Chapter 23: Wait For Me?

A month. It had been a month and it had been rough. Sleeping away from each other had been quite the ordeal. The bed felt too big and the room too cold and too quiet. It was stupid, needing someone so much that sleeping, breathing, was hard. However, they had managed, almost giving in a few times but reigning themselves in and sticking with it.

Addison recalled the beginning of this test of courage and determination. The second night away from each other she had a nightmare that woke her up with a jolt in cold sweat and trembling. She had called Meredith and they stayed on the call the whole night. The snores from the blonde coming through the receiver helping her fall back asleep. There had a been a few more nights after that where they would sleep with the phone on speaker on their pillows.

More than a few times Meredith gave her puppy eyes and she had no idea how she had managed to say no but she did. The whole thing was tough but they made it work despite the need to be together. It was not as if they were completely away from each other. They did work in the same hospital so they practically saw each other every day. Though Bailey had taken it upon herself to not have them work together. It was fine though, she understood the resident's reasons even if she did not like it.

Sitting at her desk she busied herself with some last minute notes she wanted to add to her patient's charts. Once finished she closed the chart letting out a soft hum as she leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes.

"I miss you." Addison smiled as she heard the familiar voice with the familiar whiny tone coming from the door.

"Meredith, hi." She smiled as she sat forward again and looked at the blonde.

"Hi." Meredith smiled softly.

"I miss you too…" Addison said as she stood, collecting her things.

"But not yet." Meredith supplied when she stopped.

"Not yet." Addison smiled at her and chuckled at her pouting face. "I could kidnap you on your breaks?"

"Yeah?" Meredith stopped pouting and smiled.

"We do have an on-call room." She smirked.

"I suppose we do." Meredith smiled a bit as Addison approached.

She looked somewhat dazed and Addison chuckled internally at how easily she could have the blonde melting at the palm of her hand.

"We… you… you should go." Meredith stammered out.

"Throwing me out of my own office? Not very nice, Grey." Addison chuckled and led her out locking up after herself.

"The faster you leave the faster you get home and the faster you get home the faster you sleep and the faster you sleep the faster you wake up and," Meredith went off on a rambling fit that she found adorable as they made their way to the lobby, "and the faster you wake up the faster you come back and I get to see you again."

"You've given this much thought, haven't you?" Addison chuckled.

"Is it weird that I have?" Meredith asked innocently.

"Yeah, it is." Someone else responded for her.

"Hello, Yang." Addison chuckled again at Meredith's glaring towards Cristina. "Good job today."

"Hear that? I'm better than you." Cristina shrugged as she threw Meredith a look.

"I'm better than both of you together." Mark joined in, materializing himself next to Addison.

"I didn't s…" She began but her voice died out the moment Meredith's arm snaked around her waist pulling her closer.

"Go find someone else to flirt with. She's mine." Meredith hissed through her teeth.

"So possessive. Be careful there Red." Mark laughed and soon Cristina joined in.

"Possessive indeed." Addison chuckled.

"Sorry." Meredith quickly removed her arm and jumped a few feet away.

"You know. You are a little weird." Addison said and let out a soft hum.

"I…" Meredith began but stopped.

"You flirt and then regress to a nervous mess." She lifted a brow.

"I…" Meredith began once more and once more stopped.

"I find it… adorable." Addison smiled and a twinge of red creeped into the blonde's cheeks, her eyes suddenly sparkling.

"It's hard to know how far I can go with you." Meredith muttered.

"How come?" Addison asked, stepping closer.

"I don't want to scare you off." Meredith admitted dropping her gaze.

Addison smiled softly as she watched the blonde fidget, a full on blush on her face. Suddenly no one else mattered as she looked at her. How could she think she'd scare her off? She could not get enough of her.

"Mer." She called softly and gently cupped her face. "You can't scare me."

In that moment she was enthralled by her as her eyes shined and crinkled at the corners when she began to smile. How could she think she could scare her away? She was beautiful and caring and kind and dark and twisty and so lovable. If she was being honest she should be the one scaring people away. She was losing herself in all that Meredith was until someone groaned next to them and brought her back to the present.

"Kiss already." Cristina said.

"I second that." Mark chuckled and she let go of Meredith's face who turned to scowl at their friends.

"Maybe I should really go." Addison chuckled.

"No filter and they're not even drunk." Meredith rolled her eyes. "Can I walk you out?"

