Thank you guys for all the review! You are all dolls :}
kira23kira: Thank you. And actually that's exactly where I took my title from. I love the song "Everything" and the line "how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?" just reads Mark and Lexie to me!
Sorry I took so long for this update guys. I didn't want to stop at the point I had originally so I just waited to complete it.
What did you guys think of the episode? I like it despite the fact that we hardly had scenes. But what I really liked was the PP scene with Mark and Naomi. When he listed all those things about her and said he was afraid to hurt her. How cute was that?
Oh and Happy Valentine's Day BTW =)
This is the biggest chapter of all. Without any further delay…here it goes!
They had been lying close together for almost thirty minutes when the silence was broken.
"You are not selfish" Lexie whispered.
"Hmm?" Mark began to open his eyes drowsily.
"Derek. He said you couldn't think about anyone but yourself." Lexie explained. "That's not true."
Mark was overwhelmed.
"I...I don't think he meant it" he said.
"No, I know. He didn't. But we always tend to give credit to what is said to us. No matter how mad the person who said it was. It's human nature. I just wanted to make sure you knew" Lexie rested her chin on his shoulder.
Lexie was right. Mark knew Derek was pissed when he had said that but he couldn't help but take a little offense by the statement.
"Thank you" Mark answered. "By the way...you didn't have to do that you know? Tell Derek you did all those things just to protect me"
"Who said I was protecting you?" Lexie smirked. "And I did do those things. Besides, I couldn't let you ruin your friendship with him."
"But you didn't do all of it" Mark said "for instance...you didn't insist after I told you it could never happen again."
"I kind of did" Lexie had an innocent expression on her face.
"You tease" they both laughed.
Mark turned around so he could face Lexie. As he stared into her big glassy eyes he couldn't help but be amazed at how much that girl mesmerized him.
"What?" Lexie smiled.
"Nothing" Mark tried to change his expression.
"Right" Lexie raised her eyebrows.
"Really" Mark kissed her.
"Don't for one second think that this will make me forget" Lexie said through his lips.
Mark laughed. "Shh, turn around"
Lexie did as he said and Mark pulled her closer. He kept holding her as they rested in a shell-shaped manner. Lexie could feel Mark's warm respiration against her neck.
"Mmm" Lexie moaned.
Mark kissed the back of her ear and pressed her own hands against her stomach.
"Your feet better?" he asked.
"Yes" Lexie whispered now using them to massage his legs.
"Good"
Mark had been wanting to ask that question for a while now but never seemed to know how or when. He didn't know what had gotten into him. When he realized, the words had already come out of his mouth.
"So..." he paused "whatever happened to O'Malley?"
"What?" Lexie opened her eyes.
"You know... George O'Malley" he said slowly.
Lexie laughed "Yeah, I know but...what about him?"
"Well it's just that...not too long ago you were into him or are into him, I don't know. And I don't know if you ever told him or if something happened...I was just wondering" he rambled nervously.
Lexie thought she felt Mark's heartrace increase against her back.
"Well" she began "I adored him. I did everything and anything for him. I tried to make him see his potential when he was down for being the only intern to fail his exam. I studied with him, quized him, I decorated his locker..." she paused.
Mark felt jealous. If only he had someone to go against all odds like that for him.
"...I stole things from the hospital to put in our apartment. I even looked at Cristina's, Meredith's, Izzie's and Alex's files to make him feel good about the fact that he had more letter recomendations and that he was better but he just...he just didn't see me" Lexie said sadly.
Mark squeezed her hands "I'm sorry"
"Don't be" Lexie affirmed. "I know better now. One shouldn't have to go through all that just to get the other to merely know they exist, should they? You were right all along" she continued. "I was being pathetic."
"You weren't" Mark regretted what he had said.
"No, I was" Lexie was really OK by it.
"Lexie..." Mark tried to speak but was interrupted.
"I was idealizing things. I thought I liked him but now I'm not so sure that that is how you feel when you have feelings for someone."
Mark felt his heart stop beating. Should he say something?
"I didn't mean to upset you...sorry I asked" he said.
"On the contrary" Lexie said turning to face him. "Thank you for asking." She caressed her fingers through his hair and kissed his chin.
*
"Meredith?" Derek approached her. "I want to tell you something"
"Shall I sit?" she asked.
"I think that won't be necessary."
"OK" Meredith waited.
Derek was a little nervous. "Well, remember you told me about Mark calling Lexie Little Grey and that I should ask him to stay away from her?
"Yes" Meredith said emphatically.
"Turns out they've been...hm...seeing each other."
