Author's Note: So… I'm pretty much done with Grey's Anatomy. I can't keep watching Jolex get screwed over time and time again, and I'm done with all the BS excuses. It's ridiculous that Shonda & Co. are blaming the lack of Jolex on Camilla's maternity leave when both she and Justin have been filming scenes that they are choosing to cut. And it's not just that – it's the fact that they've been treating a domestic violence storyline this way. It's inexcusable and disrespectful to the millions of women who have experienced abuse.
Anyways, I'll try to still write Jolex fanfiction (cause you know I love to do it) but I just can't keep watching Grey's Anatomy anymore. I'm throwing in the towel. But luckily for you, my anger at Shonda Rhimes inspired me to write this short and sweet fic. Enjoy and remember that reviews are my lifeblood!
Disclaimer: If I owned Grey's Anatomy the show would be a lot better. Sorry not sorry.
Alex isn't answering his phone.
She knows that it's been forever since they talked, and even longer since they were together, but suddenly none of that matters because there's a fire at the hospital and he's not answering his phone.
As Jo pulls up outside the loft after her visit with a recovering Stephanie, she gets his answering machine yet again and curses under her breath. "Alex, I'm sorry that I keep blowing up your phone like this, and I know that things have been weird between us lately but…" She pauses and takes in a deep, shuddering breath. "I just need to know you're okay. Please call me back. Bye."
Her stomach in knots, she climbs out of her car and heads for home. It doesn't matter that her and Alex aren't together right now. It doesn't matter that they haven't spoken in weeks. She loves him and she doesn't know where he is, and it's killing her inside.
Jo opens the door to the loft and immediately freezes. "You're here."
Alex gets up from the couch and turns to face her, putting down the beer that he'd helped himself to. "Hey. I hope you don't mind I let myself in. I knocked but you weren't home, and since I still had my key…"
"I tried calling you," Jo breathes. She's staring at him, still trying to process that he's standing before her in the home they used to share. "Didn't you get any of my messages?"
Alex pats down his pockets and comes up empty. "Damn, I must've left my phone in the car. I'm sorry, I just got back –"
But Jo doesn't let him finish, crossing the room in three strides, effectively cutting him off when she throws her arms around his neck. "Shut up. I'm just glad you're safe."
Alex pulls back so he can look at her face. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
"It's hard to explain. There was an accident at the hospital, Steph was hurt –"
"Jeez. Is she okay?"
"She's gonna be fine," Jo sighs. "She's…she's quitting. She's going to travel, see the world while she still can."
Alex looks down and shifts from one foot to the other nervously. "Speaking of travelling…Can we sit?"
Without a word, Jo sits down on the couch – the one she bought for him back when they were still just friends, in what feels like another lifetime – and Alex follows suit. She realizes that she's holding his hand, something she's done without even realizing it. "What's going on?"
Alex swallows. "I went to Los Angeles. To find your ex."
To find your ex. Those four little words are enough to make Jo's heart drop into her stomach. Suddenly she's overcome by a tidal wave of shock and fear and years of repressed memories. "How…" She stammers. "How did you even find him?"
"I did some digging," Alex says. "I'm sorry, I was just so angry…I wanted to kill him. I wanted to make him leave you alone for good. But then, as I was sitting there staring at him, I realized that I was just thinking about myself. I wasn't thinking about you."
Breath whizzes back into Jo's lungs. "Wait – you didn't tell him about me?" Alex shakes his head. "Oh, thank God…"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wasn't thinking…"
She smiles feebly and squeezes his hand. "It's okay. I forgive you."
"And I'm not just sorry for that, I'm sorry for everything," Alex continues, scooting closer to her on the couch. "I'm sorry for pushing you into something you weren't ready for. I'm sorry for being too afraid to talk to you for these past few weeks. And I've realized that...that I don't have to get married. I just want to be with you."
Jo purses her lips. "But Alex, I know how much you want to get married. It's your dream."
He laughs hollowly. "No, it's not. I don't need to be married, Jo – I just need to be with you. In any way, shape or form. I just wish I had realized that sooner."
She leans in towards him and their noses brush as their lips melt into a gentle kiss. She smiles, because kissing him after so long is like coming home after years of being gone. Words can't describe how good it feels.
