A/N: Sorry it's been a little longer since my last update! Work has been taking up more of my time, but I finally managed to get this one out. I'm excited for where the story is going, and I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you to my beta, grapenut01, without her, it would be taking me a lot longer to get these out. Thank you for the awesome feedback that keeps me motivated as well, and just in general for reading and sticking with me. All rights to Shondaland and ABC, once again, although I wish I had rights to Ms. Walsh. Enjoy!

xx


Addison pulled into a spacious parking spot in front of the restaurant Naomi had suggested. She killed the engine and reached across the car to Meredith, who was taking a slow, deep breath, and Addison rested her hand on her girlfriend's knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Mer, it's going to be fine. They're going to love you. Plus, Naomi already knows, so there is nothing to worry about, okay?" Addison flashed her brilliant smile before giving Meredith a firm kiss. Meredith's arm shot out, and she grasped the back of Addison's neck, deepening the kiss. Her mouth moved passionately against Addison's, and Addison let out a soft moan as their tongues found each other and danced perfectly in sync. Addison's left hand moved to Meredith's hip and rubbed gently, and she felt Meredith's body quiver as she arched her back towards Addison. Addison felt something stir in her stomach, and she jolted as a loud banging on her window made the pair jump apart like two teenagers caught together by their parents.

"Are you two going to make out all day or are you going to come see your friends Addison?" A beautiful raven-haired woman called out loudly from Addison's side of the car. "Come on lesbians, let's go!"

"Naomi, oh my god!" Addison swung the Sportec's door open and embraced the woman fiercely. Meredith picked up her purse and stepped out of the car and tentatively came around to stand behind Addison.

Naomi held Addison's arms and ran her eyes up and down Addison. "Well when did you get fat?"

"A couple months after you did," Addison shot back, and the two women dissolved into a fit of laughter. "Some things never change."

Naomi turned to Meredith and extended her hand, smiling warmly. "Please excuse my bitchiness; Addison brings that out in me. I'm Naomi, as I'm sure you've heard."

"Meredith, it's nice to meet you. Addison has told me a lot about you." Meredith clasped the woman's hand, returning Naomi's smile. Addison had filled her in on the drive over, and Meredith had liked the woman before she had even met her.

"All terrible, I'm sure." Naomi shot a dirty look towards Addison who had wrapped an arm around Meredith, her hand rubbing gently on her back.

"Where's Sam?" Addison asked, throwing her friend a questioning look.

"He's inside already; he thought he'd give us ladies some meet and greet time, so he went to get us a table." Naomi rolled her eyes, and the trio strolled across the parking lot and entered the modern looking restaurant. A handsome man in slacks and a button-down shirt stood by the sushi bar, and he flashed a brilliant white smile as he recognized Addison.

"Addie!"

"Sam!" Addison embraced the man and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I couldn't say much for Naomi, but look at you! She scored when she decided to marry you." She teased gently, and Meredith caught a quick glance that was shared between Sam and Naomi. Addison, however, was obliviously smiling at her friends, and Meredith couldn't remember her being so happy.

"Addison, so who is this gorgeous woman whose name I don't know yet because…?" Sam smiled at Meredith.

"Meredith," she said and reached her hand out, and he came forward and embraced her briefly, and Addison took a breath. Meredith leaned in and kissed his cheek as Addison had, and Addison exhaled silently.

The waitress came up to them and ushered the group to a dark mahogany table, and Addison pulled one of the chairs out for Meredith who touched Addison's hand before taking her seat. Everyone else took their seats and picked up the menu. Meredith's hand found Addison's underneath the table, and the redhead squeezed it.

Addison looked up from her menu to Naomi and Sam, her eyes sparkling. "So, what's new with you guys?"


"Wow. Just…wow." Addison managed to get out, her eyes on the road. Meredith held her right hand with both of her own and ran her thumb gently over the top of Addison's hand. "You know, I'm really surprised…I just thought those two would be together forever."

"Well, they still seem fine with each other, and they seem like such great people, and they are obviously good friends for still going to see you together." Meredith leaned her head down onto Addison's shoulder as the wind coming into the sporty convertible rustled her hair.

"Yeah, they're great. Oh well, like I told them, I just wish them the best and hope that they are happy. Alright, so I was thinking that we could go do some shopping. LA has some of the best shopping in the states. And then maybe we could go to the beach. What do you think?" Addison asked Meredith, who had put her bare feet up on the dash of the car. Addison laughed at the sight of the girl; her blonde hair was blowing wildly around her face, and she looked just like a child enjoying a car ride.

