Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy or any characters related to the series. I do however own Ava and totally wish I owned a shirtless Mark Sloan.

Chapter 6: Nightmares

A/N: Thank you so much for all of you who have previously reviewed and those who are checking back to continue reading my story. I know it has been forever since I have updated. With school and three jobs things got way crazy there for a little while but I am back and hope to update pretty quickly. You guys are totally awesome and are what inspire me to keep going. Thank you!

Ava stepped out of her car, not sure of where it was exactly she intended to go. All she knew was that something didn't feel right. Stepping out onto the crowded street she had to fight her way through the masses of elbows. She was able to take a breath when she managed to step into an alley way away from the crowds and the glares. Steam rose from the grates in the ground and water dripped from overhead. It didn't matter though, she was happy to just be away from everyone. Her brief moment of resolve left quickly when she heard sobs coming from behind a nearby dumpster. The cry sounded so familiar but she couldn't quite place it. Ava took a couple steps forward before she tripped over something hard. Pain shot through her face when it hit the cold concrete though it was quickly forgotten when she saw George sitting up against the brick alley way wall covered in blood and his eye nearly out of his socket. "Oh my God George" Ava screamed before crawling beside him nearly in shock from the extent of his injuries. "George what happened?" she asked in a panic.

"I need Callie" he quickly responded through a busted lip.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't need you anymore Ava, I need Callie". She hid her hurt and disappointment as she pulled off her jacket and covered him up from the cold. She turned around to call for help and when she turned back George was gone. Her jacket was lying on the ground and a large metal pipe stuck out where she had tripped but George was no longer there.

"George!" she screamed but there was no response. She touched the back of her hand to her forehead convinced suddenly aware she must have been hallucinating.

"Meredith!" she heard someone scream from behind her. She quickly ran deeper into the alley before she came upon her father lying on the ground. "Meredith, I need your help" he said reaching up a bloody hand. Who ever had attacked George had also gotten a hold of her father.

"Daddy" she said kneeling down next to him.

"Meredith, I need you to help me".

"Dad, its not Meredith it's Ava, what happened?".

"Meredith I need to go get help okay, you're the most important thing in the world to me, I don't want to leave you".

"It's Ava Dad, I am not Meredith"

Ava took a step back. George didn't want her, he wanted Callie and her own father didn't want her, he wanted Meredith. She was hoping her subconscious was playing tricks on her once more. She stepped back despite her father's pleading and closed her eyes. Once she opened them, like George, her dad was gone.

Her labored breathing nearly drowned out the intensity of her heartbeat. What the hell was going on? Finally she stabilized herself enough to walk. Suddenly her mother came racing around the corner. "Ava there you are?" I have been looking everywhere for you".

"Mom?" she asked.

"Who else?" Addison replied placing the back of her hand on Ava's forehead. "Are you feeling alright? You look flushed" she asked.

Ava closed her eyes as she felt her mother's warm hand on her cold forehead. She was real. Ava turned around to make sure her hallucinations had not returned before turning back to her mother.

"I am fine".

Addison grabbed her hand. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah I am sure …I am fine" she said, throwing her mom a half hearted smile that appeared to appease her.

"Well let's go finish shopping so we can go home". Ava took a breath, happy to find her mother. She was so happy to be out of that nightmare she didn't even notice the two men that stepped out from behind a large door before it was too late. She felt some one grab her from behind before a large man picked up a two by four off the ground and took a swing at Addison's chest.

She let out a deafening scream and the crack of Addison ribs almost caused her to throw up. "Mom!" she screamed loud enough for all of Seattle to hear.

"She has to pay Ava…she has to pay for what she has done" the older man said as he circled Addison's motionless body.

"Mama please get up open your eyes. OPEN YOUR EYES!" she screamed. She quickly looked over at all the people crossing the alley way but no one stopped to see what was wrong. She looked back at Addison still lying on the ground motionless. Sobs escaped her lips as she nearly fell to the ground with the strange man's arms still around her.

