Author's Notes: Thanks so much for your patience! Hope that you enjoy this chapter. :) Like I said a few chapters ago, I didn't go into this story expecting to rewrite season 5, but then I sort of inadvertently ended up doing it. But I'm being pretty selective in what I choose to address and obviously things aren't quite happening the way that they did in the show. Loved writing these interactions in this chapter - hope you enjoy reading them!
Lexie cornered Mark at the nurses' station and smiled up at him sweetly. "I have been told to tell you that you are coming to dinner tonight at Meredith's and you're bringing Sloan. I'm not asking; I'm telling you, that's what you're doing tonight."
He chuckled, flipping the chart in front of him closed and turning fully towards Lexie. "And why exactly am I being told this?"
"Mrs. Shepherd is in town tonight and she wants to meet Meredith. She's freaking out. Izzie's been trying to help by cleaning like a crazy woman for the past 24 hours, but Meredith's still petrified. So she figures that the more people there, the better. I think she's hoping you and your pregnant teenage daughter, and your 24-year-old girlfriend will help to take some of the attention off of her."
Mark chuckled and shook his head. "What time is dinner?"
Lexie grinned and bounced towards him, gently kissing his cheek. "6:30. I already texted Sloan to let her know. Meredith will seriously be so grateful."
Mark nodded absently. "Fine. Anything for Big Grey. And it'll be good to see Mrs. Shepherd." He turned to Lexie and leaned forward for a quick kiss. "She'll love you." He turned and walked off, oblivious to Lexie's wide eyes.
"Oh no. It's like I'm meeting the parents too!"
Lexie grinned as she opened the door to Mark and Sloan, but something about her grin wasn't quite right. They stepped inside and Lexie took their coats, pausing briefly to brush a kiss over Mark's lips. "Everything ok?" he asked quietly.
"Mer's freaking out. Derek's surgery is running late, so it's just been the three of us. She's trying so hard, but she'll be relieved to see you." Lexie then turned to Sloan and hugged the girl quickly, before ushering her fully inside.
"Mark Sloan! There you are!" Carolyn Shepherd lit up as Mark stepped inside.
"Mrs. Shepherd!" he replied, grinning brightly as the older woman immediately embraced him and kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you," he murmured, grinning softly at her. He turned to Sloan. "This is my daughter, Sloan Riley. Sloan, this is Carolyn Shepherd - she's the woman who practically raised me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."
Carolyn smiled at Sloan, shaking her hand firmly. "It's very nice to meet you, Sloan."
"You too, Mrs. Shepherd," she grinned and then turned to Lexie, leaning in close. "Lex, where is the bathroom? I feel like I'm about to burst."
Lexie laughed and pointed her down the hallway with a sympathetic hand on her back. When she looked back, Mrs. Shepherd and Mark were talking and glancing over at her. She grinned nervously as Mark held out his hand. She took it and stiffened as Mark pulled her against his side, an arm slung around her shoulder. "Mark tells me that you're seeing each other! Why didn't you tell me, Lexie?" The question seemed innocent enough, but Lexie still gulped nervously.
"I mean…you're here to meet Meredith and see Derek. And meet Sloan. I didn't want to…butt in on that," she said, hoping desperately that her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.
Carolyn smiled at her. "Mark is my boy just as much as Derek is – I want to check up on them both. And I had no idea that he was seeing Meredith's little sister!" It might have been her imagination, but she thought that Mrs. Shepherd emphasized "little" when describing her and Lexie glanced up at Mark, who seemed a bit bashful. Yep, not just her imagination then.
"Yeah! Since New Year's!" She managed to get out, smiling nervously up at Mark. "We were friends for a while before that – since Sloan came, but we only got together at New Year's." Mark was gently stroking her shoulder with his thumb and she felt herself relax against him a little bit.
"You both seem very happy. I can't imagine it's easy, dating a man with a pregnant teenage daughter."