"The beach sounds perfect. The shopping…eh not so much. But I'd go anywhere with you." Meredith turned her grinning face towards Addison, and even though the redhead couldn't see her eyes because they were hidden behind Meredith's sunglasses, she knew those beautiful blue-grey eyes were sparkling.

"Well, good. Because you have no choice. I have the keys." Addison laughed again as Meredith stuck her tongue out at her, and she looked back to the road and let the sun wash over her face, and she headed towards west LA.


Now it was Meredith's turn. "Wow."

"I know. It does the same thing to me, every time." Addison sighed happily as she looked at the towering shopping mall. Rodeo Drive was her favorite place to shop in LA, besides the boardwalks. It had everything; Tiffany's, Cartier, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, MaxMara, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and other big name boutiques. It was a fortress of buried treasure to Addison, and she was determined to uncover every inch of treasure she could find.

Meredith saw the excitement in Addison's face, and she couldn't help but smile along with her. Addison's happiness was always so infectious, especially her smile that just brightened up a room. Addison closed the top on the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. She grabbed her bag and looked at Meredith, whose jaw was still on the floor, and Addison giggled before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Meredith let out a surprised squeak, and picked up her own purse and clambered out of the car, not tearing her eyes from the scene in front of her. Addison met her around the front of the car, and took her girlfriend's hand, and the two of them set off to unbury their treasure.

Two stores later, Addison had one arm laden with bags, and she kept a tight hold on Meredith's hand, as if she were afraid to lose her amongst the other shoppers. Meredith couldn't stop looking at all the shops and the people, and she smiled as Addison tightened her hold on her hand. She felt safe and protected, a feeling she didn't want to lose. Meredith loved the way Addison cared for her, in such simple ways like holding her hand in the crowd. She needed her; she needed to feel her, right now.

Meredith spun to face Addison in the middle of the busy sidewalk and guided Addison's back into a near light pole, and she pressed her lips to Addison's. Meredith felt Addison's surprise through the way her body tensed and resisted for a split second, before relaxing and closing her eyes, and Meredith felt her lips respond to hers. Addison's arms went limp and the shopping bags slid down to her wrist, but she didn't feel any of that. Addison felt as if she were sucked into a spiral, and dimly felt Meredith's body against hers, her teeth grazing over her bottom lip, and a small whimper escaped the redhead's throat. Meredith pulled away at the noise, and caught the glance of some onlookers in the crowd, and Addison's eyes fluttered open. She let out a passionate sigh before taking Meredith's hand once more.

"You are going to be the death of me, Meredith Grey." Addison was still attempting to catch her breath, and she could tell the blonde was still caught up in their moment as she stumbled against the curb. Addison reached out quickly to her, and Meredith grabbed onto Addison's outstretched arm, and the two burst into a fit of laughter.

"Come on you, I have a surprise for you." Addison pulled Meredith into a nearby shop, and the cool air from the air-conditioned shop enveloped Meredith, relieving her from the blistering heat of LA. The store was set up like a 50's ice cream parlor, with black and white checkered floors and red barstools around the circular tables, and this time it was Meredith's turn to sigh.

"Addie, you read my mind." Meredith shot her a smile and the two went up to order some frozen relief.

Two hours later and three stores down, Addison was dragging. Both women had their arms full of bags, and Addison stumbled towards a bench and plopped down, dropping the bags to the ground in front of her. It was starting to cool off slightly, and the breeze had picked up. Meredith chuckled at the sight of the tired woman, and took a seat next to her on the bench. She leaned back against the back of the bench and closed her eyes. She did not move or speak, and Addison scooted closer, snuggling her head onto Meredith's shoulder and tucked herself underneath the blonde's chin.

Meredith's head dropped down onto the top of Addison's, and Addison mumbled something about not being cut out for this anymore. Meredith grinned and brought her finger underneath Addison's chin, and tilted her face up to her own. "I thought this was what the great Addison Forbes-Montgomery was all about."

Addison groaned and dropped her head back down onto Meredith's chest, and Meredith wrapped her arms around her, stroking her back as the two watched the crowds thin out into the parking lot.

They sat in silence, taking comfort in each other's presence, before Meredith finally spoke. "I'm freaking starving. And you look like a tired old whore."

