Well, this was a beast of a chapter to get written. What is with Mark not wanting to do and say what I tell him? Well, anyway, hope you enjoy this one, there is fluff and angst. Something for everybody! What can I say, I am a people pleaser. LOL.

Oh, and real quick. I just want to thank everybody who is taking the time to review. I appreciate all comments, criticism or otherwise. I know some of you are disappointed about MerDer and Lexie not being a surgeon, but this is AU. This story is built on the premise of something that will never happen on the show, and as such, I took latitude.

As far as Lexie is concerned, I think she would be an excellent OB/GYN though it is sad that she isn't a surgeon in my story. I did it because I felt there had to be sacrifices that Mark and Lexie made when they stayed in New York. Without a support system, one of them would have needed to be at home more and at work less.

And with regards to MerDer, them not getting married was based on the idea I mentioned earlier about them having been sleepwalking since Izzie's death. Think about it this way: Derek returns to the hospital with no best friend and his girlfriend not paying attention because she is focused on Izzie, and he only then realizes that he needs Mark's support to get over killing his patient Jen. He goes to NY and Mark basically tells him to go f**k himself. Then he comes back to SGH where Meredith has checked out because Izzie is dying. Then, despite everyone's best efforts, Izzie dies and George leaves. Meredith would be devastated by Izzie's death, and even more so by the loss of so many people she needs. And Derek would have no one to turn to. So yeah, they have been sleepwalking for a while. They are happy now, but something tells me they will need a kick in the butt to wake up again.

I hope that helps to clear everything up. Keep the comments coming, I am happy get them!

Oh, and a small disclaimer: I don't live in New York so I don't know what the rules about marriage licenses are there. For the purposes of my story, there is no blood test required and only a two day waiting period.

Is this the longest author's note ever, or what? On with the chapter...

* * *

When Mark's alarm went off in the early hours of the morning, he groaned and fumbled for his phone to turn it off. Once accomplished, he looked over at his sleeping son and wife with a smile. They looked so much alike, and with their heads resting together like that, Mark could hardly tell whose hair began and ended where. He quietly slid out of the bed, trying not to disturb them, and padded over to the bathroom. Closing the door without a sound, Mark flipped the lights and flinched when they came on. He then quickly turned on the shower and allowed the steam to fill the bathroom.

After stripping off his pajamas, Mark stepped under the hot spray. He moved his head from side to side, trying to work out the kinks in his neck and to psych himself up for the day. He had a difficult surgery ahead of him, and Mark wanted to do as much as he could to prevent having to perform a second one.

After standing in the shower for ten minutes, Mark heard the glass door open, and felt two arms encircle his waist. He smiled. "I was wondering if you would wake up."

"You know the sound of the shower always wakes me," Lexie murmured against his back.

"True, but you were very tired last night," Mark said. "You fell asleep while I was still talking to you about my surgery."

Lexie grinned, hiding her face sheepishly on his skin. "Sorry, I guess the flight got to me."

Mark turned so they were facing each other. "Don't worry about it; I know you have heard it all many times before."

"And many times before that," Lexie said saucily, her smirk playful.

"Brat," He murmured.

Lexie lowered her head and rested it against his chest, their naked bodies touching from chest to thigh. "Are you nervous about today?"

He closed his eyes to the feeling of the hot spray of the shower and his wife in his arms. "A little. But it is more the nerves I get before any surgery, sort of like the way you feel when you are delivering a baby."

Lexie smiled. "Those are good nerves. They never go away."

"Yeah, they are good nerves," Mark agreed.

"I meant what I said last night, Mark," Lexie said.

"About what?"

"About coming to the hospital today."

Mark sighed, but he knew this was one battle he wasn't going to win. "Okay, why don't you meet me for lunch? We can find Meredith and Derek at some point and try to find a way out of this mess."

"It's all so silly, isn't it?" Lexie murmured.

"What?"

"This," Lexie said. "I feel like I have to tell my parents I am going steady with my first boyfriend."

Mark chuckled at the image of a young Lexie with braces, nervously clutching the hand of a faceless boy, which suddenly entered his mind. "I know what you mean. But the sooner it is done, the sooner we can think about the future."

Lexie nodded. "I am going to see Molly this morning."

"Matty will be glad to see her and Laura again," Mark commented.

"Yeah," Her voice trailed off. Mark knew she was regretting the distance that was between her and her sister now.

He rubbed his hand soothingly up and down her back. Lexie lifted her eyes to his, and then reached up and kissed him. Her fingers grazed their way down his abdomen, but Mark pulled away from her touch.

"This isn't a good idea," Mark said.

"Why?" Lexie asked, her face confused.

"You're pregnant," Mark stated.

"I am aware of that," Lexie said dryly.

"What if you slipped or I…dropped you?" Mark shook his head. "Better safe than sorry."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my husband?" Lexie asked.

"Not funny," Mark said.

Lexie wrapped her arms around his waist again. "I trust you." She then kissed him.

"What if Matty comes in?" Mark mumbled against her lips.

"I locked the door."

"What if he wakes up and needs us?"

"He won't; he is your son, after all."

