Story Title: Notifications

Chapter Title: Reconnecting

Author: Darley1101

Rating: R (mild use of language and adult conduct)

Characters: Alex and Izzie, with mention of others.

Premise: Befriending your ex-wife on facebook can have interesting results.

Author's Note: I am not the first to use Facebook in a fanfiction. In fact I have read several fantastic one shots centered around everyone's favorite social network. One was incredibly fluffy while the other was more realistic and sad. Mine falls somewhere in between, with a lot of comedic relief. For my regulars who are also following Leave Out All The Rest, I have not abandoned it. A rather confusing review put a kink in my writing mojo. I am working through it, trying to understand why they feel I am not fair to Alex and Izzie, and will, hopefully, be posting the next chapter to that story very soon. In the meantime, to get my writing juices flowing again, I have started this series of one shots. The first one, as you can see, pertains to Alex and Izzie. It isn't meant to be canon and is most likely out of character but I hope you enjoy it! Keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the gang!

Facebook was like a black hole. Slowly it drew you in, luring you with the promise of reconnecting with lost friends and former loves, and then, before you knew it, you were sucked into oblivion. Trapped in a cyber prison, with nobody to blame but yourself. Between ridiculous games that shouldn't be addictive, but were, and friend suggestions, Alex Karev was screwed. In the forty-eight hours he had had his profile he had created a farm, adopted a pet, built his own city, and befriended seventy-five people he "might" know. Of those seventy-five, sixty-nine had accepted. Most of them seemed to have farms, pets, or cities too, and they all wanted something. A plow. Their pet to be freed from the pound. A brick for their city. Notification after notification kept popping up. Which was fine. Alex had no problem sending the requested item because he had requests of his own. He needed watering pots and apple trees for his farm, a new collar for his pet, and endorsements for his city. In between answering and making requests, he randomly asked to befriend the suggestions that kept popping up, never really checking who he was sending the request to because, hey, he had to know them somehow, right? The careless nature of his befriending method came back to bite him in the ass when he received a rather shocking notification: Izzie Stevens has accepted your friend request.

His blood slowly turned to ice, barely creeping through his veins as he tried to come to terms with the fact that he had unknowingly sent his ex-wife a friend request and that she had accepted. Just as he was starting to adjust to the idea a chat box labeled Izzie Stevens popped up in the lower right hand corner of his screen. Panic, followed by an astonishing sense of joy, washed over him. In the three years since their divorce they had only spoken once and it had been more of an argument than a conversation. She had wanted to use the embryos. Fine. Whatever. He had given them to her to use or not to use. She wasn't satisfied with just using them though. Oh no, she had wanted him to be a part of the child's life. He had told her to fuck off. That had been the last time they spoke. He had no idea if she had used the embryos or not. It was better that way. The less he knew about the life his ex-wife was living the better. Only now, because he hadn't been smart enough to pay attention to who he was befriending, he was going to be faced with the temptation of looking at her Facebook page and chatting with her.

Common sense told him not to respond to the simple hello in the chatbox, but Alex had never had much common sense when it came to Izzie Stevens. Without thinking twice about it, he typed back a vague hey. Almost instantly she responded by asking what he was up to. Smiling ruefully he replied: Farmville. His smile widened into a grin when she sent back an lol and told him her mother was addicted to that game. He asked if she played any of the games and was a little surprised when she said no, she didn't play any of the games.

Izzie Stevens: Not enough free time. Plus the wifi here is a little spotty.

Alex Karev: Tacoma too cheap for decent internet?

Izzie Stevens: I don't work at Tacoma anymore. Signed up for two years at a clinic in Romania.

Romania? Alex had to read it twice to be sure he had read it correctly the first time. Izzie was in Romania? Half-way around the world. He should have been relieved that she wasn't close enough to suggest meeting for coffee some time. He wasn't. Knowing that she wasn't even in the country scared the hell out of him and raised a million questions. How long had she been there? How much longer was she going to be there? Was she eating right? Was she taking care of herself?

Izzie Stevens: Alex?

Alex Karev: Yeah. Sorry. Got distracted.

