Pleasant Surprises

Chapter 15

Guy's thanks for your reviews -- I am glad that all of you enjoyed the Mark/Andrew conversation and that Mark finally realized it was time to admit that he had feelings for Meredith, now the question is what is Meredith going to do? Is he finally going to tell her? Is he going to keep it to himself until he has a full-proof plan? But we all know that there is NEVER full-proof plans! But in this chapter (or at least in the beginning of this chapter) it's Meredith's turn, yay! I always enjoy Meredith's point of view because I get to incorporate a Meredith that I want to see on screen and a Meredith that might have some of my ideas…lol.

For all of you that are asking me when Derek is coming back or why he hasn't called like he promised…he will make a return, no worries. I just need to set it up accordingly but I realized that with you all asking it just might be time to at least mention him, and maybe a bit more. How is that for evil? You must read the chapter to see what I am talking about.

So without further ado…

GA…GA…GA…GA…

"You should tell him." Cristina stated as she joined Meredith at the table in the back room of Joe's a couple of minutes later – after of course telling Mark that he was an ass. Well he was! She thought to herself and from the looks of it, Meredith was more pissed off at the fight she had just had with Mark than Derek leaving. And that was what perplexed Cristina to no end. If she were to have bet her life on something it was that Meredith still was in love with Derek and that this whole McVet thing had been a whim of hers to prove to herself and others that she could actually be happy because Derek was a married man and she was a single woman waiting for love. It had proven to be true because she didn't even mention the vet anymore or mention him for that fact but with McSteamy well that was just another story altogether.

"Tell who what?" Meredith questioned already knowing the answer but not wanting to accept it. Who the hell did he think he was? What the fuck was wrong with him? Seriously! To tell her to calm down and then to have the freaking nerve to ask why she was upset! He had looked her in the eye and challenged her. Her! To tell him why she was upset – like he had not been part of their conversation last night. It was a two-person conversation and he had held half of it. What the hell! He knew that he had acted like an ass and he still pretended like he did nothing wrong. His holier than thou act was just that: an act but why? Why would he pretend like nothing was wrong? Why would he confuse her like that? It wasn't fair to her – she felt like she was in limbo when it came to him and his feelings. A few hours ago, last night to be precise, she would have betted that he saw her more than just a friend but today, today she was sure that she had fooled herself into believing it but then this happens and he comes to her at a bar and challenges her and talks to her like if it were the most natural thing in the world and it wasn't. It wasn't!

"Tell McSteamy that you have fallen for him." Cristina simply replied. "It's so obvious any idiot can see it. Well but you and him. So hey maybe the both of you are idiots. Come on Mere, be serious how can you react – the way you just did – and tell me that you have not fallen?" she questioned but before letting her answer she continued. "I mean Jesus Christ the two of you were about ready to start World War III out there." It was sort of true, maybe a tad bit exaggerated but not by much.

"I have not fallen for him." Meredith stated stubbornly. "Besides you know that I love Derek and you know that I am just waiting for him to come back to see where we stand. He finally left his wife and they are well on their way to be divorced – hey maybe when he comes back he can sign those papers and we can live happily ever after." She stated matter of fact. However, the thought of that didn't seem to make her as happy as she thought it would make her. And it all had to do with a certain ass that was in the other room! Damn him to hell!

"Yeah, with McSteamy making goo-goo eyes at you and you at him. Like Derek isn't going to notice that." Cristina commented. She didn't know what else to say. It was true. Totally and completely true; even if Derek were to be the biggest idiot in the world and that thought was out there somewhere he couldn't be so oblivious to Mark and Meredith.

"There will be no goo-goo eyes." Meredith commented. "I won't even want to look his way…" she said, as she took a sip of her beer. When did she stop drinking tequila? And who got her the beer? Oh yeah, Joe cut her supply of tequila and brought her a beer. Damn him. She needed to get drunk. But he was right. He said that she had to learn to be more responsible and she had to go to work in the morning so no more tequila. She had smiled and accepted the beer. She was still going to get buzzed.

"If you want to live in your delusional world where you believe that you are still in love with Derek and the two of you will have this fairy tale reunion go ahead but me…" she said… "me, I'll live in the present thank you very much and I will stay with my answer, you might have feelings for McDreamy but you certainly are falling for McSteamy and because of that – as I stated earlier – I would not want to be in your shoes."

