Author's Note:
This one is short because I'm going to do my damndest to publish two chapters as soon as I can write them, and I thought I'd release this part earlier than usual as a teaser.
I hope you enjoy, please leave a comment at the end :D
Thanks for the wonderful praise of yesterday's nonexistent sex.
Who would have known that 'hypothetical love is not dead?'
(If you comment and understand that reference, I will love it.)
bobbiejelly
PREVIOUSLY ON "FALLING APART, BARELY BREATHING":
Addison had no idea that, as she got dressed in her office to head soon to the bar;
That Meredith had had one of the most peaceful naps ever after having come so hard like she needed to.
And that Meredith would be awake, alert and enthusiastic then-
About whatever life had to throw at her later that night at the bar.
Even 'mystery-person-shaped-things' and 'Addison Montgomery-shaped-things'...
END OF FLASHBACK SEQUENCE.
Falling Apart, Barely Breathing
In Which Addison meets Meredith in a bar. Things spiral from there. This is the story about what might have happened after Meredith asks Derek to "Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me" but before he decides to do anything about it, and after SHE decides to do something about it. MerAdd. Meddison. Set during "Bring the Pain" GA. An Addison Montgomery/Meredith Grey - Grey's Anatomy Fanfiction. Written by me, bobbiejelly . NOW RATED E FOR EXPLICIT. You're welcome :)
Chapter 30: It's The End Of The World, Part One
When Meredith wakes up from a most wonderful nap, she's feeling ecstatic.
She feels like she's rested a million years.
The last time she felt that well-rested was when she had been napping with Addison.
This time she's waking up alone, though, in an on-call room in the hospital.
Meredith checks her watch as she smiles. It was almost time to head to Joe's!
She couldn't wait to drink the day away with her friends.
And she couldn't wait to see the clothes that Addison had packed for her.
She almost wants to peek at them, but she realizes that Addison still had her backpack in her car.
So instead, Meredith wanders the halls in search of new scrubs, which she changes herself into.
Meredith decides that she can get out her evening clothes anytime, anyhow, when she heads to the bar because she still has Addison's keys attached to her own keychain.
Meredith enjoys the weight of the two of the keychains, and she runs her fingers over Addison's car keys.
She's feeling how the heavy weight to her boss's Mercedes' keys feels inside of her hands.
She decides that she likes it.
(She REALLY, likes it...)
As Meredith does this, she's filled with a sense of self-purpose and determination.
Somehow she feels something different is in the air tonight. Even different, only for HER.
Out of all of the recent trials and tribulations with Derek and with Addison and with Divorces (Addison's and Derek's…) and the Mystery Lover(s) and the Drunken Night(s)? And the Blackout(s)? and the Bar(s)?…
Meredith knows, somehow, someway that she'll get some clarity on all of that, soon.
She knows she can always ask Joe, the bartender, or his partner Walter, anyhow.
She can ask them who she was with that night.
She can ask them who is her goddamned 'mystery lover' and end this for once and for all.
She just wants to know, now, even if she's 97% sure that she's made her choice.
She wants to know who it is; who she could be missing out on…
Meredith wants to know who this person is, in case they're still secretly pining for her…
Somehow, Meredith knows that today will be 'the end of the world', for someone, somehow, at least it would be 'the end of the world as they know it,' to be, now.
Meredith knows that no matter who this mystery lover ends up being - and, whichever answer Addison eventually gives her if she ever gathers up the courage to ask her out at all…
Meredith knows, somehow, that today will be the end of the world for someone, somewhere. And apparently, this time, unlike the last time, the power would be all in her hands.
(Wow, maybe I really am an arrogant whore, thinking everyone is pining for me and still loving it… Meredith thinks...)
