Lexie Grey woke up in Mark's arms. The arms that made her feel safe and loved. The arms that made her feel like home. The arms she wanted to never leave her.

It was a beautiful, peaceful morning in Seattle. To her surprise, the sun was shining through the window, hitting her eyes. They had gotten to bed pretty late last night. Mark had been to a doctors conference and Lexie had been up waiting for him.

Mark was still sleeping so Lexie carefully got out of bed. She found one of Mark's t-shirts on the floor and put it on. There was something about wearing his clothes. It was almost as good as his arms around her. She silently made her way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

She was almost done with the pancakes when she felt two strong arms coming around her waist from behind. Lexie would recognize those strong arms anywhere.

"Good morning, Beautiful" he said and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Good morning, Handsome" she answered and leaned in to him. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes".

"Too bad." he said and started kissing her neck. "I had other plans."

"Well, those plans will have to wait." she said firmly but jokingly

"Just a quicky? We've made it pretty quick before, you know". He said teasingly.

"We have. But I was gonna take a shower after breakfast. You can always join me." She suggested teasingly

"Good enough" he said and kissed her cheek.

"In the meantime, you can make the table ready. You know where the plates are." she said mockingly.

"Sure. Anything else for the Queen of Sexiness?"

"No, I'm good for now."

They arrived to work 15 minutes late. That quicky in the shower turned out to not be so quick.

Mark had been laughing at her when she muttered in the car about them being late.

He loved teasing her, especially when she already was stressed.

"Crap. Thanks to you I'm late for rounds and Cristina is gonna kill me." Lexie said, pointing a finger at him.

"Thanks to me? You're the one who suggested the shower." Mark responded in defense.

"Ha! Like doing it in the bed or against the kitchen counter would have been quicker." She argued.

"Okay, maybe not. But you're not the only one who's going to be late."

"Wow, so much time waisted on arguing. Time you could have spent on, I don't know, saving a life?" Derek said, coming up behind them with a amused look on his face.

"Yeah, you're right. I have rounds and Cristina is gonna be furious if I'm more late than I already am. See you later." Lexie said and kissed Mark before walking away.

Derek and Mark made their way to the Attending's lounge but was stopped by Chief Webber.

"Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan, I would like to talk to you both, in my office." Webber announced.

"Sure. When?" Derek asked.

"Right now". Webber said firmly.

They followed Richard Webber to his office. Both a little curious to what he wanted to talk to them about. They already figured it was quite serious.

"Where have you been, Three? You're 20 minutes late." Cristina barked when Lexie walked up to her.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Yang. Things took longer than expected". Lexie tried to explain.

"I don't care. Just be at work on time. You're covering the Pit today. Have fun" Cristina said mockingly and walked away.

Lexie sighed heavily. Thanks to Mark she had to work in the Pit instead of assisting on some awesome surgery. But she still loved him. And wouldn't trade him for anything.

"So. What do you say?" Webber asked.

"I think it would be exciting, and challenging. But I think we both have to talk to our girlfriends about this before we make a decision." Derek said, a little shocked.

"I agree. Thank you for the offer." Mark said.

"No problem. Do you think you could give me an answer by tomorrow?"

Mark and Derek looked at each other before answering.

"I think that will be alright." Derek said as they both got up from their chairs, ready to leave.

They walked out of the chief's office a little shocked. This was possibly the biggest opportunity of their careers. They couldn't say no to this.

"So… What do you think? Do you want to do it?" Mark asked his best friend as they walked through the hallway.

"I think I want to do it. Imagine all the experience!" Derek answered with a smile on his face.

"Yeah. But what about Lexie and Meredith?"

"I don't know. It will be difficult. But I think they can handle it together."

"I hope you're right." Mark said thoughtfully.

"Dr. Hunt. I'm on your service today." Lexie said as she approached Owen Hunt.

"Great. We have an incoming trauma in a few minutes." Owen said and walked out to the ambulance bay. Lexie following him.

The ambulance arrived. The doors opened and the paramedic got out with the gurney.

"Lewis Anderson, 6 year old male. Burned himself when the mom accidentally poured hot water over him. Nasty burn on the left arm."

"Trauma 2 is open." Owen announced as they started to wheel the gurney into the E.R.

"Hi, Lewis. I'm Lexie. Does your arm hurt?" Lexie asked her patient in a calming voice. It didn't look good and she didn't want to make the kid more scared.

"It hurts a lot. I want my mommy." Lewis said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It's okay, sweetie. You're mommy will be here soon." Lexie said.

"Page Dr. Sloan." Owen said to a nurse when they arrived in the trauma room.

"How bad is it?" Lewis asked Lexie in horror

"I don't know yet. But don't worry. Dr. Sloan is the best surgeon in this hospital. He's an expert on burns like this and he's gonna take good care of you." Lexie assured him.

"Promise?" Lewis asked, calming down a bit at her words.

"Promise" Lexie answered with a soft smile.

Mark walked into the trauma room but stopped for a second when he saw Lexie. And suddenly guilt rushed over him. He immediately pushed the feeling aside and entered the room.

"What do we got?" he asked as he put on gloves.

