These are just some scenes I've been kicking around in my head since the last episode (which was amazing!)...some were inspired by ramblings with my friends at the ABC messageboards or at TWoP! Enjoy....

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Owen flipped through his charts with a tired sigh. It had only been a few days, but this therapy was draining him more than he expected, especially on top of his normally packed schedule. However Dr. Wyatt insisted that they were making some headway (once Owen had finally started talking) and he was having less nightmares…at least ones that he remembered waking up from. It was worth it. If not for himself, for Cristina—wait no, Dr. Wyatt said he had to want this for himself too. She would feel safe in his arms again if it took him three weeks or thirty years to get better. He would stay away until he was absolutely sure that she would never need to be afraid again. Who knew how long that would take though? He just wasn't sure if she would be waiting for him once he was whole. The thought made his stomach drop.

He felt Derek Shepherd at his side with a chart of his own.

"Derek" he acknowledged, still drowning a bit in his own thoughts.

"Owen" he replied, signing viciously at some papers. Owen opened his mouth to make small talk when out of the corner of his eye he saw Cristina in a room with a patient. She was with two of her interns giving pre-op information. He couldn't help but stare. He had managed to avoid her since she had ended it—it was just much too painful to see her and not be able to hold her. At that moment, it seemed absolutely ridiculous to him that he had ever done anything but hold her when he had the chance. Now who knew when he would be able to touch her face, or play with her curls, or hear her gasp as he stroked her thigh. He felt a lump growing in his throat and coughed to clear it.

"Hunt, did you hear—" Derek had been talking, but apparently to himself. He followed Owen's line of sight and nodded to himself.

"What? Oh…I was…" Owen shook his head slightly and forcefully tore his eyes away from Cristina.

"You know…I probably shouldn't tell you this, but you need something to keep you going. Even though if my fiancée found out she would probably hurt me"

"Yeah, I don't think I've gotten off to a good start with her…" Owen added, halfway between amused and dejected.

"She's just protective…especially of Cristina. That's her 'Person'…neither one thinks anyone is good enough for the other. So the sooner you stop trying to get the other to accept you, the better. Cristina's hated me forever"

"Right…" was all Owen managed.

"Anyway, the thing is that Meredith says Cristina cried all night after she broke up with you"

"And…this is supposed to make me feel better?" Owen asked, confused. Knowing he had caused her so much emotional stress on top of the physical bruises just made it all worse.

"I'm sure you know this. Cristina is not like most women—" Owen scoffed and smiled despite himself. Truer words never spoken. "She doesn't cry…" Owen's brow furrowed. Derek gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked off. Owen was a mix of touched but mostly anguished at the thought of Cristina crying over him all night, but while he knew Cristina was tough, he had seen her with tears in her eyes several times. When she mentioned her father to him, when she stormed out of the gallery after losing her solo surgery, when he had asked her to see him, and then when they had broken up. He had never seen her so lost or scared. It made him want to kick himself that he was the cause, but Dr. Wyatt told him the past was where it was and he shouldn't feel guilt over something he couldn't possibly control. Easier said than done.

*******

"Oooh, Mer I really like that one" Izzie said gleefully clapping her hands, as Mer spun around in a lacey cream colored dress. Cristina rolled her eyes from the chair near Izzie's bed, but couldn't help but be lightened to see her so happy. She had to admit it was a great idea, doing the wedding planning in Izzie's room. It was easy since they were all at the hospital all the time anyway, but it also happened to be that Izzie was the lover of all things wedding. And with so much time on her hands, she was the perfect wedding planner. Meredith had tried on her fourth wedding dress, and so far Izzie had squealed with joy at each.

"Cristina, you try one!" Izzie prompted, pointing to another dress on the rack. "That one will look so great on you…" Cristina's eyes grew wide and she looked at Izzie incredulously.

"Um…Izz" Mer said awkwardly, her eyes flitting to Cristina nervously.

"In case you don't remember, I did the whole try-on-crappy-white-lace-dresses-endlessly thing last year" Cristina said sardonically.

