I do not own Grey's Anatomy or any of its characters.

Okay guys, sorry that it's taken so long for an update. I think this chapter might make up for the delay. I had a great time writing it…hope you like it. Please review and let me know what you think. It means a lot!

Izzie sat on the edge of her bed staring into space. She was still in her rumpled bridesmaid dress, she was still fiercely hungry, and she still needed to relive the mounting pressure on her bladder, but she couldn't make herself move. The line of communication running from her body to her brain had been cut off. She could no longer feel the cold or the rumbling in her stomach, she couldn't feel anything. Her unsteady hands clutched desperately to a wrinkled piece of paper. He was gone…gone. Earlier that day he had been there. She had seen him, touched him, told him she loved him and now, now it was like it had all been a dream. It hadn't been real; it couldn't have been because he was gone. George was gone...

A sob caught in her throat; her eyes glazed with unshed tears. Everyone has a breaking point; sooner or later shock begins to wear off and is replaced by a stronger emotion. Izzie lowered her head and gave herself over to gut wrenching, throat constricting, grief filled sobs. They wracked her body. She couldn't catch her breath and she couldn't stop. The pain…the pain of his leaving, of his unwillingness to lean on her was overwhelming. Her shaking legs turned to jello; Izzie slid from the edge of the bed to the floor. She braced her weight on her hands and knees and allowed herself to continue crying. It hurt…it hurt so bad.

Just a few hours earlier she had been so sure that her insurmountable love for George would be able to get them through all the obstacles she knew they were going to face. That love was going to help them get through the mess that was sure to come with Callie, the judgment and wary looks from their co-workers and even possibly their friends. That love was going to make a home for the baby growing in her womb…the baby…the baby. Her realization of the baby's presence brought on a fresh wave of sobs. George hadn't just left her; he had unknowingly run away from their child.

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Alex let himself in the house that he now considered his home. He was tired…the day had dragged itself out and sapped all of his energy with it. First Ava asking him to make her stay, his walking away, the nonexistent wedding, the desperate search to find Ava, coming up empty handed. Yes it had been a long day and all he wanted to do was sleep, to fall recklessly into oblivion. He needed sleep and the chance at tomorrow. Alex had hope that tomorrow held unknown promises. All he had to do was make it through the night and today's problems would meet tomorrow's solutions. A small chuckle formed in his throat as he turned the lock; he never had seen himself as an optimistic, where had that come from?

The sound of intense sobs filled his ears the minute he entered the house. If he had not been so deep in thought, Alex knew he would have heard them from outside of the house. He stopped for a minute and listened. Izzie. His heart caught in his throat even as he took the stairs two at a time.

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"Iz?" He grasped the doorway causing his feet to slide at the sudden stop in motion.

"Izzie." She was on the floor, curled in a ball, sobbing. Without a second thought he had crossed the room and was holding her in his arms, gently rocking back and forth.

"Shh…Iz…it's okay…shh."

"No…it's…n-o-t." She managed between sobs.

Alex continued to rock, to gently whisper soothing words into her hair. What in the world had gotten her so upset? He knew that Izzie was emotional and had a sense for the dramatic at times, but she couldn't be this upset over Cristina and Burke's failed wedding and even if she was, it definitely wasn't something she would cry over. The only time Alex has seen Izzie this distraught was the night that Denny died; so whatever she was crying about had to more than just pain for her friends.

"Iz, breathe. You have to calm down and breathe." He shook her when she didn't respond. "If you don't stop you're going to hyperventilate…Izzie!"

"He's…he's…gone…Alex! He's gone." She managed to spit out those few sentences between huge gasps for air. Her breathing was still erratic and her chest still caught in silent pants from the desperate sobbing, but she was beginning to clam down.

"Who's gone Iz? Burke? I know that you're upset about the wedding but…" His thumbs traced the path of the tears on her flushed face. He was trying his best to soothe.

"No Alex," she gulped cutting him off and frantically clutching his arm, "George."

The feel of his name forming on her lips and the sound of it on her voice was enough to bring the tears back to her eyes. Her chest automatically began to tighten.

"No you don't…you've cried enough…come on Iz…George is fine; he's probably at the hospital or with Callie…anyway what's the big deal, it's George?"

Hundreds of thoughts began to bombard her brain. There were so many things that she could tell him, so many things that none of them knew. This whole thing with George had been going on right under their noses; her friends just weren't willing to see it…just like she and George hadn't been willing to see it. All Izzie could do was thrust her curled fist towards Alex. He had to pry the note from her fingers, not because she didn't want him to see it, she did that was why she thrust it in his face; she just couldn't let go. Letting go was acknowledging what that note said for the truth and Izzie wasn't sure she was ready to deal with all that came with acknowledging it.

