He knew he should be discouraging her from such naughty behavior, that he should be giving her the look, the look that tells her she better stop what she's doing right now before they get into trouble, but Alex couldn't stop the small curl of his lips when he felt Addison's naked toes slipping beneath the cuff of his pants as they sat around Meredith and Derek's dining room table. His eyes darted straight ahead of him where his fiancé was seated, a smile forming on her own lips as she eyed him through her long lashes, running her finger along the edge of her empty wine glass.

Derek pushed his chair out as he stood to his feet, grabbing his watered-down scotch as he glanced at the people who continued to lounge around the table long after their dinner had been completed. "Does anybody need anything while I'm up? Ad? Want some more wine?"

The cautionary shake of Alex's head was ignored by Derek as he accepted the wine glass from Addison's outstretched hand, returning her smile of thanks before disappearing into the kitchen.

Alex sighed, shaking his head disbelievingly as Addison's toes continued to inch up his leg. He swallowed nervously, sparing a glance at the other occupants of table who continued to chat a few feet away, oblivious to Addison's feet slowly working their way toward his already stirring arousal.

Izzie suddenly laughed, causing Alex to look up sharply, but his shoulders relaxed when he saw her hand pressing against the side of her belly. "Somebody's got the hiccups."

Mark's arm curled around Izzie's shoulders as he leaned toward her, bringing her body closer to his as one of his hands flattened against the curve of her abdomen. Adjacent to them, Meredith grinned as she watched their interaction, finding herself unexpectedly missing the surprises that came with pregnancy. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair, her gaze remaining on the couple beside her. "Have you guys thought of any names yet?"

Addison's gaze flickered to Mark and Izzie in mild interest, her curiosity peaked by the subject, though not enough to completely divert her attention from her mission beneath the table. From the corner of her eye, she could see Alex straining to keep his face passive as her toes continued to travel up his leg, her freshly manicured nails lightly scraping the rough skin of his knee.

Izzie beamed at Meredith's question, her shoulders straightening with excitement. "Well we've talked about it a little bit, but nothing's been decided yet."

Mark nodded, enjoying a sip of his after-dinner scotch. "We each get to pick out a name."

Meredith pursed her lips, her eyes widening in surprise. "Izzie's going to let you pick out a name all by yourself?"

Izzie scoffed. "Hey, I'm being very agreeable about this. He can name the baby whatever he wants"

With a skeptical smile, Meredith glanced at Alex and Addison, who were being strangely silent at the other end of the table. Her eyes narrowed in curiosity as they stared at one another intently, Addison's lips curling into a mischievous grin. "What're you guys doing down there?"

Addison lazily drew her gaze to Meredith, enjoying the carefree feeling that came with a few glasses of wine as she shrugged her shoulders, turning back to Alex with a smile. "We're just sitting here."

Meredith's mouth twisted in skepticism, but she chose to ignore them as she turned back to Mark and Izzie. "So what names have you guys been talking about?"

Izzie's face lit up with enthusiasm, her smile widening as she turned to Meredith. "Well I really like Paige and Clara," she told her, her hands moving animatedly in front of her. "Oh, and I like Molly and Grace. And Charlotte. Oh, and Ella."

Alex, barley listening to the conversation, pressed his lips tightly together, his knee jerking upward as Addison's toes made contact with her target. He winced as his knee banged against the wooden table, everyone turning to looking at him as the remaining dishes on the table clanked at the movement. Alex smiled sheepishly as he attempted to subtly push Addison's foot from between his legs, his eyes darting fleetingly to his grinning fiancé before settling back on the curious gazes of his friends. "Uh . . . that's nice, Iz. Ellie's a nice name. I like that."

A small smile formed on Izzie's lips as she looked between Addison and Alex, her expression suspicious as she studied Alex's guilty features. "Um, it's Ella. With an a. Ella, not Ellie."

Alex nodded nervously, sparing a warning glare at Addison, who ignored it as she watched him with laughing eyes. Looking back at Izzie, Alex shrugged. "Right, yeah, Ella's nice, too."

