Who did he think he was? Sure, he was the father of her baby, but that was practically no strings attached. They'd agreed to combine their genes, not dedicate their lives to eternal faithfulness to one another. They weren't in love; most of the time they couldn't stand each other.

He had no right to tell her not to see Alex. None at all. She was simply doing something nice for him- giving him a child. That didn't mean that she was going to live her life around Mark Sloan now. She'd done it for herself too. It was convoluted, her reason for doing it, but what else could you expect from such an impulsive action? She'd given up a child before and though she may never speak about her, she still thought about her little girl. She wondered what Hannah looked like at her current age, at her previous ones. Had she had her first kiss? Did she laugh daily? Did she have friends and a caring family? A puppy to call her own?

It was a harsh reality that she didn't know the answers to any of these questions and it left a piece of her heart and a portion of her soul empty. It was horrible, and she was ashamed of it, but she wanted a second chance at being a mother. She needed to try and fill the void that existed within her. Much like him, she desperately yearned for someone who needed her, someone who could love her unconditionally and who she could do so to in return. If every other person around her could have a second chance at… something… why couldn't she? Why couldn't they?

Even though she'd just snapped at him and he was a controlling, wicked ass at times and no tender ardor existed between them, she knew without a doubt that their child wouldn't lack for love; it had two parents who needed it too desperately to fulfill a requirement burned into their souls. That was why she'd agreed to this mad scheme. There was love to be given, but no one to give it to. She just couldn't announce something like that to everyone. She'd be seen as a frail, pathetic, desperate girl. No, it had to stay between them… between her and Mark. It united them in a surreptitious bond. Just thinking about that brought a small smile to her face. She and McSteamy sharing a secret… sharing emotions... Sharing a baby. God, who would have thought?

If only he wasn't such an ass.

Rolling her eyes she started off down the hallway, unmistakably avoiding the plastics division. She quickly found Meredith and Christina hanging out by a nurses' station, checking out all of the incoming cases. Meredith smiled when she saw her.

"Izzie!"

She grinned back, happy to be taking her mind off of a certain male.

"Hey guys."

Christina looked over at her. "The next good case is mine, Barbie. Don't even try it."

She shook her head. "It's okay. My shift ends soon anyway. Gotta meet Alex at Joe's."

"Alex?" That got their attention. The other two exchanged glances before looking back at her. She shook her head again, knowing what they were thinking.

"Don't even start."

Meredith shrugged, prepared to ignore the subject, but then remembered something.

"We're throwing you a baby shower."

She had to raise her eyebrows at this announcement. This was coming from her dark and twisty friend?

Christina added, "Yeah, Meredith here thinks we need to celebrate your brat."

She grinned. "Thanks guys. That's really sweet. But isn't it kinda early?"

The other two looked at each other again, quickly nonverbally discussing something between themselves.

"Well, we could have more than one," Meredith suggested.

"Will there be games? I love games."

Grey looked as if she hadn't expected that one. "Sure, Iz, we can...uh...think of some games."

Christina shook her head. "Actually, we just wanted a reason to get drunk and show you what you're missing out on since you're knocked up."

She couldn't suppress a laugh. That sounded more like the friends she knew and loved.

"Okay," she relented, "invite Addison too. But not Callie. Definitely not Callie."

Christina raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Please, do we look insane to you?"

Fifteen minutes later she found herself sitting on a bar stool next to Alex inside the Emerald City Bar, sipping a Diet Coke.

A few quiet minutes had passed between them and she had to admit they unnerved her. She didn't know why he'd invited her here. When he did speak, he was hesitant.

"I'm not sure if I should be mentioning this to you, but who else can I really talk to?"

She laid a comforting hand on his arm. "It's okay. Really."

He exhaled deeply and continued. "Something's up with Addison. She's clingier now. Not in a bad way, of course; I really like it actually, but it's an about face. A one-eighty. I know you've spoken to her a lot recently. Do you know what happened? Was it something I did and should continue doing? I'm lost."

Her mind instantaneously flew back to the day she'd learned she was pregnant and her subsequent conversation with Montgomery. She'd been nervous about speaking to the woman about Mark, but everything had been fine. She remembered the older doctor's phrase concerning her past with Mark, her closure with him- knowing about the pregnancy released her. It made her smile furtively to know that it had released her straight into Alex's willing arms.

However, she couldn't betray the woman's confidence and tell him that. So all she said was, "I have an idea. You just need to continue being you, Alex. You're a wonderful guy. And for god's sake, don't let the moment pass you by."

He smiled in return, his face softening. "Thanks, Iz. I guess I just needed some reassurance." He paused. "You know that if you ever want to talk…"

She grinned and nodded her head. "Yeah, I know."

He looked over at her cautiously and cleared his throat. "Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer."

"Sure."

"George isn't the father, is he? I'd hate to see you with someone who wasn't committed to being with you. You deserve better."

She smiled sensitively and shook her head.

"Don't worry about me, Alex; I'm not alone."

And the thing is, she admitted to herself sincerely, she wasn't. Sloan hadn't left her or sprinted away; he'd stayed close at hand. But commitment? That was a whole different question.

After a few hours, when she was thoroughly exhausted with Diet Coke, she headed back to the hospital. She would have gone home, but it seemed like such a foreign place to her now. She could have gone to Mark's, but he wasn't there. She didn't want to be there alone. In truth, she wanted to be where he was.

She found him coming out of a patient's room, looking too attractive for such a late hour of the night. He smiled her way and she utterly hated it, but she felt herself grin in return and her bones melt a little inside of her body. Her mind directly flew to the comment Alex had made about commitment, the one that had been reverberating through her mind for hours.

She walked right up to him and he shifted the chart he'd been carrying into one hand, using the other to smooth her hair back.

"I'm sorry about before."

She nodded, quickly accepting as she had other things on her mind.

"It's okay." She paused for a long moment as they stared at one another, drawing up the courage to ask him what had been on her mind. "When you asked me to marry you, were you serious?"

He looked taken back, but quickly recovered his tender expression. "Yes."

She nodded again. "Thanks. That's all I wanted to know."

She started to walk away, causing a look of confusion to wash over his face.

"Was that a yes?" he yelled from where his feet were firmly planted on the floor.

She stopped her retreat from him and turned her head around. "I didn't hear a question!"

She resumed her stroll… simply walking away. He was committed. It had been all she needed to know.