ONE

It was a ring on the end of a chain. A simple 24 carat gold ring with a delicate engraved pattern, thread through a simple silver chain. As she tied the clasp behind her neck Cristina could just hear Izzie's voice saying. 'You don't wear gold with silver. No one wears gold with silver Cristina! No, I'll have to find you a gold chain. Let me look in your jewellery box...'

Cristina was sometimes surprised she had a jewellery box to look into, but she did, and it was a pretty nice, ornate silver box with a pull off lid that sat on top of her dresser. She found it at a flea market years ago and it had followed her around whenever she moved. She threw her jewellery in it, so it was her jewellery box. She jumped as Owen pressed his hands on her shoulders. "... Sorry, I was day dreaming... What?"

"I said..." Owen moved her hair out the way so he could kiss her neck. "...No wonder you can't find anything in that box..." He looked over her shoulder at the crazy mess of link chains. "...When you throw things in like that they're bound to tangle." He pressed his lips to her neck again. "Don't you ever do anything neatly?" His hands gave her shoulders a playful squeeze and ran along her arms. "You wouldn't survive long in the army."

Cristina turned away from looking in the mirror and gave him a look. "I can do neat. I just choose not to."

"Don't you have a gold chain?" He said balancing the ring on the end of his fingertip. She caught up the ring defensively and stepped round him.

"This is not a moment for fashion. This is a moment for practicality. I want to wear the ring, but I can't wear the ring. But hey look, if you want to buy me a gold chain, for my gold ring, be my guest."

Owen watched as Cristina made a frantic pace around her bedroom gathering things here and there, stuffing things in her bag, trying to straighten up, throwing the bed clothes over the bed, she tutted that would do for straightening.

"I can do that. " He said, moving her out of the way with his hip. He set about expertly and quickly making the bed. She glanced at him as she moved back to her dresser. It wasn't bad having an ex army guy for a boyfriend. Fiancé.

"What are you going to say?" He asked her.

Her eyes caught his as she allowed herself a moment of genuine reflection. "I honestly don't know. I might not say anything. I'll see how I feel."

"You don't think they won't notice the ring hanging there." He nodded at the gold ring dangling from her silver necklace.

"Maybe." She tucked it into her t-shirt and picked up her hand bag from her bed and began looking through it, looking for her keys.

"Come here." Owen couldn't resist bringing her into his arms for a hug. He moved around the bed to give her a tight squeeze, his cheek resting against her hair. He was happy. Cristina relaxed with him for a moment and then shrugged away. "I have to go."

Out onto the street they paced toward the hospital. She looked to the sky squinting in the bright light, thinking, wondering what kind of day it was going to be weather wise. She hoped no more rain. Although it wasn't cold, Owen moved with his hands pushed far into the pockets of his jacket. As they crossed the main street, he didn't follow his habit of reaching out for her hand. Cristina glanced at him, he was lost in his thoughts, his head was down, a tight unconscious grimace on his face, he moved quickly just ahead of her to cross. That was not like him. On the other side she grabbed his hand to stop. "Hey."

He looked up.

"What's wrong?"

"What?"

"What's wrong? You don't look happy."

"I'm happy." He said, smiling with more energy.

She stared at him for a long moment wondering if he was telling the truth, when he said. "I was wondering about you."

She pulled his hand and they continued to walk but at a slightly slower pace. He looked at her for her answer.

"I'm happy." She said.

"I thought maybe you were feeling pressured, you seemed a bit tense this morning."

"I just didn't want to be late." She replied seriously. "I didn't know if we would make it back on time.

But I'm happy."

Owen took his time before he spoke again, he didn't want to start anything. "It's not every day I take you to buy a ring." He said, the tone in his voice getting her attention.

She didn't answer because he was right. There were engaged and he'd bought her a ring that morning but all she thought about was getting to work on time. She was supposed be making a different sort of effort. The squeeze she gave his hand conveyed an apology. They should've gone ring shopping at the weekend when they had more time like he suggested, but she wanted to get the buying fuss out of the way, and so they went to the jewellers first thing. She was on late's and thought they'd have plenty of time, but choosing the right engagement ring had been surprisingly difficult.

"Sorry." She conceded.

His squeeze of her hand conveyed it was okay.

"I'll walk you up." Owen offered as they approached the hospital.

"No." She said pulling him to a stop. "No...You have the day off. Go. Go do some day off things. Go buy me something..."

"I just bought you something." He said making a face.

"I'm not talking about the ring." She playfully pulled at the front of his jacket. "I need filters, for the coffee. Size two."

"Oh." He tried to kiss her but Cristina was pulling away. He held on bringing her back to him, and bounced his groin gently into her a few times.

"Don't start..." She countered the look he was giving, with her own look. "I have to go..."

"...You're late. I know." He held on until she touched her lips to his in surrender. She held the kiss to satisfy him and then peeled away with a grin, their hands the last thing to be released from one another.

Cristina rounded into the hospital just in time to see Meredith, Izzie, Alex and some others stepping into the elevator, she stepped up her pace, but the elevator doors closed. Waiting for the next elevator she resolved it was probably a good thing she missed them. Her new ring glared brightly from her chain and perhaps before her shift she didn't need that kind of attention. Her situation with Owen had changed over night, they were moving forwards, making a big step. A huge step. An insane step. Maybe she needed to get used to it herself first. Hold onto the preciousness of their commitment or something ridiculous like that. Cristina stepped into the elevator and jabbed at the 'four' button...

***

"Last night...?" She hummed gently playing with his skin.

"Hmm?"

"Was that a proposal?"

Owen crinkled his brow and looked down at her. "When?"

"Well, when you said. I want to marry you. Were you proposing?"

Owen took his time about answering her. "Did you think it was a proposal?"

She took her time about answering him. "I think it could've been... a proposal..."

He smiled lightly into the top of her wild curled head. "Then I think ...it was a proposal."

There was a long, long pause.

"Okay then..." She smiled widely, to the window, the morning sun and the blinds.

"Okay then." He said after a short, short pause.

***

... It was nice being engaged; being connected to someone she loved. Alright she had been engaged before, she wasn't talking about then, it was different. Owen was different, being with Owen was different. Being engaged was different, she wanted this. Almost needed this, almost. A big swallow developed in her throat that she had to force down. Stepping out of the elevator she saw the backs of Meredith, Izzie, Alex and the others, filing into the change rooms.

Cristina placed her handbag between her knees and reached to unclasp her necklace and pushing it into her coat pocket, closed over the flap. She would announce her new status later in the day she decided as she hurried the short way to the change rooms. There was a time and a place for love and a time and a place for work, didn't Bailey already declare that as a rule.