It was the perfect night. The simplistic nature of the atmosphere only served to appreciate the clarity, the beauty of the night.

And although they were in a place well respected for its privacy and romantic atmosphere, everyone's eyes were rooted on the couple slowly revolving on the dance floor. This couple moved with ease. And everyone watched them with utmost amazement.

Because everyone was rendered into silence at the beauty and aura that this couple put out. It was like angels had descended from the heavens.

Tall, dark and handsome, he held her instinctively, his hands finding their way to the right places. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, perfect for him to whisper into her ear.

Mostly everyone watched because she looked like a goddess in her dark sparkling green evening dress. It cut low in the back, and she had left her long curly hair loose. He was in his suit and blended with her perfectly. They moved with ease, oblivious to the other couples who had long stopped dancing to watch them as they moved with such skill.

They were the highlight of the night, but they were unaware. Although everyone was watching, they never saw his lips move as he whispered into her ear, "Isobel Stevens, what have you done to me?"

_______________

"What are you talking about?" Izzie asked Cristina. "Who said that?"

"Derek! Can you believe it? He told Meredith that they were over," Cristina said.

"I saw her in the elevator--" George began but was cut off by Meredith's arrival.

"So I just saw McDreamy on my way down here," Meredith casually said, but the pain was evident on her face.

Everyone stared at her.

"You're calling him McDreamy again?" Cristina asked.

"What--"

All of a sudden, their pagers simultaneously went off.

When their trauma frenzy winded down and their patient was stable, Izzie found herself beside Meredith.

Izzie noticed the look of pure pain in Meredith's eyes, and she couldn't help it when she asked, "Mer, what happened?" even though she already knew the answer.

Right then, Derek walked by, and Meredith muttered, "McDreamy happened," and walked away.

Izzie was torn. Who do you choose? The man who gave you what you needed, at the loss of your friends. Or the friends who were just there at the loss of the man you think you may just love?

It was this thought that ate at Izzie all day, until it culminated in Izzie baking a chocolate cake. This time, it was different, because though Izzie made the cake, a very sober Meredith walked in and began a heated discussion where Izzie might have said some things to get Meredith's suspicions aroused.

______________

Izzie checked the board. Thank God! she silently thought. Meredith and Cristina were in surgery. She knew Alex was headed to Joe's and George was probably heading there as well.

She silently prayed that they would not bother with her whereabouts as she ran to the locker room to change.

She grabbed her things and drove as fast as she could. It was only 6 p.m. and she cursed the remaining two hours she had to get ready for her date. She knew that she would not have enough time to look the way she wanted, courtesy of the long hours she was pulling, but just thinking about her date brought a smile to her face. Derek had even made it a point to discreetly remind her of their special night.

They were finally beginning a relationship.

She finally got home and in her hurry, she began to drop everything. She opened the door and her bag dropped, spilling its contents. She was seriously wasting time. She took a deep breath and gathered her things.

Izzie jumped into the shower, washing her hair and brushing her teeth. She then turned to shave her legs. She was shaving her legs for Derek, and she laughed. How many times had she shaved her legs in vain . . . but this time it was different.

When she was finally done, she realized that in her hurry, she had forgotten her towel.

She pulled the curtain back saw Alex in the bathroom. She immediately pulled the curtain closed.

"Shit! Alex, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, shut up! I live here too. It's not like you have parts that I've never seen."

"ALEX!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Well then, can you ar least get my towel. I forgot it."

"No."

"ALEX!"

"Go get it yourself."

Izzie knew she didn't have much time left. So, she took the chance. She pulled the curtain back and walked stark naked to her room. She felt Alex's eyes boring into her back, and a minute later, she heard him slip and fall from the puddle of water she had made. "If you had only gotten my towel," she tossed over her shoulder.

Izzie quickly dried herself and checked the time. She had about an hour left. She knew that her modeling tricks would be put to the ultimate test. She quickly applied her make-up, opting for a more natural look. Tonight, she would let go of everything and be herself with Derek. She quickly blow-dried her hair, and for once it remained tame and fell naturally down her back.

She turned to ther closet and pulled the dress still hiding in its cover in the back. She had been imagining wearing this dress all day for her date. She unzipped its cover and pulled out a beautiful dark green dress that cut low in the back. She had gotten this dress a long time ago with the hope that she would wear it at the right time.

But the right time never came until now.

