Warning: Pending.

A/N: Enjoy. Thanks again for your continued support.

Chapter 6 – No Easy Way Out

Lexie was glad to return back to work the next day, and back to some semblance of her normal day-to-day life and responsibilities. She was back on Mark's rotation today—mostly because it was his way of keeping an eye on her—and make sure she wasn't over doing herself. She would have lashed out at him for babying her if he just didn't seem so cute being all protective and loving.

She was on her next mandatory break—Mark was making her take one every couple of hours—or he would keep her from surgeries. He knew she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to scrub in, atlas, here she was wondering the halls while on her break.

Before she knew where she was walking and ending up, she was standing outside of her dad's hospital room. He wasn't able to see her, but she had been standing there for the last five minutes just watching him as he laid in his hospital bed his eyes fluttering up and down every couple of seconds. She wondered what he was thinking about, and whether he even inquired about her since the accident.

"Hey," Meredith said, coming to stand next to her.

"Hey," she replied.

"Have you gone in to see him yet?"

Lexie shook her head. "No. I wasn't even sure I wanted to go in and see him, but I found myself here anyway. What do you think I should do?"

"What do you want to do?" Meredith asked.

Lexie snorted. "You have a habit of sounding just like Mark sometimes."

Meredith grinned. "Yeah, well, every once in a while, he's useful." She paused for a moment, and Lexie could feel the weight of her stare on her. "If you want my honest opinion, I think you already know what you want to do, it's just you're procrastinating so you don't have to do it."

"Maybe," she answered honestly.

"It's like when we get out of a surgery, and we know the patient isn't going to get any better, or in some cases passed away. No one wants to tell the family the news, but it still has to be done. It's not easy, Lex, but at the end of the day, there is no easy way out of it…and they deserve the truth."

Lexie nodded. "And your saying, my dad deserves to know the truth of what I'm feeling."

Meredith shrugged. "I think you deserve the opportunity to tell him the truth of how what he says and does makes you feel," she noted.

Lexie turned to her sister. "How did you do it?"

"Well, at first I didn't really get the opportunity. It's hard to tell someone who abandons you what they feel. By the time he had come back into my life, I had become so indifferent, it didn't matter to me whether he knew or not," she said.

"So, then…maybe I can just wait until I become indifferent too," she suggested.

Meredith shot her a look of horror. "No, that's not what I am saying. Lexie, it's taken me a long time and many mistakes in my love life—and almost losing Derek for good because of it—to realize that allowing myself to become indifferent, meant that I was closing myself off from anyone and not caring if I hurt them in return. Just as long as they couldn't hurt me first."

Lexie felt like she was just looped in on a treasured secret from her sister that not many—if anyone—probably knew. "Wow…I never knew that."

"Don't become dark like me. Even as I stand here and tell you I recognize that about myself, doesn't sometimes make it any easier to stop doing it. But Derek is my person, and if I am going to try for anyone…he's worth it," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, he is pretty great," she agreed.

"And so are you," Meredith added a look of vulnerability crossing her features. They never talked about their feelings towards each other. Lexie looked back into the room of their father. "And it's time that he understands that. If he can't, then he's not worthy of you."

"Thanks, Mer."

Meredith did something unexpected in that brief moment with Lexie, it wasn't exactly a full-on hug, but she wrapped her arm around her shoulder and squeezed her to her side before releasing her and skipping back down the hallway.

Meredith was right. She was standing out here because she was too afraid to go in there and tell her dad exactly how she felt. How she couldn't continue to do this anymore, and if he wasn't willing to change, then she couldn't be apart of his life anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened out her coat and scrubs, and stepped into her dad's room. His eyes took her in immediately, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards. She tried not to let the little bubble of hope at seeing the warm color to his cheeks return and the delight in his features at seeing her standing in his room.

"Lexie!"

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear that had fallen loose from her ponytail. "Hi dad. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok. Going a little stir crazy being stuck in here though. I've never really been a fan of hospitals."

She nodded, their small talk seeming so awkward and clunky. She made no further move to come in closer to the room, a self-conscious decision that she had already put the space between them.

