Fic: Alphabet Meme - O is for Oceanside (Alex and Addison)

[waltzmatildah]

Title: O is for Oceanside...
Word Count: 2200
Rating: PG
Characters: Alex and Addison (guest starring Callie with mentions of Izzie and Meredith)
Summary: She looks up to find him standing at the entrance and she flashes him a quick smile as she allows herself five seconds to remember why she found herself, sans panties, in an on call room with him once.
Author's Note: Written as part of the alphabet meme that I am VERY slowly crawling my way through.

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and all the characters, settings, and events thereof, are properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Referral to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libellous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

 

 

The tapping on her door is odd. For one, it's late and she's not expecting any visitors, and two, it begins with a certain determination that morphs mid-rhythm to something a little more hesitant and timid. Addison takes a sip of the South African red she has just poured herself before standing, puzzled and curious and, if she's truthful, just a little nervous.

 

She has a peep hole in her front door, a fish eye that makes the person on the other side look smaller and further away than she knows they really are. Movie scenes flash in her mind and she can't bring herself to take a look, convinced by now that an axe wielding murderer with no teeth and only four fingers is standing on the other side, waiting for her to open the door so he can rape and pillage her before feeding her flesh to his dogs, because they always have dogs... don't they?

 

“Hello?”

 

She says the word as a question, tries to mask her building panic as she thumbs her cell phone, ready to scream for help.

 

The voice that replies is so far from what she's expecting it's almost more shocking and definitely more unbelievable than the idea that an axe wielding man had come to chop her up into pet food.

 

“Addison? It's Alex... uh... Karev... Alex Karev from Seattle Grace...”

 

She opens the door with a flourish only to have it snap back with a metallic slam as the safety chain that she'd forgotten to remove does it's job with stunning proficiency.

 

“Crap.”

 

There is nervous laughter from the other side, a semi giggle and she wonders if perhaps he's drunk. She sets her wineglass down on the table at the entrance, still covered in ignored junkmail and unopened letters from where she'd walked past it with barely a glance as she came home a few hours ago.

 

“Sorry about that... Alex Karev from Seattle Grace...” she mimics, trying to mask some of the absolute confusion she is feeling with a little lighthearted levity.

 

“Um... hi?” he smiles, and she notes that his eyes are kind of glazed, but more in an I haven't slept for weeks way than an I'm so drunk I'm about to fall on my face way.

 

“Alex... um, come in... I guess...” She steps back by way of invitation but he hesitates and remains where he is.

 

“I'm sorry, it's late... I don't know why I'm even here... I was just... driving past and I thought I'd... stop, make sure you hadn't dyed your hair blonde and bought a surfboard or a yappy dog with a diamond collar...”

 

He is rambling and it's very un-Alex, about as un-Alex as anything she has ever experienced in the past and suddenly alarm bells are ringing though, as yet, she has no idea why.

 

“Well, you are here so why don't you come in? I was just having a drink,” she motions to her glass still on the side table before reaching across and picking it up again.

 

“Okay, sure... I mean, if you're sure, then... cool... whatever...”

 

He steps in and she closes the door behind him before wandering into the kitchen to pour him a glass while he shrugs out of his jacket and lays it atop the junkmail and unopened letters. She looks up to find him standing at the entrance and she flashes him a quick smile as she allows herself five seconds to remember why she found herself, sans panties, in an on call room with him once.

 

She motions for him to follow her into the lounge room and she settles back into the position she had been in before the tapping on her door had changed the course of her evening.

 

“So...” she starts as he sits stiffly on an arm chair opposite her, “... I have to know... what did you have to do to Mark to get him to tell you where I live?”

 

“Sloan? Why would I have to do anything to him?”

 

Alex looks genuinely stunned, forehead creasing in confusion as he slowly spins his wine glass around in his hands, yet to take a sip.

 

“Well, I just assumed he told you... otherwise... how else did you get my address?”

 

“Oh... ha... yeah. No...” Alex stutters, eyes firmly on the swirling red in his hands, '...Sloan didn't tell me...”

 

“Then how?” Now it's Addison's turn to be puzzled. She can't imagine Callie giving her address out and she's fairly sure Derek doesn't even know it...

 

“Well, I knew you worked at that surgical clinic place, Beachside or Bayside...”

 

“Oceanside,” she corrects, still not following.

 

“Yeah, whatever. So... I knew you worked there so I went there, this afternoon. I got there just as you were leaving, I saw you get into your car which, by the way... what's with the car?”

 

“There's nothing wrong with my car.”

 

“Not if you're into matchbox toys and mid life crisises there's not.”

 

“Um, you're in the middle of telling me all about how you stalked me from my work back to my house if I remember correctly... not exactly time to be giving me crap about my mode of transportation.”

 

Alex lifts his eyes sheepishly and connects with hers for the first time since he arrived. The effect is startling, and more than a little confusing.

 

“Okay, fine. Yes... I followed you back here, in a totally non-stalker-ish way though. I mean, I didn't even use binoculars.”

 

Alex's attempt at a joke falls flat and Addison doesn't laugh.

 

“Alex, seriously? What are you doing here? No offence,” Addison hurries to add, “it's great to see you but don't tell me you came all the way here to make sure I wasn't turning into a surfie bum...”

 

“I got married.”

 

He announces this revelation without so much as a twitch, remains frozen in place, perched on the edge of her white leather armchair. Addison's eyes search out a ring automatically, seeking some kind of tangible proof. The thin band of silver around his ring finger stifles the disbelieving laugh that had built in her throat.

