Open Your Eyes
Title: Open Your Eyes (1/1)
Author: _chica02
Rating: PG-13 (mild language and sensuality)
Pairings: Addison/Alex; Mark/Izzie
Summary: She would never blow him off for a heart patient; She would never tell him he'd make a terrible father.
Disclaimer: Shonda Rimes owns Grey's Anatomy and all it's characters. This is just my own creative interpretation. The fic's title comes from a song by Snow Patrol.
Men like him didn't deserve women like her. That's what he'd always believed. Women like her always strode around, heels clicking, making jaws drop wherever she went. But they never stopped to give men like him a second glance.
But she did.
She'd kissed him. In a bar. Where anyone could have seen them.
Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery should make him nervous. Nervous in a way where he dreaded every assignment, not nervous in a way where he babbled and laughed like a fool in her presence, no matter who else was around. She should make him want to run the other way when she approached, just to protect himself.
But she didn't.
She made him want to spend hours in the NICU, just hoping that she'd come in and catch him monitoring one of the preemies. That way he could see her look at him with that hypnotic smile. The one that told him she was impressed with him. Surprised by him. Proud of him. She never was easy on him, sometimes infuriated him. But she always challenged him in a way that made him believe that she knew he could do it. She never made him feel like less of a man. She would never blow him off for a heart patient. She was everything he ever dreamed he could never have, everything he could only admit to her that he wanted. She was damaged. She was perfect. She was beautifully broken. Just like him.
She'd hurt him when she apologized for the almost kiss. It felt like someone had stuck a needle into his chest and let all the air right out of him. That's how he knew he was getting in way over his head. He could have been angry, he could have stormed out. He could have told her exactly what he thought.
But he didn't.
He'd made his way to Harold O'Malley's room, where he saw Callie, Meredith, Izzie, and Cristina waiting. It made his stomach turn over, thinking about what was happening inside that room at that very moment. A few months ago, he could have shaken it off. He would have pushed it aside. He wouldn't have even been standing there with them. He wouldn't have cared.
But he did.
He thought about how she was the one that changed him. No one else could have or would have. She put up with him, she taught him, she made him think maybe human life wasn't so pathetic and hopeless after all.
He wished he could just stop thinking about her.
Barely a half an hour later, she was kissing him at Joe's. He wanted to run away when he saw her sitting there, but something told him that they'd never needed each other more than they did at that very moment.
"Alex!" came the voice of Meredith Grey, standing beside him. Cristina and Izzie stood next to her, their three perplexed gazes piercing him.
He blinked quickly, falling out of his reverie and back to the Seattle Grace cafeteria.
"Bailey will have us on scut all day if we're late, come on," said Meredith.
Alex stood wordlessly, the ever-confused looks of his coworkers staying on him as they made their way out of the cafeteria.
Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie disappeared into the locker room and he was about to follow when a voice behind him said, "Dr. Karev. I have a surgery I thought you might be interested in."
He turned toward the sound of her voice, feeling the color rising in his cheeks.
She stood there, looking as gorgeous, as ethereal as always, her glasses perched perfectly on the end of her nose, her eyes staring into his.
"Oh?" was all he could manage to say.
She smiled and he wondered how he maintained his balance. "Stop by my office in ten minutes."
He smiled back with a nod. "I'll be there."
Ten minutes later she was wrapped around him. Her mouth was intertwined with his, their breath mingling fully. His fingers burned as they combed through her fiery red locks, and he couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten this lucky.
Her fingers dug into his back and they both knew they'd have to let go sooner than they'd like. Lives had to be saved. And in truth, they both knew they should talk about this. Somehow, though, it seemed unnecessary. She knew him and he knew her. That was why they were here in the first place. Anything else he needed to know, he couldn't wait to find out as they went.
They'd have plenty of time to talk. Talk with mischievous voices how they shouldn't be doing this. How they shouldn't be feeling this way. How Alex Karev didn't belong on the vagina squad. How furious Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan would be when they found out.
The thought of it almost made him laugh out loud as he watched her rebutton her blouse and straighten her hair, fumbling around nervously for her glasses. Something about the way she looked and the fact that he'd made her look that way made him want to find those two jackasses and rub it in their faces. Tell them that even after their years of residency and fellowships, he was smarter right now than they ever were or would be because he could see what was right in front of his face.
He was still Alex Karev after all.
But all he really wanted to do was go into surgery with her and save a woman's ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Imagine that.
