Chapter 34: Addison's Revelations

Addie woke up in the on-call room to the sound of her alarm clock. The day surely was slow and now her shift was over. She trudged from the bunk bed and made to impose some law and order upon her messy ponytail. Her hands stilled abruptly when the door opened to reveal Mark Sloan, pleasantly surprised at her sight.

He hesitated for the briefest of seconds in the doorway only to walk in and close the door slowly. He leaned back on it with a smile not breaking the silence that fell between them.

He cocked his head at her and walked up facing her while she stood with her hands still in her hair.

"Dr. Montgomery," he nodded gently.

"Dr. Sloan," the corners of her mouth lifted a little involuntarily.

They were playing cat and mouse for months… but never locked alone in an on-call room. Suddenly, all the air seemed to be sucked out of the limited space and they lunged at each other, attacking each other's lips. They fell on the bed Addison just left.

"I should've… done it … ages ago…" he muttered not breaking their breathless kiss.

"Wouldn't have let you," snickered Addison, her hands wandering underneath his scrub top.

Mark snorted nibbling on her neck, "Because of you sweetheart I've been on the longest sex starvation since I was fourteen…"

"Really?" she breathed. "I saw you with nurses every other evening… at the bar…"

"I wasn't with the damn nurses," he confessed impatiently, sneaking his palms on her breasts. "Was trying to look out for Derek… he's being weird…" he breathed massaging her ample mounds. "But he's… at the hospital… all the time anyway… doesn't talk… only has this silly grin on his face… But why are we talking about him right now? I have someone else on my mind right now," he suckled on her neck with a smile.

Addison surrendered to Mark's attentions and the feel of his iron hard erection against her thigh. God, the man had equipment… and then it hit her. All the time at the hospital… doesn't talk… silly grin on his face… Addie stilled in Mark's embrace. How could she be so stupid and blind, or maybe too occupied with McSteamy, not to notice something that was going on just under her nose? Meredith Grey, you sneaky thing… doing McDreamy all the time and pretending to hate him.

Addison bolted from the bed suddenly making Mark slump on the covers.

"Sorry," she apologized breathlessly fixing her hair once again. "I'll… I'll catch up with you later."

She quickly slipped out of the room leaving the disgruntled plastic surgeon alone with a very hard problem.

"Wait! Come back!" he yelled after her fruitlessly. How was that possible? He had her in his arms, in bed… about to really have her… and she just walked out. He pounded that flat pillow with his fist irritably, that woman was going to drive him mad.

Addison paced the kitchen glancing out of the window from time to time. When she got home from the hospital, Meredith was absent, which didn't surprise Addie in the slightest. Meredith took a day off and was probably enjoying the free time with Derek Shepherd. Addison wasn't discouraged, she would get her hands on her sister when she got back, and she certainly would, eventually.

Bingo, Meredith's car rolled into the driveway violently. Addison quickly climbed onto the barstool and continued to nurse her glass of juice as on any other day.

"Hey," Meredith stormed into the kitchen with a big smile and even bigger tan. Derek got called back to the hospital and Meredith decided to get back home. She threw the keys on the counter and filled a glass with cold water. "That was one hot day, wasn't it?"

"You tell me," said Addie innocently. "So… is he any good?"

"Who?" asked Meredith relishing the cool liquid flowing down her throat.

"McDreamy, of course," shrugged Addie. "You know, the guy you let in your pants."

"What?" Mer choked on her water and it flew out of her nose. She coughed drying her face. "What?"

"To cut it short, I know everything. Oh well, I know that you and a certain Derek Shepherd have been making sweet eyes behind everyone's back for months now."

"I… I'm…"Meredith stood speechless looking straight into Addison's eyes until a much more worrying thought entered her brain. "How do you know?" she asked quietly.

"McSteamy told me-" started Addie.

"McSteamy told you?" Meredith shrieked in disbelief. "He doesn't know, he's not supposed to know!"

"Relax! He only told me that Derek had been acting weird," Addie calmed her down. "Much like you, I realized, and all the pieces fell into place."

"I'm… I'm sorry," muttered Meredith wringing her fingers, feeling like a child confessing to their mother that she made a misdeed.

"For what exactly?" asked Addie sipping on her juice. "For being carefree and happy like I've never seen you before?"

"It's just that… I'm having a hard time, you know," Meredith tried to explain gesticulating wildly. "And he's so… and he makes me feel…"

"You're falling for him!" exclaimed Addie.

"I. am. not," Meredith pronounced every word, manifesting her apparent indifference.

"You so are," Addie rolled her eyes.

"Am not!"

"So are," Addie shook her head. "So, how is the sex?"

"Addie!"

"What?" the red head shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not getting any, help a girl with a few details. Besides, you owe me."

"You're not getting any," grinned Meredith taking the stool opposite Addie. "What about McSteamy? You said yourself a couple of minutes ago that you're friendly with him."

"I was getting friendly with him," sighed her best friend. "Very friendly if you know what I mean. But then he told me all about Derek's problems and I put two and two together and well, I kind of left him."

"You kind of left him?" asked Meredith curiously. "Like where?"

"In an on-call room," Addie brushed off noncommittally picking up an apple from the tray.

"In an on-call room," Meredith quirked her eyebrow and then started laughing uncontrollably. "You left him with a boner?"

