Chapter 2

Mark Sloane was on the warpath. He was in a bad mood, and when Mark Sloane was in a bad mood, he made sure that everyone felt his displeasure. Callie had turned him down once again, Addison was avoiding him like the plague, and Derek was flaunting his rediscovered relationship with his girlfriend/dirty mistress in plain sight. It never ceased to anger him to see that Derek was somehow able to find happiness while the people he carelessly mowed down in his pursuit were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives on their own.

For years, he watched as Derek ignored and neglected his wife, choosing instead to further his career and expecting her to wait patiently for any scraps of attention he cared to toss in her direction. He would miss birthdays, anniversaries and other important milestones while she would continue to make excuses for him to herself and to anyone else who would listen. Mark remembered how she tried not to be embarrassed as she attempted to explain to friends and family why an optional surgery was more important than his own cousin's wedding. He recalled how she stood awkwardly by herself at the birthday party she had spent weeks planning for him because he didn't ask her to reschedule before he agreed to give a guest lecture at Columbia. And, he never forgot the way she stood drenched in the rain outside the airport, her suitcase at her feet, having been waiting for the last three hours because her husband didn't pick her up after her week-long conference and put off asking his friend to go in his place until long after the plane had landed. Derek had gradually destroyed his wife over a period of years and Mark had had a front row seat.

It was for this reason that he had first decided to pursue Addison. It wasn't that he didn't care about her, because he did; he may even have loved her in his own way. But, he had always known in his heart that he would be unable to settle down in a serious relationship with her and a woman like Addison deserved so much more than a man who would always be looking over her shoulder for the next set of shapely legs or swaying hips. However, she also deserved to have a man in her life who appreciated her for who she was, who knew how to treat her and make her feel special. What she didn't deserve was to be thrown aside like day-old bread.

So, Mark was determined to be that man. He was tired of seeing her hide the tears of loneliness that threatened to spill down her cheeks every time Derek rejected her attempts to reconnect with him. He wanted to make her laugh again, to see the way she used to light up a room just by flashing her dazzling smile. He knew deep down that it likely wouldn't last, but for a brief period of time, he wanted to remind Addison what it felt like to be happy.

In retrospect, perhaps sleeping with his best friend's wife had not been the best idea. In the end, Derek had come out looking like the victim and everyone despised both Mark and Addison for having betrayed the hardworking doctor who had done nothing more than try to provide for his family. Their treachery had driven him from New York and forced him to make a new life for himself in Seattle, clear on the other side of the country. As if that weren't bad enough, they had to follow him there, preventing him from mending his broken heart and finding true love and happiness with his soulmate.

Now, Prince Charming had finally won his maiden fair and they could have their happily ever after. The wicked witch Addison would be left to suffer all alone as she so rightfully deserved and the malevolent ogre Mark would end up without his princess and without his friend. Good would triumph and evil would perish; that was the way all fairytales ended and the romantic legend of McDreamy and his beautiful damsel would be no exception.

And so, Mark Sloane was miserable. He was tired of being cast as the villain while everyone extolled the virtues of the great Derek Shepherd. He hated that Derek, who spent a year pretending to try to save his marriage while he not-so-discretely pursued another woman, was considered to be an honourable man while he was written off as a skirt-chaser and a womanizer. Well, misery loves company and, before the end of the day, Mark wanted to be sure that he wasn't the only one in a foul mood. Stomping down the hall, he finally found his first victim.

"Karev!" he yelled, heading towards his intern, "Where the hell are those labs I ordered? I wanted them fifteen minutes ago! You really think I'll let you scrub in on a surgery when you can't even do something as simple as pick up some labs? How the hell did you get through med school?"

Mark stopped talking when he realized that the younger man wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying. He followed his gaze and both men watched as Addison backed slowly out of the on-call room, shutting the door quietly to not alert the inhabitants of her presence. She tried to appear nonchalant but neither man missed the tears glistening in her eyes as she hurried past them. Before Mark could even react, Alex tore off down the corridor after her and disappeared around the corner.

