Title: One Last Chance
Author: A. Windsor
Pairing/Characters: Callie/Arizona, Mark/Addison
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My one semester of law school could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not mine, I'm just playing!
Series: Zeq!verse
Summary: "Addison doesn't go to drinks with Callie and Arizona that night. Instead, she has dinner with Ezequiel Torres again, and it kind of changes her life..." Immediate follow-up to Roller Boy. [November 2019-March 2020]
Author's Note: The plot here is mostly Mark/Addison, but there is a ton of Callie/Arizona and Zeq with his moms too. During the course of conversations with roughian, Zeq!verse suddenly became Maddison, and so this story really needed to be told. I hope you all don't hate it. Beta'd by the absolutely wonderful, terribly snarky roughian.
Addison doesn't go to drinks with Callie and Arizona that night. Instead, she has dinner with Ezequiel Torres again, and it kind of changes her life, because by the end of their shared pizza and salad, Addison Montgomery has fallen in love again. Twice.
Zeq is a little different with his father than he is with his mothers, and Mark with Zeq is... a revelation.
There's a basketball game on in the pizza place they choose, and the father/son duo pays just enough attention to shout when the refs get something wrong. The owners obviously know them, because they slip a pizza in the oven within minutes of their arrival without taking orders.
Zeq calls to the guys behind the counter: "Sal, Ronnie, Momma said we have to have a salad tonight."
The older man gives him a thumbs up, and Zeq settles into the booth, taking a whole side to himself, as if on purpose.
"Little man, your butt is tiny. Why are we scrunched on this side?" Mark asks, though the smile he slips Addison seems to counter his complaint.
"I need space," Zeq shrugs.
"Get your feet off the seat," Mark reprimands. "Z, Addison lives in LA. You know what that means, right?"
"Are you a Lakers fan?" Zeq asks speciously.
"Um, I guess."
Zeq makes a face.
"Don't be rude," Mark laughs. "We have to respect her decision to root for the evil empire."
"I thought that was the Yankees."
"Different sport," Mark informs her. "Any fun stories from school today?"
Zeq regales them with third grade gossip, and Addison watches Mark get completely enthralled in his son. What Addison doesn't notice is that, when she's not watching him, Mark is watching her.
"Oh, that Becca girl totally likes you," Mark laughs.
"Da-ad."
"She does!"
Zeq shakes his head.
"What kinda doctor are you, Dr. Addison?"
"Oh good lord, Zeq, your momma has turned you into such a little brown-noser," Mark teases warmly. "You can just call her Addison."
His son looks a little horrified about that.
"No, I can't."
"You can call me whatever you're comfortable with, Zeq. And I deliver babies and operate on women who are having babies."
"Cool. Sometimes Momma does operations on babies."
"Yes, she does. I've worked with her before."
Zeq nods once. If she's worked with Momma, he likes her a little more already. Soon distracted, he turns to his father.
"Dad, do you have any quarters?"
Mark fishes in his pocket and produces a five-dollar bill. "Nope, but I've got this. Wanna go hit up a few games while we wait for the pizza?"
"Thanks," Zeq nods, popping up from the booth.
Once he's gone, she turns her attention to the man beside her.
"Mark, he's amazing."
"Yeah," Mark grins. "I like to think I had a little bit to do with that. Just a little."
Addison laughs. "Credit where credit's due."
"I guess. I can't even claim all the credit for his prowess with the ladies, though. Between his moms and I, he's got a lot of mojo."
Addison smiles at the softness in his voice. They have so much history; she's seen so many Marks, so many variations of the man he is and the man he could be. But this one, this Mark, dad Mark, is... fascinating.
"He likes you, you know."
"What?"
"He likes you; I can tell."
"Mark, he's too nice to tell if he likes me or not."
"Well, I like you, so he likes you," Mark smiles. "So, catch me up on LA."
They talk until the pizza comes, which is when Zeq comes back to the table and starts to monopolize the discussion again. Afterwards, Zeq grabs a piggyback ride to the car from his dad, still talking about a three-point buzzer beater, which he tries valiantly to re-enact.
