I don't own Grey's Anatomy

Chapter Twenty-One

The rest of New York was a blast for Mark and Lexie. After Mark's proposal, they spent the time site seeing, having lots of sex, relaxing, and of course, visiting Mrs. Shepherd.

Carolyn Shepherd was the first to hear of the proposal and was absolutely delighted for the couple. She couldn't be more happy, considering Mark was like her second son. In fact, she was even throwing out some wedding ideas to the young couple. Lexie was thrilled that Mrs. Shepherd wanted to be a big part in this, but neither her nor Mark had the slightest of clue what they'd do for the wedding. To be honest, they just wanted to get married.

Anyway, now, here they are, two weeks later and it was their last day.

"What do you want to do?" Mark asked Lexie as they lazily laid on the couch. "We head back to the rainiest city in America tomorrow. We can do anything you like."

"I don't know. I feel like I've seen so much these past couple of days. You showed me all the major sites New York has to offer," Lexie mused, leaning her head against his shoulder. "And then you showed me practically every place you hung out in your childhood."

"Hmm...We could just stroll around central park for a bit? Then get a quick bite to eat and turn in early?" Mark suggested, scratching the back of Lexie's head, tousling her hair.

"Oh, I like the sound of that," She exclaimed.

Lexie groaned as she got up; stretching out her arms and back. She felt like she was getting bigger by the minute. At this point, Lexie thought of herself as a whale. She hated the last trimester of her pregnancy. It was brutal.

"God, my back is killing me. I want this pregnancy to be over with," Lexie mentioned to Mark as she rubbed her swollen abdomen. "I want the peanut to come now."

"I know. She'll be coming around soon. Not just this moment," Mark said, smiling as he got up from the couch to hold Lexie's hand.

"I hope so," Lexie muttered as they headed out onto the New York streets.

The walk was peaceful. Just the two, holding hand in hand, walking around. It's what most of their time had been here; nice, quiet, and peaceful.

"So...How do you want to break the news to the guys back home? Think they'll be surprised?" Mark asked her as they bought two New York City hot dogs off the street from a vender.

Lexie shrugged as she took a big bite of the hot dog, "I don't know. Probably not. Knowing them, they saw it coming. You always talked about it, and I guess I was just waiting for the right moment to say yes."

"You want to get married, right though? I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want to do anymore. I know the pregnancy thing was a big step for you," Mark mentioned.

She nodded her head quietly, "Yes, but I want you. I want this baby. Sure, she was unexpected, but just because we didn't plan her doesn't mean I won't love her any less. Anyway, maybe this was the universe's way of telling us we should be together. I love you and you love me. We're going to have a family together. That's all that matters now."

"You're right," Mark agreed, nodding his head to reassure himself.

"I can picture their reactions right now." Lexie chuckled with amusement, "Meredith and Derek will be happy...Cristina could care less. She'll probably make a few jokes, but actually she'll be happy deep down. Alex will congratulate us like a normal person. The same goes for Arizona, Jackson, Owen, Bailey, and so on. Emma will ask to be the flower girl or the ring bearer or something, because that's how kids are, and Callie will be all crying because your her best friend. Molly will most likely be happy for us, and my dad..."

"Oh Lex," Mark said as he watched his finance's face fall.

"I'd have to tell him, that is if he wants to see me," Lexie muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"I'm sure he'll want to see his little girl walk down the aisle. He loves you, Lexie. He's done a lot more for you than any of my folks have ever done, even if he has his flaws."

"I guess." Lexie shrugged as she finished up her hot dog with Mark. "We'll see. I just have to call him when I get back, but honestly I don't want him there if he disrespects you or Meredith. She's had enough of his crap."

"Alright. Whatever you want," Mark said, rubbing her backside. The two walked around the city some more, checking out time square one more time and picking up some souvenirs for Emma and a few of the others. After that they then headed into central park for another stroll.

"You know, I was thinking of getting the nursery done when we get home or instead of getting it done...Maybe look into that house you were talking about? I don't know," Lexie mentioned, shrugging as the two swung their hands back and forth. "Maybe...Maybe we could move somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" Mark questioned, raising his eyebrow at her. "You want to leave Seattle?"

