Mark walked in to Zoey's room where she was up and dressed and ready to leave – it was the day she was being discharged from the hospital.

Mark closed the door behind him causing Zoey to turn round to see who had entered her room. Mark walked over to her and put his arms round her waist. "Your face has healed up very nicely." He told her, kissing her gently on the lips.

Zoey giggled. "Yes, the doctor did a wonderful job. I really should thank him one day."

"Any ideas on how you going to do that?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe a simple hand shake and "thank you" will do the trick." Zoey grinned.

"A hand shake eh? Anywhere in particular?" Mark winked at her.

Zoey pushed him off her laughing. "Nice to know you're still as pervy as you were five years ago."

Mark laughed as he sat on the edge of the bed and watched Zoey tie her hair up in a ponytail. "So where you heading off to?"

"Home."

Mark's face dropped and turned to thunder. "Home? As in the apartment where you got the life beaten out of you time and time again? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Well where else am I going to go?" She said slightly annoyed. "I'm not being run out of my own home Mark."

"Are you telling me you actually want to go back there?"

Zoey sighed. "No. I don't want to go back there but I don't have a choice do I?"

Mark looked at her. She looked so defeated. He took a deep breath and calmed down. "Come here." he said, taking her hands and pulling her towards him. He looked up at her when she was standing in front of her and stroked her cheek, making Zoey go weak at the knees. She had forgotten what it was like to have this kind of love and affection. "Listen, you don't have to go back to that place. Why don't you stay at my hotel room with me?"

Zoey looked at him and as much as she wanted to scream at him yes, she knew in her heart of hearts she couldn't. "I don't think that'll be a good idea."

Mark's smile fell. He had gone out on a whim just to ask her because he was knew she would say that. He had thought about nothing else since their last chat where they confessed they still had feelings for each other. It only seemed like the right thing to do seeing as he didn't want her going back to that apartment that was heaving with horrific memories he knew Zoey would not be able to cope with.

Zoey looked down and saw how upset he looked. "It's not that I don't want to because I really do, honestly. It's just … I don't think Lexie would be too happy with the idea. You two are still dating and she seems like a really sweet girl, I don't want to do anything that will hurt or upset her."

"But I want you." He said, giving her a look that he had only ever given Zoey. It was a look that said you are the only one for me. "I know you want me too, Zoey."

Zoey nodded her head, unable to speak. She used to love it when he looked at her like that but that day she felt like she was stealing someone else's boyfriend and she hated that. However, she couldn't deny her feelings any longer. "I do." She squeaked out. Mark grinned and leaned in to kiss her but Zoey stopped him. "This isn't going to happen unless you end it with Lexie. And even then, it's going to take a while for us to be together. I'm not one of those girls who jumps in to bed with a guy the second he breaks up with a girl. There are other people's feelings involved and I'm not going to be the one to hurt them."

Mark nodded his head in agreement. "And that is what I love about you." He stood up and looked in to her emerald eyes. "Come back with me." He asked her again. As Zoey opened her mouth to protest, he put his finger to her mouth to shut her up. "Just for tonight. Then you can do or go wherever you want. I'm just not comfortable with you going back to that apartment – at all." He added.

Zoey sighed and remained silent, thinking about his offer. "I'll do you a deal. End it with Lexie and I'll go back to the hotel room with you." Before Mark could say anything, she added with extra emphasis, "I'm just not comfortable going back to her boyfriend's hotel room."

"I break up with Lexie by the end of the day, and you come back to my hotel room with me?" Mark repeated.

"That's right."

He kissed her forehead before saying, "Done. Meet me by the exit tonight at 8." And left the room, leaving Zoey with a massive smile on her face, delighted, yet guilty that he was going to end his relationship for her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Derek found Mark by the nurses' station staring at a patient's chart. Getting nearer to him, he found that the chart was empty and he was just staring at it.

"You know if you put pen to the paper, move it about a bit at clever angles, you might just be able to make words appear." He said sarcastically.

"You really crack me up you know that?" Mark replied in the same tone.

Derek laughed. "What's up with you?" he queried.

"Nothing. Why would anything be up?"

"Well maybe because you're struggling to write up this patient's chart. Why are you doing it anyway? Surely you'd get an intern to do it for you. This isn't the Mark Sloan everyone knows and loves."

"It's easier if I do it, that way it gets done properly."

Derek looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, 'cause you've done so much already ... how long you been working on that?"

Mark glared at him. "Just started it actually. Anyway, the interns are useless - you know that."

"Even so, you never do the paperwork yourself ..."

"Yeah, well I'm doing it now. Why does it matter?" Mark snapped.

"Okay, calm down. Why don't you put that down for a moment and tell me what's on your mind."

Mark sighed as he dropped the pen on the desk. "Not here okay? Nurses talk." He told Derek who nodded and glanced over at the nurses who were quite obviously trying to subtly listen in to what they were saying - trying being the key word. "You'd think they didn't have any work to do." Derek muttered as he moved away from the desk with Mark following behind him. They both sat on two nearby chairs. Mark sat forward with his elbows propped on his knees and rubbed his face with both hands. Derek sat back curiously watching him. "You going to tell me what this is about?" He asked him.

Mark sighed once again. "I have to break up with Lexie."

Derek's eyes widened. "You have to break up with Lexie?" he repeated.

Mark nodded.

"I thought everything was great with you two."

"It is."

"So then why do you have to break up with her?"

"Because I want to be with Zoey." Mark said in a tone that said that should be obvious.

