A/N: So i know I said 3-shot, but it turns out it was really mean to be a 4-parter. I'm really glad everyone seems to like this story, I'm enjoying writing their phone call relationship so much, and it's fun to write in a completely different style to A Year or a Day. Anyway, keep letting me know what you think, I love and appreciate each and every review! x

"Izzie came back." Alex said as she picked up the phone.

"That's…good?" She said hesitantly.

"Yes. No." He answered. "It's good because I know she's alive and safe and whatever. She didn't come back to see me though. She didn't want to see me. She didn't care about the fact that I am her husband. Or the fact she left me with more hospital bills than I can afford. She came back as she wanted Shepherd to operate on her old high school teacher. This is so screwed up."

She sighed. "Did you speak to her? Ask why she left?"

"She blames me for being fired." He snapped."She thought it was my fault. Didn't even give me the benefit of the doubt. I'm supposed to be her husband."

She stayed silent for a moment. "That's really sucky." She finally said.

He laughed at that. "You're getting worse at the advice."

"My life is a mess. You don't want advice from me."

"We're both pretty messed up." He paused. "I'm going to be bankrupt."

"I know this is going to piss you off but I can give you the money. I am a millionaire and I don't want you living on the street or anything."

"I'm not going to get pissed off." She scoffed. "Okay, I am, internally. But I really don't want to live on the street so if I can't find an insurance loophole, I might just take you up on that. As much as I hate it."

"As much as you hate it." She echoed. There was a tense silence between the two of them and she broke it with a sigh. "Do you want to hear how Addison Forbes Montgomery did something crappy once again?"

He let out a chuckle. "Always."

"I kissed Sam. After the accident, when I stopped crying, I went out on my deck. Sam came over and I kissed him. I kissed my best friend's ex-husband. And why not? I screwed my husband's best friend. I am a terrible person." She rambled.

He laughed again. "You really know how to cheer me up."

"Alex." She whined.

"Fine. Fine." He sighed. "You are not a terrible person. You are actually pretty amazing. You just make some crappy decisions sometimes."

"Jeez, thanks." She rolled her eyes.

He chuckled. "All I'm saying is you were emotional. And everyone screws up sometimes. No one's perfect."

"Worst thing is, I actually think I really like him." She whispered.

"Of course you do." He said softly. "You've known him since med school, he's one of your best friends. It's natural."

"You're right." She admitted.

He laughed. "Did the great Dr Addison Forbes Montgomery just admit that a lowly resident was right? Are you sick?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it…" She muttered but she laughed as she hung up the phone.

Addison tapped her foot impatiently while she waited for Alex to answer his phone. She was hiding in a supply closet in the hospital, dressed in her Yale hoodie and sweatpants, feeling so far removed from the Addison she usually was.

"Hey." He greets when he picks up.

"Heather's dead." She blurts. "Dell, the midwife at the practice with the 6 year old daughter, Heather is his wife and the mother. She was a, um, was a drug addict. Dell left the house to go to work, Heather apparently decided to start cooking meth with her 6 year old daughter in the house. Fast forward through an explosion, Heather's dead, Betsey made it through without any lasting damage, except the fact she no longer has a mother."

"Jesus." He breathed. "That's really screwed up."

"Yeah." She was silent for a moment. "Want to hear the worst thing about it all?" He hummed in acknowledgement. "All I can think about is how Bizzy's a lesbian but I can't talk about that as that makes me a selfish bitch."

"Who's Bizzy?" He asked curiously.

"My mother." She let out a harsh laugh. "My mother is a lesbian."

"Wow." He paused for a moment. "Your life is really screwed up, Addie. Gives mine a run for it's money."

She started laughing alongside him, sinking down to sit on the floor of the closet. They laughed for a few minutes, until hers trailed off and even she was surprised by the tears running down her face. "Addie? Baby, are you okay?"

"Since the age of 8, I have been covering for my father and the countless woman he slept with and I've been so angry, I've hated him for doing that to my mother. Today, I found out my mother had been having an affair with her PA, Susan, for 20 years. I've been mad at the wrong parent my whole life." She was silent for a moment. "No wonder I am a cheater, it's in my DNA."

