So glad you enjoyed the Christmas MerDer chapter! This one returns to Mark and Izzie for the most part, with a resolution to his little problem...


Chapter Twenty-five

Running Away

Mark sat down at the table across from his lawyer. The paperwork from the DNA tests lay open between them. "It's not my baby."

"No. The girl was lying, just for the money."

"How much did she want?"

"$500,000.00, plus child support."

Mark shook his head. "How could she think to get away with this?"

His lawyer shrugged. "You're a celebrity now, Mark. It happens. Girls crawl out of the woodwork thinking they can get something from you, knowing you might just pay to shut them up. Just be thankful you kept your pants zipped."

"Yeah, lucky me. Too bad she's been selling her story already to the tabloids." Mark threw a magazine across the table angrily. Nikki was on the front cover, holding her rounded belly, with a headline that read "MARK SLOAN DUMPED ME!!" across the top. The article inside detailed their so-called affair, and he swore every time he thought about her lies. She even claimed to have a voicemal message from him, declaring how much he wanted her. Mark rubbed his hand over his jaw. So far, Izzie had been amazing, reassuring him she believed him, but he wondered if maybe he should just disappear for awhile, let her find someone more suited to her. Someone without so much baggage.

"Look, Mark, you can pay her to keep her mouth shut if you want. Not the amount she was asking for, but enough to keep her quiet. I know the type."

"Just make it go away. Do whatever you need to," Mark nodded tiredly.

"You sure?"

Mark stood up decisively. "Absolutely. I'll be in Europe again, getting away from this place for awhile. By the time I get back, someone else will be twisting in the scandal limelight."

"All right then. Enjoy your trip."

Meredith glanced at her cellphone. "It's Izzie," she murmured to Derek who lay beside her in bed. He turned down the volume on the race replaying on Speed as she took the call. "What's up?"

"Meredith, I'm so sorry to bother you. I know it's late…"

"It's okay. We're still awake here…" Meredith shifted to sit up, moving Derek's discarded script out of her lap.

Izzie's voice wavered slightly. "It's Mark…he left…"

"Left?"

"Gone to Europe for some photo shoot again, but he said he needed time alone, that maybe we needed to break up."

"Oh god, Izzie…did you have a fight?"

"No, just this whole thing with Nikki. You saw the magazines, right? Well, he paid her to make it go away, even though it wasn't his baby. I guess he felt guilty, or something. He told me he was toxic…that I'd be better off without him."

Meredith looked at Derek, and he frowned at her expression. Since meeting Izzie at Christmas, Meredith had been to lunch a couple times with her, and Izzie had been to the salon as well. "Look, Iz, just calm down. Mark probably needs some time to cool off. He cares about you, I'm sure of it. Derek will try to talk to him, okay?"

Izzie sniffed. "Okay, I just don't understand. I told him we would get through this together, and…and…" She dissolved into a little sob again, before regaining her composure. "I'm sorry, I just didn't know who else to talk to …"

"No worries, Iz. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Just try to sleep, this will be cleared up before you know it." Meredith kept her voice soothing, murmuring a few more words before ending the call.

"Okay, what did he do?" Derek asked, pulling her close to him. He kissed her cheek, as she snuggled against him.

"He left – said she was better off without him. Can you talk to him?"

"I'll try. He can be stubborn sometimes, but I did think Izzie had a good influence on him." He laced his fingers in hers, before giving her a slow, sweet kiss that took her thoughts away into more intimate things. A small sigh of contentment escaped her as she let him distract her. The race on the TV went unnoticed in the background while he explored the soft contours of her body with his hands, kissing her deeply, his mouth devouring hers, hot and urgent. Mouths open, tongues meeting, they almost melded into each other they were so hot. Her breath came in ragged gasps, as his hands grasped the hem of her cami, yanking it off. His mouth descended on her breasts, the stubble on his jaw assaulting her, as he buried his face against her. Then he returned to her mouth, his teeth nipping at her lip, and she moaned as the little shock of pleasure hit her nerve endings. "Oh…." Her nails grazed his back in retaliation, earning a growl from him. Izzie's problem could wait…she thought dimly, surrendering to the rush of desire that flooded her, making her weak and shaking, ready for more…

Mark stared moodily out the window of the café in Paris, watching the rain drizzle down the pane. He lifted the glass of red wine, swirling it before taking the last sip. It was no good; he was too keyed up to sit still. With an automatic smile towards the pretty little waitress, he tossed some money on the table, and got to his feet. His hand slid into his jacket pocket, and he pulled out the cell phone that he had been trying not to use ever since he arrived here. Everywhere he turned, he saw reminders of Izzie, and how much she made him smile. Her little laugh, her amused expression when he tried to make a joke, and her hot kisses when they were wrapped together in bed…they all kept reminding him he was an idiot. An idiot for being involved with someone as shallow as Nikki, and an idiot for walking away from someone as caring as Izzie.