"What?" Meredith was surprised. "Since when do you know about this?"
"Yesterday" Derek affirmed.
"And you're telling me now?" she snapped. "How did you find out? What did you see? And why are you telling me this like it's nothing?"
"Becase it is nothing. And I didn't see anything. They told me."
"I cannot believe this" Meredith stated.
"Wait, Mer, calm down" Derek interfered. "I've seen the way they act with each other. It's different. This is different."
"It's Mark Sloan, Derek! It can't ever be different"
"Would you please give him some freaking credit?" Derek was angry. "He's my best friend. He stood by my side and squeezed my arm when I thought I was losing you. So please, don't you dare judge him in front of me! I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt"
Derek turned his back on her and walked away.
*
"Grey, you're with O'Malley today." Bailey informed. "Yang is in a special case with Hunt."
Great. Mark didn't like the sound of that. He grabbed Lexie's arm before she could go anywhere and dragged her to a corner.
"What are you doing?" Lexie still hadn't gotten used to the idea they could actually touch in public.
"What do you think?" he kissed her.
Lexie's cheeks blushed as she spoke against his lips. "I feel like everyone is staring."
"There is no one here" Mark said "so that's not possible."
"I know" Lexie smiled "but I feel like it."
"Believe me" Mark cupped one side of her jaw. "we could go over there and have the entire hospital watching. You want that?" he kissed her again.
"Grey!" they heard Bailey's voice calling.
"Perfect" Mark growled.
Lexie laughed "maybe some other time" she blinked at him and they went their separate ways.
*
Lexie was reading charts when she heard someone entering the room.
"George? Good. So I guess we're together in this one." she ofered him the chart.
"I've read it already" George was edgy.
"OK" she said confusedly "so what do you want to take care of first? It's either taking blood samples or..."
"Are you really going to pretend nothing happened?"
"Excuse me?"
"You think you were magically covered by an invisibility cloak while you were making that show?"
Lexie raised her eyebrows.
"Mark Sloan, Lexie!" George nearly shouted.
"Hm, yes?" Lexie replied.
"I don't recognize you" George said with disgust.
"I'm not following, George" she said sincerely.
"It's Mark Sloan, Lexie" he repeated "what's more to say?"
"Are you insulting him?" Lexie tried to show a contolled voice.
"See?" George snapped "you're not you."
"I sincerely have no idea what you're talking about."
"I thought you were different from the others. Special. Guess I was wrong. You fell for Sloan's charms just like all the others. Another one to his list of many and counting"
"Shut up" Lexie said angrily. She felt her ears burn.
"It's the truth. I'm just trying to help. You think the biggest manwhore alive is going to change just because it's you?"
"George I swear..." Lexie was getting close to being hysterical.
"What happened to you're crazy about me?"
"What?"
"Graziella told me the other day you were in love with me. What happened to that?"
"You can't be serious" Lexie was taken aback.
"Why?" George asked.
"What happened, George? What happened? What happened was that I was a fool who did everything possible for you but you couldn't care less about me"
"That's not true"
"It is..it is. I was just your best friend and you just used me"
"I had no idea you cared for me that way or I would have..." George stopped.
Lexie felt strange inside "You would have what?"
But Lexie didn't hear what she was expecting to. Instead she felt her heart turn into stone when she heard Mark's voice.
"Grey? Are you done here? Bailey sent me on her behalf. She's busy at the clinic and asked me to tell you she wanted your help whenever you were done."
Lexie wanted to say something. She was sure Mark had witnessed what had just happened in that room and she was positive it didn't look good for someone who was listening from the outside. Specially Mark.
*
Lexie spent the rest of the day on the clinic but only her body was there. Her mind was far far away. She was impressed at what she had just heard George say. But what really impressed her was how much more this other thing was bothering her. Mark. She needed to see him. She prayed he would stop by the clinic but he never did that. She worked and tried to focus as hard as she could but was relieved, nervous and glad when she could finally leave the hospital.
When she was rushing down the corridor she bumped into George.
"I guess we never finished that conversation" George pushed her to the locker room.
"There is nothing to finish" Lexie said impatiently as she stared at the watch.
"What's the hurry?" George ordered.
Lexie didn't answer.
"Look, like I was saying before...I had no idea you cared for me like that. If I had known I would have done something."
"Like what George? Something like telling me we're more than just roomates because we're best friends? Or maybe you would have stood me up the whole night when we learned you passed yout intern test."
"Lexie you're not being fair."
"No George, you're not being fair. You have no right George, no right" Lexie was shaking.
