Author's Note: So it's been a while since I've updated, school, life… you know the obvious reasons. The next couple of chapters are outlined, and just need to be written. As always, enjoy and review.
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.
"Shit."
"Well good morning to you, too." Mark rolls over to his side and smiles at her.
The memories from the night before, flood back to her. "Shit!" She repeats as she rolls onto her back trying to avoid looking directly at Mark.
"What," Mark asks as he touches her waist underneath the covers. Meredith moves as to avoid his touch. He laughs at her uneasiness.
"It's not funny!" she yells.
"I'd have to disagree. You have to at the very least laugh at the strange irony of it all." Mark pokes her again.
Meredith rolls over to her side to face Mark.
'At least he's not making this awkward,' she thinks to herself.
"So Dr. Sloan is this how you treat all your interns the morning after?"
Mark rolls his eyes. "No, you're special, usually I kick them out the next morning, you, you can stay."
Meredith sits up and pulls the flannel sheet around her body. "Then I guess I should be appreciative."
"You should be." Mark smiles at her and neither of them say anything for a few moments. A look of worry covers Meredith's face as she turns and looks out the window. "Meredith." Mark says, touching her bare shoulder. "Don't worry about it, okay. This can stay between you and me. They don't have to know, and it doesn't have to mean anything."
Meredith feels a little bit relieved. It isn't as if she expected him to run and tell Derek, but it felt good to have Mark reassure her that he wouldn't. "So how long have you been in love with her?"
"What?" Mark laughs as he reaches for his boxers at the side of the bed, pulling them on underneath the covers.
"Like it isn't obvious that you are totally, and completely in love with her."
"She's my best friend's wife. Why would I be in love with my best friend's wife?"
"Because you can't help who you fall in love with," Meredith responds.
"I've known since senior year at Columbia."
"That long?"
"Yes, that long. Now you think I'm pathetic, huh?"
"Not anymore than I thought you were last night."
"Oh Grey, you know the last thing I am is pathetic." Mark says as he raises his eyebrows at her.
Meredith reaches for the pillow next to her and throws it at Mark. Mark lunges towards her as he dodges the pillow. Meredith squeals as she rolls off the bed pulling the sheet off the bed with her.
Meredith laughs as she reaches for the closest article of clothing she could find. She pulls her shirt on, praying that she could find her underwear.
"Looking for these," Mark jokes, holding up a black pair of cotton panties.
Meredith leans forward and snatches them from him, pulling them on underneath the sheet. She stands up allowing the sheet to fall off her body and back to the floor.
"C'mon I'll make you something to eat before we go get your car." Mark offers opening a drawer and pulling a pair of athletic shorts on over his boxers.
"You cook?"
"No, but I have cereal."
"Then you're lucky I like cereal."
"Grey, we're going to be good friends." Mark says as he leads Meredith down the stairs and to the kitchen.
-x-
"Nice shoes."
Meredith's head snaps around as she faces Cristina.
"It's not uncommon for people to wear the same shoes two days in a row." Meredith explains.
"What the hell are you talking about," Cristina asks sitting on the bench on front of her locker pulling her scrubs top over her head.
"I wore the same shoes yesterday." Meredith admits sitting down on the bench next to Cristina. Meredith is horrible at keeping secrets, especially secrets that involve her sleeping with her boss, because the boss she actually wants to sleep with is married.
"Whatever." Cristina says as she gets up and takes her sneakers out of her locker sitting back down to put them on. "How's McDreamy?"
"Who?"
"Dr. Shepherd."
Meredith laughs awkwardly at the nickname. 'It is fitting,' she thinks to herself. "Um.. I don't know. I mean I went for drinks with him last night, but I didn't go home with him, he went home with his wife."
Meredith gets up and closes her locker door. Cristina steps in front of her.
"You're a bad liar."
"I'm not lying. I didn't go home with him. Iwenthomewithmark." Meredith admits running her words together, hoping that Cristina wouldn't understand her.
"Mark? I knew it." Cristina says contently as she leans back on the lockers. "So how was it?"
Meredith gives her a looks that says, 'as if you need to ask.' Meredith looks away. "We're friends that's it. We're both interested in other people."
"Sure." Cristina says, pulling open the locker room door.
"I'm serious."
"I believe you." Cristina says reaching for a chart at the nurse station.
"Seriously?"
"No." Cristina looks up from reading the chart she grabbed. "So do they have you performing unassisted surgery today, that should be next given the fact that you seem to be on the accelerated track?"
"No," Meredith replies ignoring her sarcasm. "I'm still working on the neuro case with Dr. Shepherd. I still have to sleep with him as well before I can do a unassisted surgery."
Cristina rolls her eyes putting the chart back in its place. "I wouldn't put it past you."
Meredith stops. "You know I'm really not some whore trying to sleep her way to the top."
"I know, you're actually talented, and that's what scares me." Cristina says as she walks away.
Meredith's pager begins to vibrate on her hip. She looks down at the page and runs to answer the call.
-x-
Meredith knocks softly on her patient's door, pushing it open, and stepping inside. She inhales sharply as she sees Mark and Derek standing on opposite sides of the patient's bed.
"Dr. Grey," the two men say as she walks further into the room.
"Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan," She says as she nods to each respectively.
"I need you to run these labs," Derek says as he hands her the patient's chart. Meredith nods. "I also need you to take him for a CT. It might be backed up though."
"It was backed up last night." Mark says not having any idea what he was talking about, just trying to see if he can make Meredith squirm. Just because he said he wouldn't say anything, didn't mean he wasn't going to have some fun with it.
"It should be clear now." Derek says scribbling his signature on the bottom of a form, which he hands Meredith.
"You're in good hands with Dr. Grey," Mark says to the patient, briefly looking up at Meredith, "She'll bend over backward to make sure you are totally satisfied."
Meredith coughs as her face begins to flush. "Okay, well I better go run these labs. Mr. Taymor I'll come and get you once I make sure the CT is available."
Meredith quickly turns and walks out of the room.
She silently curses Mark as she walks towards the stairs. She feels Mark's hand on her elbow. She pulls him into the staircase and closes the door.
"What the hell was that about?" Meredith snaps heading up the stairs.
"I was just trying to see if I could get a rise out of you, and obviously I was successful." Mark laughs following her up the stairs.
"What if he figures it out?"
"He won't." Mark assures her.
"What if he does?"
"Then he does, he's married remember." Mark reminds her. Meredith feels foolish. She stops walking up at the stairs and turns to look at Mark.
"I guess you're right."
"I'm always right." Mark replies assuredly.
"I'm sure you are, but I still think you're an ass." Meredith smiles at Mark as she turns and resumes walking up the stairs.
-x-
"I think my fingers are about to fall off," Cristina complains as she and Meredith wait for the elevator to arrive. "I swear to God, if I don't get a good case tomorrow I'm quitting this damned program. I could have stayed in LA with Burke, he would have at least let me scrub in."
"I'm sorry," Meredith says genuinely.
"No you're not. You're high off surgery, and you know it."
Meredith smiles and shrugs as the elevator doors open, and the two women step into the crowded elevator.
"Are you going out with Mark tonight?" Cristina asks Meredith.
"No. I'm here until God knows when, plus we aren't like that."
"So the two of you are just going to sleep together?" Cristina says he voice a little too loud.
Meredith gives her the 'shut the hell up look' and then answers her question. "It was a one-time thing. It happened. It's no big deal."
"If it's no big deal then why were you freaking out this morning?" Cristina asks. The elevator stops on the second floor and the majority of the passengers step out, including Cristina.
"Goodnight," Meredith says cheerfully, ignoring her question as the doors close between them. Meredith turns around and sees Addison standing against the back wall. She feels her face go white.
"Dr. Shepherd," she stammers.
-x-
Addison pulls her trench coat tightly around her body. She is sitting on the bench outside of the hospital not yet ready to go home. She is still trying to deal with the fact that Mark slept with Meredith and exactly why she cares so much.
Every year Mark slept with a female intern, and then promptly left her flat on her ass. It was his thing. Mark's romantic life consisted of an endless fleet of one night stands, and brief three month affairs, until now.
But Addison couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was different this time. So what if they slept together, you should be happy for Mark.' Addison thinks to herself. She knows she loves Mark, but no more than she loves her brother. Mark was always there for her. Mark was always more than willing to lose a few hours of sleep in favor of talking to her for a few extra hours on the phone. Mark was there, always.
Addison feels her phone vibrate in her bag. She opens the tote and pulls out her blackberry. She checks her messages. There's one from Derek, "Emergency surgery. Don't know when I'll be home. Have a good night." Tonight will be another night home alone for Addison.
Addison dials Mark's number and awaits an answer. The call rolls over to the voicemail, and Addison, frustrated, throws the phone back into her bag, and heads back into the hospital.
She takes the stairs to the second floor and walks down the long corridor where all of their offices where. She finds the door she is looking for and knocks on it.
"Come in."
Slowly Addison opens the door and steps inside placing her bag next to the door. "Mark."
"Hey Addie," Mark says as he gets up from his chair and plants a kiss on her cheek.
"You didn't answer my call." Addison says blankly.
"Yeah, I'm on my way out the door, and couldn't get to my phone."
"You always answer your phone." Addison leans against the door behind her.
"I'm sorry," Mark offers realizing that something was bothering Addison beyond the fact that he didn't answer her call. "What's wrong Addie," Mark asks tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"I can't figure out why I'm not happy for you. I can't figure out why I care so much that you slept with Meredith Grey. I shouldn't care Mark, I shouldn't."
"Sshh…" Mark says as he steps forward and hugs her. "Don't worry about it, it didn't mean anything." Mark feels his stomach tighten. 'What exactly is she trying to say,' he thinks to himself.
Addison pulls away. "No, I'm not supposed to care. I mean you sleep with lots of women, but the second you sleep with someone decent, I freak out. I'm married Mark. Married women don't care who their husband's best friends sleep with."
A heavy silence fills the room as both attempt to take in the reality of the situation. Before either of them realize what is happening Mark's body is pressed up against hers on the door. His lips are on hers and his hands are running up her shirt.
"Mark," Addison sighs in between kisses, finally realizing why she cares so much.
"You care." Mark responds and his hand turns the lock on the door.