I remember having read a few fanfics where Amber is about 16 or 17 and Alex takes her in. However, I made the choice to bring her in here because Cassie needs a person. This is Cassie's story. I prewrote some chapters where this story crosses over into private practice, but I don't know when, where and if I'll put them in.

The stereotype thing we all hear is that everything happens for a reason. When people misinterpret your actions, take something good and turn it into something bad, and shove you lower than you thought possible, it's not hard to believe that you'd question why it happened. Why you're in that position. Why you. What did you do to deserve this? Why. I've been asking myself this a lot these last couple of days. People jump to conclusions. They're more than ready to assume the worst of you. And what do you do? What do you do when you're backed into a corner? What do you do when everyone turns on you? Fight back. Show them you're stronger than what they thought. And don't stop fighting. Everything will be okay in the end. There is a definitive purpose in each event that tries us; we just don't know it at the time. Figuring it out is the hard part. It's the fight. Don't ever give up that fight.

Maggie's alarm clock went off precisely at 6 o'clock, as it always did. She woke up, started the coffee pot, and took a shower.

Alex woke up an hour later, taking the first cup of the coffee, making lunches for the kids, and pulling out the cereal and milk. He woke up Bailey, got Ellis, and went to wake Zola, but then realized she wasn't in her bed. A little panicked, he was relieved to find Zola cuddling with Cassie in her bed. Cassie's arm was draped across Zola, and Zola was almost completely immersed in Cassie's stomach. It was adorable, and in true Uncle Alex fashion, he snapped a picture and sent it to Meredith.

Cassie's phone alarm went off at that exact moment, waking up both of the girls. Alex darted out of the room before they realized he had been standing there with Ellis in his arms. He helped Bailey down the stairs, poured him a bowl of cereal, gave Ellis some yogurt chewies, and drank his coffee.

Cassie and Zola came bouncing down the stairs, Cassie suddenly aware that she was going to be late for school. She dumped some cereal into a mug, put some milk on top of it, grabbed a spoon and ran back up the stairs.

Zola took the cereal happily. "Cassie is my pic."

Alex furrowed a brow. "Am I supposed to know what that means?"

"It means partner in crime. I'm Cassie's partner in crime." Zola declared proudly.

"Cassie!" Alex screamed.

"What?" Cassie responded from upstairs.

"You're driving!"

"No, I'm not. I don't want to!"

"Well too bad! You're driving to school!"

"Why?" Cassie moaned. "I have PTSD! That makes me unreliable and dangerous."

"I don't care!" Alex responded, satisfied he had somewhat won the fight. "Take your brother upstairs and brush your teeth." He mentioned towards Zola. Alex bounced Ellis some more, going upstairs to put her in some play clothes. He got everyone ready, buckled into car seats, and situated himself into the passenger seat. Cassie came later, in a sweatshirt, leggings and a ponytail. She grumbled, handing Alex her backpack and taking the keys from him.

She hesitated slightly. She could die. Driving could kill you. But so could standing. Breathing. It's easier to die than you would think. So maybe driving would be okay. She took a deep breath, putting the keys in the ignition. And she drove. There were no bumps in the road (both literally and figuratively.) Alex handed her her backpack once she was double parked outside of school, and she walked in, ready for her first day of Med Academy.

The group, consisting of eight guys and five girls, took a bus to Grey Sloan Memorial. Their school combined with two or three other schools, jointly making a group of about thirty kids. They were greeted by Webber, and Cassie did her best to avoid being seen and or recognized by him. Diana was eagerly pushing her way to the front. It was cute.

"Usually I would give a speech about how the seven years you spend as a surgical resident are the best and worst years of your life. But you guys aren't even close to being there. You've got another ten years before you're even interns. Some of you will crack at the pressure of med school. Of the thirty of you standing here today, I'd say only three of you will ever make it to a surgical residency. You'll find something that makes you happier." Webber adjusted his lab coat. "Today, you'll receive a tour from me, as well as possibly observe some rounds with some of our surgical residents. You'll have the opportunity to ask some of them questions. Are you ready?"

The group eagerly nodded.

Cassie began to follow them when she noticed a girl that hadn't with them before, was now with them. She was wearing a leather jacket, her hair long and brown running to her shoulders. She looked like someone Cassie knew, for sure, but her brain didn't register it.

"Hi." Cassie started. "I don't think I've seen you at school. I'm Cassie." Cassie held out a hand. The girl just chuckled.

"I don't know you. But I'm Amber." Amber took a deep breath. "I really hope we go to the peds floor." She muttered under her breath.

