"I am not going to guess again, you cheat!"

Izzie says, laughing with George as she sits across him in the locker room.

"Come on. I won't cheat anymore, I promise. Go."

"No."

"Come ON."

"Okay. Four."

George thinks for a second than smiles.

"Nope. Not four."

"Liar."

She pushes him playfully and they laugh again.

"Hurry up and shower if you want me to wait for you."

George says, pushing her back.

"Kay."

Izzie stands up and is about to walk off to grab a towel when Alex walks in. A smile forms on his face seeing Izzie. She freezes but she is expressionless and avoids his eyes instead.

"Hi, Izz."

"Hi."

She resumes walking away but Alex steps in front of her, blocking her way. George watches uncomfortably from behind.

"Wait. Can--can we talk?"

"Now?"

"Yeah. It won't take long."

George begins to stand up but Izzie motions with her hand to sit back down, so he does.

"Um, well, I was just going to take a quick shower before I went back down to the pit with George. I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Well, O'Malley can go on his own--"

He says, looking at George. Izzie follows his eyes, glaring at George for him to stay.

"Actually--"

George begins.

"--I can't. I have to wait for her."

Alex rolls his eyes and touches Izzie's hand to get her attention, which he does.

"Izzie--I know it hasn't been long since Denny but--"

"DON'T. Don't say his name. I know what you're going to say and I won't let you talk about him. You don't get to."

Alex's tone hardens.

"Oh, you know what I'm going to say, do you?"

"Yeah. I do. You are going to say that he was a dead man since he walked into the hospital, right? That I had no business even BOTHERING with him and that I couldn't possibly be in love with a patient I didn't even know. I don't want to hear it."

"Well, you're GOING TO hear it because that's not what I was going to say. I was going to say that--damn it, Izzie! I have been following you around like a DOG! All I want is to spend some time with you and you--run! That guy--I don't know what you had with that guy and to be honest, I don't want to know. I don't CARE! All I know is that you're upset and you won't let me near you. What did I do? What do you want me to do! Talk to me!"

"I can't!"

"Why!"

"Because!--because, I don't feel right talking to you yet. Okay! I can't. I could never be just friends with you and you--I know what you want. I just can't right now, Alex. I know you don't understand it, and I don't expect you to but, I need time. Can you understand that?"

He nods quietly, his expression still hard as he looks her in the eyes.

"Yeah--I can understand that."

He turns to leave but hesitates and turns back around.

"I am not an illogical moron. I know it takes time. I'm no trying to get into your pants, Izzie. I just wanted to let you know--I wanted to let you know that I'm here. I thought you would know me better than that but I guess I was wrong."

He leaves, slamming the door behind him. Izzie stands in place, watching the door, as if waiting for Alex to walk back in. George clears his throat behind her.

"Izzie--it's going to be okay."

She blinks twice then resumes walking toward the shower.

"I'm going to shower. You don't' have to wait for me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Don't touch those!"

Izzie yells, running in the kitchen from the living room. Meredith jumps and drops the cupcake in her hand back on the pan she took it from.

"Why not!"

"They're for Alex."

Meredith makes a sour face and sits on a stool by the counter as Izzie places the cupcakes on the pan in a small container.

"Alex gets cupcakes? Why?"

"I just--no reason."

"Oh. Okay."

Izzie notices Meredith's frumpiness.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You know, just because I'm the black widow doesn't mean you can't talk to me. You can talk to me."

Meredith smiles.

"You're not the black widow. I'm just…tired."

"Right. You still think it's a good idea to have people over? We don't have to."

"No. It's fine. Burke is out of the hospital and Cristina wanted to do something so--"

"Yeah--I find that a bit out of character for her."

"She's trying."

They laugh.

"Besides, it's just a thing--it's not a HUGE thing. Just a thing. It's Saturday night. We'll eat pizza and drink beer, and watch a movie. It's what normal people do--I just hope it ends soon."

Izzie looks at her, laughs and shakes her head.

"You can't hide that you're miserable."

"No. I can't. It's painfully obvious, isn't it?"

"A little bit. Hey--do you think Alex will come?"

"Why wouldn't he? Did you two have a fight?"

"No. No. I was just--wondering. So he didn't say anything to you--like. Never mind."

The doorbell rings. Meredith sighs and stands up.

"I'll get it."

She drags her feet down all the way to he front door, opens it and slams it shut not a second later.

"Oh my God! What do you want!"

She yells at the door. Derek's muffled voice is heard in response.

"I can't hear you!"

"Open the door!"

"No! Learn to speak clearer!"

"Meredith! Please open the door!"

She thinks for a second then opens the door, her hand on her hip as she blocks the doorway with her other arm.

"WHAT."

"I need to talk to you…"

She spots a manila folder hanging by his side.

