This is a problem. A definite problem.

Addison paced around the room, the bed sheet held tightly around her shoulders. Her fingers were white with tension.

Here she was, the morning after the night before.

Nails scratching down her back, tousled hair over her shoulders, hungry kisses tasting of vodka and orgasms to bring the world to a crashing halt.

A perfectly good night before, Addison mused, smirking momentarily before panic invaded her system again.

The night before at Joes. With Izzie. Isobel Stevens, her intern, her charge, her subordinate - so to speak. Drinking with the help isn't the problem – Having sex with them is.

It happens, it always happens: In Seattle or New York, she reasoned. She began ticking off the numerous pairings. Derek and Meredith, obviously. Cristina Yang and Preston. O'Malley and Callie. Mark Sloan and anything with breasts. Everyone's at it.

But Addison had liked to think that she held herself to slightly higher standards. She cared that it was inappropriate. She cared about the problems it caused at the hospital. She cared about the differences between interns and attendings.

But that didn't stop her letting Isobel Stevens pin her to the bed, run her tongue over her bare neck and make her quiver…

Stop it! Stop it! She scolded, trying desperately to figure a way out.

You see, after Joes, they'd gone back to Izzie's house. (Izzie, George and Meredith's house.) Izzie left early for rounds, thinking it best to let Addison sleep. And now Addison was stuck in Stevens' room, her face pressed against the door to listen to the sounds of either George or Meredith on a day off downstairs. In addition to this already pathetic situation, she was unable to find her shirt and freezing as apparently interns can't afford heating.

She had two choices: Either hide in here until whoever it was left and possibly, surely be late for her surgery at nine. Or steal a shirt of Isobel's', run out before anyone could see her and try explain it away later.

Addison flopped down on the bed, then froze realising she may have made too much noise. She paused, holding her breath and anxiously listened to any movement from downstairs.

Nothing.

She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.

This is ridiculous. I'm one of the top neo-natal surgeons in the continent, if not the planet, and I'm hiding in an interns bedroom, hoping her bitchy friends don't see me.

Sex with Derek may have not been as good as last night but it sure as Hell was a lot simpler afterwards.

That was when she decided, to Hell with it. As a doctor she had an obligation to save lives which came before everything else. As a mature, successful, independent woman, I have the obligation to myself to not act like such an idiot.

Addison threw off the sheet and marched to the wardrobe. She pulled out a simple white shirt that would do fine. As she pulled it over her head, she was swamped in the smell of Isobel Stevens. And it put her temporarily off balance as her head swam and legs shook slightly with the memory of last night.

After urging herself to pull it together (and several deep breaths while clinging to the wall) Addison was prepared for whatever might happen. She stuffed scattered items back into her bag and pulled her hair back into a tight pony tail.

Bracing herself in front of the door, Addison opened it quickly – ripping the stitches. Sensing no movement from the household resident downstairs, she began to walk lightly to the stairs. Not sneaking, she told herself, just being courteously quiet.

She took the stairs almost one at a time, one hand gripping the banister as though she might fall. Halfway down, she could see the front door. She was almost there. And there was no movement from whoever else was here.

Too soon.

"Izzie, you are so late, Bailey is rip off your arms. And she won't let you in on the surgery to reattach them."

The warning came before the appearance. And there she was. Meredith Grey rounding the corner and standing at the bottom of the stairs.

It took Grey a second to realise what had happened and when she did, she took a visible step back.

Addison froze. Meredith froze.

Addison did the only thing she could think of, she nervously smiled and cleared her throat.

"Meredith—"

"Dr Montgomery, what are you doing in my house?"

Meredith's tone was more hysterical than she would have liked, more annoyed than she would have liked and less pleasant that she would have liked.

Addison realised that Meredith has absolutely no idea what she might be doing in her house. She could be stealing, spying or trying to murder her for all she knew. The last one probably being the most likely in Meredith's mind.

"I'm sorry, Dr Grey," Addison said tightly, struggling to keep up her winning smile. "I stayed the night. And only woke up. And I have surgery at nine. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Stayed the night? Where?" Meredith asked, clearly not thinking of the implications of the question and just blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"With Stevens. In her room. With Isobel," Addison murmured softly, feeling her chest contract.

"Oh. Oh," Meredith half-gasped, eyebrows shooting upwards as she stepped away as if she might contract some kind of gay disease from Addison.

