Author's Note: And I present the second chapter! Thanks to everyone who wanted to see more; the reviews helped me along :) Hope you like it...

CHAPTER 2:

"I think we should make the most of the time we have together, heartbreak or not," he whispers, eyes attached to hers. "Don't you?"

"Mark," Lexie whispers back. "I can't."

"Why not?" He asks, his fingertips still lingering on her skin.

"Because…" She shrugs, shaking her head and staring at him as if he'd supply her with an answer. "I just…can't."

Mark stares back at her. "Do I have to ask again?" He waits for her to respond, but she doesn't. "It's a simple question, Lex."

"I…" She twists her head away from his fingers, looking over her shoulder briefly. He knows she's thinking about the resident they'd just scrubbed out with, but if he's the reason Mark wants to hear her say it. He wants to have her admit the reason why she can't be with him out loud so he can prove her wrong. He may not be the best guy, but for her, he's better than Avery. For her, he's better than anyone. And she should know that. Mark frowns slightly as she turns back to him. By now, she should know that.

"What?" Lexie asks, seeing the look on his face.

"I'm still waiting for an answer," Mark replies. Lexie stares at him for a couple seconds before shrugging her shoulders.

"There isn't an answer."

"Exactly."

"Exactly what?"

"Exactly, as in: if there isn't an answer there isn't any reason why you should be sidestepping this and looking for a way out. You should come back." He levels his gaze with hers. "To me."

Lexie sighs heavily, but never lets her eyes leave his. "It isn't that easy. It's not the same as before."

"I realize that. That's why I'm standing here, offering. Asking. I want you back."

"You aren't the same."

"I know."

"There's a baby."

"I know."

"I don't want to take care of a baby," Lexie tells him. Mark swallows, licking his lips quickly. Is she saying…

"You…wouldn't have to," he replies hesitantly, choosing his words carefully. "She's not your baby."

"Yes, I know. She's yours. And Callie's."

"I—" Mark begins defensively before realizing her voice didn't carry an accusation, not anymore. "Yes. She is." He pauses, trying to piece all of this together before he speaks. "Lex, are you trying to say that—"

"It wouldn't be the same."

"What?"

"It wouldn't be the same," Lexie replies softly. "You—you and me, it wouldn't be the same. You have a kid, a real kid, to take care of now. We can't be—couldn't be…what we were."

It's a few seconds before Mark manages to speak again. Can't, he thinks hopefully, catching onto the way she had to correct herself to make it seem as if she weren't debating their precarious future in real terms. She said can't. He knows any wrong verbal (or physical, for that matter) misstep could cost him everything. So he takes his time.

"That's okay," he finally says. "Things change. People change. We can…we can adapt to that." A smile flickers lightly on the edge of his lips as his mind brings forth an old memory. He reaches out slowly, leaning forward and running his fingers over the back of her left hand. "We can adapt to that, right?" He asks as her eyes meet his and his hand falls away, despite the barely-there ghost of a smile on her face. "It might not be hostile, but it's something different. And we could…we could deal with it. If we tried."

"Mark…"

"I just want to try," he cuts in earnestly. "That's all. Can't you just try? With me, for me? Can you try?"

"I don't—"

"Please, Lex."

Lexie sighs, keeping her eyes closed as she speaks. "Jackson and I—"

"You can't seriously want to be with him," Mark cuts in, his face grave.

"I don't know who I want to be with," Lexie replies, slightly defensive as she opens her eyes.

"He's an ass."

"You're just jealous," Lexie tells him, looking away.

"Yes, I am," Mark replies truthfully, staring intently at her. Lexie looks up; she had meant the accusation simply as a passing comment, not something to be fixated on. "I'm jealous that he gets to be with you and I don't. I'm jealous that you picked him over me—"

"I didn't pick anyone," Lexie cuts in heatedly.

"Still," Mark continues. "You're with him and not me. So I'm allowed to be jealous, since I wish I were in his place."

"Just a few months ago you were in his place," Lexie notes quietly.

"I know. And I'd do anything to go back."

"Why?" Lexie asks, laughing.

"So I could change things."

"Ah," Lexie nods faux-sagely. "Wear a condom this time."

"That's not what I meant," Mark replies patiently. "If I could go back, I'd stop you from ever leaving."

"You couldn't have stopped me."

"I could have tried."

"It wouldn't have worked."

"You don't know that."
"It could've worked," Mark insists.

"No, it couldn't have,"Lexie tells him. "I don't want kids and I especially don't want them if they're yours but not mine."

"Lex—"

"There was nothing you could have said to make me stay," Lexie informs him. "Not after what you did." Mark cocks his head to the side, surveying her.