(Maybe this is why I sort of liked having both Mrs. AND Mr. McDreamy having the hots for me at the same time when they did…)
(Maybe I shouldn't be so happy that people are falling at my feet to be jealous over me…)
(Yeah, well you're jealous that all of these hypothetical boys and girls are going to be ALL OVER ADDISON tonight because she's going to the bar for the first time since her official divorce papers are through and people are going to be swarming her like vultures…)
(Yeah, you might want to think about getting in there before she ends up falling into bed with someone else who isn't you…)
(Yeah, you might want to think about coming clean to her about your stupid 3% crush on your 'mystery lover' person, too, because it's not fair to her if she doesn't know you're still thinking about that person still a little bit, albeit less and less and less every day…)
As Meredith processes all of these thoughts, she can't wait to escape it all.
She can't wait to get out of this McHospital.
She can't wait to take a goddamned break from this 'game' or this godforsaken 'arena'.
Meredith knows that as soon as she does, that she knows she'll escape it today.
Somehow she knows she won't be spending another night in this arena, not like this, at least, not without all the questions without any answers…
"GREY!" Meredith hears a familiar voice calling her.
She wishes it was Addison's voice, but it isn't.
It's Miranda Bailey's voice; her 'I am your resident, not your friend like earlier today in the attendings' lounge', voice.
"Grey, I have a favor to ask of you" she begins in a way that she's implying she knows the answer will be 'yes' because of the things she's said to Meredith as a secret, today.
"Yes?" Meredith answers, willingly.
"It's for me, but it actually isn't…" Bailey begins to tell her.
"And it isn't for Derek, not really, anyways…" Bailey continues and all of this is making Meredith even more and more confused.
"Derek booked his time off from the hospital already, so he's not on-call. Plus there's still Dr. Nelson who can cover any emergencies in neuro... " Doctor Bailey begins.
"But as for Neonatal/Fetal, OB-GYN & Genetics... " Bailey trails off momentarily as Meredith's eyes shoot up in surprise once she realizes it's Addison that Bailey is talking about.
"Doctor Montgomery was booked off as well, but there's no 'shadow Addie' to cover for her like 'shadow Shepherd' is around to cover for Derek" Bailey explains.
"She deserves the night off. She insisted she didn't need to drink and that she can work through it, but I am her friend, too, just like you are…" Bailey continues, acknowledging Meredith's friendship with Addison without making a big deal about it.
"She asked me to drive for her, just in case," Meredith holds up Addison's keys in understanding for Bailey.
"Addison's a smart girl. She's a grownup, thank goodness. She won't put anybody's life on the line…" Meredith smiles at Bailey's compliments towards Addison.
"She could do it, you know. I know, you know, I know, she could do it if she had to. She wasn't lying to me when she said she never had a drink so far and she wouldn't if she was still working…" Bailey continues in a way that confirms to Meredith what she already knew about Doctors drinking Alcohol occasionally in the hospital when they were not working.
"She shouldn't have to!" Meredith exclaims in understanding and also in passion.
"She just got a divorce. She should be allowed to drink herself under the table for two weeks if she wanted, without anyone judging her," Meredith exclaims, unknowingly, in the exact same words she had said once, directly to Addison, on the night Addison had first met her at the bar, which she could no longer remember...
"She shouldn't have to," Bailey confirms Meredith's sentiment softly.
"So, where do I come into this?" Meredith asks now, not quite catching Bailey's original question.
"She needs someone to be on call for those Pyloric Stenosis babies, for the night" Bailey explains to her.
"They asked me just then if I could keep someone on call, and I thought I'd ask you before bugging Addison, in case," Bailey begins.
"You wouldn't be operating, they're stable enough. The surgery is in the coming days, once they are ready. But the parents have requested a doctor be on-call, even an intern, in case they have any questions or need to take a break and go home for a few hours," Bailey explains to her.
"And you want me? Izzie and Cristina are assigned to that case..." Meredith asks her, surprised.
"Well, you see, Yang's already exceeded her hours for the week. Izzie's also very good with the babies, but she was on-call last night, as was Alex so it can't be either of them. George is on-call tomorrow so he's not a good choice… It just has to be you," Bailey says to her now.
And even though it was a completely professional matter, Meredith had a swelling sense of pride that she is the only one who can 'save' Addison Montgomery, in a way, and to give her a nice night of peace after her brutal divorce paper signing with Derek.
