A/N: Have you ever heard authors talk about the characters taking over a scene, and think that they were totally crazy? If so, you can now add me to that list of crazy authors. I totally meant to do this differently, but Lexie and Mark took over. You'll see what I mean.

And in response to a reviewer who wanted more Izzie and Alex, I have to apologize. They will continue to get mentions, but it would be totally hard to put them in this story without making them the center of it. There is just so much going on with the two of them that it would be hard to do. Izzie will pop up for a scene later with Lexie, but I don't think Alex will. Sorry! Sometimes, no matter how much you love a character, it is nearly impossible to include them. But please continue to read!

*

"Sloan!" Callie yelled when she saw Mark enter Joe's.

Mark slowly made his way across the crowded bar to where Callie was sitting.

"You came!" She exclaimed happily. "I thought you were busy."

"For you, Callie? I became un-busy." Mark grinned at her as he sat down at the booth she had snagged. "So what's up? You sounded…different on the phone."

"I need to talk about hot interns," Callie said, taking a gulp of her beer.

Mark sighed, this was going to be a long night. He flagged down a cocktail waitress and ordered a scotch, single malt of course. "So hot interns in general?" He asked once his drink had come, "Or hot interns in a specific sense?"

"In general," Callie said. "I have a hypothetical supposition to present to you."

"O-kay," Mark said, drawing out the word.

"Say that there was this certain doctor who was having a fling with an intern…"

He rolled his eyes, "Strictly hypothetical, of course."

"Of course," Callie said. She pushed her heavy hair out of her face, and continued, "Now this doctor thinks that no one knows about this fling, but then someone finds out. What should this doctor do?"

"Well," Mark said. "The doctor should come clean. There are worst things that sleeping with an intern, Callie."

"I know there are," she said. "But I just wanted to let you know that I know."

Mark froze, his glass halfway to his mouth. "What did you say?"

"Feel like coming clean, Mark?" Callie asked, looking at him calmly.

***

"100, 101, 102," Lexie mumbled to herself as she counted the stairs from the basement to the surgical floor. Her evening had been miserable so far. Once she had gotten to the hospital, Christina had immediately started sending her on errands. It quickly became clear to her that she was not getting on an actual case tonight; instead the Chief was trying to make a point. She was an intern, and no matter how much time she spent in Mark's OR, she better not forget that.

Lexie supposed that this was one of the reasons that she hadn't wanted people to know about her and Mark. There was something about Lexie that made people try to protect her and teach her lessons. It was as if when they saw her big brown eyes that they thought they had a responsibility to protect whatever it was that seemed innocent about her. There was no way to avoid it, Lexie would always be the little sister of Meredith Grey who cried over puppies, was bright and shiny, and never made a wrong step.

If they only knew.

If they only knew the things she let a certain doctor do to her in the dark of night, and the things she did to him. If they only knew that she was in a serious relationship with Mark Sloan, the one they said could not be tamed. If they only knew how she felt about him, the deep and dark and twisty way she became at the thought of being separated from him.

They wouldn't believe it.

When Lexie exited the stairwell, she came face to face with Derek. "Dr. Shepherd," she squeaked. "I thought you got off earlier."

He nodded. "I did, but I got caught up in work and I ended up never leaving. I was just heading out now. What time are you on 'til?"

Lexie checked her watch. "Three more hours, and then I can go home. I am just covering someone else's shift."

Derek nodded again. He seemed to do that a lot. "You should come over to Meredith's after your shift. There is no need for you to go home to that empty apartment. I am sure you miss having company now that George is gone."

"No," Lexie said, "I am fine."

"Come on, Lexie," Derek said with a chuckle. "You have to admit that you apartment is pretty miserable."

"Why does everyone say that?" Lexie muttered to herself. She looked at Derek then, "Well, don't worry about me. I moved out of that apartment." Lexie immediately bit her lip. Why had she said anything?

"Really?" Derek asked in surprise. "Where to?"

"Umm, in with a friend," Lexie said. "Sorry Dr. Shepherd, but I really have to go."

"Sure," Derek said.