Addison's head shot up, her mouth open in defensive shock, before she laughed and picked up her bags. "Yeah, well I'm your tired old whore. Come on baby, let's haul these out to the car, and then we can go worry about dinner."

Meredith stood and picked up her set of bags, and they slowly made their way back to the car. Addison pressed the alert button on the key and the red Sportec beeped and the lights flashed about two rows away. They finally reached the car and Meredith leaned up against it while Addison went to the trunk and popped it open and loaded her bags. She came around next to Meredith who was collapsed against the side of the car in exhaustion.

"Seriously Addie, you're going to need to buy another suitcase to haul all this shit back on the plane." Meredith said with closed eyes, and then her eyes shot open as she felt soft lips brush her own. Addison was straddling her legs and had one hand resting on the car windows on each side of Meredith's head, and Addison drew out the kiss, drowning in Meredith's soft caresses. The blonde moved her arms to wrap around Addison's waist and pull her closer. She could never seem to get close enough to Addison. Her scent intoxicated her, the sweet smell of jasmine and vanilla floated in the breeze around them, and Addison released Meredith's tender lips and wrapped her arms around the young woman's neck, folding her into a hug. She buried her face in the blonde's neck, Meredith's dirty blonde hair fell around her face, and she breathed in the faint lavender smell.

"You smell good baby." Addison sighed into Meredith's neck, and Meredith tucked her head into the crook of Addison's neck, running her lips along Addison's smooth skin. "Mmm," Addison moaned, and the sound of laughing shoppers heading out to their cars jerked her out of the spell Meredith seemed to have cast on her, and she was suddenly very aware of the public setting they were in. "Mer…honey?" Meredith's lips were moving down Addison's neck, her teeth grazed Addison's collarbone and the attending gasped and had to put her hands on Meredith's shoulder to break free of her trancelike state. "We really need to get a room." Addison laughed as Meredith playfully swatted at her behind as she turned to walk around the car.

Meredith caught her wrist and pulled Addison back to her. "We have a room, darling."

"Mmm, don't tempt me." Addison's brain exploded at the term of endearment that Meredith had used, and she could barely keep herself standing on her own two feet.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Meredith shot her an impish grin over her shoulder before getting into the front seat of the Sportec, and Addison leaned back on the car briefly, taking a breath. Oh god…what that woman does to me. Addison smiled and moved around to the driver's side of the car and slid in. All she wanted at that moment was to go back to the hotel and lie in bed with her girlfriend and spend the night memorizing every curve, every dip, and every line of her body. Addison started the car and turned her head to look at Meredith, but the blonde had her head resting at an angle on the seat, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow and even, fast asleep. Addison just stared at her with a softened gaze for several minutes. She loved everything about Meredith. She loved the cute way her mouth parted in sleep, the whiny sounds she made when she was just waking up and reaching for Addison, the mischievous look that would soon be joined with a smirk when she was up to something, and the way she looked away when she was trying to keep people from seeing the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. Addison loved her. She loved her with everything she had.

The redhead put the car into reverse and slowly backed out of the parking space, easing out of the lot, taking care not to jostle her sleeping girlfriend.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Addison pulled into the parking garage of their luxurious hotel. The sun was just setting, and the final rays were glinting off the soft waves of Meredith's hair. The young intern's head had drooped down onto the door of the car, and she motioned to the bellboy to come over to the car. She stepped out, shutting the door part of the way, keeping a watchful eye on Meredith. The woman stirred, moving her head against the door, but didn't wake.

"Please take these bags up to my room." Addison requested quietly, never tearing her eyes from Meredith. She had an overwhelming desire to hold her sleeping girlfriend in her arms, to cradle her head to her chest and slowly rock her to sleep. In her line of work, caring for another human being was something she had always been good at; she was gifted with having a set of natural protective instincts, but she had never known this to be something so strong and so important to her. The bellboy had loaded her shopping bags on a cart and was taking them across the garage to the elevator, and Addison slipped back into the car. She hated waking her, but she needed to get her up to their room.

"Meredith. Mer, baby, wake up sweetheart." Addison cooed gently to her girlfriend, and Meredith dimly heard Addison's voice calling to her. She loved Addison's voice, it was always so strong and dominant, but she had this way of lowering her voice when she spoke to Meredith. It was a sound so raw and husky and almost vulnerable. Meredith woke with a tiny smile playing at the corner of her lips, her eyes opening a fraction of the way, and like Addison had predicted, she awoke with a soft whine.

