basically, this is my apology to you for being gone so long, and probably not posting anything for the next couple weeks until spring break. i rather like it, and i'm pretty you will too... we shall see, won't we?

oh, and by the way, my new year's resolution (hey, it's only three months late! that's not too bad, is it?) is to reply to any reviews that have something to reply to. so basically, if you want to fully appreciate my conversational skills, then you should write a review with some substance. now that's not a criticism to anyone at all, although i must admit, it feels much better to get a review where someone has utilized their "little grey cells". come on, it doesn't take that much brain power to write something more than "loved it, update soon". but once again, not criticizing... so anyways... that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

-insert disclaimer of your choice here-

The next hours pass quickly and peacefully. At the end of them, Naomi and Sam insist on Addison and Alex staying there for the duration of their stay, even as Addison protests. Eventually their wheedling wears Addison down and she agrees. "Great!" Naomi exclaims.

"Alex and I'll go get the bags," Sam volunteers. He and Alex do so immediately.

The second they're out of the room, Naomi turns to Addison. "So?"

"So what?"

"So who is he?"

"Who?"

"Alex! Who is he? How'd you meet? What's he like? Come on, I want details!"

Addison, not so ready to participate in girlish gossip, thinks for a moment. "He… uh…. we… I don't know how to start," she admits. "I think we met… no, it wasn't then… I can't even remember when we met. I just vaguely remember wanting to strangle him. It was only a little bit after I went to Seattle. He was my intern, and he did something to piss me off, I know that. Who knows? Anyways, that's kind of it."

"Is he any good?"

Addison is confused. "Good? As a surgeon? Yeah, he is."

"No!" Naomi sighs, exasperated. "Is he any good?" she repeats putting a slight emphasis on the last two words and leaning forward conspiratorially to convey her meaning.

Addison blushes as the implication hits her. "What? I… What?" she stammers. "How is that relevant? And even if it was, why would I know?"

"Aren't you sleeping with him?"

"Why does everybody think that?!" Addison exclaims. "We're not, we never have!"

"Okay, that, I seriously doubt."

"Why? Why is it so unbelievable that I haven't slept with him?"

"You just drove for days in a car with a guy you're not sleeping with? Either you're insane or you're lying."

"Um, how about option three? I'm not sleeping with him and I'm not insane and he just happens to be along for the ride."

"Uh-huh…" Naomi agrees skeptically.

"It's true! I didn't even want him here! He made me bring him along. He wasn't in the plan."

"Right…"

"Why is everyone so convinced we're sleeping with each other?"

"Everyone?"

"All of Seattle Grace is certain of it."

"Oh."

"So why is it? Because it's really annoying, and I would prefer to correct it rather than leave it and have it continue." She looks at Naomi expectantly.

"It's probably because-" Naomi starts, but the guys choose this minute to return, and Addison shushes her.

"So we have a slight problem," Sam announces.

"What?" Naomi asks.

"Sleeping arrangements. We've got the guest room and the couch, and those are our only options."

"Addison can have the guest room," Alex says. "I'll take the couch."

"No," Addison protests. "You've been driving most of the day. You take the bed."

"No, they're your friends. I'll sleep on the couch."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"I've got an idea," Naomi announces, "Why don't you both take the bed? It's a queen, there's more than enough room for both of you."

They both open their mouths to protest, but then look at each other and silence themselves. "Okay. Fine," Alex consents

"Yeah," Addison continues. "We're adults, right? There's nothing weird about it."

"Nope," he agrees.

"Okay," Naomi says. "I'll show you the guest room."

A couple of minutes later, everything is in place. "Well, now that that's settled," Sam says, "I'm exhausted. I'm going to hit the hay."

"Who says that anymore, Sam? Really," Naomi questions him as she follows him out of the room.

Addison and Alex stand in silence for a moment, staring at one another. "Well, I'm going to get changed," Addison says abruptly.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go brush my teeth."

Another ten minutes finds the two of them in bed, turned away from the other, hugging their side as closely as possible without actually sleeping on the floor. Addison discovers that she's acutely aware of every time he moves. Once she turns over and finds herself face to face with him. Another time his hand brushes against her waist. Each incident is followed by many, many apologies, robbing precious minutes of sleep. As his hand accidentally rests on her thigh, and is quickly jerked back, she sighs. This is going to be a long night.

0ooo0

She wakes up and nearly screams when she finds herself face to face with Alex Karev, her legs tangled through his. For one panic stricken moment, she frantically struggles to remember what happened last night. Then she recalls that this is Sam and Naomi's house, which means that she'd never do anything, and in any case, she's fully clothed, underwear and all, so that possibility is highly, highly unlikely. Next, comes the decision about what to do. Either stay in the same position and pretend to be asleep or try and move to avoid the almost inevitable awkwardness. While she's trying to decide, he wakes up, so that decision's made.

He appears to go through the same process she just went through, but in about a fraction of a second. "Morning," he finally says.

"Morning," she replies. She searches for something to say, or do, or anything to get herself out of this position. "Your breath stinks. Go brush your teeth."

"Hey! I could say the same thing to you!"

"My breath does not stink," she replies. "Yours, however, does. Go brush your teeth!" She tries to push him out of the bed, but he flips over her, and pins her down, leaning down to breathe in her face. "Ew! Stop!" Addison shrieks as she struggles against his hold. And suddenly his face is only a couple inches from hers, but she's not noticing his morning breath, or anything else for that matter. She swallows and just as she's sure he's leaning down, and she's straining up, they hear Naomi call, "Breakfast!" and jump away from each other. "Oh, I'm-" she starts.

"No, I-"

"No, it was-"

"I-"

"I'm sorry. I just… I'm sorry," she apologizes and flees the room.

don't worry, things will start to pick up from here on out. at least that's my plan. we'll see if addison and alex stick to it. hopefully they will. it would be annoying if they didn't. (i realize that this sounds slightly crazy, but i have embraced my craziness and molded it into eccentricity and therefore it's okay. as john cleese said in 'Rat Race', "I'm eccentric, I can do whatever I want.")

so anyways, reviews?

-Juli