It's the second time this week that Maddox has sneaked out of Addison's hotel room, and the truth is, she feels a little guilty. Yes, she remembers with a smile all the nights she's spent together with her, getting to know each other a little better, telling each other things she wouldn't tell just anyone, laughing just because of those sillier conversations. But she also knows that things will be complicated outside that bubble they have created together, inside that hotel room. There will be the stares, the comments at the hospital but, most importantly, what her friends will think. Maddox tries to remind herself dozens of times that she won't care what they think of her, because she's not the only one dating an attending, but the little voice in her head that it's the first time she's had those friends keeps telling her that she'll be able to separate from Addison before she'll be able to separate from them.

She doesn't want to think about Cristina's judgmental look, or Izzie's inquisitive one, or George's surprise and stammering when he tries to say something, or even Meredith's confused look when she tells her he's —kinda— dating her —kinda— boyfriend's ex-wife. Alex knows to some extent what's going on, being the first person Maddox hasn't been afraid of his reaction, so she spends those days avoiding conversations with the group of interns as much as she can, because part of her thinks her looks will give away everything her mouth is silent about.

"Oh my God," She's still zipping up her jacket when a voice behind her startles her.

Maddox panics, so she doesn't turn for a few seconds, and when she does, surprise overtakes terror. "Mark?"

The man gives her a smile, halfway between sly and incredulous, and looks back at the door to the room Maddox has come out of. "Tell me this is not true. You've gotta be kidding me," Maddox gulps, but Mark's laughter echoes down the hallway and she reaches out to shush him.

"It's not what it looks like," Maddox tries to say, in an attempt to shut him up again.

"Yeah, I wasn't born yesterday. That wasn't Addison's room, and you weren't just coming out of it at... What? Seven in the morning? You dirty, dirty mistress."

"I'm not a mistress!" Maddox shouts between whispers. "What are you even doing here?"

"Turns out you were right: one does get used to rain in Seattle," Mark smirks. "I'm staying here while I find an apartment. But hey, I see you trying to avoid the topic. I didn't even know Addison swung that way," Mark's smile grows bigger as the blush on Maddox's cheeks becomes more noticeable. "Pretty complicated situation, huh? I bet your friends don't even know you're sleeping with—"

"I'm not sleeping with anybody!" Maddox interrupts again, her ears red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "I'm not. But they don't know anything. So I'd kindly ask you to keep this to yourself. At least until I find a way to tell them this."

"Oh, come on. Who do you think I am? Derek was my best friend, but Addison was also my friend. I couldn't possibly let slide that you're in a kinda secret relationship, could I?" Maddox clenches her jaw as Mark laughs. "I'm joking. I liked you the first time we saw each other. I'm not saying anything to anybody. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Do you have any free seats in your car? I could keep my mouth shut in exchange for a ride."

Maddox looks at her watch urgently, zipping her jacket up for good and putting her backpack on his back. "I, uh, I'm running late. Dr. Bailey will kill me if I'm late again."

Mark smiles. "No worries. Where I'm going is on your way to Seattle Grace. I'll tell you where to stop," Mark nods to the elevator as he starts walking, encouraging Maddox to follow him. "Come on. Wouldn't want you to be late."

"What do you mean you work here now?" Maddox exclaims in surprise when Mark, who is waiting for her outside the locker room, tells her that.

Mark pulls the collar of her robe tightly around her neck and Maddox gives him a questioning look, to which the man responds with a smile. "Calm down, woman. Chief Webber made me an offer I couldn't resist, and let's face it: there's nothing left for me in New York. I'm here to get my life back. Or a new one. I haven't decided yet."

"Okay," Maddox agrees. She has no choice, really. "Okay. You're head of plastics now?"

"Interested?" Mark raises his eyebrows.

"I'm just trying to make small talk. As of now, you're potentially one of my bosses, so I plan to stay in your good graces. Also, I just drove you to where you work from where you live, where I happen to live occasionally now. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore, so it would be nice if you could find a way to make me shut up."

Mark smiles, "I like you. I can understand why Addison chose you. She's always had good taste. Now you can have lunch with me and Derek," his smile is so wry that Maddox forgets that he's now above her hierarchically and punches him in the bicep. "Wow, feisty. With those facial features of yours, you could be on my team. That nose looks like it was made by me. I'll take you with me to teach you the fine art of plastics."

"Seriously, why is everyone fighting over me? It's just me."

"Rumor has it you're one of the youngest interns in this hospital, ever. I'd like to see what you're made of. And besides, Addison might've slipped how good you are with kids. Maybe I want to sweep you out of her field just for fun."

