The Group Chat

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Characters: Jo Wilson, Alex Karev Additional Tags: Depression, Angst, Caretaker Alex, Depressed Jo Summary:

She couldn’t feel hurt right now, she couldn’t feel happiness right now. He hopes that she can feel how much he loves her, though.

oh yeah. @thejolexgroupchat inspired me to write a fic. they have since said they hate me for it. come hate me over on ao3! 

what is it with @cicinicole-14 and somehow roping me into writing jolex AUs? todays AU is a parent trap one set post 16x16. no there’s not really twins but my jolex baby and alexis get a kick out of getting Jo and Alex back together. and even though coco talked me into it this is dedicated to @mac-andcheeses who I told I would write this during my maternity leave (said child is almost a year old now) cheers to the annie to my hallie! ❤️

shoutout to this masterpiece that the single braincell of the gc cooked up

always grateful to be your annie

- mac

i just wanna keep everyone updated on our pinned messages. we truly should keep a thread of them going tbh bc they kill me @thejolexgroupchat

keeping this shit updayed now smh

more updates y’know

more updates for y’all. and yes, yes y’all ARE the corn kids

more updates! at this point it’s just notes for ourselves but y’know…

there was a debate idk why i wasn’t paying attention tbh

i’m truly gonna yeet myself from my family. im over the forking bullshirt…

always keeping our fans updated on our bullshark

here were some of the old ones btw so yw…

tHIS ONE DESERVED ALL THE REACTIONS OK @jobrookekarev made an ultrasound edit for jo but like none of us can read so like chaos ensued as per usual

happy cultiversary hoes!!!

@jobrookekarev spelled lotion wrong twice bc she was drunky drunk but we love her anyway

ninas fucking hilarious sometimes. but she’s also right too.

let’s not talk about it shut up omg

i just need to remember to get more good ranch. i love ranch yall. and i’m out. it’s a travesty.

update: i did get more ranch

@mac-andcheeses do not call us out like this again or you’ll be removed this is your final warning

it deserves the replies bc the cult is spiraling 😂

@trebleclefstories is in time out bc she said something MEAN AND BAD. TIMEOUT FOR HER.

go yell at her

on #tumblrlessnat’s bday we’re writing cryptic pregnancies for her bc y’know we’re a fertility cult

🎶it’s the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrr🎶 jk we’re all annoyed tbh but also we’ve made this a thing now and enjoy it so we’re doing our own personal bingos again like last year.

s17 i had only 3 empty squares! very surprising!

not our pinned messages but updated chat name

I BE SLACKING i’m sorry

listen I’ll forever be slacking i’m sorry but here’s an update on the fertility cult:

tumblerless nat we love you and our future niece/nephew we’re tryna manifest!!

REMEMBER WHEN I POSTED THIS ONE? update: i did it. i yeeted myself from my family!! i no longer speaking to most of them!! so much better now

idk what prompted this but it’s valid. she was talking abt alex btw

we have a twins sighting! aka @angry-slytherin and @kidneys4karev

this is a fucking mood @kidneys4karev

@jobrookekarev that’s a mood.

we’ve got *panics and does math* til the 24th bc i don’t know how to count. grinch feet already has her nickname.

The GC title got renamed to @mac-andcheeses is a whore

listen. i haven’t always identified as a lesbian but i HAVE always identified as a dumbass

Gotta keep our fans updated on our pins. @mac-andcheeses is right. we’re already a cult tho. When do we transition to a commune to live on?

we haven’t had a new pin recently, but we’d like to keep y’all updated on our ever changing gc name. we’re back to our JC hate club bc yesterday it was the two-year-iversary of alex’s death leaving

tHIS IS A HATE CRIME

@mac-andcheeses that’s a mood. we love you tho.

good morning it’s 7:50pm in florida, some of us are drinking (me and @doc-pickles) and we’re cLEARLY back on our bullshit

ALWAYS ON MY BULLSHIT

big mood BIG mood

“milf lovers 5: clowns without borders”

