So here we are. The very last chapter of this story. (SORRY FOR THE DELAY)
Before we get to it, I just wanna thank you all for sticking with this story, reviewing and sending me PMs, I wanna send a special thanks to those of you who've been here since day one. I remember publishing the first chapter and thinking "no one's gonna read it" and I woke up to SEVEN REVIEWS telling me how great it was and that i should continue. So here we are, 35 chapters later (3 years!), and I'm honestly feeling a bit emotional. This story has been like my child, I've struggled with it, laughed, cried, lost inspiration, found it again and I'm just so proud. And I'm so grateful for all of my awesome readers. Without you, this story wouldn't have gotten this far. So thank you for that.
And on a final note: I have 3 different ideas for a new Slexie fic. 1 is Mark helping Lexie when she finds herself in a bad relationship, 2 is a "classic" amnesia story and 3 is a AU with Mark as a pilot and Lexie as a flight attendant. Feel free to let me know which one of these you'd like more :)
And now... finally... the final chapter. I really hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do. I cried while writing it.
Thank you all!
xoxo Angelica
"Are you really sure about this?" Mark asked softly with a hint of uncertainty, and slipped his hand in Lexie's. His leg was bouncing against the floor in a nervous pace.
Lexie replied with a curt nod and squeezed Mark's hand. She inhaled a breath and glanced around the busy people in the courthouse. "We are doing this."
Mark nodded and glanced down at his shoes, trying to allow the hallway sound to distract him. "I just don't want you to feel obligated or as if we're running out of time-"
"I don't," Lexie interrupted and turned in her seat to look at him. "This isn't me rushing things, this isn't me worrying that you'll leave me if we don't do this soon enough, I don't feel obligated because of yesterday. I want to marry you, Mark, and it's about damn time that we do it."
It took him a few moments to gather enough courage to meet his girlfriend's eyes. But when he did, he spotted the certainty in her eyes immediately, a sharp contrast to what her doe eyes displayed last night. She wanted this.
"Mark…" Lexie smiled softly, allowing her hand to rest against his cheek. "I love you. Wilson is in jail and I am fine. For all these months, he's been the reason we didn't set a date for our wedding, but he isn't in the picture anymore so there's nothing that can stop us now. So let's do this."
A warm smile spread across Mark's face as he stared into Lexie's eyes. His dream was finally coming true. "Let's do this," he repeated and leaned forward, capturing her soft lips with his own.
"Besides," Lexie murmured against his lips, "you got all dressed up in that suit. Would be a shame if it didn't come to good use."
"You are absolutely right, Little Grey." Mark winked at her as he leaned back, a deep sigh leaving him as he just stared at her. He could lose himself in her eyes and wouldn't even try to find his way back.
"You're amazing, you know that?" Lexie clutched Mark's hand in between her own two and allowed her thumb to make small circles over his skin.
"You're pretty great, yourself," Mark joked.
"Smartass," Lexie laughed and glanced down at their intertwined hands for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay with everything from last night?"
"I wouldn't be here with you if I weren't," he replied honestly. "I forgave you, remember?"
Lexie nodded, remembering the very long talk they had last night in bed with her desperately explaining herself and apologising at least a hundred times. Mark forgave her each and every time. "I'm just so glad that this is over now. It feels like I can finally breathe again."
"I know." It was Mark's only reply as he remembered the moment where it finally settled with both of them that Wilson was in custody, meaning that he wouldn't bother them anymore. The realisation had hit them with such force it almost knocked the breath out of them.
Lexie sighed and finally found the courage to meet her very soon-to-be husband again. "I love you so much."
Mark chuckled. "Then I am so glad that we happen to be in a court house were a judge can marry us."
Lexie just laughed and shook her head while jokingly slapping Mark on his arm.
"Applicants Sloan and Grey", a female judge announced, looking around the waiting room and smiling upon noticing the requested couple.
Mark cleared his throat gracefully and glanced to Lexie. "Guess it's time."
"So it is," Lexie replied with a warm smile, squeezing his hand lightly and keeping hold of it while standing up, Mark following close behind.
The walk from the waiting room was rather short and Lexie physically couldn't let go of Mark. In fact, she even wanted to be closer to him. Yesterday's events really got her thinking about how fragile her relationship with Mark really is, and how easy it could really be to lose him. It was like upon realising this for real; she never wanted to let him go. Even last night when going to sleep, she physically couldn't let go of her man. Like he would disappear if she did. Mark hadn't mentioned any of it so she figured he understood and felt the same way.
But now they were on their way to get their relationship to a level in which they wouldn't have to physically glue themselves to each other.
