Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy.


"Hey. It's me." He called her as he promised, the first thing he did at his hotel. He had pretty much calmed down in the cab, but somehow talking to her helped him to temporarily forget about the e-mail.

"Hey, that's fast!"

"Yeah, I know right?" he said, "So, what are you doing?"

They talked, until she fell asleep. He didn't tell her about the e-mail on the phone despite knowing that they needed to discuss it at some point. He was still thinking about it over and over again after getting off the phone, until his mind drifted to sleep.

The next day, Cristina spent her morning in the O.R and stayed in her lab in the afternoon while Owen visited USZ. They didn't make plans to meet up that day but they did make a point to stay in touch, even though Cristina hated texting. She was leaving the hospital when she spotted him sitting in the lobby. Genuinely shocked and surprised, the corner of her lips curled up into a smile as she walked towards him.

"You bought snacks!" She said, noticing the brown paper bag in his hand.

"Yeah," he as she reached for the paper bag, disappointment etched on her face after she opened it. Laughing sheepishly, he explained, "and that's all that left."

"Fine. Let's go get something. I'm starving."

They hung out at a bistro nearby Owen's hotel. She could only recall that they were drinking and were a little tipsy and might have made out furiously at one corner, but she couldn't really remember the details. She figured that as exhaustion caught up with her, they left the bistro and she went back to her place. But why didn't she just crash at his place? She wondered.

Then, she remembered why. Because she couldn't go hiking like that, with skirts and high heels. Hiking.

She wanted to just lie on her bed. She could feel the comfort and warmth of her bed luring her to come back, but she had promised Owen a trip in Zurich. She suddenly regretted agreeing to his plan. As the one staying in Zurich, she was supposed to be the host and the one planning their trip; but now, he wanted to go to the mountain. Freaking mountain, and not to mention that he wanted to hike instead of taking the train. Could you believe that Cristina Yang was hiking? She couldn't believe that either.

They met at the hotel lobby and were having breakfast before starting their trip. "I can't believe that we are doing this." She said, for the hundredth time that day.

"It's an easy hike."

She shook her head. "Still not gonna change the fact that we are hiking."

"The view up there would be spectacular. It will all worth it." He assured her repeatedly, but it didn't make her feel better.

"Really? Who said that? Some reviewers on TripAdvisor?"

"Yes."

"I want to kill them." She cut her sausages furiously, and it made Owen wonder if she was seeing his face on the sausage. "We are taking the train down. Deal?"

"Ok." He kept assuring her that it would be great, but she had no idea why he wanted to go there, until she reached the place and took in the view. He was right.

The view on the mountaintop was indeed spectacular. It was picturesque, the exact replica of the postcards Alicia had bought for her. The mountain wasn't crowded that day, so they brought sandwiches to the observatory deck, making small talk between bites as they enjoyed the beautiful view of the city. On the way up, the greenery offered a kind of serenity and peace that made her felt like she and Owen were getting lost in the forest, away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. In a way, it was a vent, except that it had fresh air and trees and flowers. They both felt truly relaxed the moment they were surrounded by trees that were at least ten times older than them, and it made them forget all the crappy things in their lives for a while.

And then, there came the part that she was excited the most—a visit to the Old Crow. The bar was a hidden gem of the city, and she wished that she had discovered it earlier. The bourbon here was to die for. If Owen hadn't insisted on leaving, she would have stayed here until the bar closed.

The bar kind of reminded her of Joe's. Watching Owen sipping his single malt scotch, a sudden realization hit her that everything had changed. She wished that she could travel back in time and go back to Seattle and just have a drink with her friends. She missed George, and Izzie—sometimes, she would wonder how Izzie was doing. Was she still practicing medicine? Was she cancer-free now? She wished that they were still in touch. They had been through so much together that they should at least be friends on Facebook. She missed the time when they were just interns, and back then, she never thought that their usual drinking sessions after work would one day become a gathering that could never happen. Joe's carried so much of their memories, and she wanted that life back.

"You ready to go?" Owen's question broke her daydream, bringing her back to this hidden bar in Zurich.

"No," she finished her drink and announced, "Another round."

"But Cristina, we have to go now."

"Just one last one? Please?" She pleaded, putting on her best sad eyes.

"Fine," he laughed at the expression on her face, "just one more."

She smirked victoriously and ordered another one. "I always knew that'd work."

He watched her order another round effortlessly and asked, "How is your German so good? I mean, you've only been here for three months. I don't remember you taking any classes in Seattle."

"I majored in French literature in college, Owen Hunt. I am talented in languages."

He was about to say something when their drinks arrived, and they settled back into their own thoughts. Cristina knew that as much as she wanted to go back, she couldn't. She was meant to be in Zurich at that moment. Her life was here now, and she couldn't just give up everything and go back to Seattle like she did last time.

And with Owen here, Zurich was not that bad either, she thought.

Later, as they strolled down the streets of the old town, she realized how fast-paced the last few months had been. Like Owen said, she walked really fast. Being with him forced her to slow down, and it turned out that he knew the city better than her. Travelling with Owen was easy. He planned the schedule, read the map, and he knew where to get the good stuff, i.e. booze and chocolate. Of course, there were moments when Cristina couldn't help wondering why on earth they had to come here, and there were moments when they sat on a bench, united in misery, two of them lost in the middle of nowhere; but all in all, she liked it.

As they took another turn, they discovered another quiet alley that was beautiful in its own way. She rolled her eyes as she watched him take another touristy photo with his camera, but a thought quietly rooted itself in her head: she wanted to travel the world with him.


The sun dropped below the horizon, and the light painted the lake a sparkling gold. After taking a walk by the lake, accompanied by a comfortable silence and breathtaking scenery, they settled at a restaurant overlooking the lake. Between sips of wine, they quickly lapsed into a casual conversation.

"So, how was your meeting yesterday?" asked Cristina.

Owen nodded and grinned excitedly without a word, which made her raise an eyebrow.

"I see. Did they make their offer?"

"Yes, they did."

"Is it good?"

"Yes." Owen said. "Very attractive, in fact."

"I'm happy for you." She leaned forward and gave him a quick perk on the lips. "You are a good surgeon. You deserve that."

"Thank you. But . . ." With his gaze on the plate, his mouth opened and closed, as if he didn't know how to get the words out. "I'm not really sure what I should do with it."

"Why?"

He paused for a moment, thinking if this was the right moment for him to tell her about that. Would this piece of news ruin the rest of his trip? Would it be better if he only told her about it after he went back to Seattle? One of the most reliable voices in his head was screaming for him to tell her about the e-mail, and in the end, he complied.

"Teddy asked me to join her." He looked up, meeting her brown eyes. "In Germany."

He studied her expression, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking except the flicker of disappointment that flashed across her face before she quickly hid it with a smile. She felt a lump form in her throat, but she managed to swallow it and reached for her wine.

"That's great!" She heard herself say, "We should make a toast. To Owen."

Their glasses clinked and Cristina gulped down her wine, but nonetheless failed to drown the sinking feeling in her chest. Supposedly, this was a good news and she should be a happy for him, but deep down, a part of her did not find this a great piece of news. She knew it, and so did he.


NOTE: Hi guys! I know it's been a while and I'm really sorry for that but I hope you like this! This chapter is beta-ed by Eliza. Anyway, I just want to say that I have not been to Zurich and all the descriptions above are entirely based on my imagination and reviews on TripAdvisor and travel blogs. Please let me know if there's any mistake and once again, thank you for reading! xx