Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm so sad that this is almost over:(

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After leaving the courthouse, Izzie and Mark had gone home to enjoy a quiet evening alone. The others had gone to Joe's to celebrate Jason Dole's conviction, but Izzie had felt tired and had asked Mark to take her home.

Having not eaten since their lunch break earlier in the day, they began preparing dinner almost as soon as they arrived at the house. Izzie made a vegetable medley and then joined Mark on the back deck as he cooked fish on a grill that Derek had bought for the approaching summer. As they enjoyed a glass of wine while waiting for their dinner to cook, Izzie leaned against the railing of the deck and addressed Mark.

"I talked to Grace today," she said vaguely, looking at him for a reaction.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked distractedly, not looking at her as he turned the fish over on the grill.

"Yeah," she confirmed. After a pause filled with silence, she said, "She told me that you went by the center a few weeks ago."

Mark looked up. "She did, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, she did," Izzie confirmed. "You should have told me about your little idea, you know."

Mark turned back to the grill with a sigh. "Yeah, I should have; sorry. I hope you don't feel like I went behind your back. I just…I guess I didn't want to bring up the idea to you without knowing if it was even possible for you to do something like that. I think that it'd be great for you, Iz - to have an outlet for all of your compassion - but I didn't want to put the idea in your head before I discussed it with someone at the center to make sure that it's a possibility."

Izzie nodded even though Mark couldn't see her. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Thank you for taking care of me."

Mark turned around, smiling to himself as he realized that, despite her attempt to reprimand his secrecy, she was actually please with his actions. "You're welcome," he told her, walking to where she leaned against the railing of the deck. "I'd do anything for the woman I love," he said quietly, tucking a loose curl behind her ear as he leaned toward her.

Izzie looked at him seriously. "You really love me?" she questioned. "You weren't just saying that earlier because you thought I needed to hear it?"

Mark smiled slightly, looking to the ground briefly before meeting her eyes once again. "Izzie, I realized that I was in love with you weeks ago but…well, I've never felt this way about a woman before, and I…I was scared," he admitted. "I guess I didn't know how to tell you how I felt. I finally told you today, though, because you needed to hear it, and that's more important than any fear I may have about my feelings for you. I am in love with you, and I'd do anything to make you happy."

A small smile appeared on Izzie's face as she blinked back the moisture in her eyes. "Mark, I…"

"No…no, don't say anything right now, Iz," Mark rushed to say. "If you tell me you love me right now, I'll always wonder if you just said it because you felt like you had to. And if you tell me you don't…well, I just…I just couldn't handle that…" he told her quietly.

Izzie nodded, accepting his request. "Okay," she said quietly as she rose on her toes so that they were eye to eye, and she placed a soft kiss on his mouth. "Let's go inside…" she whispered.

Mark smiled against her lips, groaning as she briefly slipped her tongue past his teeth. "But the fish…" he mumbled as she deepened the kiss, leaning forward to give herself better access.

"What about the fish?" she asked, her words muffled against his mouth.

"They'll burn," he told her as her lips moved away from his, traveling to his neck.

She captured a bit of his skin in her teeth and whispered, "That's okay…"

He groaned again, pulling her away from his body. "You're an evil woman," he said as his breath came out in pants.

She laughed a little, her face flushed with desire. "Fine…just finish you're damn fish," she said with a smile as she went inside the house to set the table.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Meredith and Derek arrived at the house later that night, Izzie and Mark were finishing cleaning up the dishes from the dinner they had just completed.

"Hey," Meredith said as they walked into the kitchen.

Mark and Izzie both turned around and smiled at the couple. "Hey," Mark greeted in return.

Derek walked over to the sink where Izzie was drying a plate with a dishtowel, and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a hug. "Mer told me about the conviction. I'm happy for you, Iz," he said quietly.

"Thanks, Derek," she said against his shoulder, and then she smiled at him as they pulled away from each other.

Derek smiled back, thinking how far Izzie had come since he'd seen her lying in the hospital bed the morning after her attack. He remembered the rage he'd felt for the man who'd hurt this woman so badly, who'd left her beaten and emotionally broken on the floor of the clinic. He also remembered the guilt that he'd felt about being relieved that it hadn't been Meredith lying in that hospital bed. Looking at Izzie's smiling face now, he was just as relieved that it hadn't been Meredith who'd been attacked that night. He hated what Izzie had gone through, but Derek wasn't sure if Meredith could have survived such an attack and still managed to find happiness the way Izzie had. Derek was amazed at the strength of the woman before him, and he knew that he wasn't the only one.

His thoughts were broken when Izzie put down the dishtowel and announced, "I'm going upstairs to take a bath."

Mark nodded. "I'll be upstairs in a little while," he told her.

"Okay," Izzie said. She stopped in front of Meredith on her way out the kitchen door. "Thanks for being there for me today," she said quietly.

