I know, it's been forever. Sorry! Hope you enjoy :)

"He wants to be in her life," she sighed and leaned back against the headboard of the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping infant in the corner. "He's mad and probably wants to toss me in Elliot B ay for not telling him but he wants to be in her life."

"Meredith," Addison's laughter floated through the phone as the blond scrunched her nose up. "I told you that he would want to be, I told you about New York, and Mark would never throw you in Elliot Bay."

"He was just so comfortable with her, Addie." She rubbed the crease between her eyebrows and sunk farther down into her bed. "He held her and played with her and let her chew on his shirt collar and he didn't care. He looked so sad when I told him about the stuff he missed and I just felt even more horrible. I'm a horrible person, I'm the reason he's missed the first seven months of his daughter's life."

"Mark's always been good with babies. I think it's the charm that lures them into a false sense of security." She hummed as if she was lost in thought before coming back to her senses and sighed into the phone. "But he'll be a good father, Meredith. He might be mad for a little while but he'll get over it. He's understanding and he knows all about family issues."

Meredith groaned and pulled the comforter up over her head, stilling momentarily when she heard her daughter breathe heavily before focusing on the other problem at hand. "The feeling came back," she admitted quietly.

"One problem at a time, Grey," Addison admonished with a slight chuckle. "Let's get through this one before we touch on the issue of the warm and mushy feelings you get for Mark."

"It's just, I was halfway to panic attack town and all he had to do was put his hand on top of mine and I was fine; it took Violet almost an hour to talk me down from that last bad one at your house." She blew the hair out of her face as she pulled her lip between her teeth. "And this has got to be really awkward to talk about your ex-lover with your ex-husband's dirty ex-mistress."

"Seriously? Not even a week back in Seattle and we're back on that trip?" She paused, a clinking in the background that lets Meredith know she was having her nightly glass of wine before she clucked her tongue. "The past is the past, Meredith. We all make mistakes. I'm over Derek and I'm over Mark. I love Lilly and I love you, you're both family to me. And as awkward as it might be, or should be, I don't mind talking about it with you."

"But you're not over Pete and refuse to go there," Meredith perked up, deciding to side step her problems for a moment and address a much more (in her opinion) pressing issue.

"And on that note, how did Derek take the news?"

"He didn't because I ran like a little chicken when my daughter gave me the perfect escape," she grumbled into the phone, lips thinned out at the topic change. "Alex offered to kick his ass if it would make me feel better. Do you think it would?"

"Doubtful," the redhead deadpanned with what Meredith was sure a rolling of the eyes. "He's going to find out sooner or later, Meredith; it might take a bit of the sting out if it was you who told him."

"I know, I know." She sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that she was exhausted. She had no pressing issues to handle at the hospital tomorrow and would gladly sleep in - if Lilly would permit it (which was doubtful) but the thought of hanging up now and going to sleep left her with something the resembled fear in her stomach. "Are you sure you can't make a trip to Seattle? I'm sure there's some case that the great Addison Montgomery can help on."

"I'm not taking a flight to Seattle just to coddle you, Grey, that's what got us in this mess." Addison paused and Meredith knew she was finishing off the glass of wine and that soon she'd be turning the lights off to sleep. "Or, more accurately, what got you into this mess. I can, happily, take my lashings from Mark over the phone and be on my merry way. He's not as scary sounding if you pull up a picture of a ducks attacking a cat on your phone, he's quite tame."

"I see you've been spending some quality time with Maya again," she rolled her tongue in her mouth, loving the way it felt as she slide her head out of the comforter before she sighed. "Did she pass that test in math we studied for last week?"

"Sure did," the redhead said proudly as she began to get more comfortable in bed as well. "I'm taking her out for ice cream tomorrow after work and probably a trip to the mall for something."

"Tell her to get something for me and I'll pay you back when you come down for Lil's party," Meredith yawned as her eyes fluttered close briefly before jumping back open when she heard the door downstairs open and close. "Iz and George are back from Joe's, so that means it is way past my bedtime."

"You're right, it is." Addison chuckled, making the dirty blond's lips curl up slightly. "Go to sleep, you know that beautiful baby of yours hates when you sleep in."

"Yeah, cause her Aunt Addie spoiled her rotten." She smirked, rolling her eyes as she chanced a glance at the door that suddenly had light spilling underneath. "But I will go to sleep because I'm exhausted and I have a feeling that tomorrow will only get more interesting."

"Just watch - Mark will be there to spend time with Lilly when Derek shows up demanding answers. It will be real interesting then."

"Especially with Alex trying to sleep upstairs," Meredith sighed and rubbed her eyes to push the headache back. "When I come back to LA, it will be because I murdered your ex-husband and need a place to hide."

"You'd never make it in jail," Addison reminded her dutifully. "Goodnight, Meredith."

"I don't think I'd mind being someone's bitch if it meant Derek couldn't question me anymore," she hummed on that thought before smiling. "Night, Addie. Say hi to everyone for me tomorrow."

"Will do," she promised before the phone clicked to end the conversation. It was the sound Meredith had been dreading but knew was coming. She rolled over on her side, plugging her phone into the charger before burying her face in the thick pillow that already smelled of her shampoo.

Forcing herself to relax and ignoring the quiet curses from George's mouth as he stumbled in the now dark hall, she finally started to drift off to sleep with images of Mark in a tiara and their daughter painting his face with makeup.