I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter but school's been hectic and I'm so glad I only have one more week left. I don't love this chapter but I've been feeling a little off today so I just decided to stick to my gut and see if you guys like it.
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Chapter Five: His smile, Neonatal Residents and Red Lipstick
Cristina Yang closed her eyes for a second and a sigh escaped her lips, her hands grabbed the comforter even harder and she trembled slightly, cursing the tears that were furious to get out.
"Damn it"
She sighed again and kept her eyes closed, her nails now digging into the mattress. With care, she opened her dark eyes and looked at the wall in front of her, the loneliness of the on-call room almost mocking her.
"I'm free"
Her own words taunted her in her thoughts and only the picture of his smile seemed to give her some comfort. A comfort she preferred to live without.
"I can't hate you, damn it"
She whispered to herself and cursed again as a lonely tear fell and traced its way down to her chin, "I just can't"
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"Where's Cristina?"
Meredith looked up and found a jeans-clad Isobel Stevens staring back at her; she closed her chart and shrugged.
"Don't know, I saw her about an hour ago but she was coming out of surgery, why?"
Isobel kept with Meredith's pace as she walked towards the nurse's station, "I just need to talk to her; we have a plan"
She blurted out the last part and Meredith raised her eyebrow at her, "Plan? What kind of plan? And why am I not included in this plan?"
Izzie smiled at Meredith's silly jealousy and shrugged, "You weren't around, but it would rock if you want in"
Meredith laughed at the blonde and nodded, "Sure", they walked towards the locker room and Izzie caught George's stare, her earlier smile disappearing.
"We're trying to have a baby!"
She, inwardly, screamed at Callie's cheery voice and a small scowl reached her face, "So what are you girls doing tonight?"
Izzie turned around, glad for the distraction, and found Alex changing into a blue shirt, his scrub pants replaced by dark denim jeans.
"Joe's?" Izzie asked out loud and Meredith's voice could be heard in the background, her tone muffled by her forest green shirt.
"We're going to Joe's", Alex nodded and closed his locker, "Want some company?"
Izzie shrugged, "Sure, Mer, you mind if Alex comes?"
"I see him all the time, why would I mind?", Meredith walked up to the two of them and smiled at Alex before laughing at Cristina's groan.
"Evil Spawn is coming?"
Izzie turned around, her blonde ponytail almost hitting Alex in the face, and smiled at the new-comer, "I was looking for you!"
Cristina eyed her warily and then rolled her eyes, "Sorry Barbie, I got in a surgery with Shepherd"
"What surgery?", Izzie pouted as her resident-colleague beat her to a surgery that day.
She shook her head, "I knew I shouldn't have stayed with Sloan today!"
"Yeah, why was that?", Alex's voice made her turn her head to look at him and she rolled her eyes, clearly not wanting to talk about it.
"Hey George, you want to come with us?"
Meredith smiled at George who shook his head in return, "Can't, I have to go meet Callie at the hotel; her...parents are in town"
"Alright! Rich daddy's here!", George rolled his eyes at Cristina's comment and left the room, saying his goodbyes and walking, awkwardly, past Izzie.
"What's his problem?"
Alex and Meredith just shrugged and walked out of the room, glad for the day to be over; Cristina, on the other hand, caught Izzie's sad face and decided that, for now, she wouldn't ask, instead she just smiled at the blonde who smiled back, her chocolate eyes frowning at the sight of Cristina's red one's, but still didn't ask, knowing her friend didn't want to talk about it (at least, not now).
"Joe's?"
"Joe's"
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Doris Warren grinned as Addison Montgomery laughed out loud and Derek Shepherd laughed along.
"Will you guys quit it, we were 20!"
Mark's annoyed voice could be heard in the room and Addison laughed even harder, "I'm sorry Mark, it's just too funny", she faked wiping a tear away and Mark only scowled at her.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt guys, but-", Naomi came into the room, a regretful smile in her face, "we're starving"
Doris smiled at her friend and waved her hand at the other three, "Go, she's right, we'll talk more tomorrow, when I can take these puppies out!"
At this Mark smirked and Naomi hit his shoulder, "Don't even think about it", he held up his hands in surrender and just shook his head, muttering 'Too easy, anyway'
"We'll see you tomorrow then?", Sam appeared besides Doris' bed and she smiled up at him, her hand squeezing his own, "Yeah, you can count on it, now go, drink up for me!"
