A/N: Once again I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time, since this Friday I am officially off from school and then this week is my last one before I'm off from cheerleading for a couple of weeks so I'll try to work as much as I can on this!

Also, I have noticed that I'm receiving less reviews and I'm not sure if I have lost readers or what?

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter... I'm sure you guys will, but this will only feed the beast.

Please review!


CHAPTER 7

One week later Mark is all settled in his house, Lexie and him have been spending more time together in the hospital and outside the hospital, always using the excuse of them hanging out as "friends".

Lexie finally has gotten comfortable with Mark being with their son, but she is freaking out since Mark is coming over for Zack's first sleepover at his new house.

She had been the one to suggest it, but now she seriously doubts it. The doorbell rings and she sighs deeply, "Ok baby boy, your dad's here for you," she says choking back the tears and grabbing his bag and then him before heading downstairs.

She opens the door and tries to smile. "Hey," she says as they kiss each other on the cheek. "He is all ready, he had his dinner already and there are more than enough bottles and formula in his bag. I also put in diapers and his onesie because he really gets hot during the night," she looks up at Mark who is already holding the baby and his bag and she can now feel the tears burning her eyes. "If you need anything just give me a call, no matter at what time," she says looking at her son who was cooing and reaching out with his little chubby arms.

Mark gives her a sad smile looking at her eyes tearing up, "He will be fine," he tells her reaching out to wipe off a tear that fell from her eye.

She nods, "You should get going."

"We'll see you tomorrow in the morning," he reminds her, "We will have breakfast together at the hospital before your shift. Think about this as a night shift, you've had some of those haven't you?" She nods. "Ok, it's pretty much the same thing, you'll see him tomorrow," he whispers before kissing her cheek and going back to the car. After he's strapped Zack into his seat and he gets into the drivers seat he looks at Lexie.

She is holding against the door as if holding onto dear life, pretty much crying her eyes out. He sighs looking at Zack from the rearview mirror and getting out of the car.

He walks up to her and just stares at her for a while, "Go get your stuff," he orders softly.

Lexie looks up at him, "What?" she croaks.

"Get your stuff," he repeats softly once more.

She shakes her head, "No, go. It's your first day having Zack over at your house, I'll be fine I just need t–"

"God damn it, Lex! Stop being so stubborn and get your stuff or I will do it for you and carry you into the car, and I'm sure I won't pack the stuff you want," he says, his voice doesn't sound mad, but he is definitely stressed by her stubbornness.

She shakes her head once more and he sighs as he climbs up the stairs two at a time, less than two minutes later he is downstairs with a bag and her purse.

"I left a note to your parents saying that you are staying over at my house tonight," he says as he kneels down and raises her in his arms. He walks to the car carrying her bridal style and placing her on the passenger seat.

He then gets on his own seat and drives off.


Once they get there Lexie gets out of the car slowly. Not sure of what to say she opens the trunk to get Zack's bag and her own. She watches Mark get the car seat out and head to the door opening it with one hand, she follows him walking slowly and clears her throat softly, "You didn't have to do this," she whispers. "I just needed some time and I would get better. I'm just…" she shakes her head and laughs softly. "I'm not used to having him away from me like that."

Mark places his hand behind her back, "Don't worry," he tells her as they walk upstairs.

Lexie's eyes widen in realization, "Mark, you don't have an extra bed! We haven't finished the guest room, we haven't–"

"Can you stop worrying so much?" He asks her. "You are going to sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the couch."

"I can't make you do that Mark," she says as they enter the nursery and turn on the lights. "It's your bed and– Is it me or this room is different from how I left it?" she asks taking in all the toys and furniture that hadn't been there the last time she had been there.

Mark smiles and nods and places Zack inside his crib, "I decided that I'd buy some toys for him, I know he is still too young for most of them, but I was near the store and I thought I'd just buy them," he says shrugging. "I also bought him a Yankees' onesie," he tells her as she puts Zack's bag on the diaper changing station.

Lexie shakes her head and hugs him softly, "Mark, it means so much to me and I'm sure it means so much to our son."

Mark smiles and looks down at her, he can smell her shampoo. Vanilla, he thinks.

She separates from him but drops her smile, "But Mark, I'm serious. I'm not going to make you sleep on your couch while I'm sleeping on your bed. I'll take the couch,"

"No," Mark tells her almost immediately, "I swear Lexie– You sleep in the bed, I'll take the couch, because unless you want to share I'm sleeping on the couch. I made that decision the second I told you to get in the car."

She ponders it for a second, what could be the worst thing that could happen? We have already slept together, sharing a bed is no big deal compared to that, "Fine," she says.

"You're sleeping in my bed?" He asks her.

She shakes her head, "We are sleeping in your bed."

Mark laughs shaking his head, "You know you are the craziest and most amazing woman I know," he tells her entering the kitchen.