Meredith closed her eyes and dropped her head to the table. "What the hell am I doing Cristina?" she said, almost to the point of admitting that her feelings for Mark ran stronger than she ever thought they could run.

"Well first of all you must already be drunk because I do recall that you – right over there in the other room – told me point blank that you had fallen for McSteamy and that you didn't know what to do…so just because we change rooms and apparently drinks…" she pointed to Meredith's beer… "All of a sudden, what? Our conversation never happened and I'm to what? Ignore that you told me that you were falling for him? I mean I can play dumb if you want me to but how the hell is that going to help you?" she asked, as she shook her head and took a drink of her beer.

"I can't have fallen for him. My life is already complicated as it is. I can't have a mother with Alzheimer's disease, a dad I don't even know, a sister that I don't know, Derek that abandoned me and now I have fallen for the biggest slut in the world. A man who cannot even be faithful if his freaking life depended on it. I told myself I would not fall, I told myself I was playing with fire and that I could handle it, I blame Derek for this." Meredith finally stated as she got up from her chair and started pacing back and forth in the small confined space that their table gave them. She had to blame someone!

Cristina bit back her laugh. She knew it was not a good time to laugh especially seeing Meredith so upset. "What? How can you blame Derek? He's not even here." Cristina said, understanding where Meredith's train of thought was heading but not going to let her got that route. Meredith needed to take accountability for her actions and this was a big one but she needed to realize that she was right there falling for McSteamy and no one was to blame but the both of them.

"Exactly." Meredith pushed, knowing it was an unsuccessful argument but trying nonetheless.

"So he pushed you towards McSteamy? Because he left you had to fall for McSteamy…oh that's rich. Lets see if that theory flies when he comes back? I'm sure Derek knew that leaving you was a risk and that you might decide to stay with someone else? But that someone else was McVet. Remember him?" she questioned as Meredith looked at her guilt etched in all her features. "He left because he realized the vet might be the better man of the two, not McSteamy, never McSteamy."

"Wow. I hadn't thought of Finn in days." Meredith stated. "Once he was gone, he was gone. So much for me really falling for him huh?" she said, sulkily. "I should have!" she emphasized loudly. "I should have fallen for McVet and then all our problems would be over?"

"Sorry, our?" Cristina asked, jokingly. At the look Meredith shot her she smiled and held her hands up in the air. "Okay sorry bad joke at a bad time."

"Yeah." Meredith said, a little hurt but not much. She knew Cristina and she would be there as much as she would if the shoe were reversed. "So what do I do? Ignore him?" she questioned and as she looked up she realized that Cristina's expression had changed abruptly. She had an inkling as to why but she refused to look back, she wouldn't look back. She would die before she looked back.

Since Meredith refused to look back she didn't see Mark and his companion walk into the room they were in apparently to shoot some pool. It was funny. Mark was trying to play it off like if he didn't know exactly where they were sitting but as soon as he shadowed the doorway he had made a quick scan of the room and seeing Meredith he immediately turned his attention to the guy he was with and motioned him to the pool table. Yeah. This was going to be interesting.

"I don't think you'll be able to ignore him. He just walked in with the guy that came in with him. They are going to shoot some pool. So you have two choices: one, act like an adult and ignore him as he's trying to ignore you or two we play the chicken shit role and we go either to the next room or home."

"He just walked in?" Meredith asked immediately tensing. "Where is he exactly?" she asked, but not needing to know because her body immediately became alert to his presence and if she was a betting woman she knew he was by the second to the last pool table with his back to her, refusing to look at her as she was refusing to look at him.

"Second to the last pool table. His back is to you but you can see he is so tense, he's freaking rigid. I bet he is using every ounce of control he possesses to not look at you." Cristina stated and laughed out loud. "This is too good."

"Is the pool table next to him taken?" Meredith asked nervously. She was going to be a grown up about this and she also was going to put herself out there for him to see. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of having her doubt herself or shying away from him. She was here first and she would not leave. He was not going to push her away from the room, the bar, or anywhere else. Seattle was her hometown not his!