"Ah of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Derek replied sarcastically. Trying not to laugh at the look Mark was now giving him that said I am going to hurt you, he asked, "What makes you think breaking up with Lexie means you'll end up with Zoey?"

"Because she won't stay with me tonight unless I end it with Lexie."

"Okay, I'm confused you need to explain this a bit more." Derek told him.

Mark sighed. "I don't want Zoey to go back to that apartment on her own – not after everything that's happened. So I suggested she come back to mine but she said that she would if I end it with Lexie."

"Again, why do you have to end it with Lexie?"

"Because she's not comfortable going back to her boyfriend's hotel room."

"No, no, there's something you're not telling me here. I know Zoey, she wouldn't make you break up with your girlfriend – she's not that manipulative."

"I want us to be together as does she."

"Ah, I knew this day would come. When did you discover this?

"Earlier on when I discharged her." Mark paused. "Oh man, what am I going to say to Lexie? I have never properly dumped a girl before."

"Be honest with her I guess. I mean, what can you say?"

"That I think she's a great girl but there's more chemistry between me and Zoey and I've fallen in love with her again. And maybe if things were different, we would have worked out?"

"Yeah, that could work. I would just leave out the whole Zoey thing, at least for the moment. Though she does need to know she'll be with you tonight and tell her the reason why."

"That I've fallen in love with her again?"

Derek said nothing. He just looked at him to say don't be so stupid.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The day went quickly and 8 o' clock arrived quicker than a blink of an eye and Mark still hadn't ended it with Lexie. He saw her by the exit about to leave so he built up the courage to tell her then. "Hey Lexie, wait a second." He called out to her. "I need to talk to you."

Lexie stopped where she was and waited for Mark to catch up with her. "Hey, everything okay?"

"Erm yeah … actually no, not really. Listen I don't know how to tell you this but-"

"Hey before you say anything, I just want you to know that I know I may not act like it, but I'm really happy that we've gone public." Lexie interrupted. "I'm really grateful that you just forgot about everything else and just did it."

Shit! This is hard enough as it is. "It's fine, don't worry about it." he said sheepishly.

"No, I do because you put so much at risk for me and I feel like I've done nothing for you."

At that moment Zoey came round the corner and saw Mark and Lexie talking together. She couldn't hear what they were saying and maybe that was for the best. She didn't think she would be able to handle it if she heard or saw Lexie cry. She stayed back round the corner and watched the two of them talk together.

"You don't have to do anything Lexie."

"But I do! You don't understand, I'm not that girl who only takes and doesn't give."

"I don't think you're that girl – far from it."

"Good. Look, from now on, I will do everything for you, even if it means cleaning your dirty laundry." she said, giggling. "I think we both know what a sacrifice that would be."

Mark laughed with her. He loved laughing with her; what had he done in a previous life that he had managed to land such an intelligent, beautiful girl? He suddenly felt sick at the thought of actually ending it with this girl. It would devastate her and that would kill him. It hit him that he couldn't end it with her, his heart just wouldn't let him. "Lex, don't be silly - I wouldn't inflict my dirty laundry on my worst enemy." Mark teased her.

Lexie smiled. He loved making her smile - she had a gorgeous smile. "Anyway, sorry what did you want to say to me?"

Mark hesitated. "Err, I asked Zoey to stay at the hotel with me for tonight. I know she's my ex and everything but she's also a very good friend of mine and I don't want her going back to her apartment. There are too many horrible memories just waiting for her and I'm worried about her. Is that okay?"

Lexie smiled at him. "I understand. Separate beds right?"

"Yeah of course."

Just as Lexie leaned in to hug him, Meredith walked past Zoey, causing her to turn her back to Mark and Lexie. "Oh hey!"

"Hey. What you still doing here? Didn't you get discharged this morning?"

"Oh I'm meeting Mark. I'm staying at his hotel tonight cause I don't really want to go home if I was honest."

"Trust me I would be the same."

Back over at Lexie and Mark, the two of them were still hugging when Lexie said, "You're a good man Mark, I know you care about her and I would be a horrible person to stand in the way of you helping her." and then leaned in and kissed him, which was unseen by Zoey and Meredith who were standing round the corner still chatting. They pulled apart as Zoey said goodbye to Meredith and walked round the corner.

"Are you sure you don't mind Lex?"

"Yes I'm sure. How about I take this back to the supply closet and I'll speak to you tomorrow."

"Sure." Mark said, handing her the box of plastic gloves he was holding, watching her walk away. Watching them wave goodbye to each other, Zoey took it as her opportunity to make her way over to Mark.

"Hey, how did it go?"

Mark turned round, startled at her sudden appearance. "Wh-what? How did what go?"

"Between you and Lexie."

"Oh um fine."

Zoey looked at him and noticed he had a pained look about him. "Hey you did end it didn't you? I know this may sound harsh but you're not a couple anymore are you?"

Mark hesitated. There were only two things he could say to that and that was the truth or he could lie. If he told her the truth, she would end up going back to her apartment where goodness knows what could be lurking there, waiting for her to come through the front door. If he lied to her, she would go back to his hotel room with him, where nothing but a large, safe bed would be waiting for her. There was no weighing this one out – the answer was obvious. "Yeah, just now. It's over between us now." Mark felt guilty but it was for Zoey's own safety. There was no way he could stand back and let her go back to her "home".

Zoey smiled slightly. "Come on, let's go. You can tell me about it on the way to the hotel."

Mark took her hand and the pair of them walked out towards his car while Lexie's smiled disappeared as she looked on at the scene that had unravelled before her eyes.