Fic: The Twenty-Four Months After
Jan. 18th, 2010 11:41 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
angelamermaid.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
in_the_afterA long time ago, in a galaxy - wait, wrong fandom. A year ago, I wrote The Twenty-Four Months Before, about Cristina and Owen's quest to parenthood.
This is the sequel. It touches on some of my other stories as well. HUGE thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nursebadass for being my medical mumbo-jumbo clarifier, bad ass beta-reader, and just generally being awesome. :-)
Title: The Twenty-Four Months After (Part 1/4)
Author:angelamermaid
Pairing: Cristina/Owen
Rating: Mature
Summary: What happens when Cristina and Owen have a baby?
Disclaimer: These characters are property of Shonda Rhimes/ABC and Grey's Anatomy. They do not belong to me. Reimbursement is not received for fictitious works.
Month One - January
"Owen?"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Chloe's sleeping."
He blinks and stares at the clock. 3:17 in the morning. He turns his head and stares at his wife, hovering over him in their dimly lit bedroom.
"Cristina ... you woke me up ... because our baby is sleeping?"
Cristina nods.
He sighs. "Has she woken up at all?"
"Yes, she's woken up once for feeding and a diaper change."
"And?"
"And then she went back to sleep."
He yawns and sits up. "Cristina, why am I awake?"
"Owen, we have the perfect baby. We did it. Us. You and me. Well, mostly me. I didn't see you carrying a baby for nine months. But you were there."
He smiles and shakes his head. "Thank you for telling me."
"I thought you'd like to know," she says, climbing into bed beside him.
"And how are you?" Owen lies down again.
"Sore," she sighs, snuggling against him. "But it was totally worth it, having the perfect baby."
"Mmm-hmmm," he murmurs, wrapping his arms around her.
"Owen, this is our baby's first night at home and she's sleeping through the night. Meredith is going to be so jealous."
"Are you going to call her and gloat?"
"Not now. In the morning."
"Yes, let Meredith sleep."
She playfully elbows him. He chuckles and kisses the back of her neck.
They lie there in silence for a few moments.
"I should go and check on her," Owen says. "Make sure she's still perfect."
"I'll come with you."
Day Four
Cristina is sitting on the couch, burping Chloe when Owen arrives from the airport with their guests.
"There she is!" Helen exclaims, throwing her coat at Saul and heading straight for the living room. "Let me see my grand-daughter!"
Cristina smiles and turns Chloe around. "Good timing, she just finished lunch." She carefully places Chloe in Helen's arms. Owen waves at her before taking the suitcases up to the guest room.
"She's beautiful," Helen coos, sitting down. "She is so beautiful. Cristina, she looks just like you did when you were a baby."
"Well done," Saul smiles, coming over to see the baby. "Hi Cristina."
"Hi Saul."
"What kind of formula are you using?" Helen asks. "Did you even read the list I emailed you?"
"Oh, no formula," Cristina shrugs. "Breast milk is the best for her right now."
Helen frowns. "You're breastfeeding?"
Cristina sighs and tenses. "Yes. What's wrong with that?"
"Well, you're such a modern woman. And you don't like to be touched."
"I did a lot of research while on bed rest. This is the best for her right now. And don't worry, I'm not going to be one of those moms who breastfeed until the kid goes to school."
"I hope you won't be doing it in public."
Cristina rolls her eyes and gets off the couch. "No, the world is not getting a look at my breasts. Be right back."
She heads upstairs, where Owen is leaving the guest room. He takes one look at her expression and grins. "What did your mother say?"
"She thinks I'll be whipping my boobs out in public to breastfeed. And she's surprised. Why is everyone surprised that I'm breastfeeding?"
Owen smiles. "Well, you're not well-known for liking children. But I'm not surprised you're breastfeeding. And I think you're doing the right thing."
"Oh, I know you like it," Cristina smirks. "And I know why."
He smiles, drawing her close and deliberately not looking below her neck. "I agree with you, breast milk is the best thing for her. And there's nothing wrong with liking what motherhood has done to your body."
"What, are you ready to make another baby?" She teases him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Ready whenever you are," he says huskily.
She smiles. "Believe me, you'll know when I'm ready for sex again. You will know."
Day Eight
They both wake up at the sound of Chloe crying into the baby monitor.
"I just fed her," Cristina moans. "Half an hour ago. What does she want now?"
"I'll go see," Owen says, slowly getting out of bed. "Go back to sleep."
"Thank you."
He walks into the nursery and picks Chloe up. She stops crying as soon as he holds her. He checks her diaper – dry.
Owen yawns and sits down in the rocking chair. He looks down at Chloe in his arms, who is looking up at him, wide awake.
"Feeling lonely, were you?" She blinks at him. He chuckles and gestures to the bookshelf in the room, already full. "What shall it be tonight? Harry Potter, Dr Seuss, or Percy Jackson?"
Day Thirteen
"Hello!"
Owen smiles and hugs his mother, then takes her coat as she steps into their house.
"I thought I'd drop by," Kathy Hunt smiles. "Where is my grand-daughter?"
"In the living room," Owen says, hanging up her coat. "She's napping."
They go into the living room. Owen sits down on the couch, where he's folding laundry.
His mother peeks at Chloe sleeping in a bassinet at Owen's feet. She looks at the pile of clothes.
"That – is a lot of pink," she says carefully, sitting down on the couch.
Owen chuckles. "Our coworkers had a baby shower for us last week. We did not choose all of that pink."
"Your first baby shower!" Mrs Hunt beams. "How was it?"
"It – was very pink," Owen says carefully. "There were a lot of ribbons and balloons. It was strange."
"Cristina must not have been pleased."
"Pleased with what?" Cristina walks downstairs.
"The pink baby shower," Owen smiles.
Cristina scowls.
"It wasn't all pink," Owen points out. "There was yellow, and green, and purple, and white."
"And bright pink, dark pink, and more pink. It was like the shower was sponsored by Pepto-Bismol," Cristina says, sitting down next to her mother-in-law. "Made me want to barf. Oh! And I no longer have a name!"
Owen sighs.
"My name is no longer Cristina," she continues. "Everyone called me 'Mommy'! 'How is Mommy doing?' 'Would Mommy like more coffee?' My name is now a role!"
"Exaggerate much?" Owen teases, not backing down from her glare. "A few people called you that, but not everyone."
"Says the man who is enjoying being called 'Daddy'," Cristina shoots back. "We're going to have to buy lots of clothes just to offset the pink."
Chloe stirs. Cristina reaches down and picks her up, then hands her to her mother-in-law. She smiles to see Kathy's face soften as she cradles the sleepy infant.
