5. ripping

Meredith yawned as she finished up her rounds, assigning prescriptions and taking blood work. Bailey appeared by her side and shot her a look, no doubt wondering if she had been kept up by yet another one night stand.

She remembered the way Mark had pushed her against the wall the night before and just as quickly tried to erase it from her mind. She didn't think about her Very Bad Habit, not when she could help it. She'd rather just pretend it didn't exist.

"Sloan and Shepherd need two interns to scrub in," Bailey told her as she checked over the work Meredith had just done. "You and Yang can go."

Meredith willed herself not to wince or appear unsure in any way. "Okay," she mumbled, mentally steeling herself as she began walking towards the OR.

"And Meredith?" Bailey called after her. "Try and make sure those two morons don't kill each other."

She tried to give her resident a weak smile.

She could hear their voices echoing in the hallway before she saw them.

"That's ridiculous, Derek. You can't just ignore the family's wishes like that – "

"It's his brain. If the tumor's spread – " Derek interrupted, his voice scathing.

"If the tumor's spread, it's to the rest of his face, and when he wakes up he won't have a face left!" Mark shouted.

She stood at the edge of the hallway, watching the two men argue. They weren't doing anything to hide it – she could see half a dozen nurses watching with interest, and the rest of the OR floor could probably hear them.

"You honestly think it's a good idea to take care of his face before his brain?" Derek demanded.

"I think it's a good idea to save his life, yes." Mark glared.

Meredith cleared her throat awkwardly as she took a few steps towards them. "Dr – um, I'm here. I'm your intern." She tried to ignore the double entendre that term conjured up, considering past experiences with the two surgeons in front of her.

"Okay, Meredith," Mark said distractedly.

Derek turned to look at her. His eyes scared her – they were dark and furious. She hadn't realized the extent to which he hated his former best friend. "Hi," he said, obviously struggling to be civil.

"We'll be beginning the surgery with a cranionemy, Dr. Grey," Mark told her.

"No we won't!" Derek snapped at him. "Obviously we both need to work on the tumor from the inside – "

As they continued yelling, Meredith saw someone come out of one of the OR's and stand in the hallway. Addison. Of course.

Neither man seemed to notice them. They were still arguing about the case, their tones getting nastier.

Meredith glanced at Addison. The older woman lifted her hands helplessly and rolled her eyes, as if to say, Welcome to my life.

"Shut up!" Meredith shouted finally.

Both men turned to look at her.

"Just shut up." She took in a deep breath. "You're acting like babies. Grow up and stop making a scene."

Derek and Mark both glanced around and seemed to realize that half the hospital had gathered to hear McDreamy and McSteamy fighting.

Then – "Addie," Mark said, a slight smirk forming on his lips, "Please tell your husband to grow some balls and take a risk for once in his life."

Addison returned his grin with an uncertain look, as she glanced at Derek. "Shut up, Mark," she muttered, turning to stride away, high heels echoing on the tile.

Derek made a snort of disgust before stomping off in the other direction.

Mark raised an eyebrow at Meredith. "They love me."

"I can tell."

- - - - -

"This is a bad idea," she managed to get out between kisses when he dragged her into the supply closet. "Mark – seriously – " But he was already supporting her against the wall, tugging down her scrubs, and really, what could she do?

They'd just lost the patient, despite both Mark and Derek's best efforts. The tension in the room had been almost tangible, and she couldn't help wondering if the surgery would have been a success if the two men hadn't been so concerned with outdoing each other.

But that was stupid, she told herself. Obviously they both knew what they were doing. Obviously they wouldn't let their petty rivalry interfere with a case.

And besides, she had more to think about. Like the intense, harsh, biting kisses that were making her lips feel sore and used.

"You okay?" Mark pulled back to look at her face for a moment.

She saw the self-destruction in his eyes – the hurt, the loss – and knew that it was mirrored in her own.

She nodded and pulled him closer.