"I don't know," Lexie muttered, looking around the park. "My residency is going to end eventually and I know all our family's in Seattle, but I don't know...Is that stupid?"

"I don't think it's stupid, question is are we-"

"Are we what?" Lexie asked, raising her eyebrows at Mark. She noticed he was frozen now, his eyes focused on one figure. Lexie frowned, turning to see he was looking at a man on a park bench. He had gray hair, fairly attractive, probably in his 60s and 70s...But something was familiar about him. "Mark?"

"Oh god," Mark said, immediately turning around. "Why is he here?"

"Mark?"

"Let's go-"

"Who is it Mark?" Lexie asked, her voice full of fear. She was trying to understand his motives as he began to drag her away. "Mark Sloan, stop it right now! What is going on?"

"That's my dad, Lex," Mark said, rubbing the bridge of his nose from agitation.

"Oh..." Lexie's hand covered her mouth, reaching out to try and touch his arm. "Mark..."

"It's fine, let's just go before he notices," Mark whispered, grabbing her hand in his tightly.

"Alright," Lexie agreed reluctantly, but it was too late. The man made eye contact with them and got up right away. He looked just as shocked as Mark did, but he had longing in his eyes.

"Mark?" the man called out.

Mark swallowed hard, holding tightly to Lexie's hand as he stared at his father. "Hi, dad..."

"Son, it's been awhile," Andrew Sloan said hoarsely, coming over to greet him. "I see a lot's happened-"

"I don't want to talk dad," Mark snapped, beginning to storm away.

"Mark, please wait. We need to talk. I've tried contacting you, but I don't know your new phone number and every time I call the hospital you work at, I can never get a hold of you-"

"That's because I don't want to speak to you, dad," Mark pointed out angrily like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I thought you got the message after I left."

"I know, but just let me speak. Please," his father insisted, clasping his hands together as if he was ready to beg. "I just need to talk to you."

"I don't think I can. You've done enough," Mark stated coldly. "Come on, Lexie."

"Is this your wife?" Andrew Sloan pressured on, trying to get some information from his son. "Did you finally settle down?"

"No. She's my fiancé, but yes. We're planning to settle down together, if that's what you mean. Raise this child in a way you never did," Mark told his father furiously.

"Mark-"

"No, stop right here dad. Please. Just leave us alone," Mark begged, dragging Lexie away with him, as far as they could from his father.

When they got back to the penthouse, Mark slammed the door. Lexie jumped, watching as Mark gripped to the counter. She didn't know what to do, she wasn't sure if she's ever seen him this angry before. Of course she's seen Mark angry, but not like this. It was almost violent. She was getting extremely worried.

"Mark?" She spoke softly, trying to find some way to console him. She could tell he was in a lot of pain right now.

"How dare he just come into my life...He screwed up everything. He's had chances and has screwed up every single one-"

"Mark..."

"Lexie, I don't want him in our daughter's life. I just can't let him in again."

"Mark-"

"I won't have it. I just can't," Mark cried out, his fingers gripping even tighter to the counter. His knuckles were turning white from the amount of force.

"Mark, listen to me," Lexie yelled, causing him to pause. He wouldn't look at her in the eyes though as she approached him slowly. "Can't we talk about this, please? You're worrying me."

"Lexie, you don't understand. You grew up with parents who cared about you and you always had someone to count on. Someone to read you bed time stories, tuck you in, feed you, watch you grow up. Someone that'd go to all your school plays, softball games, and hell even graduation. I didn't have any of that! I had two parents who didn't give a shit about me! Whenever I asked my old man for help or ever needed him, all he'd do was shove money at my face and told me to go buy something or he'd ignore me. He never wanted anything to do with me, at all, and I don't know if I can just let him in!"

"That's not true-"

"Lexie, it is."

"My father's a drunk, may I point out," Lexie snapped at him. "He's a drunk and he's disappointed me countless of times. My mother, she died of the hiccups. My sister, she hasn't had much contact with me since our mother died. The only people I have now are Meredith, Derek, you, and the hospital. I don't have anyone else. Stop trying to glorify my situation when there's nothing to glorify. None of our parents are perfect, okay? Just because mine didn't do what yours did doesn't mean I've had my fair share of disappointments, because I have. I've had lots of them. And not to make this about me, but look at the wedding. Your dad might actually want to go, mine doesn't. Yes, our childhoods were different, but we both know what it feels like to be let down by our parents. So don't claim I don't understand, because I do."

