A/N: Thank you to all the reviews! So glad you liked! Izzie's getting such as hard time on Grey's now I just had to make her redeemable in this story! Anyway this chapter is for the McStzzie fans!

It was a few days since Izzie had returned from hospital and many people at Seattle Grace had noticed Izzie's disappearance.

Meredith walked over to Cristina at the nurse's station and muttered to her quietly. "What should I say to Callie?" she asked nervously.

"About what?" Cristina asked turning away from her group of interns.

"About getting tomorrow off? Izzie has her first chemo," she added looking around to see if anyone was listening.

Cristina looked over at Callie who was busy talking to relatives. "Don't tell her anything! She hates us anyway. Like asking her is going to make a difference!"

"But… she will notice if I don't turn up. She's watching us!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll cover your shifts tomorrow. You just look after Izzie." Cristina looked up and saw Callie moving towards them. "Ooh… incoming… I'm going!"

Cristina moved swiftly out of the way as Callie walked towards Meredith.

"Dr. Grey, you wanted to speak to me?" Callie asked, suspiciously.

"Yeah…" Meredith said slowly. "Um… I sorta… need to… um…"

"Spit it out, Grey, I have lives to go and save!"

"Ok… I need tomorrow off," she blurted out quickly. "Tomorrow afternoon…"

"After you skipped work last week, you want a day off?"

"I know, I know… But I wouldn't ask unless it was important. Please Callie, Dr. Torres… O'Malley…"

Callie pondered looking at Meredith carefully. "I'll let you have the day off if you tell me where Izzie Stevens is?"

"Izzie?" Meredith exclaimed. "Um… she is seeing relatives…"

"Cut the crap. I know you're lying. Where is she?"

"She is with relatives! I told you!"

Callie smiled forcibly. "Ok I know we've never really been friends and you have your loyalties to Izzie… But he's my husband!"

Meredith stared at her blankly. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh come on Meredith. George is doing his internship again at Seattle Pres and he's also taken off work time to visit family. He said he's sorting his head out. Now if Izzie is with him then you got to tell me!"

"She's not!" Meredith replied, quickly. "She's not with him! She's seeing family. She went to see her Mum."

Callie sighed. "Why do I get the impression you're lying to me?"

"I'm not! She's not with George! Seriously… Callie I have to go!"

Meredith moved quickly away from Meredith but knew she was watching her as she left. She didn't quite lie. Izzie wasn't with George.

"Hey Meredith!"

Meredith thought for one second it was Callie calling her again but then realise the voice was coming from a man.

"Dr. Sloan…"

Mark smiled at her. "I just overheard your conversation with Callie…"

Meredith waited for him to finish his sentence but when he stayed silent she simply replied, "Great. You can hear. Congratulations!"

"Where's Stevens?" he asked bluntly.

Meredith sighed exasperatedly. She was getting so tired of lying to people. "Well you heard the conversation with Callie so why are you asking me again?"

"Because I actually want to know the real reason she's away…" he replied smoothly.

"She's seeing relatives!" Meredith answered flatly.

"I know that's not the reason!" he argued. "I know…" he looked around to see if anyone was watching. "I know about the cancer…"

Meredith looked up in shock. "How the hell do you know?" she whispered fiercely.

"I found out by mistake. I was her consultant. Is she ok? Did she have the operation?"

Meredith couldn't believe she was hearing this. How could Izzie fail to mention to her that McSteamy knew about her cancer? And why did he even care? "What does it have to do with you?" she replied.

"Everything. I want to help."

Izzie sitting alone in her room. She had just come out of the shower and had a pair of scissors in her hands looking at herself in the mirror sadly.

"Hey Izzie…"

Izzie flew around quickly to face Mark. "Mark! What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Izzie asked, shocked. She wrapped her arms around her body, tightening her bath room. "Get out of my room!" she said quickly.

"I'm sorry," Mark muttered, slightly amused. "Sorry… I'll let you get changed!"

Izzie was flushed with embarrassment but Mark just watched her. He had never seen her look so pretty before with her hair dripping with water. "Well go out then! Get out!"

Mark quickly moved out of the room and waited for Izzie to get dressed. He was sitting outside her room for fifteen minutes before Izzie opened the room door. She was wearing jeans and a loose t-shirt but she still looked great in Marks eyes. "What?" she asked, slightly irritated, still embarrassed from before.