IM GOING TO CLOWN COLLEGE AND YOU CANNOT SOTP ME

me too let’s be dorm roomies

here’s a second one

*sing to the tune of family madrigal from encanto*

🎶so many thoughts I think it’s time for a headcanon roundup (headcanon roundup!)🎶

this one specifically came from this tiktok @jobrookekarev sent me

Like okay imagine tho if lunas like 10-12 and she finds like the wedding album tucked away somewhere and the letter is in it too and she reads it and sees like this happy couple and how beautiful her mom looked etc and she like searches on the internet Alex karev and finds then number for the KC hospital so she gets on the phone and asks for Alex and she’s like “you left my mom” and he’s like “excuse me who is this?” “I found the letter you left my mom. She was happy and you left her!” And then she hangs up and Alex is MINDFUCKED and he needs ANSWERS and so he KNOWS whoever that was it was from jo and he thinks maybe jo and him had a kid and so he flies out and goes to GSM and confronts her and Jo’s like wtf are you doing here and he’s like “did you did you have our kid and not tell me?” And jo is like wtf are you talking about and he’s like “i got a call yesterday to the hospital and the kids voice said “you left my mom she was so happy. I found the letter and you left her and so I flew out here” and jo is a little upset w luna but like “no Alex she’s not your child” “she’s not?” “I adopted her” “oh” and then she sees luna walk up and luna spots alex and she’s like “oh crap. Hi?” And jo is like “you called him? We’re gonna have a chat—“ “mom you looked so happy! Those photos the wedding the tear stains on the letter? You haven’t been with ANYONE my entire life he deserved to know he messed up!” And Alex is like standing there and like it’s silent bc this kid isn’t wrong but like everything is a mess. And she just is like “cmon it’s time to go home grab ur backpack.” And Alex is like “can we talk? Jo please?” “Alex i have to take care of my kid” “i leave tomorrow night” “coffee, tomorrow. I drop her at school at 750 I’ll meet you at 8 at the coffee cart” “thank you”

And then she almost tries to skip the cart but he sees her and talks w him and “she’s right y’know? I was happy. I was so happy. Y’know I would’ve gone with you.” (She notices he’s not wearing a ring etc) “I would’ve moved to Kansas with you to be with your kids we could’ve been a family” and Alex is just. Stunned. Bc he fucked up bad. Ofc he knew jo would’ve gone. “You didn’t deserve that. To uproot your life again—“ “I would’ve done it for you! We were married!”

Alex is all like “I messed up big time didnt I?” “You think?” “Jo, I’m sorry” “I don’t regret it tho. I got luna in the process and she’s-she’s the best thing to happen to me. I used to think you were but you left me just like everyone else.” “Being a mom looks good on you. I wish I’d been there to see it” “you could’ve. You could’ve been. You would’ve been her dad to. But you’re a freakin idiot and left without talking to your wife. You just left. You went and had a family without me.”

So Jo’s just hurt. And “why are you still here? Rub in my face how happy you are? Berate me for keeping a kid from you when I didn’t? I would never. Especially with what you went through with the twins. You’re a good dad Alex, even if you’re a shitty husband and person” “i deserved that. I just. I didn’t know and I freaked if I had another kid out there y’know?” “I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t do that to you.” “Thank you. So how much trouble is she in for real? Because she shouldn’t be. It’s my fault for coming out here” “she shouldn’t have been snooping under my bed but I just we just talked last night. She asked a lot of questions.”

*flashback to last night walking in the door w luna*

“So how much trouble am I really in?” She bites her bottom lip nervously.

Jo rubs her hands over her face, still completely blindsided by the things that had happened in the past couple hours.

“Can i just ask why you would call him? A stranger?” “He’s not a stranger—“ “he’s a stranger to you, Luna. You cant just call random people and yell at them on the phone.” “He’s not a random person! He was your husband!”

Jo slumps down on the couch and pats the cushion next to her.

“Before alex, I was married to someone else.” Luna looks up at her mother and sees the nervous look on her face. “He uh, he did some pretty awful things to me, and I had to leave him—“ “now we know where Alex got the idea” luna pipes up sarcastically and jo swallows back her anger. “My ex husband used to beat me, and he almost killed me the last time so I left and changed my name and started a new life in seattle. Alex, Alex was nothing like him. Alex was good. He was patient and kind and a good man. He—“ she’s fighting back tears now and luna leans into her mom’s arms. “He was the love of my life until I met you.”