And the super magic smile spreading across Meredith's face involuntarily - causes Bailey to chuckle-
Slightly knowingly, at the Grey girl- Before asking her, finally, "So is that a yes, Grey?"
"You can count on me, Bailey! Addison can SO count on me!" Meredith exclaims to her.
"I'll let her know, then," Bailey says to her sweetly.
"You should check on those pyloric stenosis patients before you go, Grey," Bailey says to her.
"Go?" Meredith asks her.
"You can still go out with your friends, if you want, as long as you all go to the Emerald City Bar down the street and you take the car so you can get over, quickly, if you're called in for a consult," Bailey explains to her.
"I never said this before because I needed to know you were fully committed to the favor. But the thing is, there will be other doctors and nurses around if anything medical happens that's beyond your knowledge…" Bailey begins.
"As I said, you're there for the parents to answer surgical questions and to be there for them if they want to leave for a bit. So keep your pager on LOUD and answer it at a run, but know that you can still have a good time so long as you stay COMPLETELY SOBER and you don't do anything stupid like DRUGS," Bailey laughs.
"You'll have to stay overnight at the hospital, but you might have done that anyhow if you stay up late at the bar..." Bailey says to her.
"Okay, I guess I won't do all that weed I had saved up," Meredith smirks up at Bailey.
"Don't you start to get smart with me or I'll make George do it instead and put you on call tomorrow night and kick you off of Addison's surgical rotation, entirely," Bailey reasserts her position.
"I promise, I got this! I want to make Addison proud!" Meredith says to her excitedly.
"You better be thinking of making ME proud of you, too," Bailey says to her with a chuckle.
"I'm gonna be so Zen I'll be like GANDHI!" Meredith says to her.
"That's got to be an LA thing because I have no idea what you're talking about" Bailey laughs.
"Yeah, I think Addison said something about her friends in LA talking about it, probably chatting while we were going to get plant food earlier," Meredith tries to explain.
"You own a plant, together?" Bailey asks her, surprised. She knew they were close but she didn't know they were already THAT close. (Lesbian U-Hauling? Bailey wonders...)
"Well, no, it's my potted plant, in my kitchen, it's just been really not straight, and queer, and pretty, and flowery, and extending in different directions since the roots got all kinky when it got knocked over by someone or me when I was drunk, and Addison was over to my house when we picked up the cake…"
"And Addison noticed the plant looked hungry and thirsty so we drove to get plant food because she just couldn't let it be or let it go, or leave it to be all hurt and lonely and neglected…" Meredith tries to explain this to her even though Bailey still looked super skeptical.
"Look, Addison saw the plant for what it was worth and cared for it, and watered it, and talked with it and rubbed it soothingly with her fingers the other day while I was boxing up the cake, and she was just so loving and tender towards it… She has a thing for the plant, I guess," Meredith says to her, finally.
"Well, wow, I never knew Addison even had a green thumb. Must be this 'new leaf' she's been turning over these days. Seems her tastes have really changed. Now she likes Seattle, and Skittles, and Cheetos, and well, women, too," Bailey says all observantly.
"Maybe she just likes my potted plant in particular…" Meredith says a bit sheepishly.
"Well, whatever it is, I'm glad that Addison is taking care of you- I mean- your potted plant- for you, or with you... Or whatever."
"Addison, she's a really good person, that's all. And so are you, too, Grey." Bailey finally says to her.
And this is the closest thing Bailey would ever come to acknowledge to Meredith or to Addison about what she had already started to figure out about these two women's budding relationship.
"Thanks, she really is." Meredith takes the compliment FOR Addison and it makes Bailey smile at how even Meredith didn't realize she was doing this, even after.
"Well, you finish getting changed when you're ready, and keep your scrubs and white coat at the ready" Bailey says to her, finally.
"I will, I won't let Addison - Doctor Montgomery I mean - or You - or the Parents - Down!" Meredith finally exclaims to her.
"Have a good evening, and send best wishes to Addison, for me, let her know that I'm thinking of her," Bailey says.
"I will, if I see her," Meredith says then to Bailey. (God, I sure hope I see her! Meredith thinks.)
