Pre-S4

MARK OPENED HIS EYES faintly, squinting at the glistening rays of light beaming into the room. The apartment was quiet, except for the ticking clock on the nightstand. Now he understood what she meant about waking up to sheer silence-it was lonely.

Except it wasn't.

Not for her, not for them-not today.

He listened to the light snores from the person lying on his bare chest, who had one arm hugging across his abdomen. Her legs tangled with his left one under the blankets-like a dozing koala bear cuddling the trunk of a tree.

He raked the back of her hair lightly, gently-as though he had been doing it since forever.

Norah stirred on his chest, and he lifted his head from the pillow to plant a kiss on her head.

"What time is it?" she mumbled, barely awake.

He turned to look at the clock on her nightstand. "A bit after six," he replied, "I don't have to get in until eight."

Lub dub... lub dub... lub dub...

The rhythm of his heartbeat was soothing.

"We can go for another round before I have to leave," he stated, and she lifted her head from his chest, staring at the suggestive smirk on his face.

She dropped her head back on his chest. "You kept me up till two last night, Mark. I need my sleep."

"The way you say my name makes me feel things," he piped up, "Still, I like it better when you were screaming it."

She glared at him.

"I wanna stay in bed the whole day before I start my first day as a resident tomorrow," she muttered. The interns had a 17-day off before they started their second year of residency, and the two-and-a-half weeks had gone by like a blink of an eye. She suddenly shot up and stared at him. "Crap-I'm a resident tomorrow?!"

He chuckled at her sudden realisation that made her eyes widen. "Seems like you are," he grinned, sitting up on the bed.

He caught her arm before she could move out of bed and pulled her back towards him. "Come on, Laurie, I'm lying naked in your bed. How could you resist me?" he whispered.

She narrowed her eyes at him as though he was proposing a challenge. Her arms rested on either side of his shoulders as she straddled above him; her hand traced below his hair.

"Okay, don't-" he groaned, "Now you're just messing with me."

She placed a soft kiss on his lips, but when he leaned in for more, she pulled back. Tease.

"Watch me," she mumbled and got up from bed, leaving him dazzled and stupefied under the sheets.

❦ ❦ ❦

"YOU, ARE DRIVING ME insane," Mark stated as he dried his hair with a towel, walking towards the living room, where Norah was flipping through some journals.

"Gives you something to think about at work," she chuckled before asking, "Will I be given interns as a resident tomorrow?"

"I think that's how it works," he replied and dropped himself on the couch. "Don't worry. You'll be a great resident."

"Oh, I intend to be," she smirked.

Mark pulled her up from the floor and seated her on his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist and stomach while she continued flipping the journals. "You are the first person who managed to resist me, you know?" he said, snuggling his face at the side of her neck.

"You mean, do I know that I'm a hell of a challenge?" she turned her head to him, "Yes."

Before he could kiss her again, the doorbell rang.

Mark narrowed his eyes at her, and she stared back at him with a shrug. "Put on some pants," she whisper-yelled at him as she tossed the journal on the coffee table.

Reluctantly, she got up from his lap and made her way to the front door. She peeked through the peephole-her eyes widened as she snapped her head back to him. He was puzzled by her alarming face while pulling up his pair of jeans, still fumbling with its zip.

Norah opened the door slightly; the narrow gap was only wide enough for her head to peek through. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

The man at the door narrowed his eyes at her. "Geez, what a way to welcome your brother. I remember you saying that I'm fucking welcome to stay here whenever I need to?"

She looked down at the two large luggage bags behind him. Oh crap. "Yes, Tim, but-"

"Well, not to boast, but I'm starting my internship tomorrow, Nor," he stated, "So let me in-"

"Wait-stop!" she practically barked at Timothy, who was about to push open the door. He cocked a brow at her while her mind ran laps in her head. "C-Come back later!" she stammered before slamming the door shut.

Mark peered up from behind the couch, his eyebrows raised to his hairline with an alarming look on his face. "Your brother is here?" he mouthed to her with a gasp.

Before she could reply, Timothy's voice spoke again from outside. "Good morning, Dr Sloan. Mind asking my sister to let me the fuck in?"

Mark's mouth gaped open, and Norah stared back at him with the same shocking face. He stood up from his spot while she turned back to the door to unlock it with a heavy exhale. The door swung open, and Timothy stared between the two with a smirk on his face.

"Hello to you, too, sister dearest."

"You best shut your bloody snout, or I'll smash your head in. Literally," she threatened, and her brother motioned a 'zipping-mouth' gesture, then tossing the 'keys' away. "How... How did you know?"

He raised a brow at her while pulling his luggage bags into the apartment. "You have sex hair, Nor," he pointed out obviously.

"No, I mean, h-how did you know it was Mark?"

