Wrote this in class so I'm hoping it doesn't suck. Sorry in advance!

—

"Grey! What the hell are you still doing standing there? Go! Move!"

A hard shove pushes Lexie back into the present. An intern passed by her in a hurry, almost knocking her down to the floor. Luckily, she was able to hold on to another intern beside her.

A big trauma just came in, and she ran towards the doors of the ER, hoping to get a small case. She was almost done clocking surgical hours before the boards, and she wanted a light load for today. If she gets to scrub in on a big one (at least 8 hours), her requirements for her last year of residency would be done. But not today. Today, she's going home.

The chief agreed to let her off for an entire weekend, seeing as how she is ahead of the rest of the people in her year. She planned to just study for her boards at first, but this weekend was also Zola's birthday so she got herself a plane ticket out of impulsivity. It was also her turn to surprise Mark, whom she hasn't seen since he flew to New York... two months ago.

(She couldn't put the blame entirely on him, though. She's been flying all around the country doing interviews for her fellowship.)

They've kept contact and talked as much as they can (which got cut to only three times a week now) and she misses him. Lexie went home and cried herself to sleep when he left, even crying to him on the phone when he called to say he was home. Perhaps that made Mark worry because he hasn't come to visit since, and god knows he doesn't do anything but watch television on his day offs. She'd often tell him to come so he could show her around New York, but he'd just laugh and bring up a different topic.

He didn't throw her off her game by coming to visit... not really. Okay, maybe he did. She may have cried for a few days (she missed him so much she felt lonelier than the first time) and went off her flashcards (she couldn't focus), but for Lexie, she would say it's her fault, for not getting a grip on her emotions. But what can she do? She's never done long distance relationships before and she definitely wants to make this work. God knows that if she loses him again, she wouldn't make it.

"Grey, take this one. You're gonna have to make bur holes to relieve the pressure and take him in to do a craniotomy. Surely, you'll do fine flying solo?"

Lexie didn't know what to reply. Liam was looking at her, waiting for her to say something. How could she possibly say no? Nobody in their right mind says no to a superior. And not to a solo craniotomy. Besides, this could be her first unsupervised surgery. "I..."

The chart got handed over to her, and she looked at the time before rushing over to the patient. 4 hours before she had to leave for the airport. She could make it if she's quick.

—

Lexie steps out of her Uber and lugs her suitcases behind her. Her excitement was through the roof, causing her to smile ridiculously wide. She takes a deep breath and calms herself before knocking on the front door.

It took a while before someone came to open the door. Derek paused before his face breaks into a huge smile and he hugs Lexie. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Surprise!" She laughs, hugging him back. She was relieved somebody was home. The entire drive over she was debating whether to go straight to the house or go to the hospital first. She chose the house, and she got lucky. Waiting outside in the cold wouldn't have sounded so good. "I'm home for the weekend!"

Derek invites her in and gets her suitcases. It was 2am, so he gestures for her to be a little quiet. "Meredith's asleep, but she'll kill us if we don't wake her up for this."

Lexie almost squeals and goes straight to the master bedroom. She hasn't seen Meredith in three months. They talk often, but she missed her. Since Molly has moved to another continent, she's gotten closer to her other sister, coming to her for almost anything.

Meredith is sleeping peacefully on the bed, her leg hanging off the side. Lexie moves towards her sister and pinches her nose. Meredith's eyes fly open and she sits up almost right away.

"What the he— Lexie?! Oh my god!" She pulls her sister in for a tight hug. "I missed you so much!"

Lexie smiles and hugs back, wiping a tear from her eye. This was really comforting for her. She had no one in New York that she trusts as much as she does the people here, and most days, she really needed her sister. "I really missed you too, Mer."

Meredith pulls away and narrows her eyes at her sister. "Is everything alright? You didn't break up with Mark, did you?"

"No! God, no." She laughs despite the shiver the thought came with. "Speaking of... I have to go say hi to him. Can I just put my stuff in my room?"

"Guest room, Lexie." Meredith rolls her eyes at her sister, even though they did have that room built for her. "And no. Someone's... in there."

Lexie frowns in confusion, and waits for her to continue speaking.

"My... other sister. Yeah, I have a new sister. Maggie. She... moved in and took the room."

Meredith and Cristina hazed Lexie for an entire year before completely taking her in, let alone letting her move in. How this "new sister" got to do that in three months baffled her. She'd ask about that, but first things first.

"What? Where am I supposed to sleep now?" She crosses her arms, hoping Meredith would feel bad for her.

Her sister smiles apologetically and pats the side of the bed beside her. "Well..."

Lexie gives her sister a look, ignoring her suggestion. Meredith would never say it out loud, but she acts like Lexie's still a kid (it doesn't work well for her in arguments) and that annoys her.

"No. I've been gone three months and already I've been replaced!" She rubs her face with her hands and eyes Meredith. "I'll be back. And I'm not giving up my room."

She calls a cab and waves at Derek on the way out.

—

"Am I ugly? Is that it?"

Nadine looks at him intently, holding the bottle of wine closer to her chest. She came over to "hang out" with Mark but she ended up telling him her life story and her relationship problems. At first, he participated with the drinking and listened, but now he was getting really sleepy. He hid the rest of his wine and scotch bottles when she went to the bathroom.

"No, you're not ugly. Shut up." Mark says, rolling his eyes at her. He tries to take the bottle of wine from her but she resists.

She wraps an arm around his neck, and looks at him. "You'd totally have sex with me if I asked, right?"

