Difficult times can either make or break us.  Whether it's at work with coworkers or in our personal lives.  Do you do the right thing when no one else is or do you let the situation work itself out?  There's always those people that make us wonder if we are losing our minds.  No matter how much we push ourselves, we all need a little help sometimes.  It's okay to not be okay.

-

6 Months Later

"I feel like today is going to be a good day," Alison told Mark as he was making waffles for the both of them.

"Sweetheart, just because you wake up in a good mood doesn't mean shit.  Sorry," he apologized when he noticed her smile fade.

"You're such a pessimist," she tsk'd at him as she shook her head with a small smile.

"I just know that bad things usually happen to me," he shrugged his shoulders.  "You're the one good thing to ever happen to me."

"What about Derek?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He can't give me sex," he scrunched up his nose at the thought.  "Besides I love you both for two completely different reasons."

"How do you always make the raunchiest things turn them around and make them seem kind of sweet?"

"It's just my charm," he smirked at her.  

"Is it though?" She asked him and his smirk turned into a frown and she smiled at him and got up from sitting down as she walked up closer to him and wrapped her arms around his mid-section.  "I'm kidding, I love you."

"I love you too," he told her and pressed his lips to her forehead which made her heart flutter at the sweet gesture.  "Your waffles are ready, madame."

"Why thank you kind sir," she told him back and kissed his cheek as she took the plate from him as they both let out a loud laugh.

*

"I'm sorry - did you just say that Walter Tapley is here?" Alison asked Erica.

"Whose Walter Tapley?" Mark asked confused and both women turned to look at him with shocked expressions on their faces.

"I can't date you anymore if you don't know who Walter Tapley is," Alison shrieked and Erica found some amusement in this as Mark flailed his arms.

"Just tell me who he is and then I'll know."

"He's like the god of cardiology," Erica said in a dreamlike state.  "And Doctor Webber studied under him."

"No way!" Alison wore a big smile on her face.  "That's insane!  How come the chief never told us?  This is big news and you get to work with him today?  I'm so jealous of you."

*

"Doctor Mark Sloan," Rebecca told the nurse.  "I used to be a patient of his."

"Rebecca?" Izzie asked the woman, surprised to see her here.  "Where have you been?"

"Hi Izzie," she greeted her and Izzie pulled her aside.  "I've called you and left like fifty messages."

"You seem kind of upset."

"Well you're not pregnant first of all," Izzie exclaimed as her arms flailed up and down.  "And Alex has been turning his life upside down to be your baby daddy and I can't tell him because of confidentiality.  So yeah, I'm upset."

"You can talk to Alex about anything," Rebecca told the blonde.  "I want him involved.  And I am pregnant.  You kind of know."

"Okay, so if you aren't trying to trap Alex with a fake pregnancy you won't mind if I do another test just to be sure?"

"Trap him?" Rebecca asked shocked.  "Are you out of your mind?  I'm pregnant.  And that's a good thing because I want this baby.  I've always wanted a baby."

"You have a baby."

"Of course I do.  I mean - I want another one.  Do the stupid test again and it will be fine.  And I need to see Doctor Sloan.  Can you help me with that?"

"Yeah," Izzie told Rebecca and thought the whole situation was odd.  "I'll see what I can do."

*

"Okay," Rose came up to Derek while he was at the nurses station filling out a patient's chart.  "The sex I thought was mind blowing myself but I get the impression that you had a really bad time."

"What?" Derek tried to come off as though he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm sorry, I lost a patient.  I'm not trying to avoid you."

"So not calling me after the sex is you being a dedicated life saver?"

"It is."

"I'll see you later?" She asked and he nodded his head with a smile, which seemed to satisfy her because she left.

"You didn't call her?" Mark asked his best friend.  

"Are you trying to be Alison?" He asked his best friend and he nodded his head.  "Don't.  It's weird.  Just be Mark."

"Oh thank God because it's exhausting having to try to talk like her," Mark let out a relieved sigh which made them both laugh.  "But seriously, you didn't call her?  What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Walter Tapley needs a double valve replacement and Hahn refuses to give it to him," Richard came up to the both of them.

"What's her problem?" Mark asks shocked, now knowing thanks to his girlfriend, who Walter Tapley is.

"She thinks she's going to kill him."

"Light weight," both men said at the same time.

"Since when do surgeons turn me down?" Richard asked annoyed.

