Pairings: Mark/Lexie with appearances by other the rest the Seattle Grace crew

Rating: M

Summary: Mark regrets not telling Lexie how he feels about her as their plane plummets to the ground. Will they both make it out safe and sound? Will Mark be able to make Lexie his and prove to her he loves her?

Disclaimer: I do now own these characters. All rights go to Shonda Rhimes. Some scenes may be based off scenes that occurred in Grey's Anatomy.

Announcements: Thanks to everyone for reviewing. I'm glad that you're liking the story so far. Please continue to favorite and review! If you'd like to see anything in this story, let me know!

Pathetic

Mark and Lexie slept through the night, only waking up when a nurse came in to give Lexie saline or medication through her IV. The entire night, Lexie snuggled close to Mark, her head resting against his chest. The following morning, Lexie awoke when April was checking her heart monitors. Blinking her eyes open, she glanced over at April and let out a small sigh. "April?" she whispered, hoping that she wouldn't wake Mark up.

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," April voiced quietly, placing the stickers back against Lexie's chest. Lexie shook her head, moving her head off Mark's chest and back onto her pillow.

"No, I'm, umm, glad I did wake up," Lexie smiled, rubbing her eyes. "Mark needs to go home and get some proper sleep. He won't leave me," she murmured, glancing over at the sleeping man beside her. "I'm grateful he wants to stay, but I know that he has to be exhausted."

April nodded, transferring from one foot to the other. "He loves you, Lex. You don't know how scared he was that he lost you forever," she murmured, smiling sadly at Lexie. The brunette ran her fingers through her hair, sighing.

"I know, I know. I would be the same way if Mark was the one who was seriously injured," Lexie agreed, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. Mark stirred next to her, turning onto his side. He reached out, wrapping his arm around her midsection, pulling Lexie closer to him.

"Could you wash my hair today? I know I can't shower because of the gauze on my head, but I really would like to get the dried blood out," Lexie mused with a frown, licking across her lips.

"Of course. Let's see how your scans look, and then we can get you washed up," April grinned, clasping her hands together in front of her body.

"How's it going with Jackson?" Lexie questioned, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. April blushed, shooting a playful glare at the resident. "Have you had anymore alone time?" she asked, smiling brightly.

"No, no. I, uh," April stuttered, causing Lexie to smile even more. "Not since San Francisco," she squeaked, annoyed with Lexie for bringing up Jackson.

"Okay," Lexie nodded, sensing April's discomfort. "So, when is my scan?" she asked, changing subjects. "And shouldn't you be down in the ER?"

"Your scan is in an hour. And yes, Lexie, I should be but I asked to work up here to today so that I could be with you," April explained, writing a quick note in Lexie's chart.

"Thank you," Lexie smiled, nuzzling into Mark's embrace. She let her eyes slip closed, willing herself to go back to sleep before her scan.

Mark woke up when April came back into the room about an hour later. "Good morning," she greeted, unhooking Lexie from a couple machines in order to prepare her for her scan. "How'd you sleep?" she questioned, taking Lexie's blood pressure.

"Good," Mark responded, untangling his arms from Lexie's body. He pushed himself off the bed and into a standing position. Mark walked into the bathroom to change his scrubs into a clean pair that were waiting for him on the sink, as well as freshen up for the day. When he came out of the bathroom, Lexie was sitting up in her bed. She turned her head to look at Mark, offering her a smile.

"Hey," she greeted, eyes gleaming over at Mark. Mark shuffled over to Lexie, leaning down to press a gentle kiss against her lips. "You should go home. Shower. Get some rest," Lexie stated once Mark pulled away from her.

"No, I slept fine," the plastic surgeon insisted, shaking his head. "I can shower here if I need to."

"You need to," Lexie and April replied at the same time, looking at each other as soon as they realized they were thinking the same thing.

"Hey, not nice," Mark grumbled, feigning hurt.

"Don't you miss your own bed?" Lexie asked, reaching up for Mark's face. He leaned down, allowing Lexie to cup his cheek. She ran her thumb against his stubble, leaning up to kiss him softly.

"No, I want to be with you," he frowned, threading his fingers through her hair. The girl sighed deeply, looking away from Mark's gaze.