When they pull apart a wicked grin crosses her face as an idea hits her. "Wait here," Jo says, catapulting herself off the couch before Alex can ask what she's doing. He watches as she makes a beeline for the bed, rummaging through the drawers of their nightstand.
"What are you –" The half-formed question dies in his throat when she turns around, a little velvet box that he knows too well in her hand. "Jo –"
She shushes him, inspecting the loft. "Now we just need one for you." She scans the room, deep in thought, then walks purposefully to the kitchen. "Do we have any bread?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Jo opens the cabinets and he can hear her murmur a small 'aha' as she pulls out a loaf of bread. She undoes the twist tie before rejoining him on the couch. "I know it's not much, but I promise I'll get you a better ring later."
"Jo –" He starts to say, but she cuts him off.
"Alex, I wanna marry you too. Unfortunately this is the only way I can but…well, it's still something right?"
A smile on his face, he leans forward to kiss her again. "It's perfect."
"So…" Jo says, dragging the word out. "How exactly does this work?"
"Well…" He begins. "Maybe we should…stand up?"
"Right, that's probably a good idea…" They both get to their feet and Jo hands Alex the box. He pulls the ring out, shoving the box into his pocket, while she wraps the twisty into a circle. "I, Josephine Alice Wilson, take you, Alexander Michael Karev, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. Now, give me your hand." He extends his left hand to her and she slips the makeshift ring on, tying the twisty tighter so that it fits snugly on his fourth finger. "Okay, now it's your turn."
Alex holds the ring between his thumb and forefinger, staring deeply into Jo's light brown eyes, her entire face lit up by a radiant smile. He'd ask her to pinch him, but if this is a dream, he never wants to wake up from it. "I, Alexander Michael Karev, take you, Josephine Alice Wilson, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part. God, I love you." She laughs and he slides the ring easily onto the proper finger – it's a perfect fit.
"Umm," Jo says, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "So, I think this is the part where you kiss the bride."
Alex grins broadly. "Well, it's about damn time."
She laughs into his open mouth as they seal the deal and his hands find their way to the small of her back, and then to her hips. After a moment, he pulls away to look at her. "We should celebrate." He says. "We… we should call everyone. Tell them. We…we can go to Joe's. Everyone's drinks are on me…" Before he can move towards the door she halts him with another slow, sultry kiss.
"Easy there, mister." She says, the left side of her mouth lifting into a mischievous half smile. "I was thinking we'd have a private party first…" He doesn't protest as she pushes him down onto the bed. He won't need any more convincing than that.
Later in the night, after several rounds of blissful love-making, their limbs are tangled up in the sheets as he presses a series of kisses down her throat all the way to her collarbone. "I swear I'll get you a better ring," She promises as she examines the new accessory on his left hand.
"You can if you want," Alex replies. "But you're crazy if you think I'm ever taking this damn twist tie off." Jo smiles and curls into him.
They lie there in silence for a few moments, her body in his arms, his right hand running up and down her spine. "Let's go." He blurts out randomly. Jo looks over his shoulder, glancing at the clock.
"Alex, it's two-thirty in the morning. I think Joe's is closed by now…"
"I didn't mean go to Joe's," He clarifies. "I meant, let's go. Let's leave Seattle. Start fresh. Have a new life."
Jo pulls back, trying to read the expression on his face in the darkness of their bedroom. "But…you love it here. Seattle is your home."
Alex shakes his head. "You're wrong about that. Seattle isn't my home – you are." He pushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "This could be a new start for us. What do you think about the East Coast?"
She hugs him tighter. "The East Coast is nice."
"We could go to New York," He muses. "Or Philadelphia. Or D.C. It doesn't even have to be in the U.S. Hell, I'd go to Antarctica if you asked me to." She throws her head back laughing, the mental image of them living among the penguins too much, and it's a beautiful sound.
"We'll think about it. Right now, we should probably sleep." She rolls over to her other side so they can spoon each other, his arms around her waist, and Jo can feel the new sensation of his twisty tie ring pressing against her skin. "Hey Alex?"
"Yeah?" He murmurs sleepily.
"I'm sorry we didn't have a better wedding."
He kisses her shoulder. "Are you kidding? It was perfect. It was us."