Maddox rolls her eyes and starts to walk, aware that she'll be late if Mark stalls her any longer. The man is hot on her heels, however, and it's just the two of them in the elevator. "I didn't know you and Addison were still friends."

"Yeah, I bet she doesn't talk about me much, does she? You should watch out for her. I have nothing against her, but she was married to Derek for years before she cheated on him."

"With you," Maddox says.

"I think I'm irrelevant in this equation. She was lonely, and I was there because I was her friend. What I mean is that you should talk to her, get her to tell you the whole truth about her before you start something together. You have a nice heart, and it shouldn't be crushed just because she doesn't know what she wants."

"What do you want, Mark?"

Mark shrugs, his sly smile nonexistent now. "I'm telling the truth. Talk things through. Addison is a grown woman who has planned her life, and I'm not saying she's not interested in you, but you're new at this. You're an intern, she's an attending. She's been married before, you're still an intern. Be clear that you both want the same things before it really starts."

The elevator doors suddenly open, indicating they're already on the floor, but Maddox's mind is far from there. Mark is right: Addison has been a married woman, with goals and a married woman's life, and Maddox is only twenty-four, and the closest she's ever come to a relationship was at sixteen. She is suddenly overwhelmed by the knowledge that she is not prepared for everything Addison is going to ask of her, should their relationship progress far enough to ask.

Mark starts walking, and Maddox stumbles out after him. "You know, now that we're friends, maybe I'll ask for a ride home more often," and there he is, his wide smile returning, and Maddox is only able to nod before breaking away from him and going to where Bailey is waiting for her interns.

When she arrives, however, the picture is very different from what she would have expected. Meredith is stumbling, holding her hair and vomiting into a bag, Derek and Addison look through the glass of an office, and soon the rest of the interns are doing the same. Maddox can't even pretend to be surprised, because Cristina calls out to her. "Hey, any chance you know why McSteamy is here? I saw you both coming in before."

Maddox pretends she doesn't see Derek and Addison scowling at her. "Yeah, he works here now. Picked him up on the way."

"Lucky you," Cristina murmurs, and Maddox draws a smile on her lips.

"Yang, take care of Grey. Run some labs and find out what's wrong with her. Karev, you're with Dr. Montgomery. Easton, you're with Dr. Sloan today," Bailey doles out without looking at their faces, only at her folder, and Maddox closes her eyes tightly.

"You're my intern?" Mark Sloan says once Maddox appears through the door with a chart and pursed lips. His trademark smile is gone, and as childish as Mark may look, Maddox likes that he's professional when he should be.

"That's me. How is it going over here?"

"My face," the patient says. Maddox tries to keep her face stoic when she sees him bloodied and covered in bandages. He has set his face on fire by lighting a cigarette and his first thought is of his face, not of being alive.

"He wants to know that you can fix his face. He needs to know that you can fix it."

Mark looks at her. "Dr. Easton, would you?"

"Sure. Dr. Sloan is going to remove the burnt tissue and then he'll bandage his face with the rest of alive cells. The burns are severe after the close impact, but Dr. Sloan is one of the best doctors there is and I'm sure he'll do the best job possible. You're in good hands, Mr. Sullivan," Maddox smiles a little even though the man can't see her, but her gesture seems to reassure his wife a little, who nods in tears.

Maddox glances sideways at Mark, whose mouth corners lift a little, and the doctor feels better knowing that her message has been effective. "We'll need a neuro consult before we operate," Mark nods to the woman, and Maddox breaks away from the gurney as Mark begins to pace. "Page Dr. Shepherd as soon as possible. I don't think he'll be too happy to see me so soon. Good job in there. I know now why attendings here like you. You're good at sucking up."

Maddox raises an eyebrow, returning to Mark's game. "I'm not sucking up, I'm just hoping to tell the truth. That poor man thinks he needs his face because he's a salesman. Sometimes we have to give them hope so we have hope, too," Maddox cocks her head, trying to interpret the sudden seriousness on Mark's face. "I'll let Dr. Shepherd know he's needed."

Before Maddox can leave the room, Alex enters. "Dr. Montgomery said I could come down here to assist Dr. Sloan. She'll need a replacement in OB/GYN."

Maddox's pager beeps, and although the two men look at her slyly, she tries to avoid their gazes. "I guess that's my cue. I'll page Dr. Shepherd anyway, Dr. Sloan."

Maddox does as promised. She notifies Derek on her way to the OB/GYN floor, and although she doesn't reveal which doctor has requested him, she can imagine his face when he walks into the neurology ward and sees Mark there. Maddox realizes that if he learns that she is now the one seeing Addison, perhaps Derek's face when he sees her will become the same as when he sees Mark.

She enters Addison's room with a somewhat sulky face, thinking about all the conversations she owes people lately. "You paged, Dr. Montgomery?"