Lexie tries to stop the smile that's forming on her lips, "I know," she says following him.

He smiles at her, "What do you want to have for dinner?" He asks her placing the baby monitor he had been carrying on the counter.

"I don't know, but I'll prepare it," she tells him, "Zack is still awake so you can play with him, and you can go bring a few of his toys and floor mat over here and just spend time with him. Remember this is your night with him," she tells him. "Think of me as a maid."

He shakes his head wanting to tell her he could never think of her as a maid, "I'll go bring him over."

When he comes back with Zack and some baby stuff he lays him on the floor mat in the spacious kitchen and sits on the ground, "So what are you going to cook?" He asks her.

"I was checking the pantry and I found a mac n' cheese box so I guess you like it and I started liking it during the pregnancy and it hasn't stopped, so that's what we are going to eat."

He smiles, "You didn't like it before the pregnancy?" He asks her.

She bends over to grab a pot and he looks at her, smiling and shaking his head as he sees her, she looks back at him, "I did like it before, but I had the worst cravings ever for this and I just guess I got used to it," she says ignoring the fact that she had, in fact, seen him staring at her ass.

"Do you want a glass of wine with the mac n' cheese?" He asks her.

"I think that I should feed Zack first," she says bending down once more but this time, knowing he is staring again, and teasing him by swaying softly.

"Are you going to breastfeed him? I thought you had the formula," he asks.

She goes to sit next to Mark, "Yeah, but that was because he was staying with you. I rather just breastfeed him as much as possible because it's much better for him… And it's a great way to reduce my weight fast," she explains.

He nods slowly, "Ok, I guess I'll go over there and stir while you two do your thing," he says. Lexie laughs and he can immediately feel his heart fluttering again, damn hunger, he curses.

"You know, I don't mind, I mean just last week I was putting my underwear in front of you," she says as she places Zack against her now naked breast.

Still not turning around Mark asks, "So you want me to watch?"

"What I'm saying is I wouldn't care, not that you are being forced into watching," she says once again laughing. A few silent minutes go by before she breaks the silence "Ow!" she mutters,

Mark turns around, "Are you alright?" he asks her.

"Yeah, Zack is beginning to learn how to bite, and it's just his gums," she tells him as he looks at her, "So you did want to watch, huh? Because I'm sure I know people with more will power to not turn around at something like an 'ow!'", she notes smirking.

He leans against the counter still staring at her, "Well in this case, you are holding my son, so I gotta say that I will turn around even if you say 'wow', so you can't fault me for that," he says.

Lexie looks at him, "Alright, so you know all this stuff about me and me during the pregnancy, and you know about my family, but I don't know much of your family," she says.

He shrugs, "We can talk about that some other day, right now it's all about us and our son spending some quality time together," he tells her as he pours the water of the pot into the sink and adding the cheese mix into it.

"That bad?" she asks.

"Worse," he tells her casually.

She nods and changes topics, "What where you doing at the conference? Derek mentioned you were one of the speakers."

"I was talking about a patient, Donna Gibson formerly Daniel Gibson, whom I had been doing some procedures here and there for a change of gender. Before her last surgery I found out that the pills she had been taking to become more feminine were giving her breast cancer, but even against many professional opinions she went through with the surgery," he explains.

"Wow," Lexie says amazed, "Is she okay?"

Mark nods, "She is going through chemo and radiation as a women, and her wife is always right there by her side. Those kind of couples really get me to think you know?" he says nonchalantly.

Lexie nods, she is definitely asking him later about that, "Ok I think Zack's out, so if you want you can go lay him down and I'll serve the dinner and then take his stuff upstairs," she tells him.

Mark kneels down with Zack asleep in his arms and grabs his toys, "You worry about what kind of wine you want," he says as he leaves the kitchen.

When he comes back down the plates are set at the table with two glasses of red wine, "Are you trying to be romantic with the red wine thing?"

She rolls her eyes, "Cause that's what I was trying to do," she says sarcastically as she sits down and begins eating.

"Hey, you never know," he says sitting down next to her and taking a sip of his wine and then taking a bite of his mac n' cheese, "I didn't do a bad job," he comments.

"No, it's not bad," she says as she's almost done with hers.

He looks at her, "You could give me more credit," he tells her, "You were pretty much violating me with your nakedness. Some guys would find it hard to concentrate," he tells her.

"Yeah," she agrees with him, "Not saying that it's all you do, but you pretty much fix boobs for a living."

"True, but still, this is a different situation."

"How so?"

He shrugs, "I don't know," he can hear his mind yelling at him, Liar!

"Okay…" she says getting up from her seat to place her empty bowl on the sink.

"Someone was hungry," Mark notes.

She sits back on the stool, "Someone was breastfeeding, and that same someone has had a very tiring day as well," she mutters stretching her arms on the table and resting her head on top of them.

Mark stands up from his stool and takes his bowl and both their glasses to the sink, "Let's go upstairs," he tells her.