"Sure." Addison smiled.

Cristina and Mark walked close behind them as they made their way out of the hospital and towards the parking lot.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Mark whispered and she looked at him and nodded.

Time to push their idiot friends. It had been long enough of pinning without doing anything about it. Yes they had gone through tough crap and yes they were healing but they could finish healing together. They were acting worse than the main characters in some Korean drama. Those where there were seventy episodes and the lone kiss and I love yous happened in that seventieth episode.

"What are you two planning back there?" Meredith asked looking back at the two of them as Addison did.

"Your demise." Cristina shrugged nonchalantly.

"What?" Meredith looked at her confused while Addison looked at Mark.

"You asked." Cristina shrugged again.

"I- I wasn't Red. That's all her." Mark lifted his hands in surrender.

"Chicken." Cristina hissed.

"He is." Addison chuckled. "Well Yang, just make sure it's a nice demise."

"Of course. I'll make sure it's worthy of the Ruler of All that is Evil. Only the best for Satan herself." Cristina smirked and soon Meredith was smacking her. "Ouch!"

"I told you not to call her that." Meredith mumbled and then started to drag her away. "I'll take my person. You two have a good night."

"Don't worry we will." Mark said, wrapping his arm around Addison's shoulders.

"Sloan I'd behave if I were you. You might end up castrated otherwise." Cristina chuckled and laughed harder when he let go of a laughing Addison.

They made it to her car when Cristina asked if they could go to the house instead, saying she was too tired for Joe's. Meredith grew a bit concerned but let it go as she started heading home.

"So... What's the hold up?" Cristina asked suddenly as they were stopped.

"What? The red light?" Meredith shrugged stating the obvious.

"Don't play dumb, Mer. It doesn't suit you." Cristina rolled her eyes as they began to move once more.

"I don't…" She started.

"How long are you and Addison going to play at just friends?" Cristina interrupted.

"She's no…" Meredith started again.

"She is ready. But she's playing it safe for you." Cristina supplied again.

"How do you…" She tried to ask but Cristina was already replying.

"Because I'm not stupid." Cristina gave her a withering look.

"Let me finish my own sentences, dammit." Meredith snapped.

"You're taking too long to talk." Cristina protested.

"Whatever." Meredith said letting out an exasperated sigh.

"You're in love with her. Act like it." Cristina snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She looked at her person who was starting to get annoyed.

"Geez Mer… do something!" Cristina waved her hands about.

"But what if…" Meredith began letting her self doubt and vulnerabilities show.

"Stop playing the coward. One of you needs to stop playing the idiot." Cristina shook her head.

"But…" Meredith started to rebuke her statement.

"Coward." Cristina interjected.

"In not…" Meredith tried again.

"Yes, you are." Cristina interrupted again, picking at her nails.

"But…" She tried once more.

"She's not going to run you idiot." Cristina looked at her when they reached the next red light.

"How do you…" She tried asking and again her person was already replying.

"The way she looks at you. How her posture changes. Then there's that little smile. She lights up. Literally. Her voice gets higher and her eyes get shiny. It only happens when you're around." Cristina explained.

"How did you…" Meredith began.

"I see everything, that's how I noticed." Cristina shrugged.

"You really need to stop doing that." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"I can't. I'm…" Cristina began.

"I know. I'm your person." Meredith supplied for her this time.

"Ok. That's…" Cristina tried again.

"Annoying. I know." Meredith smirked.

"Whatever." Cristina turned her attention to the road instead.

"Uh-huh."

After a lot of back and forth and almost fifteen minutes of Mark whining and blocking the driver's side door, Addison relented and let him drive them back to the hotel. She was texting back and forth with Amelia who had been considering moving to Seattle to take Derek's position at the hospital. She was currently trying to convince her that she did not mind her being his sister and that she would love to have her close.

"How do you do it?" Mark asked out of nowhere and making no sense whatsoever.

"What?" She asked.

"How do you do it?" He repeated the question.

"Do what?" She asked, putting down her phone.

"How do you keep her interested?" He looked at her as they hit a light.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. But I don't think I want to know." She lifted a brow.

"You know what I mean. When are you going to stop being a chicken? You're being a big chicken." Mark replied.

"Am not." She frowned.