"Surely you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting but if you want a quick game, I would say the darts is the best place to be closer to him because the pool table was just taken." Cristina exclaimed a little bit more excited than she wanted to be. She had not had so much fun in a long time and she had not done anything outside of the hospital for weeks and this game, well it was just fun and something normal women their age would do. It excited her!

"Darts it is." Meredith said, as she picked up her beer and didn't even look to see if Cristina followed her – she knew that she would. If anything she was going to try to have fun. They both deserved to have some fun.

"Oh boy." Cristina muttered to herself. "Here come the fireworks. If anything this will be interesting." She muttered to herself holding her laughter and her excitement at bay, out of Meredith's eyes.

She smiled as she saw Meredith pass right by Mark and not touch him – but by an inch or so. She passed by him so close that any sudden movement from him (if he weren't freaking rigid) would have caused them to collide. She also saw how the guy that Mark was with, widen his eyes at Meredith's apparent gall; this might be fun after all. Whoever this guy was he was in tune at what was happening. So the evil spawn did have at least one friend? She would have never guessed that.

Meredith reached the dart table and turned to Cristina. "Come on." She said, loud enough that she could hear her and positioned herself so Mark could have a full view of her – if anything she would show him what he was missing.

Mark turned to look at Meredith and tried to smile at her but she was not even acknowledging him and that made him angrier than he already was. He was trying here, trying to make eye contact, to see if there was anything that he could maybe do. He knew that she was walking towards them the minute she started walking. He knew exactly the location of where she was at even though his back was to her and it had taken every ounce of self control that he had not to bump into her when she passed him up so closely. He wanted to corner her until she listened to him, he wanted to press her up against the wall and kiss her passionately, damn the people that saw him but he didn't. If she didn't budge then he would play her game…for now. She wanted to ignore him well he just was not going to do that. He was talking to her whether she liked it or not, maybe not the way he wanted to exactly but he could irk her and that he could do right now. He whispered to himself: "You want to play baby, let's play."

"Dr. Grey, Dr. Yang…" he called out loudly. "Let me introduce you to my good friend and colleague, well our colleague now…Dr. Andrew Matteson." He said, as he saw them both turn at the mention of his friend.

Andrew narrowed his eyes and did his best not to roll them at Mark's apparent excuse. He knew him so well but he would play along. Whatever his game was – if anything – this would be fun. "Hello." He said, as he approached their table – minus well give Mark a chance to approach Meredith a little closer than they already were. He knew Mark was itching to be closer to her minus well help the poor guy.

"Nice to meet you." Cristina called out and he turned to Meredith who had her eyes fixed on him, intent on not looking at Mark. "Colleague?" she asked. "Will you be working at Seattle Grace, Dr. Matteson?" she questioned with a smile; her eyes still intent on his.

"Yes at least temporarily. I will be in the neurosurgeon ward." He said, slowly, not knowing what reaction Meredith would have but interested in seeing it.

"Nice." She said, as she turned to Cristina. "Ready?" she questioned. Well that sealed it she thought to herself. Maybe Derek was going to be gone longer than she even anticipated. Well truth be told she knew they needed a replacement and she knew there would be someone coming. Why didn't it seem to bother her as much as she thought it would? She thought she would be devastated but she wasn't. She was saddened; she was disappointed but not heartbroken to the point of wanting to not get out of bed.

"So no idea when Dr. Shepherd will be coming back?" Cristina asked. She knew Meredith – despite everything – would like to know.

"Well not really." Andrew stated. "But I know that the most I have time to be here is about 30 days so it shouldn't be longer than that."

Thirty days, Mark thought. I have thirty days to figure this out and know what I have to do – if I walk away or if I fight. Thirty days and in those thirty days he was going to also have to convince Meredith to give him another chance, at what? He still didn't know and if he had to come clean that he had lied to her then he would do that but he needed to act and fast because thirty days came quick.

"So can I buy you ladies a drink?" Mark stated. "Meredith another beer?"

She turned to him, no smile apparent in her lips or in her eyes. She was still fuming. "No." she said, curtly. "It was nice meeting you Dr. Matteson. I'm sure we will collaborate at the hospital but if you'll excuse me…" she said, "My friend and I were getting ready to play a game of darts."