Alex quickly scanned to page. He read the words, but none of it made any sense. What in the hell was going on? George failed his intern exam? He was leaving Seattle, but more importantly he loved Izzie? She was his soul mate; his confidant, the love of his life? Okay…so was he just now telling her this? Had this been going on? George was married…there had never been any vibes between him and Izzie had there; or had everyone just taken the relationship between the two of them and Callie's obvious jealously for granted? Had Izzie and George been sleeping together? Had they been in some kind of secret relationship? Was that why she was in his arms now crying and clutching to this worthless piece of paper?

"Iz…" He didn't know quite what to say. What was he supposed to say? Sorry? There was nothing that he could really do; nothing that he could really say. This was all so totally new and shocking to him.

"It's okay…I'm not expecting anything…there's nothing to do or say that is going to make any of this better…it's just…just…I love him so much Alex…I didn't know that I loved him until I knew that I loved him. For so long he was just George; good old, dependable, best friend George, but then after the whole Meredith disaster and Callie trying to steal him away, I knew that he was more than just George; he was George. He came over one night after Callie kicked him out and told him that he was in love with me. We got drunk and laughed about it…before I knew it he was kissing me and I was kissing him back. Things just escalated from there. He was pulling me up. My shirt was over my head and on the floor before I even realized that it was gone…the next morning I woke up remembering everything and he didn't remember anything…"

"Holy crap; that was the morning he was puking in our bathroom…the night that Cristina stayed over. We were all under the same roof…all five of us and you two slept together. How did we not know…how…"

"I don't know…" she cut him off. "It was so crazy, so unexpected. He didn't remember and then later that day he did and ever since then we've been struggling to define what it was. I knew I loved him and I was pretty sure that he loved me, but…" The rest of her words were chocked by a sob. The tears once again began to course down her cheeks. "I don't know how it all fell apart…I told him I loved him today…he said that he would talk to me at the church…I waited….waited after everyone filed out, waited until it got dark, until I got cold and hungry…Alex…" his name came out on a sob, "I'm pregnant."

"What…" Before he could utter another word, she rushed to get it out; she needed to.

"I was going to tell him today…we were only together that one time, but…"

"Iz." He pulled her more tightly into his arms. There was nothing that he could say that was going to ease her pain, to erase what the following weeks, months were going to bring. All Alex could do was hold her.

They sat there, still on the floor in silence. Alex continued to hold her and Izzie continued to silently weep. After a while he nudged her.

"I'm going to get you some water…and something to eat. I know," he said when she began to shift. "I know it hurts Iz, but we have someone else to think about here. We're going to make this okay even if I have to hunt George down across the country. Meredith, Cristina, and I….we're going to be here for you…you're not going to be alone. George said in the note that he was coming back, to trust him…he'll be back Iz…we both know him. Now," he said pulling her to her feet and gently setting her back onto the bed, "I'm going to go get that water and then we'll get you into some warmer clothes. Hopefully Mer will be home soon. It's going to be okay Iz," he said while gently lifting her face to his. "You are going to be okay." With that he planted a soft kiss on her forehead and headed down the stairs.

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He thought nothing of it when he heard the front door open and close with a bang. He had left it unlocked because he had figured that he was going to be the first one home. He continued to fill the glass in his had with ice. Meredith must be home…that was good and from all the noise she was making Cristina must be with her. That was good too. Tonight they all needed to stick together, for Cristina and now for Izzie…especially for Izzie. Cristina had tougher skin, she would make it through, but Izzie, Izzie was going to need the extra support…a baby…his mind almost couldn't take it in.

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"Alex? Meredith?" Izzie had heard the front door slam and the pounding on the stairs. The footsteps sounded too heavy for Meredith and too angry for Alex. She looked up only to meet the furious, somewhat insane glare of Callie Torres, the former Mrs. George O'Malley.

"You bitch," Callie flung the words out at Izzie. Her words dripped with hate and anger. There was no need to conceal it anymore. Izzie Stevens was going to pay for wrecking her life. Whether or not George spelled it out in his letter, Callie knew that Izzie was the reason her world was crumbling down around her shoulders. She was the reason that George was not at home with her now. She was the reason for him pulling away weeks ago. Just today Callie thought that she had began to get her life back in order. She was trying to have a baby…that was a sure fire way to hold onto George, but no…he was gone…all she had left was a note full of excuses. She took in Izzie's face and appearance. Apparently George had left her too. That gave Callie a small sense of satisfaction. Never the less Izzie was going to pay. She pushed herself through the doorway of the room and headed towards the bed and Izzie in sporadic and jerky movements. The intense anger and hatred in her chest made her a little unsteady, but it in no way veered her from her intent. If anything it made it all the more necessary. Her face twisted into a sick smile the closer she got to Izzie. "I'm going kill you."

TO BE CONTINUED

Okay…there it is. Let me know what you think. I like Callie, so please don't think that I'm being cruel to her. It's just that she has had these suspicions for so long and now George has left her. In her eyes Izzie had to be responsible for it. Greif makes people do crazy things. Just keep reading. Trust me; this story is going to take so interesting turns. Please review. It'll help me update a lot sooner.