__________________
He never met a woman he couldn't get under the skin of; never one he couldn't figure out. Married, engaged, committed, single--it didn't matter. One line and a flash of that brilliant smile and he had them.
She was different. She was none of those things. She wasn't married, engaged, committed, or single. He'd heard rumblings about what happened to Denny Duquette. Most of the anecdotes included phrases like "the crazy intern who lost it." But he never truly understood it until he saw it in her face. No one ever accused him of being intuitive, but the first time he'd seen her, he'd seen a pain similar to which he'd seen in his own mirror a time or two. He remembered it was in the hallways of Seattle Grace, before she'd come back to work--the day of the M&M, if he wasn't mistaken. She was headed toward the conference room and she walked past him, her eyes locked ahead of her. The feeling she gave him was unfamiliar. She shouldn't have affected him like that.
But she did.
The next time he saw her, she was shadowing Karev for the day. He did then what he always did--acted as antagonistic as he could to cover his true feelings. Truthfully, she unnerved him in nearly every way. The incredulous stare that she gave him as he instructed them on their day's tasks did not help.
He cracked a classic smile and said he chose her to be his intern on the conjoined twins case because she wouldn't touch, speak, or breathe. But he knew that wasn't what he was in for. What he didn't know, however, was why the thought of it brought a smile to his face. He was her attending, she was supposed to do every damn thing he asked.
But she didn't.
Truth be known, he chose her that day because he knew she would touch, speak, and breathe. He knew she would do what no one had and call him out on his bullshit. Mark Sloan got away with everything. His father had barely batted an eyelash the numerous times the elementary school's principal called and told him that his son's grades were slipping to an almost unacceptable level. His best friend, the person who'd gotten him through high school and med school, merely walked out when he saw him with his wife. The woman he loved knew about all his indiscretions and she only just spoke up about them now. Things kept on their path since he'd arrived in Seattle. Said best friend wouldn't even acknowledge his existence. Said "love of his life" finally saw him for who he really was and wanted nothing to do with him. But he would never change. Anyone who knew him would say that.
A person should care about those things.
But he didn't.
At least he didn't until Izzie Stevens stared him in the face and said that if he wanted to be respected he'd have to do something worth respecting. He told himself that he didn't give a damn about her respect. She was an intern, an intern on probation for cutting the LVAD wire of a patient she'd been foolish enough to fall in love with. He told himself he did not give a damn what she thought.
But he did.
He thought back to that look of pain in her eyes the first time he ever saw her. We can't help who we fall in love with. He'd fallen in love with a woman who would rather turn her life upside down than have a family with him.
Izzie Stevens would never do that. She would never wait to tell him what she truly thought until it was nearly too late. She wouldn't let him get away with all the bullshit until he'd hurt everyone he'd ever cared about. She would always wear her heart on her sleeve.
She would never tell him he'd make a terrible father.
He stared blankly at the bar from his corner booth at Joe's. It had been a few days since Harold O'Malley's death and he hadn't seen any of the interns there in that time. The room hummed with the activity that was customary for the Emerald City Bar. He was about to take his leave early, when the door opened and there she was. Alone, looking as stunning as she always did, with an extra hint of sadness dancing in her features.
She sat down at her usual place at the corner of the bar, smiling softly as she greeted Joe. Peculiarly, he felt the sudden urge to go up to her and wink at her in that Mark Sloan way and tell her he was the one who wanted her in surgery that day. But he hadn't told her then, and he wasn't going to now.
Instead he stood and headed to the opposite side of the bar, leaning against one of the stoods, using every ounce of his already weak willpower to refrain from looking over at her. There was only one other person at the bar between them, so he could still see her profile through the corner of his eye.
"Refill?" came Joe's friendly voice.
He simply nodded, handing his glass over. When the bartender slid it back to him, he said, "And whatever Dr. Stevens would like tonight, it's on me."
Joe raised an eyebrow for a split-second. Mark had figured he'd be used to things like that after being in the business for over a decade, but suddenly he realized that this was more about Izzie than anything else. The need to protect her. "Just...don't tell her it's from me," he added for good measure.
His eyes shifted ever-so-slightly over to where she sat and he watched her and Joe exchange words as he handed her her drink. Her face changed from perplexed to acceptant and he felt a surge of pride.
He sat there smiling to himself when he suddenly felt her eyes on him. He turned to her and couldn't help but wink as he downed the rest of his drink, stood and walked out of the bar.
And as crazy as it sounded, he could have sworn he felt her smiling after him.
