Standing Up

Ivy pours herself a cup of coffee as Meredith and Derek discuss the bathroom of their new house and Alex gets something to eat, "I'm thinking we put the tub here that way you can take a bath, look out the window at the trees. But that means we have to move the sink here, because there's no way we can get two sinks on that wall."

"Okay," Meredith simply says, Ivy snorting causing Alex to nudge her.

"Okay, so do you want me to move the tub or do you want to share a sink?" Derek asks.

"I have one opinion, and that is that I just want a tub deep enough that is covers my knees and boobs-"

Derek nods, "Knees and boobs at the same time. Yeah, I gotta go. You're useless. Mwah, love you."

He starts to leave but then notices his baby sister glaring at him, "Why the glare?"

"Because I hate you."

"Why do you hate me?"

Alex and Meredith try holding in their laughs while watching the dueling siblings.

"Because I was raised by you, I have way to high of standards for the men in my life. Which makes having a relationship almost impossible. So thank you," Ivy rants.

"Why is that a bad thing? You're a strong, independent woman who doesn't need a relationship," Derek compliments.

Ivy crosses her arms, "Yes, thats nice but I want someone. Even just a hookup. But, because of you, I have to much dignity and self respect to go and just hookup with a random person."

"Again, not a bad thing," Derek kisses her forehead and leaves, Ivy mocking him.

Alex focuses on Meredith, "The dudes building you a dream house."

Her voice gets kind of high, "I can't read these stupid things."

Ivy points at her, "You just don't give a crap. Except for the bath tub, which I agree with your want."

"I'm taking baby drugs to make my uterus less hostile, and I don't know, it makes my eyes dry, and I have to squint to see, and I don't really care enough about the tub/sink relationship to, you know..."

"You should talk to that hot O.B." Alex suggests.

Meredith shakes her head as Ivy sits across from her, "You are always drumming up reasons to talk to that hot O.B."

They laugh and then head off to work. Ivy looks at Alex, "Would you do me? Like am I hot enough that you would pick me up in a bar if you didn't know me?"

"Hell yeah," Alex smirks.

"Good enough."

○○○○

April and Ivy stand together when Meredith comes up to them, "Kepner, Ivy, you two on Peds today?"

"Yeah, some kid already puked on us," Ivy cringes, laying her head down on the desk.

"Okay, so one of my patients son has a lump on his neck. So would one of you just do a workup on him, and if it's anything, kick it up to Robbins?" She asks.

April takes the chart, "Fine. You owe me one."

"No, I don't."

"I'm doing you a favor. You owe me one."

"You're doing your job. I owe you gratitude and respect," Meredith argues.

April starts to saunter away, "I already had your respect."

Meredith looks at Ivy and sarcastically says "Mm-hmm"

Ivy sits up, "While April handles the kid, I'm going to go check in with Arizona. See ya, and get your eyes checked. Please."

○○○○

Ivy walks up to the desk to see Callie, Arizona, and Mark arguing, "No one gets a minute. I have a patient. The patient gets a minute. Shepherd, who are you with?"

"Peds, but I'm with you tomorrow," Ivy smiles, hoping to stay on her good side.

Callie nods before walking away. Ivy turns to the other two as Jackson and Lexie linger around, "Okay. I don't know what you are all arguing about. But it's going to stress her out which raises the rate of miscarriage. I say this out of respect, because technically you are both my bosses, but stop acting like children. Can I offer another piece of advice?"

Mark says, "Yes," while Arizona says, "No."

"I'm going to give it anyway because the last time I gave you advice, Arizona, was after Wallace. Mark, think about what you want to say, do research and articulate it. Go," he nods, walking away, "Arizona. We know you and Callie are in a relationship but you two aren't the baby's only parents. Mark is too, and I know him better than he does. All he wants is his opinion considered. He doesn't realize it, but he wants to be a dad, not a sperm donor. Just, listen, don't talk down to him."

Ivy gives her a final look before walking to her next patients room.

