Sorry for waiting so long between updates. Hopefully I'll be able to wrap up the story soon.

Izzie awoke the next morning to a beautiful Eastern sunrise. Stretching her long arms, she was surprised to find the other half of the bed empty. The sheets were warm under her fingers, letting Izzie guess that Alex had not been up very long. Straining her ears she heard water running from the shower in the next room. Izzie snuggled under the covers, daring to reach for Alex's pillow, just so she could inhale his scent. Last night had been one of the most amazing, most confusing nights of her life. She could still feel goose bumps along her arm from his touch, the touch that she had craved and desired so many times before. It felt so good to be in his arms, his lips on her body, it made her forget the entire past year, forget Denny, and George, and Callie, every bad memory she ever had. Izzie rubbed her temples; she didn't want to deal with the aftermath, the morning after, talking about what happened. It was unplanned, spontaneous, neither one had time to think about what they were doing, it felt right and they acted on it. What bothered Izzie most was that she didn't regret it.

A sharp knock at the door broke Izzie from her revelry. She wondered who was at the other end; it was far too early for Jolene. "Room service," the voice on the other side called. Alex came out of the shower in a bathrobe and took a large tray of food, thanking the bellhop. "I thought you'd be hungry," he said sheepishly. "And I know that you love your breakfast."

Izzie couldn't help but smile at Alex's sweet gesture. "That isn't all for me is it?" she joked.

"I thought we'd share," Alex said, climbing into bed with the tray. "We have a busy day today."

"Dance lessons," Izzie added, "And I still need to meet everyone in the wedding party, and I'm still working on the speech, and finding something new for Jolene. What do I give to the woman who is going to have everything?" she asked.

"You'll think of something," Alex said, pouring two glasses of orange juice.

"So how are you at dancing?" Izzie asked with an impish grin.

Alex smirked at her. "I had to learn dance to work on my form for wrestling, I can hold my own. You?"

"Me?" Izzie batted her eyelashes and stood up, "I'm naturally graceful," she twirled around the room and Alex spun her around. "Besides, as the male, it's your job to lead."

"Good thing you have an excellent partner," Alex said with a wink.

"Yeah," Izzie said, feeling somewhat uneasy. She wondered if she could trust herself being around Alex. From the moment she met him, there was an instant attraction. Izzie had been convinced it was loathing, given his very rude behavior toward the other interns, but when Izzie sat down with him, she found out there was more to Alex than what met the eye.

Izzie had had plenty of boyfriends in high school and college, but none of them stuck – none of them made her tingle the way Alex did in their short relationship together. Even when they weren't officially 'together' but seeing each other on the sly, he filled her with so much passion that it became harder and harder to say no. She may have never quit sleeping with Alex if it hadn't of been for Denny Duquette.

"Izzie," Alex said, getting her attention. "I'm going to go get dressed and meet you downstairs in the lobby."

"Fine," Izzie said with a small smile.

"You feeling okay?" Alex hesitated, noting her mood. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, almost too well," she said softly.

Alex swallowed. He had hoped that she wouldn't regret their night together, that maybe it could be the start of a new relationship. He wasn't the same guy, though she was the same Izzie that he loved, and he wanted her to know that if he ever had another chance, he wouldn't let any nurse or woman come between them again. "About last night…" he began.

"I really appreciated the way you were last night. I…I needed…"

"You weren't the only one Iz," Alex said gently, lifting her chin so that their eyes met. They both instinctively leaned into one another, mid kiss until the jarring ring of the phone pulled them apart.

"I'd better get that," Izzie laughed, backing away. She was torn between the disappointment of breaking the moment with Alex, and relief of not making what could be a potential mistake.

"Sure," Alex nodded, rushing to the restroom and changing.

Izzie's trembling hand answered the hotel phone. "Hello?"

"Izzie!" a familiar voice that she had grown to love put a smile on her face.

"Meredith," Izzie gushed, "how did you know that I needed to hear from you?"

"Me first okay?" Meredith insisted.

"Sure."

"I think I have finally solved all of my McDreamy problems."

"No way." Alex mouthed goodbye and Izzie waved as he went down to the lobby. "You talked to Derek and sorted everything out?"

"For now- yes. It didn't start out that way though."

Izzie listened as Meredith detailed her infamous date with Derek, cut short by George and ending horribly. Meredith had been so torn up over the argument that she couldn't do anything except obsess over how perfect she was with Derek and that they should be able to get through any professional or personal drama that came their way.

"So I went to the trailer, only to find out that he wasn't there," Meredith continued.

"Then what happened?" Izzie asked.

"Well when I went back to the house – and he is waiting on my doorstep and he kissed me, he really kissed me."

"I'm very happy for you both," Izzie said, meaning every word. "Did you guys get to talk?"

"Yup. I told him that I don't care if he sees Addison and that he promises to stop smothering me. If we just listen to one another and talk, we're fine. But talking is so hard for us."

