A/N: Hello to anyone who is still interested in reading this or is new to this story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time; I know it was a while ago but I really appreciate it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to post more of this story or not because I feel like it's just going to get a lot of hate cause of how Tom is acting on the show. But, I miss Toddy's relationship and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Don't get me wrong, I could get on board with Towen this season if they would actually show their relationship and progression for more than two seconds. But, I still think that Tom and Teddy had such a cute relationship. Anyway, here is more of the story. Hope you enjoy!
Reminder: This story is a Toddy fic. If that's not the couple you want then don't waste your time reading it.
"Alright, Leo, where do the crayons go?" Amelia asked, trying to get Leo to put the toys he was playing with away at daycare so they could leave. Leo grabbed as many crayons in his hands as he could hold and put them back in the correct bin.
Teddy walked into daycare and exchanged a smile with Amelia who was across the room with Leo, helping him put away his crayons and coloring book. Teddy went to grab Allison from the daycare worker who was playing with her before Amelia came over to say hello.
"Hey," Amelia greeted.
"Hi," Teddy replied. "Thank you for taking him. I can't even imagine moving boxes and furniture with Leo running around our legs."
"I'm happy to," Amelia responded. Owen had texted her last week to see if she would watch Leo because they were moving into Teddy's house. At first she thought it was strange until she remembered that she lived in a house with her sisters, three children, and whoever else needed housing that week. "So, what does Leo's new room look like?"
"Well, he chose the color. Green. And, there are animals painted on the wall," Teddy explained excitedly. His room came out great and she couldn't wait for him to see it. He loved animals and imitating the animal noises when they read books about them.
"That sounds cute," Amelia said.
"You should come see it some time," Teddy offered. "Leo's room. The house."
Amelia smiled. "I'd like that."
They both stood there for a moment, not sure of what else to say. Amelia looked at Allison in Teddy's arms. She couldn't help but think the baby was adorable with her large watery green eyes and decent head of reddish hair.
"Did you need someone to watch Allison too while you are helping Owen move?" Amelia asked.
"We were just going to rotate who watches her," Teddy explained.
"Well, I could watch her if that's easier for you," Amelia offered.
"Oh," Teddy said, surprised by Amelia's offer.
"It's okay. I get it. I don't know her. No hard feelings," Amelia rambled, not wanting to make Teddy have to uncomfortably tell her no.
"No no," Teddy backtracked. "That would be really helpful. Are you sure you'd be okay with watching both of them? I don't want to overwhelm you."
"It's really no problem," Amelia assured her.
Teddy smiled. "Thank you so much!"
Teddy got Allison situated in her stroller for Amelia before saying goodbye to both kids and thanking Amelia again for babysitting.
Teddy went directly to Owen's where Owen and Tom were carrying boxes out to Owen's car.
"Hey," Teddy greeted. Owen and Tom said hello but were looking at her confused. "What?"
"Uh, I think you forgot someone," Tom told her, realizing that the little peanut wasn't in her arms.
"Where's Allie?" Owen asked.
"I didn't forget her," Teddy said, rolling her eyes. "Amelia offered to babysit Allison too."
"And you said yes?" Owen asked, surprised.
"Is that a problem?"
"No," Owen replied. "I just didn't know you two were friends."
Teddy looked at him questioningly. He looked terrified at the thought. "Why would that scare you so much?"
Owen shrugged.
"Don't worry, Hunt, I'm sure they aren't gathering up a group of your ex-lovers to make voodoo dolls, throw darts at pictures of you, or compare notes," Tom joked.
Teddy laughed. "Actually, that sounds like fun. I'll call Cristina and Beth. It'll be a party."
Owen glared at her and then smiled. "You know, I could just stay here and keep taking your daughter away from you every other week if you're going to be mean."
Teddy pouted and threw up her hands in defeat. "You win. Let's get moving."
The three of them worked together to move Owen and Leo's things as quickly as possible. Owen finished unpacking the essentials into his room and found Teddy in Leo's room putting his clothes into drawers.
"Thanks for doing that," Owen said to her. "I can take over now if you want."
"Why don't you go pick up the kids?" Teddy suggested instead.
"I thought you'd want to since you and Amelia are apparently friends now," Owen said, matter-of-factly.
Teddy rolled her eyes. She put down the clothes she was holding and faced Owen. "Owen, she offered to babysit Allison because she was being nice. We aren't friends."