"At least she looks good in pink," Cristina finally says.
Month Two - February
Cristina walks through the Pit, looking for Owen and Chloe. She smirks to see a crowd around the nurses station making cooing sounds. She walks towards the group.
"Here's Mommy!"
"Don't call me that!" Cristina scowls, to the amusement of several of the staff. Owen grins at her, while Chloe is being passed from one nurse to another.
She motions at Owen to step into his office for a private moment.
"How was your appointment?" he asks, closing the door.
"Good," she purrs, taking his hands. "When you get home tonight, be prepared to get naked. We're totally going to be having sex again."
"Oh really?"
"Really. Unless you want to do it right now?"
He laughs and kisses her. "Tempting, but I have surgery soon. You can wait a few hours?"
"Fine!" She kisses him again. "See you tonight."
**
Owen comes home to a smoky, messy kitchen. It looks like Cristina has been trying to cook. The range fan is whirring and a pot of something is bubbling over, while something red is turning nasty in a saucepan. He quickly turns off the burners and assesses the kitchen for any immediate danger. He opens a window to clear the smoke out. He goes upstairs.
Cristina is in Chloe's room, trying to rock their howling daughter, who is nearly purple with rage. Cristina looks exhausted and exasperated.
"Hi," he says quietly. "I won't ask how your afternoon has been."
"Good," she mutters. "She won't stop crying and I can't figure out why. She's fed, her diaper is clean and dry. Her temperature is normal. It's far too early for her to be teething. She woke up from her nap and started screaming."
"Can I take a turn?"
"Sure."
Owen picks up Chloe and walks with her, but she doesn't stop screaming. Cristina stays in the rocking chair and rubs her forehead.
"What happened to our perfect baby?" Cristina sighs.
"What happened to the kitchen?"
She makes a face. "I thought I'd make spaghetti." She sits up. "I think I left the burners on!"
"I turned them off."
"Oh, good."
"Why don't you go take a shower or something? I'll handle Chloe."
"I think I'll take a nap. Thanks." She stands up and leaves the room. She goes into their bedroom and shuts the door behind her, desperate for some quiet. She lies down on their bed. She pulls pillows over her ears and immediately falls asleep.
**
She wakes up later, to the sound of a vacuum cleaner. "That man cleans at the weirdest hours," she muses, opening the door. She cocks her head. She doesn't hear Chloe crying any more.
She walks downstairs. Owen is vacuuming, while a sleepy Chloe rests against his shoulder.
"Feel better?" Owen asks over the noise.
"She stopped crying!" Cristina exclaims. "How did you do that?"
Owen turns off the vacuum cleaner and they both hold their breath. Chloe is quiet.
"I called my mother," he confesses. "She thinks it might be colic. She said the vacuum cleaner would help and it did."
Cristina closes her eyes and takes a breath. "You called your mother? She must think we're idiots. We're doctors, for crying out loud."
"We're new parents," he points out. "Mom doesn't think we're stupid, just inexperienced. It's not like we ever had to operate on colic."
Cristina throws up her hands in defeat.
"I'll put her in her crib," Owen whispers, quietly walking to the stairs.
Cristina follows him upstairs. She watches as he carefully puts Chloe in her crib, and covers her up. They step out of the room.
"Hungry?" Owen asks quietly.
"No, I need a bath more than anything."
"Okay." He kisses her forehead. "It's all right if we don't have all the answers, you know."
"I don't know that, I'm Cristina Yang."
He smiles and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "Go have a bath. Relax, Cristina Yang."
**
When Owen comes into their bathroom, Cristina is wrapped in a robe, towel-drying her hair.
"So did you have a craving for spaghetti?" Owen teases, unbuttoning his shirt. "That was some mess you made."
"It's one of the few things I know how to make," she shrugs. "I wanted this to be a special dinner and thought I could handle spaghetti."
He smiles softly. "You romantic, you."
"Speaking of romance," she smiles, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm all warm and relaxed now. It's time to resume my 'wifely duties'."
He shakes his head in amusement. "Don't call it 'duties', that is not sexy."
She laughs and gently bites his lower lip. "Let's get naked while she's asleep. Better?"
"Better." He smiles as he helps her remove her robe, sprinkling kisses along her damp skin.
"We've gone so long without sex," she sighs, helping him strip quickly. "Stupid bed rest. Your hand must be exhausted."
"When I have had time for that?" Owen growls, scooping her up. "We have a baby, remember?"
She laughs as he carries her to their bed and carefully lies her down.
"Turn off the lights," she instructs him, as he starts to nibble and lick her neck.
"Why?" He continues with what he is doing, ignoring her command.
"Because I have stretch marks now," she complains. "You don't need to see those."
He chuckles, skimming her breasts with his hands. "They're beautiful. You're beautiful."
"Owen!"
"Cristina!" He moves a hand down to gently stroke her stomach. "I like the changes in your body, okay? I like the stretch marks – those are badges of honour, earned by carrying our baby."
"Freak."
He laughs, before kissing her again. "You did an amazing thing, Cristina," he murmurs, fingering her nipples. "You brought life into the world, and you've voluntarily gone months without wielding a scalpel. Your hands must be itching for surgery."
"Among other things." He hisses as she moves her hands down, grasping him firmly.
"Love you," Owen breathes into her ear, moving his hand lower. She smiles, stroking harder, making him moan. His hand slips between her legs. "Tell me if any of this hurts."
"This is good," Cristina assures him, as his hand dips into her heated moisture. "Very good."
She feels him smile against her shoulder, then she makes a happy noise as he inserts one finger, then two. He slides down so that he can start licking and sucking her breasts. He proceeds to stroke her limbs, explore her skin, praising everything that he touches, until she's arching against his hand and her hands are clutching the sheet beneath her and she's begging him for relief.
He kisses her again, before positioning himself between her legs. They hold each others gaze as he enters her with one smooth, slow stroke. She smiles up at him as he takes her hands, lacing their fingers together. His hips move slowly and sinuously, as she adjusts her legs, desperate to take him as deeply as she can.
She whispers for him to go harder, faster. He just has to thrust once, really thrust, before she moans and starts surrendering to her need, gasping as she trembles with the force of her climax, squeezing his hands and arching off of the bed. He grins, placing kisses against her jaw as she collapses, as he continues to thrust over and over.
She clenches him with her interior muscles, making him moan. She's infused with a second wave of heat, as he starts getting erratic with his thrusts. This time, he joins her, spurting into her as she falls apart. He buries his face in her hair, chanting her name, as she pulls him close, squeezing his cock, murmuring encouraging words. Finally, he collapses against her, warm breath tickling her ear. He rolls over, gathering her into his arms. They lie there, panting, holding onto each other.
