CHAPTER 4:
Author's Note: Again, thank you guys so much for reviewing and favoriting; it totally makes my day to see those emails. This one's kind of super-angsty…Sorry it took so long for me to update; school sucks.
"Hi!" April says cheerfully to Joe, coming up to the bar. "Can I get four beers, please?"
"Comin' right up," Joe answers, heading to the back to get the bottles. April leans against the counter, looking to her left to see Lexie sitting alone at the bar.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?" April asks hesitantly, walking over.
"What?" Lexie asks shortly, just wanting to be left on her own. She's had more than enough of peppy April in the last few weeks.
"Are you, um, mad at me?" April she asks quietly, taking a seat next to Lexie at the bar.
"Why would I be mad at you?" Lexie asks, trying to keep her voice level.
"Well, because of what I said last night. I didn't um, I was just trying to prove a point, you know? Everyone kept talking about—Well, you know," she says nervously. "And anyway, I um, I know I said some…personal…stuff—not that I take any of it back, but, uh—"
"April, what do you want?" Lexie asks, exasperated.
"Are you pissed at me because Dr. Sloan slept with Dr. Shepherd's sister?" April asks quickly, bracing herself for Lexie' reaction. Lexie just stares at her for a second before getting up.
"This is insane," she mutters, heading to the door. April turns around, watching her leave.
"Well, I guess that answers that question," April says under her breath.
"Answers what question?" Avery asks, jumping up to an empty bar stool beside her.
"Oh, just—nothing," she answers, smiling at him.
"Need some help with those?" He asks, gesturing to the other three bottles on the counter.
"Sure, thanks." April grabs one and Avery takes the rest as they head back to the booth.
"So did she say anything?" Meredith asks as April and Avery set down the beers.
"Not really," April answers, sliding into the booth beside Alex. "She's pissed off that people keep prying," April says quietly.
"Well, I haven't done anything," Meredith defends herself, moving over so Jackson can sit down next to her.
"Ever wonder why they're fighting like this?" April asks, looking pointedly at Meredith.
"What? This isn't my fault!"
"No, it's not…But I'm pretty sure she'd take your advice over anyone else's."
Meredith sighs, looks at her fresh beer, and then back to April. "We just got here," she complains. April just shrugs, leaving the decision up to Meredith but knowing the guilt will be enough to help her along. Meredith can read through her, though, and narrows her eyes at the younger woman.
"Fine," she snaps, getting up.
"Better not use that tone," Jackson adds. "You sound like someone just stole your surgery."
"I'll make sure your surgery gets stolen if you don't shut up," Meredith shoots back before heading for the exit.
"Good luck!" April calls above Alex and Jackson's laughter.
…
"Lexie?" Meredith calls out, closing the door behind her. "You here?"
"In the kitchen." Lexie's voice drifts down the hall. Meredith shrugs off her coat and heads towards her half-sister. Meredith walks in the small kitchen to find Lexie leaning over the table, her hands cradling a large bottle of some kind of liquor.
"You all right, there?" Meredith asks lightly, trying to break the ice. Lexie just looks over at her, her face blank. "Guess not," Meredith mutters under her breath as she grabs a glass from the cabinet. She walks across the room to sit down at the table as well, prying the bottle from Lexie's hands to pour herself some. She brings the glass to her lips, taking a few shallow sips. Meredith wrinkles her nose, realizing the taste. Scotch.
"Since when do you drink scotch?" Meredith asks, setting down the glass and getting up to grab a beer from the fridge. When she looks back over, Lexie's eyes find hers.
"It was here," she shrugs, before looking back down at the table. Meredith watches her for a moment more. She knows full well that there isn't any scotch in the house, that is, unless Lexie bought some and hid it somewhere—which is highly unlikely. She must've bought it on her way home… Meredith sighs, grabbing a second beer and passing it over to Lexie when she sits back down.