○○○○

April, Arizona, and Meredith come by, talking, "You have to call him off."

"Well, I don't know. We can call a social worker, have em go in and say hello, ask if they need any help. It'll placate him," Arizona theorizes.

"No, because once you're in the system, it'll only get worse. You're registered as a parent who neglects his kid. It's over. You have to call him off," Meredith corrects.

"Hes my boss. Believe me, I like it way less than you do," Arizona shares.

Meredith continues to fight, "This family just lost the ground under their feet. No one likes the idea of a 10 year old taking care of his mother, but they're doing the best they can."

Arizona turns to Ivy, "Hey, Shepherd. You're good with people, right?"

"I like to think so, why?"

"Can you talk to Stark-" Arizona starts.

Ivy cuts her off, "Hold up, you said people. Stark is people. You need to handle him a certain way that I haven't mastered yet."

Meredith theorizes, "Maybe Derek's drug helps her. Or she could get the placebo, and in 18 months, she doesn't even know who Kyle is. We can't let their last couple of years together become some nightmare where they're fighting to keep Kyle in their house. It's enough of a nightmare already."

April jumps in, "We'll talk to him. Well, so he shoots us down. It can't hurt to try, right?"

They share looks before nodding. Its decided that Arizona and April will go talk to him as Meredith is on neuro and Ivy has patients to see.

○○○○

Ivy is about to eat lunch when she sees Mark storm off. She takes a breath, looks at her lunch before throwing it away and chasing after him.

"Mark! Slow down! I have short legs. Come here," Ivy guides him into a conference room.

He begins to pace, "I'm a parent. I should get as much say as anyone else. Who do they think they are to try and talk over me or placate me?"

Ivy sits down, "Mark, they are the people you will be comparenting with for the next 18 years. You have to get along with them. Just, sit down with them at home and lay out what you're thinking and feeling. Any kid would be lucky to have you as a dad. But you need to get along with the moms."

"I realize that. But, I won't even live with the kids fully and who knows, they'll probably just have me babysit when they want a date night. How am I actually suppose to be a father if I-I'm not taken into consideration?" Mark releases his uncertainty.

"Tell them. Tell them you just want to be considered and listened to. They'll understand, hell, they probably feel the same way. Go, talk with them and not your little sister," Ivy shoos him out.

He gives her a forehead kiss and then leaves, "Holy crap. Mark Sloan is becoming a dad."

○○○○

Ivy walks into the house and sees April freaking out in the living room, "Hey, what's up?"

"Stark just asked me out. And I said yes! I-I-I mean it's okay, right?" She freaks out.

"Okay. Calm down. How about, I go grab Lexie and we have a girls night and watch a movie? Then later, we can talk pros and cons about Stark. Not how I thought my night would go, but let's do it," Ivy suggests.

April nods, "Okay, she's upstairs in the shower."

Ivy runs up the stairs and goes into the bathroom, "Hey, Lexie. April and I were-" she stops, seeing Lexie and Jackson making out in the shower.

She stops, mouth wide open and doesn't say anything for a minute, "Um. Nevermind. I'll leave you guys to it."

Ivy quickly bolts out of the room, missing Jackson call out for her. She heads downstairs and sits next to April. She lays down with her head in her lap, "I don't know how to feel."

"Want to talk about it?" April asks, petting Ivys hair.

She shakes her head, "Not yet. I need to work it out. Um, let's put in a comedy or something."

Ivy does what she does best, push her problems and confusions away. Seeing Jackson and Lexie in the shower together confused her. She's happy for him, he's with his crush, but on the other hand... she just doesn't know what she feels. So, she better put it off and focus on work or April and Stark or anything else.

○○○○

AN: so Lexie/Jackson is now happening. Ivy will start off supportive but obviously is having mix feelings.

Callies accident is coming up and that will be a rough one for Ivy. But, the soon to be parents will have an important question for Ivy next part...

QoC: What friendship of Ivys (besides with Jackson) do you want to see more of?

Thank you for all the votes and comments and reads (we are at almost 18k!!)