"What's that."

"It's--that's what I wanted to talk to you. It's the divorce papers. They're signed. It's done."

He offers her a sympathetic smile but her mind is set on hating him. She crosses her arms and waits for him to speak again.

"Can I come in?"

"NO."

She says, shutting the door close.

"You cannot come in."

"Meredith. Come on. We need to talk about this. Why are you so mad?"

"Why am I so mad? Seriously!"

"--let me come in. We'll sit and talk about it--"

"No. I have people coming over. We can talk out here on the porch."

"It's cold."

"You're a big boy, you can handle it."

He runs his hand through his hair, frustrated and takes a deep breath but is interrupted by the sound of someone walking up to the porch.

"Oh--"

Callie stops behind Derek, a pack of beer in each hand.

"--sorry. I just--excuse me."

She moves between them uncomfortably as Meredith opens and closes the door for her.

"You really do have people coming over."

Derek begins again but another person comes up behind him. This time it's George with a few boxes of pizza in his arms.

"Oh. Hello--"

He stands there for a while becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second, both Meredith and Derek staring at him.

"--I've got pizza."

Callie opens the door from inside and smiles at Meredith.

"I've got it. Come on George."

She says, pulling George inside and closing the door.

"Well?"

Meredith asks impatiently.

"Well--Meredith. I want to be with you. . I've missed you and Addison and I are over…"

"I can't be with you, Derek."

"What? Why not?"

"Because, you hurt me. And I know you said you love me and I might love you but--you made me the mistress and you didn't tell me. And I could get over that, sure. But you didn't chose me. And I will always know that you weren't sure enough about us to know that you wanted me and not her. I will always know in the back of my mind. I had to wait and watch--and then--you made me the mistress again! And I'm not saying it was all your fault. I know I'm to blame as well but--you wanted to stay with her--"

"Meredith, I told you why--she was my wife…"

"And you had to try and fix it--you could have tried to fix what you had with me. And you didn't."

"Meredith, come on. So that's it? It's over. Just like that."

"I guess so."

Derek, hurt in his eyes, looks at her, expecting her to take it all back but she set on her word and doesn't speak. They both respond to the sound of someone clearing their throat and turn their attention to Cristina and Preston, who are standing behind them.

"Hello--are we early?"

Preston says. Cristina stares, standing by Preston's side. Meredith smiles in response.

"No. No, you're not early. Come on in. Derek was just leaving."

She looks at Derek one last time then moves to open the front door again.

"Bye, Derek."

He looks at her, then looks at Cristina, who won't meet his gaze.

"Preston. Glad to see you're doing better. Have fun."

He nods hi head as Preston smiles then quickly walks off into the darkness of the street.

"Well--"

Meredith begins.

"Come on in. You're just in time. Pizza just got here."

Preston walks in ahead of the two women.

"Hey--"

Cristina stops Meredith before entering the house.

"You okay?"

Meredith looks at her, a slight grin on her face then nods.

"No."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Cristina--just DO IT."

Izzie scowled before taking a sip of her beer. She, Meredith, Callie, George and Preston watched Cristina intently as they sat around a Jenga set on the coffee table in the living room.

"Shut up. This takes precision."

Cristina answers. She stands at one end of the table, stretching her arms up, then finally kneeling in front of the tiny, piled wooden blocks. She leans in close then with one hand reaches behind the small structure and with her index finger softly pushes the tip of a block out through the other side, where she pulls it out.

"That--"

She says, setting it on top of the pile.

"--is how I roll, bitches. Woo!"

She does a little dance and high fives Preston, who sits to her right.

"Show off."

George says, grabbing his beer from beside him and taking a drink.

"Your turn, Baby Boy."

Cristina answers, sitting back down.

"Alright--"

George rolls his sleeves up and leans forward on the coffee table, his hands hovering near the Jenga pile as he examines it closely.

"--watch the pro at work."

"Must we approach every measly task in our lives as if we're attempting surgery?"

Meredith asks the room from where she sits next to Izzie, their backs against the couch. At this point, Everyone turns to look at her.

"Yes."

George, Cristina and Burke say in unison.

"Except sex. That we do NOT approach with such precision or…patience."

Says Izzie, followed by the rest of the room mumbling sounds of approval.

"Okay--"

George says, touching one of wooden blocks and pushing it softly but drawing a gasp from everyone in the room when the rest of the blocks tremble. He quickly moves to another block.

"Uh-uh, Bambi. You already moved one. You have to stick to it."

Cristina says, waiting for him to drop the pile. Nervously, He returns to his first choice and begins to pull it out from the opposite side. Slowly, he pulls it, shaking the blocks again. He takes a breath and sits back for a second. A tipsy Meredith looks at him, amused.