 

“Married?”

 

“Yeah... married. As in... bridesmaids and flowers and a church and a cake...”

 

“And a bride?”

 

“Yeah, and a bride...”

 

His voice trails off and Addison is shocked to find that every sentence out of his mouth since he arrived on her doorstep has only served to increase her confusion levels. She has question upon question building up inside of her and she has no idea which one to ask first.

 

“So... this bride, do I know her?”

 

He looks up with a tight grin, as though he's already guessed what she is thinking.

 

“Yeah, you know her, it's Izzie.”

 

Addison releases a sigh of relief and covers up her momentary lapse with a large mouthful of wine.

 

“Thank God! I thought, for a moment there, that you were going to say Ava.”

 

“No, not Rebecca,” he corrects, shaking his head.

 

“So, you and Izzie, huh?”

 

He leans back into the chair a bit, relaxing somewhat, and smiles a slow genuine grin.

 

“Yeah, me and Izzie.”

 

“So... where is she? You on your honeymoon or something?”

 

“Yeah, kind of. We went on a honeymoon, she's back in Seattle now... working... I just... took a coupl'a extra days...”

 

“So, what? You used those days to head down here, get some sun and give me the good news?”

 

“Yeah, something like that I guess...”

 

He's beginning to open up and Addison's vision keeps drawing down to the ring on his finger, he is conscious of it now, as is she, and his thumb works to fiddle it round and round and round...

 

“I still can't believe you stalked me all the way to my house to tell me you got married! There are phones you know, we do have them down here in LA, not to mention the Seattle Grace rumour train, in fact I'm surprised I didn't already know, I'll have to tell Callie that her reputation is on the line!”

 

Alex shrugs nonchalantly before taking a sip of his wine, Addison notes that it's his first and he downs almost half the glass in one mouthful. She still can't quite shake the feeling that she's not getting the whole story.

 

“So... tell me all about it? I bet she looked stunning. Do you have any photos?”

 

 

“Addison?”

 

“Callie, thank God you're still up...”

 

“Addison, is everything okay? It's the middle of the night.”

 

“Yes, I know it's the middle of the night, but Callie Torres, you have a lot of answering to do!”

 

“Answering? What kind of answering? Answering about what? If this is about 'paeds chick' then, I was totally going to tell you...”

 

“You didn't tell me that Karev and Stevens were getting married! In an actual church with actual vows and...”

 

“How do you know that Alex and Izzie are married? ”

 

“Because he told me himself after he freaky stalkered me from the clinic to my apartment tonight, that's why...”

 

“Your apartment? He came to your apartment? When? Where is he now?”

 

“Um, he's right here beside me while I'm gossiping about him on the phone to you, where do you think he is?”

 

“Addison, where is he? Is he still there?”

 

“Geez, Callie, don't get your knickers in a twist, that is assuming you are wearing any of course, but he's in the bathroom...”

 

“Oh, thank God.”

 

There is muffled yelling in the background and it sounds like Callie covers the mouthpiece of her phone with her hand and Addison finds it impossible to make out what is being said before the line clears again and Callie's voice is back.

 

“Is he okay?”

 

“What do you mean is he okay? Callie, what the hell is going on?”

 

“It's a long story, I don't really have time to tell you all of it now, so you'll just have to trust me...”

 

“Torres, I swear to God...”

 

“I need you to try and keep him there, don't let him leave, Meredith is on her way... I'll probably come with her. He did get married, him and Stevens, at the end of last month, but Izzie died, two days ago she died and Alex just took off, we haven't seen or heard from him since...”

 

And the final piece of the puzzle falls devastatingly into place...

 

 

Alex walks back into the living room as Callie is winding up her soliloquy of instructions for Addison to follow for the next few hours. Say this, don't say that... what ever you do, don't let him leave. The phone is still to her ear and she knows she looks guilty as hell.

 

“Late night call, huh? I'm sorry I should go... you probably had plans...”

 

“No, Alex... wait, it's fine. I didn't... I mean, I don't... I don't have plans...”

 

“No, I really should go... like I said... it's late, and I should call Izzie anyway...”

 

“Alex?”

 

He is moving towards the door but half turns as she speaks his name, eyebrows raised like a question.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Alex... that was Callie... on the phone, it was Callie... please don't leave...”

 

Addison holds her breath as his face drains and his thumb returns to toying with his wedding band. He doesn't look at her. He won't look at her.

 

“She told you?”

 

“Yeah, Alex... she told me... and I'm so, so sorry...”

 

He sighs, deeply. Like a weight has just been lifted and he can finally breathe again. He shifts his eyes to hers, meets them momentarily and she has to force herself not to look away. The pain there is raw and unbridled and only just beginning.

 

“I'm sorry I lied to you... I just... I wanted it to be real for a few more days, a few more hours... a few more minutes... I just...wanted it to be real...”

 

Addison blinks and she can feel the tears she has been trying her damnedest to conceal betray her swiftly and silently.

 

“You know that train I told you about? The one with the light coming straight for me?”

 

Addison nods, unable to speak around the solid lump of utter sadness in her throat.

 

“Well... I think it finally arrived...”

 

 

Comments

[waltzmatildah.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked the ending... I was gonna write more than I did... have Callie and Meredith turn up etc... but I kinda liked the ending how it was so I'm glad you liked it too.

Alex/Izzie are my OTP too but I do like me some Alex/Addy friendship.

Thank you again!