Every Day Is A Winding Road
By Misha

Disclaimer and Notes in Part One.

Part Two- Complicated

"What did you think of Mark's girlfriend?" Addison asked Derek when the two of them gone back to their brownstone.

"She seemed nice." Derek answered, distractedly.

He'd actually been quite surprised. She wasn't as flashy or as brain-dead as Mark's usual type, she'd been pretty and smart and nice. Plus, she was a medical student which meant she was dedicated, it also meant that unlike the few girlfriends that Mark had had for any length, she probably wasn't likely to complain about the long hours.

That was always a plus. It was one of the things that Derek liked best about Addison, the fact that she understood his dedication to his work and never complained about his long, erratic hours.

"Do you think he's serious about her?" Addison asked, her voice unusually high. "It is Mark after all."

Derek shrugged. "I don't know. I think so. He's been talking about her a lot and I haven't seen him with any other women since he's started dating. I heard he turned down Tammy, the cute paediatrics intern, which isn't typical Mark behaviours."

There was also the fact that Mark had told him that he was considering a transfer to Boston--not exactly a plastic surgery haven, but Derek didn't mention that since Mark had asked him to keep it quiet.

There was a time when Derek would have felt bad keeping it from Addison, back when he told her every little thing, but these days it barely crossed his mind. After all, it wasn't any of her business, right?

Addison didn't look thrilled at that news. "She's so young." She commented. "She must be what? Ten, eleven years younger than him?"

"So?" Derek asked with a shrug. "It's not that big a deal. It's not like she's 16 or anything."

He didn't understand why Addison seemed so bothered by the idea of Mark's relationship. It was about time Mark finally got serious about a woman and Meredith seemed nice, Derek was happy for them. So what was Addison's problem?

He shrugged and decided it was just that she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of womanising Mark actually being serious about a woman.

He looked at Addison. "Anyway, I'm going to go to bed now. I have an early surgery in the morning."

With that, he headed up the stairs, not giving his wife a second glance. His mind had already moved on from Mark's new girlfriend and Addison's unusual curiosity to the surgery he would perform in the morning.

"They're having marital problems, aren't they?" Meredith asked Mark suddenly. "The Shepherds?"

He looked at her in surprise. "A few." He admitted. "How did you guess?"

Meredith gave him a look. "It doesn't take a rocket science to figure it out. They looked so awkward and uncomfortable and he, Derek, seemed so distant."

Mark was impressed, in one meeting Meredith had been able to accurately pinpoint what was going on in the Shepherd's marriage.

"Addison can't have children." He told her quietly, wondering if he should be disclosing the information, but he figured it was okay. After all, Meredith was going to be a major part of his life, she deserved to know what was going on.

"Oh." Meredith said quietly.

"It caused them to reassess things." Mark continued. "Rather, it caused them to bury themselves in work, instead of dealing with it."

"That's horrible." Meredith said quietly. "So that's why it's like their strangers. Poor Addison."

"Derek's a good man." Mark said, defending his best friend. "He just... When things get to him, he shuts down and closes up instead of dealing with them. He doesn't do it on purpose."

"You really care about them both." Meredith commented, wrapping her arms around him.

"Derek's my best friend." Mark said simply. "And Addie's Addie."

He didn't know how to explain it. He had adored her since the moment he had first met her. For a while, after Derek and Addie's problems had started, her had actually been worried that he might feel more for her than you were allowed to feel for your best friend's wife, but Meredith had changed that.

He still really cared about Addison, thought she was a beautiful and amazing woman and that Derek should treat her better, but he wasn't tempted to cross that line. He was completely and utterly in love with Meredith.

Before her, he had been with a lot of women, but never anything serious. There had never been a woman he couldn't walk away from. Not until Meredith. Somehow the girl he had met at a bar in Boston had gone from being a one night stand to something he couldn't quite put into words.

"They seemed nice, for all their problems." Meredith said softly. "I look forward to getting to know them better."

Mark smiled. "I'm glad." He leaned down and gave Meredith a quick kiss. "Now, as much as I love Addie and Derek, I'm sick of talking about them. They've taken up enough of my precious time with you as it is."

Meredith giggled. "Is that so?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It is." Mark confirmed, kissing her again.

"What did you have in mind?" Meredith asked when they pulled apart, her eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him.

"This." Mark said and he swept her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, to the sound of her happy laughter.