"It's her choice," Derek said with a sigh as he clicked his pen and put it in his pocket.  "She's the one opening him up."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Richard finished and began to walk away but remembered something.  "And another thing - if you spend the night with a woman and call her the next day and she doesn't call you back.  Does that mean she had a lousy time or does that mean her answering machine was consumed in a fire?"

"See, the chief calls the next day," Mark pointed out to Derek.  

"You don't have to call her back," Derek told Richard also defending himself.  "You just met this person.  It's new.  It's fun.  It's casual."

"It's my wife," Richard pointed out to them and they made a sound.  

"Do I call again?"

"Another call is desperate.  Alison likes it when I leave a note on the empty pillow the next morning if she wakes up and I'm not there.  Or flowers," Mark tells the chief and Derek raises an eyebrow at his best friend.

"A note?  What does it say?" Richard asks intrigued.

"Something sweet," Mark tells him and shrugs his shoulders.  "With a hint of sexiness.  You always have to leave the romance spicy."

"Thanks for the tip," Richard tells the two and leaves.

"Send her an email," Derek told the chief.  "Invite her to dinner.  Casual, confident-"

"Sexy," Mark commented which made Derek turn to look at him.  "I mean - romantic."

"O'Malley," Richard stopped the intern as he saw him running. 

"Tapley is in 2062.  He's getting an EKG and an Echo.  I assigned Yang," George told the chief and began to run off before he stopped him again.

"Oh - one more thing.  Look, I know I said I wouldn't use you again to get my wife back but I am a desperate man."

"Lay it on me," George told him.

"Draft an email.  Ask her to dinner - no!  Don't ask.  Tell her.  She likes a strong hand."

"Okay, you want me to ask your wife on a date with a strong hand."

"Confident," Doctor Webber told George.

"Confident," George repeated.

"Casual-" 

"Casual."

"Sexy.  Tell her the train is leaving the station.  She better get on it.  Yeah."

George made a face as Doctor Webber walked away knowing he had to do it even if he didn't want to do it.  

"I don't think Alison would appreciate hearing that you told the chief what you do after you two have sex," Derek pointed out.

"She's not going to say anything because she's never going to find out."

"Richard can't keep a secret to save his life.  Good luck with that."

It was then that Mark realized he fucked up.

*

"I was wondering if you could maybe talk to Alex," Izzie tells the peds surgeon as she rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet.  "Or do an ultrasound on Rebecca."

"Rebecca?" Alison asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.  "The patient, Rebecca Pope, right?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Izzie nodded her head.

"You realize you are putting me in a horrible position here, right?"

"Yes," Izzie lets out slowly.  "I wouldn't be coming to you if I didn't have any other option," she tells her hoping it would soften her approach.  "If not for me, do it for Alex.  I know you care about him."

"Alright," Alison let out a sigh as she rubbed her forehead and Izzie smiled at her.  "But if it goes wrong, this is on you."

"One hundred percent.  Thank you, Doctor Anderson.  Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Izzie," Alison told the resident and walked away to find Rebecca along with Izzie.

*

"Hey, um-" Lexie stumbled as she was running and found George.  Really anyone who would show her how to do a central line so that she didn't kill Mr. Tapley.  "Doctor Yang whose even more evil than usual asked me to do a central line."

"Okay, this is a big day.  It's the kind of day that can change things for me.  In there is Tapley and Tapley is God.  I'm the chief's intern so that makes me close to God which means I can't help you right now as un-Christian that may sound," George told Lexie and she nodded her head while she listened.  

"You're right," Lexie began to stutter.  "I-I'll do Walter Tapley's central line myself so I puncture his lung.  He'll get over it," she said and began to leave but George stopped her.  

"W-Walter Tapley's central line?" George asked shocked and scared for his other best friend.  "I'll do it."

"Yayyy," Cristina could be heard as George began walking off toward Walter Tipley's room and they both stopped to stare at the resident.  "Yayyy for Georgie.  Georgie saves the day," she says as she messes with some pins that she stuck into the plastic cup. 

"I give you Walter Tapley and you pass him to her?  What the hell is wrong with you?" He yells at the resident.

"You think if you, um, kiss the chief's ass enough by taking care of Tapley something magical is going to happen?  Like what?  You'll earn your magical resident wings?  Oh no, no, not gonna happen.  George - you're stuck.  You are where you are!  The only way you can get out of your miserable situation is if Berke were here.  Because you were Berke's guy and Doctor Anderson was his best friend," she said as this whole rant made the two interns extremely uncomfortable.  "For some reason he pitied your pathetic little ass.  But he's gone now.  No wings for Georgie," she said faking sad as George left and Lexie followed after him, feeling bad for how Cristina treated him.  

