Here it is, a Tuesday, and I have an update for you! As promised last time, a little more focus on the other couples.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Cristina settles at the bar at Joe's, nursing a glass of tequila. After the end of a busy shift, she agreed to meet with Izzie here to unwind. Still, she brushed her hair out, and put on the cranberry red t-shirt, just in case. Alexei has made a habit of appearing in her life without much notice, and she hasn't seen him in a couple of weeks now, so maybe…

The bar is fairly busy for a Thursday evening, with several people in a mini-dart tournament, most of them from SGH. She looks over and sees Dr. Montgomery and Dr. Bailey, along with a couple other of the attendings sitting together. Frowning, she realizes that Dr. Montgomery actually looks happy – her long red hair loose for a change, and she's wearing an emerald green blouse that matches her eyes, instead of the usual severely tailored suits.

"Hey, Cristina…" Izzie says, hopping onto the bar stool beside her. "Starting without me?"

"Just one."

"Hey Joe," Izzie waved at the bartender. "Can I get a beer?"

"Sure, Dr. Stevens. Another shot for you?" He looked at Cristina's empty glass.

"Hit me, Joe."

"So, here we are. Haven't seen you socializing much lately, Cristina."

"Busy." Cristina shrugged.

"Oh, I know…you're seeing that cute guy from Meredith's wedding party, aren't you? Alexei…"

"I'm not seeing him. We're just friends…"

"…with benefits…!"

Cristina rolls her eyes. "Seriously, Iz, why did I even agree to come here?"

"Look, I know you and Meredith were close, and we aren't the same kind of friends, but work with me here. I thought we could have a drink, you know..."

"Gee, what else do you do in a bar, Iz?"

"Play darts…eat salty, old peanuts…" Izzie made a face at the partially empty bowl on the bar. "Which are so not good for you. I mean, nuts are good for you, but they have to be unsalted, and unprocessed. You can lose weight that way, you know – eating a small handful a day..."

Cristina gulps the second shot of tequila before Joe even walks away from her, and she waves him to fill it up again. "I'm leaving if you're going to keep talking like that."

"Fine…" Izzie huffs, before taking a sip of beer. "Tell me about Alexei, then? Why haven't we seen him around the hospital?"

"Geez, he's not a doctor. He's kind of a free spirit, so he comes and goes. I never really know when he's going to be in town. I like the arrangement, and so does he. I'm not ready for anything else, believe me." But she looks up when the door opens, just in case, and then chides herself for doing so. "Is George coming?"

Izzie nods, checking the door as well. "Pretty quick – Bailey had him doing charts again, you know. She's so hard on him. He means well, he just has trouble sometimes."

"Yeah, like having the first patient he scrubbed in on die on the table."

"Shh…he's very sensitive about that."

Cristina smirks. "Yeah, well, he should be sensitive."

"I really like him, Cris. He's been so good to me after the …you know…" Izzie still can't remember what exactly happened to her, only what people told her when she woke up. Totally freaked out and disoriented to discover herself in one of the very hospital rooms she was familiar with as a doctor, needing several blood transfusions to revive. "I didn't realize he had any idea of me, as a girlfriend."

"Aw, you're cute together. I just like to bug you."

At that point, Cristina feels a cool ripple of air, and she turns to look at the door. She has come to realize this usually happens when Alexei is arriving, and she is smiling already to see him walk through the door. Only this time, he is accompanied by Mark, something unexpected.

"Holy shit," Izzie murmurs, watching the two men cut through the evening crowd. Despite the muggy warmth of the evening, they both manage to look cool and refreshed. Dressed in dark jeans and t-shirts, they pause inside the door. Cristina is reminded of Derek's initial arrival here, the same sensual energy, the same interest generated in the female bar patrons. Only this time, she knows Alexei is headed for her. Her blood seems to move faster at the thought that he is looking for her. But why is Mark with him?

Then she catches sight of Dr. Montgomery, her gaze fixed on Mark, and Cristina smirks to herself. Ah-hah...no wonder the usually icy attending is thawed out.

"Ohmigod..." Izzie whispers. "Did you know...??" She too has picked up what is going on, her mouth in a big O of surprise.

"Nope, not till now..."

By then, Alexei has reached them, and he leans in to kiss Cristina's cheek. "Apparently I'm not the only vamp obsessed with a mortal female these days," he says softly, squeezing her upper arm. "Miss me?"

Her eyebrows have gone up at his comment about 'obsessed', but she shrugs nonchalantly. "Not at all, babe."

"Mmm...so you don't want to hear my news..." Alexei pulls her just a little closer, and she leans back against him. She's normally completely self-reliant, but something about him makes her appreciate his quiet strength, and his easy manner. It feels good to be with him, somehow, but she's not sure if she should tell him that.

Now she turns a little on the barstool. "What news?"

"Let's go outside," he says with a mysterious smile.

Izzie has already spotted George at the door as well, and is gone to greet him. He may not have the same appeal to every woman that the other two have, she thinks, but she's happy to see him just the same. She gives him an enthusiastic hug, dragging him towards an empty booth.

For a second, Cristina hesitates, watching Mark charm the rest of the women with Addison. What on earth is going on there, besides the obvious. "You have to tell me about that..." she murmurs, indicating the other couple.