Distracted was an understatement. He was just glad he was at home and not at the hospital. After the news she had dropped on him he wasn't sure he could focus on plowing a cyber farm let alone operating on anyone. Why had she done it? Because she's Izzie, he thought. Kind-hearted Izzie who was always thinking about the less fortunate because once upon time she herself had been less than fortunate. He just hated the idea of her being so far. Alone in a place where the water was probably contaminated, food was scarce, and communication to the rest of the world was spotty. It was a little amazing she was even online.

Izzie Stevens: Get distracted again?

Alex Karev: Why?

Izzie Stevens: Why am I asking if you're distracted again or why Romania?

Alex Karev: Romania.

The response wasn't what he was expecting. Each word she typed was like a sucker punch to his gut. She had tried twice using the embryos and miscarried twice. After the second one she had needed an escape. A way to feel like life was worth living and that there were people going through things far worse than miscarriages. Hence the two years in Romania. "Damn it, Iz," he whispered, "you should have called." Only why would she? He had told her to fuck off, that he didn't want to be a part of anything. Maybe if he had been there things would have been different. Maybe it had been the anxiety of being alone that had caused...He stopped his current train of thought and refocused on the news that she had six months left before returning home.

Izzie Stevens: I'm glad you sent that friend request. We'll have to chat again sometime. TTYL

The little green light next to her name disappeared, indicating that she had either logged off or turned her chat option off. Either way she had ended the conversation before he could respond. Balling up his fists, he let out a curse. He shoved away from his desk, no longer caring about the stupid games he had been engrossed in earlier. A quick glance at the alarm clock next to his bed told him he still had four hours before his shift started. Screw it. He would go in early. They always needed extra help in the pit.

Seventy-two hours later, sixty-five of which had been spent working, he signed into his account, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Whether Izzie was on or not he was going to message her and tell her he was sorry for not being there through the miscarriages. Divorced or not, the loss had belonged to both of them, and he should have been there. To his surprise he had one unread message. Not to surprising, it came from Izzie. His hungry gaze scanned through it, taking in each word she had written.

Alex,

You have no idea how good it was to talk to you again, even if it was just for a few minutes. We will have to do it again sometime. Do you have Skype? I have found it works a little better here than Facebook does. I can also get away with being on there longer since we use it to communicate with the foundation that set up the clinic. Next time we chat I'll have to tell you about my job. Its amazing. I'm helping people. Really helping them. I had a sixty-eight year old woman today who had never seen a doctor before. Thankfully she was in pretty good health. Some of them aren't as lucky. It seems like once a week we diagnose someone as terminal. There is never enough time to think about how awful the statistics are here. We're too busy. I think that's why I chose this job. I needed an escape from all the pain in my own life. I guess you could say I ran away again. This job has opened my eyes to the fact that running isn't an option for everyone and that if I really want to make the most of my life I have to start accepting that things don't always go the way I want them to. I also have to learn to let go. Easier said than done, you know? I'm trying though and that has to count for something. I had best end this before I say something I shouldn't. I hope you write back because damn it, Alex, I miss you and it's lonely here.

Iz.

Izzie,

My Skype screen-name is 76. Not sure I remember my password but I will figure it out. If you let me know when you're going to be on next we can try chatting again. I definitely want to hear more about this job of your's. I'm still at Seattle Grace. Webber finally retired and Bailey took his place. I was a little surprised at first, cause most of us expected Shepherd to give it another go, but I think Bailey was the right choice. She's made some pretty cool changes. Like once a week this group brings in animals. Right now the regulars are a lab named Bernie, a poodle named Lola, a parrot named Reginald, a cat named Yolanda, and, believe it or not, a bearded dragon named Henry. Henry isn't for everyone but most of the boys on the pediatric floor get a kick out of him. Me, I'm a little partial to Yolanda. I keep threatening to steal her lol. The lady who brings her said she might let me one day. I don't know if she was joking or not but I hope she was serious. My apartment is a little lonely. Guess that's why I got on Facebook. Needed something to occupy the time. I'm not really into the whole bar scene anymore. Kind of lost its appeal. Feels like all I do is work, sleep, and play on this site. Gonna take a cue from you and end this before I say anything else retarded. Talk to you soon.

Alex.