"You know we're not that kind of friends anymore. I have Lexie." He laughs and playfully pinches her nose. They're similar that way. Using sex and alcohol as coping mechanisms, hoping they'd one day fix them.

"She doesn't even wanna have sex with you. You've been celibate for months!" Nadine teases. She nudges him and laughs when he does.

"Okay now I can't tell you things if you can't keep your mouth sh—"

Nadine interrupts him with a kiss on his lips. He froze, unsure of what to do. He pulls away then, holding her away from her. "Nade..."

"Did that turn you on?" Mark realizes that she's still drunk and unaware of what she's doing. Her eyes were drooping a little, and from the millions of times they've gotten drunk together, that can only mean one thing.

He is silent when he helps her up, ignoring the goosebumps that traveled across his body when she kissed him. What was he supposed to tell her? That it didn't? Because it did. Yes, he has been celibate for months and a single sloppy kiss turned him on. But he's not doing that to Lexie. He's never ever going to do that to Lexie.

"Wash up. I'll drive you home." Mark says as he closes the door to the bathroom and leaves Nadine inside. He starts looking in the drawers for some clothes that she may have left behind when she stayed over before.

A knock suddenly startles Mark and he walks over to the door, expecting Callie or Arizona to ask for something, but instead found the one person he never would've guessed it would be.

Lexie was anxiously tapping her foot on the floor while waiting for Mark to come open the door. She didn't expect him to look confused when he did. It took him five seconds to make sure he wasn't just imagining her. She knew, from the way his eyes squinted a little, and the little gasp that escaped from his mouth. When she gave him a warm smile, he scooped her up in his arms, so tight and for so long that she couldn't breathe.

"You... wow... you..." He says when he pulls away, unable to form a coherent sentence. He kisses her instead, soft and deep and intense all at the same time. The longing was too much, much too much to put into words.

Lexie pulls away, her breathing ragged. Her eyes were still closed, trying to savor the moment, trying to just take in the feel of his lips on hers. When she opens her eyes again, Mark was looking at her, his face just inches from hers.

"You okay?" He whispers, and she nods.

Her shirt was discarded on the floor when she kisses him again, their mouths urgent with need. His tongue dips into her mouth, and her taste sends his body into complete frenzy and he wasn't thinking clearly anymore. His mind, his body, everything was just focused on her.

He doesn't know how but he finds himself sitting on the bed with Lexie straddling him. His hands roamed around her bare skin, exploring old territory. He kisses her jaw down to her neck as his fingers unclasp her bra with one swift flick.

Lexie giggles, her hands working on his belt. Her one knee slips on a dark piece of fabric and it almost falls to the floor. She catches it with her hand and looks at it, all color leaving her face at the realization.

The bathroom door adjacent to the bedroom suddenly opens and steam floods in. A voice, who Lexie recognized as Nadine's, calls out. "You coming in?"

Mark freezes from his spot on the bed. Lexie jumps off of him, her face unreadable. It was all just getting to her now. The lacy underwear, the girl in the shower. Did he have sex with Nadine before she came in? Oh god. She couldn't believe this is happening. This couldn't be happening!

The room started spinning right in front of her. Mark was closing in on her and she felt her heart jump to her throat. She couldn't breathe. She needed to get out of there. She hurriedly picked up her shirt and tossed it back on.

"Lex. Lex, no. This isn't what you think it is. Let me explain." Mark says, his hand reaching out for hers.

"Oh my god," was all Lexie could manage to say as she hurriedly gets her things, not sparing a single glance at Mark. Just as she was about to get to the door, he hugs her from behind.

"Get off of me!" She tries to take his arms off her but she couldn't. "How... how could you do this to me? After everything?"

"I'm not... I didn't do anything! It's just... Please let me explain. Nadine..."

Lexie continues to fight him, to try and take his arms off her until she just stopped, realizing he wouldn't. When she didn't move anymore, he let her go.

"Nadine what?" Her voice was silent when it came out. Suddenly, the exhaustion from what she dealt with the entire day weighed on her shoulders. She didn't have the energy to fight anymore. Not today. "Explain it, please. I want to understand. I want to understand so I can go."

"Lexie." Mark looks at her, sighing dejectedly. "She came over for drinks, okay? She got drunk and I asked her to go clean up. Nadine's drunk. I never slept with her, I promise. I wouldn't do that to you. Ever." He puts both hands on the sides of her face, trying to make her understand.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Confusion is written all over his face. He expected her to yell, to argue, to fight. But none of it came. He couldn't read her eyes anymore.

Lexie sighs, turning away slowly. "I'm tired. I'll just... see you tomorrow, okay?"

She walks out of the apartment without another glance at him, slamming the door behind her. She doesn't know how, or if she walked all the way back at 3 in the morning, but she found herself at Meredith and Derek's house again.

Lexie wasn't angry. She knew it in Mark's eyes that he was telling the truth. But everything today has been too much for her, and she couldn't handle another thing. She needed to step back and reassess her choices. The life-changing decision about her fellowship is to be made in a month. She needed to decide fast. Is she really gonna move back next month? Is Seattle still worth it?

Her suitcases were left in the living room and she just changed her clothes there. She felt out of place now. In this house, in Meredith's life, probably even in Mark's too. Now she's left wondering if Seattle's really for her. If there's anyone for her to come home to anymore.

She quietly tiptoes into the master bedroom and slides down under the covers beside Meredith. Her sister wakes at her presence and scoots over towards Derek before wrapping an arm around Lexie. "Is everything alright?"

"No." She whispers back a minute later, and Meredith strokes her hair until she falls asleep.