"Sorry…" Mark replied, smiling at her. "I didn't think… I just came in…"

Izzie looked at him for a second, not knowing what to do. The last person she felt like talking to right now was Mark Sloan but she was desperately lonely with everyone at work and so she let Mark in.

He sat on her bed and smiled at her. "I'm glad to see you're up and about… I got worried when I didn't hear from you…" he explained slowly. "Meredith explained everything to me… You should have told me!"

Izzie sat down opposite surprised by his concern. "I asked Derek to tell you… anyway I didn't know you cared that much…"

"Of course I cared!" he responded eagerly. "I mean… you're my patient," he covered quickly. "I needed to know!"

Izzie nodded. "Well I'm fine… I'm good… thanks for asking…"

There was an awkward pause and Mark shifted awkwardly. There weren't many times when Mark Sloan didn't know the right thing to say to a girl. His usual cockiness and suave personality seemed to be fading by the second. "What are you doing with those scissors?" he asked. "I thought you were gonna attack me them…" he joked.

Izzie smiled. "It doesn't matter…" she looked in the mirror and Mark could detect a lot of sadness within Izzie.

"Come on… tell me…" he prompted kindly.

Izzie looked up. "I know you'll think it's stupid… and there's no point… that's what everyone else thinks…" she said slowly. "I just wanted to cut my hair… I have chemo tomorrow… and they say the shorter the hair, the longer it will take for it to fall out…" her voice quivered as she said this. "Everything thinks there's no point because it's going fall out anyway – it's aggressive chemo, not just the usual… but I just…" she trailed off.

Mark nodded, "There is a point. It matters to you. And if it matters to you then there is a point," he explained determinedly.

"Thanks…" Izzie replied, thankful for his support.

"What? It's true! If it matters to you then it's important. Period."

Izzie grinned at him amusedly.

"What?" he asked confused.

"It's just weird hearing you be so nice," she commented.

Mark stood up. "Seriously? What is it about me that makes it completely inconceivable that I could be a nice guy?" he asked looking down at Izzie. "Ok, don't answer that…"

"It's not that you're not a nice guy! It's just that… well yeah it is actually…"

Mark sighed. "I am a nice guy. I can be a great guy! My mum had this saying… If a guy has just one friend then he must be a good person…."

Izzie raised an eyebrow. "And who is your one friend?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't know… I have loads…"

"Name one!" Izzie challenged.

Mark struggled to think of someone. "Well… ok, that's a good point… but that doesn't mean I'm not a nice guy… look! You can be my friend!"

Izzie laughed. "Me and you? I don't think so…"

Mark looked slightly hurt. "Come on… why not…?"

"Well, what could you do as my friend?"

Mark looked at her, stumped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean. What could you actually help me with, or talk to me about, or contribute to my life with?"

"I don't know!" Mark answered. "But I'd be a good friend! And you need good friends around you at the time! Come on Izzie! I'm a good guy. What have I ever done?"

Izzie sighed. "Nothing I haven't done…" she said, referring to sleeping with a married person. "Look Mark, you don't do friends. You do sex. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it!"

Mark shook his head. "You have got me so wrong, Stevens. Let me prove it to you, I can be your friend…."

Izzie nodded. "Ok then, prove it to me!"

"Fine!" He said. He looked at her and then grinned. "Right, I'll cut your hair for you then! As a friend!"

"What?" Izzie laughed. "You think I'll let you cut my hair?"

"Why not? It's not brain surgery…"

"So you think because you're a surgeon that you can cut hair?"

"No…" Mark said slowly. "I think because I'm a world renowned surgeon that I can cut your hair. People trust me with their bodies, they're lives. I think I can cut hair!"

Izzie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah well you're not touching mine!"

Mark got up from her bed and walked over to her. "I could so do this… I really could…" he said running his hands through her wet hair gently. Izzie shivered slightly as he touched her. He had an amazing touch.

"I could cut it better then you. I mean, how do you expect to cut your own hair?"

"You learn a lot of things in the trailer park… You'd be surprised…" Izzie told him.

"I am!" Mark replied. "Let me do it, Iz… I won't screw it up. I'm your friend after all…"

Izzie looked at him through the mirror and finally nodded. "Go on then…"

"Seriously?" Mark exclaimed. He looked delighted, like a kid in a candy store. "Wow… I can't believe you gave over…" He loved the fact that she challenged him and didn't just fawn over him like all the other girls.

