Best Laid Plans
A/N: Welcome to my new fanfic! Enjoy your stay!
Chapter 1
Mark Sloan wasn't an idiot. Sure, he acted childish at times, but when push came to shove, he could be serious. He was a confident man, confident in his field, his talents, his looks. He'd been best friends with Derek since they were kids, and they'd grown up together. He'd watched him fall in love, was the best man at his wedding; they got successful together in New York, and then it had all gone down in flames spectacularly.
Derek would cancel on Addison, prioritizing surgeries over birthdays and anniversaries, and he would be sent to deal with the aftermath. And one particular night, after too much alcohol, he'd had enough of seeing Addison crying over Derek being distant, and he and Addison had had sex. And he knew it was wrong; Addison was married. To Derek. But Derek was never home, would ignore his wife, and really, how could anyone ignore someone as hot as Addison? And then Derek had found out, had fled to Seattle, and Addison had chased after him months later, and he'd done the same.
Sure, maybe when he first came to Seattle, he'd wanted Addison back, but that hadn't lasted long. Seeing how hard she was trying to make her marriage work made him back off. So, now he was just trying to get his best friend back. Which was easier said than done. Much like Addison had done, Derek avoided him like the plague. But he still wanted to try. Because more than anything, he and Derek were best friends.
So much had changed in the last year. Seattle was a welcomed change from New York. It rained a lot. But Derek was here, and they were slowly becoming friends again, and it wasn't awkward like it should have been. And things between him and Addison were frosty at times, but they were getting better. Derek and Addison had been trying to fix their marriage, but during the time between Derek leaving and Addison following him - because Derek refused to answer her calls, and he and Addison had attempted to have a relationship - Derek had started a relationship with one of the new interns, Meredith. And that had rubbed him the wrong way. Because yes, Addison may have cheated, but Derek cheating by pursuing a relationship with Meredith while still married was just as bad, if not worse; because he'd tried to forget his wife while letting Meredith believe he was single instead of doing the right thing and asking for a divorce. And he saw how Derek was essentially stringing both women along, telling Addison that they could work on repairing their marriage, while still trying to get close to Meredith and subtly flirting with her every chance he got. It was pretty gross, if he was honest. Sure, he was a manwhore, but he still had morals.
Over the last few months since coming to Seattle, he'd noticed things. Insignificant to anyone else, really, but to him it was like a gold mine. It started out slowly, the way Meredith's blue eyes unconsciously sought out the green of Addison's whenever Derek would begin to converse with her. The first time that had happened, he'd shrugged it off. It wasn't like Derek was being subtle in his need for control over them both. If Meredith tried to date the vet, it was like World War 3. How dare she pay attention to anyone but him? But if Addison was getting compliments from a patient's husband, he said nothing besides commenting on hair color, leading to Addison doubting whether he truly wanted to repair their marriage. And he knew that Derek didn't, that he was doing it out of obligation. And that pissed him off more. Addison was more than an obligation. She deserved better. And so did Meredith, for that matter.
And so, the staring began. Meredith trying to reassure Addison that Derek wanting to converse with her was going nowhere. It was a one-time thing, he was sure. But when it happened a second time, this time Derek making plans with Addison in front of Meredith, it was the redhead's gaze that met the intern's, and it felt like something had clicked for him. Whenever Derek was becoming too unbearable, too blatant in his attempts to make the two hate each other, they sought the other out. Even if it was only a glance, he knew that to them, it was so much more. Only those who had been burned by Derek Shepherd the way they had could understand.
And then, there was the time when Meredith was on morphine. He remembered walking past her room and hearing her talking. With Addison. So, of course, he had to investigate. Meredith on morphine talking with Satan? Oh, definitely.
"I know you hate me and all. You don't owe me nothing. Nothing." The last word had come out slurred, but of course it had. The morphine had Meredith high as a kite. He flattened himself against the wall as the conversation continued.
"I should've stepped aside. Been a better person. A lot of things," Addison said softly.