"Oh."
"But, I'm not opposed to being friends with her," Teddy continued. "Amelia is nice and funny and I think we could have been friends if it weren't for the fact that I was having your child while she was in love with you."
"It's just been-well, uncomfortable between us lately," Owen admitted. "I can't imagine that you two have much to talk about besides me being an idiot."
"Well, stop being an idiot and maybe you won't give us anything to talk about," Teddy teased. Owen smiled briefly but it faded quickly. Teddy put her hand on his shoulder. "Owen, you know that I forgive you for all that stuff from the past. I don't need to chat with Amelia or anyone else about it. But, from what I've heard, it sounds like you still owe Amelia an apology. Maybe then it doesn't have to be so uncomfortable between you guys."
"Owe her an apology for what?" Owen asked. Of course, he knew the answer to that, but he wondered how Teddy knew about it and how much she knew.
"Incapable of love. Telling her that the breakup was her fault," Teddy said accusingly. "I mean, come on Owen, you were telling her you loved her while still thinking you loved me. You couldn't make up your mind and Amelia was smart enough to know she deserved better than that."
"I know," Owen sighed. "I know I messed up. I shouldn't have said that stuff. Honestly, Teddy, I'm embarrassed that I did. I know I need to apologize but I just don't even know how to look her in the eyes. I feel like she'd prefer to just forget that I ever said it."
"No, you'd prefer that," Teddy told him. She patted him on the back. "You'll feel a lot better once you apologize."
Owen sighed. "Okay. I'll go get the kids."
"And, don't do that thing where you make excuses for yourself. Just admit you screwed up and that you're sorry."
"Wow, you really aren't holding back today," Owen joked. Honestly though, he loved that he had Teddy to call him out for his wrongdoings, give him advice with a tough-love attitude, and still want to be his friend after seeing him make all these mistakes.
Teddy shrugged. "Well, I have to tell you when you're being an ass."
Owen smiled and gave her a hug before heading to Meredith's house where Amelia was now living. He knocked on the door, wondering which one of the many people living in the house would answer. He wondered how he would apologize to Amelia if everyone was around. He wanted to do it in private. Amelia answered the door.
"Hey," Owen greeted.
"Hi," Amelia replied. She moved to the side to let Owen inside.
"It's quiet. Where is everyone?" Owen asked.
"Maggie is working. Mer ran out to the store because we ran out of bread for the kids lunches tomorrow. Her kids are sleeping. Your kids are sleeping."
"Oh," Owen said.
"I'll go get them," Amelia said, turning to go upstairs.
"Amelia, wait," Owen said, grabbing her arm gently and keeping her in the room. Amelia turned back towards him.
"You don't want your kids back?" Amelia asked, jokingly.
Owen let out a laugh. "Could we just talk for a minute?"
Amelia gestured for Owen to sit on the couch and she sat down in the chair next to him. Owen didn't say anything as he tried to gather his thoughts.
"Is everything okay? You're making me a little nervous," Amelia told him honestly.
"Everything is fine. You shouldn't be nervous. I'm the one who's nervous," Owen told her. "Look, about the things I said after we broke up, I just want you to know that none of it was true. You are not incapable of love. You wear your heart on your sleeve. You weren't pushing me away because you don't let yourself be loved. You were pushing me away because you deserved better than how I was treating you. And, I just need you to know that I'm sorry."
Amelia smiled slightly. It felt good to hear Owen apologize. As much as she knew that Owen's cruel words weren't true, part of her always questioned if something was wrong with her. "Thank you."
"I know that you probably hate me. But, I'd really like it if we could spend time together with Leo sometimes rather than always separately. Like we used to. I think he'd really enjoy that."
Amelia nodded. "I'd like that too. I want to be more than just his babysitter."
Owen told Amelia that she was welcome to come by Teddy's house to play with Leo anytime she wanted. Owen suggested that Amelia should stop by the following weekend to hang out with him and Leo. Amelia was reluctant at first but ultimately agreed and was happy that she could spend time with Leo in his own home. She was hopeful that she and Owen could be friends again without things being too awkward. This was certainly a good first step.
"Come on, baby girl," Teddy encouraged, sitting just out of reach of Allison who was perched on her hands and knees on the floor. Teddy looked up at Tom and Owen. "I swear she just crawled to me like ten minutes ago."
"Maybe you're just seeing things" Owen said, skeptically.
