All I Want Is This

25

Meredith pulled her car behind Mark's shortly after he pulled in front of his apartment building.

"Is she sleeping?" Meredith asked quietly, coming towards Mark's car and seeing him taking the girl slowly out of the car.

"Yeah," he nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist and settling her head on his shoulder.

Mark handed Meredith his jacket so that she could cover the girl and protect her from the rain. Alicia didn't even stir with all the work that the grown-ups were doing for her.

Both of them hurried inside the building, where the door attendant greeted them, holding the door opened for them. "Good evening, Ms. Grey, Dr. Sloan," the old man saluted politely.

"Hi," Meredith was the only one who answered to his salute.

"You should be nicer to your neighbors," Meredith whispered to Mark as they reached the elevator.

"First of all, he's not my neighbor; he is just an employee," Mark replied. "And secondly... whatever."

Meredith shook her head disapprovingly, while Mark chuckled quietly. They got to their floor and Meredith unlocked the door, opened it for Mark to walk inside first and take Alicia to bed.

Meredith growled as she flicked on the lights and met the mess that Mark and his daughter had made during their time alone.

"What?" Mark asked in whisper, looking back at her.

"Nothing," she smiled. "But you might need a maid," she stated.

"Why? Don't I have you?" he smiled teasingly.

"Ha-ha," she laughed sarcastically and followed him into Alicia's room.

"She didn't even have dinner," Mark muttered as he put the girl carefully down in her bed.

"You're underestimating my intelligence again," Meredith whispered as she sat down at the edge of the bed. "It's an expensive kindergarten so they serve dinner at 6 o'clock to all the children who are still there at that hour. I thought you knew that."

"I knew," he hissed.

Meredith giggled quietly. "Maybe you should go there more often and learn more about the environment that she spends her days in."

"Thanks, but again... that's why I have you," he smiled teasingly.

Meredith smiled, rolling her eyes. "I am going to go take a shower now."

"I will be right there," Mark flashed her a wicked smile.

"Not a chance," she whispered from the doorway and walked out quickly, closing the door as she saw him begin to stand up from Alicia's bed.

Mark stood up but gave up quickly as he hadn't settled Alicia into her bed.

"Where did she go?" Alicia mumbled sleepily right when Mark went to pick her up and take her out of her jacket.

"Who?" Mark asked, helping her to stand up.

"Meri," Alicia rubbed her eyes and looked around the dark room, worried. "Where did she go?"

"She went to take a shower," he answered, undressing her. Alicia looked up at with distrust. "Wait for her to get into the shower and then you will hear the water."

Alicia listened carefully. Indeed, a moment later she heard the water in the bathroom. She sighed with relief and looked at her father. "I have to put on my pajamas."

"Here they are," he said, finding the pajamas between her pillows. "Put them on," he told her.

"Where are you going?" she asked him as she saw him turning towards the door. "Help me," she whimpered.