N/A: I couldn't help it so here's another chapter. I know there aren't too many things happening at the moment, besides the bonding between the three characters, but some action will come soon.

On another note, my other Mer/Mark fic, Let is change us, is still in progress, I haven't abandoned it. I just have a major writer block and for the past two months I wrote and deleted several times the next chapter. I'll try to focus my attention on it and I hope I'll be able to have something good to post soon. In the meantime, enjoy it with a new chapter for All I want is this.

Thank you for your reviews and let me know if this story is getting boring or if there's something you don't like about it.

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Chapter 26 – The call

Meredith started waking as she felt something tickling her nose. She sleepily opened her eyes to see blonde strands of hair in front of her eyes. Meredith yawned and slowly stretched her body. As the image became clearer, Meredith saw the position Alicia was sleeping in; she was sleeping crosswise over the pillows, having her head towards Meredith and her legs over Mark's chest, but still holding Lolo and Bambi. Meredith smiled as she imagined Alicia stirring just a little and hitting under her father's jaw. Slowly she smoothed her hair to back and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. Alicia moaned sleepily and snuggled her stuffed friends.

Watching her sleep was the most relaxing thing she had ever experienced. Dim light peaked through a crack of the curtains, but Meredith was in no hurry today. She was no longer sleepy either, but she decided to just lay there and spoil herself with the moment. So much had changed her life in just a few weeks. Things she hadn't planned to happen in the near future were now rolling out. She was still confused about the place she had in Mark's plans, but last evening he seemed convincing. She hung her hopes on that kiss.

A muffled growl came from under the blankets. She felt a discomfort in the pit of her stomach and Meredith rubbed intensively over the spot that ached. She rolled onto her back, closing her eyes and breathing slowly to relax and ban out the pain. A deep breath and a slow exhale, but the pain wasn't fading and Meredith knew she should visit the bathroom before it was too late.

Meredith lifted the blanket and slowly slipped out of the bed. She tiptoed towards the door and exited the room in a perfect silence. As the door was closed again, Meredith started running to the bathroom. The door flew open, almost slamming against the wall and Meredith landed in her knees in front of the toilet, already empting her stomach.

As she felt her stomach calming, Meredith raised her head from the toilet. "Oh crap," she muttered under breath. "I shouldn't have eaten all those cookies," she concluded, but as she mentioned the word cookie, she felt her stomach revolting and she was again over in the toilet.

With her face still hovering over the toilet, Meredith felt cold hands in the back of her neck as Mark came behind her and held her hair to back.

"I told you not to dirt my toilet," he grumbled once that Meredith's stomach seemed to be finally empty.

Meredith didn't pay any attention to his comment. She sat down on the floor and let her body rest against his, exhausted. She held her eyes closed for a moment in attempt to relax, and ran the back of her hand over her forehead to wipe the cold sweat.

Mark stood up and let her hold herself steady as he went and wet a cloth with cold water. He returned to the place where Meredith was and wiped her face and neck with it.

Meredith moaned and her body looked for his support as he sat down behind her.

She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "Thanks," she muttered huskily.

"Yeah, yeah," Mark rolled his eyes with sarcasm but then he returned the smile. "I…"

"I know," Meredith cut his words off, wincing. "I'll never eat cookies again," she groaned, resting her against his shoulder. "At least not in this house," she looked up at him and giggled as she saw him rolling her eyes. "Help me up."

Mark stood up and helped Meredith get back on her feet. The effort she had made over the toilet left her exhausted, so Mark had to wrap his arm around her waist when he felt her losing her balance.

It wasn't only weakness in her knees she felt; Meredith also felt her head spinning.

Mark gently patted her back in encouragement. "The cookies were good. You've poisoned yourself by eating the whole box," he snickered.

Meredith furrowed her brows into a glare, but she didn't retort. She walked over to the sink and turned on the cold water. She splashed water over her face, moaning each time the water refreshed her skin.