"That's crap and you know it." He scoffed. "You are not a cheater Addie. You cheated once, you made a mistake and you screwed up. So what? Everyone screws up sometimes."

She gave a small laugh. "I screw up a lot though. Pretty much all the damn time."

"Don't you make me give you the whole 'you're an amazing person' speech again, Addie. It's getting boring."

"Jeez, thanks, Alex." Addison snapped.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I'll do it anyway. You're an amazing person. The best person I know, the kindest, smartest, most beautiful woman I know. Baby, it doesn't matter if you make one mistake, you are not your parents, you are Addie. And Addie is pretty damn great."

She let out a chuckle and leaned her head against the door. "Thanks, Alex, honey. I needed that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither willing to hang up. "I'm lonely, Addie." He whispered.

"I'm lonely as well." With that she hung up, taking a few more minutes to compose herself, before standing up and leaving the supply closet.

"You were in Seattle and you didn't tell me." Alex's voice was accusing as she answered her cell phone, sipping her wine as she sat on the deck in the dark.

"I know." She sighed.

"Why?" He sounded hurt and she flinched at his tone.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"Addie." He warned.

"I didn't tell you because I was scared you wouldn't want to see me or you wouldn't care or something."

"That's stupid." Alex said after a moment.

"Yeah." She agreed. "I'm stupid sometimes."

"I hear Sloan's pretty stupid too. Not trusting you to do the surgery when you were here."

She chuckled at that. "Well, he followed me all the way to LA with his tail between his legs so I think he figured that out."

He was quiet for a moment. "You slept with him again."

"How did you know?!" Addison felt her face turn red and she spluttered slightly on the sip of wine she had taken.

"It's you and Sloan." He stated as though it was obvious.

She huffed. "I hate that you're right."

"You know I usually am." He chuckled. "So how did it go?"

"The sex?" She asked drily, feeling a small sense of accomplishment when she heard him stutter uncomfortably. "Mark told me he wanted to move to LA and raise Sloane's baby with me. Said it was our second chance." She laughed as Alex started coughing loudly on the other end of the line. "Yeah, that was how I felt too."

"What did you say?" He asked when he managed to calm down.

"I asked him if he would still want me if there wasn't a baby." She sighed. "The truth is I'm so sad and lonely and freaked out that if I actually thought he meant it I might've said yes. How pathetic is that?" She let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "But he is in love with that Grey girl and I'm still alone."

"Oh, Addie. You're not alone. I still think you'll find someone." He sounded sad for her, and she scoffed lightly. "I slept with that Grey girl."

"What? When?" She asked in shock.

"A couple of hours ago. We were both lonely."

"Alex." She scolded. "You better not be calling me while in bed with another woman again."

"No." He laughed, sounding somewhat sheepish. "I'm in the bathroom."

She laughed at that. "You are unbelievable."

"Coming from the woman who slept with Mark Sloan again." He shot back.

"You may have a point." She conceded. "I haven't told you the worst part of my day yet."

"Oh?"

"My 15 year old goddaughter, Maya- Naomi and Sam's daughter- came to me at the end of the night and told me she was pregnant."

"Wow." Alex said. "That's messed up."

"Yeah." She agreed, they were silent for a few minutes more. "We're still okay, right? You're not too pissed at me?"

She heard him sigh on the other side of the phone. "We're okay Addie."

"Good." She let out a sigh of relief.

"Good." He echoed before hanging up.

She answered her cell as she tucked into her salad. "Two phone calls in two days? Wow, Alex, honey, I'm flattered."

"Izzie came back. Wanted to work our marriage out." He blurted.

"What?! After all this time?"

He chuckled quietly. "Yeah that was pretty much my reaction."

She was quiet for a moment. "Why now?"

"Meredith called and told her that I might be moving on. Apparently, I am not allowed to do that." She ate her salad and waited for him to continue, trying to convince herself that the anger she felt was a perfectly normal friendly reaction. "She had a PET scan while she was here. It was clear."

