AU: Cristina and Meredith are in the middle of Iowa when their car breaks down. Coming to their rescue is a farmer in his pick up truck. Mainly Owen and Cristina. Some Derek and Meredith. GA characters make appearances.
"Good grief, Meredith," Cristina said. "This cannot be happening."
"I think it is," Meredith said. "We are lost."
"Ugh. First you drag me off in the middle of nowhere to attend some sorority sister's wedding in Iowa. And now we're lost. I told you to take the car with the GPS but no, you wanted to save money and rely on our map-reading skills. And now we're lost on a road among the cornfields. Just great," Cristina complained. "Why are you so cheap that you make us take the rattiest compact car on the lot with no GPS?"
"Oh, please, Cristina. It is not like either of us is rolling in money. We're maximizing our limited resources," Meredith said.
"Why didn't you bring a guy with you to this wedding, instead of dragging me?" Cristina carped. She gritted her teeth.
"It's not like if I have a boyfriend that I can bring to the wedding. You were the next best thing," Meredith said. "If I can't rely on my best friend for support, I will have nobody."
They stopped. "Just let me get my bearings, I will figure out where we are," Meredith said. Cristina came out of the car and stretched her legs.
"There is no one around for miles," Cristina yelled. "I can scream at the top of my lungs and no one will hear me, except for you and the crows."
"Okay, okay, I think I got it," Meredith said. "We were supposed to turn off that road about 10 miles back. Get in the car, Yang, and let's get out of here. We need to get back on the highway."
Cristina eagerly climbed into the passenger seat. Meredith turned the ignition key. The car hummed and then died.
"What the hell, Meredith?" Cristina said. "Try that again."
Meredith turned the key again. This time, there was not a sound from the engine.
"I can't believe it. I knew this car was the pits. Let me check my cell phone and let us call for help. I am going to give that car rental place a piece of my mind," Cristina said. "That guy really looked so smarmy. We should have gone with one of the big car rental companies, not that dinky car rental place."
"Well, he was the cheapest," Meredith said, defending her choice.
"Yes, we got exactly what we paid for," Cristina said. She stared at her phone. "Wouldn't you know it? There is no reception out here. We are in the boondocks. No cell reception. Have you seen any cell towers? Just miles and miles of cornfields. So what are we going to do?"
"Well, I guess we will just have to wait until someone comes along," Meredith said.
"We haven't seen another car in the 15 minutes that we have been here. What are the odds of another car coming along?" Cristina said.
"Well, we have no choice," Meredith said.
"You know what this reminds me of? Ever watch those movies on Syfy channel where the two young girls' car breaks down and they're usually picked up by the sheriff of some dinky two-bit town, who kills them in some sacrificial ritual? Or the townsfolk are all weird and it turns out that they are vampires? Or they are all 250 years old and are drinking from some fountain of youth which is keeping them young?" Cristina said.
"You have an active imagination, Cristina. That is not going to happen to us. Some kind person is going to stop and help us," Meredith said. "I am being optimistic."
"You know, Meredith, we are a living, breathing cliché," Cristina said. "Let's just wait like sitting ducks for the axe murderer to come out of the cornfields to kill us."
They waited there for another 20 minutes, mostly in silence, except for the moments when Cristina let out a few expletives.
"Does that make you feel any better?" Meredith asked. "Hey, look, there is a pick-up truck. You go and flag him down."
"Alright," Cristina said, and waved her hands in the air. "I hope I am not flagging down the axe murderer."
The truck slowed and parked behind their car. A tall, strapping, blonde man, dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, came out of the truck.
"Good evening, ladies," he said. "Are you having a spot of trouble here?" He eyed the girls, both pretty, one dark-haired and the other blonde. He had to help them because they were easy targets for the wrong kind of people.
"Thank God you stopped," Meredith said. "We're lost and our car stalled."
"Let me take a look," he said, as Meredith popped the hood open. After a couple of minutes of poking around, he had to admit defeat. "It looks like it is electrical. That is beyond my area of expertise." Cristina silently scoffed.
"So what are we going to do?" Meredith asked. "Is there a town nearby?"
"Yes," he said. "But the mechanic is already closed. This is a small town. I can take you girls to my farmhouse and you're welcome to stay the night and we'll let the tow truck come out here to get the vehicle.
Cristina and Meredith looked at each other. It wasn't like they had any choice. They nodded.
"Well, my house is not far from here because you're actually in the middle of my farm," he said.
"All these cornfields are yours?" Cristina was amazed.
"Yup, inherited it from my dad. All 200 acres," the man said. "Well, take what you need from the car and we will be heading to my house."
Cristina and Meredith took out their suitcases and handbags out of the vehicle and climbed into his truck. Cristina took the front passenger seat, while Meredith sat in the rear seat. They soon got on their way.
"By the way, the name is Owen Hunt," he said, turning and smiling at the both of them. He gave the brunette a wink.
"I am Meredith Grey," the blonde said.
"I am Cristina Yang," the dark-haired girl said.
"So where are you two from? Certainly not from around here?" he said.
"No, we are from California," Meredith said. "We were going to a wedding for one of my sorority sisters. We just made a wrong turn."
