She found him in the scrub-room, with his arms crossed across his chest. She smiled, and got on her toes to peck him on the lips, while asking "Hey stranger, what are you doing here? Only staff allowed, you know…" she teased, already knowing that he had seen the complete surgery from the gallery.

"Well, I like to think that I keep a couple of friends around" he joked back. "Nobody is going to call security to throw a retired chief of surgery out, I hope" he continued, hugging her from behind, and kissing the back of her neck while she scrubbed her hands.

"I might, if you don't behave" she laughed, years of teasing her husband on her voice.

"You know why I'm here, don't you?" he asked, his face turning serious. "You know the time has come"

"I can still rule the OR… my hand is steady!" She protested holding her hand in front of her, as if to prove her words.

"I know, but I do not want you to drop dead in the OR, or to be too old when you retire to enjoy life with my wife… we deserve some good time Cristina…" he answered, all the patience of the world in his voice.

"So, you are not asking me to retire because you think I cannot hold my scalpel any longer?" She turned around to look at him arching a brow, daring him to say otherwise. He knew better than to do that.

"Of course not, you could probably keep operating for some time… but what for? You have accomplished everything you could ever dream of. You have saved thousands of lives, have innovative surgeries that wear your name; have passed the knowledge and been a great mentor for the best cardio-gods of today. It is time Cristina, pass the torch to the next generation. I want to take my beautiful wife to the beach, I want to do it before I get too old to make love to you under the stars"

"You know you're have already turned 75, don't you?… don't you think we are a little old for beach activities?" she laughed lacing her hands around his neck and stretching to kiss him.

"Still young enough, young lady" he continued, kissing her in return. She couldn't help giggling and wondering how it was possible to feel like a teenager when reaching her seventies.

She stared at his shinny blue eyes, still showing her the same love they had 40 years ago. She could still see him sitting on her doorstep and telling her she was beautiful. She new he was right; she had achieved everything in her job, dozen of prices on her office proved it. Had nothing left to demonstrate, and she was getting a bit tired of the rhythm. Besides, she did not want to become an old dinosaur, with everyone laughing behind her back.

"So, was this one my last surgery?" she asked, and after seeing him smile and nod, she continued "well, it was a good one… not that I ever make bad ones, by the way!"

"Yes, it was; you have made me really proud all this years Cristina" he continued, passing his arm around her shoulders and steering her towards the door.

"You know what? You have also made your granddaughter proud" he told her "I went to Meg's recital this evening… and guess what? She was boasting about her grandma with her class mates… somebody's father had your Yang procedure done, and Meg was telling everyone that it was named after her cool grandmother. Right now she wants to be a surgeon".

"It was about time some of our genes went back to surgery! Still cannot believe that with her beautiful hands, our Em decided to hold a gavel instead of a scalpel!... what a waste…"

He couldn't help a laugh; it was really funny that Cristina hadn't gotten over their daughter deciding to go to law school instead of medical school. He would never tell his wife, but he had understood what had driven Emily away from surgery. On the one side, living at the shadow of Cristina would have been difficult for anyone, and on the other, she had seen them struggle to balance family and demanding careers. They had made it, but she wanted something different, she was more calm that her mother and did not enjoy 24h activity. Besides, she had always had a penchant for justice, even when she was little. She was as good in her job as her mother was a surgeon. One day she was going to rule the Supreme Court; he was sure. He also knew how proud Cristina was of their daughter, even if she still complained from time to time.

"Anyway, from the moment I saw her hands, I knew Meg would be the one!" Cristina continued, fond of her granddaughter. Owen knew she loved all of their grandkids, but she could not hide her preference for Meg, the eldest, and the only redhead of them all. She definitely had a thing for redheads, he thought with a smile. And so had Emily, who had eloped with her redhead right after college. He could remember Cristina's anger upon getting her call from Las Vegas. She had always been an overprotective mother, always worried about their daughter getting hurt. Not really a believer of his philosophy of allowing their daughter to make her own mistakes… and Emily and Matt were still together, so, it had not been that wrong.

****

He sat down at her office, after putting her personal stuff in a box, while waiting for her to return from the shower. Her mess would make him smile, some things would never change. Others, however, did. Who would have thought that bad-ass Dr. Cristina Yang would have personal pictures among her prizes? Of babies nevertheless! Their daughter and grandchildren close to a picture of them at the Bahamas with a 5 year-old Emily. He held the picture closer and remembered the trip, lots of fond memories of their years together coming back to him.

He felt her arms hug him from behind, and knew that she was looking at the picture and remembering over his shoulder.

"Mmm, I do not fit in a bikini that way any longer" she joked.

"You know; if I died tomorrow, I would die happy" he swiftly confessed, ignoring her joke.

"What are you talking about? You are so not dieing! You have a 45 year-old heart beat… and nobody knows a heartbeat better than me! Besides, you are completely healthy! You will live pass 100!" She hit him in the shoulder taking a step back, outraged. She would always make him laugh, even when she got mad at him.

"It's OK Cristina, I am OK with passing away, as long as you're there holding my hand, and letting me tell you how much I love you with my last breath. You've given me a much better life than I deserved; our Emily, 3 wonderful grand-kids… and you. So, you see, it wouldn't be that bad." He continued talking while closing her office after her, and making their way down to the main entrance.

"Owen Hunt, do not dare talking like that... do not call death! And what makes you think I am going to survive you… or that I would ever want to! Right now we are going home, we are going to book a cruise, and we are going to make those young puppies blush when they see us make out!" She said, half laughing, but horrified at the thought of being left alone at the same time.

"You're going to survive me, first because you are much younger than me, second, because statistics say that women live longer than men, and third, because I wouldn't want to live without you!...But I still think the cruise is a great idea." He said laughing and walking her outside the building for a last time, with his arm around her shoulder, as they had done uncountable times over the years.

She looked around and thought about the years there. She thought about all the friends that had shared them with her, and how some of them had really become part of the family; Mer and Derek, still living close. She really needed to organize a party for them all before leaving for a trip. It would be great to have them gathered together for at least a last time.

With her eyes moist, she hugged his waist tighter, pressed her cheek against his chest, and remembered the old dinosaur asking ages ago, what she would have once her career was over. She had never thought he would actually stay for 40 years; it had taken her 30 to begin believing he had meant it. Long ago, she had even thought she would have to choose between Owen and her career, how silly of her. Everyone except Owen been wrong. He had known and trusted her from moment one; never cared what the world would say; always a rock at her side, giving her the strength to reach further, and to become the cardio-goddess she was meant to be. Now, she had him, and she was retiring with a smile on her face. He might feel blessed, she knew she was.

**********

Author's note: I would like to thank each one of you that has read this story for having made it up to here, and for sharing the trip with me. I acknowledge that I am not a genius of literature, and this makes your reading even more appreciated. I do hope that you have enjoyed the reading, and that it has put a smile on your face in return. My special gratitude goes to all of you who have taken the time and been kind enough to leave me a comment, both here and through any other way. Writers are greedy people that blossom on feedback.