"All right, are you going to say anything or are you just going sit there silently?" Meredith asks after a moment. When Lexie still says nothing and just takes a swig of her beer, Meredith realizes she's on her own. Perfect. This is just what I wanted to do tonight.
"Okay, then. Look," Meredith begins. "I know you feel all crappy and heartbroken now…And I would like to tell you it gets better with time, but I'm not so sure that'll happen—"
"That was inspiring, thanks," she notes sarcastically.
"What I mean is, I really think you should go talk to him."
"You have been speaking to Derek," Lexie states matter-of-factly, ignoring her suggestion.
"Well, he is my husband," Meredith replies. "And he was worried."
"Fantastic," Lexie says dryly.
"And so am I." Meredith studies her younger sister, trying to figure out what to say. "I get it, okay? I'm probably the best person to talk to for this kind of stuff. I've been through most of the same shit you went through."
"Pregnant daughters showing up out of the blue?" Lexie asks skeptically.
"Try vengeful wives," Meredith replies. Lexie smiles slightly in spite of herself. "Lexie, look," Meredith says seriously after a minute. "I really think you ought to go and talk to him."
"No thanks."
"Look, if you want this awful feeling to go away, you've either gotta let it all go or drive over there and talk to him…And talking is easier that trying to let go. Trust me."
"Is this about Derek again? Because we're not you and Derek."
"No, I know. I'm just speaking from personal experience here. This worked for me, so maybe it will work for you. We are sisters, after all."
"That doesn't make our relationships or problems the same, Meredith."
"Yeah, but the way we fix them could be similar."
"You don't know that." Lexie sighs. "And besides, why should I waste time going over there when I know no good will come of it?"
Meredith studies her younger sister. "Is this about Amelia?" Lexie glances over to her before looking down. Meredith tries to contain her grin. God, this'll be easier than I thought.
"Lexie, she left this afternoon," Meredith says, a small smile on her lips. Lexie looks up, not quite believing what she's hearing.
"You—You're sure?"
"Yes," Meredith assures her. "She headed back to LA just a few hours ago."
Lexie, in spite of herself, begins to smile a little bit. She can feel herself getting hopeful, and she isn't immediately trying to squash it like before. If Amelia's gone, then there won't be any distractions for Mark to, well, fuck…And if he's by himself, single, it'd might actually be possible for Lexie to talk to him…
"You've just gotta go put yourself out there," Meredith instructs her.
"Yeah," Lexie says quietly, lost in thought. "Look, I, um, I guess—"
"Just go," Meredith smiles.
Lexie gets up, heads to the door, but stops before she leaves.
"Thanks," she says, looking back to her older sister.
…
"It's swamped here and I'm on call for another hour, Mark. You're just gonna have to take her back yourself," Callie tells him, examining chart after chart.
"Fine," Mark grumbles, heading to the exit. "I'll see you in an hour, Torres," he warns, as if daring her not to show up.
"Whatever, bye," she answers without looking up from the charts.
...
"Fine, I'll drive you," Mark concedes to Amy.
"Good," she answers, climbing into the car. "You owe me anyway. I missed my flight home to babysit you."
"No one asked you to," Mark replies, turning on the ignition.
Amy just rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I think it's just by your couch," she tells him, trying to make this as brief a trip as possible. LA drama seems tame next to the Seattle, Amy thinks. Mark just nods, his eyes on the road.
…
"So I'll grab my purse and be on my way," Amy says cheerfully, as the elevator opens on the fifth floor.
"Leaving so soon?" Mark mocks.
"Yeah, I think Seattle's got just a bit too much excitement for me," Amy chuckles.
"What? You don't get all kinds of crazy down in LA?"
"Oh, we get crazy. Just not…this crazy."
"Thanks for that," Mark replies, stopping in front of his apartment.
"Well, it really was nice to see you," Amy admits truthfully.
"Ha," he says with a smile. "Yes, I'm sure this is exactly what you were expecting."
