Author's Note: One of the hardest things to do is decide when to end a story. You worry whether you are ending it too soon and you worry that you are dragging it out. Finding that perfect balance is exasperating. I put a lot of thought into the decision of whether or not this would be the last chapter for this story. Over and over again I went through the various paths I could take. It all came back to this story has run its course. When I started it, I had this grand idea of how I wanted it to go. For the most part it has gone according to plan. What isn't according to plan is the length. I was never sure how many chapters I wanted to write or how long each chapter would be. The rest of this story can be summed up in one final chapter. I debated on whether or not I wanted to do something from Izzie's POV, Alex's POV, or a vlog point of view. The vlog won. I did something a little different this time with the vlog. Instead of being from just one vlog fan's point of view, I wrote it from the points of view of all the characters who ever watched her vlog in this story. This way not only are you learning how Izzie's life ended, you are learning how their lives ended as well. I realize some of you don't care about those characters but quite a few of you seemed to. It is for you this chapter has been written! I hope all of you enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

How To: Have A Happy Ending

A blast of cold air propelled Rebecca through her front door. Dropping the brightly wrapped packages she had been carrying, she called out a cheery "I'm home," and waited. Sure enough, the sound of feet pounding against carpet followed. Seconds later her seven year daughter launched herself into her waiting arms. Closing her eyes, she cuddle the girl close. It was impossible to think about life without Laurel. And John, she thought with a smile as her husband leaned appeared in the doorway that led to the living room. He had re-entered her life three weeks before she was due to give birth. At first she hadn't wanted to forgive him for leaving her. His persistent apologies and promises to never leave again had won her over and when their daughter was two months old they were married. She had yet to regret it.

"You almost missed it," Laurel chided when her mother set her down. There was no need to ask what 'it' was. Rebecca already knew. The how to vlog had become an overnight sensation and local television station had sweet talked the how to girl into being a part of their morning show. It had started out as a guest appearance once a week and slowly progressed into fifteen minutes every week day morning, with hour long specials during the holidays. With Christmas almost upon them the How To Have A Perfect Christmas special was due to air. "Come on! It's gonna start! We gotta learn how to make this years Christmas cookie!"

Laughing at her daughter's excitement, Rebecca followed her daughter and husband into their small, but cozy living room. The duplex they called home was a far cry from the run down apartment she had lived in while pregnant. The decorating could still be credited back to Izzie though. There were a lot of things Rebecca felt she could credit back to the stranger who smiled at her from the television screen.

With her lips stretched into a thousand watt smile, Izzie sat on the edge of an over-sized leather sofa. The glow on her face had nothing to do with strategically placed lighting or expensive make up and everything to do with the gentle swell of her pregnant belly. "I want to start by welcoming all of you into my home and thanking you for joining me this holiday season. As most of you know I have a rather large extended family and cooking for that many people can be a challenge. Luckily, I can always count on help from my sisters in law."

Right on cue the familiar faces of Meredith, Lexie, Arizona, and Callie appeared. Each had become regular fixtures and, like Izzie, shared important details of their lives. Meredith's wedding to a local firefighter named Mark Sloan had been used to teach brides to be how to save money by making their own decorations. Arizona and Callie's son Wilson being born with severe food allergies had resulted in a whole segment on how to make baby food. Then there was the 4th of July special where Lexie's boyfriend Jackson proposed to her, live on the air. And nobody would ever forget the Thanksgiving special where Meredith went into labor with her son Garrett. It had become tradition to expect some sort of surprise from Izzie's family.

"Typically we start planning Christmas during Thanksgiving dinner," Izzie went on once her sisters in law had seated themselves, two on each side of her.

"Usually while the guys are watching football," Callie added.

Planning Christmas dinner while the men watched football. The idea was genius and one Bia fully planned on using. Typically she hid out in the kitchen, either washing dishes or eating an extra slice of pie, while her husband and son cheered for their favorite football team. Her poor daughter in law tried cheering with them but half-way through usually ended up in the kitchen with Bia. By passing the games altogether and focusing on the upcoming season would save them both a headache.

