Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy in any shape or form. But I do own my OC.

A/N:Hopefully, you guys like this chapter! We'll see the party at Meredith's house and some more Alex/Annabelle. And don't worry, we'll see more of Annabelle with Merder soon.

Reviews:

RHatch89: Thank you!

siruslylovehp: Thank you! I'm so glad you like it! I usually have a plan as to when I'm going to write parts of the episodes, but I don't really have a schedule for actual updates because some chapters are longer than others, and I often actually don't find the time to write when I want to anyway because of different things happening in my life. However, I'm definitely gonna try to update more regularly. And I kind of agree, though I think Bailey was harsh for the right reason. I mean, Izzie came out stronger in the end, and it's Bailey's job to teach her interns how to handle certain situations. This was one of them.

Jackiiiieeee111: Thank you! I promise, you will see more of those three soon enough. I'm actually planning a pretty serious scene between Meredith and Annabelle for one of the earlier episodes in season 2, and you will definitely get to see Annabelle with Merder soon enough. And I guarantee most of that will be very entertaining :D

Ceruleanrainblues: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it! You will definitely see more of Meredith and Annabelle, particularly in season 2. And yes, Annabelle is definitely a Merder shipper (though that might be a bit rocky in season 2). I agree, Alex definitely deserves love. And I will definitely make the final pairing slow - there will be sex with other people, there might be sex with that person before an actual relationship starts, there might be friendship first and then a relationship, etc. I'm a strong believer in slow growth and development when it comes to stories, so you definitely don't have to be worried about anything serious happening too fast. Though I don't think we'll see Viper again (which I do regret because I've always loved him, too) :( However, I hope you like what I have in store for Annabelle relationship-wise.

Operations. Temptations. Frustrations.

Chapter 5

Shake Your Groove Thing

Remember when you were a kid and your biggest worry was, like, if you'd get a bike for your birthday or if you'd get to eat cookies for breakfast? Being an adult - totally overrated. I mean, seriously, don't be fooled by all the hot shoes and the great sex and the no parents anywhere telling you what to do. Adulthood is responsibility.

"Hey, have any of you seen my sister?" Annabelle asked her fellow interns as she pulled her scrub top on over her head, smoothing it out quickly before turning around to place her clothes in her locker, her hair not getting in her face for once as it rested in a braided pony tail.

"I thought she was supposed to be meeting us here," Izzie replied as she and George looked over at the brunette, confused.

Responsibility - it really does suck.

"She was but she's still nowhere to be found and she's not answering any of my calls," Annabelle said, her words coming out faster and faster in frustration. "She's gonna miss rounds!"

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," George tried to comfort her as they all closed their lockers, hanging their stethoscopes around their necks.

"Yeah, I mean, she's getting a shot at a freaking heart surgery today. There's no way she's gonna miss that," Izzie added, before sighing and tilting her head backwards as she placed her hands on her neck, closing her eyes briefly, "God, I can barely keep my eyes open," she groaned softly.

Really, really sucks. Adults have to be places and do things and earn a living and pay the rent. And if you're training to be a surgeon, holding a human heart in your hands - hello! Talk about responsibility! Kind of makes bikes and cookies look really, really good, doesn't it?

"I wish I could hold a heart," George said two hours later with his mouth full as he, Annabelle and Cristina sat in the gallery and watched Meredith place the patient's heart back in her chest, apples in their hands.

"A monkey could hold a heart," Cristina said, dryly.

"You're just mad Burke didn't ask you," Annabelle said teasingly, turning her head to look at the Asian woman with a smirk on her lips, "Okay, I got to go. I'm with Karev today," she said, groaning in distaste at the thought of the young man as she stood up, stretching.

"Have fun," Cristina said, and Annabelle turned her body to look down at her, a fake sweet smile on her face.

"Bite me," she retorted, before heading for the door, nearly bumping into Izzie on her way out.

"Hey," the blonde smiled, and Annabelle returned it hastily as she passed her.

"Hey," she replied, before heading out the door as Izzie's eyes fell on George.

