Hi! This is my second ever MerDer fanfic and the second that I'm currently writing on this site. Not sure if it's the best idea to pull two at the same time but I simply couldn't resist the temptation.

Some important background facts:

It's the first time that Meredith comes to Seattle since she was five, so, she doesn't know the Seattle gang and vice versa.

She and Addison are best friends from college and medical school but Addie is a couple of years older.

Ellis Grey is well alive and… well, Ellis-like. She lives in Boston.

Bailey, Cristina, Izzie, George and Alex are all attendings now

Any more questions, ask me. Please, let me know what you think about the story. I'm really hooked on this plot but I'm probably biased. R&R, cheers!

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NEW YORK, LATE NIGHT

"That one," a tall redhead sitting with her back to the counter pointed at the man that had just entered the club.

"Him? Easy," commented derisively her golden-haired friend, a bit shorter, but dressed with equal style.

As the man was passing by them, she lazily crossed her leg over another, inadvertently but most consciously, making the hem of her short black dress travel a few inches up her thigh. The man stared hungrily at the sight of the newly exposed skin but after a second of hesitation chose to sit at the other side of the bar.

"You suck, Mer! You suck!" laughed the redhead. "Thanks to your inability to turn on a guy, we have to pay for the drinks with our own money."

"Shut up, Addie!" scolded Meredith. "There was clearly something wrong with him! Besides, we can afford it, we're hotshot doctors! Two tequilas, please!"

"Definitely hot!" agreed Addison but suddenly, turned serious. "So, it's decided? One hundred per cent sure?"

"Yes," nodded Mer. "I'd be crazy to turn it down."

"Yeah, but what I still don't get is your mother's attitude." Addison shook her head.

"I've never got my mother's attitudes. But true, true; that is kinda surprising. I thought… that once in my life, she would actually… be proud of me," her face betrayed disappointment. She waved her hand as though to disperse dark thoughts. "I don't know why I still care."

"I think she is proud of you," consoled Addie. "I mean, she was civil, wasn't she? She didn't yell."

"Yes, she was very… polite," admitted Meredith bitterly. "She could show some enthusiasm at the fact that her only daughter was chosen Chief of Surgery at one of the finest teaching hospitals in the country. I think she might be simply… jealous."

"I… I don't think so," stated her friend. "She just might be concerned. You know… your father thing…"

Meredith sighed, "Whatever, I'm glad that you're coming with me. Couldn't do this without you."

"You could. Are you absolutely positive you're doing the right thing? It might not be a very popular decision."

Mer smiled. "Don't worry, I've made a discreet research. Your skills exceed the qualifications of their neonatal squad. I won't let you waste your talent at Sinai. It will be ages before Jenkinson steps down."

Addie grinned and grabbed her newly filled glass.

"To you, Dr. Meredith Grey, the new Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital."

"And to you, Dr. Addison Montgomery, the new Chief of Neonatal Surgery Department."

They drank the content of their glasses at a draught.

"Ladies, drinks for you, from that gentleman," the barman indicated their previous target.

Meredith gloated with triumph. "I never fail," she said defiantly.

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SEATTLE GRACE HOSPITAL, ONE WEEK LATER

The auditorium was filled with a dull constant noise that could be mistaken with humming of a swarm of angry bees. In fact, it was full of surgeons who awaited the official appointment of their new boss, some alien doctor from the east coast.

"We shouldn't be here," said a young surgeon in navy scrubs called Alex Karev. "We should ostentatiously leave in a sign of protest."

"I'd hate to agree with Karev," declared Cristina Yang, a woman with Asian features. "But I agree with Karev."

"We can't do that to the Chief," Isobel Stevens looked scandalized. "It's his last day at work!"

"We could do that," cut in Erica Hahn, the head of cardiothoracic. "I'm sure he didn't give us much thought while making the decision."

"It's the board that makes the decision," Izzie Stevens still tried to defend their outgoing boss.

"Don't be naïve, Stevens," drawled Mark Sloan, responsible for plastics department. "The board members trust Webber blindly."

"Shut up, the whole lot of you!" fired a slightly plump black woman, Dr. Miranda Bailey. "You're whining like a bunch of interns. Maybe except for Shepherd." She looked with concern at the dark-haired man sitting with his arms crossed, wearing an impassive expression on his face.

