Notes: This is a fanfiction based on characters from the TV shows, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice. This is the story of Derek, Addison, and Mark in med school. In it, other characters will pop up like Sam and Naomi from Private Practice as well as Weiss and Savvy, who were in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy (2×08). I’d also like to add that I know virtually nothing about medicine or med school. So I won’t be adding too much medical jargon. Just know that there will probably be mistakes there moving forward. This story and chapter were originally posted on Archive of Our Own on October 20th, 2021. This has been edited to include headings and images.
August: Chapter 1
This was it. Med school. The first step towards becoming a surgeon. Or at least the first step towards being called ‘Dr. Montgomery’. Or should she go with Forbes Montgomery? If it were up to Bizzy, it’d be Forbes Montgomery. But her name was already a mouthful and in an emergency, a shorter name would probably be better. Addison made it through Yale University and made lifelong friends there. But here she was at Columbia, specifically the University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where everyone else here had the same end goal: becoming a doctor.
Addison stepped out of her town car as Thomas held the door open for her. As she looked around at all the students running around and the school, he started pulling her bags from the trunk. It was different here. The New York air wasn’t quite as crisp as her Connecticut home but it had a different energy. One that excited her. The hustling of the city rubbed off here but it wasn’t just that everyone was in a rush. Everyone here had a purpose and was fixed on doing everything possible to get to their end goal. Even though Yale was Yale, it wouldn’t compare to the next four years here.
Derek and Mark Arrive
“We made it!” Mark shouted as he and Derek unloaded their belongings out of Carolyn Shepard’s van.
“Well of course you did,” Carolyn smiled at both boys as they got the last of their bags out of the trunk. The guys smiled at each other and looked at the other freshmen unloading their things and saying goodbye to their loved ones, be it parents, siblings, or friends that wouldn’t be joining them here.
“Wait! Before we get to the dorm, let me get a picture,” Carolyn reached into her oversized, overused tote of a purse and pulled out a disposable camera as Mark wrapped his arm around Derek to pose for the picture.
Click. Carolyn put the camera down and put her hand to her heart as if clutching onto imaginary pearls as she held her smile and her eyes started to water. The guys had already turned around to take a better look at the school and everyone around them but Carolyn stared a little longer like she was taking a mental picture. After a minute or two, Carolyn interrupted the boys’ silent moment.
“Alright guys, you’ll have plenty of time to stare off into the distance some other time,” Carolyn joked. “But right now, we’ve gotta get your things to your dorm room,”
Addison Arrives
After Addison met with her RA, she and Thomas walked to her dorm to drop off her things. The dorm was nice and quaint but as excited as she was for the next four years of med school, she had to admit this dorm was nothing compared to the ones she lived in at Yale. While she shared it with three other roommates, it was spacious with a living room and two separate bedrooms. She only had one roommate here but it was much smaller and more of what’d you’d expect when you heard the word, ‘dorm’. But this would have to do, she thought as Thomas finished dropping off her LV bags at the foot of one of the two twin-sized beds.
Addison continued to scan the room. The walls were a cheap shade of beige as well as obviously worn. There were small holes where previous residents had pinned various posters and some of the paint was chipping off. The bed was small and the closet space was tiny as well. But as small as it was, Thomas began unpacking her things and hanging them in the closet. Regardless of the smaller room, she wasn’t going to let it deter her. She made it to med school and there was no stopping her now.
Addison Settles In
After another few minutes of looking around the room, Thomas had already finished unpacking two out of her five bags. He’d been the Forbes Mongomery majordomo for as long as she can remember. Even though he was now in his 60’s, he was still just as sprightly as he had been when he’d driven her to her ballet classes when she was six. And by now, he knew how she liked her clothes hung in the closet.
It wasn’t even his job to drive her as they had a designated chauffeur. But Thomas had admittedly been more of a father than the Captain so Addison begged him to come until he gave in. Bizzy and the Captain could manage for a day with their other servants. Today, Addison needed a friendly face.
Mark Meets Addison
After the guys finished unpacking, they said their goodbyes to Carolyn and looked back at their dorm room.
“This is it, man. We’re gonna be doctors” Derek said.
“We’re gonna be doctors,” Mark smiled and wrapped his arm around Derek.
“Hey, you hungry? I could use a snack,” Mark said.
“Nah, I’m good. I’m just gonna hang out here for a bit. Soak all in, you know,” Derek said.
Mark walked out of their dorm room and into the hall. It was their first day and he had no idea where he was going. He thought he’d try to find the cafeteria or maybe even find a vending machine but, again, he had no idea where he was going. He walked around aimlessly until finally, he found a vending machine. With a beautiful redhead standing in front of it.
Slowly, Mark approached her as he saw her bring her fingers to her lips as if she were about to bite her nails. But then she puts her hands down and fidgets with her fingers as if she were self-disciplining herself from biting her nails.
“Anything good there?” Mark asked, leaning forward just slightly.
“Ummmm not really,” Addison said back. “But when is there ever anything that good in a vending machine?” She looked up towards Mark and smiled, which only made Mark’s smile bigger. He was good-looking, and he knew it. He walked closer to the vending machine and looked inside.
Addison Walks Away
“Well, at least there’s potato chips,” Mark said back, cocking his head to the side.
“I guess that’s true,” Addison said, looking back at Mark, whose face had gotten considerably closer. After a beat, Addison stepped back and looked down to the floor as she blushed and chuckled slightly and Mark smiled back. Addison’s genuine flattery just made Mark want her more.
“I’m Mark, by the way,” he said, cocking his head again to try to get her to meet his gaze.
“Addison,” she met his blue eyes and smiled. Mark really had a certain charm about him that girls couldn’t resist. And he knew it. But flattered as she was, Addison could tell he was cockier than he tried to seem. And she was determined not to fall for it.
Addison looked back at the vending machine and pressed buttons D and 5 for the potato chips. She watched on as the machine pulled the bag out and dropped it down as Mark watched her, still smiling.
“Well…” Addison said awkwardly as she bent down to grab her bag of chips. “Bye!” she turned around and walked down the hallway opposite Mark. But as she walked away, Addison could tell Mark was watching her walk away. Mark, however, couldn’t help but chuckle at her slight awkwardness. But he also knew she was playing her own game. Mark had game, but so did Addison.
Additional Notes
In this first chapter, I wanted to show the differences between Derek and Mark’s dropoff from Addison’s. Derek and Mark obviously have Carolyn, who’s always been described as the best mom but Addison’s family has always been distant and she grew up rich with plenty of servants so I created Thomas as one of her many servants that she got close to. Also, I know that Addison and Derek don’t meet until they take a gross anatomy class together so that’s why they don’t meet in the first chapter. But for some reason, I just really liked the idea of Addison and Mark meeting first.
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