Author's Note: Thank you for your kind comments on the last chapter, you all seem quite keen for details of my next story…! The reviews have certainly helped a long, difficult, and not very nice week pass a little more pleasantly anyway, so I definitely mean it when I say thank you, you've managed to make me smile a few times for which I am very grateful. Anyway, on with the next chapter. Just because a new story is on the horizon, that doesn't mean this one is at an end, but I suppose it is working its way to its conclusion now… whatever that might be. By the way, all mentions of anything London-y from now on are officially dedicated to Absydy, who seems to enjoy them!

'An aid worker?' Addison giggled. They were in the hotel bar, after their meal, and Steve was regaling Addison with various anecdotes. He was on the first time he met Alex at the moment.

'Well, look at him,' Steve indicated with his bottle of Budweiser. It was after hours now and all three were a little drunk. 'He has that troubled, been through a lot look about him. Kind of dark and…'

'Twisty,' Alex supplied with a wry smile. He was probably the most sober of the three of them, but if under duress he might be forced to admit that his head was spinning a little, though he wasn't sure if it was the champagne or the occasion.

'Twisty? Dude, don't you mean twisted? You are drunk. Anyway, he came in here, looking all… hero-y and drinking scotch. Definitely an aid worker.' Steve then looked at Alex, briefly at Addison, then back to Alex again, somewhat appraisingly, although with a slightly squinty left eye.

'You know, you don't look like that anymore. You still look sort of hero-y, but not really so much of the twisty.'

'That's, uh, good to know Steve. Thanks.' He caught sight of the clock mounted on the wall behind the bar, and realised that it was nearly two in the morning. The evening had flown by, but he and Addison, or one of them at least, had to be at the hospital for rounds at seven, and neither of the other two were showing any signs of flagging.

It was time, unfortunately, to bring the evening to a close. It had been amazing, but he knew he would be questioning whether or not it was worth it in four hours and fifteen minutes when his alarm clock went off. He tapped Steve on the arm. 'Say, how're you getting home tonight?'

Steve looked non-plussed for a minute. 'Driving… I think.'

'Well, that's not happening. It's too late for the tube, do you want me to call you a cab, or Tina?'

'Oh, cab, definitely. Tina'll murder me. Her mother's flying in from New York tomorrow, I'm meant to be picking her up from the airport at noon. I don't even know what airport.'

'Cab it is.' Alex leaned over the bar and ordered a taxi using the bar phone. It only took a couple of minutes to arrive, and he poured Steve into it, chuckling at the likely reception he would get at home. He reckoned Tina could be pretty feisty.

When he came back into the bar, he saw Addison still sitting on one of the high bar stools. Her legs were crossed, and her tailored dress seemed to have slid up her thigh as she sat there, and there was a slit in the side so giving him a glimpse of the lace tops of her stockings. As if she didn't look sexy enough.

She glanced up and saw him standing in the doorway, watching her.

'Hey you.'

'Hey.'

'Did Steve get off okay?'

'Well, he got in the cab okay. His wife's gonna kill him.'

'What's she like?'

'Tina? She's really nice, you're going to like her. Witty, quite upfront. I've said we'll have dinner with them sometime.' He grinned lopsidedly. 'That's if our burgeoning relationship makes it past this evening, of course.'

'I think it'll probably manage that.'

He made his way across the bar to her and settled himself on a stool next to her, picking up his beer. Addison reached across to lay her hand on his knee and he smiled at her, closing his own hand over her much smaller one.

'Just out of interest,' he asked. 'Are we going to tell people?'

'I… I don't know really. I hadn't thought about it. What do you think?'

'Well, Steve and Tina know. Michael will want to know,' he replied.

Addison fell quiet for a moment, thinking. 'You weren't asking about telling people here in London though, were you?'

'No.'

They'd have to tell them eventually, of course. People would find out, Izzie would find out; she was like a dog with a bone. She was already making noises about coming over to London to visit him. And in a way he wanted to prove to them all that he wasn't just some workaholic screw-up, that he loved and was loved, but at the moment, that was outweighed by something else.

