"I can't believe you! McDreamy lets Meredith in on his surgeries. Oh and we all know about Dr. Burke and Christina!" Her eyes flickered with annoyance as she gazed up at him while he wait for the elevator.

He groaned. "Please don't call him that when speaking to me." Pausing, he tried to find the words to explain himself to her. "Stevens, I have to let Karev assist. He was there."

He couldn't understand why she was so adamant about joining him in the surgery. It wasn't even one of those once in a lifetime cases. Instead, she should be pleased that he was trying to remain professional. Heck, he was even trying to be nice to her friends! She should be satisfied by the effort he was making for her. He wasn't treating her like a silly intern, but he also wasn't giving her any special favors. Maybe he'd been wrong, but he'd thought she would have wanted their professional relationship to remain above reproach.

And evidently, he had been mistaken.

"Fine," she spat, "have it your way."

She strode off, leaving him with the feeling that he was going to regret their encounter. That infuriated him and his state of confusion only made it worse. He scowled as the elevator dinged open and he was met by the two occupants he'd be joining. Derek and O'Malley. His ex-best friend and her current one. Both probably knew about his relationship with her by now, but neither had specifically told him they approved. His scowl deepened as he stepped into the confined space. Quickly shooting each man a piercing glare, he turned his back to them. Though his relationship with Shepherd was improving, it was still tenuous. And he and O'Malley had never been anything more than acquaintances; the younger man always seemed to be unnerved around him.

An uncomfortable silence dominated the space. He was glowering, disturbed that a small tiff with Izzie Stevens could escalate to monumental importance in his mind. To make it worse, he had no idea how to fix it. Apologizing was an unknown to him. He just didn't do it. He had always endeavored to live his life without regrets. He apologized to no one. Except for a specific blonde intern, it seemed.

The tension he felt must have been radiating from him, because he heard a male voice address him from behind.

"In my experience, you can't go wrong with chocolate."

He didn't want to turn around, knowing the amused smirk he'd see on the Shepherd's face.

"She… um.. likes donuts. Donuts are good. I mean, if you…" O'Malley's statement faltered, but Sloan nodded.

He hesitantly glanced back at the pair. George was looking anywhere but directly at him, but Derek was giving him an encouraging smile.

The swift camaraderie they'd just experienced was abnormal, so he said the only thing he could think of.

"Thanks."

Twilight had fallen by the time she arrived home from the hospital. It had been a long, grueling day, which was only accentuated by the quarrel she'd had with Mark. It really wasn't his fault. He was giving their relationship a lot of effort, and sometimes, she had to admit, was contributing more to it than she. They'd been doing the dating thing for a couple of weeks and he'd been nothing but thoughtful, while she'd acted like a bitch. Considering that she still hadn't given in to the lust he persistently spoke of, she owed him a lot of credit. He'd treated her like a lady, while she'd considered him a rogue. It was against her nature to be so cynical, especially to someone who'd proved himself undeserving of it.

Walking up the footpath to the front entrance of the house, her contemplations were interrupted by the darkened presence on the front step. He was sitting hunched over, looking irresistible in his dark jeans and leather blazer. His gaze traveled up her body as he noticed her and she could see the illumination in his eyes, even in the dusky night.

He stood and uncomfortably cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was husky and low. "I was waiting for you. Stevens, about earlier, I realize I should have-"

She cut him off. "Don't… Mark. It was petty and self-centered... of me."

He visibly relaxed, thinking that this apologizing thing was easier than he had conceived.

"Why didn't you go inside the house? Meredith must be home."

Grinning, he put his arm around her waist. "Exactly why I didn't. Would you want to be alone in there with Grey and Shepherd?"

She smiled back at him. "Good thinking. They'd probably be…"

"All over each other." He finished her sentence for her and looked wickedly down into her eyes. "Normally I'm all in favor of amorous activities, but not when I'm not getting any."

She shook her head at his playfulness. He was an alluring man.

He abruptly remembered why he had come and motioned over towards the porch. A pink box lay sitting near the door next to two Styrofoam cups. He felt like a bashful youth admitting, "I brought you donuts. And coffee."

Her face lit up. "Donuts? My favorite!"

Pleased by her delight, he confessed, "O'Malley told me."

She gasped. "George did? But he.. we…" Her heart soared at this bit of insight. Her relationship with George had been shattered due to his marriage with Callie. She had done what she'd felt was her part and apologized, but he hadn't wanted it. He had shown her that he no longer wanted any part of her.

However, Sloan wasn't about to let O'Malley get all of the credit for his accomplishment. "I thought of the coffee."

She looked up into his eyes and her expression transformed from jovial to serious. She ran her fingers along the side of his face, his warm skin heating her cool hand. He appeared so earnest and proud of himself and she knew undeniably that he was something exceptional. The sinful heat from his gaze burned into her own and she could feel her body tremble. Grabbing his hand she began to pull him towards the front door, bypassing the gifts he'd brought.

"You're still going to respect me in the morning." It wasn't a question.

He smirked. "You got that right, Stevens." His eyes trailed over her.

He'd respect her; because in the end, he had no other possible choice.