While Meredith washed her face, Mark fumbled through a drawer. He took out a rectangular box and threw in on the counter beside the sink. "Here."

Meredith looked down at it to see a wrapped toothbrush. She looked back over her shoulder at Mark, confused. "I have one in my bag," she said, frowning a little at his subtle message.

"I know you do," Mark rolled his eyes, acting irritated. He took the toothbrush out of the wrapper and placed into the prop, where his and Alicia's toothbrushes were. "You can use this one if you want while you are here," he said, trying to sound as if he wasn't giving too much importance to his gesture.

Meredith smiled, impressed though. "Thanks," the smile was still playing on her lips as she glanced up at Mark.

Mark chuckled and gently moved Meredith out of his way so that he could wash his face as well.

"Is Ally up?" Meredith asked as she put toothpaste on her new toothbrush.

"No and I am not hurrying to wake her up either," Mark answered. He took the face towel and wiped his face. "I have the day off today."

"I have the day off too," she said. "So who is going to take her to the kindergarten today?"

Mark chuckled. "You're the nanny," he smiled teasingly.

Meredith rolled her eyes and bent over the sink as she brushing her teeth.

"I am going to take her," he said. "You probably have other things to do."

Meredith looked at him from the corner of her eyes and shook her head. She spit part of the toothpaste and took out the toothbrush. "We could…" she hesitated. "Maybe she wants to stay home today," she trailed off and glanced at him for his reaction.

Mark knew what she had in her mind. "With me?" he asked, in addition to her suggestion.

That wasn't what she meant, so his answer gave her no other option for answer. "Yeah," she muttered and continued brushing her teeth.

But Mark knew exactly what she had meant. "What plans do you have for today?" he asked her casually.

Meredith shrugged. She didn't want him to know that her plans had changed seconds ago. He had given her a reason to stay but she didn't want to push her luck too much.

"What plans do you have for this morning then?" Mark asked her as Meredith wiped her mouth. He stepped slowly behind her, his hands on her hips, his face hovering over her shoulder. Slowly he pushed her shirt off her shoulder, his lips now brushing against it.

Meredith felt weak to her knees; this time it wasn't because of the nausea. It was because of the effect his breath had in contact with her skin, heating up her insides and blurring her mind. She turned to his, her arms wounding around his neck, and she jumped on the edge of the sink. Her face lowered to his, her teeth nipping on his bottom lip.

"Mmm," Mark moaned in depth satisfaction with her plans.

Meredith giggled and opened her mouth inviting him for a passionate kiss. His fingers danced across the buttons of her shirt and then he could push it off her body, his hands returning quickly to her soft skin.

"Here?" he asked in breathless whisper. "Or the shower?... Or the bedroom?"

Hung on his neck with her legs wrapped around his waist, Meredith giggled. "Here," she answered and dropped a kiss on his lips. "Then in the bedroom."

Mark laughed and his mouth asked for hers immediately. "Then the shower," he added.

Meredith pulled back from the kiss and shook her head. "Only the bedroom. Alicia might wake up later," and then her tongue traced a line over his lips.

Mark moaned. "You're so concerned about Alicia," he said, his lips capturing hers with hunger, but Meredith couldn't tell from the tone of his voice if that was a remark or just sarcasm. She took his face between her hands and deepened the kiss.

"Better in the bedroom," Mark said as he suddenly broke the kiss and lifted Meredith off the counter.

Meredith connived by nodding her head. She stretched to back for her shirt, a gesture that made Mark protest. "Leave that," he groaned and slapped lightly her hand so that she could drop it.

Meredith frowned and held tighter on the shirt. "What if…"

"Fine," Mark cut her complaint off, already knowing what she would say. "It's just a waste of time," he grumbled.

Meredith rolled her eyes, giggling. "Are you that clumsy?" she asked teasingly.

"Just put it on already," he hissed and as the shirt was back on her shoulders again, Mark scooped her into his arms. "Now keep it quiet if you're so worried about Ally," he suggested and reached out for her lips.

