Author's Note: First of all, I apologize for the fact that this chapter took so long. I've been working out kinks these past few days, and I hope that this one can make up for my absence. In any case, enjoy! And leave me a review, please!
Mark glanced cautiously over at Izzie who was scrubbing her hands furiously under the faucet. They had just finished a surgery on a woman who, according to Mark, was completely obsessed with just how perfect her features had to be. He walked up behind her, carefully placing his hand against her shoulder. "Is there even any skin left there?"He asked, trying to remain jovial.
"I just don't get it, why would she put herself through so many surgeries just for the sake of physical beauty?"Izzie snapped before reaching for a towel to dry off her hands. "I mean, I guess it makes sense that she'd want to look beautiful, but the way she's going about it is totally-"
"Wrong?"Mark asked, knowing he'd finished her sentence. He looked into her eyes and saw something different there. Izzie appeared to be tired, but underneath there was something Mark had seen during surgery, but couldn't detect what it was. In the security of the scrub room, he could easily trace the sadness that lay in her eyes. The one thing Mark wasn't sure of was why it was there. "Is something wrong?"
Izzie flashed a smile, trying her best to convince him. "I'm fine, Doctor Sloan. We've got patients to tend to, some of whom can't decide whether or not they want double 'd' breasts, or that perfect lip line, because the slightest hint of a difference is just wrong. Still, as doctors we have to tend to their needs, and assume that in the end they're doing it for the right reason."She replied, trying to make her way past him.
When she did, Mark grabbed her arm firmly with his hand, willing Izzie to look at him. Once she did, he scanned the look on her face, trying to think of what to say. He'd had a feeling of what was bothering her, but wasn't sure if he should take that step. "Is this about the other night? About what I said, and then when I...kissed you?"Mark asked, not wanting to make Izzie uncomfortable. "Because if it is, I can have Karev or Grey fill in for you."
"I'm fine, really. I already told you."Izzie insisted, noting the way Mark wasn't letting go of her arm. Strangely though, she noted, she didn't feel trapped. Instead, something about the way his hand was holding her that made her feel safe and secure; it was something Izzie wasn't entirely used to. "As far as the other night goes, yeah that kind of threw me off a bit. But it's not like I complained. I just-I think that-"Izzie sighed, staring at the ground. With any other guy, she'd been able to just spew out what it was she had been feeling about him. With Mark though, everything seemed different. "It's been three days. I get it, that you're the top plastic surgeon on the west coast, if not the entire country. You have surgeries, and consults, and you know...so do I. But we...we kind of agreed that there would be a second date or whatever, and ever since then, we've barely talked about it."
Mark nodded, finding that his suspicions were confirmed. He waited as the nervous light lingered momentarily in Izzie's eyes, daring him to say anything more. Try as he might, Mark couldn't find what he deemed a decent response to what Izzie was saying. "Well, we could-"Mark's reply was interrupted by Meredith coming through the door.
"Sorry to interrupt..."Meredith trailed off, noting the way he'd been touching her. She cleared her throat, trying her best to act professional. "Your patient's husband is in the waiting room. We were ready to move her, but-"
"Thanks, Grey."Mark said, flashing a distinct "We will talk about this later" look to Izzie before looking to the doorway where Meredith stood. "I'll go and explain the complications, but other than that, Mrs.Warner should be free to go home tomorrow."
Izzie was standing at the nurses' station, flipping through a patient's file later that afternoon when she heard someone walk up behind her. "I already told you, Cristina...I'm not trading my nine a.m. surgery for you."
"But come on..."Mark feigned, grinning when Izzie spun around to face him. "Surprise."
Izzie laughed, shaking her head. "You think you're funny, don't you?"She said, crossing her arms.
"Well, I'd say I did a pretty mean Yang impersonation, I'd like to think I get some extra credit for that."Mark replied, feeling sure of himself.
