I'm uploading again because something went wrong the first time. Sorry about that. I hope you didn't get any spoilers!

Enjoy!

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25 May 2016

Cristina pulled the door open and found Owen on the other side, an apologetic smile on his face while holding take out bags against his chest.

She looked at him for a moment, admiring how adorable he looked.

"Sorry I'm late."

"It's midnight."

"I know."

"You said you'd be here by five."

"I know." He was quiet. "Can I come in anyway?"

She waited a moment. "Sure." She stepped aside and allowed him in. "You better have a great excuse." She closed the door and turned to him, folding her arms across her chest.

"I do." He nodded. "As I was about leave, a bus crash came in. A bunch of school kids on their way home from a field trip." He explained. "The driver lost control and slammed into on-coming traffic."

Her arms dropped. "Did anyone die?"

"Thankfully, no."

She sighed. "Well, I can't really be mad at you for saving lives, now can I?"

"No. You can't." He smiled.

She rolled her eyes and walked towards the kitchen and he followed her.

"Where's Meredith?" He asked as he dropped the bags onto the kitchen counter.

"Here."

They turned around to the voice walking in through the doorway. "A little late to have dinner, isn't it?" She teased as she sat down at the table, already winded from the trip down the stairs.

"I know, I know." Owen sounded apologetic. "It's my fault."

"It's okay. This way, I don't have to have Cristina's terrible eggs for breakfast."

Cristina looked offended. "Wow."

Meredith shrugged. "Hey, I might be dying. Gotta speak the truth as much as I can."

Cristina set her food down in front of her. "Really? The cancer card? You're disgusting."

Meredith laughed and took a bite of her fry. "If you got it..."

Cristina laughed as well as she sat down beside Owen at the table. "Yeah, yeah. Shut up."

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"Cristina was a terrible person when we first met."

"I was not."

"She was." Meredith looked at Cristina. "You were."

"Oh, well, so were you."

"I'm aware." Meredith shrugged.

"We were sharks."

"We were." Meredith smiled fondly.

"Sharks?" Owen looked confused.

"It's what you call someone who's hungry for their passion and doesn't let anyone or anything get in their way." Cristina explained.

"So, the cases and your colleagues were the little fish and you guys were the sharks feasting on them?"

"Exactly." Cristina nodded.

"I like it."

"What about you, Owen?" Meredith wondered. "Are you a shark?"

"Well, I'm an attending. I don't have anyone or anything standing in my way. If I want a case, I take it."

"What about as an intern?"

"I went into battle a few months into my second year residency, so there wasn't much time to fight over surgeries." He shrugged and then took a sip of his beer.

"And what about over there?"

Meredith watched his eyes darken as he looked at her. He looked over at Cristina and then down at his drink, a forced smiled on his face.

"You don't have to answer. That was a stupid question." Meredith waved it off.

"No, it wasn't." He shook his head. "There, uh, there was never a lack of surgeries over there. People were always coming in. Nobody really fought over cases and the ones worth fighting over... well, over there, they were lost causes. Not like here. Here, you get to fix them. You get to them first. Out in the desert... things are different."

Cristina placed her hand on his knee and he smiled up at her. "Anyway," he cleared his throat. "Let's talk more about how much of a terrible person Cristina used to be."

The mood shifted again and Meredith smiled. "Gladly."

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"So, then, she body blocks him as I sprint across the court house to get the papers signed by the judge, on the other side of this gigantic building, during lunch break so there are like a million people in my way... but long story short, the guy was declared innocent and the little girl didn't lose her dad." Meredith smiled.

"Wow." Owen really looked amazed.

"That was a good day." Cristina smiled.

"And Goodwin got fired so that made it a great day." Meredith laughed.

"Now, he was a terrible person."

Meredith nodded in agreement.

The three of them were seated on the floor in the living room. Meredith was turned sideways, her elbow leaning on the couch cushion. Owen had his back against the couch so that he could pay equal attention to both ladies and Cristina was facing both of them with her legs stretched out in front of her. At some point, she had forced her feet under Owens legs in order to keep them warm and he had gladly allowed her to.

She watched as the woman who had become the most important person in her life interacted with the man who was beginning to grow on her just as much.

She was happy they were getting along.