"Why don't you go home and grab a few things while I'm getting my scan? Bring me my favorite blanket?" she suggested, eyes shining when she mentioned the blanket. Mark had this blanket for years. He had bought it while he was attending Columbia. It was a Sherpa blanket with blue zig zag patterns across the front of it. The day since Lexie had found it in Mark's hotel room, she had loved it. Whenever Mark and she were working different shifts, and she slept at his hotel or apartment, she would snuggle up with the blanket. Mark pressed his lips together trying to reign in his smile.

"Fine," he relented. Lexie beamed, rolling her shoulders back gently. "Watch her, will you? Text me if anything happens," Mark stated to April, to which the redhead responded with a nod. "I'll be back soon," Mark promised Lexie, moving over to pull her into his arms softly. She wrapped her arms around him as best as she could with the wires, turning her face up to connect their lips briefly. "I love you," he whispered, pulling back and departing from the room. Lexie responded with the same words, waving him off as he has left.

Lexie looked over at April. "Will you stay during the scan?" she asked, smoothing the blanket over her thighs.

"Of course," April smiled, pushing Lexie's bed toward the elevator. On the way there, Lexie saw Meredith scurrying down the hall.

"Mer!" Lexie called. Meredith whipped around, seeing Lexie and April.

"Hey," Meredith greeted, moving over toward Lexie's bed. "Where are you off to?" she questioned, a far off look in her eyes.

"CT. What's going on?" Lexie questioned, raising her brows at Meredith.

"Derek is going in for surgery right now. Callie doesn't know if she'll be able to get his hand back to full function," she sighed, shaking her head. Lexie frowned, sensing how concerned Meredith was.

"I'm sure Zola is happy to have you back," Lexie commented, offering her sister a small smile. She wanted to try and get Meredith's mind off Derek's surgery.

"She is, I was actually on my way down to see her," she commented, joining Lexie and April in the elevator. Meredith took the elevator upstairs with the two other girls, and then proceeded to go down to the daycare center. April assisted Lexie with getting onto the CT table and waited in the scan room. Amelia joined them, reviewing the scans as they appeared on the screen. April went back in to help Lexie off the table, getting her situated back on the bed. Amelia met Lexie in the hallway, showing her the scans.

"Your brain looks perfect," Amelia commented, pointing out where Lexie's aneurysm had been. Looking over at her, Lexie smiled softly.

"Thank you so much, for everything," Lexie murmured, handing the scan back to Amelia. Amelia nodded, placing the scans behind her back.

"Of course. I want to monitor you for a couple more days, but if nothing else comes up, then I am comfortable in discharging you from a neuro standpoint," she stated, giving a nod to Lexie before disappearing down the hall.

"That's great news, Lex," April encouraged, wheeling Lexie back to the elevator, and then into her room. Lexie nodded in agreement, excited to tell Mark the good news. When Lexie got back to her room, Mark was not there. She pouted, though she was happy that he finally relented and went home. April hooked Lexie back up to the necessary equipment.

"I'll go grab shampoo and conditioner, and we can do your hair," April hummed, moving the blanket up over Lexie's shoulders.

"Thanks, April."

April departed the room, and Lexie grabbed the remote to turn on the television. Being alone in her room was rather boring. She was happy that Mark had gone, really she was, but she missed him being there. Turning her attention to the TV, she began to watch the soap opera that was on. Lexie's mind wandered off to her mom. Her mom used to love to watch these shows. Every day, Lexie's mom would record her favorite soap and watch it that night with Lexie and Thatcher. Molly always hated the show and would avoid going into the living room while it was on. During the week, it was the one time that Lexie was able to spend with her parents and forget about all the projects, homework, and sports that she was doing. Hearing the sliding doors open, Lexie glanced up, shocked to see who was standing there.

"Julia… hi," Lexie breathed, muting the television. She set the remote on the sliding table in front of her, turning her attention to the woman in the room.

"Hi Lexie," Julia replied curtly, sliding up to the end of Lexie bed. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I, uhh, I'm really sorry," Lexie began, chewing the inside of her cheek.

"Stop," Julia huffed, holding up her hand. "Just stop. I don't need to hear your sorry and pathetic excuses. How do you even get on? I don't get. What does Mark see in you?"

Lexie frowned, feeling self-conscious. She pulled the covers down to under her arms, folding her hands together. "What? What do you mean?"

