Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy
Chapter Eight
Mark Sloan thought the worst thing he'd have to deal with was the crick in his neck he woke up with. Instead, he found Lexie Grey stress cooking enough pancakes to feed an army.
The plastic surgeon had a feeling something was up the moment he discovered Lexie missing from the cozy bed. It was 7 AM, far earlier than Little Grey should be up. When Mark dated Lexie, surprisingly, she was never an earlier riser. It doesn't seem that way. It should probably be the other way around: Mark, the irresponsible ex-man-whore sleeping in late, and Lexie, the ray of sunshine, waking up bright and early. No, Lexie Grey was practically impossible to get out of bed, especially when it was her day off. She wanted to sleep in as much as possible.
Along with that, both children were still sound asleep. Bailey was sound asleep in the basinet still and Zola was curled up into Mark's side. So, there was no reason for Lexie to even be out of bed and messing around in the kitchen.
With a gentle sweep over the side of the bed, trying not to wake up the kids, Mark followed the potent smell of breakfast food downstairs. He would be met with the image of Lexie Grey with a streak of batter across her face. She had plates of pancakes scattered around her as she continued to only add more to the pile. Despite the broken arm, she found a way to still cook as she supported a mixing bowl against her cast and whisked with her free hand. The radio was softly playing, so she was bobbing her head up and down to the beat in a pair of red pajama shorts and an oversized sweatshirt from Columbia University.
Mark cleared his throat. "Ah, Little Grey…?"
"Mark!" Lexie squeaked out, dropping the plastic bowl to the ground in the process. She quickly held the whisk up in the air as if it was a weapon.
"Ah, nice choice of defense," Mark quipped, raising his eyebrows as he made his way over to the kitchen island. "What if I had been an intruder? Were you going to whisk me to death?"
Lexie huffed as she bent over to pick up her discard bowl from the floor. "You scared me! What was I supposed to use?"
"Anything but a whisk," Mark continued as he took a seat on one of the island's barstools. He then looked around at the stacks of pancakes Lexie had created and frowned. "So…Is this supposed to be for us or are you inviting the bear to breakfast?"
"Bear? What bear?" Lexie questioned, her eyebrows furrowing together as she rose up from grabbing the bowl off the floor.
"The bear that lives in the woods," Mark said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He jerked a thumb towards the living room windows. "This house is in the middle of nowhere…You seriously don't know about the bear?"
"No. Just because Meredith and Derek live in the woods doesn't mean there's bears…" Lexie pointed out slowly. "I haven't seen a bear the entire time I've been here."
"You also just moved back. If you were a full time resident like some of us, you'd know that there is a bear out there," Mark insisted, tapping his hands against the counter. "In fact, an entire family of bears. I've seen them with my own eyes. They tried raiding the trash when Derek and I were drinking out on the porch."
"But I grew up here and I don't think you're–, wait, what's the point of this conversation?"
"My point, what's with all the food, Little Grey?" Mark asked with an exasperated sigh, using a nearby fork to pick up a few mounds of pancakes for himself. "Not that I'm complaining. I always did enjoy your after sex pancakes."
"Will you behave! The shepherds are coming today," Lexie scolded, putting the bowl of batter on the counter so she could place her hands on her hips. "We'll be planning the funeral in the morning and talking to the lawyer around one."
"I'm well aware– being that I was the one to set this up with the Shepherds. Now, does that mean we'll be serving them only pancakes…?" Mark trailed off, dangling a bite of the breakfast food with his fork.
"No. It's stress cooking. This is for the kids, to make them feel a bit better," Lexie continued, bouncing up and down in a bit of anxiety.
"But the only one who really eats this stuff is Zola…"
"So!? I don't know, Mark. I just needed something to do. I couldn't sleep," Lexie stressed, biting her lip as she looked around at the mess she made. "We're going to have the entire Shepherd family here. All of Derek's sisters and his mother."
"Let me deal with the Shepherds. I know how intimating they can be and well, I got it," Mark assured her. "Mrs. Shepherd loves me like one of her own."
