**Hi guys, thanks for the reviews. You guys are just too good. I have the whole idea in my head how the story is going to unfold already. And I promise you, there will be more Crowen scenes when the time comes. More drama, more fluffiness. So stay with me, and please review, because it makes me happy/giddy etc. hehe.
**I decide to add graphics into my story. So if you like this so far, you can check out my twitter gaucung89 or my tumblr you-pulled-out-my-icicle to have a glimpse at Faith, Teddy, Theo, the house, the room, as well as any scene that may be written in the story!
P/S: I'm Asian, so my perception on how parents meet their children's bf/gf may be a little different. I'm trying to stay true to American culture, let me know if you have any comments, and even prompts, regarding the meeting between parents and children's bf/gf.
In my veins, part 1
Rushing upstairs, Teddy grabs another guest towel to the man who's supposed to be her sister's mentor. It's a strange day, she thinks, for rarely does her family have this many people that visit them in the heavy rain and in need of their high quality Egyptian cotton towels.
Teddy passes the towel to Faith, who reluctantly gives it to Daniel Bernard, a tall, dark guy with twinkling eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Knowing her appearance is not appreciated at the moment, she retreats to her "arena" upstairs and joins Theo, who is already standing at the railings, and quietly following the rather unexpected situation downstairs.
"Mom, Dad, I'm gonna give him a ride to his hotel." Faith explains to her parents who are still standing at the other end of the hallway impatiently.
Owen can see the irritation in Cristina's eyes. He knows she has a lot of questions to ask the two, and so does he. He puts his arm on Cristina's shoulder, signaling her to calm down and behave like a host who has an unexpected visit from a guest.
"Faith, why don't you invite your guest to the living room and let him have some warm up tea? We also have a guestroom, he can stay here with us tonight." Owen gestures the girl to bring Daniel inside.
"He prefers to stay at the hotel, Dad." She mumbles determinedly. Faith knows there's no good in bringing Daniel inside for her mother's interrogation, especially now when it's past midnight.
"Daniel, why don't you come in and let yourself dry up completely before you find a hotel?" Owen directs his invitation to the guest. He would want to know how this man behaves towards his girlfriend's parents.
"Thank you for inviting me in". Daniel politely responds.
It is rather a nontraditional encounter for Faith still doesn't have a proper chance to introduce Daniel to her parents. The four adults feel anxious about what to say next, but the most appropriate thing to do now is to let Faith take Daniel to the guest restroom so he can dry himself up. Owen and Cristina returns to the kitchen. She makes a pot of hot tea in her favorite china and he turns on the light in the kitchen and the living room. Cristina whispers:
"Can't believe I have to pretend to be a decent mother and have a decent talk with my foolish daughter's boyfriend."
Owen shakes his head:" Stalking my daughter and kissing her brutally in front of me, what a great way to give a first impression." He brings the pot of tea and a few cups out to the living room. He sits down next to his wife, arms folding and eyes narrowing.
Faith and Daniel slowly approach the living room. Daniel is a little bit surprised to see the parents sitting on the couch. He guesses the family maintains the Asian traditions so it's best to slightly bent his head down, showing the sign of respect, before offering a handshake:
"Sorry for visiting Faith at this late. I'm Daniel Bernard. And it's my pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt."
Owen and Cristina eventually stand up to accept the handshake. Faith looks at her parents, rolling her eyes, hoping they would not make a big deal out of this meeting.
"I'd rather you call me Dr. Yang. Cristina Yang." Cristina responds in a distant, monotonous voice.
"Dr. Cristina…..YANG. My pleasure." Daniel rolls his eyes. He turns around and gives Faith a why-don't-you-tell-me-it's-Cristina-Yang look.
"Of course. And my husband is Dr. Owen Hunt. Chief of Surgery at Grey Sloan. Please sit down."
Faith intentionally looks at her watch, cuing her parents that it's too late for an interrogation. Cristina flatly ignores her daughter. She pours down the some hot tea to the cups, and asks:
"So, what's your reason to visit Seattle at this time?"
