Late March 2008

"Eastern medicine, huh?" The tone clearly said what Archer thought of Pete's specialty, and Pete caught on quickly.

He stiffened defensively. "Yes."

"You do acupuncture and aroma therapy?" Archer sneered, his hackles immediately rising. "You might as well be a therapist, Peter."

"It's Pete." It was all he could do to stay polite. "Dr. Pete Wilder. My medicine, the medicine that you are condemning allows people to get well without putting toxins into their system--No," he corrected quickly at the outraged look on Archer's face. "I'm not saying that medicine doesn't work. Sometimes, people are allergic to any medicine that could help them so they come to me." He felt like a fumbling idiot, trying to defend himself as well as his specialty to Addison's brother. The man was such a prick.

"At least you're not a brain surgeon," Archer said with a sigh. "I'll count it as a win that you're not constantly competing with my sister for "who's the best in our respective field."" He nodded as if that was a solution that could all come to. "I will. I'll count that as a win...even if you're not a real doctor."

"Archer, shut up," Addison ordered, breezing into the room with a glass of tea for Callie and a glass of wine for herself. "Don't compare my boyfriend with my husband. It's weird."

"Ex-husband."

Addison looked between the three people scattered around her living room. "Way to speak in sync, there. Did you practice it?" She passed Callie her tea and gingerly sat next to her brother. "We are here to have a pleasant night. You wanted to meet Pete so I arranged it."

"Addison, I can't just not insult his profession. He practices alternative medicine."

Pete inhaled deeply and hid his clenched fist. He did not like Archer Montgomery. "My profession is the same as yours, Dr. Montgomery. I am a doctor."

Archer blew out a breath. "Okay, you're a doctor." He glanced at Pete. "And my hair is nicer than yours."

Callie snorted into her tea. "Are you referring to Shepherd's hair?" she asked laughingly.

"There's no way someone's hair can look that perfect with no styling," Archer said.

"Archer, he doesn't style his hair. It's inherently amazing," Addison said with a straight face.

Callie rolled her eyes. "Even when it's messy?" She laughed a little. "We're discussing Derek Shepherd's hair."

"It's nice," Archer admitted, coming unexpectedly to his sister's defense. "It's probably his only good quality."

"I'm sure Derek Shepherd has many good qualities," Callie argued. "Most of which the ex-wife could probably attest to."

"Oh, God. Stop talking about Derek!" Addison yelled, flustered. "Let's talk about Pete and his good qualities. Just. Don't talk about Derek Shepherd."

Pete watched with interest as Archer hid a happy, amused smile. "I don't really like discussing me," he said humbly. "I prefer to talk about medical breakthroughs, the weather, current events...even my daughter."

"You have a kid?" Archer turned to Addison. "You didn't tell me he had a kid."

"What does it matter?" Addison asked tiredly. She was already sick of Archer. She just wanted him to stop being an ass.

"Of course it matters! You can't date someone with a kid! You have no experience!"

Pete saw the look on Addison's face and realized he was done allowing Archer to talk to his sister like that. "It's not like she will break the girl. She's twenty years old. Anyway, I think Addison would make a wonderful mother."

Archer laughed. "You don't know Addison. She killed countless goldfish as a child. Her dog ran away when she left the gate open for Christ's sake!"

"A child is a little more difficult to forget than a pet, Montgomery." Addison was staring at her hands and blinking rapidly, and Pete was about ready to hit Archer.

"Thank God. Because I killed a lot of pets too," Callie said glibly. Everyone looked at her and she shrugged awkwardly. "There was a lot of bottom-up fish and then there was a baby bunny that I tried to feed..." She trailed off, realizing how bad that sounded. "I was eight. Addison is the one we were discussing."

"I think we should watch a movie," Addison countered brightly. Why had she decided on a night in? There's no way Archer would be this bad in public, at least not without copious amounts of alcohol.

"I've got it," Pete said, standing.

"Hey, while you're up, will you grab me another beer?" Archer asked.

"I could use some more tea." Callie offered up her glass and Addison took it.

"I'll help you," she said.

In the kitchen, Pete rounded on Addison. "I don't like your brother. I also don't like fighting, but I'm not opposed to punching Archer right in his smug face. He just---sat there and insulted you like that. Like you have no feelings." His hand ghosted over her abdomen. "His implications that you would be a bad mother were wrong."

