A/n: It's here finally! God this took a while to write, but I hope you guys enjoy it! I stayed up pretty late finishing this so any mistakes are mine.

"Alex?"

The moment his name left her mouth, his face scrunched up in confusion. "Lexie? Where are we?"

Lexie gaped wordlessly at him as she assessed him. His bullet wound was gone and his scrubs were spotless, no holes or blood like the state she'd unwillingly left him in earlier. Nor like how'd she'd woken up with George by her side. "What happened to you?"

"The last thing I remember is getting shot by that crazy man." Alex's voice rose in anger, "He shot me! What a freaking lunatic."

Sucking in a breath, Lexie ran her hands through her hair. The blonde strands were escaping from her bun and she absentmindedly made a note to change the color back to brown as she tucked it behind her ear. Trying to figure out how to tell her – boyfriend or now ex-boyfriend? – what little she knew and how he hurt he must be to have ended up in this place was difficult to form an answer for.

"Well uh, we're, um…" She stammered out while fingering her hair.

Alex (who'd always been smarter than people gave him credit for) spoke in a soft voice. "Lex, am I… Are we dead?"

As their eyes met, a silent affirmation passed between them. Alex turned away with a swear, "That son of a bitch." His hands found his hips, "I freaking bled out. Fuck." He paced a little, "What happened to you?"

"I, uh, met Mr. Clark when I went to get you blood from the blood bank," she stammered out. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to get back in time."

She clasped her hands together nervously when she felt an arm sling itself around her shoulders. Surprised by the sudden intimacy, she stayed silent while Alex shrugged, "I can't blame you, Lex. It's that crazy bastard's fault, not yours."

"You unplugged the machines. You killed her." Mr. Clark's accusation rang in her ears as Lexie said, "Mr. Clark came to the hospital because I killed his wife. It is my fault. I'm the reason you're here. I'm sorry." She let out a sob at the last few words.

"Lex, don't do that to yourself." Her friend said, gathering her fragile frame into his arms. Teardrops stained his shirt while he rubbed her back, his expression still dazed from information overload. The two friends stayed like that for a little while until a familiar ding! Interrupted them.

"Hey, Alex." A low murmur sounded behind them. George stood there, his hands shoved in his pockets with a somber expression. He met Lexie's eyes knowingly, and she let out a gasp in realization. There was a reason Alex showed up with no bleeding wound while she had.

"No," she whispered to herself while Alex said, "O'Malley?"

"You need to go, Lexie." George addressed her, "You're running out of time."

Still shocked, Lexie shook her head, "I can't. Not now."

George's eyes were sympathetic, "You have to if you want to say good-bye. I'll explain everything to Alex, you have to go."

"Explain what?" Their friend asked, getting visibly frustrated by being out of the loop. "What the hell is going on? Are you leaving, Lex?"

"I'm just dying," she finally found the words. "I'm going back to say good-bye."

"To Sloan?" Alex asked, his eyes unreadable.

She paused before nodding. "And Mer."

Alex sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair. He stunned her when he flashed his signature half-smirk, "We always knew we were fooling ourselves, Lex. You never got over Sloan and I never got over Izzie." Pausing briefly he took another sigh, "Don't go to just say good-bye, Lex. Go fight to live your life, okay? You deserve to be happy."

She matched his smile with a sad one. "Okay. I will."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Alex told her as she reached up to peck his cheek one last time. The pair shared one last smile before she turned to give George another hug before exiting the elevator on the other side. She felt a warm light embrace her as Alex called out, "And tell Mer and Christina they're lucky I'm dead, otherwise it'd be me in the final two!"

Eight hours, Mark thought miserably as he sipped some of the coffee. The drink had long gone cold, but he had no energy to get a new one. Meredith sat next to him, tear-stains still visible on her face, but she was all cried out.

It sucks to be the family member of a patient, Mark noted bitterly. He just wanted this day to end, for it all to be a nightmare and he'd wake up with Lexie safe in his arms, snuggled up in the bed in his apartment.

Teddy was still in surgery, but she'd promised to send out hourly updates. Their liaison, Dr. Parks, a mousy-haired intern from Seattle Pres scampered up to them. Meredith looked up eagerly while Mark tightened his grip on the coffee, nearly puncturing the Styrofoam.

With a tight smile, Dr. Parks shared, "Dr. Altman was able to remove the bullet and repair most of the bleeding. She will begin to close up soon and transport the patient to ICU. I'll come back when you can come to see her."

Letting out a sigh of relief, he said, "Thank you." Meredith echoed it softly while Dr. Parks scurried back, her surgery gown fluttering behind her.

"She reminds me of George," his best friend's wife said, just loud enough for him to hear. Mark turned to meet her shimmering eyes, "I just hope she's smart enough not to enlist in the army."

