A/N: I am really truly touched by how many people reviewed the first chapter! I had people tweeting me about it, sending me Tumblr messages...I am honestly so thankful for all the nice things you've all had to say. I've never gotten this kind of response on anything I've written before. But there were a couple questions people had that I'd like to clear up - I replied to all the questions I could, but obviously I can't send a PM to people without accounts or who have messaging turned off. So just to answer some of your questions:

* I didn't want to imply that Alex kicked Jo out of the loft - but for the sake of the story she had to be living elsewhere so that he'd accidentally find the response to the petition. Also, I really didn't want to have Alex living with Meredith - although I'm pretty sure that's what will happen on the show because he's basically Meredith's bitch nowadays but ANYWAYS now's not the time to complain about how the writers write Merlex.

* Jo's pre-trial hearing was not three to four months from when she originally saw the lawyer - the trial will take three to four months to happen, the pre-trial hearing is a totally different thing. Sorry if that was unclear.

* Also obviously Jo's lawyer would want to bring up the abuse in court but from my understanding of the Washington state divorce process, it's a no-fault divorce state which means the only reason you can cite for divorce is the "irretrievable breakdown of the marriage". Proving domestic abuse would have to be a separate endeavor. Also I'd imagine Jo wouldn't have a lot of evidence to prove that she was abused, because she said on the show everyone loved her husband. And since her ex was lying and calling her abusive the judge probably wouldn't have known who to believe since it was only the pre-trial hearing.

Sorry if that was confusing - it all made sense in my head, but you know, I wrote the story. And I wrote it over the period of like, two days.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this second installment and I would love if you left me reviews again! They make me so happy, you really have no idea how much they mean to me.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Grey's Anatomy.

By the cracks of his skin I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree to see the world
When the gusts came around to blow me down
Held on as tightly as you held onto me
Held on as tightly as you held onto me...

x.

The next morning, Jo wakes up in a daze. As she slowly starts to sit up, alone in bed, she thinks for a moment that she imagined it all – last night, falling asleep with Alex next to her, his arms around her.

But it is quickly confirmed to have been very much real when she sees him standing in the loft's kitchen, a pan on the stove as he flips a piece of bread with a spatula. "Good morning," He says when he sees that's she's up, sending a handsome half-smile her way. "I'm making breakfast. French toast okay?"

"Umm…yeah sure." She says, getting up and making her way over to the table. Last night's clothes are wrinkled on her now, and as she sits down she realizes she's not entirely sure where they stand. Alex told her that it was over between them – it had to be just about the baby, and nothing more. And so far they'd both been good about staying true to that. But last night…

Well, last night had definitely not been platonic.

He places a plate of French toast in front of her before sitting across the table with a coffee for himself, and she picks up her fork but then hesitates. "Come on, you have to eat something, Jo." Alex tells her. "If you don't eat, the baby doesn't eat." When he sees her reluctance, he adds: "I called Robbins. She says she can do an amnio at ten, so we can do the DNA test. Now eat up." She relents and places a forkful in her mouth. It's a little burnt around the edges, but not bad.

Once she's eaten enough to appease him, they get in the car and drive to the hospital in silence. When they arrive they head up to OB, and his hand instinctively finds its way to the small of her back. The nurse leads them back to an exam room and tells Jo to lay down, but being a doctor she knows how it works. Alex hangs back, watching but staying out of the way.

Arizona comes in a few minutes later, smiling perkily. "Good morning," She says. Jo knows Alex must have told her what's going on, but she doesn't show any signs of it. "Ready to get this show on the road?"

Jo's seen amniocenteses performed many times, but the needle seems so much bigger when it's her uterus it's getting stuck into. Alex offers her his hand to squeeze, and she takes it gratefully. The procedure takes less than ten minutes – Arizona guides the needle in with the help of an ultrasound, takes some amniotic fluid with a syringe, and then removes it. As she looks at the ultrasound screen, she randomly smiles. "How about some good news – do you want to know the gender?"

