Meredith felt blinded as her eyes swept around the blackened room, objects having been reduced to mere shadows in the absence of light. Narrowing her eyes as she struggled to adjust to the darkness, she realized that she could barely make out Izzie's figure sitting only a few feet away. "What the hell just happened?"

Izzie didn't answer her as she slowly stood up, blindly feeling her way around the counter until her hand came in contact with the drawer she was looking for. She quickly produced a flashlight, flicking it on and swiping the beam of light carelessly around the room until it landed on Meredith's face.

She squinted at the intruding flood of light, holding her hand up to block the beam from her eyes. "Hey, watch it."

Izzie smiled sheepishly, apologizing as she walked to the kitchen window and peered outside. There were no signs of light emitting from the windows of her neighbors, the neighborhood bathed in darkness as sheets of rain continued to pound into the ground on the other side of the glass.

"Crap," she muttered, the warmth of her breath producing a small ring of fog on the cold window. "I guess I should call the power company."

Meredith frowned, producing her cell phone from her purse and sliding off of the bar stool. "While you do that, I'm going to call Derek and make sure he and the baby are okay."

Izzie nodded, shining the flashlight on a drawer. "There's another flashlight in there." As Meredith grabbed it and disappeared in the living room, Izzie pulled out the phone book, straining her eyes as she searched for the phone number of the electricity company.

When Meredith reappeared in the kitchen twenty minutes later, she found Izzie sitting at the counter, her lips forming a pout as her chin rested in her palm. "What'd they say?"

Izzie sighed dramatically, folding her arms across her belly. "The power's out in almost half of Seattle. They said it could be almost midnight before they can even get to our neighborhood."

Meredith grimaced at the news. "That sucks," she muttered, taking a seat beside Izzie at the counter. "Well why don't you stay at my house tonight? Derek just told me that we still have electricity."

"Oh really?" Izzie asked, her face brightening somewhat as she stood up from her chair. "Okay, I guess that's a good idea. I'll call Mark and tell him I'm staying with you guys while I pack a bag. I need to tell him about the amnio results anyway."

When she was safely tucked away in the privacy on her bathroom, Izzie balanced the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she rushed to pack her things. She threw various toiletries into a bag that was sitting on her bathroom counter as she moved around the cavernous space, the tiny flashlight resting on the countertop providing the only light in the room. She smiled when she heard Mark's voice emit from the other end of the line, her hands stilling from her packing as she leaned against the wall. "Hey."

Mark paused in the hallway of Seattle Grace, leaning against the nurses' station as he focused on his wife's voice in the midst of the normal hospital chaos continuing around him. "Hey, did you talk to Addison?"

Izzie's hand moved to rest against her abdomen as one of her daughters rolled over within her. "Yeah; she said they're fine, Mark. She said that the girls are perfectly healthy."

Mark smiled, blowing out a nervous breath that he wouldn't admit he'd been holding in. "See, I told you there's nothing to worry about. Do you feel better now?"

Izzie hesitated, chewing on her lower lip as she pondered whether she did actually feel better. "I guess I do. I'm just ready for them to be here, you know? I'm ready to see them and hear them and really know they're okay."

Mark nodded, understanding Izzie's answer. "I know you are, Iz, but we still have three months to go. You can't constantly worry about this; you'll drive yourself insane. Hell, you'll drive me insane."

Izzie laughed, rolling her eyes at his comment. "Your compassionate side never ceases to move me, Mark."

He grinned, shrugging his shoulders as he lowered his eyes to check his beeping pager. "Hey, I have to go. I'm being paged to the ER."

"Oh, okay," Izzie said, pushing away from the wall as she resumed her packing. "Well just so you know, the storm blew out the electricity in our neighborhood, so I'm going to stay at Meredith and Derek's tonight."

Mark frowned as he walked toward the elevators. "You don't need to stay over there; I'm off in half an hour. When I get home, we can light a few candles, maybe get the fire going. I am pretty sexy in the candle light, you know."

Izzie snorted. "Well as tempting as that offer is, being in a house with heat sounds a bit more attractive to me right now."

Mark smirked, lowering his voice as he halted next to Dr. Bailey as they waited for the elevator. "We can make our own heat, Iz. It's called body friction."

Izzie rolled her eyes. "I'm hanging up now."

With a laugh, Mark walked into the elevator, motioning to Bailey to press the button for the ER. "Fine; well pack something for me and I'll head over there after work."

"I already did."

"Well, I think you should throw in a few candles just in case."

Mark grinned at the subsequent click of Izzie hanging up the phone. Closing his own phone and placing it in his coat pocket, he turned to Bailey and shrugged. "She wants me."

Bailey rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. "Nasty, nasty."