Meredith held his face between her hands, kissing him while Mark carried her out of the bathroom, holding their lips locked together.

In their efforts of staying quiet and not disturb Alicia's sleep, Mark didn't notice the wrong direction he had taken and soon he trapped over a chair, forcing Meredith to grab tighter on his neck. "Shit!" he cursed, wincing, while the chair fell, hitting noisily the ground.

In an instant, Meredith was back on her feet and Mark rubbed on his toe, both waiting for Alicia to wake up and come out of her room. At first, no sound came from her room and the silence continued while they waited.

"And you were so worried," Mark rolled his eyes and grabbed Meredith's hand, rushing her to his bedroom. Mark closed the door and his jaw dropped as he turned and saw Meredith already naked, smiling and biting her lip cheekily. His boxers fell to his ankles and Mark walked out of them as he took a step towards Meredith. He scooped her into his arms again and carried her to his bed, laying her in the middle. Mark took the position on top of her, pressing lightly his body against hers. Meredith wrapped her arms around his neck, reaching out for his lips, and then pushed him off her. She rolled on top of him, mounting him.

"You like to have the control, don't you?" Mark smiled, brushing the hair out of her face as she leaned down to kiss him.

"Mhm," she giggled.

Mark laughed as he rolled over and brought her underneath him. "Not a chance," he raised his brows, smiling smugly.

Her fingers clutched into his hair, pulling his head down to her. "I can boss too," she whispered against his lips.

"Not with me," Mark replied, crashing his mouth against hers in an intense kiss, leaving no place for protest from Meredith's side. His teeth harshly nipped on her bottom lip, almost leaving it bruised.

Meredith moaned, her body arching towards him, her hands still in his hair. She pushed him off her again and in the next second, a loud thud followed as they both reached down on the floor.

"Ouch," Meredith cried out as she landed over him. "This didn't do well to my stomach," she muttered, wincing as she felt her stomach giving her a new nausea sensation.

"You killed me, woman," Mark groaned. "My ribs are touching my spine."

Meredith giggled, making herself comfortable as she laid on top of him. "Cry baby," she teased and kissed him softly on the lips. "This means I am in control now," she giggled.

"You could have asked it nicely if you really wanted it," Mark rolled his eyes, brushing her hair out of her face. "You…" he couldn't find the right words as he spoke. "You drive me crazy."

"Is it bad or good?" she giggled.

Mark reached out and dropped a kiss on her lips. "You don't need to know."

Meredith smiled knowingly. "I think in both ways," she answered for him.

As response, Mark just looked into her eyes and then pulled her head down to him. Meredith kissed him and stood up. "You have dust under your bed," she pointed out, giggling as she walked to the door. She locked to the doorknob and returned to Mark, who was waiting for her on the floor, beside the bed.

--

The light was brighter in her room as the sun had risen on the sky, bringing more light over the city.

Alicia's eyes snapped opened and she started as the loud thud sounded in the next room. Sleepily, she rubbed her eyes and looked around her. "Daddy?" she called out quietly. "Meri?"

Slowly she stood up, continuing to rub her heavy eyes. "Daddy? Meri?" she called out again and looked around the room. She woke up the same position Meredith and Mark had let her sleeping. From the top of the bed, Alicia looked worriedly at the quiet room.

"Mark, stop!" Meredith's laugh caught her attention.

"Meri?" she called louder, crawling to the edge of the bed. She ran to the door and as she opened it, she crossed the hall to her father's room.

Alicia grabbed the doorknob and tried twisting it, but she found it locked. "Daddy?" she called through the door. It was impossible for any of them to hear her as they were both laughing.

