Thanks again for all the reviews  I really appreciate it! So…this chapter is a bit angsty. Shrugs Can't avoid the angst sometimes. Addison isn't in the best place right now haha, but I promise you I'm going to help the girl out. Just give it a little time! 

Chapter 8

As promised, Callie arrived at the Emerald City Bar to meet Addison at 9:00. She was surprised to see that her friend had already arrived, drink in hand.

"I got off a little early, so I figured I'd get a head start." Addison smirked.

"Drowning your sorrows in liquor?" The brunette teased, hoping that her friend might choose to open up a bit.

"Eh, you could say that."

"Do you want to - "

"Talk about it?" Addison finished Callie's sentence. "No."

"Addison."

"Stop." She would not typically snap at her friend, but she already had a bit of alcohol in her system. "Either have a drink with me, or go home."

"Fine." Callie was not one to take such treatment from another person, but she could see that Addison was hurting. "Joe? Cranberry and vodka."

"That's better." The redhead grinned.

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Only about an hour and a half had passed, but Addison had already consumed far too many drinks. "You wanna know what I figured out?" She began.

"Uh, sure." The truth was that Callie was hardly interested in listening to any more of Addison's drunken ramblings.

"My life…is a joke." She slammed her glass down on the counter. "A biiiig joke." She massaged her temple. "Joe! Gimme another." She slurred.

"I think you've had enough." Callie interjected. She had cut herself off after two drinks, realizing that she needed to stay fairly sober for Addison's sake.

"But I - "

"Enough." The brunette repeated, this time a bit more firmly.

"You know what?"

"What."

"You're a good friend. You are!" She nodded. "I like you, Callie O'Malley." She suddenly looked stunned. "Did you know that your first and last name rhyme?"

"I'm aware, thanks." Callie was not amused.

"Well that's great. I'm jealous. Addison Montgomery doesn't rhyme." She seemed disappointed. "Addison Montgomery-Shepherd didn't rhyme either. Neither did - "

"Don't hurt yourself." The brunette's patience was wearing thin.

"What am I gonna do, Callie O'Malley?"

"About your name?"

"About my life!"

"Oh. Well, I wouldn't know since you won't tell me what happened today. I mean this morning you were fine, and now…I don't get it."

"Everybody just wants to talk these days!" Addison laughed. "Talk, talk, talk." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Let's give 'em something to talk abouutttt…" She started singing the well known tune.

"Dear God, please don't sing."

"Let's give em something to figure out!"

"What's wrong, Addison?" Callie's stammered.

"You interrupted my song." She seemed hurt. "Why would you do that?"

"What's wrong?" The brunette's voice softened.

"Nothing. I just…it's been a bad day. An extraordinarily bad day."

"Do you want me to call Mark? You should really get home."

"No!" Addison protested. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Addison…"

"I said no!"

"Okay." Callie backed off. "It's okay."

"Don't tell me that!" Addison raised her voice. "Don't say its okay. Don't do that. Don't…don't do that." She began repeating herself. "Don't."

"Sweetie, lets get out of here, okay? We don't have to go home. Let's just go somewhere else."

"I don't want - "

"You're drunk. You don't know what you want." She took out her cell phone. "I'm calling a cab for us."

"Don't bother." A male voice cut in.

"Mark?" Addison cocked her head.

"Oh, thank God." Callie breathed a sigh of relief.

"I told her not to call you."

"She didn't." Mark turned around, finding Derek in the back corner.

"Derek called you?" Callie mouthed, clearly confused.

"Yeah, he did." Mark replied. "Addison we're going home."

"I don't want…I don't…I don't know what I want." She was disoriented.

"Come on, Addie." He gently took her arm, leading her down off the bar stool.

"What about Callie O'Malley?"

"I'll get a ride." Callie flashed a reassuring smile, and then focused her attention on Mark. "Take care of her."

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Once the two arrived back at the hotel, Mark helped Addison into the room and gently sat her down. He started unmaking the bed, hoping that she would be able to get some sleep.

"Mm, you're sweet." Addison smiled, acknowledging his kindness.