Author: _chica02
Rating: PG-13 (mild language and sensuality)
Pairings: Addison/Alex; Mark/Izzie
Summary: She would never blow him off for a heart patient; She would never tell him he'd make a terrible father.
Disclaimer: Shonda Rimes owns Grey's Anatomy and all it's characters. This is just my own creative interpretation. The fic's title comes from a song by Snow Patrol.
Men like him didn't deserve women like her. That's what he'd always believed. Women like her always strode around, heels clicking, making jaws drop wherever she went. But they never stopped to give men like him a second glance.
But she did.
She'd kissed him. In a bar. Where anyone could have seen them.
Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery should make him nervous. Nervous in a way where he dreaded every assignment, not nervous in a way where he babbled and laughed like a fool in her presence, no matter who else was around. She should make him want to run the other way when she approached, just to protect himself.
But she didn't.
She made him want to spend hours in the NICU, just hoping that she'd come in and catch him monitoring one of the preemies. That way he could see her look at him with that hypnotic smile. The one that told him she was impressed with him. Surprised by him. Proud of him. She never was easy on him, sometimes infuriated him. But she always challenged him in a way that made him believe that she knew he could do it. She never made him feel like less of a man. She would never blow him off for a heart patient. She was everything he ever dreamed he could never have, everything he could only admit to her that he wanted. She was damaged. She was perfect. She was beautifully broken. Just like him.
She'd hurt him when she apologized for the almost kiss. It felt like someone had stuck a needle into his chest and let all the air right out of him. That's how he knew he was getting in way over his head. He could have been angry, he could have stormed out. He could have told her exactly what he thought.
But he didn't.
He'd made his way to Harold O'Malley's room, where he saw Callie, Meredith, Izzie, and Cristina waiting. It made his stomach turn over, thinking about what was happening inside that room at that very moment. A few months ago, he could have shaken it off. He would have pushed it aside. He wouldn't have even been standing there with them. He wouldn't have cared.
But he did.
He thought about how she was the one that changed him. No one else could have or would have. She put up with him, she taught him, she made him think maybe human life wasn't so pathetic and hopeless after all.
He wished he could just stop thinking about her.
Barely a half an hour later, she was kissing him at Joe's. He wanted to run away when he saw her sitting there, but something told him that they'd never needed each other more than they did at that very moment.
"Alex!" came the voice of Meredith Grey, standing beside him. Cristina and Izzie stood next to her, their three perplexed gazes piercing him.
He blinked quickly, falling out of his reverie and back to the Seattle Grace cafeteria.
"Bailey will have us on scut all day if we're late, come on," said Meredith.
Alex stood wordlessly, the ever-confused looks of his coworkers staying on him as they made their way out of the cafeteria.
Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie disappeared into the locker room and he was about to follow when a voice behind him said, "Dr. Karev. I have a surgery I thought you might be interested in."
He turned toward the sound of her voice, feeling the color rising in his cheeks.
She stood there, looking as gorgeous, as ethereal as always, her glasses perched perfectly on the end of her nose, her eyes staring into his.
"Oh?" was all he could manage to say.
She smiled and he wondered how he maintained his balance. "Stop by my office in ten minutes."
He smiled back with a nod. "I'll be there."
Ten minutes later she was wrapped around him. Her mouth was intertwined with his, their breath mingling fully. His fingers burned as they combed through her fiery red locks, and he couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten this lucky.
Her fingers dug into his back and they both knew they'd have to let go sooner than they'd like. Lives had to be saved. And in truth, they both knew they should talk about this. Somehow, though, it seemed unnecessary. She knew him and he knew her. That was why they were here in the first place. Anything else he needed to know, he couldn't wait to find out as they went.
They'd have plenty of time to talk. Talk with mischievous voices how they shouldn't be doing this. How they shouldn't be feeling this way. How Alex Karev didn't belong on the vagina squad. How furious Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan would be when they found out.
The thought of it almost made him laugh out loud as he watched her rebutton her blouse and straighten her hair, fumbling around nervously for her glasses. Something about the way she looked and the fact that he'd made her look that way made him want to find those two jackasses and rub it in their faces. Tell them that even after their years of residency and fellowships, he was smarter right now than they ever were or would be because he could see what was right in front of his face.
He was still Alex Karev after all.
But all he really wanted to do was go into surgery with her and save a woman's ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Imagine that.
