Izzie Stevens was honest-to-God, no joke, cross- her- heart- and –hope- to- die falling for Mark Sloane. Well, not falling falling, obviously, considering they had technically only had one conversation, but she was definitely falling in lust. And, to her credit, wouldn't anyone? He was charming, straight, and drop dead gorgeous. She just hoped he wasn't already tied down. Licking her fingers and settling in for a five minute primp in front of the mirror, she wasn't exactly paying attention to the pouty, eyebrow-raising dirty blonde intern watching her from the bench in front of the lockers. The intern, who, at this moment, was not finding her suddenly love struck roommate as charming as said roommate found Mark Sloane.

"Do you have to ignore my advice?"

"What advice?" Izzie asked, not turning away from the mirror but instead copying Meredith's pout and entangling her fingers in her hair to give it more volume.

"My advice about not sleeping with Mark."

"Pfft. Like I would sleep with him on the first date."

"Izzie, you're primping in front of the locker-room mirror and wearing an extremely disturbing 'I'm about to pounce' expression. I think advice is needed."

Izzie looked bored. George, who had been pulling his scrub top over his head, shifted his attention to the women, "Who's Mark Sloane?"

"This totally hot guy that Meredith doesn't want me to do."

"It's not that I don't want you to do him, it's that I don't trust him."

"Why not?"

"Because," Meredith mumbled self consciously, her voice trailing off.

"Thanks for your help, Mer. I'll be sure to keep that in mind while he's on top of me."

"Izzie!" George protested, "Meredith's just looking out for you…right Meredith?"

"Yeah."

"See?"

Izzie rolled her eyes, "Thanks, really. I appreciate the advice and I will…." She seemed to be struggling with words, "try to follow it."

"That's all I'm asking."

Izzie turned back to the mirror, pulling out a tube of lipstick from her purse.

Meredith threw her hands up in defeat.

--

It was strange how at home he could be in a city so different from New York just because she was here. Unfortunately, she did still have her wedding ring perched mockingly on the ring finger of her left hand and true, she didn't look happy to see him when she finally did look his way, but they were here, in Seattle, and technically she was still separated from Derek.

The familiar stab of hope crept through him even as her eyes narrowed and her heels clicked furiously against the tile. Just seeing her was enough to get his pulse racing again.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded in a harsh, low whisper once she was close enough for him to hear. He stepped closer to move a stray lock of hair behind her ear, ignoring her tone and leaving almost no room between them.

"I came for you."

"Bullshit."

He shrugged, "And Hannah. But I missed you and-"

"Don't," she warned, one mildly painful finger jabbing at his chest, "don't even think about charming me again."

"I'm not charming you, I promise. I genuinely missed you. Really missed you. I was even making up fake conversations with you in my head last week."

She scoffed, "Yeah, right. And Derek and I have the perfect marriage."

He leaned closer, his nose almost, almost grazing her neck, "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you didn't."

She shivered, unwillingly reacting to his proximity and the way his breath tickled her ear. Without really meaning to, she began to remember what it was like to be with Mark, what it was like waking up to him instead of Derek, what it was like to want him instead of Derek. Her head inclined instinctively towards his and he grinned despite himself.

"You do not get to do this to me right now," she said, her mood shifting from mildly turned on to openly hostile as she whirled away from him to stalk off to one of her patient's rooms. He took off too, seemingly unfazed by the exchange. He had expected it, after all.

The brown eyes watching the scene from the elevators, however, were narrowed dangerously in his general direction. Izzie had hoped for a full, blissful shift that maybe she would be getting laid tonight, and now that that was obviously not happening, her temper began to flare.

To Izzie, it wasn't so much that she had lost Mark Sloane, it was that someone like Addison could have two men while someone like her didn't have any. She was the ex-model; didn't that count for anything anymore? And he'd seemed sort-of interested before, right?

She hadn't realized that she was thinking aloud until a bored, tired monotone answered back.

"I told you, don't expect anything from Mark Sloane."

"No you didn't," she shot back, increasingly annoyed with the green-eyed blonde, "You told me not to sleep with him, which implies that I should definitely expect something from Mark Sloane."

Meredith sighed, ignoring the part of her that was growing more and more curious about the obvious connection between Mark and Addison, "Izzie, just go for someone else."

Izzie's lips tightened, "I can't believe it was her. I can't believe that he gave up string-less sex for a married woman who clearly has no interest in him."

"Maybe they already had sex," Meredith suggested reluctantly, not really wanting to picture it. This situation was already confusing enough.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have been string-less."

"Okay, Iz. I think it's time to get you home."

"But she turned him down, so maybe…"

"No, Iz. You know as well as I do that it's not cool to go after someone else's man candy."

"But-but she's married."

"Yeah, well, life's not fair."

"But she's married."

"I know, Izzie," Meredith murmured, "believe me, I know."

AN: Another filler, sorry. Totally not planning these, I swear. Next chapter I'll really try to incorporate Derek's POV-we haven't heard from him in a while. Let me know what you think, as always.

P.S. sorry it's so short.