Chapter Text
At this point there was only one word that could sum up what Cristina was doing;
Stalking.
For the past two weeks she’s been discreetly following her “target” as they went to work and to home. As they did their errands at the grocery store and the post office and went to the local park, mostly to run but there were times when they would sit on a bench and wait for the sun to rise or for the stars to appear in the sky depending on the time of day. Cristina has witnessed it all, following her “target” at a far enough distance that she wouldn’t be easily spotted and thanks to her bike she was able to fit into smaller areas and to take cover behind large cars to remain unseen, all of which appeared to be working so far in her favor.
By now you’re probably thinking: Cristina who the fuck are you “stalking?” And you might think you have the answer but you’d be wrong.
The only logical, reasonable, answer would be Meredith (obviously). After all, Cristina was still Meredith’s person and it was her sworn duty to make sure that her other half, her platonic soul mate, was doing okay, making what she was doing completely justified given recent events. You know the one where Meredith disappeared for three days after leaving early the morning following the train accident only to show up halfway through the week acting completely normal, as though she didn’t just drop off the face of the Earth without warning. And though Cristina didn’t have any hard evidence she suspected that Izzie was involved in some way because of how jumpy she was the next day. She practically snapped at Cristina when she asked her if she knew what happened to Meredith. It was just her luck that Izzie decided to take a page out of Meredith’s play book, and refused to talk about it but in this case, her actions spoke louder in words because while everyone else (minus Cristina) was shocked to discover that Montgomery had “called in sick” around the same time as Meredith’s mysterious disappearance, Izzie didn’t bat an eye.
It was very strange indeed and Cristina was racking her brain of ways on how she was going to get Izzie to spill her guts because if something was wrong with Meredith then she damn sure needed to know. Sure, Meredith might be in good hands because Cristina wasn’t stupid and put two and two together, but it still bothered her that she didn’t know what was going on with her person. She was trying to respect Meredith’s boundaries but it was hard. So, while Meredith being her “target” was plausible (and was honestly about to be if she didn’t start getting the answers she desired from either her person or Izzie) she was currently spared at the moment all because of an event that happened the day Meredith returned to work.
Following lunch Cristina, along with the rest of her fellow interns, was in the ER with Altman, the air coming back down from the blow up that just happened. Izzie was pissed at Meredith over the fact that she stole “her” surgery from her, basically implying that Meredith was getting favoritism treatment from Montgomery. Rather or not that was the case (Cristina didn’t think it was but her gut felt differently) it wasn’t Izzie’s place to butt in and Altman punished her accordingly by revoking her privileges in the ER for the remainder of the day. It meant that Izzie couldn’t pick up any new surgical cases, a fact that she was aware of because she stormed out of the ER mumbling incoherently under her breath.
Once Izzie left it was business as usual, with Teddy announcing that they had an incoming but it didn’t sound serious. It wasn’t, just an overly neurotic parent making a big deal over a stomach bug. For the record the parent was like 50 and her son was in his thirties and the reason why they were in the hospital at all was because the mother was convinced that the son’s new wife was trying to poison him. It quickly spiraled to a domestic dispute, making Cristina flee to the nurses station under the guise of getting the discharge paperwork in order. On the other side of the nurses station was Altman who was filling out the intake log, in her usual neutral borderline detached yet still professional manner. Altman had worn her hair down that day, her long not quite straight but also not quite wavy tresses fell softly around her face like a golden curtain…
Wait…
Why the hell did she care how Altman’s hair looked?
She didn’t! And that wasn’t the point of the story. The point was that an EMT, the same one that yelled at Cristina for trashing their rigs in her fruitless search for the severed leg, came up to Altman and asked her out! If that wasn’t enough, Altman agreed and thus began Cristina’s disgusting “stalking” behavior, going so far as to switch her on-call night with George so she could follow Altman as she went on her date with the EMT.
