Title: Another Time, Another Place

Author: Tanyaleefr

Summary: Lexie simply couldn't stand being around him anymore… so she left. But one bad decision led to another, leaving her to deal with a burning secret.

Disclaimer: I don't own GA… wish I did!!!!!

Author's note: I know this has been done… but I just needed to get it out of my system. This is my first Grey's Anatomy story… I've recently become addicted to the show and I can't seem to get Mark Sloan out of my head. And if you're like me, you feel sick when you see Mark and Teddy together… They're so wrong!!!

Mark belongs with Lexie and no one else.

Hope you enjoy it! PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!!!!

Lexie Grey let out a long sigh and brought her hands up to her face. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, trying to stifle a yawn. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this drained. She shook her head and finished filling her last chart before putting it back on counter with the others. She glanced at her watch and grinned, noticing her perfect timing. She'd just finished with her last patient and was five minutes away from the end of her shift. She couldn't wait to get home.

She smiled at her coworkers as she made her way towards the staff lounge to get changed. She quickly took her scrubs off and untied her hair, letting her dark brown waves fall to her shoulders. She folded her scrubs neatly and put them back inside her locker before grabbing her purse and shutting the door.

She glanced at her watch again and pinched her lips. She really needed to pick up the pace. She quickly walked out of the locker room and made a bee line for the elevator.

"Hey, Lexie! Your shift's over?"

She turned around but kept walking backwards as she grinned at the owner of the voice. "Yes, at last! Sorry, if I don't get out of here fast, I'm going to be late again." She told him, wrinkling her nose in apology.

Sean waved at her. "I'll see you at home!" He shouted as Lexie got onto the elevator, waving back at him.

She finally made it out of the hospital, digging through her purse for her keys as she half ran to her car.

A few minutes later, she stopped the car in front of the day care center. Hearing happy laughter coming from the backyard, she quickly made her way around the building and grinned when she saw that there were still a few kids waiting to be picked up by their parents. Almost as if he'd sensed her presence, a young boy looked over his shoulder and smiled widely when he noticed her. "Mommy!" Without a second thought, he dropped the basket ball to the ground and ran up to her.

Lexie welcomed her son with a tight hug, her exhaustion long forgotten. "Hi, baby! Had a good day?" She kissed his head and straightened herself up, looking down at the boy's sparkling brown eyes.

Zack looked up at her and gave him one of his brightest smiles. "I did! Miss Janet read us a story and Ben let me play with his new basket ball!"

Lexie laughed at her son's excitement and played with his soft dark blonde hair. "That's awesome!" She brushed his hair one last time and took hold of his little hand. "Ready to go home?"

"Yeah!" He turned around and waved his free hand towards his educator. "Bye, miss Janet!"

"See you tomorrow, Zack!" The woman waved back, smiling at the young boy and mother.

Lexie waved back and mouthed a thank you before turning around and taking her son back to her car. She got him settled into his booster seat and sat behind the wheel again, glad to finally be going home.

She could finally let herself relax a bit as she listened to Zack chatting away about his day and his little friends.

Everyone always asked her how she did it. She was a resident AND a single mother, and she still was able to make it work. But she was no wonder woman. She just had a very tight schedule and tried following it to the second. Every day, she'd wake up, get Zack ready for daycare and get herself ready for work. Then, she would drop Zack at daycare and spend the day working at the hospital. At the end of her shift, she would pick up her son, take him home, cook dinner and finally pass out in her bed… if she made it there.

At twenty-nine years old, Lexie would've never thought she'd be a doctor AND a mother.

She'd always had a plan. After college, she'd succeed her internship and complete her residency. Then, and ONLY THEN, she'd start thinking about having a personal life. The idea of having a child before thirty-four years old had never even crossed her mind.

However, nothing ever went as planned in life, and she'd learned it the hard way. She sighed and glanced in the rearview mirror, grinning softly at her son's reflection.

Nope. She NEVER would have thought she'd be a single mother, working through her residency at Mass General Hospital, in Boston.

Lexie grinned when they finally reached their condo, bringing her out of her reverie. "What would you like for dinner, Zack?"

"Chocolate cake." He answered, not even taking a second to think about it.

Lexie snorted and unlocked the front door. "I don't think so, buddy." She ruffled his hair as he walked inside. "How does mac n' cheese and chicken sound?" she suggested, knowing the orange crap would do the trick.

It must have had, since he had already taken off his shoes and was running towards his bedroom. "Sounds good!" he shouted, dinner the least important thought in his little mind.

