As promised, the next short bit is up. Not much plot, not much Addek - I just wanted to take some time to explore the whole Callie-Addison-Mark thing that could potentially have developed more in the series. Anyway, this takes place a few days after Derek had that bombshell of a news dropped on him.

Addison strode into the bar, revelling in the clicking of her heels on the flooring. Finally, finally, Callie had determined that her ankle had healed well enough to wear 'those god-awful things you call footwear'. She looked around the dingy room, looking for Callie, when a semi-drunk Meredith walked up to her.

"Addison!" she exclaimed pleasantly, her words slurring slightly. Addison put an arm out to steady her, nodding and smiling politely in response. "Have you seen Derek around?"

"Dr. Grey-"

"I think you could call me Meredith, you know," interrupted Meredith, definitely stumbling a bit now. "After all, you've seen my panties."

Ah, what a lovely memory.

Grimacing, she said, "Alright then, Meredith. I have no idea where he is, and I can assure you that I'm definitely not the person you should be asking."

"Oh, but you are. He spoke to you that day at Izzie's and he disappeared into his trailer and told me he needs space. So who's fault is that, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd?"

"It's just Montgomery now."

"Yeah, somehow, I don't think so." With that, the intern half walked-half staggered away, joining Karev and Yang at the table near the dartboard.

"Addison!" called Callie just then, and she spun around to see the ortho resident sitting at the other end of the bar. Smiling, she hurried over to her and slid into the booth with a sigh of relief. "Were you just talking to Meredith Grey?"

"Yeah, she – she asked me if I knew where Derek was."

Callie snorted. "Lost the boy already, did she? Well, we knew he's a waste." At Addison's slight frown, she added, "Come on, Addison, you can't deny he doesn't do well with showing up."

"Yes, well, given what he just found out, I think we can all cut him some slack." Callie looked guilty and apologetic for a minute, but Addison shook her head. Addison had told her enough times that she didn't blame her for what had been revealed at the party.

"Okay, but still. If he's dating her, he needs to show up. He needs to not…disappear."

Addison reached over to take a large sip of Callie's vodka tonic. "Anyway, why are we discussing my ex-husband's relationship? Oh god, Callie, this is disgusting. I could mix you a much better drink, you know."

"She's right about that," said a snarky, familiar voice, and the two women sighed as Mark Sloan joined them, pulling up a chair and sitting on it backwards. Turning to Callie, he continued. "This one's been mixing drinks for her father since she was, what, ten?"

"Eight," corrected Addison automatically. Then she shook her head. "Mark, why are you here?"

"To regale the tales of you mixing us all drinks," he said, grinning. "Red, you should make Torres here that weird fruity thing you made Naomi before her wedding."

Callie wrinkled her nose. "No, thank you."

Addison smiled reminiscently. "Naomi got so drunk on those bellinis, I had to call Derek to come help me take her back home, because Sam – her fiancé" she added for Callie's benefit, "wasn't supposed to see the bride the day before."

"Except guess who the genius brought with him," cut in Mark.

"Sam," finished Callie. She shrugged at Mark's surprised look. "Fairly predictable story."

"So, Sam was just as wasted as Nae, and Derek didn't leave him with Mark or the others because apparently, they were even worse off," continued Addison. "And so I called my brother Archer – and guess who answered his phone."

"An important detail to know about Archer is that he'd sleep with anyone with a vagina," added Mark. "Now guess."

Callie groaned. This story seemed to have no end, and was filled with people that, frankly, she didn't know. "I don't know…some girl, I'm assuming."

"Nae's sister. Her married sister."

Callie whistled softly. "Okay, that's messed up."

"Cheating runs in Addison's family," said Mark very matter-of-factly. "It's no big deal. What's that saying? Montgomeries look the other way."

Addison glared at him, before saying, "To be fair, it isn't Archie who cheated. What Nae's sister was thinking, I have no idea."

"Maybe she was thinking her husband would pay more attention to her then," said a sharp voice, and Addison's heart thudded as she twisted around in her seat slowly to look at the dark-haired neurosurgeon staring back at her, a cold, calculating look on his face.

Derek tilted his head to the side. "Wait, no, that was your excuse." Standing up from the other table, he approached the three of them. "Isn't this cozy," he remarked, before plunging ahead, "So Addison, if you hadn't found Mark with another woman, what were you going to do? Have his kid while married to me? Wear my rings while sleeping in his bed?"

Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heel and headed out the bar, leaving just as suddenly as he'd entered.

An odd silence had descended over the booth, and Callie and Mark glanced at one another awkwardly before chancing a glance at Addison. Addison, on the other hand, stared at the door he'd left through, faintly registering the interns at the dartboard near it and the other occupants of the tables.

"Well, that certainly put a damper on things," said Mark, clearing his throat. "I'm getting a drink. You guys? On me."

Addison shook herself out of the reverie and nodded. "A gin and tonic."

Mark looked uncomfortable. "Red, I don't think-"

"I want a gin and tonic," enunciated Addison sharply, punctuating each word.

"Got it," he said hastily. "Torres, a hand?" The pair walked over to the bar counter.

"What was that about?" asked Callie curiously.

Mark waved his hand for the bartender. "A gin and tonic is Addison's father's drink. And it's her go-to when she's feeling particularly self-destructive." Callie still seemed puzzled, so he added, "Her father, incidentally, has been cheating on her mother all her life, and sleeping with every one of Addison's nannies, his secretaries, students, you name it."

Callie took a step back, a little stunned.

"So, she's going to get massively drunk tonight, and you get to be the girlfriend to handle it all," finished Mark cheerfully. The bartender set down their drinks in front of them, and Mark paid. He motioned for Callie to take the drinks, and then pressed a couple of dollar bills into her hand. "I think I've caused enough damage for tonight; see you later. Probably not tonight, though – you'll have your hands full."

And with that, he smirked – the smirk that left her a little weak in the knees, because, damn it Mark, he really knew how to play a girl – and left before she could utter a word.

As she headed back to the booth, she looked ahead at the almost comically-sad fetal surgeon. Mark was right. She had her hands full tonight.

Is it weird that I sort of liked the whole Callie-Mark (and later Arizona) dynamic? I know it didn't come into the series this early in s3, but still. Also, no matter how much how much I love Addek, Maddison had chemistry off the freaking charts. The only way I see myself being able to show that in this story is by Mark taking care of her and calling her Red, because oof.

Anyway, that's it for now. I've barely started on the next bit, so fair warning, it's going to take time. But in the meantime, please review!