"Well, not exactly…But Addison did say you Seattleites were full of drama, drama, drama," Amy informs him with a grin.
"Ah, yes. She had her fair share of it while she was here," Mark agrees, taking out his keys.
"I'm sure she did," Amy says with a laugh as the elevator behind her dings open.
…
"Hey, why aren't you at Joe's?" Derek asks as he walks into the kitchen.
"Oh, I was. I just came back because April guilt-tripped me into it."
"Huh?" Derek asks, kissing her lightly on the lips before sitting down beside her at the table.
"Lexie. April made me go talk to her after she left the bar to come here."
"Ah," Derek replies. He spots the bottle in the middle of the table. "You two were drinking scotch?" He asks skeptically.
"No, I wasn't."
"Lexie brought it over?"
"Apparently," Meredith sighs. "No matter what you drink, I think I'll stick with tequila for my heartbreak," she says jokingly.
"Of course. Your one true love."
"Funny," she says sarcastically before turning serious. "So I think things might work out with her and Mark," she comments casually.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. That was the guilt trip," she explains. "April sent me after her cause she was convinced that Lexie only listens to me. Which is ridiculous."
Derek raises his eyebrows at her.
"What? It is."
"Well, seeing as she's going over to talk to him, I think April's right…"
"Oh, please," Meredith argues, rolling her eyes. "All she needed to hear was your sister left, and then she was good to go—What?" She asks, noticing the worried look on his face.
"Amelia didn't leave Mer," Derek tells her. "She missed her flight earlier."
…
Lexie arrives at his apartment for the second night in a row, so hoping that she isn't really as stupid as she feels. When she rounds the corner, though, her fears are realized. He's with her. Again. After telling her that Amy meant nothing, that nothing happened between them.
"Lex—" He says, half-relieved and half-disbelieving, not even thinking about what she's seeing.
"I KNEW I couldn't trust you!" She yells, finally fed up with all the drama. She's so heartbroken and frustrated she can't even think. It's not even worth it anymore.
"What?" He looks to Amy and then…Oh, shit. Amy. "Lexie, this is—NOT what you think it is. She's—She's leaving."
"So am I," she says, shaking her head in self-directed anger and heading to the elevator. He runs up behind her, and she can sense his presence. "I'm leaving," she repeats without looking at him, getting right back on the elevator she just stepped off.
"No, you're not," he counters in vain as she steps onto the waiting elevator.
"Mark, move," she commands, shoving him off the elevator as the doors are about to close. He throws out an arm to stop the doors, and she groans in frustration.
"Lex, come on, can't you just listen to me?"
"I did! I did listen! I heard everything you had to say, but it doesn't matter anymore. You didn't mean it."
"Oh—Oh, really?" He asks, getting more and more irate as the seconds tick by. Why does this have to be so difficult! "You think I didn't mean it? You think I just said what I did this afternoon for nothing? You think I said what I did before the shooting for no reason?"
"Yes," she hisses. "Because I know saying it didn't mean anything to you."
"Well, if you think that, then just go ask Callie!" Mark yells, sick of all the miscommunications.
"Why?" Lexie hollers back, just as exasperated.
"BECAUSE," he shouts, so frustrated that he doesn't bother to think before he speaks. "She had to talk me out of PROPOSING TO YOU!"
The second she hears those words, all the anger drops off of her face. She takes an automatic step backward, trying like hell to process this. Mark exhales loudly, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes. Amy just stands in shock, still frozen by his apartment door. He wanted to marry her?
"What?" Lexie whispers after a moment, her voice barely audible. "What did you just say?"
Before Mark can answer, the sound of a door being thrown open jerks everyone out of their thoughts. Amelia almost jumps out of her skin at the sound, having been so intent on watching the two battle it out.