"You don't have to tell her you're doing this for HER if you don't want to, or at least not right away," Bailey offers to Meredith.
"You can keep it a secret and say to her that I made you," Bailey offers in case Meredith wants this.
"That would be great, Bailey," Meredith says with a smile.
"Oh, and Bailey, I'm doing this for Addison, but I'm doing this for you, too. I know you had a hard day today," Meredith says quite compassionately.
"Thanks, Grey," Bailey says to her.
"You know, I knew your mother and she was an exceptional surgeon. And I think you'll be just as good as her one day if you work hard. But you can be all that and still, this, too," Bailey says to her.
"This?" Meredith asks her.
"Compassionate. You really care for people. You're empathetic in that you feel other people's pain. It's a beautiful thing…" Bailey says to her.
"You know, you're always tough on us, but you're compassionate and empathetic too. You've always been there for me and I'm just-" Meredith starts to apologize before Bailey cuts her off again.
"We accept the love we think we deserve, Bailey," Meredith says to her with big blue eyes.
"I could say the same for you, too, Grey. We accept the love we think we deserve…"
"Thank-You," says Meredith, breathlessly as Meredith looks down now.
"You really are," Bailey says to her, as Meredith's eyes snap back up to her.
"Really am?" Meredith asks about her incomplete sentence.
"You are extraordinary, Grey. And don't you forget it, no matter what anyone else says," She offers as Meredith is touched by this.
"Well I better get going,' says Bailey. "I have patients to check on. I'll see you for rounds tomorrow morning at the latest," Bailey smiles.
And as she walks away, Bailey smiles at Meredith, holding two sets of keys in her hands, one of them her own, (and one of them, apparently, 'the keys to her heart…')
(Even if Meredith didn't even have the awareness to know that, quite yet, for herself…)
Meanwhile,
The boys are actually having shower sex in the next room, which Meredith must have been hearing in her dreams.
She almost walks in on them when she goes in to put on her white coat again, but she doesn't, gratefully.
She's jealous that SOMEONE is having ACTUAL, SHOWER SEX when she hadn't been.
But Meredith gets it together to go out to check on her new patients and their parents.
Meanwhile,
Miranda Bailey finds Addison still eating cake in her office when she explains to her that she's off duty.
"Go out or go home, Addison, but you ain't stayin' here right now," Bailey explains to her.
"But the pyloric stenosis babies…?" Addison says to her.
"Already covered. I have my ways. Someone owed a favor to someone, that's all." Bailey begins.
"And they were more than happy to do it. So get on something nicer than that and give yourself a night out. Hell knows you deserve it, now," Bailey says to her knowingly.
"Thanks," Addison says to her.
"I'd offer you a drink of my secret Gin, Bailey, but you're…" Addison regrets bringing this up but Bailey says that it's fine.
"I'm alright, Addison," Bailey says to her then.
"You should wait until the bar to get plastered, though, don't drink your stash by yourself in your office, not tonight. Not tonight..." Bailey warns her, then continues.
"Somehow I know you might want to have a few gin and tonics, and at least if you're at Joe's tonight I know he'll keep an eye out for you," Bailey says with a smile.
"Joe seems to be very good at making sure people get home safe…" Addison says to her idly, as Bailey leaves her alone.
Addison puts on an outfit she has on her coat rack as she hangs up her white coat and her hospital clothes.
As Addison sits down in her office, pondering for a moment before she heads out...
As Addison does this, she's filled with a sense of self-purpose and determination.
Somehow she feels something different is in the air tonight. Even different, only for HER.
Out of all of the recent trials and tribulations with Derek and with Meredith and with Divorces (Hers and Derek's…) and the Mystery Lover(s) and the Drunken Night(s)? And the friend's Blackout(s)? and the Bar(s)?…
Addison knows, somehow, someway that she'll get some clarity on all of that, soon.
Addison knows she can always ask Joe, the bartender, or his partner Walter, anyhow.
Addison can ask them why they sent her home with her that night.
She can ask them to help her reveal to Meredith just who is her goddamned 'mystery lover' and end this for once and for all.