Sam laughed and dropped her hand, walking out of the room with Naomi, Dell appearing at the door frame and smiling at the other woman who only shook her head, a small smile playing in her lips.
"Addie!"
Addison turned around (as she was about to leave) and walked, again, to the bed, "Yeah?"
Doris smirked and Addison groaned, "She told you, didn't she?"
Doris pushed her brown locks into a ponytail and looked again at the red-head, "Spill Addison"
She sighed and sat next to her friend, no longer being able to deny what happened, "His name's Alex...he's a resident here, a-", she paused and a shadow of a smile appeared in her lips, "a Neonatal resident"
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"Izzie are you wearing your red lipstick-" Alex looked her over and his eyebrows rose, "and your black heels?"
Izzie nodded and freed her blonde locks from the ponytail.
"And now you're wearing your hair down, who are you jumping tonight?"
Cristina smirked as they walked into Joe's bar, her eyes going straight to a full, laughing, table in a far corner, "I know who she's jumping"
Izzie frowned and looked in the direction her friend was looking at, "No"
Alex snickered and walked with Meredith towards another table, not noticing Meredith's want to avoid Derek Shepherd, her blue eyes perfectly avoiding his bright stare.
"C'mon Iz! You know you want to"
Izzie rolled her eyes and then smiled at Joe who, immediately, walked up to their table, "Cristina I'm not hooking up with McSteamy, now let it go!"
Cristina sat down next to Meredith and ordered a beer from Joe (who wrote two more beers down and went back to the bar as Izzie didn't order yet), "Why not? It's freaking McSteamy! What more manly-ness could you possibly need?"
Alex looked curiously at the other table and found a red-head missing; he frowned but opted to say nothing, "Manly-ness? what are you talking about?"
"That's what me and Cristina named Izzie's latest man-escapades", Meredith took a sip out of her own beer and found Derek's eyes on her, she smiled slightly, still unsure of where she stood with him.
"Man-escapades? Isobel Stevens? Seriously?"
Izzie rolled her eyes again and couldn't help but blush as Mark smirked in her direction, the memory of his lips whispering against her ear fresh in her mind, "Yes, man-escapades Alex, now get over it, I'm going to the bar; you guys want anything else?"
The other three shook their head as she stood up and went up to the bar, sitting in one of the, leather cushion, stools, her legs crossed and her stilettos showing their height.
"You made up your mind?", Joe walked up to her and smiled, "Yeah, give me a shot of tequila (dark, please) and a strawberry margarita", she smiled back.
He nodded and then looked past Izzie as the bells in the door chimed, "Dr. Montgomery's back?"
Izzie turned around and found the red-head walking into the bar, her cheeks flushed from the cold night and her green eyes staring at the table in the far corner, cheers coming from them.
"Yeah, I don't know if she's staying though-", Izzie now looked at her own friends and found Alex looking intently at his beer, "but I hope she is"
"I don't know if I can promise her staying Stevens"
Izzie turned again and looked quickly at her left, her chocolate eyes suddenly transfixed in his smooth smile and twinkling blue eyes, "I'm not sleeping with you"
Mark laughed and ordered another scotch from Joe, who brought Izzie's shot along (a plate with salt and pieces of lemon too), "I haven't asked you to sleep with me"
"Yet", Izzie said before downing the shot, she quickly licked some salt out of her hand and sucked into one of the lemons, "You couldn't handle me anyway"
Mark had been watching her with interest as she did her shot but then let out a smirk, "I couldn't handle you?"
"Don't look at me like that, your McSteamy-ness doesn't charm me, you're hot, so what?"
He now grinned and moved closer to her, his thumb reaching her red lower lip and cleaning some of the salt left there, she eyed his movements and, as he moved even closer, she could feel her cheeks turning red, a million thoughts in her mind as he now reached over her and his face stood inches away from hers, she gasped as he placed his right hand in her thigh, as if supporting himself, before pulling back.
"I believe this margarita is yours?"
Izzie looked down at his left hand and saw her red drink; not wanting to stutter (as she knew she would), she only nodded and grabbed the drink from his hand.
