Oh my God! How Awesome was tonight's episode! I loved it, and it inspired me to write the next chapter which I was totally stuck on! (By the by, who loves that they are going to have secret sex and that only Sadie and Callie know!? Oh so awesome. Did anyone else squee when he called her exquisite? I tried to incorporate the way he talked about her into this update a bit.)

This chapter features the conversations many of you have asked for. And it is dedicated to Bridget, get better soon!

*

Within three days, Lexie was in a private room and out of the ICU. Mark, for his part, ignored all her attempts to get him to go home, get some sleep, and eat. Instead, he used the hospital's shower, cafeteria, and slept either with her, or in a very uncomfortable chair holding her hand. Her fellow interns had come by one by one, but none of them stayed long with the exception of Sadie. They all seemed uncomfortable by Mark, but even more so by the fact that she and Mark seemed so at ease.

Despite the fact that the entire hospital seemed to know of their engagement now, they all seem surprised to actually see it in action. Almost like many of them had thought it to be a whim of Mark's, or that she had lost a bet. It was a much different thing to actually see them with each other, being in love.

Bailey was a frequent visitor, so was Cristina. Bailey came by to visit with Lexie, discuss her recovery, but she seemed to really like seeing Mark entranced by Lexie. She said something to the effect that it renewed her faith in love. Cristina, on the other hand, would come by and ask medical questions that she thought Lexie would know because of her photographic memory. Mark grumbled that she wasn't a trained monkey, but Lexie just patted his hand and explained that it was the only way that Cristina could show she cared.

As for Lexie's family, after Thatcher had calmed down, he seemed to grudgingly accept Mark, though mostly against his will. Molly just watched it all with gentle humor in her eyes before heading home to her husband and daughter.

The only one who hadn't been to see Lexie was Meredith. Not when she was awake anyway. Mark had told her that he woke one night to see Meredith standing outside Lexie's room watching them with a sad look on her face, but she had never come in.

That changed on the third day.

Meredith stood her doorway, looking hesitantly at Lexie. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm just going to go find Derek," Mark said, standing, kissing Lexie lightly on the lips. "Play nice."

"Of course," Lexie said. She then grabbed his scrubs. "If you value your life, you will bring me chocolate."

"Yes ma'am," Mark said.

"Take a shower too," Lexie called as he walked away. "You smell like hospital!"

"So do you," Mark teased, "You don't hear me complaining."

"As if," Lexie muttered. "I am the one forced to take sponge baths here. You have no excuse."

"So true," Mark grinned, walking by Meredith as he left.

"He's in his office," Meredith said.

"Thanks, Grey," Mark said.

Once he was gone, Meredith looked at Lexie as if she was at a loss. "So," she began.

"So," Lexie repeated.

"You and Mark?"

"Yeah," Lexie said. She brushed her hair out of her face, longing for the day when she could take a real shower. Soon.

"How did that happen?" Meredith asked.

"You can come in, you know," Lexie said, indicating Meredith's current position with her hand. "No need to stand in the doorway."

Her sister walked slowly into the room, coming over to sit on the stool that was on the right side of the bed.

"It just happened," Lexie said, answering her sister's original question. "We had been working together a lot, and feelings started to develop. He began acting weird around me and I was totally confused, but then Sadie told me that he liked me—"

"Wait," Meredith cut in. "Sadie said what?"

"Breathe, Meredith," Lexie said. "It will be alright. Anyways, that night, you know, the night of Alex's solo surgery, I went to his hotel room and I seduced him. Stripped in front of him and everything." Lexie smiled to herself, thinking back to the way that Mark had looked like he had been hit with a two-by-four. "I was so nervous, God, I was nervous. But there was something pushing me on, something giving me the…bravery to put it all out there, which amazes me, even now. And things sort of snowballed from there. We tried staying away from each other, but that didn't work. And before I knew it we were in the middle of a living, breathing relationship."

Meredith said nothing, but her eyes conveyed it all. How she simply didn't, or couldn't, understand what Lexie meant.

