Author Devylish
Title Aria and The Duet
Chapter Now 4/?
Fandom Grey's Anatomy
Pair Mark and Callie
Rating PG13
Words 1856
Warning/Spoiler/Summary None. None. Callie's sister Aria is in town, and she's about to mix things up. Response to Aclairec's wishlist request to see Aria in town with Mark and Callie during the holidays.
Disclaimer All publicly recognizable characters, settings, plot, etc. are the property of the creators of the TV show Grey's Anatomy. Any original characters, settings and plots are the property of devylish. devylish is in no way associated with the TV show Grey's Anatomy and no copyright infringement is intended. This work is an amateur fan effort and no profit is being made.

Universally recognized bad times to break up with your girlfriend:

Her birthday.
Valentine's Day.
Your Anniversary.
During the Christmas holiday.

Unfortunately for Lexie Grey, Mark Sloan couldn't make himself wait until after the holidays.

It hit him – hard – that those little things that you put up with in a relationship… he couldn't put up with them anymore. He couldn't stand Lexie's cheerful chirping. He couldn't stand the way she sat on the couch – her legs all curled up underneath her like a bird in a nest. He couldn't stand the way she sighed – releasing the breath a quiet accusatory rush.

He'd been trying to do the impossible for the past year.

But now that he knew he'd been trying the impossible, trying to squeeze himself into a Lexie cookie cutter shaped form… he needed to break free.

He needed to be free now that he'd realized that he couldn't stand the fact that Lexie wasn't Callie.

Now that he'd been reminded by Aria of what a gift life was.

He was waiting for her when she got home from work.

"Hey Sweetie! How was your day?" She chirped as she entered the apartment.

He blew out a puff of air – more anxious than nervous. "Lexie, we need to talk."

She stopped shedding her work stuff and looked at him, "What's wrong?"

"I wish I could be the man you want me to be, but I can't. I… you were right."

"Right? About what? What are you --?"

"Right about Callie; and me."

"You're cheating on me? With her?"

"No! No… but…. I need to break up with you, before I do cheat on you."

"…with Callie!"

"She's the only one who I'd break my promise to you with."

She snorted delicately, "Is that suppose to make me feel better Mark?"

He shrugged, "It's suppose to be the truth. I'm telling the truth about everything now."

She dropped her work back onto the floor unceremoniously, "and you're realizing this now? After I've moved in? After we've been together for a year? At Christmastime? Damnit mark!" She flushed, "I've been telling you she was dangerous to us for months… for a year.. And you finally, suddenly realize? Now?!"

"I'm sorry Lex. I tried… for a year to make us work. I kept telling myself I could be what you wanted me to be. But I was lying to you, and to myself. I can't be what I'm not."

Lexie's face changed from icy anger to soft pleading; becoming more innocent and childlike right before his eyes. She floated to the couch and dropped to her knees in front of him.

"Mark, Honey, don't give up on us… on me. I know you love me. I know we can work this out. Maybe if we get married? Then… then you won't be as…. You're a good man. You won't break that promise. We'll be truly committed to one another then. And you and Torres can still be… friends; the line will just be more defined."

Mark touched her face lightly with his hand; as one would a child. "That line? It disappears every tie I'm close to her." He stood up. "I have changed Lexie, and you were a part of that change. You helped me realize that I can be a good man. But," He looked down at her. "I can't be your good man. If we continue this way – together – good man or not, I'd want Callie, every day,; every minute of every day. You deserve a man who feels that way about you."

Lexie pushed her way up off of her knees, turning her back to him she paced away. "And what about Callie? She's a freakin' lesbian! An involved lesbian!!"

"I don't know if –"

"Is she over in her apartment right now? Delivering her personalized 'I'm dumping you for Mark' to Arizona?" She spun around to face him again, "did the two of you plan a dual dumping?! She's always wanted you, Jesus! I can't believe the two of you are doing this!"

Mark's jaw tightened. Lexie had a right to be pissed, but she was bitching about the woman he loved; only he was allowed to do that.

"Callie has no idea I'm doing this. She has no idea about how I feel…" he thought about Callie and Arizona, his face falling a bit, "She may never find out. But, I'm breaking up with you because I'm not in love with you Lex. And," he smiled darkly, "a very wise woman once told me, 'life's too short to spend it with someone you don't love. Life's way too fucking short.'"

Lexie blinked at him silently for a few seconds before, shoulders slumping, she offered, "I'll be moved out by the end of the week."

***

Callie and Aria stood in the open doorway that led to the hallway, watching the revelers in the apartment. They were laughing and drinking and eating and drinking and mingling and drinking and dancing and… well you get the idea.

Aria's Christmas party was apparently a success.

"This was a good idea Aria," Callie offered only slightly begrudgingly.

