Thanks everyone for all of the reviews/follows/favourites! I'm glad you guys like the story so much. I will be adding Kylie Shepherd to the character database so check it out! Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy! READ!ENJOY!REVIEW!


She felt the cool, crisp air hit her face and she knew that it would start raining soon—after all, she grew up here and a fellow Seattleite could always tells when the rain was coming. She squinted as she tried to make out any sign of her sister in the crowd. She instinctively pulled out her umbrella when she felt a raindrop on her head, knowing that those small drops would turn into something more very soon. She couldn't believe she was back in this place and frankly she wish she didn't have to be here. She'd much rather be at home with her daughter but this was her father—her father who didn't really have anyone else besides his much younger wife, Danielle. Molly never stayed in one place for long because she refused to be one of those army wives who stayed at home and waited for their husbands. Where Eric went, Molly and the kids went too. Meredith wasn't really an option, seeing how she and Thatcher never really resolved their issues. Sure she tried to see him once every few months but it still wasn't the ideal father/daughter relationship. Lexie ran a hand through her cropped hair and couldn't help but miss her longer hair—maybe she'd grow it out again.

"Aunt Lexie!" She heard a voice call. She looked towards the direction of the voice and smiled upon seeing her niece coming towards her.

"Hi, Kylie," Lexie said as she hugged the teenager. It had only been six months since she'd last seen her niece but she looked different. She'd grown a few inches and was slightly curvier. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy bun and her green eyes were bright with excitement. "Where's your mom?"

"In the car; she didn't want to get out in the rain," Kylie laughed as she patted her soaked hair. She looked behind her aunt and frowned. "Where's Andy?"

"I'm sorry Kylie but I left her at home." Lexie explained.

"Alone?"

"Of course not," Lexie chuckled. "I trust her but not that much. She is still a teenager. She's staying with a friend."

"Bummer!" Kylie grimaced. "I was looking forward to seeing her since I'm on punishment and have virtually no contact with anyone besides my parents and friends at school."

"Sorry, kid," Lexie said sympathetically. Kylie began to lead Lexie to the car. "How long are you grounded for?"

"I don't really know," She rolled her eyes. "Mom and dad can't come to a agreement on how long my punishment should be."

"Let me guess," Lexie said knowingly. "Your dad thinks your mom is being too lenient."

"Like always," Kylie said looking at Lexie. "Dad is way too harsh sometimes. I don't know how they can call someone as ruthless as him Mc Dreamy."

"They still call him that?" Lexie furrowed her eyebrows.

"Only the interns and nurses."

"He isn't as bad as he seems," Lexie told her as she put her hand on Kylie's shoulder. "He's just being a dad."

"I guess." Kylie mumbled as they reached the car. She grabbed Lexie's bag and put it in the backseat where she was also sitting. Lexie climbed into the front seat and saw her sister grinning at her. Lexie looked between Meredith and Kylie.

"Why is your mother looking at me like that?" Lexie asked nervously.

"Because I missed you, silly!" Meredith said as she playfully slapped Lexie's arm. She started the car and the airport was getting farther away from them. "Of course I wish the circumstances were better." Meredith said grimly.

"How's he doing?" Lexie asked quietly as she looked at the raindrops rolling down the window.

"He's fine for now," Meredith said. "Kylie, hand your aunt that envelope under the seat, please." Kylie handed the envelope to her aunt and sat back to listen to her ipod.

"Are these his films?" Lexie asked as she aggressively opened it.

"Yeah." Meredith nodded.

"Oh God." Lexie said as she put her hand to her mouth. She knew it was bad but seeing it made it real.

"Lex, are you okay?" Meredith asked sympathetically.

"I don't know." Lexie said honestly as she let out a heavy sigh. Her father was the only parent she had left; sure they had their problems for a time but those were nothing compared to all of the joys they had together during Lexie's forty-three years of life.

"You'll get through this," Meredith said reassuringly. "I'll help you get through this." She gave her sister a soft smile.

"Thanks." Lexie said kindly.


"It's something." Lexie said impressed as Meredith and Kylie gave her a tour of the house. She had seen pictures but this was her first time seeing it in person.

"I still miss the old house sometimes." Meredith commented wistfully.

"Lots of good times in that house," Lexie said longingly. "Even though I lived in the attic."

"The attic?" Kylie question, looking between her aunt and her mom.

"It was the only space at that time." Meredith shrugged.

"It wasn't as bad as it sounds," Lexie told her niece. "I had some really good times up there." Lexie stressed.

"Yeah," Meredith snigggereed. "With Mark." She added, causing Lexie to give her a sharp look.

"Wait? Uncle Mark?" Kylie said as her eyes bulged.

