(no subject)
Title: just thought you’d like to know 5b/6
Author: elise50
Pairing: Mark/Callie, mentions of others
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Summary: AU from start of season 6.
Previous Chapters:
1 2 3 4 5a
A/N: Yeah...so I finally updated something; after this there's only one more little section to this fic. I hope those of you still reading enjoy it.
~*~*~*~*~
Since he was a young child John had the uncanny ability to read people, he could take one look at someone and know what emotions they were going through. Most times it was a gift, that allowed him to reach people who had shut themselves off to everyone else.
But other times, it forced him to experience the harsh feelings of reality.
Sitting back, John stared as Callie used her fork to pick at the chocolate dessert on her plate. She’d been quiet and fidgety for a majority of the night, obviously nervous. It disheartened him; after having spent days a few from her, he had wished for a more enthusiastic welcome from his fiancée.
Looking down, he eyed the ring on her finger; it sparkled with so much hope and promise for the future, their future together.
But she wasn’t happy, with him, with them, with herself; that much had been written clearly across her features.
“Could we go for a walk?”
Startled by her sudden words, he glanced up and into the most beautiful pair of pleading brown eyes; he could never deny them.
“Yeah,” he answered with a small smile, while raising his hand to call for the check.
A walk would be wonderful, great, necessary; and maybe she’d finally tell him why she looked so guilty.
~*~*~*~*~
Love, trust, companionship…these were a few of the things she used to define a successful relationship. It wasn’t until their time of separation that Lexie understood how much hers with Mark lacked.
Glancing at the mirror, she reached up and wiped lipstick off the side of her mouth. Lowering the hem of her dress, she pulled back and combed fingers through her hair.
“You’re amazing you know that?”
She smiled wistfully at the man beside her; it had been a long time since she felt this loved.
“Your opinion doesn’t count, it’s clouded by car sex,” Lexie giggled as she felt his lips press lightly against her neck. “Stop or I’ll never get out of here.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing.”
Shaking her head, she playfully smacked his wandering hand off her thigh.
“Alright, alright. I surrender!”
Suppressing a chuckle, Lexie turned and glanced at the digital clock inside the vehicle. It was five to eight, sighing she looked past Jackson and let her eyes land on the familiar neon sign atop the bar entrance.
“You know you’re doing the right thing,” he spoke calmly, dancing his fingertips across her palm.
“It still hurts,” Lexie whispered back, not really intentionally answering him as she scanned the papers that’d been stuffed into a manila envelope earlier in the day.
“Then I guess you have to trust me to make it better.”
Tilting her head, she examined him for a moment. In appearance Jackson Avery was the complete opposite of Mark Sloan, and maybe that was what drew her to him when they first met; but as she watched him, staring at her with adoring eyes, she finally saw the resemblance. She had seen Mark carry that expression more times than even he knew; the problem was that it had never been for her.
With that thought, she ran a thumb over her boyfriend’s cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips before exiting the car. Maneuvering around the outside of the vehicle, she paused by the driver’s side window.
“Are you coming over later?”
Stepping back, Lexie held onto the documents and nodded her agreement.
“Then I’ll wait up.”
Giving Jackson a grateful smile, she stayed back and watched as he drove into the night; then biting her lip, she turned and headed for the bar.
*
It was freezing outside, but she still refused his jacket; there was no way she was going to take something else from him after everything he’d given her.
Hugging her coat tighter to her body, Callie walked slowly and looked out into the crowd of trees that she often found beautiful in the daylight. Everything about the area was peaceful and it had a sort of calming affect on her. She needed that, especially now.
Tipping the gravel beneath her feet with the point of her heel, she paused in her movements and waited for John to do the same. When he did, she dropped her hands into the oversized pockets at her sides and looked up into dark sky.
How do you tell someone you love on at least some level, that you can’t marry them? That you’ve slept with your best friend, who you now realize may possibly be the one big love of your life? There was no instruction manual for this situation or Hallmark card for the person wronged when it was all over; it was just a chaotic mess that she’d created and helped enable along the way.
