all this, and heaven too
summary: the end is near but I do not fear for the time has come
ship: george and izzie; with some denny/izzie and alex/izzie (mentions)
fandom: grey's anatomy
rating: pg13
note: george was mentioned on grey's anatomy and suddenly I had to write this.
She's been here before, walking through the hallway of Seattle Grace in her prom dress. The same dress, the same elevator; this was a familiar place where he feelings of love and lost amalgamated into an overload of feelings. Izzie can't say she's surprised to be here. She was never one of the lucky one's. She doesn't get to beat cancer, fall in love with someone who doesn't die or deserve better and she certainly doesn't get to be the mother she wanted even though she did her best. So now she's here waiting for the elevator, walking towards her death.
A hand, touches hers and she see's him. Denny Duquette. His smile is sad, it's sadness lined with happiness and she knows that this is it. The end.
He smiles and she suddenly thinks that it's not so bad if he's here.
Her hand is warm in his grasp. Safe. "Denny" she manages to choke out.
"Hey", he's all smiles as he cups her face in his hands, "I wish that you had more time on the other side but I am happy to see you"
"I am too. I missed you. So much. So damn much; I felt like I couldn't breathe without you here", she remembers, those days after his death when her mouth was full of defeat and pain and regret.
"I know. I saw you. I would have done anything to make things better" he says with a wistful tone as if he still regrets not being able to have helped in any way. This man, this wonderful man would have climbed mountains if she asked. If he could. She knows that. It's one of the many reasons she fell in love with him. It's the only excuse she had for her actions then.
"But now you're here. I'm here. We have this time"
He pulls his hands away from her face and kisses her. As her mouth fills with his taste, she breathes in his scent, feels the brush of his face on her sensitive skin. She thinks, this is good. This is great.
She thinks, this just doesn't feel right.
She pulls away and pushes the button on the elevator as he composes himself.
"I wanted to do that before you left" he says sheepish grin on his face.
"How did you know?"
He touches her hand again, as if he can't bear to not touch her in these final moments. She allows it because Denny Duquette was one of her greatest loves and a part of her could have stayed here with him. Forever.
Her hand is once again cocooned in his, "You survived me Iz. Because I died and you hurt but you survived. Death is about being complete and I love you enough to want that for you even though I also want to be a selfish bastard about it".
The elevator chimes, the doors open, her hand is now free. Izzie can feel the tears gathering at her eyes as she steps in.
"I do love you Denny. I could have been happy here with you"
He smiles again, so bright that she almost falters when pressing the button to the top floor.
"I know"
The doors close and she's there, in that elevator again. Lost in the thoughts of surviving Denny. She only survived through her friendships. She skims over the marriage to Alex. Not that she didn't love him because she did. It's just that even before Denny and after George , the love she felt for Alex wasn't enough to make him who she needed him to be. She's selfish enough to admit that she needed him to change for them to work and he was unwilling because he's Alex Karev and he's a human being that can only be who he is. She should have known better. They did have passion and that's what she holds on to when she thinks back to old regrets.
The door chimes and she barely catches it so lost in her thoughts.
She cannot deny that the person she see's is worth all of the pain and regret and missed opportunites. Somehow she always knew that this would be her forever, that this was the maybe someday she had spoken about all those years ago.
"George"
One word. One syllable. But her whole world. Her best friend. Her anchor. The reason she survived Denny and the reason she couldn't survive at Seattle Grace when her marriage started to fall apart.
"I want to say something poetic or significant but all I can manage is finally", he says in half serious, half joking manner. The one where his voice rises a bit at the end because he's awkward and doesn't want you to know it. But you do. And it's George so you love him even more for it. Plus his eyes are tinges with red so she doesn't need the words when it's written all over his face.
She responds by crashing into him. They become a mess of arms, legs and mouths. Touching, tasting, devouring, melting.
It's a while before he pulls away, a shorter while before she's able to form words. Staring at him seems to give her more peace than all of the yoga she's been not so keen about doing in the last couple of years.
"I missed you"
"Izzie, I've missed you too"
"So you'll stay with me?"
"Forever", he pushes some of her hair out of her eyes and she melts into his hand. Closing her eyes, she breathes in his scent and it smells like peppermint and baked cookies. Or maybe that's her imagination since that's what home smells like to her and that's what this is.
She's home.
Isobel Stevens takes George O'Malley's hand in hers as they start to walk away from the elevator. She's not sure where they're going but she doesn't care.
George suddenly turns her to face him with unconcealed excitement, "Oh and guess what? You don't have to shave your legs in eternity"
Laughter fills the hallway.
She was right, this is the end. But it's also a beginning.