Something beautiful

After (1)

Addison's POV:
2010

Stevens was dying, O'Malley seemed to be lost, Karev wasn't sleeping, Yang was stressed, and Grey was engaged.

That's what I come back to Seattle to.

"Lots changed since I left" I muttered, looking around. I was sitting in the cafeteria with Callie. She was one of my closest friends in Seattle, and was happy to have me back, even if it was only for a little while.

"It's weird to think of how different things were two years ago, when you left" Callie says in agreement "Meredith and Derek's engagement is probably what shocked everyone the most. You know Meredith, she's not into commitment"

You know Meredith.

Nobody knew Meredith the way I did. I liked to think nobody ever would. She was herself with me in ways nobody else could possibly fathom. I knew every different version of her, every single one, and I knew each of them perhaps even better than I knew myself.

"I haven't seen her since I came back; I heard they were engaged" nobody knew that Meredith and I had been whatever we were. Nobody knew, nobody would ever know, and it was almost heartbreaking to think that the world would be void of any trace of what we had. Because what we had was something beautiful.

"When you left she was different" Callie shrugged "more available I guess. She was more emotionally there than before. I suppose she was grateful she had Derek away from his ex wife, maybe you leaving gave her some kind of trust epiphany" Callie was putting some deep thought into Meredith's newfound emotional availability. But she'd never know the truth.

"She and Derek were getting serious when I left" I didn't add on that I left precisely because of that; I didn't mention that I'd been sleeping with Meredith while she was with Derek. It was my cross to bear, and I didn't need anyone watching me bear it.

"You leaving seemed to kickstart their life plans. Just the other day, she was talking about how she wanted to have babies with him" Callie smirked "thats about as far away from the Meredith Grey I met as you can get. She's a whole new person. She's got this sexy housewife vibe"

My heart broke a little bit, as much as I claimed I was completely over Meredith. I never got any of that; I never got life plans with her or talks of babies. I got hushed whispers, rushed meetings, secret kisses and the hottest sex of my entire life. Because really, the only reason Meredith and I were together in the first place was because the sex was too damn good not to continue. After the first slip up, we were hooked.

"I haven't been gone that long" I mumble under my breath. Callie chuckles, and stands up with a smirk.

"I've got some work to do; you're here for that triplet case, aren't you?" My friend Sam and I had flown out from LA for a case of triplets, all three of which whom inherited a heart condition that would require immediate operation after birth. I needed help, because this was heart surgery x3, and Sam was a cardio surgeon who owned the practice I work at. We went to med school together, and before the divorce of both myself and Derek and Sam and his wife, Sam and his wife Naomi, were Derek and I's couple friends who we frequently double dated with.

Sam, Derek, Naomi, Mark and I were inseparable all through med school and residency. Now, Sam, Naomi and I were on one side with Derek and Mark on the other.

"I should go check on those babies" I smiled at Callie and said goodbye before heading off to the OB floor, where a very pregnant mother was who just so happened to be housing the triplets.