AN: Ok, it took me quite a while to write this chapter, and I know it's short and maybe not even good, but I wasn't inspired at all. I find this chapter really boring, but I had to write it, or nothing of what happens next would make sense.
So here it is, hope you like it anyway. Please please please review. Reading what you think about this fanfiction makes me want to write faster.

DISCLAIMER: I don't think it's necessary anymore.

CHAPTER 10 – Cleopatra, Queen of Denial

Addison walked in the hospital with a terrible headache. She hadn't slept much the previous night, her head was too full of thoughts. Thoughts about Mark and what that week meant for them...but above all, thoughts about Meredith and the almost kiss they had shared the previous day. She spent the whole night thinking about the meaning of that kiss - almost kiss. And the result was always the same. She was in love with Meredith. But she couldn't be! It was impossible! Maybe she felt that way only because it was a weird week and she was sad and miserable and Meredith with her words had managed to make her feel better, to make her feel like she wasn't a complete mess and a horrible woman who killed her child in her womb, but someone who saved babies' lives. Yes, it was definitely that. She wasn't in love with Meredith, it was just...a weird week! So there was no need to try to avoid her, she just had to explain to Meredith what was going on and things would be gone back to normal in no time.
Meredith was at a nurse station. When she saw Addison walking her way, she sighed in relief. She was worried that Addison would have ignored her because of what had happened between them.
"Do you think I'm a stammering, mumbling, clumsy disaster?" asked Meredith to the older woman when she got near her.
"What?" asked Addison.
"Cristina and Izzie say that I'm a lot like my father, that I'm messy...is it true?"
"Well..." Addison laughed a bit. "They might have a point."
"No, not you too! At least with Cristina and Izzie I could find something wrong with them, I could reply...but there's nothing I can use against you, you're practically perfect!" pouted the intern.
Addison sighed. "I'm not perfect, Meredith. Look, what happened yesterday...I'm sorry, this is a weird week for me and if you need something to use against me here it is: I aborted Mark's baby...before I came to Seattle. I wanted Derek and Mark was cheating on me and it felt so wrong to have his baby. And today it should have been the due date, so Mark is doing his best to make me feel miserable and I feel like I'm a monster for killing my baby, and I'm alone now, no Derek, no Mark, no baby. I'm just alone." Her eyes filled with tears.
"Hey hey." said Meredith hugging her friend. "You're not alone, ok? You have me, and Callie, and Bailey, and Derek may not be your husband anymore, but he's still your friend. And Mark will get over this and you'll be friends again. And you're not a monster, Addison. You did the right thing."
"Thanks." smiled Addison, drying her tears. "I'm sorry I have been a little distant these last days. And I'm really sorry about..."
"Stop!" Meredith interrupted her. "There's no need to say sorry. It's ok, I get it. Weird week. Just...let's put this all behind us, ok?"
Addison nodded and went back to her work, feeling lighter because she had talked to Meredith about the abortion, but also a little guilty, because deep inside of her she knew she was just denying her feelings.
Meredith waited for Addison to disappear around the corner to turn around and run into the nearest supply closet. When she closed the door, she let herself fall on the floor and cry. She had believed that maybe Addison was feeling the same she was feeling, but apparently it wasn't like that. It was just a weird week.

-o-

Callie Torres was confused. George had kissed her. What did it mean for him? He couldn't just kiss her in his father's room, in front of his family, holding a urine bag! He just couldn't do it. She needed to talk to someone, she needed to understand and she needed an advise. So when she saw Addison sitting in the cafeteria, she sat down near her.
"George kissed me. Yesterday. One minute he was holding a urine bag, the next minute he's kissing me. Do you think he's just freaking out about his dad? Yeah, you're right. He's probably just freaking out. I shouldn't hold him to it."
Addison was staring off into the space, tapping her finger on her laptop without really seeing the monitor, lost in her thought, when she realized that Callie was talking to her. "What?"
Callie rolled her eyes. "Did you not just hear a word I said? I'm pouring my heart out here. Jeez it's all about you. It's all about...Everything's about Addison."
"I aborted Mark's baby." said Addison, watching Callie in the eyes with a lost expression.
"It is all about you. Floor is all yours."
The redhead sighed. "About 8 months ago I...peed on a stick. And I wasn't even going to tell him. But then I did...tell him. And he went out and he bought this insane Yankees onesie. And a calendar and marked the due date. Which I should mention was today."
"You didn't want a baby?" asked the resident.
"I wanted Derek. I wanted to have a baby with Derek. I never thought I'd end up alone." said Addison, feeling once again the tears forming in her eyes.
Callie took her friend's hand. "You have not ended up anywhere."
"You're right. I know." nodded the attending. "I just...sometimes it feels that way you know. This is one of those weeks it feels that way. And when I feel like this I do a lot of stupid things, like..." she stopped.
"Like what?" asked Callie. "Addison, what's wrong? It's not just Mark and the abortion, isn't it?"
Addison shook her head. "No, you're right, it's not. I...Meredith and I almost kissed yesterday. In the NICU."
"YOU DID WHAT?" shouted the dark-haired woman, making everybody in the cafeteria turn around and stare at them.
"Callie, please, I don't want the whole hospital to know about it!" blushed Addison. "We almost kissed. Like a brief, soft lips touching moment."
"Addison Forbes Montgomery...I didn't know you were playing for the other team!" laughed Callie.
"I don't. I mean...I don't think I am. It's just...I was upset, ok? Mark is treating me like crap and I tried to apologize but he was still rude to me...and Meredith was there, saying all those perfect things about me being amazing and passionate and caring...and she said something about her loving me...I'm not sure how she meant that, she said "that's what I love most about you" and before I knew we were leaning to each other and our lips touched, but a nurse came in and I ran away apologizing. And today we talked about it, kind of, and we decided it was just the result of a weird week and that we should put this behind us."
Callie arched the eyebrow. "Are you sure it's just the result of a weird week?"
"Of course!" replied Addison. "What else would it be? But enough about me. What were you saying before?"
Callie wasn't really convinced by Addison's words, but she decided to let it go. "George kissed me yesterday, and I can't understand if he is just freaking out about his father or if he meant something."
"I don't know." Addison shrugged. Damn interns! "I mean, I don't know him so I cannot really help you. But you two have been together before and yes, maybe he was freaking out about his father, but maybe he really meant something when he kissed you. He could have kissed anyone else, but he kissed you. There must mean something, right?"
"I hope so." sighed Callie.

