Author:
Beta: sheepfairy
Fandom: Grey's Anatomy/Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: Addison/Derek, Derek/Meredith, and McKay/Sheppard
Rating: PG13
Setting: Post-"Losing My Religion" and Post-"McKay and Mrs. Miller"
Words: 1730
Summary: A is also for Addison, Atlantis, and adultery, but mostly for absurd.
Addison wants to get as far away from Seattle Grace as she possibly can and even further away from Derek and Meredith. Prom is over. Her marriage seemed to be just a dream, and Addison felt like the high school girl who's crushed to find that her boyfriend's knocked up the town slut. At least that's what Addison thinks of when she sees Derek and when she finds Meredith's black, lace panties in his tux pocket.
Addison's a very accomplished OB/GYN, and she gets job offers from all over the world. But Addison's drawn to the military. She thinks that it might have to do with her burgeoning gun fetish due to constant daydreams about riddling her newly-ex-husband and his mistress with bullets. Every Friday, she goes down to the range to shoot a few rounds. The guys there hit on her, but she can spot the faded tan line from missing wedding rings a mile away. How do people get tans in overcast Seattle anyway?
Though she's not sure what the military wants with a fulltime OB/GYN to serve soldiers on the front line. Last time she checked, women still couldn't go into combat. Addison knows it's a line of sexist bullshit given that she's one of the better shots at the firing range.
Addison winds up in Colorado Springs and in an installation that General Landry keeps referring to as the SGC. Landry's boring and thinks he's funny. He reminds her of Derek's father. But she signs the non-disclosure forms knowing that she'll have a supervisor that's not him.
When they tell her about aliens, Addison falls off her seat laughing. It's like when she goes to the movies and there's a couple getting married on the big screen. She always ends up laughing when they swear to be faithful to each other until their dying day. Addison's sure that Derek was alive when she was fucking Mark and that her heart kept going when Derek fucked Meredith at the prom.
Prom, aliens. Her life is absurd.
And becomes even more absurd when she's told to pack her bags as she's going to the mythical, but real, City of Atlantis. Apparently, their main doctor's actually a geneticist and doesn't know jack about vulvas. Most men don't.
After meeting Landry, Addison isn't surprised that they'd only thought to take one female medical doctor there originally. No doubt, this Dr. Biro is extremely busy and overworked.
*****
Atlantis is nice and very far, as in a galaxy, away from Addison's past. So far, she's adjusting to the idea of transports, wormholes, and little gray aliens that don't wear any clothes. She likes the way Dr. Weir runs the place and gets along great with Dr. Biro. They're even planning on making a trip to the mainland to help out the Athosian women.
It's only when Addison meets the military commander that she's thrown off by his charming demeanor and damn name, even if it is spelled differently.
"Lt. Colonel John Sheppard," Sheppard says, introducing himself to her on her second day there. "You must be the new doc."
"Yes. Addison Montgomery." Addison takes his hand and watches as he smiles. Oh no, he's going to start flirting with her. She can tell that look in any Shepherd or Sheppard's eye.
Sheppard continues smiling. "Nice to meet you, Addison. If you need anything to make your stay more comfortable, anything at all, just let me know."
Addison tries not to flinch as she takes her hand back. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Oh would you stop it," says a man behind her. "He always does that. Always. Has to have every single woman in his place swooning at his feet. It's a sickness I tell you."
"Shut up, Rodney." Sheppard almost looks embarrassed. "Addison, this is Dr. Rodney McKay. He's our chief scientist and chief pain in ass. I'm sure Dr. Beckett can fill you in on all the details."
"I am not a pain in the ass." Rodney punctuates his words by waving his pudding cup in the air. "You don't even know what a pain in the ass is. I, on the other hand, was shot with an arrow in my ass, and I would much rather-"
"So," Addison interrupts them. Clearly, they go on like this all the time together. They're either best friends or lovers. She doesn't know yet. But it'll be her luck that everyone here will have someone. "I have an appointment in 15 minutes. I'll see you around." And Addison turns on her heels and leaves Sheppard and Rodney behind.
*****
Atlantis is a large city, and Addison has taken to walking the safe parts of the city by herself. She's never out of range with her headset or too far from a transporter. Addison just needs some time away from people.
Rarely does she see others on her walks, and usually then, it's a soldier spending his or her off-hours running through the city. Sometimes Laura Cadman will stop and talk to her. She always has the latest gossip and manages to make Addison smile. But everyone else just nods and runs on by.