Izzie shrugged. "I'm going to look terrible when it starts falling out anyway so you might as well do the damage now."

The smile on Mark's face got wiped off as soon as she said that. "Izzie…"

"Don't worry! I'm just feeling sorry for myself. That's all. Go ahead. Cut. It will fall out anyway…"

Mark could see just by looking at her how miserable she was. He felt so bad for her, feelings that he couldn't really explain. He was always so emotionally cold to his patients. "Izzie look at me."

Izzie continued to stare at the mirror but was watching his reflection closely. "What?"

"You have such a low estimation of yourself. You think that you deserve cancer, that you aren't strong enough and that you will look terrible… You are just so wrong." Mark didn't know where this was coming from but he was determined to make Izzie see sense. "You don't deserve this more then anyone does. You slept with a married guy. Big deal. It happens. Your friends shouldn't be so judgy. If you were a happy and confident person you wouldn't have done it in the first place. And when it comes to not having the strength to do this… well that's just ridiculous… You grew up in a trailer park, you modeled your way through medical school, and you had a kid!"

Izzie looked up, shocked.

"I read it in your medical notes," he explained. "And you're fighting it out as a surgical resident. That makes you one of the strongest people I know. And when it comes to beauty… Your hair doesn't make you gorgeous, neither does your figure. I mean, it helps, of course but… it isn't everything. You have beautiful eyes, and luscious lips, and amazing cheek bones… Hair or no hair, surgery or no surgery you're going to look great. And after chemo, your hair will grow back in gorgeous curls anyway…" He smiled at her. "You're going to be fine. You just got to have more confidence in yourself. Alex slept with a nurse and George chose to stay with his wife but they're crazy. And you're incredible."

He stopped himself before he said anything else, realizing how crazy he sounded. Izzie was looking at him, clearly touched but slightly astounded. "Thanks…" she whispered.

Mark smile, slightly embarrassed, "All part of being a friend," he muttered. "Yeah…" He quickly turned away and picked up a pair of scissors. "Are you ready?"

"No," Izzie replied. "But I never will be."

Mark nodded, "Good thing I'm doing it then. That way you have someone to blame when you hate it" Izzie smiled appreciatively at him. "Right… here we go."

With one swipe he cut a long length of hair off. Izzie closed her eyes. He continued to cut confidently. He felt he was quite good at this. He hadn't asked Izzie how short she wanted it but he knew if it was to survive the first round of aggressive chemo, which it probably wouldn't, it would have to be fairly short. He noticed Izzie shaking slightly as he cut her hair and he squeezed her hand comfortingly. "Trust me…" he whispered.

After about ten minutes he had perfected her look. "I'm done," he announced, proudly. He had cut Izzie's hair very short but he thought she looked amazing.

She looked down slowly at all the hair on the floor and gasped, shocked. She then looked up and started at her reflection. She looked completely different but at the same time she looked amazing. "Wow," she uttered.

"I'm good, right?" Mark asked, regaining some of his arrogance. "In fact, I rock."

"Thanks," she said slowly. "I guess world renowned surgeons can cut hair…"

"Of course. We can do anything. You'll know that one day."

Izzie shrugged. "I doubt it…"

Mark watched her. "What's wrong? I haven't totally ruined you, have I?"

"No, no. Not at all. I love it…"

"Then what?"

Izzie paused. For some reason she felt compelled to talk and confide in Mark and at the same time she hardly knew him and as much as he'd like to believe they were definitely not friends. "I don't know… I don't know how to be this person… this cancer patient"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't do anything, I can't work, I can't leave the house, I can't even go out and get a haircut incase something happens… I even fainted in the kitchen yesterday and I swear if I hadn't sworn Derek to secrecy Meredith and Alex wouldn't have left me alone today. I mean… I'm like this invalid that everyone has to help. I don't know how to be that!"

"Izzie, you have cancer…"

"I know! And I keep feeling sorry for myself all the time and I cry and I sob and I complain but I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know what else to do. This is ruining my life," she explained desperately. Izzie wasn't going to start crying in front of Mark Sloan but she really felt like it.