Meredith tilted her head to the side. "Of course I was there, Iz. I wanted to be there. You don't have to thank me."

Izzie smiled. "Well, thank you anyway. For everything, Meredith," she said sincerely.

Meredith returned her smile. "You're welcome," she told her.

Izzie went upstairs to the bathroom, pinning her hair to the top of her head as she turned on the water in the tub and added a few drops of lavender bath oil. With the water still running, she went to retrieve her robe and a towel from her bedroom.

As she allowed the stress of her day to drain away in the warm, soothing water, she thought about how truly lucky she was to have such amazing friends. There had been many times, such as when she'd been pregnant with Hannah, that she'd felt like she had no one to turn to when she had needed support. Meeting her friends at Seattle Grace had changed her life, though. No matter what her future had in store for her, she knew that she would have people to get her through the tough times.

And Izzie hoped that one of those people would be Mark. It was incredible to her that they had only been together for a couple of months. In all the relationships she'd been in her life, she'd never felt as comfortable or as secure as she did with him. He didn't make her feel like she was just some kind of object to be desired; he made her feel like she was the center of his world, and she believed him when he told her that he would do anything to make her happy.

Izzie stayed in the bath until the water grew tepid, and then she climbed out, drying herself off before draping her nudity with her soft robe. She then walked to her bedroom where she found Mark lying on top of the bed reading through a file.

"What's that?" she asked curiously as she walked to her vanity and sat on the stool.

"Oh, just a patient's file," he told her. "I just wanted to brush up on this case before my surgery tomorrow," he said as he placed the file on the nightstand, looking up at her just in time to see her releasing her hair from its knot and allowing the soft locks to flow over her shoulders. "How are you feeling? About everything that happened today, I mean," he clarified.

Not looking away from the mirror, Izzie laughed slightly and said, "It doesn't actually seem real."

Mark smiled in response. "Well, it is," he told her sincerely, meeting her eyes in the reflection of the mirror.

She smiled back at him. "Yeah, it is" she echoed quietly while watching him through the mirror as he got off the bed to get undressed. Standing up as well, she walked over to where he stood in front of the bed. "Mark," she said, making sure she had his full attention. He looked at her questioningly, tilting his head to the side as he pulled off his khaki slacks. "Mark, I love you," she told him quietly, her bluntness causing him to go still. "And I'm not saying it because you said it to me. I'm not saying it because I feel like I have to. I'm saying it because I do. I do love you, Mark. I love you for the man that you are, and I love you for making want to be a better person. I love you for making me happy again," she told him as she took a step forward, eliminating the space between their bodies.

Mark could feel the heat coming from Izzie's soft form, and his breath quickened as he felt her plush robe press against his bare chest. "Izzie…" he whispered.

"I love you, Mark" she told him as she placed a light kiss on the skin above his heart. "I love you," she said again, kissing his neck and then his sharp jaw. "I love you," she whispered once more, before placing her lips over his in a passionate kiss that stole both their breaths.

He moaned against her lips as she slipped her hands between their bodies, untying the belt of her robe and slipping it from her shoulders so that it could fall to the ground. Mark broke their kiss, inhaling sharply as his eyes drank in the beauty that stood before him. Dragging his eyes back up to hers, he looked at her sincerely, saying, "Iz, you don't have to-"

"Mark," Izzie said quietly, interrupting his protests. "You've been so patient with me. For weeks, you've understood what I needed, even when I didn't. I know I wasn't ready a month ago, but…but I'm in a different place now. You're what I want, and I need for you to understand that. Do I really need to explain to you why I'm ready?"

Mark smiled at her gently before answering her with a kiss, bringing his lips down to capture hers as he allowed his hands to roam over her bare shoulders. "You're beautiful," he whispered to her as he felt a shiver wrack her body.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of her naked breasts against his smooth, hard chest. "Thank you for being so patient with me," she mumbled to him as she backed him toward the bed, removing his boxer shorts en route.

As they fell against the soft mattress, Mark looked down at Izzie. Meeting her gaze, he asked her quietly, "Are you sure you're ready? Because we can stop if you're not…"

Izzie smiled at him and shook her head. "No…no, I'm ready, Mark," she told him, her voice thick with desire.

She saw him nod his head before she closed her eyes, feeling as though she was going to burst with pleasure at the sensation of him entering her. "I love you, Izzie," she heard him whisper hoarsely as he rocked above her.

"I love you, Mark," she answered, wrapping her legs around his waist to bring him closer to her; she felt like he could never be close enough.

And as they made love in the dimly lit bedroom, Izzie never once thought Jason Dole. In fact, she thought of nothing but the blinding love that she felt for the man who, moments later, collapsed on top of her, both of them breathless and sated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Review please:) Only one more update left…