"George. I need more ice and chips," she said, making both George and Cristina look at her, George's eyes wide.

"Who else did you invite?" he asked, his tone near incredulous.

"Izzie, we said the list was jocks only - surgery, trauma, plastics," Cristina said. "Who else?"

"Just some people from peds," Izzie replied, shrugging nonchalantly as Cristina rolled her eyes.

"You invited the preschoolers to Meredith's house, God, next thing, you'll say that you invited the shrinks," she commented in annoyance, but froze as Izzie looked away, licking her lips. "She invited mental defects. This party is D.O.A.,"

"You know, Meredith and Annabelle think this is gonna be just like a little, small, meet-your-boyfriend cocktail thing, did you clear this with them?" George asked as Izzie sipped her tea.

"No, but I will," she replied, before turning her head, noticing George and Cristina's stares on her. "I promise!"

The scariest part about responsibility? When you screw up, and let it slip right through your fingers.

"How long has your back been hurting you?" Annabelle asked the patient as she, Alex and Derek all stood in the patient's room. The patient, a middle-aged man, was lying on his side in his bed, groaning in pain. Alex was currently examining him, Annabelle was quickly writing down everything the patient told them in his chart, and Derek was flipping through his notes.

"It's chronic," the man answered, breathing heavily in pain, "Means I have it all the time," he clarified, turning his head to look at Alex.

"I know what 'chronic' means," Alex said, annoyed, as Annabelle and Derek smirked lightly.

"What kind of pain are you having?" Annabelle asked after licking her lips to get rid of the small smile.

"Oh, man, the pain's bad, it's like... a thousand samurai warriors stabbing their swords into my spine," the man groaned again. "I'm allergic to aspirin, most NSAIDs,"

"So maybe we'll start you on morphine," Alex suggested, turning his head to look at Dr. Shepherd, who was now examining the patient himself, while the patient shook his head.

"No. The only things that will work are, uh, damerol or dilaudid. A ton of dilaudid - that will set me straight," he said, while Annabelle and Derek's eyes fell on his right arm, which had very obvious small bruises from needle punctures all over, making it very clear how the man was managing his pain.

"The standard starting dose is two," Alex informed him.

"Did you see the Tom Cruise samurai movie, hmm? Pow, pow, pow!" the man said, attempting to punch the air and demonstrate, only to stop and place his hand on his back in pain again.

"Exaggerated and overly specific description of his pain," Annabelle began to list as she, Alex and Derek left the patient's room.

"Yeah, and a self-prescription, 'pow, pow, pow'?" Alex cut in as they all stopped in the hallway. "He's a dilaudid junkie,"

"So what do you do?" Derek asked, adding a few notes to the patient's chart.

"Well, you, you check the database for you history, refer to a program and discharge," Alex said as Annabelle eyed him, annoyed. If there was one thing she did not appreciate, it was being cut off.

"After you give him something," Derek said, closing the chart and handing it back to Annabelle.

"That's exactly what he wants," Alex noted, looking at the attending in disbelief.

"Junkie or not, you still have to treat his pain as if it were real," Derek explained before quickly checking his pager as it beeped.

"Why?"

"It's the first rule in pain management, genius - always err on the side of caution," Annabelle said, making Alex give her an annoyed look as Derek nodded.

"Exactly. He's in our care, he says he's in pain. Start a central line, his veins are shot," he ordered, and Annabelle nodded as Derek walked away, already making a call to someone.

"Oh, stop looking like that," Annabelle commented, noticing the annoyed and disbelieving look on Alex's face.

"Are you serious? We're about to give a junkie all the drugs he wants so that he can get all high and merry," he said, his voice rising in annoyance.

"Yes, I realize that," Annabelle said slowly.

"Then why the hell are you listening to him?" Alex asked, his voice rising.

"Because he's my boss! He's our boss. So how about you do what you're told and not mess this up because I really don't feel like losing my job today!" she rose her voice, nearly shouting as she slammed the chart into his hands before walking down the hallway, needing a second to cool off so that she wouldn't let her anger get the best of her. Usually, she had no problem controlling it, but that Karev guy just really ticked her off for some reason, and she couldn't figure out why.