"That's nice."Izzie replied, knowing she was swamped with work. One of the interns had dropped a few files, and since she'd been right there, she'd taken it upon herself to make sure everything was properly sorted out. "But no-one was keeping score."She said curtly, turning back to her work. She could still feel him standing behind her, but tried convincing herself that she was doing the right thing. Somehow, Izzie had managed to stay away from Mark the whole day, but now it was clear she couldn't get out of it.
Mark shuffled his feet, finding the fact that Izzie appeared to be avoiding him painfully obvious. "You know I looked for you earlier. The board said you got pulled in with Shepherd...a multi-car accident with near fatalities. I saw you in there with Yang, but when I tried looking for you later you were already gone."
"I went to the locker room to find something, but what would it matter to you?"Izzie replied sharply, placing a file back in its correct place.
"Well, it matters because earlier I thought I'd made it clear that we needed to talk."
"Why does this have to be such a big deal?"Izzie said, turning to face him. She hadn't been able to take her mind off of the whole ordeal all day, and knew that if she didn't say anything, she wouldn't be able to sleep, either. "I mean, it's not like we're actually in a relationship. We went to a speed date, and then a-"
"Could you not say that too loud?"Mark asked, feeling guilty. "Sorry, I just..."He sighed, shaking his head.
Izzie smiled, sighing. She wanted to badly to be mad at him, but when she saw how upset he looked, her resolve melted away. Biting her lip, she sighed. Work had to be done, but barring anymore accidents coming in, she'd be off within an hour. "Do you like Chinese?"
"What?"Mark asked, taken back by her question.
"Chinese."Izzie said, as if it were obvious. "You know, beef chow mein, sweet and sour pork. Things like that."
"Yeah, of course."He answered immediately. Leaning forward, Mark became interested in what she was saying. It wasn't that he hadn't been already, but the conversation had taken a turn that he couldn't help but be intrigued by.
Nodding, Izzie placed her pen back into the lab coat she wore. "So if you like Chinese, it's safe to assume that you like take out?"
Mark glanced at the linoleum before looking back at her. "You could say that."
After getting information about the hotel that Mark lived in, Izzie left to finish the rest of her shift. She had a plan that night, and was hoping against everything that it wouldn't end badly.
"So what exactly made you think of eating take out tonight?"Mark asked, delving a pair of chopsticks into a carton of beef and broccoli as they sat out on the terrace.
Izzie shrugged, her hair blowing softly in the breeze. She dove into her carton, pulling out some fried rice. Before placing it in her mouth, Izzie cleared her throat. "I just thought it might be nice to let you see the other side of me."
"The other side, huh?"Mark replied, amused.
She finished swallowing before looking over at him. "Well, I guess by now you've gotten to know what I'm like at the hospital. If we're going to do this thing, it's only fair that you get an equal amount of what I'm like in real life, too."
Mark fought back the urge to grin as he found himself amazed by the woman who sat next to him. Several days before, she'd been dolled up in a halter style red dress and heels, make up blatantly obvious on her face. But now, Izzie was laid back in a pair of jeans and a black three-quarter sleeved shirt with her hair down instead of being pinned up. Mark had to admit he liked this Izzie better, because somehow she seemed that much more beautiful. "I guess that's fair."
"All's fair in love and war."Izzie replied, not realizing what she had said until the words were already out.
"What did you just say?"Mark asked, searching for the right way to react. He neglected all of his usual arrogant responses, because he knew that with Izzie they wouldn't work.
Izzie laughed, stirring her fried rice. She looked at Mark, who appeared to be struggling. "Shut up and eat your food."
His mouth hung open, wanting so badly to lean the extra few feet that remained between them to just kiss her. Because Izzie wasn't like Addison, or any other woman he'd ever even thought of loving before. Izzie was different on so many levels, and in a way it scared him. But in the moment, Mark was content in leaning back and doing as she had asked him. One way or another, he'd convince her that there was indeed something more there; that it wasn't just a game. He watched as Izzie brought her chopsticks to her mouth, eating another bite. "Hey-"He asked, waving his carton in the air. "Wanna trade?"