"Still. That's four sisters and one mother against two," Lexie squeaked out.
"And Addison might also be stopping by," Mark added in a low voice before shoving a bite of pancake in his mouth.
Lexie's eyes widened at this comment. "I'm sorry, did you just say Addison? As in the woman you slept with and broke us up?"
"She didn't break us up, Lex." Mark rolled his eyes. This earned a grunt of disapproval from Lexie, but nothing more as she let her ex continue. "She'll be accompanying Amelia. Besides, Addie was married to Derek for over ten years. To be fair, she is allowed to come…"
"Great," Lexie muttered, wiping the batter off her hands and face with a nearby dishtowel. "Look, let's just get this over with as fast as possible."
"Agreed," Mark mumbled, taking a large bite of pancake while Lexie finished up the last bit of her breakfast craze. The plastic surgeon grew smug as he watched his ex wander around the kitchen.
Lexie Grey noticed Mark's lingering gaze and instantly frowned at it. "What are you starring at?"
"I'm certain that's my old sweatshirt," Mark drawled, smirking ear to ear while Lexie blinked furiously, looking down at her clothing in surprise.
"I…No, I've had this–"
"No. That's definitely mine. You used to get so cold at my apartment. I let you borrow it one night and I never saw it again," Mark said, standing up and leaning against the counter. "It looks good on you."
"You're insufferable."
"Would look good off you too, just saying."
Lexie let out a frustrated sigh before walking away to get ready for the long day ahead. Which, proved itself to be a disaster the moment Zola woke up. The little girl had announced to her aunt that she didn't want to wear the pretty dress that Lexie picked out so she could be presentable in front of her grandma. No, Zola wanted to wear her fairy princess costume because "she used to wear it when she'd play tea party with Daddy." To which, Lexie could not say no to. Who can say no to that?
As for Mark, he was tasked with getting Bailey ready for the day. "This shouldn't be that hard," Mark had thought to himself as he seemingly changed Bailey into a dark blue onesie and a pair of baby cargo pants– something he'd watch Derek do before. It didn't seem that hard...Until, Bailey threw up all over it and then threw up on the next one after that. Leaving the plastic surgeon irritated and moody as he came down the stairs with the freshly changed baby on his hip.
Lexie looked equally exhausted as finished getting Zola breakfast. When she noticed Mark's annoyed glance, she asked, "What's with you?"
"Baby barf. You?" Mark mumbled as he placed his nephew into his high chair.
"Nothing. Just disagreeing with a six-year-old," Lexie muttered in a quiet voice as Zola twirled around in her fairy princess wings.
"Wonderful," Mark replied dryly. He groaned tiredly as he rubbed his face. "What time is it anyway?"
"Good question," Lexie trailed off, only to have her eyes widening at the time blaring on the stove's digital clock. "It's nine in the morning!? How!?"
"Nine?" Mark yelped. "The Shepherds are supposed to be here at nine!"
"Well, they can't be that punctual," Lexie commented, a twinge of hope laced in her voice.
"The Shepherds? Are you kidding me," Mark let out a bark of laughter. "Please! The Shepherds are extremely punctual, well except for Amy, but– Nancy? Liz? Kathleen? Mrs. Shepherd? Are you kidding me? How much have you actually dealt with his sisters before?"
"Liz and Amelia, but that's about it," Lexie confessed, biting her lip as she tried to think back. "I met Liz once at the Christmas Derek and Mer held two years ago– she seemed nice. I met Amelia a few times at family functions, but what I remember most of her was actually doing a surgery with her in LA."
"You went to LA and did a surgery with Amy?" Mark sputtered in surprise.
Lexie shrugged. "Yeah. It was a consult. Derek suggested I fly out there because he couldn't– Bailey had just been born. We got along pretty well. I thought she was a brilliant surgeon."
