Honesty is the best policy. She knew this and realized that she'd be teaching her baby the same value one day. Accordingly, she had better live by it. She decided to be honest… well at least as honest as she could be without divulging names, specifics, or anything else too incriminating or revealing.

Where had she hooked up with her baby's father? Well, she'd met Mark at the hospital and had slept with him in his hotel room, but technically they'd developed a relationship at the Emerald City Bar.

She glanced around the room at her friends and sighed heavily, hating that she was about to do this- both lie to them through omission and give into their incessant questions.

"In a matter of speaking," she started after clearing her throat, "we began seeing each other at Joe's."

Christina sighed impatiently. "We need details, woman."

She frowned slightly. "Well, I was in there having a drink. You guys had already left. He came in and sat beside me. We talked. He asked for my cell phone number and I gave it to him."

So there, she thought to herself triumphantly. That was all true.

Meredith gave her a curious look. "How long did he take to call?"

Addison seemed interested in that answer as well. "That's always a good test."

Christina nodded in agreement. "Yeah, unless you're like Meredith and they get to see your bed, but never your phone number."

Grey shot her a dirty look and turned her attention back to Izzie, waiting for the answer.

She couldn't suppress a smile at the memory the question inspired. "How long did he take to call? Less than ten seconds actually."


"Come on, Stevens. I promise not to harass you."

She'd given up trying to ignore him minutes before. The man was not one easily disregarded, especially when he was using his low, sensual voice and charming smirk as seduction devices.

"You know," he began again, "if I remember correctly, and I know I do, we're going to get married any day now and start making babies. The least you can do is give me your private number… just in case I get any late night urges to start on that task."

She glared at him menacingly. "I don't answer to your beck and call."

He slowly trailed his eyes up and down her body. "A man has needs." He paused, leaning into her seductively. "A woman does too."

She looked up at him blankly. "Seriously? Why do I talk to you?"

He laughed mischievously. "Because I tempt you. Now give me your phone number."

She shot him another aggressive glare, but felt herself beginning to concede. "I'm not having sex with you tonight. I know I told you earlier today that I'm willing to... errr... have your baby but…we are so not doing it tonight."

"Fine. Your phone number?"

She rattled off a series of numbers, which he quickly programmed into his cell phone. Within a few seconds her own was ringing. She grabbed it and looked down at the caller id and back up into his face.

"Seriously?"

He grinned. "Seriously. I had to make sure you didn't lie to me and give me a fake number. It'd be just like you, Stevens."

He was right. And damn it, his smile was contagious. She began to laugh softly and he took the liberty of giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. His facial hair scratched at her skin and, unfortunately, she found that she liked it. He stood up and laid a few bills on the bar.

"Need a ride home Stevens?" At her suspicious look, he sent her a serious stare. "To your home…alone... I know."

Her smile returned to her face and he found that it was especially uplifting that night- perhaps because it was directed towards him.

She jumped up and grabbed her bag. "Come on. Let's go."

Glancing over at the friendly bartender, she gave him a look. "Joe, you never saw any of this… tonight or last night." She cringed remembering how smashed they had been the night before…on the night of their deal.

Joe nodded and winked. "Gotcha."

She looked back towards Sloan, and they walked towards the door and out into the cool night. Hopping into his car, she wondered to herself what she was getting herself into, but couldn't help but smile at the thought of something new.


No one else needed to know any of that. She smiled and simply summarized to her friends: "He put my number into his phone and called it to make sure I didn't lie."

Addison chuckled at the thought, but she knew how characteristic that was of the man himself. Meredith and Christina were in the dark, not knowing who was being talked about.

"Weird." Meredith nodded her agreement to Christina's response.

Izzie cleared her throat. "Guys, I don't really want to talk about this anymore."

Her friends let her off the hook and turned the conversation to other subjects, for which she was utterly grateful. She'd accepted her actions wholeheartedly. What she couldn't quite come to terms with herself over were her feelings. If she didn't understand them, how could she explain herself to others?


His surgery was a success. His attempts to stop thinking about Izzie Stevens? Not so much.

Walking down the hospital corridor, he was drawn out of his thoughts by the sight of Derek looking over a chart. The other man looked over at him.

"Hey."

"Hey," he responded back, glancing at Shepherd with an inquisitive expression. "What are you still doing here?" He was the attending on call that night; the other man didn't need to be there so late.

Derek frowned. "Meredith is busy."

He nodded understandingly. "I forgot that your other half is at the baby shower. What is that anyway? There's no baby yet and, since it never stops here, I don't think they're celebrating the rain. I mean…why do they need to have an all-women get together? It's sexist."

Shepherd shrugged. "Something with presents and cake. And knowing Meredith- booze."

"Presents, huh?" That caught his attention. He furrowed his brow in confusion. Should he be buying her presents? Was he neglecting his father-to-be duties? Not that he knew what they were, but he could find out.

Derek looked at him curiously. "Why do you care?"

He wasn't sure how to answer the question. Unfortunately, Shepherd was able to make his own conclusions based on his silence.

"Are you the father?" he asked in a harsh whisper, but then shook his head. "No, don't even tell me. I know it. I can tell."

Since the other man already knew, what more could he do than ask how?

"How do you know?"

"I know you." He thought it was ironic that Derek's response was the same as his own to Izzie.

"You never care about what people think or do," Shepherd continued, " but now... you do. If you weren't involved, you would never care about the baby shower- if you even managed to pick up on the fact there was one. You wouldn't care that we're at the hospital while they're out having a good time. You wouldn't be looking at me now like I've exposed your every secret and ripped you open for public viewing."

He frowned. "You can't tell anyone. Not even Grey. Promise me, Derek."

The other man frowned back.

"If you can't do it for me, and, it's fine, I get that…do it for Izzie. She doesn't want anyone to know. Don't ask me why. I don't know myself. All I know is that I want to respect her wishes."

Shepherd looked surprised at his words. "That's serious talk coming from you."

He smiled solemnly. "I've changed, Derek. I want them both- Izzie and the baby. You probably won't believe me, but I don't need you to because I know it's true. I just need you to keep your mouth shut on this."

Derek nodded. "Okay. But Mark, if you're serious, don't mess this up."

"I won't," he vowed. "I'm not letting myself."

He'd spent the majority of his life making mistakes that he tried not to regret. This was his chance to make a choice that would finally turn his life around. Messing it up? Not an option.