(no subject)
Title: One More for the Road
Author: fabalafaepotter
Recipient: seventhave
Pairing(s): Addison/Izzie
Rating: PH
Summary: Izzie's waiting. Addison's leaving.
Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy is not mine; I am making no profit.
The pew was hard, had grown harder over the hours that Izzie had sat there and waited for George to come. Even Callie had left. She never said a word to Izzie, but Izzie had heard the sound of her heels clacking on the wooden floor and then heard he front doors of the chapel close.
She suspected that George had been waiting for Callie in their hotel room, and had maybe even told Callie about himself and Izzie by now. Surely that was why he had not shown up to the wedding? He was afraid to face Callie. But he would never back away from his marriage; Izzie had known that even when she revealed her true feelings to George that afternoon. She just… wanted him to know.
The sound of footsteps caused Izzie to stop thinking about George, for just a moment, and turn. They weren’t Callie’s footsteps, but nor were they George’s. They were the footsteps of someone wearing stilettos. Izzie’s own heels were sitting on the pew next to her, and she had drawn her knees up so that the skirt of her dress just barely covered the tops of them. Her pink nail polish was visible underneath.
“You’re still here.” Addison said, matter-of-factly as she walked up the aisle towards Izzie.
The light was dim in the chapel. A janitor had come through long ago, but he hadn’t turned off all of the lights when he saw Izzie sitting there. He didn’t ask any questions.
“Mmhmm,” Izzie agreed, facing forward again.
Addison was still in the turquoise dress she had worn to the wedding, when there was a wedding. Her hair had fallen a little from its upsweep, but other than that she looked perfectly put together, more so than Izzie felt, at least.
She sat down on the same pew as Izzie, but there was enough distance for at least two people to sit between them,
“This place isn’t too far from my hotel,” Addison offered, “I saw your car. Thought I’d come check on you.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know. But we haven’t really spoken in… in a long time.”
“No,” Izzie acknowledged. They hadn’t talked, really talked, since a month or so after the quints incident.
***
It was New Year’s eve, and Izzie had gone to Joe’s with Meredith, Cristina and George. Cristina and George had taken Meredith home after her sixth shot, and Izzie had opted to stay and take a cab home.
She was surprised when, just after midnight, Addison Shepard had come in, knocking raindrops off of a dripping umbrella and looking slightly disheveled. She looked around and saw Izzie. She hesitated for a second, but then decided to take the seat next to Izzie at the bar.
Izzie ignored her as Addison ordered from Joe and then she felt Addison’s eyes on her, attempting to get her attention for so long that Izzie finally relented and turned.
“Yeah?” she said, knowing that she was being rude to her superior, and not caring. They were not at the hospital, they were at Joe’s, and it was at Joe’s where they had often talked and laughed. It was a period of time that fit just between “When you decide how important it is for you to hate me...let me know.” and “Dr. Montgomary-Shepard told us not to.” A period that had ended the words that meant in a twenty-four hour period she had lost both Alex and Addison.
Addison sighed. “Look. Izzie. I just wanted to ask you something…. Did Derek… did he and Meredith…. Did it looked to you like…. Like he loved her?”
Izzie was taken aback by this and looked more closely at the somewhat desperate look on Addison’s face.
Slowly she took a sip of her drink, and then, even more slowly she nodded.
“Yeah. I… I think so. I mean…. I know Meredith loved him, I mean, you can’t see her now and not know… but as for him… the look on his face when he was with her…. I think so.”
She chanced a glance at Addison, who nodded slowly, and then downed the martini that Joe had put in front of her in one gulp.
An hour, and several drinks, later they were laughing loudly over something that neither of them remembered when the laughter died down.
“Why is everyone staring at us?” Addison asked, Izzie, in a stage-whisper.
“I think it’s your red hair,” Izzie pointed out. “It’s very bright. Hey, do you think I’d look good as a redhead?”
Addison studied her for s second, and then started laughing again. She put her hand on top of Izzie’s, and Izzie felt a surge of excitement that she had not felt in a long time. Her eyes shot up to meet Addison’s. The laughter had stopped, and their hands intertwined for second.
Izzie heard a voice in the back of her head tell her that this might be a bad idea, but she couldn’t quite listen to it. Their faces were getting closer together….
The bells on Joe’s door jingled loudly and they broke apart, but turning to see McDreamy glancing through the bar. Addison took her hand off of Izzie’s just before he turned to see them.
“Dr. Stevens,” he said in acknowledgement. “Come on, Addie, let’s go home.” Addison didn’t protest, just took his arm and started unsteadily out of the bar. She looked back at Izzie for a second, but then leaned against Derek as they left.
Izzie asked Joe to call her a cab about ten minutes later.