Thatcher cleared his throat. "Are you ok? I heard you were injured."

She absentmindedly touched out to reach the bandage on her forehead. It was healing nicely, the swollen redness already starting to go down. It would still be more than week before the stitches would be able to come out. Luckily, her coat covered all the scratches and bruises on her arms, so no one really asked any questions.

"I'll be fine," she reassured. "All very minor injuries. I'm already back at it here at work."

"With Mark Sloan?" he guessed.

Her brow rose. "You know Ma—Dr. Sloan?"

"I wouldn't say I know him, but I did meet him yesterday," he clarified.

Lexie was surprised to hear this. Mark hadn't told her that she had spoken with her dad, then again, she realized that never actually came up. She had only asked after how he had been doing, something he clearly could have gotten by reading his chart, or asking the surgeon who performed his spleen surgery.

She hated that the words flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "What did you think?"

In truth, it really shouldn't matter at this point what her dad thought of Mark, but deep down there was still the little girl that was craving inside for her dad's approval and love.

He grunted, and avoided her gaze. Something had definitely happened in their meeting yesterday, and as soon as she had an opportunity to pull Mark aside with some privacy, she was going to ask him just about that.

"I gather he isn't just your teacher," he finally said.

Lexie shook her head, but couldn't fight off the grin. "Yeah. Yeah, he's more than just my attending and teacher."

"He makes you happy?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, he does."

He grunted again. "Good. He seemed to care about you."

Lexie hesitated. "Do…do you remember what happened?"

He stared at her for a long moment before he shook his head. "No. I don't remember any of it."

She didn't know if she was more relieved of that notion or more upset. On one hand, if he was so drunk, he didn't remember any of it, then that means anything he had said to her was most likely because of the alcohol and not him. On the other hand, it made her angry that with how bad things were that night—especially leading up to the accident—that he gets a pass for what he had done. Besides, part of her really knew that when the option of inhibitions was taken away, the truth was usually mixed in when things were said.

She thought back to her conversation in the hallway with Meredith. Her standing out there and not wanting to come in and say what needed to be said. She was doing that again by stalling and making small talk—and in this case another excuse—but no more, it was time he heard what she had to say.

"You were drunk again, beyond the point of being able to drive or even take care of yourself. I came to get you so Joe didn't call the police—since you insisted on wanting to drive—and then things escalated from there once I got you in the car." She looked away, her voice dropping lower. "You said some things that are pretty hard to forgive."

"Come on Lexie bear, you know that wasn't really me talking," he said defensively.

The fact that she didn't even feel anything to him using the nickname that he had given her when she was a child was all the more telling that this time—this was the straw that broke the camel's back—and she just couldn't sweep it under the rug anymore.

"It's not the first time you've said these things," she countered, rocking on her feet.

"Well, when you lose the only person that you have ever loved, you come and tell me if you are allowed a little grace with needing an avenue for release."

She closed her eyes. Of course, it was always back to this. That Thatcher Grey was the victim—always. That nobody else could possibly be hurt or feel the same things as he did when it came to heartache and loss. More importantly, that it was a pass for him to be able to act, do, and say whatever he wanted too and not have to face the consequences.

That was why she needed to have this conversation. Meredith and Molly had already come to understanding this and not letting him get away with it, and she needed to do the same. She needed him to know that she wasn't going to tolerate this anymore—tolerate the mental and verbal abuse.

"You aren't the only one hurting," she reminded him.

"It's not the same," he argued. "You couldn't possibly understand."

"So, you're saying the love I had for my mother, the grieving of her loss from my life, doesn't matter? All because to you it's not the same kind of love?"

"I'm not going to do this with you," he said turning away from her.

"And I am not going to allow you to end this conversation like before. I have done it long enough, and I can't do it anymore."

His voice grew agitated. "Do what?"

"Enable you and this behavior. You go out and get drunk and don't seem to care about how it affects the rest of us around you. You know that's why Molly left a month ago. She couldn't put up with you and wasn't willing to let the kids see the kind of man their grandpa turned into. I'm not even going to mention Meredith, since you decided to turn your back on her so many years ago."

