I write this fic just for the A/N's. I am not even lying. I spending many a sleepless night deciding what to write in them.
Last Time on Tear Your Love Apart: I really don't remember... Addek probably fought. I'll go ask someone... (clearly it was memorable, cause no one knows)... Oh, the bets. And the dates. And Mark likes a guuurl.
Please note, sometimes I throw in things to amuse myself. There is one really obvious one in this chapter.
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"So are you sick or something?"
Meredith blew on her coffee and put the lid back on, "No. Why?"
"You came home last night." Izzie stuffed a piece of doughnut in her mouth, "You came home last night, alone."
Meredith just stared at her.
Izzie leaned closer and lowered her voice, "You have been officially dating Derek for almost 3 weeks. I wasn't expecting to be sleeping this well."
"We're taking it slow."
"Well stop," Izzie rolled up her nose, "It's creeping me out."
Meredith rolled her eyes.
"Seriously, you need to have sex. For me."
Meredith just shook her head, starting to walk away.
"I'm serious Mer. It's unnatural," Izzie called after her.
Meredith smiled as she approached Derek near the main doors, "Hey," she rested a hand on his side and lightly kissed his cheek.
Derek's arm went lightly around her waist and he kissed her back, "Hey."
"Lunch?"
"Sure."
Meredith smiled, "See ya then."
"Bye," Derek smiled at her as she entered the hospital.
Slow was good.
XXXX
Murder she wrote
Murder she wrote
Murder she wrote
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"Why are you avoiding me?" Alex asked in a low voice over the hum of the incubators.
"I'm not."
"Bullshit, I work on She-Shepherd's every other day and some in-between and this is the first time I have managed to corner you."
"I'm just a volunteer Alex, I'm not doing the same things that you are."
"Your avoiding me. Why?"
"Alex!" Izzie hissed, "I am not avoiding you. I just..."
"What?" Alex demanded, "Tell me why we went from being... whatever, to being nothing."
"You were great after..." Izzie took a breath, "After Denny died. But I'm just not..."
"Ready?"
"Interested."
Alex took a step back.
"Alex..."
"No, I get it."
"No, Alex. So much happened. With us and with Denny. I need to separate myself from that."
"So where does that leave me? I'm just asking so I don't waste my time. Other fish."
"I want to be your friend."
"Friend?" Alex questioned bitterly.
"For right now, yes."
"Hey," Meredith greeted entering the nursery, "Mark brought Thai food."
"Hey," Mark exclaimed, defensively. "When the woman you want is in high demand you've got to try every trick in the book. Including sucking up to coworkers"
"I'm not complaining," Meredith retorted, "I like Thai food. I encourage all sucking up that gets me fed."
Izzie and Alex stood there awkwardly.
Meredith and Mark exchanged looks.
Mark cleared his throat, "Karev, I have a surgery here in a few weeks, if your interested there is a spot on my team."
Alex shrugged noncommittally, a sure sign that he was dying for the opportunity, "I'm with Montgomery-Shepherd pretty exclusively..."
"I'll talk to her. I do have a bit of an influence with her."
"Sure. If you want," Alex turned to stalk away, "I have patients."
"Alex," Izzie called after him.
"Don't you want something to eat?" Meredith added.
"Not really hungry but thanks."
The three stood in silence for a moment.
"Well," Mark said finally, "Let's go find Addison."
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"Dr. Shepherd, you have another phone call," A nurse held out the receiver, her eyebrow raised.
Addison mustered a smile, "Thank you," she said, moderately embarrassed, "Hello?"
She turned away from the clearly eavesdropping staff.
"Oh hi," she listened for a moment, "Oh, from the video store? Peter?"
She cringed.
"No I'm sorry, Of course Andrew. I remember,at the pet store. You breed the huskies.."
She lowered her voice in the vain hope that no one could hear her.
"No. That sounds fine." she cleared her throat, "No, not at the hospital. Um, why don't I give you my cell number. We can discuss it later."
Addison took a deep cleansing breath as she finally hung up the phone. The situation wouldn't have been as difficult if this hadn't been her third such phone this week.
Really life would have been easier if she was Dr. Jane Smith. Harder to track down.
She smiled weakly at a passing colleague as she rounded the corner.
She briefly caught Derek's eye as he picked up the last of his papers and headed away from her.
He had heard everything.
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"So I hear you have another date tonight."
Addison groaned, "Where did you hear that from?"
"At least 5 different nurses and a few of your more attractive doctors.'
"That's just great,' Addison sighed picking out an apple, "The staff probably thinks that I am dating half of Seattle."
Mark smirked, "I think you are dating half of Seattle."
"This is your fault." Addison protested, "No one would care if they didn't think I was dating you too."
Mark shrugged, "That is unfortunate."
