Chapter 3

I had been crying for what seemed like an eternity. But, I cried myself to sleep almost every night. Plus, Derek wasn't home yet, working late yet again. And, I needed my husband today. I needed him to comfort me. I had lost a very dear patient. Yesterday, it was some other reason, the day before another, but I wanted him to be there for me each time. I wanted him to not work late so much. So, I didn't always have a reason, to be sad and to cry. But, the root cause of it all, Derek, was ignoring me, at work, and at home. We hadn't talked properly for a while. If you had told anyone at work, they wouldn't believe you. After all, they knew me at the top notch neonatal surgeon. The one who performed impossible surgeries, the one who was unbreakable. And, me and Derek were the happy couple, the dream come true. But that was just a façade. Something that helped me get through the day without breaking down.

But, Mark! He was different. He listened to me, he cared. So, the first night we made love, that night, like many previous nights, started with Mark asking me how I was doing. A simple question for everyone, but, for me, it meant so much more. Mark was there for me, holding me and comforting me, while I told him my greatest fears. He was there, where Derek should have been. And so, when he kissed me, I didn't have the strength to resist. Perhaps, the forbidden nature of the act itself made it more desirable! I knew that cheating was wrong. I knew that I was lying to myself. But he was there when Derek wasn't. He was there to listen to me, to understand my feelings, to fill the void that Derek had created. So, in that one vulnerable moment I slipped. I did in real what my mind had done a thousand times before. And it felt good, to know that someone cared, that someone saw me as desirable. And the fact that he was also Derek's closest friend, it didn't matter anymore. But, when we were done, I was filled with the same void as before. So when Mark left, I couldn't sleep. I stared at the ceiling and wondered what I was doing, how had I let my life become this nightmare. I had become like Bizzy and the captain, a cheater.


Addison had been getting these flashbacks quite a lot these days. The time when she and Derek had started to grow apart, when she cheated on him with Mark and essentially ended her marriage . However, today her reverie was broken by someone entering her office, someone who belonged in her flashbacks...

"Good Morning Red! You came in early today..."

"Yes, I had a surgery planned in the morning..."

"So, today's my first day. I have some old patients coming in for a check up. Do you mind if I see them here? My office is not yet ready..."

"Yes, sure. I was leaving anyways. You can use my office till the spare room is all set for you. Though it won't take much time. I'll see you later then. Bye.", she said as she waved.

"Bye! See ya..."

OK. So, Mark was in LA. She had never expected him to leave Lexie and move here. But, something had happened in Seattle. Something that changed him, made him leave Seattle. And here he was, with his pregnant daughter in tow. And, he was sure about them, but she wasn't. She wanted to do the right thing, but, was Mark it, she couldn't help but wonder...

Mark's first month in LA went by like a was a good place to be for a plastic surgeon. And, everyone at the practice and outside accepted Mark like he was hot cakes. He got more elective procedures than in Seattle and, was very busy the whole time. Being a surgeon, however, was turning to be the easy part of the whole deal. It came more naturally to him. But, not being a man-whore, that was something else entirely. Mark couldn't help but notice how Addison was extremely comfortable with Sam and the way Sam stared at her when he thought no one would notice. But, he choose to ignore it, like he had done before, knowing that Addison was not really interested, at least right now. He was really serious about making this relationship work, and if that meant giving Addison her space, he would do that. He rarely hit on any of the nurses at St. Ambrose and he didn't even flirt back when Charlotte tried to flirt with him at a fund raiser. In short, he was damn serious about keeping the baby and also getting back together with Addison. And so, Mark rented a house on the beach as well. It was a few houses away, but close enough for him to walk down to Addison's house if needed. They decided that it was prudent to live separately until they were sure. Sloan was living with Mark, and that made him more busy. Plus, Lexie would creep up in his thoughts sometimes, but the situation in which he left her brought him back to the present. That relationship would not work, and it would be good for them both to move on. Mark was sure that he wanted the LA life...Addison...and if possible, even the baby.

But Addison herself was not so sure. History was literally repeating itself. Their last bet had ended with her sleeping with Alex, she was the weak one, the cheater, and Mark didn't even know that. She had never told him that she slept with Alex, but the guilt of being the cheater had been among the deciding factors of her leaving Seattle. But she was determined too. If Mark was ready to give her a chance, she was too. But with their shared history, things easily became weird. But Sam, and the kisses that they had shared on several occasions previously, were now becoming an issue. There was some tension between them and Sam was not giving up so easily. Sam and Naomi were sure that Addison and Mark were not going to work. Or, maybe, he secretly hoped that they wouldn't, there was no way to know. And so the tension continued to build, even with Naomi around. But Addison choose to do the right thing this time around. She choose to purposefully ignore Sam's advances.

All said and done, the first month of their pact, and Mark's first month in LA was quick and uneventful. They both kept a check on their feelings and succeed in keeping their pants on. But, both Addison and Marks hoped that the remaining two months will be as quick as this month...


A/N: Guys sorry for now updating quickly, but I was a little busy. I hope you like this chapter. And thanks for all the reviews. Keep reviewing you can persuade me to update faster. :P :D