A/N Again, sorry for the rediculously long wait. I fear the prospect of me getting into the habit of updating quickly is becoming less likely than Malcom Turnball saying a sentence that doesn't include the word 'oppose.' Writing this out did get my creative juices flowing though and I have the next chapter mapped out and (dare I say it?) it should be up sooner than this one was. Enjoy :)

Chapter Six – Life in Technicolor

There was one thing Lexie didn't appreciate about her new modern apartment; her bathroom mirror took up nearly an entire wall. It sounded ridiculous but having had nearly no contact with a large mirror for more than three months the site of her bulging abdomen was just a little disconcerting when she stepped out of the shower for the first time.

Could she really not have registered such a change? She traced a circle around her belly button in amazement. It wasn't overly obvious. It wasn't a change that a friend would notice readily.

But she could.

It wasn't the first time in twenty four hours she'd considered the possibility that she'd slept walked through the first few months of her pregnancy. Between not telling George she was moving out, moving in with Mark on a whim and not even noticing a grape fruit sized bump hanging around her waist she was a little concerned about her ignorance.

Wrapping a towel around her frame securely she made a mental note to pay more attention that day and get herself organised for the coming months. The thought made her feel a little sick.

It was only early and she padded across the hall quietly trying not to wake Mark. Last night had been awkward and she was keen to be gone by the time he got up.

"Caught you."

She looked up startled to see Mark smirking at her mercilessly.

"I was just… I didn't want to… Wake you/." She finished lamely her hand lingering on the door knob.

"It's your place too Little Grey. Do whatever you want."

He didn't linger in the hallway long enough for her to feel awkward about her state of undress. He simply gave her a quick grin and continued on into the kitchen.

She paid extra close attention to how she dressed that day, registering which pants had got tighter and which blouses fit more snugly. She was relieved to find that most of her clothes covered the bump easily. It wasn't just her body that was different though – she was pleased to see her skin was especially clear. She'd never had acne (nice skin being a trait she'd got form her mother) but now it was even clearer, adorning a sort of sheen.

"Toast?" Mark asked when she emerged from her bedroom, blue sweater and car keys in hand.

"No thanks." She said with a smile, "I've got a lot to do today." Call Molly, talk to Meredith, book another appointment with the OBGYN, figure out the details of my internship…

She ignored the squirmy feelings. This was her reality.

"You should eat something." Mark said sternly. "Folate, fibre…"

"Really, Cristina's going to be bitchy enough as it is."

He rolled his eyes before marching over to her and steering her to the bench.

"You should listen to me." He said silencing her attempted protests, "I'm a doctor."

"Ha, ha." She muttered, "Meanwhile, my boss is probably going to implode."

"I'm your boss's boss which makes me your boss and I'm telling you to sit down and get fat." He said cheekily, sliding a piece of buttered toast towards her.

"I can take care of myself you know." She said in defeat, picking up the toast and taking a bite.

He just made a look that Lexie was certain said 'I'm not so sure about that.'

Cristina was particularly bitchy when Lexie arrived thirty minutes later than she was supposed to but it resulted in her being put on post op and pre op for the day which provided the perfect opportunity to sort how she was going to tell her sisters about her decision.

Meredith was easier than she had expected. She was moving between Trevor Davis (hip replacement) and Carly Shortis (benign tumour) when she ran into her catching up with paperwork on one of the nurses stations.

Meredith was the one to initiate conversation smiling and offering a "how is everything?"

Taken back Lexie smiled back and nodded moronically, "Good… Everything's good."

"So… You've decided on what you're going to do?"

She took a deep breath; "I'm going to keep it. Mark's been really good about everything."

This seemed to come as a surprise to Meredith. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously but didn't make comment; "Do you know how you're going to tie it in with your internship?"

"I'm still… figuring that all out." She admitted sheepishly, "It's easier now that Mark's offered to pay for everything."

"So he's paying you…?"

"Yeah but he wants to be a part of the baby's life too."

The thought made her feel a little guilty. Had she been short with him that morning at breakfast? Obviously he was only caring for the baby. With the thought of everything she had to do she'd brushed his concern off a little too quickly.