Alicia took a resigned step back, her eyes moistening. A quiet sob broke against her chest as she slowly turned and walked back into her room, closing it behind her. She returned to her bed and crawled back to the pillows, sitting over them. A tear slid down her cheek as she carefully took her stuffed dog and her stuffed rabbit. "They don't like me," she muttered to her friends and stronger sob broke. "They play together again… without me," she told them, sniffing. "She's my friend and he's my Daddy but they don't want to sleep and play with me anymore," another tear slid down her cheek and then another and tears started pouring out of her eyes. "We can play together," she said with determination and started tickling her toys, forcing herself to laugh and have her part of fun like the grown-ups were having.

In her innocence, Alicia thought she lost her father's and friend's attention. She didn't know they had slept with her the whole night and she didn't know what kind of fun they were having together at the moment. Alicia knew only she had went to sleep with both of them, dreaming peacefully as she finally felt the warmth of a family, therefore, her disappointment was painful when she woke up all alone and found them locked in another room.

She couldn't force herself to laugh for too long. The more she laughed, the more her eyes watered and her sobs became painful. Alicia hugged her toys tightly to her chest, burying her face in their soft texture. "I want my grandma!" her sob came out muffled. "I miss my grandma!" she cried, cradling her toys stronger. "She loves us!" She continued crying with big tears and loud sobs.

A song coming from another room caught her attention and made her stop. Alicia raised her face from her toys, sniffing and wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand as she listened to the song. She recognized her father's phone. Sobbing, Alicia waited to hear her father picking up the phone. But giggles and moans continued to come from his room and he didn't seem to have heard the phone.

"I'll answer," Alicia said, sobbing, to her toys. She tucked them under arm and crawled to the edge of the bed. As she opened the door, Alicia hesitated before she took the first stop on the hall and glared to her father's door.

The phone kept ringing in the living room. Alicia pulled herself together and hurried to answer the phone.

"Hello," she answered between sobs. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Ally?" the woman's voice asked.

In that instant, her eyes filled with tears and she started crying again. "Grandma! Come to me, grandma. I am alone and I miss you, Grandma!" she cried.

"Alicia, sweetheart, what's happening?" her grandma's voice was filled with worry.

"I miss you so much, grandma. Come to me!" Alicia cried, pouring out her pain.

"Ally, baby, calm down and tell grandma what's wrong?" she asked.

"Come to me," Alicia begged.

"I am, sweetie. In two days I will be there," her grandma assured her with a soft voice. "Now wipe your tears and tell me what's wrong."

"Two days?" Alicia sobbed. "Soon?"

"Soon, sweetie," Crystal said softly. "Don't cry, ok?"

Alicia wiped her face with her toys and nodded. "Ok," she sobbed. "Soon?" she asked again, to be sure.

"Soon, Ally," she answered. "Why are you so upset?" she asked her.

All the crying and all the sobs left her almost breathless. Alicia took a deep breath and sobbed again. "I want to play with Daddy and Meri too," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Crystal asked her, confused. "What made you cry now?"

"Meri," she sobbed. "And Daddy. They didn't want to sleep with me and now… and now they locked to door and left me alone."

Crystal chuckled discreetly. "Tell me, Ally… does Meri sleep a lot with you and Daddy?"

"No," Alicia frowned. "She sleeps with Daddy the most."

"Sweetie," Crystal laughed as she understood how silly her granddaughter's tears were.

Alicia started crying as she heard her grandmother's laugh, misunderstanding it as mockery.

"Ally, listen to me," Crystal said in a more serious tone. "Does Meri sleep every night with Daddy?"

"Almost," Alicia answered. "Sometimes she works at night and sometimes… sometimes Daddy works at night and then I sleep with Meri. I like more when Daddy works at night and not Meri."

"But you know, it's a good thing that your Daddy sleeps with Meri most of the nights," Crystal tried to explain, which, of course, made Alicia frown. Crystal chuckled, guessing the girl's expression. "And you know why that is a good thing?" Alicia shook her head, an answer that Crystal couldn't see, but she knew it. "Because it means that your Daddy likes Meredith very much and you know what this means?" she asked.

