Elizabethan Love: Taming of the Surgeon
I am ashamed that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace;
Or seek for rule, supremacy and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love and obey.
Addison and Derek sat across from each other in a conference room. Once again, they refused to look at each other.
"So..." Addison began. Her hands clenched tightly on to her knees.
"Yeah." Derek glanced at her for a split second. His fingers started to drum on the wooden table.
Addison stared out the window. It was a dreary day. How fitting. "We're going to..."
"That's right."
He wouldn't let her finish a single sentence. Truthfully, though, it made her life easier that he knew what she was going to say.
She nodded, and squinted in frustration. "Are you sure?"
"No." Of course not. He would never again be sure about anything when it came to her She had shattered his trust into a million pieces. There was no going back.
"Do you want this?"
He paused, thinking. Then, he spoke angrily, "I don't feel like answering that question right now."
"Stop being difficult."
"No!" He stood up. "I get to be difficult."
"Fine." She crossed her arms. He was right.
He sighed. "I'm just going to leave."
She stood up. "Okay."
He reached for the door handle, and she swallowed thickly. "Bye!"
He glared at her, and left, leaving her alone with divorce papers in her hand.
Izzie rolled her eyes for the third time that day.
"I can't believe he did that. Shepherd is such an asshole."
Meredith smiled. She could always count on Izzie to agree with her. "It's such a cute puppy though."
Bailey's interns minus George had situated themselves around their usual lunch table. As with almost every other lunch, they were discussing the plights and delights of Derek Shepherd. All of the other tables in the lunch room were suspiciously crowded around the surgical intern table, as to catch an earful of gossip. This used to bother Meredith, but now she was just used to it. Truth be told, she almost enjoyed the attention.
Cristina casually kicked her feet up on to George's chair across from her. "A puppy? Mer, tell me you're not getting back together with him over a puppy. That's just pathetic." She chewed on a celery stick.
Meredith glared at Cristina. "So, then, Dr. Montgomery comes back from inside Joe's, and she talks to him as if I wasn't even there. She said she didn't want a divorce. But he still wants to get back together. And-" she hesitantly admitted, "I kind of believe him."
"Don't." Izzie and Cristina answered unanimously.
Alex sat there quietly. He really didn't have anything to say about the previous night. At least not to Izzie and Cristina. It wasn't their business.
Meredith was going to keep venting as long as no one complained. "They spoke to each other in a weird sort of code...like they didn't want me to hear them..."
Alex had to speak up. "You act like you've never heard a married couple talk to each other before."
Alex's statement brought an odd truth to the conversation. Because Meredith had been missing a father figure her whole life, she realized for the first time that she didn't know how a normal married couple acted. If you could call the Drs. Shepherd normal.
But Alex seemed as if he was defending the separated couple. That was not right. Meredith needed his support and encouragement, especially since he was more personally involved than any of the other interns. "Whose side are you on?"
"I'm not choosing sides." Alex shook his head, appearing nonchalant. It made Meredith look as if she was overreacting.
"Why?" Cristina asked blantanly.
Izzie frowned. "Dr. Montgomery hurt you too. And Dr. Shepherd was really mean to you!" Why was he defending them?
"I deserve it." Alex casually took a bite out of his sandwich, making eye-contact with no one.
"Why?" Izzie took a sudden interest in the matter. If Alex did something wrong, it was much more interesting than hearing Meredith complain about Shepherd for the thousandth time.
Alex looked at his sandwich. He was silent.
"Okay!" Meredith clapped her hands. "Who wants to help me take McDreamy to obediance classes?"
Izzie reluctantly dropped her eyes from Alex, not really wanting to drop the subject.
Cristina pointed her fork at Meredith. "You know, when you call the dog McDreamy, it really sounds like you're taking Shepherd to an obediance class."
Meredith took a bite out of her salad, and mumbled, "Yeah, maybe I should take Derek. He could really use some classes in loyalty."
All of a sudden, George appeared, placing his tray down on the table, and moving Cristina's feet off his chair.
Cristina and Alex kept casually eating their lunches, but Izzie's eyes darted between Meredith and George.
Meredith tapped her celery stick against her plate. "I have a suggestion. How about it isn't weird that George and I aren't dating?"
George nodded, "Works for me."
Cristina stopped chewing for a moment to speak, "How is that not weird?"
"Yeah," Izzie agreed, "He was like in love with you, and he broke up with Callie to be with you."
Meredith knew all of these things already, but it took her a moment to think about how they sounded coming from someone else's mouth. It was odd that she hadn't seen it all this time. She quickly formulated a reply in her head, "Well, we mutually decided to just be friends, right, George?" She looked to him for approval.
He nodded. Mutually was the key word; it made him seem less like a loser who'd just gotten his heart broken. Although this wasn't a bit true, and he was still in love with her, she had decided to be friends. And being friends was better than being nothing at all. It hurt that she didn't want to be with him, even after their date. Deep down, he believed that he still had some sort of a chance with her, and so, he didn't let it bother him too much. Once everything with Shepherd blew over, then he could make his move.
Meredith didn't know this, though, and assumed the dating part of their relationship was over. "We're okay," she looked to everyone else, "All right?"
