Author's Note: Yeah, I'm almost 120% positive this could never, ever happen. But I had to dissect a cat in my Anatomy/Physiology class and it was gross and I thought to myself, "This would be a lot nicer if Alex Karev was my lab partner." … And that daydreaming turned into this. Baby Story and View from Heaven are also coming along, and I realize I'm an idiot for posting another story when I've still got others that need finishing. I've just been really busy with school, which … I guess is pretty obvious considering I'm now using my school as fan fiction plot.

This story takes place after the Addek divorce but before Addex started having cute moments. I'm pretty sure that's my favorite time setting to write in. Read, review, and enjoy!


Lab Partners – Chapter 1 – Recess is Over

"Doctor Karev, I don't care if you think you're right. You had no right to tell that woman's husband off!" Addison Montgomery lectured her cocky intern as they both stomped angrily down a surprisingly vacant hospital hallway.

"Doctor Montgomery, he was out of line! He kept saying we were administering the epidural in the wrong spot! How would he even know?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"Be that as it may, calling him an 'idiotic fool who wouldn't know his own ass if it jumped up and bit him in the face' was not the route to take." Addison deadpanned.

Alex sighed and rubbed a tired hand over his face. "Look, it got him to back off, we were able to administer the epidural, and she delivered a healthy baby boy."

"You still have to apologize to the family." She threw him one of her patented "I'm the Boss and You Do as I Say" looks, leaving no room for argument.

Unfortunately for Addison, Alex was immune to the look. "No." He shook his head stubbornly.

Instead of shooting him her look again, she decided to verbalize her thoughts. "Karev, I'm the boss, and you do as I say."

"Yeah but—"

"Doctor Montgomery? Doctor Karev?" Richard's secretary Patricia interrupted what was about to turn into a full-blown verbal sparring, "Doctor Webber would like to see you both in his office immediately." And with that she was gone, leaving no hint as to what the chief could possibly want with both of them.

The two doctors looked furiously at one another and exclaimed at the same time, "This is all YOUR fault!"

Then they stormed off in the direction of the chief's office.


Addison Montgomery was never the student who got called down to the principal's office. She was quiet and well-behaved; she had a few close friends who were equally quiet and well-behaved; her homework was always handed in promptly, sometimes even before the due date; she never cheated; she never talked back to a teacher; she never even had a bad word to say about anybody in her school.

However, as she and her infuriating intern made their way into the chief's office, Addison had a feeling that this was exactly what it would have been like to be summoned to the principal's office.

"What do you think he wants?" Alex whispered, and Addison fought back the urge to roll her eyes as they entered Richard's empty office.

"What do you think he wants? He's probably had it with patients and nurses and even our colleagues complaining to him about you and your attitude!"

"Me and my attitude?" Alex asked incredulously. "Pot, meet kettle."

"I do not have an attitude!" Addison exclaimed as they both sank down onto Richard's couch.

Alex rolled his eyes at her denial. "Oh please, you are the snarkiest attending we have on staff."

"I am not!"

"You are so—" Alex was about to counter her childish argument with an equally childish argument, but the door swung open and Richard entered.

"Ah, hello you two!" He greeted them amicably, yet somewhat nervously, and sat down at his desk.

"Richard, let me explain. Karev and I are both very stubborn, career-driven doctors. Sometimes our egos collide and we exchange words. We promise to keep it in check from now on and—"

Richard cleared his throat. "Um, that is not why I called you both into my office."

"It's not?" Addison blushed and Alex bit his lip hard enough to draw blood to keep from laughing out loud at his boss/mentor's obvious discomfort.

"No. I did call you in here for some pretty bad news though, but not to reprimand you on how you two conduct yourselves in my hospital. I guess I'll touch on that later." Addison and Alex gulped at the glare the chief was now sending both their ways.

"Um…anyway..! You said you have bad news for us?" Addison glanced nervously at Alex, who looked as clueless as she felt.

"Right! Um, well there's no easy way to say this, but both your licenses to practice medicine have been suspended until further notice." Richard grimaced as he bluntly told them the news.