"It's Jenga, not a heart transplant, George."

"Shut up, Meredith."

He drinks from his beer again and returns to the block. Cristina chuckles.

"It's going to fall."

"Shut up."

He lightly places his thumb and his index finger on either side of the block and very slowly pulls it out.

"It's going to fall."

Izzie says, receiving a cold stare from George.

"Just concentrate, O'Malley."

Burke says, making George return his attention to the block. He stares hard at it, starting to pull again, the rest of the blocks wobbling, his breath caught in his throat. He gets one of the last corners out and he takes a breath.

"You're going to drop it…"

Meredith says again.

"…I'll bet anyone five bucks."

"Shut up."

"I've got twenty that says the same."

Cristina says, pulling her wallet out from her pocket.

"Fifteen."

Izzie adds.

"Shut up!"

George says, frustrated.

"I've got twenty that says he doesn't drop it."

Callie says before the girls respond with a "boo". She laughs.

"I'm the girlfriend! I have to."

They all return their attention to George as he tries to ignore them. He places his fingers back in place on the block, takes a deep breath and swiftly pulls the block out and drops it on the top. The room responds loudly with "Oh's" and "wow's". George laughs and lifts his arms up, victoriously. He then sits back down next to Callie and leans in for a kiss.

"And that--"

He begins, looking at Cristina.

"--is how 'I' ROLL."

"Big deal. You got lucky."

She responds, handing Callie her money, followed by Meredith and Izzie.

"Oh, ye of little faith."

George says, before Cristina flings a couch cushion at his face.

"Well--"

She says, standing back.

"--that was intense. But, I need sleep. It's two in the morning."

Burke rises and stands beside her.

"Yeah. This was nice. Thanks for having us."

Izzie stands up and smiles.

"No problem. I'll walk you out."

Cristina grabs both hers and Preston's jacket and heads toward the door as she hands Burke his jacket.

"Bye!"

Meredith calls from where she sits on the floor. Callie and George talk flirtatiously in a whisper, giggling once in a while. The door clicks behind Izzie and Meredith sits up.

"My turn."

Outside, Izzie stands on the porch as Cristina and Burke walk down the steps. She crosses her arms over her chest, feeling a chill. That's when she spots another body come up the house steps. She smiles seeing who it is.

"Alex. Hi."

"Hi."

He responds, coming up to stand in front of her. He can't help but smile when she does.

"I didn't think you'd come."

"I know. I'm sorry I'm late. I got called in. I wasn't going to come in because I thought it'd be too late but I saw you outside…"

"Well, good."

"So, is everyone asleep?"

On cue, they hear the sound of the Jenga falling loudly on the coffee table, followed by loud laughter. Izzie laughs.

"Nope. Not asleep yet. Meredith is about to pass out pretty soon though."

He smiles in response.

"Hey, Alex, I'm sorry."

They stand in silence for a bit until Alex nods.

"That's alright."

"Okay."

Izzie answers with yet another smile.

"--friends, then?"

She says again, offering him her hand. He looks at it a second then takes it.

"Always."

"Oh!"

Izzie perks up suddenly.

"I made you something. Don't move. I'll be back."

She runs in the house and returns a few minutes later with plastic container full of cupcakes. Alex lights up.

"Wow. All that for me?"

"Peace offering."

She says, handing him the container.

"Thank you."

The door opens and they turn to look.

"Hey, Alex--"

Meredith says, stepping out into the porch.

"--you think I could have one of those? Izzie wouldn't let me touch them."

"Yeah."

He says, offering her the conatainer.

"--eat my muffin."

Meredith laughs taking the cupcake.

"You are so not right. Good night."

She disappears back into the house.

Once indoors, she hears George and Callie talking in the kitchen, and not being in the mood to listen to anyone being remotely happy, she goes straight for the stairs and up to her room. She slumps and drags her feet in her room and shuts the door. She makes her bed, never letting go of the muffin, then hears Izzie laughing outside. She takes a peak through her window and smiles hearing her friends laugh. Then she frowns, knowing it would be a while before she could laugh like that but knowing she had down the right thing that night.

She sighs, looks at the muffin in her hand and licks off some of the blue frosting. She walks over to her bed and flops down on her back, chewing in the dark, until she hears the familiar sound of feet stumbling in the hallway, followed by Callie and George laughing then the sound of George's bedroom door open and close. She frowns, puts the rest of the ridiculously baked good Izzie had produced in her mouth and turns over on her side, trying to chew what is stuffing her mouth. She swallows and stares out into the light coming in through her window. She hears Izzie laugh again and grabs a pillow from under her and pulls it on her head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Okay. PLEASE tell me you liked this one lol I think there are about two chapters left for this one so if there's anything you want to see in here let me know and I"ll consider it :) Please review!