Mark drops a laughing Ezequiel into the backseat of his car and closes the door as the boy wrestles himself into his seatbelt.
"So," Mark says. "The hotel's on the way to his moms' place. Do you want me to drop you off? Or, you could come over for a drink, and we could finish catching up. We got interrupted by that awesome fourth quarter."
Addison weighs her options, wondering just what he's asking. She decides to take a chance.
"I'd love a drink."
"What are you still doing here?" Callie questions, walking quickly to catch up with Addison. She looks back to her wife with a quirked eyebrow. Arizona shrugs, equally intrigued, as she has to walk even faster to catch up with the two long-legged women. She gives up and resorts to her heelies, which makes Callie lovingly roll her eyes.
"I got roped into a few more cases while I was here yesterday. I'm staying until the end of the week."
Arizona narrows her eyes.
"Is that why you couldn't have drinks with us last night?"
"Since I'm assuming you already talked to Zeq," Addison says, hitting the button to call the elevator, "You know what I did last night."
Callie grins knowingly.
"That we do. Are you and Mark..."
Simultaneously, Callie's and Arizona's pagers go off.
"Robbins! Torres! School bus accident," Karev calls, waving them back towards the ER.
"Saved by the pager," Arizona accuses as Addison steps onto the elevator.
Callie gives her an equally stern glare that speaks of conversations yet to come, and Addison sighs as the doors close.
"Don't get me wrong, I love Addison, but don't you think it would be a little weird? I mean with all the history, with all of you, it'd be weird, right?"
Arizona is rambling over her cafeteria salad, and Callie just reaches across the table and rubs soothingly at the underside of her wife's wrist, beneath her thermal, as she sips at her soda. She's equally conflicted about the situation, but she's processing less vocally.
"You know they came in together today and yesterday."
"Arizona, they are adults. Their decisions are their own. They can sleep where they want to."
"Oh, I know," Arizona sighs, pulling her hand back just enough to thread their fingers together. "I just don't want to see Mark get hurt. I know Lexie's been gone a year, and he needs to move on. This is just a complicated situation. Okay. You're right. It's not any of our business."
"It's not."
"But it sorta is! He's our son's father, and..."
"Arizona?"
"Hm?" Arizona looks up, paused adorably mid-sip, eyes especially blue in the filtered sunlight of the cafeteria, lips wrapped around her straw.
Yeah, Callie really doesn't want to talk about Mark and Addison.
"If I take you to the second floor on-call room for the last half hour of our lunch break, will you stop talking about other peoples' sex lives?"
Arizona grins.
"I think that can be arranged."
Wrapped in Mark's silky sheets, Addison watches as he begins to realize that she's really going back to LA in the morning. He's staring at the ceiling, running a hand over his face as he tries to come up with more reasons for them to see each other in the next few months.
"I've got him for a few days after Christmas. Maybe we could come see you?"
"Mark," her breath catches in her throat. "What are we doing?"
"I want you, Addy." He turns his gaze to her, eyes oh so serious. "Maybe this is finally our time."
"I don't want to be your rebound from Lexie Grey."
"You're not," he insists, rolling onto his side. "I'm a dad now, Addison. I wouldn't say I want to give this a try if I didn't mean it, if I didn't think we really had a shot."
"I live in a different state, Mark, and I know for a fact you'll never move away from Seattle."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Addison, I've always loved you, but we've never given it a real shot. Can we just try?"
"Mark."
"I love you. Zeq loves you," he promises, reaching a hand across to rest on her hip. She closes her eyes at the familiar fire his touch brings. "We can figure everything else out. Do you love me?"
"I did once. I think I could again. Is that good enough?"
"It is for now."
"You're making your serious face, m'ijo. How was your weekend with your dad?"
"It was good," Zeq answers out of habit, fingers running around the edge of the car door, eyes drifting out the back passenger window.
Callie narrows her eyes and tears her gaze away from the rearview mirror.
"What did you do?"
"Saw a movie on Saturday. Watched the Seahawks game."
"That sounds great. So what's with the face?"
Zeq blows out a breath.
"I think Daddy misses Dr. Addison."
"Oh," Callie says, trying to formulate a response to her son's observation. "Why do you say that?"