"I'm right here, Lex," Mark murmured in her ear, leaning closer to her just because.
"I know," she replied and stole the opportunity to give him a quick peck on the lips.
"Alright, ID's, please," the female judge requested with a smile and thanking them once the items were placed in her hands. After a quick check at the ID's and some browsing in the computer, she offered the couple a nod and handed them back. "Any questions?"
"Uhm, no," Mark replied for the both of them, throwing a quick look at Lexie to make sure he was indeed speaking for the both of them. Lexie just shook her head with a smile.
"Alright," the judge answered and prepared all the documents. "Let's get to it then. We are here today to…"
Lexie just stared at the woman in front of her while the words vanished before they hit the air. She knew it was important legally that the words got out, but to her it couldn't matter any less. All that mattered was that when this little speech was over, Mark Sloan would officially and legally be her husband. There was nothing in the world that could stop them now, it was time to look forward and stop dwelling on what happened in the past. And their future started now.
She smiled when she felt Mark squeezing her hand, no doubt that he neither could wait much longer for the judge to be done so they could leave as husband and wife. The ceremony wouldn't take long but it still felt like it had gone on for hours already.
"… your intention to enter this marriage, please join hands and repeat after me."
Mark smiled widely as he quickly grabbed Lexie's other hand and turned towards her, his eyes sparkling with love and affection for the woman in front of him.
"I, Mark Sloan."
"I, Mark Sloan," Mark repeated.
"Do solemnly swear."
"Do solemnly swear."
"To love and to honor you."
Mark felt his heart melting. "To love and to honor you."
"For better and for worse."
"For better and for worse."
"For as long as I live."
He could feel his heart swell in his chest and he almost lost his composure at the last part. This was for ever. "For as long as I live."
Lexie teared up. This was really it, and now it was her turn.
"I, Alexandra Grey, do solemnly swear to love and to honor you for better and for worse for as long as I live." She was proud of herself that she managed to get all the words out without losing it completely, making a total fool of herself in the process. But when she could spot a slight tear in Mark's eyes, she wasn't sure she could hold it together.
"Do you have some token you wish to exchange?" The judge asked.
Lexie shook her head lightly and smiled politely. "No, we don't-"
"Actually," Mark interrupted, causing Lexie to glare at him with confusing eyes. He gently let go of one of her hands and reached for his pocket. A gasp left Lexie's parted lips as he pulled out a little black box. "I happen to have a little something."
"Mark," Lexie choked out when the happy tears threatened her ability to speak.
Mark cleared his throat and glanced at the judge. "May I…?" When a nod and a smile was his reply, he took a breath and turned to Lexie again, opening the box to reveal the two wedding rings he had picked out months ago. "Lexie," he began and had to force himself not to lose it completely. "Uhm, this really isn't a planned speech or whatever, but I love you. With all my heart and everything I have, I love you. And I think I have loved you ever since you repeated the periodic table at Joe's, then it was just flowing on itself after that. You really are the love of my life, and I believe that all the recent events in our lives have really proven that. If our love for each other hadn't been worth fighting for… What I'm trying to say is; I love you, and I've learned these past months that some things cannot be taken for granted. So I'm not gonna take anything for granted. But whatever happens, I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life."
He took a moment to think if there was something else left to say, when nothing else came to mind, he shakily lifted Lexie's hand and slipped the ring onto her third finger and focused all he could on not losing it while listening to Lexie's soft crying. Releasing the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, he gathered the courage to look into Lexie's dark brown eyes. And when her gaze met his, everything felt right.
"Mark," she began, swallowing the lump in her throat in order to continue. "I love you so much, more than I could ever express in words. You are my best friend, my lover, my protector, my knight in shining armour. You are my everything, and I honestly don't think I could survive a day without you in my life. If the last months have taught me anything, it's that I need you just to breathe, and that I can't ever lose you. We've been through so much lately, but it seems like we're supposed to be together, like we're meant to be."
"Meant to be," Mark repeated, his smile growing even wider at the perfect three words to describe the two of them as a couple.
Without being able to lose another second, Lexie inhaled a breath and took hold of the ring in the box and quickly but steadily pulled it onto Mark's finger. And when she let go, she had a flashback feeling to when she was 8 years old and placed the very final piece to the Atlas puzzle, the feeling she felt when the super hard puzzle was finally complete and perfect.
Now, her life puzzle was complete.