Her heart nearly shattered when she turned to glace at John, dashingly handsome and as caring as he had always been.
“You don’t want to get married do you?”
Pursing her lips, she closed her eyes as his blunt question met her ears. She should have known he would catch on faster than she was able to absolve him.
“Because of him.”
Cool wind breezed between them as they stood more than an arm’s length apart. They were consumed by silence for the next minutes; him mulling over thoughts, her building up courage until she finally gained enough.
“I slept with him while you were gone.”
Callie watched John as he nodded, turned his back to her, and walked straight into the black night.
*
Lexie was beautiful; bright eyes, a great smile, a body most women would love to have. Put simply, she was the dream ordinary men strove for; and she was his wife.
But he was no ordinary man, and it turned out that she had never been his dream.
Mark realized that now as he watched Lexie slide onto the stool next to him. She looked as gorgeous as ever, and he still couldn’t shake Callie from his mind; not that he really wanted to.
“How are you?”
“Amazing,” he answered with a sly grin, leaning into her as he spoke.
Raising an eyebrow, Lexie laughed at his response. “You’re a horrible liar.”
Smirking, he dropped back and waved the bartender over, then preceded to make a fool of himself when he ordered her a drink that he had believed to be her favorite. He nearly burst into laughter when she canceled it and made one of her own.
Then sitting back he observed her, so confident, movements so fluid; nothing like the girl he knew. It was then that he began to wonder if he’d known her at all.
“So you’re finally ready to admit you’re in love with her.”
Glowering, Mark looked down at his drink and swirled a finger over the rim of his whiskey filled glass. The rejection and denial still hurt; and he didn’t want to rehash the feelings, especially not with his estranged wife. That would only cause him more grief.
“Look I didn’t come here to fight Lexie.”
“Neither did I, we’ve done enough of that already,” she laughed quietly, nodding a thank you to the bartender when he dropped a drink in front of her. Reaching out to her side, she took a deep breath and grabbed the sealed envelope and placed it on the countertop directly in Mark’s view before taking a sip from her glass. She knew that legally things weren’t supposed to be carried out this way, but they needed to talk, clear the air, and this was the only way it would happen.
Furrowing his brows, Mark scanned the papers she’d given him.
“Divorce?”
With a smothered chuckle, Lexie stared up at the ceiling then turned her eyes to him. “What did you think I came here for?”
*
It had been nearly twenty minutes when John found his way back to Callie. Neither of them spoke as he approached the bench where she was seated and dropped down beside her.
“I do love you,” Callie whispered, emotion getting the best of her as she crinkled her brows and stared into her lap.
“Just not the way you love him.”
Licking her dry lips, Callie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Taking a moment, she studied her engagement ring; and then with just a second of hesitation, she pulled it off her finger. Hardening herself, she reached over and placed it in John’s palm.
Chuckling sadly, he lifted it to the light and let it glitter ironically.
Overwhelmed with the need to provide John comfort, Callie opened her mouth to speak; but her words were cut short as he raised a hand stopping her.
“Don’t,” he shook his head, “I don’t want to be patronized and I don’t want your sympathy.”
Standing, John dusted off his pants and coat, and dropped his hands into his pocket. Titling his head, he stared out at the moon.
“Part of me always knew. You and him could have denied it to yourselves forever, but we all saw how you looked at each other,” he breathed a despondent sigh, “even if we didn’t want to believe it. I hope that he makes you happy, because I don’t think anyone else will ever be able to.”
Holding herself, Calle’s eyes dampened as her shoulders drooped.
“I’m so sorry.”
Cool demeanor finally cracking as his face emitted sorrow, John slunk his head to watch the ground below him.
“Me too.”