"I love him Meredith. It is important that you understand that. When I am with him, all of my craziness just sort of fades into the background, you know? I feel like I can breathe around him, like life isn't so bad as long as I get to spend mine with him."

Maybe she couldn't understand it, but Meredith knew what her sister meant. She felt that every time that she looked at Derek. "I can't be happy and sisterly for you, I don't even know how, but I am glad that you are happy. Not that long ago I would have warned you away from him, hell, I did, but if this is what you want…"

"It is," Lexie said firmly.

"Then good. That's good." Meredith looked down at her hands, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to erupt every time she looked at her sister. Raising her eyes, they filled with tears as she hoarsely asked, "Can you ever forgive me?"

"For what?" Lexie asked, confused.

"For almost getting you killed," Meredith said. "It is all my fault."

"That's nonsense," Lexie said calmly. "It was an accident, Meredith. As much as I might have not wanted to come get you that night, you can always call me. You're my sister. It's what we do."

"I am not good at it," Meredith said, wiping away her tears as if they bothered her. "Being a sister, I mean."

Lexie shrugged. "You'll learn."

"Okay," Meredith said tremulously.

"Okay," Lexie affirmed.

***

After a long, hot shower, Mark headed up to Derek's office. He was dreading what he knew was coming, but there was no way to avoid it any longer. Knocking on the door, Mark entered when he heard Derek's voice.

"Hey," he said, coming into the office and closing the door behind him.

Derek looked up from the paperwork he was doing. "Hey," he said, his voice distracted.

Mark sat in the chair in front of Derek's desk. "What are you doing?"

"Wrapping up the paperwork from the latest patient in the clinical trial. What's up?"

"Nothing," Mark said. "I was kicked out of Lexie's room."

"Really?" Derek asked, his lips forming a smirk.

Mark laughed. "No, more like I excused myself so that Lexie and Meredith could talk."

"She went to talk to Lexie?" Derek asked. "That's good. Progress."

"Baby steps," Mark agreed.

Then there was silence.

"So…" Derek said.

"So…" Mark repeated.

"You and Lexie," Derek stated. "How'd that happen?"

"You mean 'cause you told me to stay away from her and keep all my parts, big or otherwise, from entering her?"

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Derek nodded.

"It just happened," Mark said. "I can't explain it; I hardly even know how it began." He looked at Derek, mentally willing him to understand. "Before I knew it I was already in the middle of it. For weeks, I had been admiring her, the way that she was so fearless and that she would talk back to me and not even think twice. I liked her mind, the way that she was able to recall things and wasn't afraid of thinking outside the box. I wanted her, in every way possible but I just didn't know it. When you told me to stay away from her, it was like everything clicked. I knew then that it was the one thing I couldn't do."

Derek sighed. "So you went after her?"

"No," Mark said, shaking his head with a smile. "She came after me."

"What?" Derek asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"She came to my hotel room, stripped naked, and asked me to teach her. I only have so much willpower, Derek."

His friend started laughing. "My God, you had no choice!"

"That's what I'm saying!" Mark replied nodding his head. "And after that…after the mind-blowing sex I realized that I cared about her too, that it wasn't over just because we had sex. I tried to stay away from her, I really did. Pissed off half the hospital in the process."

"So that was what that was about," Derek murmured.

"Yeah, and I lasted for three days and then I caved."

"What about the Derm nurse?"

"Derek, there was no Derm Nurse. I have never even met her, I don't even know if she is a blond or a brunette."

"Red head, actually," Derek said.

"Whatever," Mark said. "We are deviating away from the point."

"Alright, back to the point," Derek said, crossing his arms.

"Like I said, I lasted three days, and then before I knew it, it was Christmas and I was buying two apartments."

"Two?" Derek said.

"The other is a penthouse, you'll like it."

"Cool."

"And I asked her to move in with me, and then your mom came."