Mark thought about chasing after her as well, but this opportunity was just too good to pass up. He headed for the same door that Addison had just closed, having no doubt of what he would find on the other side. He only hesitated for a moment before loudly throwing it open and the lights on to reveal a squealing, naked Meredith and a livid, equally-naked Derek trying to quickly recover from their throes of passion. As Derek attempted to use his body to shield Meredith's nude form from the suddenly crowded area outside the room, Mark thought with sadistic pleasure about how he had successfully accomplished his mission of spreading his misery.

"You know," he said loudly enough for all the nurses and doctors in the area to hear, "If you're going to engage in such lewd and unprofessional behaviour in a work, not to mention public, environment, the least you could do is lock the door."

With an arrogant smirk, he turned around and walked away, leaving the door wide open behind him.

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Addison had no idea how she had gotten there, the last few minutes having been a blur, but she found herself in the stairwell with Alex's arms wrapped around her. The thought flashed across her mind that this was inappropriate behaviour for an attending and an intern, but she was too busy sobbing in his shoulder to pay too much attention. Besides, there were interns and attendings exhibiting far more inappropriate behaviour at that precise moment, so what they were doing seemed inconsequential in comparison.

Alex didn't know what had compelled him to run after her like that. He had been watching her for a while, as he had been in the habit of doing lately, his eyes following her every move. He had seen her head towards the on-call room but was surprised when she paused at the door without going in. It had taken him a moment before he realized what she must have seen on the other side and, when she quickly brushed past him, he felt the need to follow. He vaguely remembered the presence of Mark Sloane but had no idea what he had been saying or if he had been talking at all. The only thing he knew at that moment was that Addison needed comfort and he wanted to be the one to provide it for her.

Addison, you are certainly class personified, he thought. Anyone else in her position, having just walked in on her ex-husband and his current lover in their common place of employment, would have screamed or thrown something at them. She might have yelled at them for their insensitivity or made biting remarks about their level of professionalism. At the very least, she would have made her presence known. Not Addison, though; she simply closed the door behind her and let them continue with their activities, oblivious to her pain.

As Alex ran his hand up and down her back, silently offering her the support she craved, Addison was struck by how soothing it felt to be in his arms. She didn't feel pressured into holding back, he gave her the time and the opportunity to release all the pent-up anguish that she had been feeling. Alex made her feel safe and secure, something she hadn't felt in a very long time. Gone was the loneliness that had been such a heavy weight on her shoulders; she finally felt like she had someone who would take care of her and look out for her.

Finally, her sobs subsided and she pulled away. They both instantly missed the warmth their close contact had provided.

"I'm sorry," she said, not meeting his gaze.

"Why?" he asked, gently wiping the tears falling down her cheek with his thumb. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Addison took a deep breath. "I'm at work, crying on a co-worker's shoulder in the middle of the work day. That just screams professional."

Alex shrugged, "Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on so why shouldn't you cry on mine? Besides, I'm willing to bet a year's salary that what we're doing isn't nearly as unprofessional as what you saw in the on-call room."

An image of Meredith and Derek in a coital embrace ran through her mind again, but to Addison's surprise, a giggle escaped her lips rather than a sob. The painful clenching that she had expected to feel around her heart was nothing more than a dull, manageable ache. For his part, Alex felt proud that he was able to make her laugh again.

"It's not like I didn't know they were together," Addison explained, "I just never wanted to be privy to such graphic proof of it."

"Dude, no one wants to see that much of them."

Once again, Addison chuckled and Alex felt his heart start to race. God, she's beautiful when she smiles, he thought. Even now, with her hair in disarray, her eyes red and puffy from crying, tears spilling down her cheeks, she was the most stunning woman he had ever seen.

Addison noticed him staring and misunderstood. "I must look a fright, huh?"

"No, you look great! I mean, it's not great that you've been crying but you don't look scary or anything. I mean, not that you ever look scary. I mean...," he stammered, his voice trailing off. What is wrong with me? When did I become this blubbering idiot? He took a deep breath and finally went for honesty. "I like seeing you smile and was trying to figure out how to get you to do it again."

Addison stared at him for a moment, stunned by his rant. The usually arrogant attitude of the intern was gone and she wondered momentarily what had caused his sudden nervousness. Though he might have thought that he had sounded stupid, it was probably one of the sweetest things she had heard in a long time. A ghost of a smile appeared across her face.

"Thank you, Alex," she said. She leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek before walking away.