Jo looks at Alex, and he shrugs, indicating it's up to her. Arizona's right – she could really use some good news right now. "Sure."

The fetal surgeon beams at them as she delivers the news. "It's a boy."

Her eyes widen. "A boy?" She repeats, amazed, and Robbins nods in confirmation. A smile makes its way to Jo's face for the first time in a long time. She can't believe it. A boy!

Arizona leaves after reminding her that she needs to stay in observation for an hour to make sure there are no side effects, but honestly she's not even paying attention. She turns to Alex, who is unable to contain his grin – he squeezes her hand, which she had forgotten he was still holding. They don't need to say anything, the joy written all over both their faces. For a moment, she actually thinks that he might kiss her, but he doesn't.

She randomly thinks about a few years back, when she was still stuck in her marriage. Once her period had been late, and she'd suspected she was pregnant. She remembers the feeling of terror in her gut as she squatted over a plastic stick in some gas station bathroom, commanding herself not to be pregnant, and nearly crying from relief when she got the negative result. Back then, the thought of having a child terrified her – how could she bring an innocent baby into a home where their father would hit their mother? Where their father might hit them? How could she risk her child having to listen to the sounds of her weeping every night?

How could she risk having a son that might turn out just like his father?

But this feeling is completely different. She knows that regardless of what happens between her and Alex – whether they get back together today, or tomorrow, or next year, or never – her baby will have an amazing father, who will teach him how to be a good person. She will never have to protect her child from smacks or punches, or lie and tell them that she is fine and cover up her bruises. Because Alex is good, and loving, and all the things a father should be.

And she knows that she will be beyond blessed if their son turns out just like him.

xi.

It takes another two months for the divorce case to finally go to trial. Luckily, after the paternity test results came back, any talks about fifty-fifty custody immediately went out the window, and that alone is a huge weight off her shoulders.

Outside, it's raining hard even by Seattle standards and the drops are audible as they pang against the window panes. As she sits at her side of the courtroom Jo can feel her ex's eyes on her, as he turns to look at her every few minutes or so. In her womb the baby kicks, almost like he's comforting her, and she absentmindedly rubs the spot. She keeps her eyes trained firmly ahead, focused on Alex as her lawyer questions him. They're not back together, but they're getting along just fine, and he'd been more than willing to testify in her defense.

"So Dr. Karev," Her lawyer is saying. "How long were you and Dr. Wilson romantically involved?"

"A little over four years. We…" He trails off. "I wanted to get married." She can't help but wince when he changes the plural to the singular. He wasn't the only one who wanted that, even though she hadn't been able to admit it.

"And how much contact did she have with her estranged husband during this time?"

"None."

"Finally Dr. Karev, in your opinion, has Dr. Wilson moved on from her husband?"

He does not hesitate as he answers. "Without a doubt, yes she has."

"Thank you." Her lawyer says, before heading back to her seat.

Now, his lawyer stands up. "Dr. Karev," He says. "During your relationship, did Dr. Wilson exhibit any violent tendencies?"

Her lawyer slaps the table immediately. "Objection, Your Honor!"

"I'll rephrase – Dr. Karev, is it true that a former boyfriend of Dr. Wilson's ended up in the hospital due to a severe beating?"

He looks taken aback by the question. "Yes, but –"

"Dr. Karev, was Dr. Wilson ever abusive towards you in any way?"

"No!" He roars, and it's clear he's angry now. "She's the mother of my child, and she would never do anything like that! She's the one who was abused!"

"That's enough, Mr. Stewart." The judge orders. "I've made my decision." The lawyer goes back to his place and Alex gets up, clearly ruffled as he returns to his seat. "Mr. Stewart," The judge says. "I'm frankly appalled by your tactics. When your client was unable to stop this divorce, you resorted to trying to obtain custody of a child your client has not fathered and creating fabricated claims of domestic violence. I have no choice but to agree to Dr. Wilson's conditions – no spousal support for either party, and no division of property. And I am granting Dr. Wilson her request for a temporary order of protection. Case dismissed." He bangs his gavel, and Jo exhales. Alex steps towards her and she collapses against him, burying her face into his chest.