"Well, Amy– she's kind of my favorite, not gonna lie there," Mark said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "She's always been Derek's kid sister. Addison and Derek practically helped raise her. She's closer to Addison than any of her actual sisters. She's also a recovering addict, so I have no clue how she is taking this. Addison says she's pretty stable right now but she's been a wreck the past couple of days. Liz, she's nice. Pushy, but nice– doesn't get along very well with Mrs. Shepherd. However, she does get along very well with all of her sisters. As for Nancy and Kathleen…Nancy and I get along, but she was never a fan of Meredith."
"Oh...great..."
"Yeah. Might not get you any brownie points there," Mark said nervously. "And Kathleen, she's the shrink and she's…Scary. Nothing gets past her. Just try to act natural around her. She's the closest to Nancy and Liz. Amy, she kind of dances to the beat of her own drum."
"Ok. Got it," Lexie said, running over the facts in her head. "And Mrs. Shepherd?"
"Leave Mrs. Shepherd to me," Mark declared, rolling the cuffs of his blue dress shirt up. "She's always had a soft spot for me."
As if on cue, the doorbell to the McDream house rang, causing Mark and Lexie to share anxious looks with one another. "Ready?" he asked.
"Not at all." Lexie gulped as Mark stalked forward to open the front door. Waiting right there were the distraught faces of Mrs. Shepherd and her three eldest daughters: Nancy, Kathleen, and Liz.
"Oh boy," Lexie whispered to herself as they all swarmed Mark with hugs and comments of condolences. Meanwhile, she stood off to the side and she could feel a small hand grab hers. Lexie looked down to see Zola smiling up at her– almost as an act of encouragement to get her through all of this.
"Hi, Lexie, right?"
Lexie looked up to see the first Shepherd sister approaching her. She had long dark hair the color of Derek's and Amelia's brown locks. She gave a friendly, polite smile as she greeted Lexie. "I'm Liz, I'm not sure if you–"
"Yes, of course," Lexie said as she was then greeted with a surprise hug from the woman she probably hasn't seen in over a year. The neurosurgeon was a bit taken by it, but accepted it nonetheless.
"I'm sorry about your sister," Liz said sincerely as they pulled away. "Hopefully, she'll pull through. This all can't be easy."
"Definitely not," Lexie said, nodding her head sadly. At least Liz might be easy to deal with, she thought to herself as she observed Liz kneeling before Zola to greet her. Zola seemed to recognize her aunt and greeted her with a gentle hug.
It was only seconds later before the other two Shepherd sisters made their way over to Lexie. Nancy and Kathleen had lighter brown hair, unlike their other siblings. One had more so a shorter, pixie cut, while the other had longer, wavier hair. Lexie could see Mrs. Shepherd in the corner talking to Mark still, leaving her to the rest of the wolves.
"You must be Lexie, Meredith's half sister?" the one with shorter hair asked, sticking a hand out to greet her. "I'm Nancy."
"Yes. I am," Lexie confirmed, accepting her handshake. She then looked to the one with longer hair. "And that must make you Kathleen. I'm so sorry about the loss of your brother. All three of you."
"Thank you," Nancy replied warmly, nodding her head while Kathleen just observed her carefully. It made Lexie shift in her shoes to which Zola remarked, "Why are you making a funny face?"
Lexie felt her cheeks flush while she knelt before the little girl. "ZoZo, that's not very nice to say to your aunt."
Zola's face scrunched. "My aunt?"
"Your Aunt Kathleen and your Aunt Nancy, you remember them, right?" Lexie tried to get the little girl to at least follow through, but Zola just shook her head.
"It's not her fault. It would've been nice if Derek and Meredith kept in touch more," Nancy commented dryly to which Kathleen nodded in agreement. Liz didn't say anything, but fiddled with her hands as she looked off to the side.
"Hope you're all playing nice," Mark said as he came over with Mrs. Shepherd at his side. "You remember Derek's mother, right Lexie?"
"Of course," Lexie said, greeting the older woman. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you dear," Mrs. Shepherd said, dabbing her eye with a handkerchief. "I'm just happy to be able to see my grandchildren."
