In honor of it being the end of the school week, a new chapter for all my loyal readers. You guys kick all kinds of booty! Enjoy/review!
Addison's Apartment
2:00 a.m.
Addison had tossed and turned all night, but couldn't get to sleep. Partially, she was mad at Derek for being so immature, and part of her was nervous as to where he could be. They had been doing so well lately and she didn't want that to change. She really just wanted to talk everything out with Derek, but at two he was still nowhere to be found.
Frustrated and sad, Addison slipped out of bed for a drink of water. Half asleep, she barely made it to the kitchen before passing out. She saw all the uneaten food Derek had made, and it made her heart ache even more. He had made her favorite.
About to return to bed, Addison saw the door knob moving. Before Addison could react, Derek had gently opened and closed the door. Once inside, he turned towards the kitchen and saw her. Their eyes met instantly. Derek removed his jacket and kicked off his shoes.
"Hi." Derek broke the silence.
"Hey." Addison replied weakly.
"You never put the food away."
"I just realized it was still out. My mind was otherwise occupied." Derek knew that was directed at his extended absence. He spent the time walking around aimlessly, trying to get his thoughts in order. Finally ready to talk, he came back.
"I'm sorry I stayed out so long. I didn't mean to. I just…" Derek turned away from her slightly and leaned against her sink, staring at the moon through the window. Coming back to her place, he had planned out exactly what to say. But, somehow, standing in front of her, he was tongue tied. He wanted to be honest, but what he had to say, he wasn't sure she'd appreciate hearing.
Addison set down her glass and moved to where he stood. She needed him to open up, or Mark coming back would really tear them apart.
"You can talk to me about anything Derek. You know that?"
"Not about this." Derek's voice was low, barely above a whisper.
"Why not?" Addison kept prodding.
"I don't know." Addison hadn't seen this Derek in a while. This was the Derek that emerged as there problems started in New York. He bottled everything in. He refused to be open about his feelings. He shut out everyone, including her. This was the Derek that she let ruin her marriage the first time. This Derek needed to be stopped before he did it again.
"Do you love me?" Derek's eyes stopped examining the floor and shot to hers. Addison knew she was being blunt, but she needed his attention.
"How can you even ask me that Addie?"
"Answer me." Addison remained strong.
"Of course I do."
"Then talk to me!" Addison yanked Derek's arm from beneath him so that his body now faced hers. "You bailed on me once. I refuse to let you do it again." Addison's voice has unintentionally risen. She was practically yelling at him, getting out all the anger she had at his indifference the first time around. Calmer now, she spoke again.
"I did a lot of reflection on our marriage after we separated. I picked it apart, trying to figure out when exactly we fell apart. It was a progressive thing, but it started when we stopped communicating. We stopped doing the little things that made us us. We dove head first into our careers and forgot to talk to each other. Slowly, it got worse and worse, and well you know the rest." Derek nodded. "We screwed up once and almost lost each other. It's not going to happen again. Clear?"
"Yes." Derek smiled at her assertiveness, the first time he smiled all night.
"Good." Addison slipped her arms around Derek's waist as he kissed the top of her head. "Now we go to bed."
"Bed? But you just went on and on about talking and expressing our feelings."
"Derek, it's two in the morning. I was up all night worrying and I am tired. Talking can wait until breakfast."
"Are you sure?" Addison grabbed Derek's face and pulled him down to her. She gave him quick, but sensual kiss that made his knees go weak. Releasing his face, she saw his dazed expression of joy and knew that whatever needed to be talked about would be in the morning.
"Yes." Addison took Derek's hand and walked them towards her bedroom. His knees were still a little weak, but he managed to make it. Addison got back under the covers as Derek took off his pants and sweater, leaving him in boxers and plain white t-shirt. He joined Addison in bed, practically collapsing on top of her.
"Tired?" She asked, her eyes quickly shutting.
"I walked around the city for like four hours. What do you think?" Derek threw his arm around Addison's waist and pulled her closer to him. Addison could feel Derek's breath on her neck. It soothed her instantly. Extending her arm, she turned off the lights as they both passed out.
The Next Morning
7:00 a.m.
Derek awoke to the sun in his eyes. He rubbed his eyes while simultaneously reaching across the bed to where Addison should have been. Her side was empty. Derek peered through the door of the bedroom to the kitchen. He saw her moving around, clearly up and energized. He also smelled coffee, and finally found the strength to get out of bed.
