A/N: Before me and my tired little brain go to bed, I thought I'd leave you all w/ some good McStizzie family fluff. Enjoy and review!

Chapter 3

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!

"Coming!" Izzie called. Christina and Alex were working late and Meredith and Derek were supposed to come over, so she had to jog from the living room to the door. Ella was ensconced on the couch in her favorite pink down blanket watching Beauty and the Beast.

"Mer, why are you-" Izzie cut off when she saw that Meredith wasn't the one ringing her doorbell.

"Meredith and Derek got pulled into an emergency surgery, so I offered to stop by," Mark said sheepishly, his hands behind his back. Izzie just stared at him for a few minutes. "Can I come in?"

Mentally shaking her head, Izzie moved aside, "Sh-sure."

"How's Ella?" Mark asked.

"She's doing fine. She's watching her favorite movie right now w/ her blankie," Izzie said smiling fondly at the little head barely visible over the big couch cushions. Mark saw a talking clock chase a talking candelabrum across the screen.

"I brought her a 'get-well' present," Mark admitted sheepishly, pulling out a little stuffed golden retriever puppy with a soft pink silk bow around its neck.

"Dr. Sloan-"

"My name's Mark, Izzie," he said quietly.

"Mark, you didn't have to do that. Why did you do that? You barely know her," Izzie asked, a guilty lump forming in her throat.

"She's a cute kid. She seems to be the pet of the surgical wing, and something about her makes me want to be in her good graces," Mark said simply. "So is it ok if I give it to her?"

"Um, sure. Go ahead. Can I get you anything to drink or eat? I was just about to make some popcorn," Izzie offered politely.

"Um, I'll take any soda you've got and I wouldn't turn down a little popcorn," Mark said over his shoulder as he walked to the couch.

Izzie's gut clinched as she watched her daughter's father go over to her daughter and do what most people would consider to be father-daughter bonding over a stuffed dog and a movie.

"Hey Ella," Mark said softly, sitting by the little girls blankie covered feet.

"Hi, Docta Sloan. How come you're here? Where're Uncle Derek and Aunt Meredith?"

"They had to stay late to help someone who got hurt. They sent me to help you feel better. Since I'm new to this, I brought a friend to help me out," Mark said, putting the dog in Ella's lap.

Ella gasped happily. "Is she for me?!"

"Yup! I thought you could use a friend and she needed a little girl who would love her."

"I've always wanted a puppy, but Mommy and Uncle Alex say they work too much and Aunt Christina gets all grumpy and says dogs are just loud and smelly."

"Well, you seem like a girl with a pretty good imagination, so until the grown-ups cave in, you can pretend like she's a real puppy. What are you gonna name her?"

"She's gonna be Doc, because we live with a lot of doctas," Ella decided. "Do you wanna watch Belle with us? It's my favoritest movie."

"Sure. What's this about? I've never seen it before."

"Belle and her daddy live in this little town, only Belle doesn't like it. Her daddy is kinda weird, he invents stuff and he gets lost and finds the Beast's castle. The Beast holds him prisoner and Belle says she'll stay instead of her daddy 'cause he's so sick. Belle just started finding out about the magic in the castle," Ella explained frankly, reminding Mark of Izzie.

A few minutes later, Izzie quietly joined them with the soda and popcorn. Just as the movie ended, Ella dozed off. Izzie moved to take her upstairs, but Mark stopped her.

"Let me," he said softly. Nodding silently, Izzie allowed the rugged surgeon to carry her dainty little daughter upstairs with the little dog snuggled under her chin and her blankie dragging the stairs.

A few minutes later, Mark came back down the stairs to find Izzie straightening up the living room.

"You've got a great kid, Izzie Stevens. You've done well for yourself. You're a good mom and a good person. I used to be a really crappy person and I really came over to apologize for how I treated you before I left town."

"Ah, um, apology accepted?" Izzie stammered.

"Not sure?" Mark grinned his knee-melting grin. "G'night, Stevens. See you at work."

McSteamy was definitely still lurking under the surface of this new Mark. But Izzie liked the change. A lot. Too much. Damn.