A/N: As with the first Part of Chasing Cars, this chapter will bring in most of the canvas.

Previously on Grey's Anatomy:

"It's so complicated Mere," Izzie choked out through her tears. Izzie was starting to hyperventilate, so both Bailey and Meredith were rubbing her back telling her to breathe. Izzie got a faraway look in her eyes. "A few days ago we were sharing a bubble bath and now it's over." She put her head in her hands and let the memory overtake her.

Bring it on. Mark thought. I brought it on all right. I brought so much that I pushed her right out the door. Why did I have to get so bitter and mean? Mark thought as he crawled out of the bathtub and wandered around the bathroom. I just had to push her. I had to force the issue by telling her about Addie. When she didn't react the way that I wanted her to, I threw a tantrum. He opened the cabinets and drawers and found the candle that Izzie had lit the night of their bubble bath and inhaled the strawberry scent letting another memory overtake him.

Meredith noticed Derek watching her, but chose to ignore him. She didn't feel Alex step beside her until she felt his breath on her neck. She felt his hand go to the small of her back. She tried to act nonchalant. She hoped no one noticed Alex's gesture, but someone did notice. That someone was Derek Shepherd. Meredith and Alex were making their way back toward Izzie and Miranda and passed right by Derek

"My college professor, Mer" Cristina replied. "Samantha Taylor, Meredith Grey, Sam Taylor." Cristina turned to face Sam.

Derek was seething. He couldn't believe that Meredith was doing this to him. That she was doing this to them. He looked on incredulously as they stopped by Bailey and Stevens. They were smiling and looking like they didn't have care in the world. Their relationship was falling apart and she was behaving as if nothing was the matter. He knew that he was partially to blame, but damn it, so was she. He closed his eyes and thought back to a time before things got complicated.

"I am wearing the dress. I'm ready. And...and maybe I didn't want to before, but I want to now. I really think I want this." She said panicking.

Burke looked at her sadly. "And I really wish that you didn't think. I wish that you knew." He turned on his heel and walked out of the church.

Everyone stood there staring at one another. Not one person took their eyes off Cristina. She stood there with a far off look in her eyes. Meredith turned to walk into the church to tell their friends that the wedding wasn't happening.

I just had to know, didn't I? He thought as he walked through the kitchen. He fingered the counter tops and appliances of Izzie's kitchen. Izzie's kitchen. He thought dreamily. His kitchen had become her kitchen in the span of a few days. His life had become her life. His eye caught a recipe on the counter and he picked it up. It was a recipe for chocolate cake, in Izzie's handwriting. He needed to feel close to her, so he decided to try his hand at baking. It worked for her, maybe it would work for him. He got the ingredients out, but realized he wasn't sure if he should use baking powder or soda, so he decided to call his fellow dirty mistress.

---Meanwhile across town---

Alex slid the keycard into the door and walked through the door. He could hear noises coming from the kitchen, so he followed the sound.

Alex was not prepared for the sight before him. Mark Sloan covered in flour, trying to bake a cake.

"Dude," Alex said, trying to mask his amusement, "Seriously…"

Mark's head shot up in surprise.

And on we go to Part 2…

Chasing Cars Part 2

"What the hell are you doing here, Karev?" Mark asked annoyed.

"I came here to see if you were ok, Sloan," Alex returned, barely able to contain his laughter at the sight of Mark Sloan covered in flour. He reached over and wiped the flour off of Mark's shoulder. "You have flour everywhere, man."

"Thanks so much for that astute observation," Mark replied sarcastically. "I fucked everything up, Alex, and I thought if I could make a cake like Izzie, I might be able to get her to forgive me." Mark stole a glance at Alex. "Pathetic, huh?"

Alex looked at Mark for a long time. He could tell Mark was obviously in pain, but he was unsure of how to help him. He did the only thing that he could think of.