"Sorry, again. I don't know what you must've been thinking. So now you know I didn't break into your house, Meredith, would it be all right if I left for surgery?" Her tone was light but the way Addison said it let her know that even though Meredith had metaphorically caught her with her pants down; Addison was still the boss and wasn't going to let this undermine her.

"Of course, sorry," Meredith said, visibly flustered and waving erratically at the front door.

"Thanks. I'll see you later Dr. Grey."

--

Addison shut the door of the on-call room, resting her back against it. Izzie sat down on a bed, awkwardly folding her arms, not wanting to appear too stand offish.

"So… Did you find everything all right this morning?" she says finally. Addison looks up, raising an eyebrow. "In the kitchen. You know. Coffee."

"Well. I didn't make it to the kitchen," Addison says, chewing her lip and looking upwards. "As Meredith was there."

Izzie's eyes widened. "Oh. God. Shit. I thought she was supposed to be at the nursing home this morning. She's in at lunchtime. God. Well… Did you two…"

"Uh huh."

"And that went well."

"Extremely well. Meredith embraced me and welcomed me into her home by making me pancakes, telling me all her deep, dark little secrets and brushing my hair," Addison retorted sarcastically.

"Oh."

A silence hung between them, neither entirely sure what to say.

"OK, well," Addison said suddenly and briskly. "Just wanted to let you know that the whole hospital probably knows by now. I have surgery."

As she turned to go, Isobel shot off the bed and put her hand on the doorknob to stop her.

"Wait, Dr M—Addison. Addison, wait," Isobel affirmed. Addison turned round, now almost too close for comfort, inches from Isobel's face. Izzie tried to move back, but she couldn't. "I just wanted… Last night was good," she blurted earnestly.

Addison's lips parted to speak but no words came out.

"It was good. And I don't care about what anyone else will say. The Attending thing… It's hardly an issue with the amount of sex in this hospital. And the girl thing… Well it's not bothered me for a while now. So unless it bothers you, I am… Not bothered," Isobel finished, slightly less than eloquently.

Addison flinched, almost able to feel Isobel's skin inches away from her own. She steeled herself and cleared her throat.

"Well. Good. But I have a thing, so I have to—" she started briskly.

"Go?" Izzie guessed, not moving. The slight smile that had been playing on her lips disappeared.

"Yes. Go," Addison nodded curtly, her mouth feeling dry. "I have a thing… I have surgery."

"So you said," Izzie nodded, swallowing.

"Could I…?" Addison asked nervously, gesturing towards Izzie's hand on the door handle. Izzie shook her head out and watched Addison make her hasty exit.

--

Addison watched the table of the "cool kid" interns from over her glasses, keeping her eye on a specific blond. Izzie looked distracted as she picked through her salad, not taking any notice of why George was moaning or what Cristina was bitching about.

Addison watched as Karev sat down and Yang screeched her chair away from him, clearly annoyed with him for something or other. O'Malley looked happy enough with his lunch, paying no mind to whatever Cristina was saying to Alex.

Addison couldn't help but remember last night every time she saw Izzie, or caught a trace smell of Izzie's perfume on her skin, or even if someone mentioned her name. The memory of last night was accompanied by a dull pleasurable stabbing sensation in the very pit of her stomach. This was coupled with a sweaty, feverish feeling singing through her skin. Not to mention the acid style flashback of sounds and feelings and the way Izzie looked naked.

No, no. Stop it. I can't be sitting here, ogling my intern from across the room and thinking about her without any clothes on! Addison scolded herself.

Breathing in and out, she cleared her mind: Only for the images, moans and sweaty feelings to return shortly after.

--

"Izzie, what's wrong? Why aren't you joining in the Alex-Hate?" Cristina demanded, waving a banana in front of Izzie's face.

"What? Nothing," Izzie mumbled, shuffling her fork through salad leaves.

"That's not good enough, I need to hear real bile," Cristina said, chucking salt packets at her. Izzie barely made any move to swat them away.

"Why do we hate Alex?" she asked in a nonchalant tone

"Because we always hate Alex," Karev mimicked in a whiny tone.

"He stole my coffee!" Cristina protested.

"I thought it was going spare!" Alex protested, kicking his legs up on Cristina's lap with a grin. She pushed them off in disgust, rattling them against the table in the process.

"Well. Then you should have asked," George told him with a nervous level of finality to his voice.

