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: Please continue to favorite and review. I like to know your thoughts on the chapter, to see if there's anything you'd like to see, etc. Also, if there are any other stories that you would like to see, let me know! I have a few in mind, but would love to know what stories you would like to read :)

Going Home

Lexie spent the next few days recovering from having the rods removed. At first, it was extremely painful for her to stand. The first time she did it, April and Mark had to support her weight. Lexie cried out in pain the entire time. The following time went a little better. Mark was the only one in the room, and Lexie was able to support her weight on him. She continued to get stronger each time she stood. Callie stopped in throughout the day to check in on Lexie, not sensing that there was any awkwardness, besides the fact Mark refused to speak to her. She figured that he was just concerned about Lexie.

Lexie was to be discharged the next day with the understanding she would come to the hospital twice a week for physical therapy. Mark insisted that he would make sure Lexie attended all of her appointments, to which she responded with a playful roll of her eyes. The resident was finally able to convince Mark to go check on a couple of his patients post-op. He had refused to work while she was in the hospital, but with enough coaxing, Mark finally relented and left to go and check on his patients.

Lexie was slowly walking around the room, holding onto her walker and furniture, as she began to pack a few of her items into a bag that Mark had brought. She couldn't believe how many items had gathered in her room in the past few weeks. "Dr. Sloan really wasn't kidding. You look great," Jackson complimented. Turning around, Lexie saw the new attending leaning against her doorway. She had been moved out of the ICU and into a regular admittance room.

"Hey, thanks, Jackson," she smiled, dropping the shirt in her hands into the bag. Grabbing her walker, she moved to take a seat on the edge of her bed, motioning for Jackson to take a seat on the chair. "How've you been? I haven't seen you recently."

"I've been a bit busy covering Sloan's cases," Jackson teased, sliding over to the chair. "It's been, I don't know, weird doing surgeries without him. It's like I control everything that goes on in the OR. It's nice because I get all the credit, but if something goes wrong, I also get all the blame," he commented, sitting back in the chair. Lexie nodded as if she understood.

"I know he really appreciates you taking on the cases. It's eased his mind that he doesn't have to worry about his patients," Lexie stated softly, her legs hanging off the bed. She tried to sit as much as she could so that her legs hung off the bed. They were immobilized for a couple weeks in the bed, so she wanted to regain as much movement and flexibility as she could. "Jackson, I, umm, I'm really sorry about everything…" she trailed off, biting down on her lip.

"Don't worry about it. It was fun while it lasted. I liked you, Lexie, I did. And we had some good times. We are just better off as friends," Jackson commented. Lexie nodded, placing her palms against the bed to lean back slightly.

"So you want to be friends?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Don't you?" he retorted, leaning forward.

"Of course. I just know that you were hurt, so I didn't think… I didn't know... ," she paused, shaking her head. "But you and April, huh?" Lexie beamed, wiggling her brows. "How's that been going?"

Jackson chuckled and shook his head at Lexie's teasing. "Honestly, Lex, I feel like sleeping with her was a mistake," he muttered, running his hand across his head. "It was great, and I don't regret it, but I think she does. You know what happened to her the following day with the boards," the surgeon sighed. "She's been… distant. When you were hurt, she leaned on me. But I think it was because she was scared she was going to lose you. Since then, she's been distant and… I don't know."

Lexie listened intently, drinking in all that Jackson was telling her. The girl knew that April was conflicted on whether or not she regretted sleeping with Jackson. On the one hand, April loved it. She had told Lexie it was amazing. On the other hand, it went against her religion and morals. She wanted to wait for marriage. Lexie had told her morals can change, and it didn't mean she was a bad Christian. "I think that she's just… she just doesn't know what to think. For so long, she had one path she wanted to follow to marriage. That path diverted. So, now she has to figure out if she wants to go on the new path or take a detour to go back to her original path," Lexie stated, motioning with her hands. "It's clear that she cares about you." Jackson remained silent, mulling over what Lexie had just told him.

"Oh, I know!" Lexie exclaimed after a few moments of silence. "You and April should come over for dinner. It could be a double date," she beamed, sitting up straighter.

"I-I don't know if that's the best idea," Jackson started, pressing his lips together in a line.

"It is! Come on, it'll be fun. I'm going to be stuck at home, bored, for who knows how long. Please?" she asked, using her pouting her voice. She knew that Jackson would cave. Even before they started dating, Jackson always caved when she used that voice.

"Fine, but you're talking to April about it. And it's not going to be a double date," Jackson grumbled. Lexie's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands.