"He talked to her on the phone a lot. He said he's gonna go visit her next week, since he doesn't have me. And he wants us to go to LA after Christmas. If it's okay with you and Momma."
Callie makes a mental note to reproach Mark later for broaching that subject with Zeq before checking with his mothers. That's against their very clear rules, but she sets the issue aside for now.
"They really like spending time together," Callie says, trying to gauge his reaction to his father's evolving relationship, the first serious one since Lexie moved to Boston.
"Mhmm," Zeq responds thoughtfully. "But she doesn't live here."
"No, she doesn't."
"He liked spending time with Aunt Lexie, but she doesn't live here, either."
Okay, Callie's starting to get an idea of what's going on here. Zeq still doesn't quite understand why Aunt Lexie and his dad are apart, nor just what to make of the new woman in Mark's life.
"Is Dr. Addison Daddy's girlfriend?" the boy continues.
Where is Arizona when she needs her? She'll never understand their son the way she does.
"That you'll have to ask your dad. But I know they care about each other a lot."
"Like you and Momma?"
Callie grins.
"I don't know about that. No one in the whole world could love anybody as much as I love your momma."
"Not true!" Zeq objects with a grin. This is an old fight between them. "I love her more."
"No way!"
"Yes way," Zeq humphs.
"Nuh-huh. Not possible."
"I do," Zeq confirms. "I love Momma the most."
Their argument is interrupted by an incoming call. Callie answers it with the car's blue tooth system.
"Were your ears burning?"
"No... Were you talking about me?" Arizona asks, her voice the tiniest bit tinny.
"We were fighting," Zeq calls from the backseat.
"Fighting? EZ, what on earth were you fighting with your mami about?"
"Which of us loves you more," Callie answers.
"Oh my goodness. You two are so sappy. When are you going to be home so I can snuggle you?"
Zeq smiles widely, his worries over his father set aside for now.
"We're coming home now," Callie confirms. "I have a lasagna in the fridge. Can you put it in the oven for us?"
"Don't burn anything down, Momma," Zeq speaks up.
Callie laughs, knowing he's picked that up from her.
"Oh you are both so funny," Arizona complains as they hear her opening the refrigerator. "Meanies."
"But we love you," Callie placates.
"I can handle reheating pasta, thankyouverymuch. I better get big kisses when you get home."
"Yes, ma'am," Zeq giggles.
"Bye. I love you guys, too. The most."
Zeq and Mark do spend a few days between Christmas and New Year's Eve in Los Angeles, and the boy finally warms enough to just call her Addison at his father's frequent insistence. Addison then comes to visit them in mid-January, when Zeq finally gets his dad to call her his girlfriend. In early February, Mark goes to Los Angeles again.
When Addison arrives in Seattle in early March, she goes immediately to the Chief to find out if she can get a job at Seattle Grace Mercy West. The rumor mill explodes.
Callie is watching the hilarious, competitive train wreck that is a Zeq/Zona Wii tennis tournament when her cell phone rings.
"Hurry up, Mami. You're playing the winner," Zeq calls after her as she steps into the kitchen to take the call. "And I'm about to beat Momma."
"Oh yeah right. I'm making a comeback."
Callie laughs as she hears Arizona groan and the stuffy Wii Sports announcer call the score at "thirty-love".
"Hello?" Callie answers the phone once she's gotten her laughter under control.
"Hey, Cal."
"Addison. You had quite the busy day, I hear."
"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I know Mark's talked to you a little bit about this kinda major step, but I've been meaning to talk to you myself and make sure you were okay with all of this and..."
"Are you asking for my blessing?"
"Yes."
"Addison, I don't have any claim on Mark. I'm very, very happily married, and I was never in love with him."
"You're the mother of his kid, Cal. The mothers. He cares what you think, both of you. I'm just assuming that if I have your blessing, I have Arizona's."
"We are separate people, you know."
"Are you really?"
Listening to the clamor in the living room, Callie smiles and says, "Yes. For one, I'm much more gracious when an eight-year-old kicks my ass in Wii tennis."
Addison laughs on the other end.
"Mami, your turn!"