She thought about the time Meredith had set her up with Owen, not knowing that she already had her eye on him. If she believed in it, she would've called that fate.

Meredith said her name and brought her attention back to the conversation in front of her.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Where did you go?" Meredith looked curious.

"Nowhere. I'm here."

"Are you tired? Should I go?"

"Oh, no. Stay. I'm okay."

Owen looked uncertain but smiled and gave her a nod anyway.

"I was just telling Owen about that time you made an intern cry."

Cristina looked at her. "You're really the worse wingman ever."

Meredith laughed.

"Why would you need a wingman?"

She looked at Owen, a light smile playing on his lips. "Oh, don't play coy. We're on a date."

"And you need a wingman because..."

She rolled her eyes.

"You want to impress me."

She looked offended. "Do not."

"Yes." He smiled even harder. "You do."

"Nope."

He poked her thigh. "You like me."

She looked at him, trying her best not to laugh. "You're a child."

"A child that you like." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Well, now I sound like a pedophile."

Owen laughed and Cristina laughed along.

Meredith watched the two of them, their laughter bringing her joy and decided that it was time for her to leave.

She yawned and then stretched. "Anyway, I'm going to head upstairs." She looked down at the nonexistent watch on her wrist. "It's like two in the morning. I'm exhausted."

"Uh huh." Cristina watched her. "Don't count on that Oscar anytime soon, Mer."

Meredith ignored her and stood up. "Owen, thank you for a lovely breakfast and I hope I get to see you again."

Owen laughed. "I hope so, too."

"Goodnight." She waved over her shoulder as she made her way up the stairs and disappeared into one of the rooms.

Owen turned to her. "Do you want me to leave?" He asked again, his voice suddenly a lot lower.

She shook her head. "No." She watched him. "Do you want to leave?"

He shook his head. "No."

She smiled. "Okay, then."

"Okay."

He took her hand into his and tugged. She got the hint and scooted closer until they were shoulder-to-shoulder.

"I had a great night." She said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Does that mean we'll be doing this again?"

"It does."

He smiled such a radiant smile that she had to return it.

They were quiet. Just looking at one another and after a moment, she had decided that his eyes had quickly become her favorite view.

His hand came to rest on her thigh and he looked down at it and then back up at her. "Would it be okay if I kissed you?"

She pretended that she was thinking about his request as her nose came to rest against his. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea." She feigned seriousness.

"It's not?"

"Hu uh." She shook her head.

He pulled away and she immediately missed the contact. "That's a shame."

She watched him for a minute as his smile grew. "Would you just come here?" She laughed as she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him to her.

The moment their lips touched, everything fell away. It was just them and their lips and their hands and their chests rising up against one another, the constant friction the only thing keeping them grounded.

Cristina's hand slipped into his hair and pulled him even closer.

He felt so familiar. Comfortable, even. Like they had been doing this for years.

His tongue slipped into her mouth and she sighed into him. He moved slow. Enjoying her. Making sure she enjoyed him.

His hand made its way up to her hip and squeezed.

Her eyes opened and she pulled back slowly, finally realizing that she needed to breathe.

She rested her forehead against his as she tried to catch her breath. "We definitely have to to do that again."

"Definitely."

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"I think they're going to fire me."

Owen turned his head to look at her.

"I think they're going to fire me." She repeated. "They're going to fire me and then I'm going to be jobless and I'll end up homeless and I'll have to sell my degree for food which means that I won't ever be able to be a lawyer again." She paused. "And I think that's the scariest part. The not being a lawyer. I don't know who I am if I'm not a lawyer. I've built my life around my profession and the fact that it could all be taken away..."

Owen sat up and looked down at her face. Her eyebrows were drawn together and she looked so vulnerable and raw. "They're not going to fire you." His voice was steady.

"Oh, what do you know?"

He smiled. "They're not going to fire you. This is just temporary. They're letting things calm down before they bring you back." He paused. "And even if they don't. Even if they turn out to be complete imbeciles and let you go, you'll find another job. You will. You're an amazing lawyer who kicks ass and firms will be fighting tooth and nail over you."

She looked at him for a moment and then reached up and kissed him. She didn't believe him. Not one bit. But he said it with such confidence, confidence in her and her capabilities, that a part of her wanted to believe him.