"I love you," she whispers against his face.
A wail emerges from the baby monitor on her nightstand.
"That's her hungry cry," Cristina murmurs, reluctantly sitting up.
"I'll go get her." Owen rolls out of bed, pulls on his robe and leaves the room. Cristina arranges her pillows and gets comfortable.
"We have a wet diaper situation," Owen speaks into the monitor. "Hold on."
Cristina smiles and stretches. Her body feels so good now, after the bath and the lovemaking. She listens to Owen talking to Chloe and smirks - who knew that such a man's man could be totally captivated by a tiny girl?
Owen reappears and hands Chloe over.
"What is she wearing?" Cristina quickly looks at the dark blue outfit, moving Chloe to her breast. Their daughter immediately latches on.
"Oh, just something I got for her." Owen climbs back into the bed and curls up next to Cristina, wrapping an arm around her and putting his chin on her shoulder so he can watch Chloe nurse.
Chloe looks up at her with such an expression of relief and gratitude, that Cristina feels her heart skip a beat. She looks closer at the outfit.
"A Seahawks onesie. I should have known," she chuckles.
"I didn't get her the pink one," he says against her ear. Cristina glances at him. He looks utterly content and happy.
Cristina feels her heart skip a beat again, at the coziness of this scene.
"Tell me I haven't gone all warm and fuzzy," she says abruptly. "Tell me I'm hardcore."
Owen laughs, kissing her shoulder. "You are hardcore. You're a ruthless surgeon, and when you get back to work, people will tremble in your wake. You will hold hearts and you will heal them."
"Thank you."
Month Three - March
Derek comes out of surgery, as Owen walks into the scrub room, dressed in his everyday clothes.
"Your turn," Owen grins. "Meredith's in labour."
"About time!" Derek laughs, pulling off his gown and reaching for the soap. "What's her status?"
"Contractions are coming fast and furious, and she is at 6 cm. Lexie is babysitting Robbie and Chloe. Cristina is with Meredith."
"Of course," Derek snorts. "So, Robbie and Chloe together? Those two hang out a lot. Could be the start of something."
"Don't go there," Owen replies amiably.
Derek raises his eyebrows. "Something wrong with my son?"
"No," Owen assures him. "I just don't want to think of my daughter dating anyone. Until she's, oh, 30 years old."
Derek laughs, drying his arms. "You're going to be the over-protective dad, aren't you? You'll require a copy of the guy's driver license and an itinerary of each date. And she'll have to call you every hour."
"Every half-hour," Owen says, clapping Derek on the back as they move towards the elevator. "Otherwise, I ride in the back."
"Don't forget the Internet. You can look at his MySpace and Facebook pictures and see what kind of guy he really is."
"You think of everything."
Derek laughs. "I'm just glad there was no Internet when I was a teenager."
"Me too. This is why I don't want to think of her dating – I know what boys are like."
"I'll make sure Robbie has a GPS unit strapped to his leg so you can track their movements."
"Don't go there!"
**
"She's perfect," Meredith says, looking at the baby in her arms. "Look at her hair!"
"Yeah, no split ends yet," Cristina smiles. She reaches out and quickly strokes the fine blonde hair of the sleeping baby. They are alone in the hospital room.
"I hope Johanna and Chloe will be each other's person," Meredith says quietly.
"Me too."
They look at each other and laugh.
"Look at us," Cristina snorts. "We're getting soft."
"Never!"
They smile and then watch the baby again.
"How does it feel to have two kids?" Cristina asks.
"Great. Scary. Wonderful. Terrifying." She looks up. "Are you thinking of having another already?"
"No, one is enough. If there's going to be another, I want to wait a few years, really cement my status as Cardio Goddess. I have it all planned out."
Meredith nods.
"It would be nice to have a boy, though," Cristina says. "I don't know why I feel that way but I do."
"A little Owen would be really cute."
"Wouldn't he?"
They look at each other again and laugh.
"I'd bet serious money you won't wait a few more years," Meredith grinned.
"Ha!"
Month Four - April
Cristina walks into Owen's office and sits down. "You paged me?"
He nods, turning away from his computer. "Why did you dump Chloe on the Pit nurses this morning?"
"I got a last minute call to scrub in on a cardiac auto-transplantation," she shrugs. "I didn't have time to drop her off at the day care and you were in surgery. Why, did I hurt someone's feelings?"
"They're not a day care," he says. "They have jobs to do."
"They've volunteered to look after her before."
"That's the difference, they volunteered, for a couple of hours. You can't drop her off for the day as you please and say 'My husband is the Head of Trauma'. And you know, that doesn't make you very popular with people you might want favours from in the future."
Cristina sighs. "Fine. Is she still here?"
"No, once I got out of surgery, I took her to day care."
"Good." Cristina stands up.
"Not good."
They stare at each other.
"I'm not going to give up being a Cardio Goddess because I'm a mother," she says flatly. "I saved a life. That patient has been here for two months, waiting for a transplant."
He sighs. "I'm not asking you to do that."
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Not tell someone they have to babysit. At the very least, ask."
She snorts. "I did hurt someone's feelings."
He sighs. "I make sacrifices. I give up surgeries that I know I can do faster and better than anyone else in the Pit, so I can go home at a decent hour. You're not the only one who is addicted to holding a scalpel."
Cristina thinks. "Bailey made me babysit Tucker once. That sucked."
Owen smiles softly.
"Can we not fight?" Cristina asks, moving to settle on his lap. "Wanna do it?"
"I have another surgery in 15 minutes," Owen chuckles, drawing her close. "Tell me about the auto-transplantation."
"Oh! It was so kick ass…"
Month Five - May
"So what do you two have planned for the day?" Cristina asks, walking into the kitchen.
"Breakfast is first," Owen smiles, spooning some food into Chloe's mouth as she smacks her hands on the tray of the high chair. "Then she's going to supervise while I do some cleaning, maybe I'll let her watch that surgery video I brought home, and maybe we will go and visit my mother."
"Sounds good." Cristina says, sitting down at the table to eat the omelette waiting for her. "It's never too early to start her on surgery videos. Although she doesn't have to be a surgeon."
Owen laughs. "When are we going to stop kidding ourselves? We both want her to be a surgeon."
"So it's not just me?"
"Nope. But she doesn't have to be a Trauma surgeon. She can choose her own specialty."
Cristina thinks as she chews. "She's pretty calm, when she's fed and dry and well-rested. She might be too laid-back to be a Cardio Goddess."
"You know, she could be a veterinarian. They perform surgery."
"No! She's got genius hands. She's going to work on humans. You win better awards that way."
