I THINK I CAN

FADE IN

MEREDITH (V.O.)

We are determined…we are motivated…we talk a good game and we are certain we can follow through. But the determination only lasts as long as the emotions are there to fuel the fire. As time passes and the emotions cool…we begin to waver and recede…uncertain that we can complete the task at hand. You know the right thing to do…it's just not always easy to get it done. The trick though…is to do it right away before you have a chance to think about it or talk yourself out of it. Just think what would have happened if the little engine had given up. One of life's most important lessons would never have been shared.

Koty watches in horror as Alex is taken away in handcuffs and immediately leaves the party. After making a quick trip to Daniel's apartment he heads to the hospital. It's after hours but the nurses allow Koty to see Daniel…mostly because the night shift doesn't generally get that much action. Slipping quietly into the room he watches while Daniel sleeps…the bruises and cuts on his face making him look almost unrecognizable. He considers how much trouble he'd save everyone by just placing a pillow over his face and smothering him. At that moment he feels nothing…not even hatred. Daniel begins to stir and is alarmed to see someone standing over his bed until his eyes adjust to the darkness in the room.

"Oh…it's just you" he says.

Without talking Koty walks over and sits in the chair in the corner.

"What're you doing here" Daniel asks. "Didn't you have a work thing to go to?"

Koty laughs a bit. "I did. But unfortunately…I instead got to watch while my friend was taken away in handcuffs."

Daniel shoots him a glance. "You're serious right? The guy beat the shit out of me. What was I supposed to do…just lie there and take it?"

Daniel laughs. "You know what that's like don't you?"

Koty walks over and stands at the end of the bed. "Let me make something completely clear."

Daniel is waiting for him to speak and throws his hands up impatiently. "What?"

"My unwillingness to react during all of those times you took your frustrations out on me had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I could have taken you down with one punch…or the fact that I came inches from doing just that on more than one occasion…or just seconds ago contemplated placing a pillow over your face and holding it there until all signs of life evaporated. And during all of those times…the thing that I could never understand…was how I could stop myself from doing just that. I can't tell you why I didn't…but know this…if it ever happens again…I will not be holding back anything."

Daniel snickers nervously. "Look at you big man…threatening a guy hooked to an IV. You make me laugh. Well big man…maybe when I get out of the hospital I'll take you up on that. Then we'll see just how tough you are."

Koty laughs…looking down at Daniel he is now able to find that hatred that was missing. "Let me tell you how this is going to go. You are going to call the police station first thing in the morning and drop all of the charges against Alex Karev."

"And why the hell would I do that?" he asks.

Koty holds up a small black book.

"How did you get that?" Daniel asks.

"It doesn't matter how…the fact is that I have it. And if you don't call and drop the charges first thing tomorrow morning the police will have it. I'm sure they will be interested to see some of the information inside here that matches up with some of the robberies in the area…addresses of homes vandalized…list of items taken…contact information for some of the people involved. I mean…it's all right here in one convenient little package."

Daniels laughs. "You wouldn't do that."

Koty turns to leave the room. "Try me."

Daniel stares him down as he leaves…and then spends the remainder of the night staring up at the ceiling.

INT – RESTAURANT – EVENING

Everyone waits while Izzie talks to Alex on the phone.

"What's going on?" Meredith asks.

Izzie hangs up the phone and addresses the crowd of people that are now buzzing with gossip. "Everyone…can I have your attention."

Everyone quiets down and turns in her direction.

"I'm so sorry about this…but mostly I'm as confused as you are. But I've talked to Alex. This was all just a misunderstanding and I am sure it will be straightened out and he will be back as soon as he can."

Izzie's speech fails to squelch the questions in the room as they look to her awaiting further instructions. "So go…eat…dance…have a good time."

On that note the crowd calms down and begins to take their seats.

George carefully approaches Izzie. "You ok?"

"What the hell just happened George? This was supposed to be a date followed by a night of semi-wild sex and now my fiancé…my fiancé George…Alex is my fiancé…and he's in jail for beating some guy in a parking lot. I mean…this is not anything like I thought this night was going to be."

A waiter walks by with glasses of champagne on a tray and Izzie grabs him taking one. "Hold on." She says handing her phone to George. She tips back one of the glasses and grabs a second. The waiter begins to walk away and Izzie snaps at him. "Did I say I was done?"

She grabs a third glass and hands the last one to George who begins to raise it to take a drink.

"No..no!" she says. "That's for holding…not for drinking."

"You need to slow down." George says.

"No" Izzie corrects him. "I need to drink. What the hell am I doing George? I'm engaged to a guy that can't make it through dinner without disappearing or pulling an Alex."

"An Alex?" George asks.