She just wants her to know, now, even if she's 97% sure that she's made her choice.
She wants her to know who it is; who she could be missing out on…
Addison wants her to know who this person is, in case she's still secretly pining for the 'mystery person' who just happens to be her…
Somehow, Addison knows that today will be 'the end of the world', for someone, somehow, at least it would be 'the end of the world as they know it,' to be, now.
Addison knows that no matter how this mystery lover confession ends up being - and, whichever answer Meredith eventually gives her if she ever gathers up the courage to ask her out at all…
Addison knows, somehow, that today will be the end of the world for someone, somewhere. And apparently, this time, unlike the last time, the power would be all in her hands.
Meanwhile,
Meredith meets with the Pyloric Stenosis Babies' Parents.
They have a LOT of questions for her and she answers them all enthusiastically.
She's there for a long while before they say they'll just page her if there's something they need from her.
Meredith decides she really likes these parents, and the cute (though GROSS, babies...) and that they really deserve some happiness.
Meanwhile,
Addison reaches for her keys, now, readying herself to head out, but she can't find them, and she remembers Meredith has them.
Addison realizes she can't drive home anyhow, and she has the key to her hotel room in her pocket and her hospital pass anyhow, so she simply smiles.
She imagines in her head at how this time it's Meredith who can have the experience of having another person's keys on their set, and wonders if Meredith would run her thumb and her fingers over her keys to her car the same way she did with the one to Meredith's house.
That black Mercedes was the closest thing she had to a home in Seattle…
Addison thinks she really should find an apartment, maybe soon, but decides not to worry about this as she puts on her heels to walk out of her office.
As Addison processes all of these thoughts, she can't wait to escape it all.
She can't wait to get out of this McHospital.
She can't wait to take a goddamned break from this 'game' or this godforsaken 'arena'.
Addison knows that as soon as she does, that she knows she'll escape it today.
Somehow she knows she won't be spending another night in this arena, not like this, at least, not without all the questions without any answers…
Meanwhile,
Meredith heads to the car park and opens up Addison's Mercedes and gets her backpack from the trunk.
Meredith wants to open the bag up, right then and there, but she doesn't.
Instead, she gets into Addison's car first and closes all the blinds on the windows so she can take out the evening clothes and change into them privately.
Meredith takes a deep breath before opening the zipper.
She wants to savor this moment; the moment before and after she knows what Addison has packed her.
Meredith can't stand the anticipation of knowing that Addison had had her nimble fingers on her outfit.
That she'd picked it out just for her…
That she'd picked it out just so she could see Meredith wear it…
("I haven't seen it on YOU…" Addison had whispered in her ear and Meredith swears she thinks that Addison had been about to nibble on her earlobe, had they not been interrupted by Cristina and Izzie bursting into the kitchen…)
As Meredith unwraps the package as if it were a gift, she smiles at the first part which is her 'Dartmouth' hoodie, a raincoat, tights and socks.
('In case I get cold…' Meredith thinks to herself… Addison sure is so thoughtful…)
She pulls out the pajamas and extra hospital clothes and even her toothbrush and toothpaste…
('Wow, Addison really has done this all before. And she wanted me to be prepared as if she knew I could get paged to stay at the hospital…' Meredith tries to imagine.)
She pulls out a random assortment of extra undergarments that are laid in there.
('Best to be prepared I guess. I wonder if Addison was ever a girl scout or a girl guide or a cadet…')
And finally, at the very bottom of this meticulously packed backpack, Meredith finds what she is looking for.
All of the clothes were folded expertly neatly. But this bundle is special, Meredith can just tell.
First, she feels the weight of her low kitten heels that she'd had on her floor.
('Wow, I can't believe she even found both of them…' Meredith thinks to herself, sheepishly.)
And then Meredith gasps when she pulls out the rest. It's her blue form-fitted dress, wrapped around a star-shaped necklace from her jewelry box. A beautiful outfit, so simple, yet sweet.
Meredith had never thought about wearing those three things together, but now she sees them all together in a bundle...Meredith thinks of them all like puzzle pieces, snapping right into place.