"Mark. He left me for you. You. The one who broke his heart one too many times. The one who didn't want his daughter. You left him, Lexie! And then you go and start sleeping with his favorite student?" She laughed bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest. "You disgust me. What does he see in you? You're bad for him. Everyone knows that. Callie and Arizona think you're annoying. His best friend thinks you're annoying and wants him to have nothing to do with you. You think he would listen to the people that actually care about him," she seethed, anger oozing from her eyes. Lexie's mouth dropped open, not able to believe that someone would speak to her in such a way. As much as she wanted to deny it, she was fragile. She claimed that she didn't need protection, but she did.

"And you care about him?" Lexie replied, digging her fingers into the white blanket covering her body.

"I did. I would have sacrificed everything for him. I treated Sofia as if she was my own. I loved her. I held her when she cried. I was Mark's partner and helped in whatever way I could. The fact he had a child didn't deter me from him, it made me fall for him more," Julia snapped.

"Mark didn't have a child when we first got together," Lexie stated, eerily quiet. "We were on a break, and he slept with Callie, resulting in her being pregnant. He didn't have Sofia when we were together. I don't owe you any explanation as to why I did what I did," she replied coldly, trying her best to keep the tears gathering in her eyes from falling.

"Exactly, he got her pregnant when you weren't together. You had no reason to hold that against him. You are a self-entitled, narcissistic little girl. What the hell did he see in you in the first place? It must have been about the chase. That's what it had to be. Mark deserves a woman, not a little girl. Telling him that you love him while you know he's in a relationship? Pathetic. Do you really think Mark would have said anything different to you if I weren't there? The only reason he's sticking by your side and left me is because he's a decent human. He doesn't want you to die because you're someone he used to care about. He doesn't want the guilt to eat him alive. He doesn't love you. He never did, and I don't see how he could in the future. It was all about the sex. He'll leave your ass the second that you're recovered," Julia fumed harshly. "Pathetic Lexie Grey. Forgotten sister. Forgotten daughter. Forgotten girl. I don't see your sister, dad, friends, or even Mark here. Where are they if you have so many friends?" she cackled bitterly.

"Get out of my room," Lexie bit back, chest heaving up and down.

"No, it's too fun letting you know Mark will leave you the second he has a chance. You really think he would put you ahead of his daughter?"

"I have and would never ask Mark to do that. Sofia is his little girl. She needs her father," Lexie spoke, pressing her lips firmly together.

"Callie will always be involved in his life. Do you really think that you will be able deal with her, knowing that she slept with him? That he didn't care about you so he went and slept with someone else?"

"Julia, please just leave," Lexie sighed, shaking her head. She didn't have much fight left in her before she would break down.

"You really are pathetic. No use in trying to talk to a pathetic little girl like you," she said bitterly, turning around to leave the room. "Tell Mark to call once you leave him again. You leaving is like clockwork. Mark will leave you as soon as you're better, but who's kidding. You'll get in a fight before then and bolt. But you know what?" she asked, turning to face Lexie. "I'll be right here waiting for him," she stated, turning to walk out the doors. As soon as Julia was out the door, tears started streaming down Lexie's face. Sobs raked from her lips, and Lexie clutched the blanket tightly against her chest. She began to rock herself back and forth, trying to calm herself down.

"Got the…" April began to state, trailing off as she saw Lexie having a break down on the bed. "Lexie!" she gasped, dropping the shampoo and conditioner on the chair beside the bed. Immediately, April took Lexie into her arms, rubbing her back. "You're okay."

Lexie shook her head, her cries dying down little by little. She pulled back and wiped her eyes, refusing to look at April. "Lexie, what happened?" April questioned, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Shaking her head again, Lexie reached for a Kleenex to blow her nose.

"I don't want to talk about it," she whispered, finally letting her eyes move to April's. The redhead knew better than to push Lexie to talk. She stood up off the bed, going to grab a bucket to fill with water to wash Lexie's hair. Bringing it out, she placed it on the table.

"Still want to wash your hair?" April asked softly, receiving a nod from Lexie. She smiled, retrieving another bucket. It took a while, but April was able to successfully wash Lexie's hair, only getting a few splashes of water on the pillow. "Do you want me to braid it?" April asked as she finished brushing Lexie's brunette locks.

"That would be great," Lexie replied. April expertly braided Lexie's hair before grabbing the buckets to empty them into the sink in the bathroom. She grabbed Lexie a clean pillow and placed it behind her as Lexie began to lie back against the pillows.

