Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, that honour goes to the wonderfully talented Shonda Rhimes. Nor do I claim any ownership to the song 'When It All Falls Apart,' sung by the awesome Veronicas. In my dreams, however, McDreamy and even McSteamy are all mine!

Sorry that it's been so long since I reviewed, I had a huge law assignment due in today, worth 50 of my marks – yikes! Then my parents came to visit for the weekend, it was very full on. But here it is and I hope that you guys like it!

A/N: OK, so I decided to turn this oneshot into a full fic, so here goes: As I haven't seen any episodes with either one of them yet, Callie and Denny don't exist for the purposes of my story. George and Meredith never slept together, Alex and Izzie are back together, oh, and Burke never got shot too. The reason I've changed this so much is because I haven't seen the episodes with these events in them, and I wouldn't want to write something that doesn't fit in with what has happened, but still continue with what has happened, if that makes ANY sense at all to you wonderful readers. BTW, Italics are thoughts and bold italics are songs. So, R&R, and enjoy, of course! P.S. please excuse any bad medical speak – I'm a law student, not a med one!

Previously on "In Each Other's Arms…"

"Derek, I don't think he knows. I mean, he was saying something about Addison being happy with her husband before. Why would he say that if he knew?"

"If I knew what!" Mark was on the verge of explosion. "Will someone PLEASE tell me what in God's name it is that I don't know!"

"I should've told you." No one had noticed a fourth person join their little gathering.

As he turned around to face the voice he loved so much, his curiosity gave out. "Addi," Mark croaked, his voice practically giving out. "What the hell is going on?"

"Well…Derek and I…we're divorced."

…

"I'm sorry, I think I must be hearing things. Did you just say that you and Derek are divorced?" Mark queried. "DIVORCED! AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT THAT I DESERVED TO KNOW!"

Meredith and Derek exchanged worried glances, each knowing what the other was thinking – There's going to be a fight, and not a quiet one. Already, everybody was looking over at them, no one a stranger to their shared history. Simultaneously, Meredith grabbed Addison and Derek grabbed Mark, pushing them into the nearest empty room and closed the door.

"They need to work this out Derek, but I think we should still sit out here, just in case. I mean, this way we won't be intruding and they can sort it out, but we can be here if anything goes wrong."

As they sat down outside the door, Meredith leaned into Derek and he kissed her on the top of her head, marvelling at how she was so willing to help the woman that had kept them apart for so long. I wish I had half her strength. All the more reason for me to be the bigger man and forgive Mark. God it was hard, pretending to be friendly to him today, when all I really wanted to do was rip his head off for even looking at Meredith. Oh well, If Mer can be friends with Addie, the least I can do is try with Mark. Who knows, maybe he and I will be able to get some semblance of a friendship back?

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"Beep Beep Beep Beep"

"Beep Beep Beep Beep"

"Oh my god, make it stop NOW."

"Hey, crack-whore, it's not just my pager going off like crazy, it's yours too."

On the other side of the hospital, Christina and Alex were trying to get some sleep in the on-call room. What neither of them had counted on was their pagers going off on a seemingly quiet day at the hospital.

"What does it say, Evil Spawn? Is it a 911?"

"Uh, yeah but not the usual kind…"

"Could you be any vaguer?" Christina was not in the mood. "Well, go on, spit it out. What the hell does it say?"

"Er, it says '911 nurse's desk, McSteamy/Ex-She-Shepherd showdown.'" He replied, reading off both their pagers.

"Wait, did you say McSteamy? Don't you mean McDreamy? And what the hell are we still doing sitting here? Shouldn't we be down there watching?"

At that, the two interns sped out of the room, each trying to outdo each other to get there faster. Finally, they got there, but not before Alex tripped Christina in an effort to beat her.

"Hey guys, where have you been, I paged you almost five minutes ago," Izzie said, greeting her boyfriend with a kiss.