*
They talked about everything, expressed themselves in a way they, for one reason or another, never could when they were together. Maybe it was the knowledge that they no longer had put up façades to win each other over or maybe it was because they were never really meant to be more than colleagues and friends. Whatever it was though, Mark was grateful for the new opportunity.
“I want to thank you.”
Raising an interested brow, Mark tossed out a confused smirk.
“I know,” Lexie smiled, fingering the water droplets on the outside of her glass, “that probably sounds weird, but you kind of helped me grow up.”
“Well,” Mark grinned taking a drink from his beer, “I had to return the favor.”
Shaking her head, Lexie tapped her nails on the bar, “your growing up had nothing to do with me.”
“Lexie…”
“I heard you today,” she glanced at him, concern flooding her eyes, “Mark, Callie loves you. Look I know I blamed both of you for everything that happened between us for the longest time, but…”
“No offense, but I‘m not sure I want to talk about this with you,” Mark chuckled sadly, cutting her off as he flicked a coin between his fingers.
Firmly straightening, Lexie gave him a serious look.
“Don’t do anything stupid. I may not have thought so a weeks months ago, but both you and Callie deserve to be happy; and being with each other is probably the only way you two will ever get there.”
Sighing, Mark threw his head back and chugged the rest of his drink. Blinking a few times as the alcohol made its way down his throat, he waved Joe over for another when it finished.
“You want to join me for one more before I head home, you know to help make sure I keep from being an idiot.”
Laughing, she took the last gulp of her beverage then turned back to him.
“Sure, what else are soon to be ex-wives for?”
*
Callie was a few feet off the entrance when she finally realized where she’d let her body take her; biting her lip she looked up at the apartment building. Her heart thumped as she caught sight of the small bathroom window; she wondered if he was there, sitting on his couch hating her.
Pursing her lips, she closed her eyes at the thought. It was then that she heard a faint but familiar chuckle from the far end of the street.
Furrowing her brows, Callie watched the laughing pair in front of Joe’s; taking a breath she smiled sadly as she took them in. They looked incredibly happy.
Nodding at the irony, she turned away from them and moved to climb up the stairs.
*
“We never should have passed this step,” Lexie grinned, shaking her head at some joke Mark had told her while they waited for her cab to arrive.
“What step?” Mark questioned, still smirking.
“The friends step.”
“Were we ever there?”
Tilting her head, Lexie stared up at the sky then turned to him and laughed, “I guess not. But we can be there now, I don’t want us to be one of those bitter ex-couples, not when I see you everyday.”
Smiling, Mark reached around his back to scratch the base of his neck, “I could use another friendship, especially since I keep screwing up the other ones.”
Seconds later Lexie’s cab arrived, pulling up to the curb. Grabbing the handle to the backdoor, Mark opened it for her and moved aside to let her in.
Standing with one foot in and the other still touching the pavement, she turned to him, “Derek’s right, give it a few days.”
“And then what?”
“And then, do whatever you have to.”
Reaching up she kissed his cheek, gave the cab driver Jackson’s address and waved good bye.
*
Cristina Yang had reveled in the fact that she could live life without showing emotion. Being compared to a robot was one of her many accomplishments.
But right now, all that crashed away as she watched Callie walk past her and into the apartment, straight to the room that used to be hers. Following after her, she stood in the doorway as her former roommate, the woman who had become her friend, sank into the mattress and dropped back with a deep sigh.
Unexpectedly saddened by the display, Cristina paused for a moment, judging whether or not she should move into the room or walk away. Then she heard a sniffle as Callie shifted in the bed. Closing her eyes, she cursed inwardly as she moved toward it. Frowning, she glanced at Callie then mimicked the woman’s earlier actions and dropped onto the mattress with an unsophisticated thud.
She stayed quiet for several minutes before finally pushing her curly hair away from her face and asking the long awaited question.
“Who did you choose?”
Taking a deep breath, Callie laughed and stared straight up at.
“I chose myself.”
Sensing more of an explanation, but no a desire to share it; Cristina nodded and moved her eyes to the ceiling.