"I…" Daniel sighs. "I would like to discuss further with Faith about her summer research options. I would really like her to take on the cardiac sarcoma research."
"At Stanford? I thought Dr. Stevens is in charge of the project." Cristina smiles. She knows all the old doctors at Stanford.
"I've taken over the project for six months now. We've started phase 2 and it's really exciting. Only three med students are invited to join this summer research and we offered Faith, but it seems like she has another project in mind. So I understand my appearance at Seattle is unexpected, but I really love to talk with your daughter about that."
Cristina can see the enthusiasm in the guy as he talks about his oncology research project. The tall, dark guy somewhat reminds her of Preston Burke. Looking at her innocent daughter, she feels like the history just repeats itself. She hopes the girl will strive for the best and gets the most out of her education, for according to Daniel, Faith is one of the best in her class.
However, Owen sees there's more reason to Daniel's unexpected visit than a simple research offer. Obviously, the guy kissed his daughter at the front door. He gave her an Unconstitutional Surrender kiss. It seems like what Faith told them wasn't the end of their break-up story. The guy reminds Owen of himself: stubborn, a little brusque, and a lot passionate.
"So, I've heard you're a professor over there?"
"Yes, Dr. Yang. I give lectures on Physiology for the MS1s and Cardiovascular for the MS2s. Besides, I've been working on this project and I attend the clinic at Stanford once a week for cardio consults."
Owen listens to the guy with full attention. He also has many questions to ask Daniel, none of which relates to cardiothoracic topic, such as What do you see in my daughter? Or What is your plan for the next five years? But he knows it's late and it may be not the best time to continue down the list. He glances at Faith, who is sitting and listening to the conversation attentively. Her sparkling brown eyes can't hide the happiness to see the boyfriend again. Owen knows the break up is just the beginning to their enormous love journey ahead. So maybe, the wisest thing is to befriend with the guy and get to know him more. The wisest thing is to help his daughter figure out a healthy way to continue this complicated relationship if she chooses to.
"It's late Faith. You'd better drive Dr. Bernard to the hotel now." Owen stands up and offers another handshake.
"Again, it's very nice to meet you two. I admire your contributions to medicine and I would love another chance to talk with you." Daniel smiles.
Faith turns around and snorts at her boyfriend:
"No. You will be back to San Jose, tomorrow."
Owen fakes a cough to hide a smile. He sees the Cristina demeanor in Faith as she talks to her boyfriend. I may not need to worry about her at all, he thinks to himself.
As Daniel leaves the house, Owen pulls Faith's arm and whispers: "I hope you stay at home tonight."
"Yes, I will." She murmurs then grabs the car key.
Cristina throws herself on the bed after brushing her teeth and applying some lotion. Owen follows her right after. He pulls her into his arms and showers with kisses.
"Don't tell me seeing Daniel Bernard turns you on." Cristina murmurs.
"You in the bergamot scent turn me on." He chuckles.
"I can tell you like the guy?" Cristina pushes Owen a little away so she can see his eyes.
"Ehh, I'd say I'm neutral. I just think maybe I should not worry about Faith that much, because she has your personalities, Cristina. Did you see the way she talked to him? She didn't give a damn they were with us. And don't push me away." Owen pulls Cristina back to him. She curls up in his arms, her back facing him. He sneaks his hand inside her shirt, searching for his favorite toy.
"You're implying that I talk to you grumpily?" Cristina raises her voice.
"Of course not." He laughs out loud. "You're gentle to me." His fingers flicker her little nipple.
"Take your hands off me." She gently hits on his hand then pulls it out of the shirt. She turns around and looks at him. "The guy doesn't respect our daughter, Owen. He has no idea whose her parents are."
"I think it's Faith who tried to hide our identities, Cristina. She understands people may want to use her to get to us. She doesn't want a guy who takes advantage of her to get preference from Dr. Cristina Yang. She's a smart girl." Owen caresses Cristina's smooth skin as she gazes at him.