Cristina trailed behind the EMT’s car (which was hard because it was a white Honda that looked like every other generic white mid size sedan), keeping at least two cars between her and the EMT’s vehicle until it stopped about half an hour outside of Seattle to a free standing building that had no distinguishing marks except for a large neon sign that read ‘Hatchies’. Cristina stuck to the shadows, parking herself next to a patch of grass with a tree to give her some additional coverage. Despite it being barren, the tree gave her a major advantage that allowed her to get a bit closer to Altman and the EMT without raising either woman’s suspicions. Both Altman and the EMT were blissfully unaware of Cristina as they exited the vehicle, each giving off a faint shiver as they met the cold winter air. Altman all too willingly (in Cristina’s opinion) followed the EMT into the building, their actions punctuated by the brief appearance of a soft yellow light that promised warmth and food and…warmth. It was a particularly cold night, the lowest it’s been this month but at least it was dry (a rarity in Seattle) and thought tempted Cristina did not break. She would content herself with staying outside, arguing it was safer for her in the long run because if she was found out by Altman…she didn’t even want to think about what the former army surgeon would do to her. She was already on thin ice with Altman and if she were to find out about Cristina’s so-called “stalking” of her person… No excuse in the world could save her from the particular hell that only Altman can reign down on her.
The problem was…did she really want to stop it?
The scent of stale beer and unstained wood hung heavily in the air.
Teddy was sitting at a small high top table that she managed to snag while her date for the evening, Jill, was at the counter ordering them food and drinks. Jill promised her chicken wings when she asked her out and Teddy was kind of looking forward to them. She’s been craving them since she came to the realization that it’s been ages since the last time she’s enjoyed a good basket of buffalo wings, which was the Super Bowl game the same year she enlisted. It was a good night, filled with pitchers of beer, bottomless wings, and everyone cheering on, which later turned to booing, the Giants. To occupy herself Teddy took in her surroundings, still trying to wrap her mind over the place Jill had brought her to.
Once upon a time it used to be a bowling alley if the set up was anything to go by. It was a split level, with the upper level where Teddy was held the check in desk, concession stand where Jill went to, a couple of high top tables with too many tables and not enough chairs, and an arcade that most likely came with place when it transitioned over. There was a pinball machine, a claw machine, air hockey, and PacMan, which was extremely tempting for Teddy.
Fun fact about Teddy, way back when she was in middle school she was a bit of an amateur PacMan player. She was practically glued to her local PacMan machine, which was in all places the neighborhood grocery store. Her mother, like many others, loved it because it kept her distracted long enough for her to complete her shopping without the presence of a whiny pre-teen and Teddy liked it because the grocery store was on her way home from school, convenient for any last minutes errands and perfect for letting off steam after school. For three years Teddy came in everyday, getting to know some of the regular customers and the employees that mostly consisted of kids from the local high school, and playing PacMan until she either ran out of quarters or was bored with it (which didn’t happen often). Because she was always seen with the game she was the one who was blamed when the machine ended up busted one day (the screen had been smashed, there were noticeable dents on the sides and top, and the joystick had been snapped off) and despite her step-fathers protest she was made to work at the grocery store to work off her “debt”. That’s how she ended up with her first job, working there after school and during holiday breaks (when she wasn’t lifeguarding), even when she went to college. And what happened to the real culprit? Nothing. Turns out it was the grocery store owner’s kid who destroyed the machine after some girl (not Teddy) rejected him. Teddy was never offered an apology or her money back but seeing as there was nothing she could do about it and it was best for her to let it go, to show that she was (and still is) the bigger person.
It was the lower level that really gave off the impression that this was once a bowling alley. Though most of what is traditionally associated with bowling alleys were removed, like the ball racks, the ball returns, and the shiny thin wood lanes, a lot of the original set up remained. Two lanes were combined, the gutter space between them covered when the floor was refilled with basic concrete. On each side of the lanes, separating a pair from its neighbor, was a double layer of chicken wire that spread from the top of the lane all the way down where the shoot that housed the pins used to be. Now that space was filled, completely closed off with five 4X4’s that had a target painted on them along with four smaller dots, one on each corner. Where the ball return used to be was now a wooden t-stand with two small cubby bins, each one holding a single black handle hand ax. Apparently, the point was to throw the ax in the direction of the target to score points. It was just as Jill said it would be, like darts but bigger. Currently, all eight lanes were in use with the screens that once showed the electronic scorecard now counted down the time to let the parties occupying the lanes know how much time they’ve had left. Though Jill had reserved a time slot ahead of time they still had to wait for a lane to open up, which they were okay with because in the meantime they could eat, talk…maybe get to know each other…
“Wings should be here in about ten minutes.” Teddy nearly jumped out of her skin when Jill’s voice, though perfectly normal and casual, broke the bubble of comfortable silence that surrounded her. Jill set down one of those number cards that were clipped to long silver poles so that whoever it was that was bringing their food would know how to find them, a pitcher of beer, and two plastic beer steins. Teddy eyed the beer skeptically, she didn’t know how to bring up the fact that she didn’t drink without it being misinterpreted. She wasn’t an alcoholic, never was, and her therapist had changed her medication ages ago to one that was more agreeable with her and this one was safe to mix with alcohol, she’s just never tested it before. At this point it was out of habit…and a touch of mistrust that she still felt over mixing herself with alcohol and Jill wasn’t exactly the kind of person that she would like to experiment the theory with. If it was Erica then it might be a different story because she trusted her fellow cardio surgeon to have her back…but it was just beer. One little beer wouldn’t hurt her, not when she was going to be eating half her weight in chicken wings and sweating the other half through this weird ax throwing activity that they were going to do. But just the one, no more, and if Jill made a stink about the waste Teddy would pay her back. Jill didn’t seem to notice her internal conflict as she started to mindlessly pour beer into both steins, carrying on like normal. “I got us the variety platter. It’s a bit much because it’s thirty wings but it gives us a chance to sample all six flavors and whatever we don’t eat I can take in to work, the guys will practically eat anything… That is if you’re okay with that?” It took Teddy a moment to realize that Jill had addressed her directly and she shook away the last of her internal struggle.
