AUTHOR'S NOTE:

More introductions and some bonding before the time shift.

I hope you guys like it!

WARNINGS: Language, Gore, Blood, Death, Slash, Sex, Drugs

ENJOY!

xxxx

Persistence. It's that little voice in your head that tells you not to give up. Telling you to keep going until you reach your goal. Persistence was the one trait that Katherine Hale had the most of, and she felt so restless at lunch, sitting with Dr. Garrison. She looked at her carrot sticks and then picked one up, looking up as she heard a female voice. Honestly, Katherine had gotten to see some babies today so she was pretty happy, but she would have liked a friend besides her boss as well.

"Lexie Grey." Lexie said, holding out her hand for Katherine to shake.

Lexie had a habit of trying to make new friends, and the brunette stood there, smile on her face, it widening as Katherine took her hand and shook it. If Lexie wanted a new friend, Katherine was more than willing to oblige because she wanted a friend—she wanted someone to talk to that she didn't have to work for. She was in a new work environment and she was going to need people to have her back, so what better time to put herself out there? What better time to decide that life was supposed to be embraced and lived?

"Katherine Hale, but my friends call me Kathy, so…you can do the same." Katherine replied, nodding a little. "Wanna join us?"

Dr. Garrison smiled at the two. "Actually, I have some labs I need to check up on, so how about you two just have lunch? I'll page you if I need you, but don't forget to finish the paperwork I gave you earlier Dr. Hale."

"I won't forget." Katherine admitted as she smiled up at Dr. Garrison as she stood, thankful to get to get to know her new friend on a one-on-one basis.

"So how are you liking the hospital so far?" Lexie asked Katherine, taking the seat that Dr. Garrison had vacated, setting her tray down and picking up her fork.

Katherine thought a moment. "It's daunting but…I kind of like it."

Lexie smiled and nodded, the two of them beginning to talk about their interests and their goals, Katherine explaining about babies. Unlike all of her friends from High School, Katherine had stayed away from the engagements, marriage and children. Most of her friends had kids right out of High School, and she knew that someday she wanted them, but it just wasn't her time. She wanted a career and she wanted to feel at least emotionally ready to even think about thinking about starting a family…and she had yet to fall in love with the right guy.

"Last time I was in love it just ended badly." Katherine explained, shrugging her shoulders a little and eating her pudding. "Your love life?"

Lexie smiled at her. "Actually my boyfriend, Mark, and I are doing really well. We live together."

"Well, well, well." Katherine said, both of them sharing a laugh.

Lexie then took the moment to point out Mark Sloan and Katherine gave her an approving nod, and then the two simply kept talking until they had to part. It seemed almost like they were meant to become friends and as the day wore on, Katherine felt a little more at ease. All she wanted out of this were some friends and a better career and then she could focus on the rest of her life. She wanted renown—she wanted to feel like her life was worth something.

"So you're one of those girls." Jackson said, taking the time out of his busy day to stand next to her.

He actually knew that he should have been working, but he had seen the attractive newbie again looking at the newborns through the glass and he had to talk to her. She smirked a little and looked at him, actually kind of happy to have someone else to talk to and the fact that Jackson Avery was attractive definitely didn't hurt. Then she looked back at the newborns and shrugged her shoulders, waiting for him to speak again because honestly she was just enjoying a moment of down time before assisting in another birth.

"I take it your first day is going well?" Jackson asked her.

Katherine nodded and then shrugged. "I actually like it here even though I still have no idea where anything is."

"You'll pick it up." Jackson said and then he smiled at her and nodded. "I should get back to my job—gotta prove I'm supposed to be here."

"You'll get it done." Katherine replied and with a wink she was walking down the hall already in the opposite direction, off to see what else she could do that day.

When she made it back to Dr. Garrison, she finished up her things and then went to go and watch a surgery happen, sitting next to Lexie. As they looked down on what was happening, Katherine suddenly felt like the whole atmosphere had changed once the doors to the observation room had closed. The observation room was a place where the students were supposed to study and learn, and just watching every incision made Katherine feel a little more at home.

She had always enjoyed the dissection part of her Biology lab classes, and as an Intern nothing had been more thrilling for her than actually working with a live patient—nothing but delivering babies. Katherine had known that she had wanted to be in medicine since she was 6 years old, but it wasn't until college that the idea of being an OBGYN really hit home. Yes, she wanted to do Pre-Med and she had always been interested in being a surgeon, but Katherine wanted to work with babies…she wanted to help to be part of the miracle of childbirth.

"I wish I was down there right now." Lexie told Katherine, leaning towards her a little. "I can't believe that Alex got to scrub in."

Katherine looked up at Lexie. "Alex? Who is that?"

Lexie looked at Katherine and then remembered that Katherine was new, feeling like she had known her for so much longer than that already. She began to explain him to her, and Katherine had the feeling that she wasn't going to like him—he seemed arrogant and douchey. Why in the world would she want to know him? Then again…maybe he had skills that he could teach her.

Once the surgery was over, Katherine went back to her paperwork, ending up around the Nurses' Station at the same time that Alex Karev was asking about a test. Katherine glanced up at him when she felt his eyes on her, and for a second she felt like she recognized that brow, but she wasn't sure. She hadn't actually seen Alex face to face, so there was no way of knowing who this guy was that was staring at her, a smirk on his face.

"I don't believe we've met and you're not wearing orange, so you're not from Mercy West." He told her, stepping a little closer. "I'm Alex Karev."

Katherine nodded, realization hitting her. "Yeah…and I'm not interested."

"Salmon scrubs…Obstetrics." Alex told her, a grin on his face—the man did not give up on a potential conquest.

"I actually have a patient to see before I check out to go home, but it was interesting meeting you." Katherine responded, turning around and seeing Jackson come towards her, flashing him a smile as he smiled at her, headed to the Nurses' Station himself. "Evening, Avery."

"Hale." Jackson replied with a wink.

Katherine rolled her eyes playfully and then headed away from the Nurses' Station slowly, smiling a bit to herself. She wasn't going to lie to herself about her attraction to Jackson—he was intelligent, friendly and obviously talented, and the fact that he was easy on the eyes helped. The problem was, Katherine wasn't sure that she had time for any kind of flirtation and who was to say that Jackson Avery didn't hit on every cute girl he came into contact with. No…no, Katherine was going to focus on acclimating, and then once the merger was complete, then she would see if Jackson was interested.

"Any first name to go with that last name?" Alex called after her, Jackson giving him a look as Katherine's smile disappeared…she was not impressed.

"Katherine!" Lexie called as Katherine neared her patient's room. "Hey…um…when you get off tonight, do you want to go to Joe's with me and meet some people? I don't want you to feel like I'm smothering you or anything, but I know that you said you really wanted to make new friends and Joe's is a really nice place, and—"

"—that sounds perfect, Lex." Katherine said with a laugh, Lexie blushing and then beaming. "I'll page you when I'm off."

Note: I know it has been awhile, but I shall be updating this one more frequently, I promise. Feedback is always appreciated!