stillcan'tremembermylogin - It's good to know that there is someone out there as obsessed with these characters as I am. :)

To everyone that has reviewed: Thank You! All your wonderful reviews are what keeps me writing! :) Thank you times a million.

T-minus 5 days until Grey's...and I have a feeling that I will be depressed after that episode. *sigh*

Thank god for fan fiction...


Two weeks later.

"Wow, you two certainly have made fantastic progress, even with the extenuating circumstances." Dr. Wyatt said to the couple in front of her. She hadn't seen them last week due to Owen's injury, but they kept trying to solve the puzzle without her. She respected that.

Owen smiled broadly and Cristina gave a small grin.

"Cristina you said you agree with what Owen thinks your reasoning is, do you think there is any other reason?"

Cristina looked at Dr. Wyatt and looked down, there was something that she wanted to say, but she was certain that it would do more harm than good.

"Cristina?" Dr. Wyatt repeated.

"It's okay Cristina say what you want to say," Owen said calmly.

Breathing deeply she said, "Well I think that Owen was right, and I am glad I realize that now, but I think that proof that it is not stupid to protect yourself lies in the face that he cheated on me."

She looked at him and tried to hide her sadness with anger, "I mean, you took solace in another woman. You betrayed me. You hurt me. Again."

Owen nodded and looked down. He figured that they would cover this today.

Dr. Wyatt looked up from her notebook, "Owen, have you and Cristina discussed your infidelity?"

"Yes, in detail." he affirmed awkwardly.

"Cheating is a difficult thing to move on from for any couple. It takes time. The most important thing for right now is that you try and separate your anger about that situation from a situation that may occur in your lives today."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Cristina sniped.

Dr. Wyatt was not phased by her tone, "You think before you speak and you talk about your feelings toward the situation when you feel the need to. Which is an excellent segway into your homework. Remember? Making sure you paid attention to how you felt when interacting with each other…"

Owen gestured to Cristina, "Go ahead."

Cristina scoffed, "Uh yeah I uh…left my homework on the bus, so…"

Dr. Wyatt again decided to ignore her sarcasm. She had a feeling that Owen would be speaking about it when he had his turn.

"Okay then we can come back to you. Owen?"

Owen shifted in his seat so that he could easily have eye contact with Cristina, "Well there were a couple situations that I paid attention to."

Dr. Wyatt nodded for him to continue, but Cristina stared at the floor.

"When- when I was leaving for Ft. Lewis Cristina was looking at me, and I could tell she was worried…so I tried to comfort her, but she ignored me. It confused me... a lot. I felt like we had worked so hard for nothing."

"Ok," Dr Wyatt kept writing, "Cristina do you want to explain why you ignored him?"

Cristina sighed, "Not particularly, no."

"Cristina!" Owen exasperated.

"What! I was worried about you; you told me you'd be fine. What did you want me to do? Run across the ER and kiss you passionately? We're not in a freaking romance movie Owen." Cristina folded her arms in front of her chest and continued her examination of the floor.

Owen had scooted to the opposite end of the couch and leaned against the arm looking into the air, "This is my problem Cristina. This. Right here."

She brought her head up to look at him and he continued.

"You go from hot to cold in an instant. You go from telling me that you are staying in Seattle to refusing to take me home or spend any time with me this week!"

"Owen what was I supposed to do? Move back in! You know that's what would have happened if I took you home!" Cristina was shouting, loudly.

Owen's voice rose to the level of hers, "Yes! Move back home! Why not? You are my wife and I-"

"Okay guys," came Dr. Wyatt's calm voice, "let's just tackle one thing at a time."

Looks like I am going to earn my paycheck today, thought Dr. Wyatt.


When they walked out of Dr. Wyatt's office and to the counter to make their next appointment, Cristina refused to so much as look at Owen.

Dr. Wyatt's perky receptionist smiled brightly at them "Okay Dr. Wyatt would like to see you both next week so let me set up some appointments-"

"Some?" Cristina repeated. Please no, she thought, I don't even want to do that once a week.

The secretary's smile remained as she said "Mmmhm, she would like to see you individually next week. So what works for you?"

Owen and Cristina made their appointments and left the office. As they walked out the door Cristina turned left and walked toward the cardio wing.