"Grandma!" Zola chirped happily as she went to greet her with a hug. As Mrs. Shepherd grew occupied by her oldest grandchild, the Shepherd sisters surely made themselves at home. It had Lexie's skin crawling as she tried to think of ways to talk to them. There were so many phone conversations she'd have with Meredith ranting about how her sister didn't know how to deal with her problematic sister-in-laws.
"Where is Little Derek?" Nancy asked, looking around the living room in curiosity. "I haven't seen that baby since his first birthday. That was the only time I was able to meet him."
"Little Derek?" Lexie frowned in confusion. "You mean Bailey...?" No one ever referred to her nephew by his first name. Sure, he was named after Derek, but everyone called him by his middle– in honor of Dr. Bailey, who saved Meredith's life when she was going into labor and had complications.
"Right. Bailey," Nancy said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Where's the little man?"
Lexie turned to Mark, who was standing beside her. He frowned, noticing she was starring right at him, "What? Do I have something in my teeth?"
"You had Bailey. You put him in his highchair and now he's gone," Lexie pointed out slowly, raising her eyebrows. "Remember?"
"Right!" Mark exclaimed, recognition hitting his blue eyes. Lexie was about to have a panic attack thinking Mark somehow misplaced the child, when she saw him scurrying to the back of the living room to where Bailey was resting in his playpen."Here he is! He was getting restless, that's why I did that."
"Right," Lexie mumbled in a low voice as Mark placed Bailey into Nancy's arms.
The older woman couldn't help but gush at her nephew. "Aw, Bailey! Such a sweet little thing!" This earned the attention of Kathleen and Liz, who joined together to honor the memory their brother had.
"How could you forget where you put him?" Lexie hissed to Mark as he came to join her side again.
"I didn't forget," Mark argued vehemently. "I placed him in a place I could remember. Trust me, Lexie, I'm a parent. I know what it takes."
"You're not a parent," Lexie retorted, huffing a little at the comment. "You didn't even raise Sloan."
"No, I didn't, but if you actually had a civil conversation with me, you'd know I've been in touch with her," Mark replied sharply, his tone a bit bitter. "I've spent the past two Christmases visiting her across the country. She's in college now– Florida. She's studying to go into social work to help teen mothers like she was. Sloan would've come to the funeral, but I told her not to worry. She's in the middle of finals and that's the last thing she needs to deal with."
Lexie looked at her ex-boyfriend in surprise at the comment. "I'm sorry...I..."
"No. It's not your fault," Mark told her, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to snap like that..."
"I wasn't being very nice either," Lexie offered sheepishly.
"Let me guess, you two dated?" Kathleen announced slyly as she approached the ex-couple, cutting off their conversation. She motioned her hands back and forth between the two as a curious grin formed on her thin lips.
"Wow. You could tell?" Lexie replied dryly to which Mark smirked at, only to get an elbow in the ribs from Little Grey. "What gave it away?"
"Oh nothing much– the bickering, the familiarity between the two of you, and can't forget the slight sexual tension you give off. Besides, fits Mark's psychosis to be in a relationship with significant age disparity," Kathleen responded, giving a smile that felt fake to Lexie.
"Significant age disparity?" Mark snorted, puffing his chest out. "I'm not an old man, Kate. Don't depict me as some creepy, nasty old perv. Besides, dating a younger woman isn't always bad. It makes you feel youthful."
"Well, Lexie, you must be in your what? Early thirties, late twenties. I'm assuming late twenties," Kathleen continued gently, causing the younger surgeon to nod quietly. "And Mark, you are pushing f–"
"Hey! Don't say it!" Mark exclaimed, covering his ears with both hands. "LaLaLa! Can't hear you!"
"That's ah a bit of a trigger word for him," Lexie explained wryly, gesturing to Mark who only continued to make noises, much to the amusement of Zola who started giggling at her uncle's antics.
"How did you two even found common ground?" Kathleen commented snippily, to which Lexie shrugged at– despite feeling a twinge of annoyance at the Shepherd sister's words.
