My beloved, patient readers. Lets not beat around the bush. I've just basically not been here! Not done anything! But HOW good is the show getting. I just watched season 5 episode 19 on youtube! I was like :O. anyway. Read, enjoy, review review review

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Lexie was in her room at Meredith's old house, which was ideally located just three minutes walk from Seattle Grace Hospital. Meredith had explained that that was the reason her mother, Ellis had bought the house – close proximity to the hospital, the gorgeous, old architecture and character of the manor house was only a secondary factor. When Lexie had first moved in, she had camped on the floor of George's room on the second floor, but had now finally been granted her very own room, the attic, courtesy of Derek's kind feelings towards his future-wife-to-be's homeless-long-lost-half-sister. And here she sat, cross legged on the floor, papers and textbooks scattered around her, a steaming cup of coffee between her bare legs. She held a yellow highlighter in her mouth and had the green pressed against a sheet.

A knock came at her door, and with the pen still clenched between her teeth she tried to shout "come in!" The door creaked open and a head popped cautiously round. This head was feathered with a mixture of greying dark hair, beautiful deep eyes, and a smiled that would make any girl go weak at the knees. "Mark!" Lexie said a little too excitedly, she grinned, pen lid still between her white teeth. He laughed at the sight, her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders save for her long fringe clipped back to the side, allowing her almond eyes to be seen clearly. She was wearing little pink, blue and white striped pyjama shorts and a tight faded pink top, her blue bra straps clearly visible. And of course, the pen lid in her mouth. She is too cute! Mark thought to himself.

"Hey," He said stepping in the room, wearing a dark grey shirt which emphasised his muscles, and dark well fitting jeans, jumper held in his arm. "Having fun cutie?"

She blushed and took the pen out of her mouth "Great fun thanks" she replied completely sincerely.

He shut the door and leant against it. "I came to ask you a favour." He told her getting to the point. Lexie gathered her sheets together and carried them to her desk. "Don't stop on my account."

Lexie smiled and shook her head "I was going to stop now anyway, " She jumped onto her bed and leant against the head board. She patted the space next to her, indicating that he should sit down. "What's the favour?" she asked playing with the strap of her pyjama top until it fell from her shoulder.

Mark swallowed, grinned and sat beside her and cupped her head. "Not a sexual favour!" he told her then kissed her on her lips lightly.

"Oh…" she said blushing, and pushed the strap back to where it should be.

Mark pushed it down again and kissed her shoulder, and gently moved to the crevice of her neck, kissing a trail of soft touches, making her sigh in pleasure. "I need to borrow some of your clothes."

Lexie suddenly shot back from the land of sexiness. She looked at him, worrying images of him wearing heels and mini skirts flashed before her eyes. "What?" she demanded, pretty horrified.

"Oh god, not for me!" he said panicky, he coughing he continued in a more manly voice. "For Ellie. She can come home soon, and well… she and mom are going to stay with me for a bit. Until other arrangements can be made I mean. And she has no other clothes, except what she came in…"

"Can't your mom get some?" Lexie asked softly.

"It's complicated" Mark said looking away from her, not wishing to divulge the entire situation..

"Well sure then, I guess. Will they fit her?" Mark shrugged. Lexie got up and started rummaging through her boxes and drawers pulling various items out. "So they're staying at the Archfield with you?"

"Until further arrangements cane be made!" he repeated looking around. "You interns are really messy" he commented.

"And you residents are really mean" She said, pulling a tongue at him. "Ok, here's a pair of jeans and a skirt,, a couple of tees, and a few long shirt things… and a turtle neck, incase she wants to cover her neck up."

"Thanks, that's really considerate."

"What about school?"

"What? Mark asked, folding the clothes up.

"Ellie, school. Is she going to go back?"

"Not right now."

"Waiting until further arrangements are made?" Lexie teased, sitting back down beside him.

He glared at her. "Yes, until further arrangements can be made."

Lexie smiled a little. "Any news on the whereabouts of your da…step-dad?" She asked, stroking his hair.

He shook his head. "Any way, how is the studying going?"

"Good, I have good teachers after all." She replied, batting her eye lashes.

"How bout I teach you some more?" He offered gently pushing her down on the bed.