"You're up early." Derek said, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the light.
"Yeah, well it was a long night and I had some anger to get out so I went running. And then I got breakfast from your favorite coffee place."
"You're the best." Derek leaned into kiss Addison's cheek as she continued to hop around the kitchen. Her ability to be a morning person always escaped him. "Anger towards me?"
"Yeah, but that's when you were being all other Derek. You're since forgiven."
"There's more than one of me?" Derek asked, sipping his coffee.
"Honey, there's about a hundred. Don't worry, I love them all." Addison reassured him, patting his arm as she went to get two plates. Derek placed down his coffee and grabbed her wrist before she got away.
"Well, all one hundred of me want to apologize for last night." Derek removed the plates from her hands and replaced them with his own. He bent down slightly to capture her lips before pushing her against the fridge. She responded at first, enjoying herself very much as Derek's tongue massaged hers in the perfect way. However, she knew where this would lead, and needed to get the Mark talk over with first. Pulling her hands back from his, she moved to the side, almost having Derek making out with the door.
"Well that was anti-climactic. I was sort of hoping we could…" Derek had a suggestive look on his face.
"Have sex? Not until this Mark thing is resolved. I let you sleep last night because I was equally tired, but now we are going to talk this through. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I want to put this behind us, deal with him while he's here, and go back to being obsessed over you. Okay?" Addison had rambled on as she set the table, not letting Derek a word until she was done. He simply watched her look adorable as ever, and couldn't help but agree to her terms.
"Alright. I'm guessing you want to go first. You seem to have thought a lot about this during your run."
"I did, and want to. What I have to say is short and sweet. Derek, I'm in love with you. I have been forever, and always will be. As much as tried not to be when you were with Meredith, I couldn't. Mark could stay for a day, Mark could move here permanently: nothing would change how I feel about you. I need you to know that, and be confident in our relationship. We agreed when we got back together to put everything about Mark and Meredith in the past. I have. I hope you will too."
"Okay. My turn. I spent all of last night trying to put into clear words how I felt, and why I was so crushed when Richard told me. Nothing precise came to mind, so I may go on for a while. Here it is: whenever I think of Mark, I think of him with you. That night I caught you guys replays in my head like a VCR from hell. I don't remember him as my best friend, I remember him as they guy who stole you from me." Derek paused to catch his breath, because the next part was going to hurt.
"Whenever I think of Mark, I think of him touching you and kissing you and getting to do the things that only I was supposed to do to you. The part that disgusts me the most is knowing that I drove you to him, and he all too willingly accepted. You're not the type of woman who has random affairs Addie. It's what I love about you. You have too much self-respect and love for me to do that. So I must have been really bad towards you to push you away."
"It's easier to hide those thoughts when I'm with you because I remember why I am in love with you and why I am so lucky to have another shot. But with him here, on us all the time as you know he will be, I don't want them coming back full force. Addie, these past six weeks have been amazing. I know we were together for ten amazing years before hand, but maybe its being through all that we have, but I have never felt closer to you. I don't want Mark to ruin that."
Derek stopped talking and finally looked up at Addison. She had tears in her eyes, but she didn't look sad. They were almost happy tears. She didn't say anything, but instead walked over to where he still stood by the fridge and kissed him with all the love she felt. Derek tried to interrupt her, but she quickly silenced him with another kiss. When she was done, she threw her arms around his neck and held him close.
"Addison?" Derek wasn't expecting this reaction. "Are you ok?"
"Yea." Her voice was mumbled from the tears. "You realize how open you were with me just now? God for months I begged you to give me something to help fix us and now you throw it all at me at once. It was worth wait if now you feel good enough to be honest with me. Because with honesty comes answers."
"I realize that now. And everytime you asked me then I just shut you out because I didn't have answers. Back then I just wanted to kill him and get back at you. But then, all the little pieces of the puzzle came together and I could see the whole picture. You're not mad?"
"As long as you're upfront with me, I won't be mad. I just need you to talk to me, keep me in the loop, okay?"
"I can do that." Derek looked at her reassuringly.
"Now, as far as the Mark thing goes, we will ride it out together. We can't stop him from being here, but we can stop him from getting to us. I want you, and only you. He could do whatever he wants and nothing will change that. I'm yours, and never again will anyone but you get to touch me, and kiss me, and be with me."