"So, tell us about yourself, Lexie," Nancy said, making her presence known as she stalked forward. Liz was too occupied with Bailey now, which left Lexie to the deadliest of the Shepherd sisters. "We barely know anything about Meredith's side of the family. Just that the two of you are half-sisters and didn't know each other until a couple of years ago."
"Well, yes. When she was little, her mother and our father divorced. Her mom moved to Boston and took Mer with her," Lexie explained, trying to keep a level of professionalism to her tone and composure. "Dad had me with his second-wife, my mother, Susan. She passed away a couple of years ago, but she was an amazing, wonderful mom. And then I have a younger sister, Molly."
"Oh, your poor father must be a wreck," Mrs. Shepherd said from where she'd been conversing with an energetic Zola. "With the two of you getting into a plane crash. And Meredith, how is she doing? Her condition–"
"Still the same," Lexie said, nodding her head gently. "We'll be discussing her treatment plan after we have everything settled with the lawyer. I know I want to be prepared for any steps that may come next rather than wait."
"Rather unfortunate it took Derek's death to bring us together," Nancy said a little bluntly, looking down at her freshly painted red nails. "Barely any word from him since he moved here."
"Well you could've put a little more effort in there, Nance," Liz mentioned, raising her eyebrows as she tried to play middle ground with her sisters. But, Lexie could tell Liz wasn't someone who fought back much to what her older sisters have to say.
"Derek could've too," Kathleen snorted. "Speaking of family reunions, where is Hurricane Amelia?"
"She's not using again, is she?" Nancy questioned quietly, looking amongst her sisters.
"Your sister is sober. She's coming here right now with Addison," Mrs. Shepherd proclaimed, shaking a finger in her daughter's direction. "They're just running late because their flight was delayed."
"Did Amelia let you know this? Or was it Addison?" Kathleen inquired skeptically, already knowing the answer.
"Addison, but that being said I hope you girls act on your best behavior," Mrs. Shepherd declared, emotion grasping the end of her words. "This is your brother's funeral…I expect the best from all of you."
"Lexie?" an unexpected voice called out, causing the middle Grey sister's eyes to widen in realization. "Lex, I just dropped Dad off at AA and was wondering if you need–" Everyone shot over to look at the door to see Molly Grey-Thompson in a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt reading 'PTA Mom', and a zip-up hoodie. She looked at the extra people in her sister's home and blinked a few times. "Oh…Hi…."
Lexie and Mark immediately shared looks of panic before the neurosurgeon rushed forward and stood beside her sister. "Ah! Everyone this is my sister, Molly!" she introduced quickly, coming forth to grab her sister by the arm. Molly looked at her sister funny as she brought the youngest Grey sister closer. "She's been helping out with everything."
"I'm sorry, did you just say AA?" Nancy inquired.
"Oh, well, um…." Molly looked to Lexie who bit her lip before turning to look at the Shepherds.
"Yes. She did. Our father is a recovering alcoholic," Lexie explained, her voice tight. This had Mark wide eyed as he looked around the room nervously, hoping none of the sisters had something snarky to say. "Hope that's not a problem for any of you."
This was met with awkward and silent nods. Lexie didn't say anything as he brought Molly towards the kitchen, who was bright red with embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry I didn't know they were coming this early," Molly whispered under her breath, looking around the room. "Jeeze, Derek's sisters are...ah...interesting."
"Yeah, you could say that," Lexie said wryly, looking around carefully to make sure no one else could hear them. Currently, Mrs. Shepherd was occupied with her grandchildren and Mark was managing to entertain the sisters in the most Mark way possible– by talking about himself. Figures, Lexie thought.
"Well, look, I'm here to help you in any way," Molly told Lexie fiercely. "I know I'm not close to Meredith like you are. In fact, the only thing we've done really is exchange Christmas cards and see each other through mutual events that have to do with you…But I want to help. I want to be your third power against–" She looked towards the Shepherd sisters and waved her hands to gesture towards them. "All of that. Especially if she can't be here to defend herself."
