I own nothing. These snapshots of Alex and Jo's life are not in order, they will be anywhere from a week after Meredith's trail to 30 years later. This one is set 9 years from season 16 so I hope you enjoy.

"Time of death 1:39 am"

The long beep of the monitor rang out in Alex's ears as he stared down at the toddler on the table. He had done everything in his power but despite his extensive efforts the injuries were too extreme and he was not able to repair the damage. He repeated the standard response over and over again in his head, mentally preparing himself to deliver the worst news a person can ever receive. Sighing quietly Alex took a step away from the table, pulling off his mask and gloves and reaching for the toddler's hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Dr Karev" The intern across the table seemed shaky as he looked to Alex for guidance. "What….what do we do now?" Alex noticed the intern's hands trembling as he stared down at the child on the table. "We do nothing" Alex took a step away from the table and began to head towards the scrub room. "I'm going to tell a father his son has died and you are going to go home."

Taking a deep breath, Alex pushed up off the wall he had been leaning on, he was still trying to pull himself together and talk to the family that would be waiting downstairs. He could vaguely hear his name being called as he noted Pierce and the new peds fellow Taylor heading towards him. He didn't need to hear the words, the look on Maggie's face said it all, she nodded back at him, she knew. "Well, what happened boss?" Taylor asked, sounding a bit too cheery for Alex's liking.

"There was too much internal bleeding, the surgery was just too much for him," Alex answered gruffly, looking towards Maggie and silently conveying his contempt for his new fellow.

"Oh right," Taylor answered looking down. "Well I tried my best with the baby I mean but it went into fetal distress before we even had a chance to get her out, I couldn't bring her back she was too small."

Alex just nodded, not enjoying the fact Taylor didn't seem to be bothered that a mother, son and daughter had all passed away in the space of an hour. "Fine. Taylor goes pick up the latest labs, Alex Spencer in 203 needs to be monitored tonight."

"Isn't that an interns job-"

"Did I ask you or an intern?" Alex snaps back, glaring at Taylor until the young doctor turns away and begins to head down the hall.

"Hey, he just lost a patient Alex," Maggie said softly, her face looks pained obviously struggling with the fact she had lost the mother.

"Yeah well someone should tell him that, he walks around like he just won the lottery," Alex says turning on his heel as they both begin to walk towards the waiting room.

"He's a good surgeon, he really did try everything in there. I was impressed." Maggie states as they enter the elevator.

"Peds is not all about surgery." Alex mumbles to which Maggie just gives him a knowing look before pressing the button for the floor below.

Alex says nothing, rolling his eyes as he waits for the elevator to come to a stop. They both sighed heavily. "Ready" Maggie whispered as they stepped off the elevator headed towards the waiting area.

"Ready"

The next hour passed in a blur. Telling someone their child had died was rough, really rough but telling someone his wife, son and unborn daughter had all passed away was awful. He watched a man break and beg and cry and pray that they were wrong. The cries replayed over and over in Alex's head. This morning that man had a wife and kids, he had a family and tonight he doesn't, in the space of a few hours, he's gone from having everything to nothing. Alex isn't sure how you can survive something like that, how you could wake up every day, how you could even breathe. His mind goes to his own family as he checks his watch; 2.58 am, they will all be asleep by now he thinks as he heads towards his car letting the rain pound down on him. Alex's shift fished at 9 and he'd promised the kids he would try and get out early enough to read them a very late bedtime story but as the storm had got worse the E.R had picked up and he wasn't prepared to leave Taylor in charge of the incoming peds cases. Today had been awful, truly awful but he thanked small mercies that his family were safe and sound asleep at home.

As he pulled onto his street 15 minutes later it felt eerily dark. It wasn't like he was expecting there to be lights on but something seemed off. The street lamps are off, he noted pulling into the drive. The storm must've knocked the electricity out, Alex sighed, getting out the car, using one arm to shield himself from the heavy rain as he jogged towards his front door.

Once inside he felt around for the light switch, trying to confirm his suspicion that the power was indeed off. Suspicions confirmed, Alex kicked off his boots before blindly heading towards the staircase. There was nothing he could do about the power, he was sure the storm would calm throughout the night and the electricity would be back up by tomorrow, but right now he was exhausted, he just wanted to sleep the day away. As he neared the top of the stairs Alex was surprised to find a soft glow coming from the bedroom, nearing the door he was even more surprised to see two small bodies splayed out across the queen-sized bed, both their eyes trained on the IPad and engrossed in some stupid Disney show. Scanning the room quietly, still unnoticed by his tiny humans, Alex wondered where his wife was.