"Izzie's recipes are pretty complicated," Alex began as he rolled up his sleeves. "I mean, you're a renowned plastic surgeon, and I'm a res ... well, okay, so I am soon to be resident ... but hell, we're doctors ... if people can trust us with a scalpel, then I'm pretty sure we can figure out how to bake a damn cake" He shot him is trademark smirk.

Mark returned the smile and they got to work.

Meanwhile, across town, Meredith and Izzie sat in the church vestibule in stunned silence. Neither one of them could believe what Burke had just done to Cristina. They sat side by side watching while Callie and George were having a heated discussion about something, but they couldn't hear what was being said.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Meredith whispered. "It looks pretty intense."

"I have no idea, Mer," Izzie whispered back, the dread beginning to spread through her like a cancer. "Let's get out of here, and give them some privacy." She got up from the couch and just as they were about to go into the adjoining room, they heard Callie yell.

"George O'Malley," She screamed, not caring who heard her. "You claim to be sorry, yet you will not tell me the name of the whore that you are cheating on me with."

Izzie's eyes filled with tears, which she was able to hide from Meredith, and walked into the other room with Meredith.

Meredith turned around to face Izzie, who was leaning against the door with her eyes closed. Meredith was torn; on one hand she had Cristina, her person, who had been ditched at the alter and on the other hand, there was this broken woman that stood before her. In the moment of truth, she had decided that Cristina was stronger than Izzie and sent her back to her apartment with Sam. She only hoped that Cristina would forgive her.

She took a few tentative steps toward Izzie and placed a hand on her arm to lead her over to the couch that sat against the wall.

"Iz,"She whispered. "Please tell me what's wrong?"

Izzie looked at Meredith for a moment. She was going to confess everything to her, but then she thought that if she had any hope of having friends she better keep her secret safe.

"I fucked up my relationship with Mark," She replied. "I mean I royally screwed it up, almost to the point of no repair, screwed it up." She took a shuddering breath in and tried to calm herself down.

Meredith just waited for her to continue. She had no idea what she was going to say to her. She wasn't exactly a relationship expert. She had managed to royally screw up her own relationship with Derek. She had no idea how to fix it, or even if it's worth it.

Alex and Mark were making the frosting to go on the cake that they had just put in the oven when Mark spoke.

"I royally screwed my relationship up with Izzie," Mark said softly.

Alex looked over at him. He gleaned two things from Mark's statement. The word relationship which was an Izzie word, not a Mark word and screwed up. Alex could tell by looking at him that now wasn't the time for flip comments. The man was obviously in some major pain. Alex just had to figure out a way to help him and through him, Izzie.

"What happened?" He asked.

Mark's head shot up in surprise for the second time that morning. He expected him to go off on him about hurting Izzie, not be all nice to him. There was definitely more to Alex then meets the eye.

"I tried to force her to tell me something that she wasn't ready to tell me." He replied.

Alex merely nodded his head and waited for him to continue.

"I couldn't tell him about Hannah, Mer," Izzie said. "He was being open and honest with me and I was insensitive and flip in return." Izzie got up from the couch and began to pace around the little room. "I still can't believe I did that. In the period of 25 minutes, I managed to screw up my relationship with Mark. A man that I love. I ripped his heart out and tromped all over it." Izzie threw herself dramatically on the couch.

Meredith was able to glean a few things from Izzie's rant. She had used the word relationship and Mark in the same sentence. She also said that she loved Mark. A heady combination in her opinion.

"I love her, Alex," Mark said softly. "I am totally freaked out by this myself. I can't believe that I fell in love with Izzie. I promised myself I would never let myself do that again, not after what Addison did, but she just wormed her way into my heart and now I don't want her to leave." Mark took a deep breath and continued. "I threw her out, because she wouldn't talk to me." He began to pace around the kitchen with the frosting spoon in his hand, waving it around. "I did this Alex, but now I don't know how to fix it."