"California, that is a far cry from Iowa," he said, chuckling.
He suddenly turned up a long driveway and headed to a very large, two-storey house with a wraparound porch.
"Wow, oh wow. I never expected something so gorgeous out here," Cristina said. Suddenly realizing what she said, "Oh, I am sorry. I just didn't expect anything like this out here."
"Don't worry about it," he said. "Most people don't. My mom could not live without her luxuries. She was a city girl and she married a corn farmer, so he did his best to provide her with everything she had in the city and sometimes, even better," he said. "My mom is home and she would be pleased I brought you girls here. We don't get much visitors out here."
He parked the vehicle and took out their suitcases from the tray of the truck. "Well, let's go in and meet my mom."
He opened the door and ushered them into the foyer. The place was no ordinary farmhouse. It had the look of feel of what they would imagine of a large contemporary house in the suburbs.
"Mom! Mom! We have visitors," he called out. A small, white-haired woman suddenly emerged, wearing an apron. She had the same blue eyes as her son.
"Their car broke down on the road and it is too late to get Henry to go out there, so I brought them here for the night," Owen said. "This is Cristina and that is Meredith."
"Welcome, girls. I am Susannah Hunt," she said. "So happy to meet you. I just made dinner and as usual, I made too much, so you girls are welcome to dine with us."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said. "Your home is lovely."
"Thank you, Cristina," Susannah said. "Owen, show them to their bedrooms and then they can join us for supper."
"Sure, Mom," he said, as he led them upstairs.
"Cristina, you can have the blue room," he said, as he carried in her suitcase. "There are fresh towels in the linen cupboard, if you want to freshen up."
"Thank you, the bedroom is gorgeous," she said, giving him a huge smile. He smiled back at her. "Dinner will be served in half an hour. Gives you enough time to take a bath and change your clothes."
He left and escorted Meredith to the green room.
Cristina lay back on the bed. It felt so good after being in that cramped car for hours. She dug into her suitcase and pulled out a dress and fresh underwear. She grabbed a towel and went immediately into the shower. The warm water felt amazing on her body, which was sore from sitting too long in that cramped space.
She toweled herself and put on her dove grey dress. She was ready to go down to the kitchen. When she got there, Meredith was already at the kitchen table.
"Hello, Cristina," Susannah said. "Just have a seat. Just pour the girls some apple juice, Owen." Owen did his mom's bidding.
As they all sat down to eat, Cristina was amazed at the spread before them. There was home-made bread, smeared with garlic butter, roasted chicken, corn on the cob, asparagus and a rice pilaf. It turned out that Mrs. Hunt was an amazing cook. Cristina and Meredith ate like they had been starving for weeks.
"Oh, it is good to see girls with good appetites," Mrs. Hunt says. "So nice to have visitors. Usually, it is just Owen and me. His dad passed three years ago and he was a loud, boisterous fellow. Owen and me – we're quieter folk."
Meredith raised her head from her plate. "That was so, so delicious, Mrs. Hunt."
Cristina nodded, "Yes, Mrs. Hunt, oh I wish you could cook for us all of the time. Meredith and I are not so good in the kitchen."
Mrs. Hunt blushed, "Aw, you girls are just making an old lady happy. I have apple pie for dessert. Do you have room?"
"I will make room," Cristina said. Everyone laughed.
After dinner, the girls retired to their rooms. Cristina changed into her pajamas and lay on her bed. She tried to sleep but it wasn't easy. She had clearly eaten too much and it made her uncomfortable.
After an hour of tossing and turning, she decided to go sit out on the porch and watch the stars. She put on her slippers and headed downstairs. She leaned against the railing and stared out at the star-filled skies.
"Wow," she said.
"Yeah, it's pretty, isn't it?" Owen said.
She turned around and saw him sitting on a porch swing. At his feet was a golden retriever.
"Yeah, you hardly ever see skies like this in LA. Too much smog," she said.
"On the nights, I sit out here and watch the skies. It is so glorious and reminds me why I love to live out here," he said. "Come sit next to me."
She went across and sat next to him. They sat quietly and stared at the skies. The dog got up and rested his head on Cristina's lap. She patted him on his head.
"Bruno likes you," Owen said.
"I am a dog person. They can recognize who are dog people. Haven't had a dog in a while because I like big dogs and they only allow these teeny-weeny dogs in our apartment," she said.
"So do you like it in southern California?" he asked.
"Well, the weather is good, the beaches are great and lots of outdoor living," she said.
"I couldn't live there," he said. "I like the changes in the season. Fall and spring are my favorite seasons. Sometimes, the snow is a bit much but nothing beats snow on Christmas day. You don't get that in southern California."
"Only if we go to The Grove and they give us fake snow," she said, laughing.
"So would a girl like you be able to live in a place like this?" he asked.
"Well, the night skies are beautiful and it is peaceful. No sounds of sirens, honking horns and angry people shouting at you to get out of the way," she said. "I have never lived in a place like this. Always been a city girl. The truth is I don't know. But for now, this is pretty great."
She turned and smiled at him. They sat together in companionable silence.
A/N Give me your thoughts.
