a/n: yay! more! some fluff for you and then some yelling too! i like this chapter it was fun to write. i was inspired by les miserables which i saw on thursday, oh my god, so amazing. like, crazy good. i mean, i knew the music was good, but this was FANTASTIC. it was the first time that it has ever been performed in the round (on a circular stage that the audience sits all around) and that a hard thing to do, cuz you can't have sets or too many props, otherwise people won't be able to see, but they did phenomenally. totally in love with the music. i'm actually listening to it right now. ANYWAYS... i was inspired by it in that it gave me the idea of involving it and i wrote that part first and then the rest of the chapter came from that. so yeah...
disclaimer: it's not mine, i don't know why you keep asking.
Addison woke up to something jabbing her repeatedly in the ribs. "Ow," she groaned and swatted at whatever was poking her. Her hand made contact with a muscular arm.
"Wake up," Alex demanded, very rudely, she might add.
"Why should I?"
"Because I'm not leaving until you're up and if you don't get up now, then I'm going to be late for rounds. And if I'm late for rounds then Bailey'll stick me in pit or with Sloane and then I won't see you all day. So get up."
"I'm up, I'm up," Addison grumbled while covering her eyes with her arm and lying very still.
"Get up or you can't have your coffee," he demanded, waving a delicious smelling Starbucks cup in front of her face.
She sat up and glared at him, taking the steaming cup from him. "I hate you. Threatening me with caffeine withdrawals. I should threaten to withhold surgeries or something."
"Oh, now that's just not fair."
"I don't get my coffee, you don't get your surgeries. Or I could threaten to stick you with Mark. I could do it you know."
"I gave you your coffee, what more do you want?"
"Nothing." She leaned over and kissed him and put the cup down on her nightstand, drawing her attention to the box and the stupid necklace that it held.
Alex noticed it too. "What's that?"
Addison sighed, frustrated. She had been hoping to avoid this. "A gift from Mark. It's a necklace. An ugly necklace that I'll never wear, but a necklace all the same. It's an expensive necklace, which doesn't surprise me because it's Mark, but it's ugly."
Alex laughed at her rambling. "Looks like I've got some competition."
"Yeah- wait, what?" Addison had expected some blow up, some yelling, maybe a punch thrown at work. Not a good natured laugh and a joke. It was definitely unexpected. But in a good way. "You're not… mad?"
"No. So I've got some competition? Sloane's an ass, he'll screw up. Plus, I've got an edge."
"Oh yeah, what's that?"
"You like me more," he stated with a shrug. He said it so assuredly, so confident that it was true, that Addison realized he was right. She did like him more. She liked the chance to start new. No stupid baggage and history to deal with.
She laughed. "Not when you're waking me up and threatening to withhold my coffee. When did you even go?"
"You do realize that there's a Starbucks on like every street corner? And that there's one like three feet from your hotel? I woke up like ten minutes ago, stole the key off the dresser, and ran down."
"And you didn't leave?"
"Well, I couldn't give you your coffee if I left, now could I? And then the entire thing would have been pointless."
"You could have just left it."
"And then it would be cold and still pointless. It's just coffee. Get over it."
"Ah, um," Addison really had no idea what to say to that, so she changed the subject. "So, um, I don't really know if this is your thing or whatever, but I have tickets to go see Les Miserables on Wednesday at the community center," she said with a perfect French accent. "It's really good, it's one of my favorite plays, I saw it on Broadway back in New York, but if you don't want to see it, then I totally get it. I mean, most guys aren't usually in to musicals. You know what? Forget I said anything. It was stupid."
"Addison, I'll go."
"You're right, it was- wait, what?" Okay, so that was the second time he had shocked her in the span of ten minutes, but, really, who was counting?
"I said that I'll go."
"Okay, so that was easy. Too easy. You really don't have to go if you don't want to. I mean, I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to do. You don't seem like a musical theater kind of guy."
"I'm not. But you're obviously a musical theater kind of girl and it's about time that you actually chose where we go on a date. One condition though, I refuse to wear a tie."