Amused by Alex's strange discomfort, Meredith grinned, her eyes narrowing as she exchanged a brief look with Izzie. "Okay," she said, her eyebrows rising as she turned to Mark. "Well what have you been thinking about?"

Mark cocked his head to the side, seemingly pondering the question as he thumbed his beard. "Well to be honest, I'm having a hard time coming up with names. Izzie has too many rules."

"There're rules to naming your kid?"

He smirked, nodding his head as Derek walked back into the dining with Addison's new glass of wine. "Yep; I'm not allowed to use any names that sound like strippers or foods, and I'm also not allowed to use the names of any women I've ever slept with."

Derek grinned, handing Addison her merlot before sitting down next to Meredith. "Well that pretty much rules out all the female names in the world."

Mark nodded, gesturing to Derek with his hand. "Thank you. That's exactly what I told Izzie."

Izzie rolled her eyes, shaking her head in mock-disgust. "You're such a pig."

Alex forced out a grin while listening to their exchange, trying to keep his face blank as he felt the cool touch of Addison's toes once again trailing beneath his pant leg. He looked at her sharply, his eyes a mixture of warning and surprise. She wasn't looking at him, though, her gaze trained on Meredith as her expression remained remarkably innocent. "Hey Meredith, do you think you could get some sheets for the sofa bed? I'm about ready to turn in for the night."

Meredith glanced at her watch, her eyes widening as she noted the time. "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was," she commented, standing up and gathering a couple of the dishes from the table. "Derek, can you get a pair of sheets and some pillows from upstairs?"

As Izzie and Mark helped Meredith take dishes to the kitchen and Derek disappeared upstairs to get fresh linens for the sofa bed, Alex turned sharply to Addison, his facial expression displaying his disbelief. "What were you doing?" he whispered, his words hushed as he glanced anxiously toward the doorway of the dining room.

Addison cocked her head to the side, her face blank. "What do you mean?"

He narrowed his eyes, looking at her incredulously. "What do you mean, 'What you I mean?' I mean . . . I mean," he paused, taking a breath to calm his nerves. "I mean I can't get up from this freaking table without everyone seeing what happens when your toes go to places they shouldn't be going during dinner with our friends," he concluded, feeling flustered as he gestured toward his lap.

Addison grinned, standing to her feet and sauntering to the other side of the table, her hands sliding down Alex's chest as she pressed her lips to his ear. "Well then you just sit here until you feel like you can get up. In the meantime, I'll be waiting for you in the living room."

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Meredith rubbed her hand lightly over Jack's wispy brown hair, adjusting the blanket over his shoulders as she watched him sleeping in his crib. His tiny mouth was parted open ever so slightly, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Placing a light kiss against his cheek, she switched off the softly illuminated lamp on his dresser and walked out of the nursery, shutting the door behind her on the way out.

Alex smiled when he saw her in the hallway as he exited the bathroom, his hair still damp from his shower. "The kid still asleep?"

She nodded. "Yeah; he probably won't wake up until about two o'clock."

Grinning, Alex leaned a shoulder against the wall. "Dude, that's rough."

She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "It's not that bad. You do what you have to do, you know?"

Alex studied her face, his lips twisting into a smile as though he were seeing her as a mother for the first time, as though he were seeing how much marriage and motherhood had really changed her. "You're a good mom, Mer," he told her quietly.

The sincerity of the unexpected compliment caught her off guard, her mouth falling open slightly as she stared at him. Biting her lip softly, she smiled, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. "Thank you, Alex."

A brief silence hung in the air between them, neither moving as they suddenly found themselves staring awkwardly at the floor. Taking in a breath, Alex shrugged, moving past Meredith toward the staircase. "It's not a big deal. I was just saying, you know . . ."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know, but thanks anyway," she replied, her hand touching his shoulder as he passed by her. "Tell Addison I said goodnight."