"Lewis Anderson, 6 years old. Got a nasty burn on the left arm." Lexie told him.

"Okay Lewis. I'm Dr. Sloan. I'm gonna take a look now, okay?"

"Is it gonna hurt?" Lewis asked, fear covering his face.

"Maybe a little bit. But I'm right here" Lexie said and grabbed his other hand to support him.

After a quick examination, Mark had determined the damage and leaned to Owen.

"It looks like a third degree burn. He's gonna need skin grafting." Mark said quietly.

"I'll book an O.R." Owen responded and left the room.

Mark looked over at Lexie. He didn't have the strength right now to tell her. Suddenly he felt like he couldn't even be around her. "I'm… I just have to- to check on something. I'll be back before the surgery." Mark stuttered out and left the trauma room. That guilty feeling towards Lexie came back. He needed to think. And being around Lexie distracted him.

Lexie left the trauma room when Lewis' mother arrived. Mark had a look on his face that worried her and she wanted to talk to him about it. He never came back after he left which was pretty strange. Maybe she overreacted? Something didn't have to be wrong just because he had a strange look on his face that to her was a look saying that something was clearly wrong. And now she was rambling again. She definitely needed to talk to him. And she knew where she could find him.

Mark was standing in the scrub room, scrubbing in for Lewis' surgery. He was almost done when Lexie walked in.

"Hey." She said carefully. Not even knowing why.

"Hey." He responded. Not meeting her eyes.

"Everything okay?" She asked in a calm voice. As if someone just died.

"Yeah, sure." He answered. Still not meeting her eyes

"You seem a little… Off. You never came back."

"Oh. Well… It's kinda difficult when there's a kid involved in burns like these." He lied

"Mark, I know you. You don't care if it's an 80 year old or a newborn baby. You always handle it. And you're avoiding eye contact so I know something's wrong. What is it?"

"I don't have time for your overreacting right now. I have a life to save" he said firmly and left the scrub room.

She stayed in her spot, watching him start the surgery. She knew Mark. Those were clear signs from him that something was wrong. But she still didn't know what. At least he couldn't avoid her at home.

When Mark came home that night he found Lexie sitting on the couch. He knew he couldn't hide it anymore. He needed to tell her.

"Hey. How'd the surgery go?" she asked.

"It was successful. He should make a full recovery." He answered as he sat down beside her.

"Good." She said.

He took a deep breath. "Lexie… We need to talk." He said looking down at the hands in his lap. He didn't dare to look her in the eyes.

"Wow. You finally figured that one out, did you?" she said sarcastically.

"Don't be like that. This isn't easy for me." he said, still looking down.

"Fine. I'm sorry. What do you wanna talk about?" She asked. A bit nervous.

"The chief called me and Derek in today."

"Uhu?"

"He got a phone call from Doctors Without Borders, two of the surgeons that were going to Libya suddenly couldn't do it…"

"Okay…" She said, getting an pretty good idea of where this was going.

"Yeah… Well anyway. Webber asked us… If we wanted to go…" There. He did it. He finally got the words out that had been eating him from the inside all day.

"Okay… How long will you be gone?" she asked. She was afraid of the answer but she had to know.

"Five to six months. Could be longer". He answered. He looked up at her, preparing for her breakdown.

Five to six months. She could make it without him for that long. She was calm. It could've been worse. It could have been for a year. DWB was an important organization and they would get two of the best surgeons she knew. She couldn't protest.

Suddenly a pretty important question appeared in her head.

"When are you leaving?" She asked and looked up meeting his eyes for the first time since he came home.

There it was. The question he feared the most. And she looked him straight in the eyes. Her beautiful chocolate eyes that was now reminding him of a sad puppy. He broke eye contact and looked down at his hands again. He took a deep breath before answering her question.

"Next Wednesday…"

"That's… That's in 9 days, Mark." she stated. She felt tears welling up.

"I know." he answered.

"Can- Can you… Do me a favor?" She asked, looking down at her hands.

"Anything, Sweetheart." He said, looking up at her.

"Can you hold me? Because I think I'm gonna break any second now." Her voice broke and she couldn't keep the tears in anymore.

He didn't answer. He simply pulled her into his embrace and laid back on the couch so she could rest comfortably on his chest. He stroked her hair as she started to sob.

The real sobs didn't come until she realized that those strong arms that were now around her, that made her feel like home, were leaving her in 9 days. 9 days. She was having him for 9 more days and then she wouldn't see him for 6 months. She squeezed her eyes closed as she cried harder against his chest.

Mark held her and stroked her hair for about half an hour before Lexie's breathing slowed down and the sobs stopped. She had finally fallen asleep.

He didn't have the heart to wake her up so he carried her to their bed. He undressed her and tucked her in. He then undressed himself and laid down beside her, putting his arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart" he whispered and kissed her forehead.