Lexie rolled her eyes and shook her head, unable to keep the grin off her face. She went to her bedroom and got changed into a large pair of grey sweat pants and a white tank top. Barefoot, she padded back into the kitchen and got busy preparing dinner.

She'd been standing over the stove for about twenty minutes when she heard the front door open.

"HONEY! I'M HOME!!!!"

She shrieked and jumped in surprise, almost dropping the pot she'd been holding. She growled and pointed her orange spoon at the door, not even needing to look at the intruder to know who it was. "I hate you, Sean."

The man laughed and dropped his duffle bag next to the door before taking his sneakers off. "No you don't." He reminded her, a proud grin on his face. "Smells good in here." He added, trying to get a look at what she was cooking.

She turned her head in his direction and winked at him. "I'm making my specialty."

He joined her in front of the oven and wrinkled his nose at the pot's content. "Kraft Dinner. Yummy." He said sarcastically.

Lexie rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

Sean laughed and turned around as Zack came running in the kitchen. "Uncle Sean!"

The taller man picked the boy up in his arms and flipped him upside down, making him squeal in delight. "Hey, squirt!"

Lexie shook her head but couldn't keep from laughing as she watched her friend handle her son. "Calm down, boys. Go wash your hands, dinner's ready."

"Yes, mom!" Sean replied, already making his way to the bathroom, Zack still dangling upside down.

A few hours later, Lexie was finally able to let herself crash on the couch. The dishes were done, the kitchen clean. She'd spent some time with Zack and had given him his bath before finally putting him to bed.

She knew she was a few minutes away from passing out, and it wasn't even nine.

To think she'd have to repeat all this the next day.

She groaned when Sean let himself fall next to her on the couch. She opened her eyes and glanced at him, smiling as she reached for the mug he was holding out to her. "Thanks." She took a sip from the hot drink and laid her head back against the couch, sighing contently. "What would I do without you?"

Sean shrugged his shoulders and gave her a cocky grin. "You'd live in a small crappy apartment?"

Lexie laughed and shook her head, remembering the 'crapartment' she used to share with George. It seemed like another life. "Can you imagine? If you weren't gay, I'd have a boyfriend right now." She told him, hiding her grin behind her mug.

Her friend threw his head back and laughed. "If you didn't have boobs I'd have a boyfriend right now." He replied.

Lexie snorted and slapped his chest with the back of her hand. They both sighed tiredly and rested their feet on the coffee table. "So, did you talk with the new intern… Jason, right?"

Sean took a sip from his mug and shook his head. "No, I haven't."

She nudged his elbow with her own. "You should. I have to keep myself from blushing whenever I catch him staring at you… it's like he has a sign that says 'I want to take you right here and now' on his forehead."

He snorted and rolled his eyes at her. "Come on, it's not that bad."

"I'm telling you."

He lifted his eyebrows expectantly. "What about you? Did Henry ask you out again?"

She should have known he'd bring him up. "He did." She told him, staring at the tv.

Sean nodded his head knowingly. "And you said no, didn't you."

"Yeah." She murmured, looking down at the mug in her hands.

"I don't believe you! You have this super hot surgeon following you like a little puppy and you're not doing anything about it!" Sean whined.

Lexie shook her head "I don't think dating would be such a great idea…"

He sighed exasperatedly. "Lexie! Zack is going to turn four in a couple of months! And from what I know, you haven't got laid since he was born." He paused, watching her reaction. "You have to do something about this!"

She glared at him. "Could you just let it go, please?" She REALLY needed him to drop the topic. She knew where he was going with this and also knew she wouldn't like it.

Sean sighed and tilted his head towards her. "Zack needs a dad. And don't tell me you've got me, 'cause as much as I love that kid, I'm not planning to spend the next fourteen years living with a single mother and her son. I have a life too, you know." He reminded her.

Lexie frowned and stood from the couch. "That's harsh."

"I know, but I'm not sorry." Sean sighed, took hold of her wrist and at her back on the couch. "Sweetie, you know I love you. I only want what's best for you." He pinched his lips and squeezed her hand, knowing she wouldn't like what he was about to say next. "I've only known you for a few years, babe, and I don't know what happened to you back in Seattle. But you've got…"

She groaned and stood up from the couch again, shrugging her hand out of his grip. "I don't want to talk about this." She grabbed their empty mugs and brought them into the kitchen. "I'm tired, and I just want to get a good night sleep."

