Meredith burst into Cristina's room, without knocking. She shook her friend to wake her up.
"Wake up, Cristina, wake up," Meredith said. Cristina woke up and gave her a friend a mean glare.
"What the hell, Meredith? I'm having a nice dream, where I am lying on the beach with some tanned, muscular guy named Raoul, who's bringing me drinks with umbrellas in them. And best of all, I am slim and trim, with no baby bump," Cristina said. "What is so important that you have to wake me up?"
"Oh, my God. So much has happened. You left the wedding reception early so you don't know what happened," Meredith said.
"What? What happened? Did somebody get hurt again? Please don't tell me that Owen got hurt," Cristina said, getting concerned. She and Owen were having their problems but she still loved him.
"No, no. He wasn't even there when it happened. He disappeared for an hour or so and that was when it all went down," Meredith said.
"You're killing me with suspense," Cristina said.
"Derek made an arrest in Mayor Jennings' murder, right there at the wedding," Meredith shrieked.
"Wow, oh, wow," Cristina said. "Who was it?"
"Just guess. You will never in a million years think it was that person," Meredith said, excitedly.
"I am just going to name people and you are going to stop me when I say the name. Teddy Altman, Miranda Bailey, Mark Sloan, Callie Torres, Dr. O'Malley, Olivia, Patricia, Dr. Webber, Mrs. Jennings, Alex Karev, Izzie Karev, Bokhee, Reed Adamson?" Cristina said. Meredith kept shaking her head, as she said each name.
"Gosh I am running out of people, here," Cristina said. "Just tell me."
"Deputy April Kepner," Meredith said. "Who would have thought that?" Cristina's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Kepner? Kepner?" Cristina repeated. "I can't believe that. She has been working with Derek on the case, since the murder."
"Yes, and that is the kicker. Because she had access to all of the evidence, she was able to doctor the photographic and the video evidence. She deleted all of the photographs of her and the Mayor having an argument and of her, being near his table. She also managed to doctor the video, too. Derek managed to get new copies of the memory card from the photographer and the videographer, yesterday and he spent all of last night, going through the footage and the photographs. And there she was, when she wasn't there before."
"But how did he suspect her?" Cristina asked.
"Remember Henry Burton, the mysterious note-sender," Meredith asked.
"Yeah," Cristina said. Who could forget the friendly neighborhood mechanic, who turned out to have an inside track on the case?
"Well, it seems that Henry knew that Kepner was the mystery woman, who was having the affair with the Mayor. The Mayor had gone to Henry's mechanic shop to have his tires re-balanced and he noticed a photo of Kepner and the mayor in the back seat of the car. They were acting very cozy, pool-side of some fancy hotel which was definitely not in Huntsville. Kepner was wearing a teeny-weeny bikini and she was sitting in the mayor's lap. He knew that everyone was suspicious of Teddy Altman and you know he has that crush on her and he wanted Derek to take a look at Kepner," Meredith said.
"That's why he didn't want anyone to know what Henry had revealed," Cristina said. "That's why he kept saying that it was sensitive. He had to keep everything close to his chest because she was working in the same office as him. What was her motive?"
"Well, you know that Mayor Jennings was a major philanderer. He was sleeping with Teddy before he got married to Gloria Karev, then he had that affair with his secretary, Reed Adamson. Plus there were rumors that he was involved with another woman, who turned out to be Kepner. Apparently, Kepner wanted him to leave his wife, so they could be together. Even though the mayor is a player, it seems that he was still loyal to Gloria and was not going to leave his wife. It seems that Kepner did not take that news, too easily and she acquired the poison just before the wedding," Meredith said. "She gave him one more chance at the wedding but he turned her down. That sealed his fate."
"Wow," Cristina said. "Why did Sheriff Shepherd arrest her at the wedding?"
"Well, he was so sour during the wedding. I wondered what was going on with him. He was going to hold off, arresting her, until after the wedding but he saw her flirting with Mark Sloan at the reception. You know the guy, who owns the gas station? That's when he made the decision to arrest here, right there and then," Meredith said. "Everyone was in shock."
"I can well imagine. That's awful for Mrs. Hunt, I mean Mrs. Webber that it happened at the wedding. She must be in a state," Cristina said.
"Well, I did see her crying on her husband's shoulder," Meredith said.
"How about Owen?" Cristina said. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. He did have that tortured, worried look," Meredith said. "Anyway, that was my one piece of news. I have another piece of news and I am not sure how you are going to take it."
"Oh, God, you're getting me scared here," Cristina said.
"No, it is nothing that you should be scared about. Before all of the excitement happened, Derek asked me to get engaged and to move in with him," Meredith said. "And I said yes. I guess the wedding inspired him."
"Wow, I am so happy for you," Cristina said, giving her friend a tight hug. "Where's the ring?"
"I don't have one as yet. We're going up to Des Moines to get one. I am just worried about you, alone in the cottage," Meredith said. "You being pregnant and all."
"It's okay," Cristina said. "Don't worry about me. If I need help, everyone is just a phone call away. This is great news. Did you call your parents?"
"Yup," Meredith said. "They always thought I was a wild child and I would never settle down. Who knew that it would take a sheriff in a small town for me to settle down?"
