Title: Redemption
Rating: PG-13/T (language and mature/thematic elements)
Pairing: none specifically, the main pairing will be Alex/Izzie, there's some romance for George in store, hints of Cristina/Burke with some Meredith/Derek/Addison angst too.
Summary: "Alex heard a throat clear loudly behind him and he turned to see Meredith and Cristina standing there. Meredith's toe was tapping on the hard floor and Cristina's eyebrows were raised in the utmost suspicion."
Genre: drama/romance
Setting: picks up after episode 2.09 - Thanks For The Memories with NO specific episode compliances thereafter (in other words, the story does not include the events of 2.10 - Much Too Much or any episode after)
Author's Notes: I love Grey's Anatomy and have been watching it since the beginning of season 2, so if I've messed some things up from season one, PLEASE let me know! Also, this story is intended for people familiar with Grey's Anatomy. I'm trying to be as descriptive as possible without too much reiteration so if you're wondering about something/someone, there are plenty of great GA sites out there (I recommend their official one, its better than most official sites), so check them out. Or better yet, watch the show! I also want to give a shout out to my beta, Laura! hugs
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters (except Danielle) and I don't own the fandom. Just my own creative interpretation.

Chapter One - First Impressions

It was unseasonably mild on that late November night. Nights and days were becoming harder to differentiate for the interns at Seattle Grace Hospital. Settling into a routine there had taught them one thing: there is no such thing as a routine when your life's work just happens to be saving the lives of others.

Peace was a foreign concept.

Of course, the interns of Seattle Grace weren't helping their cases with the decisions they made--when it came to their personal lives anyway. Liaisons with their superiors, stolen moments in the janitorial closet...the flirtations amongst each other hadn't exactly made life easy. But if there was anything that Meredith Grey, Alex Karev, Cristina Yang, Isobel Stevens, and George O'Malley already knew, it was that 'easy' was a word that had been created just for spite.

Might as well just accept that now.

------------------------------

"I still can't believe you're giving Karev the time of day," Cristina said to Izzie as she and Meredith organized the day's files into neat piles. A strand of ebony colored hair slipped out of her loosely pulled ponytail and fell into her face.

"Believe it." Alex appeared by Meredith's side, slipping between her and Izzie.

Cristina rolled her eyes. "He's always around when you DON'T want him to be."

"And never around when you do want him," Meredith chimed in. "Although I can't imagine there would be any times like those."

Alex wrinkled his nose at her and slung his arm around Izzie--as if that said it all. The blonde had yet to speak a word, which Alex found was happening more often around Meredith and Cristina. For some reason, whenever she went to defend him to her doubting friends, no words would form past the usual 'he's not such a bad guy.' Alex wasn't sure whether or not he should be hurt by these occurrences and he usually decided to let them go. Today was no different. His arm was still easily draped over her shoulder--it wasn't as if she was uncomfortable around him.

"I have to get these files to Bailey," was all she said, slipping out from underneath Alex's arm. He hoped his surprise wasn't evident as he shifted his stance stiffly.

If it had been obvious, he covered it quickly, saying, "Wouldn't want to upset the Nazi." His smile was suave. "Call you later?"

Izzie smiled back. "Sure."

Alex turned and headed toward the elevator. Women, he thought with a shake of his head. Can't live with them, sure as hell can't live without them. Can't understand them. Alex and Izzie had what you might call a...unique history. He didn't even want to think back on all of the foolish things he'd done and said in the past year. The fact of the matter was, things were different now; he had genuine feelings for Izzie. And though it had gotten off to a rocky start between them, Alex had thought things were on the right track. But Izzie was always different in front of her friends--friends that did whatever they could to make his day a little more strained than it already was, he couldn't help but think with a trace of bitterness.

He pressed the down button on the elevator and barely heard the ring as it prepared to open. He needed to stop analyzing. That's not what men do. Alex instinctively stood up straighter and puffed out his chest.

The woman that stood on the opposite side of the elevator doors was enough to knock the wind out of his puffy chest.