"It will only ruin your life if you let it, you know…"

Izzie nodded, running her hands through what was left of her hair. "It's so easy for you to say that. I'm loosing my life here. I can't go out, I can't work… And after chemo tomorrow, I'll be practically immobile…"

"You'll get through it…"

"Will I? I mean, everyone is being great to me. Meredith is like my rock. And even Alex, he's been so sweet and so supportive. But they're still going in everyday to work and getting on with their lives. Something I can't do and it hurts! You say about being a renowned surgeon one day.., but that's not going to happen to me… I can't even be a doctor… I've already quit once and gone on probation. I'm going to have to quit again and retake the year… My life is about saving people, helping people… I never wanted to become one of those people…"

Mark stared at her intently. He had to admit that he wasn't always great at talking to people about their problems and comforting them. He was Mark Sloan. Look, listen and screw. Izzie was right. But he thought he knew something that could cheer Izzie up or at least give her some hope. "Come with me!" He said, getting up quickly.

Izzie looked up at him confused. "Where?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. I know how to cheer you up. Or at least I think I do. Come on, let's go!"

"Where?" Izzie insisted.

"That would be telling." He replied mysteriously. "Come on Iz, I promise you this isn't a game!"

Izzie looked at him suspiciously. "Why should I trust you?"

Mark shrugged. "You shouldn't. But you trusted me enough to cut your hair. So trust me on this one!"

He held out his hand and flashed his devilish smile. "You know you want to…"

Izzie was intrigued. "I'm not supposed to leave…"

"On your own. You're not allowed to leave on your own! But I'm here so that's nothing to worry about! Come on Izzie! Please! We're friends after all…"

Izzie smiled. "Alright. Go on then." She took his hand and he led her excitedly out of the house and into his car.

He had a stunning red car and he held the passenger door open for Izzie like a true gentlemen. "Strap yourself in."

"Where are we going?" she asked, impatiently.

"Just wait!" he answered. He drove for around ten minutes before stopping outside a large house. "We're here…"

He opened the door and helped Izzie out of the car. She was a lot better after the operation but he didn't want o risk it.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"My house!"

Izzie looked at him. "But I thought you lived in a hotel?"

"Thought is the correct word," he responded and ushered her into the building. It was amazing. It was almost like the luxury apartments seen out of films. Beautiful leather interior. Brass doorknobs. And a stunning view of Seattle from the balcony.

"Wow," Izzie exclaimed. She didn't know what else to say. She turned to Mark in amazement. "You really live here…"

"Well hardly," he admitted. "It's kind of lonely in such a big place on your own. I sort of set it up thinking Addy would move in with me but obviously that didn't happen…"

Izzie noticed a framed picture of Derek, Addison and Mark in New York. They were dressed to kill, holding champagne glasses with the New York skyline behind them. "That's a nice picture…" Izzie commented.

"Yeah…" Mark agreed, nostalgically. "Anyway, that's not what I wanted to show you… Come…"

For a second Izzie thought Mark was going to show her the bedroom but was relieved when he led her downstairs.

"We're going to the basement?"

"Well I guess you could call it that…" He took her down the stairs carefully, not wanting her to slip or hurt herself.

He switched on the light and grinned at her. "There you go…"

Izzie looked around. At first she thought they were a mass collection of dead bodies. But on a closer look she realized they were computer simulated models of bodies. "What are they?" Izzie asked, bewildered.

Mark laughed. "Patients. Not real ones of course. But practically. They're basically computerized patients that you can do advanced surgeries on… Have a look…"

He guided her over to one. "This one needs a complete face reconstruction. So basically you do it. The computer guides you and you carry out the whole thing. It's just a like a human. All the insides… The only difference between this and a real patient is that you can't actually kill it…"

Izzie stared around the room in amazement. "Oh My God… Are all these patient computer things for plastics?"

"No, half of them are Nero," he explained. "I bought Derek a set for his birthday!"

"He didn't want them?"

"Are you kidding? He looked them? But then when he found out I was sleeping with Addy… well he gave them back." Mark began to walk around the room. "They're pretty amazing actually… you can practice skills… develop techniques… I mean… you ever wonder how surgeons do successful surgeries that they've never seen or done before? Well some practice on these. It's nearly like the real thing. They can go into cardiac arrest, they're BP can drop. Its touch sensitive, so if you screw up, it will let you know…"

It was Izzie's turn to look like a kid in a candy store. It was like Christmas come early.