***
That had been the last time they really talked. The stiff coolness had returned at work two day later, and then Denny…. It hadn’t given them much of a chance to reconcile.
Izzie suddenly realized that Addison had shifted closer to her on the pew.
“You’re waiting for O’Malley?” she asked, knowingly.
“How’d you--?”
“I know you, Izzie.” Izzie, not Stevens, Izzie noted. She did not deny Addison’s claim. “But he’s not coming. You know that. He’ll… he’ll try at least. He’s a good guy.”
“Do you think--? Well, Derek tried with you.” It was blunt but, well, it was Addison.
“Maybe. But maybe not. And if he doesn’t, you’ll have to let that go, Izzie. If you love him. If you really love him and don’t just want him, you’ll let him go.”
Izzie nodded, staring at her clasped hands. To her surprise, Addison reached out a hand and put it over Izzie’s, slipping it in between her fingers.
Izzie looked up at her. Their eyes met, and slowly Izzie felt herself being pulled into Addison’s gaze. Their faces drifted closer, but this time Addison pulled apart, bringing a finger up to rest lightly on Izzie’s lips for just a second.
“Wait. I have to tell you something.”
Addison shifted, pulling her hand back and settling both hands clasped in her lap. “I… I’m leaving Seattle. Next week. I’m going to join some friends in their practice in LA.”
Izzie stared at her for a second.
“You’re leaving? But- why?”
“I didn’t get chief. That would have been the only thing to really keep me here. I lost Derek. I don’t want Mark. Karev doesn’t want me. There’s nothing here for me.”
‘What about me?’ the words formed on Izzie’s lips, but she didn’t speak them. She was a woman, who was torn apart between the death of her fiancé and her love for a married man. Addison couldn’t fix it, she needed to fix herself. When Izzie looked more closely at her face, she saw that Addison wasn’t put together at all. A line of tears rimmed the bottom of her eyes, and she was turning a bracelet around and around on her wrist.
“LA is nice,” Izzie said, trying to smile. “You’ll like it there. Different from New York, though, I guess.”
Addison let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah. Definitely. Well… I just wanted to tell you. To tell you first.”
This time it was Izzie who reached out. She put a finger on Addison’s lips and then drew it away, bringing her lips to meet Addison’s. They kissed for a long minute, and then Izzie pulled back, smiling slyly.
“Take that,” she said quietly, “To remember me by.”
Erawefa
Author: fabalafaepotter
Recipient: seventhave
Pairing(s): Addison/Izzie
Rating: PH
Summary: Izzie's waiting. Addison's leaving.
Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy is not mine; I am making no profit.
The pew was hard, had grown harder over the hours that Izzie had sat there and waited for George to come. Even Callie had left. She never said a word to Izzie, but Izzie had heard the sound of her heels clacking on the wooden floor and then heard he front doors of the chapel close.
She suspected that George had been waiting for Callie in their hotel room, and had maybe even told Callie about himself and Izzie by now. Surely that was why he had not shown up to the wedding? He was afraid to face Callie. But he would never back away from his marriage; Izzie had known that even when she revealed her true feelings to George that afternoon. She just… wanted him to know.
The sound of footsteps caused Izzie to stop thinking about George, for just a moment, and turn. They weren’t Callie’s footsteps, but nor were they George’s. They were the footsteps of someone wearing stilettos. Izzie’s own heels were sitting on the pew next to her, and she had drawn her knees up so that the skirt of her dress just barely covered the tops of them. Her pink nail polish was visible underneath.
“You’re still here.” Addison said, matter-of-factly as she walked up the aisle towards Izzie.
The light was dim in the chapel. A janitor had come through long ago, but he hadn’t turned off all of the lights when he saw Izzie sitting there. He didn’t ask any questions.
“Mmhmm,” Izzie agreed, facing forward again.
Addison was still in the turquoise dress she had worn to the wedding, when there was a wedding. Her hair had fallen a little from its upsweep, but other than that she looked perfectly put together, more so than Izzie felt, at least.
She sat down on the same pew as Izzie, but there was enough distance for at least two people to sit between them,
“This place isn’t too far from my hotel,” Addison offered, “I saw your car. Thought I’d come check on you.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know. But we haven’t really spoken in… in a long time.”
“No,” Izzie acknowledged. They hadn’t talked, really talked, since a month or so after the quints incident.
***
It was New Year’s eve, and Izzie had gone to Joe’s with Meredith, Cristina and George. Cristina and George had taken Meredith home after her sixth shot, and Izzie had opted to stay and take a cab home.
She was surprised when, just after midnight, Addison Shepard had come in, knocking raindrops off of a dripping umbrella and looking slightly disheveled. She looked around and saw Izzie. She hesitated for a second, but then decided to take the seat next to Izzie at the bar.
