"God, this is so weird."

"I know right." Cristina agreed. "Are we first-year interns, or are we not?"

"Alternatively, are we nothings?" George posed. "Screw-ups, drop-outs."

"None of us are going to be nothings, George. We'll all pass, and we'll all go onto next year." Izzie replied.

"I'm sure they could mark our tests in less than a day if they wanted to."

"Probably. It's like high school. You stay up until five in the morning revising for two whole weeks, and the teacher takes half a year to give you your papers back."

"Doctors are important people. Known for doing important things like...oh, let me think- perhaps saving lives?"

They all turned around to see their resident stood in the doorway of the locker room.

Crap. Why was she always there? And why was she always listening? Every. Since. Time. No wonder Bailey seemed to know everything about everyone.

"Now, cut the complaining before we kick you off the programme no matter your results. Yang, cardio. O'Malley and Karev, pit. Stevens, ortho. Grey, paeds. She's the new chief, try not to scare the living daylights out of her with your exam-related moping, okay?"

Her eyebrows creased at what she believed was an insult, but she nodded nevertheless. "Yes, Dr Bailey."

"So...what do you do?"

"I'm Head of Plastics."

"Oh, so the important things?" Arizona asked with a smile.

"I treat burn victims. I do gender reassignment surgeries. I fix people's noses so they don't look asymmetrical for the rest of their lives. I do important things." He retorted before grinning. "Although...yes, I also do a lot of other things, which aren't as cool as your specialty...saving children."

"Well I don't think any specialty can trump tiny humans."

"A specialty which makes millions to in turn fund pro-bono paed surgeries, perhaps?"

"Mmm. I'm afraid not. But you make a good case." She returned. "I'd say we're possibly threatened by cardio and neuro, but they'd disagree; I think they see us as soft."

"Well- let's see, shall we?" He paused in the doorway of a room, and whistled. "Hey, Neurogod."

Derek looked up at that.

Mark smirked. "No way did you just answer to 'neurogod'."

"I answer to the sound of your voice, it's all I've heard for thirty years. And your stupid whistle."

Mark walked into the room, and sat down beside him on the bench before gesturing to him. "This is Derek. He's the head of neuro. He's basically my brother."

Derek shook his head as he rolled his eyes.

Arizona smiled. The poor man had clearly been teased by Mark one two many times.

"We're here because we'd link to rank paediatrics as a specialty."

"Paeds?" He repeated. "Jesus, I can't rate surgeons who fix babies as anything less than one, can I? But where do I put neuro if it can't be first."

"Well at least he has a brain." Arizona offered. "Dr Sloan seems to think Plastics stands a chance."

"Okay, I'll agree that Derek is smarter than me- but who do you have to thank for that, huh?" Mark asked, ruffling his hair.

Derek couldn't help but read the woman's interest at that statement. "I was in an accident two years ago. Mark refused to let them pull the plug on me, and was my rock through rehab. I owe most of my existing neurological status to him. Or at least that's what he thinks."

Maybe Mark wasn't such a rude, torturous 'brother' after all. "But you're a surgeon now?"

"Just about."

"Oh." She breathed, before...smiling? "That's so cool."

"Cool?" Derek repeated.

"Yeah." She agreed before her brow creased. "I mean, not cool-"

Right. That made more sense.

"-because I'm sure you'd rather be able bodied, but it's cool that you're here, doing what you love, and saving lives, despite...whatever condition you have."

He faltered again. Now he was back to not understanding.

"You think it's cool that I'm a paraplegic neurosurgeon?"

She smiled. "Yes, Dr Shepherd, I think it's awesome. I'm glad the world isn't quite so close-minded anymore."

He smiled back. It was cool? It was...awesome? What planet did this woman come from? Was this where Meredith had come from too?

"Hey, Derek, show her what you did."

So much of his mind had fallen out at that idea that he didn't even comprehend that sentence as English, "What?"

"Show Arizone the stuff in the box your brought in today for kids on peads."

"Oh. Right, yeah." He agreed slowly, focusing again. He reached into the box on the bench beside him, and offered her an item from it, "Uh- what do you think?"

She approached him, and took the item. "It's...a bunny rabbit."

"It's for one of the kids on the peads floor. Her name is Jessica. She's 8 years old, been in the hospital for 3 months now. She loves rabbits, and the colour green."

"Oh. Wow. You-"

"-crotchet chronically ill and injured children custom stuffed animals-" He finished for her when she trailed off, examining the toy. He read the look on her face. "My girlfriend thinks it's grossly, sickeningly adorable too."

She smiled and agreed, "Well, she's not wrong."

"I taught Derek how to crotchet."

He looked to Mark with raised eyebrows at that. "Okay, that one is a lie. Mark was horrendous at crotchet. I could barely hold my hands still or read the instructions, and mine came out a hundred times better than his."

He grinned. "He's right. I just like to see how much I can get away with. Now, I think-" He paused as a pager expelled a series of quick beeps.

"Oh. That's me. Uh...2213?" Arizona read.

"Okay, induction over. Off to 2213 we go."

"Grey."

She looked up, terrified. "Yes?"