"Me too," Meredith echoed, "A lot of things." And he felt like he was missing something else in the conversation.
But then Addison dropped the bombshell, her voice gentle, tinged with something that he now recognized as acceptance, "I don't hate you."
There was a stunned silence for a couple of seconds before Meredith had dared to ask, "How come we've never talked like this before?"
Addison's smile was evident in her voice, "The only reason we're talking like this now is because I know you won't remember a single word of this when the drugs wear off."
He peeled away from the wall, knowing that the conversation was ending, filing it away for later.
After that revelation, he wasn't too shocked to find the two looking cozied up at Joe's bar a few nights later, Addison nursing a scotch on the rocks - which he knew should've been for Derek had he not abandoned her for surgery; Meredith, on the other hand, had a bottle of beer in front of her; he doubted it was her usual type, but given the circumstances, he hadn't thought much about it. He wasn't sure if Meredith should be drinking, but he was too engrossed by the sight of the wife and the dirty mistress were side-by-side on the bar stools, chatting the night away.
There was something brewing between them; the inklings of something. So, no, Mark Sloan wasn't an idiot. He could feel it, could see it. But he just had to prove it. And he had the perfect plan on how. He started the week of Addison and Derek's divorce, relieved that Derek was finally doing the right thing. He'd fallen out of love with Addison, and it wasn't right to keep a loveless marriage alive anymore. He just hoped he could make things right before Derek tried to go after Meredith again.
"You stole my intern," Addison greeted him as he wrote on the OR board.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before continuing writing, "And good morning to you too, Red."
"My intern," she began.
He cut her off with a grin, "Oh come on, you've had Grey all week. Besides, I heard she comes highly recommended," Something flashed in Addison's eyes, and he continued, "Besides, Karev needs a lesson in bedside manner, and who better to do that than you and teeny-tiny babies?"
"Mark," her voice was low, annoyance bleeding in, "I need Meredith. We've been on this case for a week, and the mother trusts her."
"I have a very sensitive surgery," he rebutted, "A woman is finally getting a vaginoplasty after so many months of waiting, and it would be a good teaching opportunity."
"Mark, I need…"
"Fine," he relented. He caught sight of Meredith making her way towards them with his coffee, "Grey," he called out, "You're with Montgomery today."
Confusion shone on the intern's face as she reached them and he took his coffee, "What? But I was just reading up on the procedure."
He hummed as he took a sip of the drink, "Vaginoplasty," he interjected, "You can say it. But Addison here said you made a connection with the patient she has, so just this once," he made eye contact with Addison for emphasis before going back to Meredith, "she and I are swapping. I'll page Karev."
"I um," he'd never seen the blonde look so flustered. Honestly, he could see what Derek saw in her. She was a cute little thing.
"Meredith," Addison interjected, and the blonde's eyes swiveled to the neonatal's, "Mrs. Myers. The triplets."
"Right," And like that, the confusion vanished from Meredith's eyes, "She's being induced soon."
"Today," Addison corrected, "I'll need the prep-work and vitals done and then book…"
"OR 4, I know," Meredith interjected with a soft smile, "I remember."
Addison smiled back, and he coughed softly, drawing their attention back on him, "You're welcome."
Addison rolled her eyes playfully, "Next coffee is on me, Mark. Let's go, Dr. Grey."
As Meredith dutifully followed the redhead down the hall, he couldn't help but wonder if this would all blow up in his face. No, definitely not. He just needed to play the hand he was dealt. And stealing Meredith from Addison for a couple hours proved to be effective. Hopefully, she didn't see through his ruse; if she did, she may run from the attraction she and Meredith had. And then Derek would be able to steal Meredith back. No, one step at a time.
He paged Karev with a sigh. With any luck, the intern wouldn't be insensitive during the prep-op and post-op. Maybe this would help with his bedside manner. And if not, there was nothing scut and lab work to get his point across.
A/N: More to come. Let me know your thoughts on the POV. Please review!