"Enough!" he snapped.

Lexie shook her head. "No, dad. Not this time. You don't get to try and silence me like you have in the past, because you don't want to face the truth. I am done tip toeing around your feelings because I don't want to upset you."

"Well, I'm done. Now, get out of my room."

She walked forward and took a card out of her pocket. Mark had given it to her this morning before they had gone to work. It was for a drug and alcohol center in New York. Mark had some contacts that would be willing to make space for him there and even give an extreme discount that was practically free as a favor to Mark, from help he had done in his private practice with Derek before he sold it and came to Seattle.

Lexie placed the card on the cart next to his bed. She watched as her dad's eyes looked over at the card, but did not look back at to her. She stepped back until she was at the foot of his bed.

"I think you should take a look at getting some help. The place there, it would welcome you and would practically be covered. I love you, but that's my ultimatum dad. I can't do this anymore. Unless you are willing to accept the fact that you have a problem and you need help, then you and I can't have a relationship." She turned and paused at the door. "I would hope that if you ever did love me or Molly, and Meredith, that you would still have enough fight left in you to want to fight for us."

With that she walked out of his room, and turned down the hallway towards the bathroom, to shed the tears she had been holding back. She just hoped he would make the right decision.

Later that evening, once Mark and Lexie ended their shifts they were walking to his car. She couldn't help but see the extra bounce in his step and excitement that seemed to be rolling off his shoulders in waves.

"Do you want to let me in on the secret?" she asked, as they interlaced their fingers walking to the car.

"I want to show you something."

"Ok. Now?"

He nodded. "Now."

Lexie glanced around, when he pulled into an apartment complex and turned off the car.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Home," he replied.

He brows scrunched together. "You lost me…"

He half-turned towards her. "Lex, this last month with you has made me see that I want more. I initially came out here just thinking it would be a stopover, and then when Derek and I were able to bury the hatchet, I just didn't leave. I started to make friends here and find my own way…and then there was you." She liked the way his smile grew wider at that part. "So, I don't want to keep living out of a hotel and not having a place of my own. Our own."

Her eyes snapped up to him trying to blink away the surprise. "Our place?"

He shrugged. "If you want. I mean, we spend every night together anyway, and your almost never at Mer's place anymore. What do you think? Do you want to…maybe move in with me?"

She had to hold back her laugh at how uncomfortable he looked rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact with her. He was nervous about bringing her out here and asking if she would want to move in with him. She wasn't going to lie that it was a pretty big step when they had just not more than a day ago came out and told everyone they were in a relationship, but Mark was right. They spent almost every waking moment with each other, and she spent every night at his hotel other than the one time she spent back at Meredith's place.

Was it really that big of a deal if instead of all of her stuff being at her sister's house—meaning she no longer had to keep lugging her clothes and things back and forth—if it were in an apartment with Mark instead? She liked the idea of coming home to place that could be theirs. Together.

Their relationship was still so new, but as she mulled the idea over in her head, the more she thought about it, the more she felt it was the right decision. The idea of even living with him didn't even scare her. A step like this pre-Mark would have probably had her running for the hills, but for some reason with him…it just worked.

"Lex? Can you say something?"

She looked up to him and could see the worry and uncertainty in her eyes. "Can I see the place?" she asked.

His shoulders visibly relaxed, and his grin returned. They exited the car and made their way into the building, Mark taking the keys from his pants pocket. They stepped onto the elevator and Lexie watched as Mark selected the third floor.

"How did you find the place?" she asked.

"Actually, I didn't. Owen did."

"Owen Hunt?"

He nodded. "He overheard me and Callie—who you know is also looking for a place of her own—were thinking about apartment hunting, and he mentioned he had just bought his apartment here a couple of months back. Apparently, this place used to be a warehouse, and they sold it and the owner is turning it into luxury apartments."

Lexie had to give it to the owner of the place, because they had done a pretty remarkable job on what she had seen so far when it came to balancing the right mix of industrial warehouse with modern warm living. In an up-and-coming neighborhood so close to the hospital, these places would be flying off the listing in the matter of days.