"She's cancer free?" He hummed in agreement. "That's good news."

"It is." He agreed. "She said it was like it never happened."

"But it did."

"It did." He paused. "I am a good guy."

"I know. I tell you all the time." She laughed slightly.

"I deserve better than someone who would leave me after I stuck through a crappy disease. I deserve someone who will stick by me. I am a good guy." She could hear the tears in his voice.

"You're a good guy." She echoed. "Did you tell her that?"

"Yeah." He breathed. "I told her that I was glad she was okay and that she should go be okay and be happy and not come back."

"Oh, Alex, honey." She was silent for a moment "Are you okay?"

"No." He admitted. "But I will be."

She was silent for a few moments, eating more of her salad. "Did you ever tell Meredith who called you that day?" She asked out of the blue.

"No." He chuckled. "I just avoided her."

She laughed. "No one knows we're, um, friends." The word felt heavy rolling off her tongue, she knew that 'friends' wasn't the right word for whatever they were.

"No one knows we're friends." He responded.

"Do you think this is weird?" She asked curiously.

He chuckled. "You're asking me this after a year and a half?"

"Yes." She laughed softly along with him.

"It's weird." He said. "But Addie, you better not stop calling me."

"As long as you don't stop calling me, Alex."

"Deal."

"Deal." She smiled as she felt warmth spread through her as she hung up the phone.

Addison snuck out of her bed and onto the balcony, wrapping the bed sheet around her as she accepted the call on her cell phone. "Hey."

"Hey." He repeated.

"How are you screwed up today?" She asked.

"I'm dating Little Grey." He paused. "How are you screwed up?"

"I just slept with Pete." She leant over the railing and watched the ocean. "So, you and Little Grey?"

"She's still in love with Sloan. I'm getting a divorce."

She snorted. "Sounds healthy."

He ignored her comment. "So, you and Pete?"

"He's still in love with Violet. I think I'm in love with Sam."

He chuckled and repeated her earlier comment. "Sounds healthy."

She laughed slightly at that, content to continue watching the ocean in silence for a moment.

"Addie, you're not still in bed with him are you?"

She scoffed. "Like you'd be one to talk." She paused. "But no. I'm on my balcony. Practically naked."

"I'm thinking we should video chat in future."

She laughed at that. "Ass."

"Tease." He shot back.

They were quiet for a few more moments. "We are screwed up." She said, breaking the silence.

"Are you really in love with your best friend's ex-husband?" He asked curiously.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know." She admitted. "He's hot, a good kisser, one of my best friends and off limits." She paused. "Are you still in love with Izzie?"

"I don't know if I ever was." He sighed. "She was my best friend and I loved her. I'm just not sure if I was in love with her." They fell silent once again.

"We're screwed up." He stated.

"What are we doing?" She asked as she sighed.

"Who the Hell knows?" He shot back with a laugh, and she smiled at that.

He hung up and she stayed outside, content to stare at the ocean for a few more minutes.

Addison stood on her balcony as she dialled Alex's number. "Hey, Alex."

"You sound like crap."

"Jeez, Alex, kick a girl while she's down." She said, before blowing her nose.

He chuckled. "Seriously, Addie. Baby, what's wrong with you?"

"I spent all day looking after Pete's sick baby."

"So, you and him are together now?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah." She sneezed. "Are you and Little Grey still together?"

"Yeah." He said. "What's the baby like?"

She laughed at this and a smile appeared on her face, despite herself. "Lucas is great. I spent all day looking after him and I was doing a crappy job and he wouldn't stop crying and I had a small mental breakdown. I'm a baby doctor! I should have kicked ass at it."

"Then what happened?" He asked softly.

"I got him to stop crying. I actually did it." She laughed softly. "I love that kid so damn much."

"What about Pete?"

She sighed. "I got into bed, he was half asleep and ill with a fever. He said 'I love you Violet'."

"That's rough." He said and she snorted at the understatement. "Do you love him?"

"I could, one day." She paused as she blew her nose again. "What about Little Grey?"

"She's still in love with Sloan, but I guess I could, one day."