Addison grinned, "It'll do good for his ego." Her expression turned serious, "So, you and Derek Shepherd…"

"Yeah," Meredith sighed playing with a pear she took in her hands. "I'm really sorry, Addie. It was just easier this way, you know? Just the two of us…"

"A bit like you and Chace?" asked Addison.

"No!" Meredith denied vehemently. "Not at all! It's… so much different! Derek is… nothing like him!"

"Hmm, what happened with asshole and big dick?" smirked Addie.

Meredith chuckled remembering their initial animosity. "We're just… drawn, you know? We can't keep our hands off each other and about the big dick, well…"

They burst out in laughter. When they sobered up a little, Addison reached out across the table to squeeze Meredith's hand. "I'm happy for you, if you ever need to freak out, I'm here."

Meredith reciprocated her grasp, feeling suddenly lighter at being open with her best friend.

Derek rang the doorbell at Meredith's house. A few hours before he received a text from Meredith telling to come over as Addie knew everything. From what he could deduce from that dry message, she wasn't panicked or freaked out. Derek convinced himself it was a good omen. Maybe Meredith felt more assured of their relationship and decided to confide in her best friend. He sure wanted to do that. Sometimes his enthusiasm and excitement threatened to explode and talking to Mark would do just fine; not to mention, the growing guilt at lying to his best buddy since school days.

The door opened and he came face to face with Addison Montgomery.

"Uhm, hi," he stammered.

"Hey, come on in," she smiled at him inviting him inside. "Mer's taking a shower but she'll be downstairs in a tick. We haven't had dinner yet."

"Thanks," he said. "The kitchen?"

"Yeah, first door on the left… which you obviously know," she commented dryly seeing him march straight into the kitchen purposefully.

"Well, I've kind of… been here before," replied Derek not liking the way Addison's eyes turned into narrow slits.

"Okay, Meredith's still upstairs which is very convenient, as I'd like a few words with you," she sighed. "I've known you for these couple of months and you seem like a nice guy."

Derek leaned back against the cupboard feeling self-conscious. He was already put through the ringer by Ellis. While the red-haired doctor was certainly less judgmental and more objective, he felt nervous.

"Then again," Addie folded her arms over her chest. "You were once a complete asshole to my friend. And I'd like to know what caused that radical change of heart. Meredith is clearly into it, meaning it's a huge deal for her; you don't know how huge. If you're here just to grab a hot piece of ass then-"

"I'm not," interrupted Derek firmly. "I'm aware I behaved like, using your words, a complete asshole. I apologized for that to Meredith. And I admit it all started with chemistry and sex but it's… so much more now. It's not just the sex."

Addison studied his face, "Meredith is a difficult person, I know better than anyone. You say it's more than sex, but can you really stick around?"

"If I wasn't sure of that, I'd be gone a long time ago," argued Derek, a little tired of the grilling. "Sticking around is not a problem, staying away is. I'm sorry, did… Meredith tell you about us?"

"Nope," sighed Addie. "I deduced. Sit down, won't you."

"I'm sorry if you get the impression that I'm prying into someone else's business," she went on placing the plates on the table. "But Mer's business is my business, I always look after her. And it's… it looks serious, this thing between you and her."

Derek watched her wordlessly.

"I don't want her to face any more disappointments. She… she came through a lot," Addie said quietly.

"I know," nodded Derek.

"No, I really mean she had her share of hell-"

"I know," repeated Derek. "I know everything."

"Everything?" Addie looked at him with wide eyes. "About… Chace?"

Derek nodded gravely.

"Why…" she blinked several times in wondered. "It is serious."

"What are you talking about?" Meredith slipped soundlessly in the room in a thin bathrobe, with her hair wrapped in a towel. "Let me guess, me."

She went in and planted a sound kiss on Derek's lips.

"Sure, sure," Addison opened the oven to check the state of their dinner. "You're the center of the universe, keep telling yourself that."

"Addison was just about to tell me if I passed the test," chuckled Derek, his hand wandering to her waist on its own.

"What's your verdict, Addie?" Meredith sat on the stool next to her man. "I'm dying to know."

"I'm still in two minds…" Addie pretended to think carefully.

"Hmm, remember what I told you earlier?" Meredith giggled wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Ahhh," Addie slapped herself on the forehead with a smile. "I'm giving you eleven out of ten, Derek."

"What… what did you tell her?" asked Derek feeling himself going red in the face.

"All the good things, Der," she smiled at him mischievously, placing a hand just above his knee.

Derek cleared his throat, determined to change the subject, "So, I talked to Mark today. Apparently, he was pretty upset. Mentioned an on-call room…"

Meredith and Addison giggled madly, and the latter managed to stutter, "That was… an accident…"

"You know, I was thinking," said slowly Meredith, busying herself with freeing her hair from the towel, "that we could have a dinner together sometime this week…"

"We?" Derek raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"We, Addie and… and Mark," she shrugged.

"You're fine with telling Mark?" he asked exchanging quick glances with Addison.

"Hey! I saw that!" she exclaimed indignantly and slapped his arm. "You're siding with her and you can forget about the good things!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed.

"You can tell Mark but only if he keeps his fat mouth closed," grumbled Meredith.

Addison studied Derek's adoring expression. His face is of a lovesick schoolboy told her more than his words. Maybe Meredith was indeed on her way to her happy ending.