('A puzzle that only Addison could ever assemble…')
As Meredith unfolds the set completely, thee more pieces fall out of it. The first is her nude lace bra, which Meredith has always thought of as her very favorite.
The second is her black lace pair of panties, that she saves for special occasions because they make her feel sexy.
And the thought of Addison having had her hands on all of her underwear, and then finally picking out her sexiest pair is really driving Meredith wild right now.
('Had ADDISON been turned on at the thought of me in my black sexy underwear?' Meredith dared hope to imagine…)
And then she finally examines the final item that had fallen out of the package.
This one is the most curious to Meredith because it is not an item of her own.
It's a tube of red lipstick, the same tone of the one that she thought Addison must wear.
She opens it up and it's almost completely new, it had only been used once before.
She wonders if this was an accidental inclusion if it had fallen out of Addison's pocket while she was packing the bag.
But then she thinks again at that because if it had fallen it would have been unlikely to fall exactly inside of the panties and bra, further inside of her dress.
('Addison just gave me a lipstick!' Meredith thinks to herself. 'Maybe THIS is what Addison meant as a surprise...' Meredith thinks to herself. And she runs her fingers over it all again.)
Meredith turns the lipstick over into her hands as she finds some words written on the bottom of it. The brand name is way too fancy for Meredith to even recognize.
But there's an inscription for what the shade is supposed to be called: "Elevator Love Letter," it reads.
('How ROMANTIC' Meredith thinks to herself. 'It sounds like, I don't know, it should be the title of a poem about a proposal or something…' Meredith thinks to herself… 'It's REALLY beautiful…" Meredith thinks all again…)
She knows that it was Addison's, once because it has a decal label with "A.M." printed on it in black Arial font.
She wonders if this means that Addison would one day want it back, even temporarily, to see again. And then she thinks if this means that Addison wanted her to know it was hers and that she wanted her just to KEEP IT, or if this means that Addison just had these sticky labels on all of her makeup because it was all so bourgeois she didn't want to have someone mix it up…
(Meredith didn't know then, but would eventually find out, that all three of her theories had been true simultaneously…)
So Meredith repacks the bag as well as she could. She doesn't have the laser precision in folding clothing that Addison does. She packs the sweater, raincoat, toothbrush, toothpaste, extra panties, pajamas, extra clothes, extra undergarments, everything, really other than the evening wear.
And Meredith brings the dress to her face and inhales the sweet scent of Addison's perfume or natural scent or all of the above that has latched onto it. And Meredith takes all her clothes off and slips into these fresh ones.
She enjoys every second of putting the lace bra and panties on, imagining it was Addison who had just helped to undress her and then helped her to get dressed again. She imagines what it would be like if Addison was snapping on her bra and slipping the blue dress over her head.
Meredith imagines Addison settling the form-fitting dress over her head and lacing the necklace onto the back of her neck. If Addison was here right now, Meredith would have asked her to put on the necklace, with big blue eyes; as if she couldn't manage it herself.
She would ask for help from Addison just to feel her cool fingertips on her skin. Since she's given Addison that massage the other day, Meredith has been wondering what Addison's hands would feel like untangling the muscles of her neck and shoulders…
And once Meredith is finally satisfied with the dress and the kitten-heel shoes and the necklace, Meredith finally looks in the mirror of the driver's seat of the car. She takes out the lipstick, her tube of 'Elevator Love Letter' that Addison had miraculously provided for her.
She inhales the scent before she ran her finger over it and tasted her finger onto her tongue. The tart sweetness and complexity is more and more what Meredith imagines Addison's lips would taste like on hers.
She knows that Addison has used this lipstick already; just like their shared sodas; just like their shared Pad Thai; this was an indirect kiss. And it is making Meredith go completely insane.
Meredith applies the lipstick, slowly and surely into the mirror. She rubs her lips all over each other to rub in the makeup and smiles widely when she observes the result.
The color suits her, she wouldn't have guessed that it would. Sure, Addison and Meredith both have pale skin, but the resemblances mostly stop there, Meredith thinks to herself.