"Sorry, sorry," Alex said, rolling his eyes and leaning his head back. "There's just so much more on my mind right now, O'Malley. Man stuff. For men. You wouldn't get it."

"What stuff?" George asked, his voice muffled through his burrito.

"Like getting some tail," he announced, folding his hands behind his head. "If you remember what that's like?"

"And who's giving you any, Syph-boy?" Cristina scoffed.

"O'Malley's Syph-boy," Alex argued.

"You gave it to me!" George protested.

"Just for everyone listening – Not directly," Alex told the unsuspecting diners at the surrounding tables.

"Yeah, you're the original Syph-boy. The one who infected half the hospital," Cristina said, crushing her empty cup.

"Is it my fault I get a lot of sex?" Alex asked breezily.

"It is your fault if you don't bring a hat to the party," Cristina countered, sniggering under her breath.

"Yeah, yeah. Me and twenty others," he mumbled.

"So, who's your next victim?" Cristina asked, leaning over. "So I can warn her you're disease ridden."

"Well, you and Grey've managed to get it on with Attending's," Alex shrugged, grinning slyly. "Is there a club for that? Sign me up, baby."

"Who?" Cristina asked, furrowing her brow. Her face lit up in realisation. "Oh. You and Montgomery?"

At the mention of her name, Izzie came to life, looking anxiously at everyone. "Who and Dr. Montgomery?"

"Alex," George nodded, quite impressed. "She's McHot."

"McYeah," Alex laughed.

"What?" Startled, Izzie pushed her chair back.

"Well, not yet. But I am so gonna hit that," Alex smiled, looking over his shoulder. "Check it out. She so wants me."

Rather indiscreetly, Cristina and George quickly looked over at Addison Montgomery's table to see her surveying them with a curious expression. When she realised they had noticed her, Addison put her head down, coughing lightly.

"Please, Alex. Seriously. Addison Montgomery does not want to sleep with you," Izzie managed to force out, disgusted.

"Are you kidding me? She's all over me!" Alex laughed, tipping his chair back onto two legs.

"She was definitely checking someone out," Cristina nodded, carefully evaluating Dr Montgomery.

"Swear to God, I'll have fucked her by Tuesday," Alex boasted. "Or double your money back."

"You're such a... a…" Izzie stammered, enraged. She stood up and shoved his chest, tipping his chair over so he clattered to the floor. Alex yelped out in pain and surprise as Izzie quickly surveyed the table, looking for something to grab. "Ass!" she snarled, snatching up George's chocolate milkshake, eliciting a small whine of protest from him. Hastily, she opened the top and poured the contents all over Alex as he lay on the ground.

At first Izzie couldn't hear the surrounding applause and cheers from the surrounding diners as her heart was pounding furiously. The sounds of the lunch area came back to her in surround sound as she looked around.

Not believing how she had reacted, Izzie dropped the cup and ran, not noticing that Addison had sat bolt upright and her eyes were following her.

Alex pushed himself off the floor and wiped chocolate milkshake from his eyes. He looked around at the audience that Izzie's stunt had gathered and held his hands up. "She's not over me. What can I tell you?" he shrugged, forcing a smile. He trudged off in the direction of the locker room.

"Izzie's over Alex, right?" Cristina muttered to George.

"Yeah she is," George enthused. "So over."

"So what the Hell was that about?"

"Maybe she's not over him," George said absentmindedly, silently lamenting the loss of his shake. He had waited all morning for that.

"You just said—"

"No. She is. She's definitely over him," George affirmed, snapping his eyes away from the split milkshake.

"Sure? Then why did she make such a scene?" Cristina queried. "Not that it won't be the entire highlight of my month. I can't believe Mere missed it."

"Maybe she's not over him," he wondered aloud.

"George, will you make up your frickin' mind!"

--

Izzie stormed through the corridors of Seattle Grace, not noticing the affronted patients or confused Doctors until she reached the outer hall lined with bed where they all sat on whatever breaks they could manage. She slumped on a bed, holding her head in her hands and let out a fierce shriek of anger and annoyance.

"Izzie?"

She looked up to see Meredith standing in front of her still with bag and her coat on. This was the very last person she wanted to see.

"When did you get in?" Izzie said sniffing as she pushed her hair back. She drew her knees to her chest.

"Just now. I saw you come through here… Did something happen?" Meredith asked gently, leaning on the wall.

