He stood at her door with a 6-pack, wondering how mad she would be at him. It had hurt him to see the pain in her eyes, but what had hurt him the most had been to see her give up "forget it" she had said. Last days had been crazy, and she had been having a rough time, but she had never stopped fighting or scheming. He could not help remembering the penis surgery joke or seeing her flirt with shadow Shepard. She had even panicked and tried to convince him to plead to the chief for her. She had been wrong but at least she had been trying. And now she was giving up. That, he couldn't understand.

He understood her being mad at him, and really pissed about her lack of surgeries, but she was a fighter. And he knew something was really wrong; he had seen defeat in her eyes. He hoped she would be unwinding, watching some hardcore heart surgery and waiting for him. She had been so tense and craving surgeries that she really needed to relax. It had taken him over two hours after the end of his shift to complete the paperwork, and he had not been able to find her after his last surgery. Having more residents in his OR, made it more frantic and increased administrative work. Sometimes he felt that being department head meant more paperwork than surgeries.

What was taking her so long to open the door? He wondered, worried that she was angry enough not to open. He knocked again; getting impatient. Maybe she was somewhere else…

She opened the door with half a smile and with her iPod headphones around her neck.

"Hey stranger" she said hanging from his neck and pulling him inside with a kiss.

"Mmmm, I thought you would be mad at me… are you not going to make me pay for the surgery this evening?" He asked, surprised, against her mouth.

"Oh, you will definitely be paying." She answered with a full smile. "But right now I have a lot of tension to release… ideas?" She teased him while closing the door behind him.

He kissed her passionately, leading her to the bedroom. He knew that something was wrong, and that she was trying to brush it aside with sex. He knew he shouldn't give in. That, he had learnt from his shrink. Do not get lost in lust… and then the bed full of brochures caught his eye, with her laptop on it… another thing out of place. "Mmmm not watching surgery?" he asked still against her mouth.

"This?" She asked a bit hesitating… separating from him. "Well… I am analyzing my options for finishing the residency…"

"What??!!" He asked; passion completely forgotten, and a little impatient at her insecurity. "Cristina, I know you are worried, but you are exaggerating! You are the best surgical resident in the hospital. Everybody knows it. So, relax, you are not going to get cut!.. I know that some of the new guys did a nice work today… sorry if I wanted to give them a chance, and to make them feel welcome… but it does not mean that I do not appreciate your skills…" He said with concern in his voice, while holding her arms.

She bit her lips softly, wondering how to explain it. "Last week I asked the chief to cut me off the program". Her voice was shaking and her chocolate eyes bright with tears.

For the first time, he was just out of words, the idea of her leaving was a punch to his stomach, and so, he just hugged her, and felt her distress in the heavy breathing. "But... why? Why would you do that?" he asked after a while, caressing her hair, soothing her. Fear clenching his gut, and making him feel nauseous. The idea of being in Seattle without her was definitely making him physically sick.

"I am not learning, Owen. There is no Cardio attending to teach me anything…" she whispered, her cheek against his chest "I'm good Owen, I am the best… and it's stupid that I have to fight for surgeries I do not even care about… the one today? I could have done it with my eyes closed. I could have made it solo… and I found myself craving it… Attendings should be fighting to have me in their ORs… And last week, when I asked the chief to cut me off the program… it had been a week since my last surgery; and then, when finally I got one, it was a joke… I need hearts Owen. I need to feel hearts in my hands; I need to feel the hearts beat steady before I close. But I still have a lot to learn, and I just cannot do it here. I will never be a Cardio-God if I stay here…" She really couldn't continue talking, and she just sighed, hugging him, actually listening to his strong heart beat, slightly accelerated.

Still holding her, trying to control the rush of emotions running through his veins, he brought her to the bed, and with one swift movement, he sat down, with her wrapped in his arms; just as she had done after his panic attack. Now it was his time to be there for her.

He closed his eyes for a second and thought about his life without her. He thought how she had become his rock, his everything; and then, he knew what he had to do. He softly kissed the top of her head, took one of the brochures lying at his side, and gave it a thoughtful look.

"So, Dr. Yang, where are you suggesting we move? Do I get a say in the choice? Which criteria are we applying?"

"What?" she said, raising her head to be able to look into his eyes… "Are you implying..? Would you…?" Trying to restrain the hope in her voice, and unable to hide the surprise.

"Cristina, I can be a trauma surgeon anywhere, and you are right. You are not getting the teaching you deserve here. When I said that my problems were your problems, I also meant that your problems are my problems. And this is one we are going to solve. Together" He continued, taking her hand to his mouth to place a kiss on it.

"But, you are just back… and your mom lives here…"

He did not allow her to finish. "Listen Cristina, my family will be happy as long as I stay safe in the country; and never forget that you are my family. There is not much I can do for you in this situation. I wish I could mentor you into being a cardio-god; and put thousands of hearts in your hands to repair, but I cannot. I can only put one… Wherever you go, I go with you."

Tears swelled to her eyes again… happy, annoying tears… "See what you do to me! … you've turned me into a water pot!" She said half laughing, half sobbing, while kissing him… and then she became serious whispering "I love you Owen Hunt". Slowly, she kicked her shoes, snuggled up to him, and allowed the exhaustion of the previous days to take over her. A big weight had been lifted from her shoulders.