A tear slipped down her cheek and she pulled him into a rough kiss. Archer had spoken to all her worst fears, and she was relieved that Pete completely disagreed with him. She gasped when Pete's hands met the bare skin of her lower back. "Your hands are cold," she hissed as his lips moved across her jaw.

"Best way to warm them up then," he murmured, his hands running up her back.

Addison laughed when his fingers skimmed her ribs. "We came to get refreshments," she said between giggles.

"You started it," he growled.

"Guys!" Callie's annoyed voice yelled. "Hurry up with those drinks before I have teach Archer what I do for a living."

December 2012

"Baby, I have to," Addison said gently.

"But who's going to read me a bedtime story? You have to stay home!" Faith stomped her foot and pouted up at her mom.

"Honey, you love staying the night with Ty. What's going on?" Addison asked, kneeling in front of her daughter.

"I don't want Santa to forget about me," she said quietly. "I won't be at home so.." She shrugged and looked at her snow boots.

"Baby, we have about two weeks until Christmas. Santa isn't going to put you down for an address change just because you spent one night away from home."

Faith frowned petulantly. "But I thought Christmas was almost here!" she whined.

"Christmas is almost here. It's in two weeks."

Faith sighed and suddenly smiled. "We're going to play tea party, and there will be toy soldiers." She was almost wiggling with excitement.

Addison laughed and grabbed her overnight bag, which was stuffed with her plastic tea set and pajamas.

April 2008

"Hey gorgeous, how's the kid?" Mark asked with a grin when Callie opened the kid. He stumbled back a little when his arms were suddenly full of a very pregnant, very enthusiastic Callie. "Mmmph!" He pulled away from the quickly heated, very passionate kiss that she initiated. "You have a room here, right?"

"Not so fast, Sloan," Archer said from the doorway. "Aren't you like a month late?"

Callie rolled her eyes. "Go away, Archer. I haven't had sex in a really, really long time."

"I tried to rectify that. Anyway, I thought you called Mark a month ago?"

"I was bluffing, you arrogant twit."

Mark didn't understand half the conversation, but he did know that he didn't want to stand on the porch all day. "Let's take this party inside, ladies."

"I'm more of a man than you'll ever be," Archer retorted acidly.

"There's the Archie I remember," Mark said with a wide grin. "Where's Addison?"

"Work," Callie supplied. She had forgotten about Archer and suddenly wished she hadn't invited him over to watch a movie. It was boredom that drove her to it, and he'd done nothing but annoy her since his arrival.

"Work," Archer said derisively.

"Don't say it like that," Mark said. "You're about the same. You're a neurologist."

Callie burst out laughing at the affronted look on Archer's face. Mark was talking about his profession in the same way he had been talking about Pete's. "Guy's got a point," she said.

Archer shot her an acidic look.

"You leech off neurosurgeons, Arch. And you're needlessly arrogant." Mark settled comfortably beside Callie and grinned when she curled into him.

"You're one to talk about arrogance!" Archer said angrily. He hated that Mark could just walk in and have Callie leaning on him like that. She paid no attention at all to his advances and was all over Mark the moment he showed up.

Mark held up his hands. "I've crafted perfection with these hands. I'm working on this car crash victim right now. Half his face is gone, and I'm working on a way to rebuild it."

"Really?" Callie asked, impressed.

Archer growled under his breath. He liked Mark Sloan, loved him like a brother. But the guy always had a way of showing him up in front of the ladies that killed him. "I'm heading to the hospital." As if they cared.

"Finally," Callie muttered.

"You're really harsh on the guy," Mark said laughingly when the door slammed.

"He's been trying to sleep with me since he got here," Callie said, standing. She slipped her shoes off and padded toward the stairs. "You coming?" The look she gave him as she paused on the bottom step had him squirming in his seat.

Callie groaned when she heart the front door opening. "You couldn't just stay at the office for another half hour?" she demanded when a Pete came walking in, flipping through a medical file.

"What?" he asked, glancing up distractedly. His eyes immediately zeroed in on Mark, and he tensed. "Another relative of Addison's?"

