You're Like Coming Home

9.

Meredith and Addison sat on Meredith's bed the next evening, munching on popcorn and giggling as they watched a movie on TV. Addison had refused to speak to Mark earlier that day, which had led Meredith to reluctantly turn down Derek's offer to dinner so that she could be there for Addison whenever she felt the need to curse Mark's existence. It was nice to spend some time with her best friend, but she couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that she'd had to turn down an evening with Derek.

"Why can't love really be this easy?" Addison sighed. "It looks so simple and wonderful in the movies."

"Yeah, but it's not real," Meredith sighed. "The movies...they don't show how messed up people are, how complicated relationships can be."

"I know," Addison sighed. "I just wish that Mark would understand how important it is to me that he takes me somewhat seriously."

Meredith opened her mouth to speak, but before she could do so the door burst open and Mark walked in. "Get dressed," he said to Addison, whose eyes narrowed and darkened.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"If you want to go out to dinner with your parents, I doubt they'll be impressed by your pajamas," Mark replied.

Addison's face went from angry to confused before a slow smile spread across her face. "Mark, what did you do?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking about how much it must mean to you that I meet your parents if you got that upset over it," Mark shrugged. "So I called them, and they'll be here in an hour."

"You called my parents?" Addison asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Mark said. "That okay?"

Addison laughed as she launched herself off the bed and into his arms. "I can't believe you did that," she said happily.

Mark pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he held her close. "Well, I only did it because I knew it would get me laid tonight," he said.

Addison rolled her eyes as she pulled back and slapped his arm, a sparkle in her eyes. "You're terrible," she said.

Mark laughed as he pushed her towards her closet. "Get dressed, we're meeting them in an hour."

"Okay," Addison giggled as she rushed over to the closet. Mark walked over to her bed, winking at Meredith. "Hey, Grey, I think Shep might be getting lonely across the hall."

Meredith couldn't suppress the smile that came over her lips any more than she could help the nervous ramble that followed. "Okay," she said. "Um...what should I do about it? I mean, other than go keep him company which is what a friend would do, except that I'm not sure we're really still friends, we might be more, but that shouldn't mean that I avoid him. But I'm not sure if he thinks we're more than friends, which might make it awkward if I go over there thinking we're more than friends and he thinks we're still just friends..."

"Oh God," Mark groaned. "Seriously, Grey, you both know that you want to tear each other's clothes off, so why don't you just go over there and do it already?"

"What?" Meredith snapped, trying not to focus on what Derek would look like naked. "I don't...we don't do that. We're friends. Friends, definitely friends, and friends don't do that, because they're friends."

"I don't think I've ever heard the word friends uttered so much in one sentence," Mark declared.

"Mark," Addison warned, rolling her eyes. "Mer, I'm sorry about our movie night. Maybe we can do it tomorrow?"

"Sure," Meredith replied with a shrug.

Addison paused for a moment before she said, "Maybe you can go out with Derek now. I know you turned him down because of me, but now...you're free."