Maybe he'd been wrong.

And while a doctor as wondrously arrogant as Dr. Cox would argue that such a thing was a rare event, he couldn't have been happier that his predictions had misfired. His intern – no, not his intern, just an intern - had failed to get in so much as a word with him that entire day.

She didn't press him as usual. In fact, Gwen just stared at him confusedly the first time he overtly blocked her attempt at a conversation, and had all but rolled over and given up after that.

Perry Cox wasn't one to lie to himself, but he tried not to pay attention to the bout of disappointment her unequivocal surrender had brought him. Maybe he wasn't just wrong about today, but about the entire situation. Had he just sorta liked her because of that fire and wit he'd happened to catch a glimpse of?

He didn't know. And, as he swiped himself out for the night, he didn't particularly care. As long as he could finally put her out of his mind, it was all –

Mid-step, he froze. Just as the warm, outdoor air wafted against skin that'd been cooled all day by the arctic winds of the hospital, he saw her. Rummaging worriedly through a gray messenger bag, with a bagel from the cafeteria clutched between her teeth.

"What are you still doing here, newbie?" he asked, causing her to look up and unintentionally drop her bagel as she went to reply.

"Aw, damn." She muttered, looking at the snack mournfully before her eyes snapped back to Dr. Cox. "I was just trying to keep Mr. Friedman around until his family could see him."

"How did that go?"

Her eyes darkened. With a shake of her head, she replied, "He didn't make it."

"Of course he didn't." he shot back, ignoring the abject horror on her face. "He wasn't going to, and a few minutes with long lost relatives wasn't going to do him any good. Little bit of advice," he began sharply, stepping closer. "If you want to make a real difference in this place, try saving your energy for things that actually matter."

Having made his point, he began to walk away.

"Saying goodbye matters." She all but shouted after him. And as much as he shouldn't have, he made the mistake of stopping and looking her in the eyes.

"I haven't lost many loved ones because I don't even have many to start with." She started. "But I remember being a kid and coming home one day from school to find out my dad had put down Sweetpea…" she blinked several times, reigning in her emotions, before continuing.

"That was only a dog, Dr. Cox," she told him, her voice developing a very dangerous edge. "And I still feel that pain to this day. I might have not made a damn bit of difference today, but I know how important saying goodbye is to the healthy people that have to walk out of this hospital with death on their minds."

Silence. It wasn't the sort of thing that usually followed when anyone stood up against a man half as verbally belligerent as him. But it fell heavy on both of them, interrupted only when she began sifting through her bag again.

"Watch yourself, dear." He remarked, placing his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Or I might just ask you out to dinner."

Now it was her turn to freeze. And silently thank Dr. Kelso for the dim outdoor lighting that hid the bright red of her cheeks. He'd made similar jokes before, just as many of the older doctors did. But unlike the others, she always blushed when it was him.

"Sorry, it's just you've obviously been shutting me down all day and I'm not one to beg for a conversation." She explained. "I didn't mean to be rude, Dr. Cox."

"Ah, you see, now you're suddenly way less attractive." He sighed. "Making it much harder to feign an interest in why you're still fidgeting with that tacky bag instead of driving home."

He watched as the corner of her mouth rose at his brand of flirtation, then dropped as she recalled the reason she was there.

"My car's in the shop, all the other interns left hours ago, and while it's only a few miles away I'm not keen on walking all that way at this hour. I have enough cab money to get at least partway there." She told him, revealing a small stack of singles on her palm.

Don't do it, Perry, his better judgment warned. But he imagined her, wearing those ill-fitting scrub bottoms that did little to hide her curvaceous body, walking down those shady streets, her large, brown eyes filled with fear beneath the lenses of her glasses…

It's a trap, Per, don't do it.

It probably was. But what the hell did he have to lose at this point?

"Dr. Gwen Tracy," He began, swallowing hard before he proceeded to ask, "Would you like a ride home?"

She held his gaze like a fly caught in honey.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely not." answered Dr. Cox, walking the short distance across the driveway to his car. "But get in before I change my mind."

She thanked him profusely, and the directions were fairly close. To his relief, she was also a quiet passenger, her eyes fluttering open and closed as she tried to evade sleep, and the darkness of his vehicle wasn't encouraging any sort of foul play. He was proud of himself for that.

Maybe this could actually work…

"Is this a Beatles CD?"

He nearly jumped at the sound of her voice, but she was too busy smiling at her find to notice.

"I'm a fan myself. Mind if I pop it in?" she wondered.

"We're nearly there, but go ahead."

And that's when Perry realized that allowing John Lennon to invade the airspace of the car was just about the most calamitous decision he had made that entire night.

He knew it the moment that the eerie instrumental began to play, or, more precisely, when he noticed her bite her lower lip and shut her eyes.

"Let me take you down, cos I'm going to

Strawberry Fields.

Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about."

He parked at her apartment complex, the slight jostle of the car prompting her eyes to open again.

But she didn't say anything. Only watched him as the song continued to play.

"Living is easy with eyes closed – "

He thought of many clever ways to end their encounter, but ended up using choosing non of them. Instead, he leaned towards her slowly, hoping she would make the slightest motion to move away.

Only she didn't.

There was only a few inches between them now. And it was Gwen who was closing them.

"Are you sure?" he asked warily.

He felt her smile against his lips.

"Absolutely not."

His arms wrapped around her as his mouth worked against hers hungrily. She was soft and warm against him, and as the seconds turned to minutes, it took everything in his power to finally pull away.

"Goodnight, Gwen." Said Perry in a hoarse voice, his fingers shaking with restraint.

"Goodnight," she answered back, placing a gentle kiss against his cheek before slipping out of the car.

When she was out of sight, he dug both hands into his hair and groaned into the steering wheel, shutting off the radio with his fist.

He had been right after all.

A/N: Felt so inspired for this story today. Hope you enjoy! Please R/R.

I'm trying to build the relationship between them as much as possible to make the physicality more… sincere. Let me know what you think.