"Did you start that central line yet?" Annabelle asked Alex a while later as she found him in one of the research rooms, sitting in front of a computer.

"No,"

"What do you mean, 'no'?" she gritted out through her teeth, entering the room fully to stand right behind him. Alex opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by another voice from the doorway.

"When I tell you to start a central line, you start a central line - no judgement, no question," Derek said, his voice showing how angry he was with the interns.

"The guy's been in seven hospitals in the last four months, he's a major addict," Alex said, pointing at the computer screen where the patient's file and history were shown.

"The patient has a three-lumbar fusion,"

"He's a junkie," Alex pressed. "I mean, we shouldn't be giving him-"

"Yeah. He's an addict," Derek cut him off. "But his pain is real. Now lose the attitude, get down there, start a central line,"

"Let's go," Annabelle growled, grabbing Alex's arm roughly and pulling him off the chair, dragging him out the door, "You are serious pushing it," she said as she dragged him down the hallway.

"He's a junkie! He's a dog whom we're about to feed a full-meat stake!" Alex said loudly, pulling his arm out of her grip, effectively pulling them both to a stop. "So why are you getting so worked up about this?!"

"I'm getting worked up about this because you are walking on thin ice here and you're pulling me with you! It doesn't take a genius to figure out that your attitude's been your undoing before but it's definitely not going to be mine, you got it?" she growled, stepping closer to look him in the eye. They stared each other down for a few seconds, neither one willing to waver, before Alex finally nodded, "Good. Now let's go and get that central line started, okay?" Annabelle said, before heading down the hallway, leaving Alex to follow her.

Once they reached the patient's room, they quickly got to work, working efficiently and quietly. The man soon relaxed, the pain easing as the medicine kicked in, and the two doctors were now in the room only to check his vitals. The patient put his arms behind his head and relaxed, watching them work before concentrating on the pensive look on Alex's face as he made sure the central line was stable.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" the man finally asked, and Annabelle turned around sharply from where she was checking his monitors, looking at Alex and silently begging him to not make their situation with their attending worse by saying something stupid to their patient.

"Oh, Jerry, it's not you specifically, it's just, uh, it's just people like you, that's all," Alex replied, just as Derek entered the room.

"Doc! I'm feeling pretty good," Jerry smiled, and Derek returned it. "Pain's... about a 3,"

"A 3? That's excellent. Mr. Frost, I'm glad we could help you out, as well as County, Mercy West, Seattle Pres., a lot of people have helped you out lately, Jerry. We're pleased we could do our part," Derek said, before turning his head to look at his interns. "Who's on discharge today, Dr. Grey?

"Uh, Izzie Stevens," Annabelle replied, looking up from the chart she and Alex were filling out.

"Mr. Frost, Dr. Stevens is gonna come in and discharge you,"

"Whoa, you can't discharge me," Jerry suddenly sat up, his eyes alarmed. "I'm in pain,"

"You were in pain, now you're not," Derek said. "Dr. Karev and Dr. Grey here are going to recommend some wonderful treatment programs for you. Go home. Get some help,"

"You can't just do that!" Jerry yelled as Derek walked out of the room.

"He just did, my friend," Annabelle said, before looking at Alex and raising her eyebrows in a 'see?' motion, making Alex smile the smallest of smiles as he looked at the patient. Maybe they weren't feeding a dog a full-meat stake, after all.

"You page me?" George asked Izzie as he walked up to her once he arrived in the lobby.

"I'm gonna be a while, do you think you could get home to sign for the beer?" the blonde replied, looking up briefly from her discharging papers.

"Why don't you have your boyfriend sign for it?" Alex suddenly spoke up, making the two other interns realize he was sitting in the office right in front of them, looking up at Izzie with a sarcastic smile through the window.

"You have a very annoying way of sneaking up on people," Izzie said as Alex rolled out of the office on his chair, looking up at her mockingly. "Maybe if you were a little less creepy..."