"Addie." Meredith shifted her weight toward the older woman, her arms reaching for Addison, and it melted the attending's heart. Addison cupped Meredith's face with both hands, preventing the girl from collapsing into her chest.

"Mer, we're in the car in a parking garage. We have to go up to the hotel so we can get you into bed." Addison kept speaking in that low, tender voice and smiled at the face Meredith pulled, and she wished so much that she could just scoop the girl up into her arms and carry her up to the room.

"Alright, alright, but you're going to have to help me." Meredith struggled with the door, and Addison was right around, guiding her out of the car.

"Thanks babe." Meredith smiled tiredly at Addison, and she rested her head on Addison's shoulder. The redhead put her arm around Meredith's back, holding lightly to her hip and the two made their way into the elevator. As soon as they got situated in the elevator, Meredith turned into Addison and wrapped her arms around Addison, inhaling the scent of her skin that only belonged to Addison. She smiled into Addison's neck, and Addison felt the woman's lips turn upwards on her skin. Addison brushed her lips across the top of Meredith's head. The blonde's wavy hair brushed her nose and lips, and Addison thought she could stay this way forever.

The elevator dinged and Meredith pulled herself out of Addison's embrace, leading Addison to their room. Addison raised an eyebrow at Meredith's sudden awake state, but didn't question her as they stood outside their door, and Addison fumbled with the room key. She finally located it and opened the locked door, and Meredith pulled her inside, and as soon as the door shut, she had Addison's back up against it. The look in Addison's eye was of surprise, but when she looked at Meredith, she met the intensity of a million suns. It wasn't lust, and it wasn't even desire, but a hunger. That desperate need for touch and contact shot through Meredith and she closed the distance between them, crashing her lips upon Addison's, taking her breath away, and Meredith's eyes closed as she felt the electricity flow through Addison's body in response. Addison's right hand trailed up Meredith's arm and across her collarbone before entwining itself in the intern's hair that framed her face. She let the hair slip through her fingers and pressed her hand passionately against Meredith's face, and her other arm wrapped around Meredith's neck.

Meredith felt alive. Sparks were flying through each caress, each movement, each touch, and she held onto Addison's hips firmly as Addison's mouth sought access to hers, and she relented, and Addison felt a wave of passion overwhelm her as she slipped her tongue into Meredith's mouth, exploring fervently, and she started to move Meredith backwards. Meredith seemed to know where she was going, because she opened her mouth, giving Addison more access, and their tongues found each other. Meredith spun them around so quickly that Addison tripped over the shopping bags that littered their hotel room floor from that day's work, and she felt the bump of the bed hit the back of her knees, and she collapsed, Meredith easing down on top of her. They each had a leg on each side of the other's, and Addison raised her knee, bringing pressure up into Meredith, and the woman froze. Addison felt the woman tense, and her eyes searched Meredith's face. The blonde had her eyes shut tight, and Addison sat halfway up, and brought her hands to Meredith's face.

"Baby, look at me. Meredith, honey, look at me." Addison called out gently, knowing the emotions that were running rampant in her girlfriend's head. "Mer, it's Addie. Darling, look at me. Open your eyes."

Meredith's eyes opened slightly, and then all the way. They widened as they finally registered Addison's face in front of her. "Addie," she croaked out, "Oh god Addie." She sank into the woman, who had transformed completely in those few seconds. Addison brought a hand to the small of Meredith's back and rubbed softly in circles, whispering loving words into her ear.

"It's okay Mer, it's okay. We will get through this. And remember, I told you, I plan to wait as long as I have to. Sex…" Addison hesitated briefly, but kept going, "Sex isn't everything. But someday, we will get there, and I love you. And that's all that matters."

Meredith pressed a kiss to Addison's lips, and eased herself back into the plush pillows, and Addison joined her, propping herself on her side, with one leg draped over Meredith. Meredith turned her body into Addison and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. She slowly pressed a kiss to one of Addison's cheeks, then the other. Then she brushed her lips against the corner of Addison's, and she moved over and did the same to the other side, getting daringly close to where Addison's lips were parted. Meredith gazed into the beautiful redhead's face, smiling gently, knowing where Addison desperately wanted her lips, and she finally gave in, drowning themselves in bliss once again.