"So, Owen lives here?"

"Yep. He actually lives right at the end of the hall near the staircase." He stopped when they were two apartments down from the elevator, 'Apartment C' indicated on the outside of the door. "Callie actually bought the place across the hall. The whole floor can practically be Seattle Grace surgeons."

She like the idea of some of the other doctors being so close by, but not sure how she felt about them being directly right across the hall.

Lexie smiled. "Well, are you going to show me?"

He put the key inside the door, and opened the apartment. It was empty of course, but the apartment was grand and warm, and had a great layout. As soon as they walked in, they were in the large living area. To the right, there was a beautiful grey fireplace that was the focal point of the room that looked out over a large window that was broken down into a series of double hung windows with cut ups. Rich brown wood made the place feel inviting.

Mark allowed her to walk into the place, take everything in. The kitchen was kept modern industrial with dark cabinets and stainless-steel appliances. The counters were stone and a light contrast to create the balanced blend of both style aesthetic.

The apartment also came with a master bedroom with a massive master bath including a huge rain shower, tub, and double sinks. A second bedroom and guest bath made up the other end of the hallway including a small office they could both work out of comfortably.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked when she turned back around to face him.

"It's gorgeous," she said, because it was. The place was beautiful and something she would hope to one day afford.

"Mark, there is no way I could afford rent here on my intern salary and continue to payback my lofty student loans," she noted finding one of the pitfalls into this fairytale.

"Lex, I bought the place outright. You don't need to worry about rent. I make enough money," he reassured.

"Yes, but that is you. Not me. We are dating, not married. If I say that we could give this a go, I have to pull my weight around you. I can't just expect you to cover everything."

"Why not?"

He seemed genuinely surprised that this would be such an issue. One of the things she was coming to see as it related to differences between someone who was much older and more established in their career, versus someone that is just starting out and had much less to contribute.

"Because we are a team," she said coming to stand in front of him. "I am not looking for you to be responsible for everything, and for me not to help out. I mean, granted, I won't have anywhere near what you have…"

"Lex, I don't care about any of that. I don't need money, or anything else. I just want you. To live with me," he clarified.

She bit her lip, because deep down that is what she wanted too. "I don't know…"

"Is it just the money? Is that what has you hesitating?" he pushed.

"Yes. I just want to make sure that if we do this…that were equals. I don't want you to think you always have to pull more weight than me because you have more money or are so accomplished, or…"

She didn't finish her sentence. His hand snaked behind her head, his lips crashing down on hers. It was a slow, long, sweet, and achingly beautiful kiss. When he pulled back, he was just mere inches, that she would only have to jet her chin up to capture his lips again. His breath was warm and intoxicating on her skin.

"We've always been equals, Little Grey. I don't care if you have money. I don't care if it takes you ten years until you feel accomplished in your career. I just want to live with you. Experience it all with you."

Her face lit up. "Yeah?"

He kissed her again. "Yeah. What do you say?"

She looked around the empty apartment, the possibilities endless for them. "I would say you and I are going to be living together."

He grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that."

She shrieked when he lifted her off the floor and over his shoulder. "Mark! What are you doing?"

Her head was upside down and she had a perfectly good view of his toned ass that she loved so much.

"I am going to christen this new baby," he said, smacking her right on the bottom as he took her into their new master bedroom.

Mark and Lexie were sitting in Derek and Meredith's kitchen the next evening grinning from ear to ear as they told them about the good news that they would be moving in together.

"Moving in?" Meredith said with a surprise. "Isn't that a little soon?"

Mark looked over at Lexie who was beaming at him. "No," she answered. "We pretty much spend all our time together anyway, and besides the other day after the accident, I haven't even spent a night here since George left," she added.

Derek was looking between the two of them, Mark's glance kept looking in his direction waiting for his reply.

Meredith turned to her fiancé. "Derek, help me out. Don't you think this is a little soon?"

Derek smirked. "I think I learned my lesson from last time. But if your up for it, I would like to talk to you out back," he said to his best friend.

Mark nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that."

