Addison stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. She frowned a little. Spontaneously accepting a date with the hot Aussie hadn't allowed her much time to prepare. She combed her hair up into a loose bun allowing some hair to fall out and frame her face.
She fished inside her pocket for her red lipstick, applying it as Lily entered the bathroom.
"I was looking for you everywhere, want to do dinner?" Lily asked.
"I'm having dinner with Parker, I told you that" Addison put the lid back on her lipstick and turned to face Lily.
Lily knew that. But it worried her. She wanted Addison to move on, but she was unsure if Parker was the one she should be moving with.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" lily asked tentatively.
"You don't" Addison could hear the disapproval in her question.
"You're not interested him are you?" she asked.
"Oh god no, really, I'm just…." Lily wasn't sure exactly what her concern was.
"It's just you know he's only hear for a short stay" Lily tried to put her words together.
"It's okay Lily, I'm a big girl" Addison walked past her and out of the bathroom.
Following her Lily tried to explain.
"I just don't want you to get hurt"
"Like I said I'm a big girl" Addison kept walking towards the exit, passing Meredith on her way out.
Lily stopped and smiled at Meredith.
"You okay" Meredith asked.
"Sure" lily said, focussing on Addison.
"Where's she off too?" Derek startled Lily as she joined them both.
"Addison has a date…. With parker" Lily said.
Meredith looked at Derek, unable to read his expression which seemed a mixture of disapproval and perhaps anger. She feared it may have been jealousy too.
"I think it's good" She said and both Derek and Lily looked at his in surprise.
"This can not end well" Lily said looking over to see George getting off the elevator. He stopped when he saw her and they looked at each other.
"These sort of things never do" Lily broke her stare and looked back at Derek and Meredith.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow" She said sadly and walked out into the cold air.
Then he smiled
Parker stood up at the bar as Addison approached. She looked at him and tried to calm her nerves, silently telling herself she was a grown woman, a confident, world-class surgeon, and it was ridiculous to be feeling like a silly schoolgirl.
Then he smiled!
"Sorry I'm late" she said.
"I'm sure you're worth waiting for" He smiled leaning in and brushing her cheek with his lips.
"Drink?" He asked.
"Manhattan" She smiled and he nodded at the bar tender standing where Joe usually did.
"What are you drinking?"
"Fosters" he said referring to the Australian Beer.
"Not the best Aussie beer, but at least it's a taste of home," He said sitting back down.
"You must get homesick" Addison said looking at him thoughtfully.
"Every day… but there are plenty of things to love about being here" He turned to her, smiled sincerely and Addison couldn't help but blush a little.
"I guess there are… but I miss my friends and family in New York… but they're not on the other side of the world"
"Why are you here Addison? Why are you in Seattle?" Parker asked.
Addison thought for a moment, ultimately the one thing keeping her here after her divorce was the contract she had signed.
"A
contract keeps me here"
"A contract?"
"I signed it when there was a chance my marriage would work… with the hospital"
"You could look at that way… or you could focus on the fact you are here for your career, a stepping stone to greatness… like me, that's why I'm in the U.S." he said and he took a swig of beer.
"Hurry up" He said placing a fistful of money on the bar.
"What? Where are we going?" She finished her drink.
"Addison, please I may be Australian and for some reason everyone thinks I live in pubs, but I don't wine and done beautiful woman in them… I have plans that are worthy of you," He said extending his hand.
She looked at it, extremely flattered by his words, warning herself to go slowly. Then she took it and he lead her out.
Meredith tossed in bed willing herself to go to sleep knowing she had rounds in a little over 5 hours.
"Is something on your mind, Mer?" Derek rolled over in bed and embraced her.
"No" She lied.
For a moment Derek said nothing, but he could certainly tell something was bothering her. The beauty of their relationship was the quiet understanding. That was the part he loved the most. The way they could read each other.
"Mer" He said softly.
"I was just thinking about Addison," She said and Derek sighed heavily.
She sat up and looked at his facial expression in the dull moonlight.
"What about Addison?" He asked trying not to seem a little annoyed. He had hoped there was a point he would no longer need to reassure Meredith that it was her he loved. It was her he wanted to be with, it was her his heart wanted.
"I was just wandering… when you saw her going to her date… with Parker, you seemed annoyed, maybe jealous" She managed to say, knowing it was her in fact that sounded jealous.
Derek sat up and looked at her.
"Meredith I love you, I've loved you from the day you tried to kick me out of this house without knowing my name, I've loved you since the moment I saw you dancing with a bottle of tequila outside…" He stopped and put his hand on her face.
"I loved you, for continuing to love and admire me… even though I broke your heart and went back to her" He leant in and kissed her. At first she kissed him back, but then she pulled away.
"That
doesn't answer my question, were you jealous"
He looked down
at the bed then he met her eyes.
"I haven't loved Addison in longer than I can remember… not like that… but I still care about her, and I guess when I saw her… going on a date… well I don't want her to get her heart broken… I really don't" Meredith looked at him, the thing she loved more than anything about him was the compassion in his eyes.
"I know you don't," She said quietly, rubbing his hand.
"I guess I still feel bad sometimes," He added.
"For what, for me? For us?" Meredith wondered.
"No, not at all… you Meredith Grey are the love of my life" he kissed her quickly.
"But I made things complicated going back to her, giving her hope when I couldn't see any"
"You did what you thought was the right thing to do" Another thing she loved about him was his honour, his determination, she couldn't hate him for working at his marriage, she could never have hated him for that.
"You just don't want her to be hurt" Meredith leant in close.
"But it's not your place to worry anymore, it's not your place to tell her"
"We're still friends" Derek said.
"I know you are… friends just have to watch, friends just have to be there to help if it goes bad… and to celebrate if it works out… will you celebrate if it works out?" Meredith asked, looking for reassurance again.
Derek looked at her, tilting his head slightly. He kissed her quickly again.
"I will celebrate" He said and smiled.
"You know when else I'll celebrate," He asked and she shook her head.
"I'll celebrate… when our house is built and we can move out of here and start afresh" She smiled as he leant her back and started to kiss her lips, then her neck, then her stomach…. And she began to giggle uncontrollably lifting a pillow to muffle the sounds so her roommates wouldn't here.