"No. Nothing happened," Izzie dismissed, not looking Meredith in the eye.

"Is this… Is this to do with Addison?" Meredith asked cautiously. Izzie looked up, alarmed but before she could answer, Cristina and George appeared behind Meredith.

"Meredith! Jesus, you should have seen it!" Cristina announced, sitting on the bed next to Izzie.

"It was brilliant," George grinned, biting into his apple.

"McFrickin' brilliant," Cristina laughed. "Izzie beat up Alex."

"I did not beat up Alex," Izzie said in a hard tone.

Meredith blinked in surprise. "You beat up Alex?"

"She beat up Alex!" George repeated happily.

"I did not beat up Alex!" Izzie told them all sharply.

"I nearly beat up Alex once," Meredith shrugged. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Me too. I beat him up once too," George nodded enthusiastically.

"I haven't," Cristina huffed. "Not actually or nearly. I feel left out."

"He's easy," George grinned, chewing on his apple.

"I didn't beat him up!" Izzie shouted, standing up.

"Watch out, she's ready to attack," Cristina laughed. "OK, so she pushed him over on his chair and poured milkshake on him."

"My milkshake," George said wistfully.

"It was probably the best thing you'll ever do in your life, Iz," Cristina hummed happily.

Meredith opened her mouth to ask why but shut it again, suspecting the answer. "Well, that's great. I'm gonna go get ready."

As Meredith disappeared from view, Cristina studied Izzie, trying to figure out what was going on in all of this, and how she had a feeling that Meredith somehow knew.

--

Later in the afternoon, Addison was lazily flicking through a chart when Izzie caught her eye. She was moving quickly back and forth, slaloming through employees and patients alike, as if she didn't want to attract anyone's attention. Little did she know everyone was already taking about her. Addison sighed into her Styrofoam coffee cup and couldn't tear her eyes away from the pretty intern as she indexed charts. However, Addy could feel the presence of another sidle up beside her at the desk.

"Dr. Montgomery. And cool vagina surgeries today?" Alex asked, smiling.

"Get the shake out your hair yet, Dr Karev?" Addison countered, suppressing a smile.

"So," Alex started slyly, leaning on his elbows. "I've noticed this look about you the past week or so. Like you're just very very… hungry. So, I thought it'd do the decent thing and take you out to dinner."

"What?" Addison asked blankly, having not heard any of it.

"Me. You. Dinner."

"No thanks, I've already eaten," Addison replied distractedly, as her gaze followed Stevens again.

"When I said dinner, I might have meant another kind of dinner. Well, when I said hungry. I didn't necessarily mean hungry," Karev smirked.

Addison gave him her full attention, turning to face him and look him in the eye. She gave him a smirk of her own.

"Like I said – I've already eaten."

--

For the rest of the day Izzie kept her head down, diligently checking charts and ferrying patients to surgeries she couldn't take part in. She didn't so much as avoid everyone as hide; offering to do procedures and examinations for the nursing staff and even going so far as helping housekeeping by scrubbing bedpans and changing linen. Anything to keep busy and out of sight.

When her shift was over at last, she couldn't wait to get home and crawl into bed. Humiliated by rejection and her behaviour at lunch had made her want to seek a small dark hole to scurry into. She spoke only in one word answers to her friends, refusing to say anything about Alex or the incident. When she finally walked through the exit doors of Seattle Grace, she sighed in relief, hurrying to her car.

She paused with her key in the door, looking over at Joes with its tacky neon sign lovingly adorning the front of the building. Hesitantly, she put her keys back in her bag, reasoning that one drink would go some way to cure the day she'd had.

Sighing, she gave into her weakness for a glass of wine to wash away the aches and headed over to the bar. Once inside, she scanned the room for any Seattle Grace staff. There were a few nurses who nodded at her, silently thanking her for helping them today. In the corner there were a few interns from other residents' groups who she didn't know that well. They all grinned at her, whispering to each other. Izzie reckoned they'd caught the show at lunchtime.

Shrugging it off as best she could, Izzie approached the bar where Joe was wiping down the surface.

"If it isn't my favourite customer today," Joe grinned, automatically pulling a chilled wine glass from the fridge. "Usual?"

"Please," Izzie smiled taking out her purse. "So you heard?"

"It's all that lot over there are talking about," Joe laughed, pouring the wine and pushing it over. Izzie held out the money. "No, no. We'll call this one a house special. Just wish I'd seen it."