She sniffed slightly, choosing not to dwell on whether it was because of the flu or emotion. "Do you think that it will be enough?"

He sighed. "I really don't know." He paused. "Be careful, Addie. Try not to get hurt."

She hummed lightly. "Don't you go getting hurt either, Alex."

"Do you ever wonder if we would've worked back then? If I hadn't been an ass."

She felt the air leave her lungs. "All the time." She whispered.

"Me too." He admitted, quietly.

She slid down onto the floor of the balcony, resting her head on the railings. "What do you think?"

"We were different people then. I, um, wasn't good enough. I would have messed up."

She ignored the tears running down her face. "You're probably right." She gave a small laugh. "And now, we're with other people."

"Now, we're with other people." He conceded. "I can't imagine my life without you in it." He admits.

"I can't imagine my life without you, either, Alex."

She hung up the phone and stayed sat on the balcony, letting the tears work their way through her system. When they finally subsided she went back inside, slipping into bed beside Pete.

"My brother showed up in Seattle today."

She had a wry smile on her face as she thought back to their similar conversation last year. "And that's bad how exactly?"

"Haha, Addie, you're very funny." He deadpanned.

"I know, I'm freaking hilarious." She quipped. "So, brother in Seattle, catch me up."

"Haven't seen in him in 7 years, turns up with an umbilical hernia and a big mouth spilling personal crap to the whole hospital." He summarised.

She sipped her wine. "Sounds fun."

"Yeah, it was a hoot."

"Did the surgery go well?" She asked, avoiding asking about the personal crap she really wanted to know.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Bailey did it pro-bono. Whole thing went without a hitch."

"Well, don't sound too happy about it." She teased.

"I'm not in the mood, Addie." He snapped and she was quiet for a second before she heard him sigh. "Sorry."

"I'll forgive you this time, honey." She topped up her wine glass.

"It just brings up crap that I don't like to think about, stuff from the past." He scoffed. "And now Bailey and Meredith and God knows who else knows that stuff too."

"Did they say anything to you about it?" She said cautiously.

He sighed. "They looked at me differently."

She sipped at her wine. "They care about you. I mean, it sucks they know whatever it is they know when you weren't ready for them to. But they care, so it's not the end of the world."

"Right." He chuckled. "Addie, baby, I appreciate you trying so hard not to ask me what it is he told everyone but it's painfully obvious you want to know."

"I figured you'd tell me if you wanted to." She said sheepishly.

"You're right." He paused. "You understand me better than anyone else."

"I know. I'm that good." She laughed.

"You're very full of yourself today." He observed.

"Well I am an awesome doctor with mad surgical skills." She stated.

She could sense his frown from over the line. "It's scary. This bright and shiny thing, I'm not buying it."

She drank more wine. "That's because it's complete crap but you can't kill a girl for trying."

He laughed at that. "It's fake. You can tell. Well I can anyway."

She chuckled slightly. "It was fun while it lasted."

They were silent for a while before he broke it. "I was a foster kid. Went through 17 foster homes in 5 years. My dad wasn't a good guy and my mom, she did her best, but she is schizophrenic, we didn't really have meds or anything. I got caught stealing food for my little brother and sister when I was 11, ended up in juvie. When I was 17, and my dad went to hit my mom again, I hit back and he left. Never came back."

She sipped her wine. "Life sucks." She offers.

"Yeah, yeah it really does." He sighed.

"What did Miranda talk you into doing for the pro-bono?" She asked curiously.

"I'm scheduling her surgeries for a month." He paused when he heard her laugh. "What?"

She put her wine down and lay back on the deck, looking at the stars. "She would have done it for nothing."

"Seriously?" He chuckled. "Damn it."

"Alex?" He hummed in acknowledgement. "You turned out good, honey."

He was silent and she worried she pushed him too far. "Thanks, Addie." His voice was thick with tears. "You, thinking I'm a good guy, means a lot. Makes me believe."

She closed her eyes and squeezed them tightly shut. "That's because you are. I'm always right."

"Stay on the phone for a bit longer?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"Okay." She whispered.

"Okay." He echoed.