"So where is McDreamy now?"

"In my room," Meredith said proudly. "I just had to talk to someone about what happened, and Cristina is still too bitter over Burke to listen to my happiness with Derek. So what about you – what were you going to tell me? How's the hotel?"

"It's beautiful, the room is amazing, it's huge. Alex and I are sharing it actually."

"You two are in the same room?" Meredith asked incredulously.

"It was a mix up – Jolene didn't realize that Alex and I aren't a couple. Anyway, after talking with Jolene about the wedding, I guess I was feeling a little low, and Alex and I slept together."

"You slept with Alex!" Meredith cried.

Izzie heard rumblings on the other end of the phone and assumed that Derek was now awake. "Do not tell Shepherd what I did!" Izzie insisted. She listened to muffled voices on the other end as Meredith came back.

"Sorry Iz," Meredith said sheepishly. "So how was it?"

"I hadn't slept with anyone in months– it was comforting," Izzie said quietly. For that one night it was as if they had never broken up. "It felt so right being with him."

"So you've forgiven him for everything that happened?"

"Truth is, I forgave Alex a long time ago," she said quietly. "I know he didn't mean to hurt me with Olivia. I just didn't know if I could trust him – after what happened. He's changed so much this past year."

"Look how he was with Ava," Meredith added.

"Rebecca Pope," Izzie corrected, spitting out her name. She never liked the way Alex doted on Rebecca, spending extra hours with her, but it showed Izzie that Alex was capable of committing to someone, that he had matured over the year.

"Have you guys talked about what happened?"

"A little, we both seemed embarrassed about it."

"You'll get over it," Meredith promised. "Maybe you guys can even get together again."

"Meredith!"

"I always thought you two were cute together."

"That is not true," Izzie insisted. "You hated Alex when you first met him."

"Well first impressions can be wrong," Meredith laughed. "You weren't too fond of him either when you first met him."

"You really think Alex and I are good together?"

"Izzie, I remember how you obsessed over the fact that he didn't kiss you on your first date, how you gushed when he kissed you at Joe's, how angry you were when he…you know. You don't feel these kind of feelings for someone that you don't care about."

"Maybe you're right," Izzie relented. "Part of me would love to give him another chance, put the past completely behind us."

"Good luck with the wedding – knock them dead."

"About the wedding, I still don't have a speech prepared."

"Hmm, you can talk about high school memories."

"I want it to be bigger than that."

"How much more time do you have?"

"Two more days until the wedding."

"Well, look at it this way, you can perform surgery at the drop of a hat and save a life, this should be a cakewalk for you."

Izzie smiled and said goodbye to Meredith as she hurried to get dressed for the day.

--

In the hotel lobby, Maddie Sharp frantically spoke on her cell phone. "I'm telling you, this is the guy you were telling me about. His name is Alex Karev and he is with the maid of honor….I don't think they're seeing one another, from what I gathered last night, he's still single, they're just friends…Well this is your big chance to fix everything. You owe it to yourself to see him again…So I'll see you tomorrow…bye." Maddie hung up the phone and waved at Alex who admired the view from a window.

"What did you think of the Harbor View Hotel?"

"Nicest place I've ever stayed in, that's for sure."

Maddie smiled. "I still feel like I know you from somewhere, or that we have a mutual friend."

Alex shrugged his shoulders, "It's a very small world."

"It really is," Maddie nodded.

--

Rebecca Pope stared at an empty suitcase in her two-story house that she shared with her husband, on another business trip. She had received a frantic call from her cousin Maddie last night, telling her that she ran into Dr. Alex Karev at the Harbor View Hotel. She hadn't forgotten Alex over the summer; he had been constantly on her mind.

She had left him a choice, told him she was willing to leave her husband to be with him. But he never came back for her, or said anything to her after telling her to leave. She found herself unhappy in her old world and she wanted her new world, as Ava, with Alex, back again. With her husband out of the way, she saw an excellent window for an impromptu trip to Martha's Vineyard.

--

Izzie came down the stairs, spying Alex chatting with a blonde woman and patiently waited while they finished talking. Uneasy thoughts swam into her mind as to who the woman was. Izzie didn't want to be jealous of Alex talking with other women, he had the right to socialize with anyone he wanted; but she couldn't deny the somersaults in her stomach, seeing him talk to someone else after spending the night with her. Izzie shook her head as Alex came over to greet her; she wasn't going to get worked up over Alex talking to another woman – she wasn't going to be petty.

"How's Meredith?" Alex asked.

"How did you know she called?" Izzie asked.

Alex smirked at her. "Your whole face lit up when you were on the phone earlier."

Izzie blushed, she wasn't aware that Alex studied her so closely. "Alex," she said quietly, "About last night…."

"Hey guys," Jolene came up to the twosome and directed them to her limo. "Hope in."

Izzie and Alex smiled at one another and got into the car. One thing was for sure, they were in for the ride of their lives.