"Why?" Cassie asked. "What's on the peds floor?"

"Someone I know. I haven't seen them in a really long time." Amber finished, clutching her leather jacket. For some reason, Cassie's brain clicked to a memory of reading about a shooting at the hospital. What had the world come to? Should she tell someone?

She chose to keep her cool. "I don't know. Peds is pretty tough. Plus, seeing sick kids will probably trigger the Med Academy students." She chuckled distastefully. "I spent some time on the peds floor here."

Amber perked up at this. "Did you have a Doctor Karev?"

Now Cassie was concerned. Was this Alex's secret kid? Did everyone have one? Cassie made the decision to play it cool. "I think so. But I always had the bone and brain surgeons, so I never met him. What's he to you?"

Amber snapped. "None of your business." She stomped forward, trying to catch up with the rest of the group.

Cassie stopped to debate this. Should she tell Amber that she knew Alex? What if Alex hated her and ran away from his hometown to get away from her? What if he would be mad at her? She had learned not to get involved in other people's drama. But shoot, she didn't think this was Alex's kid. And she didn't think this girl was a shooter. If she was, well, Cassie was cursed and killed everyone in her sight. She put her finger on her phone, just in case.

"Amber!" She called, running to catch up to her. "I can try to get Karev for you. Just tell me who he is to you. Please."

Amber rolled her eyes. "He's my brother. He's not my father. I'm not his secret child if that's the conclusion you came to. I know that's what people think. I know you live with him." Now Cassie was a bit concerned. Had she been looking through Meredith's windows with a pair of binoculars? Amber rolled her eyes again at the sight of Cassie's facial expression. "I did my research before I used every dollar that we had left to get from Iowa to here. I knew he's a doctor at this hospital, and I knew that a group of high schoolers was going to show up. I know he's lived on and off with Meredith Grey, who's like, a surgical goddess."

"And me? How did you know I lived there?"

"You left with him yesterday night. I was going to try and talk to him then, but I saw him going to a car full of children. Come on. He didn't need our family put on display."

Cassie sighed. "They don't really know I'm here today. I forged their signature on the permission sheet."

"Ooh! You're not as innocent as you look!"

Now it was Cassie's turn to roll her eyes. "I was a secret baby that my mother didn't tell anyone about that fought her way here sixteen years later. I lived in foster homes for a while, I lived on islands in the middle of nowhere with no company but my cousins and my aunt and armed forces uncle. They didn't pay attention to me, they took me in out of obligation."

"At least your mother wasn't a schizophrenic drug addict."

"At least yours didn't abandon you"

The both of them sighed. Cassie almost felt like this girl she met and she could potentially be friends. Amber bit her lip.

"Wait, why did you... why didn't they sign your form? They're doctors; why wouldn't they want you to do the same?"

"I'm sure they would. Stuff happened yesterday and I didn't really have a chance to ask them. It didn't feel right. But I couldn't miss the first day. They'll be angrier that I didn't ask than the fact that I went."

Cassie and Amber trailed behind the group as they were led through the most obvious places: the cafeteria, through the radiology floor.

Amber let out a gasp when they approached the OR floor. "Its funny how much money people make cutting people open with knives in this room."

Cassie let out a laugh. "Well, when you put it like that... it makes surgeons look really bad. But they don't do it for the money. At least, not completely. They're all extremely passionate. They want to save the lives. It's more than just cutting skin and suturing, it's about the people too."

Amber snorted. "They have you snowed."

Cassie frowned. "Um, no. I came to that conclusion all on my own. I want to be a surgeon to change lives and save them."

"Yeah, you and every other high school student that spends their free time watching medical dramas on Netflix."

Cassie crossed her arms, "I didn't have Netflix in Tahiti. I never watched any television. I found out my aunt and my mom were both surgeons when I was seven. I wanted to be a surgeon like them."

Amber looked like she was about to say something else that was snarky, but then Webber began ushering the group to get their photo IDs taken. Cassie and Amber both looked at each other. "You need to go before he realizes you're not in this program!" Cassie pushed her. "Take the elevator to the 4th floor. Go to the nurse's station and ask for Karev."

Webber turned to her just as the doors on the elevator closed. "Grey!" Cassie walked towards him, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Hey, Chief! Well, that's what everyone calls you. How's it going?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't realize that you forged Meredith's signature? Why would you do that, Grey?"

Cassie chuckled nervously. "I was going to have her sign it, but she never came home last night. And I didn't really want to tell Karev or Pierce cause I wanted to share that with my aunt. I couldn't."

