When Cristina got the legal papers from Owen's lawyers, she had just finished giving a lecture to a class of medical students at Columbia Medical School. She had gone back to the hospital and found someone, waiting for her.

"Dr. Cristina Yang?" he asked. She confirmed it. He handed her the papers and she ripped open the envelope. She started reading the contents and began to hyperventilate. She got to her office and had to sit down.

"How dare he do this?" she yelled to no one, since her office was empty. She read the papers again. Owen was petitioning for joint custody of Alexander Yang. He clearly had not believed her, when she said that Xander was not his.

Even though she had been back in New York for eight weeks, she had not contacted Owen since she had left Seattle. Her guilt had been consuming her and she could not call him. She was aware that he tried to call her a couple of times because she saw his number on her phone but she never returned the calls. She was too ashamed to talk to him. Then, she got the legal papers. He probably wanted to talk to her about this.

But how did he know?

She needed to call Alex. He answered the phone after two rings. "Hey, Yang, what's up? How are you and my favorite godson doing?"

"We're doing okay," Cristina said. "I really need to talk to you. Did you tell Owen that Xander is his son?"

"Of course not," Alex replied. "Why would I do such a thing? Besides, the man barely speaks to me. We only speak professionally, of course. But other than that, nothing. Oh, there is also the fact that his eyes shoot daggers at me, whenever he looks in my direction."

"Then, how the hell does he know?" she said, perplexed at the situation.

"Okay, what happened?" Alex asked. "Clearly, Owen knows that he is Xander's dad and you find this very disturbing."

"More than disturbing. I just got served with legal papers. He is petitioning for joint custody of Xander," Cristina said. "And, according to this, I have a court date in two weeks here in Family Court. Apparently, he filed the papers here in New York and he has New York lawyers representing him. Also, he wants to be financially obligated to the care and upbringing of Xander."

She scoffed. "I don't need his money. I make more money that he does. Xander and I have been doing quite well without his help." She shook her head.

"Well, you should be grateful. Here is a man who is practically begging to give you money to care for your child," Alex said. "He isn't the enemy, Cristina. He just wants to be in his kid's life. And let's be honest, he is a good man. You know that."

"Yeah, I do," Cristina said. "I know I wronged him. I have my own selfish reasons but I do know that. That's why I can't talk to him. But this, now? He has his own kid. Jordan. She is the kid he always wanted," she said, as she flung the papers on to her desk. "She even looks like him. She has his coloring."

"Cristina, I am pretty sure he loves Jordan very much but he also knows that Xander is out there and is also his kid. But I don't think you realize that it's important to him because Xander is also your kid. Your child. Do you know how monumental that is? He never thought that would happen. You and he made a child together and you had it," Alex said. "You know that you are the love of his life and he finally has the kid that he always wanted with the love of his life." Cristina knew it was the truth. She sighed, loudly.

"He has been calling me but I have never returned to his calls," she said, ruefully. "Maybe if I had taken his calls, it would have never reached this stage."

"Well, maybe he thought he had to do what he had to do. You gave the man no choice," Alex told her. "You didn't want to talk to him."

"I never thought it would come to this," Cristina said. "Especially since -"

"Especially since what?" Alex asked. He could hear Cristina sighing heavily on the other end of the phone call. "Come out with it, Yang."

"I'm pregnant, Alex," she said, quietly. "About eight weeks gone."

"What the hell, Cristina?" Alex said. "Couldn't you guys wrap up his sausage before you started knocking boots?" He started to laugh on the other end, even though it wasn't a laughing matter. "Is it like your eggs are just waiting for this guy's sperm? I mean you are 38 years old, now, Cristina. Shouldn't you be slowing down on the fertility meter?"

"You would think, right?" she agreed. "Admittedly, I took a chance. Heat of passion moment kind of thing. Seriously, what is up with Owen's sperm? One swim down my canal and I am knocked up."

"So I guess you have another secret," he said. "Are you going to keep this baby?"

"Yes," she said, firmly. "Mainly because of Xander. He showed me that I could do it. As for Owen, I don't know how he will react to this. Right now, he's taking me to court. I guess I should wait until he gets here for our court date."

"Alright, let me know how everything goes," Alex said. "Going to surgery, now. Bye."

"Bye," Cristina said, as she hung up her phone. She immediately called her lawyer's firm, who put her in touch with one of the family lawyers in the firm. She now had representation and would be ready to meet Owen in court.


Owen stepped out of LaGuardia airport and hailed a taxi. He was going to stay at a hotel that was near the courthouse. As he peered out of his window in the back seat of the taxi, he pondered the journey that had brought him to New York.

As soon as he had found out that Xander was indeed his biological child, he had called his lawyer, Gary Merrick, to discuss his options and his rights. He explained that he did not know of the child's existence until recently, as the mother had not told him about the boy. His lawyer asked him exactly what was it that he wanted. All Owen knew was that he had wanted to be in the boy's life. He wanted to get to know his son and he wanted to provide financial support for the child. He wanted his child to get to know his daughter. He explained that the boy lived in New York and while it was impossible for him to visit every weekend, he hoped it would be possible for Xander to spend the summer with him and possibly, some of the major holidays.

"And what about the boy's mother? What is that relationship going to be like?" Merrick said.

"I don't know. I love Cristina very much," he said. "But she kept this from me. It has been extremely hurtful and I am quite angry about it. If I pursue it legally, I am certain the backlash will negatively affect our relationship. I would hope that it wouldn't but that would just be a pipe dream. But I am willing to pursue it legally because I do believe that I have the right to know my son and he has the right to know about me."

"Okay, then," Merrick said. "I can see where this is headed. I would advise that you get yourself a good lawyer in Manhattan. I can recommend someone. Let them file the petition on your behalf. You are going to ask for joint custody of the minor child."