"DADDY" A tiny voice broke Alex's train of thought, as his daughter caught sight of him standing in the doorway, immediately jumping to her feet, she practically flew across the bed, and Alex raced to meet her at the edge, just reaching her in time to catch her tiny body "You're home" she cried happily.

Holding her tight to his chest Alex hummed in response, he loved his kids but he wasn't sure he had the energy for his goofballs right now. "Hey P" He whispers, pulling back slightly, so he can see his six-year-olds face, brushing the fringe out of her eyes, he couldn't stop the soft smile that graced his face as he started back into his daughter's eyes. "What are you two doing awake?" He asks placing Peyton back down on the bed as he shifts his eyes to his son who seemed unfazed by his father's presence; 8 going on 18 Alex thinks silently as the boy grunts in response.

"P was scared of the storm," Robin responds, pushing his IPad and looking up at his dad. Alex noted the concern across his 8-year-olds face, maybe P isn't the only one scared of the storm he thinks.

"Oh really?" Alex questions, shrugging off his wet jacket and throwing it on the dresser chair, he's sure his wife will castrate him for it later but he's too tired to care. "Is my big girl scared of the storm?"

"I am not!" Peyton cries as she plops back down next to Robin.

"Are too!" Robin barks back, turning away from Peyton taking the IPad with him.

"OI" Peyton cried, grabbing onto him. Alex rolls his eyes, trying to muster up all his energy into stopping another row break out between his kids. Watching as their yelling turned into physical fighting seems to do it.

"That's enough" Alex tried to make his voice sound stern, he hated yelling at the kids but lately these two do were starting world war 3 every chance they got.

"She's the one that cried and asked Momma to stay in here because she's a baby." Robin snapped glaring at his sister, who just pouted in response, doing those big puppy dog eyes Alex knew too well.

"Well no one asked you to come, you're a baby," P exclaimed folding her hands across her chest and huffing loudly. God, she looks at her mother when she does that.

"You're both babies" Alex quips, taking the IPad from his son's hands and turning it off. "And if you don't stop you can both sleep in your own beds." Alex watched as both grumbled their apologies settling back down into the bed. They're basically miniature versions of their parents and Alex smirks at the sight, hoping he's successfully diffused the situation. "Now where is momma?" He asks, wondering why his wife hasn't appeared in between all their rackets.

"With Lessy." Robin grumbles "she wet herself."

"Yeah, she's the baby." Peyton chimes in. Alex nods and rolls his eyes, again, before pulling the covers back and motioning for the two to settle in.

"Okay well if you two are gonna sleep in here, you're gonna have to actually sleep and stop fighting, daddy had a long day." In all honesty, Alex would rather get some sleep without the sound of his kids snoring away, or feeling tiny feet kicking him in the back, but he also wouldn't want them anywhere else right now.

"Saving kids?" Robin asks, looking up at Alex as nestles back into the pillow, "Mommy said you couldn't read the bedtime story tonight because someone else kids needed you."

"Yeah, some other kids did need me," Alex whispers, tucking them both under the covers, silently hoping this conversation would end.

"Did you save them, daddy?"

"Not tonight." He sighs, aren't kids meant to think their dads are superheroes.

"Did they die?" Peyton whispers.

"Yeah, daddy couldn't save them today."

"Oh," P looks sheepish, as she strokes her hand across Alex's cheek and he smiles softly in response, he's not sure where she learnt to be so sweet.

"Told you storms are scary," Robin mumbles, nudging Peyton slightly.

"Storms are scary." Alex agrees, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But you two have nothing to worry about because you're safely tucked up in bed."

"What if the house gets blown away-"

"-what if we blow away."

Alex interrupts them both, tucking the covers around them tighter. "No one is blowing away, I promise you." He leans down to press kisses on both their heads, he marvels in the fact Robin doesn't brush him off, at 8 he thought he was too cool for kisses from Dad but Alex wasn't ready to let his boy grow up. "I'm gonna go help, momma with Alessia okay? Try to sleep, the storm will be over by the time you wake."

He slowly backs away, as Peyton snuggles down into his pillow and Robin curls up finding a comfy position on his wife's side of the bed. Once out of the room Alex notices the soft pink glow of his youngest daughter's night light, he hadn't noticed it earlier but that's probably because he was too tired. Slowly making his way down the hall, he grins finally catching sight of his wife. Her hair is falling in messy waves down her back and she's got some old sleep shorts on and his t-shirt and she looks exhausted, not in a bad way, she's still the most beautiful woman in the world to Alex, but don't tell her he thinks that because he will never hear the end of it, she will tease him mercilessly for the rest of time. She talks to their daughter softly as she helps her change into new pyjamas.