__________________
He never met a woman he couldn't get under the skin of; never one he couldn't figure out. Married, engaged, committed, single--it didn't matter. One line and a flash of that brilliant smile and he had them.
She was different. She was none of those things. She wasn't married, engaged, committed, or single. He'd heard rumblings about what happened to Denny Duquette. Most of the anecdotes included phrases like "the crazy intern who lost it." But he never truly understood it until he saw it in her face. No one ever accused him of being intuitive, but the first time he'd seen her, he'd seen a pain similar to which he'd seen in his own mirror a time or two. He remembered it was in the hallways of Seattle Grace, before she'd come back to work--the day of the M&M, if he wasn't mistaken. She was headed toward the conference room and she walked past him, her eyes locked ahead of her. The feeling she gave him was unfamiliar. She shouldn't have affected him like that.
But she did.
The next time he saw her, she was shadowing Karev for the day. He did then what he always did--acted as antagonistic as he could to cover his true feelings. Truthfully, she unnerved him in nearly every way. The incredulous stare that she gave him as he instructed them on their day's tasks did not help.
He cracked a classic smile and said he chose her to be his intern on the conjoined twins case because she wouldn't touch, speak, or breathe. But he knew that wasn't what he was in for. What he didn't know, however, was why the thought of it brought a smile to his face. He was her attending, she was supposed to do every damn thing he asked.
But she didn't.
Truth be known, he chose her that day because he knew she would touch, speak, and breathe. He knew she would do what no one had and call him out on his bullshit. Mark Sloan got away with everything. His father had barely batted an eyelash the numerous times the elementary school's principal called and told him that his son's grades were slipping to an almost unacceptable level. His best friend, the person who'd gotten him through high school and med school, merely walked out when he saw him with his wife. The woman he loved knew about all his indiscretions and she only just spoke up about them now. Things kept on their path since he'd arrived in Seattle. Said best friend wouldn't even acknowledge his existence. Said "love of his life" finally saw him for who he really was and wanted nothing to do with him. But he would never change. Anyone who knew him would say that.
A person should care about those things.
But he didn't.
At least he didn't until Izzie Stevens stared him in the face and said that if he wanted to be respected he'd have to do something worth respecting. He told himself that he didn't give a damn about her respect. She was an intern, an intern on probation for cutting the LVAD wire of a patient she'd been foolish enough to fall in love with. He told himself he did not give a damn what she thought.
But he did.
He thought back to that look of pain in her eyes the first time he ever saw her. We can't help who we fall in love with. He'd fallen in love with a woman who would rather turn her life upside down than have a family with him.
Izzie Stevens would never do that. She would never wait to tell him what she truly thought until it was nearly too late. She wouldn't let him get away with all the bullshit until he'd hurt everyone he'd ever cared about. She would always wear her heart on her sleeve.
She would never tell him he'd make a terrible father.
He stared blankly at the bar from his corner booth at Joe's. It had been a few days since Harold O'Malley's death and he hadn't seen any of the interns there in that time. The room hummed with the activity that was customary for the Emerald City Bar. He was about to take his leave early, when the door opened and there she was. Alone, looking as stunning as she always did, with an extra hint of sadness dancing in her features.
She sat down at her usual place at the corner of the bar, smiling softly as she greeted Joe. Peculiarly, he felt the sudden urge to go up to her and wink at her in that Mark Sloan way and tell her he was the one who wanted her in surgery that day. But he hadn't told her then, and he wasn't going to now.
Instead he stood and headed to the opposite side of the bar, leaning against one of the stoods, using every ounce of his already weak willpower to refrain from looking over at her. There was only one other person at the bar between them, so he could still see her profile through the corner of his eye.
"Refill?" came Joe's friendly voice.
He simply nodded, handing his glass over. When the bartender slid it back to him, he said, "And whatever Dr. Stevens would like tonight, it's on me."
Joe raised an eyebrow for a split-second. Mark had figured he'd be used to things like that after being in the business for over a decade, but suddenly he realized that this was more about Izzie than anything else. The need to protect her. "Just...don't tell her it's from me," he added for good measure.
His eyes shifted ever-so-slightly over to where she sat and he watched her and Joe exchange words as he handed her her drink. Her face changed from perplexed to acceptant and he felt a surge of pride.
He sat there smiling to himself when he suddenly felt her eyes on him. He turned to her and couldn't help but wink as he downed the rest of his drink, stood and walked out of the bar.
And as crazy as it sounded, he could have sworn he felt her smiling after him.