"Danielle?" Alex had to keep his jaw from dropping at the sight of the short, dark-haired woman before him.

"Alex!" The young woman paled. "You're here..."

Alex shook the initial shock off and pulled Danielle off the elevator and into his arms with a smile. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for you of course!"

Alex heard a throat clear loudly behind him and he turned to see Meredith and Cristina standing there. Meredith's toe was tapping on the hard floor and Cristina's eyebrows were raised in the utmost suspicion.

No one spoke for a second or two. Meredith and Cristina were waiting for an explanation for what they had so quickly assumed was a shady interaction.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your...friend?" Cristina asked, her narrow eyes narrowing even more.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Danielle, these are the hospital's resident spinster sisters, Meredith and Cristina--" It was no shock that this warranted two hostile glares from the so-called "spinsters." "--Ladies, this is my sister."

"Danielle Karev." A tight smile came over the brunette's face as she offered a hand for Meredith and Cristina to shake. Which they did, trying to ignore the triumphant look on Alex's face.

Danielle looked from her brother to his co-workers in slight puzzlement. "Can somebody fill me in here?"

"Allow me, sis. See the spinsters here must have thought I was 'cheating' on Izzie, which is, in all actuality, impossible, because Izzie and I aren't even a couple. I don't know what we are." The last sentence was barely audible.

Meredith looked away from Alex and said to Danielle, "Its nice to meet you, I'm Meredith Grey and this is Cristina Yang. We're interns here too."

"You guys don't seem to get along very well."

The statement seemed to take the two interns aback. The smirk on Meredith's face showed she was more amused than Cristina, whose tightly pursed lips reflected her annoyance. Alex placed an arm around his sister's shoulders and laughed dismissively. "Subtlety was never my sister's strong suit." He directed his attention to Danielle. "Let's get out of here, I was just about to punch out anyway."

"Fine," Danielle agreed. "Nice to meet you two," she flung carelessly over her shoulder at Meredith and Cristina.

The two women watched the siblings disappear into the elevator.

"Well," Cristina said. "Not much doubt that those two are related, is there?"

Meredith chuckled in agreement.

It was not a compliment.

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Danielle Karev was always short. Kids used to pick on her for it but she never minded. Good things come in small packages was her motto. At the ripe old age of twenty-four, she had come to accept nearly everything about herself: the way her dark brown bangs never seemed to fall quite right over her forehead, the way the skin on her hands was always cracked and dry no matter how much moisturizer she used, and even the way she was only 5'4" with three inch heels on.

"So how did you find me?" Alex asked. He and Danielle had moved her things out of the hotel she'd planned on staying at and were in the process of settling her into Alex's two-bedroom apartment.

"Luck, really," Danielle answered. "I just sort of...found you."

"So you were going to search every hospital in Seattle trying to find me?" Alex elbowed his sister playfully as they sat down at the kitchen table. "I gave you my phone number, you should have called."

"I was planning on it," Danielle said. "If I didn't find you after a little while, that is."

Alex shook his head with a smile. "You were always a strange one, little sis."

Danielle studied her brother's face. He was dying to ask why she was here, she could tell right off. Who wouldn't be? "Go ahead, I know you want to know," she said with a smirk.

"Want to know what?" Alex feigned innocence, leaning back in his chair. He and his sister had gotten along pretty well, as far as siblings go, but her ability to tell when he was being less than honest was always one thing Alex could not stand about Danielle.

Danielle shook her head with a smile, absently picking up the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated that was sitting on the kitchen table and flipping through it. "Ask me why the hell I'm in Seattle."

Alex shrugged, snatching the magazine away from her. "All right, if you want me to I will." He pasted on a smile and asked. "Danielle, why the hell are you in Seattle?"

Danielle laughed at her brother's familiar antics. "I know its hard to believe, but it wasn't that difficult to rip myself away from Iowa, exciting place as it is."

"Hey, Iowa is...nice," he forced himself to say.

"Sure it is. That's all it is--a whole lot of nice. Its only claim to fame is the Field of Dreams baseball field. They built it and people came," Danielle said.

