A/N New chapter! There's very little actual interaction between Jo and Alex in this and really not that much Jo at all- it's mainly Alex-centric. I apologise in advance and am sitting here hoping you won't throw rotten fruit at me. I'd also like to say that I know I don't reply to many of the reviews, but I want you to know that they literally make my day and I love you all for them.

Disclaimer Anything familiar is not mine.

Bad Idea

"You're still sleeping sleeping with Karev," Heather stated simply. She was playing darts with Jo- or rather, kicking Jo's ass at darts- and was very slightly drunk.

Jo choked on her beer. "What?" she said incredulously. "No- no, I'm not. I mean, why would you thi-"

Heather sighed. "You're sleeping with Karev." She downed some of her beer and grinned. "It's kind of obvious," she said. "He's even giving you like, a surgery a day."

"He is not," Jo grumbled, sounding wistful. "But, fine; I'm sleeping with him. Happy?" She reached over and stole Heather's beer, gulping it down her parched throat in seconds. "And any surgeries he lets me scrub in on is because I'm good. I'm not quite as pathetic as Leah... or Stephanie... or, you know, you."

Muttering something that was along the lines of 'sleeping with him sure as hell is pathetic', Heather shrugged. "Just, don't get emotionally attached. Trust me; it doesn't work. Go ask Leah for some confirmation about that." With that, she headed off to the bar to get herself a new drink. And to flirt with Joe- she hadn't yet realised he was gay.

Jo frowned. She had been emotionally attached long before they'd been having sex. She knew it, he knew it (she thought), and it was highly probable that every doctor in the damn hospital knew it. It wasn't like she went to great lengths to hide the fact. But, still, maybe Heather was right. Getting involved with a guy like him was always a bad idea.

xx

"I have to stop sleeping with her," Alex said for the billionth time that night. He sat at the bar with Meredith and Cristina and was on his fourth beer but was still sober. He didn't want to be sober. "I really have to stop sleeping with her. It's a bad thing. I'm a bad guy."

Cristina rolled her eyes. "We all already knew that, Karev," she informed him before doing a shot of tequila. "And what's wrong with sleeping with her? She's hot, you're... not extremely terrible looking. She's smart, too. Smart is good."

Finishing her water, Meredith looked him straight in the eye. "And she doesn't think I'm a demon," she said. "So she's the only one I approve of."

Scoffing, "Like I need your approval?" He shrugged. "I don't know... I just... I think she likes me or something." He stared glumly at his beer. This is exactly why I stopped sleeping with interns, he mentally scolded himself. Why the hell were all the cool chicks emotional and in touch with their feelings and shit?

His two friends looked at each other and burst out in simultaneous laughter. "Seriously, Alex," Meredith choked out before dissolving into another fit of giggles. "How did you not already know that?"

"She is kind of in love with you," Cristina agreed. "It's pretty obvious."

Alex groaned. "No! Don't you dare say that you... you evil wenches!" he cried, louder than he intended. Glancing up, he saw that about half the bar- including the woman they were currently discussing- had turned to look at him. Jo raised a questioning eyebrow, which he ignored. "This sucks," he said, quieter than before. "She's not supposed to have... feelings... for me." He said the word 'feelings' as though it were a dirty word. To him it kind of was.

"Well, I think the two of you are going to get married and have evil spawn babies and live happily ever after," Meredith said, somewhat dreamily. Alex and Cristina stared at her. "Oh. Did I say that out loud?" They nodded, and Cristina snorted. "Shut up! I'm pregnant; I can say whatever the hell I want."

"But I don't want to get married and make evil spawn babies and live happily ever after with her," Alex whined. "In fact, I want to stop the baby making activity with her. Right now. Today. As of this moment, I am no longer sleeping with Josephine Beatrice Wilson."

"You admitted to liking her," Meredith pointed out.

Cristina frowned. "Did you just refer to sex as 'the baby making activity'?" she asked. "Because that's disturbing."