It was two weeks before he heard from her again. She wrote back with news of a measles outbreak and a freak accident that resulted in her having a concussion. Nothing serious, she had reassured him, but it had been enough to make staring at a computer screen painful. Everything was right as rain now though and if he was going to be online around 10:30 p.m. his time she would be on Skype. With seven hours left on his shift, Alex sent up a silent thank you that his overpriced smart phone came with a Skype app. He sent a quick reply back saying that he would be on, double checked that the app was working correctly, and accepted the request she had sent his screenname.

IsobelStevens: Alex?

76: I'm here. On my phone at work.

IsobelStevens: We can try this another time.

76: No. It's cool. Just giving you heads up in case I go AWAL.

IsobelStevens: lol okay

76: How did you hurt your head?

IsobelStevens: You would ask about that! lol

76: Did you think I wouldn't? Cough it up, doll face. What happened?

IsobelStevens: They're still in the process of installing indoor plumbing so we have to use outhouses. Long story short, I tripped coming out, hit my head on the door. All I can say is thank you God that I did not fall backwards!

76: ROFLMAO Only you Iz!

IsobelStevens: hey now! No laughing at the wounded!

76: Sorry. You gotta admit, it is kinda funny.

IsobelStevens: Hum. Maybe. if it had happened to someone else lol. Subject change. Tell me about these animals Bailey has coming in.

76: She calls it the Animal Assisted Therapy Program. Patients have to sign up for it. Pretty much it gives them something to look forward to. Wasn't sure about it at first but man does it help! Had one patient who I thought for sure was a goner but when they started bringing Lola around he started improving. Fixing to release him soon.

IsobelStevens: That's great! I've read a lot of articles on Animal Assisted Therapy but never talked to anyone who worked somewhere where they allowed it. So you think it works?

76: Oh yeah. Definitely.

They talked a while longer about the animal assisted therapy program before shifting the subject to health care in Romania. In general the standard there was much lower than most European Countries, resulting in a higher diagnosis of terminal illnesses. In the one and a half years she had been there Izzie had diagnosed 70 patients with either HIV or full blown AIDS. Some had been elderly, others had been as young as six. The clinic wasn't just a place to receive medical treatment, it was also an educational outreach. Each of the two doctors and three nurses that worked there took turns educating the patients on how to prevent the spread of communal disease. Slowly the subject drifted from work into personal. It was Izzie who brought up the divorce, a subject Alex was positive would never come up. She talked about regret, of wishing things had gone differently, and how much she missed him. I miss you too, Alex wrote back before he logged off. It was a cowardly thing to do. He realized that. He wasn't ready to talk about how much he regretted the divorce or how he didn't just miss her, he felt empty without her. He couldn't say any of those things until he knew what they hell they were doing. Were they reconnecting or were they chatting their way through closure? Until he had the answer to that question he was keeping his mouth shut. That resolve lasted five days.

Izzie,

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bailed on you like that. I guess it was just easier than admitting you're not the only one with regrets. I think about how we could have done things differently more than I probably should. Especially lately. I'm not sure what to do about that.

Alex.

Alex,

I know how you feel. For the longest time I refused to think about the divorce. I told myself it was because I was looking forward not backward but the truth is I didn't want to think about it because I knew it was a mistake.

Izzie.

Alex sucked in his breath and closed his eyes, hating the waves of emotions that washed over him. They rocked him clear to his soul, reminding him of how much he loved her. She was the sort of woman it was impossible to fully forget. He had tried. For years he had tried, until one day he decided what was the point? Dwell on her. Forget her. Love her. Hate her. It didn't really matter. His heart refused to believe that it belonged to anyone but her. He couldn't fight himself, and he didn't want to. He just wanted living without her to hurt a little less. Another impossible task, he thought with a grimace. Izzie telling him she thought the divorce had been a mistake hurt in ways he couldn't begin to describe. It was one thing for him to think that, but another to have her admit she thought it too. It made it more real. It made it more obvious. They never should have gotten a divorce.

Alex Karev: You're right. It was a mistake. Can't change to past though.

Izzie Stevens: I know. We can change the future though.

Alex Karev: Can we?

Izzie Stevens: I think we can. We just have to want it bad enough.

Alex Karev: You think we could do things right this time? Even with me here and you in Romania?