Author: elise50
Pairing: Mark/Callie, mentions of others
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Summary: AU from start of season 6.
Previous Chapters:
1 2 3 4 5a
A/N: Yeah...so I finally updated something; after this there's only one more little section to this fic. I hope those of you still reading enjoy it.
~*~*~*~*~
Since he was a young child John had the uncanny ability to read people, he could take one look at someone and know what emotions they were going through. Most times it was a gift, that allowed him to reach people who had shut themselves off to everyone else.
But other times, it forced him to experience the harsh feelings of reality.
Sitting back, John stared as Callie used her fork to pick at the chocolate dessert on her plate. She’d been quiet and fidgety for a majority of the night, obviously nervous. It disheartened him; after having spent days a few from her, he had wished for a more enthusiastic welcome from his fiancée.
Looking down, he eyed the ring on her finger; it sparkled with so much hope and promise for the future, their future together.
But she wasn’t happy, with him, with them, with herself; that much had been written clearly across her features.
“Could we go for a walk?”
Startled by her sudden words, he glanced up and into the most beautiful pair of pleading brown eyes; he could never deny them.
“Yeah,” he answered with a small smile, while raising his hand to call for the check.
A walk would be wonderful, great, necessary; and maybe she’d finally tell him why she looked so guilty.
~*~*~*~*~
Love, trust, companionship…these were a few of the things she used to define a successful relationship. It wasn’t until their time of separation that Lexie understood how much hers with Mark lacked.
Glancing at the mirror, she reached up and wiped lipstick off the side of her mouth. Lowering the hem of her dress, she pulled back and combed fingers through her hair.
“You’re amazing you know that?”
She smiled wistfully at the man beside her; it had been a long time since she felt this loved.
“Your opinion doesn’t count, it’s clouded by car sex,” Lexie giggled as she felt his lips press lightly against her neck. “Stop or I’ll never get out of here.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing.”
Shaking her head, she playfully smacked his wandering hand off her thigh.
“Alright, alright. I surrender!”
Suppressing a chuckle, Lexie turned and glanced at the digital clock inside the vehicle. It was five to eight, sighing she looked past Jackson and let her eyes land on the familiar neon sign atop the bar entrance.
“You know you’re doing the right thing,” he spoke calmly, dancing his fingertips across her palm.
“It still hurts,” Lexie whispered back, not really intentionally answering him as she scanned the papers that’d been stuffed into a manila envelope earlier in the day.
“Then I guess you have to trust me to make it better.”
Tilting her head, she examined him for a moment. In appearance Jackson Avery was the complete opposite of Mark Sloan, and maybe that was what drew her to him when they first met; but as she watched him, staring at her with adoring eyes, she finally saw the resemblance. She had seen Mark carry that expression more times than even he knew; the problem was that it had never been for her.
With that thought, she ran a thumb over her boyfriend’s cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips before exiting the car. Maneuvering around the outside of the vehicle, she paused by the driver’s side window.
“Are you coming over later?”
Stepping back, Lexie held onto the documents and nodded her agreement.
“Then I’ll wait up.”
Giving Jackson a grateful smile, she stayed back and watched as he drove into the night; then biting her lip, she turned and headed for the bar.
*
It was freezing outside, but she still refused his jacket; there was no way she was going to take something else from him after everything he’d given her.
Hugging her coat tighter to her body, Callie walked slowly and looked out into the crowd of trees that she often found beautiful in the daylight. Everything about the area was peaceful and it had a sort of calming affect on her. She needed that, especially now.
Tipping the gravel beneath her feet with the point of her heel, she paused in her movements and waited for John to do the same. When he did, she dropped her hands into the oversized pockets at her sides and looked up into dark sky.
How do you tell someone you love on at least some level, that you can’t marry them? That you’ve slept with your best friend, who you now realize may possibly be the one big love of your life? There was no instruction manual for this situation or Hallmark card for the person wronged when it was all over; it was just a chaotic mess that she’d created and helped enable along the way.