Derek went to the fridge to grab two beers, leaving both ladies to themselves. When the door to the kitchen closed behind them, they each took a seat in the oversized lawn chairs looking out into their oasis of a back yard.

"So, I thought it was about time we truly cleared the air between us," Derek said.

"I agree," Mark answered.

"Addison."

"Derek…"

"No, let me finish," Derek interrupted. He took a swig of his beer, but his eyes were focused out on the horizon. Mark did the same. "Addison and I hadn't been happy in a long time. I felt the reasons we had gotten together in the first place; the reasons two people should get married; they just weren't there anymore. I'm not sure if they ever were, if I am being honest."

His admission surprised him. He took another swig of beer and looked at his best friend. "Are you saying you were never in love with Addison?"

Derek let out a sigh. "I think at one time I believed myself to be. But now that I am with Meredith and what I feel for her, I know now that I can't honestly go back and say what Addison and I had was love."

"Wow…" Mark whistled.

"I cared about her, still do," Derek clarified, guessing how that must've come out to his friend. "I just couldn't take going through the motions anymore. The pretending we we're giving it our all. That we were the happy couple in our circle that everyone thought we were—well, expect for you—you knew."

"I figured something was up when she started making comments here and there. At first, I just thought she was trying to fish for information seeing that we were close, but I never knew it was to that extent until later on," he confessed.

Derek nodded and took another sip of beer. "It got worse the more we let it go on. Till the point we started to resent each other, but neither one wanted to call it for what it was—our marriage was a failure. We weren't meant to be."

"Failure is a little harsh. You just weren't soulmates—if one believes in that thing," he said.

Derek laughed. "I never did, until Meredith."

He watched Derek's gaze look across the deck to the window that looked into the kitchen. The silhouette of both their women were easily seen from where they were sitting.

"The surprises just keep coming," Mark teased.

Derek smiled. "Anyway, I knew what I was doing when I started alienating her. Addison had always been someone that craved and needed attention, and when I wasn't giving it to her—because I just couldn't—I figured it would only be a matter of time."

He leaned forward in his chair, his beer bottle resting between the space of his legs. "And you were ok with that?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I just knew that I wanted her at arm's length and kept doing everything in my power to push her away." He paused, and then blew out a breath. "Then, I learned about your affair." This time Derek turned and looked him right in the eye. "That's when I knew our marriage was really over. Not because she cheated, but because I didn't care in the slightest that she had. What had hurt the most, was that it was with you."

His head hung low. "I'm sorry, man."

"I know," he answered. "I think deep down, Addison knew that if she cheated on me that it wouldn't have meant much in my eyes. It wouldn't have changed anything. So, she had to go to something—no someone—that it would make a difference. That was you."

"But I let it happen. If I was a better friend, then I would have turned her away and not betrayed your trust, our friendship, our brotherhood," he said contritely.

"Mark, I didn't just do those things with her, but I had done them to you as well. I was disengaging from our practice, and hanging out less and less. I wasn't just divorcing from myself from my wife, but I was doing it with my old life, and that was never fair to you. I pushed the both of you down the rabbit hole of each other's arms."

Mark pursed his lips. "It takes two to tango, brother. I still had a choice to make, and I chose wrong."

"Even though part of me felt betrayed and hurt by you, it was the first time I had seen you ever want anything more then just a night between the sheets and being the king of plastics."

Mark laughed. "Don't give me too much credit, I still want those two things."

They both chuckled. "It was when you came after Addie that I realized you too were looking for something more. I know you don't talk about your past much…having lost your mother and your father abandoning you so young, but it was the first time I could see I was the one who had also done those same things to you." He paused, taking another swig. "When Addie showed up here in Seattle, it wasn't that I even wanted her back. Her coming here was reminder of what a coward I really was. I pushed her away so I didn't have to stand up to make the call. I felt like I had owed her because of the commitment we had made to each other in taking our vows no matter how miserable it was making me."

"So, what finally made you end it for good?"

"Being here together with Addison and Mer. It was like one was dragging me down into a deep dark abyss, and the other—believe it or not—was like coming up for fresh air. A light at the end of that very dark tunnel. I had realized life wasn't worth living it if meant I had to keep making everyone miserable. Once I had a true taste of happiness and love with Mer, there was no going back."

