Catalyst

Author's note: Insomnia is quite the burden but while lying awake I came up with the idea of this fic. It's completely AU. The plot and background will slowly unfold as the story continues. Enjoy and review.

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.

Meredith Grey closes her locker as she pins her nametag on her white lab coat. She jumps as she sees a woman staring at her leaning against the locker.

"Do you normally lurk behind people's locker doors?" Meredith snaps visibly flustered by the surprise. She hates surprises especially when she is already a bundle of nerves.

"So your Ellis Grey's daughter. I thought you'd be bigger?" the woman says.

"Excuse me?"

"Ellis Grey's your mom, right?"

"Um yeah, and who the hell are you?" Meredith says very confused by the situation.

"Cristina Yang."

"Nice to meet you Dr. Yang. I'm Meredith Grey but I guess you already knew that." Meredith says as she clips her pager and cell phone to her waist and motions for Cristina to walk with her.

Cristina pulls open the door for Meredith as she continues to talk. "Did you know we're the only two female interns this year?"

Meredith shrugs as they continue to walk. "It figures. You're with the Nazi, Dr. Bailey, right?"

"Yeah I am. Did you hear about Dr. Sloan?"

"Who?" Meredith asks having not ever heard the name before.

"Mark Sloan is the go to plastic surgeon on the West Coast even more sought after than those guys in LA. Rumor has it that every year he sleeps with one of the interns. He's pretty infamous actually."

"Well this year it's just you and me so I guess we'll have to ruin his little tradition."

Cristina stops walking. Meredith turns around. "What?"

"Have you seen him?"

Meredith shakes her head no. Cristina laughs and starts walking again. "Were you not at the mixer last night."

"Nope I didn't have the time or the desire to attend an awkward social function with a group of strangers I'm going to have to spend the majority of the next 7 years with. I passed. Do you know where we are supposed to meet our resident?"

"Right here," an angry voice says.

Meredith and Cristina's heads snap to look at where the voice came from. They turn around to see a short, pregnant woman glaring at them.

"You're late." She says angrily.

Cristina looks down. "I'm sorry Naz… I mean Dr. Bailey."

Meredith opens her mouth and tries to think of an adequate excuse but no words come out.

"They were with me Miranda," a man says as he walks over to the group of women.

"How convenient Dr. Sloan."

Mark eyes flash to their badges. "Dr. Grey is working with me on a case and Dr. Chang…"

Cristina coughs, "It's Yang sir."

"Dr. Yang was joining Dr. Grey and I in the discussion about the case. I was just on my way to tell you."

Dr. Bailey rolls her eyes. "Fine Dr. Sloan. Meredith go with him. Yang you're on sutures."

Cristina's eyes widen. "But Mer…"

"Do you have a problem Yang?"

Cristina manages to compose herself and bite her tongue. "No ma'am."

"That's what I thought." Miranda turns around and begins to walk away. She stops and faces the three doctors. "He's not always going to be around to save you ass." She swears at them under her breath and walks away.

"Thank you." Meredith says to Mark gratefully.

"Yeah thanks." Cristina says sounding a little more than pissed that she's stuck on sutures and Meredith gets to work on a surgical case.

"No problem. Yang you better get down there before she chews you ass out." Cristina glares at Meredith who gives her an uneasy smile as she watches her walk away.

Meredith turns to look at Mark Sloan. Mark extends her hand out to her. "I'm Mark."

"Nice to meet you Dr. Sloan I'm Meredith."

"Dr. Sloan? What's with the formalities I just saved your ass from the Nazi."

Meredith laughs. "Oh I know your kind. That's not the only ass you were thinking about."

"You are aware that I'm your boss, right?"

"I know all the more reason I'm not sleeping with you. What's this case we're working on?" Meredith asks as she walks towards the elevator pressing the up button.

Mark follows her to the elevator and laughs at her comment. "I like you Grey, I can already tell."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meredith closes the door to the patient's room as she and Mark exit the room.

"Mr. Sazs is a riot. I like him." Mark says partly to Meredith partly to himself as he hands Meredith Mr. Sazs's chart.

"He seems…." Meredith begins trying to think of the word correct word to describe Mr. Sazs but ultimately settles on "interesting."