The minute people knew, their relationship would be analysed, picked apart. Izzie would squeal and say she knew all along, Sloan would start taking bets on how long it would last, Bailey would call at least one of them and offer congratulations stilted with warnings about workplace relationships.

For now, it was a secret, special thing, and he wanted it to stay that way for a while, at least until he was certain that it was strong enough to survive the Seattle Grace onslaught.

'Do you want to tell people?' she asked.

He took a sip of beer. 'I asked first.'

'Okay.' She considered the question, running her finger around the top of her champagne flute pensively. 'Yes, I think I'd quite like people there to know. In Seattle, I always felt like such a failure – not professionally obviously, but personally. I'd like the chance to prove I'm not. Now you.'

'I don't really want to tell them all, not yet. By the time I left Seattle, I was so sick of it all, the gossip, the rumours, the picking over of people's personal lives like vultures at a carcass. I just want this to ourselves for a little while. I don't want to share this, you, yet.' He paused, considering how they might compromise over their very different views. 'Sorry if that seems selfish,' he added.

'No, I'm glad you were honest. We'll wait for a while, it's fine. We'll know when it's the right time to tell them.'

'You don't mind?'

'Whatever makes you happy.'

'I think it's me who's meant to be saying that line.'

She turned her hand over in his grasp so she was holding his firmly. 'We make each other happy. This is a two way thing, you know.'

Alex had finished his beer and he noticed that Addison's glass was also empty. He smiled warmly at her, acknowledging her words, and put his beer bottle back on the bar. 'It's getting late.'

'You're right,' she said, and he felt her foot run carefully, lightly, up the back of his leg, which made a delicious shiver follow a similar course up his spine. 'So… what now?'

Oh, how easy it would be to take the empty glass out of her hand and lead her up to his room. To unzip her dress and lay her on his bed. And oh, how much he wanted to. He slid off the stool, and pulled her to her feet. 'Now, I think, I call you a cab.'

'Oh.' She couldn't hide the disappointment from her voice.

He stroked her cheek, marvelling to himself how soft her skin was. 'Addison, I would love more than anything to take you upstairs with me right now, I've hardly been able to think about anything else all evening, but I don't think it's a good idea tonight. We have to be at work in a few hours, and,' he smirked, 'all the things I want to do to you are going to take far longer than that.' She laughed, her eyes lighting up again when she realised this wasn't a rejection. 'Besides,' he added, 'I want to do this properly.'

'Properly?' she asked coyly.

'Take you out for dinner, on dates to the theatre or art galleries or whatever. You're a lady, Addison, and I have every intention of treating you like one this time.'

'Well, if you insist…'

'I do.' There was such an intense, sincere, look in his eyes as he replied it almost took her breath away.

'In that case, perhaps you might like to call this lady a cab.'

'That I can do.'

It didn't take long for the traditional black cab to draw up to the hotel, and he opened the door for her. 'Look, don't worry about being in for rounds tomorrow, I'll deal with it. You get some sleep.'

'Alex, you don't have to do that for me.'

'Don't worry, enjoy your lie in. Just make sure you bring me a coffee when you do come in.'

She smiled softly. 'It's a deal then, thank you. And thank you for such a lovely evening. It's been beautiful. Perfect.'

He kissed her gently. 'Good, I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Goodnight Addison.'

'Goodnight.' She climbed into the cab, and he closed the door after her. As it began to pull away, he saw her mouth something at him, and he was pretty sure it looked like I love you.

As he walked back into the hotel, he checked his watch. Man, he was going to be tired tomorrow. Worth it though.

Author's Note: And now, as a reward for reading the chapter, you can have a little spoiler… (Ha, did you think I'd forgotten?) The new story is going to be called 'Be careful what you wish for' and will be set about three years post season four. If you want more than that, just below here there is a nice button saying Review on it that you can press to ask me.