Izzie walked through the front door of the house, racing to the kitchen to answer the ringing telephone. She had just returned home from having lunch with Charlotte, an activity with that was happening increasingly. Since going to her first meeting with the support group three weeks before, Izzie and Charlotte had become close, taking solace in each others company and understanding. In the absence of a job, Izzie found that she had a lot of free time, and the two girls often met for meals or movies. Their interaction greatly relieved the isolation that they sometimes felt.

Izzie had also been spending a great deal of time with Mark Sloan, much to everyone's surprise. He came to the house a lot to spend time with her, and he regularly took her to his favorite places in Seattle to get her out of the house. At first, Izzie thought he was just another friend checking up on her, but she had come to realize that Mark's feelings for her probably went beyond friendship.

She certainly liked and trusted Mark, but she knew what kind of man he was. Manwhore. The harsh term had often been used to describe him at the hospital, and although Izzie knew from personal experience that there were so many other levels to Mark Sloan, she felt too vulnerable to enter into a relationship with a man who was so obviously attached to sex.

Running into the kitchen and picking up the cordless phone, Izzie answered it just before the answering machine picked up.

"Hello?"

"May I speak with Isobel Stevens, please?" a female voice requested.

"This is Izzie," she replied.

"Hello Ms. Stevens, this is Caroline Robertson from the Seattle District Attorney's Office. I was hoping that you could come to my office to meet with me at your convenience."

"Oh," Izzie said, surprised by the call. "This is about my attack?"

"Yes," Caroline confirmed. "I'm afraid Jason Dole pled not guilty at his arraignment this morning, so there's going to be a trial so there's going to be a trial next month."

Jason Dole. Izzie realized that she had never learned the name of her attacker until now. She had dehumanized him in her mind, picturing him as a monster rather than a person, but learning his name reminded her of his mortality.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Izzie questioned quietly.

"Well, you're going to have to testify in order to get a guilty verdict. I'd like to go over your statement with you, maybe ask you a couple of additional questions. I'll try not to take up too much of your time."

"Okay," Izzie replied softly. In the past three weeks, she had blocked out the ache in her heart so that she could move on with her life, but it all came rushing back with the force of an eighteen-wheeler. The idea of a trial terrified her. She would have to face her attacker once again, and even worse, she would have to recount her assault in front of countless people. It was something she would have to do, though, if she wanted Jason Dole to go to prison. "I can come in this afternoon if you'd like."

"Great," Caroline responded. She gave Izzie directions and the two disconnected their call. Izzie left the house moments later, heading toward the D.A.'s office.

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Derek was raiding the fridge when the doorbell rang. He had gotten home from work early because his patient had died at the beginning of his craniotomy, and Derek had found the house uncharacteristically empty. In the past month, there had constantly been people in and out of the house because everyone wanted to check on Izzie, but today he found himself alone.

When he heard the doorbell, he rolled his eyes, annoyed that his rare solitude had been interrupted. Sighing, he walked to the front of the house to answer the door.

"Hey Mark," Derek greeted, not surprised to see his old friend in the threshold. Mark had become the most regular houseguest in the past few weeks. His protective nature of Izzie had come as a surprise to everyone, but Derek was now used to Mark's presence in Meredith's home.

"Hey Derek," Mark replied, stepping in the foyer.

"No one's here right now. Meredith's at the hospital, and I just got home myself so I'm not sure where Izzie is."

"Oh," Mark said, not even trying to keep the disappointment from his voice. He furrowed his brow, trying to think where Izzie could have gone. Maybe she was still at her lunch with Charlotte, her friend from her support group.

"You want a beer?" Derek asked. "I was about to grab one. It's been one of those days, you know?"

Mark paused, surprised by Derek's offer. They had been getting along well in the past month, civility necessary in light of their frequent company with one another. Still, Derek's friendly gesture was a nice surprise. Mark smiled and answered, "Sure," thinking maybe they would be able to reestablish their friendship after all.

They took their beers out onto the porch, Derek sitting in the porch swing and Mark sitting on the front steps below him. They were enjoying the warmth of the spring afternoon, but although the sun was shining, the looming clouds in the sky foreshadowed the rainstorm that was predicted for later that night.

"So, you've been coming over a lot," Derek observed.

"Yeah," Mark answered vaguely.

Derek frowned, disappointed that Mark hadn't elaborated more in his answer. Meredith had been pushing Derek to question Mark about his feelings for Izzie for the last couple of weeks, and this had been his and Mark's first moment alone. He decided he would have to take a more direct approach.

"So what's going on with you and Izzie, Mark?" Derek asked.

Mark was not surprised by Derek's candor. In college, they had consistently meddled in each other's relationships, and it seemed natural to talk to each other about the women in their lives.