"He doesn't love me anymore?" Alicia asked, fearful.

"No, silly" Crystal laughed.

"Don't call me silly!" Alicia retorted. "Daddy's silly!"

"Ally, pay attention," she said cheerfully. "It means that Meredith could become your mommy one day. You remember when I told you how important it was for your father to like a woman and marry her so that you could have a mommy?" Alicia nodded. "And how many women did Daddy bring to sleep with him every night like he does with Meri?"

"None," Alicia answered.

"See? This means that Meri is very special,"

"She is very special and nice," Alicia said quickly. "I like her a lot and my Daddy told me a secret."

"A secret about Meri?" she asked.

"Yes, but I can't tell you because it's a secret," Alicia adopted a serious tone.

"That's ok," Crystal chuckled. "But it's a good secret, right?"

"Uh-huh," Alicia nodded.

"See? This is how mommies and daddies do. They sleep together in the same room. Just sometimes they sleep with their children."

"Why?" Alicia frowned, displeased with her explanation.

"Because this is how grown-ups sleep. This is how they make babies."

"They sleep together and have babies?" Alicia asked, astonished.

"Yes," Crystal giggled.

"But Meri and Daddy sleep together a lot but they don't have any baby," the girl pointed out.

"Ally," Crystal couldn't help but laugh at her little girl's innocence. "You don't have a baby so easily. Sometimes it takes time."

"Oh," Alicia sighed.

"Come on now, cheer up," Crystal encouraged her. "I am sure that if you ask them to sleep with you and play with you, they will accept. Just remember that as long as your father's agrees to have Meri there in your house, Meri will stay with you. If they sleep together, it doesn't mean that they love you less. You know Daddy loves you more than anything in the whole wide world."

"And I love him too," Alicia stated. "And Meri too."

"I know," Crystal smiled. "I know it's not how you imagined it would be with a family, but you'll get used to it."

"Ok, Grandma," she sighed. "I miss you a lot."

"I miss you too and I can't wait to see you."

"Soon," Alicia said.

There was a pause at the other side of the line. "Grandma is getting old, sweetie," Crystal chuckled. "I just remembered that I can't come right away. I wanted too but I still have something to take care of."

"What?" Alicia's eyes widened in horror. "You won't come soon?"

"Well… I will try to make it soon, I promise. But now you have Meri and Daddy," Crystal encouraged her. One thing she knew; her son needed a push and being alone in Seattle with his daughter was a push strong enough for him to start a healthy relationship with a woman like Meredith. She missed her granddaughter terribly, but it was more important for a son to try for a family and somehow she knew that her moving in Seattle might not help that happen. "Derek sends you tones of kisses and asked me to tell you he misses you."

"I miss him too and I kiss him too," she said and started sending many kisses via the phone.

"I told you I heard her voice," Meredith's voice put an end to Alicia's kisses for Derek.

As she turned, Alicia saw Meredith in the doorway and her father coming to her.

"Who are you talking to, Al?" he asked her, holding out his hand for the phone.

Alicia frowned and protected the phone, turning her back on him. "Grandma," she grumbled.

"Let me talk to her," Mark held out his hand, insisting.

"Now I talk to her," Alicia refused.

"That's my phone and I am your father so please don't be disrespectful," Mark tried to keep the tone of his voice calm, not willing to snap at his daughter.

"Ally, put Daddy on the phone," Crystal told her. "I have something important to talk to him about and don't forget… smile, sweetie."

"I love you," Alicia said quietly, with regret and pain. If it wasn't for Meredith, Alicia would feel miserable without the only Mommy she knew.

"I love you too my little angel. I promise I will call later,"

"Ok. Bye," Alicia answered with the same pain in her voice. She turned and handed the phone to her father.

Mark gave her a disapproving look for her previous attitude, but took the phone and let her leave. "Hey, mom," he greeted to his mother.

"Mark Sloan, what the hell is going on it that head of yours?" Crystal snapped at him from the very first second.