Sunday morning Annie and Josh walked into the hospital hand in hand. They had spent Saturday just the two of them, walking along the beach and by the stream and curling up in front of the fire with tea, their textbooks and the cat. Milo was a snuggly little orange and white tabby cat. They often felt bad about the amount of time they spent away from home where Milo was on his own, luckily the automatic feeder worked well when they were away. Milo was Annie's pet, he followed her around the house like a puppy and slept at her feet. Josh was tolerated by the cat, sometimes he could play tag or get the cat to sit with him but only if Annie wasn't home.

As Annie and Josh walked towards the elevator they heard baby babbles behind them.

"Nee nee," Allison babbled.

Teddy laughed, "yes that's Annie."

"She's still babbling," Annie said, "like she was on Friday."

"She's done it twice now," Teddy pointed out.

"Good timing," Annie laughed. She knew Teddy desperately wanted to hear Allison say mama.

Annie and Josh paused and let Teddy and Allison catch up with them.

Annie reached out and asked, "can I have a hug this morning Ali bean? Do you have a hug for your big sister?"

Teddy passed the happy baby to Annie, "she does."

"Hi pretty girl," Annie cooed, "are you going to have fun at daycare today? Can I come see you after my brain surgery with dr Shepard?"

"That's today," Teddy asked.

"It is," Annie said, "at 10. She thinks 5-6 hours to do it. Then if your still here I'll go see my little sister. Do you want me to read you a story Allison?"

Teddy laughed, "are you trying to turn her into a bookworm like you?"

"Maybe," Annie laughed, "I like reading to her. She cuddles to read."

Teddy's pager went off, "it's 911 for the pit. Can you take your sister up to daycare?"

"I have 45 before I need to be ready for rounds," Annie replied, "I can."

Teddy smiled, "thank you Annie. Have a good day Allison I'll see you in a bit for your lunch."

"Allison say bye bye to mama," Annie said. She waved the baby's hand at Teddy.

"Ma ma," Allison babbled.

"She said it," Teddy said as she dashed towards the pit.

"I thought you were still doing no family time at the hospital," Josh said.

"But Allison is so cute when she babbles," Annie said, "the last two times she's seen me she's said nee nee. "

"Is she trying to say Annie," Josh asked.

"I don't know," Annie said, "but I like it."

"Your sister is cute," Josh said.

They walked out of the elevator on the peds floor and Josh's relaxed attitude changed.

The sub intern from Friday approached him, "Dr Riggs can we talk about the other night."

Annie grabbed Josh's hand with her free one. She was aware of what the two of them looked like taking Allison to day care. People had assumed that Allison was her baby before.

"We're both late for work," Josh said, "we have to drop Allison off at daycare then be ready for rounds."

"Please dr Riggs," the girl pleaded, "you owe me an explanation for the other night."

"I don't know why you think you can talk to him," Annie said, "or why he owes you an explanation. I don't think we've met. I didn't make it to Joe's the other night. I was in surgery with the chief. I'm Dr. Grace Altman, Josh's girlfriend."

"Not only do you have a girlfriend, you have a daughter," the girl asked, looking very confused.

Annie laughed, "Allison is my half sister. I'm helping my mother. Mama got paged to the pit for a cardiac trauma. You must be the girl who was all over Josh at the bar the other night. Thanks for the wonderful weekend."

"I didn't know," the girl said, "but is it true your parents are the interm head of cardio and the head of trauma."

"My mother and step dad yes," Annie replied, "but I really have to drop Allison off and meet dr Shepard for rounds before a hemispherectomy."

"It was nice to meet you dr Altman," the girl said.

"I'm sure I'll see you around," Annie replied.

Annie and Josh walked to the daycare to drop off Allison.

"Why does me babysitting always confuse people," Annie asked.

"Because you could totally have a baby that age and it not be weird," Josh said, "and you and Ali bean look so much alike other than her red hair."

"It's what mama calls med school life delay," Annie said.

"What does she mean by that," Josh asked.

"We do an extra 4 years of school for med school then residency so 9 years minimum for us and it puts other parts of our lives on hold," Annie said, "we'll be 30 or almost by the time we finish residency."

"That doesn't mean we won't live," Josh said, "we can start building our life together."

"Does that include getting Duncan out of the house," Annie asked.

"We'll talk about it," Josh said, "but he is helping with the rent. We would pay more rent and have tighter budgets if he wasn't around."

"True," Annie said.

Annie signed Allison into daycare and ran to the locker room. In her scrubs she met Amelia outside the neuro wing.

"Cutting it close there mini Altman," Amelia said.

"Sorry dr Shepard. Mama needed a hand getting Allison to daycare," Annie replied, "it won't happen again."

"Babysitting," Amelia asked.