"He's still speechless from shock," chuckled Mark, his best friend. "The post slipped right through his fingers."

The said Derek Shepherd rolled his eyes but continued to be silent. He wasn't shocked nor depressed. He just reckoned that the conversation was purely pointless. What was done was done. Webber disregarded the candidatures from his own hospital, from his own surgeons, his own students, and chose a woman they didn't know anything about except that she was one of the most brilliant surgeons in the country.

According to the Chief, apparently, Hahn, Sloan, Bailey and him couldn't compete with that. True, Mark was a professional but carefree man, not responsible enough to run the entire surgical unit. Bailey might have too little experience, she finished her residency relatively recently. Erica Hahn was his most dangerous rival but she joined their squad only months ago. And him, he was perfect for the job. Still, the Chief gave the job to someone whose competences as well as identity remained to be seen.

Bailey's voice rang again, "Listen, all of you. You will be at your best behavior today. No moaning, no complaining, not a single miserable look! We all owe a lot to Dr. Webber. And it's our turn to be supportive. As Izzie said, it's his last day at work. We may not be satisfied with his recent decisions," her face clearly showed that, "but we will respect them."

"And we'll look all professional when that superdoc from New York shows up and sees she has nothing to do here," she concluded with a devilish green, making the others smirk as well.

"Anyone heard anything new about her?" asked Alex.

"Apart from the regular gossip that she's an elderly ob/gyn? No, nothing new," replied Izzie and turned to ask the man that had just joined them, "Any news, George?"

If anyone could bring any novelties, it would be George O'Malley, the Chief's guy since his intern days.

"She's… she's here," stuttered George.

Everyone around turned to look at him, listening intently.

"You saw her?" inquired Cristina.

George nodded slowly he still hadn't recovered from the encounter with the new Chief.

"How is she? Old enough to expect a new competition soon?"

"She… She's…" George was searching for the appropriate word. He didn't want to face the wrath of his colleagues but Dr. Meredith Grey, a petite woman with a fierce spark in her eyes, utterly enchanted him.

"Spit it out, O'Malley," Mark was impatient.

"She's… different." And that was absolutely true. She was like no other woman George had ever seen in his life.

"That's very informative, Bambi," snorted Cristina.

"Shhhh, I'm telling you!" chastised Bailey one more time, her eyes fixed on a small group of people filing up to the auditorium's platform. "The board members…"

They saw their Chief taking place behind the rostrum.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he started, he didn't even have to quiet the large audience. His greeting was met with a grave but strained silence. "Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, friends, surgeons, I appreciate you all coming here today, despite your busy schedules. I promise it won't take long.

"First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for your hard devoted work; it was a constant source of inspiration for me running this hospital and your input in making Seattle Grace Hospital one of the country's leading teaching hospitals. Only three months ago, we celebrated getting third place in the ranking. It's been a pleasure to work with you, and to teach you."

The auditorium broke in applause.

"Thank you, thank you," he raised a hand to stop them. "Now, let me move on to the much more important part of the program. Choosing my successor amidst so many talented and driven professionals was not an easy task. Yet I'm positive we chose wisely. Everyone, let me introduce you to Dr. Meredith Grey, the former Head of Neurosurgical Department at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and the new Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace." He beckoned her with a nod of his head. "Dr. Grey, Meredith, if you please."

Every pair of eyes turned to look at the slender woman stepping out from the ranks of board members and approaching the Chief.

"Whoa," Mark Sloan took a short intake of breath, and he wasn't the only one to do that. "I think I can forgive her for stealing your job, Shep."

Derek scrutinized her form with equal interest. He wholeheartedly agreed with George O'Malley, she was different, but she was…

"How old is she?" Erica Hahn craned her neck to get a better view. "Has she finished high school, at least?"

"She doesn't even look like a surgeon," appraised Cristina. "She's like taken out of a freaking fashion magazine!"

The last part had some truth in it. Meredith Grey chose her attire this morning to make an entrance, to impress, she dressed to kill. She was wearing one of her finest sets of formal clothes – very high high-heels short creamy skirt and matching jacket under which she had a dark blue shirt adorned with a creamy tie. Her clothing clang to her body like a second skin pronouncing her seductive curves. She walked with a confident grace that every model on the catwalk would envy.

"The Chief of Surgery, my ass!" moaned Cristina Yang.