"Later," he assures her, his light blue eyes twinkling at her. He takes her arm, steering her away, and outside into the muggy night air. "But right now, Cristina, I'm only interested in this..." He pulls her against him urgently, out of sight of the doorway, taking her mouth in a slow, deliberate kiss. His hands tangle in the mass of black curls, holding her head, as he ravages her mouth.

Cristina kisses back just as hot, matching his fierce passion. Losing track of everything else but the feel of his body against hers. Sweat breaks against her skin, making the thin material of the shirt cling to her. His hands glide lower, molding the shirt even more to her, his strong touch burning even through the material. For a moment, he pauses, holding her gaze in the dark with his expressive eyes. "I have a confession..."

Catching her breath, she waits for him to continue, not sure where he is going with this. Is he going to say this isn't working out? That he can't be with her again? She steels herself for the inevitable.

"...I thought maybe it would be best to leave you alone," he finishes quietly. "It's not the most ideal situation, I realize. It's not fair to you - me popping in and out of your life without warning. I tried to stay away, I was going to just disappear...but..."

"But...?"

"Cristina, seriously, I've been giving this a lot of thought. You accept me as I am, without question, despite your initial misgivings. I haven't always been so fortunate, and had my heart, such as it is, broken. I didn't think it was possible to care for someone again." He backs away a little, rubbing a hand over his short cropped hair. "Damn, this is hard..."

Cristina puts her hand on his arm. "What are you trying to say, Alexei?"

"I'm trying to say that I'm selfish, and I want to have a part in your life, even if it's for just a short time. If you want me, that is. There is an opportunity for me to relocate here - with the Renegades gone, and Derek married, I don't really need to be in London. I've always enjoyed the more relaxed attitude here in America, after all. So we could be closer, if that is all right with you."

"Wait...you said you care about me?"

Alexei grins quickly. "Yeah. But look, I understand if you can't deal with this, and you can take as long as you want to think it over."

"I don't need any time."

"Oh, I see," Alexei murmurs. He can't get any kind of read on her thoughts, only the jump of her pulse gives away her emotional state. A little smile plays along her mouth, however, and he isn't sure at all of her reaction to his news. "So, I should go..."

"You ass," Cristina sighs, reaching for his hand. "I don't need any time, because I want to see how this turns out too. Call me crazy, but I'd like to see more of you than just a booty call."

"Excuse me?" Alexei frowns, unfamiliar with the expression.

Cristina laughs. "I think you need me to update your modern phrases, honey. That means just showing up for sex."

"Ah...well, as I recall, you said no-strings attached suited you fine," he points out, even as he moves closer to her. Even as he breathes in her unique feminine arousal, sliding his arms around her again. Even as he gives in to what was probably inevitable from the first moment he looked at her. "But I do care about you, Cristina...maybe more than I should." His lips brush against hers gently.

"Then where do we go from here?"

"That, honey, is what we need to find out," he says, claiming her mouth again. Her arms glide along his strong back, as her lips open to his, her tongue sweeping against his. Stroking deeply, with the need to be inside of her, pulsing with the same sensual desire.

Inside the bar, Mark is settled at the table next to Addison. His arm is along the back of her chair, just brushing the silk of her shirt. Enough to make her acutely aware of his large male presence. She takes another drink of wine, her eyes skimming the other ladies around the table. Mark is doing his charming best to entertain everyone, while at the same time, deliver subtle messages of seduction straight to her core. She shifts in her chair again, wondering why he has this amazing effect on her. Too long without sex?

Mark knows he is taking chances, being here again with Addison, but ever since the night of Nathalia's capture, he has been unable to put the thought of her out of his mind. Oh, he had done as Lukos asked...to a point...managing to wipe her thoughts of most of the events that evening, except for their heated encounter after she finished at the hospital.

After tasting the sweetness of her blood that had tempted him so that night, along with her lush body that had been hidden beneath the shapeless track suit, he was reluctant to remove all trace of himself. Time enough, he thinks, to indulge in some mutual enjoyment before erasing all of her lingering memories of him. When he left her at dawn, her only recollection was that he helped her with a flat tire, and they found themselves sharing the rest of the night together.

Now he leans in closer, brushing her ear with his mouth, enjoying the instant flush of heat that comes over her. "We really should leave now," he tells her, his voice low and suggestive. Sending smoky desire skittering even more along her veins. "Unless you want me to take you right here and now..."

"Leaving would be good," Addison manages to say, trying to keep her composure. This despite his stealthy hand that has landed on her thigh beneath the table, and his lips so near to her. "My car is outside..." Then his hand finds it's way under her skirt, and she bites her lip, as he teases the damp flesh there. She gulps and pushes to her feet suddenly, grabbing her purse from the back of her chair.

As Mark hides his grin, the other women look at her in surprise. "Mark just reminded me that he has made some...dinner...plans, we have to go," she explains hastily.

Mark stands as well, letting his allure encompass the rest of the table. "Good night, ladies, it was a pleasure to see you all again."

"Mmhmm..." Bailey smirks, not fooled in the least. "Enjoy your 'dinner', Addison."

"Oh, we will, Dr. Bailey," Mark replies, before disappearing with Addison into the night. Once outside, he laughs softly. "Dinner plans, Addison...I approve," he says, unlocking her car door. "I do plan to have a taste of something very satisfying..." In more ways than one...