"Sorry, we were asleep together in the on call room." At the strange looks he was getting from Izzie, Alex set about correcting himself. "Not asleep asleep together, you know, not sleeping together, just asleep in the same room, I mean-"

"Yeah, you wish Evil Spawn. Quit while you're ahead, okay? Oh look, here's Bambi. He was even slower than we were."

"Hey, what's going on? What did I miss? I didn't miss it did I?"

"Well, If you guys had gotten here earlier, you would've heard McSteamy yelling at Addison." Izzie decided to put them all out of their misery and fill them in, because, as usual, she was the one with the juicy goss. "Apparently, he didn't know about the divorce. Can you believe it!"

"No way! How is that possible?" Christina was too speechless to make a sarcastic remark.

"I know, that's what Meredith said. She came up with a new name for him – McClueless!"

"So where are they now, and why are Shepherd and Meredith sitting outside that exam room?" George always had a bit of trouble putting two and two together, but Izzie was happy to do it for him.

"Well, once McSteamy started to go off at Addison, Derek and Meredith grabbed them and pushed them in the room and closed the door. To give them some privacy I suppose."

"But how are we supposed to watch them? I mean, we don't have x-ray eyes, as much as Evil Spawn wishes he does."

"Listen here, Crack-Whore-"

"Alex, shut up." Izzie cut him off, not wanting to draw attention to them obviously being where they weren't supposed to be. "The last thing we need is Bailey breathing down our necks and telling us off for neglecting our duties."

"Well that's too bad, coz I'm gonna do it anyway!" Hearing Bailey's voice behind them, the interns jumped with obvious guilty looks on their faces. "What the hell do you think you're doing? And why is Grey sitting over there with Shepherd looking like her dog just died? Again?"

"Well, her and Dr. Shepherd are waiting for Dr Sloane and Dr Montgomery to come out of the exam room over there. They're having an argument-"

"Bambi, shut up!" "Shut up George!" "Good going Syph boy." Hisses were coming at George from all directions.

"And you peeping toms thought you'd catch the show, did you? Well, I don't remember saying that you could do that, now scram. Get back to your patients, or whatever it was you were doing before you decided to play hooky. Now SCRAM!"

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"Were you ever going to tell me? About the divorce, that is. Because I would've thought that I have a right to know. I mean, don't you think so?"

The fire had left Mark's eyes, however the shadow of hurt remained. He looked nothing like the cocky Mark Sloane that Addison knew, he looked insecure, upset, and wounded. Almost like a little puppy. I did this to him she thought. I've hurt him. Actually hurt him. God, I didn't think that was possible. Man, I can't let this get to me, I have to stick to my guns. God this day sucks. Why did he have to come here? I was doing just fine until he showed up.

I'm having the day from hell,
It wasn't all going so well (before you came)
And you told me you needed space,
With a kiss on the side my face (not again)
And not to mention (the tears I shed)
But I should have kicked your (ass instead)
I need intervention
Attention to stop temptation to scream

"Look Mark, I wanted to tell you, I really did-"

"Well why didn't you? I mean, I thought we had something. I know that you were still married to Derek, but I felt a connection. I thought you felt it too, but obviously I was mistaken."

"What are you even doing here Mark?" Addison attempted to dodge the issue, but Mark refused to let her.

"Well, Addie, was I mistaken? Did you ever love me or was I just some meaningless bit on the side? A dirty ex-mistress to screw when your husband wasn't giving you any?" Whatever Mark was expecting, it certainly wasn't a slap on the face from Addison. As he sat there, reeling from the shock and the pain, Addison exploded.

"How DARE you! I loved you! God, I loved you so much that I stayed with you rather than try to find my husband-"

"Yeah, until you found out that he was screwing an intern!"

"Don't you dare bring Meredith into this, she's got nothing to do with it!"

"Oh yeah, well if she's so immune, how come she's sitting out there with your husband?"

"Ex-Husband, dammit! They're together Mark, and they're happy, which is far more than I can say for us."

"Yeah, well who's fault is that? How was I supposed to be here for you if I didn't even know that you'd gotten divorced, huh?"