"Oh," Derek said. "And I said…"

"Yeah, you said…anyway, I realized that I couldn't give it up, that I couldn't give her up. Soon there were the I-love-yous and then I was buying a ring."

"Congratulations on that, by the way," Derek said.

"Thanks," Mark replied. "So yeah, it was messy and I lied to you. Again."

"Yeah," Derek said, dragging a hand through his hair. "Can we skip over the whole part where you apologize and I act self-righteous? We seem to do that a lot and I am tired. Are you tired?"

"Yeah," Mark said with a sigh. "I'm tired too."

"Good, then let's just not. You lied to me and made a mistake." Mark hung his head at Derek's words, but it snapped right back up when he heard what Derek said next. "But I was an arrogant ass who did his girlfriend's dirty work because I believed you weren't capable of being a good guy. You did it for love; I did it because I was an ass."

Mark was silent for a moment, "Technically, I did it for love and sex."

"Hey! I am trying to be giving here!" Derek yelled.

"Sorry," Mark said. "So are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good." Derek grinned. "Look at us, we're growing."

Mark smiled. "Yeah, I've been doing that a lot lately."

Derek laughed and stood up. "Let's go rescue our girlfriends from too much sister time."

Mark smiled. "Your girlfriend, my fiancée."

"Oh my God," Derek said.

"What?"

"You're going to be married before me!"

"Technically, you were married before me," Mark said, opening the door.

"Nice! I thought you were growing," Derek said.

"It's a work in progress," Mark replied.

They walked down the hall, and Mark felt a profound relief that everything had turned out alright. He wondered if this hadn't been the master plan of some higher power all along, but then shook away the thought. Lexie could think that, but he didn't have to. Even if it felt kinda true.

"I'm going to be your best man, right?"

"Yes, Derek," Mark said. "You are going to be my best man."

"Just making sure."

"Who else would I ask?"

"Maybe one of those shallow sycophantic surgeons who hung around you in New York, how would I know?"

"Derek, those guys are idiots. You are my best friend."

"Just checking," Derek said with a grin.

"I should call this off with Lexie," Mark muttered.

"What? Why?" Derek asked in surprise.

"Because I don't know how she feels about bigamy, and I swear to God, I feel like I have been married to you for years," Mark shook his head, his voice disgusted.

"Well, you did come to Seattle to get me back," Derek replied with a laugh.

"Shut up!" Mark spit out with a grin.

"What?" Derek asked, his face fighting a grin. "Too soon?"

"We said we wouldn't mention that again. I specifically remember a promise."

Derek chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't tell Lexie."

Mark rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I win."

"What?"

"Yeah," Mark said, raising his index finger under his chin. "This is the face of a winner. You got the dark and twisty Grey, and I got the bright and shinny one who I am going to marry and get pregnant as soon as possible. My kids will be starting college by the time you make it down the aisle with Meredith."

"Harsh," Derek said. He then sighed, "But probably true."

Mark chuckled, and stopped walking. He looked at Derek with happiness in his eyes. "Did you ever think…?"

"Did I ever think what?" Derek asked, stopping as well, as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

"Two years ago," Mark said. "Did you ever think that we would be in this place? Back then I was chasing everything with a skirt—"

"—Including my wife," Derek interjected.

"—and you were married to Addison and had never even heard the name Meredith Grey. Now here we are, I'm getting married, Addison is in California, and you are living with a woman who you are building a house for." Mark laughed. "Did you ever think that this would be our lives?"

Derek shook his head. "No, I never did."

"Me either," Mark said.

They walked some more.

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for moving to Seattle."

"You're welcome," Derek said, pausing. "I'm not going to thank you for sleeping with my wife."

"I didn't think you were," Mark said. "But, all the same, I'm kinda glad I did. Because…well, here we are."

There was silence again, but then Derek smiled.

"Okay," Derek said.

"Okay," Mark replied. Derek's voice gave nothing away, but Mark felt as though the past was finally getting put behind them and laid to rest.

"Aw, crap!" Mark suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"I forgot the chocolate."

*

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