**All main characters belong to Shonda Rimes. ***

"Alex, get up!" Jo yelled as she swatted him with a pillow, but he only grunted as he pulled the covers up over his head. "Alex!"

"What? Why do I have to get up? It's our day off?" he reminds her, slightly annoyed to be awakened so early.

"Have you forgotten what we're doing today?" she squealed excitedly. "We're going to City Hall so that we can officially change my name to Josephine KAREV!"

Alex could see his wife's excitement boiling over. She was absolutely glowing with happiness and it had been a long time coming. "I know," he yawns sleepily, "but City Hall is open all day. We don't have to go right this moment."

As soon as the words left his mouth Alex regretted them, seeing the hurt flash on her face. She tried to turn away from him to mask the tears forming in her eyes, but he grabbed her by her arm and pulled her onto the bed.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I am. I mean there's no reason for you to be as excited about this as I am. It's your name, but you're not changing it. I'm changing my name - again - but this time because I want to and not because I'm running from an abusive ex. It's my name, my identity and it's a big deal for me to want to take my new husband's name."

A tear trickled down her cheek as she spoke and Alex gently rubbed it away. He places his arm around her, drawing her closer. "It's a big deal to me too. Izzie never said anything about taking my name after we got married, so I didn't either. So it means a lot to me that you want to take my name," he softly tells her.

"Really?" she asks, hope shining in her eyes.

"Really," he smiles, kissing her, as he throws the covers off him and swings his legs to the side, getting down on one knee. "Jo Wilson, will you give me the honor of escorting you to City Hall to officially become Mrs. Josephine Karev?"

"Yes!" she beams, bending over to kiss him passionately. They fall backwards onto the floor, laughing.

Two hours later, the happy couple are standing in line at the Clerk of Courts office, but Jo's fidgeting, biting her nails. Alex takes her hand into his. "It's going to be okay. We're just changing your name, nothing bad can happen," he reassures her.

Jo relents, running a hand through her mousy brown hair. "I know. I'm just so used to having the bottom fall out from under me."

"Not this time, Dr. Karev," he whispers as he kisses the side of her head.

"Next!" calls a firm voice.

Alex and Jo look at each other and smile. "That's us!" they boast at the same time.

Approaching the counter, Jo produces her driver's license and signed marriage certificate. The woman takes the documents and then looks up their information on her computer. "Karev and Wilson?" she says, looking past Jo to Alex. "Alex Karev?"

"Yes, that's me," Alex confirms.

The woman excuses herself, saying she will be right back. Alex and Jo exchange confused glances as they see her go into another office and talk to another woman there while pointing towards them. After a few minutes, she returns.

"Dr. Karev and Dr. Wilson, will you please come with me?" It's polite but it's not a question.

As they walk in step behind her, Jo bites down on her lower lip. She's squeezing Alex's hand as tight as she can as she asks, "Is there a problem?"

"Ms. Cook will explain everything," the woman says as she escorts them into an office. "She'll be with you in just a few minutes."

Alex and Jo squirm uneasily as Ms. Cook joins them. "What's going on?" he asks, trying to give Jo a reassuring smile. "Not sure why we had to be escorted into your office just to so my wife can take my last name?"

The woman sits at the desk with a file in front of her, hands folded over its contents. "Your marriage license was flagged."

"What do you mean by 'flagged'? And why would it be?" Jo queries. At first confused, then she becomes alarmed, looking over to Alex, "Oh my god, this has to do with Paul? He's dead and he's still finding a way to torment me!"

"Dr. Wilson, please calm down. I don't know who this Paul is that you're referring to. It's actually not about you, it's about Dr. Karev," Ms. Cook looks over to him. "The marriage license was flagged because in marrying Dr. Wilson, you committed bigamy!"

"What?" Alex practically yells , staring at her wide-eyed. "I'm not married to anyone other than this wonderful woman right here!" He looks over to her as she beams happily.

Ms. Cook looks down to the papers in front of her. "We have a license that was filed for you and a Isobel Stevens a little over five years ago," she says, handing it to him.

"I don't need to see that," Alex says, waving it off. "She's my ex-wife. We've been divorced for years."

"That's just it, Dr. Karev, we have no record of a divorce occurring between you and Ms. Stevens, which means you committed bigamy when you married Dr. Wilson. A warrant was issued for your arrest, but the courts, as usual, are backlogged and it hasn't been processed yet."

"My arrest?" He turns dumbfounded to Jo as he tries to wrap his brain around what's happening. Jo just sinks back into the chair in disbelief. "Izzie and I have been divorced for years," he repeats.

"When were the papers filed?" Ms. Cook asks, prepared to write down the information Alex provides.

Alex shakes his head. "I don't know. Izzie mailed me divorce papers, I signed them and sent them back to her. Maybe she filed where she's living now."

"Okay, well then this should be easy enough to remedy. Where does she live? I will just call the courthouse there and have them forward us a copy of the papers."

"I ... I don't know where she lives."

"You just said you sent them back to her. Where did you send them?"

"Her mother's house." He turns again to Jo and winces at the disheartened look on her face. "You know what, I will call her. I think I still have her number in here somewhere." He scrolls through his phone. "Yeah, here it is. I'll call her now and we'll get this all straightened out."

He puts the phone to his ear, giving Jo a reassuring smile. She tries to smile back, but can't fight the tears she's struggling to hold back.

This number is no longer in service. Please check the number and dial again, says the familiar recording.

Alex lowers the phone, frowning. "It's no longer in service." He looks helplessly at the woman across the desk. "I swear to you we are divorced."

"Okay, I can see that appears to be the case, but we need a copy of the paperwork. I will give you two weeks to produce it."

"Okay, okay." Alex says standing. He reaches out for Jo's hand, who takes it as she stands too. Looking between the two women, he says uneasily, "You'll see this is just a huge misunderstanding."