So raise your hand if you think I've been making too many one shots lately? Well too bad because I needed to write this after watching the AMAZING finale. Seriously in my opinion that had to be the best Grey's episode ever. And best finale I've ever seen. But that's just my humble opinion ;) Okay is going to be a little three-shot of Mark and Lexie that deals with the aftermath of the finale. Also if you're Merder lover (why wouldn't you be?) stay tuned for a one-shot/possible ongoing story about them after the season finale! Enjoy =)

Mark was walking towards the east wing of the hospital, when his pager went off for the third time. It was Meredith again. He was being paged to the supply closet yet once again. Why he was being paged to the supply closet? He had no freaking clue.

It had been almost a week since the shooting at the hospital. Things were finally starting to get back to normal around here, normal as normal goes after a mass shooting spree. Derek was discharged yesterday and would recover at home for a few weeks before returning to work, but he would return as an attending. Richard had been re-instated as the Chief. Everyone was trying to move on from the aftermath of the shooting, but it's something that has forever changed each and every one of their lives.

"Why was I paged here?" questioned Mark as he walked up to see Meredith standing outside the door.

"Because Lexie is in there and is refusing to come out. She's been in there for almost two hours." said Meredith. "And I tried to deal with her but I can't deal with her, Derek and Alex while still practicing medicine."

"So call Alex and give her the phone. Problem solved." said Mark, as he turned to walk away.

"They broke up." said Meredith, knowing that would grab his attention. Mark stopped and met Meredith's gaze. "I don't know if it even counts as a break up because they weren't really… I don't know… I don't know what they were." rambled Meredith. "But between that and the panic attack she's currently having, she's not doing so good."

Mark sighed, as he ran his fingers through his hair. Yes he'd wanted them to break up or "whatever" as Meredith had put it, but this wasn't how he'd wanted this to go. He knew emotionally this was hurting Lexie. Even if she didn't really love him, for a few months Alex was all she had while he was off acting like a moron.

"Alright." nodded Mark. "I'll talk to her; I'll see what I can do."

Meredith flashed him a smile and nodded in approval as she walked off in the opposite direction. Mark walked up metal door and knocked loudly. He waited for some sort of response, but when he didn't get one he called out,

"Lexie. It's Mark. Open up the door."

Again, he waited for a response only to be met with silence. He sighed in frustration. She was clearly not going to give up.

"Lexie I swear I'll go get a screw driver and un-bolt the door if you don't open. Either come out or let me in." said Mark.

He heard the lock on the door click. He smiled slightly knowing she'd known he was serious when he said that. He opened the door to find her sitting in the corner, with her legs hugged to her knees, while she wiped tears off of her face.

"Hey." said Mark as he walked further into the closet and closed the door behind him. Lexie's big brown teary eyes looked up to meet his, the only acknowledgment she could form right now. He sat down on the floor across from her, as her shaking hands gripped her scrub pants tightly.

He could tell that she was scared. Scared to go back to work and try to go back to normalcy in a place that was no longer normal to the people who had lived through it. He could also tell her heart was hurting. No matter if she didn't love Alex like she had said, she was still hurting.

"So first day back?" questioned Mark, even though he knew it was. The hospital had been closed for three days, in order for police to investigate further and to give people time to recover emotionally from the event, and he knew Lexie had taken off two days because he hadn't seen her since.

Lexie nodded in response as she sucked in a breath, as tears rolled down her face. She knew it was pathetic to sit in a closet and hide. But she couldn't go out there. Not after how she had almost gotten killed in a hallway less than few feet away. She knew he was dead, she knew he could no longer hurt her. But the memory of it was something that would haunt her forever.

"I have a reconstructive surgery on a burn patient at twelve. You can scrub in. I'll even let you repair some of the tissue." said Mark.

Lexie shook her head in response, indicating she didn't want too. She squeezed her fists tightly together. Mark sighed as he stood up; he offered her his hand to help pull her up on to her feet.

"Come on Lexie."

"I'm not going." said Lexie in a quivering voice, the first words she had spoken since she had locked herself in the closet two hours earlier. "I'm not going out there." she said again.

"Lex." sighed Mark in frustration. "Come on. I know you're scared but…" started Mark.

"He pointed a gun to me Mark!" shouted Lexie. Mark stood there staring at her in near shock, clearly not having previously known this news. "So excuse me if I don't want to go stand in the hallways and reminisce that.

Mark opened his mouth to speak, but felt it dry and empty. He had been able to protect her the first time. Throw her on the ground and have his life taken before hers. But he hadn't been there this time.