Lexie hesitated, but then said, "I think I saw Dr. Torres and Dr. Sloan at Joe's. Are you going to join them?"

Derek looked surprised, "Maybe," he said. "Thanks Lexie."

"Sure," Lexie said, unaware of the trouble she had just caused. Little did she know that there was a troubled neurosurgeon headed over to the Emerald City Bar to give another surgeon a piece of his mind.

***

Callie looked at Mark steadily.

"I don't know what to say," Mark muttered.

"How bout you start by telling me how long you have been sleeping with Lexie Grey," Callie suggested, taking a delicate sip of her beer.

"A month," Mark said, finishing his scotch.

Callie started coughing on her beer, and Mark whacked her on the back. "A month? This has been going on for a whole month and you never told me?"

"It's complicated," Mark said.

"What about the Derm Nurse?"

Mark laughed. "There never was a Derm Nurse, Callie. I have never even met her."

Callie looked shocked. "So all this time it has been Grey…just Grey?"

He nodded. "Just her."

"My God, Mark, this is huge."

"Yeah," he said, "There's more."

"How much more?" Callie asked.

"We moved in together tonight."

"There is not enough alcohol in the world for this," Callie said, her eyes bugging out of her head.

"Breathe, Torres," Mark said.

"I am…it's just…damn, I had no idea."

Mark looked annoyed. "So what, were you taking a guess?"

"No, I knew you had slept with her for an unknown amount of time, but I didn't know you were in a relationship with her."

"How did you know?"

"I overheard the Chief telling Patricia," Callie said.

"Damn it," Mark swore. "This will be all over the hospital by tomorrow."

Callie shook her head. "No, it won't. Patricia is like a steel trap. She knows things that no one should know. It will be kept a secret with her."

"Yeah, well, we kinda want it to stay that way for the rest of the hospital," Mark said.

Callie nodded. "Yeah, I totally get why. I can hardly believe it; I wouldn't want to know how everyone else at Seattle Grey will react."

"Lexie thinks they would all start taking bets on when we would be caught having sex in the on call room."

"More like when you would be caught with someone else in the on call room," Callie said.

Mark paused, and looked at her with a hurt look in his eyes. "Is that what you really think?"

Callie looked sheepish. "You don't exactly have the best track record, Mark."

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you or anyone else." Mark felt himself getting indignant. "You judge me without even knowing what is going on. Never mind the fact that I am happier than I ever thought I could be, and never mind that I haven't been unfaithful to Lexie in anyway, and never mind that I am in love for the first time in my adult life, it all comes down to me being a man whore, doesn't it?" Mark stood and tossed money onto the table. "Un-fucking-believable."

Callie looked apologetic, but before she could say anything, Derek walked up to their table.

"Mark," Derek said, "I thought you were moving tonight?"

"I did move. Now the moving is over, hence the drinking and the leaving," Mark said, still seething.

"Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?" Derek asked.

"What's wrong with me?" Mark parroted. "Well, maybe I am just tired of my friends underestimating me and seeing me as nothing more than an irresponsible ass who can't get his life together." He pulled on his jacket and said, "I have had enough of this shit."

"Jesus, I am beginning to wish Lexie hadn't told me where you were," Derek said.

Mark became very still. "Lexie told you I was here?"

"Yeah, she said something about seeing you and Callie earlier," Derek waved his hand, indicating he didn't want to talk about that anymore, "Look, Mark—"

Mark ignored him and left the bar, having now a new target for his anger.

***

As Lexie was sitting behind the nurse's counter, charting endlessly, she thought about the way Mark had been earlier in the evening. He was changing so much, or maybe he was just showing her the part of him that had always existed but that he rarely allowed out.

"Dr. Grey!"

Lexie looked up as the object of her affections and thoughts came to stand in front of her. "Dr. Sloan?" She responded tentatively.

"I need to speak with you. Now," he bit off every word.

Lexie scooted out from behind the counter and quickly walked over to the conference room, where Mark slammed the door behind them, and closed the blinds.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Did you tell Shepherd I was at Joe's?"

Lexie nodded.