"Deal! We just won't call it a double date, and she won't know any different," Lexie said slyly. Lexie and Jackson heard footsteps approaching, and they turned their head to see Mark.

"Hey, babe," he greeted, taking a seat beside Lexie on the bed after pressing his lips against hers.

"Hey," she smiled, leaning into Mark's side. "So, I invited Jackson and April over for dinner sometime this week," she reported, resting her hand against Mark's thigh. He furrowed his brows and looked over at Jackson who just shrugged.

"Are you trying to meddle and set them up?" Mark questioned, sliding his fingers down to Lexie's waist.

"I don't need to set them up. I'm simply getting them to the same place at the same time," she grinned.

"Okay, Lex. If it'll make you happy," he smiled, pressing a kiss against her temple. Jackson stood up after they agreed to do the dinner the evening after Lexie was discharged home. Lexie sent a quick text to April, inviting her over for dinner. The redhead quickly replied, stating that she would be more than happy to attend.

Lexie was released from the hospital the following day. Meredith came in to see Lexie off. Mark had gone down to get the car, and Meredith volunteered to bring Lexie downstairs. "You seem to be doing better," Meredith commented, pushing Lexie's wheelchair into the elevator.

"I am," Lexie nodded, knowing that Meredith was referring to her down mood the past couple of weeks. "Julia had come to see me and said some hurtful things," the resident revealed, holding the blanket Mark had brought close to her body. "I'm doing better now."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've had your back," Meredith murmured, pushing Lexie toward the front doors of the hospital.

"I didn't want to be a bother. I had to process it all. I'm good now, Mer," the younger sister assured Meredith, beginning to feel nervous about leaving the hospital. She knew that she would be fine, Mark was a doctor and he wouldn't let her out of his sight. All her friends were doctors, too, and they were just a phone call away if Lexie were to need them. Meredith stopped in front of the passenger's door, and Mark jumped out to assist Lexie with getting into the car. She smiled at him, pivoting into the seat.

"Thanks, Mer," she smiled, buckling her seatbelt. "For everything."

"Don't mention it. I'll see you in a few days," Meredith smiled, shutting Lexie's car door. Meredith had offered to pick Lexie up for her first day of PT and then take her for lunch. It took quite a bit of convincing to get Mark to agree to work that day, but Lexie was finally able to get him to agree. Lexie offered a wave to Meredith as Mark slid into the driver's seat. He immediately took Lexie's hand in his and began to drive toward their apartment.

"Meredith brought your things over," Mark stated, running his finger over Lexie's knuckles. "Are you excited to be going home?" Lexie nodded her head, reaching her other hand over to grip Mark's bicep.

"Yeah. It's, umm, it's been a while since I've been there," Lexie commented, biting down on her bottom lip. "Are… are her things there?" she asked quietly, wanting to prepare her heart in case she encountered Julia's shampoo or clothes scattered throughout Mark's apartment.

"No. She never moved in. I thought about it. Thought it was time. But I didn't want her to… I could never bring myself to ask her to move in. She left a few things when she'd stay over, but they're all gone," Mark assured the girl, lifting her hand to press a kiss against the back of it. Lexie nodded, pressing her lips together firmly.

The car pulled up to the apartment building, and Mark parked next to the sidewalk. "I'll get you upstairs and then come grab your things," he hummed, walking around to Lexie's side of the car. She shook her head as grabbed her walker from the backseat.

"I can wait for you in the lobby," Lexie assured him, standing up slowly from the car. She scrunched her face up in pain as she stood, taking a few seconds to steady herself.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, holding the door open for Lexie to enter into the lobby. Nodding, Lexie made her way to the bench next to the window in the lobby. Mark sighed, hesitant to leave her. He leaned down and connected their lips slowly before exiting out the door to go and park the car. Lexie wasn't even waiting five minutes before Mark entered back through the doors. She smiled when she saw him and began to stand up slowly. Walking over toward the elevator, Mark and Lexie remained silent. Once on their respective floor, the couple exited silently and walked up to the apartment door. Mark put the key into the lock and opened the door.

Lexie stepped in slowly, taking in her surroundings. The apartment hadn't changed at all. The only difference was that the pictures Lexie had placed on the wall were no longer there. The furniture was still arranged the same way, the barstools looked like they haven't been touched, the dining room table was positioned in the exact same spot. The little trinkets that Lexie had bought were still placed exactly where she had put them. Glancing over at the couch, Lexie saw that her blanket, the one that Mark loved, was draped across the back of it. Meredith really did bring her things over.