While it brought her some guilt it also brought her some warmth. While the previous night had been awkward he seemed well learned in the practise of brushing off awkwardness and simply soldiering on.

Being the kind of person that dwelled on things for months on end, Lexie thought that that would probably be very refreshing.

"I'm happy for you… That you're getting it all sorted out."

Meredith gave her a quick smile before returning the patient's folder to it's appropriate slot behind the nurses station and walking away.

And right there, Lexie Grey was almost glad she was pregnant. Because even though there were no sisterly cuddles and no in depth probing conversations, there was progress.

Progress was a nice change from disappointment.

"Have you talked to Mark lately?"

Derek Shepherd looked up, his expression curious, his mouth half full of unchewed salad sandwich.

"Not since he turned up on our doorstep to talk to Lexie at five in the morning. And then stole my toast."

Meredith snorted; "They're keeping the baby."

Derek raised his eyebrows; "Really? I thought they were talking about it that morning and it was going in a completely different direction."

"Nope." She toyed with her sandwich thoughtfully before adding; "Would it be totally pointless of you to warn Mark, again, not to do anything especially man whorish?"

"Probably." He admitted. "I have a feeling everything I say to Mark is just incentive for him to do the complete opposite."

He paused before asking with a smile; "Not another sisterly flush?"

She rolled her eyes; "She's pregnant Derek. I can't pretend she doesn't exist when she's pregnant. There'd have to be a commandment against it somewhere... It would be just down right mean."

"I like it when you care about your sister."

"I know." She muttered. The form of one Mark Sloan caught her eye and she nodded at him subtly; "Now's your chance."

Derek grimaced a little before finishing the last bite of his sandwich and approaching Mark in the lunch line.

"Moving in with Lexie huh? I'm surprised I haven't had daily updates about this drama."

"I wouldn't call it a drama." Mark grunted indignantly. He immediately regretted the disclosure of information and added quickly; "You think your girlfriend could find someone else to gossip about other than her little sister?"

"I wouldn't call it gossip." Derek said, "She's just concerned."

"Don't go there." Mark warned. "The last time you used that word I did exactly what Meredith didn't want me to. Just leave me in peace and I might have a hope of getting it right."

The words surprised Derek a little and he was compelled not to say anymore. Mark's opinion on the subject was obviously more serious than he had expected and he wasn't ready for joking and light heartedness.

"I trust you'll do the right thing by her."

Mark looked up at him in shock; "I slept with your wife! And you girlfriend's half sister."

"And I forgive you every time."

"Moron."

Derek laughed before giving him a slap on the back and walking away. Mark watched him exit the cafeteria just a little bemused at all the things he would and did do for Meredith Grey.

Kind of like all the things he would and did do for Lexie Grey he observed, looking down at the two sandwiches he'd just bought.

There was something about those Grey women.

When Lexie got the 911 page to the cafeteria she was a little suspicious. It wasn't an especially obvious place for a code blue. None the less her step was hurried and she pushed past people roughly in her bid to be hasty. Someone could have keeled over from heart burn or dodgy hospital food or…

Nothing at all.

She gave him a look of disbelief. "You paged 911 for this?"

"You make light of starving children Little Grey?"

She rolled her eyes and plonked herself into the seat next to him. She was too warmed by the concern to bite back with a comment about all the paper work she had to fill out for John Silverman. She wasn't entirely comfortable for him paying for her lunch – he was paying for enough as it was. As soon as the bread hit her tongue though she could not find it in herself to be guilty. She was too hungry.

"How's your day been?"

She stopped shovelling for a moment to get something that sounded vaguely like 'good actually' out before taking a desperate gulp of water.

He watched her eat is a bemused sort of fashion, calmly going through some paperwork of his own and checking his pager every few minutes.

"You don't have to wait for me to finish." She said just a little embarrassed, "If you want to go you can go."

He shook his head; "How would I be sure you'd actually finish eating?"

"I'd hope self preservation instincts would kick in eventually."