Her heart nearly shattered when she turned to glace at John, dashingly handsome and as caring as he had always been.
“You don’t want to get married do you?”
Pursing her lips, she closed her eyes as his blunt question met her ears. She should have known he would catch on faster than she was able to absolve him.
“Because of him.”
Cool wind breezed between them as they stood more than an arm’s length apart. They were consumed by silence for the next minutes; him mulling over thoughts, her building up courage until she finally gained enough.
“I slept with him while you were gone.”
Callie watched John as he nodded, turned his back to her, and walked straight into the black night.
*
Lexie was beautiful; bright eyes, a great smile, a body most women would love to have. Put simply, she was the dream ordinary men strove for; and she was his wife.
But he was no ordinary man, and it turned out that she had never been his dream.
Mark realized that now as he watched Lexie slide onto the stool next to him. She looked as gorgeous as ever, and he still couldn’t shake Callie from his mind; not that he really wanted to.
“How are you?”
“Amazing,” he answered with a sly grin, leaning into her as he spoke.
Raising an eyebrow, Lexie laughed at his response. “You’re a horrible liar.”
Smirking, he dropped back and waved the bartender over, then preceded to make a fool of himself when he ordered her a drink that he had believed to be her favorite. He nearly burst into laughter when she canceled it and made one of her own.
Then sitting back he observed her, so confident, movements so fluid; nothing like the girl he knew. It was then that he began to wonder if he’d known her at all.
“So you’re finally ready to admit you’re in love with her.”
Glowering, Mark looked down at his drink and swirled a finger over the rim of his whiskey filled glass. The rejection and denial still hurt; and he didn’t want to rehash the feelings, especially not with his estranged wife. That would only cause him more grief.
“Look I didn’t come here to fight Lexie.”
“Neither did I, we’ve done enough of that already,” she laughed quietly, nodding a thank you to the bartender when he dropped a drink in front of her. Reaching out to her side, she took a deep breath and grabbed the sealed envelope and placed it on the countertop directly in Mark’s view before taking a sip from her glass. She knew that legally things weren’t supposed to be carried out this way, but they needed to talk, clear the air, and this was the only way it would happen.
Furrowing his brows, Mark scanned the papers she’d given him.
“Divorce?”
With a smothered chuckle, Lexie stared up at the ceiling then turned her eyes to him. “What did you think I came here for?”
*
It had been nearly twenty minutes when John found his way back to Callie. Neither of them spoke as he approached the bench where she was seated and dropped down beside her.
“I do love you,” Callie whispered, emotion getting the best of her as she crinkled her brows and stared into her lap.
“Just not the way you love him.”
Licking her dry lips, Callie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Taking a moment, she studied her engagement ring; and then with just a second of hesitation, she pulled it off her finger. Hardening herself, she reached over and placed it in John’s palm.
Chuckling sadly, he lifted it to the light and let it glitter ironically.
Overwhelmed with the need to provide John comfort, Callie opened her mouth to speak; but her words were cut short as he raised a hand stopping her.
“Don’t,” he shook his head, “I don’t want to be patronized and I don’t want your sympathy.”
Standing, John dusted off his pants and coat, and dropped his hands into his pocket. Titling his head, he stared out at the moon.
“Part of me always knew. You and him could have denied it to yourselves forever, but we all saw how you looked at each other,” he breathed a despondent sigh, “even if we didn’t want to believe it. I hope that he makes you happy, because I don’t think anyone else will ever be able to.”
Holding herself, Calle’s eyes dampened as her shoulders drooped.
“I’m so sorry.”
Cool demeanor finally cracking as his face emitted sorrow, John slunk his head to watch the ground below him.
“Me too.”
*
They talked about everything, expressed themselves in a way they, for one reason or another, never could when they were together. Maybe it was the knowledge that they no longer had put up façades to win each other over or maybe it was because they were never really meant to be more than colleagues and friends. Whatever it was though, Mark was grateful for the new opportunity.