They both laughed and Lexie shrugged. "Sloan's a good kid. And really, we probably wouldn't be friends if it wasn't for her. It's been really great to see Mark step up and be a dad to her."
"I couldn't have done it without you, Lex," he murmured, leaning forward to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. Lexie returned the kiss for just a moment, before pushing against his chest, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment again.
Mrs. Shepherd gave her a knowing grin. "Oh Lexie, dear, don't you worry. Nothing can shock me much when it comes to Mark." Her reassurance didn't help Lexie's flaming cheeks and she was glad when Sloan reappeared.
Meredith entered the dining room as well, a slightly manic smile on her face. "I just got off the phone with Derek and he'll be home soon! And Izzie said that dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes, so the timing should be perfect!"
"Very sweet of your friend to cook for us, Meredith, she didn't have to do that."
"Oh, you didn't want to eat my cooking, Mrs. Shepherd. Thought I'd spare all of us that particular disaster," Meredith said, laughing uncomfortably.
"You're a good cook, Meredith!" Lexie protested.
Meredith shook her head and smiled at her sister. It was closer to her actual smile than her previous, scary, "meeting the mother" smile. "Lexie, I almost killed you with that omelet."
Lexie shook her head. "Only because of the eggs! The rest of it was good!"
Mark chuckled and Meredith's eyes darted over to him, as if noticing that he and Sloan were there for the first time. "Oh! Mark! Sloan! I'm glad you're here. Can I get you both something to drink?" she asked, only sounding a little bit desperate.
"Just some water, please," Sloan said, curiously looking around the house.
"I'll take a scotch, Big Grey. Thanks." Mark winked at Meredith and she shot him a slightly grateful smile in return.
"Do you need a refill, Mrs. Shepherd?" Meredith asked.
"Meredith, I told you to call me Carolyn, please. And I'm fine – thank you for checking though." Meredith nodded nervously before disappearing back into the kitchen. Lexie sighed and watched her go, unconsciously stepping closer to Mark.
"So you're going on a cruise?" Mark asked, seemingly unaware of how tightly-wound Lexie was beside him. "And you just happened to have a free night in Seattle before the ship boards?"
Carolyn smiled at him. "The flights were much cheaper today than they would be if I arrived tomorrow. Besides, what sort of mother would I be if I went on a cruise out of Seattle and didn't stop to see how my boys were doing?"
Mark grinned at her and nodded. "Of course."
"Sloan, dear, how are you feeling? How far along are you?" Carolyn asked, turning to Sloan who had been standing near Lexie, looking a bit bored. Lexie couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief that Mrs. Shepherd didn't focus on her.
Mrs. Shepherd led Sloan over to the dining room table as they talked, leaving Mark and Lexie standing in the entryway. Lexie noticeably relaxed against Mark's side and he couldn't help but chuckle as he looked down at her. "Everything ok, Lex?"
"She's practically your mother, Mark. I'm a little bit nervous," she snapped at him and Mark's eyes widened before a smirk spread across his face.
"Great, so now Mrs. Shepherd has both the Grey girls all nervous. You'll both be fine. She'll love you." Mark chuckled and he bent his head slightly, just enough to brush his lips against hers.
Just then, they heard the front door open behind them and they separated just in time to look back and see Derek enter the house. Mark's head snapped forward, refusing to acknowledge his best friend, and Lexie looked back with an apologetic smile. Derek shook his head and smiled at Lexie before moving in towards the dining room to greet his mother and Sloan.
Meredith, conveniently coming out just after she heard the front door close again, grinned as she handed Sloan a glass of water and Mark his scotch as he and Lexie moved into the dining room as well. Derek smiled at Meredith and kissed her, whispering something in her ear that made her smile and relax slightly.
Izzie brought out the food with a happy smile on her face, before begging off from actually joining them, despite Meredith's desperate insistence that she enjoy the fruits of her labor. So instead the six of them sat at the table, quietly serving themselves. Normally Mark and Derek would be egging each other on, and Meredith and Lexie would be awkwardly trying to add in their two cents, but with Mark and Derek not speaking, there was a heaviness that settled at the table.
