The Alternative (Mark Sloan story)

Chapter 40!!!

04X11

Lay Your Hands on Me

Juliette and Mark are walking side by side with Derek leading them through the wooded trail.  Mark looks annoyed, while Juliette seems amused by his mood.

"Next time, I'm bringing coffee if we're doing this before noon." Mark said, grumbling. 

"You had coffee before we left." Juliette said, teasing him. 

"That was for waking up. This is for survival." Mark tells her. 

"You know, you're both awfully chatty for people who are supposed to be enjoying nature." Derek said, turning to look at them. 

"You dragged me out of bed for this, Derek." Mark said. "The least I can do is provide commentary." 

"You're just mad because your $300 shoes are in the dirt." Juliette said, grinning at him. 

"I am offended on behalf of these shoes, yes." Mark replied, offended. 

"Why does everything with you have to be about the destination or the wardrobe? Why can't it just be about the journey?" Derek asked him, rolling his eyes. 

"Because the journey involves bugs, dirt, and ruining perfectly good shoes." Mark replied. 

"And yet you're still here." Juliette said, snickering. 

"You seemed excited about this. Couldn't exactly let you face the wilderness alone." Mark tell her, grinning at her.

"Since when do you care about anyone's wilderness adventures?" Derek asked confused. 

"Since now, apparently." Mark said, shrugging.

"You're acting weird." Derek said, eyeing him suspiciously.  "Anyway, Meredith told me she doesn't want me seeing other people." 

"Oh." Juliette said, casually. 

"She found out about you and Rose, huh?" Mark said, grinning. 

"There's nothing to find out. It was just a kiss." Derek replied. 

"Yeah, I saw it." Juliette said, smirking at Derek. 

"Wait, what? You saw it?" Mark asked, shocked she didn't tell him. 

"Yep. Scrub room. Hard to miss." Juliette joked. 

"You weren't supposed to see that." Derek said groaning.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Mark asked, looking amused between the two joking. 

"I figured you'd hear it from Derek eventually. Plus, I wanted to see how long he'd keep it to himself." Juliette replied smirking at him. 

"You're both terrible." Derek grumbled. 

"No, this is great. I thought you were just in denial, but you're officially busted." Mark said, grinning at him. 

"Guess the "just a kiss" excuse doesn't hold up so well now, huh?" Juliette asked teasing him. 

"It was just a kiss." Derek said defending himself. 

"Sure, just a kiss. Very innocent. Nothing to see here." Mark butted in. 

"Relax, Derek. You're the one who dragged us out here." Juliette said laughing. 

They step out into a clearing with a breathtaking view of the mountains and a serene lake below. The trio pauses as the scene unfolds in front of them. 

"What do you think?" Derek asked.

"Wow. It's stunning." Juliette spoke looking around. 

"I'll admit, this is nice." Mark said.