"I didn't," he shrugged, taking off his shoes, "I fucking guessed it. Either I hit jackpot, or I'll send another lad packing."

Norah looked at him, impressed; Mark, too, was surprised. "You know, I would call you crazy..." she spoke, "But I'd do the same."

"I know you would."

Norah pulled him back to his spot before he could walk away. "You are starting your internship in Seattle Grace?" she queried, and he nodded excitedly. "You wanker-you didn't even bother mentioning to me that you applied in Seattle Grace?"

"Surprise...?"

"You are the one who loves surprises. I hate them," she scowled at him, "And, you hate the West Coast."

"I'll learn to like it here," Timothy grinned at the unamused look on his sister's face before turning to the man in the living room. "Breakfast, Dr Sloan?"

Mark looked at Norah, still baffled by the whole unexpected situation. The way the siblings interacted was awe to him. Norah turned to Timothy, who had walked into the kitchen carrying a large back over his shoulder. "I didn't stock up on groceries," she informed.

Timothy lifted his head to her, unsurprised. "Well, lucky you for, I did," he stated and unzipped the bag over his shoulder. "Besides, today is your day."

Her eyes widened with joy. "Brilliant-you're the best!" she exclaimed as she walked over to the kitchen, staring at the many ingredients; vegetables, dairies, some meat, flour, noodles and so on...

Mark walked over to the kitchen curiously, but when he met with the look on Timothy's face, he was suddenly consciously aware of the fact that he was only wearing a pair of jeans. The younger man scanned the plastic surgeon head to toe while his sister crunched on an apple obliviously.

"Uh... I think I should get a shirt," Mark murmured before turning away.

❦ ❦ ❦

JOE'S BAR WAS BUZZING with the loud and vibrant nightlife, just like every other night.

The tables were full of families and friends, and the counters were more of people waiting to get picked up on. The dance floor was crowded with smiling couples while the dartboards and pool tables were occupied by youngsters.

The seat beside her got pulled out, and her coat was laid over his thigh. "Norah."

"Mark."

Joe poured a glass of scotch for him and refilled hers before leaving the two at the counter. Mark shifted his stool to the side as he slid closer to her, their arms touching each other. He clinked his glass against hers, and they both took a sip of their drink.

"We can't go to your place tonight," Mark mentioned.

"We can't," Norah shook her head, "I don't need my brother to get petrified before the first day of his internship."

He nodded as he shifted even closer to her. The tip of his fingers brushed softly through her knuckles, sending her sparks through her entire arm to her stomach. She lifted her eyes to him, only to find that his stare never left hers.

"Us, staring at each other," she pointed out, "It's quite becoming our thing, huh?"

"We can't take our eyes off each other. It's almost impossible," he stated matter-of-factly; she rolled her eyes and returned to her drink.

He stared at her, watching her as the quiet air between them shielded them from the growing crowd of cheers. His heart skipped a beat-something that he never felt before, not this overwhelmingly, at least.

"About what you said the other night," he spoke, tracing circles under her palm softly. "Are we..."

"No strings attached-you know I meant it."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, actually... It's just... I feel like there's something different... about us."

"I can't let us be a thing, Mark," she earnestly stated as she set down her glass.

"Why?"

She turned her head to him; the look on his face was eager for an answer. She saw it in his eyes, something other than lust-something she was not sure she was able to provide.

"I have severe abandonment issues," she spoke instead, "I need someone who is committed."

"I can be committed," he claimed with a small frown on his face.

"How many other people have you slept with-this month alone?" she asked back. He opened his mouth to answer but decided against it and shook his head lightly. "I need someone who is committed," she stated again.

"But is that what you want?"

Her head spun on his question, and she was silently thanking the booze for keeping it misty. "For the sake of my sanity? Yes," she sighed, "Until then, I think we're better as... friends."

If she was in any way honest to herself, even the way she blurted out the word seemed uncanny to her.

"With benefits?" he added hopefully.

She sighed. "I don't think that'll not happen between us."

He nodded, his gaze lingering on her lips.

His touch gently traced up along her arm, feeling her goosebumps rising under the tips of his fingers. His movement was painfully slow, giving her a chance to back away if that was what she wanted-but she only leaned in for more.

His foot reached under the metal of her barstool and pulled her closer to him. Her hand landed on his chest, and she could feel the fast pulse of his heart under her palm. His hand rested on the side of her neck, his face buried in the other; a trail of kisses he marked out up her skin, the last one placed on the fading scar along her jaw.

"Happy birthday, Laurie," he whispered in her ear.

"How did you-"

He cut her off by catching her lips with his; a long, sweet, passionate kiss. He pulled back, giving her one long look before placing her coat back on the stool.

No strings attached, he reminded himself, yet the strings were pulling him in a way that was blinding his thoughts. Don't fall now.

And then he left.