"I…I didn't think about that" Izzie said, biting her lip. "Sorry…"

Suddenly the image of Owen that she had been trying to hold off with all this wedding talk, forced itself into her head. Her eyes glazed over as she looked at the hanging dresses …she pictured herself outside…leaves turning yellow and gold…a loose silky white dress flowing in the breeze…Owen standing across from her in a black tuxedo…smiling at her…the shadow permanently lifted from his eyes…him promising her 40 years and beyond. Cristina realized that she had stood up and was fingering the material of the dresses. Slowly drifting back into reality from her reverie, she realized that the room had grown silent.

"This one feels nice…" she said quietly. She heard Meredith gulp audibly and could feel her and Izzie exchanging a look. "I'll be back in a minute". A moment later, Cristina emerged in the flowing white dress. It draped itself comfortably around her…and she felt…relieved. She was standing in a wedding dress…smiling…she had gotten over the traumatic incident of her own past, by daydreaming about Owen. He made her want the dress, not just think she did. Izzie's gasp was sharp.

"Cristina" she said, breathlessly. "I…I think you should wear that to your wedding…whenever that is"

"If that is" Cristina might have been daydreaming on the inside, but she refused to let anyone else in on it.

"Are you freaking out?" Meredith asked warily, her eyes drilling holes into her.

"No" Cristina said quietly.

"Oh, I've book marked some cakes you should look at, Mer" Izzie said, pulling out a wedding book from her table. Mer went and sat on the bed with Izzie. Cristina turned and looked in the mirror by the door. Just as she let herself fade into another lovely daydream, Owen walked by the room. He peaked in as he passed but then did a double-take that almost broke his neck. He was sure he had to be hallucinating to see Cristina in a wedding dress…but there she was. Staring at herself in a mirror…in a flowing white dress. He felt a sudden determination—he was going to fix himself. Get whole. Get healed. Get Cristina in a dress like that and marry her. In Autumn…when the leaving were changing, maybe. Step one was already in action. He caught his breath and moved on before she could see him watching.

Cristina peeked outside the door to make sure no one was watching—she saw a swish of a white coat and navy blue scrubs turn the corner, she wasn't sure if she had imagined the red hair or not—before going back to the mirror and allowing herself one swish of the skirt before going to change.

*******

Owen was walking down the hallway towards an on-call room to try and get a few hours of sleep, when he felt a softness on his hand and saw Cristina walking in stride with him. She didn't look at him, but put her hand in his and lightly pushed him into the on-call room and closed it behind her.

"Cristina…I…we can't"

"Just shhh…just shut up for minute. I have to say something" she said, staring at the ground with her hand still resting on the knob of the door. Owen began to protest, but thought better of it—he knew enough that when Cristina wanted to say something, she said it. She sighed and looked at him. "I spent all night staring at my ceiling fan last night…" Owen felt the weight of guilt in his stomach. He had made her feel unsafe in her own bed…even when he wasn't there?

"I'm sorry…" was all he managed. She looked puzzled and slightly worried at his words.

"No, no...that's not what…" she sighed again. "I mean that…the other night I woke up and my cardio surgery video was still playing. Then last night I just stared at my fan…" she glanced at Owen who looked confused as ever. "Dammit…I'm saying that I miss you. I don't like that you aren't there to turn the TV off…or that it hurts me that the only time I can fall asleep is when I'm on your pillow because it has your scent…and that all I can do now is stare at the ceiling fan at night hoping it will help me doze off so I can stop thinking about you". Owen wanted to run to her, hold her, tell her that they could be together, he would never hurt her, and kiss her breathless. But he stayed strong…he had seen her in a wedding dress. This separation was a necessary evil. First, get whole and healed…then get Cristina. You couldn't skip steps with these things. But hearing her tell him how hurt she was whittled away at his resolve.

"Cristina" he said weakly. "We can't…not yet"

"I know I just…I don't care if we can never sleep in the same bed together. I don't care if I have to sleep on the couch or if I have to handcuff you to the bed…" they both allowed themselves a small, heated smirk at this "or whatever. I don't want to stay away from you, but I will…because I want you to be healthy. And when you are…I'll be waiting for you" she stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his cheek and kissing his lips very lightly "because you're it for me". With that, Cristina turned and left the room, leaving Owen with a heart full of hope and more resolve than ever.