She nods and walks next to him upstairs to his room, "I'm gonna go put on my pajamas," she tells him grabbing her bag and heading towards the bathroom as she opens it, "Did you pack any pajamas?" she asks him as she looks for them.

"I knew I was missing something," he mutters as he heads to his closet and grabs a t-shirt and a pair of boxers and sweats, "Ok, this is for you," he says handing her his old Columbia t-shirt and the boxers, and then closes the door to the bathroom. He changes to his sweats and walks to the left side where Lexie had left her stuff and places the baby monitor there.

He hears the door of the bathroom open and he looks at her.

Lexie has her hand on her hips, "Seriously?" she asks lifting her hands letting the boxers slip down her legs. Mark begins laughing, "This is not funny."

"I disagree," he says still laughing.

Lexie shakes her head and walks to his bed thrusting his boxers into his chest, feeling his rock hard abs against her fist. Damn! She thinks rolling her eyes and biting her lip, how will I be able to sleep tonight?

Mark moves the covers so they can both lay down. When she lays down and stares at him Mark sees her hair move to her forehead. He reaches out slowly to move it away from her face and she has to bite on her inside cheeks to avoid from giggling like an idiot.

"Thanks," she whispers as Mark turns off the lights, leaving them in complete darkness except from the light glow of the moon.

He smiles at her, "Your face is too nice to have it covered with hair," he whispers back.

This time she can't help but giggling softly.

Maybe it wasn't the hunger after all, Mark thinks, but then what is it?

Lexie looks straight into his eyes, "You can tell me if I'm stepping over… but would you tell me about your parents?" she asks softly.

Mark sighs softly, "My parents weren't interested in having kids, so I was always left alone at home. That was until I met the Shepherds though," he tells her.

"Derek's family?" she asks him

He nods, "They would make Derek take me home with them because I didn't like sleeping alone in my house. My dad was the kind of father who really didn't care about anything I ever did, my mom only cared about my grades."

"Do they live in New York?" she asks.

"They do, well I'm not sure if they are still alive" he shrugs. "Who knows, all I really know is that I don't miss them and don't want to see them."

"So you don't have a great relationship with them then."

He laughs softly, "You could says so, yeah."

"What about your friends?" She asks him.

She can see him relax a little, "I have some friends over at New York, who used to be co-workers, but my real best friend is Derek. He is the only friend I have here, but he was always there for me and I know that he always will."

Lexie nods comprehending, "So Derek is what made you come over here? Is he all you have in Seattle?" she asks him.

"I did come because of him, but now I have a son here, and then there's Callie who has become a great friend of mine. I also think that we could be good friends. You know I was actually thinking of going back to New York in December, just because I know that my specialty is much more "needed" over there, but now I wouldn't think about it," he tells her.

She smiles at him, "May I ask one last thing?" she asks him.

"Go ahead," he says.

"You had said that couples like Donna and her wife get you to think. What do they get you to think about?" she asks.

"I guess that they make me think that true love does exist, you know," he whispers, "I had never been shown of much of it around my house and then as I grew up I guess I never fell in love," he explains. "I've never been in an actual relationship, so couples like them make me think that true love does exist, and no matter what my past, present, or future is, that someone will be there to love me unconditionally."

Lexie can feel her heart grow at least twice as big, "I'm sure there is someone else for you, Mark. You are an intelligent, funny, and caring man… Not to mention insanely hot. There is probably a line of women waiting to be with you, you just have to be patient."

He smirks, "So you think I'm insanely hot?"

She rolls her eyes and smacks his chest playfully, "Don't let it get to your head," she tells him she shivers slightly, "Are you cold? Cause I'm freezing?"

"Honestly, and even though I am insanely hot, I am freezing," he tells her, "I'll go get another cover."

He gets out of bed and goes to his closet, Lexie turns around to see the monitor and soon after, Zack begins crying.

"I'll go see what he needs," she tells him grabbing an extra pajama onesie just in case.

As she enters the baby smell is intoxicating. She raises him from the crib and sniffs the top of his head, "Are you cold Zack?" she asks him immediately feeling his cold feet against her naked thigh, "I'll take that as a yes," she says laying him on the diaper station to change him. "Do you like it here with daddy?" She asks him in a soothing voice trying to calm him down. "I hope you do because your daddy loves having you here, but you better learn to behave because mommy won't be here with you the next time. This was only once because I love you too much and daddy allowed me to come with you two," she says taking him to his crib and just watching him, as his cries get softer. "You know, your daddy is a great man, he is being a very respectful man with me, which I really appreciate. But I'll let you in on a little secret," she says lowering her voice completely. "Mommy may have a little crush on your daddy," she tells him, her eyes beginning to burn a little with unshed tears as she kisses his little head and walks towards the door. "Good night baby boy."


Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I also hope to receive many reviews!