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Meredith and Izzie stared at Meredith's Jeep through the hammering rain, the short trip from Izzie's porch to Meredith's car suddenly seeming enormous. With a shrug, Meredith grabbed the small duffle bag from Izzie's hand, unlocking the doors of her SUV with her keyless remote so that the headlights flooded the darkness with twin beams of light. "I guess we should just make a run for it."

Izzie wavered, suddenly feeling lightheaded as she stared at Meredith's car. "Maybe, uh, maybe we should wait until the rain lets up a bit."

Meredith shook her head, furrowing her brow as she stared at Izzie. "No, it's not going to tonight. The weather's supposed to stay like this until morning."

Izzie frowned, flinching at the piercing clap of thunder emitting in the distance. Closing her eyes briefly, she nodded her head, taking in a shaky breath as she watched Meredith open an umbrella and run from the porch to the driver's door of her Jeep.

"Izzie, come on!"

Swallowing through the quickly forming lump in her throat, Izzie squared her shoulders, opening up her own umbrella and bracing herself against the winds of the storm. Muttering a quick prayer, she rushed down the porch steps, ignoring the icy rain as it pounded sideways onto her face, biting at her cheeks and staining her hair with moisture.

She was panting when she finally slammed the passenger door behind her, her eyes staring blankly out the window as she fought to catch her breath. Meredith frowned at her, placing her hand on Izzie's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, trying to force out a smile. "I'm fine."

Pursing her lips together, Meredith's eyes darted to the windshield as rain pelted against the glass. "Iz, we can stay here for a while if you want to, but the rain's not going to get any better tonight."

Izzie shrugged. "It's fine, Meredith. Let's just go."

With a nod, Meredith turned on the car, blasting the heater on full power to fight off the biting November chill as she backed the car out of the driveway. Izzie's trembling hand grasped the handle above the door, her shoulders braced as her body radiated tension.

Meredith frowned as she drove down the road, her eyes quickly darting to Izzie so that she could see the outline of her body illuminated by the glow of a car. Izzie's knuckles were nearly white as she tightly clamped her fingers around the handle, her face just as colorless as she stared wide-eyed out the windshield. With a sigh, Meredith turned on her hazard lights, slowing the car down in an attempt to ease Izzie's nervousness. "Izzie, I know the rain's pretty intense, but we have storms in Seattle all the-"

Meredith paused, pressing her lips tightly together as a feeling of dread assaulted her belly. With a sigh, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her heart beat quickening as she suddenly recognized the onset of Izzie anxiety. "Oh, right. It's not the rain, is it? You're not worried about the rain."

Izzie swallowed, unable to take her eyes off the road as she shook her head. "No, it's not the rain," she whispered, her answer nearly drowned out by the sound of liquid pellets pounding against the car.

Meredith sniffed, letting silence fill the air. She continued driving at a slow pace, her concentration keen as she forced herself not to look at Izzie. She paused at an intersection that had been deprived of electricity, the traffic lights sitting uselessly as Meredith's eyes carefully scanned the road for oncoming traffic. She lightly drummed her fingers against the steering wheel, trying to ignore the tension that was quickly saturating the car.

As they sat at the intersection, Izzie forced her fingers to unwrap from the handle above the door, her hands clamping together on top of her knees. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice almost inaudible as her eyes fell to her hands resting on her lap.

Meredith took in a breath, sparing a quick glance at Izzie. Having seen no traffic coming, she moved the car forward, shaking her head gently. "What do you have to be sorry for, Izzie?" Meredith asked, her voice sounding strained as each word crossed her lips. "The last time I drove you somewhere, your son died. I think you have a right to be nervous."

Izzie absently nodded, nearly oblivious to the numb feeling settling into her hands as she continued to squeeze them in her lap. Again, silence flooded the car, the pulsating sound of rain hitting the metal of the Jeep being the only noise they were aware of.

Izzie's shoulders began to relax when they finally saw the turnoff to the Shepherd's street. She started to smile a bit at her own anxiety, compelling herself to unclamp her hands, but as Meredith began to press her foot against the brake, the rear wheels of the car lost traction with the road, causing the back tires to skew sideways as the car hydroplaned. Izzie inhaled sharply at the unmistakable feeling of the car's tires losing their grip on the pavement, her eyes darting to Meredith as a rush of panic overtook her body.

Meredith's hands squeezed more tightly around the steering wheel as tension filled her shoulders, her heartbeat drumming loudly in her chest as she fought the urge to press her foot against the brake. "Shit," she muttered, the expletive flying from her mouth as she forced herself not to move the steering wheel.

It the span of only thirteen seconds, Meredith was left wondering whether she would ever see Derek and Jack again, whether she would ever see her friends again, whether she would be the cause of Izzie losing her yet another child. Her pulse was throbbing, tears springing to her eyes as she listened to the whoosh of water spinning in the tires.

And then, just as quickly, she could feel the car naturally slowing down, the back tires finding the concrete once again.

