chapter five

shake your groove thing.season one, episodes five and six.

Meredith had been allowed to assist Burke on a heart surgery, so the interns were living vicariously through her.

"I wish I could hold a heart," George sighed.

"A monkey could hold a heart," Cristina andCassie said in unison, causing them to give each other a strange look as Izzie came into the gallery.

"George, I need more ice and chips," she said.

"Who else did you invite?" he questioned, referring to what was supposed to be a small gathering at Meredith's house that night.

"This thing better not be huge, Izzie," Cassie warned. "The last thing I need is some random douche crashing on my bed and choking on his own vomit."

"We said the list was jocks only. Surgery, trauma, and plastics," Cristina reminded her. "Who else did you invite?"

"Just some people from the pediatric floor," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"You invited the preschoolers to Meredith's house?" Cristina groaned.

"Hey, don't hate on peds," Cassie frowned at her. "Kids are awesome."

Cristina ignored her, still glaring at Izzie. "Next, you'll say that you invited the shrinks."

"Uh, well—"

"She invited mental defects. This party is DOA."

"You know, Meredith thinks this is going to be a small, meet-your-boyfriend cocktail thing," George told her. "Did you clear this with her?" 

"No, but I will. I promise," Izzie said.

"Why are you wasting the only weekend your boyfriend is in town on a big party? Is he bad in bed?" Cristina asked.

"No," Izzie scoffed. "I just want him to meet some of my friends." 

"Sixty geeks in scrubs are you friends?" Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Izzie, you have, like, five friends. And three of them live with you."

Izzie scoffed, "Oh, you're one to talk."

"Bad sex," Cristina grinned teasingly at the blonde. "Sucks for you."

"At least she's having sex," Cassie mumbled to herself. "I think I've re-virginized."

"Maybe you should pick up a one night stand," Izzie suggested, trying to have at least one person on her side.

George rolled his eyes. "I doubt anyone there tonight is going to want a one night stand—"

"I heard there's a party tonight," Alex said as he walked up to the group.

"On the second thought..."

"A party?" Cristina played dumb.

"No party," George shook his head.

"Uh, news to me," Izzie shrugged.

Cassie looked him up and down for a moment, before smirking to herself and leaning back in her seat. "Yeah," she nodded, much to the chagrin of the others. "There's a party."

☆

While filling out a patient chart at the nurses station, Cassie smiled at Cristina when she approached. Realizing her fellow intern was busy and hadn't noticed her, she shrugged it off and went back to her notes.

Her attention was taken once again when Dr. Burke walked up to their area with an extra coffee in his hand and a suspiciously vague smile.

As much as Cassie hated to admit it, she loved drama; she never engaged in it, but found it quite entertaining to observe.

Burke casually went to stand next to Cristina, passing her the coffee without making eye contact. Cassie watched the whole time. Cristina looked at him, then to the coffee, and back at him. Taking a sip from his own cup, Burke shrugged. "It's just coffee."

"Good," Cristina replied blankly.

"Okay."

"Okay."

Burke nodded smugly and left, causing Cassie to duck her head as he walked past her. Cristina, still unaware of the eyes watching her, closed her file, hesitated for a moment, and ended up drinking the coffee the attending bought her.

As she walked away, Burke came back around the corner and smiled to himself in victory.

Cassie gaped at the place Cristina was previously standing. She muttered under her breath, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Am I the only intern that's not screwing an attending?"

☆

After a mundane and slightly draining day, Cassie pulled up to her house to see dozens of cars parked in the driveway as well as up and down the long street. Shaking her head to herself in surprise, she parked and went inside.

Passing by a stranger, Cassie stole the bottle of tequila he was drinking from his hands, already making her way down the hall before he could protest. She approached Cristina, laughing at how the surgical intern was drunk and dancing on a table alone.

"Cassie!" Cristina squealed, in a more carefree manner than the brunette had ever seen her.

With a large grin painted across her features, Cassie joined her on the table, stripping herself of her leather jacket on the way up.