"I know."
"I don't think you do. I think I may have to show you." Addison teased, running her hands along his waist.
"You're right. I don't buy it. You're going to have to show me. Right now." Derek slid his hands down to Addison's thighs and lifted her from the ground. Her legs tighten around his waist as he began to kiss her passionately. He made his way to the bedroom and placed her on the bed before ravishing her lips once again. Derek was hungry for her. His body needed her immediately, but she had something else in mind.
She was slowing down the pace. Her hands moved slower than usual, as did everything else. Instead of having it just be sex, she wanted him to know how important it was to her. Things with Mark had been rushed, itch-scratching at best. Sure it was what she needed, but Derek could give her something monumentally different. He knew exactly what she did and didn't like. It was sensual and meaningful between them. By taking it slow, Addison wanted to erase all doubt that she would ever look at Mark again. She was his forever.
One Week Later
Seattle Grace
9:00 a.m.
Today was the day of Mark's long awaited arrival. Addison and Derek had done their best not to dwell on it. They said all that needed to be said, and were now looking forward to keeping their distance and spending more time with one another. Oddly enough, the idea of Mark coming up had done wonders for their sex life. Suddenly, they couldn't get enough of each other.
After a particularly late night involving lotions and bubble bath, Derek could barely keep his eyes open. Sitting at the nurses' station working on charts, he downed espresso like water. Mid-sip, he heard the distinct voice of Bailey shouting at her interns and did his best to look awake.
"Good morning Dr. Bailey." Derek threw on his most McDreamy persona to deter attention from his deadness.
"Dr. Shepherd! You're looking particularly spry today. Long night?" Bailey was amused at how dead Derek looked.
"What makes you think that?"
"You look like you got hit by a truck. Did you sleep at all?"
"Of course I did. It would be unprofessional for me to have not. Don't you agree?"
"Sure. Alright, you have your assignments. Disperse!" Shooing them away, Bailey moved to sit on the station and get more details. "You poor man."
"What? I'm fine. Why are you so nosy?"
"What did she do to you?" Bailey was impressed at Addison's skill. Having seen her looking fabulous five minutes earlier, she must have made the boy work like a dog.
"Nothing I couldn't handle."
"I'll just ask her later. No worries. Women love talking about this stuff." Bailey gave Derek one of her rare smiles as she went to carry on with her day. Before she got far, a certain red head caught her eye. "Oh, speak of the devil!"
"Devil? Really…"
"I'm leaving now." Miranda went up close to whisper the last part. "You may want to help him out. He's lagging a little today."
"Thanks for the tip." Addison smiled at Miranda and finished her notes. Placing the chart in its holder, she went around to the other side of the desk where Derek sat. He looked up at her, beautifully put together and very much awake.
"Devil is right." Derek stated bluntly before resting his head on her lap. Addison laughed softly.
"You know, I didn't hear any complaints last night." She said, running her fingers through his hair gently.
"You didn't leave me much breathes to complain with." Addison smiled at the memory, remembering how well her plan had gone as a surprise for Derek.
"So you would have complained if you could have?" Derek looked up again.
"I definitely didn't say that."
"Well, alright then." Addison let Derek rest for a little while longer before speaking again. She wanted to push his buttons in just the right way. She gently lifted his head and moved to rub his shoulders. While behind him, she got very close to his ear.
"You know, if you can't keep up, I may need to find a replacement for you. And that would be a shame." She gently nibbled on his ear. "I'll see you later." With that, Addison sauntered off. Derek watched her tease him the entire way, and vowed to get his revenge and show his "worthiness" to be with her.
Seattle Grace
12:00 p.m.
Derek had waited all morning for his moment. He had checked the board to see when she would be free from surgeries. If his plan was going to work, he was going to need her for a while. To be sure nothing would get in the way, Derek called on her intern for a heads up. As Addison and her walked to their patients room, Derek tried to get only Izzie's attention.
"Stevens!" Derek whispered. Izzie looked around, extremely confused. Finally her eyes locked with Derek's and she knew where to place her confusion.
"What?" She whispered back, not wanting to get Addison's attention. Derek motioned to himself, and Izzie slipped away for a moment. "Are you trying to get me in trouble? Dr. Montgomery hates when we lose focus on a case."
"I know, I know. But this is important. What's your schedule like after this patient?"