"I appreciate it, Molls," Lexie said, giving her sister's forearm a comforting squeeze. "And I'm sure Meredith would…If she comes out of this–"
"When!"
"When she comes out of this, the three of us should try being sisters. I know it's mostly just been me and her, but we should include you more," Lexie said. "I need both my sisters. I especially need you right now."
"And I will be here to defend you and Meredith in anyway possible," Molly declared. "Grey sisters unite."
Lexie chuckled. "Thank you, Molly…It's been nice having you here."
Molly just smiled at this as she gave her sister a side hug. However, it was then that the front door to the McDream home opened up wide to reveal the final Shepherd sister and Addison.
The brown haired girl entered the house with a sort of distant, but hesitant look in her blue eyes as she starred off at her sister. Meanwhile, the much taller red head instantly caught the eyes of Mark Sloan.
"Addie. Amy," Mark croaked, clearing his throat as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Addison nodded. "Hi Mark."
"Oh brother," Lexie grumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she leant against the counter. Meanwhile, Molly patted her back in reassurance. "This is going to be a long, long day."
"You guys remember Meredith's sister, Lexie," Mark said, gesturing to where Lexie was behind the counter. "And this is their other sister, Molly."
"Rather unfortunate circumstances, but it's nice to see you again," Addison commented politely while Amelia nodded stiffly.
"Yeah this is such a lovely reunion," Amelia remarked sarcastically, causing the redheaded surgeon to glance fearfully in her direction. "Well, let's plan a funeral. That's what we came here to do, huh?"
Lexie and Mark shared an anxious glance with each other as the Shepherd sisters grew agitated by Amelia's response. They all proceeded to gather around the dinning room table while Molly took Zola and Bailey into the other room to watch them– wanting the kids to not deal with listening to the arrangements about their father's funeral.
The entire time Lexie sat there practically silent. It was mostly Mrs. Shepherd and the older Shepherd sisters orchestrating the whole thing with Amelia making dry comments here and there, only to be scolded by her older sisters and comforted by Addison. It was definitely not a family affair Lexie wanted to be apart of. Several times she looked in Mark's direction and could tell by the way he was shifting in his seat he was also feeling a bit awkward too.
Lexie wondered what Meredith would say about the whole thing. She tried to act as her sister's voice of reason several times, making sure that even if Meredith couldn't be there, she had Lexie fighting for her.
By the time the lawyer knocked on the door, they had planned the whole thing out and where ready to start preparations. It wasn't going to be a big event. Once they understood what would be occurring with Meredith, they would proceed to add any changes. It didn't help that some of the Shepherd sisters were so blunt as in implying if they'd be adding Meredith to this service. That made Lexie's blood boil.
"Well, I wanted to start off by saying how sorry for you loss I am," Meredith and Derek's lawyer, Bill Michaels, said as he set up his brief case at the head of the table. He was a middle-aged man without any hair and a pair of square framed glasses. He looked like every average stiff working in an office. "However, I'm sure you all have a lot of questions…"
"Yes, but I think our main concern is custody of the children," Lexie spoke up gently. "Who will legally be responsible for them."
"Understandable," Bill replied as he looked down at the papers in front of him. "Ah did Meredith or Derek talk to any of you about what would happen in the result of their deaths?"
"Not at all," Mark said, shaking his head.
"All I know is that Derek and Cristina were listed as Meredith's medical proxies, but unfortunately, one of them is deceased now and Cristina is suffering from a severe PTSD breakdown," Lexie said carefully. "So she cannot mentally make that decision at the moment."
"Well, as of now that power would fall to Alexandra Grey," Bill stated, causing Lexie to nod at the information.
"And the children?" Liz asked, fiddling with her hands. "Who gets custody of them?"
"Of course." The lawyer cleared his throat as he picked up one of the many documents he owned. "It states that in the unlikely case of both their deaths, Dr. Meredith Grey and Dr. Derek Shepherd bestow legal guardianship to Dr. Alexandra Caroline Grey and Dr. Mark Everett Sloan."