Tears sprung to Lexie's eyes and she made her way to the bedroom and her heart caught in her chest. The tears started falling down her cheeks and onto her neck. The bed was made with Lexie's favorite sheets that Mark had purchased shortly after she moved in with him the first time. The comforter on the bed was the one that she and Mark had picked out together online late one night. Pillows were scattered across the head of the bed just like she loved. The bags of clothes Meredith dropped off were placed right outside the closet. Slipping into the bathroom, Lexie noted that the bathroom sink was arranged the exact same way that it was when she left. Turning to look at Mark, she moved one hand up to cover her mouth.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, advancing toward her. He shifted her walker to the side so that she could still use one hand to balance on it. Arms immediately wrapped around Lexie's middle, pulling her against his chest. "You don't like it anymore?" he asked, burying his head into her hair.

"No, no. I-It's not that," Lexie sniffled, gripping his shirt with one hand while the other hand hovered on her walker. "It's just… it's… it's the same," she breathed, tilting her head up to look at Mark. He broke out into a smile, moving one hand to cup her cheek.

"Mhmm. I didn't change a thing… I couldn't, Lex. This was our place. I didn't even take the pictures down until Julia started coming over. It felt empty without our pictures up. I couldn't remove the things you loved. I just, I loved it. It was so you and I missed you," Mark babbled, causing Lexie to break out into a fit of giggles. She reached one hand up to the back of Mark's neck, pulling his face down toward her. She connected their lips, moving the hand on the walker to grip Mark's shirt. Mark deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue inside Lexie's mouth. The kiss was explosive. They hadn't kissed like this in months. It was sensual, romantic, deep, wonderful, and full of love.

Lexie pulled back first, sliding her other arm up to wrap around Mark's neck. He lifted her up into his arms, carrying her the few feet over to the bed. Dropping her gently against the pillows, Mark crawled on top of her, letting his forearms hold him up. Lexie's hands cupped Mark's cheeks, pulling his lips back to hers. He peppered kisses over Lexie's cheek, down her jaw, and finally to her neck. He began to suck her skin between his teeth before pulling back. Laying kisses against the spot that began to form, Mark ran his fingers through her hair. Lexie let out whimpers as he continued to kiss back up to her lips.

She pressed her body flush against his, gripping the hem of his shirt. Giving it a small tug, Mark immediately pulled back as Lexie slid the shirt over his head. She reattached her mouth to his, scraping her nails down his back. "Mark," she breathed, letting out a soft moan. "I-I need you."

"We can't, baby," Mark gulped, tugging her shirt up and rested his hands against her waist. "You're still healing," he whispered, repeatedly kissing her lips.

"Mark, please," she begged, resting her hand over his heart. "Please." Mark couldn't deny Lexie when she got like this. And he didn't want to. Mark was just terrified that he would hurt her in some way. She was still recovering from her injuries, and she was fragile. "Mark?" she whispered, gazing up into his eyes. Mark locked their hands together and placed them above her head, leaning down to reconnect their lips. Mark made love to her slowly, carefully, delicately, and it was perfect.

Lexie laid on her side, her legs intertwined with Mark's. She buried her head into his neck, breathing in his scent. Mark had just shown her how much he loved her, and he had been so gentle. Lexie couldn't remember another time that Mark was so soft, gentle, and careful when they had slept together. The two of them were not usually that gentle and slow with each other. When they met in the on-call rooms, it was messy and quick. Away from the hospital, Mark enjoyed taking his time with her, but liked to be dominating and rough with her. Lexie loved when he got like that; he became almost animalistic. But this time, Mark was so gentle and worried about her. Leaning forward, Lexie pressed a kiss against his cheek and wrapped her arm around his midsection.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked for the thousandth time, running his fingers delicately over Lexie's exposed skin.

"Yes," she whispered, pressing a kiss against the crook of his neck. "Thank you," she breathed, pulling the covers tighter around their bodies. Mark furrowed his brows, squeezing Lexie's body closer to his.

"For what?"

"For making love to me. I missed you so much," Lexie whispered as her eyes began to flutter closed. She was totally spent. For the last few weeks, she was confined to a bed and had not had to exert any energy. After their recent activity, Lexie was exhausted.

"I missed you, too. You don't have to thank me, Little Grey. I wanted to," Mark smiled against her hair. His fingers lingered against her thigh, making goosebumps appear on her skin. "I love you."

Lexie smiled, letting herself drift off to sleep. She slept soundly that night, finally back in her bed, in her home, with her man. She still had recovery time left, and she knew that she was going to struggle with the emotional impact of the plane crash. With Mark by her side, she knew that she would be able to make it through anything, though. He was her rock and her safe place. Right here, right now, everything was perfect.