"She's our only major case of the day. Checked in this morning. Everyone else was rounded on already. She told me to get lunch after this. Why?" Derek grinned, knowing he'd have the time for his plan.
"Nothing to worry about. Thanks Stevens. Oh, and we never spoke." Derek turned on his heels and walked the other direction. He wanted to be near the nurses' station when Addie finished to "intercept" her. Surely enough, about five minutes later, both women emerged. They walked together to the desk, where Izzie once again saw Derek.
"Is that all Dr. Montgomery? I wanted to check on the labs and then get lunch if that was okay."
"Of course Izzie. Whatever you want. Page me if anything's important, and if not, I'll see you in half an hour?"
"Alright." Izzie walked away smiling, a good feeling in her that her lunch break might be slightly extended. Addison went back to her charting. She was so involved that she didn't hear Derek behind her. He approached slowly. Once she was in reach, he wrapped his arms around her waist while simultaneously kissing her neck in her favorite spot.
"Oh!" Addison gasped loudly, not expecting anyone to be behind her. She quickly relaxed when she realized it was Derek. She wanted to yell at him for scaring her like that, but his tongue was too perfect where it was to interrupt. "I can't even yell at you now because that feels so damn good." Addison arched her neck more to give Derek better access, bringing her hand to the back of his head to keep him close.
After a minute, he pulled back and walked in to an empty exam room. Addison turned around to face him, seeing only the back of his head.
"Derek?" He didn't turn around, just opened and shut the door. Curious, and very hot, she filed her chart and followed him in. She shut the door quietly, scanning the room. The lights were out, making it difficult. As she reached for the switch, a hand took her wrist and pushed her against the adjacent wall. She gasped softly. Derek's lips instantly reconnected with hers for only a moment as his hands moved to her waist. He pulled back to look at her.
"Hi." Derek smiled at her.
"Hi." Addison repeated, catching her breath. "Looks like someone got their second wind."
"Yeah well, someone went after my manhood. It had to be protected."
"Tell that someone I thank them. Come here." Addison giggled softly, taking Derek by the face and pulling him towards her. The kiss started easy, but escalated quickly. Derek's hands made their way to Addison's blouse. He pulled it from her skirt, running his hands along the hem line. She gasped as they moved higher and higher, only encouraging Derek more.
When it became too hard to move, he pulled back and slowly undid the buttons, one by one. Addison was so lost in his touch she barely had the desire to stop him.
"Derek…" She whispered softly, not really wanting him to hear her. As he got closer and closer, she knew she needed to stop him before it was too late. "Derek!"
"What?" Derek looked at her, confused.
"We have a meeting in literally two minutes."
"No we don't."
"Our attendings meeting. Mark is coming today so it got pushed back to 12:30."
"Shit. I completely forgot. I was so careful to find time when you would be free. I even involved Stevens."
"That's why she was acting so weird before."
"We're not going." Derek recaptured her lips and ran his hands over her stomach. Addison pulled back.
"You know we have to."
"Today especially we don't. I don't really want to see him."
"I know. Neither do I. But it's inevitable. Besides, you don't need to deal with him alone this time. I'm here for you. No matter what." Addison brought her hands to his face and rubbed them softly over his cheek. Derek looked her in the eyes and felt safety wash over him. He kissed her on the lips once more before hugging her.
"For the record, you in a skirt for the whole meeting will be torture." Derek spoke.
"I know. But I have time for lunch afterwards and I'm not in a food mood." Addison shot him a suggestive look as she buttoned her top.
"You really are Satan!" Derek ran his hands through his hair before opening the door for her.
"I know."
Conference Room
12:30 p.m.
Addison and Derek arrived at the meeting right at 12:30, but the chief was nowhere in sight. They grabbed two empty chairs next to each other and readied themselves for what was to come. Derek's knee began to bop up and down, something he only did he was nervous. Seeing Mark was inevitable, and very anger invoking. As much as he loved Addison, there was no way to ever look at Mark as a friend again. He was imprinted as the ass that slept with someone's wife.
Looking over at Addison who was mid-conversation with Burke, he felt his anger minimize. As much as they'd had been through, their last two months together had been unreal. They were back, and as long as she stuck by him, Derek was confident that he could handle Mark. Instead of watching the clock, Derek joined their conversation. Ten minutes passed and still no Chief. Burke left the room to answer a page, leaving Derek and Addison to talk amongst themselves.