"And what about now?" He asks quietly after a few seconds. "Is there anything I can say now to get you to stay?"

Lexie looks away, simultaneously searching for an answer to throw him off the scent but also trying to avoid looking at him. She knows the longer she stays silent, the longer she's here alone with him, the easier it'll be for her to spill her feelings. And that won't help anything.

"No. No," Lexie replies with a bit too much force. "I'm not going through this again just to break up in a few weeks when you impregnate someone else."

"I'm never going to sleep with anyone else."

"Hm," Lexie replies, pretending to ponder his statement. "Why don't I believe you?" Her eyes light up. "Ah! Maybe because I know you're lying."

"I am not lying," Mark insists. "You're it. You're the only person I want to be with."

"Right, until you find someone else that catches your eye."

"Lex," Mark sighs. "There isn't anyone else for me. You know by now that I lov—"

"Don't!" Lexie cuts in hotly.

"What?" Mark asks, crossing his arms and finally losing patience. "Why can't I say it? Why can't I say that I l—"

"I said don't," Lexie interrupts. "I'm tired of having you lie right to my face."

"When have I ever lied to your face?" Lexie crosses her arms, pursing her lips. "No, really, think about it," Mark encourages her. "When have I ever lied to you? I've done some shitty things, I know, but I've never lied to you. I've always told you the truth. Maybe it was a little belated, but I've never kept anything from you. I've never not told you anything."

"You never told me you slept with Callie," Lexie replies after a moment.
"That's because I didn't think it mattered."

"And did it?"

"It didn't at the time. It was…a moment of weakness at the time. And after…we both knew it was a mistake. Until she told me she was pregnant, I wasn't going to tell you because it wasn't anything. It didn't matter to me and it didn't matter to her. You and I were broken up. It wasn't anything."

"It wasn't anything, but it changed everything."

"I know that."

"You can't seriously expect me to come back to you after that," Lexie states mockingly.

"Well, why not?" Mark asks earnestly. "It's not like I fell in love with Callie or something. It's not like I continued to sleep with her while we were together or broken up. It was a one-time thing—"

"—That has a lifetime of repercussions, Mark!" Lexie shouts, unable to listen to him downplay it any longer. She shakes her head, angry at herself for yelling. Don't let him get to you, she tells herself, wishing she could heed her own advice. "Look, I have to go," Lexie manages, already turning towards the door. "I understand that you're trying here but I'm not ready—"

She breaks off as she feels his hand on her arm. Lexie sighs slightly, pivoting her body ever so slightly just so she can see his face. "You don't have to be ready," Mark tells her softly, an honest look in his eye. "You just have to want what I want." He pauses, swallowing. "And I know you do."

"Making assumptions that you have no business making will not get you anywhere," Lexie tells him.

"They aren't assumptions," Mark argues in a low voice. "They're the truth." She opens her mouth to protest, but Mark, having seen it coming, continues anyway. "Just think back, Lex. Look, I know you're with Avery and everything's great but—hasn't even a small part of you missed me?"

"No," Lexie replies a little too firmly.
"Hasn't a small part of you wished we were together even after everything that's happened?" Mark presses.

"No," Lexie replies, but her voice falters slightly.

"Doesn't a small part of you want to see me like you used to?" Mark asks, stepping closer. "Doesn't a small part of you still want to be with me?" His hand reaches up to hold her cheek lightly. "Doesn't a small part of you still hurt when you think of me?" He tilts his head down towards hers, so their eyes—and lips—are just centimeters apart. "Doesn't a small part of you—doesn't any part of you—still love me?" His breath warms her face. "Even a little?" Mark asks. "Cause I can work with any—"

But Mark's voice is silenced as Lexie's lips reach up of their own accord to cover his, drawing him into a deep and long-awaited kiss. Mark has no choice but to return the kiss with equal (if not greater) fervor. After a few more breathless kisses, the two pull away from each other reluctantly. As Lexie looks into his eyes, Mark gazes down at her, so many questions on the tip of his tongue. He settles for the most important.

"So you love me?" He asks quietly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Stop asking me that," Lexie replies softly, glancing down.

"Why?" Mark asks, his voice oddly pained, hoping this wasn't all some sort of ruse. How could she—

"Because," Lexie replies with a small smile and raising her eyes to his, "you should already know the answer."

Mark stares at her, relief spreading across his face, for a moment before he ducks down and captures her lips once again with his own. Lexie steps closer to him, returning the kiss and wrapping her arms around the man she's sure she won't ever leave again, no matter what lies ahead of them.

Fin

Author's Note: Please review and tell me what you think! Fingers crossed for Grey's this week. :)