"I see. I don't think the guy will take advantage of her now that he knows we're her parents. He has passion in his eyes when he talks about hearts just like me. And I like that. But anyway I hope they can figure out their problem. Honestly I don't like her to get involved with a mentor." She sighs.
"You got involved with an attending Cristina. And you're stuck in his life. Are you regretting now?" Owen wants to test her feeling.
"Of course not, all my life I've got involved with the superiors, Owen. And we're not going back to the argument we had a few days ago, because I love you and I love our kids and I have no regrets whatsoever. I'm just worried about Faith. I hope she is as smart as me."
"Okay, I think she is very smart, Cristina. And most important of all, she has us, the best parents she could ask for. So she's gonna be fine." He smiles.
"Don't think I'm arrogant and overbearing, Owen. The truth is I understand things. The truth is I am very smart. But I would also love my children to outsmart me." She reaches her head closer to him and feels his warm breath.
"Why are you talking very politely to me? Although I love that, but I'd say I get used to you snapping at me." Owen laughs.
"You say I'm sweet but you keep telling me that I only mock and snap at you. Fine." Cristina sighs and turns around, pouting.
"Oh no, don't get me wrong. Cristina, please. I love you because you are sincere and straight forward. And you don't talk cliché." He wraps his arms around her delicate body and leans closer to her. He whispers to her ears: "I love my wife very much. Much much much much."
Cristina smiles in silence. She feels a little bit sad that Owen thinks most of the time she snaps at him. She knows she's hot tempered, she knows she doesn't express her feeling that much, but she feels herself sweet and feminine when she is next to him. She admits Faith was somewhat tough and grumpy to her boyfriend, and it's sad Owen thinks she is treating him like Faith treating Daniel. She slowly blinks her eyes a few more times before completely falls into a deep sleep.
As one of those people who has a tendency towards music, Teddy has very good ears. However, her excellent ability to detect sound from a far distance sometimes annoys the crap out of her. For example, the constant doorbell rings downstairs at the moment irritates her beyond belief. She pulls a pillow to cover her ear, trying to ignore the irritant and get back to sleep. Usually. Theo will open the door because he's an early bird and more very likely awake at this hour. If not, Faith is the second person to be likely to answer the ring. Up to date, Teddy and Cristina are still competing to win the sleepy-head prize of the Hunt's family.
Five minutes have passed and the doorbell is still impatiently ringing. Teddy grumpily sits up, mumbling some complaints and stumbling downstairs, half asleep. She wonders how her mother can completely ignore the annoying sound even when the master bedroom is on the first floor. As she walks past the library, she glances at the clock: 6:40 am.
Teddy opens the door, blinking a few times to recognize a familiar face:
"Bailey, what are you doing here?"
"Is Faith at home? I need to talk to her." Tapping his foot rather impatiently, Bailey gazes at Teddy, looking rather furious.
She opens the door wide then stumbles to the kitchen. "She's upstairs. Help yourself."
As Bailey runs upstairs to find Faith, Teddy approaches the kitchen. The sun is not fully risen, so she turns on the light and walks to the sink. She turns on the faucet and splashes some water on her face, hoping it will wake her up.
Opening the fridge door, Teddy glances around for the milk jug. The fridge looks almost empty due to the flood of guests last night. It seems like every one was very keen on helping her family clean up the fridge. No egg, no ham, no fruits, she reaches down to the freezer and grabs the carton of ice cream. Her eyes lighten up: at least, there is some of her favorite chocolate almond sweetness to wash the bitterness in her mouth.
Teddy is taking a spoonful of creamy almond chocolate ice-cream when Bailey descends the stairs, hands shoved in a dark pair of jeans.
"She's not there."
"Who?" Confused, Teddy blinks.
"Faith. She's not there."
"What do you mean?" She furrows her eyebrows, feeling annoyed by the meaningless responds from Bailey. His words just don't make sense to her slow-morning mind.
"Faith, she's not in her room." Bailey sighs.
