Title: There Are No Words

Chapter: 2-Burke's Point of View

Author: GreyEyedGirl

Disclaimer: This is NOT affiliated with Grey's Anatomy. Duhhh.

Summary: Chapter 1 was Cristina's POV, but this one is Burke's for the scene at the end of 2x12, "Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer."

There. The tree was finally set up, and it looked nice, I decided. The colors went together nicely, and the lights were twinkling softly. I stepped back and examined my work.

The tree looked great, and the Menorah was lit. It'd be the first thing she saw when she came in. I took a deep breath, hoping she'd take it as I intended. A peace offering, in a way. A way of saying that I wanted to compromise, and if we worked together, it would work. It was worth the work, just to be able to wake up next to her every morning. To see her smiling at me at work.

I closed my eyes, exhausted. The tree had been heavy, and I realized how tired I was. It had been a long day.

I shut off the lights, hoping the holiday decorations would look peaceful, as I made my way down the hall to the bathroom. I stripped my clothes off, stepping into the hot shower. Hot showers had a way of cooling me off, as weird as that sounded in my head. I smiled at the sight of Cristina's shampoo and shower gel next to mine. She was finally making a place for herself in the apartment. I contemplated with myself asking her to move her bureau into the apartment. She had brought her clothes and some of her stuff over, and her dresser would look nice next to mine. I looked at the sight of our shampoo next to each other again and smiled.

The water was burning as I stepped out, drying myself off and putting on a fresh pair of clothes. I grabbed the books I'd purchased earlier that evening, taking them into the bedroom with me. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until she got back.

I laid down on the bed, deciding to read the short book on Chanukah first. I finished it in about half an hour, and I took the thicker book on Judaism and set it on my lap, putting the Hanukkah book away. I rolled over on the bed, turning to rummage through a drawer for a bookmark. I thought I heard a noise behind me, but when I turned to look at the door there was nothing. I smiled.

I was immersed in the book a few minutes later, when I heard the small, nervous voice. "Hi." I looked up at the door, as she came running and jumped into the bed. I tried to keep my eyes on the book, as the urge to smile came over me. Her voice came again, quiet and slightly unsure. "Justin's fever's down."

I felt the sides of my lips twitch as I tried to concentrate on the sentence in front of me. "I wonder why that is."

Cristina's voice made me want to laugh. "I don't know."

Well, at least she was admitting she didn't know everything. That was a start.

I knew she'd known what she was doing when she had talked to the kid. She had realized that she might have been wrong, and instead of being cocky about it, she had decided to suck it up and deal. She didn't want to take a chance about it. She'd known the risks were too high. Justin's life was at stake, and our relationship had been shaking. I wanted her to realize that her rocking the boat wasn't going to tip it over. I was steady, I knew that much. And if that was what she needed confidence in, I would give it to her.

I could see out of the corner of my eye her reaching up and pull out the hair tie holding her hair in its ponytail. My breath caught at she shook it out, and she laid her head against me, wrapping her arm around my waist. Her hair was felt soft against my face, and as much as I tried to focus on the book, I could feel the beginnings of a smile reach my face. I continued my reading for the next few minutes, until I knew I couldn't anymore. I closed the book, slipping the bookmark smoothly between two pages. I turned my head, letting myself do what I'd wanted to all evening. Her forehead was soft under my lips, and I touched her hair lightly. I love you. How could three words be so hard to say?

I reached with one hand to turn off the lamp, watching her face as the light dimmed. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her soft body relax within my embrace. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Cristina leaned up and kissed me lightly. I wondered if somehow she'd heard me. "Good night, Cristina." Her eyes looked luminescent in the dark of the bedroom. She kissed me again, this time on the cheek. I kissed her.

Her voice sounded perfect for our setting, it was quiet but soft and somehow knowledgeable. Maybe she did know everything. "G'night, Burke."