"When?" he managed to croak out.

"When I went to the blood bank for Alex." said Lexie as her voice shook at the thought. "I was a few feet away and then he was just... I didn't…." said Lexie as her sobs started again.

Mark sighed as he fully understood now. He dropped back down to the floor and pulled Lexie into his arms. Their legs tangled as she quickly wrapped herself in his warm embrace, gripping his scrubs in security. He soothingly raked his fingers through her hair, as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, to prevent the tears he felt forming. He had almost lost her. Someone would have taken her away from him. And right now all he wanted to do was hold her tightly and never let go.

"Shh. Its okay, I'm right here. We won't go anywhere. We'll just sit here."

Mark listened as his pager went off loudly again for the third time in the last thirty minutes. He and Lexie had barely moved from their positions on the ground, except since she had calmed down slightly she no longer had a death grip on him, she was just sitting next to him. He quickly checked his pager before offering Lexie a half smile as they continued to sit in silence.

"That's the third time it's gone off." commented Lexie softly.

Mark nodded at her remark. He knew he had to go, because he had been page 911 twice and now he was just being paged for consolation, meaning the patient had pretty much been evaluated and he just needed to check in with them quickly.

"Yeah. I need to go do a quick consult." said Mark as he stood up.

"Okay. I'll be here." said Lexie with a small smile.

Mark disregarded her comment and held out his hand. She had to do this sooner or later so it might as well be now. He watched as her eyes widened in fear again.

"Mark." said Lexie. "No. I can't." said Lexie nervously.

"Come on. You can come with me to the consult and then I'll walk you to your car." said Mark as he pulled her to a standing position.

"No. I….I'm not ready." said Lexie. "And besides I didn't take a car, I walked." said Lexie.

Mark raised an eyebrow at her. He practically had her schedule memorized and knew that she had rounds this morning at six o'clock, making it that she probably had to leave Meredith's at five o'clock in order to get here on time. As much as Lexie wanted to pretend that she was a morning person, Mark knew better. You basically had to force the girl out of bed if it was before six o'clock. There was no way she was up and raring to go that early.

"You walked at five o'clock in the morning?" questioned Mark. "You?" asked Mark suspiciously.

Lexie's face immediately fell. He really knew her too well. "Yeah… I just… was up early." lied Lexie, knowing it wasn't even worth it anymore.

"Lexie." said Mark softly as he gently tucked a flyaway piece of hair tenderly behind her ear. It was still weird to see her as blonde. His Lexie was a brunette and always would be.

Lexie inhaled sharply as he touched her. She closed her eyes willing herself not to cry anymore. She refused to let Mr. Clark scare her anymore. He wasn't alive, he couldn't hurt her. She felt tears well up faster in her eyes. The image of him pointing the gun at her, fresh in her head like it had happened moments ago. Alex lying on the conference room table, bleeding out, because of her. She let out a shuddering breath.

"I can't sleep anymore." admitted Lexie as a tear escaped her eye and she forcefully brushed it away. "I can't sleep because my mind races. I seem him. Standing there, staring me down. Then I think about how Alex is in the next room, Derek got shot, Meredith had miscarriage. I just… I… I can't sleep anymore." said Lexie as tears slipped down her cheeks.

Mark sighed as he reached out to touch her cheeks and gently brushed the tears away. Lexie turned her head the other way, clearly embarrassed that she was even admitting this. He felt stupid for not seeing it sooner. You could clearly see how emotionally and physically exhausted she was. She needed sleep.

"Come on." said Mark as he kept a grip on her shoulder and led her to the door. "You'll come with me and then I'll take you back and you can crash at the apartment.

"Wha… I … I can't." stuttered Lexie nervously, not knowing anymore if she was talking about walking down the hallway or going back home with him.

"You can. I promise I'll be right there the whole time." said Mark as he opened the door.

He heard Lexie let out a nervous breath as he opened the door wider. He felt her quickly grab his arm in fear, holding it tightly in reassurance. They quickly walked past the busy nurse's station, both not caring the looks that were being thrown at them and headed towards the west wing of the hospital. He felt her slow down slightly as they approached the tiny corridor.

He could have kicked himself for how close it was to the conference room where he had been at the time. He should have checked on her. He should have gone himself. He should have protected her. Both their bodies somehow kept in motion, even though their minds were consumed with dread and fear.

"You okay?" asked Mark as they finally left the hallway and started walking towards the elevator.

"I'm okay."

Reviews make my day =)