All I Want Is This

37

Mark ran to the porch, hurrying to shield from the pouring, chill rain.

"Damn rain. Damn Seattle." he muttered under his breath while shaking the rain off his jacket.

Though he had a life here in Seattle now, Mark still didn't get used to its rainy weather, no matter how warm his life had turned in the past months in this sun-deprived city.

As he ran his fingers through his hair and looked out at the door, Mark forgot about the rain and all the things he hated about Seattle. He could never hold back a smile as he came home in the evening and stopped in front of the door. He grabbed the door handle and hurried inside, anxious to see his little girl and his pregnant fiancé. His day had been successful at work today, even amazing, and he wanted to talk about it with his girls, with Meredith in particularly as Alicia wouldn't understand a word.

Mark made a step inside only when he heard his daughter's whimper as she ran to him, calling him desperately, "Daddy! Daddy!"

Alicia tripped over so she stopped to kick off the slipper and pull up her pajamas pants before she picked up her run to her father.

Mark's heart skipped as he saw the serious worry on Alicia's face. He closed the door and knelt down, receiving his girl. Alicia stopped straight into his arms and cuddled there with her new best friend in her arms, a stuffed chipmunk.

"What's wrong, Ally?" Mark asked her, tucking her hair behind the ears.

Alicia pulled back to be able to look at him and sniffed as she frowned. "Mommy's upset."

"What?" Mark asked her, confused. Just then, as he looked up and listened, he heard some muffled shouts coming from upstairs.

"Why is she upset?" he asked Alicia, already standing up and ready to go and check on Meredith.

Alicia held on his hand as she tried to keep up the pace with him. Doughnut came to greet him, but Mark just hissed at him, so the dog whimpered apologetically and stepped aside.

"You know what?" they heard Meredith yelling at someone. "There ain't going to be any wedding!" then the sound of a slammed door was heard.

"Now there's no need for you to snap at me, Meredith!" Izzie seemed to be the one who had a fight with Meredith. "It wasn't me who pushed the wedding date so many times."

"Daddy," Alicia whispered as she looked up at her father as if he could explain what was happening.

Mark wasn't sure what all was about, but he could make an idea, besides, whatever was going wrong, was upsetting Meredith seriously. Hearing her calling the wedding off was as serious matter. He bent down to Alicia and smiled reassuringly. "Why don't you go play with Doughnut?"

Alicia looked worried at him. "And Mommy?"

"I will take care of her. Don't worry," Mark reassured her and spun her around, urging her to go and do something else; just not to assist to what was coming next.

He angrily climbed up the stairs and found his mother in front of the bathroom door, trying to convince Meredith to come outside. Until he reached upstairs, Izzie had left into their bedroom, where probably Derek's sister and mother were too.

Their wedding was now 4 days ahead and the preparations were supposed to get to the end. Some of the guests were due to arrive to Seattle in the following days, but at Meredith's plea, they were going to sleep over at Archfield. As far as he knew, today was the day when Meredith was supposed to receive her dress, so Mark could easily take a guess on what the issue was.

"Go and do something else," Mark said dryly to his mother as he grabbed the door handle.

Crystal didn't argue and stepped back, letting Mark calm Meredith down. As he tried to open the door, Mark found it locked.