"I didn't know you were on call tonight," Owen followed her.

"I'm not."

"So…where are you going?" he persisted.

Cristina sighed, "Just leave me alone Owen."

He stopped following her, partially because she told him to and partially because he was out of breath from trying to keep up with her. His body was still not fully heeled from his surgery and it was obvious.

"I can give you a ride home." He called after her.

"No thanks." She kept walking down the hallway…and as she turned the corner she heard his voice again.

"I'm going to my mom's for dinner. Will you come?" Owen was yelling down the hall at this point.

"Fat chance." She muttered as she nearly collided Meredith.

"Fat chance of what?"

"Uhg. Owen. He wants me to come with him to mommy's house for dinner." Cristina kept walking, "I mean I don't get why he thinks I would do that."

Meredith changed her direction and walked with Cristina, "Um, because you gave up a fellowship at Cleveland Clinic to stay with him…and because you told him you still love him… and because you let him kiss you…"

Cristina glared sideways at her friend.

"So…why are we not going with him tonight?" Meredith asked as the two friends slowed their pace.

Cristina sighed, busted, she thought.

Meredith read her face and decided to do her "person" duty, "You are confusing to me, so that means you must be confusing to him."

Meredith gave Cristina a chance to reply, but she was to busy pretending to examine a chart – upside down. Meredith turned the chart around for her and continued.

"Cristina, you made a choice, you stayed. Now stop messing with his head." Meredith found herself in foreign territory. Attempting to help Owen Hunt.

Cristina looked at her friend and spoke in a sad tone, "He actually wants me to move back in with him, can you believe that? He is acting like he did nothing wrong. I can't handle that."

Meredith nodded understandingly and put a hand on her friend's arm, "I get that, but you don't have to forgive him, and you don't have to move back in with him…but stop pretending you don't love him. We're already way past that."

Cristina rolled her eyes but she was smiling, "How are you on his team now?"

"Hey- I'm on your person…and he's on your team too."

"Mer?"

"Yeah?"

"You win."

Meredith smiled, "She lives pretty close to us doesn't she?"

"Less than a mile." Cristina affirmed.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride."


Owen and his mom were in the kitchen. Owen was tearing the ends off of the string beans and his mom was preparing a marinade for the chicken. He loved being in the kitchen with his mom. It gave him a warm feeling. When Cristina used to come with him for dinner at mom's she would usually get the job of snapping off the end of the beans. It was the only job she wasn't afraid to take. Owen smiled, that woman could memorize and perform dozens of surgeries, but put measuring cups in front of her: game over.

"What are you smiling at?" his mom asked without looking up from her masterpiece.

"Nothin', do you still want me to take a look at your water heater before I leave? I meant to get over here last week, sorry."

"Oh I am fairly certain that having major surgery is the best excuse you've ever had," she smiled fondly at her son, "I already called a plumber so don't worry about it. All fixed."

They went back to an amiable silence for a few moments before his mom spoke.

"I know that I probably shouldn't be asking this, and if you don't want to talk about it that's fine, but did you and Cristina figure things out?"

Owen snapped the last bean and went about discarding the ends, "Um we are working on it, I think it will be a while before I have an answer to that question."

His mom put the chicken in the marinade and placed the bowl in the fridge, "Have you stopped beating yourself up yet?"

Owen mentally slapped himself. He regretted telling his mom about the cheating. She kept trying to get him to forgive himself, and honestly he wanted to beat himself up for a while about it. He felt like he deserved it. He was just glad he never told her about the abortion.

"Mom, I think that you know how I am by now." Owen leaned against the counter facing his mom.

"I do. You are the man who expects perfection out of himself, yet not out of others," she paused. "Owen I know that you wouldn't have done something like that for no reason and I am not asking you to tell me the reason and I am not saying that makes it okay, but you have to forgive yourself before anyone else can forgive you." She patted his face, "Right?"

Owen smiled at his mom. "I'll try."

Owen thought he heard a car door slam.

Woof Woof Woof

"Your guard dog is protecting you," Owen smirked.

"Oh now you be nice to Crash, he takes good care of me!" his mom admonished. She walked toward the door with Owen just behind her.

"You expecting someone else?" Owen asked.