"Grandpa Saul would love it if she were an oral surgeon too," Owen says, wiping Chloe's mouth.
"Her talents would be wasted working on teeth," Cristina says decisively. "After my mom married him, all I heard about was teeth at the dinner table. She's better than teeth."
Owen smiles. "I think this is why we pretend that we don't want her to be a surgeon. So we don't start with really high expectations."
Cristina snorts. "Fine. We'll start with – ophthalmology. Eyes are important. It will be perfectly acceptable if she becomes an opthalmologic surgeon."
"Ears, nose, and throat?" Owen suggests.
She rolls her eyes. "That's barely better than teeth."
He laughs. "We're talking about someone who can't even feed herself yet."
"But some day she will. Some day she will display the fine motor skills that we have bred into her, and we need to be ready to guide her to surgical greatness." Cristina's eyes start to glow with surgical fervor.
Owen turns and stares at her. "You scare me sometimes, you know that?"
"Like you didn't know that I'm hardcore."
"True."
**
Cristina comes home from her shift, and finds Owen and Chloe splayed out on the living room floor, surrounded by toys.
"What are you two up to?" Cristina asks, as she takes off her coat.
He looks over and grins. "She discovered she has feet."
"So?"
"It's cute!"
She blinks at him, uncomprehending. She walks over.
"Let me put this into hardcore terms," he chuckles. "She grabs them and she looks at them and she tries to figure them out. She's displaying an interest in anatomy while improving her hand-eye coordination. She could be on the road to being an orthopedic genius."
"Ah," Cristina smiles in amusement. "I like the sound of that."
"Look, I'll show you." Owen coaxes a toy out of Chloe's hands, and guides one of her feet into her hand. She dimples and grabs her other foot.
"That is so cute!" Cristina exclaims. She looks surprised at the words coming out of her own mouth.
Owen smiles but wisely says nothing.
"So what did you two get done today?" Cristina asks, sitting down next to him.
"She played with her feet, and I watched."
"Makes my concomitant mitral valve repair sound absolutely boring."
"It's nothing compared to feet."
Month Six - June
Cristina looks at the pile of duffel bags and fishing gear stacked in the entrance of their house.
"You are coming back, right? Tell me you're not running away from home," she says to Owen.
Owen laughs as he sets down a cooler. "Of course I will come back. Can't stay away from my favourite girls."
She yawns and shifts Chloe from one hip to the other. "Don't get eaten by a bear."
"Yes ma'am." He checks his watch. "I should load up the truck now, I told Derek I'd by there by 6."
"Insane." She smirks. "Getting up this early when there's no surgery waiting for you."
"You're up."
"Because of Miss Chloe here."
He smiles and kisses her, then kisses Chloe. "Be good for Mommy."
Chloe smiles back. A sad expression quickly flickers over Owen's face, before he grabs some bags and takes them out to his truck.
"He's going to miss you," murmurs Cristina, smoothing Chloe's curls. "I know you think he's probably going to work, but he's going away for a whole week. He and Uncle Derek are taking Robbie fishing for the first time. They're going to pee outdoors and do man stuff."
Chloe leans against her. Cristina smiles. "If you want, you can go with him in a few years. Just don't ever ask me to go too."
**
"So how is your week of single motherhood?" Meredith asks over the phone.
"It sucks," Cristina replies, spooning food into Chloe's mouth. "Yours?"
"Terrible. Johanna's got a cold."
"Again?"
"Yep. She picked it up at day care," sighs Meredith.
"You should have seen this one kid at our day care. He looked like a snot factory when I picked Chloe up today. I just wanted to tell his parents to keep him the hell home."
"You're such a mama bear."
"You know it."
Meredith laughs. "I wonder how the guys are liking all the rain?"
"No clue. Hopefully they won't get swept away by some flash flood."
"Cristina!"
"Please. Owen can build a raft and float them to safety."
"And you know that how?"
"He was a Boy Scout. He's Owen."
**
Feeling lonely, Cristina takes Chloe into her bed. Which she soon discovers is a mistake.
"You're never going to sleep, are you?" Cristina yawns. She looks at Chloe, in the dim light. Chloe is sitting up on the bed, smiling at her.
"You are so like your father," she murmurs. "Cheerful at the craziest hours. Wanting attention when I want to sleep."
She smiles softly. "It's okay though, I'm quite fond of him. You look like me and you act like him. Some day, you'll be pulling icicles out of somebody. Although I'd prefer you didn't go off to war."
Cristina pauses and tilts her head. "Did you hear something downstairs?"
She listens carefully – she definitely heard a sound downstairs. Adrenaline kicks into gear and she grabs the nearest object she can see, hits the alarm button in the hallway, and rushes to the top of the stairs.
"Whoever is down there, you better get out right now!" Cristina yells. She holds her breath. She is suddenly acutely aware she's wearing just a t-shirt and panties. Clutching a book.
Familiar laughter comes from downstairs. "Cristina, it's me!" Owen shouts. A light comes on. The phone starts to ring.
She walks down the stairs carefully, holding up the book as a weapon. She sees Owen standing in the living room, soaking wet. He takes one look at her and doubles over in laughter.
"Don't laugh!" Cristina scowls and picks up the phone. She speaks to their security company while Owen takes off his jacket and boots. Once she gets off the phone, she glares at him.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be doing man stuff in the woods!"
"A book?" Owen snorts, pointing to the object in her hand. "You were going to fight off an intruder with a book?"
"I'm hardcore!" Cristina snaps.
"You are, babe, you are," he laughs, walking over to her and gathering her up in a hug. "I was terrified. You might have read me to death."
"Oh stop. You're getting me all wet. Why are you here, anyways?"
"Nice to see you too," he murmurs, kissing her neck. "It rained the whole time, Robbie hates fishing, and we ran out of beer. After being stuck in a trailer with a bored three year old for a few days, Derek and I looked at each other and wondered why we weren't at home in our dry beds with our ladies."
She shakes her head and smirks, wrapping her arms around his neck. "So you came home without calling first?"
"Why, you got a boyfriend upstairs?"
"If I did, I'd make him fight off an intruder first." She kisses him.
"Ha! Well, I'm sorry I scared you."
"Welcome home, Owen."
He kisses her, his wet beard scratching her chin. "You miss me?"
"Chloe missed her manservant," she teases.
"I want to go see her."
"Lucky you, she's awake."
They go upstairs. Chloe's face lights up and she shrieks when she sees Owen. He scoops her up in a bear hug.
"She got bigger," Owen chuckles. "You remembered to feed her."
"What is with you?" Cristina asks.