“What about the other guy? Is he going—“ “he’s dead.” Jo deadpans, shutting down any of lunas fears that Paul could come back. “But he’s why you’re so mad that I called? Not because it was Alex but because I didn’t know if he was good or bad?” “Yeah, baby. Because everyone in my old life never knew. Never suspected that he was hurting me. And I know you didn’t know and Alex is good we have no worries, but you need to be careful okay?” “I will mom.”

They sit in silence for another few minutes before luna looks up at her mom. “Is alex a good dad? The letter said he had twins.” “He’s an amazing dad.” “Did he leave because of me? Did he just not want to be my dad?” Jo’s heart breaks at the comment. “Oh, baby. No he, I didn’t get you until almost a year later after Alex had left. He didn’t know about you.” “You think he would’ve stayed if I’d have come sooner?” “I just wish he would’ve talked to me. I would’ve gone with him. I don’t regret him leaving because I got you, my whole world, but I would’ve gone with him to Kansas if only he had asked. And I’d like to think we were meant to be together, you and me, so we would’ve ended up with you still somehow.” “You looked happy in those wedding pictures. Happier than I’ve ever seen you before. Are you happy now?” “Im happy, lu.” “But you’re still a little sad? You’ve never had any boyfriends or girlfriends or non-binary-friends” jo sighs. “I just need you.” She says, but they both know it’s a lie.

They both know that she’s still sad that Alex had left that her whole world at that time left and it broke her and while luna helped piece her back together, there was still a piece missing. An Alex karev sized piece missing from her heart, because he took it when he left all those years ago.

*end flashback*

“She thought she was the reason why you’d left me.”

Alex looks down at the text on his phone seeing an unknown number with a seattle area code flash upon the screen. He opens the text and reads it.

>>she still loves you. my mom deserves to be happy, and you can fix that y’know.

He laughs to himself and jo raises a brow.

“Nothing, just, one of the kids” he says vaguely.

“How are they?” She questions tentatively.

“They both sixteen, got their licenses, and my hair has been grey since. Lex is in the running for a full ride volleyball scholarship to university of Denver. And Eli’s looking into MIT for computer engineering I have no idea where he gets that expertise from because both iz and i are pretty technologically illiterate.”

“And—“ Jo’s hesitant “and how is izzie?”

Alex reads her like an open book just as he’s done all the years before. He smiles to himself, looking up at jo.

“Happily married.” He says. And watches Jo’s face fall before he finishes. “To this guy who owns a bar in town. Since her second bout of cancer, she decided to give up medical and she threw herself into finally opening her own bakery that she’d dreamed of, and when she expanded and moved buildings she befriended the guy who runs the bar across the street and they’d hit it off they’ve been married for like nine years now? He’s a nice guy. They still live at the farmhouse and I have a house closer to the city and the hospital. We’re pretty cordial and see each other regularly. The twins now that they can drive they commute to our houses themselves.”

“You’re an ass” jo says after he finishes his tales. “A giant ass.” She says, punching his chest playfully.

Eventually jo gets paged into work and they have to split ways. Alex has to go home and catch his flight anyway.

Luna gets home from school, she’s hanging with uncle link and scout til her mom picks her up and brings her home.

“How’d it go with Alex?” She asks nosily.

“It was fine but I got paged and then had to leave and he had to go home.”

“Oh. That’s it? He didn’t say anything?”

“Say anything about what?”

“Nothing. I don’t know just. What’s he been doing all these years? He wasn’t wearing a ring and google says he’s not married.”

“You–“ jo says pointing a finger at her daughter as she grabs a box of Kraft mac from the cabinet. “You are too nosy for your own good” She grabs a bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer and pops them in the microwave while she puts water in a pot and starts the stove to boil the noodles.

“And?” Luna replies sarcastically.

“And nothing. No he’s not married. The twins are 16 and he’s got partial custody of them basically and they’re going to be going to college in like a couple years and he still works in the hospital”

“That’s it? Nothing else?”

“Nope. Now go finish your homework” “I did At scouts!” “Then go read a book I’ll call you when dinners ready” “fine!” She huffs dramatically.

A few months pass by and Jo’s delivering babies of course left and right and she’s got one, born 28 weeks via c-section and reminds her a bit of luna but there’s something wrong w the baby and no one can seem to figure it out.

She hovers over the number in her phone before finally pressing call.

His voice travels thru the phone and warms her entire heart.

