Author's note: CHAPTER 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

I hope you all love it! I think your expectations are really high now… I can't help feeling nervous about your reactions!!!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!

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Chapter 10: And the truth comes out

Lexie quickly stood from the step. "What are you talking about?" She asked, frowning in confusion.

Mark s shook his head and glared at her darkly. "Cut the crap, you know damn well what I'm talking about."

Lexie gasped, her heart hammering in her chest. She kept her arms wrapped around her torso, almost as if she wanted to protect herself. "Who… who told you?" she stuttered, unable to look at him.

"SO IT'S TRUE???!?!" He shouted, getting even angrier.

Lexie winced and looked up at him. "DON'T shout at me, alright?" She shot back, quickly losing her temper. She wasn't the type of person who got angry easily, but she did not accept someone screaming at her… even if she totally deserved it. "I don't even know what you heard!" She told him. She knew he'd found out the truth, but she still wanted to know WHAT he'd heard.

"Someone accused me of getting you pregnant and leaving you to raise the baby by yourself."

"Who said that?" She asked him, a few names running through her head.

"Mrs. Shepherd." He answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Lexie, who's Zack's father?"

Lexie looked up at his face again, her whole body shaking. There was no backing out this time. "You are."

Mark swallowed hard, his eyes filled with anger and hurt. "How could…" He took a shaky breath, trying as hard as he could to stay in control. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME???!?!" He cried out, pain and outrage filling his voice. He waited for her to answer him. "SAY SOMETHING!!!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY!!!" She shouted back as tears ran down her face. "YES, he's your son! YES, I kept him from you! YES, I made a huge mistake!"

He started pacing, his hands tightly closed in fists. "Were you planning on telling me?" he asked her, unable to look at her.

"Yes, I was. I wanted to tell you the moment he was born."

He laughed bitterly and shook his head, not believing her. "Yeah, right."

"I was too scared, alright!?! TOO FUCKING SCARED!!!" she took a deep breath. "When I left Seattle, I didn't know I was pregnant. The only thing I wanted was to get away from… from you. You were moving on with your life and had made it clear you didn't want anything to do with me. And I… I couldn't stand seeing you every day and act like everything was fine." She paused, shaking her head sadly. "I wasn't happy anymore. So I left. When I found out I was pregnant, I wished with every fiber of my being for it to be yours. My wish was granted. But then, I couldn't get myself to tell you. I didn't want to ruin what you had going for you here. So a week turned into months… and months into years."

He stopped pacing and glared at her, his blue eyes dark with anger and pain. "So, because you were scared, I had to find out from someone else?" He shook his head in disbelief. "If Mrs. Shepherd hadn't said anything, I never would've found out."

"That's not true." She shook her head and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I was planning on telling you after the wedding."

"So you wanted to tell me I had a son the same day you were taking him back to Boston?" he threw at her icily, his voice filled with venom.

She stayed quiet, realizing how selfish it made her sound. And he was completely right.

"You're not taking him back with you." He announced, pointing his finger at her.

"WHAT?!?!?"

He took a few steps towards her. "You can't take him away! He's my son!"

"HE'S MY SON!" She threw back, her voice shaking. "I'm his mother, he's coming back with me." She took a deep breath. "I don't know how we're going to do it, but I'm promise we'll make things work."

Mark pinched his lips and took a step back. "You're despicable. I can't even look at you."

Lexie watched him as he turned and went back inside the reception area, leaving her alone. His harsh words, the same he'd used a few years ago, still hurt like it had the first time. She wiped her face and took a long shaky breath, trying to get a hold of herself. She went back inside the building and looked around the room, trying to see where he'd gone. She didn't see him but spotted Sean, who was sitting with another man, chatting animatedly. She made her way around the tables and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm leaving." She told him, her voice shaking. She knew everything was far from over, but she just couldn't stay there and act like everything was ok.

Sean stood up from his seat and brought his hands up to her face. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it here. I just wanted to let you know I was going back to Meredith's."

He nodded his head. "I'll go with you." He turned to his new friend and apologized before he followed her. They found Zack playing under a large table with three other kids.

"Come on, Zack, we're leaving." She told him, waiting for him to get out from under there.

"But I don't WANNA!"

Sensing her distress, Sean took over dealing with Zack. "Sorry, buddy, it's not a suggestion." He grabbed his little hand, pulled him out from under the table and picked him up in his arms.

Lexie gave him a small thankful smile and glanced towards the dance floor. "Can you take him to the car? I'm gonna go tell Meredith we're leaving."

Sean accepted and brought the pouting boy outside. Lexie quickly made her way through the crowd. She spotted her sister and joined her, touching her shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, Mer! I just wanted to tell you Sean and I are leaving." She shouted in her ear.

Meredith frowned. "Already?"

Lexie gave her a shaky grin and nodded her head. "Yes… Zack… he's tired and whiny… I'm gonna take him to bed." She told her, trying her best to sound natural.

Her sister stopped moving and took her hand in hers, looking into her eyes. She knew something was wrong, she could see it in her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked her, concerned.

