A/N: Hello again! Hope you are all doing well amidst the news of SD and JCap.

Alexa

It was strange, sitting in the back of Amelia's car with Lexie. Kaleigh, stubborn as she was, insisted that she wanted to sit in the front seat. I told her to let Lexie sit up front and she could ride back with Owen but she rolled her eyes at me and opened the door without a second thought. Lexie insisted that it was fine. Younger siblings, man.

"Can I ask you about Mark?" I asked to break the silence of this car ride.

"Alexa," Amelia said through gritted teeth up, eyeing me in the rearview mirror.

"Sure. I can't promise I won't cry, though. It's been a while since I've been so close to someone related to him. How is Sofia doing, by the way?" Lexie asked, leaning forward to hear Amelia's answer from the front seat.

"She's good. Her and Zola are thick as thieves these days. Last week Mer caught them trying to reach the attic door and hide up there." Amelia sighed and let go of the wheel for a second, stretching out her shaking fingers.

"Everyone says I get my sarcasm from him. Is that true?"

"Probably," she answered. "Although Amelia certainly has her fair share to pass on."

Amelia didn't smile.

"Amelia?" I asked.

"Sorry," she said. "It's not you Lexie, I swear. I am just worried about Meredith and Derek. He's… well he's been having a bit of a midlife crisis lately. I just don't want him to react negatively and sway what's important, which is you reconnecting with your sister."

"Really?" Lexie whispered.

"They've were separated. He went to work in DC for a bit. I mean, they're fine now. Maybe it's just me. It's just weird having him back in my life so much after only seeing him on holidays for so many years." Amelia took a deep breath. "He always loved you, that I know. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"So, uh…" Kaleigh started. "We're just going to go back to the house, and, what, invite Meredith over? You don't think that might put her into some shock?"

"Shut up, Kaleigh," I said. "Let them figure it out. It's not any of our business."

"Whatever, Alexa, I wasn't talking to you," she spat.

Things were unusually tense between us, but I couldn't exactly pinpoint why. Maybe she was missing our mother more now that she was pregnant. I wondered if it was too early for her to be hormonal.

Thankfully we pulled up to the house before anybody could try their hand at another forced conversation.

Kaleigh

I left everyone downstairs in the living room to try and figure out what they wanted to do about the whole Lexie situation. I didn't care at all, to be frank. Rather, I cared more about myself at the moment.

Nobody even noticed I left. I felt a dark sense of relief as I closed the door behind me, not a single light turned on upstairs. My bed was ever-so-inviting. I peeled my clothes off, throwing them carelessly onto the floor and pulling on a huge tee shirt.

As I started to cry, I grabbed a pillow to muffle the sounds. That was the last thing I needed, someone bothering themselves to come check on me like some kind of saint, when really they just knew it'd be completely irresponsible to ignore their crying adopted child.

I wasn't being fair, and I could feel the cynicism enraging me more and more but I was powerless to stop it. I wanted to hurt. I wanted to go through it. Because maybe that would mean it would get better in the morning, after I cried myself to sleep tonight.

Sleep never came, though. After a few hours I figured I would give up trying to sleep so early in the night, and venture downstairs for some dinner.

Wiping my eyes from the leaky eyeliner that stained my cheeks, I pulled on a pair of pajama pants and started down the steps.

I could still hear their voices in the living room. I deliberately turned toward the kitchen instead.

"Hold on," I heard Alexa say, before she appeared in the doorway. "Are you alright? What have you been doing? Napping?"

"I'm fine," I lied.

"Are you? You should come sit with us. It might make you feel better."

I hoisted myself into a stool at the counter. "It makes you feel better. I barely know these people. All the people I know are across the country."

Alexa sighed. "Will you ever grow out of that mindset?"

"It's not my fault," I shrugged. "It might be different if I didn't have so much to deal with so soon after moving here."

I could tell Alexa was about to make some quip about how I could have been more careful, or about how I could have reduced all the drama by trying harder with Amelia, but she shut her mouth before she could. "Will you just come in the living room? We can play Uno or something. You know you want to."

I groaned. "I hate board games."

Alexa smirked. "Uno doesn't have a board, now does it? Whatever, it doesn't have to be Uno. You pick then."

I didn't give her an option so she grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the living room, where everyone was sitting where I had left them a while ago.

