Catalyst

Chapter 1

I have no interest in Grey's Anatomy and my use of the characters is done without consent. No copyright infringement intended.

It rained on the day she first landed in Seattle. Cold. Wet torrential rain. The city, she thought, never disappointed her. All she ever heard prior to coming here was how wet and miserable Seattle's weather was. It never deterred her. In fact nothing ever deterred her once she had her mind made up. She was a knowledge junkie, a girl who would go anywhere to gain the knowledge she seeks. That thirst for knowledge had taken her to many places but was never quenched. And so, armed with three degrees from three different universities she arrived at what she believes would be her final stop, Seattle Grace Hospital.

For a girl born and raised in the tropical climate of Southern California, Seattle seemed way out of place. She didn't care. She didn't follow any established paths. She blazed her own trail. Have been blazing trails since she was a preschooler. The youngest in every class, the smartest, the valedictorian, the one voted most likely to succeed. These were all accomplishments that made her parents proud and her peers jealous. The drawback to being smart however, was loneliness. She was never very close with anyone. She made a few friends but were never quite sure if people befriended her for herself or because she was known as the smart kid. Teachers loved her. Every single teacher she's had from kindergarten to her professors in college praised her respect of authority and her work ethic. They all wished all their students were more like her. They offered her no challenge, she learned for the sake of learning and excelled because she loved to. No one could have predicted that in Seattle she would meet a teacher so different from the others. A teacher who would push her and challenge her and force her to not just think but to feel. To open her eyes to all of life's possibilities no matter how scary they may be. Med. school taught her theory. He would teach her about life.

That rainy day in Seattle was not her first visit but her third. She had visited the city on two other occasions to finalize her acceptance into the Surgical Internship Program and to find a place to live. On both those previous visits her mother accompanied her. This time around she was alone, no family, no friends, no past in this city, nothing but the promise of a bright future, a new canvas on which to paint the story of her life. That was one of her reasons for choosing Seattle over all the other hospitals quick to offer her an internship. She had choices, but Seattle had history. After all, this was the hospital where the famous Ellis Grey practiced her craft, the place where one of the world's most renown cardiothoracic Surgeons calls home. Seattle represented an opportunity to be among the best and the brightest Medical school graduates in the country. A place where she could lay down roots and make new friends. A place where she could be one of the, instead of, the brightest. Fitting in was on her agenda this time around. She'd done the loner thing and it served its purpose. Now she was ready to build relationships and cultivate friendships, but for her it would not be easy. Years of constructing a protective wall around herself would not be easily forgotten.

It's raining again today. The mixer to welcome the new interns to Seattle Grace was in full swing. From her vantage point across the room she could see all the action. This is definitely not where she wanted to be. Hob knobbing with the medical fraternity was not exactly her idea of having a good time. She would much prefer to be in an operating room experiencing an actual surgery. After all that was the primary reason she was in Seattle. Her attention was drawn to one corner of the room where a man was standing talking to a woman. Nothing unusual about that, except the man seemed vaguely familiar. He was impeccably dressed, tall, and though she couldn't see his face clearly, she was sure that he was good looking. At one point the chief of surgery came along, took the man aside and they appeared to be in deep conversation. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice that she was no longer alone until she heard the voice.

"Gives new meaning to the phrase tall dark and handsome doesn't he?"

She turned around, surprised to see a fellow new intern standing next to her smiling. The girl stretched forward her hand and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Meredith."

She took the other girl's hand tentatively and answered. "I'm Cristina."

"So where are you from Cristina?"

She looked at the other girl curiously before answering. "California. How about you?"

"I actually lived here as a child but moved away for a while. I've just moved back."

"So, who's the guy?"

Meredith looked at her curiously, "What guy?"

"Mr. Tall dark and handsome."

Meredith turned to face her with a surprised look on her face. "You really don't know! Where were you during the introductions?"

"I went for a walk." She answered, not wanting the other intern to know that she was not feeling well. " It's a bit stuffy in here."

Meredith's tone changed, she sounded more serious. "That guy is someone who could possibly play a big part in the success of our internship here. He is extremely good at his work, but from what I hear, you don't want to be an intern in his OR. He is very tough on interns and is not above embarrassing you in front of everyone."

That bit of information did not scare Cristina, in fact it pleased her. She admires arrogance, especially in people who can back up that arrogance with fact. "You still didn't tell me who he is."

"That is Preston Burke, he is the . . . "

"The Preston Burke?" Cristina asked excitedly, "I can't believe this. He is the one person here That I would like to meet. I can't believe I missed the opportunity. I probably read every article written about him."

"You read articles about him?"

"I read medical journals, don't you? Besides, I did my own research on this hospital before coming here."

"I guess being from around here, I already knew the history so I didn't have to read about it."

Both girls got silent. Each caught up in their own thoughts. Meredith was the first to break the silence.

"There's a bar across the street, wanna go for a drink?"