“Hello this is Dr Karev” he answers

“It’s me”

“Jo? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, kinda. I mean. I have this patient. Well she’s not my patient anymore. But i delivered her baby and he was born at 28 weeks and he’s almost 30wks now and can I send you his file? I can’t figure out what’s wrong and neither can anyone else. I haven’t trusted any of our peds attendings since hayes left years ago but I’d like to hear your thoughts if you don’t mind?”

He accepts and she emails him over all of the files.

They end up talking a bit every night after Jo’s off work and can chat about her ex-patient’s baby.they brainstorm ideas of what could be wrong and even consult with arizona in New York at one point.

And the after work conversations turn to late night conversations and talking about their kids and their lives and how much Alex has missed this missed jo and she’s quiet because he doesn’t deserve to know that she feels the same way he doesn’t deserve to know that she still loves him just as much as she did the day he left.

But she does.

And after one too many glasses of wine it slips, that she misses him.

She goes to bed that night, still bummed without a breakthrough for the baby, who’s slowly dying and she feels like there’s nothing they can do.

And then she’s woken on the couch to chatting in her kitchen, and she looks over seeing luna sitting at the island with a bowl of cereal, and Alex happily making two cups of coffee in her kitchen.

She jumps up. “What the hell are you doing in my house?!”

“Kid let me in” he shrugs nonchalantly

She eyes luna “what did I tell you about letting strangers in the house?”

Luna laughs so hard she starts choking on her cereal. “Alex? A stranger? Sure mom. It’s not like you don’t fall asleep talking to him every night for the past month. You usually pace the house and can’t sleep and you’ve slept like all night ever since you started talking to him. Alex isn’t a stranger” Luna calls her out

“I asked her for your address and to let me in this morning”

“You have my kids number?”

“To clarify, she found my number and i had hers before I had yours”

Jo just stands there with her mouth open

“You’re gonna catch flies.” Luna smirks.

“Well, now that I’m here can we go visit the Perkins Baby? I think I know what’s wrong.”

Jo’s eyes light up.

She accepts the coffee and tries not to let on that she’s happy that he remembered how she takes her coffee and they let luna finish eating before dropping her off at school and heading off to the hospital

Sure enough, Alex figures out what’s wrong with the baby, gets him started on new medications and his stats start to rise almost instantly. Jo’s eyes light up, so proud of him and as they leave the NICU, Alex pulls her aside, into his arms and holds her, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her. Reveling in the feeling of her back in his arms.

She tucks her face in the crook of his neck, not wanting him to see the tears she’s fighting back, but she knows he already knows.

He lifts his head, cupping her chin and tilting her head up towards his, standing at the window just outside the nicu.

He leans his head down, forehead touching hers, their faces, their lips are so close. “Y’know this is where we had our first kiss” he whispers to her. “Where i told you I loved you”

She closes her eyes as the shivers run down her spine, the memories of a lifetime ago flashing in her mind and before she can stop herself, she’s closing the gap, kissing him like it’s the first time again.

“I love you too.” She whispers, breathlessly.

*sing to the tune of family madrigal from encanto*

🎶so many thoughts I think it’s time for a headcanon roundup (headcanon roundup!)🎶

It’s been a really tough couple years. With Alex sending her that fucking letter and jo showing up at the hospital calling him out on his bullshit and them reconciling. To izzie’s brain cancer coming back again and this time her not beating it. To jo and Alex working day in and day out, dealing with thousands of miles and handful of states between them through a long distance relationship, a move into Jackson’s old penthouse, the adoption of luna and becoming a family of five in less than two years.

The twins had been enrolled in elementary school in Kansas that year, and Alex jo and izzie had decided they wanted to let them finish their kindergarten year there before moving them to seattle.

Izzie had decided to undergo some chemotherapy but when it had yielded no results, they’d made the move to seattle, hoping that shepherd could find something to help.

She hadn’t and izzie had finally had to let go, saying goodbye to her babies while they were only six years old.

And then the decision to add luna to their family after jo had delivered her during covid, the twins having been enrolled in first grade online due to covid their first official year in seattle.

So when second grade had finally come around and mandates had been lifted, kids were able to return to in person schooling, the twins had been excited to finally meet their friends from last year face to face.