Izzie smiled at Meredith, and then turned back to Cristina and Alex, interested in their silence. "You two have been quiet all day. Is there something going on that we don't know about?"
Cristina and Alex eyed each other. All of a sudden, Cristina became paranoid that Alex might have found out about her pregnancy. After all, he had been working on gynie for the past week. She stood up quickly, grabbing her tray. "It's nothing. Just a lot of surgeries." She cleared her throat. "I have to find Dr. Montgomery. Does anyone know where she is?"
Everyone looked at Alex. He slurped his drink before speaking, "She left early today."
"Damn it," Cristina muttered, and left in a hurry.
"Where did she go?" Meredith asked, trying not to be so curious. She was always overly-interested in the whereabouts of Derek's ex-wife.
"She's packing." Alex looked sadly down at his tray. "She's moving out of the hotel."
"Is she staying with Shepherd?" Izzie asked excitedly.
"Izzie!" George scolded her, while glancing at Meredith.
"What?" She sighed, "You were wondering that exact same question too!"
"It doesn't matter." Alex picked at his food. "I don't know."
Meredith thought for a moment. "They wouldn't stay together. They're getting a divorce."
"She's probably staying at lonely apartment somewhere." Izzie thought out loud, "Alex!" Her eyes lit up. "You should ask her if she needs a roommate!"
"Thanks, Iz." Alex said sarcastically, "I feel really loved and wanted."
"I'm not trying to get rid of you," Izzie shook her head. "I just thought you'd be happier with her. And George could come back!" She missed the good ol' days of George, Izzie, and Meredith.
George sat up rather proudly.
"I guess I could mention it...but we'd only live together as friends."
"What do you mean?" Meredith asked.
"She doesn't want to be with me," Alex admitted.
Izzie touched his shoulder. "She doesn't mean that."
He shrugged it off. "Yes, she does."
George laughed, "Alex got dumped?!" Meredith and Izzie glared at him. "I mean, sorry, man." The male interns weren't having the greatest luck with women this week.
"That's why you've been so quiet!" Izzie exclaimed.
This wasn't helping Alex get over Addison. "I didn't get dumped!" He insisted. "We-" he did air quotes, "'mutually agreed', in Meredith's terms, to stop seeing each other." He paused. "Besides, I'm seeing someone else."
Izzie dropped her fork. "You're seeing someone ELSE?"
George glared at him, jealous. How could he move on so easily?
"Who?" Meredith asked.
"Nope." Alex shook his head. "I'm not telling you guys. You'll just screw with her, and mess it all up."
"We won't!" Izzie pleaded, "We promise!"
"Give us a hint." Meredith was trying to restrain herself, so she wasn't as crazy as Izzie, but it was obvious that she was truly interested.
Alex cracked his knuckles. "Well," he pretended to be all smooth and suave, "She's pretty, obviously. And she has brown hair. And she's really funny."
"It's Callie!" Izzie shrieked, partially in amusment, partially in disgust.
"Not cool," George frowned. It was breaking a man-law, dating another man's girlfriend only two days after they broke up.
Alex laughed. "It's not Callie."
"Yes, it is." Meredith wasn't sure how she felt about it yet. "We don't believe you."
He repeated himself. "It's not Callie."
George, Meredith, and Izzie still wouldn't believe him. They pouted and pleaded for him to tell them more, but he wouldn't say anything except, "It's not Callie."
"You know? I feel like I don't know you anymore." Izzie was still pissed. Callie? He knew how much Izzie disliked Callie. She thought for a moment, and then clapped her hands in delight. "We should have a party! You know, to reconnect."
"I don't know, Iz." Meredith frowned. Izzie's kind of 'party' didn't sound like one that she wanted to be a part of.
"It'll be fun!" Izzie smiled.
"I'll go." George wanted to spend more time with Meredith outside of the hospital. Also, there was an added bonus of alcohol. It was always easier to tell someone how you felt with a few martinis in you. "Come on, Mer. We can dance and play cards again."
Meredith relented, but Alex refused.
"Aleeeex." Izzie whined, "You can bring your new girlfriend. We all want to meet her."
Alex reconsidered. The element of surprise did have it's advantages.
"And," she tapped him on the shoulder, "We'll invite Dr. Montgomery. So she can see you and be jealous!" Izzie smiled at her logic.
"Okay." Alex agreed through gritted teeth.
He would only go for one reason: To witness the chaos that was inevitably going to break out.
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been working on some original fiction, but this is much more fun. I know this chapter isn't the best, and I'm posting it only because I'm going to be gone, and I wanted to give you guys something. I'm planning on bringing my laptop, but who knows with the internet connection in Mexico.
The next chapter is super exciting. In fact, this chapter's only purpose was to set up for the next chapter. You get to meet Alex's date, AND Addison's date. Both of whom, I hope will be a surprise. But you should try and guess anyway. How about, first one to guess either of them wins...a pony? Or a puppy. And all secrets are revealed. Oh, and it's the last chapter in this section.
BTW, this-- /images/westhighlandterriers/westie-puppy3.jpg is McDreamy. He's my favorite. 3
Review, please. I'll love you forever, and like you for always.