Author's Notes: For the record, I am addicted to coffee. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. IN A BAD BAD WAY. I can't live without it and it is so good. And I have to make it at home now, the bought stuff just isn't strong enough for me. And you're thinking, how is that related to fic? Oh ye of little faith. Every so often the need to put characters in ridiculous situations hits me. This was one of those 'ever so oftens'.
Meredith and Cristina are standing around looking positively exhausted when Izzie bursts through the doors of the locker room with a chipper smile on her face and coffee cup in hand.
"Good morning guys," she beams.
Cristina's eyes widen at the smell of coffee from Izzie's cup. She reaches up and ensnares the blonde's wrist, dragging the cup down to eye level and prising it from its owner's grasp, "Coffee."
"Well," Izzie wrinkles her nose, "It's nice to see you too."
Having downed the remaining liquid in Izzie's mug, Cristina flops backward and closes her eyes, "Sleep."
"How long has she been like this?" Izzie jabs a finger in the general direction of the now-comatose Cristina.
Meredith yawns, "She was in surgery most of the night, with Burke. You know how it is, you're hyped for a big surgery and then the minute it's over you're just exhausted."
"Well right now," Izzie begins to pull Cristina into an upright position, "We have to meet our resident at the nurses' station. So up, now."
With some difficulty, she manages to drag Cristina into a sitting position and with Meredith's assistance, continues to drag her towards the nurses' station. Addison joins them at said nurses' station with a yawn.
"Good Morning," Izzie smiles brightly.
"Hi," Meredith offers in a more subdued tone.
"Need coffee," Addison declares in a monotone, pressing her eyes shut and bracing herself against the nurses station, "It's been at least," she considers things carefully, "Five minutes since my last. Need. Coffee."
"Yeah," Meredith sighs, "I think we could all use a coffee."
Mark is, at present, giving his morning order to Alex as they walk past and noticing the caffeine-deprived look gracing the faces of the four women, stops to examine the situation.
"Hey," he pokes Addison's shoulder experimentally, "You ok?"
"No thanks to you," she glares.
Meredith, Izzie and Alex smirk, looking down at their shoes as they try to hide their amusement.
"You know what Karev?" he steps away from Addison's murderous glare with a diplomatic smile, "Buy the ladies coffee, on me."
"You're still not getting any tonight," Addison yells at his retreating form, "Not if I have to be awake."
There is a collective murmur of 'too much information' from the crowd of interns followed by the sound of heart monitors blipping and sneakers squeaking against the linoleum. These sounds are of course audible because everyone is staring at Addison without comment.
"What?" the attending shrugs, "I'm tired. And God, I need some caffeine. My hands are almost shaking the cravings are so bad."
Alex smiles at the women in front of him and claps his hands together in an attempt to break the awkward silence, "Lucky for you, I'm Seattle Grace's resident coffee bitch. Orders people," he meets Izzie's eyes, "Not you, I know what you want."
The blonde laughs, "Mocha latte for me, as usual."
Alex winks at her, "I know. But, anyone else?"
"Coffee," Cristina switches elbows and leans against the her other hand, mumbling sleepily.
"Black no sugar," Meredith interjects, "For her. Caramel latte for me. Thanks Alex."
"White, no sugar," Addison adds, "Extra shot of espresso. Actually, make that two extra shots of espresso, I have a surgery at eleven," she whines the last and trails off into several only-half-joking mock sobs. "Tonight," she declares resolutely, "Tonight I am sleeping."
"Sleep now," Cristina mumbles, but the rest of this thought is incomprehensible.
"No," Meredith grabs at Cristina as she attempts to lean her full weight against the nurses' station, "Up now, sleep later. Rounds now."
"No," Cristina whines, but steadies herself on her feet and blinks a few times before yawning again, "Christ this is torture. They're not trying to make us surgeons. It's just a sick, sick social experiment. They're all psychiatrists performing an in depth study on the ability of the human mind to function without sleep."
"Yep," Addison nods, "It's all a conspiracy. Internship, residency," she adds the next under her breath, "Boyfriends. Those damn shrinks and their need to know the truth about high order thinking abilities following extreme sleep deprivation."
Izzie shrugs, "I had the best sleep I've had in ages last night."
Addison and Meredith eye the blonde suspiciously while Cristina once again rests her head on the nurses' station and moans softly, "I need morphine for this headache, seriously, it's killing me."
"Who're you sharing the blankets with?" Addison asks, patting Cristina's head vaguely before saying in a stage whisper, "It's professionally irresponsible to give morphine for headaches. Take some aspirin. It's ok. It's just internship. You can do it."
Meredith ignores Cristina's whinging and continues the interrogation of Izzie, "Yeah, who's at the pyjama party?"
"Guys," Izzie raises her hands defensively with a huge smirk, "I just said I slept well. I didn't say I slept with someone."
"'I slept well' is practically universal code for 'I got laid'," Addison rolls her eyes dismissively, "So come on: I want a confession, stat."
"Nothing to confess," Izzie retorts, leaning against the counter with her elbows and rubbing Cristina's shoulder, "Come on trooper, you really do have to wake up. Bailey is like, around that corner. Seriously."
"Stop changing the subject," Meredith admonishes, placing her hands on her hips, "You slept well."
"I did," Izzie agrees, "Slept, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. You know, where you close your eyes fully-clothed and go to sleep? Yeah, that is what I did last night."
Meredith and Addison exchange glances.
"I'm not buying it," Addison declares.
"Nope," Meredith agrees.
Alex chooses this moment to return with their coffee. Sauntering around the corner of the nurses' station, he delivers each coffee in front of the woman who requested it with a flourish and dumps himself in an office chair in front of the computer before sipping on his own caffeine fix, "And there you are."
"Thanks Alex," Meredith raises her cup and smiles.
"Yeah, thank you," Addison adds.
"Thanks," Cristina throws in shortly.
Izzie looks up over the top of her cup shyly and grins, "Thank you Alex."
Alex meets her eyes and returns her shy smile, "You're welcome Izzie. Hey, I saw Bailey before and you're trailing me today. Sloan's waiting on his coffee, you wanna head up now?"
"Yeah," the blonde tosses her ponytail, "I'd like that."
They cannot quite contain their laughter until they round the corner and stop just short as Izzie bends over double in a fit of giggles.
From the nurses' station, Meredith and Addison watch this exchange with shrewd eyes.
"Something is going on between them," Meredith observes.
"Yes," Addison agrees, "I think I know why Isobel Stevens 'slept well' last night."
"Oh, they wouldn't have done anything," Meredith scoffs, "And I really can't see Alex being a slumber party kind of guy. You know what I mean, actual sleeping without sex."
"You'd be surprised," Addison says, "The kind of guys who turn out to be up for a slumber party."
"What the hell do you know about Alex and slumber parties?" Meredith's eyebrows shoot upward.
Addison smirks, "Wouldn't you love to know?"
"I would," Meredith answers, leaning closer and barely able to control her curiosity.
"Nothing to tell," Addison continues to smirk, implying there is indeed something to tell, "But let's just say we had a little heart-to-heart once, at Joe's. I'm not sure he remembers but if he ever gives me attitude again, I might just remind him."
Oblivious to this discussion, Cristina raises the cup to her lips and tilts her head back ninety-degrees, sucking every last drop of caffeine. When she stands upright, she blinks a few times and smacks her lips. She is immediately more alert but has a satisfied smile on her face and eyes glazed with content. She offers her only contribution to the conversation in a low voice, "Mmm, coffee."