The other lawyer storms off in a huff, and her moment of relief ends abruptly when she sees him approaching her. "We'll be filing a motion for reconsideration immediately," He says, smiling twistedly. "And we're gonna drag this on and on, even until after you have that baby. You think I'm gonna let you go that easily?"

She shrinks back, an arm wrapped protectively over her bump, and Alex steps in front of her. "You come near her or my son again and it'll be the last thing you ever do, you understand?"

He only grins at her. "I'll see you soon." He says, before turning and following his lawyer out.

Her knees buckle but Alex grabs her arm to steady her. "Are you okay?"

She looks at him and shakes her head. "He's never gonna leave me alone, is he?"

"Look, he can try all he wants but it's going to get him nowhere, Jo. It's clear that everything he's saying is BS, the judge will rule in your favor every time. He's never going to get what he wants." He squeezes her shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you home."

She hesitates for a moment. "Actually…can we go to the hospital?" He gives her a concerned look, and she quickly clarifies. "Nothing's wrong with me! I just…want to check on my patients. I'm a fifth year, I need to keep up with my case load. Please?"

Alex sighs, but she looks at him, biting her lip and looking hopeful. He relents. "Okay, fine. Let's go."

xii.

An hour later, Jo returns after checking on all her patients, to where Alex is waiting for her in the ER. It's a fairly quiet night, with only a few patients with mild injuries. Kepner is filling out charts, Hunt is discharging a patient, and Grey is dealing with what appears to be a routine appendicitis. Alex stands up when he sees her coming and closes the distance between them. "Hey," She says. "Ready to go?"

"Actually," Alex says. "Can we talk for a second?" Jo looks at him, unsure of what he wants to discuss, and he takes a deep breath. "Jo, I was angry when I found out the truth…about your ex…"

"Alex, I –"

"Let me finish, okay?" He says, and she closes her mouth. "I was upset with you but…I get it now. Why you didn't want to tell me. He's put you through Hell, and I know it wasn't easy for you to talk about. I'm really sorry and…I want to know, if maybe we could try again. If you could give me another chance."

His words completely stun her and she just stares at him for a second, not sure of what to say. "Alex…"

He grabs her hand. "I want to be with you, Jo. Please, tell me you want to be with me too."

Before she can say anything they're interrupted when the ER doors suddenly burst open, and Hunt comes in wheeling a gurney. They hadn't even noticed him leave. "White male, early thirties, severe trauma to the head, chest and abdomen. Eyewitness says he was driving too fast when his car skid on the wet road and flipped. Let's go." Kepner rushes to his side immediately, fumbling for a pulse, but as they push the gurney towards the elevator, Jo's heart momentarily stops beating.

"Oh my God," She gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. Alex pulls her into his side when he sees what she sees and she buries her face into his shoulder, feeling like she can't breathe.

"What's wrong?" Meredith asks, leaving her patient to approach them, and Alex looks to her, not sure of what to say.

"It's…it's him." That's all it takes for it to click in Meredith's head.

It's Jo's husband.

Hunt and Kepner have reached the elevator now. "Grey! We need you!" The former yells, but she doesn't move.

"Wilson," She asks. "Are you his medical proxy?"

"I…" She stammers, barely able to string two words together. This is all too much too fast. "I…I think so. He never had any family…His parents are dead."

Meredith steps forward, and places a hand on her shoulder. In the elevator, Hunt and Kepner are getting impatient. "Wilson, we'll do what we can but…if it gets to that point, we don't have to take extreme measures. It's your call."

Slowly, Jo shakes her head. "No…do everything you can. He's taken everything from me, but I not will not let him take this. I will not allow myself stoop to his level." Meredith nods in agreement and then sprints to the elevator, the doors closing behind her as Owen and April berate her for her slowness, completely oblivious to the identity of their patient.