"Wow," Meredith says even aloud. The lipstick shade really puts the outfit together, Meredith thinks as she looks at her reflection from a fuller profile in the passenger seat window.
Meredith can't wait to show Addison 'her outfit' - well, 'Addison's outfit' - well, 'Addison's outfit FOR Meredith' - Meredith finally settles on.
Meredith can't wait for Addison to be surprised, as she said she would be, in seeing her in her dress and her necklace and her heels and Addison's lipstick... (And her sexy underwear, but she hadn't figured out quite yet if Addison was going to see THOSE, that night, yet…)
As Meredith finally closes her backpack and pulls out of the parking lot, Meredith puts on some music to cut through the silence of Addison's car right now. And idly, Meredith hums along to the song 'Broken' by Lifehouse (Apparently, that's what's on Addison's CD player first, anyhow.).
And as she listens to the words, and eventually learns the tune enough to sing along to it, Meredith leads herself out of the dark of the parking garage, into the night, and into the parking lot of Emerald City bar, where she was looking forward to talking to both Joe and Addison.
And she hopes the exchange will eventually fill the void that Meredith feels right now, as she drives inside Addison's car alone while wishing she was accompanying her in the seat next to her.
Meredith wishes she could call Addison, but she doesn't have her number.
Well, of course, she doesn't. Most people don't have their boss's number.
But she wishes she could call Addison. So she calls the next-best-person, to her, instead...
Meanwhile,
Izzie and Cristina went to the cafeteria, earlier, and had something light. They then helped Meredith and George and Alex and the others, etc. with disassembling the decorations. But when the slipped off together at around the same time as the boys, they hadn't gone off to an on-call room to have sex;
They went out together to the Italian restaurant on Bank street that Addison had one time suggested to were still thinking about sex, of course. About having sex for the first time with each other. But they were enjoying the banter and enjoying the waiting. The flirting, the making out, and the kissing.
The waiting was almost over for them, but they liked that they had had a long time to bond and to be friends before jumping into bed with each other. And they liked that they were going the - perhaps traditional route - of going for dinner, this being at least their third date - before finally consummating their relationship with each other.
Over dinner though, Izzie doesn't want to wait for about one other thing with Cristina. She brings up the subject of Addison's extra key again, as well as Meredith's lost one. "Are those things interconnected, Cristina?" Izzie finally asks her. "Because I think they are, and I don't know WHY I think that, or how. I just think that they are, and I'm really asking, now."
Izzie insists on Cristina because she really does want to know. She says that yes, Meredith is Cristina's person, and she should keep her secrets for her. But Izzie is becoming Cristina's girlfriend, and if Izzie is going to trust her with her body, she wants her to trust her with this.
Cristina considers Izzie's arguments, and she finds them compelling. She thinks of a way she can please everyone, and stay true to the promises she's made. Cristina eventually says to Izzie, that she's been sworn to some secrets, and that she doesn't want to confirm or deny anything. But she says that Izzie has an excellent eye for detail and that that is that.
And then Izzie continues on again to say (in what SHE believes, is a total change of subject but Cristina knows that it really is not at all): "you know, after seeing them driving together in Addison's car the other day, I think Meredith and Addison could be really cute together!"
And Cristina asks Izzie why she might think this, and Izzie says that they seem to really trust each other. They light up for each other. They take care of each other; I mean Addison is picking Meredith's clothes out and Meredith ran off after her when Addison seemed to be feeling ill the other day during their game.
"They just seem to have some bond. I don't know if it has something to do with the fact that they both once dated Doctor Shepherd?" Izzie thinks about it a little. "Or that they both are just really empathetic, compassionate, and naturally giving, people?" Izzie thinks about it more.
"Mmm," Cristina answers noncommittally. "You know, you really are sweet you know" Cristina sighs as she wishes she could tell Izzie everything on her mind. "Thanks, Cristina," says Izzie.
Meanwhile,
By this time, George and Alex are still not at Joe's bar, because they are still screwing in the shower as they finally check the time out.