The dry tone obviously caused by Archer's presence and probably his snobby attitude had Mark immediately liking the other guy. "That would be illegal, man." He stood and offered his hand. "Dr. Mark Sloan. Plastics."

Pete's forehead wrinkled when a past conversation ghosted through his mind. "You're the plastic surgeon?" He suddenly turned to look at Callie. "Were you about to sleep with him?"

Mark immediately retracted his hand with a frown. His momentary fondness for the other man faded and annoyance took his place. "Are you the boyfriend?" he demanded, shooting Callie an aggrieved look.

Callie nodded then immediately shook her head. "He's Addison's boyfriend," she amended.

"And you're a guy who apparently both Callie and Addison have already slept with." Pete's stance was defensive, and Callie had to admire it. The man had such a great body, and his protective act was endearing.

That was something. The man in front of him already knew some of his history. "It's kind of a long story," Mark said almost apologetically.

"If I'm not getting any, I'm ordering pizza," Callie said resignedly. She shrugged when both men looked at her. "I realize perfectly that it's the number one thing on my mind, and I'm sorry that I keep bringing it up."

Pete moved into the living room and sat in the recliner. He passed the manila folder to Callie in exchange of a glass of ice water. "The donors," he explained when she raised her eyebrows.

"What donors?" Mark asked, not wanting to be left out of the loop.

It was a tough decision, what she could get away with leaving out and how much she should tell. "Sperm donors," she said casually.

"Baby, you're already pregnant," Mark said gently. He grinned when Callie laughed.

"Not for me, you idiot." Callie hit him with the folder. "It's for--a patient of Naomi's." If Mark noticed the momentary hesitation, he decided not to comment. He pulled the file from her grasp and flipped it open.

"First one's out, second one's out...who filtered these? These guys suck." Mark closed the folder and tossed it onto the coffee table. "Tell this patient of Naomi's that I'll donate my sperm. I'm very fertile."

Callie choked back a laugh, especially when she saw the look on Pete's face. "I hate Archer," she said brightly. It was something she knew her and Pete agreed fully on.

Pete gave Callie a rueful smile. He understood what she was trying to do and was grateful for it. The jealousy made him glad for Callie's concealment of the "Naomi's patient," and he felt the need to punch Mark for suggesting sperm donation, even if he didn't know it was for Addison.

"Archer's a good guy," Mark said easily. "I mean, he's a prick and a sore loser, and he's always hated Derek. He practically threw a party when--" He darted a quick look at Pete. "When Derek left Addison." Silence overcame him for a few minutes and his eyebrows rose. "He's also a womanizer, and he's always hated that Addi's career surpassed his. Wow, he's a dick."

Callie raised her glass in a silent toast. "Here here."

Hours later, Addison walked into her house to find Callie sleeping practically draped over Mark, while Mark was discussing with Pete the finer points of acupuncture versus rehabilitation to help with addiction. There was an empty pizza box on the dining room table and empty beer bottles on the coffee table.

"Honey, I'm home?"

"Was that a question?" Pete teased. After a few beers, he was feeling a lot more charitable toward Mark. It helped that they had a lot more in common than he'd originally thought, ranging from sports to medicine. Mark was a plastic surgeon, but it seemed that it wasn't his sole interest. He didn't necessarily agree with alternative medicine over medication, but he was willing to debate with Pete over it instead of talking down to him.

"I just did not expect to find Mark Sloan sitting on my couch," she said with a shrug, placing a kiss on his forehead. Her eyes didn't leave Mark, and he could tell there was something going on.

"I came to see Callie," Mark felt the need to explain.

Addison nodded, like that made sense. It didn't make much sense to her at all. She knew they talked on the phone sometimes, but she couldn't really see the point in him showing up in L.A. to see her. "How's Seattle?" she asked.

Pete followed her with his eyes as she moved to the love seat and sat down. She was acting nervous and almost agitated by Mark's presence.

"It's wet," Mark answered with a laugh. "Same old, same old. Hospital gossip surrounds the interns, and the nurses make it their sole duty to make sure no one has a secret." His face darkened a little at that last statement. "You and Callie are the only safe ones, to an extent."