Izzie ignored her as Addison ordered from Joe and then she felt Addison’s eyes on her, attempting to get her attention for so long that Izzie finally relented and turned.
“Yeah?” she said, knowing that she was being rude to her superior, and not caring. They were not at the hospital, they were at Joe’s, and it was at Joe’s where they had often talked and laughed. It was a period of time that fit just between “When you decide how important it is for you to hate me...let me know.” and “Dr. Montgomary-Shepard told us not to.” A period that had ended the words that meant in a twenty-four hour period she had lost both Alex and Addison.
Addison sighed. “Look. Izzie. I just wanted to ask you something…. Did Derek… did he and Meredith…. Did it looked to you like…. Like he loved her?”
Izzie was taken aback by this and looked more closely at the somewhat desperate look on Addison’s face.
Slowly she took a sip of her drink, and then, even more slowly she nodded.
“Yeah. I… I think so. I mean…. I know Meredith loved him, I mean, you can’t see her now and not know… but as for him… the look on his face when he was with her…. I think so.”
She chanced a glance at Addison, who nodded slowly, and then downed the martini that Joe had put in front of her in one gulp.
An hour, and several drinks, later they were laughing loudly over something that neither of them remembered when the laughter died down.
“Why is everyone staring at us?” Addison asked, Izzie, in a stage-whisper.
“I think it’s your red hair,” Izzie pointed out. “It’s very bright. Hey, do you think I’d look good as a redhead?”
Addison studied her for s second, and then started laughing again. She put her hand on top of Izzie’s, and Izzie felt a surge of excitement that she had not felt in a long time. Her eyes shot up to meet Addison’s. The laughter had stopped, and their hands intertwined for second.
Izzie heard a voice in the back of her head tell her that this might be a bad idea, but she couldn’t quite listen to it. Their faces were getting closer together….
The bells on Joe’s door jingled loudly and they broke apart, but turning to see McDreamy glancing through the bar. Addison took her hand off of Izzie’s just before he turned to see them.
“Dr. Stevens,” he said in acknowledgement. “Come on, Addie, let’s go home.” Addison didn’t protest, just took his arm and started unsteadily out of the bar. She looked back at Izzie for a second, but then leaned against Derek as they left.
Izzie asked Joe to call her a cab about ten minutes later.
***
That had been the last time they really talked. The stiff coolness had returned at work two day later, and then Denny…. It hadn’t given them much of a chance to reconcile.
Izzie suddenly realized that Addison had shifted closer to her on the pew.
“You’re waiting for O’Malley?” she asked, knowingly.
“How’d you--?”
“I know you, Izzie.” Izzie, not Stevens, Izzie noted. She did not deny Addison’s claim. “But he’s not coming. You know that. He’ll… he’ll try at least. He’s a good guy.”
“Do you think--? Well, Derek tried with you.” It was blunt but, well, it was Addison.
“Maybe. But maybe not. And if he doesn’t, you’ll have to let that go, Izzie. If you love him. If you really love him and don’t just want him, you’ll let him go.”
Izzie nodded, staring at her clasped hands. To her surprise, Addison reached out a hand and put it over Izzie’s, slipping it in between her fingers.
Izzie looked up at her. Their eyes met, and slowly Izzie felt herself being pulled into Addison’s gaze. Their faces drifted closer, but this time Addison pulled apart, bringing a finger up to rest lightly on Izzie’s lips for just a second.
“Wait. I have to tell you something.”
Addison shifted, pulling her hand back and settling both hands clasped in her lap. “I… I’m leaving Seattle. Next week. I’m going to join some friends in their practice in LA.”
Izzie stared at her for a second.
“You’re leaving? But- why?”
“I didn’t get chief. That would have been the only thing to really keep me here. I lost Derek. I don’t want Mark. Karev doesn’t want me. There’s nothing here for me.”
‘What about me?’ the words formed on Izzie’s lips, but she didn’t speak them. She was a woman, who was torn apart between the death of her fiancé and her love for a married man. Addison couldn’t fix it, she needed to fix herself. When Izzie looked more closely at her face, she saw that Addison wasn’t put together at all. A line of tears rimmed the bottom of her eyes, and she was turning a bracelet around and around on her wrist.
“LA is nice,” Izzie said, trying to smile. “You’ll like it there. Different from New York, though, I guess.”
Addison let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah. Definitely. Well… I just wanted to tell you. To tell you first.”
This time it was Izzie who reached out. She put a finger on Addison’s lips and then drew it away, bringing her lips to meet Addison’s. They kissed for a long minute, and then Izzie pulled back, smiling slyly.
“Take that,” she said quietly, “To remember me by.”
Erawefa