Mark laughs to himself. "Yeah he is. Just check on him through out the day. Answer any questions he might have. His surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning. I could even let you scrub in. I mean if…"

Meredith eyes flash with anger. "Seriously Dr. Sloan."

"Mark," he corrects her.

"Dr. Sloan," she says this time a bit louder.

Mark grows a bit more serious. "I was going to say if you wanted to. I know this is a cosmetics case and if you wanted to switch to a case that's a little more interesting I could have that arranged. Damn Grey what makes you so sure that I want to sleep with you?"

Meredith flushes feeling slightly embarrassed. "People say things."

"And what kind of things do people say about me?" Mark asks leaning back on the nurses' station.

"That you a pompous ass who thinks entirely too much of himself," a man with wavy dark hair says as he walks behind Mark and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Hi I'm Derek Shepherd head of neurology and you must be an intern." Derek extends his hand to her as he flashes her a sexy smile.

Meredith can feel herself blushing as she meets his eyes. His penetrating gaze makes her uncomfortable so she shifts her eyes to the floor. She extends her hand to meet his. "It's nice to meet you Dr. Shepherd."

Derek holds onto Meredith hand and Meredith is forced to look him in the eye again. There is something different in the way he looks at her Meredith can't figure out what but she knew it made her uncomfortable. "Call me Derek." She retracts her hand.

"I'd prefer Dr. Shepherd."

Derek shrugs. "Might I know the name of the intern who's bold enough to call my best friend out on his bullshit?" Derek says as he takes a step backwards and smiles at Meredith and Mark.

Meredith realizes that she hadn't introduced herself to Derek. "Oh hi I'm…"

"Oh, what am I missing," a beautiful red head says as she walks besides Derek.

"Nothing I was talking to Mark and…"

Meredith extends her hand to the woman. "Hi, I'm Meredith Grey."

"Nice to meet you. Addison Shepherd," Addison says as she shakes Meredith's hand.

Meredith is surprised to feel her heart sink when she makes the connection. "The two of you are married?"

"Yep." Derek says as he slips his arm around his wife's waist. She shifts uncomfortably.

"Eleven years least month." Addison kisses Derek on the cheek. A somewhat forced looking smile spreads across his face.

"They are the envied couple around here," Mark says as he rolls his eyes.

"Shut up." Addison steps forward teasingly hits him on the shoulder. "Dr. Grey you have to watch out for Mark he's quite the notorious character."

Derek's pager vibrates on his hip. He looks down at the page. I have to go check on this. Mark you still owe me a beer, don't think I'm going to forget. I'll see you at home Addison." Derek says as he kisses her on the cheek. "It was nice to meet you Dr. Grey."

"It was nice to meet you too Dr. Shepherd." Meredith says and smiles at him as he walks away.

Addison looks at the time on her pager. I better get going too. "It was nice to meet you Meredith, and seriously watch out for him."

"Hey!" Mark cries out to Addison as she walks away.

Meredith laughs as she leans her back on the nurses' counter next to Mark.

"What's going on with those two?" Meredith asks.

"How much time do you have?"

Meredith smiles at him. "That's what I thought. How long have you know them?"

"We all went to Columbia together."

"Undergrad?"

"Yeah undergrad. If you're really that interested I could tell you their story over a drink tonight."

Meredith turns her head to look at Mark directly. "Dr. Sloan you're persistent."

"And Grey you're full of yourself. Get a drink with me tonight. I promise I'll be the perfect gentlemen."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Ok then, just a drink."

"Great. There's a bar across the street how about we meet there at eight."

"Eight is fine." Meredith says in matter of fact tone.

"Fine then." Mark says mocking her, as he stands straight up.

Meredith consciously mimics Mark's movement and stands up to face him.

"Can you really get me on another case?"

"I'll see what I can do, but you should still scrub for Mr. Saz's surgery you might learn something. Afterwards I'll get you a more interesting case. Scouts honor."

Meredith smiles at him. "You we're never a Boy Scout, right?"

"Oh hell no." Mark quickly responds.

"Good bye Dr. Sloan," Meredith turns to walk the opposite direction of Mark.

"Good by Meredith," Mark stresses her name as he watches her walk away.

'Oh this is going to be too much fun,' Mark thinks to himself as he turns to go about the rest of his day.