She pulled away and smiled at him.

He laid back down and she rested her head on his chest, his heart beating rhythmically beneath her ear.

He placed his hand on her back and gently ran it back and forth.

They were in one of Meredith's spare rooms in her unnecessarily large house. Cristina always commented that Meredith was one person and she didn't need all of this space. Of course it fell on deaf ears. Meredith was never going to get rid of the house. And Cristina had to admit that she would be a little sad if she did. In a short period of time, it had become her second home.

Owen picked up a strand of her hair and looked at it, rubbing it between his two fingers. "I love your hair."

"Thanks. I grew it myself."

He snorted and she smiled.

Cristina had taken his hand and dragged him upstairs when he confessed that he hadn't sleep for the last twenty-four hours. He had refused at first, not wanting to impose but it was all half hearted because the moment they started ascending the stairs, he stopped fighting it.

She sighed and closed her eyes to the feeling of his hand falling onto her back and gliding gently over it. Her tiny confession about the state of her job made her chest feel a little lighter. She had been holding everything in for weeks. Every problem she had felt like nothing compared to what Meredith was going through so, she didn't speak about it. She was fine with things revolving around Meredith for a while. Relationships aren't always fifty-fifty. Sometimes they're ninety-ten and that's okay.

"Are you sleepy?" She asked when she realized that his hand had stopped.

There wasn't any answer.

"Owen?" She lifted her head to look up at him and found that he was already asleep. She smiled and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth before moving off of him.

She brought the blankets up to their shoulders and threw her arm over his torso, bringing him close.

As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about how happy she was to have walked into that therapy building that day.

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Her eyes flew open.

She couldn't breathe.

Owen was hovering above her, his eyes clouded and his mouth slightly agape while his hands tightened around her throat.

She couldn't breathe.

She grabbed at his hands, pulling at his fingers to try and loosen his grip but he was too strong.

She started clawing at his face, leaving red marks down his cheeks.

She slapped him several times while her legs flung around as she tried to escape.

She was starting to feel light headed and knew she was going to pass out soon.

She turned her head as much as she could and pushed the glass on her bedside table to the ground. The sound echoed through the room and debris scattered across the floor.

Still, Owen didn't wake.

She started pushing up against him in a last attempt to free herself.

"Owen!"

She watched his eyes go from cold to confusion to realization. He immediately released her and she slipped out from beneath him and onto the floor, not even feeling the broken glass cut into her foot.

She stood up and fled past Derek and into the upstairs bathroom, locking the door behind her.

She dashed over to the sink and gripped the edges before her legs gave in, her chest painfully heaving.

She didn't even have enough air in her lungs to let out a proper sob.

She coughed as her lungs filled up again and she sank down to the floor.

She leaned her head against the sink and took deep breaths, occasionally having to stop when her cries took over.

The door handle turned vigorously. "Cristina?" Meredith's voice was on the other side. "Cristina! Open the door!"

She didn't moved.

"Cristina!"

Her eyes drifted closed as the pain in her chest subsided and the heaving began to slow.

"What the fuck, Owen?" She heard Meredith yell. "You better leave because I'm calling the police!"

Cristina suddenly found herself standing and walking over to the door. She unlocked it and pulled it open.

All eyes turned to her.

"Cristina." Meredith wasn't yelling anymore.

Cristina ignored her. She looked over at Owen standing in the doorway of the room. He looked so broken.

"I'm..." he started to sob. "I'm so... sorry. I would never..."

"Come here."

"Cristina." Meredith looked at her.

"Come here." She said again.

Owen slowly walked over to her, his frame towering over her. "Cristina..." he said softly. "I am so sorry. I don't know what... I would never hurt you!"

"Look at me." She commanded.

After a moment, his eyes drifted up to meet hers.

"I'm okay." She tried to fake her confidence but it was all betrayed by the look in her eyes. "Okay?"

"I would never hurt you." He repeated slowly, softly.

"I know." She nodded. "I know."

He began to sob so she reached up and pulled him against her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as he cried into her neck.

Meredith looked over at Derek and his expression voiced the same concern hers did.

Cristina closed her eyes and blocked them out. She tightened her grip around Owen. "It's okay." She whispered to him. "It's okay. I'm okay. You were asleep. It's okay. It's okay."