"Thanks," Izzie smiled, stowing her money away. She picked up her glass and moved over to a table in the corner, hoping it would shield her from prying eyes.

She sat and stared at her wine for a while. To her it could have been hours, but it was only minutes. She was only broken out of her day dream by a much needed familiar voice.

"You gonna drink that Stevens or are you just staring it to death?"

Izzie looked up immediately to see Addison standing at her table, smiling gently and holding a wine glass of her own. Izzie smiled widely before remembering their conversation earlier and Addison's coldness. She stiffened herself, clearing her throat.

"I am drinking it," Izzie replied defensively. "Just not actively, right this second."

"OK," Addison said, bemused. "Can I sit?"

"You're my boss, you can do want you want," Izzie answered breezily, taking a sip.

Addison eased into the seat, as if not wanting to upset the delicate balance between them. Before she could say anything, Izzie blurted out, "So you want to know what happened with Alex? Everyone does. Sad to say, it's seriously all anyone's talking about. Like nothing else happens."

Izzie started tapping her fingers in an erratic beat on her glass, clearly anxious.

"It was a quiet day," Addison remarked, playing with the bottom of her glass gingerly. "So what did he do to make you pour milkshake all over him?"

"He was just being Alex," Izzie dismissed, drumming louder.

"Must have been something worse than usual?" Addison fished around for a proper response.

"Like I said, he's an ass. Alex is an ass. Can't really say much more than he's a gigantic ass who needs—"

Addison caught Izzie's hand mid-tap and held it, looking at her intently.

"Izzie."

Izzie paused, biting her lip and glanced up at her Attending. "He said things about you."

"About you and I?" Addison asked, her gaze not wavering.

"About you and him," Izzie said, pulling her hand out of Addison's grasp.

"There's nothing between—"

"He doesn't think so," Izzie bit in. "He thinks you're all over him."

Addison sat back, still looking intently at her. She smiled softly and accidentally let a sigh escape her lips. "Are you jealous?"

"No. No, I'm not," Izzie replied in a low voice, throwing back a fair bit of her wine.

"Then why are you—"

"I'm pissed off," Izzie responded honestly, her nostrils flaring. She stared at Addison. "Did you just want to fuck an intern? Just an itch needing scratched? Score to settle? Just because you're McHot—"

"I'm McHot?" Addison goggled. "As opposed to McDreamy and McSteamy – I'm McHot?"

"Yes, you're McHot," Izzie replied in a bored tone.

After a moments contemplation, Addison burst into peals of laughter. It took a small while, but seeing Addison in such raptures of delight made Izzie crack a smile. Addison calmed herself down, taking a drink and shaking her head.

"McHot!" Addison scoffed under her breath.

"You are McHot," Izzie reluctantly muttered softly.

"Yeah?" Addison smiled warmly. "Well. Contrary to popular - Or Alex Karev's belief, I am not all over him. Not happening."

"Oh," Izzie nodded slowly. "Well, it's none of my business anyway."

"Right. Because you weren't jealous," Addison nodded as well, a smile playing on her lips.

"Because I wasn't jealous," Izzie affirmed, looking Addison in the eye. Izzie felt a cold shiver creep up her back and was sure Addison knew she was lying.

They looked at each other for a while. Silently, they drank and they looked. Neither really sure what to say first and sure if anything should be said at all.

"I'm sorry," Addison said finally. "About this morning in the on-call room. I was wound up. Meredith at the house… I didn't mean... I didn't know what I wanted."

"You didn't know or you don't know?" Izzie ventured, draining the last of her wine nervously.

"Didn't," Addison said decidedly. "Because after I saw you beating up Karev, my mind was made up."

"I didn't beat him up," Izzie smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, you didn't?" Addison teased, feigning confusing and moving to get up. "Oh well. Guess I was wrong. Be seeing you, Stevens."

"Wait," Izzie said immediately, grabbing Addison's hand. "Maybe I did beat him up."

"Thought so," the red head grinned, sitting down to finish her wine,

Again, they sat in silence. Each with an empty glass but each with their minds on other things than alcohol.

"I had to borrow a shirt," Addison smiled quietly. "This morning. I borrowed your shirt."

"Well," Izzie said playfully. "I want it back. Tonight. If possible."

"Well maybe I could bargain with you. Give you one of mine," Addison said thoughtfully. "I have some at my hotel."