Guffawing at the terrible joke, Mark felt the tension in his shoulders give way as another laugh escaped him. Meredith quickly joined in and the two of them spiraled into a loud fit, drawing the attention of the others waiting with them.

Christina sent them an odd look as Owen sat beside her, while Richard watched with sad eyes. April silenced her crying long enough to listen in and Jackson just stared at them blankly. Bailey's reaction though took the cake. "Why in hell are you two buffoons laughing?"

Mark knew she was just as anxious for news about Lexie as the rest of them, but her words spurred another cackle to escape him as Meredith doubled over. Callie sent them a half-smile, knowing that if the news was truly bad, neither of the pair would be acting this way. After another minute and more of Bailey's threatening, Meredith managed to calm down and say, "She's being transported to the ICU soon."

Collective sighs of relief filled the waiting room at the news. "That's good to hear," Richard said, smiling at Meredith.

She returned it gratefully before standing up, "I'm going to go check on Derek now. I'll let you know if there's any news." She told Mark who felt a twinge of guilt as she left. He had yet to visit his best friend's room, but waiting to hear about Lexie had taken up his entire focus.

His guilt projected another image: of Karev lying on the table with a bullet in his side. Mark had been too late in telling the authorities, the fourth-year resident had bled out by the time they found him. His heart lurched as he thought about it, making his joy about the news disappear.

Callie shifted seats to occupy Meredith's, interrupting his thoughts. "This is good news, Mark."

"Yeah," he muttered, still picturing the sight of her splayed on the ground, covered in her blood.

"When was the last time you've eaten, Mark?" His best friend probed.

"I don't know."

"How about we go to the vending machine? Take a walk? See Derek?"

"I want to wait for Lexie." He said, his jaw tightening. He needed to see her, make sure she was fine with his own eyes. The intern had said it would be soon.

"Let's at least get some food," Callie suggested. "Arizona will text us if anything happens." The blonde surgeon affirmed with a quick smile from across the row. After a few moments, Callie added, "You need to take care of yourself, Mark. Lexie won't be happy if she heard about you starving yourself."

"Fine," he relented.

Punching in the first combination, he pulled out the potato chips with dispassion. His appetite was shot, but he half-heartedly munched on them as Callie appraised him. "Mark, I know it's been a…" His best friend floundered for a moment, "…day. But I thought you would be a bit happier about Lexie being okay."

"I am happy about that," he replied. Crumbling up the half-full bag, he tossed it in the nearest trash. Callie frowned at how few chips he ate, but let it go in favor of the bigger issue.

"But something's still bothering you, beyond the fact that we were in a shooting."

Scratching the scruff on his chin, he exhaled slowly. Damn Callie for knowing him so well, "I'm the reason Karev is dead."

"Mark…" She stepped forward to lay her hand on his shoulder, but he slapped her away.

"No, Callie!" He said in a burst of anger (mostly at himself). "I left him to go find Lexie. And I left him there." His voice cracked as he admitted it, "I'm the reason he's dead."

His best friend watched silently, hovering between coming closer or letting him have his space.

"And you know what the ironic part is, Callie?" Mark turned to her, his eyes starting to get glassy. "Over the past few months, I've wished he was out of the picture so many times. So I could be with Lexie, but he was in the way. And now it's like my wish came true."

Deciding to step forward, Callie caught his weight as he fell towards the ground, burying his hands into his face. This was a side she had never seen before of the proud and arrogant Mark Sloan. Sure there had been small moments of vulnerability before, but this shattered version of him frightened her. Rubbing his back as he tried to choke back his sobs, Callie just stayed by his side as he tore himself up inside, unsure what to say.

A groan escaped her lips as the pain rushed her. Blearily opening her eyes, Lexie tried to decipher where she was: the afterlife hospital or the real-life hospital. Reaching down she felt a large bandage on her side and saw the IV in her hand, sparking hope inside her heart. She wouldn't need these in the after-life, right?

Her question was answered when she turned her head she saw Mer fast asleep on the chair to her right, snoring loudly. Smirking at the memory of Derek's complaints about her sister's snoring and how he was forced to sleep on the couch because of it. Mer must've been dozing because Lexie's soft laughter caused her to jerk awake. Her blue eyes widened when she saw Lexie smirking at her.

"You're awake!" Her sister breathed a sigh of relief, reaching over to grab a water cup and hand it to Lexie. "Here drink."

Gulping down the water enthusiastically, Lexie said, "Hi." Her brown eyes were warm with affection, drinking in the sight of the person she thought she'd never see again.

Meredith's lips pressed together and grasped her hand tightly, "You're not allowed to become the sister that gets into danger, okay? That was me with little self-esteem and Mommy issues, you're not allowed to become me."

Squeezing Mer's hand, Lexie said, "It's a one-time thing, I promise. But only if you do too."

"Deal."

Lying her head back, Lexie had to ask. "Was it bad?"