"Why don't you join us in a game of pool?" Andrew asked. "It would be very nice to get to know you ladies and not feel like such an outsider when I walk through the doors of Seattle Grace tomorrow morning." He said. What the hell was he doing? When did he switch sides? Actually when did he decide to help Mark? Maybe when he saw his attempt and it failed; maybe when he realized the look of disappointment and hurt that passed through his features (quickly) but only noticed by him because he knew him so well. Maybe because of what he had told him a few minutes ago: that he was poison and he poisoned everyone around him. Whatever the reason he was going to help him. Lord help them all.

"I don't think so." Meredith said immediately. "You two seem to have started a game we wouldn't want to intrude." She said, politely.

"It's okay." Mark immediately answered. "We can start over. We had not even taken our first shot."

Meredith turned to Mark angrily but managed to break out a fake smile. "Dr. Sloane wasn't it you that said that you didn't want to be seen with interns? That all of us were losers or something to that extent?" she questioned.

"I never said that." He said, defensively. "I don't know what you have heard but I do not treat anyone differently. Maybe Karev but that's it and mostly it's for fun but I have never said that I thought you all were losers." He finished. "Not even to Karev or about Karev."

Meredith almost felt guilty at what she said; he had seemed so hurt and surprised by it. It was true she had not heard anything overly bad. These were the rumors that she had heard about him but from New York not here. She wasn't going to apologize for it. Once or twice he had seen him roll his eyes at nurses and once or twice she had wanted to say something to him at the way he treated Karev but beyond that, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Dr. Yang." Andrew turned to look at her. "Please convince your fellow doctor and friend that we can have a friendly game of pool. We can even play teams. Would you like to be on my team?" he asked. "Just one game." He pleaded and smiled at her. "What harm can it do?"

What was up with these gorgeous men from New York? "Okay." She found herself saying and going towards him picking up a cue stick. "One game." She said, as she picked a cue stick for Meredith as well and went to her. "Be nice." She added, as she walked back to Andrew and as she saw Mark rack up the balls, a slight smile on his lips. He was happy that he was going to get to have Meredith close to him. He was so obvious!

"Traitor." Meredith whispered in her ear before she could leave towards Andrew. Cristina turned to her and whispered back: "As if you didn't want this. The way I see it, I fucking did you a favor Mere. You're not the one that looks desperate, nor he for that matter it's all on the friends." She smirked as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Shall we have a toss up?" Mark asked as he pulled out a coin. "Call it Dr. Yang, or can I call you Cristina?" he questioned. "Cristina is fine at the bar. Dr. Yang at the hospital." She said and added: "Tails."

Mark actually laughed at her comment in good nature and exclaimed: "Oh. It's heads, seems like Meredith and I get the first shot." He said and turned to her. "Do you want to do the honors?" he asked and motioned towards the pool table.

"No. Go head." She said, serious and stoic. "Wouldn't want to steal your thunder." She commented as she raised her eyebrow at him. Smug ass, she thought to herself. Why was he all of a sudden being so nice? Was he bipolar? Or maybe that was his game to confuse the hell out of her and like it.

"Oh Dr. Grey…because apparently I can't call you Meredith…you couldn't steal my thunder if you tried but apparently I can put a damper on yours. Why is that?" he asked, smugly. "Have I done something to offend you? Wait I have. I just don't know what it is. Well I do but you refuse to talk to me about it so why acknowledge it."

Meredith turned a different shade of red. No he was not airing their dirty laundry out for everyone to hear. Well who cared about Cristina but she didn't know this Andrew guy but apparently he felt comfortable enough to say something so… "Why talk when everything is said and done, right? You set the tone last night I am just following what you created or at least what you said you wanted." She retorted as she saw Mark take his shot. He was a good pool player at the very least. Even with her comment and even when she saw his arm twitch in anger his break was better than the average man. He had gotten to him. Well good!

He turned to her. "So she speaks." He said, a slight tone of anger in his voice. "What? Am I going to be graced with you conversation now? Finally." He stated, not asked. "Besides I never set any tone; the tone was set by you at the bar a few minutes ago." He emphasized not ready to let go of that fight just yet and making sure that she knew that they would talk about it at a later date.

