Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Can't Fight the Moonlight

Chapter 2: You Think That You Won't Fall

You think that you won't fall

Just wait until the sun goes down

Alex roused in his sleep. His hands blindly searched Addison's side of the bed, looking for comfort and warmth. But all he grasped was soft white sheets and a fluffy pillow. He opened his eyes to an empty bed.

Instantly, he panicked. Where was Addison? What if she was hurting herself again? She could be dead somewhere!

Adrenaline pumps through Alex's body, giving him a rude awakening. He jumps off of the bed and checks the master bathroom first. Normally, the bathroom gave off a warm, feminine aura. But tonight, the eerie glare of moonlight flickers across the cold tile floor, magnifying every shadow. He prepares to find her on the floor somewhere, bleeding out. Alex is scared to death. After no sign of her in the bathroom or the closet, Alex descends down the stairs. He heads to the kitchen first, where the knives are. His teeth grind as he rounds the corner. Finally, it occurs to him to turn on the light. The room becomes less frightening, but Alex still has an anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach.

After thoroughly searching the kitchen, Alex's mind began to wonder. Still no trace of her. She's disappeared. Is she hiding from me? Alex shakes his head. She wouldn't do that. Alex continues to walk around the house checking every nook and cranny. He pauses for a moment, staring out the window. His eyes are drawn to an unusual white amidst all the darkness. It's Addison. She's lying in the wet grass wearing a white robe.

Alex's first instinct is to assume death. Everything inside of him drops. He fumbles with the lock on the front door, hands shaking. This must be a nightmare. I've never experienced something so terrible in my entire life.

Finally, the lock on the door frees away and he sprints outside. He kneels beside her body, looking for traces of blood. None are found. Addison moans and Alex feels a flood of relief. But it's not the same relief that he felt when he finally made love to Addison after a month of abstinence. This rush of feelings almost made him sick to his stomach. "Addison! Addison!" She breathed in and out, unable to speak.

Alex kept repeating her name. "Addison! Are you okay? What are you doing out here?!"

Addison didn't know what to say. She was still in shock of the whole experience. She looks down at her body, thankful that the darkness is hiding her bruises. Alex pulls her up to sit on the ground and she clings to him. Only then does she realize how cold she is, and how wet the ground feels against her. It's a numbing ache and Alex tries to relieve her of the pain. "Let's get you inside before you freeze to death." Alex cradles her in his arms and lifts her. As he walks her back to the house, he rubs her skin, trying to produce friction and heat. He carries her all the way back to their bed and places her down.

Alex needs an explanation. Should I call an ambulance? She looks…terrified. He reaches for the phone, but her hand stops him. It's like an icicle and he drops the phone to grab her and warm her. Her voice shakes and she makes little whimpering noises. Alex just throws several blankets over her before wrapping her in his arms. There's no substitute for body heat. But she does need to dry off.

Addison shifts in his arms to look at him. "Shower?" she whispers. Alex nuzzles her chin and releases her. He helps her off of the bed and flips on the light. "No!" Addison shields her eyes and Alex immediately turns them back off. "Better?" Addison nods, but Alex can't see her. He reaches for her to bring her into the bathroom. "Don't fall. It's dark."

Alex lets her go and turns on the shower to a comfortable temperature. She removes her robe and shuts the blinds. Alex watches her undress. Why did she go outside with only a robe on? No undergarments whatsoever. It's very mysterious, but I shouldn't push it. She's in a fragile emotional state and I can't break her, no matter what the cost.

Addison feels self-conscious without any clothing on. The bruises are light, but tomorrow they'll be much worse. I'll just deal with it later. Right now, I need to get his touch off of my skin. It was the first step to recovery. Addison steps into the shower and adjust the temperature of the water to an almost scalding hot. She hears Alex outside of the shower. "Want me to join you?"

"No thanks." she replies. She grabs the washcloth and scrubs EVERYWHERE, removing all traces of what has happened. She runs through the process three times to make sure that every bit of him has left her body. Her skin is red and irritated, but Alex won't notice. Only she can feel the pain.

After thirty minutes, Alex feels tortured, having to wait for her. He sits on the counter with a large fluffy towel watching her shape move in the shower. He can't see what she's doing, but he's sure that she's hitting several places repeatedly. Is this because she doesn't want to be with me? Because she's scared I might "tell" on her about the cuts? I have to make sure she knows that I will help her get better. She needs me to support her.

To do this, Alex needs a little more information. What she doing sleeping outside on a cold spring morning? When she steps out of the shower fifty minutes after she entered, Alex expects these answers. He wraps her in the towel and squeezes her hair out. He turns her around to look at her.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing out there?"

