Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to Shonda & Co.
1. That's What Friends Are For
That's what friends are for. That's probably one of the most used phrases in the world. That's what friends are for. It's very useful for those moments when, after a friend has thanked you for a grand gesture, you feel like telling said friend how pissed you are for having missed whatever it was that you missed so you could do that grand gesture. But, of course, that would be mean, so you stick to "that's what friends are for", fake a smile and try to enjoy the feeling of being a good friend. Sam Bennett had uttered the famous phrase almost two hours ago, after his friend Pete informed him of a Very Important Meeting of the male section of the clinic that was taking place at his house.
"Okay, so Cooper and I will be there in two hours. Thanks, man." That's what Pete had said, an hour and forty-five minutes before. "That's what friends are for" had been his answer, but he was mentally telling Pete how much he hated him for messing up his plans with Naomi. But he was not the only one who'd used the phrase that night. Cooper Freedman had done the exact same thing when Pete told him they were going to Sam's, which meant not seeing Charlotte, which meant he hated his guts. But he didn't tell him that. He just said "That's what friends are for." Because that's what you're supposed to say. And because, like Sam, he was curious about Pete's behaviour of the past few days, and even though they'd never admit it, they loved some gossip once in a while.
But Sam and Cooper weren't the only ones who were making sacrifices in the name of friendship that night. Naomi Bennett, after telling her that "that's what friends are for", had accepted Addison's invitation for a girls' night in at her place, even though it meant she wouldn't be spending the night with Sam. And Violet Turner turned down her night of comfort food and sad movies to attend the event, not before informing Addison that "that's what friends are for." But they weren't as reluctant to accept the invitation as the men, probably because they didn't have any problems accepting their love for gossip, and they knew Addison had gone on a date days before.
Naomi was the first to arrive at Addison's house, followed closely by Violet. They were greeted with wine and they took their seats in the living room, making some small talk before diving into the real point of the reunion. No need to rush things, really. Since they were stuck there for the night, they might as well make the most of it. The wine was definitely helping with setting the mood, and they were soon laughing and talking like there was no tomorrow, completely unaware of the meeting that was taking place next door.
At Sam's house, the scene was slightly different. Pete and Cooper grabbed a beer from the fridge as soon as they set foot inside, and quickly joined Sam, sitting on the stools of the kitchen. No need to get cozy, really. They wanted to make things as quick as possible. And Pete knew that, so he went straight to the point. "So, Addison." Cooper and Sam's faces were a mix of "oh, not her again" and "of course it's her again", but neither interrupted him. "She's something... different." His friends nodded at his statement, used to Pete's serial monogamist ways. "I'm thinking about going for it."
To say they were shocked would be an understatement. First, Pete had just said he was thinking, which was shocking in itself. He wasn't famous for using his head when it came to women. And second, he'd said he was thinking about going for it, which meant there was a possibility of him not being talking about sex. And that was just not normal. "Going for it?" Sam was the first to bounce back after the initial shock. "Thinking about it?" Cooper wasn't far behind. Pete smirked slightly, because he'd been equally shocked when he acknowledged his thoughts. "Yeah, I think it could work. I want it to work. I need a plan, don't want to mess it up." So he was serious? The three men took a sip of their beers, two of them trying to come back from the land of the shocked, and the other just waiting for them to come back.
A few feet away, on a nearly identical house, the three women decided it was time to start with the real reason for the meeting. Naomi spoke as she refilled her glass, shooting Addison a smirk. "So, how was the date with Hot Cop?" Right. The date. She wasn't even thinking about it. "It was great, Kevin is great, we had a great time." Violet, being tipsier than the other two, spoke between sips. "You know, when you say great three times in the same sentence, it kinda means something wasn't great." Addison laughed before speaking again "Alcohol turns you into a very wise woman. But really, it was great. Perfect, even." This time, it was Naomi who doubted Addison's sincerity "How do you make perfect sound like a bad thing?"
"I don't know, it was too perfect. Boringly perfect. I'm starting to think I'm a glutton for punishment." Naomi nodded in agreement, but Violet, displaying her alcoholic wiseness, tried to sound nonchalant as she spoke again. "You know who's not boring or perfect? I'll give you a clue: it starts with a 'P' and ends with a 'ete Wilder'" Naomi laughed at what she thought was a ridiculous theory, but then she saw Addison's guilty face. "Pete! Again?" Addison shifted on her seat, slightly uncomfortable. "No, not again." True, not again. Because it was the new Pete, not the old Pete. "I mean, I don't know, maybe..." She downed her drink, hoping the wine would wash away her sudden confusion. Naomi followed her, hoping the wine would give her some patience. And Violet did the same thing, just because she felt like it.
A few feet away, at Sam's house, Sam and Cooper had finally gotten over the initial shock and were now helping Pete with the plan, after he convinced Sam that he wasn't going to hurt her, and Cooper that he wasn't going to let her hurt him. "You know her, give me some clues." He was talking to Sam, who shrugged before answering. "I don't know, she likes shoes." Trying to be useful, Cooper added his own suggestion. "And the green thing, whatever it is. She likes that thing." Pete sighed in frustration. "So I'll just give her a shoe and a glass of green thing and she'll be mine forever, right?" He couldn't hide the sarcasm in his voice. "Okay, let's do some brainstorming." Sam grabbed a notepad from the counter and handed it to Pete, who looked at them in expectation.