"I could walk you there," Izzie suggested, threading her fingers through Addison's.

"And it would only be polite if I offered you coffee," Addison nodded, her smile growing by the second.

"Only polite," Izzie shrugged as she stood up, grabbing her coat and not letting Addison's hand go.

--

Waking up to Izzie Stevens kissing your neck wasn't a bad start to the day. Addison had learned this over the past few days while they camped out at the hotel. However, as they had abandoned the Archfield last night in favour of Izzie's room, it could only go downhill from there.

"Addy," Izzie murmured in her lovers skin. She traced her fingertips over Addison's back, hoping to engage some sort of a reaction. "Addison."

"What?" Addison asked groggily.

"Addy, you have to wake up," Izzie told her, trying to pull Addison's body to face her as they usually slept spooning.

"What time is it? Do I have to?" Addison said into her pillow.

"Its half five," Izzie whispered.

"Are you kidding? We only got to sleep an hour ago," she groaned, curling herself into a protective ball.

"I know. And you have to get up," Izzie said urgently.

"What are you promising?" Addison asked with an edge of wickedness to her tired voice.

"Whatever you want. Tonight. But you have to get up and go now," Izzie pleaded.

"Seriously?" Addison turned back over, trying to burrow herself in the duvet.

"Seriously. You have to go before everyone wakes up. Rounds at seven."

"There is no way I'm getting up. Meredith knows. How bad can George be? He's just a little… kitten puppy baby…" Addison reasoned lazily, drifting back to sleep. Izzie shook her to keep her awake.

"Not George. Derek. Derek's staying the night with Meredith and he doesn't know."

Addison fluttered her eyes open. "Why should I care if Derek knows? Divorce is very therapeutic. Rids you of caring who's screwing who. Most of the time."

"You might not care, but Derek will. And that'll cause a problem with Meredith. And Meredith will cause a problem with the rest of the hospital. So. Get up," Izzie commanded, sitting up cross legged.

"Why can't he be the one to get up and leave early?" Addison moaned, pulling a pillow in front of her face.

"Don't be stupid," Izzie scolded, pulling the pillow off her. She leaned over Addison, pushing the red hair out her face. "This is why we should stay at the hotel."

"Hotels are so… impersonal. I like your room," Addison smiled, wrapping an arm around Izzie. "And anyway, we should blame the vat of wine last night for the crappy location choice."

"Well you'll never get to see the inside of this house again unless you leave now," Izzie half-threatened, kissing Addison quickly. "Up."

"Right," Addison sighed, giving in.

--

After another long day at the hospital, Derek and Meredith had bypassed Joes and came straight home, just wanting to curl up in bed together. Meredith shot upstairs, feeling the urgent need to be lying down while he trudged up behind her.

Passing Izzie Stevens' bedroom door, Derek heard some curious noises.

"Derek?" Meredith asked, putting her head out of her bedroom door. "You coming?"

"Yeah, yeah," Derek waved, cautiously creeping closer to Izzie's door. "I didn't know Izzie was seeing someone."

"Yeah. Well. She is," Meredith shrugged, nervously grinning. "Come on."

"Just a minute," Derek said, inching closer and listening intently.

"Derek! That is so creepy! And disgusting. You cannot listen to my roommates having sex!" Meredith protested, grabbing his arm.

"I'm not," he said defensively. "I just thought I heard something familiar."

"It's people having sex," Meredith told him. "Everyone knows what that sounds like."

--

Derek looked over at the clock, reading a little past five. He couldn't sleep. He was too hot, thirsty and restless. He sat up and watched Meredith peaceful snoring with envy and sighed.

He kissed her forehead and eased out from between the sheets. Throwing on a T-Shirt and boxers so as not to alarm the other people in the house should he encounter them, Derek made his way downstairs to the kitchen. All was quiet as he poured himself a glass of milk and drained it in one gulp.

Feeling refreshed, he headed back upstairs, pausing halfway up as he heard sounds originating from Izzie's room. He shook his head, grinning and continued.

As he passed Izzie's door on the way back to Meredith's, he paused as he heard more familiar noises. A low guttural moan and someone screaming the blonde interns name in ecstasy.

"Couldn't be," he murmured to himself, sinking into shock. He leaned against the wall and slid down, trying to convince himself that he was wrong.