"Honey…"

She turned around and glared at him. "No. I've got everything I need. I have a good stable job, a nice home and an adorable son." She let out a long breath and turned around. "You're my best friend… but there are some things I just can't say."

He snorted, having heard that song before. "Yeah, yeah, you've obviously murdered someone." He said sarcastically. Getting no reaction from her, he sighed and walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his chin on her shoulder. "You know what I think?" he whispered softly. "I think you're running away from something." He stayed quiet, waiting for her to say anything, but no sound came out of her mouth. He sighed, kissed her temple and took a step back. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

Lexie stayed silent but nodded her head in agreement.

"Good night."

"Night." She whispered, her back still turned to him.

She heard him walk to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. Only then did she lift a hand up to her face to wipe the few tears that had escaped her eyes. She took a shaky breath and rinsed the two mugs, leaving them in the sink. She quickly made her way around the apartment and turned every light off before going straight to her bedroom, wanting to hide in the comfort of her warm bed.

Sean just wouldn't understand. What she had done was… wrong.

She quickly pushed her sweats down her legs and climbed into bed, leaving her discarded clothes on the floor. She reached to turn off her bedside lamp but paused, her eyes catching the frame she'd put on the night stand. She sighed and put her hand down, unable to take her eyes away from Zack's picture.

Zachary Jonathan Grey.

Every time she looked at her little boy, she was reminded of what she'd done. Except for his dark brown eyes, her son looked nothing like her. Zack was the spitting image of his father. Lexie took a shaky breath and turned the light off. She rolled onto her back and stared at the shadows on her ceiling.

How many times had she told herself to pick up that phone and call him? She couldn't even remember.

If only she hadn't slept with Alex. If only she'd just kept her knees shut and gotten a freaking vibrator.

She sighed and shook her head at herself. Who was she kidding… she hadn't had sex with Alex because she was horny. She had because she needed to take her mind off Mark.

As if that would work.

She'd been the one who had dumped him… only because he'd chosen his daughter and grandchild over her. 'No he didn't.' she reminded herself. He'd wanted her to become the baby's… mother? grandmother? aunt? She didn't even know. But she wasn't ready to raise a baby. She was only twenty-five years old!

So she'd dumped him. And then, she'd had the superb idea to have sex with Alex.

She'd tried taking her mind off Mark. She'd tried as hard as she could to move on without him. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't spend every day working in the same hospital than Mark. It felt as if someone was beating the crap out of her heart every time she saw him or heard someone say his name. She had difficulty focusing on her work, she was an emotional mess… she simply wasn't Lexie Grey anymore.

So she'd left. Without even telling anyone, she'd packed her clothes, kissed her father goodbye and had caught a plane for Boston. She hadn't even told Meredith right until she was sitting at the airport, knowing she would've tried convincing her not to go. She needed to get away. She wasn't sure why she'd chosen Boston. She hadn't really been anywhere else and having gone to medical school in Boston, it seemed like the most logical place to go to.

She'd been lucky. She'd gotten to continue her residency at Mass General Hospital and could finally focus on becoming a surgeon.

But of course, nothing could ever be that easy.

A few weeks after she'd moved to Boston, she'd found out she was pregnant. She'd been horrified at the news. Not only was she having a baby… she had no idea who the father was. She'd slept with Mark AND Alex... it could have been any one of them. Maybe she should have called them both and told them the news. But she hadn't.

So she had promised herself she'd wait for the baby to be born before telling anyone.

Lexie tried closing her eyes, needing to get some sleep. Her thoughts went to Sean, making her grin slightly. He'd been a great friend to her, right from the start. The two of them had become close very quickly and he'd been there for her through her pregnancy. He hadn't asked her too many questions, which she'd been thankful for. He was the one who had offered her living arrangements, knowing living in a small apartment with a baby would be difficult. He'd even been there when Zack had been born.

She sighed and smiled softly at the memory. She could still remember the joy she'd felt the first time she'd gotten to hold her baby. She could also remember how relieved she'd felt when she'd seen how the baby looked nothing like Alex Karev.

A few months after Zack's birth, there was simply no denying it.

Zack was Mark's son.

She had promised herself she'd tell him… she really wanted to. But four years later, she still hadn't picked up that phone.

Sean just wouldn't understand. She had to keep her secrets to herself.

Alright! Let me know what you think! And I'm sure you all have a pretty good idea about what's going to happen… and you're ALL probably totally right!

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!