A LOVE THAT WILL NEVER GROW OLD

By greyeyedgirl 5!11

A/N: There's going to be at least one major reference from the first or second chapter coming up soon, so I recommend re-reading the first few chapters before reading this. :D Don't worry. I promise it won't be too painful. BTW, you better love me, I'm skipping out on studying for my math test in order to write this. Oh, and I'm not doing an essay that was due...uh...a week ago. :D

Disclaimer: As "Asphalt Angel," said in "Bonding," if I owned GA, Burke and Shepherd would not be allowed to wear shirts.

Feedback: Is my crack. Support my habit?

Cristina Yang, MD

117 E. Leroy, Apt. 307

Seattle, Washington, 98103

Preston Burke looked at the package in some trepidation, wondering who on earth is could be from. There was no return address, nothing written on the envelope except Cristina's name and address, which was written in curved, calligraphic penmanship. He had no idea who had mailed this to his girlfriend. He couldn't think of anyone Cristina would associate with that sealed their envelopes with smiley-face stickers.

He picked up the thing that he had found in their mailbox about half an hour ago. A medium sized box, plain cardboard, with a large orangeish-tan envelope taped to the top. Several stamps loitered stubbornly on the package.

Curiosity overtook him, and he shook the box lightly. He forced himself to put it down. What was he going to do next, start bending the envelopes her mail came in directly under the light so he could read what was written on the document within?

It was at that moment that the door swung open with a note of finality. Cristina shook her hair around as she entered, splattering drops from the rain onto the side of the kitchen counter.

"Hey," she said tiredly, slipping off her coat and kissing him lightly on the cheek. He barely noticed her dumping her jacket on the counter, instead of the hook on the wall he'd cleared specifically for her.

"You got mail." He tried to say it casually, like it was nothing more than it ever was, a cell phone bill, perhaps, or a free AOL CD.

Cristina glanced at him and the package, before laughing and seizing it. "Who's it from?" Burke asked nonchalantly.

Cristina sat next to him behind the kitchen counter. "My-do you have a VCR?"

Burke stared at her silently for a few moments. "Yes, we do." He delayed once again. "Your what?" Burke asked.

Cristina whipped open the envelope quickly, taking out a tape. She glanced up. "Oh, you don't know, do you?"

Burke sat down at one of the stools near the kitchen counter. "Know what?"

"I have a little sister. Ashley. From my dad." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear absentmindedly, fingering the tape. "She's 13. Then Logan is 4, and Jordan is 6. Jordan's a girl."

Burke watched her curiously. "I did not know that."

Cristina shot him a small smile. Burke got up, following her into the living room. Cristina was quiet as she fiddled with the cords on the VCR. She hooked in the red, white, and yellow cords, pushing in the tape. An image lit up the screen.

"Cristina," Burke said. Cristina looked up at him, hitting "STOP" on the VCR. "What's up?"

Burke stared. "We can't just forget about what happened."

Cristina didn't move.

Burke took a few steps closer, setting his hands on her arms. "It's okay," he whispered. "No one's going to hurt you again. Just tell me who did it to you. I'll make it all okay again." He brought his lips to her forehead.

Cristina's breathing was harsh. "No!" She tried to pull away.

"Cristina!"

"No!" Her face transformed, tears burning down her face. Burke held her arms firmly, stunned by her sudden transformation. "Cristina...it's all right..." His whisper was very, very quiet in the apartment. He tried to pull her closer.

Cristina pulled away. She attempted to shove past him, heading for the door, her head down and tears streaming down her face.

"Cristina!" Burke did not want to let her go.

She was already gone.

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"I'm sorry."

Burke looked up from his spot at the breakfast table. He put his head back down.

Cristina sat down next to him. "You don't understand."

Burke looked up again, this time his eyes watching Cristina's carefully. "You won't let me."

Cristina looked down at the table too. "I've made a lot of mistakes."

Burke kept his eyes on her.

Cristina continued, her voice uncharacteristically soft and quiet. "My dad. Losing the baby."

Burke frowned, his breathing shallow. "That wasn't your fault!"

"October sixteenth."

Burke looked down. "Yes."

Cristina's voice got louder, whimpering. "It was my fault!"

Burke got up, walking over and taking her into his arms. "Shhhh," he said softly. "It's okay."

"I lost the baby on your birthday!"

Burke kissed the side of her forehead, his lips gentle. "We're gonna have more."

Cristina's breathing got quiet.

"I love you, Cristina."

There was a long, quiet pause. "I love you, too."

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"The pie people are eating my feet."

Meredith paused, shooting a glance at the 13 or 14-year-old girl standing near her in the elevator, talking into a cell phone. The girl giggled. "Hold on, I'm getting another call." She pushed a button on her cell phone. "Hello? Maddi, hi! Yeah, I know. Did you really? I swear to God, you should have seen me and Jessica and Caitlin and Brooke trying to do cartwheels in gym. That horrible old bat kept telling us what we were doing wrong, and sticking her hands on us to make us do it right, only we just kept floppin' over. But Jessica kept talking to me about how she'd broken her wrist 4 different times trying to do cartwheels, and I TOLD Mrs. Matton, I'm very particular about where I stick my bones." She paused, listening. "I asked her if she'd ever heard of Boy in a Plastic Bubble."

Meredith sighed, waiting for the door to open.

It all happened very fast. Meredith heard a little moan and saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned, panicked. The girl was laying on the ground.

The elevator binged open.

"Oh my god! Somebody get a gurney!" Meredith yelled to a passing nurse, quickly hitting the "STOP" button on the elevator. A team of nurses with a gurney ran forward, followed by Dr. Burke and Cristina. The group of them hoisted the young girl up, her dark hair falling over her pretty face. Meredith heard Cristina give a little gasp.

"Cristina? Are you all right?" Meredith looked at her friend, concerned.

Cristina's face was white. She didn't say anything for a moment. The little girl's eyes fluttered open, her face weak with pain. "Cristina..." She moaned, looking right at Dr. Yang.

Meredith looked at Cristina and frowned. "You know her?"

Cristina looked like she was having trouble breathing. "She's my sister."

A/n: It's two o'clock in the morning, and I'm off to write chapter 6. I am going to fail my math test tomorrow. Well. I don't fail math tests. But I could very possibly get one or two wrong! THAT is my dedication to you guys. Cuz I love math. Sometimes.