Meredith looked up as she heard a loud bump followed by a high pitched and a low pitched giggle.

"So much for keeping little Sloan out of Little Grey" Meredith snapped, glaring playfully at Derek.

"At least they're happy!" Derek said, not looking up from his news paper.

Meredith poured herself another cup of coffee. "Mmm I guess. Doesn't mean I have to like it!"

"No one said you did hunny."

"Shouldn't he be at the hospital with entertaining his sister instead of entertaining mine?"

"Shouldn't you be at the hospital working?" Derek asked leaning back in his chair.

"You're right, I'm going, I'm going! I'm practically gone" she bent down and kissed him on his forehead, took a bite of his toast and headed towards the door.

"Meredith?" He called. "Your bag?" Derek waited, and counted to three, then smiled, hearing her hurried patting of feet as she ran back down the hall way, swiped the bag from where he held it casually over his shoulder and then run off to work again. He grinned and continued to read his paper.

A short while later he heard heavy footsteps coming down from the attic, across the upper hall way, down the stairs and along the corridor coming towards the kitchen. Light whistling accompanied the steps, and Mark entered the kitchen, wearing only his boxer briefs, barefooted and wandered to the fridge. He opened the door of the fridge and pulled out the milk carton and drank from it. Mid way through his 4th gulp, Derek said "You know that's unsanitary right?"

To Derek's delight, Mark jumped, choked and spat milk all over the place. Derek roared in hysterical laughter. Mark wiped the milk from around his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at the Neuro-surgeon who was banging his fist on the table and laughing.

"What are you doing here?" Mark demanded.

"I live here. What are you doing here?" Derek said wiping his eyes.

"Lexie………..I mean I came to see Lexie…for clothes…stop laughing, don't be so immature." Mark complained, clearing up his spilt milk.

"Wearing her clothes now too? Someone's whipped!" Derek laughed.

"Ha. Ha. They're loans, for Ellie…" Mark explained.

"Oh right" Derek got up and went to pour himself another coffee. "So she's got the all clear to go home then?"

"Mmm. Another day or two for observation…then she can go. She and Mom are going to stay at the hotel with me until they get stuff sorted."

"They're not going home?" Derek asked, handing his best friend a mug of strong black coffee.

Mark gritted his teeth, "They are not going back to him." He sighed "Besides, he's cleared off. They have no money. He never allowed Mom money, cards, cheque books. Nothing" He spat. Derek said nothing, yet waited for Mark to continue. "He completely controlled every inch of their lives Derek. And I didn't do anything to help them."

"You didn't know Mark…"

"I did. Why else would I have left? I did nothing about it!"

"Mark…"

"Ellie doesn't know how to live like a normal person. She's never known any different. She probably needs a psych consult for god's sake, but I wont consent to that – what kind of life would that give her? More restraints? More fear?"

"Yeah but Mark…you have no idea what's going on in her head… you don't know her" Derek said, trying to be rational.

"You're right. I don't know her. I don't know my own sisters. For god's sake I know all of your sisters. Like the back of my hand. Ask me what Ellie's favourite colour is…or her song, animal, car. I don't know. But I want to know her. I want to be there for her." Mark said, conveying the most emotion Derek had ever seen from his oldest friend in the history of their friendship.

Derek nodded, put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze, letting him know that he had his back.

Lexie stepped into the kitchen, now fully clothed, in jeans and a jumper, and a light scarf around her neck, hair off her face in a French braid. She smiled awkwardly, feeling bad for interrupting their manly moment. "Sorry" she apologises nervously. She held up Mark's pager and waved it. "you're being paged…"

Mark strode over, took the pager and read it. "Damn it!" He announced. "I got to go." He had one last sip of his coffee, kissed Lexie on the top of her head and stepped around her to leave, but not before giving her a light spank on her behind.

She jumped a little, in surprise and grinned as she watched him go, feeling very happy, loved and….giddy, putting a hand to her chest she felt her heart fluttering wildly, and she sighed.