George ignored "The thing I would have done was to tell you I felt the same way."
Lexie was surprised at how she reacted to that. She smiled to herself.
"You know what George? If I had listened to that weeks ago I would be thrilled. I would be larger than life. But now...it just...it does nothing to me."
George had no expression "This is about Sloan isn't it?"
"Could you please not go there? Leave him out of this."
"You're blinded Lexie. Sloan is not a good guy. I'm trying to warn you as a friend. But I guess you would rather learn it the hard way."
"George you have no right, OK? You keep saying you are talking as my friend? What friend? All this has ever been was an unilateral friendship. You liked me for the sake of making you feel better about yourself, for inflating your ego. So just don't go there. Don't you think you have the right to order me anything or tell me how to run my life." Lexie took a breath. "Good night" se walked away and slammed the door.
*
Lexie was almost giving up. She had been knocking and ringing Mark's door for a good couple of minutes and still hadn't gotten an answer. She stopped knocking to rest her arm when the door was finally opened.
She stood still at the doorstep and eyed Mark. He sighed.
Mark took a step aside to let her enter. He shut the door closed and turned to face her. The silence left them both uncomfortable.
"Mark..." Lexie started speaking. "You must have a lot going through your mind now but you've got it all messed up" she said nervously.
"What, exactly?" Mark asked.
"What did you hear when you went to tell me that Bailey needed me?"
"There was more to hear than what I heard?" Mark said surprisedly.
Lexie gasped inside "Mark..."
"What I thought happened was O'Malley telling you he would have acted differently if he knew how you felt about him and you being all shaken about it. But apparently you guys had a little chit chat before that."
"We did not. And I was not shaken about it"
"You seemed to me"
"I was curious, Mark. Curious"
"Whatever you say" Mark said coldly.
Lexie took a tiny step closer to him.
"Mark, please. I'm sorry. But you are completely distorting the facts here!"
"Lexie it's OK, you know? You were crazy about the guy and he suddenly goes all warm on you. I get it"
"Clearly you don't"
Is this how you feel when you're hurt? Mark thought. He felt used by Lexie. All he could remember was Lexie pinning over George and all of a sudden she was at his doorstep. She stayed with him and their time had actually been nice. He really thought she cared for him because of the little things she had done. But George had gotten to her with what he had said. He was confused and he hated how much that affected him.
"Look Lexie, you don't owe me any explanations. It's not like you're my girlfriend or anything"
"You told Derek you were not using me"
"I wasn't" he snapped.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she said unsteadily.
"Nothing" Mark started walking away.
"No" Lexie reached him "Tell me"
"Nothing, it doesn't mean anything. Just like this." Lexie knew he was talking about them.
"Why are you behaving like this?" Lexie held her emotions inside.
"Like what?" Mark snapped.
"Listen to me...I'm trying to explain this to you"
"There is nothing to explain" Mark shouted angrily. He felt he couldn't handle it anymore.
"Would you hear me?" Lexie grabbed his shoulders but Mark shook her away. She continued speaking anyway "Didn't you listen to anything I said this morning? When I told you the way I felt about George was nothing compared to what a person experiences when they have real feelings for another? Who do you think I was talking about, Mark?" emotion was escaping her eyes. "You need me to draw?"
Mark felt his whole body shake. "Lexie, I..."
"Don't talk to me" she turned her back on him.
"Please, Lex. I..."
"You're a jerk" she said still not facing him.
"I know I am. I know that, Lex. I'm sorry" he approached her and stood in front of her. Lexie was facing the ground.
He slowly reached for her hand with the tip of his fingers and tried to proceed holding her.
"Don't" she tried to fight against his grip.
"It's OK, Lexie. It's OK. Forgive me." he reached for her shoulders now. The more Lexie fought back the more he tightened his grip.
Lexie felt more tears in the corner of her eyes. She stopped fighting and Mark wrapped his arms around her upper body. She had her hands resting behind his waist.
Lexie pulled away lightly so she could look into his eyes.
"I feel nothing for him, Mark. Not anymore, I promise"
Mark dried her tears with his thumb "Shh. I know Lex, I know. You don't have to explain anything."
He moved his hands to her temple. "Shh, I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry."
She rested her head against his chest.
"Mark I, uh, I..."
"Me too, Lexie, me too"
*
So guys, Monday my classes are back and I'm not sure I'll be able to update that frequently. But I promise I won't forget about this story. I'll keep updating. Even if I only do that on the weekends but I will not leave you guys behind.
Thank you so much for your support so far.
=)