"flashing lights and we took a wrong
and we fell down a rabbit hole"
❥
when a Seattle Station 19 firefighter quits her job and starts to work at a bar across from a Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital.
[ multi characters x oc ]
[ jackson avery x oc ]...
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🂱🂽🂱
"So, does every person with a life saving career decide to work here when they're fed up with their life saving careers?"
Althea Layog was laughing from behind the bar counter as she attempted to reach Cristina Yang how to a Lemon Drop. Emphasis on attempted. It genuinely was not that hard, but apparently potential heart surgeons make the worse bartenders.
"Jesus Christ," Althea laughed as she held the cup for Cristina, who was getting the proportions wrong and spilling triple sec on Althea's hand.
Both girls stopped what they were doing to look at Joe, their boss and the owner of the Emerald City Bar and Grill—no one called it that, though. It was simply known by all the regulars as Joe's Bar.
Then, nonchalantly, they both shrugged.
"Yeah," Althea nodded.
"Pretty much," Cristina added.
Joe stared at them while blinking, not being able to fully wrap his head around why a firefighter and a surgical resident decided to make such drastic career changes.
"Yeah, okay, whatever."
Althea put the cup down, washing her hands at the sink behind the bar. She couldn't see the raised eyebrow Cristina was giving her from behind her.
"So, I know why I left my life saving career, why did you leave yours?" Cristina asked, wiping the counter top.
Cristina had seen Althea a few when the Station 54 aid car brought patients to the ambulance bay. She was only really rememberable because there weren't many female firefighters. Then, a few weeks ago, she saw the girl starting to bartend at the same bar all of the hospital employees liked to spend their time since it was so close by.
Althea just shrugged, wiping her wet hands on a towel. Her face went hard for a second, thinking back on it. She shook her head and took in a deep breathe, blowing it out of her mouth after. She turned around with a smile.
"Firefighting just isn't meant for everyone," she brushed it off, taking a sip of the Lemon Drop Cristina made. She gagged. "Just like bartending apparently isn't for everyone. You cut people open, but can't make a cocktail?"
"Oh, stop it," Cristina said, thinking Althea was just overreacting, smacking her arm lightly with the back of her hand. Cristina leaned on the counter. "It is not that bad, and you're not even supposed to be drinking on the job."
"Shut up," Althea laughed, nudging her. "Someone's gotta try these concoctions before you kill our lovely customers."
"Lovely customers," Cristina said in a mocking tone, turning her head from side to side. "You mean the men who come in here and make googly eyes at you."
"No one makes googly eyes at me," Althea laughed.
"They do, I used to watch—" Cristina started, but she stopped. "So... what are we making next?"
Althea rose an eyebrow at her, but decided that she genuinely didn't want to know what Cristina was going to say.
Instead, she grabbed the gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, placing them on the counter.
"If you mess up a Negroni, I'm storming into Seattle Grace and asking Webber to hire you back right now," Althea jokingly threatened. "One ounce, one ounce, one ounce, then ice."
"I like that no one adds the Mercy West," Cristina laughed as she started making the next cocktail.
"Huh?" Althea asked.
"The Hospital. Seattle Grace Mercy West since the merger," Cristina added. "But no one else adds the Mercy West because no one cares about Mercy West or the Mercy Westers."
"Hey!"
The two looked over in front of them and to the right. A pair of green eyes looked offended, with the rest of his face scrunched up as well.
"Hey, I was just talking about you," Cristina said mockingly. She motioned to him with her hand and looked at Althea, "Exhibit A: a Mercy Wester."
He was also familiar, another doctor from the sea of people working trauma in the hospital's pit who would wheel patients out of her aid car and into their E.R. Althea just nodded at him, and then took the cocktail Cristina made. She saw her put ingredients not listed into it and looked at her funny.
"I took some creative liberties," Cristina announced, and Althea just looked down at what should have been a red drink to see more of a purple hue. She turned to the guy who obviously knew Cristina enough to be the victim of her sarcasm.
"Well, Dr. Mercy Wester, can you try this," Althea wasn't really asking as she put it in front of him.
"Why?" he asked, eying it suspiciously. "I don't know if I should drink anything made by Yang."
Althea laughed at the way the man said Cristina's name, side eyeing Cristina.
"Neither do I, drink up," Althea said sweetly, tilting her head to the side with an innocent smile.
The man just laughed at her, shaking his head but drinking it anyways. He immediately spit it up and looked at both girls with a "what the hell?" expression as they both giggled.
"I am so begging your boss to take you back," Althea chuckled at Cristina, threateningly.
"Try it, and I go to yours," Cristina smiled sweetly at her, threateningly back.
❥
a/n:
the amount of times i've typed "blair" instead of "althea" is embarrassing LOL
short and sweet, just introducing blair's growing friendship w cristina while introducing jackson (kinda) even though his name doesn't get mentioned.
althea starting at station 54 means something ok guys