"So when are you moving out?" Cristina asked.
"This week," Meredith said, with an apologetic tone in her voice.
"Don't feel bad, Meredith. With you gone, I could dance around naked, here, if I want," Cristina said. Meredith chuckled. The two friends hugged, again.
It was early the next morning. Dr. Webber and Susannah had stayed at the farm, after the reception. It was the last night that Susannah was going to stay at the farm. The newlyweds were going off on a honeymoon cruise of the Caribbean and were flying out of Des Moines today to Miami, where they were going to pick up the cruise. Owen wanted to speak to his family about Cristina before they left. Charlotte, too, was leaving tomorrow to pick up her job, once again.
As they gathered for breakfast that morning, Owen started, "I am so glad that everyone is here. I need to speak to you about Cristina."
"How is the girl?" Susannah asked. "You said she wasn't feeling well, yesterday and she left the reception, early. It's just as well she wasn't there with all of the nasty business with that deputy getting arrested."
"Yes," Owen said. "Well, she's doing alright. I went to see her, yesterday. She was just feeling tired. I am also glad that she wasn't there when the arrest took place."
"So when is she moving in?" Dr. Webber asked. Charlotte stared at her fingernails. She was aware of the mess she had made because of her little "chat" with Cristina. She hadn't meant any harm but rather was hoping it would give the girl a push in her brother's direction. She braced herself to hear Owen's next words.
"No, she is not moving in," Owen said, in a flat tone, trying his best not to show the emotional turmoil that he was feeling inside. Charlotte cringed.
"Oh, no," Susannah said. "Is there anything we can do?" She was concerned that her son was going to be alone at the farm.
"I think you and Charlotte have done a little too much," Owen said. "In fact, she broke up with me."
There was an audible gasp from Charlotte. She never expected this. "She broke up with you? Is it because of the conversation I had with her?"
Owen nodded. "Yes, Charlotte, but it is not just you. It is also Mom, too. I know the both of you mean well and you want the best for me but you have both been going about it the wrong way."
"We've only been trying to help," Susannah said. "We know how much you love the girl."
"Yes, Mom, but there is something you have to understand about Cristina. You can never push her into making a decision, especially when you want her to go in a certain direction. Cristina is quite stubborn. She makes her own decisions and takes her own time to do it. The more you force her, the more she pulls away from you. And right now, she is doing that. She has withdrawn from me," Owen said.
"I am so sorry," Charlotte said. "So, so sorry." She felt like crying.
"So what do you want us to do?" Susannah asked.
"Give her some space, give her some time. You have to back off. Let her come to her own decision about being with me. I want her to come back to me but it has to be her decision. The only consolation I have is that I know that she loves me," Owen said. "I am, at least, certain of that."
"We can do that," Susannah said.
"But that's not all," Owen said. "When Cristina moves in here and note I said 'when' and not 'if', this becomes her home. She is the mistress of this house, Mom. You have moved on to another house. She has to feel comfortable living here. You can't come back and dictate what you want. She needs to feel that she can do what she likes to this place. I want her to be able to do so. This is where, I desperately hope, that our baby will be raised and not a tiny cottage on the edge of town."
It took a lot for Owen to say this. He was normally a quiet, reflective man and usually allowed his boisterous mother to have her way. But this was something that was very important to him. He needed to say this, not only for himself, but also for Cristina. It was for his own family.
"Okay, son," Susannah said. "I agree. I will not be the overbearing mother-in-law type. Note I said 'mother-in-law' because I expect that there will be another wedding in the Hunt family."
"I want that, too, Mom," Owen said. "Thank you. Charlotte, you haven't said anything much?"
"I know it is because of me that your life is such a mess, right now. I am sorry. Do you think that Cristina will accept my apology?" Charlotte asked. "I don't want to over-step my boundaries, again."
"I think Cristina will accept an apology from you," Owen said. "Just don't try and tell her what to do."
"Okay," Charlotte agreed.
"Well, we better be headed out to the airport," Dr. Webber said.
"Yes, yes," Susannah said. She kissed her son and her daughter goodbye.
"Have a great time, Mom," Owen said. "Safe trip." He hugged his mother and shook his new step-father's hand.
"I will, son," Susannah said. She took Dr. Webber's arm and they walked out to his car on the driveway. Owen and Charlotte waved goodbye from the porch, as they drove away.
Cristina sank down in her office chair. She bit into the bagel that Jackson had left for her. She wished he had left two of them; she was so hungry. She sipped her tea. There was a knock on her door.
"Oh, good grief," she thought. "Who could be here this early?" She cleared her throat and put aside her breakfast.
"Come in," she said, wiping her mouth, in case there were crumbs. The door swung open. It was Charlotte.
Inwardly, Cristina groaned. Not again, she thought. She plastered a fake smile on her face.
"Good morning, Charlotte," Cristina said. "How are you?"
"Not so well, Cristina. I heard that because of me, you broke up with my brother," Charlotte said. Her eyes were filling with tears.
"Oh," Cristina said. She noticed Charlotte's teary eyes and was very surprised to see them.
"I came here to apologize, Cristina. Please forgive me," Charlotte said.
Cristina said nothing.
A/N: Please leave your comments. Thank you for your comments. I really appreciate them.