Lexie hated it.
"So, Mrs. Shepherd, you must have a lot of stories about Mark and Derek from when they were young," she said, breaking the silence. Sloan smiled at Lexie, sighing softly in relief at the attempt to break the ice. Meredith gave her a similar smile.
Mrs. Shepherd, seeing the invitation for exactly what it was, picked up the conversational starter and ran with it. "First off, Lexie, you should be calling me Carolyn. And ladies, I am here for every embarrassing story you could ever want to know about these two. Should I start before or after puberty?"
Both of her boys groaned in protest and the women at the table beamed in amusement. By the time that they were done with the meal and moving on to Izzie's chocolate chip cookies, the frosty silence between Mark and Derek had thawed. They'd chimed in on quite a few of Carolyn's stories, equally defending themselves or throwing each other under the bus, depending on what the stories required.
The night was interrupted by the familiar buzz of pagers and Meredith and Derek were the unlucky ones who were called back into the hospital. "Mom, I'm so sorry," Derek apologized as they all followed the two of them into the entryway. Derek grabbed his coat and helped Meredith with hers.
"Nonsense. I know how busy you are. I'm glad that we got through most of dinner without interruption." She turned to Meredith and engulfed her in a hug. Meredith's wide eyes immediately met Lexie's over Carolyn's shoulders and Lexie mouthed 'hug her back!' as Meredith's arms cautiously wrapped around the other woman. "Meredith, dear, it was so nice to finally meet you. I'm hoping you'll be able to join Derek and I for breakfast tomorrow before I have to get to the cruise ship. Will you?"
Meredith's smile was only a little bit forced. "Of course!"
Derek turned to Mark. "Hey, Mark, can you take her back to the Archfield? I don't know how long this will take."
Mark nodded. "Sure, not a problem. Always happy to spend some time with you, Mrs. Shepherd," he said, grinning at the older woman. He turned to Lexie. "Do you think you could get Sloan back home, Lex? Looks like she's fading." He glanced over to the living room – Sloan had said a quick goodbye to Derek and Meredith and then had basically collapsed on the couch, looking exhausted.
Lexie grinned and nodded. "You ready to go home, Sloan?" she called out. The blond girl immediately brightened and nodded, slowly getting up off the couch.
"Will you let me drive, Lexie? Mark never lets me drive his car!"
Lexie's eyes narrowed. "You think that telling me that you haven't driven the entire time you've been here is a good way of convincing me to let you behind the wheel? I don't think so. You're riding shotgun, Sloan."
The girl pouted as she reached for her coat. Mrs. Shepherd made her way over to Sloan and gave her a big hug, one that Sloan seemed particularly grateful to receive. Lexie watched them, a soft smile on her face. She turned to Mark, who seemed to be watching with the same expression. Lexie bumped her shoulder against his and he grinned down at her, slinging his arm around her shoulders.
Once Sloan had said her goodbyes to Mrs. Shepherd, it was Lexie's turn. Those butterflies started flying in her stomach again, even though the test was almost over. "It was really great to meet you, Mrs. Shepherd – Carolyn," she said, correcting herself at the matriarch's quirked eyebrow.
Lexie found herself in Carolyn's embrace and she melted just a little bit. It had been so long since she'd had someone hug her like this…hug her like a mom. Unexpectedly, she found herself choked up a little bit, missing her own mom fiercely. She managed to get herself under control when Mrs. Shepherd finally released her. "It was such a pleasure to meet you, Lexie. I'm very glad that Mark found you. And that you're willing to put up with him – I'm sure he hasn't made it easy on you."
Lexie laughed and Mark made a soft sound of protest behind her. Carolyn fixed her gaze on him. "Don't act like I'm wrong, Mark Sloan. I know what a handful you are. I'm glad that Lexie's more than up for the challenge."