"Take a break and wipe your momma's tears. I'm on the phone." She takes a deep breath and returns her attention to the phone conversation. "Sorry about that."
"I just need to know you're okay with this, Callie. As my friend and as Zeq's mom."
"As long as you and Mark are serious about this, we're fine with it. As long as you make the commitment to be in Zeq's life, no matter what, then we can't really object to someone who makes Mark so happy and who our son clearly loves."
"I can agree to those terms. We really are serious. It's just so... easy this time around. But I really want you and Arizona on board. I'm not trying to be Zeq's mom; two is really enough. I'm not even trying to be his stepmom at this point. Just... Daddy's girlfriend?"
"Okay, that sounds weird."
"You know what I mean!"
"Yes, I do," Callie laughs. "We're on board, I promise. How about all five of us have dinner tomorrow night? We'll go out, talk, catch the little man up on everything that's going on. Alright?"
"That sounds great."
"Good."
"Calliope, you have to come play him," Arizona calls from the other room. "My pride can't stand another round."
"Aw, Momma, I'll go easy on you."
"Easy, EZ? You think you have to go easy on me?" Arizona objects.
The light thump that follows and the giggling that accompanies it suggests a tickle tackle may have just occurred.
Zeq's cry of "Mami, save me!" confirms it.
"I've got to go," Callie apologizes. "I'll see you at work tomorrow?"
"You will," Addison confirms. "Thanks, Cal. You've been great about all of this."
"Hey, we just want Mark to be happy, too. And you're certainly better than bringing an unknown fourth party into this wacky situation. We'll figure it all out; we learned a long time ago to take it a day at a time with this stuff."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Say hi to Mark for us."
Derek corners Addison in the cafeteria; she's already in standard issue attending scrubs, and he wastes no time with small talk.
"What are you doing?"
"Derek..."
"That boy does not need another parent. He has plenty."
"Hello, it's great to see you again, too. Have a seat."
Derek sits down in a huff, and Addison continues.
"It's not about Zeq."
"So this is not about your lost opportunities at parenting?"
"I don't think you get to talk to me about this."
"Then this is about Mark? About Mark, who you never really wanted to be with the first dozen times you've tried to make a go of it."
"Yes."
"And you're telling me that Zeq isn't a factor?"
"I'm not going to deny that the man he is around his son is a contributing factor, Derek, but it's not everything."
"You and Mark can't just mess this up again, you know. There's a kid involved."
"I know, okay? Of course I know that. But I love Mark, and he is tied to Seattle as long as Callie and Arizona are here with Ezequiel. So, the Chief gave me a job, and I'm going to move into the apartment for now. We're looking for a place of our own, where Zeq can actually have a room when it's his weekends to be with Mark. We'll see where it goes from there."
Derek sighs.
"This is just so sudden."
"We've been seeing each other since I was here in November."
"Okay. Well. Just know that we're all very protective of Ezequiel, so..."
"I get it, Derek, I do. But this isn't really your business. He already has plenty of parents, like you said. Can you just say welcome back and leave it at that for now?"
Derek pauses and then says, genuinely:
"Welcome back, Addison."
"Addy, there's no reason to be worried. These are your friends, not an inquisition. Besides, if you let them, the Zeq/Zona equation will just dominate the conversation all night."
"Zeq/Zona? Really?"
Mark laughs, his arm stretched across the back of Addison's chair, his eyes locked warmly on her.
"Yeah, that's what Cal calls them. Don't tell Robbins, though."
"Did you all pick up on the Z thing when you named him Ezequiel? How did you pick that name? It's certainly unique."
"Callie suggested it. She said she really liked the name, and Arizona and I didn't have any objections. We were pretty baby-crazy back then, so in love with the little man that we'd probably agree to anything we didn't hate."
Addison laughs.
"As to the Z thing, no, I didn't notice it at the time. I've never even asked Callie about it. Then he just became Zeq because Ezequiel is a mouthful, especially for a tiny little baby."
Addison loves to watch Mark talk about his son, to see the way his whole face softens and his eyes brighten.
"I'm really glad you're here," Mark says honestly, smiling widely at her.
Addison can only grin in return.