"Well, maybe she's in the bathroom? Just sit here and wait." Faith takes another spoon of ice cream in her mouth, feeling a little more awake.
"Are you eating what I think you're eating?" Bailey sends her a quizzical look as he walks over to her to confirm his suspicion.
"Chocolate almond ice cream. What's wrong?" She raises her eyebrows with genuine suprise. "You want some?"
"No thanks. You eat ice cream for breakfast?" He chuckles slightly, amazed by the scene in front of him.
"Anything that keeps me awake, because I'm not supposed to be here hosting a guest. I'm supposed to be in my room at this moment. It's 6:45 am, Bailey, for God's sake." Teddy hisses at Bailey.
"Oh, okay, I'm sorry, but I really need to talk to Faith. She doesn't answer my calls. By the way, speaking of ice cream, you should just consider opening the door for me as a return to my favor, because if you recall, you once dumped an ice cream on my white shirt. And I let you off the hook." He smiles, standing a little bit closer to her.
With her slow morning mind, Teddy starts to remember the birthday party at Aunt April's house. It was Jasmine's birthday and all the kids were invited over. She recalls she was five at the time, and Bailey was eleven. Bailey and Tuck kept making fun of Teddy for she lost the two front teeth, unlike her twin Theo. According to them, the nickname Ugly Duckling amazingly was suitable for her because she smiled incredibly ugly, which was due to the lack of the teeth, which was due to her constant eating of chocolate almond ice cream.
After a while of withstanding the bully, Teddy got really angry. She ran around Aunt April's living room, chasing after Bailey and Tuck, her face beet red. She was eventually able to grasp Bailey's white shirt. And before he could flee from Teddy, she dumped the whole cone of ice cream onto his back. Teddy laughed out loud heartily as a frustrated Bailey ran to his mother, pouting.
"How can I forget? You initiated the trouble, Bailey, you deserved that." The flashback brings her another series of laughter. "Anyway, why did you have to see Faith this early?"
"She accused me of giving Dr. Bernard her address, along with plenty stupid rants and accuses which I am completely innocent. At 3 am. I tried to call her and text her again but she wouldn't answer. By the way, I don't think she's at home." He sighs after looking at his watch.
Teddy stares at Bailey with complete burdensome before running upstairs to look for her sister. The bathroom is indeed empty. Where can Faith go at this time? Didn't she promise their dad that say she would spend her night at home? Running downstairs, Teddy rushes towards the entrance. Bailey runs after her, gasping:
"Teddy! Hold on!"
"What's up?" She abruptly turns around, their bodies collide with one another.
"Ouch!" Her forehead hits his chest real hard. He rubs his chest gently and grimaces: "You can't go outside like that."
"Why not? I just want to check if her car is at home."
"You shouldn't. Look at what you're wearing." Bailey pulled Teddy aside the door, looking down at her waist and wincing dramatically before turning away.
Confused, she glanced down, and immediately realized the dilemma. As well as a comfy tank top which she had worn to bed last night, the only other thing she was wearing was a boy short. A baby pink boy short with little white dots. It' not very very short, but still, it's a boy short.
She stares at Bailey, flushed with embarassment, while he looks completely shy and uncomfortable. Teddy mutters:
"Oh, I didn't realize that. I was asleep. Can you go out and check if her car is still here? It's the white Volkswagen."
Before Teddy open the door for Bailey to get outside, they hear the sound of the door being unlocked from the other side. Owen and Theo walk in, both smiling and talking cheerfully after their morning run.
"Dad. Theo."
Owen stares at his daughter being in a boy short with Bailey next to her. His eyebrows immediately crunch up and his face turns red.
"What are you two doing at this time? Teddy, go upstairs." Owen's voice is loud and high. Theo stands hesitant behind his dad, silent.
"Oh it's not what you think Uncle Owen. I come here to…" Bailey stutters.
"Upstairs, immediately, Teddy!" Owen raises his voice one more time, pointing his hand angrily at the railings. Teddy just presses her lips tightly and rushes upstairs as fast as possible.