Alex smiled to himself as he watched Mark pace. "There is nothing you can do, Mark," Alex said simply. "She has to come to you. If I know Izzie, she will."

Mark flopped down on the stool and realized for the first time that he would have to do something he hated…wait.

"When you imagine your life, Iz," Meredith asked softly. "Is Mark in it?"

"Yes," Izzie replied with hesitation.

Meredith nodded her head and pulled Izzie in to give her a hug. "You know what you have to do then."

Izzie nodded and got up to leave. "Thanks, Mer," She said before she left the church through the side exit.

Meredith knew what she had to do to. She got up and exited the room from the door she entered it. She saw George and Callie still arguing. She debated whether to go over to them at all. She finally decided to bite the bullet and head that way.

"Callie," George yelled. "I am not telling you who I slept with, so just get over it."

"I can't believe you, George," She screamed back.

Meredith came up to them at that point. "Um…Guys," She started. "Have you seen Derek?"

Callie rounded on her so fast, she almost fell over. "Stay out of this, Grey!"

Meredith glared at her with daggers in her eyes. "I am not trying to get into your business DR. Torres, but if you wanted to keep your marriage private maybe you shouldn't have chosen now to air your dirty laundry."

Callie's eyes widened with shock as she took a moment to look around the room. She saw the Chief, Bailey & Derek in one corner, pretending not to listen. She couldn't help but notice the looks they were giving her though.

"As I started to say," Meredith continued. "Have either one of you seen Derek?" Callie just pointed to the corner of the room before running out the room in shame.

George just looked up at Meredith and turned to leave the church as well. This day had not gone at all like he planned.

Meredith walked up to where Derek was talking to Bailey and the Chief. They stopped talking when they saw her approach.

"Can I talk to you for a second, Derek?" He nodded and followed her to the room that she had just come out of.

Meredith turned to face him. She knew what she had to do; now she just had to get the words out.

"You told me before that I was the love of your life, and that you are in this," Meredith started. "You said I had to let you go."

Derek looked at her with a sense of dread tightening around his heart. He did not like the look of determination on her face at all.

"I am letting you go, Derek," She stated firmly. "You deserve better than what I can give you, and I deserve better than what you can give me."

Derek's eyes narrowed at her last statement. "Are you sleeping with Karev?" He asked angrily.

Meredith was hoping that they could walk out of this relationship relatively unscathed, but all hopes of that went out the window with his last statement.

"Derek, you have been emotionally absent from this relationship ever since I drowned." She shot back. Derek opened his mouth to protest, but she just kept talking. "Where the hell were you when Susan died, or when Thatcher hit me, or when I failed my intern exam?" She paused for dramatic effect. "Oh, yeah, that's right; you couldn't keep breathing for me." Meredith was so angry that she started shaking with anger. "Izzie was there, Derek, Mark was there, and yes, Alex was there." She hissed the last part out. "We are over, Derek, so over." Meredith turned on her heel and walked out of the room, never once looking back.

She got out to the car and pulled out her phone to text Alex.

Meet me at the house

We have to talk. She hit send and drove home.

Mark and Alex were sitting in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the cake when Alex's phone beeped. He pulled it out and read the message.

"I have to go meet Mer," Alex said grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair and headed for the door. "Don't worry Mark, Izzie will come around."

Mark nodded as he opened the door for Alex. "Thanks, for everything, man," Mark said. "If I can ever do anything for you, please let me know."

Alex smiled and replied. "Make Izzie happy."

Mark nodded. "Done."

He shut the door behind Alex and went to get himself cleaned up after his baking escapade. He returned to the living room 30 minutes later and started a fire. He sat on the couch, looking out at the Seattle night, realizing that he was waiting for the one woman that held his entire happiness in the palm of her hand.

A/N: A big thank you to everyone who read this last chapter and took the time to review. Please do so again. The next chapter marks the end of this chapter of the story. I will talk more about that in my AN's for the next chapter. Bethany