"I'm all for planning Christmas instead of watching a bunch of grown men wrestle over a stupid ball," Haley announced as she gracefully lowered herself into the corner of the same sofa Bia was seated on. The story of how Haley had become her daughter in law was bittersweet. The younger woman had come as a guest while her fiance was overseas. She had said little about the man she was to marry, just that his name was Brian and he had wanted her to spend the time he was at war at the bed and breakfast. Not once had Bia made the connection between the deployed solider and the son that had run away from home after a bitter fight with his father. Imagine her surprise when Haley's Brian turned out to be her Brian as well. The reunion had been nothing short of a miracle. A lot of tears and apologies, as well as promises to never leave one another again.

"Don't you mean while the guys watch football and we take turns fetching their beer and snacks," interjected Meredith. All the other women laughed and agreed. That was pretty much how it went. They joked around a bit more before moving on to Christmas cookies.

"We all have our favorites, which means there are about ten different kinds of cookies every year. Thankfully cookie dough is one of those things you can make ahead of time and freeze. I like to go ahead and form a log before freezing so I can just cut off portions for baking." Izzie held up a log of what appeared to be sugar cookie dough that had been vacuum sealed.

"I, however, like to just throw the dough in a freezer bag." Holding up a bag of chocolate chip cookie dough Meredith let out a laugh.

Twisting her wedding ring around her finger, Caitlyn chewed the inside of her cheek. Freezing the cookie dough wasn't a bad idea. It would certainly cut down on the amount of time she spent in the kitchen in the days before Christmas. Cookies were her responsibility and had been for six years. It was the one thing her mother in law could trust her to cook without burning. No matter how many shows she watched or how hard she tried, Caitlyn was a disaster in the kitchen. Except for cookies. Her cookies turned out perfect each time. The only problem was it took forever to make them. If she made the dough ahead of time and froze it though...

"I can practically see the wheels in your head turning," her husband joked as he handed her a plate full of pasta and red sauce. She beamed her appreciation and wondered, not for the first time, why she thought getting serious with Greg was such a bad idea. They laughed about it now, but at the time she had been terrified. Her first marriage had left a sour taste in her mouth. Thank God Greg had been patient and stood by her side while she worked through her issues.

"Just thinking...if I make the dough ahead of time and freeze it that will cut down on about seventy five percent of the time." Caitlyn set her plate on the coffee table before snuggling close to Greg's side. "Which means more time for you!"

"Hm," he murmured. "I think I like that plan." Caitlyn couldn't agree more. If there was one thing she had learned from watching the How To Girl it was that family was important. Izzie's sisters in law were not the only family members to appear on a regular basis. At least one of the four Karev kids made an appearance every show. And occasionally Izzie's husband Alex or her best friend George would drop in. Family was everything. That seemed to be the how to girl's mantra and it was quickly becoming Caitlyn's too.

The show seemed to cover everything. Cookies to wrapping gifts to how to tell if the turkey was finished. There was even a funny segment on why George and Alex were no longer allowed to deep fry the turkey. It wasn't just a show about "how to" make things it was a show about family.

Pushing a loose lock of hair from her face, Sadie resisted the urge to sigh. Christmas was her favorite time of year. It meant coming home to her father, step-mother, and three year old half-sister Abby. She couldn't imagine life without them. They were that much a part of her. Why she had ever disliked Heather, she couldn't recall. Probably some childish reason, she thought with a silent laugh. Whatever the reason it was no longer important. Heather wasn't just her step-mother, she was Sadie's best friend. The person she went to for advice and the person she could count on to have her back.

"You're awfully quiet," Heather mused. Sadie smiled. Leave it to Heather to notice.

"I know," Sadie smiled. She laid her head against her step-mother's shoulder and let out another content sigh. SHe would wait until the How To Girl's Christmas special was over and then she would tell them about Billy asking her to marry him.

There was at least twenty people crammed around the large Christmas tree that stood in the entry of the Karev house. Ellis. Meredith and Mark, with their son Garrett. Lexie and Jackson, with their new daughter Juliette. George, Arizona, Callie, and their three kids; Destiny, Nelson, and Willa. izzie's parents Addison and Derek were there too, along with Izzie's four year old sister Brenna. Even Cristina was spotted lurking in the corner with her on again, off again boyfriend Owen. And, of course, there were the Karevs. Alex. Izzie. Their seven year old twins Ella and Emma. Four year old Ethan. The newest addition, a little girl they planned on naming Elizabeth, would be joining them later that night but for the moment she was still nestled in her mother's womb. The picture they all presented, beaming smiles and well wishes, gave credit to their mantra: family was everything...