"Are too. It's funny, you know? Here we have Addison Forbes Montgomery a world class double board certified neonatal surgeon scared of a wittle itty bitty intern." Mark said in a mocking tone.

"Watch it." She warned.

"Like look at you. You're ready to defend her but not ready to move forward with her." He looked at her, releasing an exasperated sigh.

"I am ready." She snapped.

"Does she know that?" He asked.

"I'm just giving her time." She replied softly.

"Time for what?" He pushed.

"Time to be ready." She said even quieter than before.

"Ready for what, Addison?" He insisted.

"I don't want to pull her in too quickly." Addison tried.

"So instead we are pushing. I see… pretty chicken-like." He shrugged.

"Mark." She said in warning once more.

"I just don't get why you are waiting." He shook his head.

"There's nothing for you to get." She replied bitterly to which he stayed quiet a while.

"You are waiting for her to leave…" He began as realization hit. "You don't think you are good enough… you are ready to move forward with her but you're giving her an out instead."

"Quiet." She snapped, breathing heavily.

"You're not a chicken, nah. You're an idiot." He stated.

"Mark." She almost growled at that.

"That Grey girl is dying for you. How can you not see that? You could murder someone and she'll still stick with you." She could hear the frustration in his tone.

"I don't…" She tried.

"Addison. She deserves you just as much as you deserve her." He said softly.

"But I don't... I'm not... I'm just so…" She tried again, struggling to finish her sentence.

"Broken?" He finished for her. "Newsflash, Red. Everyone's a little broken. She… Grey can put you back together just like you can her."

"You really think so? You really believe that?" She asked, biting her lip.

"I know so."

Mark smiled sweetly at her and she knew she had to stop hiding from this. She already knew she was not going to run but now she would stop hiding. She looked down at her hands wringing her fingers and let out a heavy sigh. She smiled back at him and then looked outside to find herself in front of Meredith's house.

"What are we doing here?" She asked as she noted the empty driveway and the dark house.

"Oops…" He chuckled as she looked back at him. "Wait… it looks like no one's home." he frowned.

"Of course no one's home you idiot. They were going to Joe's." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, guess I forgot. It's just you get cold feet quickly and I knew after my awesome pep talk I'd have to get you to her." He chuckled nervously.

"I'm never letting you drive again." She grumbled.

"Back to the hotel then?" He asked.

"What do you think, moron?" She spat.

"You're in a mood." He said as he turned the car around.

"Of course I'm in a mood…" She began. "She's not here." she added softly.

"Sorry." Mark said in equal soft.

"Shut up and get me home." She snapped.

"Ok. Ok." He replied as his phone dinged. "Hold on." He pulled it out and read a message that had him grinning like an idiot.

"Are you done?" She asked, annoyed.

"Let's get you home." He smiled and off they went.

She was not sure how long she had been out in the hallway but she kept on pacing in front of Addison's door. She had no trouble coming up as the doorman and receptionist greeted her like she was one of the guests of the hotel. A different time she would have been happy, even smug about it but not now because she was here with a clear purpose and yet Addison was nowhere to be found. She could hear Cristina's mocking tone and her laugh as they echoed in her head from a little while ago.

Flashback

"Why are we here?" Cristina asked as she drove into the Archfield's parking lot.

"I'm going to go kiss her." Meredith replied confidently.

"You're going to kiss her?" Cristina asked, lifting a brow incredulously.

"Yeah." Meredith said as she pulled into a spot.

"To prove you're not a coward?" Cristina chuckled.

"No. 'Cause I want to." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"And you're bringing me along, why?" Cristina asked. "You need moral support? Lessons on how to kiss?"

"Shut up." Meredith said, opening the door. "Stay here."

"It's not like I want to see that." Cristina laughed as she closed the door.

Meredith huffed as she recalled her friend's mockery and continued on her trek in front of Addison's door, lightly cursing and muttering to herself.

Addison walked mindlessly out of the elevator alone as Mark left once he saw Richard heading towards the little café in the hotel. His words still ringing in her ears somehow still fueling her determination to actually move forward with Meredith despite annoying the hell out of her. Who gave him the right to talk to her that way? In all honesty she did and she actually needed his words in order to pull herself together.

She walked towards her room when she heard the unmistakable muttering of a certain blonde. She smiled as she approached the oblivious woman pacing in front of her room door.

"Fancy meeting you here." She smiled as she closed the distance.