Addison laughed a little, but she was still a little worried about Mark's presence. Was he going to say something about Derek in front of Pete? Should she bring Derek up so there was no suspicions? Why was she so worried? It wasn't like she'd been doing anything wrong.

"What do you mean to an extent?" Callie asked groggily.

Mark chuckled and smoothed her hair. "Karev practically threw a party when he found out he was having a boy. Everyone knows you're having his kid."

Callie groaned. "That was my only consolation, that no one really knew." She snuggled into Mark's lap and stifled a giggle when she felt something stirring. She gave him a coy look and he rolled his eyes. "At least I'm two states away." She took pity on him and sat up. "Wait. He threw a party?"

Addison smiled softly at the suddenly interested look on Callie's face. "You knew he was going to try, Cal."

"But I didn't know he was going to throw a party." She got a disgusted look on her face. "What is everyone saying?"

Pete held up a hand. "Karev is the guy who came here, right?" he asked.

"Karev came here?" Mark asked with a frown.

"Yes," Callie said impatiently. "People aren't saying I'm some giant slut, right?"

Startled, Mark chuckled. "With the things that go on between those four walls, I think you would have to do a lot more than Karev to be considered a giant slut."

"I also did you. And George."

"You have yet to break a man's penis or have your life so advertised throughout the hospital that people know within hours of being hired on."

"You also didn't have your panties posted on the bulletin board," Addison pointed out with a satisfied smile.

"I claimed those," Callie admitted guiltily, causing Addison's smile to fade. "What? I was trying to get in good with George's friends. My need to be accepted was a little more important than your revenge."

"I'm so confused," Pete said, trying to follow the conversation.

"We have a..."

"Slutty?" Callie suggested.

"Whorish?" Addison put in.

"Immoral staff at Seattle Grace," Mark finished.

"Addison is Satan," Callie said brightly. "She came in with her designer clothes and flaming red hair and ruined everything between Seattle's sweethearts."

"Excuse me," Addison defended. "I was married to one of those so called sweethearts so I think I was a little entitled."

"You slept with his best friend!" Callie pointed out.

"Whose side are you on?" Addison protested.

"Sorry," Callie said sheepishly. She smiled endearingly. "I got kind of carried away." Her sleepy eyes and mussed hair gave her a childish look, and Addison forgave her instantly.

A long silence lapsed and Mark turned the television on. "What?" he said. "I have the remote, and I don't like awkward silences, and I'm feeling pretty awkward right now."

"It's 'cos you're the manwhore best friend," Callie said, wrapping her arms around Mark and laying her head on his chest.

"Happens to the best of us." Mark's chest rumbled as he talked, and he ran his hands through her tangled hair.

Pete followed Addison into the kitchen and leaned against the counter while she searched for something to eat. "Sometimes I forget you have a bit of a sordid past," he admitted when she straightened with a container of leftover Chinese food.

She smelled it and tossed it in the trash. "There are only parts that are sordid," she protested half-heartedly. "Most of it was after I moved to Seattle."

"Hm," Pete hummed agreeably. "Still. I don't really like being in the same room with Mark when he hints at anything sexual when it has to do with you." He paused contemplatively. "Or Callie."

Addison gave up her search and decided on a bowl of cereal. "You're just protective," she informed him. "Guys like Mark," She rolled her eyes, "And Archer can't help being giant perverts. Pete, I hate to tell you this, but you're a pervert too."

"Yeah, but when I do it, I don't want to punch myself." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her nose. "I've never had such violent thoughts. Now, there are two men that I would happily take down."

Addison kissed him and pulled back with a teasing smile. "Honey, I hate to tell you this, but I don't think you can take Mark. Archer, probably, but Mark has had experience. He used to beat the hell out of Derek when they were teenagers." She grinned when he grunted at the challenge.

"I would get some pretty good hits in," Pete defended with a grin.

Addison laughed and succumbed to his kiss.

December 2012

Addison groaned when she finally let herself into her house. After a night of non-stop surgery, she was exhausted and just wanted to collapse into bed.

"Hey," Mark said from the couch.

Addison dropped beside him and leaned back. "I'm so tired."

Derek sat beside her and presented a plate of pancakes. "Hungry?" he asked, waving the plate enticingly.

"Ugh, no." Addison pushed the plate away. "I need to sleep." She kicked off her shoes and put her feet on the coffee table.