Tom went to the fridge in the kitchen and pulled out Allison's new favorite food, pureed strawberries and bananas. He came back and sat on the floor and scooped some of the baby food onto a spoon. He held out the spoon for her with one hand and tapped on his leg with the other like when calling for a dog. "Come on, peanut."
"She's not a dog," Teddy reminded him.
However, as soon as Allison saw Tom holding out the spoon for her, she started crawling towards him. All three of them cheered her on as she struggled to crawl the small distance to Tom. Tom pulled her into his lap once she reached him and put her in an upright position to give her the spoon.
"I told you she did it!" Teddy bragged to Owen who had been skeptical. Just then, Leo came running through the living room with a superhero action figure in hand. He was running quickly and wasn't watching where he was going. Luckily Owen caught him as he was about to run head first into an end table. Owen grabbed him just in time to stop him from getting hurt. Owen let Leo go after telling him that he needed to slow down.
"Great," Owen laughed. "Now, both of them are mobile. The two of them will completely wear us out."
"Hold on, Leo. Your daddy has to make the pile again," Amelia told Leo, holding him back from the pile of leaves that Owen was raking together. Once the pile was reformed, Owen gave her the okay and Leo took off, jumping into the leaves causing them to fly everywhere.
Amelia and Owen couldn't help but smile at the sound of Leo's playful laughter. Amelia had been spending time with Leo and Owen at least once a week and Amelia was thrilled to have such special times with Leo. It was a cold fall day, but it would be one of the last good weekend for playing in the leaves. They stayed outside until Leo's tiny nose turned red from the cold and then brought him inside.
"How were the leaves?" Teddy asked as they came inside the warm house. Owen and Amelia saw that Teddy and Tom were cuddled up on the love seat in the living room. Tom was holding Allison in his lap and Teddy had her laptop on her lap.
"They were good. It's cold out there though," Amelia answered. Owen got Leo set up on the couch under a blanket.
"You want coffee? Or hot chocolate?" Owen offered her. Amelia agreed to some hot chocolate as it was really the perfect day for it. Amelia sat with Leo on the couch and he snuggled up to her. Owen brought her her hot chocolate and sat on the other side of Leo.
"What are you doing?" Owen asked Teddy who was focused on her computer intently.
Teddy didn't even hear him or look up from her computer.
"She's pinning," Tom answered for her.
"What?" Teddy asked, having heard Tom speak up.
"What is pinning?" Owen asked.
"Oh, like on Pinterest," Teddy explained. She handed her laptop to Owen to show him what she was working on. "See we're going to bake Christmas cookies and have the kids frost them, and we're going to do all sorts of crafts, and they'll decorate ornaments for our tree - oh and we should make Christmas cards with pictures of the kids. But, we need to get Allison something Christmasy to wear first. And, we can take them to see Santa! And, we have to watch-"
"Slow down, Teddy," Owen said, overwhelmed by how much Teddy had already planned for this. "We haven't even made it to Thanksgiving yet."
"You're lucky she didn't start planning in July," Tom added. Teddy gave him a playful glare.
Amelia was looking at the computer screen at all the ideas that Teddy had to make Christmas extra special. "Don't forget building a snowman and sledding."
Teddy smiled, glad to have someone on her side since the boys were ganging up on her. "Oh yeah, how could I forget?"
Amelia looked at Leo and felt sad for a moment. She had imagined Christmases with Leo and Betty. She imagined Betty rolling her eyes at the cliche traditions that she would make her do but secretly loving it all.
"You should do this stuff with us," Teddy suggested. She saw how Leo had quickly fallen asleep against Amelia. It was a sweet sight. She felt bad that Amelia didn't get to see him as much. Although, she had been spending more time with him ever since Owen apologized to her. She wondered if Owen and Amelia would resume their relationship at some point if they kept getting along so well.
Amelia looked at Owen who nodded in agreement with Teddy. "Yeah, I'd like that."
After a little while, Amelia felt her phone vibrate. She saw a sweet text from Link and tried to hide a smile that was forming. She looked at the time, realizing that she would have to go in order to not be late for their date tonight.
"I'm going to head out," Amelia told the three of them.
"Are you sure? You're welcome to stay longer if you want," Owen offered. He liked hanging out with Amelia again. He was happy they could move past all the drama and be friends again.
"No, I've got to go. I have plans tonight," Amelia told him.
"Date with Ortho Barbie?" Tom asked.
