Carols
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, folks dressed up like Eskimos." Izzie's voice echoed throughout the hall where she was laying on the gurney in the basement. It was the interns' place, and she needed a little time alone.
"Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow will find it hard to sleep tonight."
Izzie was shocked when a deep, male voice joined in. She opened her eyes and sat up.
Mark was standing against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "They know that Santa's on his way, He's bringing lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh, And every mother's child is gonna spy to see if reindeer really know how to fly..." He trailed off when he realized Izzie wasn't going to join back in. "Don't look so surprised, Stevens." His tone was colored with amusement. "Christmas is my favorite holiday."
Izzie wasn't surprised that Christmas was his favorite holiday, but she was surprised at his singing ability. "You sing really well."
"I'm good at a lot of things."
Izzie rolled her eyes. "Humble, too," she said sarcastically.
"Humility wasn't something I ever excelled at," Mark said truthfully.
Izzie had no doubt he was telling the truth. "Caroling?" she asked, changing the subject.
Mark smiled slightly. "I blame Mama Shepherd. She coerced me and Derek into joining the church choir." He grinned. "Definitely something I was better at than Derek."
Izzie was surprised. She had known he and Derek had been best friends, but she hadn't known Mark had been so close with Derek's family. She tried to cover up the shocked look, but Mark noticed it.
"I was friends with Derek for a really long time. We grew up together. I spent most of my Christmases with the Shepherds. We sang, we opened presents. Me and Derek would wait until Mama Shepherd left the room and pour rum into the girls' eggnog and laugh our asses off at their behavior."
Izzie smiled slightly. "Christmas caroling?" she asked.
"We went caroling with his sisters." Mark smirked. "At around fifteen or sixteen, we started caroling on our own." His nostalgic smile turned wicked. "Of course those carols were R-rated and there were rules about what we could and couldn't say around the girls."
Izzie couldn't picture Mark and Derek singing naughty Christmas carols together. Of course, it was hard to imagine that they'd actually liked one another at one time. Izzie's pager went off. "I have to go." She swung her legs off the bed and stood up. "Thanks for sharing." She gave him a friendly smile and went to see what the page was about.
Mark watched her go. It made him feel a little better that someone knew that there was more to him and Derek than hostility.