Alex smiled at his sister. "So you were bored with Iowa and decided to come out to Seattle to hang with your wonderfully charming brother?"

Danielle bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Wonderfully charming wasn't exactly how she would describe Alex, but why kill his spirit? "Exactly," was what she said. "Seriously, it has been lonely around without you. I needed a change so here I am."

"What about your job?"

Danielle raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, Mr. Responsible, I'm on a sabbatical." She averted her eyes. "A permanent sabbatical."

"You quit?" Alex's voice was incredulous. "Wow, I thought you loved your job."

Danielle swallowed hard. Why had she come to Seattle again? Certainly not be asked twenty questions by her brother. Maybe she didn't want to talk about it, did he ever think of that? Of course not. "Listen," she said, her tone harder than she'd anticipated. "Its not that complicated, I needed a change, so I quit my job and came out here to visit you. I might stay awhile and I might leave tomorrow. I'm sure I can get my old position when I go back if I want to, so don't worry about it, ok?" Without thinking, she added, "I'm sure I could work out of Seattle just as easily as I could out of Iowa City."

Alex's eyes turned serious. "Ok then," he said. "I am glad you're here, sis, you know that right?"

Danielle's expression softened and she gave her brother a playful punch in the arm. "Thanks." She stood from the kitchen chair and surveyed the apartment. "This place is...really hideous."

"Maybe you should have stayed at that hotel, then."

"Maybe I should have!"

Alex stood and grabbed his and his sister's jackets. "I don't hang out here much anyway. Let's go to Joe's."

"What's 'Joe's'?"

"Joe works at the Emerald City bar. Its the unofficial hospital workers' hangout."

Danielle rolled her eyes jokingly. "You doctors hang out in a bar during your free time? How confidence-inspiring."

"Ha ha, you're just full of jabs tonight aren't you?" Alex said as they made their way to his car.

"Its been awhile since we've had a 'serious' talk, I've been saving them," Danielle replied. "You know I only tease you 'cause I love you, big brother." Her voice was mocking.

"You must love me a LOT."

Danielle smiled in amusement. She did love him a lot. But it wasn't something the Karevs could express in too weighty a manner. A change of subject was in order. "So we've been talking about me, how about you? I want to know who this 'Izzie' is that you mentioned when the spinsters were practically attacking you."

Alex shifted in the driver's seat of his car, loving that his nickname for Meredith and Cristina had stuck, but not really wanting to divulge into the Izzie story too much right then. "She's just another intern. We went on a date once."

"Well I don't like her already."

"Why?"

"I heard what you muttered under your breath, I always do. You said you had no idea what was going on with you two and I'm assuming that's not your fault. If this Izzie is messing with MY brother then--"

"Dani, calm down," Alex said, finding his sister's passion entertaining and somewhat flattering. "Yeah, its weird between us sometimes, but its just as much my fault as it is hers, ok? You should give her a chance." He stopped there. He'd already said more than he wanted to.

"Whatever you say," Danielle replied with a shrug.

Alex turned the car into the parking lot of the Emerald City Bar, relieved that Danielle had let the subject go.

At least for now.

------------------------------

Izzie Stevens nursed a beer while Meredith and Cristina chatted amiably beside her. All she could think about was the situation with Alex. Things had been strange, it would be foolish not to admit that. The way they acted around each other when they first met would not suggest that they were headed for a romantic relationship. Even some things that were happening now made her question their compatibility. For one thing, she still had no idea why he didn't want to kiss her after their first date. But the thought of his spontaneous kiss in the very place she sat less than a week later still brought a smile to her face that was tough to wipe away.

She liked Alex, she really did. He was confusing and mysterious at times but she was sure he felt the same way about her. Who didn't feel that way about a new relationship? Izzie turned to look at her friends seated next to her. They didn't make it any kind of secret that they didn't like Alex. They didn't know the real him, that's what she attempted to tell them whenever they would try to push one of their infamous warnings on her. But did she even know the real Alex? Doubtful. And that made him really hard to defend.