"I wouldn't come anyway. I hate big parties,"

"Are Meredith and Annabelle the only people in this hospital who don't know the size of this thing?" George asked, looking at Izzie pointedly and following her as she began to walk away.

"I'm telling them," the blonde sighed.

"You can't, Meredith's gone already," Cristina spoke up from where she was sitting by the computer a few feet away from them.

"What? Already?" Izzie stopped in her tracks, looking at Cristina with wide eyes.

"I think she had - um, excuse me - an errand to run," Cristina elaborated, pushing past George and beginning to walk away.

"Wait, what about Anna?!" Izzie called after her, but sighed as she only saw the Asian woman shrug, "You don't think they're really gonna mind about the party, right?" she then asked George a little nervously after clearing her throat.

"I want you to make it very clear to them that I had nothing to do with this party - nothing," George simply replied, looking at Izzie sternly as she raised her eyebrows.

"You can't discharge a man in pain!" Jerry cried as a nurse wheeled him out of his room, Alex, Izzie and Annabelle all walking alongside him.

"I'm sorry, Jerry," Alex replied, just barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes.

"Ow! You're hurting me," the patient cried out again as Alex pushed him back into his wheelchair after he tried to get up.

"You're the one who's making it more difficult, stop resisting," Annabelle said, raising her voice so that it could be heard over his cries.

"Just give me the hit of demerol, give me the hit of demerol," Jerry tried to plead with Annabelle and Alex, the latter walking backwards as they made their way down the hallway to ensure that Jerry wouldn't try to get out of the wheelchair again.

"The dilaudid hasn't worn off yet," Alex said loudly in annoyance as the man continued to plead with him.

"Mr. Frost, you have to-"

"Look, I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving! No!" Jerry cut Izzie off, shaking his head rapidly.

"Okay, that's it. I'm calling psych," Annabelle spoke up, turning around to head for the telephone.

"No, no, don't call psych!" Jerry yelled, pushing himself off the wheelchair before Alex, Izzie or the nurse could stop him and shoving past the blonde, "Don't call psych!" he called again, grabbing onto Annabelle shoulders before she could react and slamming her into the opposite wall, then quickly running down the hallway before the nurse or Alex could reach him.

"Anna!" Izzie quickly rushed to her friend's side as Alex and the nurse chased after Jerry, "Hey. You okay?" the blonde asked worriedly as Annabelle groaned quietly, pushing herself off the wall.

"Yeah," she replied, rubbing her shoulder with a grimace. Oh, this is so gonna leave a bruise, "Let's go," she said, not giving Izzie a chance to respond before chasing after Alex, the nurse, and Jerry, rounding the corner just in time to see Jerry trip as he shoved past a nurse and fall to the floor, hard. Izzie gasped, stopping in her tracks as Alex and Annabelle both quickly rushed to their patient's side, the former pulling out his flashlight.

"Jerry," Annabelle gently shook the man's shoulder as she and Alex knelt beside him. "Jerry!"

"Concussion?" Izzie asked from over Annabelle's shoulder, having walked up to them seconds earlier, and Alex quickly held Jerry's eyelids open, shining his flashlight directly into them.

"He's blown his left pupil," he informed his fellow interns, "Page Shepherd. We gotta get him down to C.T.," he instructed, and Izzie immediately left, moving down the hallway quickly, "You okay?" Alex suddenly asked, and Annabelle looked up at him, taking a second to understand what he was talking about before the pain in her shoulder made itself apparent once again.

"I'm fine," she replied smoothly, though she didn't miss the concerned look that Alex shot her.

"That was one hard fall," Derek commented as he put up Jerry's C.T. scans so that the three interns could view them easily. "What do you see?"

"Subdural bleed," Annabelle answered after a few seconds.

"With midline shift," Alex added, nodding.

"We have to evacuate this now," Derek said after nodding, "Anywhere else you have to be, Dr. Stevens, or are you in?" he asked the blonde while grabbing the telephone to call the O.R.

"Brain surgery?" Izzie replied. "Are you kidding me?"

