Got some big stuff planned for this chapter. So, diving right into it, folks! ENJOY! And once again, thank you for all the tremendous support.

Lexie sat on the couch nervously playing with a stray piece of thread on one of the throw pillows. Mark hadn't come home or called and she couldn't help but think the worst. She jumped when she heard Haley start to cry from the opposite room. Meredith walked out to the living room a moment later.

"My pager scared her. I have to run to the hospital. 911." She said, handing her niece off to her baby sister.

"Okay." Lexie said, holding Haley close. "Thanks for staying with me."

"Anytime." Meredith smiled. "Call me later?"

Lexie nodded in reciprocation.

"Daddy should be home soon." She said as she sat with her daughter. "What should we do until then? Hmm?"

"Mama."

"Hales?"

"Mama."

"Oh, my-" She started to laugh. "You said 'mama'! Finally. Come here, baby."

She turned Haley to face her.

"Say it again?"

"Mama."

She brought her into a tight hug placing kisses on her.

"Yeah. I'm your mama." She said with a smile.

A short moment later, there was a knock on the door. Placing Haley in the play pen, she got up and dragged herself to the door. She sighed with exasperation when she found Melody standing on the other side. She immediately tried to slam the door.

"Just hear me out, okay." Melody said, stopping the door with her foot.

"What? What do you have to say? You have done nothing but make our lives worse since you got here."

"Look." Melody sighed. "I was jealous, okay? Mark and I were in love. Or at least I was in love with him, which I am sure you know what that feels like. It's pretty damn great."

"Yeah, it is." Lexie said with a grin.

"I didn't want to let it go. When Mark left New York to follow Derek and Addy, he left me. I was mad and hurt and disgusted beyond belief that he would throw what we had down the drain like that. I was wrong." She explained. "I shouldn't have told you that he tried to rape me. It was the biggest load of crap I've fed anyone."

"So why did you come to Seattle?" Lexie asked.

"Mark asked me to." Melody answered. "He called me a while ago. He said he was feeling lost and felt like he was missing something."

"What?"

"Yeah. He asked if I would fly down if he bought the ticket and then here I was." She finished.

"So, he brought you here." Lexie clarified.

"He didn't exactly expect me quite like this, but yeah, essentially, that's what happened." She shrugged. "I'm sorry. I thought you should know. Oh, yeah. Sorry about your baby."

Melody turned and walked to the elevator, disappearing behind the sliding doors. Lexie wandered back inside, sitting gently on the couch. She couldn't believe that Mark could play the victim when he was responsible for Melody's arrival in the first place. The worst part, was that she knew about the baby. The baby that Lexie had lost. She couldn't open up to anyone, including Mark, about that. Yet, he freely discussed it with his blonde ex-lover. She felt hurt, betrayed, and humiliated. All she could do was stare at the floor in silence.

Mark walked through the lobby, noticing Melody exiting the elevator.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, pulling her by the arm.

"I'm leaving, okay?" she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I booked a flight tonight, but I wanted to make sure Lexie knew the truth."

"The truth?"

"About everything. Why I'm here, what we were, all of it."

"You told her! We had a deal!" He started to raise his voice.

"You told me you wanted me, then I get here and you act like I am invading your life. You can't call me here and then treat me like a leper." She shot back.

"I called you when my marriage was on the rocks." He explained. "You showed up after we made it work. I told you not to come."

"Truth is, you screwed up, babycakes." She started to walk away. "Good luck fixing what you wrecked."

Mark sighed and headed for the elevator, dreading walking through his front door. When he walked inside, he wasn't greeted with shouting like he'd expected, but instead, he found an almost catatonic Lexie on the couch.

"Lex?" He said, softly, sitting next to her.

"She talked to me." She said simply. "She said you called her a while ago? How long was a while?"

"Right after we lost the baby."

"Right after I lost the baby." She corrected. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it wasn't important." He told her.

"It wasn't important?" She looked at him, lost. "You told her things that I could have never said to anyone, even Mer. You told her you were missing something."

"I was missing you!" He said strongly.

"I don't think so. How could you hide this from me?" She asked. "How could you lie to me, again, especially after the whole Josh thing?"

Mark sat in silence.

"I think we need to take some time apart." She said with a sigh.

"Lexie-"

"I want a separation, Mark." She looked at him. "I am not saying divorce, I am saying separation. I think it is for the best."

"What about Haley?" He asked.

"You can see her anytime, and you can have weekends, if you want."

"Please don't do this." He looked at her, pleading.

"I don't want to fight, and lately, that is all we do." Lexie explained. "Tomorrow, I'll go."

She gently placed a kiss on his forehead before walking into Haley's room and closing the door behind her. Behind the closed door she could hear Mark get up and start to pace, she heard him punch the wall and mutter something under his breath. It killed her to do this, but how much of the lying, the hiding information, and the secrets, could she take? Everytime they reached a rough patch, something ripped the rug out from under them. Maybe the gods were trying to tell them something.

Sorry this chapter was so short, but I wanted to get an update out there. The next chapter is going to involve a time jump, so get ready for some fun stuff. With Haley being a little older, I can finally start writing a little bit of dialougue for her, yay! Stay tuned, guys! X0X0