Her legs are shaking as she watches them disappear from view, and it's hard to breathe. Alex says her name, but she doesn't respond.

He reaches his arms out, just in time to catch her before she hits the floor.

xiii.

When she opens her eyes again, she has no idea how long she's been unconscious for. She glances around frantically, and sees that her arm has been pierced with an IV. Her head is throbbing as she tries to sit up. "Alex…" She mumbles drowsily.

He's up in a second, planting himself on the edge of her bed and brushing back her hair. "Goddamnit, Jo. You scared the Hell out of me."

Her eyes widen. "The baby…?"

"The baby's fine," He assures her, and she exhales in relief. "You fainted, but you're going to be alright. You were just in shock."

She nods and leans her head back, taking a deep breath. The baby kicks against her palm. "Alex, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's not like you did it on purpose –"

"Not about this," She corrects. "I meant, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth in the first place. You deserved that much." When she opens her eyes, they're filled with tears. "And I love you. I love you so much. And I just want to be with you."

He smiles. "I love you too." And then he leans forward and kisses her.

She kisses him once, twice, three times, greedily keeping his lips against hers. It's been far too long since he last kissed her, but once he does none of that seems to matter anymore. She breathes him in, and it just feels right. She doesn't want it to end, but they're interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

When they pull apart they find Meredith in the doorway, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, clearly a little caught off guard by what's she's just witnessed. "Sorry to interrupt…"

Jo bolts upright immediately. "What's going on?"

Meredith bites her lip. "I got his internal bleeding under control, but there was severe swelling in the brain. Since surgery, he's shown minimal brain activity. He's…he's currently on life support."

She covers her face with her hands, and takes a moment to process. Alex and Meredith are both waiting for her to say something, but she just needs a minute to herself. Just a few hours ago she'd been fighting with her ex in court, and now he's on the brink of death. It's so jarring, how life can change so drastically in the blink of an eye.

Finally, she looks up. "I need to see him. Now."

xiv.

After some initial protest, Alex and Meredith give in – they know better than to tell her she can't do something. She's transferred to a wheelchair (at Alex's insistence, even though she doesn't think it's necessary) and he wheels her to the ICU, and then to his room.

He's lying back on the bed, his face bruised and pale, tubes and wires coming out of him from all over. It's so ironic – how the man who had once had so much power over her is now the one who is powerless.

"I know this is hard," Meredith says, cutting into her thoughts. "But neuro has been monitoring him, and because of his lack of electrical activity in the brain and absence of pupillary response, he's been declared brain dead. The machines are keeping him alive right now, but you can decide to take him off life support if that's what you want."

Jo stares at him for a moment – he's devoid of color, and by looking at him you can't tell that he's the person who she once feared. Like this, he looks so weak. Like a little broken bird. Her expression hardens, and she finds herself speaking even though she knows he can't hear her. "For years, I let my fear of you dictate my life. Every move I made I wondered if you would find me. If you would come for me. If you would kill me. But I'm done letting you control me. You ruined my life, and I'm not going to stand for it anymore. It's over." Now, she turns to Meredith, her vision blurred by angry tears. "Do it. Take him off."

The other woman nods, and Jo sits there in silence as she watches Meredith's hands glide across the machines. One by one, their beeps stop, and the wires are pulled from him. Without them, he looks even smaller than he already did. Meredith leaves, to give them time alone, and she squeezes Alex's shoulder on the way out.

It seems so much quieter without the mechanical noises, and she suddenly understands how people can say silence is loud. "Am I a terrible person?" She asks Alex. "For being relieved that he's gone?"

He shakes his head and takes her hand in his. "You don't have to feel sympathy for someone who abused you. But it's also okay if you feel sad on some level – you did love him once." She knows he's probably thinking about Jimmy, and she says nothing.

Truthfully, the emotions running through her head are so mixed. On one hand, she can't help but feel relieved – for years she'd been terrified that he'd find her someday, and now she doesn't have to worry about that anymore. He's gone, and he will never hurt her ever again. He will never get anywhere near her son.