Izzie Stevens: Yes. Even with you in Seattle and me in Romania. Gotta go. Clinic opens soon. TTYL

A future that included Izzie. Alex had never really allowed himself the luxury of thinking about such a thing. Their divorce had barely been civil. Yet, Izzie believed they could. She even believed they could make it happen with her in Romania and him in Seattle. Her certainty was enough to give him a moments pause. To make him think about the future. In one version his life continued on the path it was currently on. A lonely, work filled life punctuated by moments of drunken sex with women he barely knew and soon forgot. In another version Izzie was by his side; or maybe he was by her side. They were together, working side by side. He didn't have to think twice. The second vision of the future was definitely something he wanted. Licking his lips, he went into the edit profile option. His fingers shook slightly as he changed his relationship status from "single" to "it's complicated." It was then he noticed the option to tag whoever he was in a relationship with. After a few moments of hesitancy he sent a request to Izzie, asking to add her name to his relationship status. He fought back a yawn, pocketed his phone, and went on rounds.

Three days later when he logged back into his account he had a notification saying Izzie Stevens had accepted his relationship status request. It was officially. They were complicated. It didn't take long for more notifications to start rolling in. A comment from Christina Yang wanting to know if they were gluttons for punishment. A demand from Meredith to know what the hell was going on. And, he let out a chuckle, a remark from his sister wanting to know why she had to find out he was getting back with his ex-wife on facebook. It was tempting to tell them to mind their own business, but knew better. Meredith and Christina would tag team him and Amber would call him until he gave her the answers she sought. He decided saying nothing was best and then got another notification. Izzie Stevens had commented on their relationship status. In a much more diplomatic manner than he ever thought about having she told them to mind their own business and let things progress they way they were going to progress. No sooner had he read it then she sent him a message asking if he could log on to Skype.

IsobelStevens: So we're complicated now?

76: You got a better way to describe what we're doing?

IsobelStevens: Good point. And its not like things aren't complicated.

76: Exactly.

76: I'm home if you want to try video chatting.

IsobelStevens: Sure! Fair warning I'm a mess.

It took four tries before the image of Izzie sitting in a ladder-back chair filled his computer screen. She was right. She did look like a mess. A beautiful, familiar mess in hot pink scrubs with her long, golden blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun. Suddenly the miles between them were more obvious. He couldn't beg her to meet for a cup of coffee or take her out on a real date. A lump formed in his throat as he realized that "it's complicated" didn't even begin to describe what they were. "Hey," she greeted softly, crashing through his melancholy thoughts. "Not sure how long I'll be able to chat tonight. We've got two in house patients."

Five seconds. Five minutes. Five hours. It didn't matter. There would never be enough time. "Only two?" Joking about work was the only way he knew to break the awkwardness that seemed to hang over his head.

"Yup. Just the two. We're not really set up for long term care. Most of those we send to another clinic an hour away. Occasionally we get someone that needs watched but isn't serious enough to transport. Like tonight. I have a three year old whose dehydrated. We've got her hooked up to an I.V. And our other guest is an eighty year old man who fell and hit his head."

"There wasn't an outhouse involved was there?" The look she shot him said he had better be glad they were on opposite sides of the world. "Oh come on, Iz. You gotta admit it's funny. Not many people injure themselves falling out of an outhouse."

"Oh, I don't know. I've treated more than a few," she teased back, one graceful hand reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He wished he were close enough to do it for her. "As it happens, there was no outhouse involved in Mr. Bibesco's accident. He has low blood sugar and when he passed out he hit his head on some crates." She paused again to fiddle with her hair some more. "I swear Alex, it's disgusting over here. Very few people have running water and those that do are to stingy to share it. And the market." A visible shudder rippled through her body. "I think I've lost about thirty pounds because their idea of edible and my idea of edible are two very different things. They'll cut the head off a chicken, hang it up by its feet, and leave it there until someone buys it."

A gag fought its way up Alex's throat as she continued to talk about the unsanitary conditions of the local market. "Get a lot of food poisoning cases?"

"At least four a day," Izzie confirmed. "I've had a few patients who understand when we talk to them about making sure they wash their hands and that all their food is fresh and clean. Most just look at us like we're crazy. I guess to them we are." There was a soft moan in the background that caught her attention. She twisted in her seat, looking over her shoulder. A sigh and frown hinted at what was to come. "I hate to do this, but I have to go. Nadia just threw up. It might be a couple days before I can message you again."

