Following the episode "Almost Grown."

She new it was bound to happen sooner or later. She couldn't handle all this stress and being a scutt monkey all day didn't help. So she figured it was only a matter of time before she cracked yet again. She never felt safe anymore, everywhere she went in the hospital she felt like someone was watching her. Every little noise made her want to jump out of her skin. She was a walking time bomb just waiting for the right time to break down.

Everyone else was gone, she had promised Meredith shed be home after finishing up some charts. Really though she just wanted to be alone. Bringing her knees up to her chest she wrapped her arms around them and cried. She cried over the shooting, she cried over Mark, she cried until she had no more energy to cry and drifted off to sleep.

Mark new he wasn't going to win the million dollars but he didn't really mind. He was amazing as it was money or no money wouldn't change that. In fact he liked that Owen won. He was right maybe if we had had this before people wouldn't have died that awful day.

Walking past the residence locker room he realized the door was open and the light was on. Most residence had gone home an hour ago. Walking into the room he sighed when he saw Lexie curled up with her knees tucked up to her chin, head resting on her crumbled up lab coat. Walking over next to her he bent down moving some of the hair out of her face. It didn't take a genius to realize shed been crying.

He couldn't help but feel a pain of guilt in his chest. Knowing that some of those tears were because of him. He had caused her so much pain and heartache these last 9 months. He wished he could go back to when things were perfect. It was just Mark and Lexie. No Sloane and baby, no sleeping around or Alex and no Teddy. Just them two against the world. There 3% survival rate.

Gently shaking her shoulder he whispered her name. "Lex, time to go home."

"Five more minutes" she mumbles under her breath before turning her head the other way. Mark can't help but smile Lexie's never been much of a morning person.

"Come on time to get you home into your own bed." He tells her trying again. This time it seems to work.

"Mark?" She says hurrying up and wiping her tear stained eyes before sitting up quickly. "What are you doing in here?"

"Well I was on my way to my office when I heard snoring." He jokes.

"I - I don't snore." She tells him blushing.

"Lex I was kidding." He replies standing up then holding his hand out to help her up. "Come on ill take you home."

"I can walk." Lexie replies as she begins to grab her coat and bag from her locker.

"Its raining."

"I have an umbrella" She replies mater of factly.

"Its lighting." He tells her. He was going to win. He always won. Sighing she grabed her bag and followed him out the door. Mark just grinned knowing he had won.

The car ride was quiet for the most part. Both having so much to say but not knowing where to start. Everything had been so crazy in there lives right now where were they supposed to start? Pulling into Meredith and Derek's driveway he parked the car and shut it off.

"Well thanks for the a ride." Lexie says awkwardly.

"Lexie what are we doing?" Mark finally asks.

"Giving me a ride home?"

"No with us. Were spinning around in circles and not getting anywhere. Just talk to me Lex." He says sadly looking at her.

"I can't talk to you." She says in an almost whisper.

"Why? Why is it that you can not tell me what you are thinking? Don't you want to figure this out?"

She crying now for the second time that night. Taking a deep breath she starts to speak. "I came to talk to you Mark. April had made me realize that you cared that you wanted to be with me. So I went to the hospital to tell you I was sorry for being so stupid to tell you how much I missed you. How much I wanted you to be mine again. To tell you how much I loved you." She's sobbing now. "I was to late. I got to your office and I saw you Mark. I saw you with Derek's little sister."

Mark rubs his hand threw his hair. "Shit Lex. We didn't do anything except kiss I swear. I realized she wasn't you. All I want is you."

"Then why were you going to? I know you Mark and I sure as hell know you planned on sleeping with her." She's gone from sad to pissed in a matter of seconds and he knows that's not good if there going to solve anything now's the time.

"God Lex!" He promised himself he wasn't going to shout but he couldn't help it. "What was I supposed to do? You told me to leave you alone."

"And you think that I meant it?" She told him anger flashing in her eyes.

"Yea Lexie I did! You wanted nothing to do with me so I listened. I figured the least I could do at this point was move on. Move on from you and try to get on with my life. Isn't that what you wanted? For us to move on?"

"I didn't know it would hurt this much Mark! I've never felt this way for anyone before. I always left before I got left. Then I meet you and then I had sex with you and then I fell in love with you. Then Sloane came along and I got scared! I'm not ready to be a mom I can't look after someone. Hell I can't even take care of myself sometimes. So I did what I know how to do. I walked before you could walk out on me."

The two sat in silence for what seemed like hours the only sound was the sniffling of Lexie's tears. Mark ran his hands threw his hair for what seemed like the millionth time. "Lets go set on the porch." There was no point in sitting in his car all night. Grabbing her jacket and bag she walked onto the porch, Mark following. The two sat down on the swing in silence once again "Lexie do you remember those three days you were in psych?"

Turning towards him she gave him a confused look. "Not exactly I was pretty out of it most of the time."

"I was three Lexie. For 72 hours I sat by your side." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Now does that sound like someone who would just leave?" She shook her head no tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I'm such an idiot." She tells him shaking her head. "I screwed up everything!" So hes cared all this time he has been by her side and she just pushed him away. She felt like such an idiot. She had no reason to push him out of her life like that. Maybe she is crazy! She thought

"Come here." Mark tells her softly as he pulls her close. "You Alexandra Grey are no idiot. Your smart and intelligent and amazing in bed if I do say so myself." He jokes and she laughs. " See there's that laugh I love to here. Your the only girl I know who can remember anything she reads. Your the only girl who's ever stolen my heart. That day when I heard the gun shot and we hid under the desk. Do you wanna know what the first thing I thought of was? It was you. I didn't care about anything else. All that mattered was getting you out of there."

"When I went out to get the blood for Alex he was there." She sobbed into his chest. "He pointed his gu-gun at me and then-" she breaks off her sentences sobs escaping her throat.

"He what Lex? Talk to me" He gently holds her face and looks right into her eyes

."He pulled the trigger."

"Oh Lexie." He says sadly wrapping his arms tightly around her. He's lucky the bastards dead."I was so scared. I thought I was going to die. I'm not supposed to be scared of death. I'm a surgeon we deal with this stuff every day."

"Its ok to be scared. Everyone gets scared of something. You have a right to be scared ok?" He tells her gently tilting her chin so there eyes are at the same level. "You have all the right in the world to be scared. Some guy went on a rampage at the one place you felt safe. Its ok to not feel safe Lex."

Right now though she did feel safe. No matter what they went threw she always felt safe when she was with him, in his arms. He was her protector no matter how much she wanted to move on from him she never would be able to. He stole her heart forever and always.

The two new they had a lot more to talk about. They had so many issues to resolve. They might never have the same relationship that they had before but for now it didn't matter. Being in each others arms, they felt safe.