"Get out. Now. Of my life, of his and of this house."THOSE words were ringing in Derek's ears like a mind game that he was forced to play. It stung him so hard and the pain he was feeling right now wasn't something he would want to experience in the days to come.

"Get out. Now. Of my life, of his and of this house."

He wanted her to be happy more than anything, after all she's been through, that was what she deserved but he always pictured himself giving her the happily ever after she's always wanted. Not Mark Sloan, the infamous manwhore of New York.

He hardly talked to her, but he would see the signs. Maybe they were growing apart, that was all. He saw the spark in Mark's eyes, when he defended Meredith like that. It was the same thing others claimed to see in him when he was with Meredith. It couldn't be....

"Get out. Now. Of my life, of his and of this house."

Being out of her life meant that she was out of his. He couldn't stand that. She was his world and now, pride wouldn't let him apologize and try to fix things.

There was always the morning, right? He still had another chance with her. Just wait for her, and not push her. He had heard some wise words before: He was a better person than Mark would ever be but Mark was better at mending hearts.

Their friendship was over the day he found Mark in bed with Addison but they had tried to rebuild it. He wondered why Meredith would go to Mark. Relief, perhaps? Or because of a real connection between the two people.

No worries. There was always the morning right?

Derek noticed Alex and Izzie get off the elevator. Izzie offered him a polite smile and Alex didn't even acknowledge his presence. He wondered if the knew about Mark and Meredith, he seriously doubted it because it would have spread by then. He ignored the pair because they were a constant reminder of Meredith.

In fact, everything in this hospital was a reminder of Meredith. Her friends, her scary resident, those elevators, that exam room, and much much more.

Derek headed off to his office, trying to find a case which would get his mind off of the blonde resident. Good luck with that.

________________________________________________________

"He was weird." Alex chuckled. Izzie playfully hit his arm.

"Be nice."

"No, I'm just saying. That's not what you suspect from a famous surgeon who probably would get more famous by tomorrow."

"Hmm. Yeah, but it's not your business. Just ignore it Alex." Izzie scolded.

"Fine, fine."

__________________________________________________________

"Are you sure you're okay?" Meredith asked once more.

"Yes Mer. I'm a doctor too you know." He chuckled.

"Yeah, but I'm just worried. That's all."

"Don't worry, I won't get less sexier just because of a bruise on my face." He laughed.

"Well then, thank god. I thought I would have to leave you because of course, looks are everything right?"

"Exactly. You could be the brains of this relationship."

"Funny." Meredith said in a sarcastic tone.

"I'm just messing with you." He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, he kissed her lightly on the lips and smiled. "You're adorable when your pissed, you know that?"

"Ain't I adorable all the time?"

"Who's cocky now, huh?" He laughed.

"Scared you have competition?"

"Me? Never." He kissed her once more and she kindly obliged. She opened her mouth slowly to grant him entrance. She pulled away and elicited a moan.

"You like that?" He teased, nipping at her neck causing her to gasp. She pushed her knee against his manhood. He growled.

"Not as much as you like that." She smirked. She straddled his hips and kissed him harder and faster. He did the same with even more passion.

His eyes burned with lust and desire. If he could have it his way, he would have done her right then but he respected to wait for her call.

Ding-dong.

Mark groaned. Meredith laughed at his horny actions.

"Mer?" Alex shouted.

"I'm up here!" She replied.

"Great, we'll come up there?" Izzie said. Mark shook his head no. He didn't want them to find out like this.

"Uhh. No! I'll just come down, I've got to tell you guys something."

"Kay"

They both descended the stairs slowly. Both Izzie and Alex were rendered speechless when they saw Meredith's companion. They never thought that she would go that far. They knew that she had a thing for him and vice versa but they didn't know that they had finally got together.

"You're not pregnant are you?" Izzie blurted out. Meredith spit out the water she was previously drinking.

"Of course not!" Meredith and Mark shouted. They were suprised by Izzie's spontaneous accusation.

"I got in big trouble today." She started slowly.

"Yeah and?" Alex didn't like where this was going.

"I got fired."

"WHAT?!" Izzie exclaimed.

"You heard me... I got fired." Meredith repeated, her voice already quivering.

"How did that happen?" Alex said, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"I lied okay? I did a second surgery, risking both mine and Derek's career." Meredith said, ashamed. She felt irresponsible and careless and all she wanted was for that intense feeing to go away.

"So? Sorry Iz, but cutting a LVAD wire is worse. So why now?" Alex asked curiously. He looked over at his friend and frowned. He couldn't believe that something like this was happening to his own friends.

"Apparently, it was the hospital board watching over clinical trials. So put two and two together, you get four." She stated. Alex looked away from her and just stared into space. Izzie was the first one to break the awkward silence.

"So Mark?" Izzie said, tears starting to brim her eyes.