Jo’d been acclimated to helping the twins grieve and everyone in their circle all knew the stories and knew what had happened.

She’d been thrown when she’d arrived home around bedtime, Alex walking down the stairs after getting all three kids down before he looks at her.

“We have a problem and I have no idea what happened but Lex has been upset and said she only wants to talk to you. I barely got her to eat dinner tonight she took about three bites. Will you bring her an uncrustable or something?”

Jo’s mouth opens and closes quickly before she grabs two pb&js from the freezer and books it up the stairs still in her scrubs.

She knocks softly on Alexis’s bedroom door, letting her know she’s coming in. “It’s me, Lex”

She opens the door and peeks in, seeing Alexis’s dark eyes shining in the nightlight lit room. She pads over softly, laying the sandwiches on the nightstand and scooting the girl over on her bed before she slides in next to her, grabbing one of the sandwiches and opening it, taking a bite.

“Dad says you wanted to talk to me?” She says casually.

Alexis doesn’t reply, just plays with the worn pink stuffed cow in her arms.

Jo let’s her sit quietly, knowing she’ll talk in her own time. “How was Lu today? Did she eat her dinner tonight or just throw it on the floor and make daddy clean it up?” She asks, taking another bite.

“She ate, more than me even.”

“Why? Did daddy burn the food?” She knows he didn’t, she’s just trying to get her to talk.

“No.”

“Want a bite?” She asks, offering the uncrustable to her.

Alexis takes the half sandwich that’s left and takes a bite, keeping a hold on it. Jo takes it as a win and grabs the other sandwich, opening it and taking a bite of that one now, realizing she was hungry.

The two eat in silence together, side by side in bed before alexis looks up at jo as she shoves the last bite of uncrustable into her mouth.

“‘Member last week when you helped me with the ‘my family’ picture?” She asks and jo nods.

“I do.” She says, not completely knowing where this was going yet, but trying to follow along.

“Mason said that you can’t be me and lunas mom because we didn’t look ‘like. That you and daddy look like eli so only he’s your kid. And I told him it’s cause my mommy died, and then neveah and peyton called me an orphan and i said that you’re jo, but you’re still the mom.”

Jo rubs a hand over her face, appalled at how brutal some of these kids could truly be.

She could honestly flick all three of them right in the forehead for the comments they made to alexis and how they made her feel.

She takes a deep breath, “I love you.” She says softly, wrapping her arms around the seven year old. “You know that looks don’t make a family. That it doesn’t matter if we have blonde hair or brown hair or blue hair even. It doesn’t matter if we have dark skin or light skin. And after Mom died, I got the privilege to become your mama jo, but regardless of your mom dying, I would always be your family and luna will always be your sister and eli will always be your brother and daddy will always be your dad.”

“I know. It just made me mad that they said you couldn’t be my mom or lunas mom and called me weird because I call you jo. And–and” she starts, getting herself worked up again and starting to tear up.

“You know that it doesn’t matter what you call me or what anyone says, Lex. You’re as much as my child as Luna is or as Eli is. Okay? And if you decide that you want to call me mom in hopes that it might help at school, or anything, I’m fine with that. This is all up to you. But I will be here just like a mom will. I promise you that.”

Alexis looks up at her with watery brown eyes. “Can i call you mama jo then?”

Jo holds her just a smidge tighter, running her hand through Alexis’s long blonde hair, cradling her head against her chest.

“Lex, you call me whatever feels comfortable to you.”

“Luna calls you mama, and eli calls you jo so I put them together, mama jo.”

“I will be mama jo to you, as long as you’ll have me. I’ll email your teachers tomorrow and maybe we’ll send you to school with the ‘that’s their family’ book for show and tell?” she says and Lex nods. “You ready for bed now? It’s way past your bedtime.”

Alexis nods. “Will you read me the family book?”

Jo nods, grabbing it from Alexis’s nightstand and opens it, starting to read to the tune of the Addams family.

Jo finishes the book and closes it, grabbing the sandwich wrappers and slipping out of the bed.

“Night mama jo, love you” she hears the tiny whisper.

“Night, Lex, love you too.”

@doc-pickles and i wrote a fic again and by that i mean i had started one and nina got tired of waiting around for me to finish it that she finished it herself and i finally read and edited it today and boom here we are.

enjoy the jolex amnesia fic!!