"Well look who finally showed up," Cristina was saying.

Izzie turned toward the entrance of the bar and saw that Alex had just arrived. Something inside her tensed at the sight of the woman beside him. It wasn't questionable that she was attractive. Her dark, almost black hair had a certain appeal as it fell around her face. No competition for Izzie in the looks department, despite that fact. This mystery girl also didn't look like she was particularly 'enamored' with Alex, which was...a good thing. But the obviously comfortable way the two related to each other caused curiosity to swim over Izzie as they approached.

"You guys remember Danielle." Alex gestured toward Cristina and Meredith.

"Of course, how could we forget?" Cristina answered, her tone sugary.

Meredith just smiled politely.

"And this is Isobel Stevens," Alex introduced. "Izzie, this is my sister Danielle."

Sister, of course, Izzie thought as she shook Danielle's hand. Even Alex wouldn't be idiotic enough to bring another woman to a bar where he knew she and her friends would be.

"Its really great to meet you," Izzie said.

"You too," Danielle said, giving Izzie a not-so-discreet once-over. "You're my brother's girlfriend?"

Izzie, Meredith, and Cristina stared at Danielle in shock. Alex laughed through the tension. "I told you...subtlety...not my sister's strong suit." He cleared his throat. He had a feeling he'd be saying that a lot in the coming days...weeks...whatever. "Want a drink, Dani?"

Danielle turned away from Izzie and said, "Just a light beer."

"Light beer? Since when do YOU drink light beer?"

Danielle blinked. "Since...I have a feeling that I'll be needing to drive home tonight. That is if we're going to spend the evening with these three."

Izzie and Meredith's eyes widened and Meredith bit back a smile. "Excuse me?" Cristina said defensively.

"Small joke, dear," Danielle said with a roll of her eyes. "You get to be rude to my brother and I can't even joke around with you? Anymore rules I should be aware of?"

There was no reply. Alex was torn between feeling flattered and embarrassed at his sister's words and actions. Thankfully Joe chose that moment to place their drinks in front of them.

"So," Alex said loudly. "Was Bailey pissed that I left a few minutes early?"

"I doubt she even noticed," Cristina muttered.

"So what do you do for a living, Danielle?" Izzie asked, ignoring the smartass remarks and looks passing between Cristina and Alex. She was going to try hard to get along with Danielle--return sarcasm with concern and all that.

"I was a social worker back in Iowa City."

"Was?" Cristina pressed. Meredith elbowed her friend, but it was too late to take it back.

"I'm taking a break to visit my brother. Looks like he could use the reinforcements." Danielle's tone wasn't as biting as it had been before.

"It should be an interesting visit then," Meredith said with a tentative smile.

"I'm counting on it," Danielle answered, taking a swig of her beer.

In one swoop, Izzie had been pushed out of the conversation she started. This passiveness was not like her, not even around Alex. She looked up and her dark eyes met his. His lips formed a small smile and in turn, hers did the same.

"So where's George tonight?" Meredith's voice startled Izzie out of the trance.

"Who's George?" asked Danielle.

"That's a question that's better off unanswered," Alex responded with a smirk.

"Don't listen to him, George is a great guy," Izzie said with a playful look at him. "He's the other intern."

"At least you're not the only testosterone in the group," Danielle said to her brother.

"I wouldn't completely commit to that statement if I were you," Alex joked. "Wait til you meet him."

"All right, my curiosity is peaked, where is this guy?" Danielle asked.

No one spoke for a few minutes. George was a quiet and shy guy and when he spoke, sometimes people didn't hear him. This was the unfortunate consequence of such a reserved nature, as any modest and quiet person learned very soon into adulthood.

"I think he said something about staying in..." Izzie offered, looking to the others.

Alex sat back and held his hands up. "Don't look at me, he's you guys' sister."

Danielle took in a deep breath. This is what life in Seattle will be like, a series of barbs between her brother and his co-workers. This wasn't what she'd had in mind when she came here.

But she always enjoyed a challenge.