Dr Robbins settled beside her. "I was really impressed today. Well done."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Being a surgeon is a lot about the OR, but also about before and after, and that's what you really excelled in. A good beside manner is especially important in paeds. Do you know what specialty you're interested in?"

"Neuro."

"That's not to do with the smiley, attractive, toy-making chief, is it?"

"Oh, you know about Derek's plot to make the kids fall in love with him then? It's cute. I think it's so freaking cute."

Her brown creased, "Did you just call an attending by their first name?"

Crap. The woman had taken such a good guess that Meredith had just assumed that she knew, and she couldn't help but note that she'd complimented Derek; normally when people didn't know they were together they'd find something rude to say. "No- I mean, yeah, obviously that is his name but- um...Derek is my boyfriend."

"Your chief of surgery allows cross-rank relationships?"

"I think me and Derek are an exception. This is where he was treated after his accident so they're all very...close to his life, his disability. They know what it's like for him, and they don't want to stop him being happy if they can help it and-" She explained before pausing has her pager buzzed. "Sorry- 9-1-1. Gotta get this."

"Of course." She agreed. She liked this woman. She liked the fact that this hospital was enough of a family to let someone like Derek catch a break when it came to rules about relationships; the world didn't have enough people like Dr Grey. "Can I request you tomorrow?"

She smiled. "I'd love to be on your service again. Thank you."

"I met the new head of paeds today."

"Mmm. I did too. She was nice."

"She told me that she thought it was 'cool' that I was a paraplegic surgeon." Derek continued.

She smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah. She said 'awesome' too. It was a crazy experience. I've never had someone be quite so happy when meeting me and finding out about the chair."

"You know I think you're amazing too, right?"

"I know you think that now, but when you first met-" He chuckled.

"Did you seriously just call me lazy?"

"Yes. I did."

"Leaving my house in the morning takes more effort than your whole day takes. Tell me how I'm lazy." He returned. Normally he was infantalised, but this was the opposite. She was...challenging him.

"Seriously? Leaving the house cannot possible take more effort than my day."

"You're gonna turn around now. And I'll give you one chance to apologize."

"Why would I apologize to you?"

"Turn. Around." He demanded. Surely she knew. There was no way she didn't know. Everyone knew. They always knew.

"Fine." She sighed as she turned. "But I'm not going to apolo-"

Oh, no.

This was too funny.

He couldn't hold it in.

She didn't know. She'd said all these things, shouted at him, because she didn't know.

And now that she did, she was looking at him with the widest eyes he'd ever seen and a dropped jaw.

"So I'm going to assume you just said all of those things because of ignorance, not because you're ableist, judging by the look on your face?"

"Well, if I recall correctly, you called me a lazy asshole so I can't really say you were particularly happy to meet me, can I?" He reasoned.

She giggled. He made an excellent point. "No, I suppose not. Sorry about that by the way."

He grinned. "It's okay. I know it was a misunderstanding, and you've apologised a hundred times."

"I know but I still feel bad."

"Please don't. It...will make for an amazing joke at a wedding. Or...when we're ninety, laughing about when we were young and stupid."

She smiled back, and buried herself into his chest as she hugged him with a heavy, satisfied sigh.

"You okay?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her in return.

"Just love you. That's all." She muttered through a grin.

He smiled, and continued to hold her for what he was sure was a solid minute before she sat up out of the embrace.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"In...your accident-"

"Oh-" He breathed. He wasn't expecting a question on this topic. "Right, okay-"

She read his expression, and tone of voice. "Should I not ask?"

"No. Go ahead. Just wasn't expecting it."

"Was there...malpractice?"

"Malpractice?" He repeated.

"You were treated at Seattle Grace, right? That's where they bought you, that's where you stayed, that's where you go for your appointments now."

He nodded.

"Did they mess up your medical care?"

"Well they wanted to extubate me before I could breathe. But that wasn't malpractice, that was just an option provided to Mark and Mom to let me go if they didn't want to wait for me to go naturally."

"People in the hospital seem to...owe you something. I've noticed before but only just realised properly when I was talking to Arizona about how HR and management don't seem to bother us quite as much as others about our relationship. We only signed one form, Cristina seems to be doing all sorts for her relationship. But- I don't know, some people seem to be in your debt. Like Mark."

"Yes, Mark. But also the Chief. The Head of OB, except she's since left. Addison too. One of the peads attendings. The old Head of General. And...my mentor." He listed. "Nothing to with anyone in admin- but I think we aren't bothered by HR because of the Chief."

"These people...are the people who owe you things? I'm not just making this up?"

"They owe me nothing, really. But they all...they were all involved, so...they all feel some degree of- guilt." He explained. "But not for treating me incorrectly after my accident."

Her brow creased, but she nodded to show him that she was listening and that she understood.

"I'm aware it sounds odd without context."

She smiled. "It does. I won't lie and disagree."

"You still okay not knowing?"

"It's not essential to our relationship." She said with a shrug before her expression changed, "But you know what is?"

"No...what is essential to-" He paused when she grasped his belt buckle.

It was undone in a single second, and her hands didn't take a second to hesitate before they migrated down his trousers.

"Oh-" He breathed as she attacked with both her lips and her hands. "Well...I'm not going to lie- and disagree that this isn't essential to our relationship either!"