Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy.

Lexie was sitting on the edge of the bed in the On-Call room, her leg bouncing with nervous energy.

Mark entered the room slowly, half expecting Lexie to be asleep already, given how late he was. He had known as soon as he got her text that morning that they were going to have the conversation. And he was nowhere near prepared for it.

Lexie smiled at him and motioned for him to sit next to her. "I love you too." She started, replying to what he had last told her this morning.

Mark hadn't expected that. But before he could say anything, Lexie continued. "I love you so much, but I'm scared. I'm scared that if I let myself love you, if I let you love ME, I might get hurt again. And maybe if it was just us, I would be a little less scared, but we have a son to think about. A son who is going to be here in a little less than twelve weeks. And as much as I love you, I love him more."

Mark couldn't breathe. "Please, Lex... give me a chance..."

"But that's just it, Mark, I have! I have given you so many chances! There is nothing that I want more than to be with you! To have a chance at the life I imagined for us when I found out I was pregnant! But I can't be with someone that I don't trust, and right now, I still don't fully trust you. Not the way I used to. I gave you my heart and you broke it so badly that I'm scared to give my heart to ANYONE again. All I want is for you to be honest with me, to not keep secrets."

Lexie wasn't even trying to hold back her tears. It was all Mark could do not to take her into his arms and never let her go.

"I'm so sorry Lexie, and I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, trying to earn back your trust. I love you. I have never stopped loving you, and I will never stop loving you. Please, let me try."

Lexie wiped the tears running down her face. "I just need to know..." she trailed off.

"Anything." Mark said, taking her hands in his, trying to restrain himself from wiping the tears off her face himself.

"Did you propose to Callie out of obligation?"

He winced. "Yes. I'm not proud of it, but yes."

Lexie nodded, knowing that what she was about to ask him would be incredibly painful for both of them. "Did you not feel the same obligation towards me?"

"No."