"I missed you," he grins, snuggling Chloe. "Both of you."
"That's better."
This is the sequel. It touches on some of my other stories as well. HUGE thanks to
nursebadass for being my medical mumbo-jumbo clarifier, bad ass beta-reader, and just generally being awesome. :-)Title: The Twenty-Four Months After (Part 1/4)
Author:
angelamermaidPairing: Cristina/Owen
Rating: Mature
Summary: What happens when Cristina and Owen have a baby?
Disclaimer: These characters are property of Shonda Rhimes/ABC and Grey's Anatomy. They do not belong to me. Reimbursement is not received for fictitious works.
Month One - January
"Owen?"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Chloe's sleeping."
He blinks and stares at the clock. 3:17 in the morning. He turns his head and stares at his wife, hovering over him in their dimly lit bedroom.
"Cristina ... you woke me up ... because our baby is sleeping?"
Cristina nods.
He sighs. "Has she woken up at all?"
"Yes, she's woken up once for feeding and a diaper change."
"And?"
"And then she went back to sleep."
He yawns and sits up. "Cristina, why am I awake?"
"Owen, we have the perfect baby. We did it. Us. You and me. Well, mostly me. I didn't see you carrying a baby for nine months. But you were there."
He smiles and shakes his head. "Thank you for telling me."
"I thought you'd like to know," she says, climbing into bed beside him.
"And how are you?" Owen lies down again.
"Sore," she sighs, snuggling against him. "But it was totally worth it, having the perfect baby."
"Mmm-hmmm," he murmurs, wrapping his arms around her.
"Owen, this is our baby's first night at home and she's sleeping through the night. Meredith is going to be so jealous."
"Are you going to call her and gloat?"
"Not now. In the morning."
"Yes, let Meredith sleep."
She playfully elbows him. He chuckles and kisses the back of her neck.
They lie there in silence for a few moments.
"I should go and check on her," Owen says. "Make sure she's still perfect."
"I'll come with you."
Day Four
Cristina is sitting on the couch, burping Chloe when Owen arrives from the airport with their guests.
"There she is!" Helen exclaims, throwing her coat at Saul and heading straight for the living room. "Let me see my grand-daughter!"
Cristina smiles and turns Chloe around. "Good timing, she just finished lunch." She carefully places Chloe in Helen's arms. Owen waves at her before taking the suitcases up to the guest room.
"She's beautiful," Helen coos, sitting down. "She is so beautiful. Cristina, she looks just like you did when you were a baby."
"Well done," Saul smiles, coming over to see the baby. "Hi Cristina."
"Hi Saul."
"What kind of formula are you using?" Helen asks. "Did you even read the list I emailed you?"
"Oh, no formula," Cristina shrugs. "Breast milk is the best for her right now."
Helen frowns. "You're breastfeeding?"
Cristina sighs and tenses. "Yes. What's wrong with that?"
"Well, you're such a modern woman. And you don't like to be touched."
"I did a lot of research while on bed rest. This is the best for her right now. And don't worry, I'm not going to be one of those moms who breastfeed until the kid goes to school."
"I hope you won't be doing it in public."
Cristina rolls her eyes and gets off the couch. "No, the world is not getting a look at my breasts. Be right back."
She heads upstairs, where Owen is leaving the guest room. He takes one look at her expression and grins. "What did your mother say?"
"She thinks I'll be whipping my boobs out in public to breastfeed. And she's surprised. Why is everyone surprised that I'm breastfeeding?"
Owen smiles. "Well, you're not well-known for liking children. But I'm not surprised you're breastfeeding. And I think you're doing the right thing."
"Oh, I know you like it," Cristina smirks. "And I know why."
He smiles, drawing her close and deliberately not looking below her neck. "I agree with you, breast milk is the best thing for her. And there's nothing wrong with liking what motherhood has done to your body."
"What, are you ready to make another baby?" She teases him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Ready whenever you are," he says huskily.
She smiles. "Believe me, you'll know when I'm ready for sex again. You will know."
Day Eight
They both wake up at the sound of Chloe crying into the baby monitor.
"I just fed her," Cristina moans. "Half an hour ago. What does she want now?"
"I'll go see," Owen says, slowly getting out of bed. "Go back to sleep."
"Thank you."
He walks into the nursery and picks Chloe up. She stops crying as soon as he holds her. He checks her diaper – dry.
Owen yawns and sits down in the rocking chair. He looks down at Chloe in his arms, who is looking up at him, wide awake.
"Feeling lonely, were you?" She blinks at him. He chuckles and gestures to the bookshelf in the room, already full. "What shall it be tonight? Harry Potter, Dr Seuss, or Percy Jackson?"
Day Thirteen
"Hello!"
Owen smiles and hugs his mother, then takes her coat as she steps into their house.
"I thought I'd drop by," Kathy Hunt smiles. "Where is my grand-daughter?"
"In the living room," Owen says, hanging up her coat. "She's napping."
They go into the living room. Owen sits down on the couch, where he's folding laundry.
His mother peeks at Chloe sleeping in a bassinet at Owen's feet. She looks at the pile of clothes.
"That – is a lot of pink," she says carefully, sitting down on the couch.
Owen chuckles. "Our coworkers had a baby shower for us last week. We did not choose all of that pink."
"Your first baby shower!" Mrs Hunt beams. "How was it?"
"It – was very pink," Owen says carefully. "There were a lot of ribbons and balloons. It was strange."
"Cristina must not have been pleased."
"Pleased with what?" Cristina walks downstairs.
"The pink baby shower," Owen smiles.
Cristina scowls.
"It wasn't all pink," Owen points out. "There was yellow, and green, and purple, and white."
"And bright pink, dark pink, and more pink. It was like the shower was sponsored by Pepto-Bismol," Cristina says, sitting down next to her mother-in-law. "Made me want to barf. Oh! And I no longer have a name!"
Owen sighs.
"My name is no longer Cristina," she continues. "Everyone called me 'Mommy'! 'How is Mommy doing?' 'Would Mommy like more coffee?' My name is now a role!"
"Exaggerate much?" Owen teases, not backing down from her glare. "A few people called you that, but not everyone."
"Says the man who is enjoying being called 'Daddy'," Cristina shoots back. "We're going to have to buy lots of clothes just to offset the pink."
Chloe stirs. Cristina reaches down and picks her up, then hands her to her mother-in-law. She smiles to see Kathy's face soften as she cradles the sleepy infant.
"At least she looks good in pink," Cristina finally says.
Month Two - February
Cristina walks through the Pit, looking for Owen and Chloe. She smirks to see a crowd around the nurses station making cooing sounds. She walks towards the group.
"Here's Mommy!"