Amelia glared at him. She hadn't wanted to tell Owen yet that she was seeing someone.
"Who's Ortho Barbie?" Teddy asked, looking between Tom and Amelia. When she thought about who that could be she realized it must be Link from the hospital. "Link? I didn't know you two were dating."
"It's - well we're - I don't know. It's new," Amelia stuttered, looking at Owen's face for a reaction. He looked surprised but she couldn't tell if it was an angry surprise or not. She looked back at Tom. "And, not something I was telling people about yet."
"My bad," Tom apologized. "But, in my defense, I thought everyone at the hospital knew."
Owen had been surprised by the news but he was happy that Amelia seemed happy. He walked with Amelia to the door. "I'm happy for you."
Amelia smiled, not expecting him to say that. "Oh, thank you."
"Have a good night," he said. He shut the door behind her after they said their goodbyes. He was really happy for her. But, he also felt a little sad. He wished he could find someone new. But, his track record with women wasn't great. There weren't any women at the hospital that he was interested in and even if there was she likely wouldn't want to get involved with him knowing about his history. Besides the hospital, he didn't really interact with other adults much, besides Teddy and Tom. He wondered how he would ever find someone.
"And don't be arrogant," Teddy begged Tom. "Even jokingly."
"Me? Arrogant? When have I ever been arrogant?" Tom teased, holding Teddy by the waist.
"It's just Arizona already started with a bad impression of you. I had to convince her that I wasn't crazy to want to marry you and that you're a better guy than what you show to others. I want her to like you."
Tom lifted Teddy's chin slightly and kissed her. "I will be on my best behavior. Once she gets here. Until then-"
Tom pulled on the zipper of her dress and pressed his lips to her neck. He slowly pushed the material of the dress down and let his lips trail behind, kissing her collarbone, shoulder, and chest. Teddy tilted her head back as she enjoyed what he was doing to her, forgetting that Arizona and Megan would be arriving any minute to take her wedding dress shopping. As Tom pushed her dress further down, they heard a knock at the door.
Teddy scurried to pull her dress up. "Zip me up. They're here."
Tom took his time with the zipper, kissing the back of her neck as he zipped it up, knowing that Owen would get the door. Teddy rushed him along.
As soon as the dress was zipped, Teddy grabbed Tom's hand and brought him downstairs. Both Megan and Arizona had arrived at the same time. Owen was handing Allison to Arizona and Megan was already giving Leo a big hug.
"Hey!" Teddy greeted. She hugged Arizona first having not seen her for longer.
"Oh my God, Teddy," Arizona squealed. "This is the cutest little girl I've ever seen in my whole life."
Teddy looked at her skeptically.
"I meant besides my own," Arizona corrected. Teddy laughed. Arizona took Teddy's left hand into hers to examine the engagement ring. "Nice work, Koracick."
She still wasn't sure how to feel about Tom. He had always been the sarcastic, arrogant neurosurgeon who spent an unusual amount of time at a hospital in which he wasn't employed. It was strange to think of Teddy with him. But, Teddy was a good judge of character and if she saw more to him than that, then obviously there was more to see.
Megan took a look at the ring too. "Jesus, how much did you spend on that thing?"
"I'm not one to spend and tell," Tom answered. "But, it was worth every penny."
Arizona and Megan shared a look and smiled, being able to tell by the way Tom looked at Teddy that he was head over heels for her. Just what Teddy deserved.
They spent a little time at the house to get to know Tom before heading out to shop. Teddy loved that she could have this time to spend with her two favorite women on the planet. They laughed the entire time they were together and Teddy wished that they lived closer so they could do this more often. As much as she loved having Tom and Owen as her best friends, she missed having girl friends.
"I look like I'm wearing a tent," Teddy said, as she came out of the dressing room wearing a white gown that Megan had picked out for her to try on.
Megan and Arizona both laughed as they saw her come out of the dressing room in a dress that was absolutely hideous.
"Okay, I'm useless at dress shopping!" Megan exclaimed. "Try on the ones Arizona picked out."
Teddy tried on dress after dress. Some were absolutely beautiful and Teddy considered just getting any of those but Arizona and Megan insisted that they would find the one that made Teddy feel excited and beautiful. The three women were about to call it quits for the day but Arizona insisted on Teddy trying on just one more dress that she had found in the back of the store. Teddy put the dress on and couldn't help but smile as she walked out of the dressing room. The sheath gown had lace straps leading down to the V-neck with subtle designs down the length of the dress. The dress was open in the back, showing off Teddy's back. Megan and Arizona were on the verge of tears looking at Teddy in her dress.
