Disclaimer: I don't own them.
I really felt Teddy needed to know about Cristina and Owen's history so I wrote this fic. Hope you enjoy it.
Owen had invited Teddy to Joe's to talk. She wanted to be friends again? She was going to be treated like a friend.
They made some small talk until Owen finally began what he wanted to talk about.
"Do you know how Cristina and I met?" he asked.
"I assume you met at work," she replied before having some of her drink.
"We did but it was before I worked there. I was on leave and I got into an accident. It wasn't too bad. I helped out the other people and ended up at Seattle Grace after traching a guy with a pen. Cristina was assigned to cleaning me up – I had cut my leg," he smiled at the memory, "I ended up stapling it myself…kind of to impress her."
"Why are you telling me this?" Teddy asked, slightly defeated that he brought her here to talk about his girlfriend.
"You want to be friends. And I want you to understand how much she means to me, how much we've been though."
Even though she was trying to be his friend, she didn't want to hear about them. But part of her was curious. What did Cristina have after a few months to keep Owen that she didn't have after a few years?
"Ok," she replied. He wasn't going to make this easy for her.
He continued, "By the end of the night the tables were turned and I ended up taking care of her. She slipped and fell outside with what had to be the worst timing because an icicle fell and stabbed her in the chest."
"Ow!" Teddy couldn't help but say - that hurt just thinking about it.
"She was lucky, it didn't hit anything but she had to way for x-rays and such to confirm that before it could be removed. Finally, I pulled it out – without her permission as she told me – and I fixed her up.
"The chief offered me a job but I had to finish my tour."
Teddy nodded.
"I kissed her. I had broken up with Beth not too long before and I kissed her. I was just instantly drawn to her.
"And I went back. My unit was killed and I was discharged," he kept talking so that he didn't have to talk about THAT with her. "So I took the chief up on his offer. I distanced myself from Cristina. Then one night I couldn't anymore. And I kissed her outside of Joe's. I was stressed after a hard case and she followed me and I told her I didn't need her then backed her against the wall and kissed her.
"And we started a thing. I couldn't stay away from her but I was damaged and I didn't want to hurt her. I was hot and cold to protect her and to not favor her and she called me on it.
"I asked her out. I had a great date planned but I got drunk and showed up late…and drunk and I ended up in her shower fully dressed talking about my best surgery," he chuckled at the absurdity of it, "And she helped me. I slept in her bed and when I finally caught up with her the next day to talk and she gave me a second chance, despite my problems."
Teddy was still processing what he just said. So she gave him a second chance after he showed up drunk for a date. Ok, big deal.
"They were big problems. The next week I saw Beth and had a panic attack. Cristina followed me after I ran into an exam room and she somehow knew how to help and she got me though it. We were doing well. We were spending the night at her place and she fell asleep while we were watching a surgery video. I turned it off and laid down and…"
She looked at him questioningly. "What happened?"
"I was having a nightmare. I was trying to save myself… I choked her and I almost killed her," he admitted, his eyes tearing up, "I almost killed her because the stupid ceiling fan triggered something. Thankfully Callie was still awake. She…woke me up."
Teddy definitely had no idea anything like that happened. And they were still together.
"Callie and Meredith wouldn't let me see her or talk to her. We finally talked at one point and I was going to break up with her but she wouldn't let me, she said she knew her limitations."
He took a swig of his beer. He'd talked about this with Dr. Wyatt and Cristina but it had been a while and thinking about what he had done to her was hard.
"That night we…made love for the first time and it was amazing and afterwards, we were laying together and she found her limit. She was afraid to fall asleep with me. Do you realize how hard that is to hear?"
Teddy shook her head, feeling the need to respond in someway.
"I got help from Shepherd and I started seeing a psychiatrist. Talking about everything helped once I started talking.
"But every time I saw her, there was one thing I wanted to say. Three words I wanted to say to her but I couldn't because it was too soon and I couldn't stand to hurt her anymore, I wasn't any good for her. So my shrink and I came up with a list of phrases to say to her – hey there now, take care now, nice work today. It was a little secret code to tell her I loved her without her knowing."
And she had been worried about Cristina hurting him.
He chuckled, "She called me on it, said I was acting too happy – I hurt her anyway. I showed her the list and told her what it was for and she told me to take care now," he smiled, because even though at the time it was heartbreaking, she had told him she loved him.
"I continued therapy. I wanted to get better for myself and for her so that we could be together – if she wanted me. It was hard but I did it and she helped me. She came with me to see my mom, she yelled at me because I made her love me," at Teddy's confused look he explained, "her exact words were that I came here and I pulled out her icicle and I made her love me."
He looked right at Teddy.
"She told me she can't breathe without me and I feel the same about her," he paused for second, "She met me halfway, she came with me to therapy – which she hates – and helped me get better. We got back together – officially," he took another sip of his beer, "She lost the last prospective cardio attending and she needed a teacher. So badly. She helped me so much, it was the least I could do. So I called you, you're the best I know."
That made her feel good, to know he thought she was the best.
"Then you told me you're in love with me. And yes, I felt the same way years ago but we never acted on it and I let it go. And then I met Cristina. Teddy, I don't know what I would do without her. I'm so grateful that she's still in my left after…everything."
Teddy looked like she was going to say something.
"Yes, I know she was willing to trade me but surgery is a part of who she is and she was afraid of losing the best teacher she had. She gave me more chances that I deserve. I know she loves me, she made a mistake but she and I – we matter. I'm not going to let her try to push me aside. I will fight for her, for us, until I'm certain she doesn't love me," he finished off his beer, "You're my friend, Teddy, and I'm glad for that, but Cristina is my after, she's my forever."
"I'm glad she makes you happy," Teddy told him honestly. The last thing she wanted was for him to be unhappy.
Cristina, having finally finished her shift, made her way over to their table with a drink and a beer for Owen.
"Hi," she greeted Teddy with a friendly smile – they were getting along pretty well. Then she slid in next to Owen and put the beer next to his empty one, "Hey there now."
He smiled at her, "Hey there now."
There wasn't anything Teddy could do to separate them and he was happy so she could deal with being his friend, their friend.