"Don't call me that!" Cristina scowls, to the amusement of several of the staff. Owen grins at her, while Chloe is being passed from one nurse to another.
She motions at Owen to step into his office for a private moment.
"How was your appointment?" he asks, closing the door.
"Good," she purrs, taking his hands. "When you get home tonight, be prepared to get naked. We're totally going to be having sex again."
"Oh really?"
"Really. Unless you want to do it right now?"
He laughs and kisses her. "Tempting, but I have surgery soon. You can wait a few hours?"
"Fine!" She kisses him again. "See you tonight."
**
Owen comes home to a smoky, messy kitchen. It looks like Cristina has been trying to cook. The range fan is whirring and a pot of something is bubbling over, while something red is turning nasty in a saucepan. He quickly turns off the burners and assesses the kitchen for any immediate danger. He opens a window to clear the smoke out. He goes upstairs.
Cristina is in Chloe's room, trying to rock their howling daughter, who is nearly purple with rage. Cristina looks exhausted and exasperated.
"Hi," he says quietly. "I won't ask how your afternoon has been."
"Good," she mutters. "She won't stop crying and I can't figure out why. She's fed, her diaper is clean and dry. Her temperature is normal. It's far too early for her to be teething. She woke up from her nap and started screaming."
"Can I take a turn?"
"Sure."
Owen picks up Chloe and walks with her, but she doesn't stop screaming. Cristina stays in the rocking chair and rubs her forehead.
"What happened to our perfect baby?" Cristina sighs.
"What happened to the kitchen?"
She makes a face. "I thought I'd make spaghetti." She sits up. "I think I left the burners on!"
"I turned them off."
"Oh, good."
"Why don't you go take a shower or something? I'll handle Chloe."
"I think I'll take a nap. Thanks." She stands up and leaves the room. She goes into their bedroom and shuts the door behind her, desperate for some quiet. She lies down on their bed. She pulls pillows over her ears and immediately falls asleep.
**
She wakes up later, to the sound of a vacuum cleaner. "That man cleans at the weirdest hours," she muses, opening the door. She cocks her head. She doesn't hear Chloe crying any more.
She walks downstairs. Owen is vacuuming, while a sleepy Chloe rests against his shoulder.
"Feel better?" Owen asks over the noise.
"She stopped crying!" Cristina exclaims. "How did you do that?"
Owen turns off the vacuum cleaner and they both hold their breath. Chloe is quiet.
"I called my mother," he confesses. "She thinks it might be colic. She said the vacuum cleaner would help and it did."
Cristina closes her eyes and takes a breath. "You called your mother? She must think we're idiots. We're doctors, for crying out loud."
"We're new parents," he points out. "Mom doesn't think we're stupid, just inexperienced. It's not like we ever had to operate on colic."
Cristina throws up her hands in defeat.
"I'll put her in her crib," Owen whispers, quietly walking to the stairs.
Cristina follows him upstairs. She watches as he carefully puts Chloe in her crib, and covers her up. They step out of the room.
"Hungry?" Owen asks quietly.
"No, I need a bath more than anything."
"Okay." He kisses her forehead. "It's all right if we don't have all the answers, you know."
"I don't know that, I'm Cristina Yang."
He smiles and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "Go have a bath. Relax, Cristina Yang."
**
When Owen comes into their bathroom, Cristina is wrapped in a robe, towel-drying her hair.
"So did you have a craving for spaghetti?" Owen teases, unbuttoning his shirt. "That was some mess you made."
"It's one of the few things I know how to make," she shrugs. "I wanted this to be a special dinner and thought I could handle spaghetti."
He smiles softly. "You romantic, you."
"Speaking of romance," she smiles, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm all warm and relaxed now. It's time to resume my 'wifely duties'."
He shakes his head in amusement. "Don't call it 'duties', that is not sexy."
She laughs and gently bites his lower lip. "Let's get naked while she's asleep. Better?"
"Better." He smiles as he helps her remove her robe, sprinkling kisses along her damp skin.
"We've gone so long without sex," she sighs, helping him strip quickly. "Stupid bed rest. Your hand must be exhausted."
"When I have had time for that?" Owen growls, scooping her up. "We have a baby, remember?"
She laughs as he carries her to their bed and carefully lies her down.
"Turn off the lights," she instructs him, as he starts to nibble and lick her neck.
"Why?" He continues with what he is doing, ignoring her command.
"Because I have stretch marks now," she complains. "You don't need to see those."
He chuckles, skimming her breasts with his hands. "They're beautiful. You're beautiful."
"Owen!"
"Cristina!" He moves a hand down to gently stroke her stomach. "I like the changes in your body, okay? I like the stretch marks – those are badges of honour, earned by carrying our baby."
"Freak."
He laughs, before kissing her again. "You did an amazing thing, Cristina," he murmurs, fingering her nipples. "You brought life into the world, and you've voluntarily gone months without wielding a scalpel. Your hands must be itching for surgery."
"Among other things." He hisses as she moves her hands down, grasping him firmly.
"Love you," Owen breathes into her ear, moving his hand lower. She smiles, stroking harder, making him moan. His hand slips between her legs. "Tell me if any of this hurts."
"This is good," Cristina assures him, as his hand dips into her heated moisture. "Very good."
She feels him smile against her shoulder, then she makes a happy noise as he inserts one finger, then two. He slides down so that he can start licking and sucking her breasts. He proceeds to stroke her limbs, explore her skin, praising everything that he touches, until she's arching against his hand and her hands are clutching the sheet beneath her and she's begging him for relief.
He kisses her again, before positioning himself between her legs. They hold each others gaze as he enters her with one smooth, slow stroke. She smiles up at him as he takes her hands, lacing their fingers together. His hips move slowly and sinuously, as she adjusts her legs, desperate to take him as deeply as she can.
She whispers for him to go harder, faster. He just has to thrust once, really thrust, before she moans and starts surrendering to her need, gasping as she trembles with the force of her climax, squeezing his hands and arching off of the bed. He grins, placing kisses against her jaw as she collapses, as he continues to thrust over and over.
She clenches him with her interior muscles, making him moan. She's infused with a second wave of heat, as he starts getting erratic with his thrusts. This time, he joins her, spurting into her as she falls apart. He buries his face in her hair, chanting her name, as she pulls him close, squeezing his cock, murmuring encouraging words. Finally, he collapses against her, warm breath tickling her ear. He rolls over, gathering her into his arms. They lie there, panting, holding onto each other.
"I love you," she whispers against his face.
A wail emerges from the baby monitor on her nightstand.
"That's her hungry cry," Cristina murmurs, reluctantly sitting up.