"That's what I thought,"

"See it?" Derek asked the three interns as the stood in the O.R., all looking at Jerry's now out-in-the-open brain.

"Yeah, it's hard to miss," Annabelle commented, staring at the bleed through the microscope lenses.

"Little more than he bargained for,"

"Maybe he's lucky," Alex spoke up, making Annabelle and Izzie both look at him curiously. "Maybe this is his way out of the hole,"

"The hole?" Annabelle repeated, though her voice held no mocking. Only pure curiosity.

"Interesting expression," Derek commented.

"My father was into smack pretty heavy. He was a musician," Alex continued after glancing at the other surgeons briefly, "It's tolerated in his line of work. Not good for the family at home," he said, and Annabelle couldn't help but look over at him. She didn't want to, mainly because she knew what it's like to receive pity stares and it honestly sucked, but she just couldn't help it. Though her eyes held no pity. Rather, intrigue. Maybe Alex Karev wasn't as much of a dick as he made himself out to be. Maybe he acted that way to make getting through life easier. Maybe there was more to him.

"Can you guys see him through recovery?" Derek asked as he and the three interns scrubbed their hands int he scrub room after the surgery.

"Yeah, I'll take it," Alex said as Derek dried his hands with a towel.

"I'll stay, too," Annabelle added, nodding at Derek.

"No, I can do it," Izzie spoke up.

"That's okay, Stevens," Alex said.

"No, he's my patient now, too," Izzie protested, and Annabelle finally sighed, turning off the tap and reaching for a towel.

"Izzie," she spoke up, making sure to look Izzie in the eye. "Go,"

"We got it. See your hockey player, I'm serious," Alex said, also turning off the tap and walking over to the cabinet to grab himself a towel.

"Yeah, okay," Izzie finally nodded. "I guess. Thanks, guys,"

"You should go, too. I got this," Alex said, turning his head to look at Annabelle.

"No, that's fine, I can stay," the brunette shook her head.

"I'm serious,"

"So am I!" she said loudly, unable to stop herself as a chuckle escaped her lips. "This thing at the house is just a small get-together, meet-your-boyfriend little thing. They'll be fine without me,"

"Wait, Anna!" Izzie suddenly spoke up, and Annabelle stopped by the door and turned around to face her, raising an eyebrow when she saw Alex shoot Izzie a look.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing," the blonde finally shook her head after a few seconds of silence. "Nothing, never mind,"

"O-kay," Annabelle looked at her weirdly, but nodded nonetheless before turning back around and opening the door. "I'll see you at home,"

"Yeah... See ya,"

"Damn it," Annabelle suddenly cursed as she fixed her navy shirt with 3/4 sleves and a v-neckline in the locker room, already in her jeans and ready to leave the hospital.

"What is it?" Alex asked, looking up at her from where he was sitting on the bench a few feet away from her, putting on his shoes.

"I didn't drive today. Izzie did," she said, before groaning as she shoved her scrubs into her locker. "Great. I guess I'm gonna crash in an on-call room for the night,"

"I can drop you off," Alex suggested, and Annabelle turned around to look at him in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's on my way, anyway," he shrugged it off like it was no big deal, and Annabelle was quiet for a few seconds before finally nodding, offering him a small smile.

"Okay. Thanks,"

"No problem," he shrugged, quickly pulling on his jacket as Annabelle grabbed her purse, "Come on," they headed out of the hospital and into the parking lot, both quiet though strangely not uncomfortable. Once they reached Alex's car, Annabelle got into the passenger's seat and put on her seat belt before they were off. They both remained quiet throughout the ride, though, once again, it was a comfortable silence that neither really minded. That is, until they reached Annabelle's house.

"What the..." she trailed off, her eyes wide at the sound of music blasting loudly through the speakers and the sight of drunk people stumbling in and out of her house, "Izzie, I'm gonna kill you," she growled, suddenly realizing that the whole get-together meet-the-boyfriend little thing wasn't so little after all. Annabelle shook her head before quickly unbuckling her seat belt and jumping out of the car before it was fully stopped, making Alex slam on the brakes.