"Just running Ali upstairs," Annie said, "mama got pulled into the pit and uncle Owen is in surgery."

Amelia smiled, "then let's get these rounds done we have a surgery to do."

"Right away," Annie replied.

She completed rounds with Amelia and followed her to the scrub room.

Annie scowled at the gallery.

"Not happy to operate with me," Amelia asked.

"Not happy with the gallery," Annie said.

"I hated having my brother in my gallery. I get it but then one day you'll operate and she's not there and you'll do something amazing and wish she saw it," Amelia said, "most people up there have never seen this done. Let's get to work."

They scrubbed in and completed their surgery.

Annie went to sit with the little girl in post op where Josh found her.

"Hey babe I'm sorry about that this morning," Josh said.

"She shouldn't have been talking to you," Annie said.

"I've never seen you talk to anyone like that," Josh said.

Annie admitted, "I don't like doing it but she had to know your mine."

"I'll always be yours," Josh said.

Annie replied, "I don't know what happened I suddenly got really jealous and possessive. That's so not me."

"It was kinda hot," Josh said.

"It's childish," Annie said.

"It was nice to see that side of you," Josh said, "you don't usually stand up or say much. To see you do that was great."

"It felt good," Annie admitted

"You stood up for yourself," Josh pointed out.

"Only took me 26 years to learn," Annie laughed.

"We'll keep working on it," Josh said.

"What time are you off," Annie asked.

"9:30," josh replied, "you?"

"10," Annie said, "so you'll do dinner."

"I can," Josh said.

Leaving the hospital late that night Annie and Josh ran into the sub intern again.

"You just keep popping up everywhere I am," Annie said.

"Because he needs to explain to me why he pushed me off Friday night," the girl said.

"I have a girlfriend," Josh replied, "you've met Grace twice today."

"She's short, nerdy and wears glasses. What do you see in her," the girl demanded.

"Glasses after surgery," Josh said, "contacts earlier today. She's real. Grace is who she is and doesn't hide that. What you're not seeing is her strength, compassion and brilliance."

Annie snapped, "leave us alone. This is completely in appropriate. You're a medical student and we're residents. Your teachers."

"Dr Altman is there a problem," demanded Bailey.

Annie turned, "sorry to disturb you dr Bailey. We were just having a conversation with one of the sub interns."

"I heard you," Bailey said, "we can all discuss this with dr Webber tomorrow."

"Yes dr Bailey," Annie and Josh replied.

"Riggs, Altman wait here," Bailey commanded, "Miss Jameson you may go."

When she had gone Bailey turned to Annie and Josh, "I've heard enough of the gossip today but didn't see either of you to confirm the rumors."

"I wasn't at Joes when it happened," Annie said, "I was with you for the appy."

"You were," Bailey said, "Josh what happened?"

"She tried to kiss me and I pushed her off. She's been following me around all day. Refusing to accept that Annie and I are together."

"If Josh was doing this to her it would be considered sexual harassment," Annie pointed out.

"I'll consider this and we'll all meet tomorrow," Bailey said, "I need to do the interview offers by the end of the week and would like the full story before then."

"Of course dr Bailey," Josh replied.

"Go home and get some sleep," Bailey said.

They walked towards Annie's car and she threw her keys to Josh.

"Really," Josh asked.

"I drove here. You drive home," Annie said.

"Fine," josh laughed.

Annie texted Teddy.

Annie, "today was weird. The surgery was awesome watching her do that but we ran into the sub I twice. She thought Ali bean was mine."

Teddy, "that mistake is understandable even if I hate it. Did you tell her to back off?"

Annie, "I got pretty possessive and jealous."

Teddy, "that's good."

Annie, "not when Josh saw it."

Teddy, "it's okay for him to see that sometimes."

Annie, "really?"

Teddy, "yes. Not often but in this situation yes. You're so passive that Josh will like seeing you stand up once in a while."

Annie and Josh got home and curled up together IN front on the fireplace .

"Take out was a good idea," Josh said.

"It was," Annie replied, "I would have cooked but getting to cuddle with you is better."

"I'm sorry about today and this weekend," Josh said, "I shouldn't have put you through that."

"I'm the one that overreacted on Friday. I ran instead of talking to you," Annie said, "I panicked and thought you were cheating so I ran to mama."

"Seeing her in the hospital attacking you I was repulsed," Josh said, "she was awful."

"All that make up with scrubs," Annie said, "she looked like she had 5 pounds of it on and those fake eyelashes. Everything about her was fake it had to be."

Josh laughed, "then she thought Allison was ours."

"I almost faked it but wasnt sure if you would play along," Annie said.

"She could be," Josh said, "she looks so much like you."

"She's a redhead," Annie said, "I'm blonde and you're definitely brunette. How would we have a redhead."

"You have some reddish strands," Josh pointed out.