"Well," Mark said, lifting Lexie against the wall. "In that case…"

"I knew you would see things my way."

"I always do."

* * *

Four Years Earlier…

"We don't have to do this, you know," Mark murmured to Lexie as they stood outside the judge's chambers. It was a week after Lexie had moved to New York, and they were about to get married. After deciding against a prolonged wedding, they had agreed that a city hall wedding was the way to go. But in the end, Mark had been able to pull some strings and get a judge, who had been friends with his father, to perform the ceremony instead. And now, they were waiting.

"We could have a proper wedding with guests and everything," Mark said to her.

Lexie grinned at him. "Where is the fun in that? Besides, I did my hair and got all pretty. We might as well get married."

Mark smiled at her as he shook his head. She had indeed done her hair. She had also bought a simple white dress that looked amazing on her. "Well…if you insist," Mark said.

Her peals of laughter were his only answer. Lexie face was so happy, and Mark felt his stomach clench as they looked at each other. She reached out and straightened his tie, a very wifely duty which he savored.

"You have the rings, right?" She asked.

Mark nodded, patting the inside of his pocket. It was funny. He never thought he would have to hold the rings for his own wedding. That was always something he thought Derek would—

Mark stopped his thoughts there. He wouldn't allow himself to think about his former best friend today. Not today of all days.

But once he had allowed the thought in, it wouldn't leave. Derek should be there. He was had been his best friend since the first grade, and this almost didn't feel right without him.

"You miss him, don't you?" Lexie asked, breaking into his thoughts. She always seemed to know what he was thinking.

Mark nodded, saying nothing.

"I miss them both," Lexie said to him. "They should have been here today, and in a perfect world, they would have been."

Mark lowered his head until the tip of his forehead was touching hers. "I'm sorry about Meredith."

Lexie breathed in and whispered back, "And I'm sorry about Derek."

The door opened at that moment, and the judge beckoned them in.

Lexie pulled back and looked at him, her smile as wide as he had ever seen. "You ready for this, handsome?"

He felt an answering grin tug at his mouth, and he pushed all thoughts but her from his mind.

She took his hand, and they walked in together.

* * *

Present Day…

After they left the steamy confines of the bathroom, Mark and Lexie wrapped themselves in identical fluffy white robes.

"See, still sleeping like a baby," Lexie said, as they saw Matty on the bed in the same position he had been before.

"That's my boy," Mark said, causing Lexie to swat him with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I am going to dry my hair. Try to stay out of trouble."

Mark grinned innocently at her. After she had closed the door to the bathroom, and Mark could hear the gentle hum of the dryer, Mark took a deep breath and moved over to his luggage.

He dressed quickly, and as he did so, the good mood he had been in began to fade. This was going to be an awful day, he could feel it.

Mark fastened his watch onto his wrist and sighed. The tension which had evaporated with the shower had now returned in full force.

When the hair dryer turned off, Lexie stepped out of the bathroom. "Did you need anything else in here?" She asked. "If so, I am done."

Mark grunted, saying nothing.

Lexie walked over to her bag and began to change.

"Jesus, Lex," Mark swore. "Can't you do that in the bathroom? What if Matty woke up?"

Lexie frowned at him and pulled her sweater over her head. Now fully clothed, she turned to him and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, what's going on?" She hissed.

"Nothing," Mark said, turning away to grab his cell phone from the side table.

"You're lying," Lexie said. "You were fine ten minutes ago. What happened?"

Mark looked at her angry face and sighed. Her anger faded to concern as she looked at the myriad of emotions that seemed to flicker across Mark's face.

"What is it?" She asked, stepping close to him and resting a hand on his heart. "Why do you look like that?"

"It's just…" Mark trailed off. He didn't even know how to explain it to himself, let alone to her. "Being in this place again, you know?"

"What? Seattle?" Lexie asked, her brown eyes filled with understanding.

"Yeah, Seattle, the hospital, everything," Mark said. "I just…I don't like who I feel like when I am here."

"You seemed okay last night," Lexie said softly. "And this morning."

"I know," Mark said. "Being with you makes everything easier, but it doesn't change the fact that I have to go into the hospital today and tell everyone that I have been lying to them for years."

"Not everyone," Lexie said. "Just the people who need to know. And you don't have to do it alone, we can do it together."

"Derek found out I was married yesterday. Did I tell you that?"

Lexie shook her head.

"He found out about Matty too," Mark said. "It would have been the perfect time to tell him everything."

"So why didn't you?" Lexie asked him quietly.

"I don't know," Mark said. "Something stopped me. I had the perfect opportunity to tell him everything and I…I just couldn't."

A frown suddenly came over Lexie's face. "You didn't come back here for the surgery, did you?"

"What do you mean?" Mark asked.

"I mean there was more. More than a reconstruction that another doctor could have done, and more than coming back here to confront the past." Lexie sat down heavily on the bed. She seemed as if she was talking to herself now. "You have been so strange for the past two weeks, ever since..." She trailed off. "I thought it was just stress, but…there is another reason you returned, isn't there?"

Mark rubbed a hand over his beard and sighed. "Yeah, Lex, there is."

* * *

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