"I am merely being amicable so our friends can have a good time and I want to not be rude to your friend and now our colleague but you make it so increasingly difficult." She stated. "Do not get me into the bar conversation Mark because it won't be pretty and really I don't want to make a scene in front of everyone so can we drop it?"

"You started it." Mark retorted, childishly, as he smiled at her condescendingly. "You did…you can't deny it." A full-fledged smile now covering his face…he was getting to her and he wanted to. If he was getting to her it meant that she cared enough. Besides she was getting to him and he didn't appreciate that at all. She was getting under his skin and he hated how that made him feel. Well maybe not hated it, he just was not used to what it made him feel.

Meredith looked at him pointedly but after a few seconds a sliver of a smile appeared on her lips and she fought it but it still came out. "You are such a baby." She commented as she saw him take his next shot since the first one had gone in. She hated him, literally. He was so pompous and just one single comment from him made her forget herself and how mad he made her at times. Damn. Actually this was the second time he had been mad at her and she at him but she could see where it was going and it wasn't pretty.

"Yes I am a baby." He agreed. "And do not think that our conversation is over. It is not even begun but if you want a truce, then a truce we will have for the sake of our friends." He commented as he finally turned to them when he missed his third shot. "I was bound to miss eventually." He said, coyly as he shrugged his shoulders and turned to Meredith. "Sorry buddy." He said, sarcastically.

Andrew looked at him and rolled his eyes. Yes this woman was also gone for him so that cemented it for him – he was fully on board. "Are they always like this?" Andrew asked Cristina quietly. "Do they fight this much all the time?" He was curious to know how far those two had gone and if Mark had told him the truth.

"Apparently it's the first fight but you can't even call it a lover's quarrel since they aren't lovers." She said, as she rolled her eyes. "Word to the wiser those two will give you a headache." She said. "Brings lots of aspirin."

"We heard that." They both said in unison and had to smile at the fact that they said it at the same time and included the "we" instead of the "I". They continued to keep their eyes locked to one another with a smile on their face and it was understood – by the both of them – right then and there that something between them had shifted and that the fight at the bar had really put in perspective that they were not friends, they were something more than that and it was up to them to find out what it was.

"Good." Cristina retorted not feeling sorry that they heard that the both of them were babies and fighting like kids. "It was meant for the two of you to hear. No secrets on this side of the table." She said, as she set for her first shot. "Thanks Dr. Matteson for allowing me to go first."

"Ladies always go first." He said, teasingly looking at Mark. Mark rolled his eyes and stated: "Oh brother."

Meredith laughed out loud at this. She liked this Dr. Matteson guy – he was funny. "Thank you for your gentlemanly ways." She said. "I would have loved to have you as my partner." She teased as she turned to look at Mark and said nothing.

"Go head and go to him then, I'll take Dr. Yang." He muttered to her under his breath and in her ear. He got closer to her letting his body touch her completely. "But you're having so much fun on this side, why leave me? Aren't you having fun Dr. Grey?" he asked, as he slid his hand over her waist and rested his hand – if only for a brief second and very lightly – on her ass.

Meredith closed her eyes at the contact of her skin with his hand and she felt jolts of electric shocks go right through her. What the hell was this feeling? She had never felt it before but she knew that she liked it and she didn't want it to end. No matter how mad or how hurt she was with him she wanted him to touch her again and she hated him – if only for a second – for that.

Mark in turn felt a stirring in the pit of his stomach and elsewhere at the contact of her skin. He had barely touched her; if you were to ask him it hadn't even been a graze it was more of a slight touch and he removed his hand as if her skin had burned him. His hand did feel on fire and he was itching to do it again. He wanted to keep his hand there possessively. He wanted to touch her forever. He didn't want to let go.

"So what is it going to be?" he asked his hand completely removed from her body, however, their bodies still close.

"Shut up." She said, angrily. "I'm stuck with you whether I like it or not. Cristina already took her shot." She said, as if that were the most logical thing in the world. Truth was and she knew Mark knew and the rest of the crowd that it was because she wanted to stay his partner in this game.