Addison had the entire shower to think up an excuse. She tells him the best one that she could come up with. "I was hot in here, so I went for a walk. The grass looked so nice and cool, so I decided to lie down. And I fell asleep." She searches his eyes for believability.

Alex crosses his arms. "Addison, I deserve the truth."

Addison hesitates. "It is."

Why do I feel like she's lying to me?

Probably because she is. "Are you sure?"

Addison nods. "Yes." Make a joke, it makes it more realistic. "I know it sounds like the stupidest thing ever…"

Alex shifts on his feet. "But it doesn't sound like you." He lets his hand graze her cheek. She closes her eyes. His palm feels so good against her…

Alex sees the pleasure in her face. He takes his hand and moves it over her face, memorizing every wrinkle and pore. "Are you okay?"

Addison puts her hand against his on her cheek. "Yes. I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it." What am I going to say if he asks more?

Alex leans in to kiss her. "Don't worry about it. As long as you're okay…"

Addison walks toward the bedroom. "I am. Do you wanna go to bed?" She gives him her hand and he takes it.

"Yeah. I do."

Mark Sloan leans against the wall of a patient's room, watching Izzie. She was talking to the patient with caring and comforting eyes.

Izzie has a knack for tending to emotional needs. We'd make a good team. She could do all of the talking, and I could operate.

Mark wants to take her to dinner tonight. They'd had a good time at the wedding. He had been a gentleman, dropping her off with only a goodnight kiss.

But Mark had no idea how much that kiss had drove Izzie crazy.

Nor did he know the kiss was all that Izzie could think about. She blushed every time their eyes met.

Mark thought it was just the natural color of her skin.

Izzie's hair shone in curls and her cheeks were rosy as she grinned at him. She turns her attention back to the patient.

Mark frowns. He doesn't like how the patient is looking at her. He knows what happened with Denny, so he marks his territory now. Mark walks over to the bedside. "Doctor Stevens, I think we're finished here. Will you please join me outside?"

Izzie touches the patient's arm. "I hope you feel better, Mr. Barnum."

The patient smiles. "Please, call me Tom."

Mark pulls on Izzie's arm. "Let's go." As soon as they are gout of the room and out of sight, he moves close to her.

"What?" Izzie murmurs. Kiss me. Kiss me now, damn it. Mark leans in and stops when their lips are milimeters apart. Izzie groans and closes her eyes. Mark smirks. "How would you like to have a free dinner at the restaurant of your choice?"

Izzie tilts her head. "Sounds good." She closes the distance between them and presses her lips to his for a moment. Taking his bottom lip between hers, she teases him with the right amount of pressure. When she comes up for air, she pulls away and starts walking down the hallway. Then, she stops and turns around. "Ocean World at seven, okay?"

Mark smiles. "Yeah, it's perfect."

She points at him. "You make the reservations." Before he can respond, she's gone.

Mark flips open his cell phone and dials a number. "Derek? Yeah. Where the hell is Ocean World? Yeah. It's a restaurant. She wants to go THERE?!"

Addison and Alex walk solemnly into the hospital, holding hands. Ever since the night before, Alex has tried to remain as connected to her as possible. When they reach the lobby, he turns her around in his arms. She looks anguished in long black pants and a modest white blouse. Her outfit is very un-Addison-like. All the male doctors will be disappointed today, as Addison usually likes to wear clothes that compliment her natural figure.

Alex squeezes her shoulders to get her attention. Lately, she's been randomly spacing off and Alex is very worried. "Addison, are you sure that you're okay?"

Addison musters up a weak smile. "Yeah Alex. Of course. I'll see you during rounds." She kisses him goodbye and manages to catch the elevator before the doors close.

Alex watches the elevator for a few minutes, just trying to pull his thoughts together. Okay, Alex. There's no need to worry. She's FINE. She told you herself. Just leave her alone and she'll come to you if she needs help.

His train of thoughts are interrupted by Derek Shepherd. He grins. "You know, it's easier if you press the button, instead of trying to will the elevator down by mind power."

Alex ignores his conscience and laughs a little. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. I'm just a little distracted."

Derek nods in agreement. "I know the feeling."

Before the doors open, Alex gathers up the courage to ask Derek about Addison. "Hey. You were married to Addison for eleven years. So, you know her pretty well, right?"

Derek laughs and steps into the elevator. "I guess you could say that. Why?"

As others enter the elevator, Alex continues to speak. "Well, has she ever had any problems? Like psychological?" He whispers the next part, so only Derek can hear. "Like with...hurting herself?"

Derek's hand stops the elevator doors before they close.

Here's the next chapter! I hope it lived up to your expectations.

Next chapter: McStizzie date. Alex and Derek talk and try to make Addison feel better.

Thanks for reading!