As they talk between rounds, catching their breath and just kissing, they discuss the 'mystery scarf girl' saying if they ever see the girl in the red and green scarf lady again, and that it wasn't ACTUALLY Addison the way they thought it was:
Then they should totally both ask her out and proposition her for a threesome with them.
Sure, they'd been turned down by Doctor Montgomery, before, for a threesome. But maybe the 'mystery scarf redhead' wasn't her and maybe it wasn't even the same scarf that Addison was talking about. Maybe this person, if it wasn't Addison, would be down for some boy-boy-girl-action.
Because they would be interested in trying that, and Izzie and Cristina already said no, and Meredith was probably caught up in some McDreamy drama (little did they know about the Ms. McDreamy drama that was about to start unfolding…) so she probably wouldn't, either.
She was smokin' HOT for a woman, in their memories, they thought (not like, actually smoking something, it was an adjective...). The person sneaking around their house that day. Seriously, totally was HOT. And though Addison did say she'd had a scarf that matched their description, having a scarf that was 'red and green' isn't exclusive to one woman in Seattle.
And plus, even if this 'mystery scarf person WAS their Doctor Addison Forbes Montgomery, why the hell would Addison be sneaking around their house that short while ago and examining their doormat?
Did Addison have a secret thing for doormats? Or for sneaking around strangers/colleagues' houses while hiding behind red and green scarves over her face? Or for looking really freaked out during daylight then running AWAY from their house in a panic?
See, it just didn't make any sense at all to them. They had no idea about Meredith's conundrum, or of Cristina's knowledge, or about Izzie's intuition. They only had their discussions with each other and the one talk with Addison while they were operating on John.
And in that, Addison seemed totally normal... Normal, I mean, for a newly out lesbian who just got a divorce with McDreamy, anyhow. But she didn't seem like she would be the type to have a secret doormat obsession. But who knows, people are obsessed with all sorts of things, these days…
(And then they think maybe it was the Lesbian thing, why Addison had not had a threesome with them. Or maybe the fact that she hadn't been divorced at the time.. Maybe they could ask her again for some sex now that she is newly single… They think they might…)
They decide to table this discussion about Addison and 'mystery scarf chick' and threesomes and sneaking around and obsessions. And they go for one more round with each other before they get dressed and finally end up walking themselves there to the Emerald City Bar.
Meanwhile,
A female figure walks into the Emerald City bar now; Joe's Bar.
She's ready and wanting to ask some tough questions about what went on here the other night.
She's willing to find out some truths, and sort out her feelings.
She's finally starting to admit to herself who she is, who she was, and who she really wants to be in the future.
She's staring Joe right in the face as she walks in the door…
Determined to win or to lose it all tonight, to finally learn what Joe and Walter had been thinking.
The woman knew that he knew everything and everything to know.
And everything and anything she could possibly ask them would help her.
And that at the end of tonight, it would be the 'end of the world' for someone, somewhere, somehow.
That, someone, was about to be heartbroken, and someone was about to be saved.
And that she had no clue on earth, yet, which one she would be, and who would be the other.
***** END OF CHAPTER 30
Author's Note 2:
Whew! Glad that this is FINALLY published! Thanks for your reviews on the last 'sexy' chapter!
As an insight into an author's mind; This chapter was actually one of the very first ones to be storyboarded. It was designed as early as after having written Chapter 5 or 6. Just there was so much that I felt had to have happened before 'tonight' that I didn't want to rush it.
I know this is a tough cliffhanger… But we're getting there, we're getting there.
This IS the crux of the story, and it's a delicate web to weave.
There were a lot of last-minute additions, extras, to add.
Let me know what you think of this one, as always.
Lots of moving parts here, a lot of plot.
And a whole lot of maybe…
And also hope…
Thank-
You
Yours, truly, bobbiejelly
THANKS FOR READING, LEAVE A NOTE IT WILL MAKE MY DAY! :D
Is it the end of the world as we know it? For Addison and Meredith?
Read along to the next chapter (coming hopefully really soon!)
To find out….
Thanks!
bobbiejelly