The noises had stopped and all that was left was a deafening silence. He pushed back his hair, not feeling tired at all.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting out in the hall. Could have been minutes or hours. He went over everything in his mind. Every little detail of what he thought he knew but couldn't be true.

Derek's mind working was interrupted by quiet footsteps and the bedroom door creaking open. He looked up and his stomach sank.

"Derek," Addison whispered, jumping back in shock. She quickly shut the door. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you what you were doing in there," he countered, looking at his ex-wife fiercely.

"Get up," Addison commanded, grabbing him by the arm. She attempted to sneak him quietly down the stairs and out of the front door but he pulled his arm out of her grasp. "Derek, outside," she hissed. "Or do you want to wake everyone up? Because I can tell we're not going to have a very quiet talk. After eleven years of marriage, I can just read the signs."

Tightening his lips, Derek followed her down stairs and outside, closing the door behind them.

"So, want to tell me what you were doing?" he asked harshly, folding his arms. "And what the Hell you think you're playing at?"

"I'm not playing at anything, Derek," Addison told him in a hushed voice.

"Is this to get back at me? Sleeping with someone in the next room?" Derek fired, his voice rising.

"Of course not!" Addison said vehemently. "If it was, why would I be sneaking out before anyone woke up?"

Derek opened his mouth and then shut it again.

"Yes, Derek, that's right. Not everything revolves around you. This is nothing to do with you," she hissed.

"What are you doing Addy? With Izzie Stevens?" Derek said incredulously.

"If you're giving me a lecture on proper Intern-Attending relations, then it would come a lot better if it wasn't from a hypocrite," Addison sneered.

"It's nothing to do with her being an intern!" Derek yelled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She's a… She's a…"

"A girl?" Addison asked, half amused.

"Yes, a girl. A woman. A female – Whatever!" Derek spat, throwing his hands up.

"Pretty one at that, Derek," Addison smiled, her bad side wanting to have some fun toying with him. "Point A Derek : It's nothing to do with you who I date and vice versa. Point B : If I choose to be with a woman then again – it's nothing to do with you," Addison told him forcefully.

"Yes it is!"

"Why, Derek? Why?" Addison asked, folding her arms. "Well?"

"We were married."

"And we're not anymore," Addison said simply.

"But we were married. And you're with a… You're a…" Derek stammered.

"Derek, I don't particularly care what I am or what you want to class me as. I'm happy and I'm moving on. Simple as that. And you're just going to have to accept it," Addison said, her eyes flaring.

Derek held out his arms and dropped them to his sides like a rag doll. He sat down on the front step, and rubbed his eyes. Addison felt her anger deflating and sat down beside him.

"Don't get me wrong, Addy. I want you to be happy," Derek sighed. "Honestly. It's just… Did you always feel this way?"

"Sometimes," Addison nodded. "Doesn't mean I didn't love you. We had a good life together, for the most part. But that's over."

He let out a deep sigh of relief and looked at her gently. "It was a good family, you and me."

"Until it wasn't," she reminded him.

"Until slutty interns entered the picture. For both of us," Derek teased.

Addison laughed and pulled her arms around her. "This is great. This means I get to sleep in."

"Well I'm glad it's working out," Derek laughed.

"Me too," she groaned. "I cannot survive on two hours sleep."

"Yeah? Well your antics across the hall were keeping me up. And I don't see that issue being resolved. What are you doing all night anyway? I had no idea the stamina and appetite—" Derek trailed off.

"Ok!" Addison announced, slightly mortified, standing up. "Now that we're something resembling friends, I still don't feel that good about discussing my sex life with you."

"I wasn't discussing your sex life," Derek dismissed, looking up at her. "Do you want to discuss your sex life? Because, as a friend, I'll find it in me to bear hearing about your sex life. Go ahead, try me."

"You know what, Derek? I think I'll pass," Addison nodded slowly, a smile sneaking on her lips. "And go inside. Back to bed."

"Back to your slutty intern," Derek quipped.

"And you'll go back to yours. And the world will be at rights again," Addison told him as she opened the door with a gracious flourish.

"Anytime, Addy. I'll be that friend," Derek half smiled as he stood up.

"No, Derek," Addison said in sing-song voice over her shoulder as she started on the stairs. She paused and whirled round. "And just so you know – I think your girlfriend would find it uncool to think about her roommate and your ex-wife in bed together. Just a heads up so you don't go getting on Meredith's bad side," Addison winked and ran up the stairs back to bed.