The bitter wind whipped through Seattle's dark streets, sending a shiver down Owen Hunt's spine as he stepped out of Joe's Bar. He pulled his coat tighter, scanning the parking lot. A lone figure caught his eye—a familiar silhouette on a bench.
Cristina Yang.
Even in the dim light, he could see the stubborn set of her jaw and the way her shoulders hunched against the cold. What was she doing out in the cold alone?
Owen hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to approach her but as he noticed Cristina shivering slightly in the chilly air he decided to take his chances.
"Dr. Yang?" he called out, his breath visible in the frigid air. She turned to look at him, her eyes guarded. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing."
Cristina pulled the scarf tighter around herself, avoiding eye contact. "Nothing just sitting."
Owen frowned, unconvinced. "Sitting outside in the cold outside a bar or catching hypothermia?"
She scoffed. "What are you, my mother?"
Owen frowned, not bothered by her comment. "It's cold as hell out here. Let me give you a lift home."
Cristina crossed her arms, her breath forming a cloud in the chilly air. "I don't need a ride and I certainly don't need a babysitter."
He sighed, I know you don't need a babysitter, but would you rather sit here and freeze?"
Cristina scoffed, her expression turning incredulous. "Yes, I actually would rather sit here and freeze my ass off."
Owen took a step closer, his expression softening with frustration. "Just let me go get my truck and I'll drive you home. It's the least I can do."
Cristina, her arms crossed defiantly, remained unmoved. "No, I'm not some damsel in distress in need of saving so just leave me the hell alone."
Owen's patience was wearing thin, but he refused to back down. "Look I don't want to see you end up in my ER because you froze to death on a bench outside a Bar so get in the damn car Cristina or I can sit here all night with you until you agree it's your choice."
With a resigned sigh, she stood up from the bench and glared at him, "Fine," she muttered, her breath forming a small cloud in the chilly air. "You win and it's Dr. Yang to you."
Owen bit back a smile. "Whatever you say, Dr. Yang. My truck is right over there let's go before you turn into a popsicle."
Reluctantly, Cristina followed him to the car a bit annoyed by the analogy he used.
"So, where am I taking you?" Owen asked climbing into the driver's seat.
"Just follow that road until the intersection," she said.
He glanced at her as he got on the road, she seemed lost in her thoughts, staring out the window. The way her fingers drummed nervously on her lap betrayed a restlessness that piqued Owen's curiosity.
"You didn't need to play Superman tonight," Cristina said breaking the silence.
Owen glanced at her, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Would you have preferred walking home in the freezing cold instead of enjoying the luxury of my heated truck?"
Cristina rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "I would have survived."
"Knowing the Seattle weather chances are you probably wouldn't have survived if it weren't for me," he said with a chuckle.
"Oh sure take all the credit the only reason I was sitting out there was because I couldn't hail a cab," Cristina retorted.
Owen eyed her curiously. "And you thought freezing your ass off in a parking lot was a good alternative?"
Cristina sighed and rolled her eyes while staring outside the window. Owen didn't say anything but kept driving lost in his thoughts when suddenly he almost ran a red light and braked hard.
"Hey watch it! Are you trying to kill me?" She said slightly raising her voice.
"Sorry just got distracted," He said. "So what complex am I dropping you off in?"
Cristina shifted uncomfortably in her seat, avoiding eye contact. "Just drop me off at the hospital."
"The hospital?" he asked confused. "You said you were going home where do you live?"
Cristina sighed, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Just drop me off there, okay? It's closer."
Owen frowned, not satisfied with her evasive answer. "I can't drop you off at the hospital if you're not working a late shift."
She shot him a sharp look. "Stop prying, Hunt. I don't need you knowing every detail of my life."
He sighed, realizing that pushing her might only make things worse. "Okay, hospital it is."
As Owen pulled up to the entrance he turned to his side as Cristina unbuckled her seatbelt, "Why didn't you want to give me your address?" he asked.
She glanced at him but quickly looked away, her gaze fixed on the hospital entrance.
"I like to keep my life separate from work that's how it's always been," she said avoiding eye contact.
He didn't say anything as he watched her open the passenger door.
"So um thanks for the ride Dr. Hunt," She said before closing the door not waiting for a response.
"Yeah," he whispered, leaning back in his seat and running a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to drift back to their interaction from earlier. The way she had challenged him, her sarcasm and sharp wit—there was something undeniably captivating about it. She was different than anyone he had ever met, and that intrigued him even more. He remembered the night he first saw her and how she had caught his eye as she approached the Chief urgently about some procedure so confidently.
The spark in her was so magnetic he couldn't help but stare. He had been drawn to her then, just as he was now. But at the time, he had dismissed it as a fleeting attraction, something that would fade with time. Yet, here he was, unable to get her out of his mind.