"Another contraction, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd," the nurse says, and Maddox ducks her head as Addison looks up at the wrong last name.

"You're fully dilated, but the baby is only at minus two section."

"We just need more time," the mother complains through tears.

"We don't have it, Rebecca. His heart rate is slowing with each contraction. If he starts having late—"

"Is he?" interrupts the mother, her voice trembling.

"Not yet, but—"

"Well, stop trying to scare me into a surgery I told you I don't want. I have a birth plan. I'm not going to be one of those weak ass women who gives up on all that the minute things start to get scary."

Addison purses her lips. "Rebecca, your birth plan is just that, it's just a plan."

"Jeff, get her out, just get her out!"

The redhead crosses a glance with Maddox, who hasn't said anything else since the patient has started whining. Maddox draws her most reassuring face and takes the position of Addison, who, complying with Rebecca's wishes, leaves the room and watches the scene from the counter next to Bailey.

"Rebecca, right?" Maddox mutters. She takes the stool and sits down next to the woman, who nods fervently. "My name is Maddox. I'm here to help as much as I can. Have you decided on a name for the child yet?"

The man strokes the sweaty forehead of his wife, who looks up at him and gives him a small smile. "We were thinking Edward, after his grandfather. Eddie, for short."

Maddox takes Rebecca's hand and squeezes it as the woman lets out another hiss of pain. "It's a nice name. I'm sure you had a plan for baby Eddie, and he's so eager to meet you that he wants to get out as soon as possible. I know you had a plan, Rebecca, but this is a health issue. We are concerned that this may affect your little one and yourself, and we don't want this baby to be without his mother, or his mother to have her baby in the NICU for complications. I know you want to do this your way, and between you and me, I understand. I would never compromise your plans for anything. This could be more serious than we both know, Rebecca."

Rebecca squeezes her hand tighter as she writhes in pain, and Jeff, her husband, looks at Maddox, concerned. She sees in his eyes that he no longer wants the plan, but to get his son and wife out of there alive. "Maybe she's right, honey. We can have Eddie today, we can meet him today if we have the surgery. I don't want to lose any of you."

"I know you want to be a strong woman, Rebecca, but I promise you, you're very strong just to have made it this far. You have a baby inside of you, you got up every morning and went to work pregnant, now you can rest. A lot of women have a C-section and that doesn't make them weak. It makes them freaking strong for being able to withstand the pain they are enduring and still deliver a baby. Us women are strong just by being ourselves. Please heed my words before it gets any more complicated. I am only here to help you and take care of you, Rebecca."

The woman stifles a cry of pain again, and both Jeff and Maddox squeeze both her hands in comfort and support. Rebecca looks at her husband, who nods slowly, and then at Maddox with tears in his eyes. "Okay," she whispers. "Okay. I'll have the surgery. But you stay. Stay, please."

"I'll stay. Don't worry, I'll be there. Dr. Montgomery," Maddox calls once she leaves the room, and both Bailey and Addison turn, quizzical. "Rebecca will have the C-section now."

Addison's look is one of pure and complete surprise, but she doesn't mention anything about it. "Very well. Prep her for surgery and get her to the OR. Call the rest of the team and then get her into surgery," Maddox nods, getting down to business. "Good job, Dr. Easton," Addison's smile is small, almost imperceptible, but Maddox sees it.

"Okay, Rebecca. I'm going to take you to the operating room. If you have any questions about the procedure, I'll explain on the way. Your husband will come with us, too, and you'll welcome baby Eddie together —how does that sound?"

"How can someone so small have half of the hospital scared of her?" Maddox smiles, leaning against the doorway, waiting for Meredith to turn and look at her.

When she does, the blonde's eyes narrow from how wide her smile is. "Mads! Maybe it's because my mother is Ellis Grey."

"That may be true," Maddox agrees, sitting down in the armchair next to her bed. "How are you feeling? You scared us down there."

"I'm fine," Meredith says, dragging out the 'I', and Maddox looks at her and raises her eyebrows, skeptical. "You're a good friend."

"Am I? I think you're really high right now."

"Actually, you're my best friend in the whole world," Meredith confesses. "I think I've said that before. Or maybe I've been dreaming. I don't know."

Maddox smiles, drawing Cristina in her head teasing her. "You're my best friend, too. Do you need anything before they take you to the OR? I read your test results and you're going to have an appy in half an hour. Do you want me to page someone for you?"

"I don't want anyone else here, can you stay for a while? Unless Bailey bites you in the ass for it."

Maddox laughs, settling back on the couch. "I think she'll forgive me. How's your decision making going, have you decided on Finn or Derek yet?"