"I tried to tell you, I really did."

"How so Addison? Because, I don't remember us speaking since my last visit to Seattle, and I sure as hell haven't seen you since then, unless you count in my dreams of course. Was that how you tried to tell me? Through ESP?"

"You arrogant prick! Would you just shut up and stop making things worse for once in your life? God, you are so damn annoying! No, I didn't use ESP. If you must know, I rang you a few times, but each time a girl answered. Then, when I was in New York for a consult last month, I thought I'd tell you in person. I went to your apartment, and saw you in there with some girl. I figured that you'd moved on, so I decided to let you be. I thought that the last thing you needed was your ex-best-friend's ex-wife back in the picture."

"Dammit Addie, that was my choice to make, not yours. I get to decide if I want you in my life, and right now, I'm not so sure that I do." With that, Mark stormed out, leaving Addison alone and on the verge of tears. I've lost him. I've lost him for good now she thought, as she began to sob.


Cause baby
Everything is F'ed up straight from the heart
Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart
Gotta pick myself up where do I start
Cuz I can't turn to you when it all falls apart
No


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"Derek, you've gotta go after him." Meredith and Derek had leapt up when they saw Mark flee from the room. Hearing Addison's sobs, Meredith knew where she was needed, and she knew where Derek should be too. "Derek, you know him, you know what he'll be doing right now, where he'll go, what's going through his mind at the moment. And Addison needs one of us, and I think it'll be better if I stay with her. I know what it's like to have the guy you love mad at you, even when you're not technically together. Remember when you call me a whore?"

"God, don't remind me! But do you really think that I'm the best one to talk to him." Derek was hesitant. "In my heart I know that I should do it, but it's still hard to be around the guy."

"Just follow your heart then. Think of the positives – like you said, in a way, he's the reason we're together." With that, Meredith left him standing there and entered the room that held a sobbing Addison.

"Hey, come here, it's gonna be okay," he heard her say, before she closed the door to give them some privacy.

I've gotta follow Mark he thought. I've gotta try to get my ex-best-friend to come to his senses and forgive my ex-wife so they can pick up where they left off. "God," he groaned. "Why does everything have to be so complicated.


Don't know where I parked my car
Don't know who my real friends are (anymore)
I put my faith in you
What a stupid thing to do (when it rains it pours)
And not to mention (I drank too much)
I'm feeling hung over (and out of touch)
I need intervention
Attention to stop temptation to scream

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"I'll have a Double Scotch. Single Malt please."

"Make it two, Joe. On my tab."

"Hard day Shep?"

"You've got no idea." Turning to Mark, Derek handed him his drink. "So, I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here?"

"I was thinking something along those lines. I'm actually a little confused Derek, coz the last time I was here, you weren't so willing to be forgiving and forgetting what I did."

"Yeah, well things are different now man. I'm with a fantastic woman, whose taught me how to really forgive and let go of the past. Hell, if she hadn't done it, she'd be with the vet and I'd probably still be with Addison, feeling as guilty as hell."

"Guilty? Why would you be feeling guilty?"

"God, I forgot that you didn't know the whole story, about how Addison and I finally called it quits and how I ended up with Meredith. It was the other way around, really."

"Something tells me we're gonna need more Scotch. Hey Joe, can we get some more drinks? Come on Derek, enlighten me."

"Well…"


Cause baby
Everything is F'ed up straight from the heart
Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart
Gotta pick myself up where do I start
Cuz I can't turn to you when it all falls apart
No


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"Addie, don't cry, it's gonna be okay." Meredith was attempting to comfort an inconsolable Addison, but it was easier said than done.

"God Meredith, You don't understand. It was so easy for you and Derek to get back together, I don't think Mark's every going to forgive me."

"Addie, it wasn't as easy as you think. I'm gonna tell you a little story about Derek and me, coz at one point, I didn't think that I was ever going to forgive him for what he did."

"I know, I know, he didn't tell you about me, yada yada yada. I already know all of this Meredith."