Addison's getting comfortable in the kind of almost anonymity she has here. No one knows much about her beyond her job and what's in her personnel record. Mostly importantly, no one knows about her, Derek, Meredith, and Mark. But Addison supposes that soon she'll find more of a place here and might come to regret living in such a closed community.
But the wide-open spaces give her some comfort.
Comfort until Addison hears heavy breathing and grunting coming from a corner. The doctor in her wonders if someone's hurt, and oh god, no one's hurt. Definitely not. No, she's just walked in on a couple having sex in a dark corner.
She tries to quietly escape, but her sneakers squeak on the metal flooring.
"Oh fuck," a man says. Addison has been spotted.
"If she didn't already see us, she definitely heard you, idiot," says another man. She recognizes the voice as Rodney. "Great, now we're going to get called in Elizabeth's office, and you-"
Addison holds up her hands. She has no intention of getting anyone in trouble. Goodness knows that she's worked at places where there was more fucking and had significantly less dark corners. "Don't worry. I won't say anything." She just wants to turn and run.
It's then that she notices the familiar dark spiky hair of Sheppard. So she was right about them. She hears them fumbling with their clothing.
"No one knows," Rodney says. He comes out of the shadows, fully dressed. "And it has to stay that way." Addison can almost hear Sheppard being mortified even though he doesn't say anything. Rodney is the talker; Rodney's the one that can be as out of the closet as he likes.
Addison nods. "I told you. I don't care." She takes the opportunity to leave and she can't get far enough away from them. Somewhere she became someone that didn't want to be around happy couples.
*****
Of course, now that Addison knows about Rodney and Sheppard, Rodney is suddenly her new best friend. She knows that he doesn't trust her. Why should he? She's the new one. And she bets that she's not the only one that's put two and two together.
Addison regrets letting the military know that she's a good shot when Sheppard needs a doctor for a mission and she gets called. Carson hates going off world and Lindsay Biro refuses to touch a gun. So Addison straps on a tac vest and fills her bag with medical supplies. The wormhole's kind of tingly as she steps through it.
The people on M3R-423 are friendly and nomadic. They are happy to trade medical supplies for the thick furs of animals native to their planet. The place is cold and Addison pulls her leather jacket closer to her body. She helps set a young boy's leg, much to his parents' delight. Addison remembers all the reasons why she became a doctor.
Of course, when they gather around a bonfire for a lunch feast, Rodney is at her side. "Having fun?" he asks, while reaching for something that looks like a turkey leg.
"I'm glad to help when I can." Addison takes a bite of some fruit. It's sweet, yet tangy. They call it a dueor.
"Is that citrus?" Rodney points to the dueor. Everyone is well aware of Rodney's allergy and how he doesn't trust native fruits.
"Maybe." Addison takes a bowl from a native woman and smiles at her.
"What do you mean, maybe? I could die." When Rodney starts waving the turkey leg around, Addison's reminded of the first time she met him. "I know doctors don't go to real school - you might as well have majored in English - but they did teach you about anaphylactic shock, right? The whole not breathing and-"
Sheppard motions to Rodney to zip it. But Rodney keeps going on about how all doctors are out to get him, especially Carson. "Rodney," Sheppard tries again and is ignored.
Addison thinks about crushing some sedatives into Rodney's drink. Not enough to knock him out, but just to slow him down. "I assure you, Rodney, that I take my Hippocratic Oath very seriously. However, I don't think that giving you a shot of adrenaline right now would be the best course of action."
Rodney just gaps at her.
"She got you there, Meredith," Sheppard says.
Rodney gives Sheppard his look of death. "I told you not to call me that."
Meredith. Addison is now the one staring in shock. The exchange between Rodney and Sheppard informs her that Rodney's actual name is Meredith. Meredith and Sheppard. Meredith and Shepherd. She can't escape them.
Addison silently curses Derek and starts to laugh. She laughs so hard that tears start falling from her eyes. The whole thing is absurd. She's sitting on a planet in the Pegasus Galaxy with names that she tried to run away from.
"My parents' cruelty is not funny," Rodney protests. "What's so funny?"
Addison just laughs harder as Sheppard gives Rodney a blank look. "Nothing," she snorts. "Nothing at all." Addison needs a drink and maybe a young, attractive Marine to fuck.
"Are you going to be all right, Dr. Montgomery?" Teyla asks. She places her hand on Addison's arm.
"I'm fine." Addison pauses and takes a deep breath to force the giggles down. "I'm going to be just fine."