"God damn it, Lexie," Mark snapped. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Lexie asked calmly.

"I am yelling at you because I don't need you interfering in my life. If I had wanted to see Derek, I would have called him."

"Fine!" Lexie snapped. "Excuse me for trying to help you. I won't do it in the future."

"Good!" Mark yelled. "I don't need your help. I can run my life perfectly well without your meddling."

"Why are you getting so mad about this?" Lexie yelled back, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is stupid!"

"Are you calling me stupid?" Mark asked, his nostrils flaring.

"The fight is stupid, not you, you idiot! And yes, I called you an idiot!" Lexie retorted.

"Jesus, I should have known this wasn't going to work," Mark said. "You are far too opinionated and bossy for me!"

"And you are far too much of a jerk for me!" Lexie responded. "Too bad for me that I love you anyway!" Lexie was trembling with anger, and she hadn't noticed how Mark had gotten very quiet when she said that.

Mark felt as though the world stopped spinning in that moment. His chest was heaving, and his blood was boiling, but he suddenly felt an inner sense of calm as his anger died away. He looked at Lexie who was staring at him with love and anger in her eyes, and he suddenly realized that his anger over what Callie said no longer made sense. She didn't get it; she didn't get them. Because, though Mark had just been yelling at Lexie, all he wanted to do now was let her know he loved her too.

"You love me?" He asked quietly.

"Of course I do," she snapped.

"Lexie," Mark said, "I lo—"

"No!" Lexie yelled, covering her ears. "You don't get to say it to me right now. Right now I want to be mad at you because you caused a fight for no good reason, but if you tell me that you love me I will get all melty and then my anger will disappear!"

"Melty, huh?" Mark said, chuckling.

"Don't be cute," Lexie said, "I hate it when you're cute."

"No, you don't," Mark said with a laugh of joy, "You love me!"

"Ugh!" Lexie said, making a disgusted sound.

"I am sorry for starting a fight for no good reason," Mark said.

Lexie kept her arms crossed and lifted an eyebrow, indicating that he should continue.

"And I am sorry for being an idiot."

"And?" Lexie said, tapping her foot.

"And I love you too."

"No!" Lexie yelled, covering her ears.

Mark walked over to her, laughing. "Too late for that, Little Grey. I already said it, and you already heard it. Melt away."

Lexie looked up at him with her big brown eyes, and Mark felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach. He could never have been prepared to understand how it felt to have your entire happiness depend on someone else, but now he knew.

"I can't believe we just said I love you like that," Lexie's eyes were apologetic and her voice was full of regret.

"I can't either," Mark said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I didn't want it to come out like that."

Lexie stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "I want a do-over."

"Okay," Mark said. "Me too."

"Do you want to…?"

"By all means," Mark said. "Ladies first."

Lexie looked at him, and when she did her eyes became the deepest darkest brown he had ever seen, and they were filled with more emotion than he could have ever believed to be possible. "Mark," She whispered, her words carefully spoken, "I love you."

"Oh Lexie," he said, his eyes filling with tears, "I love you too."

He kissed her then, and when they broke away, she whispered, "Are you crying?"

"No," Mark muttered, "A speck of dirt flew into my eye."

"Sure it did," Lexie said with a snicker. She then poked him in the chest. "Also, don't take your stupid boy anger out on me anymore. Yell at Derek if he is the one bothering you."

Mark sighed, "Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking in getting in a fight with you. Greys are irrational."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, you just wish that I was the one being irrational."

Mark raised his eyebrows.

"Whatever," Lexie said. "Next time, just punch Derek. Maybe that will help."

"Lexie Grey," Mark said, making a tsking sound with his tongue. "Advocating violence. Shameful, just shameful."

"Ha! If you ever get into a fight with Shepherd, you will wish I am right there."

Mark grinned. "What, are you going to protect me?"

"Damn right," Lexie said. "I am scrappy."

He laughed. "I love you, Lexie Grey."

Lexie was then the one that teared up. "I love you too, Mark Sloan."

"Now comes the best part," Mark said.

"What?" Lexie asked.

"Make-up sex."

*

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