"Are you feeling better?" April questioned, draping the used towel over her arm.

"Yeah," Lexie responded, offering April a small smile. The redhead nodded, exiting the room to check on some other patients on the floor. The brunette reclined her bed so that she could lay down. She pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, letting tears trickle down her cheeks. Lexie couldn't believe the words that Julia said to her. Did Callie and Arizona really think that she was annoying? Was Mark only staying with her because she almost died? Was she that pathetic of a person? Lexie didn't know. She thought she did, but Julia came in so briskly and seemed so sure of herself that Lexie didn't know anymore.

Lexie heard the doors to her room open once again, sighing as she figured it was April that was coming in again. She was surprised to see that it was Mark. Seeing him set off another set of tears that began to stream down her face.

"Lexie? Babe?" Mark frowned, dropping the two bags and blanket he had in his arms on the chair. He immediately attached himself to Lexie's side, cupping her cheeks. Wiping away the tears, Mark leaned his forehead against Lexie's. "Talk to me," he pleaded, fearful that she had received bad news from her CT scan.

Lexie shook her head as her body began to shake, silent sobs raking their way through her body. Mark climbed into bed beside her, slipping his arm underneath her head. His other arm looped around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. He ran soothing circles against her back while placing gentle kisses to her forehead. The couple stayed like that for several minutes until Lexie's cries ceased.

"I-I, I…" Lexie began, unsure of what to even say. She didn't want her heart to break once again by Mark confirming that what Julia said was true. But she also knew that Mark would not let this go until she told him what was wrong.

"Do you have to have another surgery?" Mark gulped, pulling back just enough so that he could look into Lexie's eyes. She shook her head, burying her head into Mark's neck. She let out a few deep breaths before turning to rest her cheek against his shoulder.

"Julia stopped by," Lexie whispered, biting down on her lower lip to keep from crying again. Mark's grip around the brunette immediately tightened, not liking where this conversation was headed. "She… she said I'm pathetic. That you will leave me as soon as I recover," Lexie whimpered, clinging onto Mark's sweater.

"What?" Mark growled, glancing down to look into Lexie's eyes.

Sniffling, Lexie continued, "I'm just a self-entitled, narcissistic, pathetic little girl who Callie and Arizona find annoying. She said that everyone has forgotten me. My dad, Meredith, you… she said that I will leave you when things get rough, or that you will leave me as soon as I recover. Whichever comes first. And… the worst part, the part that hurt me more than anything, was her saying you never loved me. It was only about the sex," the girl whispered, another tear trickling down her cheek. Mark immediately wiped it away.

"Look at me," Mark pleaded, tilting Lexie's chin up so that she was looking at him. "None of that is true. You know that, right? I love you so much, Little Grey. You have my heart forever. You have since the second you stepped into my hotel room that first night," he whispered, stroking her cheek gently across where the tear had fallen. "You are none of those things. You are giving, caring, precious, amazing, thoughtful, and perfect. I will never leave you. I never have, and I never will. I don't want you to leave me again, either. Ever. I want you with me, always," he breathed, leaning down to press his lips against Lexie's. The girl let go of Mark's sweater, sliding her hands up to grip onto Mark's forearms. She pulled back, gazing into Mark's eyes to search for the truth. "It was never just about the sex. The sex is fantastic, but it's so much more than that."

"I love you so much, Mark. I don't want to live a life without you," Lexie whispered, pressing her lips against Mark's firmly. He moved one hand to the back of her neck, pulling her head closer to his. She let out a small whine against his lips, feeling his tongue trace against her own. "Mark," she breathed, pulling back.

"Hmm?" Mark whispered, a sly smile making its way to his lips. Lexie gave him a knowing look, pressing a kiss against his throat. She didn't answer, resting her head against the pillow.

"Your hair looks great," he complimented, following suite with resting his head near Lexie's

"April did it," she replied, taking Mark's hand in her own.

"Don't ever doubt my love for you. If you can be sure of only one thing, be sure of that," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against her lips. The brunette nodded, lacing their fingers together. She had Mark, and Mark loved her. That was all she really needed.

Announcement: I know I said in a previous chapter, but I wanted to say it again. I know this isn't how Julia is portrayed in the show at all. I really couldn't stand her, and wanted to create some drama with her. Hope you liked this chapter!