As it happened it was two and a half weeks before he heard from her again, and then it was a brief note to tell him she wouldn't be on for three weeks. The building that housed the clinic was finally being updated, and in the meantime they were relocating to a private residence that did not have internet access. The three weeks ended up turning into six. Still no word from Izzie. For a split second Alex wondered if she was blowing him off, if she had changed her mind about being "complicated." When his moment of freaking out was over he got pissed, more at himself than her. It wasn't uncommon for construction work to take longer than expected. He accepted that rationale and continued his impatient wait. When she finally contacted him again it was another brief note apologizing for how long it had taken and what was he doing in two weeks for Thanksgiving?

Izzie,

You don't have to apologize for the construction workers taking longer than expected. Things happen. I'm just glad that you're alright. I was starting to worry. As for Thanksgiving, I don't have a lot planned. Meredith and Derek have invited me over for dinner but not sure I'm going. What about you? Any big plans for the holidays?

Alex

Alex,

Unfortunately, no I don't have any big plans for the holidays. They don't celebrate Thanksgiving here and even if they did there isn't much time for cooking big dinners. The reason I asked about your plans is I was thinking if you weren't doing anything you might be able to drive up and eat dinner with my mom. She always liked you and I know she's been lonely. Think about it and let me know.

Izzie

Izzie,

I would be happy to drive up and visit with your mom on Thanksgiving.

Alex

Thanksgiving came and went. The dinner with Robbie and her trailer park buddies had been interesting. He'd learned things about Izzie that he hadn't known before. She'd been born in California and moved to Washington when she was nine. Her father left them for a younger woman named Rose, the pair lived in some tiny town in California called Porterville and a had a couple of kids. When Alex asked if Izzie had ever met her younger siblings she told him she had no interest in knowing them. They didn't feel like her brother or sister and her father had made it clear years ago that he wanted nothing to do with her. There was more to the story, Alex could sense it, but he let it go. She would tell him in her own time. In the mean time, they talked about the other things Robbie had told him; such as the time Izzie set her easy bake oven on fire trying to dry a wet sock. They laughed for hours over the other silly things her mother had shared and when it was time to log off neither wanted to. She needed sleep though and he needed to start rounds. Before saying good-bye they made plans to video chat the next day.

Video chat was nixed when an unexpected thunderstorm knocked out the power in Alex's building. By the time it was fixed, her clinic was flooded with patients needing to be seen. Four days crept by before either had the time to try again. When he logged in he was surprised to see that she had already sent a video request. Grinning he hit accept. The image that popped onto his screen wasn't what he was expecting. Instead of Izzie's smiling face he got a rather dim view of what could only be her bedroom. It was stark in comparison to her old room at Meredith's, with plain white walls and a single bed with a boring looking brown blanket on it. He was about to log off and send her an email when a towel clad figure temporarily blocked his view. Slowly the white terry cloth slid downward, revealing smooth, tan skin. His mouth went dry as the expanse of skin moved further away, exposing more and more Izzie's perfectly formed body. Not much about her had changed. Her breasts were still full and round, her ass and stomach firm from working out. His cock stirred as she leaned toward the little table next to her bed. Her fingers wrapped around what looked like a bottle of lotion. Shit. If she started rubbing herself down with lotion he was going to turn into a horny teenage boy and start jacking off. "Iz," he managed to croak out, startling her. The lotion bottle fell from her fingers, bounced off the bed and thumped to the floor.

"Shit!" Her dark eyes widened and she darted out of view. When she returned she wore a familiar looking gray t-shirt that read Iowa State Wrestling.

"Nice shirt," Alex mused. He toyed with the idea of telling her it was alright to finish whatever she had been about to do. The only thing that stopped him was the embarrassed flush in her cheeks. He would be lucky if she didn't come up with an excuse to log off.

"It is a nice shirt," she agreed. The tip of her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and her throat visibly worked up and down.

"Want to even the odds?" The sudden question startled him almost as much as it startled her. She shot him a quizzing look and then smirked when he yanked his shirt over his head and threw it on the bed behind him. The peep show odds. He'd never stripped down in front of a webcam before and wasn't sure he wanted to now, but if she asked he would. He would do anything for her. Even whack off at his desk if that was what she wanted.