"Yeah." Mark replied dryly. He wasn't angry with Addison, just frustrated that she had not come to him before drinking the night away. "You need to get to bed."

"Wait, just wait." She protested. "Come here."

Mark complied, taking a seat next to his girlfriend on edge of the bed.

"You're being so nice to me." She smiled, cupping his face. "You should be rewarded." She leaned in, kissing him slowly. When she felt him kissing her back, however, she became much more passionate.

"Addison." Mark protested, breaking away from her.

"Oh, come on." She positioned herself on his lap, their lips meeting once again. She began unbuttoning his shirt, practically ripping off the top few buttons.

"Addie, STOP." He pushed her away, fixing his shirt.

"What, you don't want me?" Addison sneered. "You always want me."

"Not like this." He shook his head. "I won't do this to you."

Addison looked Mark straight in the eye. "Who gives a shit about what you do to me?"

"What?" Mark moved closer to his girlfriend. "What do you mean by that?"

"Who really cares, Mark?! It doesn't matter!" She raised her voice. "Nothing brings me down." She laughed, delicately placing her hand on Mark's knee, slowly working her way up. "I'll make you feel good." She whispered.

As soon as Mark felt her touch, he practically jumped off the bed. "What did Harris say to you today?"

"Come on baby, don't kill the mood like that."

"What did he say." Mark spoke more firmly this time.

Addison stared back at her boyfriend. He looked so desperate…so lost. It was as if the only thing in the world that he wanted to do was help her, and he couldn't figure out how. She actually felt sorry for him for a few seconds, but still did not answer his question.

"What did he say!" Mark's frustration and desperation reached their peek, as he grabbed Addison by the shoulders, trying to shake an answer out of her. "I'm sorry." He backed off. "I'm…I'm sorry."

The redhead didn't respond, though she was visibly trembling. "Don't." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, no longer feeling the urges she had been pursuing just moments before. "It doesn't matter."

"No, it does matter. I'm so sorry."

"I don't care."

"You're stronger than that, Addison." Mark actually wanted her to yell at him. "Fight back."

"I'm not fighting with you."

"Fight back!" Mark felt tears welling up in his own eyes, but refused to cry.

"I don't care anymore!" She shouted, feeling a few fresh tears. "I don't care."

"Please tell me what happened today." He knelt down in front of her. "Please."

"It doesn't matter." She repeated.

"Yes it does." He took her hands. "To me, it does."

Although she could barely see straight, the pain in Mark's eyes was clear to Addison. "I cleared his conscience." She spoke softly.

"How?" Mark urged her to continue.

"I told him my life was perfect." She clenched her fists. "Why would I say that?"

"You wanted to impress him."

"It made him think that since I'm okay now…that he never hurt me in the first place." She buried her face in her hands. "But he did hurt me." She felt the force of her tears beginning to intensify, but didn't try and resist. "He did."

Mark brushed a few tears away from his own cheek, taking a seat next to Addison. "I know he did." He took her into his arms.

"You told me this would make it better." She broke away from Mark's embrace. "You promised me!"

"Add, this isn't my fault." He spoke to her as if she were a child, well aware that she wasn't in her right mind. "I couldn't have known how he would react."

"Now Harris doesn't have to feel guilty anymore." She felt her stomach beginning to tighten from crying too much. "He doesn't have to care."

"Are you going to be sick?" Mark questioned.

"So I don't want to care either. Not about him, not about anything."

"You don't know what you're saying." Mark took comfort in the fact that Addison was still under the influence.

"I'm so tired, Mark." She whimpered, crawling under the covers.

"I know you are."

"So tired." She repeated, closing her eyes. "No more talking."

"No more talking." He nodded. "Get some rest."

Mark waited around for a few minutes, but once he was confident that Addison had fallen asleep he made is way out into the hallway, finally allowing himself to break down. He hadn't remembered the last time he experienced such a wave of emotion, but couldn't bare to keep it in any longer. Addison's pain was now his pain as well. He determined that if he couldn't help her, he couldn't help himself. However, being helpless wasn't an option. He just needed a new plan.