"That's not the story that I was going to tell,' Meredith laughed. "It's a different story, a more recent story. Do you remember when you asked me if Derek and I were sleeping together after we found out that Doc had bone cancer? Whether we were having a lover's quarrel?"

"Yeah, I remember that. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, I lied to you, not about the sleeping together thing, that was true-"

"Yeah, at the time. But not for long."

"Anyway, as I was saying, Derek and I were fighting. You see, he'd called me a whore after finding me wearing only one of Finn's shirts. This was after I'd gone celibate, and I hadn't slept with Finn, but Derek didn't know that and he jumped to conclusions. We had a huge fight, and I didn't think I could ever forgive him. But then, on Prom Night, we fought again, and you know what happened afterwards. I mean, if I could forgive Derek for that, surely Mark will be able to forgive you for a little omission.

"You think he'll really forgive me? By this point Addison had stopped crying, looking hopeful at Meredith's story.

"I know so," Meredith reassured her. "And, like you said, I forgave Derek for his little omission – you. So come on, let's get out of here. I'm sure that there are patients out there who need us right now."


Can it be easier?
Can I just change my life?
Cause it just seems to go bad everytime
Will I be mending?
another one ending once again


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"Wow, I thought my life was screwed up! So, let me get this straight – first you called Meredith a whore, then you spend all of Prom Night looking at her, then you two argue and screw in an empty exam room, only to be caught by Dr. Stevens, Meredith's Best friend. Then, you force her to make a decision between you and the vet and she walks away, only to chose you a few minutes later. And Addison let you get a divorce to be with Meredith."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it! It sounds so soap operaish when you put it like that!" Wow, I can't believe that I can see the funny side of this. If you'd told me a few hours ago that I'd be sitting in a bar, laughing, with Mark of all people, I'd have hauled you off to get a CT scan on your brain!

"So, do you think Addie will ever be able to forgive me? I think I hurt her pretty bad."

"She's probably sitting with Meredith, asking her the same thing of you man."

"So, how is it that they're still friends? That all of you are still friends?"

"I dunno man, how is it that I'm sitting here talking to you as if nothing ever happened between us?"

"I suppose you're right. Did you hear Addison mention the girl answering my phone and the one that she saw at my apartment? I hadn't moved on Derek, that was my sister Monique."

"Yeah I kinda put two and two together on that one, I know how you feel about Addie."

"Do you think that she'll believe me?" Mark had never felt so insecure in his life.

"I'm not the one you should be asking. You should go and see her about this, but don't leave it too long. You'll only hurt yourself even more." Derek realised that there was still one question left unanswered. Stopping Mark from leaving, he asked "By the way, what are you doing here? I mean, here in Seattle, not here in Joe's bar."

"The Chief is expanding Plastics and he made me head. Go figure, I thought he was on your side in this whole mess." With that, Mark left to fix his mistakes, leaving Derek to contemplate the thought of having his ex-best-friend back in his life, permanently.


Everything is F'ed up straight from the heart
Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart
Gotta pick myself up where do I start
Cuz I can't turn to you when it all falls apart
No

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Arriving at Addison's Office, Mark could see her sitting at her desk, her head resting in her hands. She looked up and saw him, blinking a few times to test her vision. He walked in the door as she stood up, and waited for her to come to him. She walked over to him, hardly believing her eyes. Sweeping her up in a huge embrace, he acted on instinct. When he started to kiss her, she didn't push him away. Leaning past him, she closed the door while they kissed, stealing them away from the prying eyes of Bailey's interns and the rest of the hospital.


Falls apart
Gotta pick myself up 'cause things are messed up

A/N – So, I think I'll leave it there. I hope that you liked this, and that I'm doing a good job. Please let me know, otherwise I'll go insane! I'm serious, just hit the little blue button in the corner and submit a review. Sorry that this is such a long chapter, but it just flowed so well for me tonight that I just couldn't stop. Oh, btw, I changed it so that it was Izzie that walked in on Mer and Der at the end of season 2, coz Callie doesn't exist in this.