*

Mark was in a room as he checked out Rebecca's face with a large magnifying lamp and had the light on.  

"Some of my best work," Mark commented as he felt around her jawline.  "Any pulling around the suture line?"

"No, it's perfect," Rebecca commented.  "I'm just not sure if it goes with the body."

She then untied her patient gown she was wearing and her breasts were on full display.  Mark cleared his throat as he was clearly uncomfortable.  He glanced for a second then looked at her face.

"See what I mean?" Rebecca said.  "The face is a head turner.  The boobs aren't stopping anyone in the street."

"You can close the gown," he told his patient.  

"It doesn't match," she said aggravated that no one was believing her.  "It doesn't go with my face.  It doesn't go with my personality.  It's just all wrong."

"Didn't you just tell me you were pregnant?" Mark asked confused about the whole situation.  "I can't operate."

"I don't need a lecture.  I just need you to finish what you started.  Can you do that?"

*

"Stevens-" Mark called for the resident when he saw her walking down the stairs and followed after her.  "What are you treating Rebecca Pope for?"

"For a pregnancy she doesn't have that she thinks she does," Izzie told him, slowing up so that he can catch up to her.  

"Doesn't one of you have science on your side?" He asked as they briskly walked and talked.

"Yes," Izzie agreed with the surgeon.  "She is acting really weird."

"She wants a breast enhancement surgery," he explained to Izzie and she looked at him odd.  "She thinks her new face doesn't match her body.  We're maybe looking at acute stress disorder. It can happen when people have massive plastic surgeries and major trauma like she did.  You look in the mirror and you don't see the same person so you're not sure you want to see the same person.  It can lead to some pretty odd behavior."

"Like thinking you're pregnant when you're not and forgetting you already have a baby?"

"Which would make it clear that she's not pregnant," Mark agreed with the resident.  Can we get a psych consult and have you call me?" Mark asked Izzie and she nodded her head.

*

"Hi, Rebecca?" Alison greeted the young woman.  "I'm Doctor Anderson.  I understand that you might be pregnant.  Doctor Stevens asked if I could perform the ultrasound, if that's okay with you?"

"Yes, that's okay," Rebecca answered and Alison noticed how she seemed a little out of it.

"Alright," she smiled.  "I'm going to squirt this gel on your stomach so it might be a little cool."

"Okay," Rebecca said as she laid on the table with her hand behind her head.

She got the transducer and squirted some on that as well and put the wand on Rebecca's stomach.  Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the monitor as she couldn't find anything.  She printed them out and looked it over with Izzie.

"Rebecca, these scans show nothing," Izzie said frustrated.

"Calm down, Izzie.  You are upsetting the patient," Alison told Izzie as she noticed how fragile Rebecca was.  "I think it would be best if you leave while I try to talk to her."

"Are you serious?" Izzie asked with a slight attitude as she put a hand on her hip.

"Izzie, you came to me for help.  I'm giving you my time and I need to talk privately to her."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and walked out of the room fast.

"Sorry about that," she smiled at the patient.

She didn't know Rebecca's backstory because while Rebecca was having surgery, she was too.  She knew that Alex was sleeping with Rebecca and that Rebecca was married with already one baby.

"Rebecca," she approached the subject with caution.  "Are you sure that you were ever pregnant at some point?  Did you take an at home pregnancy test?"

"N-no," Rebecca looked at the peds surgeon with wide eyes.  "But I just know I am!  Are you sure there's no baby?"

"There's no baby," Alison told the woman as she shook her head and showed her the picture of her ultrasound.  "If you see your womb, there's no fetus.  It's empty.  What made you think you were pregnant?"

"I know there's a baby," Rebecca said as she made an outburst and her arms started flailing.  "I just know there is!"

"There's no baby," Alison told her a bit more stern this time but still empathetic while she tried to remain professional and personal at the same time.  She wasn't sure why Rebecca was freaking out but it was starting to make her feel weird about ever saying yes to helping Izzie and Alex.  If Alex wanted her help, he would have come to her, when suddenly the door burst open which startled Alison as Alex barged his way through.  "What? Alex? What are you doing in here?"