Cooper and Sam took turns at speaking, and Pete wrote down everything they said. "Shoes" "Green thing" "Non-rainy days" "Obstetrics" "Clothes" "Shopping" "Coffee" "Being the best" "Babies" "Dancing" "Her car" "More coffee?" At that, Pete turned the sheet of paper into a ball and threw it on the floor. "Okay, not working. Let's try again. Addison is..." The other two men started again. "Tall" "A redhead" "Hot" "An OB/GYN" "From Connecticut" "Smart" "Naomi's best friend" "A coffee-drinker?" Pete let out a sigh of defeat. This was going to be a long night.
Back at her house, Addison was still trying to make her friends see she wasn't completely insane. "I was wrong about him, all right? He's not a jerk, and I don't think standing me up is such an unforgivable sin after all." Naomi looked at her friend and spoke slowly, as if she was finding it difficult to keep her cool. "So, you're saying that after everything you've been through, and here I'm including Pete, you finally find a perfect man, and you want to dump him for the one you downgraded to acquaintance three weeks ago?" Addison shook her head, slightly frustrated.
If only she could tell her what happened that night in Violet's office. If only she could tell her about the fireworks postcard. But, for some reason, she felt as if that was between her and Pete, and she didn't feel comfortable sharing it with anyone else. "I don't know, Nai. I'm confused. I'm not saying I want to marry him tomorrow, just... I don't know, I'm leaving the door open." Naomi still didn't look convinced, but Violet encouraged the redhead. "I say go for it. He's a great guy, and it's not as if you had to stop seeing Hot Cop. You can see how things go, maybe a second date will change your mind, or maybe Pete will do something about it." Addison was seriously considering getting Violet drunk more often. She truly was worth listening to when she'd had a couple glasses of wine.
"You've known her for years, Sam, how on earth can you know nothing about her?" Pete was exasperated. They'd been at it for hours, and he still had nothing. "I don't know, it's not as if she talked a lot about herself." Pete couldn't help but smile at that. He beamed with pride as he thought about the night when she'd told him everything she'd wanted to. Cooper was the next one to speak. "You're the one who likes her, you tell us what you like about her." Sam nodded enthusiastically at his brilliant idea, and Pete hesitated for a moment before talking again. "Well, she's gorgeous." He didn't want to talk too much about it, just in case something about their secret little night slipped out. "And passionate. And she's funny in her own sarcastic way. And she's unnervingly arrogant, and bossy. And she's scarily perfectionist."
"That's it!" Pete got off his stool "That's it, she's a perfectionist!" His friends looked at him as if he'd gone completely insane. Cooper was the first one to speak. "And your point?" Pete looked at him as if he was the thickest man on earth. "She's a perfectionist. What do perfectionists obsess over? The little things. It's the little things!" It was Sam's turn to question his sanity. "I'm not following you." Pete was beginning to look exasperated. "It's not about big gestures. It's not about sweeping her off her feet right away. It's about the little things. It's about little things that add up to the big thing. The fireworks." Sam and Cooper still didn't quite get where he was going, but Pete was too excited to notice. "It's the little things! Thanks for the talk, it helped a lot." And he was gone before they could finish saying "That's what friends are for."
Between Addison and Violet, they'd finally convinced Naomi. She was no longer against her friend leaving the door open for something to happen with Pete. And, since Addison didn't seem to be too willing to talk about the reasons for her sudden change of mind regarding her co-worker, Violet asked her about the date again. "We had a good time. He took me out to dinner, and we talked about our jobs, and LA... you know, small talk. And then he drove me home." "Did he kiss you?" Naomi couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed of sounding like a teenage girl, but then again, they hadn't really been touching mature topics that night. "Yeah, he did kiss me." This time, Violet was the one who asked for more. "How was it?"
"It was good. Very gentleman-like. I have no complaints." Except for the lack of fireworks, that is. And the fact that she didn't seem to be able to focus on her date instead of Pete. But they didn't need to know that. "Good. Good kisses are good." Addison and Naomi laughed at Violet's state. Her eyes were starting to close, and her empty glass was slipping from her hand. "It may be time to call it a night." Addison agreed with her friend. "She can stay here, I don't think she'd be able to get to her place." After pulling a blanket over Violet, Addison walked Naomi to the door. "Thanks for coming over, Nai." Her friend smiled at her hugged her as she answered. "That's what friends are for." As she walked towards her car, Naomi turned around and spoke again. "Addie? What changed your mind about Pete?" Thinking about the postcard that was now resting on her nightstand, she smiled at her and answered her question. "Nothing, really. Just the little things."
So, I'm kind of addicted to this thing. It's really good for the PrP withdrawal, I recommend it to everyone who's suffering because of the lack of Paddie & co. in their screens. And it's also very good for procrastinating, because I can tell myself I'm doing intellectual work and not wasting my time :P
A/N: Please read and review! Constructive criticism is love, and I don't mind the compliments either :)