"Yes," Lexie sighed. "We dated for a bit."

"Dated!" Meredith said incredulously. "You two were the love of each others—"

"Alright, alright." Lexie silenced her.

"Wow," Kylie beamed. "How did Uncle Mark ever let a girl like you go?"

"I…I don't really know if that's an appropriate topic." Lexie muttered.

"O c'mon," Kylie whined. "I'm fifteen, not five."

"That's enough of trying to explore your aunt's love life." Meredith interjected. She could see how uncomfortable Lexie was getting with the conversation.

"You mean lack of." Kylie said under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Lexie said, feigning to be hurt.

"Sorry, Aunt Lexie but you've gotta get back out there," Kylie said encouragingly. "Andy is concerned for your social life."

"And how often do you girls talk about my social life?" Lexie wondered.

"It comes up in almost every conversation we have." She squeaked.

"I've really become pathetic," Lexie said shaking her head as she looked at Meredith. "My daughter and niece talk about my lack of love life."

"That is pretty pathetic," Meredith chuckled. "I could set you up while you're here!"

"Mere—" Lexie started to protest but was cut off by Kylie.

"That's a great idea mom." Kylie said as she smiled.

"No," Lexie said shaking her head. "No dates. I'm just here to see dad, nothing more." Lexie couldn't believe that her daughter, sister, and niece desperately wanted her to get back to dating. Didn't they understand that she was a surgeon and a single mother? When the hell would she have time to add dating to the itinerary?

"If you say so." Meredith said, rolling her eyes.

"I do say so."

"Well that's that Kylie," Meredith said looking over at her daughter. "Let's get dinner started." Meredith said as she rushed to the kitchen.

"She still tries to cook?" Lexie asked Kylie unbelievably.

"Only when I'm here," Kylie laughed. "Is it sad that I'm a better cook than my mother?"

"Very." Lexie said as she and Kylie walked into the kitchen to help Meredith.


"I don't think I've ever cooked anything so delicious." Meredith bragged as she cleared the table.

"Maybe because you had two people who knew what they were doing." Lexie teased, causing Kylie to laugh.

"You two love to spoil my fun." Meredith grumbled as she rinsed the dishes and put them into the sink.

"Excuse me," Lexie said as her phone started to ring. She got up from the table and walked into the hallway. "Hi Andy."

"Hi mom," Her daughter's voice sounded through the other end. "Have you seen grandpa yet?"

"No," Lexie sighed. "I'm going to go first thing in the morning. How's everything over there? Are you behaving yourself for Chelsea's parents?"

"Yes mother," Andy said annoyed. "How's Aunt Mer, Uncle Derek, and Kylie?"

"Aunt Mer and Kylie are fine," Lexie said happily. "I haven't seen Uncle Derek yet. He's still at the hospital."

"Oh," Andy sighed. "I didn't want anything—"

"Is something the matter?" Lexie asked concerned.

"No," Andy mumbled. "I just…I'm worried about grandpa." Andy said truthfully.

"I know sweetheart but I don't want you to worry about it, okay?"

"Alright." Andy conceded.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," Lexie imitated a kiss. "I love you."

"Love you too."

"Goodnight."

"Night mom." Andy said before hanging up the phone. Lexie sighed as she put her phone in her back pocket and walked into the living room. She looked at all of the pictures that covered the mantle. There were various ones of Kylie at different ages, some of all three of the Shepherds, there was one with Kylie, Meredith, Lexie, and Andy. Out of all of the pictures that Lexie looked at, one in particular caught her eye. It was one with Derek, Kylie, a girl who Lexie assumed was Sofia, and Mark. Lexie stared at the picture longingly and couldn't help but think there should be another daughter in that photo.

"He's not here," Meredith announced her presence as she stepped into the room. "He's out of town doing a surgery."

"Oh," Lexie said quietly. "I…I don't know why you would think to tell me that."

"Come off it," Meredith said as she stepped closer to Lexie. "If I saw my ex after sixteen years with unresolved issues—"

"We don't have unresolved issues, Meredith."

"You've always been a terrible liar." Meredith snorted.

"Just drop it Mer," Lexie sighed. "He's moved on and so have I."

"Really?"

"You know what I mean," Lexie said tensely. "Where's Kylie?" Lexie said, changing the subject.

"She's upstairs getting ready for bed."

"Well then," Lexie said. "You can show me to my room."

"We aren't done talking about this." Meredith said as she exited the room with Lexie in tow.

"There's nothing left to talk about." Lexie said exasperated.

"You and I both know that's a lie."

"He had a baby, I had a baby. We. Moved. On."

"Just because you move on from someone doesn't mean you've stopped loving that person," Meredith said pointedly. "Trust me, I know."