"Nope," his mom said as she opened the heavy wooden door, "I think this guest is for you. You get the door, I'll get the dog."

She grabbed Crash by the collar and pulled him back into the kitchen.

Owen opened the door and walked outside. He waited for Cristina on the porch. He hoped that his face conveyed his happiness accurately, because he was over the moon.

"Hey," he said simply.

"Hey yourself," she responded, "do you have telepathy or what?"

"Huh?"

"How did you know I was here?" she translated.

"Oh," he let out a quick laugh, "Crash was barking."

"Mmm yes," she stopped and stood in front of him, "the early warning system your mom had installed."

They both laughed and Owen nodded, "He is that, yes."

As their laughter dissipated, Cristina felt awkward.

"Is it okay that I came?" she asked.

Owen took her hand in response and held the door open.

Cristina entered the house and looked around. She loved going to Owen's mom's house. It was warm and homey and Martha Stewarty all at the same time. Plus it always smelled divine.

"Cristina! So nice to see you!"

Cristina reached out and accepted the hug from Mrs. Hunt, "Thank you, and sorry for crashing your dinner-"

"Nonsense! You are always invited, but Owen did the green beans already so I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to cut the potatoes."

"Oh…," Cristina held up her hands, "you think I am ready for that?"

Owen smiled, Did my wife just make a joke?

His mom nodded, "I do," she guided Cristina over to the cutting board, "and I will even let you choose your own knife."

Owen stood across the counter from Cristina and his mom, "Just think of it as a big scalpel and you'll be fine."

She looked at Owen and smiled, "Is this going to be another one of those 'it's not about the hands; it's about the body' things?"

Owen smiled at the memory and shook his head, "Not this time, promise."

Once Cristina received directions on how to cut the potatoes, Mrs. Hunt sent Owen out to grill the chicken. Cristina felt slightly vulnerable in the kitchen without Owen, but she tried not to show it.

Mrs. Hunt was busying herself about cleaning the dishes that had been used in the preparations. She wanted so badly to talk to Cristina about her son, but she hated to meddle. She was not a meddler; she didn't like it when other people stuck their nose in her business so she always tried respect Owen and Cristina's privacy. But she just wanted to know how her son was doing.

The silence was getting to Cristina so she decided to end it. Gesturing to the slices of potato that she had cut she asked, "Are these okay?"

Mrs. Hunt stood across the counter from her and took a look. "They are a bit thin…"

"Oh."

"No matter though, just adjust it," she patted Cristina's arm.

Cristina felt herself blush a little, "Should I start over?"

Owen's mom's eyes met hers and she said, "Gracious no, just make the next slices a bit bigger. You are never going to everything perfect. It's just about noticing when a slice is too big or too small and making an adjustment."

Cristina was beginning to think that they weren't talking about potatoes, but she asked her question anyway, "How do you know what is too thick and what is too thin?"

"Experience and patience," she took the knife from Cristina and cut a few slices, "but you can never get them all the same…and your shouldn't try. It's not about perfection. Just adjustment."

Cristina nodded as the knife was returned to her, "Sounds like a plan."


"No way!" Owen exclaimed.

"Way!" Cristina smiled.

"I think you two are in cahoots." Owen faked anger and threw his cards down, "How could you not pick Hitler…he is the epitome of evil, and you're Jewish!"

Cristina and his mom were both in fits of giggles. Once they were under control Cristina spoke.

"I'm sorry but your mom knows me!" she held up the red card that read 'Mop'. "Any tool involved in cleaning is pure evil in my book!"

He smiled. It was tradition to play a board game after dinner at his moms. Tonight the main event was Apples to Apples. His mom had just won with Cristina's decision.

"I dunno," he smiled, "I still think there was some sort of alliance going on between you two."

Owen's mom took the cards from Cristina and Owen and put them in the box, "It's getting late. You kids should get going. I hope you don't have to work in the morning."

Cristina yawned and stretched as she stood up, "I'm not on 'til noon, what about you Owen?"

"Same," he responded, "can I give you a ride home?"

He saw his mom's ears perk up at his question. He hadn't told her that Cristina moved out. She walked into the kitchen to let the dog out, but Owen could tell she was still listening.

Cristina shook her head, "No, it's nice out. Mer only lives a couple blocks from here."