"You look so beautiful!" Arizona exclaimed, wiping away a tear. "Do you like it?"
Teddy was beaming. "I love it."
Arizona and Megan cheered and told Teddy just how perfect the dress, and her fiance, was for her.
Owen was nervous as he knocked on the door of the house down the street. He had run into their neighbors, Sheila and Doug, with Leo the other day. Sheila and Doug had a son who Leo sometimes played with when they happened to be at the park down the street at the same time. Owen mentioned that he wished it weren't so cold, since he liked the fact that Leo could interact with other kids his age at the park. The neighbors had then invited Leo, and Owen, to the play group they had started for their son with some of the kids he went to daycare with. Owen figured it would be a good idea to keep up Leo's social skills. But, he didn't know why he was so nervous. He guessed it was because he wanted the other kids to like Leo and for Leo to make friends.
"Owen, Leo," Sheila greeted, letting him inside. "I'm so glad you two could make it."
Sheila showed Owen around the house and brought Leo to the playroom where there were already six other kids. Leo left Owen's side and joined the other kids. Owen joined the parents and introduced himself to them. Most of them already knew each other so he felt like the odd man out.
"Slow down, Nicky," a woman called out, as a little boy about Leo's age ran into the playroom. The woman came in after him.
She sighed and stood next to Owen, noticing that he seemed to be an outlier from the other parents. "I forgot how much energy a two year old can have."
"Yeah, they just don't stop," Owen laughed. Owen looked more closely at her. She was beautiful. She had dirty blonde hair and a round face with just a touch of freckles. She seemed to be about his age. "I'm Owen, by the way."
"Hi," she said. "I'm Elizabeth. That is my nephew, Nicky. Which one is yours?"
"The one with the curls right there," Owen told her, pointing him out.
"Oh, he's so cute," she complimented. She smiled at him. "Is this your first time here?"
"Yeah," Owen told her. "I figured he could use some social interaction with kids his age. He has a little sister, Allison, but she's only almost seven months old, so his ideas of fun and her ideas of fun don't always coincide. What about you?"
"My first time too. My sister usually takes him here every week. But, her husband died recently. So, I offered to help as much as I can with Nicky. And, I also thought it'd be good for him to have friends to play with."
"I'm sorry. That's really great of you to help out," Owen said.
She shrugged. "It's my job as his aunt."
She and Owen made small talk for a while about kids and their jobs. Owen found out that Elizabeth was a surgeon too, only she had traded in her scalpel a while back for a whiteboard marker. She was now a medical school professor for the University of Washington.
"What was your specialty?" Owen asked.
"General," she answered. "What's yours?"
"Trauma," he responded.
"That's awesome. The ER always gave me anxiety because of the pace," she admitted. "It's one of the reasons I switched to teaching."
"Yeah, I get that. Compared to Iraq though, the ER is slow."
"You were in the army?" Elizabeth asked. Owen nodded. "Impressive. Your wife must be really proud of you."
Elizabeth watched Owen for his response. He had two kids so she assumed he was likely married. Although he didn't wear a wedding ring. Then again, most surgeons she knew did not wear rings.
"Oh, I'm not married," Owen clarified.
"Girlfriend then," Elizabeth said, probing him for more information.
"I don't have one of those either," Owen told her. He saw her eyes look at Leo. "Leo's adopted. And, Allison's mom is my best friend."
"Oh," Elizabeth said with a smile. She liked him. She noticed that some of the parents were starting to get their children ready to go, so she figured the play date must be over. "So, will I see you here again?"
Owen smiled. "Yeah, of course."
She smiled. "Alright. Next week then."
A/N: Okay, so I feel like this had a lot of Owen but I felt like his character needed some more development in my story. I promise that the focus will revert back to Teddy and Tom in future chapters and it will all fall together. Here are some snippets from future chapters (I have six or so that are mostly done) to keep you intrigued. Please review!
...Teddy watched him. Usually he would be turning the uncomfortable situation into a joke. It almost scared her that he was speechless...
..."So, how is Tom?" Teddy asked Amelia. Amelia looked at her confused. Wouldn't Teddy know better than anyone?...
...There's nothing to fix, Teddy."...