"Hey, what is all the yelling about?" Arizona calls out, annoyed at being woken up after being on-call all night. She looks out her apartment door and into the hallway. Arizona takes one glance at the scene in front of her and steps outside, closing the door. She'd gotten most of the story from Callie already, and she knew that Mark had broken his hand just yesterday after talking with his ex.
"Guys, what's going on here?" She asks slowly. Her eyes drift from an angry Mark to a shell-shocked Lexie and then to a very uncomfortable-looking Amelia Shepherd, standing a few yards away from the couple.
"Last week," Mark replies, as if Arizona hadn't spoken. "I was going to—"
"Last week?" Lexie breathes, thinking back. Oh, god…
"Yes," he says, taking a tentative step closer to her. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. But I didn't get a chance to," he says, looking down at her. "Callie told me not to," he says with a half-smile, which quickly disappears off his face. Lexie's eyes fill with an almost-crippling vulnerability, something Mark's never seen on her face before. He's about to speak, to say something, when she breaks the silence first.
"Well, good thing she did," Lexie replies, a tear falling down her face.
"Lex," Mark whispers, moving towards her.
"I need to go," she murmurs, wiping her face as another tear falls. "Nothing, Arizona," Lexie answers a moment later, her voice louder, as she finally addresses the other woman. "Nothing's going on. I was just leaving."
"Lex, come on," Mark implores her, leaning into the elevator. She just looks away and hits the button to close the doors, but they're blocked by Mark's arm. "Will you just talk to me?"
"I. Need. To. Go," Lexie growls under her breath, enunciating each word as a separate sentence. Her shattered vulnerability has been quickly remedied by quick-to-start temper. If this weren't so tense a situation, Arizona would've thought it was cute how easily Lexie shifted into Mark's signature tone of voice. Lexie shoves his arm away from the door and hits the button to close it, but not before Arizona catches her wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
Mark stands there for a moment, clenching his good hand in hatred at himself, at Lexie, and this whole fucked-up situation. He can almost hear the blood rushing to his head, getting louder and louder—
"Mark," Amy warns, not wanting to have to drive him to the emergency room two nights in a row. A second later, he straightens up. He doesn't even look back, or say anything—he simply runs to the door to the stairs and yanks it open, flying down the five flights as quickly as he can. I'm just lucky she didn't go upstairs.
...
"Hey, I don't know if you're up but I wanted to let you know I just pulled in. I'll be upstairs in a minute or so," Callie says into the phone grabbing her umbrella before getting out of the car. She hangs up, betting that she'll find Arizona dead asleep the minute she walks in.
At least then Mark gets his wish, Callie thinks. My full and undivided attention. She almost groans out loud at the thought. This night just gets worse and worse. Her thoughts are interrupted, though, as she hears extremely loud shouts coming from the entrance of the apartment building. Callie jogs over quickly, making sure it isn't any kind of medical emergency.
Oh, shit…Callie thinks, recognizing the voices.
...
Mark throws open the door to the stairs just as Lexie is walking out into the now-pouring rain at the building's entrance. He runs after her, not having enough breath to call out. She's almost to the curb when he catches up, putting a light hand on her arm. She whirls around instantly, as if burned by his hand.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screams at him, tears running down her cheeks.
"Lexie, Little Grey, please—" Mark says softly, his heart tearing at the sight of her hurt face.
"NO!" She yells, shoving him away roughly. "You do NOT get to talk to me! Not like that. Not EVER." She moves to wipe away her tears, but as soon as they're gone, others replace them. "I don't ever want to see you again."
"Stop. Please," he begs. "Will you just clam down and tell me the truth?"
She sniffs, wiping her face again and looking at him warily. "Why should I?"
"Because it's all I ask. I just want to know one thing and then you can go on your way and never see me again."
She draws a ragged breath, looking away. When she doesn't answer, he asks anyway.
"Would you have said yes?"
Author's Note: I know, cliffhanger. Sorry, I just couldn't resist. :) I'll update asap!