Derek hid a grin and cut into his pancakes. "There's more on the stove," he said when he saw Mark's longing look.

Mark eagerly got up and Addison laid down in his place. "Someone needs to pick Faith up in a few hours," she murmured.

"Mark's on it," Derek said. "I have a surgery scheduled at eleven."

"Hm."

"Hey, you can't just steal my spot. I've been here for hours before you showed up." Mark picked up Addison's feet and sat beside Derek. "I don't know how she ever survived without us, Shepherd."

April 2008

Callie sighed and looked down at Mark, who was sprawled shirtlessly across the foot of her bed. It had been a full day since his arrival, and there was still no sex. "So tell me about life at the practice?" he said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Callie raised her eyebrows. "Fun people. Extremely boring. Highlights of my day include messing with Dell, the guy who does the filing, and watching everyone make eyes at each other."

"No one's making eyes at you?" Mark asked, surprise coloring his tone. He slid his hand over her foot and began massaging gently.

Callie snorted in laughter. "Only Archer, but he's such a lech. Besides that, not really." She shrugged like she didn't care. "I don't know if you realize this, but I'm about two and a half months from being a full-blown mother. Not exactly a big turn-on. Meaning, I can barely shave my legs."

"Hm." Mark slid his hand up her leg. "Yet you still manage it." Pregnancy did not look bad on her. "Any stretch marks?"

The husky tone said clearly how difficult it was for him to hold out. The question was why was he doing it in the first place? "Dr. Sloan," she said coyly, "does my present state turn you on?"

"No," he said truthfully.

Disappointment and humiliation curled in the pit of her stomach and she immediately yanked her foot away, ready to kick him out of her room.

Mark grabbed her foot back. "You are sexy no matter what state you're in." He slid his hand soothingly over her calf. "Pregnancy--" He groaned and moved back to her feet.

Callie smiled ruefully, a little angry with herself for her initial reaction. Of course he would say something to make her insides melt. "You talk the talk..."

"You know I can walk the walk," he said huskily.

Callie closed her eyes and moaned as his hands worked on first one foot and then the other. "You're killing me, Mark," she said breathlessly.

"I think I'm torturing myself more than you," Mark promised laughingly.

"I highly doubt that," she challenged.

"Oh?" he asked, amused at her defensiveness.

"I haven't had sex since October, Mark. October."

Mark whistled appreciatively and retracted his hands. They were about to have a conversation and he wanted his hands free. "I haven't had sex since December."

They sat in shocked silence, finally broken by Callie. "Why?" she asked incredulously.

"Saving myself for you, my one true love. Why else?" he asked sardonically.

"Seriously, Mark--if I had a ready and willing body--but you have plenty at your disposal. Why would you hold back?"

"Long story," he said with false good humor. The look on his face told Callie clearly that it wasn't a fun story, at least not for him.

"I'm pregnant, and I'm two states away from my job. There's nothing to do here except watch TV because I left all my gaming systems in Seattle. Humor me, please."

Mark glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. "Let's go downstairs. It may take a while and I'm kinda hungry." Once they were in the kitchen, he began making himself and Callie a sandwich. "You might hate me when I'm done telling you."

"Doubtful but go ahead and begin." She grabbed a bottle of water and seated herself in the living room.

Mark sighed and sat down with the sandwiches. "Okay. The Yang-Burke wedding--"

"It goes back that far?!" Callie exclaimed.

"Hey. It requires a back story. I warned you it was long." He paused to take a bite of his sandwich.

Callie rolled her eyes. "You did," she conceded, settling in for a long story.

"Okay, this centers around Meredith Grey. She freaked out when Burke left Yang. I'm not exactly sure of the particulars behind it, but Meredith left Derek because Yang didn't get her happy ending or whatever. That night she...well, she got me really drunk."

"Oh my God!" Callie interrupted. "You slept with her!"

"I did." He sounded so ashamed that Callie almost believed Meredith took advantage of him.

"You weren't that drunk. You couldn't have been."

"No," he admitted. "I wanted to be with her to--I don't know. Get back at Addison? Maybe?"

Once she was fully comfortable, Callie realized she needed to go to the bathroom. "Not a good reason to sleep with you best friend's girl--again! Hold on."