"I'm here for Rebecca," Alex snapped as he took Rebecca's hand.  "Why the hell are you here?  Did Izzie ask you to do this?"

"She did," Alison nodded her head stiffly, already over Alex's rudeness towards her.  "I was doing an ultrasound to make sure."

"Yeah, well, did she already tell you that she did a urine test?" He snapped and Alison finally had enough.

"Yes, Alex, and there was no pregnancy.  But Rebecca insists that she's pregnant!"

"Hand me those damn test results," he snapped as he snatched them out of Alison's hands.  "Rebecca there's no baby."

"I lost our baby?" Rebecca begins to cry and he tries to comfort her.

"Alex-"

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!  Can't you see how upset she is?  Just get out!"

Alison looked at Alex in shock.  She had heard that he could have a temper and lash out at random times but he had never done so to her.  Instead of yelling back, she was quiet and just left.

"What happened?" Izzie asked the peds surgeon but Alison just kept on walking as she stayed silent.  "Doctor Anderson-"

*

"When you find Doctor Anderson can you tell her that I'm sorry?" Izzie asked Mark when she found him again.  "I don't know what happened between her and Alex in the room but it was my fault I even got her involved in the first place."

"Yeah.  Thank you Izzie," Mark nodded his head as the resident left.

What the hell happened in there?  He didn't even know his girlfriend got involved.

"Have you seen Doctor Anderson?" Mark asked Tyler when he saw a familiar face.

"On call room," Tyler nodded his head in the direction she went.  "She didn't look too good.  Is she okay?"

"I'm not sure," Mark told Tyler.  "Thanks."

Tyler nodded his head with a small smile as he walked away.  Mark knew that Alison and Tyler worked well with each other and liked working with each other.  He wasn't sure what happened with Karev and Rebecca but he was going to find out.  He made a beeline to the on-call room that Tyler told Mark he saw Alison go into.  Mark opened the on-call room door once he realized it was unlocked and made his way in, his girlfriend sat up from the bed and smoothed out her hair.  He noticed the look on her face and had never seen her look so upset.

"You okay?" Mark asked concerned for his girlfriend and she automatically shook her head as he took her in his arms and sat them both on the small twin sized bed with her sitting in his lap.

He still didn't know what happened but he knew that she would talk when she was ready.  Right now he knew that he just needed to be there for her.  He could feel her wet tears on his neck as he held her and rocked her gently, almost like a child when they were hurt.  

"I don't even know why I'm this upset and crying," she murmured quietly after a while and was now tracing the lines on the palm of his hand.

"What the hell happened?" He asked as she looked up at him and he saw the tears in her blue eyes.

"Izzie asked me to do an ultrasound on her patient, Rebecca Pope, and I assume she's your patient as well?" She asked and he nodded his head.

"I worked on her when you were having your surgery.  She was at the wreck and Alex saved her."

"Well, there's no baby.  Izzie seems to think that she was lying all along to trap Alex and then Alex came in upset with me that I was involved and told me to shut the fuck up, bitch and pushed me out the room," she let out a huff and looked up at him.  

"Somehow I understood all of that even though you said all together," he told her and she cracked a small smile and she let out a small noise as she wiped her tears and he helped her.

"God, I'm such an idiot," she laughed.  

"Not an idiot," he shook his head and kissed her nose.  "Maybe a little sensitive at times but Karev is a douche.  You can't change my mind about that."

"I know," Alison made a noise as she let out a tiny laugh and finished wiping her tears.  "I just thought he was changing, you know?  I guess part of it was my mistake for allowing myself to get involved..."

"Hey," Mark caught the attention of his girlfriend as his hand rested on her jawline and part of her cheek.  "Don't talk like that.  You didn't know.  If I would have known before that Izzie asked you to get involved, I would have filled you in on everything.  I'm having Izzie run a psych test.  Rebecca came to me," he let out a sigh and Alison furrowed her eyebrows as he saw the little fine lines appear in the middle of her eyebrows.  "She wanted me to redo her whole face I did.  It's some of my best work!  Then I talked with Izzie and she confessed that Rebecca thinks she's pregnant and Rebecca was going on this rant."

"That's odd.  Why would she want you to redo her face if she claims she was pregnant?"