Mark smiled. "You two look really happy."

Derek looked up at the window again. "Yeah. Yeah, she's, my world." He took another drink looking at his best friend. "When you came out here, my anger for the fact that you slept with Addie had already faded. I wasn't mad at you for that any longer. I was mad at you for coming and making me have to face my demons."

He laughed out a humorless laugh. "And then I went right back at it trying to convince her that we were real. That together we belonged together."

"I hated myself because deep down I knew Addison was just using you to get to me. Playing on our friendship, respect, and admiration for all of us. Had I just been up front, I could have saved the three of us a lot of pain," he said, shaking his head sadly.

Mark sighed. "I know I told you about the sixty day no sex pact, right?" Derek nodded. "What I didn't tell you was that I never broke it. She slept with Karev, and that's when I truly knew what you are confirming now. I was just the pawn for her to win you back. So, I told her I slept with some nurse. It was time everyone needed to let go."

Derek shook his head. "What a mess, huh?"

"She was pregnant," Mark confessed needing for it all to be out in the open. "With my baby." Derek blinked, his eyes opening wide. "After you left New York, we carried on for a while. Then she just up and left and I realized she was going back to get you. What I didn't know was that she had been pregnant and decided to abort the baby without even telling me there had been one. Without giving me a chance to give my peace on what I wanted."

Derek placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly. For the first time in forever, water filled the back of Mark's eyes. Grieving for a baby he never got to know or want, because that decision had been taken away from him.

"I didn't know it at the time, but after she broke the abstinence pack, she had come clean and told me why she had fled. She never wanted a relationship with me or anything more than just the opportunity to win you back or hurt you further. After that, I told myself that the meaningless hookups were all I was worthy of having. At least there, I could control not getting hurt again."

"I'm so sorry, Mark."

He nodded, before a smile played around the corners of his mouth. He lifted his beer bottle up and in the direction of Derek who clinked them together. "Now we have the Grey's," he said cheerfully.

Derek took a swig. "Now, we have the Grey's," he repeated. He paused. "I want you to know…the other night, in the hospital when Lexie was in the OR—you found out that she had been injured—I saw it then and there. I saw how much she means to you. I don't believe the things I said about you back at Joe's. It's time I stop hiding behind you, and using you as a punching bag when I don't want to face the hard facts."

"It's time I stop trying to be just like you and be Mark Sloan. I've let my jealousy for the life you had versus mine drive me for so long, that I just simply took for granted just being friends."

Derek stood, and held out his bottle again. "To cutting out all the bullshit and just being damn good friends."

He stood and clinked his bottle with his. "To that and being brothers."

Derek nodded. "Brothers."

They both downed the remaining beer in the bottle. Mark grinned. "Hug it out?"

He laughed. "Bring it in."

When they entered back into the kitchen, Lexie was thrilled to see all the remaining tension between them was gone. They were smiling and laughing, Mark going back to the fridge to grab two more bottles of beer. They both smiled at her and Meredith as they started talking sports and moved into their family room to watch a game.

"I think that means everything is good now," Meredith observed.

Lexie looked after them, their voices trailing from the other room. "Thank god."

The sisters giggled before picking up their drinks to follow them.

"Wait. Before we go in there. I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Well, you know that Derek and I will be planning our wedding soon. It won't be a surprise that he will be asking Mark to be his best man."

Lexie smiled at that. "I'm glad for the both of them."

"I know you already know that Cristina will be my maid of honor, but I was hoping that you might…or would like to be a bridesmaid."

Lexie squeezed her sister's hand, her eyes lighting up and her cheekbones in visible pain from smiling so hard. "I would be so honored," she wailed, throwing her arms around her sister and hugging her tight.

"Good. It's settled then."

She looked away to try and discreetly wipe away her happy tears. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Come on," Meredith said wrapping her arm around her shoulder and following after their men. "I want to hear more about this new apartment of yours."

Hope you enjoyed Chapter 6. Little spoiler for next chapter. What happens when past collides with the future?