"Yes…that same bullshit he used to do when we were interns. He's undependable George…how are we supposed to make a marriage work if we can't even get through a night out without the police showing up?"

George reluctantly sticks up for Alex as the two of them walk toward the buffet table. "But you have to give it to him for planning this party. I mean…no one knew what those little invitations were for yet you had a pretty good turnout. And it was all planned by Alex and didn't involve strippers. That's pretty amazing."

"I thought you said you knew what this party was for" Cristina says.

George reaches down and shoves a handful of olives in his mouth and then walks away while Cristina gives him the look of death.

After dinner the music begins to play. Richard takes Miranda out on the floor while Catherine watches from a table in the corner. Mark grabs Callie and Derek attempts to help Meredith out of her chair. Cristina is about to be left at the table alone when she notices Jackson approaching. "Ok" she says. "Here we go."

Jackson walks up and says hello and then turns to Meredith. "Meredith…do you know where Lexie is?"

"She's babysitting for us tonight."

Jackson thanks her and walks away seemingly disappointed.

Meredith glances back at Cristina who is now drinking everyone's champagne. She whispers something to Derek who then faces Cristina.

"Cristina…would you like to dance."

"No" Cristina says. "You go dance with your wife and I'll just sit here and get drunk because apparently I am that forgettable."

"Cristina" Meredith interrupts. "You did tell the guy to get lost like five times. Did you seriously expect him to follow you around for the rest of you life?"

Cristina ignores her and begins eating the left-over food from everyone's plates when someone walks up and pulls the plate away from her. She looks up to see Burke standing over her.

"You are difficult…and you are impetuous…but you are anything but forgettable."

He holds out his hand for her. She looks over at Meredith and she offers no help. Cristina gives up and takes his hand as he leads her onto the dance floor.

Across the floor Mark dips Callie and she groans. He laughs.

"Sorry about that" she says. "I'm just not as flexible as I used to be."

"Oh…" he says. "I disagree."

Callie is too distracted to scold him and Mark can see the concern on her face.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know…I'm probably just being paranoid but I feel like someone is following me."

"That's great" he says with a little too much excitement in his voice.

Callie gives him a surprised look. "Great?"

"Yes…my next door neighbor just died."

"Ok…you definitely have a strange sense of humor."

"No" he says. "I mean…her apartment is open…its close by. You can have your own space and we can still be close enough to each other if anything happens."

Callie exhales loudly as she contemplates being that close to Mark again. Of course she'd like to move back but the reasons to move back might lead to unplanned consequences. She didn't know if she could do that again.

"I'll think about it ok?"

"Ok" he says spinning her around. "But don't think too long…its rent controlled and a steal."

INT – POLICE STATION – MORNING

The next morning Koty shows up at the police station with the small black book in his pocket. He asks the officer if the charges have been dropped against Alex and the officer says no. Disappointed…he asks to see Alex.

Koty waits in a small room until Alex appears. Alex is surprised to see him. He approaches the glass and they both pick up the phone.

"Hey man…what're you doing here?"

"I don't know. I was coming here to get you out. It just didn't work that way."

"How were you planning to get me out?"

Koty pulls the black book out of his pocket and is ready to tell Alex the story when a police officer reappears and calls Alex's name. Alex hangs up the phone and the officer tells Koty he can wait out front. Within a few minutes Alex walks out from the back and tells Koty that Daniel dropped the charges. Koty is ecstatic. Although he talked a good game to Daniel he didn't know if he had the nerve to actually turn him in. He drives Alex to Meredith's house in the city and drops him off so he can talk to Izzie.

"Well…I should head back to the hospital."

"You're still living in that back room?" Alex asks.

"Home sweet home" Koty says.

Inside the house Izzie watches out the window while Alex talks to Koty. When he approaches the door she is already waiting there for him. "Hey honey" she says. "Welcome home from prison."

"I wasn't in prison."

They sat in the kitchen and talked for a while when George came down the steps.

"Alex…what are you doing here so early?" George notices Izzie's disapproving glance. "I mean…It's nice to see you."

Alex laughs. "Actually…that's one other thing I wanted to surprise you with last night."

He turns to Izzie. "I bought this house for us."

"You bought this house?"

"Yeah…just like a real grown up."

George shakes his head. "That's it. I can't live here anymore. I'm packing my things."

The front door opens and Koty walks into the house...heading back to the kitchen where he finds Alex, Izzie and George.

"Hey Alex…thanks for letting me move back in. I'm going to go toss my things up in my room and take a nap."

Koty leaves the room and George watches him…turning to Alex.

"I thought you were leaving because you just can't stay here anymore." Alex says.

"Ummm" George starts. "I think I can."

Izzie starts laughing.