"I appreciate your advice but really, Mark is no longer my concern and he hasn't been for sixteen years."

"Okay," Meredith decided to end the conversation. She wished her sister wasn't so damn stubborn but that was a characteristic of a Grey. "I already put your towel in the bathroom. Night." Meredith said before starting to shut the door but she stopped. "I didn't mean to upset you Lex." Meredith gave her a small smile.

"You didn't upset me," Lexie sighed as she set her bag down. "I know you're just pushing it because you're stubborn as hell and have always pushed since I met you."

"Is that what you think I'm doing, pushing you? I just want you to be happy Lexie."

"I am," Lexie said truthfully. "Andy is all I need to be happy."

"But what about when Andy goes off and starts her own life?"

"Maybe I'll date again, maybe I won't and I'm perfectly okay with that." Lexie said softly.

"You've changed." Meredith observed.

"How?"

"Let's just say…your heart no longer lives in your vagina." Meredith laughed.

"Shut up!" Lexie laughed. "It never did."

"Yeah it did," Meredith said smugly. "Night." Meredith said quickly before her sister could protest her statement.

"I wish she'd stop saying that." Lexie mumbled before she went into the bathroom to take a shower and go to bed; tomorrow was going to be a long day.


Since she was a surgeon, sleep was hard to come by and it was considered a blessing if she even got five hours of sleep. It had always been like that and even worse when Andy was a baby—she would stay up for two days straight when Andy was a newborn. So of course her constant worries about her father's condition would deter her sleep. Around five o'clock in the morning she decided to get up and make a cup of coffee. She was so involved in brewing the coffee and thinking about her father that she didn't hear Derek walk in, causing her to spill the coffee when she turned around and came face to face with him.

"Sorry Lexie." Derek chuckled as he grabbed a piece of paper towel from the counter and proceeded to clean the mess.

"It's okay," Lexie smiled. "It's good to see you. How'd your surgery go?"

"I lost him." Derek muttered.

"Sorry," Lexie grimaced. "Sometimes I wish I would've picked a specialty with a lower mortality rate." Lexie had chosen neuro as her specialty because she just found the brain beautiful and fascinating. She contemplated going into plastics since Mark had taught her so many of the sutures but decided to go with what she was passionate about.

"Same," Derek agreed. "I checked on your dad before I left."

"And?" Lexie asked, slightly concerned.

"He's comfortable for now," Derek said softly. "But it's pretty aggressive."

"So you don't think he has much time." Lexie stated grimly.

"You know we can never tell for sure," Derek sighed. "Maybe a month, maybe three." He shrugged.

"I'm acting like I'm not a doctor." Lexie chuckled.

"When it's someone close I feel like we throw all of our medical training out the window and go straight into family mode." Derek explained as he put his hand on Lexie's shoulder.

"Thanks Derek." Lexie said warmly. She'd always appreciated his advice; it made her feel like she had a big brother in her corner—even if that big brother was best friends with the father of her child.

"No problem," He yawned. "I'm going to head to bed. I'll see you later tonight since I have the day off."

"Alright."

"You should try to get back to sleep."

"Can't," She stifled a yawn. "I'm too worried about dad." She admitted.

"I know he's all you have left but don't forget that you always have Meredith and I." Derek winked before leaving the kitchen. Lexie smiled after him and thought how lucky she was to have a sister and brother-in-law that cared so much. She sighed as she poured some more coffee in her cup and looked out the window. The view was calming and Lexie needed calmness so she decided to step outside and watch the sunrise. Sure she had built a life in Boston but Seattle was home. It's where she was born, learned to ride her bike, lost her virginity, and a number of other life memories that she could recount due to her photographic memory. Besides her life with Andy and getting her education from Harvard, Boston was just another city she had lived in but it wasn't home and it never really felt like it.


After Meredith and Kylie woke up, Lexie wasn't surprised that the only thing being served for breakfast were Jimmy Dean Breakfast sandwiches and fruit; some things hadn't changed one bit about Meredith. After "breakfast", Lexie, Meredith, and Kylie piled in the car. Meredith dropped Kylie off at school and then she and Lexie drove to the hospital. Lexie's eyed studied the entrance and couldn't help but notice that besides a subtly different shade of paint and more opaque glass, the hospital still looked the same. They stepped onto the elevator and they were the only two occupants on it until a hand quickly stopped it.

"Morning Mer—Lexie?" Callie Torres questioned her eyes landed on Lexie.

"Hello Callie." Lexie gave the latina a small smile. She never blamed Callie for getting pregnant so she was still nice and polite. Before Sloane entered the picture, Callie, Arizona, Mark, and her had become very friendly with each other. Lexie looked at Callie and noted that she had put on a few more pounds( but it didn't take away from her beauty), her hair was still black and it came down to her shoulders.