A dead silence enveloped the room for a few moments as the two took in his words. While Addison remained open mouthed and shell-shocked, Alex spoke up.

"What the hell are you freaking talking about?"

"It seems your Anatomy/Physiology professor had obtained his teaching degree illegally from Mexico. Therefore the grades you got in his class don't actually count anymore."

Alex looked at the chief like he was nuts. "Wait, what do you mean 'our Anatomy/Physiology professor'? Doctor Montgomery probably went to some hoity-toity school like Yale for pre-med, and I went to state college. Her professors were WAY out of my professors' leagues."

"How'd you know where I went to college?" Addison whispered to Alex, clearly startled that he bothered to learn this fact about her.

"Just took a wild stab at it." He shrugged in response.

"Yes well, his real name was Charles Lendon. Addison, I'm sure you remember him as Professor Gregory Larden?" Addison nodded, still in a state of shock. "And Karev, you would have known him as a Professor David Larlen."

"So the dude managed to scam Yale and then once he got bored teaching those snobs he hightailed it over to Iowa?" Alex managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Exactly." Richard nodded.

"We were not snobs!" Addison mumbled under her breath, and then added, "Richard, what the hell are we supposed to do? Are our degrees meaningless now?"

"No, you two just have to complete the necessary 8 credits of Anatomy/Physiology I and II. Luckily it's the end of August, so I was able to get you both enrolled at the Seattle Central Community College. Classes were booked, but with a generous donation to the school and a promise that their nursing students could do their clinical work at Seattle Grace, I managed to get you both into the same class." Richard seemed pleased with himself, while Addison and Alex remained disgusted with the situation.

"So we just have to give up a year of our lives? I have to give up my patients and Karev has to give up a year of his internship so we can take a stupid college course?" By the end of her tirade of questions, Addison was near hysterics.

"Yeah and what about my internship? Will I still have a spot here when I graduate?" Alex added.

"You will both still have a place of employment here at Seattle Grace." Richard reassured the two.

"And we just have to accept that this is happening and go back to school?" Alex bemoaned.

"Yep." Richard nodded.

"This is absurd, absolutely absurd." Addison groaned as she rubbed at her now throbbing temples.

"I agree." Alex said, surprising both of them that they were actually agreeing on something.

Richard sighed. "I agree, too. But it doesn't change anything; you two are still going back to school."

The intercom buzzed and Patricia's voice could be heard. "Dr. Webber? The dean at some community college is on line one for you? Says he wants to go over some details with you over your agreement about nursing clinicals?"

"I'll take it. Put him on hold for me." The chief got up from his seat and hustled the two to the door. "Look you two, if there was any other way around this, you know I would have done it. But there's really nothing I can do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a call to take."

"So what's left for us to do? Just show up for class and pass the course?" Addison asked exasperatedly.

"First I'd suggest doing some school supply shopping. Maybe pick up some index cards…perhaps a backpack for your textbooks!" Richard quipped lightheartedly.

Addison did not appreciate the tone of his voice. "Richard, I do not like—"

The chief interrupted, "Addison, it doesn't matter what you like anymore. If you want your license back, you're going to have to do it. Class starts Monday, 8am sharp. Make me proud, you two!"

And with a final push out into the hall and a quick slamming of the door, the conversation was closed.

The two doctors, well, ex-doctors, stood quietly in the hall for a few moments, allowing the shock of the situation to fully hit them. Addison spoke up first.

"Oh, my God. This must just be some horrible nightmare I'm having. I'm going to wake up very soon and chuckle about this nonsense any minute now."

"Well," Alex sighed, "if you don't wake up from it soon, I guess I'll see you on Monday."


Hope you enjoyed! Up next we'll have their first day of school!

Also, I got this idea from the first episode of my new favorite show, Community. Joel McHale's character was a lawyer who illegally obtained his law degree. It's hilarious and I suggest you all tune in!

And, I did my research. Seattle Central Community College actually exists. And they have the courses that the Doctors Karev and Montgomery need to take!

Now be a dear and push the review button and drop me a line, would ya?