Making his way through the empty halls of Seattle Grace, Preston Burke feels more determined with every step. It's close to 5am and he is there to meet up with Cristina, actually to surprise Cristina, but first he needs to find her. This early in the morning, she's either in with a patient or catching up on her sleep in an on-call room. After speaking with the nurses and checking out the OR board, he knows she's not with a patient so he is heading towards the on-call room.

Most doctors could care less where they sleep as long as it involves a bed or, if they are tired enough, a stretcher will do but Cristina is different. He knows exactly which room she wants to sleep in. Burke smiles recalling how in a moment of vulnerability, Cristina confided in him that she tries to sleep in the on-call room where she'd woken him up to tell him that she wanted to be an official part of this couple. He remembers being shocked at this revelation because, as much as he loves Cristina, sentimental is not a word he would ever use to describe her which is why hearing that little secret meant so much to him. She never did tell him when it started and, after her confession, she'd swear that it was just out of habit but he knew that she had fewer habits than most.

One true habit Cristina has is her morning coffee and this morning he is armed with a fresh cup for her. Burke knows that she is not at her best first thing in the morning but she will need to wake up soon for rounds and, he is hoping that the coffee will soothe the pain of having a serious conversation so early in the morning. She's like a puzzle in how complex she seems sometimes when she is actually very simple. She doesn't even have a middle name. She really is just Cristina, his Cristina. Yawning as he approaches the

on-call room, Burke wishes he had slept better. Unless he is exhausted, he does not sleep well when Cristina's at the hospital but last night was worse than usual. It is amazing how you can get so accustomed to someone in the same way you get used to a habit. Cristina is definitely a habit that he has no intention of giving up.

Opening the door to the on-call room, he flips the light on and stands admiring the petite figure on the bed. When she is asleep she looks peaceful which is so different from how she is awake. Like her hair, Cristina is wild and unruly and most of the time he loves that about her.

Burke kneels beside her, looking at her face, thinking how happy he is that he took a chance on a crazy intern. He leans over to give her a soft kiss as he tries to ease her into the day, "Good morning."

Cristina murmurs and reaches for his hand, her eyes are still tightly shut but now there is a tiny grin on her face.

Brushing the hair away from her ear, Burke leans closer whispering her name in one of her favorite ways.

Opening her eyes, she smiles but it's not any smile. It's the smile that's reserved just for Burke and few things make him happier than seeing it. Whenever that smile is on Cristina's face, he feels reassured that she is happy with her life, their life. Burke doesn't have enough fingers to count the number of times he thought their relationship would end. He is proud of her for sticking it out when her instinct was to run and proud of himself for being patient enough to wait for what he wanted instead of pushing her away.

"I brought you coffee." Burke's voice is soft and sweet as he lifts the travel mug up so Cristina can see it even as she sits up.

"Thanks honey." Not one for surprises, Cristina loves it when Burke comes in early to see her after she's been on-call. Sometimes they have sex, sometimes they have breakfast, sometimes they take a nap before rounds. It's taken her awhile to allow herself to love him the way he loves her but now she has little doubt that he will take good care of her heart.

"Tired?"

She flops back on the bed, "That's an understatement. There were so many surgeries last night, it was fantastic but I feel like crap."

Noticing that Burke is staring at her a little bit differently than usual, she stops talking and sits up, "What?"

"Nothing." He knows he's staring and that his staring sometimes makes Cristina uncomfortable, but this morning he can't help himself.

"You're looking at me weird, like…"

"A man in love. You're beautiful."

"Burke" Cristina's voice is loving as she moves towards him until her lips meet his. In moments like this one, she has no doubts.

When their lips finally part, Cristina reaches for her coffee that Burke is still holding, "Nice cup."

"It's new. Your old one was getting banged up." Uncomfortable on the floor, Burke moves to the bed so he is sitting next to Cristina and she snuggles up against him as he puts his arm around her.

"Coffee in a shiny wrapper. I like it!" Seeing her smile when she looks up at him, he is surprised how happy she is this morning almost chipper. He has long ago accepted that as soon as he figures Cristina out, she'll throw something new at him. This is how life will be for them and he smiles, thankful, that their timing is so good this morning.

"Beep…Beep…Beep...Beep…Beep"

Hearing his pager, Burke's smile turns to frustration but Cristina, for once, is grateful that hers is silent. Cristina does notice that Burke seems disappointed as he starts to speak "I've…"

"got to go. I know, it's okay. Being a surgeon's girlfriend is all about interrupted moments." She flashes Burke another smile as she takes a sip of her coffee making it even harder for him to leave.

He kisses her one last time before getting up, "I'll find you this afternoon so we can talk."

"Talk? What do you mean talk?" Cristina dreads talking and Burke knows it.

"Later. Drink your coffee." Burke exits the room frustrated that he has to leave but confident that their talk will go well this afternoon.

What does he mean talk? That always makes Cristina nervous and she quickly runs through the list of things that he might want to talk about. They had been getting along except for that nasty fight about visiting her parents that ended with her declaring the subject closed forever, Burke had been working more than her recently so it couldn't be that but she was dragging her feet on the subject of a house. She looks suspiciously at the mug wondering if it's more than just coffee. She wouldn't put it past him to bribe her but he does have a meeting this afternoon with the Chief. Maybe Webber is retiring and Burke is going to be his replacement as Chief of Surgery, maybe that's why he's been working more hours. The beeping of her pager puts an end to her mind's rambling as it signals her that it's time to get back to work.