Another blow to one of Addison's legs and Ava weaseled out the tall man's grip and landed on the ground next to her mother. Lying there she almost looked as if she was sleeping. She heard the two by four hit the ground and looked up and the men were gone. She ran her hand over her mother's hair and she could feel her silky locks between her fingers. This was really it was real and she couldn't make it go away. "Mom please wake up" she said quietly. "Please please Wake Up" Ava said getting louder and louder each time until eventually she was screaming at the top of her lungs. There wasn't anything she could have possibly done to deserve this. In the back of her mind she thought she heard someone calling her name but she couldn't help but continue to scream for her mom, thinking that if she screamed loud enough, she could bring her back.

Underneath her screams she could still hear that faint voice, "Ava! Ava".

"Ava! Ava wake up!" she heard a loud voice say before she finally shot up of bed letting out a gasp and grabbing on to the first arm she could find.

"Ava look at me, it's Uncle Mark okay? It's just me calm down" once her heart stopped feeling like it was going to pound out of her chest she looked up and let out a sigh and let a few tears fall when she noticed she had a nightmare. "It was just a dream" he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes for a moment as she gained her composure and when opened them she noticed blood stains down her arm.

"You ripped your IV out. Let me keep pressure on it and then I will fix it". Mark said, still looking at her like she was going to break. She looked into the face of the man that had hurt her and her father so many years ago and first the first time in a long time she felt that child hood want return. Before he had slept with her mother she had worshipped the ground he walked on. While her mother and father had spent so much time at the hospital her Uncle Mark had never failed to make time for her, he was always there up until the last couple of years.

"Where is mom?" Ava asked coming out of her own thoughts.

"She ran home to change clothes but your dad is here. Do you want me to go get him?"

"No, don't. He will just freak out" she said wiping the sweat from her forehead. "I am okay, I am fine" she said frantically looking around the room. "I am fine" she said working hard to convince her uncle as well as herself.

"Come here" Mark said.

"What?"

"Come here" he said lifting her up out of bed as the nurse came in with clean sheets and a new IV line. He walked over and sat in the glider rocker that was seated in the corner. Ava didn't even have the energy to try and move so she just let him hold her and she laid her cheek on his shoulder. "When you were a little girl, your mom and dad used to bring you over to my apartment for dinner and after we ate I would pick you up and carry you over the couch and you would fall asleep on my lap just like this".

Silence filled the room until the nurse finished up and set the IV on the table for Mark to repair and a new nightgown for Ava.

"We are going to get this guy Ava". Mark ran his hand down her arm and let it rest on her back. "There are so many people that love you and want to protect you. He won't get away with this". Ava moved her head closer to his and let out a sigh hoping that what he said was the truth.

Addison leaned up against the nurses station as she watch Mark rock her daughter back and forth. She took a sip of coffee and let out a deep breath.

"What are you thinking?" a voice beside her asked, causing her to jump. "I am sorry I didn't mean to scare you" Derek said leaning on the nurses station beside her.

"Its okay" she said quietly and silence filled the room as they sat back and watched.

"What happened?" Derek asked walking towards Ava's room.

"No don't" Addison said placing her hand on his arm to stop him. "The nurse said she had a nightmare. Just let her be for a minute".

Derek pulled off is scrub cap and threw on the counter behind him. "There isn't any way to fix this you know?" Addison said, taking a sip from her coffee cup. "When she was small we could pick her up and hug her and everything would be okay. Even when we got divorced we could spend time with her and that would be enough for her to be happy for a little while but this….we can't fix this Derek"

Addison looked up at him and Derek immediately recognized that look. It was the same one he has seen in her eyes when he opened the door after kicking her out the night she slept with Mark. It was a look full of fear and absolute desperation. When the tears started to fall Derek saw a break in the façade Addison tried so hard to keep hidden.

"Don't cry Addie" he said wiping a tear away from her face. "She will get past this, I promise, she is strong. Like her mother."

Addison coughed before more tears feel and it took her by surprise when she felt Derek's arms wrap around her. It was the first time he had really touched her in a long time and it took something horrible for it to happen. The moment only lasted for a second though before she heard someone clear their throat from behind.

"Olivia. What are you doing here so late?" Derek asked quickly backing away from Addison like they had just done something wrong.

"I was really busy all day, and I am sorry I am just getting back to you but I wanted to tell you that I think I found who you were looking for".

"What?" Derek asked.

"Earlier today, you asked me about someone that had been hit by a car. I called every hospital in the area and the only man that was hit by a car during that time was brought here, he is in this hospital" she said as she handing him a chart.