Meredith shakes her head several times. "I haven't yet. Maybe flipping a coin is the best thing to do. Do you have one? Heads, Derek. Tails, Finn. No, wait. Heads, Finn. Tails, Derek. Okay? I don't know. I don't have any coin on me."

"Maybe you should take this more seriously than leaving it up to fate. Have you thought about a pros and cons list? It's a cliché, but maybe it will help clear the mess in your head. Anyway, I don't think you'll know right away that you're making the right decision. You may never know. Maybe you'll pick one of them and think it's the one, but you'll spend the rest of your life wondering if your decision was right," Maddox cuts in as she sees Meredith's confused face. "You won't even remember this after the operation. I know you, Meredith. I know who you're going to choose even before you do. I'll write his name on this paper and keep it until you make the final choice, okay? Then I'll rub it in your face."

"Okay, Miss Smarty Pants," Meredith croons, laughing. "Hey. You haven't been home much lately, are you okay?"

Maddox swallows softly, knowing there's nothing he should be afraid of. "I've been taking care of some things, and I've been having some late nights here at the hospital. I'll come home today, okay? I'll be there with you tonight. Perfect excuse to get out of here early, so thanks, Mer," Maddox smiles, getting up and bending down next to the gurney to give her a kiss on the cheek. A tap on the door interrupts them, and Addison is on the other side, waiting for Maddox with an urgent look. "I'll see you later, okay? If you die, I promise I'll egg Bailey's house on your behalf."

"I'll help!" Meredith laughs.

Maddox squeezes her hand in farewell and closes the bedroom door so no one will disturb her. Addison's look seems indecipherable at first, but then she relaxes her frown and smiles slightly. "Looks like you're having a hectic day today —how is she?"

"She'll live. Dr. Bailey is taking care of her appendicitis, so she could be home tonight. Plus, she's high as hell, but that just makes her more fun."

Addison smiles wider. "I'm sure. Hey, I wanted to thank you for what you did earlier for Rebecca and her baby. She and the little one are fine. They're spending the night here, but if all goes according to our plan, they'll be discharged tomorrow, and that's thanks to you. What did you tell her?"

"Nothing special," Maddox shrugs, reviewing some charts. "I just tried to calm her down a little. I tried to let her know that I understood her and would never do anything to hurt her or her baby. She seemed to understand and agreed to the surgery. Why?"

Addison looks at her admiringly. "There's no reason. You're just a natural. Mothers feel safe around you, some even more than with me, actually. She trusted you, and you kept your word and stayed with her through the whole operation, holding her hand. Mothers love you. You make patients feel good and safe, and that's something even some of the best doctors don't have. You should be proud of what you do. I certainly am."

Maddox's heart flutters in her chest, and her lips avoid the dreamy smile as best they can. "You are?"

"Of course. That means I'm teaching you well," Addison winks. "You're doing a good job, Maddox."

"Thank you," Maddox smiles broadly. "Is there anything else I need to do today?"

"Actually, yeah. Come with me," Addison starts walking, and Maddox quickly drops the charts into the files. Addison sneaks into one of the laundry rooms, and the intern doesn't have too much time to think about why she needs her there, because as soon as Addison closes the door her lips are on hers and she doesn't have time to think about anything else —nor does she want to. "I've been wanting to do that all day," Addison murmurs against her lips.

"You're naughty," Maddox comments, but her hands are already moving to the redhead's hips to pull her closer to her. She captures her lips again, harder this time, as if she still, after several nights, has to be certain that this is not a dream. Addison giggles against her lips and Maddox takes the opportunity to slip her tongue into her mouth. "And hot," she adds, pressing her against the door and biting her own lip softly.

"Hey," Addison whispers mid-kiss. "Would you like to do something with me? Other than having sleepovers in my hotel room."

"That sounds nice. Maybe sleepovers at Mer's house?" Maddox raises her eyebrows provocatively and laughs when Addison pulls away from her. "I was just kidding. How does a movie and dinner sound, as soon as I have a free night? Having a dating life is hard as an intern."

"Oh," Addison smiles. "We're dating?"

"You basically asked me out, and I'd say I proposed a plan. I think we are."

"Okay."

"Okay," Maddox repeats, kissing Addison again, tangling her hands in her soft hair. "Oh, by the way. I've been meaning to tell you today. I didn't pick Mark up from the street just like that. He actually lives in the same hotel as you, and he's caught me coming out of your room this morning, so he knows."

"What?!" Addison exclaims in surprise, but Maddox places her hand over her lips, silencing her, as the other travels down her bare thighs beneath her robe. "We will talk about this —Oh, God," the redhead murmurs as Maddox undoes the knot of her scrubs.