"I don't know," Mark answered truthfully. He thought for a moment before speaking. "I have feelings for her, Derek. At first it was just physical attraction. I was always excited when she was assigned to be my intern. I loved teasing her," he said with a laugh, thinking of the sexual innuendos he had often directed at her. "She's so sharp and witty, and I felt drawn to her because she always stood up to me, fighting back. I love that about her."

Mark sighed before continuing, frustration clearly marking his face. "It's so complicated now, though. I feel happy whenever I'm with her, but part of me feels guilty because in the back of my mind, I know that I want her. She's not ready for that, and I would never push her to do anything before she's ready, but how long will it be before enough time has passed?"

Derek listened intently, truly feeling sorry for his friend. It was not often that Mark Sloan experienced genuine feelings for a woman, and it was unfortunate that circumstances were inhibiting his rare desire for a relationship.

Looking at Mark, he gave him the best advice he could. "Izzie's a strong woman, which is something we've all learned in the passed month. She's already starting to move on with her life, and in time, I'm sure she'll be ready to have a relationship with someone. It's obvious that she trusts you and there's a connection between the two of you, but you need to be absolutely certain that she's ready before you do anything. If you move too fast, it could destroy any chance you have with her."

Mark nodded, staring off into the facing street. Walking down the sidewalk, a young couple strolled hand in hand, pushing a stroller that was occupied by tiny twin boys. Mark had never pictured himself as the kind of man who desired such a life, but he had been thinking of fatherhood ever since discussing Addison's abortion with her, and consequently, learning of her lack of confidence in his parenting abilities. Would he really be such a bad father?

Looking back, he realized that during the time of Addison's pregnancy in New York, he probably would have been. It had been over a year since then, however, and Mark knew that he had grown a lot as a person. He did want that life, he realized, as he watched the happy couple turn the corner.

He knew that it was ridiculous of him to picture himself and Izzie pushing a stroller down the sidewalk, but he was unable to block the image from his mind. What was wrong with him? They hadn't even progressed beyond friendship and he was already picturing her as the mother of his child. 'Get a grip, Sloan,' he told himself.

Derek and Mark sat on the porch for another hour and a half, discussing the various things from Derek's relationship with Meredith to Collin Marlow's interfering presence in the hospital. They were currently working on the last of the beers, but as they had each consumed five, they both had a happy buzz that prevented them from stressing over their lack of further alcohol.

When Meredith walked up to the porch, she found them laughing over a shared college memory at Addison's expense. Smiling at them, she briefly wondered if she had entered into an alternate universe. "Hey," she greeted them, surprised at their friendliness toward one another. Sitting next to Derek, she took the beer from his hand, finishing it off in one sip.

"Hey," Derek said wrinkling his forehead when he took back the empty bottle. "That was my last one, you know," he told her.

"So we'll get you another one at Joe's," she promised. She stood up, walking to the door. "I need to go take a shower, and then we can go grab some dinner before going over there. I told Cristina that we would meet her and Burke and Alex and Addison there at seven. You should come too, Mark."

"Sounds like fun," Mark told her before she disappeared through the door.

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Izzie arrived home at 7:30. Her meeting with Caroline Robertson had been long and draining, leaving Izzie feeling depressed and exposed for the first time in the last couple of weeks. Throughout Izzie's account, many tears had been shed and the attack now seemed fresh in her mind once again.

After her meeting, she had found herself sitting in the parking lot of the Rape Crisis Center. She wanted to go in, knowing that there would be an understanding ear who would gladly listen to her worries, but for some reason she was hesitant. After awhile, she decided just to go home.

Walking in the house, she found Mark sitting alone in the living room, devouring a carton of Chinese take out. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hey," Izzie said quietly, remaining in the doorway.

Mark straightened, immediately sensing that something was wrong. "What's the matter?" he asked her.

Izzie walked into the room, sitting next to Mark. "Nothing," she replied softly, not wanting to talk about her afternoon. "I'm fine." She didn't want to deal with her emotions about the upcoming trial, and she thought that if she didn't talk about it, maybe she could she could just forget that it was even happening.

Mark knew that she was lying to him, but he didn't want to push her. She would tell him in her own time. Changing the subject, he said, "Do you want some Chinese?" he asked her.

"No, I'm not really hungry," she replied. Noticing the quiet house, she asked, "Where're Meredith and Derek?"

"They went to Joe's. Everyone's there, actually. I told them I'd meet them after you came home. I thought you might want to come with us."

She looked at him thoughtfully, considering his offer. She was not really in the mood for socializing, and she was especially not in the mood for prying questions and sympathetic looks. On the other hand, she could think of nothing more appealing than drinking away her sorrows, forgetting the day that she had had. Forget her usual glass of chardonnay. Tonight called for tequila.

"Yeah," Izzie responded. "I'd love to go."

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Thanks for everyone's reviews of the last chapter! I hope you liked this one…tell me what you think! Do you think you know what is going to happen at Joes? Because I bet you don't! LW