a/n: first off, can i just say that you guys are awesome? i haven't gotten anything but glowing reviews. i would love some CONSTRUCTIVE criticism (how do you spell that word anyways?), but please say it nicely, otherwise my poor little heart will break. :) and secondly, please don't hate me for the end of this chapter! oh and i thought that the story needed just a little bit of meredith... after all the show is named after her, so i thought what better way than this?

disclaimer: i think you get the jist by now, i do not own grey's anatomy, and never will until the day me and my friend take over the world...


The rest of the day Addison was floating on Cloud Nine. She had done it. She had been spontaneous, and she had walked up to Karev and kissed him (well, that and more). And he had kissed her back, really kissed her back. Everyone noticed something different about McSatan, and that was that she wasn't acting like McSatan. No one could really figure out what happened, that was her and Alex's secret, even if she was on her way tell Holli at that exact moment. But the famous rumor mill of Seattle Grace had already embraced the secret and was desperately trying to figure it out. Some said that she and Sloan were back together. Others were speculating that she and McDreamy were working out their differences. That one went as far as they were planning to elope, and people were wondering how Meredith was holding up. Strangely no one figured out the truth.

Meredith knew these rumors probably weren't true, since Derek had said nothing to her or treated her differently in any way, but she just had to make sure. So she found Addison on her way to see Holli (Not that Meredith knew this, of course).

"Hey, Doctor Montgomery? Can I talk to you?" she asked as she and Addison stepped on to the same elevator.

"Sure, and it's Addison."

"Okay," Meredith furrowed her brow. Wasn't it a little weird that the ex-wife of her boyfriend was asking her to call her by her first name? Shouldn't Addison hate her guts?

"So what'd you want to ask me?" Addison asked without a trace of impatience. Wow, this was weird. McSatan was talking to her nicely with no ulterior motive. Meredith was suddenly curious as to why.

"Well, see I heard from the nurses, you know how they love to gossip, that you and Derek were planning to elope," Meredith babbled. Addison started cracking up when she heard the last part of the statement. "What's so funny?"

"Y-you! Well, not you, but everyone! How could… how could you… how could you possibly believe that?" Addison laughed, tears actually streaming down her face she was laughing so hard.

"Oh, okay then," Meredith was feeling more that a little stupid that she was that insecure. But then again, it was Addison, and sometimes she felt like she couldn't compete with the stunning couture-wearing, gourmet-food-eating redhead. Then the hilarity of the situation struck her. Had she really believed that rumor? That was the stupidest rumor she had ever heard! So she started cracking up too, which only made Addison laugh harder, which in turn made Meredith laugh harder. By the time the elevator reached the floor Holli's room was on both of them were having troubles breathing and had sunk to the floor for lack of the ability to stand up.

"Well, nice talking to you, Grey," Addison giggled, struggling to regain her composure.

"You too, Addison."

She started to walk away but then something possessed Addison, she wasn't really sure what. Maybe it was just residual happiness from sleeping with Alex, or maybe she just genuinely liked her ex-husband's girlfriend, but in any case she turned around and asked, "Hey, Grey? Got a minute?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Great, there's someone I want you to meet…"

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"I can do this. I can wait patiently until Addison comes back. I am not going to go psycho waiting for her. I'm going to stop talking to myself now," Holli muttered to herself. Addison had been gone for a really long time and Holli wanted to know what was going on and she wanted to know now. She sighed, leaned over to the table beside her bed that held nothing but a book and her iPod, which she picked up and put the headphones in her ears. She scrolled down the list of songs until she found her favorite song "9 Crimes" by Damien Rice. She managed to pay attention to the music and not the time until someone's manicured hand grabbed her iPod and looked at the screen.

"Whatcha listenin' to?" Holli looked up to find Addison with the most moronic grin plastered on her face.

"Oh my God!" Holli screeched. "You did it! You slept with Karev!"

"Little louder, Holls, I don't think the people in California heard," Addison winced.

"Sorry," At least Holli had the decency to look sheepish.

"Wait, what's going on?" a woman Holli didn't recognize asked. "You slept with Karev?"

"Uh… Holli, this is Meredith Grey, Meredith this is my godchild Holli," Addison introduced the two, hoping to change the subject.

"Hi," Holli said before turning back to Addison, "You so did! You've got that glow, plus you look embarrassed. I'm so proud of you!"