Cristina thought about the other girl's proposal then shook her head. "No, I think I'll be leaving soon."

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow."

With that Meredith left but half way across the room she turned around and shouted to Cristina. "I'm glad I met you Cristina. I think we're going to be good friends."

Cristina smiled, she liked Meredith instantly. She was friendly and easy to talk to and did not put on any false airs.

With Meredith gone, Cristina turned her attention to the corner of the room where Preston Burke was speaking with the chief. The Chief was no longer there but the good doctor was now sitting down talking to the same woman he was speaking with before. She wanted to go over and introduce herself but she didn't want to interrupt. She wondered if the woman was a doctor at the hospital as well. If that was the case, the woman may not be offended by a new intern coming over to introduce herself. From where he sat Cristina had a much better view of Dr. Burke's face. He is handsome, she thought. None of the pictures of him she had seen did him any justice. He was much better looking in person, chiseled with a cleft in his chin and those very intense dark eyes. He could be the poster boy on GQ Magazine. She shook her head. This is not what she was here for. She didn't care how good looking he was. The part of his anatomy that interests her was his brain. His knowledge. She would give anything to watch him work, learn from him. He was the best and she wanted to be the best.

In a split second her mind was made up. She would go over and introduce herself. Gradually edging closer, she was like a tigress waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on her prey. Tissue in hand. She removed the chewing gum from her mouth and moves closer. Dr. Burke realizing that someone had invaded his space, looked up and for a split second their eyes met. Something about him unnerved her and she became nervous. The introduction was surreal. He treated her like an imposter and she babbled on about some procedure he performed. In the middle of her babbling he turned and whispered something to his companion. They both looked at her with what could only be described as disdain. His only words to her were "yes, thank you." In reference to her compliments about the procedure he preformed. How it was possible for anyone to make the words thank you, sound like an insult was beyond her. But he did. Nothing prepared her for that kind of reaction and in that moment, she hated him. His female companion was no better, maybe she was his wife or his girlfriend but whoever she was, she was not pleased with Cristina's interruption. The look on her face was more telling than any words she might have said.

Ordinarily, she would not allow anyone to treat her that way and get away with it. She would have been just as insulting as they were. Instead she swallowed her pride. This was not an ordinary situation, this was Seattle Grace, she was a new intern and in a few days he would be her boss. Just thinking about him being her superior was enough to make her sick. The headache she felt coming on earlier was now full blown and suddenly Meredith's invitation to the bar seemed more appealing. She headed across the street with the intention of finding her new friend but when she got there, Meredith was nowhere in sight. Sitting on a stool at the bar, she took inventory of her surroundings. The place was almost deserted and aside from the friendly bartender who introduced himself as Joe, there were very few patrons around. She ordered a drink and sat for a while just staring at it but not drinking. Joe came over and ask if everything was okay and to avoid being dragged into a conversation with him, she started to drink. She hated conversations with bar tenders. In her eyes they pretended to be amateur-psychologist, prying into other peoples business. Finishing her drink, she ordered another and then another. Before long she had finished three.

Joe, concerned for the newcomer sitting at his bar approached her again, and asked "Is everything okay"

She glared at him. "If you're trying to pick me up, you're wasting your time."

Joe laughed, he had never been accused of trying to pick up one of his customers before, especially one of the female persuasion. "Trust me. You're not my type. I just wanted to know if you'd like me to call you a cab."

"Thank you but I don't need a cab, My ride's across the street."

Joe understood. "Oh, so you work at the hospital, you must be new, are you a nurse?"

She glared at Joe again, this time with venom in her eyes. Joe would never forget that look. "I don't start working until tomorrow. I went to a function near by and don't ever call me a nurse again."

"So you must be one of the new interns. I heard they were having a mixer. I hope to see more of you around here."

"You may, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm not a big drinker."

Joe looked down at her empty glass. "Well you've had your share tonight."

She got up from her stool, popped a piece of chewing gum in her mouth and exited the bar.

As she walked toward the parking lot she began to feel a little light headed, her stomach began to churn and she began to feel dizzy. The parking lot, although not completely dark, lacked sufficient lighting and she forgot where she parked her bike. After walking around for several minutes she still couldn't find it. The stomach cramps she felt before was getting worse, she felt nauseous and was sweating profusely. She bent over, gripped her stomach with both hands and started to vomit. When it was over, she looked around to make sure no one had seen her, then started to walk away. After a few steps the nausea hits again and she clutched her stomach, stooped down and started to vomit all over again. She started to talk to herself, not realizing that she was actually talking out loud. "Why do I always have to prove my mother right? ..."

"So, we meet again Dr. Yang."

For a moment she thought she was hallucinating. It couldn't be. She had heard that voice only once before but would know it anywhere. Still clutching her stomach, she turned around to face him. At the same time he moved a little closer to her. She looked up, saw his face and suddenly a wave of nausea hits her, she retch and vomited all over his feet.