"What took you so long?" Meredith snapped, which made her chuckle a bit.

"Hmm. Possessive and feisty. I learn new things every single day." Addison smirked.

"Sorry." Meredith muttered.

"Lot's of apologizing going on today. You know you don't have to apologize all the time right?" Addison chuckled.

"Sorry… I mean… sorry… dammit… I uh yeah." Meredith stammered about making the redhead chuckle some more.

"So, why are you here?" Addison asked as she stood directly in front of the blonde.

"I came to prove a point and to check." Meredith said as if she made sense. Addison started nodding and then began to shake her head.

"No sense. You are making no sense." Addison scoffed a bit.

"I came to kiss you." Meredith blurted out and blushed profusely.

"I see…" Addison could feel her own cheek heat up but smirked nonetheless.

"Yeah." Meredith mumbled.

"So…" Addison wiggled her brows in question.

"So what?" Meredith looked at her a bit confused.

"So kiss me." Addison grinned softly.

"Just like that?" Meredith asked, looking at her as if she had grown a second head which made her chuckle.

"It is what you came for. Is it not?" Addison asked, tilting her head.

Meredith only stared at her without moving or uttering any words. Addison only smiled sweetly at her waiting for her to move but when she did nothing she stepped closer.

"Do you need me to ask? Do you need me to move first? What do you need Meredith? What do you want?" Addison asked reaching to tuck some lose strands of hair behind the blonde's ear.

"You." Meredith simply said before moving closer and cupping her face.

This time around it was Addison, who was at a loss for words. She felt her heart bursting at Meredith's gentle touch and the way she looked at her with such awe and reverence. The blonde smiled prettily, her eyes exuding a warmth she had never had directed towards her.

She was feeling so much with only Meredith's breath caressing her lips she thought she might implode the moment their lips met. But she would not stop it. This was it. She would kiss Meredith and let Meredith kiss her.

Light was dancing in Meredith's baby blue eyes before she closed her own as the blonde leaned in the whole way. One beat then two then the world melted away as she felt them. Those soft pink lips that fit perfectly against her own. Tentatively they moved and then trepidation went away as their lips caressed each other and danced together to the harmonious beating of their hearts. She could feel it, her heart swelling more and more and dared to ask for even more as she gently coaxed Meredith's mouth open and slipped her tongue in. It was electric and completely intoxicating when she felt rather than heard the blonde moan.

They continued to move in unison and suddenly Meredith's hands moved to her hair and her own moved to the blonde's waist pulling her much much closer until the need for oxygen, the pesky thing, had them pulling away. They panted and breathed in as much air as they could, still a bit dazed, and then they suddenly began to giggle. They giggled and then they giggled some more as they looked at each other, their foreheads pressed together. Once they sobered up Meredith pulled away, untangling her hands from Addison's hair and turning to walk away.

"Mer?" Addison swallowed hard as she felt the sudden coldness from her absence in her arms.

"I have to go." Meredith smiled.

"But why don't you just stay?" Addison said as she licked her lips. "I can behave." She added with a smirk.

"I don't doubt that but…" Meredith began.

"You can't?" Addison giggled.

"No." Meredith smirked, a bit of lust bleeding into her eyes and tone. "I mean, yes." She said quickly, clearing her throat. "But no, maybe not." She admitted.

"A hot mess." Addison chuckled. "Please, stay." She said with a pout.

"Cristina is waiting for me downstairs." Meredith explained with her own pout.

"Oh." Addison replied with a sad smile. Even if they did not kiss again tonight she wanted to stay with Meredith but she supposed tonight was not meant to be.

"Come home with me?" Meredith asked suddenly. "If you want, I mean..."

"Ok." Addison perked up grinning widely.

"If you don't then… wait. Ok?" Meredith asked as a smile crept onto her face.

"I'll get a change of clothes." Addison said, pulling her key card. "Wait for me?"

"Always."

And then there were 23! I am so very sorry for that drought. I have been a bit out of it when it comes to writing and my confidence was pretty shot. That and the fact that work got so busy I had no real time to concentrate. I am still trying to catch up on my own reading. But anyway, I am back with some nice things especially after all that meddison content we got last week with Addison back after 16 years. Can y'all believe that she came back? Cuz I'm over the moon. And I'm rambling so I'll stop. Y'all stay awesome as always and remember to leave comments and let me know where your head's at. Until next week. ;)