"Wait, you're proud of her for sleeping with her intern?" Meredith was incredibly confused.

"You can't talk, Grey, you're sleeping with your attending," Addison pointed out.

"Who's her attending?" Holli asked.

"Derek," Addison answered.

"Okay, so let me get this straight, this is your ex-husband's current girlfriend? Right?" Addison nodded. "And you don't hate her?" Addison nodded again. "Oh, well then, it's nice to meet you Meredith."

"You too, Holli. Now wait, I want to go back to this whole Addison sleeping with Alex. When did this happen? Cuz I would have been able to tell if I had seen Alex."

"Why? How?" Addison asked of Meredith.

"Uh, because he would have had on the same moronic grin you have on, because he's been lusting after you for, like, weeks now. It was so incredibly obvious."

"It was?"

"Yeah. To everyone but you two," Holli interjected.

"Oh great, now I feel stupid."

"As you should feel," Holli teased her. Meredith was impressed that this teenage girl was able to tease Addison without being snapped at. Even if they were now on first-name basis, Addison still had Meredith quivering in her boots. Well, tennis shoes, but that was so not the point.

"So, Meredith, how's life?" Addison quickly said, changing the subject, not so subtly.

"Uh, good. Lots of studying lately, since we've got that test coming up soon," Meredith played along.

"Hey, Adds, maybe you should go see if you can help Alex 'study'," Holli winked when she said study, implying something completely different.

"Alright, you, time to get out of my sex life."

"You know you owe me!"

"Okay maybe a little, but that doesn't mean you still get to meddle."

"Just do this as a favor to me. Please?"

"Fine. Grey, don't you have to go 'study' with Derek?"

Okay, little awkward. It was one thing to be on first-name basis with your boyfriend's ex-wife, but discussing your and said boyfriend's sex life was a completely different story. But Addison had said it like it was totally normal and Meredith wasn't going to give her a reason to be mad at her. "Uh, sure," she said and walked out of the room.

"So, I want to hear details now," Holli announced the second Meredith walked out of the room. "Was it any good? What am I saying? Of course it was good. It's always good when you love the guy!"

"Wait? Who said anything about love?"

"Oh please, it's written all over your face. I think I can see it written legibly on your forehead…"

"Stop it. I do not love him," Addison lied blatantly.

"Okay, now you're lying blatantly," Holli pretty much read her mind.

"Well, maybe just the tiniest bit," Addison compromised.

"Are we going to get back into that whole 'I so do not like him' thing again? Cuz if we are, I would like to be in the right frame of mind."

"Uh…"

"You know what?" Holli interrupted, "Just go find your guy. Go help him 'study'. I can always get details in the morning."

"Really? Are you sure, because I can stay here if you want."

"Don't you even think about it. But just so you know, I'm out of here in a couple days, Derek says so."

"That's fantastic! When you're out, we'll meet for lunch or something, okay?"

"Alright. Now go! Stop stalling!"

"Alright, alright I'm going!" And she walked away.

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She found Alex in the lobby, surrounded by books, studying. "Hey," she smiled. He looked up. "Need any help?"

"I'm okay."

She wrinkled her brow, "We can go back to my hotel room. You know, my cards rival Callie's," she said enticingly.

"Look, you're not my girlfriend."

"Excuse me?" she blinked, not sure of what she had just heard.

He took a breath, "You're not my girlfriend." The truth was he wanted her to be his girlfriend more than anything, but she wanted a guy to settle down with, and that was not him. He was Alex Karev, Seattle Grace's mini-manwhore. He knew Ava said he was the kind of guy Addison wanted, but he wasn't sure. Even he was that part of himself scared the shit out of him. He just didn't want her to end up hurt.

"Oh. Okay, then. Well, I guess I'm going to go then," she struggled to hold back the tears that not only would ruin her makeup, but ruin all of her work at that hard exterior it looked like she would be forced to put back up, only this time for good. Without waiting for a response, she got up and walked out of the doors of Seattle Grace.

But she wasn't ready to face that empty hotel room, so she turned around. She couldn't face Karev either. So she snuck in the back to go up to Holli's room to bitch and moan and just break down, like Holli had promised she could.


DON'T HATE ME!! -huddles in little ball- but review anyway!