A/N: So this is my very first Grey's Anatomy fic. Before you continue any farther, you need to know this is a Jolex fic. I shipped Izzex just as much as the next fan, but after she left the first time and then came back, only to continue to blame Alex and then leave again, I lost all respect for her character. However, Izzie is a human, therefore I'd like to potray her with real emotions and some human decency, like the Izzie I used to know and love. Anyways, this takes place about a year and a half after Meredith returns to Seattle. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not Shonda Rhimes/Satan/Ruler of All That is Evil/Genius/Whatever. So no, I don't own Grey's Anatomy.
If Meredith was honest, this was the last thing she expected to happen today. She'd awakened to a large headache, one worse than any hangover she'd endured. Amelia diagnosed her with a severe migraine before she and Maggie headed off to work, leaving Meredith with a pounding head and three small children. She'd called Alex and Jo, who were fresh off their honey moon and still had one more day off work. Jo had agreed, claiming it was no inconvenience, that it allowed her and Alex to play house for the day. So by 10:00am, the kids were gone from the house to enjoy a day of play with their Uncle Alex and Aunt Jo.
Meredith had slept for several more hours, and then around five o'clock, she made the brave and difficult trek from her bedroom to the kitchen. Staring at the limited options in the fridge, she made a mental note that some one had to go to the store before the only thing they had left to eat was baking soda. She grabbed one of the Jello cups that were intended for the kids and a spoon from the drawer. She sat down gingerly on a bar stool at the island, and ate the gelatin in three bites. Sighing, she tossed the plastic cup in the garbage and threw the spoon in the sink, wincing at the clinking sound it made. Then a knock sounded at the door.
It probably wasn't all that loud, but Meredith could have swore someone was pounding on the door. They were not about to face a happy resident. Meredith stepped out into the hallway, heading towards the door to greet the unlucky visitor, when she stopped dead in her tracks. Because standing in the doorway, peering through her glass front door, was Isobel Stevens.
She's not sure how long she stood there, gaping at the woman on the other side of the door. Izzie's face held a sheepish grin, and she waved a little. "Hi, Mer." Her spoken words drew Meredith out of her trance a little, and she walked forwards and opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
Izzie laughed a little, attempting humor. "Hoping for a slightly more enthusiastic welcome." When Meredith didn't laugh, or even acknowledge the statement, she continued. "I have a consult with Dr. Pierce at the hospital tomorrow. So I thought I'd stop by and reconnect with some old friends. I've missed you, Mer." She stepped forward, arms open for a hug, but Meredith stepped back.
"Reconnect. Reconnect? Reconnect with some old friends? Where was all this reconnecting when a maniac came into the hospital wielding a gun? When Derek and Alex were shot? Or when my sister and Mark were killed? When we were in a freakin' plane crash. Where was all this reconnecting when my husband died two and a half years ago Izzie? Huh?"
Izzie winced at the list, having the decency to at least look ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Meredith. I wasn't really sure how to call. I mean, what would I say? 'I'm sorry I left all of you guys, but how are you feeling with all the trauma that's been inflicted upon you.'? I just didn't know what to do."
"Anything would have been better than silence."
Izzie nodded. "And I'm so, so sorry for that. I really am. I'm in town for a few days. I was just hoping that we could catch up. Maybe try to mend things. I really have missed you all."
Meredith sighed warily, before stepping aside, allowing Izzie to walk through the door.
"…and Ellie is about a year and a half now. She looks so much like Derek it's uncanny. But not in a masculine way. I guess she kind of looks like Amelia."
Izzie smiled, swiping through the pictures on Meredith's phone. "She's beautiful."
Meredith smiled, nodding her head. Izzie looked up hesitantly, about to ask the question that had been burning in her mind for a while. "Is Alex..I mean, how is he?"
Meredith opened her mouth to answer when the sound of a key turning in the lock interrupted her. "Mommy!" A young girl, who was obviously Zola, came running through the living room, followed by a dark haired woman carrying a younger child who Izzie deduced to be Ellis.
"Hey Mer, are you feeling any better? The kids wanted to get McDonald's, so I brought you some too. Just a hamburger, and fries, but I made sure they didn't put any onions-"
The woman caught sight of Izzie and stopped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was anyone else here. I'm Jo Wilson."
Izzie heard an all too familiar voice come echoing through the entryway. "Jo Wilson-Karev. Get used to saying it, 'cause I like the way it sounds. I've got the crazy one, who may of may not have a lot of caffeine in his system, just saying."
Alex Karev rounded the corner, and Izzie breathed a gasp at the sight of her ex husband, who was carrying the third Shepherd child, Bailey, over his shoulder in the fireman's lift. He dropped the child to the ground and Bailey took off running towards his mother. Alex wrapped an arm around the woman- Jo, Izzie thought she had said- before he finally noticed Izzie. His smile fell and he tightened his grip around the other woman's waist as he stared at Izzie.
She laughed nervously, smiling sheepishly. "Hey, Alex."
A/N: Chapter two is in the works and I hope to have it up soon. Review?