But she also feels a little sad as she watches the life drain from him. He hadn't always been a monster. When they'd first met, he'd seemed so perfect. He'd had such a nice smile, and had always made her laugh. There had been a time when she was oh so in love with him, when she thought they were going to spend their lives together. A part of her can't help but mourn for the person he used to be.

A few hours later she leaves the hospital, Alex's arm wrapped around her. "Do you want me to take you back to Arizona's?" He asks.

She hesitates. "I don't want to do this anymore, Alex."

He seems confused. "Okay, is that a yes?"

"That's not what I meant," She clarifies, and she looks up to meet his eyes. "I don't want to be apart anymore. Life is too short and too fragile for us to go around pretending we don't love each other. I want to move back into the loft."

"Well," He says, a smile making its way to his face. "I don't know if that's a good idea." For a moment her heart sinks, until he continues. "We'll buy a new place. A kid deserves a real house, with a big yard to play in and neighbors who aren't drug dealers, right?"

And slowly, she smiles too.

xv.

Three months later, on a warm morning at 6:02 am a week before her due date, she gives birth to a healthy boy.

As Jo runs a finger down her son's smooth cheek, his tiny body pressed against her chest, her heart fills with love. She hadn't known she could possibly love someone so much – but the minute he was born, screaming and crying, he'd become the center of her universe. This little boy was everything to her, and she would do anything for him. She'd always protect him, and keep him safe. She'd die for him, if she had to.

Next to her, Alex is staring at their son and he presses a series of kisses along her knuckles. He would probably try to deny it later, but when the baby was born, he'd cried too. She knows he feels the exact same way about their boy as she does. "What about…Ethan?"

She shakes her head. They've been trying to find a name for the past hour with no luck. "I like it but…no, it's not right."

"Logan?"

"No."

"Connor?"

She sighs. They're all nice but…nice isn't good enough. This little boy on her chest is so perfect, and he deserves a name just as perfect as he is. "I want his name to mean something," She says. "He's special, and his name should be too."

He thinks for a moment, and then he smiles. "What about William?" He asks. "After your last name?"

Jo looks at him. "You know that name doesn't mean anything to me…" The name 'Wilson' had been a surname she'd randomly chosen, just something she'd picked in her haste to forge a new identity. Her whole life - both as Jo Wilson and as what she'd been called before - her name hadn't meant anything to her. It had been something picked for no particular reason, and that was one of the biggest factors why she wanted her son to have a special name.

"I know," Alex explains. "But it'll be a constant reminder to him about what a strong, amazing mother he has. And how she always fought for him, even before he was born."

She runs a finger over her baby's layer of downy brown hair, and a grin appears on her face. "Little baby Liam…" She mumbles. It just sounds right – she has a feeling the nickname will stick. "It's perfect. But then his middle name has to be after you – because his dad fought for him too."

He smiles. "Sounds good to me."

They both watch their baby for a few moments, Liam starting to wake up and open his eyes – she already thinks he looks just like his father, and that's perfectly fine with her. Speaking of his father… "Oh by the way," Jo says. "I bought him something. It's in a bag in my purse, can you get it please?"

Alex sighs, but gets up anyway. "How much stuff can such a tiny person have? Kepner and Robbins already gave you an entire Babies 'R' Us at your shower."

"Oh, just shut up and open it!"

He digs into her purse and retrieves the little plastic bag. She watches with a smirk as he pulls out the onesie tucked inside there, and as he unfolds it a look of surprise crosses his face. He holds it up for her. "Am I reading this right?"

Her grin widens. She'd ordered it special online, her custom message scrawled on the front in multi-colored block letters: Daddy, will you marry Mommy? "So?" She says. "Will you?"

He smiles, and crosses the room in three strides to reach her. He tilts her chin upward so he can kiss her on the lips. "I thought you'd never ask."

fin.