"Doctors are too concerned with everyone else's preservation to be worried about their own. They're dumb arses."

She laughed, finishing off the last of her lettuce. "I have to go finish some post ops but… I'll see you later?"

He nodded and she turned to walk away. She got about three steps before the word 'wait' came unwillingly from his lips and he vaulted himself out of his chair and handed her a water bottle.

"Keep hydrated."

She was tempted to make some trite comment about the 'food police' but noticed that there was some deep emotion burning behind his concern. The genuineness caught her off guard. Was this the same concern as this morning and last night?

The thought made her giddy.

"I will." She promised, taking the bottle and turning her mind to post ops.

She was on her last patient of the day when she first heard the whispers. At first she disregarded it because it was the nurses and the nurses tended to gossip about everything from brick walls to politics. But then she heard the whispers when she entered the locker room on her way home. Fellow interns pointing, staring and whispering.

She tried to ignore it. She tried to tell herself she had goo in her hair or something. She quickly stuffed her sweater and keys into her bag and marched out, determined to ignore everyone until she reached the safe inner confines of her car.

George derailed those plans when she got to the elevator.

"Lexie!" He called, running to catch up with her. "Hold it." He caught the doors and pushed them aside.

"What do you want George?" She asked, not meeting his eye.

"Is it true?"

There was no one else in the elevator but she looked around self consciously anyway. "Is what true?"

"Are you… Are you pregnant?"

Her gut lurched and she swallowed heavily. It had got out. She hadn't wanted it to get out yet. The whispers had not been aimed at offending goo or anything related.

She was knocked up girl.

"Yeah. It's true." She admitted.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them as that sunk in. She'd never really noticed it before, but it took a long time to get between the surgical and ground floor.

"And Mark…? Is he helping?"

She was surprised that there was concern in George's tone.

"Yeah he's been great actually. I imagine the nurses had a different version."

George chuckled, "They overheard you and Meredith talking but I'm sure they fictionalised a great deal of it."

Lexie agreed with a laugh of her own. She almost felt like saying sorry for her vague behaviour over the last few months and her outburst the previous night.

"If you need anything or… Want to talk to a friend… I'm here." He said softly.

It was like a weight had been lifted from her chest. She hated fighting with anyone let alone someone she liked or considered a friend. She offered him a small smile and a 'thanks' before the door of the elevator slid open and they went their separate ways.

And if the nurses had to find out about her condition for some kind of resolution to be formed between her and George then… so be it.

They have to find out some time.

She smiled to reassure herself.

It was progress.

When Mark Sloan pushed open the door of his new apartment he was hit with a waft of Rosemary so strong he wondered for a moment if there'd been a spontaneous combustion involving a glass bottle of the stuff. Instead he found Lexie fussing about the oven and chewing on various vegetables.

"Oh!" She spun around quickly like she'd been caught in the act of doing something wrong.

Mark raised his eyebrows at the abundance of food.

"I just… Wanted to say thank you for looking after my food portions all day and I thought… Well if I made a nice dinner for the both of us then you wouldn't have to worry." She joked awkwardly.

"You have a good day little Grey?" He asked with a bemused chuckle depositing his coat on one of the stools.

She smiled; "Yeah… It was good. I'm the main focus of the rumour mill and I must admit part of me feels like curling up in a ball and never going to work again because I'm pathetic and I do actually care what people think," she took a deep breath, "but I had a successful conversation with George and Meredith and I booked an OB appointment."

She offered him a piece of carrot.

"There was progress."

"So you cooked this to repay me $2 in lunch money?" He asked in disbelief.

"It's more than the money." She said quietly, "It's the concern."

"You didn't think I was going to be concerned?"

She bit her lip; "No. I guess I didn't."

He couldn't repress the hurt she induced with her words but he knew it was only fair. He had treated her disrespectfully in the weeks following their one night stand and he had given her no reason to trust him.

"I'm glad I proved you wrong."

"Me too."

Progress.

Next chapter will cover the OB appointment. And I will get it up faster... :D Who could turn down Mark and food combined for the mere price of a eview?? ;)