When the lawyer said that, the entire room went deadly silent. Mark and Lexie's eyes both widened as they looked at each other with stunned expressions. This all ended however when Amelia Shepherd burst out laughing, hysterical tears running down her cheeks.
"Amelia Frances Shepherd," Mrs. Shepherd scolded, breaking out of her shocked trance. This only had Amelia laughing harder as she pointed at her sisters.
"They didn't trust any of you! Instead, they gave total control to Lexie and Mark!" Amelia continued laughing. "Are you kidding me!?"
"This isn't funny, Amelia," Nancy hissed, giving her little sister a deadly glare.
"I think it is," the youngest Shepherd continued, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Oh! This is good!"
Meanwhile, Mark and Lexie both tried to register the news the best they could. Mark was the first to speak as he motioned to the lawyer, "Ah…There must be a mistake…"
"Look, I know this is kind of a odd way to start a family," Bill offered, motioning at the two he assumed to be a couple.
"No, I don't think you understand," Mark replied, holding a finger up to stop the lawyer. "We're not together. We used to be, but we're not a couple."
"Far from it," Lexie added, letting out a humorless bark of a laugh. "He cheated on me."
"I didn't cheat on you," Mark shot back, narrowing his eyes. "We were broken up! Why would I do anything if we were still in a relationship?"
"You two weren't broken up," Addison hissed, narrowing her eyes as she looked at her former lover. "Are you serious, Mark?"
"Lexie, for the love of– we were broken up! She stormed out of the house and went to Meredith's telling me she wasn't going to be a grandma! Ugh, that's not the point right now!" Mark cried out, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. He then turned to the lawyer. "Point is, we're not a couple."
"Well, you can say no," Bill pointed out gingerly, unsure of how to proceed with this predicament. "However, this is a big deal. This is the guardianship of two children. It's a big commitment."
"This is insane!" Kathleen shouted, angrily shaking her head. "What were they thinking!?"
"I think this is perfect, actually," Amelia proclaimed, whistling as she leant back in the dinning room chair. "Leave it to Derek and Meredith to do this."
"Look, I advised them to choose two people they trusted most with their kids," Bill explained to everyone. "And they chose Dr. Grey and Dr. Sloan."
"Hold on, do you mind if I have a word with Mark," Lexie announced, sitting up from the table to look at her ex-boyfriend. He nodded as she then dragged him outside to the front porch, far away from the gaze of the Shepherds and far enough where they'd have the peace and quiet to process this all.
Mark looked more stressed than he ever did in his entire life as he began to pace back and forth in rhythm. He ran a hand through his hair as he took a few unsteady breaths. "This is insane! I mean, the two of us!? Raising their children!?"
"I know."
"They didn't think any of this through," Mark continued, letting his emotions run free. "Did Derek or Meredith say anything to you?"
Lexie shook her head. "Not at all."
"This isn't something you forget to mention!" Mark exclaimed, flailing his arms around for dramatic emphasis. "What were they thinking!? A simple 'by the way Mark, if I ever die, you're taking care of my kid' would've sufficed!"
"I know," Lexie repeated, standing her ground. "I know it's absolutely insane and that you're freaking out...And I get if you need some time to think about it, but…I think we should do it."
Mark stopped immediately in his tracks and turned stiffly to gape at Lexie in surprise. "I'm sorry, Little Grey. Did you…Are you crazy? Are you sure your head is feeling alright? Should I bring you back to the E.R?"
Lexie frowned in irritation as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'm fine. We've been looking after the kids. They know us better than anyone in that room. You think they would be okay adjusting to living with Nancy or Kathleen or any one of the Shepherd sisters? Anyway, you were ready to adopt Sloan's baby on the whim!"
"But then I realized how irrational I was being and did what was best for my teenage daughter," Mark pointed out. "This is different. This would be me and you, the ex-couple, raising two children."
"Not just any children, our niece and nephew!" Lexie snapped. "Besides, we still don't know Meredith's condition! This could just be a temporary thing–"
"Meredith isn't doing well," Mark stressed, grasping Lexie's shoulders as if he was holding her to the reality of the whole situation. "She may not make it out of this. This might be a permeant thing– the two of us, raising the kids."