"God, you wouldn't think Burke could be so funny! He comes off as too driven to laugh." Addison said, turning to face Derek. She could tell his mind was otherwise. "It's going to be okay. I'm here with you."
"I know. It's just things are going so much better for us and I don't want them to change."
"If we don't let them, they won't. I'm not going anywhere. You just need to trust that and talk to me. No shutting down. If you're having flashbacks or whatever, tell me about them. Don't internalize."
"I won't."
"Promise me."
"I promise." Addison leaned back in her chair, satisfied with his response. "When did you become so level headed?"
"I was always the level headed one sweetie. Don't fool yourself." Addison hit him lightly on the shoulder as he pulled her chair towards him. "So, what are your plans for tonight?"
"Well, this hot doctor in neo-natal caught my eye. I was thinking of asking her to have a drink with me."
"She accepts." Addison smiled. She always enjoyed when Derek would try and be cute. In his efforts, he came off as adorably cute anyway.
"Who said I was talking about you?" Derek looked at her, barely able to keep a straight face.
"Watch the attitude or I'll go put on scrubs." Addison knew threatening to take off his favorite skirt before he could would get to him.
"No. No scrubs necessary. I'll be good." Derek smiled at her, but his attention was quickly altered when he saw the Chief enter the room, Mark in tow.
"What?" Addison noticed a shift, and turned her body to see what Derek was looking at. The smile quickly dropped from her face. He looked the same. Ruggishly handsome, well dressed, and arrogant as ever.
"Alright folks let's get started. Sorry we are late." Everyone ended their conversations to give Richard there full attention. "For all those who are unaware, this is Mark Sloan. He will be heading up our new Plastics team to handle the victims of the fire next week. He'll be here for a while so everyone try and be nice."
Mark swiveled in his chair, scanning the room. When they landed on Addison, a smile crept across his lips. Addison felt slightly uncomfortable and turned her attention back to Richard. Mark's eyes next met an unhappy Derek's. Each man maintained their stare, not wanting to be the one to back down. Mark decided he had enough. Throwing Derek a devilish grin, he turned his chair to face Richard. Derek shook it off and did the same.
As Richard was winding down the meeting, two pagers went off. One belonged to Bailey, the other to Addison. Both women looked down, and then at each other, and then the Chief. He gave them each the nod to go ahead. Bailey was closer to the exit, and walked out first. Addison followed soon after; avoiding Mark's wandering eyes completely. She did, however, give Derek one last reassuring look before leaving, mouthing 'I love you' before hurrying off. Derek smiled back at her and once again locked eyes with Mark. He witnessed their interaction, and wasn't happy.
Richard concluded the meeting soon after. Everyone was excused. Derek hurried to his feet, eager to leave the room before having to speak to Mark. Unfortunately, Derek was stuck in traffic at the back of the pack. Mark rose to move closer to him. Richard, seeing this, quickly interceded.
"Sloan. I need you for a moment please." Mark begrudgingly turned around as Richard looked at Derek reassuringly. Derek nodded, and made his way out.
"Yes Chief?" Mark had a very smug tone, which Richard didn't appreciate at all.
"I want to make a few things clear Sloan. One, you are here out of necessity. As much as it kills me to booster you're already big ego, your premiere in your field and this type of project required your expertise. Two, if you work for me, you will conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times. That means no wandering eyes during meetings, just as an example. I demand professionalism at all times. And number three; it is important that you know how highly I regard Derek and Addison. I've known them for a long time. As you know, I was at their wedding. Beyond the parameters established by your work here, I want no extra contact with either of them. Are we clear?"
"With all due respect, sir, what gives you the right to dictate who I can and can not speak to outside of the hospital?"
"Unless you would like to be operating on your own face, you will keep your distance from both of them. They are doing well now. I don't want to see you ruin that again." Richard looked stone cold serious, which Mark picked up on.
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"9 a.m. Don't be late." Mark nodded. Putting on his jacket, he left the room. Richard followed suit. He watched Mark leave. He knew his type. Richard could warn all he wanted. If Mark wanted to get to Derek and Addison, he very well would. Richard would be watching closely, if for no other reason than to teach the boy a well deserved lesson.
Part two up! The next chapter will see Derek and Addison each interacting with Mark for the first time. Should be interesting! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review if you feel like it. Happy Memorial Day!