A/N: The return of a certain cardio-God. duhh duhh ddduuuuhhhhhh

I'll just warn you- this is a realistic take on what would happen. So..no cafeteria brawls. At least for this one ;)

Surprise, Surprise

"Cristina."

It was a male voice. One she hadn't heard in years, yet still had the power to make her lightheaded. She turned around, breathing becoming difficult when his eyes met hers. She allowed herself one moment to simply look at him. He was always a handsome man, and the few years had only served to sharpen his looks. He was smiling at her in an all to familiar way and it took every bit of control for her to calmly say, "Dr. Burke, what are you doing here?"

"Chief Weber called me in for a case," he explained. "I'm only in for a few days."

"Oh, that-"

"We should grab a drink." Again with the smile and she kicked herself for letting the memories return. There were such fond memories of that smile. It had been with her at some of her happiest moments. A voice, oddly reminiscent of Izzie Steven's, reminded her that the man had been with her at some of her worst.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," she told him.

"Why not? Old colleagues are allowed to have a drink, aren't they?" He was always a smooth talker and his silky words nearly convinced her that what he was saying was true. Fortunately, the ultimate defense against all things Preston Burke happened to come around the corner, all skeptical eyes and red hair.

He sized up the two of them, noting Burke's easy countenance and Cristina's rigid back. Deftly he took his spot beside his wife and addressed her solely as he said, "I've got a surgery for you."

"Is it anything good?" Cristina asked. Before them, Burke chuckled.

"Same Cristina," Burke noted with a grin. Clearly not picking up on the relationship between the two before him, his eyes roved over the petite brunette's form. "After all this time, same stubborn Cristina."

"Owen," Cristina said carefully. "Have you met Dr. Preston Burke?"

She watched her husband's jaw clench as he recognized the name. His hand curled around the chart tightly, knuckles white. Always the gentleman, though, he extended his other hand toward Burke and said, "Dr. Owen Hunt, nice to meet you."

Burke nodded, giving Owen's hand a quick shake. His gaze returned to Cristina as he said, "Well, I better be off. I'm sure Dr. Weber is looking for me. Cristina, I'll talk to you later about that drink."

Her eyes widened as she stammered, "I…"

He walked off before she could stutter some sort of refutation, Owen looking after Burke's retreating form with narrowed eyes. He glanced back down at his wife and asked, "You two are getting a drink?"

"No," she said immediately. "I-I told him no. But, he doesn't take no for an answer well. He's very take charge." She saw the amusement in his eyes at her rambling and closed it off with, "I'm not going."

"You can if you want, you know. I trust you." His eyes darkened as he added, "The guys seems like a prick, though."

"I don't want to," she said firmly. "He walked out of my life when he left me at that altar and I want to keep it that way."

"Okay," Owen said, kissing her softly. "You want to go do that surgery now?"

She nodded, smiling softly. "Now, that is something I would like to do."

Meredith descended on Cristina, hand grabbing onto her arm as she asked, "How are you handling it?"

"Handling what?"

Meredith's eyes widened and she said, "You don't know."

"This one sided conversation thing," Cristina spelled out, gesturing between them. "It's kind of irritating."

Meredith pulled Cristina to the side, opening the door to their much-used supply closet, and pushed her in, closing the door behind them. Turning back to Cristina she told her, "I don't want to make a big deal out of it-" Cristina raised her eyebrows at this, considering Meredith had sequestered them in a closet-"but Burke is here."

"Oh, that?" Cristina said easily. "Already ran into him. Already turned him down for a drink."

"He asked you out?"

"No, he asked me out for a drink." Although, she had to admit the intention had been there, even if not overtly stated.

"Are you really okay with it all?" Meredith asked gingerly, eyeing her friend warily as she tried to detect any hidden struggle. "I mean, it's Burke."

"I can't say I wasn't surprised," Cristina admitted. "And a bit shell-shocked, but I'm really fine. He's only here for a few days and then everything will go back to normal." She paused. "In fact, everything is normal."

Meredith nodded, eyes going blank as she thought through another twist of the Burke-returning-saga. "Think Owen's met him yet?"

"Yeah, I introduced them."