"Undertones," Annie said, "so does mama. I was strawberry blonde as a kid. I wonder what Allison will do. But she's got some waves coming in. I think I'm going to shower and dry my hair tonight so there's time to straighten it in the morning."

"Leave your curls," Josh begged, "I love the curls."

"Curls have a mind of their own," Annie said, "going into a 36 hour shift straight is easier to manage."

"You have a 36," Josh asked.

"Yes and not only do I have interns I get sub Is tomorrow," Annie said, "were we that incomptent as sub Is?"

"Me yes," Josh said, "you had more OR time and knew more about GS that you were comfortable."

"We both had an uncle which helped. An attending to bring us into the OR," Annie said.

"They traded us back and forth a lot," Josh said, "I think half my OR time was with Owen."

"I had a lot of cardio time with Nathan," Annie agreed.

"Do you think you'll stick with cardio," Josh asked.

"I haven't had a ton of cardio time because I had that ban then have only had two rotations through it. I'm really loving peds, I could be really happy doing peds," Annie said.

"I could see you in peds. Your great with kids they love you," Josh said.

"Are you still thinking about trauma," Annie asked.

"Probably. I used to think ortho but I don't like it now that I've tried it. I like general as well," Josh said.

"We get to narrow it down in a couple months to three areas to focus in," Annie said.

"I know," Josh replied, "I'm thinking trauma, general and neuro."

"Peds, trauma and cardio," Annie said, "I could combine peds with either later."

"You could," Josh said, "is cardio really you or wanting to please your mama?"

Annie thought, "I love peds. I feel like I'm making a difference there. But there's so few fellowships for peds that cardio is a solid backup. I don't love cardio that way I love peds but I would be happy with either. Could I do peds cardio?"

"There would be work for that," Josh said.

"I'll talk it through with mama," Annie said, "see what she thinks about peds cardio. She's doing a lot of kids stuff right now so it's not a bad focus for me."

"What do you love," Josh asked.

"Both equally really. I love the kids making them feel better seeing them smile. Finding ways to make the hospital less scary," Annie said.

"You treat them like Allison," Josh said.

"She's one soon," Annie said, "that's fast. She almost walks and her saying nee nee is so cute."

Josh smiled, "you love your sister."

"I admit I was skeptical and a little jealous," Annie said, "but she's adorable. She likes us."

"She likes nee nee she's still not sure about me," Josh said.

"She hates Faroke," Annie said, "but when that girl thought she was ours it made me think that I want one some day."

"I could see us getting married and having a couple kids," Josh said.

"Two," Annie said, "further apart then me and Chris but closer than me and Allison."

"25 years is extreme," Josh agreed, "but the two of us and a couple kids."

"Our own house," Annie said, "go somewhere together for fellowships."

"What if we stayed here," Josh suggested, "they have peds or cardio for you and trauma or general for me."

"That's still a few years off," Annie said.

"I know I want it with you," Josh said.

"I couldn't do this without you," Annie replied cuddling into Josh.

They liked nights like this, a take out picnic on the floor in front of the fireplace. Annie had lit the candles on the he mantle and coffee table making the room dim and cozy. The vanilla scent of the candles was one he always associated with Annie along with her apple scented shampoo.

Annie lifted the empty containers onto the coffee table and stretched out on the blanket. Josh grabbed a couple throw pillows off the couch and laid down beside her.

"Duncan is gone tonight," Annie whispered.

"He is," Josh confirmed with a smile.

Annie giggled before kissing Josh. Soon their clothing was scattered on the living room floor.

"We can't sleep here," Annie said, "come to bed with me?"

Josh smiled at her, "round two?"

Annie teased, "maybe. Or shower with me in the morning?"

Josh grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss, "how about both."

Just then they heard the front door open.

"Shit," Josh shouted.

Annie grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself.

"You're up," Duncan called.

"Not decent," Annie yelled, "go back outside."

"Sorry guys," Duncan called.

Annie grabbed her jeans and tank top and threw them on. She gathered the blanket and pillows taking them back to their bedroom with her. Josh pulled on his jeans then gathered the take out containers and blew out the last of the candles.

"Sorry man," Josh said, "we didn't think you'd be home tonight."

"I didn't either," Duncan said, "sorry to interrupt your night. Apologize to Grace for me?"

"She's already hiding in our room," Josh said, "we'll see you at work."

"I'm off tomorrow give Grace the heads up that a few of my army buddies I served with in Iraq are coming," Duncan said, "hopefully she doesn't mind."

"She doesn't love being Major Altman's daughter but she's on for 36 starting at 9am," Josh said.

"So we won't see her," Duncan said.

"You won't she'll come home after and go straight to bed," Josh said, "I'm going to bed. Night man."

"Night dude," Duncan replied.