"Because she was probably never pregnant and only thought she was," Mark pointed out and Alison knew that he was right.  She wasn't pregnant but Rebecca still insisted that she was.  "This sort of behavior can happen with as extensive work that I did on her.  It makes them think things that aren't really happening and makes their behavior change completely.  With as much work as I did on her and as much trauma she went through, I think I would have been surprised if she didn't act this way."

"I just feel bad for Alex," Alison let out a sigh even if he had treated her like shit and was an ungrateful son of a bitch.  She looked at Mark and he flung his arms and let out a scoff.

"How the hell can you still feel bad for that piece of shit?"

"Yeah, he treated me like shit earlier but I can still feel bad for him, Mark," she told him calmly even though he raised his voice.  "I mean, look at this way, he feels something for this woman - that much is obvious.  He's scared.  Fear can do weird things to people.  I don't know Alex's feelings and I don't pretend to know.  But what I do know is that with the way he's acted towards all of this, it's obvious he's gone through this before."

*

"Hey, how's Alison?" Derek asked Mark.

He had heard from multiple coworkers today that she just seemed out of it.  She even ignored Lexie today at work when Lexie was trying to ask her help on how to do a central line on Mr. Tapley.  That never happens.  He knew it must have been something pretty big for Alison to zone out the majority of the day.

"Shit went down with Karev," he let out an exhausted sigh as he shook his head.  "I've never seen her look so down before.  It was like she was a completely different person."

"Shit," Derek sighed as he took a sip of his beer.  "Is she better now?"

"She's getting there.  It had to do with Rebecca Pope.  Alex thinks she overstepped but she was just doing her damn job.  I hate interns."

"He's a resident though," Derek said confused as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I hate residents who act like interns.  Happy?"

"Hmm, I guess that will suffice," Derek told him with a smirk.

"Alison's been wanting me to ask you how things are going with Rose."

"Why?  Does she think this way is any less nosy?"

"She cares about you and your happiness.  Even if she does love you and Meredith together."

 "Just tell her things are going well," he told Mark.

*

Mark had decided to take her shopping and took her to one of her favorites which was a store called Made in DC.  She had a rough day and he had loads of money he didn't know what to do with so he wanted to spend some money on her.  Whatever she wanted he was going to pay for, whether she knew that or not.  

"You surprised me with taking me to one of my favorites?" Alison marveled at her boyfriend and leaned over the console of his car to press her lips to his in a sweet, caring kiss.  "Thank you so much but you did not have to do this."

"Well, I wanted to see that gorgeous smile on your face again so I knew this would help.  Let's go in," he made a nod with his head and they walked in holding hands.  

They still had their winter stuff out so Alison got a knitted chunk pom beanie that had a thick vertical knit with a white felt applique DC on the front and it was a cream and light tan color.  Alison tried it on for Mark after he insisted.

"What do you think?" She asked as she modeled it for him.

"You look very cute," he told her with a cheesy smile and leaned forward as he pressed his lips to hers.  "I'm getting it for you," and she let out a small scoff.

"Mark!  You can't be serious?"

"What?" He let out a small whine.  "I have money and you're the only person I want to spend it on other than myself."

"Okay fine," she agreed.  "But I'm buying some gifts for my family with my own money."

"Deal," he told her and she walked off to find more things.  "God I love that woman."

Both of them ended up buying a few more items as Alison bought a mug a candle for her mum as they had this thing where every year they bought each other a new mug.  She also bought a long sleeve white shirt and it said District of Columbia  Love while she also bought Mark a few clothing items.  They also ended up going into Express and a few other stores and some for Mark so that he could buy some new clothes.

The couple started off not in the best place scenario with keeping them a secret from their best friend, but now that they were in each other's lives, they couldn't imagine not being with the other.  Though Mark had a lot to work on, he was proving himself to Alison on a daily basis and she completely trusted Mark.  He actually loved being in a real relationship and he was over his fear of commitment.  He wasn't sure what was in store for them as they have now been dating for almost a year  but however long she would have him, she'd let him.  

--

HAPPY NEW YEAR, LOVES!  Can't believe we have one more episode left until season 5!  When we get to season 5 I will also be starting my Jackson Avery fanfic which I'm so excited for so please add it to your libraries if you love him too :).  If you are wondering I did edit this and changed the date at the beginning but that's it!

Rest in Peace to an icon, Betty White.  What are your favorite movies of hers?  Mine are The Lost Valentine and The Proposal.  Just curious... has anyone ever watched the Golden Girls?

Did any of you do anything for New Year's Eve?  I just stayed in and watched movies.