A/N I had fun imagining Bang going skiing, and decided Christmas was a perfect time for it to happen. They need a break, and we need some happy Bang in the midst of all the angst on the show at the moment.

A Bang Christmas Holiday

Cristina raised her eyebrows as George hobbled into the locker room that morning, his hand clutching his lower back. Meredith and Izzie were doing a terrible job at suppressing their laughter.

"What the hell happened, Bambi?" Cristina asked, securing her hair in its clip.

"I got tree-d," he mumbled, before slamming the door of the men's bathroom. Cristina turned her questioning gaze to Meredith.

"Izzie was decorating, as usual."

"It's Christmas!" Izzie interjected.

"So of course, our living room looks like Santa threw up in there, when she decided to recruit George to carry the tree in. There was a complication."

"A complication?"

"The branches got caught in the banister, and the tree sort of collapsed. On top of George," Izzie explained.

"And he was moaning about it all night! As if the holidays aren't bad enough without us losing more sleep," Meredith added disdainfully, shoving her possessions into her locker.

Cristina smiled wryly. "Your holiday spirit is destructive, Izzie."

"Hey, you tried last year to get me down, and it didn't work! You were being supportive, remember, 'cause Alex cheated on me? My fiancée died this year, you have to be extra supportive. I know it was months ago, but I'm not above bringing it up if it means I get to decorate." She smirked at the two girls, then went to get changed.

"I hate you," George announced, as he gingerly sat down next to Cristina.

"Why? I didn't attack you. That was the big scary pine tree."

"Shut up. I hate you because after today, you get the whole of the next week off. Interns never get Christmas holidays."

"Except when they're giving it up for attendings, that can help with the whole time off thing," Alex put in with his usual amount of tact.

"Shut up, evil spawn," Izzie said, but with a smile. Friendships were different that year.

Bailey banged in the door. "Get up! Rounds! It's getting busy, since Christmas is two days away. And you will be prompt today, because I am getting off at six, because it's my son's first Christmas and I'm not missing a thing. We're going down to the pit. Move!"

"So how are you feeling about tomorrow? Impending doom?" Meredith asked Cristina as they followed the others at their usual explosive pace.

Cristina groaned. "I still can't believe I miss out on Christmas surgeries. But Burke was so insistent that we go on a holiday, because we didn't over summer."

"Well, of course, he had to focus on his physical therapy, after he outed himself."

Cristina smirked. Meredith still referred to Burke confessing his tremors to the chief as him 'outing' himself.

"Yeah, whatever. He really pressed this, and I had to suggest the skiing thing when he started asking which of our families we should spend Christmas with. I will not spend the holidays in Beverly Hills, and his mother still hates me. His father likes me, but in a weird way. I wouldn't put it below him to buy me lingerie, it's his twisted idea of a joke."

"But Preston knows how to ski, of course?" Meredith asked wryly. It had become a recent game between the two of them – trying to find an activity that Preston Burke wasn't accomplished at.

"But of course! We're actually staying at a cabin in Utah that he used to go skiing at as a boy. Luckily my stepfather flew us to Aspen enough Christmases that I may even be worthy to ski in the company of the great Preston Burke. But he's all excited about it. Seriously."

Meredith smirked. It was good to see some things were constant, but she knew how to read beneath her friend's bitching better than last year.

At some subterranean Cristina level, she was also excited.

Preston Burke stood erect in front of the board, arms crossed, his eyes surveying his surgeries for the day behind his glasses.

"So, you're ending the year with a triple bypass? Then leaving us commoners behind?" came Derek Shepherd's familiar drawl beside him. He'd come to look over his own surgeries.

"Don't be so hard on everyone, Derek. Not all hospital staff should be referred to as commoners. Just you, and a handful of others."

Derek grinned. The playground rivalry between them would never cease. But the foundation of a friendship formed between them that year. This Christmas, he was allowed to call his colleague by his first name. That was progress.

"You flatter me, Preston. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a grand new year on the slopes, and there's not a bone in my body that hopes you break something up there."

"I've had enough injuries this year, I think," Burke replied, though lighthearted. "And I will have a wonderful time, it's the first holiday I've had in five years, not to mention my first time away with Cristina."

"Ah, romance at Seattle Grace. It's a beautiful thing."

Burke took a step back to lean against the stairs. "And what about you? How's your Christmas looking this year?"

Derek ran a hand through his hair. "Well, last year at Christmas I told my wife I was in love with another woman, and now I'm with said other woman, and it's going relatively smoothly – for us, anyway. So I'd say if we can make it through the holiday without incident, its looking up."

"And what about the fact that your ex-wife has a new man? That won't put a dampener on things?" Burke asked out of concern for his friend. He wasn't trying to bait him at all.

Well, perhaps a little.

Addison was seeing an oncologist with his own private practice across town. Derek gave a wry smile. "No, I'm glad Addison's moved on, with someone other than Mark. Anyway, I have a craniotomy to get to. If I don't see you, have fun in Utah."

Burke nodded. "I will."

Burke stood patiently by the door, trying not to be alarmed by the crashes coming from the bathroom. "Cristina," he called. "The cab will be here to take us to the airport any moment."

"Ok!" yelled. "I'm just packing my toiletries!"

He doubted she was so much packing as shattering their bathroom mirror, but he let it slide. He'd learnt to do that increasingly over the last year. Just let the little things go. It made what actually mattered much more enjoyable.

A few minutes later she emerged from their bedroom, her small frame struggling under the weight of her large bags. "Good god, how much luggage are you bringing?"

She sighed impatiently. "You've seen how much I own," she began, trying to catch her breath as she hoisted another bag over her shoulder. "And I am the woman in this relationship, so I get to pack as much as I want."

He grinned at her theatrics. "Well, alright then." He shouldered his own bag with ease, and relieved her of one of her burdens. She mumbled a thank you, and stumbled out to the elevator.

Burke was annoyingly serene on the plane, Cristina noted a few hours later. No matter how exhausted she was from the day, she still suffered from an affliction she'd had all her life: a complete and utter inability to sleep on planes. She knew the flight was only a few hours, but she couldn't relax. It seemed to have the opposite affect of waking her up. She restlessly flipped through the in-flight magazine, flicked channels aimlessly on the monitor in front of her, and stared out into the black nothingness that was her view from the window.

Burke placed his earphones in his ears, folded his hands in his lap, and closed his eyes. That was it. He was completely immobile for an hour, so much so that she actually leaned over to check that he was breathing at one point. Rolling her eyes disdainfully when she realized he was sleeping, she went back to staring out the window. She continued to shoot him dirty looks, because she really had nothing else to do.

He caught one of these as he woke up. He blinked a couple of times, before asking, "yes?"

"Must you?"

"Must I what?"

"Sleep," she replied sarcastically.

He just grinned, accustomed to her mood swings by now. He reached over and patted her hand, before putting his glasses on and pulling out his book.

When they finally arrived in Utah, Burke went to hire a car, and Cristina pulled out her cell.

"Mere?" she asked as her friend picked up.

"Cristina? Aren't you supposed to be building a snowman by now?"

"No, we're at the airport, and he's already driving me crazy."

"What's he done now?"

"Nothing. He's all relaxed, and in holiday mode. He's calm. It's driving me crazy."

She sensed rather than saw Meredith smirk. "It's annoying you because you don't even know how to relax."

"I do too," she replied moodily, before hearing a male voice in the background. She wrinkled her nose. "You're not alone, are you?"

"Not exactly."

"Do me a favour. Never talk to me again while you're doing McDreamy. Later."

"Bye."

By the time they made it to the cabin, Cristina fell asleep, exhausted.