Mark sat in quiet contemplation as she ran to the bathroom, trying to put his thoughts together for the rest of the story. "I'm not disagreeing with you," he said when she settled back down. "So about a week after we hooked up, she got back together with Derek. I'm sure you remember the reunion. It was sunshine and rainbows--until she found out she was pregnant."

"You have got to be kidding me!" She put down her sandwich and stared at Mark.

"No--She really was pregnant."

"When was this exactly?" Callie asked suspiciously.

"June-July-is. I don't exactly remember the date."

"How did no one know this?" Everyone knew about her pregnancy, but Meredith Grey's stayed secret.

Mark rolled his eyes. "She lost the baby really early. Like a week after she found out."

They lapsed into a long silence. "Mark?" Callie said softly.

"It was my fault," he said quietly. "Derek was so happy but there was a possibility--so I told him. She lost the baby the same night, after Derek left her."

"You couldn't have--"

"I knew he would leave her," Mark interrupted. He lowered his eyes, ashamed. "I hated him because he was the one thing Addison always wanted. I could giver her the world and all she would ever want was him. So that night, I wanted him to feel the way I felt." He shrugged with an almost angry look on his face.

"Are you talking about the baby?" Callie asked gently, remembering the baby Addison had aborted.

"Knowing the baby might not be his would be the same for him as losing it. Then she--I didn't mean for it to happen that way. It was probably his, but for that night, I wanted him to think it wasn't."

"Okay," Callie said brightly. "Let's talk about the next, less depressing part of your story!"

Mark paused. "Next, Derek began drinking heavily and I began trying to get with Izzie Stevens."

"I understand Meredith but Izzie?" she asked.

He shrugged, hiding a smile. "I wanted you but you repeatedly turned me down There's only so much rejection a man can take."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course. So did you sleep with her?"

He burst out laughing at Callie's jealous tone. "No. I was close but..."

"You couldn't go through with it?" she asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Cal. She couldn't go through with it."

Callie made a noise in the back of her throat. "Of course."

"Damn, she can't win for losing, can she?" Mark touched her knee and sniggered when she jerked away.

"Hell no. She slept with my husband. She's not allowed to win."

"Okay, back to the story. December, me and Derek got drunk side-by-side. Then we fought."

Callie stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Yep. It was more like a drunken wrestling match where he gave up and ended up pouring his heart out. It was lame. But we're like BFF again."

"Are you really?"

Mark looked at her suspiciously. "Yes..."

"Then you should stop hanging out with women because you just told me you and Derek were BFF."

Mark rolled his eyes. "Shut up. So we were drunk and he left to get things sorted out and I went back to Joe's. I don't remember much else, but I woke up the next morning with a cute little brunette in my bed."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Of course."

Mark nodded and looked down at his hands. "She contacted me a few weeks later and told me she was HIV positive."

Callie's heart plummeted. "Oh, God. Please, please tell me you triple-bagged it, Mark."

"Crude wording, Torres. Like I said...I don't remember much from that night."

"Did you get tested?" Callie asked. His hesitance for any sexual contact was starting to make a little more sense.

"Yes, but only recently. Like a last month recently."

"Mark! What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you wait so long? Does anyone even know about this?"

"Derek knows. I cut my hand and he tried to help me. Then of course I had to explain to him why I practically shoved him away." He fidgeted. "Derek's the one that made me get tested. I didn't really want to know, to be honest."

Callie sat for a while in silence. "Wow," she finally said. "You haven't had sex in almost four months and there's a possibility that you're HIV positive."

"I got my test results back almost as soon as I got the test done. I'm not. But in better news, Derek likes me again, and we've become almost like we used to be. Except without the wing man thing because of my celibacy."

"There's that," Callie said dryly.

"When Derek finally opened my test results--because I had them for a while and was afraid of the results--I hopped on a plane and flew here go see you."

"Because you want to have sex."

Mark nodded. "I do want to have sex with you, but I wanted to tell you about everything that happened first."

Callie nodded. "I'm going upstairs. We're using a condom, and I'll be naked in a few minutes."

The footsteps above him finally broke his dumb founded silence, and he tore upstairs. He thought for sure she was going to reject him after hearing his story!