Leaning against the doorframe, Alex coughs quietly, he doesn't wanna scare either of them. As she looks towards the door he's sure she is expecting one of the older two, but he watches the relief flood through her as their eyes meet.

"I didn't hear you come in." Jo grins, smoothing down Alessia's top "Look who's home Lessy" shifting the two-year-old onto her hip as she stands, she spins the toddler so she's facing Alex. "Who's that Lessy?"

"Daddy" Smiles Alessia, who immediately reaches out for her father, she's definitely a daddy's girl, so is Peyton really, although P does enjoy teaming up with Jo to get her own way. Alessia was a daddy girl all over, up until she was about one and a half she really hated being held by anyone other then Jo or Alex and Jo's convinced she was only allowed to hold her because she provided the goods.

Taking Alessia into his arms, Alex immediately perks up "Hey there messy Lessy, did you have an accident baby?" bouncing her lightly. Lessy just nods in response, tucking herself into her father's neck.

"She didn't even cry," Jo explains as she begins to pull the bedding off Lessy's bed. "I only came in here to check because the other two had got up and I found her in her little wet bed aye, Lessy." She comes towards them now, rolling up the dirty laundry, Jo reaches out with one hand to gently rub Alessia's back, taking her husband's appearance in properly for the first time. She knew something was wrong immediately, Jo was an Alex Karev expert, and she could write the guidebook at this point. "What's wrong? What happened?" she asks concerned by the distant look in her husband's eyes.

"Nothing" Alex shrugs, shifting Alessia slightly, trying to avoid Jo's gaze. She really does have an uncanny ability to see right through him.

"Are you sure?" Jo questions ushering him out of the room and into the hallway. "Because I'm sure the storm must have brought in some bad cases, especially if you had to cover." He feels her hand gently rub his back, just like she had done to Alessia moments ago, he doesn't wanna have this conversation now, it's stupid he thinks he's lost patients before. Instead of responding he just grunts, craning his neck to see if Alessia had fallen asleep, he sighed seeing her little eyelids flutter as she drifted off. "Alex" Jo whispers, stopping him from entering their bedroom. "Look at me a sec" She whispers, her eyes flickering towards the older two sleeping soundly in their bed.

"I lost a patient-" he hisses hoping she will let it go "-nothing I haven't dealt with before, I'm sure I'll deal with it again." He's slowly rocking now, trying to keep the toddler in his arms from waking. He feels Jo's hand on his arm as she comes to stand in front of him, forcing him to look at her, her eyebrows raised slightly as she waits for him to say something. "There was two years old-" He admits, his eyes never leaving hers "there was a car accident, the mom was six months pregnant, she didn't make it either."

"I'm so sorry Alex," Jo whispers softly, smiling sympathetically as she finally lets him pass her, they shuffle to their own sides of the bed, moving quietly trying not to wake the kids.

Alex nods, carefully trying to lay Lessy down on the bed next to P but the tiniest Karev has her hands tightly gripped into her father's shirt, refusing to let go, Alex sighs, as he shuffles out of his jeans, giving up on the idea of changing. "I had to tell a man, his whole family was gone." He shudders as the sound of the man's cries replays in his mind. Jo clicks the torch that had been left on the bedside table off as she slips under the covers on her side, immediately throwing an arm around Robin. Slipping into his own side, so he was lying on his back with Alessia laying on his chest, Alex finally allows himself to relax, the weight of the day finally slipping away. Peyton unconsciously rolls over in her asleep, laying her head on Alex's arm.

Life is messy, full of ugly and scary things, but it is also so beautiful and Alex Karev is not a soppy guy but he's definitely softened over the years and right now lying in bed with his four favourite people he can't help but feel pretty lucky even if Lessy is drooling onto his shirt and he'll wake up with a dead arm. He's lucky even if he has no room in the bed, looking over to Jo he finds her eyes are already on him, smiling he thinks back to when they slept together limbs entangled her head on his chest and now they can't even reach each other, but he wouldn't change a thing.

"Alex." Jo whispers, there's a smile on her face, as she strokes Robin's hair. He hums in response matching her smile, they're thinking the same thing, the same appreciation for the family they've built. "You know, you know you couldn't get rid of us if you tried right."

"Damn, unlucky me." He jokes, shooting her a wink. He hears Jo scoff as he reaches over to gently slap his arm trying not to move the kids but as she does her moves his arm slightly in order to avoid waking Peyton and grabs Jo's hand intertwining their fingers.

"Love you" He mouths.

"Love you too."

Well that the first glimpse of Alex and Jo's life. I have a lot more where that came from but let me know what you think and if you have any ideas.