"Before we do all that, I think I want to reach out to the boy's mother first. Maybe she can be reasonable about it and we can avoid all of the legalities," Owen said.

The lawyer agreed. "If you can work it out with her, it might be for the best. We can avoid going to court."

So that was when Owen started calling Cristina. He left many messages but she never returned any of his calls. After three weeks with no response, he felt he had no choice. He was going to pursue it, legally.

The taxi dropped him off at his hotel. He checked in and collapsed on his bed. He had done a full day of work and then caught the flight to New York. He was exhausted. Still, he knew he had to call Jordan, who was staying with his mother. She would be waiting for his call. He called and they spoke for about five minutes before they finally said good night to each other. He was too tired to do anything else but take a shower and brush his teeth. As he lay in his bed, he thought about Cristina. Tomorrow, he was going to face her in court.


Cristina had taken the day off to be in court. She met her lawyer, Phoebe Harrison just outside of the Family Court. "The opposing party is already here," Phoebe said. "Your ex-husband and his lawyer. They went in."

"Okay," Cristina said. She let out a big breath. She straightened her clothes and fluffed out her hair. She was ready to face Owen.

"We are the first case on the docket, so let's go in," Phoebe said. She opened the door and they both entered. Owen turned around, immediately as he heard the sound of the door open. He could not believe how beautiful Cristina looked.

She was always lovely but there was something special about her. She had almost an ethereal glow. Her skin was luminous. Her hair looked full and lush and glossy. Her suit fitted her tiny figure neatly, showing off the curve of her backside, quite clearly. She wore a red lipstick, which highlighted the fullness of her lips. He felt this desire to kiss those lips. That was the effect she always had on him. All he wanted to do was kiss those lips, whenever he was near her.

Cristina tried not to look in Owen's direction. She kept her gaze straight ahead and dare to not let her eyes stray to look at him. She would weaken, she knew. She had worn her red lipstick that day. It was to help her feel powerful. She was glad she wore it. She had a terrible bout of morning sickness, when she got up earlier in the day and she needed something to feel better. She didn't even know why they called it morning sickness, though. She got sick in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at night. She had never had such issues when she was having Xander. She wondered if she was having a girl and maybe, that was why it was different.

She took her seat next to her lawyer. They didn't have to wait long, as the family court judge soon made his appearance. The bailiff announced the case.

Judge Milo Phoenix asked Owen's lawyer, Jared Kingston, to state his case. "My client Dr. Owen Hunt is seeking joint custody of Alexander Owen Yang, aged three. Dr. Hunt lives in Seattle but the said minor child lives in New York City with his mother, Dr. Cristina Yang, who is my client's former wife. He is also ready to fulfill all financial obligations with respect to the care and upbringing of the minor child. Dr. Hunt only learned of the child's existence about 10 weeks ago and is petitioning for joint custody because he feels that he is being denied his parental rights with regards to the minor child. He also recognizes that since the child is domiciled in New York, sharing physical custody on a weekly basis would be difficult, so he is willing to accept having Alexander stay with him and his daughter in Seattle during the summer and also on some holidays, which could be determined by Dr. Hunt and Dr. Yang."

"Also, since Dr. Hunt will be in New York for a few days for this case, he would also like to ask for access to Alexander, so he and the child can get familiar with each other."

Cristina sat next to her lawyer, very quietly. She wasn't feeling well. A wave of nausea had overtaken her and she desperately needed to go to the bathroom. She started to squirm and cold sweat but as she listened, she knew that what Owen was asking for, was not unreasonable. Alex was right. Owen was not the enemy. He was a good man and a good father. Then, there was Xander. As he grew older, he would probably start asking questions about his father. She didn't want her little boy to resent her. She saw her son's face in front of her. He had his father's nose and cheekbones. She made up her mind, there and then.

"Let him have it," she whispered to Phoebe.

"What?" Phoebe asked. "Have what? You're agreeing to what he wants?"

"Well, he isn't asking for anything unreasonable, Phoebe," Cristina said. "Also, give him my address so he can pick up Xander. I am sure he would want to see him, today. Anyway, I have to go. I am not feeling well." She suddenly got up and bolted out of the courtroom. Everyone stared at her, as she ran out of the room. Owen was immediately concerned. What was wrong with Cristina? He almost got up to chase after her but his lawyer pulled him back down to his seat.

Cristina found the nearest ladies' room, grateful that it was clean, as she entered a stall and brought up her breakfast. The anti-nausea medicine had not helped her at all during the pregnancy. She was glad that in two more weeks, she would be out of the first trimester and maybe, the bouts of nausea would dissipate.

After cleaning herself up, she found her way back home. She collapsed on her sofa and called out the nanny's name. "Betsy, please come," she said, loudly. Betsy came out of Xander's room, when she heard Cristina's voice.

"Yes, Dr. Yang," Betsy said. Cristina told the babysitter to get Xander ready to go out.

"Are you going out, Dr. Yang?" she asked.

"No, but Xander is. His father is coming to pick him up," Cristina said. Betsy was in total shock. She had never heard Dr. Yang mention Xander's father before. She said nothing but did as she was told.

It was an hour later that there was a knock on the door. Cristina answered the door and as was expected, it was Owen.

"Hey," he said, softly.

"Hi, Owen," she replied. "He is ready for you to take him out."

"I just wanted to say thanks," he said. "I am very grateful that you decided to do this."

"I did it mainly for Xander," she said. "I think he would want to know his father."

"But whatever your reason, I am grateful," he said. "Before Xander comes in, can we talk?"

"About what?" she asked.

"About why you never told me about him. Why couldn't you tell me about him when you found out you were pregnant?" he asked. "Why didn't you think you could tell me?"

Cristina stared at him.


A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them very much.