"We don't know that yet. Alex called me earlier this morning and told me her condition seems to be improving and they still need to do a few more tests," Lexie pointed out. "And we'll be having a second opinion flying in since I can't examine my sister– Dr. Tom Koracick. I met Tom at a convention a year back and he's one of the best in our field. I'm sure–"
"Lexie," Mark spoke gently, making sure she could lock eyes with him. "You need to be prepared for the fact your sister may not make it. And that this could be our new reality. Is that something you're prepared for?"
Lexie bit her lip, looking back towards the room of crowded people and then back at her ex. "Yes."
"You sure?"
"Positive," she whispered, clutching Mark's hands that were currently gripping to her shoulders for dear life. "I know it's scary. I'm terrified. But if our family wanted this, trusted me and you above anyone else to raise their children, the two most important people in their lives…I'm going to do it, with or without you."
Mark swallowed hard. "Alright….Alright."
"I'm going to go in there now and tell them the kids will stay under my care," Lexie continued softly, watching Mark's every move. "Are you with me?"
Mark didn't say anything. So, Lexie took this as his choice and began to make her way into the room hesitantly. She was met with arguing amongst the Shepherd family and then silence as she re-entered.
Lexie cleared her throat. "I….I–"
"We're on board," Mark announced from behind her. He went to place a hand on her shoulder, showing his solidarity with her. "It's what Meredith and Derek wanted and we're willing to uphold this serious commitment."
"Our lawyers will fight it!" Nancy proclaimed all of a sudden.
Mark sighed. "Come on, Nance."
"No, she's right!" Kathleen added hotly, shaking a finger. "The two of you together raising those children is unstable! It's not the best option for them!"
"You don't know the best option for them because you barely know them, Kate," Mark shot back.
"They're right," Amelia said, jerking a thumb at the ex-couple. "I haven't seen any of you fly out to the west coast for a visit anytime soon. Why should they put the trust of their children with any of you?"
"Because we're their family," Liz insisted. "The kids should be with their family!"
"We are their family," Lexie retorted firmly, motioning to her and Mark. "Meredith was my sister and Mark was as much a sibling to Derek as the rest of you. We have stood by them throughout their whole relationship, well for the most part, I don't know if Mark sleeping with–"
"They get the point, Little Grey," Mark hissed.
"We'll, we will be suing," Kathleen threatened. "You will hear from our lawyers!"
"No they won't because we won't be suing!" Mrs. Shepherd barked, causing Amelia to raise her eyebrows at her mother and even the other girls to look at her in shock. "I know this is a lot, but if this is what they thought what's best, then we have to honor their wishes. You all grew up with Mark. You know we can trust him to watch out for Derek's children."
"Yeah, we grew up with Mark and saw how unstable his family life was," Kathleen pointed out snidely. "And as for Meredith's side of the family–"
"Lexie Grey is one of the best neurosurgeon's in the country thanks to Derek," Amelia cut her older sister unexpectedly. Everyone turned to her as she continued. "She's more than responsible and even though Mark is, well, Mark–"
"Gee. Thanks, Amy."
"Derek loved him like a brother. The two have been through hell and back together. Of course he'd trust Mark with his kids. If I ever had a baby and I died, I'd trust it with Addison over any of you. Which is why we can trust these two to be their parents if need be," Amelia said to everyone sternly. "Case and point."
"Alright, well, if that's all," Bill said, looking at everyone carefully. "I need to set a plan of action with the legal guardians. We will need to set up a plan and prepare for the worst."
As everyone in the Shepherd family grumbled to themselves, Lexie and Mark looked back at each other, realizing what they had just agreed to. What their friends gave them the responsibility for.
"Did we just become parents?"
"I think so..."
A/N: I've always wanted to see the Shepherd siblings together. I was never a big fan of Nancy and especially Kathleen when she finally made an appearance. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and be on the look out for the next chapter!