Chapter 2

SCENE: MARK'S APARTMENT A LITTLE WHILE LATER

(Mark walks into the apartment where he sees Julia waiting.)

Julia: Hey, how was your day?

Mark: We need to talk.

Julia: Uh, okay, what's up?

Mark: I don't know how to say this-

Julia: It's okay Mark.

Mark: It is?

Julia: You're not ready to have another baby yet, I get it.

Mark: No, I mean yes, I mean- (sighs) I don't think this is going to work.

Julia: What isn't?

Mark: Us.

Julia: Did I put too much pressure on you, because I'm really fine with us not having a baby right now-

Mark: No, it's not about that.

Julia: Then what the hell is going on?

Mark: It's just-

(They're interrupted when Callie walks in.)

Julia: Callie, you have to talk to Mark for me okay? He's making a big mistake.

Callie: What's going on?

Mark: Nothing Callie, I'm fine.

Julia: He wants to break up.

Callie: What?

Mark: Julia, we do not want to have this conversation in front of Callie.

Julia: Well, I want an explanation and I don't care who's here to hear it, either way it's not going to change is it?

Mark: No, but I don't want to embarrass you.

Julia: Being dumped is embarrassing enough.

Mark: I'm not dumping you, this just isn't going to work out.

Julia: Since when? Yesterday everything was great, we were talking about a future together, what the hell changed?

Mark: (Sighs) What changed is the woman I've always loved with my whole heart told me she loved me tonight, and I love her too.

(Julia's face changes from anger to hurt and they hear the door shut. Julia turns her head to see that Callie has left.)

Mark: Look Julia-

Julia: Why?

Mark: Why what?

Julia: So many things. Why did it take Lexie so long to admit that she loved you? Why did it take you getting serious with someone else for her to finally realize it? Why did it just take her admitting that for you to throw all we had away in an instant? Why did I waste months of my life with you if you could never be in this relationship 100%? Why-(She starts to cry.) Why couldn't you love me? Just why?

Mark: Julia, (Sighs) Lexie is not a vindictive person. She didn't tell me she loves me out of jealousy. She- She didn't just tell me, she went into detail about how much she loves me, and I love her just as much. I think we've always been in love with each other but because of how much we'd gone through together we just wanted to take the easy way out and let go, but it was always there, and it's never going to go away. I'm so sorry I put you in this situation, I'm so sorry that you got hurt, but I can't be sorry for doing this because in the long run this is going to hurt less for you than it would have if we had stayed together and tried to make a future together if my heart was never 100% with you. We just would have ended up miserable for the rest of our lives because we aren't with the people we were meant for. We can't just pretend it isn't there because I feel bad enough I ended up taking months of the time you could have spent finding the one you're meant to be with, I don't want to take up anymore of your time.

Julia: But what if you are the one I'm meant to be with?

Mark: I'm not.

Julia: How do you know?

Mark: Because if I was the one for you there wouldn't be another woman I was in love with. If I was the one for you I wouldn't have had to think twice about having a baby with you, I would have just done it. If I was the one for you we would have been happy the rest of our lives together. But none of that is true. I know you will find that person Julia, you're great, but I'm not that person for you and no matter how hard we could try it won't change anything.

(Julia looks down and sighs.)

Julia: Okay, I guess this is for the best then, but I'm going to give you some advice, if you love Lexie as much as you say you do, then never let her go again. If you run into problems you better fight like hell for her, because not a lot of people are lucky enough to find what you and Lexie have, so don't take advantage of it more than you already have. I'm going to go, I'll get my stuff while you're at work tomorrow.

(She walks towards the door and Mark calls out to her.)

Mark: Julia?

Julia: (Turning her head to face him.) Yeah?

Mark: Thank you.

Julia: Well, based on your reasons for breaking up with me I guess I better thank you too.

(Julia walks out.)

A LITTLE WHILE LATER AT MEREDITH'S HOUSE

(Mark rings the doorbell and waits. A few seconds later Lexie answers the door in her pajamas.)

Lexie: What- What are you doing here?

Mark: I love you.

(Lexie looks at him shocked.)

Mark: I'm sorry, uh, about tonight, I'm sorry about kissing you and then just walking away, but I needed to figure out some things. I was surprised you know, after everything we had gone through I thought we were finished. I thought I had moved on but you telling me that made me realize that I hadn't, and I couldn't. I could never move on from you Lex, I tried, so hard, but you've always been the one for me and you always will be the one for me. But I need to know that if we do this that you're in this 100% and aren't going to walk out on me again. I know I made mistakes too but you walked away from me twice and it nearly killed me both times so-

(He is stopped when Lexie cups his face and kisses him.)

Lexie: I know, I know I was always walking away from you when things got complicated and I'm so sorry I put you through that. I don't want to screw this up again so I'm going to promise you that whenever we run into a road block we'll work through it together. I'm not going to let anything scare me away again. But you have to promise me you won't try to pressure me into something I'm not ready for. I do want kids Mark, I do, but I'm not ready yet. I'll be happy to spend time with Sofia and you and take care of her, but I'm not ready to get pregnant. I'm not saying we have to wait like 10 years. I gave up on that damn ten year plan a long time ago because, well, I never planned on you but I found you and that was great. I'm just asking you to be patient and hold onto the fact that someday we will have kids of our own, because we will. You're the only man I've ever seen as the father of my children and I'm determined to make that happen. So for now can we please just focus on the fact that we love each other and then go from there.

Mark: (Nods) I can do that.

(He kisses her again.)

Lexie: We do have a problem though.

Mark: What?

Lexie: Well, I said I love you about 15 times tonight and you've only said it once, so...

Mark: Ah, well, why don't we go up to your room and I'll tell you and show you as many times as you want?

Lexie: Mm, I like that plan.

(They walk up the stairs with Mark continuously telling her "I love you".)

A/N: Well there's the second chapter, phew, it was a long one. I wanted to get the Julia break-up out of the way and Mark and Lexie's reconciliation. I also wanted a brief period where Mark and Lexie talked about their issues and then of course a little fluff at the end. I'll try to update this and my other stories soon!