Meredith looked away but kept her hand in Lexie's. "Your heart stopped twice on the table. Once for ten minutes. You've been out for two days."

"And Mark?"

"He's with Derek right now, but he stayed with you all last night."

"What happened to Derek?" Lex asked, alarm spreading across her face. Did he get hurt too? Was he okay? What else had she missed?

"He's fine," Meredith told her. The blonde's voice cracked slightly, "But he was shot too."

"Oh god," she cried out. Her brother-in-law nearly died because of her too?!

"Lex, breath," Meredith instructed. Threading her fingers through the faux-blonde hair, Meredith murmured words of comfort until the younger Grey was able to regain control of her breathing minutes later.

Rolling over to stare the ceiling, Lexie whispered, "It's my fault. I'm sorry." Tears began to fall down her face.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's my fault Derek got shot. It's my fault Alex is dead. I'm the reason Mr. Clark came to the hospital with a gun because I unplugged his wife. I killed her," she sobbed into her pillow. Meredith squeezed her sister's hand this time.

"Lex, listen to me," the blonde told her. "This was not your fault. It's Mr. Clark's fault. Do you understand that?"

Lexie shook her head, denying it. Sensing that she wouldn't be able to change her sister's mind right now, Meredith changed the subject to something else that concerned her. "Lex, how did you know that Alex was dead?"

Startled by the question, the youngest Grey took a moment to form an answer. "Um, I saw him. When I was under." Meeting Mer's blue eyes to find understanding there, she continued, "I saw my mom again. And George."

"Oh Lex," her sister murmured, but urged Lex to keep going.

"I woke up in an O.R. with George healing me, and then I saw my mom and yours. God Mer," Lexie chuckled, "Ellis Grey is a scary woman."

Meredith chuckled in agreement, "She was the worst."

"And then I was leaving, I ran into Alex. He just knew right away." Sniffling, she wiped the tears away. "He bled out while I got shot."

"That's not your fault," Mer repeated, reaching up to wipe some of Lexie's stray tears. "You need to understand that. None of this was your fault. Do you understand?"

Silently acquiescing, Lexie nodded but both Greys knew it would take more work later on. But they changed the subject again, "I had a similar experience when I nearly drowned years ago. Did you hear about that?"

Shaking her head, Lexie listened as her sister took the focus onto herself for the next hour.

Callie had convinced him to go home to shower that morning, but the second Mark stepped foot outside the hospital he got a page that Lexie was awake. He knew that Callie would likely kill him for not going home after barely eating and sleeping for two days straight when switching between Derek and Lexie's rooms, but he wasn't going to waste another second away from the love of his life. Sprinting to the elevator, he repeatedly pressed the button while impatiently tapping his foot.

Once on her floor, he nearly collided into Meredith as she was exiting Lexie's room. His future sister-in-law (a bit presumptuous, but he was going to marry Lexie after all this) held her hand over her heart from the shock. "Mark," she greeted him with a tired smile. "She's awake, but the nurses just pumped her full of more pain meds so I'm not sure for how much longer."

"I'll take all the time I can get," he said as he pushed his way into the room. He held his breath when he walked in and met her chocolate eyes, only exhaling when she lit up at the sight of him. "Lex," he breathed out in relief.

"Hey," she had the same tone of wonder he did.

She was alive, and he rushed over to pull her to him. Pressing their lips together, he enveloped her tiny frame against his body as their lips worked against each other. Lexie let out a surprised squeak, but he quickly swallowed it as he poured all of the love he felt for her into the kiss.

Before they could progress too far, Mark pulled away to a breathless Lexie in his arms. Her cheeks were flushed and pupils fully dilated, and her heart monitor was increasing rapidly which he noted with amusement. Mark suppressed his desire before they could further this. He didn't want to cause her any strain, she needed to recuperate and be a hundred percent again; he would never let her be hurt again.

"I love you too, Little Grey."

Lexie ducked her head with a chuckle, "That's certainly a way to tell me."

God, he loved her smile. "You certainly chose a way to tell me the first time." Running his hand through her hair like he knew she liked, he said, "You're currently responsible for all the grey on my head, Little Grey."

"I'm sorry," she murmured while looking down at their conjoined hands. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"As am I, Lex. That shouldn't have happened to you." Mark pressed a kiss to her forehead. He repositioned them so they were lying together, her head resting on his chest when her eyes started to droop from the meds. Eventually, Lexie fell asleep while he kept stroking her hair and holding her close.

Guilt blossomed in his heart as he thought of how Karev had this not so long ago and Mark essentially replaced him. It didn't settle right in his stomach, but Mark pushed it aside in favor of the relief he felt that she was okay. His best friend was also alive and well. The love of his life was alive and well. That was what helped Mark sleep that night.

A/N: I'm sorry about killing off Alex... but it kind of became a necessary plot point and gives a great excuse for the angst that you'll be seeing in the next chapter. That one should (hopefully) be the last.