Addison just stared at him. Where had this man been all of her life? Even Mark at his most charming and desperate refused to go to Les Miz. "Okay, so no tie. Are you sure you want to go?"
"Addison, get it through your thick skull, I'm going to go to the play. I'm not saying I'm going to like the damn thing or whatever, but I'm going to go."
What an Alex thing to say. Incredibly sweet but phrased in the rudest way. "You are so winning the competition right now," Addison informed him with a grin. "And you are so going to be late for rounds."
"Whatever, it was worth it."
"You should go now."
"I should."
"So, um, I'll, uh, see you at work?" she asked a little awkwardly. They both stood and she leaned in to give him a quick kiss. They had done the kissing thing multiple times, but this time it was different, more intimate. It wasn't a passionate, take me now kiss or a slow, lazy one that begged for more. It was just a quick, bye honey, see you later, take care, I love you, peck as you rush out the door sort of married couple kiss. A sort of oh yeah, we're more than just friends peck that reminded Addison of the days with Derek pre-Mark and pre-divorce. Before Derek had started living at the hospital. Before, back when they were happy, back when they were DerekandAddison, kind of one person, easily together, not Derek and Addison, two separate people trying to make a marriage work. It was an eighty's sitcom kiss, the kind all the married couples in old sitcoms shared. And it made her happy, because she hadn't had a kiss like that in an incredibly long time. She and Derek hadn't shared that sort of kiss without a small twinge of unhappiness behind it in years and she and Mark had never, ever shared that sort of kiss. Mark's kisses, even the little perfunctory ones he gave her after Derek had left, were scorching, the kind that lingered and made you run your fingers over lips afterwards because they felt that damn passionate. She could always tell that behind the seemingly innocent kiss and the signature grin that there was the hope that he was going to get laid. And some of the time she found that adorable and it kind of turned her on. Then the other three fourths of the time it just annoyed her. Did the man ever not think about getting laid? The answer was obviously no, she knew that now. She got that he said he loved her, and maybe in his own, screwed up, Mark way he was telling the truth, but the fact of the matter was that with Mark it was always going to be about sex. You couldn't build a relationship off sex, it would crumble in a matter of weeks, if not days. No matter how much she might have loved Mark, no matter how much he loved her, the thing between the two of them, in the end it went back to sex. And that was why they would never work. Well, that, and she now had a fantastic boyfriend whom she had no intention of dropping. A really fantastic boyfriend who she should really pay attention to right now. "Sorry, what?"
"I was asking if you had any surgeries today that you need an intern for."
"I can't favor you like that!"
"I'm not asking you to, I'm just asking if you need an intern for any case, because you are my teacher and your job is to teach me and you can't do that if I'm stuck in the pit or Sloane's got me being his personal slave."
"I might have a surgery or two for you, Karev, we'll see. Now go before you're really late!" she shooed him out of her hotel room, the first time she had ever willingly shooed a guy out of her room. But it wasn't because she didn't want him there or didn't care. It was quite the opposite. It was because he had reminded her that she was his superior, his teacher, and no matter how much she might want him to stay with her, she needed to know better, needed to realize that there was a time and place for everything, and now was not the time for romance, it was the time for work. There would be plenty of time for play later.
Besides, she had to figure out what the hell she was going to say to Mark.
GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA
Alex was only a few minutes late for rounds, thanks to the proximity of the Archfield to Seattle Grace. "Where were you?" Izzie hissed as he snuck in.
"Karev, you're late," Bailey said without looking back. "Yang, Shepherd, O'Malley, Burke, Karev, pit. Izzie stick with Karev. Grey…"
She was interrupted by both Addison and Mark walking up. "I need an intern," they both stated at the same time.
"Karev, go with Sloane. Grey, Montgomery."
"Actually, I was hoping…" Addison started but trailed off when she saw the look on Bailey's face.
"Do I look like I care?" Bailey asked.
"Noo… but…"
"Karev, Sloane. Izzie go with them." Bailey ordered. "Grey, you're with Dr. Montgomery." She looked around at all of them. "What do I look like, the office water cooler? Get moving!" She stalked off as Christina and George ran off to find their attendings.
