Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

Darwin...

It was a normal day on Darwin Ward, the beds were full of patients, the junior doctors and the nurses were circling, and the consultants hidden away in their offices, doing paperwork.

Grace and Olivia were in the office that they shared, both trying to work on separate reports.

'Argh!' said Olivia. 'There's too much that Chris wants us to do before his visit/inspection today!'

'He's your brother, try tugging on that string,' suggested Grace calmly.

'If he wasn't my brother, I'd sleep with him to get more time,' said Olivia callously. 'This is going to take forever! You're his wife, can't you make him a little 'happier' and get him to push the deadline back?'

'I could, but then we would get complacent about finishing them, and end up like this again,' said Grace. 'And it's rather alarming how you would sleep with someone to get your way.'

'Haven't had to do it so far,' said Olivia. 'Our little group can pretty much get anywhere they want by dropping the family name.'

'We should try and climb up the career ladder on our own merits,' said Grace. 'Not the merits of our parents, who worked hard.'

'We are working hard!' exclaimed Olivia. 'Besides, Mum used sex to get up a little bit in work.'

'And it didn't work, she split up with your dad and it took him years to forgive her!' said Grace. 'They had true love, and your mum knows that she threw that away in the beginning for ambition. But she softened, and look at her now. Mother, grandmother, loving aunt.'

'She's gone soft,' said Olivia. 'Family matters, of course, but I have my family. My nieces, my nephews, my parents, my siblings an my friends. I don't need rugrats running around, messing up the house I paid my hard earned money for, who will ruin my figure, make me take time off work and have to pay out for a nanny.'

'Oh Liv,' said Grace in despair. 'You really think you have it worked out, don't you? There's more to life than ambition and career.'

Knocking on the door, Mason swung his head around, saying, 'Are you going to take a look at Mr Young?'

'When the paperwork has written itself,' said Olivia grumpily.

'Can't Grace work a little 'magic' to get Chris to put the deadline back?' asked Mason with a wink.

'I am not whoring myself out to my husband for an extended deadline!' exclaimed Grace. 'Got it? Good.'

'Can't Liv whore herself out?' asked Mason.

'He's my brother!' exclaimed Olivia.

'Your point being?' asked Mason. 'I know what you're like. You'd screw your own father to rise up the ranks.'

'Now that's disgusting,' said Grace and Olivia in unison.

'That's how I roll,' he said.

As he finished his sentence, the phone rang.

'Grace Strachan. Oh hi Mum,' said Grace. 'When? Oh Saturday. Okay, I'll let everyone know. Okay, bye, I love you.'

'What's on Saturday?' asked Mason.

'Mum's hosting a family get together for everyone at hers. She's decided that we all haven't been together for ages. So all of the Griffin's, Strachan's, Cullen's, Byrne's and Valentine's will be there,' said Grace.

'Maybe if she and Dad spent some time away from New York, they'd see us more often,' said Mason.

'Keiron's out there Mason,' said Grace. 'Dad doesn't like to go without seeing him and his kids for too long.'

'Whatever,' he said in reply. 'Anyway, I have to go, there's some good looking agency nurses looking my way. Off to flirt.'

As he walked away, Grace and Olivia muttered under their breath, 'Man whore.'

Carrying on working with their individual reports, Grace and Olivia were as content as they could be in that particular situation.

Poking his head around the door just as Mason did, Max said, 'Did I hear family get together?'

Grace and Olivia simply nodded.

'Err, how do I get out of this one?' he asked himself.

'You don't,' said Olivia.

'Ah come on,' pleaded Max. 'I hate those things, rugrats running around, Adi complaining about pregnancy, Asher screaming, embarrassing mum's and dad's, aunts and uncles, Taylor talking about divorce, Olivia, no offence, going on about her career, Chris talking politics, Harry winding up Aunt Connie about GS vs CT, Aunt Maddy's infamous punch, Erin getting drunk, Finn being loved up, Jayden talking about Ghana and Callie eyeing up Taylor. It's always the same!'

'Max, stop complaining,' said Grace. 'And go back to work.'

'Fine, but I have a £50 bet with Mason and Harry that Adi will go into labour there and then,' he said. 'I reckon it won't happen, but Harry's convinced.'

'Fascinating,' said Grace and Olivia in unison, pointing to the door.

'Fine,' said Max sulkily, leaving the room.