He smiled, his eyes suddenly gleaming. "Oh, she's already asleep," he told her, pausing at the landing of the staircase. "The damn lush passed out before I could even get in the shower."

Meredith laughed at Alex's teasing, watching him disappear down the staircase before turning around and heading toward her bedroom. She smiled when she walked in, finding Derek stretched out on his side of the bed, his gaze aimed at the television.

"Watcha watching?" she asked, slipping beneath the covers as she pressed her body against his, her arms resting against his chest as she used his shoulder for a pillow.

His own arm snaked around her, hugging her to him as he continued to watch the TV. "Just checking the weather."

Meredith pursed her lips together, studying the screen as the weatherman pointed to his latest meteorological predictions. "Looks like the storm's going to be over before the morning."

Derek nodded, turning to face her as he switched the television off with the remote. "So, is Jack asleep?"

She bit her lip in anticipation as he rolled on top of her, his arms placed on either side of her body as he grinned mischievously. "Yeah."

"What about the others kids?"

She laughed, nodding her head. "Alex and Addison are downstairs and Mark and Izzie went to bed awhile ago."

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "Want to fool around?"

Meredith scoffed. "Derek Shepherd! We have guests in our house."

Shrugging his shoulders, he leaned forward, placing light kisses around her mouth. "They're used to it. They all used to live here."

She smiled in affirmation as his mouth captured hers, her teeth scraping lightly against his tongue as he pushed into her mouth. With a quiet moan, Meredith broke away from kiss just long enough to help him pull his shirt over his head. A small noise emitted from the back of her throat as Derek's hand slipped beneath the waistband of her panties, her eyes fluttering shut as the first sensations began to wash over her.

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Izzie's eyes were wide open as she stared at the ceiling, her heart still beating erratically as she forced herself to take even breaths. She looked fleetingly at Mark, frowning anxiously when she saw his face pressed against the pillow, his eyes closed as warm puffs of air hit her shoulder with each breath he exhaled. She bit her trembling lip, her hand running tiredly over her face as she forced herself not to think about the dream she'd been jolted awake from, the dream she'd had recurrently for the past several nights.

As hard as she tried to block the memory from her mind, however, she couldn't stop the excruciating images from flowing through her head. She could see herself running through the cemetery in a white dress, her blonde hair blowing as she blindly passed grave after grave. She was moving quickly, Ben just ahead of her, his little legs running as fast as they could carry him as though he were playing a game of chase. She told him to slow down repeatedly, begging him to let her catch up with him, but he just laughed at her request, his giggles reverberating through the air.

And then just as quickly, he was gone, leaving Izzie standing alone in the vast sea of graves as her eyes frantically scanned the area for her child. She called out his name, her pleas desperate as she continued to search, making her way through the cemetery in what felt like slow motion.

And then she stopped. Her breath left her, oxygen spilling from her lungs as she stared straight ahead of her. Instead of her little boy, she stood before a headstone, William Bennett Sloan embedded in the steel-grey concrete. She swallowed through her tears, shaking her head in devastation as her hand moved upward to rest against the swell of her belly, but instead her palm was met by the flatness of her abdomen. She frowned, looking down in panic to the sight of her smooth torso, a red blood stain marring the fabric at the crest of her legs. Uttering a cry, she looked up, a whimper escaping her lips when she saw two more headstones staring back at her.

And then she felt a hand resting against her arm, cold, slender fingers wrapping around her. She turned around instantly, needing to see Ben, needing to see Mark holding their babies, but instead she saw a little girl staring back at her with eyes identical to hers. Izzie knew instantly who she was, a gasp escaping her lips as she took in Hannah's sickly features, the child's appearance precisely as Izzie remembered her looking as she'd laid in the hospital bed of Seattle Grace at the age of eleven.

Izzie swallowed, tears welling in her eyes as she reached out to touch her, but Hannah backed away, shaking her head. "No. You didn't want me, and now look what happened."