Alex watched in amusement as Addison put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the jewelry box. "Mark, what the hell is this?" she asked.
He smirked. "Well, it's a necklace, and it's generally worn around your neck, hence the name necklace."
"Why?"
"Why do you wear it around your neck? I'm not sure but I'm going to guess that it's because that's what it's made for. Now if you're wondering why someone would decide that you would wear it around your neck, then your guess is as good mine."
"I mean, why did you give it to me, Mark." She did not sound amused.
"Because I thought you'd like it. Think of it as a get well gift."
"I do not need you to give me gifts, Mark. I don't want you to give me gifts. We're not dating, we're not together in any way, we're not even friends!"
"We could be," he replied quietly.
"No, we can't." Addison sighed in frustration and she sounded exhausted. "Mark, just leave me alone. Please."
"Never, Addison. We were meant to be together, I know that, you know that. I'm not giving up."
"I mean it, Mark, leave me alone. And take your damn necklace." There it was, the anger was back. She thrust the necklace towards him, left it lying on the nurses station when he didn't move to take it, and stormed off.
Atta girl, Addie, Alex thought, grinning with pride. "Dude, that sucks," he informed Mark.
"Don't you have some laundry to pick up or something?" Mark snapped. "And I want a burrito from that Mexican place on 3rd street. See to it. I have a surgery at one and I want to eat before that. Be back. Stevens, go with him."
Alex was about to protest but thought better of it. Mark was clearly pissed and it would do any good to disobey him. Besides, Addison had done a marvelous job in embarrassing him and shutting him down and Alex could consider that his revenge. "Let's go Izzie."
"Aren't you going to say something?" Izzie inquired as they walked away.
"No. What's the point, he'd just yell and give us more work. No point."
"Yeah, but…"
"Izzie, he's an ass, but seriously? Whether or not we complain is not gonna have an effect on him and besides, his ego just took a serious beating."
"Are you being… compassionate? To Mark Sloane? Who are you and what did you do with Alex? Because you are not him."
"Iz, you're being stupid."
"No, you're being weird. Why are you so nice all of a sudden?" She looked at him suspiciously and then a flash of knowledge showed in her eyes. "Who's the chick?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You're only this nice when you've got a girl. Who's the chick?"
Alex looked away. He thought about his options; he didn't want to lie to Izzie, because she would find out and then she'd get angry and they were only just starting to become friends again, but then again he didn't know what Addison would want him to do, so he chose his words carefully. "You don't know her," he said. He figured it was true enough. Izzie knew Dr. Montgomery (he made it a point to forget the Shepherd part of her last name. Besides, once the divorce was finalized, she would be just plain Montgomery) and he was dating Addison, not Dr. Montgomery. Izzie knew the woman who had suddenly appeared and stolen Shepherd from Meredith, he was dating the woman who had messed up and tried desperately to fix her marriage while she watched her husband lust after another woman. They were different, Dr. Montgomery and Addison. Dr. Montgomery was flawless and cold, Addison was sad and broken. Dr. Montgomery was Addison's alter ego, and that was who Izzie knew, not Addison.
Izzie looked at him, not really believing him, but decided to drop it. "Whatever. Let's go get Sloane his freaking burrito."
GAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGA
Meredith could see that her face off with Sloane had drained Addison. "Are you okay, Dr. Montgomery?" she asked as they walked away.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"I know this is none of my business, but you don't look fine."
"I'm fine, Dr. Grey. And you're right, it is none of your business."
"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm out of line, I get that. But honestly, I feel bad, and I feel like I should do something."
"That's sweet, but I'm fine." Addison flashed her a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "See? Fine."
"Okay, if you say so…"
"I have a c-section coming in at eleven if you want to scrub in."
"Uh, sure. Do you have anything for me to do now?"
"Not really. You can go get some breakfast or catch up on some sleep or whatever."
"Okay, thanks."
Only when she was alone in the privacy of her office did Addison allow her head to drop onto the desk and the tears to fall.
aww... sad, i know. but she's crying because... well i'm going to make you wait for that. evil, i know. you can find out quicker by leaving a review!
-Lauren