"I'll go get her." Owen rolls out of bed, pulls on his robe and leaves the room. Cristina arranges her pillows and gets comfortable.
"We have a wet diaper situation," Owen speaks into the monitor. "Hold on."
Cristina smiles and stretches. Her body feels so good now, after the bath and the lovemaking. She listens to Owen talking to Chloe and smirks - who knew that such a man's man could be totally captivated by a tiny girl?
Owen reappears and hands Chloe over.
"What is she wearing?" Cristina quickly looks at the dark blue outfit, moving Chloe to her breast. Their daughter immediately latches on.
"Oh, just something I got for her." Owen climbs back into the bed and curls up next to Cristina, wrapping an arm around her and putting his chin on her shoulder so he can watch Chloe nurse.
Chloe looks up at her with such an expression of relief and gratitude, that Cristina feels her heart skip a beat. She looks closer at the outfit.
"A Seahawks onesie. I should have known," she chuckles.
"I didn't get her the pink one," he says against her ear. Cristina glances at him. He looks utterly content and happy.
Cristina feels her heart skip a beat again, at the coziness of this scene.
"Tell me I haven't gone all warm and fuzzy," she says abruptly. "Tell me I'm hardcore."
Owen laughs, kissing her shoulder. "You are hardcore. You're a ruthless surgeon, and when you get back to work, people will tremble in your wake. You will hold hearts and you will heal them."
"Thank you."
Month Three - March
Derek comes out of surgery, as Owen walks into the scrub room, dressed in his everyday clothes.
"Your turn," Owen grins. "Meredith's in labour."
"About time!" Derek laughs, pulling off his gown and reaching for the soap. "What's her status?"
"Contractions are coming fast and furious, and she is at 6 cm. Lexie is babysitting Robbie and Chloe. Cristina is with Meredith."
"Of course," Derek snorts. "So, Robbie and Chloe together? Those two hang out a lot. Could be the start of something."
"Don't go there," Owen replies amiably.
Derek raises his eyebrows. "Something wrong with my son?"
"No," Owen assures him. "I just don't want to think of my daughter dating anyone. Until she's, oh, 30 years old."
Derek laughs, drying his arms. "You're going to be the over-protective dad, aren't you? You'll require a copy of the guy's driver license and an itinerary of each date. And she'll have to call you every hour."
"Every half-hour," Owen says, clapping Derek on the back as they move towards the elevator. "Otherwise, I ride in the back."
"Don't forget the Internet. You can look at his MySpace and Facebook pictures and see what kind of guy he really is."
"You think of everything."
Derek laughs. "I'm just glad there was no Internet when I was a teenager."
"Me too. This is why I don't want to think of her dating – I know what boys are like."
"I'll make sure Robbie has a GPS unit strapped to his leg so you can track their movements."
"Don't go there!"
**
"She's perfect," Meredith says, looking at the baby in her arms. "Look at her hair!"
"Yeah, no split ends yet," Cristina smiles. She reaches out and quickly strokes the fine blonde hair of the sleeping baby. They are alone in the hospital room.
"I hope Johanna and Chloe will be each other's person," Meredith says quietly.
"Me too."
They look at each other and laugh.
"Look at us," Cristina snorts. "We're getting soft."
"Never!"
They smile and then watch the baby again.
"How does it feel to have two kids?" Cristina asks.
"Great. Scary. Wonderful. Terrifying." She looks up. "Are you thinking of having another already?"
"No, one is enough. If there's going to be another, I want to wait a few years, really cement my status as Cardio Goddess. I have it all planned out."
Meredith nods.
"It would be nice to have a boy, though," Cristina says. "I don't know why I feel that way but I do."
"A little Owen would be really cute."
"Wouldn't he?"
They look at each other again and laugh.
"I'd bet serious money you won't wait a few more years," Meredith grinned.
"Ha!"
Month Four - April
Cristina walks into Owen's office and sits down. "You paged me?"
He nods, turning away from his computer. "Why did you dump Chloe on the Pit nurses this morning?"
"I got a last minute call to scrub in on a cardiac auto-transplantation," she shrugs. "I didn't have time to drop her off at the day care and you were in surgery. Why, did I hurt someone's feelings?"
"They're not a day care," he says. "They have jobs to do."
"They've volunteered to look after her before."
"That's the difference, they volunteered, for a couple of hours. You can't drop her off for the day as you please and say 'My husband is the Head of Trauma'. And you know, that doesn't make you very popular with people you might want favours from in the future."
Cristina sighs. "Fine. Is she still here?"
"No, once I got out of surgery, I took her to day care."
"Good." Cristina stands up.
"Not good."
They stare at each other.
"I'm not going to give up being a Cardio Goddess because I'm a mother," she says flatly. "I saved a life. That patient has been here for two months, waiting for a transplant."
He sighs. "I'm not asking you to do that."
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Not tell someone they have to babysit. At the very least, ask."
She snorts. "I did hurt someone's feelings."
He sighs. "I make sacrifices. I give up surgeries that I know I can do faster and better than anyone else in the Pit, so I can go home at a decent hour. You're not the only one who is addicted to holding a scalpel."
Cristina thinks. "Bailey made me babysit Tucker once. That sucked."
Owen smiles softly.
"Can we not fight?" Cristina asks, moving to settle on his lap. "Wanna do it?"
"I have another surgery in 15 minutes," Owen chuckles, drawing her close. "Tell me about the auto-transplantation."
"Oh! It was so kick ass…"
Month Five - May
"So what do you two have planned for the day?" Cristina asks, walking into the kitchen.
"Breakfast is first," Owen smiles, spooning some food into Chloe's mouth as she smacks her hands on the tray of the high chair. "Then she's going to supervise while I do some cleaning, maybe I'll let her watch that surgery video I brought home, and maybe we will go and visit my mother."
"Sounds good." Cristina says, sitting down at the table to eat the omelette waiting for her. "It's never too early to start her on surgery videos. Although she doesn't have to be a surgeon."
Owen laughs. "When are we going to stop kidding ourselves? We both want her to be a surgeon."
"So it's not just me?"
"Nope. But she doesn't have to be a Trauma surgeon. She can choose her own specialty."
Cristina thinks as she chews. "She's pretty calm, when she's fed and dry and well-rested. She might be too laid-back to be a Cardio Goddess."
"You know, she could be a veterinarian. They perform surgery."
"No! She's got genius hands. She's going to work on humans. You win better awards that way."
"Grandpa Saul would love it if she were an oral surgeon too," Owen says, wiping Chloe's mouth.
"Her talents would be wasted working on teeth," Cristina says decisively. "After my mom married him, all I heard about was teeth at the dinner table. She's better than teeth."