“I want to thank you.”
Raising an interested brow, Mark tossed out a confused smirk.
“I know,” Lexie smiled, fingering the water droplets on the outside of her glass, “that probably sounds weird, but you kind of helped me grow up.”
“Well,” Mark grinned taking a drink from his beer, “I had to return the favor.”
Shaking her head, Lexie tapped her nails on the bar, “your growing up had nothing to do with me.”
“Lexie…”
“I heard you today,” she glanced at him, concern flooding her eyes, “Mark, Callie loves you. Look I know I blamed both of you for everything that happened between us for the longest time, but…”
“No offense, but I‘m not sure I want to talk about this with you,” Mark chuckled sadly, cutting her off as he flicked a coin between his fingers.
Firmly straightening, Lexie gave him a serious look.
“Don’t do anything stupid. I may not have thought so a weeks months ago, but both you and Callie deserve to be happy; and being with each other is probably the only way you two will ever get there.”
Sighing, Mark threw his head back and chugged the rest of his drink. Blinking a few times as the alcohol made its way down his throat, he waved Joe over for another when it finished.
“You want to join me for one more before I head home, you know to help make sure I keep from being an idiot.”
Laughing, she took the last gulp of her beverage then turned back to him.
“Sure, what else are soon to be ex-wives for?”
*
Callie was a few feet off the entrance when she finally realized where she’d let her body take her; biting her lip she looked up at the apartment building. Her heart thumped as she caught sight of the small bathroom window; she wondered if he was there, sitting on his couch hating her.
Pursing her lips, she closed her eyes at the thought. It was then that she heard a faint but familiar chuckle from the far end of the street.
Furrowing her brows, Callie watched the laughing pair in front of Joe’s; taking a breath she smiled sadly as she took them in. They looked incredibly happy.
Nodding at the irony, she turned away from them and moved to climb up the stairs.
*
“We never should have passed this step,” Lexie grinned, shaking her head at some joke Mark had told her while they waited for her cab to arrive.
“What step?” Mark questioned, still smirking.
“The friends step.”
“Were we ever there?”
Tilting her head, Lexie stared up at the sky then turned to him and laughed, “I guess not. But we can be there now, I don’t want us to be one of those bitter ex-couples, not when I see you everyday.”
Smiling, Mark reached around his back to scratch the base of his neck, “I could use another friendship, especially since I keep screwing up the other ones.”
Seconds later Lexie’s cab arrived, pulling up to the curb. Grabbing the handle to the backdoor, Mark opened it for her and moved aside to let her in.
Standing with one foot in and the other still touching the pavement, she turned to him, “Derek’s right, give it a few days.”
“And then what?”
“And then, do whatever you have to.”
Reaching up she kissed his cheek, gave the cab driver Jackson’s address and waved good bye.
*
Cristina Yang had reveled in the fact that she could live life without showing emotion. Being compared to a robot was one of her many accomplishments.
But right now, all that crashed away as she watched Callie walk past her and into the apartment, straight to the room that used to be hers. Following after her, she stood in the doorway as her former roommate, the woman who had become her friend, sank into the mattress and dropped back with a deep sigh.
Unexpectedly saddened by the display, Cristina paused for a moment, judging whether or not she should move into the room or walk away. Then she heard a sniffle as Callie shifted in the bed. Closing her eyes, she cursed inwardly as she moved toward it. Frowning, she glanced at Callie then mimicked the woman’s earlier actions and dropped onto the mattress with an unsophisticated thud.
She stayed quiet for several minutes before finally pushing her curly hair away from her face and asking the long awaited question.
“Who did you choose?”
Taking a deep breath, Callie laughed and stared straight up at.
“I chose myself.”
Sensing more of an explanation, but no a desire to share it; Cristina nodded and moved her eyes to the ceiling.