"What're you doing here?" She asked as the elevator started to move.

"My father—"

"Oh yeah," Callie cut her off. "I'm so sorry. I hope he gets better."

"Thanks," Lexie said. "How's it going?"

"Busy," Callie sighed. "Raising a teen and being a surgeon is a handful," Callie chuckled. Lexie knew all too well how that felt but at least Callie had help from two people; Lexie was a single mother through and through. "You married?"

"Uh…no," Lexie shook her head. "Never could find the right guy."

"That's a shame. I always thought you were a great girl."

"Thanks."Lexie said as the elevator stopped and they all got off.

"Will you be in town long?" Callie wondered. "Maybe we could go to Joe's and catch up."

"I don't really know how long I'll be here but I'll be sure to let you know." Lexie didn't really want to have drinks with Callie but this answer was less rude.

"Okay," Callie seemed to accept that answer. "See you around."

"You too." Lexie smiled.

"That went smoothly." Meredith teased.

"Shut up." Lexie elbowed her sister.

"Lexipedia!" Both sisters turned to see Alex coming towards them.

"Hey Alex." Lexie said as she awkwardly put her hands in her back pocket.

"Mer said you were coming but I didn't believe it." He chuckled. Lexie looked at him and he looked the same except his face had aged slightly and his hair was slightly peppered but other than that, he had no other signs of being forty plus.

"Yeah…I'm here."

"It's been like sixteen years," Alex did the mental math in his head. "It took your old man having cancer to get you here, eh?"

"Alex!" Meredith said as she swatted his shoulder. Lexie laughed as she realized that nothing had really changed at Seattle Grace-Mercy West. Despite having a family, Alex Karev was still a douche and the nurses probably still gossiped like mad. Had she always been too mature for this place?

"I'm just saying," He shrugged. "Maybe we can all get drinks later?" Alex suggested.

"Maybe." Lexie said nonchalantly.

"You've changed," Alex observed. "What specialty did you end up choosing?"

"Neuro."

"Badass." Alex said smugly.

"Okay," Meredith said loudly. "Get out the way. Lex needs to see our dad. That was her reason for coming here."

"Right, right. It's a good thing Sloan isn't here," Alex sniggered. "It would be all awkward and dramatic between you two."

"It would not." Lexie assured.

"Whatever," Alex said before walking away. "Good seeing you Lexipedia!" He called out from down the hall.

"Why does my name have to be in the same sentence with Mark Sloan?" Lexie asked her sister annoyed.

"Don't know." Meredith said sarcastically as she shrugged.

"Just take me to dad's room before anyone else stops me." Meredith complied and a few seconds later they stopped in front of a room with an open door.

"I'll be at the nurses station charting if you need anything." Meredith said giving her an encouraging smile. Lexie nodded and gave a deep breath, trying to prepare herself. She walked in and couldn't help but notice how pale he was.

"Oh dad." Lexie whispered as she pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat in it. She took her father's hand in her's and he opened his eyes.

"Lex?" He croaked as he turned his head towards her.

"Hey dad," Lexie gave a watery smile. "It's me."

"What're you doing here? Where's Andria?" Thatcher was the only person that called Andy by her first name.

"I came to see you," Lexie squeezed his hand softly. "Andy's at home though."

"How're you doing?"

"I'm supposed to be asking you that." Lexie chuckled.

"You didn't have to come…I have Dannie."

"I know but I needed to see you and…" Lexie trailed off and she knew that the tears would start flowing soon.

"Lex?"

"You're dying and I want…I need to be here for you," Lexie said tearfully. "I want to take care of you."

"Dannie can take care of me," Thatcher assured her. "I don't want you uprooting your life just because I'm going to die. I don't want to be a burden."

"You're my dad," Lexie said softly as she stroked his balding head. "You could never be a burden to me."

"What about Andria? It's not fair to make her leave Boston."

"She'll understand," Lexie said as she kissed her father's hand. "I love you dad and I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

"I love you too kiddo," Thatcher said endearingly. "I don't know what I did to deserve such a caring daughter."

"When I was a kid, you told me that you would move heaven and earth for me and I would do the same for you." Lexie told him. She noticed that he started looking tired so she told him to go to sleep before she left his room. As promised, she found Meredith by the nurses station.

"What's up? Is he okay?" Meredith asked, ready to page someone.

"I need to speak to Owen." Lexie sighed.

"About?" Meredith inquired.

"A position as an attending."


Sorry there was a lack of Andy and Mark in this chapter but I'm either going to work it into the next chapter or the chapter after that. Please review guys! I will try to have the next chapter up in 2-3 days!