"Whoa, hold on a second!" he called after her, but it was done in vain as Annabelle was already shoving past multiple drunk people, heading towards her house. Alex cursed quietly before turning off the engine and jumping out of his car, following her into the house, "Annabelle!" he called, running to catch up with the brunette as she made her way into the house, continuously stumbling past all the drunk people - which, in total, there must have been at least 150 of them, if not more, "Hey!" Alex called again, finally catching up to her as she stopped in her tracks and stared at something ahead of her in disbelief. And once Alex saw it too, he understood why.

Right in front of them were Cristina and George, sitting on the floor, playing cards, both drunk off their asses, George almost naked minus the boxers.

"There you are!" Cristina cheered, somehow managing to stand up and walk over to the two without tripping over her own feet.

"What the actual hell is going on here?!" Annabelle asked loudly over the music.

"It wasn't my idea!" George quickly yelled, but Annabelle could only stare in disbelief. "She made me do it!"

"Where is Izzie?!" Annabelle asked again after shaking her head, her eyes on Cristina, who could only shrug before walking past her, probably to get herself more tequila as Annabelle eyed the countless empty bottles. However, she quickly turned around once she heard the Asian woman's yells, only to see her now on her coffee table, dancing with two guys Annabelle saw maybe once in the hospital.

"Screw it," she finally breathed out, shaking her head as she watched Cristina. She then turned to Alex. "Feel like getting drunk tonight?"

It happened pretty quickly. One glass turned into one bottle, which turned into three bottles and it took only an hour for the two to get quite drunk. Though Annabelle seemed to be more sober of the two, surprisingly.

"How are you not on your ass yet?" Alex asked finally, looking at her incredulously. They were both sitting in the kitchen, which they found was the least crowded place.

"I have a very high tolerance," Annabelle said, dragging out a few vowels as Alex grinned at her, "You know what? I don't get it. I just don't get it. We're adults. We're doctors. We're freaking surgeons. And yet here we are, drunk off our asses, partying like high schoolers... and I'm still miserable," she shook her head, the look on her face reminding Alex of someone trying to make solve a great mystery. "How does that happen? Huh? I mean... I'm miserable at my own party!" she exclaimed, her voice a tad louder than she actually intended it to be, "I don't even know how to be fun anymore. And I used to be really fun. A lot fun," she pouted before taking another swig of tequila.

"You know... you can stop being miserable pretty easily," Alex said after a second, leaning closer so that their noses were almost touching. His face was decorated with a sexy grin, and it didn't take long for Annabelle to return it.

And that was all it took. In a matter of seconds, his lips were on hers, and she found herself sitting on the counter, with his hands roaming up and down her body. As he took his lips off hers to trail them down her neck, she fumbled with his shirt before pulling it off him, Alex helping her get her own shirt out of the way only a second later. And just like that, the party somehow seemed a lot more fun.

"When's your meeting with the chief?" George asked Meredith as he handed her a cup of coffee, sitting down on the couch as she sat up on the floor tiredly.

"In an hour," she replied, leaning her back against the couch.

"Holy mother of destruction," a voice suddenly breathed out from the doorway, and the two looked up, only to see Izzie looking around with wide eyes. And rightfully so. The entire house was a mess. Popcorn, chips, basically every food you could think of was lying on the floor in almost every room, empty cups, glasses and bottles were lying around in every room...

"You missed doctor-palooza," Meredith commented dryly.

"Apparently, you didn't," Izzie said, taking off her shoes and walking over to sit on the couch beside George.

"I should probably never speak to you again,"

"I'm so sorry, Meredith," Izzie sighed, her eyes apologetic. "I had not idea it was gonna get so..."

"It's okay," Meredith said lightly. "Really, I don't care. What would I be doing, anyway?"

"Preparing for your career-altering meeting," George snorted, his eyes still closed as she leaned against the back of the couch. "Sorry,"

"That heart wall shouldn't have torn," Meredith said, her voice grim.

"Anything in the patient's history?" Izzie asked, leaning over to grab an open beet bottle and bringing it up to her lips.

