Authors' Notes:

Hello, this is Mon Alice and Maple Fay, presenting our experiment, the very first attempt both in direct cooperation, and in writing a story of such format. We do it purely for fun, and we'll see where that will lead us. We only ask you not to treat us, and this story too seriously. :)))

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At half past eight PM on a warm Saturday evening, the canteen of SFTH looked almost deserted, the only exception being a pair of black laced boots, resting on one of the tables, and being obviously attached to somebody's body, which was currently lying down on a wooden bench.

Those boots were the first thing noticed by the Head of Surgery as he stormed into the dimly lit room and looked around, obviously hunting somebody down. Having spotted the offensive boots, like a hellhound on a blood trail he sprinted towards the table they rested upon and banged it with a fist.

"Pierce! What do you think you're doing?!"

"I am taking fifteen minutes of a well-deserved break after a long and complicated procedure," came a muffled answer from a chair on which the criminal's head has been resting. The other doctor grunted and repeated his gesture.

"Get up this instant! You and Hunnicutt were supposed to start your shift ten minutes ago!"

A loud groan accompanied returning of a tall, slim body to the vertical position, combined with tossing back a mane of black hair. "I'm sure Doctor Hunnicutt is quite capable of running the ward for a quarter of an hour without my humble self assisting him," a sarcastic answer followed. "Besides, I talked to Doctor Sheridan, and he said I could—"

"How dare you talk to me like that! Sheridan is not the person responsible for you! You're still under my supervision, remember that, Pierce!"

"Of course, Doctor Burns. How could I ever forget it?"

Frank Burns, red on his face and highly agitated, left the canteen, muttering under his breath something about Pierce 'never being able to follow orders', while his particular victim of choice, the best thoracic surgeon this hospital has seen in ten years, yawned widely and eagerly rubbed on a sore thigh. Sighing, Doctor Pierce started to make way towards the Surgical Ward, which was definitely not a pleasant destination, given the aforementioned presence of one Doctor Hunnicutt.

Who was very obviously there, pouring in two cups of coffee, and handing one to the newcomer. "So, I understand Burns had finally tracked you down, huh?"

"Keep your understandings to yourself, Hunnicutt," the black-haired doctor sipped on some coffee. "Did you want something from me, or were you just planning to continue annoying me with some form of a conversation?"

The man questioned looked down, embarrassed, and combed his fingers through waves of soft, sandy-blond hair. "Well, actually… Burns chose me to write a paper to a medical journal, based on two of three new procedures we practiced last month, and I thought, since you were present during all of them, you could maybe give me a hand an—"

Pierce roared with laughter, and shot the miserably-looking man a nasty glare. "Now, now, Beej, what has it come to? You're asking me for help? And what, pray tell, is in it for me? The questionable pleasure of spending even more time with you? Why the heck would I want that to happen? Thanks, but I think I'll pass the opportunity." Two long legs have been planted on the table as Pierce tried to go on napping. However, another question came from the general direction of a coffee machine, this time asked in a quiet, calm, almost sad voice:

"You would have agreed if it was McIntyre asking for your help, wouldn't you?"

His colleague was about to snap back some nasty remark, but a sharp ringing of the phone interrupted what could have easily turned into a nasty quarrel. Again. Hunnicutt crossed the room and picked up the receiver, frowning on his co-worker.

"San Francisco Teaching Hospital, Surgical Ward, Doctor Hunnicutt speaking… Oh, hello, Aunt Meg! Yes, I'm fine, how about yourself? Glad to hear that. You probably didn't want to speak to me, did you? Yeah, we're taking a shift together. No, I'm not beat up, why should I be… Alright, alright, I'll pass the phone; you take care of yourself, and give my love to Uncle Ben. Bye!"

Sighing, he reached out the receiver. "Your mother wants to talk to you."

Groaning, the black-haired surgeon pushed the chair towards the phone. "Hi, mom."

"Darlene Pierce!" the unmistakable voice of one ex-Major coming down the telephone line could probably be heard even outside the doctors' room. "What have you done to poor Ben, again?"

The young woman in question rolled her eyes, taking her feet off the table. "Nothing, mom. He wanted my help with a task assigned upon him by Doctor Burns, and—"

"Then help him! You know how father and I like the Hunnicutts! And Ben is such a darling kid…"

"Yeah," Darlene muttered under her breath, not wanting to disturb her mother's rant about all of the unappreciated virtues of one Benjamin Jackson Don't-Call-Me-BJ-And-No-Beej-Isn't-Acceptable-Either Hunnicutt.

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A/N: That's it for now—how did you like our teaser? Give us all the feedback you can, we accept suggestions and criticism, but once again we'd like to state: the first and foremost reason we're doing this is to have fun. Hope that you do, too :)

Sincerely,

Mon Alice & Maple Fay