Webber nodded. He surely must have known what had happened yesterday. He was like Meredith's father. He had been in an affair with Meredith's mother (she totally hadn't read Ellis's journals). He didn't seem mad, just... how could he be mad when Meredith was in the condition that she was?

"You and I are going to pay her a little visit while your little high school friends are on their lunch break so you can tell her what you're up to."

Cassie let out a breath. "I suppose I should have known that was coming."

...

As promised, Cassie went to go visit her aunt. She didn't know what she was going to say; she figured she could put the spotlight on Alex and his little sister because that sounded a lot more interesting than forgery on a permission slip.

She slid the door open, seeing if her aunt was awake. She couldn't talk, as far as Cassie knew. Her head was facing the window, and she looked like she was decked out on painkillers.

Cassie sat down in the chair next to the window, watching her aunt sleep. She looked a lot younger when she slept. She looked calm. She looked peaceful. Webber walked in, giving her the 'did you confess' look.

"She's asleep," Cassie whispered. "I don't want to wake her."

"Too -ate." came her aunt's half asleep reply. She stretched out as much as she could, and looked at her niece. She blinked, picking up the whiteboard that had Alex had gotten her. She furrowed her brow.

School?

"I am at school. I'm in a class doing rounds at the hospital. I was going to tell you, except you..." she motioned to the room. "I forged your signature. And Webber must have your handwriting memorized because he made me come to tell you. I hope you're not mad."

Meredith blinked at her niece in response. She wiped the board.

How is it going?

Cassie let out a breath. She knew Meredith wouldn't be mad. "Pretty good. Webber gave his 'the seven years you spend as a surgical resident' speech..."

Meredith looked terrified. She shook her head.

You're not that old yet. Stay a kid while you can.

"There's something else I need to talk to you about." She looked up at Webber, who nodded and walked out, closing the door behind her. Meredith looked at her niece expectedly. She didn't know what to expect there. Was her niece confiding in her about something personal? Had she finally realized that she could trust her with these things?

"When I came here today, there was a teenage girl who snuck into the group. She told me she was Amber Karev. She's Alex's sister. She was looking for him. I sent her to the peds floor cause I didn't want Webber to see her and get involved. Do you know what the story is there?"

Meredith picked up her phone, probably sending a message to Alex. She then picked up her whiteboard again.

Family drama

Cassie rolled her eyes. "I knew that part. I guess you're not going to tell me anything else?" Meredith shook her head. "That's what I thought."

Meredith was about to reply when Alex busted through the door. "What's the emergency?" He asked. He saw Cassie. "Why aren't you in school?"

"I am in school, this is the Med Acad-"

Meredith held up her board.

Your little sister is here

"What?"

At just that moment, Amber busted through the door. Her face turned red."I am so sorry. I, uh..." She then saw Cassie. "Wait a minute..."

Cassie stood up. "This is my aunt, Meredith Grey." She cleared her throat, motioning to her aunt in the bed. "That's Amber." She pointed out as if that wasn't completely obvious.

"Alex..." she started. "I didn't know what else to do..."

"Did you hitchhike here from Iowa? Why didn't you call?" He hissed, clearly angry.

"I used everything we had left Alex! To get here, to find out where you were! Aaron almost killed me!"

Alex's face visibly softened. "Where is he now? Where is mom now?"

"Same place they've always been. I ran. I didn't want them to stick me in another home. Alex..." she gulped. "Don't make me go back there."

Alex let out a breath. "What am I supposed to do with you? I can't keep you here!"

"I don't know Alex. I haven't asked for much in my life, and I let you walk away. My life has been put on the line so many times, but this time was different. I felt my life flash before my eyes. And I realized, I didn't want this to be how it ended. Hell, after being with perky over there," she motioned to Cassie, watching this unfold, "I might even become a surgeon."

Alex smirked. "I'll see what I can do."

Amber stuck out her tongue. "But I still don't forgive you for leaving me there." She walked out of the room, stomping down the hall.

"Wow." Cassie let out. She turned to Meredith. "I'm really not that perky."

Meredith shrugged in response.

Another resident of the frat house?

Alex snorted. "Of course. Now we have two teenagers. We just keep racking 'em in!" Alex's phone buzzed in his pocket. He turned to Cassie. "Can you find her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid?" Cassie nodded. Meredith was about to write something to her when Webber poked his head in the door.

"The school bus is here to take you back."

"Okay," Cassie responded. Meredith looked like she wanted to say something, but Cassie mumbled a "bye" and walked out before she could say anything else.