-1This story is dedicated to prettyinpink. I am not sure if this is what you were wanting, but it was came out when I sat down to write Burke and Cristina. Reviews are much appreciated.
Like We Never Loved At All
The soft scent of salt water drifted in the air, wavering up from the nearby Gulf of Mexico. A million stars twinkled above, each one clearly visible in a night sky that looked like velvet. Cristina couldn't recall ever seeing so many stars, at least not so vividly. She hadn't really wanted to see them, but Dr. Webber had given her no choice. She was to attend to a special conference hosted by Dr. William Harrison in Mobile, Alabama. It wasn't the conference that worried her, rather the location. Burke was from Mobile. The last she had heard, he had moved back to the city of his roots and worked with Dr. Harrison. Thus far she had managed to not see him, even though she knew he was there, assisting.
A familiar laugh caught her attention as she strolled along a darkened board walk. There, in the light from the only nearby street lamp stood Burke. He wasn't alone, either. The woman with him was almost as tall as he, with smooth skin the color of milk chocolate and large almond shaped green eyes. Elegance seemed to ooze from here, and Cristina was certain Mama Burke loved the new woman in her son's life.
"I still cannot believe you just did that!" The woman laughed, playfully smacking her hand against his chest. It was a silly, feminine move that Cristina had always rolled her eyes out. She hadn't thought Burke the sort of man to find that sort of thing attractive, but the smile on his face said otherwise. He was eating the woman's breathy, antics up. "You are a silly man, Preston."
Preston. The name was so uptight and stuffy. Cristina had never cared for it, and had avoided using it at all costs. He had always been Burke to her, and she called him as such with the utmost respect. She couldn't help but wonder if he had known that, or if he had thought her lack of using his first name a sign of her unwillingness to commit.
"You just bring out my fun side," Burke teased back, lifting his hand to tuck a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. His fingers didn't linger on her cheek the way they use to on Cristina's, and that was a small triumph in her eyes. "You and that good for nothing husband you claim to love."
The woman laughed. "Aw, now, don't go bringing him into this. You know it's really me you're friends with, not Tobin."
Tobin. The name was familiar to Cristina. Tobin Gregory had been Burke's best friend all through grade school, high school, and college. The two had remained close and he would have been best man at their wedding if his wife hadn't been due to give birth. The woman with Burke had to be the wife, who was clearly no longer pregnant. And, she thought musingly, the man walking toward them must be Tobin. She was proved correct in her thoughts when the taller, more huskier man caught the woman in a bear hug, dragging her feet off the ground. His laugh was a friendly one that made Cristina long to have known him.
She jumped as a sea gull landed near her. She waved her hands at it, trying to get the noisy bird to leave. It eyed her with shiny eyes and let out a loud squawk, pecking around her Greek style sandals for left over food. "Go," she whispered, almost pleading. It squawked again, this time louder.
"Looks like someone is getting inducted into the sea gull hall of fame," Tobin chuckled. Cristina cringed, hoping she was engulfed in enough darkness that Burke wouldn't see her. She wasn't sure how she would react to speaking to him. It would go one of two ways. She would either beg indifference, showing him she had let him go as easily as he had let her go; or she would break down. She was so scared it would be the second one, as she hadn't let him go.
"Cristina?" Burke's voice said her name in a soft caress. She closed her eyes, savoring it for a split second. It was like a warm blanket being wrapped around her. "What are you doing here?"
"Here on the boardwalk? Or here in Mobile?" Cristina was slightly proud of how calm her voice sounded. Perhaps she could pull indifference off after all.
"Both," Burke said after a moment of silence. His friends stood behind him, giving the presence of support. Cristina had never felt more alone in her entire life, expect in the moments just after he left her at the alter.
"I chose to get out of my hotel room because Meredith made me promise not to hole up and wallow in self pity," Cristina answered honestly. She wanted to smirk when she noticed the bit of guilt creeping into his eyes. Good. He should feel guilty. He had broken the great Cristina Yang. "As for being in Mobile, that was Webber's doing. I'm up for attending when my residency is done and he wanted me to attend Harrison's conference on behalf of Seattle Grace."
"What happened to Hahn?" It wasn't so much a question as a demand. She could tell he was worried. To be offered an attending position before she had even completed her residency meant she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.
"You mean my mentor? The woman who is responsible fore making me into the surgeon I am today? Sadly, she is moving to California. Her and Callie would like to marry and Washington hasn't become so open minded as to allow that yet." God, it felt good giving full credit to Erica. Yes, he had helped form who she was but not the way Erica had. Erica had forced her to become something of her own.
"Hahn and Torres?"
Cristina was a bit shocked he even remembered who Callie was. He had seemed to put all of Seattle Grace behind him when he left. "Yes. They're in love. They have been together for almost four years now. Not the easiest start, but they worked through it all." She could feel herself relaxing, letting herself shut off their past so she could treat him as an old colleague. "Would you like to know how everyone else is," she offered. He nodded. Taking a deep breath, Cristina filled him in on how Webber was going to retire within the year and Bailey would be taking over for him. The news didn't seem to surprising to him, he just nodded and asked how her friends were. "Well, Meredith and Derek finally go married. He talked her into popping out a kid, too. She's not pregnant yet, but they're trying. Oh, Karev and Stevens are married. No kids. Not right now. Unlike Meredith, they're waiting until they get done with residency and settle into their new positions."
"Where are they all going after Seattle Grace?" Burke asked softly. He still seemed interested, so she told him. Meredith would be staying on at Seattle Grace, taking over Bailey's position of being in charge of the residents and interns. Izzie would be working full time in the clinic, and Alex had taken a job with a local obstetrician that worked with Seattle Grace. "And what about O'Malley?"
"George? Oh, well, he's still George. Engaged to Meredith's sister Lexie now. I think he's going to help Izzie with the clinic or something. He's been a bit vague on his plans." Cristina shrugged. She didn't really care about George's plans any more than she cared about Alex or Izzie's. Any information she had, had come second handed from Meredith. She wasn't going to share that with Burke though, let him think she had a good support system going as well.
"Sounds like everyone has really done well," Burke chuckled. "Including you. I'm glad. You deserve great things, Cristina."
His well wishes startled her. She hadn't expected him to say something so kind, so…Burke like. "Yes, well, I'm a great person." She noticed for the first time that Tobin and his wife had moved on, leaving the two of them alone. "Can I ask you something?" He hesitated before nodding. "Did you love me? Or was I just convenient?"
"I loved you," Burke said softly. "I never stopped. But sometimes, love isn't enough."
Startled, Cristina wasn't sure how to respond, so she said nothing. He was right, though, sometimes love wasn't enough. And, in their case, it had never been more true. She blinked back a tear, accepting that she would have to go on as though they had never loved at all.