The younger woman nodded her head and squeezed her hand back. "Sure! We'll talk about it tomorrow alright? Enjoy your night!" There was no way she'd ruin her wedding reception. Not waiting for an answer, she moved away from her and quickly made her way outside, needing to get out of this place.

XXXXX

Lexie pressed her forehead against the cold shower tiles, letting the hot water massage her neck. It was still pretty early in the morning and even if Zack had gone to bed a lot later than usual, he'd still woken up at six am. She'd had to force herself out of bed and take him down for breakfast, not wanting to wake those who were still asleep.

She hadn't heard Meredith and Derek come back from the party, but knew it must have been very late (or early). They'd decided to wait 'till after the baby was born to go on their honey moon. Like Meredith had said, she'd have more energy then and would be able to wear a bikini without looking like a fat Buddha.

Lexie had made them some toast and had brought their breakfast into the living room so they could watch some cartoons.

Her eyes had kept going back to the old grandfather clock on the wall. She knew she'd have to talk to Mark before they'd leave. She just couldn't leave things the way they had the previous night. After four years, he finally knew the truth. She'd promised him she'd make things work, and she would keep that promise.

It was a little passed eight when Sean joined them in the living room, still dressed in his t-shirt and boxers. He'd joined her on the couch and had wrapped his arm around her shoulders, realizing how shaken she still was.

She had no idea what she would have done without Sean.

Lexie let out a long breath and lifted her head, letting the water hit her face. She finally turned the shower off and squeezed the excess water out of her hair. She came out of the stall and dried herself off with a large towel. She wrapped the towel around herself and went to the mirror, wincing at her reflection.

She looked as if she hadn't slept in a month. Her skin was even whiter than it usually was and she had dark purple bags under her eyes. In a few words, she looked like crap. She grimaced and looked away, grabbing her small shower bag from the counter. She left the bathroom and padded quietly to her bedroom.

She shut the door behind her and, still wrapped in only her towel, she sat on the bed and reached for her cell phone on the night stand. It was almost nine, but she had a feeling Mark wouldn't be sleeping.

She dialed his cell number and nervously waited for him to answer. It rang five times before she got on his voicemail. His phone wasn't turned off, so she figured he simply didn't want to answer it. She closed her phone and sighed in frustration, wondering what to do. She pinched her lips and dialed his phone number again, only this time, it went straight to his voicemail.

"Hi! It's Lexie… Umm… you probably don't want to talk to me… I … umm… we're…" she groaned. "We have to be at the airport at five. I'd like to talk to you before we leave… in person… if possible." She sighed, annoyed at herself. "Call me back as soon as you can, alright?" She shut her phone and put it back on the night stand. She stared at it, wishing it would ring so she could talk to him. Of course, it didn't.

She stood from the bed and got dressed in a comfy pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt. She then decided to go back downstairs to see how her boys were doing. She walked out of the guest room, just as Meredith was walking out of hers.

"What are you doing up so early?" Lexie asked her, genuinely surprised. She'd even doubted she'd see her before they left for the airport.

Meredith grimaced and pointed at her swollen stomach. "She keeps kicking my bladder… I feel like I'm gonna explode if I don't pee now."

Lexie grinned and nodded her head in understanding, having been there before. Without any warning, she closed the distance between them and pulled her sister in a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you!" She whispered in her ear.

Meredith squeezed her back, smiling. "Thank you." She pulled back but kept her hands on her upper arms. "How are you? You seemed very emotional when you left the party last night."

Lexie sighed, forcing a shaky smile to her lips. "Mark found out. Someone else told him before I could."

"Who told him?"

"Mrs. Shepherd."

"Figured." She let out a long breath. "How did he take it?"

"Not well. He was angry… Hell, he was completely furious." She sighed sadly. "I can't blame him."

"Are you going to see him today?"

"I tried calling his cell but he didn't answer it. I left him a message." She pinched her lips in anguish. "What do I do if he doesn't call me before we leave for the airport?"

"If he's intelligent, he will." Meredith answered.

"But what if he doesn't?"

"Then you go back to Boston." She raised her hand, stopping Lexie from saying anything. "Listen! You're going back to Boston one way or the other. If he wants to be part of Zack's life, he'll come around. Just keep trying to talk to him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Mark is one of the most stubborn men I've ever known. But I also know he'd never turn his back on something this important. He'll come around, trust me."

Lexie gave her a pained look. "Meredith… How am I going to make things work? With us in Boston and him in Seattle…"

"Lexie, you'll have to talk with Mark about that, not me." She winced and pointed at her enlarged belly. "I really REALLY need to pee."

"OH! I'm sorry! Go!"

"We'll be up before you leave for the airport, alright? There's no way we're going to let you and our nephew leave without saying a proper good bye!"

Lexie grinned as she watched her disappearing in the bathroom. She sighed and took her cell phone from her jeans pocket, making sure it was still on. Satisfied, she slid it back in her pocket and made her way downstairs, smiling as she heard her son's happy laughter coming from the living room.

COMMENTS!!!!!!! What did I miss? What did I get right? Are you happy with Mark's reaction? TELL ME I'M DYING TO KNOW!!!!