Teddy had been living in hell for two weeks; or to be precise, working in hell. She had stuck to her words and never paged Yang again to her OR. Yang, on her side, had never asked surgeries, or requested her presence in any way. They had just ignored each other, except when it had been necessary to exchange technical words over a patient in emergency areas.

Problem was that it had not just been Yang; she had expected the situation with Yang to be tense. What she had been unable to foresee were Owen and the rest stubbornly sticking to her. People tended to leave the rooms when she entered. Or places happened to miraculously be taken at lunch time. Owen had made very clear his disgust with her. He was the worst case situation, not even acknowledging her presence. She might have been wrong about her, or even made a mistake blurting out her feelings on her like that, but she did not deserve to be treated as if she was infectious.

She was biting her sandwich on the bridge, watching from above Owen discussing a patient with Callie, when Cristina silently approached.

"So you think I am a whore" Cristina said, leaning on the rail by Teddy, also looking down at an oblivious Owen. Cristina's bold movement left the older surgeon unable to even defend herself.

"If it helps, I think you are a bitch trying to get into Owen's bed" she continued.

"I do not really know what to think. People around here seem to appreciate you" was Teddy's reply, purposefully ignoring Cristina's last comment about her being a bitch. She sort of deserved it after their last meeting, and, well, yes, if she ever got a chance, she would gladly jump into his bed. She wouldn't even try to deny it.

"Oh, they have never really liked me, you know. You can take it about them disliking you; or liking Owen. But who cares?... I want you to teach me" she said, keeping her voice even.

"Are you coming to me with an olive branch?" Teddy could not believe Cristina was approaching her.

"Oh, I would rather call it blackmail, but if you feel better thinking it's an olive branch, it works for me" Was Cristina's sarcastic retort.

For some seconds they just looked at each other's eyes, none of them speaking.

Teddy knew that it was a generous offer. Cristina didn't even need to explain what she was offering her in return. She was offering her forgiveness (real or pretended), and a chance to integrate in SGH. If Cristina refused to learn from Teddy, or to acknowledge her, she had the distinct feeling that she would be shunned forever.

"Are you saying that you want me to stay?" Teddy asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm saying I need a Cardio Mentor, and I think you are good" Cristina was purposely keeping her voice cold and devoid of all emotion.

"I don't understand. Do you trust me around Owen?" Disbelief sounding in her voice.

"I trust Owen"

Once again Teddy diverted her gaze from Cristina and stared at Owen from above; a sad look in her face. Yes, Cristina could trust Owen being in love with her. He had made it painfully clear more than one time, and she had observed them both from afar during the last couple of weeks. They were painful to see together. She sort of felt stupid for thinking Cristina was using Owen; or that he would doubt her. Their bond was too clear.

She needed to give the chief an answer regarding her contract renewal in 3 days time. She actually had her resignation letter already prepared in her computer. Now she was confused. It was a good job, in a nice hospital, with people she liked, and she actually liked teaching Cristina despite everything. The teacher in her longed to stay, but not in this awkward situation. Yang was giving her a way out. The only question here was if she would be able to do it. Would she be able to watch Owen and Cristina move forward together without getting bitter? Without hurting him? Without hurting herself? She didn't really know. The wiser thing to do would be moving away.

"What does Owen want?" She finally asked.

"He wants you to leave… he is still hurt and mad at you… It might take him a while to forgive you; he tends to be very protective about the people he loves… but he will come around if I do. He appreciates you and misses his friend"

It was a slow conversation, and Cristina was showing her an unusual amount of patience.

Teddy kept wondering if she could ever be a good friend for him again. They had been friends with all those unspoken words over the years, when she had had no hope. Now she didn't have any hope left again, but too many words had been spoken. It might be too late for them to be friends. Some things were too difficult to repair.

"I have a mitral valve repair this scheduled for 2p.m. if you want to scrub in" Teddy made a decision after a while, removing the ban on her OR for Cristina. She was still unsure whether staying or not, but thinking that even if she left, she would rather have a couple of uneventful weeks.

"Owen is moving in with me today, and Meredith is throwing us a surprise housewarming party this evening at my apartment. She sucks at keeping secrets. You will be welcome if you avoid calling me whore and such" was Cristina's answer.

Without another word, Cristina turned around and left the bridge. Dr. Altman just stood there, watching her leave. There was much more Cristina Yang than she had imagined; she had more backbone than most of the soldiers she had met on the sandpit. She could actually see what Owen would see in her: a rock.

*****

It was late on the evening and she was standing before the blue door of Cristina's apartment… well, Cristina and Owen's apartment, she reminded herself. She held her breath and felt her normally steady hand shake a bit while knocking.

It was a smiling Owen that opened the door. Smiling until he processed that it was her standing in front of him. His gaze hardened instantly, and she had the feeling that he was fighting the impulse of slamming the door on her face. For some seconds they just stood on both sides of the door, staring at each others eyes, silence spreading through the room as the guests realized what was going on.

Cristina was the one to break the silence. She arrived from behind Owen and slid a hand around his waist.

"Hey, is that a bonsai?" She asked Teddy, while discreetly caressing the small of his back.

"It is an olive tree bonsai" she answered "I was unable to find a real olive branch to bring and this seemed close enough" she smiled, even if a note of uncertainty could be found in her voice.

Cristina took the small tree from her hands and after muttering a polite "Nice, thank you", she turned her head, and called Meredith, who was standing some feet away "Mer, could you please show Teddy where to leave her coat and get her a drink?"

Teddy followed an obviously unhappy Meredith towards Cristina's bedroom, as Cristina closed the door, still with her arm around Owen's waist. Conversations slowly resumed around them, probably with a changed topic.

It took them some time to react, and, as usual, Cristina did it first. Without a warning she got on her tiptoes and placed a soft peck on his lips. Still staring at his eyes, she just whispered "please" and kept waiting; expecting him to see her.

Slowly, while staring at her eyes, his jaw unclenched and his gaze softened. Without saying a single word, he nodded to Cristina, caressed her cheek, and turned around to go pouring Sheperd a drink. Cristina knew everything was going to be fine.