For the first time in a while Addison actually slept. Sure, she was up most of the night talking to Mark, but once she fell asleep she remained that way throughout the entire night which was more than she can say the past couple of weeks. She's been too busy thinking. She hated it. She didn't want to be thinking. When Addison Montgomery began to think it only caused trouble. It always made her do a psychological time warp and she's think about everything that's ever happened in her life from her estranged relationship with her parents, to her estranged relationship with Derek and then with Mark. Every relationship she's ever had had wound up horribly and each and every time she ran away if someone wasn't running away from her first.

Addison ran to the arms of her and Derek's best friend when her marriage became too difficult to face then Derek ran away after finding them in bed. Instead of going after him right away, she tried to make things work with Mark but once he ran to other women for sex, the redhead finally ran to Seattle to get her husband back. Mark ran after her and Derek ran back to her even though by then his heart already belonged to Meredith which was exactly why they didn't work out and after that she tried to work things out with Mark. And when all failed she ran off to California.

Moving to California was supposed to force her into pushing her past aside and having a new start but she always thought back on her past and couldn't help but feel as though she's gone wrong. She's had so many chances with California men; hot California men that knew how to surf but that just wasn't enough for her. No matter who she was seeing at the time or no matter who she had eyes for, she wound up comparing them to the important men of her past which was exactly what she wanted to avoid. She moved here looking for change but over time she wound up looking for the exact same thing she left, problem being that there was no one else like him.

Feeling the sun beating down on her skin, the light seeping through her eye lids, Addison slowly opened her eyes and gave them a couple seconds to adjust before reaching over to the empty spot on her bed and picking up her phone to find that she had one text message from Mark.

There was no one else like Mark Sloan.

She could run away as always and search as far as the earth stretched but she would never be able to find another Mark Sloan.

"Good morning Red. Did you sleep?"

She smiled softly, this being the first thing that actually made her smile in the morning. Usually every morning was full of groans and the fight to actually get out of bed but for once she was really truly looking forward to something other than work. This conversation would be the highlight of her day and she didn't know whether that was sad or not but she was happy to be talking to Mark again.

"Good morning. I actually slept surprisingly well. You?"

It only took about a minute before she got a response.

"Same here. I slept like a baby. It's been a while."

"You're welcome."

She smirked as she sent it, knowing he would have the same reaction. No matter what she put the man through he would never stop loving her and wanting her. It wasn't him just being a flirt. It was becoming so much clearer than before.

"Okay well I guess a thank you is expected? So thank you. Oh and you're welcome too."

Even though he knew he was the reason she was able to sleep so well, she couldn't just come out and tell him that. That wasn't the Addison Montgomery things to do.

"Oh you seem a tad confident."

"I have every reason to."

"Reason being?"

"You texted me out of the blue."

"You're never going to let that go are you?"

"Nope. Sorry."

Of course he wouldn't forget. He was Mark Sloan after all. He's probably been waiting since college to hear something like that. Though they were together for a short time, she never allowed herself to become too vulnerable around him. The fact that she texted him first was a huge deal. It showed that she couldn't wait for the day that he would text her because she worried that he never would.

"I don't need to take this Mark Sloan. I live in L.A. I have too much sass for this. =p"

"God do I know that. And trust me, it wasn't L.A. that did that to you."

She grinned as she got up from bed and picked out some clothes; a short blue v-neck dress and matching blue heels and put them in the bathroom. Walking out, she picked up her phone to respond.

"And for some reason you never came close to wanting to kill me. And why is that?"

Throwing her phone back down on her bed, she walked into the bathroom and stripped down before stepping into the shower and though normally she was famous for those hour long showers, she was out in a matter of ten minutes.

Heels and dress, Addison was at least half ready for the day. She threw her hair up in a towel and walked back and immediately went for her phone.

"Because you know me better than that. Do you really think I'd survive life without Addison Montgomery?"

When she read that she bit her lip, reading over the message several times as though to make sure she read that right. Of course it wasn't exactly something she wouldn't expect from him, but to be reminded that she actually was important to someone.

"Well in case you haven't noticed we haven't seen in each other in a long time. You're still alive."

"I'm alive but I'm barely living."

Damn it. How did he do this to her from so far away? She wanted nothing more than to get on the first flight to Seattle so in just a couple hours she could be in his arms. All the work she's put into becoming a stronger person was being undone with every text.

"Seattle does that to a person."

"Being away from the one you care about does that to a person."

She couldn't fight that. There was no way she could. She hasn't been right and once they started talking, she felt a little more comfortable in her skin. No one could make her feel the way he made her feel and she hated it so much.

How was she to respond to that?

"Well then maybe we should arrange something soon."

That definitely was not a response Mark would be expecting and honestly, Addison didn't expect that of herself. She went back to her sent box to make sure she really did say that and sure enough she did. Now she couldn't push him away if he agreed. She already gave him the okay to see her. She told him she wanted to. Plus she really wanted to see what would happen.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"I know. Go right ahead."

She took her hair out of the towel and dropped it on the ground before walking back into the bathroom. She ran a brush through her wet hair before adding a frizz control product and some spray. Her hair would dry pin straight as it always did so she didn't really have to worry. It took all but two minutes to make sure her hair was decent.

Walking back out into her bedroom, grabbed her purse from the side of her bed and pulled out her makeup bag. Quickly, she put on her eye liner, mascara and light pink lip gloss. From the corner of her eye she saw her phone light up and right then, she dropped everything for her phone.

"So what are you doing Red? Shouldn't you be at work or something?"

"Yeah I'm going in a little late today. I'm leaving now. And you should speak for yourself Sloan. Where the hell are you? Wouldn't you have normally been at work three hours ago? You should be busy as hell."

Addison and Mark used to have the same shifts. It was nine, they normally were in the hospital by six.

Throwing everything back into her black Chanel bag, Addison threw it over her shoulder and walked downstairs and out the door, phone in hand as she locked up.

Once she got in her car, she checked her phone one last time before driving off.

"I went to work and I have a big surgery coming up. I have time though and I'd much rather spend my time talking to you than looking around here for someone to amuse me."

There was Derek and there was Callie, two of his best friends yet he chose to talk to her. She couldn't help but be reminded of the old days.

"I'm glad you picked me. I like talking to you. Can't wait to see you because I know you're not going to argue with us seeing each other. =)"

She sent the message before going off to work. Work was great for Addison. She never had a problem with going. She loved her patients and her friends and now she had another reason to rush there; she'd get to see what Mark said.