Within seconds, she had pulled the SUV to the side of the road, the Jeep parked just yards away from the turnoff for Meredith and Derek's street. Izzie turned her head, training her eyes on Meredith's face. In the dimness, she could see just well enough to realize that Meredith's body was trembling with anxiety, her lips quivering as she took in short, ragged breaths. Izzie leaned over, placing her hand on top of Meredith's, gently squeezing her fingers. "Mer, are you okay?"

A short, strained laugh escaped Meredith's mouth as she offered Izzie a wobbly smile. "I was about to ask you that."

Izzie let out a shaky laugh, pressing her body against her seat, her eyes aimed on the roof of the car. "Well, to be honest with you, I'm feeling a little stressed at the moment."

Meredith grinned, nodding in agreement as she took a deep breath before easing back onto the road. As she turned the car into her neighborhood, the ringing of a cell phone caused both women to jolt. Izzie rolled her eyes at her own nerves, leaning forward and pulling her cell phone from her purse. "It's Addison," she told Meredith as she flipped it open and pressed it against her ear. "Hey Ad."

"Hey," Addison said as she walked into the den of her apartment bathed in candle light, settling on the couch next to Alex as he opened up his blanket so that she could press herself against him. "Our electricity's out. Can we stay at your house tonight? Our apartment's already freezing."

Izzie frowned. "Ours is out, too, actually. We're staying at Meredith and Derek's tonight."

"Oh," Addison mumbled, laying her head against Alex's shoulder. "Well I guess we can get a hotel room."

Izzie frowned as Meredith parked her car in the driveway. "You don't need to go to a hotel, Addison. Why don't you guys just come over here?"

Meredith rolled her eyes, looking pointedly at Izzie and holding her hand out for the phone. When she had it pressed against her ear, she said, "Addison, you guys will not get a hotel room tonight. That's stupid."

Addison laughed. "But it's going to be so crowded over there."

Meredith shrugged. "I don't mind if you don't."

Addison sighed, her fingers absently running up and down Alex's chest. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Meredith told her.

Addison shrugged at Alex, who nodded in agreement as Meredith's question echoed through the phone. "Alright, we'll be there in about half an hour, I guess."

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Izzie walked down the stairs donning a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of Hello Kitty maternity sleep pants, her hair, still damp from her shower, hanging loosely against her back. She smiled when she walked into the kitchen, finding Meredith and Alex sitting at the table while Addison and Derek worked to prepare dinner at the counter. "Hey, when did you guys get here?"

Alex smiled at her as she sat down beside him, shifting Jack to his other shoulder. "About fifteen minutes ago," he told her, leaning back in his seat as his eyes scanned over her ever-growing belly. "Jeez, Iz; it's only been a week since I've seen you. What are you feeding those kids?"

Izzie glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Shut up, Alex."

He grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry; I guess I'm a little irritable," he said, staring at her pointedly. "I went to put our suitcases upstairs and I saw that someone had stolen my room."

"Well excuse me, but someone stole mine first," she retorted, her laughing eyes flashing to Jack.

Alex's jaw fell open teasingly as he pulled Jack up, his lips pressed closely to the baby's ear. "You hear that, Jack? You're Aunt Izzie's trying to blame everything on you. What do you think about that?"

Addison laughed, chopping lettuce and placing handfuls into a salad bowl. "Alex, stop being obnoxious."

"Yeah, Alex, stop being obnoxious," Izzie agreed with a grin. "What do you want to do? Kick me out of the bedroom?"

"Well yeah," Alex said, grinning as he nodded fervently. "I don't want to sleep on the damn sofa bed."

Izzie narrowed her eyes. "So you're going to be force me sleep on the sofa bed?" she asked, her hands sweeping up to rub her belly as she pushed out her lower lip. "You're going to kick me and my children out of the guestroom?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Now who's being obnoxious?"

Izzie grinned as the doorbell rang, her body twisting as she looked toward the front of the house. "Oh, that's probably Mark," she commented, pressing her hands against the tabletop for leverage as she moved to stand up from her seat.

Derek rushed forward, shaking his head. "Don't get up. I'll get it," he offered, disappearing into the foyer.

He smirked when he found Mark on the other side of the doorway, his clothes soaked as water pooled around his ankles. "Forget your umbrella this morning?"

Mark shrugged, stepping into the warmth of the house as Derek closed the door behind him. "I came to shack with ya, buddy," Mark said, flashing a smile as he threw his arm around Derek's shoulders, transferring the rain water onto his clothes.

Derek groaned as they walked toward the kitchen, already feeling the cold water leaking through the cotton of his shirt. He frowned as everyone turned to look at them as the walked through the doorway, Mark walking straight to Izzie and placing a light kiss on her lips. "I guess the rest of our party's here."