"You what? How did he handle it?" Meredith demanded, eyes hungry for gossip. "Did they play nice?"

"Burke was a bit too smooth for his own good," Cristina admitted with a shrug. "But Owen was fine. He's not the jealous type."

"So, how did Burke take you two being married?"

Cristina went to answer but then closed her mouth. Burke actually didn't know. He hadn't asked and she hadn't told, but she imagined it was assumed. He must have picked up on the electricity between them, humming just beneath the surface of all their interactions.

Then again, she knew denial could be a powerful thing, and the more she thought, the more she began to think that Dr. Preston Burke was blissfully unaware of her new, married state.

He found her again on her way out. She managed to get out a few minutes earlier than Owen and was heading to their car when he found her. Again, he called her name but this time there was nothing but a settling wave of disappointment. She thought of their time together as she turned toward him, the hopes she had held for the two of them. Instead, he went and disappointed her. Hurt her.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time for that drink," he said with an easy grin.

"I appreciate the offer, but the answer is the same. I can't have a drink with you, Burke."

"Why not?"

The answer arrived just in time. Owen took his place beside her and casually slid his arm around her waist as he said, "Sorry I was late. I had to tie up a few loose ends."

"No problem," she said.

"I see," Burke murmured after a moment. He eyed Owen casually as he said, "You already have Friday night plans."

Owen went to speak but she interrupted him and said, "No, actually, I'm just going home." She laid her hand on Owen's chest and asked, "You ready to go?" He nodded. "Okay, just give me a minute and I'll meet you in the car."

She could read the hesitation in Owen's eyes and tilted her face up toward him in response. He smiled slightly and pressed his lips to hers before giving Burke a stilted farewell and climbing into the car. Burke's eyes had followed Owen's move into the car but then returned to Cristina.

"Boyfriend?" he asked.

"No, husband."

She could tell he was surprised, but he recovered quickly. "And here I was, thinking you didn't want to get married."

Three years ago, he had been right. Even standing in that ridiculous dress with no eyebrows, she really hadn't wanted the marriage. She had wanted him and that was all. The marriage had been something to suffer through. With Owen it was different. In fact, everything was different.

"Is he good to you?"

"Didn't leave me at the altar."

Burke chuckled and admitted, "I suppose I deserved that. Well, I'm glad you're happy, Cristina. That's all I really ever wanted. And you look happy."

"I am," Cristina said, the bitterness that had been holed up inside for so long stripped from her as she thought of just how profoundly happy she had become since Owen. He had changed the game. Changed her. "I was broken and he put me back together," she told Burke. "I doubted myself-lost myself-and he brought me back. He brought me back from the edge and has never wavered. And for that, neither have I."

At the end of her little speech, she was surprised to see Burke completely stripped of charm or affectation. He was looking at her with this naked expression, and it was impossible to not draw the obvious conclusion. He saw it. He saw what she knew. What Owen knew.

She loved Owen as she had never loved him. Never could love him.

"I should go," Burke said, his voice betraying as much, if not more than his gaze had. "It was nice seeing you."

"You too." She turned back toward the car before he had a chance to linger and climbed into the car. She noticed the tight grip of Owen's hands on the steering wheel and reached over and tugged one of his hands away, interlacing her fingers with his.

"I would kick that guy's ass if he didn't sound so defeated in the end there."

She kissed his hand and said, "It's because I'm the one thing in his life that didn't come easily. I didn't fit, no matter how hard he tried to mold me."

Owen shook his head. "You shouldn't have to be molded into anything."

"Owen-"

"You're a remarkable woman, Cristina. You brought me back from the edge. I had serious problems but you never ran away. Not once."

She leaned forward and kissed him, pressing her hand on his cheek and feeling the rough stubble beneath her fingertips. His arm slid around her waist and their lips parted, foreheads gently touching. Softly, she murmured, "Let's go home."

A/N: So, this probably was not as drama-filled as some of you hoped it would be. But I really wanted to show that their marriage, their bond, was strong enough to withstand this without Owen going complete caveman. Also, I didn't want to villify Burke. Hope you still enjoyed it!

Let me know your thoughts!