Owen shook his head, "Uh it's almost midnight. You think I am going to let you walk home alone? Think again," he gently ruffled her hair. "If you insist on walking, I'm walking with you."

"Owen-"

"Nope, this one I am going to be stubborn about," he grabbed her jacket and helped her into it. "What's it going to be? Walk or drive?"

"Pig or cow…" Cristina muttered.

"What was that?" Owen slipped his jacket on.

"Nothing, never mind. I would love a ride home. Thanks."

"Here," Owen's mom came from the kitchen with a bag, "take these."

Owen took it from her and peered in the bag, "Mmmmmm, mom you spoil me," he hugged her with his free arm, "I love your brownies."

"I know. Make sure you share! It was nice to see you Cristina, don't be a stranger." She embraced the younger woman, "And you know where I am if you need me."

Cristina grinned, "Thank you for dinner and for beating Owen in Apples to Apples. I am not sure I have ever seen him lose."

"All right…let's get out of here," Owen kidded, "my ego can't take anymore hits."

After everyone said one more goodbye and gave one more hug, Owen and Cristina left and walked down the path to Owen's truck. She reached for her door handle but he was faster. She didn't say anything, but she did smile in thanks.

The drive took less than 3 minutes, but Owen contemplated circling the block so that they could continue their conversation, but he was pretty sure that action reeked of desperation, so he shot it down.

"Crash really likes you," Owen commented as he pulled into the driveway.

"I feed him under the table, it's all about the bribery," she smiled.

"Well…" he put the car in park and turned off the engine, "thank you for coming. Do you mind me asking what changed your mind?"

Cristina smiled, "It was the newest member of Team Owen."

Owen furrowed his brow.

"Meredith." Cristina clarified.

"Hm, I'll have to thank her. I am so glad you came."

Cristina was still smiling and she really did not want to get out of the car, "Me too…" she paused, "Owen?"

"Yeah?"

"I think that I need something before I go inside."

He felt his heart start to race as he gently leaned toward her, "What's that?"


"Mmmmmm… my God these are orgasmic."

"Shhhhh," Owen chastised, "I am fairly certain that Meredith and Derek do not want that to be Zola's next word.

They were sitting in the back of his truck eating brownies. Well, they weren't just brownies, they were amazing brownies.

Cristina swallowed what was in her mouth and said, "Oh please, have you met her mother? Besides orgasmic has too many syllables. She'll never pick that up after hearing it once."

Owen reached for another brownie, "Lot of stars out tonight."

Cristina took a swig from Owen's water bottle and layed on her back in the truck, "There's the big dipper."

He followed her finger and nodded, "Yup. Do you know which one is Orion?"

Cristina's eyes searched the sky for a moment, when she found it her eyes it up and he smiled, "There it is," she said.

"Wow, I'm impressed," he took a swig of the water and looked down at her, "how did you know that?"

She scoffed, "Duh, Men in Black."

He looked at her in question.

"Orion's belt...wow you need to get out more," she joked.

Owen lay down next to her. He felt absolutely perfect in this moment. He felt at peace. Like everything in the world was as it should be. He shifted onto his side to face her.

"Cristina I feel so full right now."

She rolled onto her side and let her hand fall next to his, "Did you eat too much?"

"What- No. No, I-"

She touched her hand to his and smiled, "I know what you mean."

They were looking into each other's eyes, neither blinking.

"I feel safe with you," she began, "I feel happy and warm with you. There is this piece of me that is telling me not to, but I don't care. I want to let go. I want to just…just…"

She paused and he slowly brought his hand to her face, he felt like he was trying not to spook a horse, " 's okay," he murmured, "go ahead."

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she had found her strength.

"I just want to love you."

He smiled, "I love you Cristina Yang."

After a moment or two he heard her voice.

"I love you too."

She started to get up and Owen's heart fell. He didn't want their perfect moment to end. This was as close to perfect as his life had been in six months.

Then, Owen realized that she wasn't leaving, she had just rolled over to her other side.

"Owen can you hold me?" she asked.

He immediately wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him, "You never have to ask."

She smiled and closed her eyes. But she would remember the feel of his lips on her temple when she woke.


Thanks for reading! I think I have 2...maybe 3 chapters left in me. Keep up the awesome reviews guys! :)