Meddling

"Okay, why am I here?" Ivy asks Jackson and Mark.

"Because we are going over the game plan again. If we see my mother..." Jackson leads Marks next sentence.

He sounds exhausted, "We're buried with work today."

Jackson finishes, "And... you're sorry but Jackson has no time to spend with her, okay? And Ivy-"

He is cutoff by the door opening, "There you are."

"Dr. Avery," Mark greets.

"Catherine," Ivy says, hugging her.

"Oh, Dr. Sloan. Nice to see you again. And Ivy, my dear. You look absolutely exhausted. Are you sleeping?" Catherine asks.

Ivy nods, chuckling, "If I find the time too. Now, here's your boy."

She moves out of the way so Catherine can see Jackson, who glares at his best friend.

She kisses his cheek, "You look skinny. Tell me you did not forget your tux."

"Tux?" Mark and Ivy ask at the same time.

"Jackson is my date for the Frontiers of Medicine tonight. Oh, this is Dr. Mara Keaton. Mara is my star urology fellow. Mara, my son Jackson," Catherine introduces.

Jackson shakes her hand, "Hey."

Catherine continues, "Dr. Mark Sloan. And of course, Dr. Ivy Shepherd."

Ivy shakes her hand after Mark, "Hello."

"Its a pleasure to meet you all," she greets in a British accent.

"Mara's considering Seattle Grace as an option for next year and I thought, well, who better to show her around than my son?" Ivy's smile dropped a little.

Ivy realizes that Mara is a gorgeous and obviously smart girl. And if Catherine is trying to set the two of them up, Ivy is screwed.

"Dr. Sloan, can you spare him for just a couple of hours?" Catherine asks Mark.

Ivy looks at Mark and pleads with her eyes that he says no, "Absolutely. Show her around. Take your time."

"I-I can't possibly. We are...buried with work," Jackson looks to his mentor.

"Kepner can cover for you," Mark tells him, Ivy looking down.

"Perfect. And, Ivy, why don't you go with them? As chief resident, you'll have extra information," Catherine suggests, turning to Ivy.

Ivy turns to Jackson, unsure of what to say, so he responds, "Perfect. Let's go."

He then starts guiding Ivy out and gestures to Mara to follow. Ivy turns to Jackson, "Why am I here? I'm on trauma today."

Jackson nods, "Yes, but I need you. Please, stay?"

Ivy looks into his eyes and bites her lip, "Fine. But if a trauma comes in-"

"We'll go with you. Glad that's settled. So, Dr. Keaton, let's start with the pit," Jackson says, smiling.

○○○○

They guide Mara to an observation deck, "And this is O.R. two, which looks exactly like O.R. one."

"You still have to cover the E.R. in the fifth year, and study for your boards?" She asks Jackson.

"Yeah, it's a pretty rigorous program. Speaking of which, Ivy and I need to get back to work, so-" Jackson and Ivy start to leave.

She turns to them, "Do you mind if we watch for a second?"

"Oh, of course," Ivy says as Mara is already moving to sit down. Jackson and Ivy take seats behind her.

"God. I thought I had no time for a social life. Are you still dating anyone?" She asks.

Ivy raises her eyebrows but thankfully gets paged, "Oh, I got to go. Um, I'll catch up with you two later."

She quickly leaves, not sparing a glance back at Jackson. When she gets outside the room, she flattens herself against the wall and takes a deep breath. Man, that girl has no trouble asking the personal questions, does she? And if she's even half as determined as Catherine, Ivy won't stand a chance.

○○○○*Jackson's POV*

I watch as Ivy all but runs out of the room. I sigh before looking back at Mara, "Am I still dating?"

"I mean, are you dating anyone? Because you and Dr. Shepherd look close," she says.

"Tell me about you. Where'd you go to school?" I change the topic, not wanting to discuss Ivy with someone who will just tell my mother.

"Well, my dad's the director of surgical science at Oxford, so I did my preclinical years there," she shares.

I nod, "Oxford. Wow."

She continues, "Then residency at Mass Gen, then I transferred to the Brigham to study under your mother, and here I am."

I look at my notes, "Thats quite a pedigree, isn't it?"

"Well, you know, a little hard work and a lot of good timing," she says.

"No, I get it. I totally get it," I say.

"Is that Derek Shepherd? Wait, is Ivy Shepherd related to him?" I leave before she can notice and go search for Ivy.

○○○○

Mark finds me first, "Wheres your hot tourist?"

"Yeah, she's not here for a tour. I'm being set up. My mom's trying to expand the Avery dynasty. You were supposed to tell her that we were busy," I gesture between the two of us.

"You and Dr. Hotness should be getting busy, if you get my point. Actually, she should be getting your point," he tells me.

I shake my head, "What are you, 12? Why are you so obsessed with me getting laid?"

He pushes an elevator button, "Cause it works for me. It's called passing on wisdom."

I roll my eyes, "Also pimping."

"Shes here for one night," he tells me.

"No, plus, there's only one person who I would like to be with so I'm not jeopardizing that anytime soon until I know what's going on," I rant.

He backs into the elevator, "Well, then. Go and find your satisfaction with her. It's a good stress relievaor and if it's who I'm thinking it is, you'll be just fine."

"Child!" I shout at him.

○○○○*Original POV*