"You feeling okay?" Owen asked me as I sank into the open seat next to him on the couch. He put the back of his hand to my forehead.

"Yes," I said again. "I'm fine. I am just… overwhelmed."

Lexie gave me a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry that my news kind of took over yours. But we're all here for you, Kaleigh."

Amelia and Alexa nodded along with her.

I clasped my hands together to keep them from shaking. "I want to get an abortion."

Amelia

I heard Owen's sharp intake of breath as the word "abortion" crossed Kaleigh's lips.

He must have known this was a possibility. We had taken in two girls who were raised by two completely different people. The likelihood was that there would be things we disagreed on.

Growing up, the most important thing to me was that my mother always let us decide for ourselves. She shared what she believed with us, but wasn't upset if we pursued other belief systems, religion or otherwise. As long as we weren't hurting anybody or ourselves.

She had repeated that part to me at my first intervention.

"I just… It's not the right time for me to raise a child. And it wouldn't be good for the child, having me as a mother. It's just not right."

"Do you want to schedule an appointment at the clinic, then? Right now, it's a fairly simple procedure, but the further you get along…"

"No," Owen interrupted.

"Owen," I said, trying to stop the shit show, but I knew it was no use.

"No, no, no! Just wait a second. You have barely even processed the idea of being pregnant. You can't have possibly made up your mind already. And what about Nick? Doesn't he get a say in any of this?"

"Stop it!" came the voice of reason, Lexie. "Owen. I'm sorry but the choice is Kaleigh's, and while, yes, I might encourage her to sleep on it a little, if this is what she wants to do because it most fits her needs, we have to support that whether you like it or not." She turned to Kaleigh. "You should tell the father what you're planning to do, though."

Kaleigh nodded, tears welling in her eyes as she avoided Owen's gaze. I felt awful. They had been getting really close and now this threatened that.

Alexa reached over to give Kaleigh's hand a squeeze. "Tomorrow, then. If you still want to get an abortion tomorrow, I'll come with you. Just you and me. And we can relax all day tomorrow and watch reality TV in our pajamas and eat ice cream out of the carton and nap in the middle of the day if we want."

I put my arm around Kaleigh's shoulders and she leaned her head on mine. "That's right."

"Kaleigh, I'm sorry, I just… I'm sorry, that's all," Owen said to her. I smiled at him over her head.

"So that brings us to Meredith, then. Should I invite her over now?" I breached the subject. "I think it's time for her to find out that you're… alive."

Lexie took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she let it go. "Okay. Just, tell her to come alone. Well, or, Derek can come. That wouldn't be too bad, right? If you don't mind the extra company, that is…"

Owen put a hand up to stop her from babbling. "Lexie, this is a good thing. This is your family you're talking about, remember? There's nothing more important."

She nodded and shivered. "Do it."

Owen

Before we knew it, Meredith was knocking on the door softly. I got up from the couch and went to open it. Lexie looked like she could pass out.

Kaleigh and Alexa had moved upstairs to hang out, not wanting to put Meredith on the spot.

As I opened the door I saw that she hadn't brought Derek along. Personally I thought that was better. Derek was the type of person who needed to be eased into change.

"Hi, Owen. Amelia asked me to come over. Said she wanted to talk. Is everything okay?"

I nodded. "It is. It's more than okay, actually. We have some… news."

Mer's face lit up a bit. "Is she pregnant?"

"No, nothing like that…" I shrugged. "Just follow me."

I slowly paced to the archway into the living room. As I stepped out of the way, Lexie pushed herself off of the couch and stood up.

"Meredith," she said wearily.

"Le… Lexie? Lexie?"

I took Meredith's arm and led her to couch. She didn't sit though, and instead took Lexie into a tight embrace, crying.

"Is this real?" she asked.

"It's real," Lexie whispered. She let go and pulled Meredith to sit on the couch with her.

I sat down in the chair across from him, pulling Amelia onto the arm of the chair and put my arm around her waist, grateful to be here for such a heartwarming moment.

Meredith was shaking as she settled into the cushions. "This can't be real."

"It is," Lexie assured her. "It is. I promise. I suppose I have some explaining to do…"

"Lexie, I don't care. I just can't believe you're alive."

A/N: Again not my best writing in these chapters but I really wanted Lexie back in the story so bear with me. Thanks!