"Of course it was." Aria nodded modestly. She had poked and pecked at Callie for a Christmas party while she was in town… and a Christmas party she had received. Decorations, food, music, and all of the people they'd been able to scramble together, which, surprisingly, was most of Callie and Cristina's friends.

Hunt had Cristina cornered in the kitchen, while in the middle of the living room about ten couples danced and chatted. Meredith was monopolizing Arizona in the bedroom hall, and off in the corner closest to the Christmas tree, Derek and Mark were having an animated conversation about something.

Callie had been successful in her attempts to ignore Mark for most of the past twenty-four hours, but now that he was in the room and not trying to talk to her, she allowed herself to watch him; his smile, his eyes, the way his hands moved.

"He's a good looking man," Aria observed as she wrapped her arms around Callie's waist and dropped her head onto her sister's shoulder so that they were both staring across the room to where Mark and Derek stood.

"He is." Callie admitted almost longingly. She took a deep breath and added, "But he's involved with someone. I'm involved with someone."

Aria grabbed Callie's left hand and held it up. "Is there a ring on this finger? Have you and Arizona exchanged vows?"

"No, but –"

"Is there a ring on mark's finger? Is he engaged? Married?"

"No…."

"Then all is fair in love," Aria turned Callie around to face her. "Sweetie, I keep saying it, but damnit, I'm a big believer in this fact: Life's too short to let 'what if's' and 'kinda sortas' stand in your way. If you want that man, go get him! Let him know!"

"Have you ever considered that he might not want me? Want me want me?"

"Not even for a second."

Callie snorted, "That's because you're delusional and live in a little world all of your own called Arialand."

Aria smiled, "And it's delicious here! Come visit!"

Callie smiled. "Sometimes…sometimes I think I see something in his eyes, something that makes me think that maybe… but Ari, we've been friends now for years. Good friends. Best friends." Callie could feel here eyes welling up and she pulled her hand away from Aria's and brusquely wiped at her eyes. Putting a little more resolve and steel behind her voice she continued. "I can't afford to lose him as a friend."

"I feel like a fucking philosopher with all the advice I'm dispensing, but Cal, life is a series of leaps. If you don't take that next step? If you don't take that next leap? You'll never get anywhere."

"What if I fall? What if I take that damn leap and Mark isn't there to catch me?"

"What if he is!!!?"

"What if he isn't!?!!?" Callie hissed.

"Well that'll never happen, but if it did, at least you would have taken a chance. Taken a shot. Leapt! Being stagnant? Thinking about those what ifs, and those kinda sortas? That's just a slow drawn out way to die." Aria grabbed Callie's hand and pulled her, forcefully, through the dancing bodies, to the other side of the room.

Pulling to a halt in front of Derek and Mark, Aria beamed her smile at Derek. "Dr. Shepherd, I need a dance partner. Are you free?"

Chuckling lightly, Derek glanced from Callie to Mark before turning to face Aria head on. "Like I could say no to you."

He placed his hand on her elbow and trailed her into the middle of the room, but not before Aria responded, "Men do seem to have a problem saying no to me."

Left standing beside Mark, Callie tried to think of all of the ways she was going to mutilate her sister. And then she tried to think of a single way that she could extricate herself from Mark's side without it being obvious that that was what she was trying to do.

"Stop running away from me Callie." Mark bent his head to her ear, ostensibly to be heard without having to yell, realistically because he wanted to smell her perfume.

She lifted her chin. "Running?"

"You've been avoiding me all day today."

"We've been busy, putting all of this together," she waved her hands around at the party.

"You've been avoiding me."

She stared up at him. "I think we have to agree that being close to one another only gets us in to trouble."

"Shut up!"

Callie and Mark both turned their head in Aria's direction. She'd stopped dancing and was smiling at Derek. "Are you kidding me!?"

Derek leaned forward and said something in her ear and Aria repeated again, "Shut up!"

Turning her head in the direction of Mark and Callie, she grabbed Derek's hand and yanked him back off of the 'dance floor'. Reaching their side she turned to Mark, "I'm returning your partner to you." She blinked, "By the way, how's that gift you were working on for me coming?" She was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I've gotten a start on it." Mark responded after glancing at Derek who was standing sheepishly to the side.

"So I hear. Good boy."

"He's not a dog Aria," Callie reminded her sister.

"True, but men, much like dogs will respond if you pet them the right way."

"Heyyyy!" Mark and Derek grouched simultaneously.

"Here you are!" Arizona sidled up to Callie and delivered a kiss to her cheek. "I was beginning to think you had snuck out of your own party."

"I did try and escape but Aria tackled me at the knees before I could make it out the door."

"Well follow me," Arizona held her hand out to Callie, "I know a great place where we can go and… be alone -- so that you can strategize your next escape plan."

Callie extended her hand, refusing to look back at Mark or Aria, and followed Arizona.