He lifted the collar of his jacket against the drizzle and headed for his hotel. He would phone her, and make this right. For once in his life, he would do something good. As he walked, he scrolled through the phone numbers, and selected hers, before he changed his mind. "Izzie…" he murmured, when she answered. "It's me…"

"Mark, what's wrong? Your voice sounds…upset…"

"I'm good, really, I just needed to call you. I needed to tell you I was an ass."

Izzie laughed softly in his ear. "Well, at least you're honest."

"You should be mad at me. Why are you sounding happy?" Mark glanced at the traffic, before dashing across the street close to the hotel. He got an angry horn blast, and a French curse tossed his direction, that he ignored. The rain was falling harder, beginning to soak into his jacket.

"I guess I'm a sucker for a good apology," Izzie sighed.

"Well I can do the right thing from time to time," Mark grinned. "And I wanted to tell you that I'll be leaving here soon, and when I come back to L.A. I'm all yours, honey. Derek told me I was an idiot if I let you get away, and he's right. Not that I'm gonna tell him that, but…"

"Yeah, Meredith told me he called you. But I'm actually not in L.A. right now…"

Mark frowned, feeling suddenly concerned. "What do you mean? You have a job somewhere?"

"No…I just needed to find out for myself if you're just stubborn, or if I can convince you otherwise. I didn't expect you to call, actually…"

"Where are you?"

"Look up…" she whispered, and he lifted his head as he rounded the corner to the hotel. A grin spread over his face, as he saw her standing outside in the rain, holding her cell phone to her ear. He shoved his own phone back into his pocket, and raced over to her, swinging her up into his arms.

"You came here…" he muttered, kissing her mouth, tasting the rain mingled with some of her tears. He kissed her harder, unmindful of the amused looks of the people going in and out of the hotel. Trailing his mouth across her cheeks, and her temple, before backing away to look into her wide brown eyes. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it, baby," Izzie giggled. "Now are you taking me inside to make love to me?"

They were interrupted by the doorman, who came to hold an umbrella over them. "Does Monsieur wish to remain outside?"

"No…we're going in," Mark laughed, taking Izzie's hand, as the doorman ushered them towards the door.

"Ah, tres bien. Mademoiselle is too lovely to be looking like a drowned chaton."

"I agree, whatever you said."

They were barely inside the room, hands and mouths hungrily devouring each other, finding the passion rising to a feverish pace. Raindrops still clung to their skin and hair, but they didn't notice. Even the chill that had touched them earlier was gone. "God, hurry…" Izzie sighed as he tore her sweater out of the way.

"Hell, I've missed you," he muttered, swinging her up and heading for the bed. "Dreamed of you like this, here, every night…" He laid her down, looking at her skin gleaming in the dim lights of the bedside lamps. Then he brushed his hands over her skin, across her chest, between her breasts, down her hips, over the mound of her pelvis, to her inner thighs and back up. Goosbumps rose on her flesh and her eyes fluttered shut.

Mark knew he'd never have the right words to tell her how amazing he thought she looked, how sensual and sweet, and he didn't even try. He just traced with his lips the same path his hands had taken, spending extra time brushing back and forth over her thong, breathing in the subtle scent of her arousal. He put a little pressure against her, dipping into the depression between her folds ith a kiss, and she moaned softly.

Izzie pushed the silky thong away for him, so that her sexy, damp curls were inches from his mouth. He couldn't resist that temptation and he opened her and slid his thumbs down the interior of her pink folds, loving the little shiver of pleasure she gave. Then he replaced his fingers with his tongue, moving up one side and down the other, detouring to lick one thigh and then back, just to tease and heighten her arousal.

Glancing upwards, he met her eyes, and she gave him a slow sexy smile. Her bra had disappeared, and she cupped her full breasts, lightly rubbing her nipples. He groaned, his cock throbbing against the bed, between her knees. She was breathing hard, panting out her pleasure as he flicked his tongue over her, tasting her sweetness. He knew she was reaching the point of no return and he eased back, watching for another moment.

"Mark…" she whispered, as he pushed against her slowly, feeling her open and accept him, surrounding him inch by delicious inch. He paused halfway, to rein in his own desire.

"Please…"

"Just feel how good that is. Us together like this…"

Her eyes opened, and she looked at him, her mouth open slightly, her expression sultry. He started to move inside her, deep, slow strokes that took all of her and made him feel like he was claiming her as his. There was nothing casual about what they were doing, there really never had been, and he didn't want to leave. That realization hit him hard, and he could only focus on moving inside of her until they were both slick with sweat and her nails dug grooves into his back. Their moans of pleasure came in unison, and he had no thought except the feel of her beneath him.

When Izzie came, she arched her back, and Mark leaned down and captured her cry, her pleasure, with a kiss, and let his own release take him away. They moved and shattered together, holding each other tightly, mind and body melding in passion. He hovered over her long after their last shudder subsided, overwhelmed. For a long moment, they stared at each other, realizing they had somehow passed into a new level of intimacy they couldn't retreat from.

He was in love with her…