He thought about mentioning that sex seemed to grant her with children rather frequently, but didn't really like the idea of going to work the next day with a black eye. So instead of calling her out, he ignored her completely and turned to Meredith. "That's irrelevant," he said. "Just because I happen to have feelings for her certainly doesn't mean she's allowed to have them for me."

"And her middle name is Beatrice? Cristina continued, basically talking to herself. She didn't seem to realise they weren't listening. It was also highly possible she just wanted to hear herself talk.

"You're a hypocrite," Meredith protested, her voice pitched just a fraction higher than usual. "And an idiot, but I won't single you out as one of those because she's pretty dumb too right now. You two are clearly crazy about each other. I mean, the two of you played house for like, two weeks, just to put the mind of an old teacher to rest."

Alex made a wild gesture with his hands. He was clearly frustrated. "Because of what your stupid intern told that old teacher," he clarified.

Shaking her head, "Alex, you're one of my best friends. But honestly? I feel the urge to slap you so hard across the face right now that your eyeballs literally fall out of their sockets. You are so freaking lucky that I'm pregnant. Just date the girl already! You two practically spend all your time together anyway."

"It's true," Cristina said, randomly deciding to rejoin the conversation. "We hardly see you anymore."

"Because Mere's pregnant and you're married," he replied, slightly bitter that they were leaving him behind.

She sucked in a deep breath and screeched, at the top of her lungs, "I'M. NOT. MARRIED!" And now the whole bar turned to stare at them. She gave anyone who looked like they might say something the finger.

After five minutes or so of the exact same argument, Meredith and Cristina announced they were leaving.

Once they were gone, Alex stopped for just a moment to wonder if they were right about him and Jo. He quickly shook away the thought, wishing it was as easy to dismiss his feelings. In his opinion, Jo was the kind of girl it wasn't easy to not have feelings for. In hindsight, getting involved with someone like her had probably been a bad idea.

xx

Hours later and the bar was emptying. Alex still sat by himself at the bar, staring at the back of Jo. She was alone, as Heather had left a while ago with one of the hospital's psychiatrists. Oddly fitting, he thought. From what he could tell, she was trying to improve her darts' skills. So far, she hadn't had much luck. Still, she hadn't turned around since Meredith and Cristina left.

"I have to stop sleeping with her, don't I?" he asked Joe.

Joe pressed his elbows on the bar and leaned over. "I can't tell you that. Do you want to stop sleeping with her?" Huh, Alex thought. Bartenders really are a lot like underpaid shrinks.

"You're no help," Alex grumbled, but made a decision nonetheless; he was going to stop partaking in the baby making activity with her once and for all.

It was at that precise moment that she turned around and caught his eye. She grinned and beckoned him over. He sighed and told himself he'd just have a game of darts with her. They were friends, after all.

"Hey," Jo said cheerfully as she held out a dart. "Want to play? And I mean that in the least dirtiest way possible."

Alex laughed. "Yeah, sure," he agreed. "And I won't even take your money this time; I'm just that nice of a guy." He took the dart and threw it. As usual, it landed right on the bullseye.

"Why do I even bother?" Jo asked as she took her turn. She had improved slightly, he'd give her that; this time it actually stuck in the board.

Sometime later- when Jo had lost seven straight rounds to him- Alex found himself staring at her. Again. "You want to get out of here?" he asked, not thinking in the least. Damn it, he thought. When she nodded, he sighed. Screw it. He didn't care that it was a bad idea; he'd stop sleeping with her after that night.

She grabbed her coat, not even pausing to think that it might be a bad idea.

A/N So this is the longest chapter yet. I'd bake myself a cookie, but I've decided to go off sugary food for a few weeks. So I'll eat some tofu instead. In the shape of a cookie.

I know I said I'd give you to the 30th to tell me whose birthday you want, but Alex seems to be the favourite and I got struck with an idea for it that I really want to start now. So, it's going to be Alex's birthday. And if any of you either offer ideas for one-shots that I will write and dedicate to you or tell me what your favourite chapter is, I'll message you and give you the vague outline of what will happen on Alex's birthday, as well as a few of the one-liners that will be in there. Before I upload it, obviously.

Review and I'll share my virtual birthday cake with you when the day comes.