Lexie smiled softly. "I hope you enjoy your cruise, Carolyn. And I'm looking forward to seeing you again."
Carolyn nodded. "Same here, dear."
With that, both Lexie and Sloan departed, leaving Mark and Mrs. Shepherd alone in the house. "Shall we?" Mark said, offering his arm to Mrs. Shepherd after shrugging on his leather coat and helping her with her peacoat.
They were on their way to the Archfield when Mrs. Shepherd cleared her throat. "I like her, Mark," she said, matter-of-factly.
Mark smirked. "Yeah, I do too."
"I thought you were going to be stuck as a horny fifteen-year-old forever, Mark Sloan. But you've grown up. And I know that part of that is because of Sloan. But part of that is because of Lexie too, isn't it?" She was watching Mark carefully and he nodded slowly, thoughtfully.
"I wouldn't have been able to handle any of this if it hadn't been for Lexie's support and friendship," he murmured. "The fact that she's an excellent kisser is just a bonus." Mark turned and winked, and Mrs. Shepherd laughed, lightly slapping his arm.
"She's good, Mark. More than that, she's good for you."
"Too good," he muttered under his breath, but Mrs. Shepherd heard him loud and clear.
"Mark Sloan, you have always had low expectations for yourself. But you've always been wrong. You deserve good things, Mark. And Lexie…Lexie is a good thing. Don't let her go."
Mark glanced over at Mrs. Shepherd and couldn't help but softly smile. "I'm not planning on it, Mrs. Shepherd."
When Mark got back home from dropping off Mrs. Shepherd, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Lexie's car was still in the driveway. The house was dark except for a soft light coming from his bedroom. Lexie was waiting up for him.
He found her upstairs, already in bed, reading one of his old medical journals. "Hey," he murmured from the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and just smiling softly at her.
She looked up, startled out of her Lexiepedia haze. "Oh hey! I didn't hear you come in. Is it…is it ok that I just stayed? I didn't think you'd mind."
He shook his head, moving into the room further and closing the bedroom door behind him. "Of course, I don't mind, Lexie. You're always welcome in my home. Especially in my bed," he said, with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.
She giggled and set aside the journal, watching him raptly as he tugged his shirt over his head and stripped down to his boxers. He sat down on the edge of the bed, one hand on either side of her hips, effectively boxing her in. She giggled leaned forward, hooking her hands around his neck and drawing him close for a kiss.
They kept kissing and Mark found himself tugging on Lexie's hips, encouraging her to move until she was lying flat on her back and he had moved on top of her. He broke their kiss and smiled down at her, pushing a lock of her hair back behind her ear. "We should stop," he murmured.
"Isn't that my line?" she teased, her fingertips dancing along the back of his neck.
"It is, which is probably why it's sound advice."
Lexie sighed. "Mark, Sloan is sixteen. She clearly knows what sex is. She's been asking us if we're sleeping together since she met us. Is it really that bad if we just…live up to her expectations?"
He shifted onto his side and he couldn't help but notice how Lexie deflated just a bit. One of his hands supported his head and the other went to rest on her stomach, rubbing along the soft material of the worn t-shirt that she'd stolen from him in lieu of actual pajamas. "I want to be able to savor you, Lexie Grey. I don't want any distractions the first time we have sex." He leaned down, pressing a kiss against her shoulder. "I don't want to be thinking about anyone else but you. I want to hear you scream my name and not have to worry about the looks that my daughter will be giving us the next morning at breakfast."
Lexie giggled and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, bringing him close for a kiss. "What makes you so certain I'll scream?" she teased, her lips brushing against his even as she broke their kiss.
He leaned back further, so that he could get a good look at her. His grin was positively wicked. "Oh, I'll make you scream, Lexie Grey. I wouldn't doubt that for a second."
She grinned, kissing him again. When they broke apart, she looked appeased. "Promises, promises, Dr. Sloan."
He chuckled. "Promises I'll deliver on. Sooner rather than later, Lexie."