"Right." He said, as he moved away from her. That had to be the hardest thing he had done in a while. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin and he just wanted to be consumed by it. He did however get a hold of his feelings and turn to Andrew and Cristina. "So what will we be drinking guys?" he asked, as he motioned for a waitress who immediately made herself available. How could she not? Meredith thought if she could not take her eyes off of Mark. Yes she was jealous! Good Lord, she was jealous. What was her problem?

"I'll take a beer now." Andrew stated. "I will follow Dr. Grey's lead. Maybe she knows something I don't know. Hard liquor might not be such a good idea since I have to go to work and it's my first day tomorrow."

"I'll take a Miller Lite." Cristina said. "Meredith?" she asked as she turned to her.

Meredith looked at the waitress still staring at Mark and unconsciously inched closer to him – actually full flush against him – next to the pool table and said with a cold tone: "I'll take a Heineken Light." She didn't know what possessed her to go to him and do that but she didn't think it through. Before she knew it she was already touching his arm with her own and there was no going back now. And he didn't seem to flinch from her so it appeared that he didn't mind.

"Make that two." He said, as he smiled at the waitress. So Meredith was jealous of the waitress it was obvious. He could go with that emotion of jealousy and make her accept the fact that there was something there or he could do the right thing and he accept it as well when he apologized to her later. He took the latter. He smiled at the waitress one more time, but not his full fledged smile, just a polite smile and thanked her as he reached over and put his hand over Meredith's hand in solidarity. He knew that waitress was flirting and he knew that Meredith didn't like it so he didn't want to do it. What the fuck? What the hell just happened? He had made a woman feel secure that he was not going anywhere at least for the night. He had put his damn hand over Meredith's. He was losing it. He was losing it! Was he possibly already drunk? No. He couldn't be. It was too early in the evening.

He didn't want to flirt with the waitress that was for sure but he was the king of flirting and that waitress was very attractive. Oh boy! These new feelings were freaking him out but he decided to ride them instead of running away. As soon as the waitress saw his hand go on top of Meredith's her smile faded and she nodded her head and stated: "Coming right up." She had been shot cold and Meredith couldn't be happier.

She didn't want to explore these emotions right now but one thing was for sure she was less and less mad at him as the night was progressing. She felt him take his hand away from atop of hers and turn to her. "So it's your shot." He said, as he cleared his throat. "Are you going to set your shot or what?" he questioned as his eyebrow arched up and he smiled at her. "Make me proud sweetheart."

"Whatever." She said, as she took her position and aimed her cue stick to take the shot. She was acutely aware of how Mark was staring at her and if she were to bet she knew that he was not taking his eyes of her body and he was making her feel so self conscious but at the same time flattered that he could not take his eyes off her. As she was about to take her shot she heard him say: "Stop."

She turned to him questioningly. "What?"

She turned to Andrew and Cristina. "Please feel free to give each other advice as well for you to win the game. I am going to converse with my partner and show her a better way of handling the shot she is about to make. Not to say that she has bad form, far from it but I just want to fix one thing." He said, as he approached her from behind and mimicked the form she was in right behind her. Their bodies were touching everywhere. She was half kneeling (her upper body that is) and he was right on top of her in the same position. His arm outstretched out to be on top of her and his fingers lightly grazed hers as he intertwined their fingers on the cue stick. "Separate your fingers a little bit and shift to the left a bit…" he said, as he guided her to do it with his body and fingers. "If you grip it like this you will get a better hold on the stick hence your ball will fall in smoothly." He said, slowly and deliberately. "I promise you, you will like the outcome. Try it." He said, as he pulled back, trying to pretend that her closeness did not affect him as much as it had.

Meredith didn't move for a couple of seconds and had to take a couple of deep breaths as she steadied herself from him being so close. She could smell his cologne as he had his face right next to hers. She could even feel his stubble and she liked it. She loved it actually. With one last breath to steady herself she turned to look at him, smiled, and took the shot and it went in as smoothly as he had promised. She then laughed out loud and said: "Thanks."

"Anytime." He said, his voice a little thick. He was still very affected by being so close to her. She then turned to the table, took her second shot and it went in, third and it went in and even the fourth. She beamed proudly as the fourth went in. "Proud of me now sweetheart?" she questioned smugly as she looked at him.

Mark looked at her square in the eye and threw his head back and laughed out loud. "That's my girl." He said.

And she was. She would be his if it was the last thing he did.