You do not get to join me in this tub unless you wash it off first. I don't want your dirt in my bathwater."
Her reasoning sounded ridiculous to him and he, in a moment of stupidity, started to argue. "But isn't that the point of getting a bath? To clean…"
"Derek! Do you want in or not?"
"Of course, I do! Addison, I'm just saying that…"
"Take the damn shower or I swear I'll throw you out and there won't be any whatsoever tradition happening ever again."
The threat made him bolt towards the adjoining shower and 2 minutes later, in the fastest washing he had ever done, Derek finally settled himself opposite Addison in the tub.
"Ohhh… this feels nice" he remarked, flashing Addison a charming smile.
Addison said nothing and they sat there, soaking in silence. After a moment, Derek fished out 2 bottles of beer and popped off the crowns. He handed one to Addison and then raised his for a toast.
"To tradition" he saluted.
"To tradition."
They drank the beer silently and lazily, just looking at each other.
Derek quickly finished his beer, grabbed a slice of pizza and waited for Addison to finish her bottle.
A few minutes later, Derek shoved the last of the pizza into his mouth and took the bottle away from Addison.
"Another one?" he asked.
She nodded.
He handed her another and then quickly took a swig out of his second bottle before placing it down and watch the woman in front of him.
Addison had a flushed look on her face due to the warm bath and the alcohol. Derek smiled at her lovingly as she took a sip of the beer.
"What?" she asked. He didn't answer her but continued to smile. "Why are you smiling at me like that? And why am I the only one drinking? Are you trying to get me drunk?"
"No" he laughingly answered as his hand wandered to her leg under the water, caressing it. "I don't need to get you drunk."
She raised her eyebrow.
"It's just good to see you this relaxed" Derek said softly. He raised her right foot and rested it against his chest. He started to massage her foot, down to her leg. "I miss this. I miss you."
"Me too."
With that confession, Derek placed his hands at the back of her knees and pulled her towards him. He gently wrapped her legs around his waist. Derek scooted forward to get closer and then kissed her hard. Water splashed around them. Addison was surprised at the intensity of the kiss but reciprocated eagerly. She blindly put the beer bottle down and then raked her fingers into his hair. Derek deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue against her lips, asking for permission. She granted access and their tongues dueled.
His hands snaked their way up to her side but before they made it to their desired destination and before things could escalate, Addison broke the kiss.
Derek whimpered at the loss contact. His lips tried to catch hers back but Addison wouldn't let him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and placed kisses there to placate him. They were both breathing heavily.
Addison faced him and then kissed Derek softly on the lips before moving to sit behind him. He didn't say anything and just let her do what she wanted. She pulled him to lean back on her, reached for a washcloth and started to rub it against his chest.
"Can we just stay like this and enjoy the bath?" she asked softly.
"Okay" he agreed. Derek was disappointed but he didn't really mind at all as long as it meant that he was staying with her.
"I'm just tired and want to soak and relax."
"It's okay, Addie. I want this too."
He leaned his head back on her right shoulder and reached up to place a soft kiss on her jaw. They stayed like that for a moment, silent and relaxed until Addison spoke.
"We can do the other tradition later."
Derek smiled.
Addison slightly leaned down and repeated her words in his ear. "We can do lots of the other tradition later."
Derek's smile turned into a huge grin. "Promise?"
"Promise."
They sealed the deal with a short sweet kiss.
X X X
6 weeks later
"Wake up, sleepyhead" Addison said, nudging Derek awake.
"What's up, babe?" Derek asked groggily.
"Have you seen the bulletin board?"
"No. And I don't have any interest to do so if it means getting up from this bed. I just finished a 6 hour surgery and I'm beat."
"Come on, get up. You'll find it interesting, I promise. And besides, I'm done so we can go home now."
A few minutes later, Addison and Derek walked out of the on call room hand in hand and proceeded towards the bulletin board where a couple of their colleagues stood reading the announcement:
1ST SEATTLE GRACE HOSPITAL FLAG FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
Opening Day Schedule:
November 24, Saturday, 2pm, Seattle University Football Field
Game 1
ER Rangers vs Ortho Crushers
Game 2
Surgery Sharks vs Psych Warriors
Team registration is still open. Please see Tournament Director Dr. Richard Webber for details.
Winner of the 1st SGHFF Tournament will represent the hospital against Mercy West in a charity match in January 2008
"Nice." Derek remarked after reading the announcement. "We get the Psych department. That should be easy."
"Yeah, I know. It will be good to wipe off that smile from that sleaze ball Thompson's face. The jerk made a pass at me last week."
"What?! When was this?" he asked in a fit of jealousy.
"Relax, babe. I've put him in his place. I told him that…"
Before Addison could finish her story, a curse rang out.
"No freakin' way!" Mark shouted as he read the bulletin board.
Derek and Addison stared at him. He walked over to them.
"Can you believe this? Our game is next Saturday. I can't play. I have a rhinoplasty scheduled for a patient from New York. Unbelievable." Mark ranted.
"Well, I guess we know who'll be quarterback for that game then" was all Derek could say in mock sympathy.
Mark threw him a dirty look and walked away. Derek and Addison just watched him.
"You know…" Addison began as she enveloped Derek in an embrace. "I can't believe this rivalry with Richard had turned into this tournament. Flag football fever has spread to everyone including people at Mercy West."
"I know but I'm not complaining" Derek said as he reciprocated the embrace.
"Really? Why is that?" Addison asked, matching the smile on Derek's face.
"'Coz it means more post game traditions with you" he answered, kissing her softly.
"Mmm…that is true" she agreed. "But, we really don't need a game to do our traditions."
"That… is most definitely true." Derek remarked before giving Addison a deeper kiss.
THE END
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