-o-

Alex Karev entered the NICU, to find Addison checking Laura Grey's vitals.
"Hey. How is she?"
"She's good." smiled Addison. "She had her first diaper change today."
"That's good, I'm glad she's ok. You did a great job with her!"
"We both did. You helped." said Addison. She really thought Alex Karev could make an amazing neonatal surgeon.
"Look, Dr Montgomery..." started Alex stuttering a little. It was the perfect moment to ask Addison out, but he was nervous. "Would you like to go out with me sometimes? Like...on a date?"
Addison was taken by surprise. "Alex...I...I'm sorry, but I can't..."
"Oh, I see...it's ok, I mean...I'm an intern, you're my attending, my teacher...it's obvious..." Alex was about to leave the room, cursing himself for his dumbness, but Addison stopped him.
"No Alex, it's not that...I'd love to go out with you cause I think you are a great guy but...there's someone else...I think...someone I have feelings for...and it wouldn't be fair to you...going out with you when I'm thinking about someone else...I'm sorry."
Wait, what? Did she just say what she heard herself saying? Feelings for someone else? NO! She didn't have feelings for anybody. Or maybe she did...no, Addison. Deny! But at least Alex seemed ok with that answer, considering he was smiling at her. "I was right about you."
"What do you mean?" asked Addison.
"You're a wonderful person. Thanks for being honest with me, Dr Montgomery. I appreciate it."
"Alex" she said sweetly. "I think after this conversation, you can call me Addison when we're not in a working situation. And you know...I'd love for us to be friends...if you want to..."
"Of course. I'd love to be your friend, Addison." replied Alex, a bright smile on his face. Ok, maybe Addison had turned him down, but the idea of having the redhead as a friend wasn't that bad. He could live with that. But a question popped in his mind: who was the person Addison had feelings for?

-o-

Meredith wasn't having a good week too. Her father was everywhere and she didn't want him there. George's father was dead and Merdith felt terrible because for a moment she felt jealous of him and the relationship he shared with his dad. And ever if she didn't know what it felt to have a father, Meredith knew George must be devastated. And on top of that, Addison had basically rejected her. Ok, maybe rejected was a big word..but still...Meredith felt like crap.
She went to Joe alone, cause she needed to drink something and wash away all the sadness she was feeling. She didn't realize Addison was sitting at the counter until the redhead greeted her.
"George's father is dead." she announced, sitting near the attending and drinking her first shot of tequila.
"Oh. I'm so sorry." said Addison sadly.
"It's not fair. I have a father who walks around the hospital and I don't want him there and he is fine. My life wouldn't change if he died. And George was so close to his dad and he's gone. It's not fair." sighed the intern.
"I know." nodded Addison. "Life's not fair."
They remained in silence for a while, drinking and thinking.
"Can I stay with you tonight?" asked then Meredith. "George is staying with his family tonight, so he won't need me there and I...I don't want to be alone."
"Of course." replied Addison, taking Meredith's hand. "Let's go."
They arrived at the hotel and went straight to bed, without really talking. None of them had much to say but they needed to be with each other. Addison knew she couldn't deny for long what she was feeling, but she decided not to think about it now. "I'll think about it tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day." she thought, quoting her favorite movie, and soon she fell asleep, wrapped in Meredith's arms. Thank God that week was over!