Izzie opened her mouth to disagree, but the protest died on her lips as she watched the girl fade away just as Ben had moments before, a fourth headstone appearing before her eyes, completing the cluster of gravesites the housed her children.

Now, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon, Izzie swallowed through the lump in her throat, moving carefully from the bed as she stood to her feet. Her legs were trembling as they carried her to the door of the bedroom, treading lightly as she tried not to wake Mark while tiptoeing from the room. She closed the door quietly behind her, taking in a deep breath as she moved toward the staircase, but she paused as she passed the doorway of Jack's nursery.

Inside the room, the light was shining softly as Meredith sat in the rocking chair, her head resting against the cushion as she held Jack to her breast. Her eyes were closed as the baby nursed greedily, his tiny fists bunched tightly around the cotton of her t-shirt. Izzie tried to smile at the image as she fought with the emotions welling in her chest, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she pressed her lips firmly together.

When Izzie glanced up from the baby, she was surprised to find Meredith's eyes now open, her friend studying her curiously. Meredith tilted her head sideways, unconsciously rubbing Jack's cheek with her thumb. "What're you doing up?" she asked, her voice soft as though she were trying not to wake the other occupants of the house. "It's two-thirty in the morning."

Izzie shrugged, willing the tears in her eyes to disappear. "I'm just going to get something to drink. I couldn't sleep."

Meredith frowned at the unmistakable quiver in Izzie's voice. "Iz, what's the matter?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

The breath hitched in the back of her throat at the soft tone of Meredith's voice, but she plastered a smile of her face, avoiding Meredith's eyes. "Nothing's wrong, Mer. I'm just not very tired right now."

Meredith shook her head, knowing by her fidgety movements that Izzie was lying. "Izzie," she called, but the harsh whisper fell on deaf ears as Izzie disappeared from the doorway in the direction of the staircase.

As she descended the stairs, Izzie was careful to remain quiet, knowing Addison and Alex were sleeping in the living room. She placed one foot in front of the other, expertly avoiding the floorboard creeks that she'd memorized while living in the house. When her feet landed on the first floor, she moved toward the kitchen, peaking in the living room en route to ensure she hadn't disturbed Addison or Alex on her way down.

"Shit," she swore, the curse flying from her mouth as her jaw fell open, her eyes widening at the sight of Addison straddling Alex in the middle of the sofa bed. The darkness of the living room hid the details of what was more than likely a pornographic image, but the moonlight shining through the window behind them caused a clear, unmistakable silhouette. "Oh god! Crap, I'm sorry! I didn't mean . . . shit . . . I didn't see anything . . . I mean, I did but . . . shit!"

The moment the initial expletive had flown from Izzie's mouth, Addison had covered herself with her hands, flattening her body against the mattress to hide behind Alex. She groaned in humiliation as Izzie stuttered in the doorway, babbling apologies that only served to prolong the mortification.

"Let's just forget this ever happened. Crap, I'm seriously really, really sorry! God, I'm just . . . uh . . . I'm going to walk away now. See me? Walking away right now," she called out, vanishing toward the kitchen.

Addison groaned again as Izzie disappeared, her hand covering her face. "Oh my god. That was so . . . so . . ."

"Mortifying?"

"Yes."

"Degrading?"

"Oh god, yes."

"Excruciatingly painful?"

Another groan. "Yes, yes, yes."

Alex nodded, grinning at her in the darkness. "Yeah, I have to admit, my fantasy of you naked with another woman in the room didn't exactly go like that."

Addison rolled her eyes, shoving his shoulder. "Shut up, Alex. This isn't funny."

He smirked. "Hey, don't get mad at me; this isn't my fault. You're the one who woke up and pounced on me."

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A/N: Okay, so this little slumber party obviously isn't over yet, but I've run out of steam for the day. I need to stop writing mindless fan fiction and go study for the GRE (which I take on Saturday, thankyouverymuch, and yet I still updated. How sweet am I for blowing off my future for you lovely people?) Hopefully I'll have the rest of this part up in the next few days. Have a great weekend.