-1Chapter 2

Bells Will Be Ringing

"Mrs. O'Malley, I'm sorry I wasn't expecting you. Please come in, Are you looking for George?" Meredith asked. Just as she was about to close the door, Callie walks in.

"Grey, I heard about your little party and thought I would invite George's Mom to spend Christmas with us."

"Us?"

"Yes, George and I." Callie says as George appears behind them in the doorway.

"Hello? I'm Looking for Isobel Stevens." A woman inquires from the porch. "Could you tell me if she lives here?"

"Yes Izzie lives here, I'm sorry I don't think we have met before, you are?" Meredith asks

"I'm Isobel's Mother."

"Oh look George Izzie's Mom, Hi I'm Callie O'Malley."

"Hello, are you one of my Crickets friends?"

"Well Izzie and I share everything, don't we George? Come join us in the living room."

Callie shrugs off her coat, hangs it up and leads Mrs. O'Malley and Mrs. Stevens into the other room. George tries to slip by Meredith, but she grasps his arm and drags him into the kitchen.

"George, what are you doing here? You can't be here!"

"She made me come! She took me back, but frankly I'm a little scared of her. Kick us out!"

"What?"

"Kick us out! Just go in there and tell her we have to leave."

"I can't just kick your mom out, what am I supposed to say?"

" I don't care what you tell her just as long as we are going out the same way we came before Izzie finds out were here! Where is Izzie anyway?"

"She's upstairs."

Meanwhile upstairs, Izzie is sitting in the bathroom with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes are red and swollen from crying. Alex sits down next to her, looking at her carefully before speaking.

"Iz, are you okay?"

"Why would he bring her here? And his mother….and my mother. Oh God! Alex what am I going to do?" Alex brushes her cheek with his thumb, wiping the tears as they fall.

"You're going to go downstairs and spend Christmas with your friends, and you're mom who is here to see you."

"No I'm not! I'm going to hide up here in the bathroom until they leave."

"Izzie, you can't hide up here all night. If it helps I've got to go down there and sit through polite conversation as Lexie Grey looks at me like she wants to rip my head off!"

"Lexie's here too? Sorry."

"Your not gonna make me go down there alone are you?"

"Alright, but can we just hang out here for a few more minutes please?"

"Okay."

"So who else is down there?" Alex smiles at her.

Downstairs George and Meredith join everyone in the living room. Derek is talking to Lexie as Meredith walks over to join them. Mark and Callie are laughing at a story George's mom has told about when George was little. George sits next to Izzie's mom on the couch and introduces himself.

"Hi Mrs. Stevens', I'm George O'Malley. I'm sure you have probably heard about me. I used to live here with Izzie, well not with Izzie, I had my own room and she had her own room. I'm married now and Izzie and I are just friends, best friends."

"Hello, George was it? Do you know if Isobel is here?"

There is another knock at the door, Meredith excuses herself and goes to answer it.

"Hi is Alex Karev here?"

"Oh hi, you're …"

"Rebecca. Dr Grey, right?"

"Yes, please call me Meredith."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, Let me take your coat, Alex is upstairs but he should be down shortly. Would you like to wait in the living room? We're having a party. You could join us if you like."

"Thank you Meredith, I would love to."

Back upstairs Alex goes in his bedroom and sits down on the floor next to his bed. Izzie comes in behind him.

"Alex, I thought we were going downstairs?"

"We were, now we're not!"

"Why?"

"Because she's here."

"Lexie? I thought you said that…"

"Rebecca. It was Rebecca's voice I heard talking to Meredith."

"Do you want me to go tell her you're up here?"

"NO!"

"Alex what's going on?" She sits next to him on the floor.

"I broke it off with her."

"Why, I thought you really liked her?"

"I'm in love with someone else."

"Alex you're right, we can't hide up here all night. Let's get it over with. We'll just go down there and hope that Rebecca and Lexie don't kill each other, and you. Hope that Callie doesn't let my mom know what a great big whore I am, making George's mom hate me in the process." She holds out her hand to him after she stands up. Alex considers her offer. He was never one to hide, so it looks like they are going downstairs.

"And if it all turns to shit?" He asks.

"There's a bottle of tequila stashed in the kitchen that we can share." He takes her hand.

"Deal."