Lexie woke up in the middle of the night. Her head was aching from all the crying. She looked at the alarm clock on her night stand. 4.23 a.m. She dreamt that Mark was leaving her in 9 days for a 6 months job in Africa. She moved her head to look at the sleeping man beside her whose arm was around her waist. Suddenly she realized that it wasn't a dream. He was in fact leaving her in 9 days for a 6 months job in Africa. Libya, more exactly. Wasn't Libya a dangerous place right now? It had been on the news a few days ago that there had been an earth quake and it was a big chance that Libya soon would be in some kind of war with Sudan. No wonder they needed all the help they could get through Doctors Without Borders.

If a war would start when he was there, those 6 months could turn into forever. He could die out there. Should she ask him not to go? No. She couldn't be that selfish.

Her heart was racing and she really needed to calm down. She moved Mark's arm gently and got out of bed. One of Marks sweatshirts was hanging on the chair so she put that on before going into the kitchen. She needed a glass of ice cold water. That should calm her nerves. For a second she considered a glass of vodka or Mark's single malt Scotch, but she quickly pushed that thought away. Since her dad became an alcoholic she made a rule to not drink when she was upset.

The ice cold water didn't work. Warm milk or tea didn't work either. Her heart was still racing, her BP probably reaching 200 and her breathing was heavy. Did she overreact? Maybe, but the love of her life was leaving and she didn't even know if he was gonna come back alive. That was the part that made her wanna scream at him and tell him not to go. She could make it without him for 6 months. But if he died… Suddenly that glass of Scotch started to sound more and more appealing. She got up from her chair at the kitchen counter and reached for the bottle on one of the shelfs. She didn't bother getting a glass. Unfortunately she rushed too much to get the bottle that she didn't get a good grip on it and it slipped out of her hands.

"Damn it!". Mark woke up to a crashing sound and Lexie's cursing voice.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. 5.04. What was Lexie doing up now?

Mark quickly got out of bed and put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

When he got to the kitchen he found Lexie on all fours on the floor, picking up small glass pieces and tried wiping the floor with a towel at the same time.

"Lexie. What the hell are you doing?" He asked worriedly.

"I was trying to get that stupid bottle down from the shelf and I dropped it." She said and kept picking up some broken glass.

"Let me do that, Lex." he said as he got down on his knees and started picking up the pieces carefully.

"I can do it, Mark. Go back to bed." She was getting annoyed.

"A piece of glass can get into your hand. I'll take care of it."

"Don't bother. You're leaving me for 6 months, I might as well get used to be doing things on my own." Her words came out more harsh than she intended to.

Mark stopped what he was doing and looked up at his girlfriend. It was first now he recognized the smell of the fluid on the floor. "Lex…" He started, not exactly knowing what to say.

"Don't! Don't do that!" She said angrily and got up from the floor.

"Don't do what?" He asked and got up as well.

"Don't use that nickname on me right now!" The nickname "Lex" had always been kind of specially reserved just for him and she didn't like it when he used it when she was angry at him. She started to pace by the counter and tried to get her thoughts straight.

"Okay. I'm sorry. But will you please talk to me?" He said in a calming voice.

She was breathing heavily. She couldn't even look at him but at the same time all she wanted was to be in his arms.

"Lexie. You're starting to scare me. Talk to me. Please." Mark pleaded. He hated it when she was upset. Even more when he knew that he was the reason.

"I don't want you to die!" She exclaimed.

"What?"

"I don't want you to die." She repeated looking him directly in the eyes. She stopped pacing and was getting a bit calmer. Maybe talk about it would help.

"What are you talking about? Why would I die?"

"Haven't you watched the news lately? There was an earthquake in Libya about a week ago. And experts says that there's a risk of war. If you go there, you could get killed. And I don't want you to get killed because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that's kinda soon to say because we've only been together for like a year but I really feel like-"

"Lexie!" Mark cut her off. "You're rambling. Calm down." Most of the time he enjoyed her classic Lexie rambling. But not when she was rambling about him dying.

"I don't think I can calm down." She said, tears escaping her eyes again.

"Come here" he said as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I know there was an earthquake and that there's a possibility that a war could break out. But it'll be okay. I'll be okay. We have been guaranteed protection from the Army. Nothing will happen." he said as he stroked her hair.

"You can't know that for sure. What if there's a bomb or another earthquake? The Army can't protect you from that." She buried her head in the crook of his shoulder. She didn't want to talk to him into not leaving. But she wanted to make sure that he knew about the risks.

"Well… I guess that we will have to pray for our survival then." He said in a calming voice.

"I don't want you to go. But I don't want you not to go either. They need help. And you and Derek are two of the best surgeons I know. I can't be selfish. But you're leaving for 6 months, Mark. It's too long." She said and looked up at him.

"6 months will go by fast. And we will talk on the phone everyday." He said and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

She sighed and leaned in to his touch. "I'm gonna miss you so much." she said and closed her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you too. But we still have 9 days together before I leave" He said and kissed her. "Let's go back to bed. We have a few hours before we have to go to work." He took her hand in his.

"I just need to go to the bathroom first. But you go ahead." She said and squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"Hurry." He said with a soft smile as he left for the bedroom.

When Mark was out of eyeshot she quickly went in to the bathroom and closed the door.

She turned around to the sink and turned on the water. She needed to cry but she didn't want Mark to hear it. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and watched herself break down in tears.

9 days.