"You want to try some brain surgery?" Mark suggested.

"Oh my god, yes!" Izzie cried.

Mark grinned. Izzie looked so happy. Happier then he had seen her in a long time. "Let's go then…"

They spent nearly two hours doing a nerve replacement on computerized patients. After Mark nearly killed him, Izzie managed to save him with a quick surgical move that impressed Sloan a lot.

"Good work, Dr. Stevens," Mark commented, ruffling her new short hair. "We saved a guy… Just about. I'm pretty crap at neuro surgery to be honest!"

They both laughed looking down at the computer model.

"That was awesome!" Izzie gushed. "Seriously awesome. This stuff is incredible."

Mark nodded. "It is… If you practice on these you could be a technically brilliant surgeon. You've already got the personal thing covered."

"As good as Cristina?"

"Forget Cristina. I mean one of the best. This is what happens. Good surgeons get rich and then they buy this stuff. Then they become amazing surgeons and get super rich. You're a good surgeon Izzie. Just because you can't go into hospital and work doesn't mean you can't become a great one. Whilst you're recovering from your chemo sessions you can practice this stuff whenever. You're already really talented. What you did just now was brilliant."

Izzie shrugged modestly. "It was just a one time!"

"You drilled holes into a guys head; I heard you took a clot out of a patient's heart with your bear fingers within the first few weeks of your internship… your great. Don't let anyone say you're not!"

Izzie smiled. She always thought Mark saw her as eye candy and never really took her seriously as a surgeon. It was so great hearing someone say these things to her. "Well thanks for showing this to me Mark… I really appreciate it… It really cheered me up…"

"Showed you it?" he repeated. "Izzie I want you to have it!"

Izzie jerked her head upwards. "What?"

"It's yours."

Izzie looked speechless. "Mark, you can't do that! This much cost thousands of dollars…"

"So?" he replied, unfazed. "I know I'm terrible at the neuro stuff but the plastics I can do with my eyes closed. I don't need it. You do. Take it."

Izzie shook her head. "I can't! I mean…. It's very kind of you," she stuttered, "But I just can't."

"I'm not treating you like a charity!" he explained, quickly. "You could buy this and more if you hadn't given all your money to that clinic. But I want you to have this."

Izzie shook her head. "Mark, I can't! Really I can't! I would have no where to keep it anyway! I mean, I live with Meredith!"

Mark nodded. "Ok… Ok…" He pulled out keys from his pocket and tossed them as Izzie.

"What are these?"

"My house keys. So you can use these whenever you want."

"Mark! I can't have your keys! This is your house!"

"Izzie, you're having chemo. It's difficult.. It's upsetting… You don't know when you might feel depressed. Early morning, late at night… I just want you to have access whenever you need it…"

"But you may be… with someone…"

He looked at her straight in the eyes. "I won't be. Izzie take the keys. It's the only thing I can do…"

Izzie stared at him, still completely amazed. "Thank you so much! Mark, I can't believe you… Thank you!"

He grinned. "Don't worry about it…"

For a moment the just stared at each other lost in the situation but after a minute Izzie turned away embarrassed. "I better go, Meredith's shift finishes soon and she could get worried…"

"Yeah… sure. I'll give you a lift!"

They hurried back into the car and Mark drove Izzie back to Meredith's house. He parked outside and looked at Izzie. "I meant what I said before… Anytime…"

Izzie nodded. "Thanks. For the hair. For listening. For the surgery. For the lift. I had an awesome day…"

Mark smiled. "That's what friends are for!"

"Well then you're an awesome friend. Who knew? Mark Sloan. A friend."

She laughed hugged him. "Thank you so much."

"Stop saying thank you and get out of here!" Mark joked. His smile faded slightly, "Izzie… good luck tomorrow. Be strong and take care…"

Izzie nodded. "Yeah. I'll try."

She got out of the car, "Thanks again."

Mark nodded. "What did I say? Stop with the sorrys."

Izzie laughed. "Bye Mark!"

A/N: Thanks for reading. Are we liking McStzzie? I think I am. I was sorta loving Lexie last chapter! Anyway please review! I will absolutely love it if you do. Please review even if you totally hated this McStzzie filled chapter! xx