Author's Note: I am glad for the positive responses to this story.
This chapter will introduce Addison's angst about this whole mess and a cafeteria gathering of the interns. I always love those scenes.
I also incorporated a line from a book called Burger Wuss, one of my sister's favourite books.
You'll see where.
Also, Meredith's going to be in the OR with Derek, prompting another scrub room scene. I know that a lot of you want Mer/Mark to be like an actual couple but every time I write it, it falls flat. This will be Mer/Der and Maddison but it's going to be a long time before it happens.
I always hated that Meredith took him back almost immediately.
McDreamy or not, he deserved at least half a season of torture for the abandoning. And Mark got fucked over just as badly as by Addison, what with the whole 60 days thing. Nope, they will not just fall back into their arms. The Dirty Mistresses deserve vengeance and I will make sure they get it.
Anyway, here's the chapter and I'll be better about posting soon.
My thanksgiving break is coming up and about 2 weeks after that I'll be on a 3 week long Christmas break. I'm basically going to a posting fiend until early January. Well, after I finish a couple of assignments. School sucks.
On with the drama.
Disclaimer: NOT MINE. I WOULDN'T BE WORRIED ABOUT AN ENGLISH PAPER DUE IN THE MORNING IF IT WAS.
She had heard about it all.
The nurses made sure of that.
"Wow, Grey sure moves fast. First Shepherd and now Sloan."
"Hey, they started it. Shepherd deserves every bit of this. He fucked over that poor girl and now he's paying for it. Not to mention the She-Shepherd. Imagine how she must feel now that the same intern that shanghaied her husband's got her other man in her house."
Addison Montgomery-Shepherd felt a mix of rage and bitter regret.
Why was it that Meredith Grey managed to take every man she loved?
Addison was not stupid. Grey was not a mere fling to Derek. He had fallen hard for her. He never looked at her the way he looked at Grey. The big blowout earlier had been a way of him expressing betrayal and Grey's blunt disdain for him must've hurt him deeply.
Hurt that he would carry home... that is, if he came home.
She barely saw him. He was just like he was in New York. Indifferent, workaholic, and looking right through her. Unfortunately, Seattle had much less to do to distract her.
She had to travel at least 10 miles just to go to a mall.
Mostly, she was alone in the stupid trailer with Grey's dog, weeping over the lost connection with her husband. She had his body but not his heart. Hell, she barely had his body. The few times that they had attempted to make love had been awkward and unsatisfying.
She was trapped in a dead marriage and it was all her own doing.
Mark had basically begged her to come back to New York with him, away from the accusing gazes, the disdain, and the McNicknames.
Her pride had prevented her from doing what she so desperately wanted to do.
She just couldn't go back to Manhattan, letting everyone see that she had failed to get her husband away from the slutty intern, that she had failed. So, she had stayed away from Joe's, going straight home like a good little wife.
To hear that Mark was going to live with the slutty intern had been a mortal blow to her already fragile self esteem. He didn't even hesitate to replace her. He was going to get all tangled up with Grey. He was going to touch her. Would he be as gentle with her as he had with her? Would he kiss all over her body, making her feel like the only woman that mattered? Would he let her find that little spot behind his ear, guaranteed to wrench cries from him? Would he like Grey better in bed?
Derek certainly does. All the dreams he has of her.
Shaking her head to rid herself of the jealous thoughts, she looked at herself in a nearby window.
She had on a $300 Gucci dress and $500 Prada heels.
Her flame red hair was curled and she wore the barest hint of makeup.
Men tripped all over themselves to get her attention.
All except for the one that really mattered.
Mark would think I look hot...I bet Derek wouldn't give a flying fuck if I showed up naked to work. Mark would be all over me...
Her pager shrilled breaking through her wistful yet dark thoughts.
Someone needed her.
It was nice to still be needed somewhere.
"Hey."
All of her friends looked at her expectantly as she sat down with her tray.
The cafeteria was serving that alfredo thing that she loved and they had her favourite Vitamin Water in the cooler. XXX kicked ass. The rest was just like Kool Aid to her.
A kick to her shin broke her out of her eating and she glared at Alex Karev.
"What, Evil Spawn?"
"What's up with Sloan in your house?"
"He's my love captive. I have him chained to my bed." she deadpanned while faking cracking a whip.
Christina snorted water out of her nose before cracking up with Izzie and George.
Alex smirked and went back to his turkey sandwich.
"I like this new Meredith! Seriously... what's going on?" she demanded.
"I told you. I needed reinforcements against the McPerfectCouple and he needed a place to stay. Plus, the freaking attic needed to be cleaned out, anyway. I needed a man to do it."
"And what am I?" George demanded with a "Hello" gesture.
"You're George." she said matter of factly.
Now, it was Alex's turn to snort water and Izzie giggled lightly.
George turned to look at his person with wounded Bambi eyes.
"Et tu, Brute?"
"I'm sorry, George. You're manly to me."
Meredith noticed that Izzie had a softer look to her and George gave her a very shy smile.
Her brow arched.
Izzie and George, eh? That could totally work.
She decided to keep an eye out.
If she had to live with them being all lovey-dovey kissy gooey wa-wa, she wanted to be ahead of the game.
Her pager beeped and she sighed, chugging her vitamin water and taking a bite or two of alfredo before standing.
"Well, I'm off to remove a tumour. Lady came in complaining of headaches and ended up seizing."
"You're working with Shepherd after you ripped him a new one?" Alex asked her incredulously.
"Disciplinary action can't be taken unless he lodges a complaint. I looked it up. See ya."
He watched her scrub out and looked down at his cross trainers.
He felt shitty for earlier.
She was right all the way down the line and he really had no say over her, anymore.
Not that he did before. Meredith was a stubborn, independent sort of woman.
If she didn't want to do something, then it wouldn't be done.
Unless Bailey tells her to do something but then she's really scary so I can understand her submission.
Dr. Miranda Bailey was the only person he'd admit freely of being afraid of.
That little woman had command over a room and the hospital, for that matter.
Richard couldn't do a damn thing with her.
He's probably scared of her too.
Derek avoided her like the plague since everything went down, out of fear of her stabbing him with a ten blade.
Still, he had to make things better with Meredith, if not just to keep a good neurosurgeon in the making nearby. She was going to be great, even better than him and he was the top in the field.
As she got paper towels, he looked up from his shoes.
"I'm sorry."
She stiffened and then looked at him with confusion.
"Come again?"
"I said I'm sorry."
Her sea green eyes narrowed and she came closer to him to look him in the eye.
Her cool hand grasped his cheek and she looked closer.
He fought the urge to lean into her touch.
After a minute, she released him.
"Well, you're not lying. When you lie, your eyes go from sky blue to ice blue. What are you sorry for?"
He looked startled. He thought he was the only one to notice that.
She sighed and smiled mirthlessly.
"I loved you, you idiot. I know your tells. What are you sorry for?"
Ignoring her use of past tense, he answered, "For being a complete ass earlier. You're right. You're a grown woman and you can do what you want. If you want to be with Mark, then I can't stop you. Hell, nobody can. You're a stubborn little thing, you know."
She smiled genuinely and nodded.
"I can be. Apology accepted. I have to go, now. The nurses are getting on my nerves and if one more points at me like I'm a zoo attraction, I'm going to put them on life support just so I can pull the plug.", she said as she headed out.
He let out a bark of laughter and scolded lightly, "That's not ethical!"
"Ethics are for suckers! Good night, Derek!"
He grinned.
She called him Derek and she was joking around with him again.
A step in the right direction.
With that positive thought in mind, he inhaled the light lavender scent she left behind and headed to do his post ops.