Ah, yes, another little ficlet. Obviously (or not obviously, depends on who you are) I've been reading too much Terry Pratchett. This is totally going under "Addison loves literature," because I had to think of this book!

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Grey's Anatomy.

She had been in the house for at least an hour before she realized it. And then she was very surprised that she hadn't noticed it before. It might have had something to do with the fact that she came in by the back door and it was in the front hall. It might also have had to do with the fact that they'd just pulled their first shift together as residents, and not interns. If she wasn't moving in with Mark for a few weeks while they repaired the fire damage to her house (it was a microwave accident, she swore), she wouldn't even know about it, which, by all means, was fine with her. Well, there was nothing to do but accept it.

There was...well, no...actually...yes. There was a mouse. Or a rat, Addison never really bothered to find the difference between the two, besides the fact that one was bigger and probably more prone to biting.

And it looked intelligent. A very 'rats of Nimh' type of rodent. With pointy teeth.

The fact that it was staring at her innocently from behind a thick pane of glass did nothing to help her.

Mark didn't seem fazed by it at all. Mostly because he owned it.

"Ugly little guy, isn't he?" He tapped the glass right in front of the rat's nose. "He usually spends his time sleeping."

"Mark, are you aware of the fact that you are housing a small rodent in your house." He looked at her strangely.

"For the past few months, I've been very aware of it." Addison followed him to the kitchen.

"No, no, I don't think you understand what I'm saying...Mark, are you aware that in that hall, there is a rat with sharp fangs that will, on a whim, lunge for your throat and chew out your jugular? And then give you AIDS!" She could hear him count to ten.

"Addison, if a rat tore out my jugular, I don't think contracting HIV would be my first concern." She pushed herself on top of his counter.

"It'd be mine." Mark pulled a scotch bottle and two glasses from a cupboard. "I'm serious, Mark, you are keeping a biological hazard in your home!"

"Addison," he said. He handed a glass to her, which she drained promptly. "I think, I think, you're overreacting a little bit. It's a rat."

"It's a rabid killing machine in white fur!" She glared at him as he swallowed. He set the glass down and wandered out into the hall for a few minutes.

He better not be doing what I think he's doing, she thought. Because that would be mean and disgusting and I will hate him for the rest of his miserabledear god he is.

Mark returned with the rat held firmly in his hands. "Addison, I want you to take this little guy and I want you to bond with it." She gave him the best withering stare she could. It was the kind of stare that sent village people scampering for handy virgins.

"Mark. That is a rat. I am a human. I do not bond with scary bubonic-plague infested rodents as a hobby." He smiled. It was the kind of smile that sent village people scampering for a handy goat, along with a virgin for extra measure.

"Addi, this is a very special animal," he said in the tone most adults use with children. Why they thought that children listened to this tone more than any other tone was a mystery to her. "He can sense whether of not you like him, and when he picks up that you don't like him, he gets sad." There was a beat of silence.

"If I were five, I'd be crushed."

"Stop staring at him, you're scaring him."

"Tell him to stop scaring me!"

"Oh, my God. Here," he said, holding the rat dangerously close to her face. Addison leaned back. "This is Mr. Snuffles. Mr. Snuffles, this is Addison. She's going to be living with us for a couple days. Be nice, and don't give her AIDS."

"Mr. Snuffles?"

"Yes, Mr. Snuffles."

"Dear God."

Oh, yes, she was going to have to accept it.

-end-