Owen smiles. "I think this is why we pretend that we don't want her to be a surgeon. So we don't start with really high expectations."
Cristina snorts. "Fine. We'll start with – ophthalmology. Eyes are important. It will be perfectly acceptable if she becomes an opthalmologic surgeon."
"Ears, nose, and throat?" Owen suggests.
She rolls her eyes. "That's barely better than teeth."
He laughs. "We're talking about someone who can't even feed herself yet."
"But some day she will. Some day she will display the fine motor skills that we have bred into her, and we need to be ready to guide her to surgical greatness." Cristina's eyes start to glow with surgical fervor.
Owen turns and stares at her. "You scare me sometimes, you know that?"
"Like you didn't know that I'm hardcore."
"True."
**
Cristina comes home from her shift, and finds Owen and Chloe splayed out on the living room floor, surrounded by toys.
"What are you two up to?" Cristina asks, as she takes off her coat.
He looks over and grins. "She discovered she has feet."
"So?"
"It's cute!"
She blinks at him, uncomprehending. She walks over.
"Let me put this into hardcore terms," he chuckles. "She grabs them and she looks at them and she tries to figure them out. She's displaying an interest in anatomy while improving her hand-eye coordination. She could be on the road to being an orthopedic genius."
"Ah," Cristina smiles in amusement. "I like the sound of that."
"Look, I'll show you." Owen coaxes a toy out of Chloe's hands, and guides one of her feet into her hand. She dimples and grabs her other foot.
"That is so cute!" Cristina exclaims. She looks surprised at the words coming out of her own mouth.
Owen smiles but wisely says nothing.
"So what did you two get done today?" Cristina asks, sitting down next to him.
"She played with her feet, and I watched."
"Makes my concomitant mitral valve repair sound absolutely boring."
"It's nothing compared to feet."
Month Six - June
Cristina looks at the pile of duffel bags and fishing gear stacked in the entrance of their house.
"You are coming back, right? Tell me you're not running away from home," she says to Owen.
Owen laughs as he sets down a cooler. "Of course I will come back. Can't stay away from my favourite girls."
She yawns and shifts Chloe from one hip to the other. "Don't get eaten by a bear."
"Yes ma'am." He checks his watch. "I should load up the truck now, I told Derek I'd by there by 6."
"Insane." She smirks. "Getting up this early when there's no surgery waiting for you."
"You're up."
"Because of Miss Chloe here."
He smiles and kisses her, then kisses Chloe. "Be good for Mommy."
Chloe smiles back. A sad expression quickly flickers over Owen's face, before he grabs some bags and takes them out to his truck.
"He's going to miss you," murmurs Cristina, smoothing Chloe's curls. "I know you think he's probably going to work, but he's going away for a whole week. He and Uncle Derek are taking Robbie fishing for the first time. They're going to pee outdoors and do man stuff."
Chloe leans against her. Cristina smiles. "If you want, you can go with him in a few years. Just don't ever ask me to go too."
**
"So how is your week of single motherhood?" Meredith asks over the phone.
"It sucks," Cristina replies, spooning food into Chloe's mouth. "Yours?"
"Terrible. Johanna's got a cold."
"Again?"
"Yep. She picked it up at day care," sighs Meredith.
"You should have seen this one kid at our day care. He looked like a snot factory when I picked Chloe up today. I just wanted to tell his parents to keep him the hell home."
"You're such a mama bear."
"You know it."
Meredith laughs. "I wonder how the guys are liking all the rain?"
"No clue. Hopefully they won't get swept away by some flash flood."
"Cristina!"
"Please. Owen can build a raft and float them to safety."
"And you know that how?"
"He was a Boy Scout. He's Owen."
**
Feeling lonely, Cristina takes Chloe into her bed. Which she soon discovers is a mistake.
"You're never going to sleep, are you?" Cristina yawns. She looks at Chloe, in the dim light. Chloe is sitting up on the bed, smiling at her.
"You are so like your father," she murmurs. "Cheerful at the craziest hours. Wanting attention when I want to sleep."
She smiles softly. "It's okay though, I'm quite fond of him. You look like me and you act like him. Some day, you'll be pulling icicles out of somebody. Although I'd prefer you didn't go off to war."
Cristina pauses and tilts her head. "Did you hear something downstairs?"
She listens carefully – she definitely heard a sound downstairs. Adrenaline kicks into gear and she grabs the nearest object she can see, hits the alarm button in the hallway, and rushes to the top of the stairs.
"Whoever is down there, you better get out right now!" Cristina yells. She holds her breath. She is suddenly acutely aware she's wearing just a t-shirt and panties. Clutching a book.
Familiar laughter comes from downstairs. "Cristina, it's me!" Owen shouts. A light comes on. The phone starts to ring.
She walks down the stairs carefully, holding up the book as a weapon. She sees Owen standing in the living room, soaking wet. He takes one look at her and doubles over in laughter.
"Don't laugh!" Cristina scowls and picks up the phone. She speaks to their security company while Owen takes off his jacket and boots. Once she gets off the phone, she glares at him.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be doing man stuff in the woods!"
"A book?" Owen snorts, pointing to the object in her hand. "You were going to fight off an intruder with a book?"
"I'm hardcore!" Cristina snaps.
"You are, babe, you are," he laughs, walking over to her and gathering her up in a hug. "I was terrified. You might have read me to death."
"Oh stop. You're getting me all wet. Why are you here, anyways?"
"Nice to see you too," he murmurs, kissing her neck. "It rained the whole time, Robbie hates fishing, and we ran out of beer. After being stuck in a trailer with a bored three year old for a few days, Derek and I looked at each other and wondered why we weren't at home in our dry beds with our ladies."
She shakes her head and smirks, wrapping her arms around his neck. "So you came home without calling first?"
"Why, you got a boyfriend upstairs?"
"If I did, I'd make him fight off an intruder first." She kisses him.
"Ha! Well, I'm sorry I scared you."
"Welcome home, Owen."
He kisses her, his wet beard scratching her chin. "You miss me?"
"Chloe missed her manservant," she teases.
"I want to go see her."
"Lucky you, she's awake."
They go upstairs. Chloe's face lights up and she shrieks when she sees Owen. He scoops her up in a bear hug.
"She got bigger," Owen chuckles. "You remembered to feed her."
"What is with you?" Cristina asks.
"I missed you," he grins, snuggling Chloe. "Both of you."
"That's better."
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Date: 2010-01-20 02:15 pm (UTC)(you'll write about that, right? pretty please?)
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Date: 2010-04-18 09:45 am (UTC)I love this family.