She quickly pulled it on and found a pair of comfortable matching shoes and grabbed her shawl and purse. She was meeting Derek at the Irish pub where their discovery had first began. From there, he would take her to the special place he refused to name.

She was pulling on her shawl as she left the room and walked down the stairs, just as Alex started to come up.

He stopped in his tracks and stared at her. "Iz . . . "

"What?" she asked, adjusting her shawl.

"You look beautiful."

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Where ya going?" Alex was curious.

"Somewhere magical," Izzie laughed. She floated down the stairs and left for what the future had to offer.

Alex watched her leave, inhaling the scent she left behind and wondering who had changed Izzie in such a way. Although Izzie left without dropping a hint, a pang of jealousy stabbed his heart.

_________________

Izzie pulled her head back. "What do you mean?"

Derek smiled down at her. His eyes filled with the same thing she saw in that moment when they had their tryst in the surplus supply room.

And now, she didn't feel guilty. She wasn't a replacement. Not a distraction. This was the real thing. She smiled at him. She knew that because this was the real thing, everyone would eventually find out. It would be messy, but right now, she enjoyed being in his arms.

She rested her head against his shoulder again and laughed her infectious laugh into his body. He held her tighter and then whispered, "Let's get out of here."

Izzie nodded her head.

They pulled away and gathered their things and silently left, still oblivious to the stares of others.

They got into Derek's truck, not knowing where to go. Derek started to put the key into the ignition, when he suddenly looked over at Izzie. She was a breathtaking sight.

And quite suddenly, they found their lips on each other. Their tongues began their familiar heated dance. Derek ran his fingers through Izzie's silky hair and she wrapped her hands around his neck. She made it across the gear shift and cramped her form on top of him. It was uncomfortable no doubt, but when it felt right on a much deeper level, a slight discomfort was manageable.

Derek hiked her dress up as she unzipped his pants. She then slipped her hands under his dress shirt and began to massage his chest. Derek broke their kiss and looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back at him. He kissed her neck and trailed kisses further down as he unzipped the side of the dress. In seconds, Izzie was topless on Derek's lap.

Izzie allowed her hips to move in circles around Derek's hardened bulge, teasing him and watching her reflection in Derek's eyes. Quite suddenly, Derek caught her in heated kiss and impaled her. They clasped on to each other, not wanting to let the other go, as he thrusted upward, and she grinded downward.

This time, they didn't silence each other like they did when they were in the hospital. They continued to moan each other's names, and with one final thrust, Derek sent Izzie over, and she fell back onto the steering wheel, causing a loud blare from the horn. She immediately jumped and came back and rested on Derek.

They remained like that for several more minutes. Reflecting on their date in silence. Dinner was nice. And for once, there was nothing else to keep them from each other. So they talked. And they realized that more than a physical connection, there existed a deeper emotional connection, something they had failed to see earlier, but knew that it was lurking there somewhere. Soon after, they had the urge to dance, and revolved around the floor, unknowingly the center of attention.

"That was definitely not a date," Izzie huffed as she returned to her seat.

"Why do you say that?" Derek turned to her as he zipped her dress for her.

She kissed him. "Because we're on a 'first date' and sex isn't a 'first date' thing."

"I think we made it past that a long time ago," Derek laughed as he took Izzie's fingers in his own.

"So the next time we do this, no sex. Just to see how it is."

"Oh, so there will be a next time, huh?" Derek laughed.

Izzie smiled.

Although they didn't want the night to end, they both were due to make an early presence in the hospital the next morning. Derek dropped Izzie off at the pub, and she drove home.

Izzie was so caught up in the aftermath of her date, that she didn't notice Alex flipping through the channels in the living room. He tried not to look up as she walked by, but he couldn't help it. He saw her dress ruffled, and knew what that meant. Though he was hurt, he saw the look on her face. Whatever or whoever the asshole was, he made her happy. And if he made her happy, then Alex couldn't interfere.

Izzie ran up the stairs and was about to enter her room, when Meredith came out of the bathroom.

"Hey Iz?"

"Huh?" Izzie said dreamily.

"I've been thinking . . . What did you mean when you asked me those things last night?" Meredith asked, staring her down.

Izzie fell back to Earth in that second. She remembered last night.

She knew that she could keep Derek a secret, but eventually their real good thing would come out in the open and cause serious repercussions. What she didn't know if she was ready for them now . . .