"Then maybe you could stop bringing me lunch everyday."
Mark shook his head, "Nope, that's part of the plan."
Addison rolled her eyes and took a bite of her apple, "I hate your plans. They're sleazy. And now I'm a part of them."
"What are friends for."
"I'm not your friend. You seduced me and ruined my marriage."
"We're friends."
Addison glared at him, then went back to her apple. Suddenly it dawned on her. "Oh," she said with a sly smile, "Oh."
"What?" Mark asked.
"Oh," Addison laughed, "You are in way over your head."
"I am not." Mark blushed slightly.
Addison continued to laugh, "Way over your head."
"It's under control."
"Oh no. There is no way you are in control of this."
"I am."
"Fine," Addison bit her lip and started laughing all over again, "You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. She is going to eat you alive, and you are not even going to see it coming"
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"Oh hey," Meredith greeted Derek as she came down the stairs. "I was just looking for you," she leant forward to kiss him hello but seeing his fowl mood she quickly changed her mind.
"Ready for lunch?"
"Actually that's why I was coming to find you." Meredith began, "I forgot we had plans. I already ate."
Derek sighed with annoyance.
"Hey. I'm sorry. Someone brought in Thai food. I was hungry."
"Thai food?" Derek hissed, "Let me guess. Mark?"
Meredith stayed silent.
"I should have guessed he would come after you too. Thai food. Addison's favorite." By this point Derek had already forgotten Meredith presence, he also didn't notice how loud he was getting, "Although it's going to take a little more that dinner to get her this time. Three dates this week. Three. We haven't even been divorced a month and she..."
"Shut up!"
Derek stared at her as if seeing her for the first time.
"God," Meredith exclaimed, "Can you just not think about her for like 10 minutes. Is it to much to ask for you to just, i dunno, pay attention to me for a little while." She demanded ignoring Derek's tense jaw and heaving shoulders, "I mean God. She left you, so we could be together and all you do is think about HER! WHAT is so SPECIAL about ADDISON?"
"NOTHING! BUT SHE'S IS ALL I HAVE!" Derek yelled.
They stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment.
"Had," Derek said finally, "She's all I had."
Meredith stared over his shoulder for along time before speaking, "I think that maybe we should see other people." Derek didn't respond so she continued, "We both just got out of relationships and maybe we are just rushing into this. We should just... take a step back, slow down."
Derek sighed, "What does that mean."
Meredith shrugged still not looking at him, "I don't know. Maybe we just need time to sort things out in our heads. And I think we could do that better if we were more... casual."
"But what about us?" He clarified.
Meredith shrugged again, "We should be free to get over our respective relationships however we need to."
"So we're...?"
"So we'll have lunch on friday," Meredith replied, offering him an olive branch, "But until then," she paused, "Until then I don't think I want to talk to you."
Derek turned and leaned against the railing as Meredith silently left the stairwell.
He stood unmoving in the silence until a soft clicking behind him told him he was not alone.
"You can't say things like that to her Derek," Addison said softly, slowly coming up the stairs.
Derek turned and stared at her. She must have heard the entire conversation, trapped on the stairs below them, her heels would have given her away if she moved.
"It's not fair to her."
"Not fair to her?" Derek demanded his temper quickly coming to a boil again, "It's been a month Addison. A month. A month ago we were together."
"A month ago we had sex," she interrupted, "We were hardly together."
"We were happy Addison. We were happy." Derek exclaimed almost yelling.
"Do not make it out to be more then it was Derek," Addison warned, her voice raising and taking on an angry edge.
"Well what do you expect me to do Addison? Tell me what I am suppose to do while you are dating every car sales man or dog trainer that you meet. Am I suppose to just watch? Tell me what I am suppose to be feeling here? Because I cannot stop loving you JUST BECAUSE YOU ASK!"
Derek stood there panting from the force of his outburst.
"Tell me what to do Addison."
Addison stared at him evenly, "Wait for it to pass."
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I can't unthink about you
I can't unfeel your touch
I can't unhear all the words
Unsay all the things
That used to mean so much
I wish I could unremember
Everything my heart's been through
And finding out it's impossible to do
Oh, it's no use
I can't unlove you
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Oh he's been told. Yes he has.
So I ma not going to lie. For a minute there, I kinda thought that Derek might explode and then I would have my own "Chunks of Derek/Pink Mist" situation to deal with. Like... the longer I write this, the crazier Derek seems to go. This is where Tom Cruise is heading. I mean, Derek is longing for the day where he was simply jumping on Oprah's couch.
Hey Cessy, wanna go on a roadtrip? VEAGS! YEAH BABY!
Next time on Tear Your Love Apart: Poppy Cunningham.
Oh, if you know what it was that was there just for my amusement, you need to review.
Actually, you need to review anyway.