"All I'm wearing is a t-shirt and since I'm pretty sure you've got on jeans and boxers the odds aren't quite even." Crossing her arms, she leaned back in her chair, waiting expectantly. Fine. She wanted a show. He would give her a show. Shoving back from the desk, he stood. With fingers that were far steadier than he felt he undid the button on his jeans. He took great pleasure in slowly shoving them past his hips and down his legs. He kicked them aside and then hooked his fingers between the elastic waistband of his boxers. It was almost painful watching the desire flare up in her eyes as the light blue cotton boxers joined his jeans. Even more painful was watching her drag his old wrestling t-shirt over her head, once again exposing her body to his view. "Now what," she whispered.

Hell if he knew. He'd never gotten into the online sex games thing like some of his college buddies had. Furrowing his brows he thought about all the things he wanted to do her. Swallowing his fear he made himself verbalize those desires. No detail was spared as he told her what he would do to her if they were together. It was impossible not to wrap one hand around his dick and slowly stroke himself up and down. It was impossible not to quicken those strokes when she leaned forward and whispered all the things she wanted to do to him. One hand slid down her throat toward her breast and then paused. Her eyes widened. "Shit," she whispered. "Shit. Shit. Shit!" She ducked out of view and reappeared once again in the t-shirt. "This is my work computer," she whispered frantically.

The meaning of her words sunk in. If her work computer was set up similar to those at Seattle Grace they were monitored. He let out a groan. "If a video of me jacking off starts floating around the internet I'm going to sue."

Izzie let out a giggle. "Right. Who are you going to sue? You're complicated girlfriend or the non-profit organization she works for?"

"Both," he chuckled, knowing that the likelihood of such a video ever making the rounds was highly unlikely. If Izzie's employer did monitor usage and content their biggest worry would be her losing her job. "Iz, your job..."

Tucking her damp hair behind her ears she leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh. "I don't think they monitor us. Not like that anyways." Her mouth rounded in a yawn and she shook her head. "I think I'm going to call it a night. It's almost two a.m. here. Sweet dreams." A devilish grin twisted her lips as she raised the hem of the t shirt and flashed him before signing off.

Three days after the almost online sex Alex received a notification for a relationship status change from Izzie Stevens. She wanted to upgrade from "it's complicated" to "in a relationship." He quickly accepted and then checked his in box. One message. From Izzie.

Alex,

I probably won't be online much in the weeks to come. You might say the next couple months are transition months. The doctors who will be taking over from Wyler, Stanton, and me will be arriving soon and there are so many things we have to cover before it's time to come home. It seems unreal that my time here is drawing to an end. Eighty-three days and counting. I can't wait to be home. We have so much we need to talk about.

Love,

Izzie

Eighty-three days and counting. Two and a half months, give or take a couple days. Excitement shot through his veins, fueled by the desire to hold her close and tell her in person how much he still loved her. A chuckle formed in his throat as he thought about funny it was that Facebook had been the thing to rekindle a flame he had thought long extinguished. Facebook and his obsession with the games, he corrected. If he hadn't been so wrapped up in acquiring neighbors for his farm he would have been paying attention and if he had been paying attention he probably wouldn't have sent the friend request to her. Fate had known they were still meant to be and Fate had stepped in. For that Alex would always be grateful.

The eighty-three days seemed to whir by as Izzie made plans to return to Seattle and Alex prepared for her arrival. In the rare moments they could communicate they agreed that he would pick her up from the airport and she would stay with him at his apartment while she applied to local hospitals. He had offered to talk to Bailey on her behalf but she had declined. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to Seattle Grace and if she did she wanted it to be on her own. Alex could respect that. For every happy memory she had at Seattle Grace there were sad ones. George dying. Denny dying. Her cancer. Him asking for a divorce. Yeah, Alex could definitely see why she needed to think about reapplying there. Where Izzie might or might not apply was quickly forgotten when he spotted her racing down the airport terminal toward him. He caught her in his arms, buried his face in her neck, and held tight. The missing pieces of his life slowly fit back into place. "I love you," he murmured, pressing a hard kiss against her mouth. An hour later their relationship status changed to engaged.