"Yeah, he offered to take me to New York for a couple of months." She looked up at Mark and smiled gratefully at him.

"When--when are you leaving?" Alex asked, still slightly speechless.

"We booked a flight out tomorrow." Mark said, rubbing Meredith's back softly. He knew how hard this was for her, but he didn't know how to help her. That was what hurt him the most.

"That soon?"

"Sorry, there was nothing we could do, Alex."

"How could you be so stupid?" Alex said raising his voice. Mark glared at him and Meredith refused to look him in the eye.

"Alex!" Izzy hissed.

"No, I'm serious! You know by experience that just because you love someone can't mean that you'd risk everything!"

"What the hell do you mean?" Meredith glared.

"You did this all do impress Derek right! Ever think of the people who would be affected?!"

"Don't you dare Alex. I didn't even do this for Derek! I did this to save lives. I can't even look at you right now." Meredith exclaimed, raising her hands in the air. Izzie and Mark shot him death glares, as if to tell him to shut up. Unfortunately, Alex didn't get the idea.

"It was a selfish decision." He said, instantly regretting.

"So now doing my job is selfish? Saving lives is selfish? I guess that makes all of us now, huh?" She said sarcastically.

"You know what I mean Meredith. Don't try to twist this around." He snapped right back.

"How the hell am I twisting this Alex?! I'm telling the truth. You don't have an idea what went on between these patients. Because they were MINE. This was MY clinical trial. This was MY choice." She sighed. "You know what? You're a jackass." Meredith said, storming up to her room. Izzie glared at Alex and all he could do was slide back down in his seat. He knew she had a point but he let the rage overthrow his conscience.

"Don't you EVER talk to her like that again, you hear me Karev?" Mark growled.

"This is my home, my life. You can't control me outside the hospital. You know that right?" He rolled his eyes. He was so close to getting Mark's fist into his face but he couldn't help but snap.

Mark banged his fist on the table, Izzie shook with fear."You don't ever talk to her like that. Not because I said so, but because she's your friend and she deserves respect." He glared. "She deserves for you to at least give her some sympathy! She's right, you have no idea what went on in that room. She made the wrong decision. So what? We all make tremendous mistakes. Mistakes that can hurt other people too. But she has enough weight on her shoulders, she doesn't need the man who she calls one of her best friend adding to that." With one last look, Mark went up the stairs to comfort Meredith.

"Apologize. Now." Izzie demanded.

"For what? Telling the truth?"

"Alex."

"You're not my mom. And Sloan definitely isn't my dad."

"But Mer is your friend. You're her big brother." She said quietly. "She trusts you, Alex. She's having a hard time right now. And you certainly shouldn't have said all those things about Derek. You don't know why she decided on doing the clinical trial."

Alex remained silent.

"Fine. I'm going to go up there, just check on her. Try and cool off okay?"

He never did reply.

_____________________________________________________________

"Hey." Izzie whispered to nobody in particular.

"Hey Izz." Meredith said, trying to smile.

"You doing okay?"

"You know the answer to that." Meredith said rolling her eyes. She patted down the corner of the bed, signaling for her to sit down.

"Eww. You had sex with Mark in this bed!" Izzie exclaimed. Meredith just laughed.

"You think we were what? Reading a book?" She laughed, Izzie sat down on the bed anyway though cringing once she did.

"Yeah. I guess so. You know you can tell me anything right?"

"Yes. What do you mean though?"

"Nothing. It's just that, we aren't as close as you are to Christina. She's your person after all." Izzie frowned. Christina and Meredith's closeness made her feel like an outsider, she was somehow jealous because what she had with George was nothing compared to what Meredith had with Christina.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I like you less, Izz."

"I just assumed."

"I don't blame you though. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you like you were for me." Meredih said sadly. Her eyes brimmed with tears, she wasn't sure how she was going to survive without Izzie's positivity in her life. She was going to miss her, a lot.

"Having you as a friend was good enough."

"I'll miss you. A lot. From your smile, to your cooking even to the smell of your shampoo." Meredith giggled.

"You too. Lavender right? It reminds me of my daughter." She smiled.

"Glad to be some use."

"You were one of the best friend I could ever ask for. Don't think otherwise, Mer."

"I won't if you won't." She smiled.

"Promise."

"Promise." Meredith replied and pulled Izzie in for a hug.

"It's going to suck so much without you, you know that?" Izzie whimpered.

"Of course it is." Meredith laughed.

"Mark seems to be rubbing off on you." She teased.

"I guess." Meredith said silently.

"Hey now, Derek has no right to get mad. He was the one that decided to date other people, right?"

"Yeah, but Mark... He's different and I can't help feel that he might just up and leave sometime soon." Meredith worried.

"Mer... Don't say that okay? I can see that he likes you a lot and thats something coming from him."

"You think?"

"I know." Izzie smiled as she squeezed her arm. "I'll get going. You better get some sleep."

