Title: Leave a Trail (.o5/x)
Rating: T
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Addison Montgomery (in later chapters, Alex Karev, Izzie Stevens, Kevin Nelson, & eventually Mark Sloan)
Summary: Set a few years post season four, Addison Montgomery finds herself back at Seattle Grace, albeit to find that things are quite different. Along with her life set and in order, she sees that many of the doctors have also come to terms with love life. As time progresses, however, these doctors will witness the phrase 'the more things change, the more they stay the same' manifest. (AU post mid-S4)
Note: This is the prologue, which may have a key revelation, but this series is not intended as a mystery so much as a discovery of things. I've had this idea for a year now, and have been writing this for nearly eight months and it's about time I let others take a look at this story. Summary is tentative, feedback would be great, and I hope you enjoy!
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
She turns her head back down, buries it in her palms, to hide the tears that she failed to stop.
She's almost broken, like she's reverting to being that fragile thing people would do their best not to set off, and somehow he can't help but ache for her. He trudges up to her, kneels in front of her, and takes her hands in his. She doesn't make a move, tears blurring the ground she stares at. He pulls at her, and she far too weak to protest or hang on any longer, lets him pull her into himself.
He pulls her onto his lap, an arm around her back, legs cushioning her body, hand holding her chin. Her tears may be too many to catch, but it doesn't stop him from trying to help her. He pulls her head into his chest, whispers 'shhs,' and kisses her red hair. He rocks her silently, slowly, letting her cling to him. Her mangled cries are painful to his ears, her clutching fingernails make him fear for her own life, and her normally strong frame, now so vulnerable, disturbs him to no end.
"Please Addison, talk to me, tell me what to do--you can't be like this."
"He knew," she whispers, but amidst her chaos he hears her.
"What?" he says, not completely understanding her, and he stops rocking her.
She turns in his embrace, and wipes the watery residue from her cheeks.
"He knew," she speaks, with that tone that says how dead serious she. "And I can't do this," she shifts in his arms, "any of this…"
He loosens his hold, and lets her move away from him embrace.
"Addison," there is a hint of exasperation in his voice, but his eyes scream at the terrible way life keeps going wrong for them.
"You--you have people relying on you, and I was just left by a boyfriend of three years. And don't tell me we can figure this out, that you are willing to make your sacrifices, because we both know better, we're smarter than that."
He drops his eyes, hating what this has all come to, and never has he been more tired of the lies. After a moment, he draws his eyes back up to hers. He inhales deeply, preparing to shift his world around once again, and he speaks: "It's a set-up--all of it. From the relationship, to Marie--none of it's real. Well, definitely not the relationship part, but I still love Marie as if she were mine. But her name--Marie's name--it's not some name we picked randomly, or because it's a variation of Mary. The name's got a part of her mom, and her dad," he pauses, watching Addison carefully who is on the cusp of grasping his words.
She stands, transfixed at the words he is telling her, putting puzzles together until he says the final three words.
"Her real dad."