"Calm down Grey" Derek said, as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"Oh…" She had forgot he was there. "Sorry Dr Shepherd" Gratefully she accepted the cup of 'Joe'

Derek laughed, "I'm just messing Lexie. I'm not your boss out of work…I'm just your…"

"long-lost-sister's-on-off-boss-slash-boyfriend-fiance-to-be-also-my-boss-guy-and-my-boyfriend-thing-who-is-also-my-boss's-best-friend?" Lexie offered.

"I was thinking more along the line of friend…" Derek said smiling gently. "But I guess your answer was more correct huh?"

Lexie smiled back, awkwardly.

"So Mark's a bit…"

"He wants to make up for leaving them…" Lexie explained.

"I know Lexie."

"He doesn't know what he's doing though…He wants to just pick right up where it left off…I don't think…"

"Lexie, Mark needs to do this, and he needs you to support him. Ok? Trust him. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. You're his person. His Lexie." Derek said, looking Meredith's little sister directly in the eyes, holding her attention.

"Good afternoon Ellie!" Dr Bailey sang cheerfully as she entered Ellie Sloan's room and picked up her chart. "How are we doing today?" She asked, first checking her machine statistics.

"I'm ok, thanks Dr Bailey." Ellie replied, looking up from her book, one that Izzie had dropped off a few days before.

"Well you're voice is definitely getting better, how's your throat?"

"Fine" Ellie replied, looking back at the book.

"Too sore to eat?" Bailey asked, eyeing the uneaten lunch on her bed table.

"Hmm? No. I'm fine" Ellie replied once more.

"Then how come you aint ate? It's all soft stuff…" Bailey questioned.

"I wasn't hungry, that's all".

Bailey looked through her chart, and noticed a pattern, "Ellie, how come you haven't been eating much?" Ellie looked up, cheeks flushing, "It says on your chart you haven't been eating…"

She shrugged. "I just have a small apatite." She explained.

"Well ok then, just try and eat more, or you can't go home…" Bailey said, half joking.

"Um…Dr Bailey? Have you seen my mom?"

Bailey stopped what she was doing and thought. "Not for a few days, why you need me to talk to her about something?"

"No," Ellie said, then was quiet for a bit, "I haven't seen her in a few days either…That's normal…she does that sometimes… but I just thought…."

"You're in hospital. Your momma should be here…" Bailey said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Where would she be?" When Ellie didn't answer, Bailey figured it out. "Oh, I see." She leant in and touched her hand. "You ok?"

"Fine, Dr Bailey." Ellie replied, in a rote like fashion.

"Mhmm. Heard that one before. Listen…if you ever…"

Just then the door swung open, "Ellie!" George said, poking is head inside "oh Hey Dr Bailey, I'll only be a second." Bailey looked between Ellie, who had seemed to suddenly perk up, and George, who was wearing a smiley, friendly face "I listened to that CD you recommended. It's awesome." Looking at his boss's glare he decided it wasn't the best time. "I'll er…be back at lunch, we'll chat yeah?" and with that he left, shutting the door and running off.

Bailey shook her head, and looked around the room, noticed a box of hardboiled sweets, a teddy and a bunch of balloons, as well as a stack of magazines and a pile of clothes. "The interns." Ellie said softly, after taking a sip of water. "They brought it all with them at lunch yesterday"

"Lunch?" Bailey asked reaching for the sweets and offering the box to her patient.

"They come and eat lunch in here now…Lexie too…"

"Oh they do, do they?" Bailey said, raising one neatly plucked eyebrow.

"Yeah, but Mark cant know, else they'd get in trouble" Ellie said as she unwrapped the sweet gently, smoothed the creases out of it and neatly placed the wrapper on the bedside table.

"Do you like them coming in for lunch?" Bailey asked, wanting to know before she decided to ban the irritable interns from crossing the line. Ellie shrugged, not wanting to look like she cared, though it was obvious to Bailey, she loved the company. Mark's appearance was sparse and in between, and now her mother had apparently done a runner… "You know, if you want something to do, you should ask Izzie to teach you how to knit…she's real good."

Bailey got up to leave, and as she did she looked at the young girl who sat alone on the bed, still scared, still broken. She shook her head. Life wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair, at all.

Sorry, it's super short! But it's 1am here, and I have college tomorrow

Please review

It motivates me

Thanks to all you WONDERFUL PEOPLE who already do

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