"Oh god, Lex." Mark sighed, rubbing his temples, "I'm sorry-"

"No...It's okay. I get why your angry. It's a lot to take in. It's okay," Lexie whispered, cupping his face in her hands. His eyes refused to lock with hers. "Just look at me, please? I want to help take this pain away but you need to let me in Mark. You gotta let someone in about this because you have been holding this in for way too long."

Mark gripped tightly to her hands, holding on for dear life as he turned his head to face hers. His ice blue eyes were filled with tears. Lexie, seeing her fiancé in distress, brought his head to rest against the crook of her neck. She could feel the hot, angry tears leaking from his eyes as the two collapsed on the floor. Lexie ran her fingers through his hair, letting him sob into her neck. She could feel his warm breath on her skin as he buried his face deeper in her shoulder, his cries loud and audible. "Shhh. It's okay. I know, I know," She soothed, holding on to him like he would hold on to her when she cried.

"My parents never cared," Mark said softly against Lexie. "They never paid attention to me. Even when I couldn't fend for myself, they had countless of nannies for them. I never saw my parents. Ever, and when I did there was always a lot of yelling."

Lexie nodded as she listened to Mark talk some more, "It's also why I've been such an asshole. Why I was trying to force you into a family or why I treated so many people like crap. That's what my shrink use to say and I never believed them until now...I just really want a family of our own, Lexie. I think you know that already, but I just want it so freaking bad. I've never wanted anything more in my life. I want to be the father he never was and love the two of you. I want our daughter to grow up with what I didn't."

"We will," Lexie whispered to him, slowly brushing her fingers through his salt and pepper hair.

"You know, the last time I saw my father was when my mother died. That was almost seven years ago. Even then, you know I wasn't even upset that my mom had died? I thought it was all my fault I couldn't even grieve, but maybe it was theres because I didn't even know my own parents so I couldn't possibly know how to grieve for them. I thought I was such a bad person-"

"Mark, you are nothing that you say you are. It's okay. All of it's over now. You are so good. You are one of the most gentle and kind hearted men I know, even though you don't show it, you are. You care so much for others, and you respect others. You are going to be such a good father," Lexie said, comforting him. "Trust me."

They stayed there for awhile after that. Lexie just held Mark as he cried and talked to her some more. She'd never seen him this upset. There have been times where she's seen Mark upset and scared, but this level of sadness was all new to her. Lexie didn't know the specifics of everything Mark's parents did to him. Maybe Derek and Mrs. Shepherd were the only people who really knew because Derek grew up with Mark and the Shepherds took him in, but it was just something he never talked about. He'd mention how they weren't good parents and a few situations, but his feelings about all of this were bottling up. Everything he's felt for the past couple of years was basically exploding out of him at this point.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, lifting his head slowly from the spot he rested it on Lexie. "I just..."

"Don't say sorry when you don't need to. It's okay. You needed to let it out," Lexie told him softly. She gave him a small smile, cupping his face in her hands.

"God, I don't know what I'd do without you," Mark muttered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her hair. The two then hugged one another, Mark holding on to Lexie for dear life as if she was his only life line. Lexie buried her face in Mark's chest as the two soothed each other.

"I think we've had enough of New York. It's time to go back home," Lexie said gently, running up and down his back.

"You're probably right," Mark muttered into her hair. He closed his eyes as he breathed in her scent. "Let's just do it tonight."

"What?" Lexie questioned, clearly confused as she strayed away from the hug to look up at him.

"Let's do it, Lexie. Let's get married tonight."

A/N: Ah ha! A cliffy! I hope you all enjoyed the angst, I know it was requested and I've been planning to do something like this. So, sorry for the lack of updates. As I say all the time, my life is crazy. I have so much going on and I'm glad people are still reading this because it's all so hectic. Anyway, thanks for reading and be on the look out for the next update! :)