The judge smiled between the pair and cleared her throat. "With the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Mark knew there wouldn't be an official 'you may kiss the bride', but he stole the opportunity anyway by leaning forward and capturing his wife's lips with his own in what was probably the most powerful kiss he'd ever experienced. Lexie laughed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer. None of them cared that this wasn't really the place or time, that the judge in front of them had other people to marry, but they didn't care. Nothing else mattered at this very moment beside the two of them.
They were finally married.
—
"Well that was quick and painless," Mark laughed while swinging Lexie's hand in his and enjoying the shining sun. A walk in the park was a perfect 'first date' as an official married couple.
"Painless?" Lexie asked, faking insult and placing her free hand over her chest to act hurt. "Did you think this would be painful?"
"You know what I mean, smartypants." He squeezed her hand lovingly and smiled.
Lexie giggled and just stared at him as they walked nowhere in particular. "Yeah, I do." She paused for a moment. "So what's next?"
"Well I figured we could grab some lunch, at a restaurant or maybe just a hot dog-"
"No, I mean," Lexie laughed at Mark's confusion before clearing things up for him. "I meant what comes next in our life, you know, our life."
"Ohh…" Mark had to take a moment to catch up and then laughed at his stupidity. "Uhm, I don't know I… Well, Wilson is going to prison so…"
Lexie nodded, knowing that Wilson would be brought up at least one more time. "Yeah, the officer said I will most probably have to testify, but he's definitely going to prison for a long time so he won't be a bother anymore."
Mark allowed them to come to a slight stop and his hand moved up to touch her cheek in a soothing way. "We'll handle that." Lexie nodded and he smiled. "Do you have anything particular in mind for our life?"
She allowed her lower lip to fall in between her teeth as she thought about Mark's question. After a moment of thinking, she lifted her eyes to his level. "How about getting a new place to live?"
Mark's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Uhm, well yeah I guess we could do that. Uhm… wh-what did you have in mind?" He didn't know why her suggestion made him nervous.
"I don't know," Lexie smiled at him, realising that this topic made her just as nervous as he was. "It would just be nice to co-own a home with you. I know your current apartment is mine too but, like it's still yours, you know? So I guess I just want something that is really ours."
He knew there was no use in arguing about how his apartment was indeed hers as well, he understood what she meant so he decided to let it slip. "We can get whatever you want."
Lexie smiled at him. "Besides, I guess we'll need something bigger at some point anyway. If we're gonna have a family."
"You-" Mark thought his heart was gonna stop at her family remark. After everything that happened, he still had to get re-used to the idea of her wanting kids with him. The topic had felt kind of toxic for a while and it was like rediscovering open water.
"Well, I'm not pregnant yet," Lexie clarified when it seems he'd jumped to conclusions. "But I mean, in the future. Right?"
Mark took a breath and allowed himself to stare at his wife lovingly for a moment longer than necessary. "Whenever you want, Lex." He smiled.
"Love you," Lexie whispered and quickly kissed him on the lips before tugging at his hand to keep walking. "But for now, I'm actually getting hungry."
"How about thai?" Mark suggested upon noticing a thai cart further down the park.
"I'd love that," Lexie replied with a smirk, making a mission out of using the word 'love' as often as she could today.
Mark chuckled. "Alright, how about you take a seat on that bench over there and I'll go get some lunch." With a smile, he guided her to the empty bench and opted for her to sit down. "Usual?" He asked once she was settled in her seat.
"With a Sprite, please," she replied and smiled at how deeply he knew her usual order at basically every food category.
"Coming right up." Mark kissed her on the top of her head, allowing his lips to linger there for a second longer before turning towards the food cart.
Lexie closed her eyes for a second and inhaled the still lingering smell of Mark's defining scent. A perfect mix of him and the cologne he decided to use specially for today. She tried to soak in the feeling of finally being able to call him hers, and knowing that she was his, how perfectly they completed each other. How they were meant to be.
As she opened her eyes again, her gaze immediately fell right on Mark. He hadn't gotten very far, but her gut still told her he was too far away too soon already. She wasn't ready to let him go, not even a few feet to buy food. Standing up, her feet quickly lead the way.
"Mark," she called as her feet picked up the pace. He turned around at her call, and a smile that made his whole face just shine spread. When she was close enough she threw herself into his embrace and he weren't late to return it. His arms wrapped tightly around her body, just holding her as close as possible while Lexie buried her face into his shoulder and inhaled his scent so hard her lungs might explode. She let her finger grip the fabric of his jacket and just hold him.
Lexie Grey was back in Mark Sloan's arms. The arms that made her feel safe and loved, the arms that made her feel like home. The arms she wanted to never leave her.
And now she knew for real, they never would.