"Yeah mom." Meredith joked.

____________________________________________________________________________

Izzie headed over to Alex. She noticed Mark staring at on picture in particular, one with Meredith's face was glowing. She could see the corners of his lips curl upwards into a smile. She smiled, it was no doubt, Mark Sloan was whipped.

"ALEX" She hissed. He was startled.

"What?!"

"Get up there. Apologize. Say goodbye. I don't care, just as long as you two are okay before she leaves."

"Why can't she apologize?"

"Cause she's having a hard time."

"Ain't I entitled to having a hard time too? The thing with Ava?" He glared. Izzie felt like he had slapped her across the face but she knew that he wasn't meaning to insult her.

"Why are you so stubborn?! She's our friend. You did something worse, you accused her for something she didn't even do." Izzie said. She had a point and she knew it, Alex knew that he should do something to fix this... argument, but he wasn't sure how. He wasn't sure he could handle losing a friend and admitting that he was wrong.

"How do you know that she's not lying?" He said sarcastically. "For all you know she did start the clinical trial just to get close to Derek again." Alex immediately regretted opening his mouth. Izzie glared at him angrily.

"How do you know she IS lying?"

"Ughh."

"Please Alex. Please. Please. Please. She's leaving and we have no idea when she's coming back. Don't you want it to be on good accounts?"

"I guess."

"So apologize."

"Fine." He whined. He stomped upstairs and waited in front of the door. He noticed Meredith packing her things in her large suitcase, but not with out seeing the tears falling down her face.

He reluctantly walked inside and held her arm. She looked up at him and her expression had not changed. He then hugged her tightly and she returned the embrace.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you like that." Alex said, letting go of her.

"It's okay. I understand."

"Yeah, I was really mad. I couldn't stand that I had to lose another friend. You know that right?"

"Yes. I know exactly how that feels. Believe me, you weren't the first one."

"You don't deserve this." He said looking into her eyes.

"People get what they deserve?" She said quite bitterly.

"Just because it doesn't always happen doesn't mean it won't."

"What are the chances of it happening to me?"

"A lot Mer, you survived a bomb. You almost drowned, but yet your still alive and breathing. You survived Derek and all his dramas. You survived Izzie and her incredible baking." He laughed. "And you're going to keep on surviving."

"Did you get what you deserved?"

"Yeah. To make up for everything, now I have a family I've never had before. I have people who I can rely on and show my real self to, Mer. I have Christina, George, Izzie, and you. That is enough to make up for the crap I've been through."

Meredith was speechless "I got you don't I?"

"You still do, Mer." He smiled.

"I'll always be there too."

"If asses need kicking, you know where to find me." He half-joked. Meredith giggled.

"Yeah Alex."

"Love you." He said giving her one last hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"Love you too, Lex." She said hugging him back. He headed towards the door, but he turned back quickly.

"Hey Mer. You know what makes me love you guys and hate you at the same time?"

"What Alex?"

"I swore myself that I wouldn't get close to anyone because I know that it will always end in tears. But I got close to you guys, you made me lower down my guard and become the most vulnerable I've ever been in my life. But no matter what I will always love you guys. I can't see myself anywhere without you, Iz, Christina and even George."

"Thanks Alex." She smiled.

___________________________

Alex headed downstairs. He saw Mark on the coach looking into space.

"You love her don't you?" He asked bluntly.

"Don't you?" Mark answered.

"That's different. You know that."

"It's hard not to love her."

"I know how you feel. She's incredibly stubborn and headstrong, but her laugh will make you all giddy."

"Yeah. Everytime I see her... she's indescribable." He mumbled.

"Just..."

"Don't leave her? That's what everyone is telling me."

"No, I meant don't assume around her. You never know what she'll want. Her feelings change in an instant. Don't assume, ask first. And I want to contradict to what those idiots have been saying, if your bad for her. If you know she'll be better off. IF SHE DOES NOT WANT YOU THERE, I want you to get the hell away from her. Move to Alaska for all I care."

"Wow. Thanks. That's really comforting."

"You're welcome." Alex laughed.

__________________________________

He headed up to her room and sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair. He laid down beside the tiny sleeping figure and snaked his arms around her waist. He had never ever felt so comfortable with a woman in his life like he did right now with Meredith.

Maybe things were meant to be unperfect. Maybe things didn't always go as planned. Maybe things would turn out to be the right thing.

Life wasn't in anyway perfect and yet, he felt things were. He thought about how unperfect they met. She was just a girl in the bar, and he a guy in the bar. They were impossibly drunk but they managed to have the best sex in Mark Sloan's life.

"Mmmm." Meredith stirred, turning to face him. She laid her head on his chest and went back to sleep. He put his head in her hair and inhaled her beautiful scent of lavender.

"I think I'm falling in love with you Meredith Grey."

second chapter! please review!