"Husband said she was in the best shape of her life," Meredith replied. "She lost 100 pounds last year,"

"100 pounds in a year - how's her muscle mass?" Izzie asked after raising her brows in surprise, taking another swig of the beer.

"Do you even know whose that was?" George suddenly asked, looking at the beer bottle in Izzie's hand in disgust.

"I'm hoping it was yours,"

"No,"

Suddenly, all three looked up as they heard someone come down the stairs, and Izzie immediately stood up. placing the beer bottle down on the coffee table.

"Anna, I am so sor..." she trailed off, and her eyes widened as she saw the all-too-familiar figure making its way downstairs.

"Hey," Alex greeted nonchalantly, barely glancing at her, shrugging on his jacket as he reached the bottom of the stairs, before stopping and turning around to look at her, "Cool party," he complemented, before making his way out the door as Izzie only continued to stare with wide eyes before finally sobering up enough to make her way back into the living room.

"Was that-"

"Uh-huh," Izzie nodded, cutting George off, her eyes still wide.

"Hey," a familiar voice suddenly came from the bottom of the stairs, and they all turned, only to see Annabelle, still wearing her clothes from the day before as if nothing ever happened. Unfortunately for her, her hair told a different story. "What?"

"What do you think?" Izzie asked Annabelle, George and Cristina as they all waited in the corridor a few feet from the Chief's office.

"$50 says Meredith gets tossed out on her ass and Burke walks away clean," Cristina spoke up as she eyed the door to the Chief's office, making Annabelle shoot her a glare.

"Do you mind? This is my sister we're talking about,"

"Please be nice to her," George added.

"So..." Izzie started, looking at Annabelle with raised eyebrows.

"What?" the brunette raised her own eyebrows.

"You and Alex..."

"Yes...?"

"You..."

"Slept together?" Annabelle filled in, just barely stopping herself from laughing. "Yes,"

"Wait, you... you and Evil Spawn?" Cristina looked at her with wide eyes, laughter making its way out of her mouth very quickly.

"Oh, cut me some slack, I was drunk," Annabelle rolled her eyes as Cristina continued to laugh.

Responsibility - it really does suck.

"Meredith. You okay?" they suddenly heard Derek's voice and turned their heads, only to see Meredith coming out of the Chief's office.

"Yeah. One-month probation," the blonde replied, and Annabelle immediately sighed in relief.

"Good. That's good," Derek chuckled, quickly yet affectionately touching Meredith's arm before turning around to walk away as Meredith walked up to her fellow interns.

"Burke saved my ass in there,"

"Don't you all have something better to do?" Dr. Bailey suddenly asked from behind them, making Annabelle jump as she turned around. "Come on, people, move!"

Unfortunately, once you get past the age of braces and training bras, responsibility doesn't go away. It can't be avoided. Either someone makes us face it, or we suffer the consequences. And still, adulthood has its perks. I mean, the shoes, the sex, the no parents anywhere telling you what to do... That's pretty damn good.

A/N: Well, that was the end of Shake Your Groove Thing. I hope you all liked Alex/Annabelle in this story, even though Annabelle got a bit angry at Alex in the beginning. Just because she's seeing more good in Alex than most people do doesn't mean that Annabelle's going to go easy on him when he deserves a kick in the ass. Next chapter's where Bailey makes Derek and Meredith's lives hell because of their sort-of-relationship and If Tomorrow Never Comes. It'll be an awesome episode where Annabelle finally gets to be a little more involved in the Merder drama, as well as gets to connect more with Alex.

Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter. I thought that the interns wouldn't really make much of a big deal about Annabelle sleeping with Alex (minus, of course, Cristina enjoying it immensely). I just think George and Izzie would both be a little shocked - one more than the other - and a little disgusted - one more than the other. And Meredith wouldn't really care seeing as one, she was hungover, and two, she knows her sister. I was really tempted to write what happened when Alex and Annabelle woke up, but I decided that that would be a little too touchy-feely for just a one-night stand and I didn't want that.

See you next time!