So, I sort of feel like I've gotten into the characters' brains enough for now and will probobly focus on plot for the next few chapters. Please let me know if you have a problem with this. Keep reading and reviewing s'il vous plait.

Chapter Four: In Deep

Addison turned to face Alex Karev and her apprehension vanished. Despite the fact that she was utterly alone in a supply closet with an intern she had recently kissed she found herself feeling completely in control. For once she didn't feel as if she was about to do something stupid. She felt angry and there was no room for anything else.

"Listen to me," she began and prepared to launch into a blistering tirade against Alex's outburst in the pit. She was rudely interrupted.

"No, you listen to me!" Alex almost spat. "You kissed me right? You kissed me and ever since you've been avoiding me."

Addison felt her rage subside. This was not what she had expected. She tried to gather herself, felt she was loosing her last chance to say her piece but Alex wasn't finished.

"You've been avoiding me because you just assumed I want you. You just expect that everyone you look at sideways is pining after you, right? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I'm not that interested?"

It was like a slap in the face. Addison was horrified to feel tears welling in her eyes. The shock of hearing Alex say he wasn't interested paled in comparison to the shock of her emotional response to the news. Of course it hadn't occurred to her. She had just assumed...

"You're not interested...," she managed to whisper.

"You think I want to be just another intern sleeping with their attending?" Alex continued in softer tones.

Addison was utterly bewildered. She had expected to have to put up some sort of a fight, expected something entirely different from Alex.

"You... you kissed me back," she protested.

Alex shrugged. "You're my boss. What did you expect me to do?"

Addison was no longer listening. She was dimly aware that Alex was asking to scrub in on her surgeries, was asking that they continue their relationship on a purely professional level. His last words were,

"It happened but it doesn't have to happen again."

"Alright," she assented weakly as he left the room. Her entire universe seemed to have condensed into a tight knot of shock and hurt. She hadn't expected this hurt. Worst of all Alex had said the things she should have said before any of this ever happened. He had drawn the line and she hadn't. It was an unbearably painful realization. No. Not painful. It didn't hurt. It was humiliating but it didn't hurt. There was a distinct and piercing difference. It was something else that hurt.

As he left the supply room Alex felt incredibly relieved. It had gone much better than he had expected. He had gotten off remarkably easy for the incident in the pit and had managed to save a great deal of face. Things would go on as they had before with Addison. There was no reason to tell her how he felt. Alex was in deep but he still had his pride and Dr. Montgomery obviously wasn't interested in him. Her avoidance and apologies had made that abundantly clear. What ever had possessed her to kiss him, she was clearly over it by now.