"Me too. How do you think Zeq is going to handle it?"
"Are you kidding me? He's gonna love it. He really likes you. He told me so."
"I don't want him to feel like I'm taking you away. I want to give you space when it's his weekend with you. Let you guys do your mancave thing."
"It's not going to be a mancave anymore," Mark counters. "There's going to be a girl in the clubhouse."
"See, I don't want that! I want you two to have your time."
"We will," he assures her. "But I want the three of us to do things together, too. So we'll make sure that one night is boys' night and the other is family night, okay?"
Addison's heart swells with the casual way he calls them a family. She knows they're not quite there yet, but she really hopes they will be soon.
Her response is cut off by the arrival of the Robbins/Torres household. Zeq runs ahead while his moms follow, hand-in-hand.
Zeq goes straight to Mark's arms, giving him a brief hug and an enthusiastic, "Hi, Dad!" He then goes immediately to Addison's side, surprising her with a one-armed embrace.
"Hi, Addison," he says warmly as he pulls away to sit in the chair beside her.
"Hey, Zeq."
Callie and Arizona are just as welcoming and soon after ordering, they are all under Zeq's spell as he recounts anecdotes from his day.
"So we're in the Peds playroom, and Eric says that he bets I've never played Mario Kart. And Karev says, 'Are you kidding me? EZ-rider's the best Mario Kart player in the hospital...' So then..."
Zeq continues to tell his tales of Mario Kart dominance, as Addison turns to Mark and mouths, "EZ-rider?" Mark rolls his eyes and shakes his head before turning rapt attention back to his son's exploits.
Later, Mark finally broaches the subject they've been avoiding all night.
"Hey, little man. There's something Addison and I want to tell you."
"You're getting married?" Zeq questions innocently before nonchalantly taking a sip of his juice.
Callie chokes on her water as Arizona scolds, "EZ."
"Uh, no, Zeq, we're not getting married," Mark recovers, shifting his gaze uncomfortably towards Addison. "No, but Addison is moving up here, and working in the hospital, and she's going to live in our apartment."
"Living in sin," Arizona teases under her breath, directed towards her wife.
Callie pinches her thigh, earning a disgruntled frown as she says: "Hush. We did it for years. "
Arizona flashes her dimpled smile.
"But we're probably going to look for a house, soon," Mark continues after shooting the peanut gallery an annoyed (but affectionate) glare. "We want you to help us and pick out your room."
"I'm going to get a room?" Zeq asks excitedly.
Mark laughs. "Definitely. And maybe even a yard."
"Is it going to be as big as our yard?" the boy asks, obviously referring to his other house.
"Maybe even bigger."
"It's not a competition, Dad," Arizona reminds him.
Callie snorts, and this time she's the one who gets poked.
"Calliope, before you make the 'size doesn't matter' joke I know you desperately want to make, please remember that our son is at the table."
Zeq gives his mothers an odd look and sighs, turning to Addison.
"They're very weird."
Addison laughs.
"Zeq, don't talk about your weird moms that way," Mark scolds.
He yelps a little when both kick him under the table.
"Well, I like them," Addison says conspiratorially to the boy. "They're pretty great moms."
Zeq grabs another French fry and shrugs.
"Yeah, I like 'em, too."
"So, do you think that will be okay, me moving in with your dad? Looking for a house together?"
Ezequiel bites his lip thoughtfully and flares his adorable little Sloan nose.
"Yes, ma'am," he smiles.
"Zeq, you don't have to-" Addison starts.
"Yes, he does," Callie and Arizona interrupt at the same time Zeq says, "Yes, I do."
"So, Addison should be all moved in by next weekend, when we have you. That means she'll be able to see that new basketball movie with us, if that's okay."
"Cool," Zeq approves, and the conversation drifts back to more trivial matters.
Mark slides his hand into Addison's as discussion of movies has turned the end of their dinner into the Zeq/Zona show, with Callie peppering in commentary.
"You did great," he whispers, dipping his head low.
Addison's skin flushes at the way his breath brushes her neck, and her heart warms at the way Ezequiel keeps passing the occasional grin in her direction. Yeah, maybe this is going to work out after all.
el fin