He smirked and took his right hand off her thigh, "I'll see you in Yoga, Stevens"
Mark got up from the stool and as she was about to take a sip, out of her drink, she felt his lips against her ear again, "Oh, and bullshit"
With that he now left to his table, where whispers and smirks met him.
"Another shot of tequila Joe"
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Addison passed a hand through her wavy hair and shook her head at Mark, "She's out of your league"
Naomi laughed discreetly as she sipped her red wine, Addison now smirked as Mark shot her an incredulous look and then scoffed as he sat down, "You also said you were out of my league"
Derek rolled his eyes and stood up, "I'm going to talk to Meredith"
Addison, too, rolled her eyes at Derek's actions but waved him off, "I'm serious Mark, she's a girly girl, a pink lover, a hopeless romantic, and you-", she met his blue eyes and he glared at her, "are none of that"
"I can be romantic", Mark tried defending himself and glared as Sam laughed out loud, "You know what, I'm a bit sick of you, so if you want to take this outside-"
Naomi scowled and (for what felt like the millionth time that day) stood between them, "Okay you two, stop this right now, Mark how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"
Mark glared at her but then just sighed, "I know Naomi; just keep him away from me"
"No", Mark looked up as Sam spoke, "look, Mark, it's been ten years now and I think this is getting ridiculous; I'm sorry I slept with Naomi that night, but you two were on a break and you know I loved Naomi since I met her, so, yes, I'm sorry I slept with her that night, I should have waited, but I'm not sorry for anything that came after because thanks to that I have a kid now and...I just want my friend back"
Mark looked at his scotch and Addison just raised her eyebrow at him, waiting for his reply, "I can be romantic"
He looked at Addison who gave him a frustrated look, "Mark..."
Mark shook his head, "I can't do this right now, not here and certainly not with you two-" he nodded at Naomi and Addison, "and boy toy watching, now-", he took another sip from his scotch, "I can be romantic"
Sam nodded understanding and Naomi also nodded, her eyes glued to the table, Dell just watched the other four interact and let the 'boy toy' comment pass; he eyed Izzie from his spot and decided to break the awkward silence, "Have you ever given out flowers?"
Mark looked at Dell curiously, "He talks", he looked at Naomi who just rolled her eyes, "Of course I've given out flowers; every girl likes flowers from their date"
Dell shook his head, "I'm not talking about a date, I mean randomly, without a reason to"
Addison smiled at the young man and then looked at Mark, "I don't think I ever saw you give flowers to anyone"
"I'm not a 'give flowers just because' kind of guy", Mark looked at Izzie who had returned to her table and was now laughing.
Dell looked at him, "But she is that kind of girl, dude"
Mark looked at the other three with an 'are you serious? dude?' look, and shook his head, "So?"
Dell was about to stand up, "Look, no disrespect or anything dude, but, if you want something to do with her, looks and charm can only get you so far"
He stood up and walked to Naomi, "Want to dance?", she blinked and Addison pushed her towards the blond who gave her his boyish smile.
"Okay..."
Sam laughed at her ex-wife and, too, stood up, "I'm going to the restroom"
Mark and Addison nodded at him and the minute he left Addison looked at the only man left with her, "Mark, as much as Dell was...well, Dell, he's right"
She continued when Mark didn't protest, "I just want to ask you a question and then I'll leave you to be Mark"
He nodded for her to go on, "Do you just want to sleep with her or do you want something else out of it?"
Izzie's laugh caught his attention again and he looked at the blonde, her hair in soft curls and her red lipstick a bit faded from the drinks; he smiled to himself remembering what it felt like to just hold her hand and then see her cheeks turn red because of him.
Addison smiled as she caught his stare, he didn't need to answer her as she just knew from the look in his eyes.
"I think our little Mark has a crush"
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I enjoy writing Cristina and I'm debating on whether to bring Burke back or not. MerDer is proving to be so damn difficult for me to write because I haven't (still) watched the whole season and until now I understand why Derek's being the way he is, but I don't know about latter on, so they'll be a bit on the background (for now), just like George and Callie. We're getting to the Addisex, I just have to get them to be alone.
And well that's all I wanted to say, still feeling a bit off, going to eat to see if that's it...
Please review,
-Kath