Out Of The Dark

Chapter 3: Direct Flight

Chapter 3: Direct Flight

Addison Forbes Montgomery is currently shifting around nervously at the front of the airport terminal as she runs her thumb over the airport parking ticket she's holding onto and examining to make sure it isn't about to expire.

DAL Flight 104 from SEA to LAX has been delayed by thirty minutes. We apologize for the inconvenience this delay has caused. Have a good day and thank you for flying with Delta Airlines.

The announcement rings thickly in Addison's ears as she glances down at her cell phone to verify that, indeed, Meredith Grey was supposed to be arriving on the DAL 104. Curses. And here Addison had been thinking she could make it in early for work.

Addison had not exactly promised the other woman that she'd be waiting to pick her up at the airport. She hadn't even said that she'd drive, she had given the blonde her home address in an email and so Meredith probably assumed she'd have to hail her own cab.

Like a normal fucking person. Who wasn't dropping her whole life at the drop of a hat to console the sad and scared woman that is Addison Forbes Montgomery who has previously been described as Satan by both the blonde in question as well as her current husband? Who is her own ex-husband. But we all knew that already, now don't we.

So Addison stops thinking about that part (that part being the Derek part) and focuses instead on emailing her practice's group chat to inform them that she was not going to be on time like she had planned, after all.

Text Message, Tuesday 7:43 AM to

Oceanside Wellness Group Chat

ADDISON

[Sorry crew, going to be in closer to ten this morning. Will catch up on this morning's meeting stuff later.]

NAOMI

[What! We had breakfast plans and I thought you were going to update me on that cute cancer doc.]

VIOLET

[Ooh, a cute cancer doc? Now you have to keep talking!]

PETE

[Any progress on Susan Grant Research? Anyways let me know maybe I can collaborate. We'll talk about it at work though.]

SAM

[See you soon, Addison.]

SHELDON

[Likewise]

CHARLOTTE

[We'll reschedule your Ten O'Clock appointment if you're not back yet.]

ADDISON

[Thanks all, and girls, we will chat about this later .]

NAOMI

[You sure bet we will.]

AMELIA

[You owe us some DETAILS.]

COOPER

[Hey, how come the boys always get left out of the gossip!]

Addison smiles as she closes the group text messages on her phone. Boy, is she glad at times like these that she's everybody's boss. Even if her co-workers could be more than especially nosy sometimes. She really does hope that her team likes Meredith Grey (the ones who haven't already met her, that is) and that, more importantly to her perhaps for no particular reason, that she likes them.

She's shifting from foot to foot, nervous all over again after the initial panic about being late for work had worn away. She glances at her watch again. Still five minutes from when Meredith's plane is expected to be landing. She takes a deep breath and groans inwardly. This was never this much of an issue when she used to pick up Derek but it seemed to be one now.

But then again, having Derek acting as any sort of baseline was setting a low, low bar.

"ADDISON YOU'RE HERE!"

Addison's thoughts are interrupted by the sudden presence of the blonde woman who was currently walking towards her with a chipper voice before running right up to her and throwing her arms around her neck and hugging her.

The contact feels warm and nice wrapped around her shoulders and Addison indulges herself into it and she wraps her own arms around Meredith's waist as she nuzzles her head slightly on top of Meredith's for a moment before taking her arms away and ending the hug.

"It's so good to see you, Meredith," Addison says before she thinks better of it. And there's a certain weight to Addison's words as Meredith looks into Addison's eyes with a questioning expression before Addison's eyes stop swimming with - something she can't read - and they both snap back to the present.

"It's good to see you too, Addison," Meredith says to Addison softly. And she really, really means it.

"I'm so sorry about this Meredith but we're going to have to go right to work because I'm already a bit late getting into the office" Addison apologizes to her as she pulls out of the parking lot of the airport and feeds her ticket into the machine as they leave it.

"It's no problem, I mean thanks a lot for picking me up, I never expected you to be here," Meredith says to her gratefully.

She seems like she's older, even since Addison has last seen her on her half sort of recent trip back to Seattle. She studies her now, through the corner of her eye as she drives down the familiar roads. When Addison moved to LA from Seattle Meredith was only an intern. And the few visits she's had back haven't exactly been filled with tons of time for socialization.

"So tell me about your new Private Practice," Meredith asks her. "Oh, sure" Addison seems reassured by the easy topic to talk about. And so she starts to explain about the Oceanside Wellness Group, about St. Ambrose Hospital, and about the cast and characters of her workplace who all hung out in the communal kitchen on the fifth floor.

"Wow, seems like a great time" Meredith laughs as she tells funny stories about the mischief her intern friends and herself have gotten into since she's been gone, such as how Cristina had gotten married to Owen Hunt, how they'd saved a person who had a fish hook inside of them and how close Callie and Arizona are getting.

And they fall into this easy pattern of chatting and laughter and Addison sighs contentedly at how this is probably the most normal she's felt in about a thousand years.

*