“Oh, no, that’s fine. I’m not going to be home very much in the next couple of days so it’s better that it goes to someone who could enjoy them when they’re still relatively fresh.” Jill, once she filled both glasses, slid one closer to her while keeping the other, taking a generous sip from it.
“Wow. They have you working hard over there at Seattle-Grace don’t they?” Teddy hummed in agreement while taking a small testing sip of the beer. In all honesty, she wasn’t a big beer fan, never liking the strong flavor and the lingering aftertaste, but the beer that Jill chose didn’t have that strong of an acidic taste. In fact it was a bit on the crisper side, kind of like an ale, meaning that it was tolerable but she wasn’t going to be chugging it, which was a good thing. “Do you like it?” Teddy raised an eyebrow and set her cup down.
“I’m sorry?”
“Working the ER? Do you like it?” Teddy took a deep breath and subconsciously started to run her fingers across the stained wood grain of the high top table. It was a loaded question, one that she was partially hesitant to answer completely because she knew how EMT’s felt about doctors. Most of their feelings were valid, as doctors, particularly surgeons, were prone to having egos bigger than their asses but Teddy would like to think that she built a good rapport of trust with the EMT’s. Plus, Jill was the one that asked Teddy out, not the other way around. If she didn’t know that Teddy was a surgeon then that was her problem and Teddy wasn’t the kind of person to disregard her morals just to save another person's feelings. So she answered truthfully.
“Yes and no. I like it because it gives me something to do between cases as I can’t stand to be idle but I’m a cardiothoracic surgeon first and I think people forget that. I still get the occasional wide eye stare whenever I step into an O.R. before they remember that I have every right to be there as any other surgeon… I’m going to stop myself before I go into full on rant mode.” Jill flashed her a small smile from around her beer glass to show that she didn’t mind.
“If it makes you that unhappy, why haven’t you left?”
“That’s the thing I’m not. In the ER I’m seen as a leader, and I like being the person that people can turn to and rely on and know that I have their back but at the same time know that I don’t tolerate misconduct. I just wish there was a way for people to see both.”
“I get that in a way. That’s the problem I have with being seen as “one of the guys” without sacrificing what it means to be a woman. But that’s shop talk and I kind of just want a few hours not thinking about work you know what I mean?” Teddy smiled and nodded, she knew exactly how Jill felt and to be fair she was kind of sick of thinking about the hospital and the ER and Yang…
Wait what?
Why was she thinking about Yang?
Sure, Yang was a pain in her ass but the intern in question had been trying really hard over the last couple of weeks to not get on her bad side, meaning they haven’t had a single run in after the whole necrotizing fasciitis incident. Still, that didn’t stop her from playing the experience over and over again along with her encounter from the club where she flogged a guy named Bear. She’s played both scenarios so many times that they’ve eventually blended together to the point that it was no longer Bear who was tied to the post but Yang, her back already sporting several faint pink lines from the flogger that was in Teddy’s hand prime and ready to strike again…
Teddy had to shake the thoughts away, to push them back until they resided in some dark part of her mind where they could no longer disturb her. She did this not out of shame but because this was a horribly inappropriate time to think such thoughts, when she should be giving her full attention to the woman that was across from her… And the large platter of wings that a young employee placed in between her and Jill. Along with the platter came two folded napkins, which Teddy found weird because there was a black plastic napkin dispenser on their table, but Jill didn’t bat an eye as she picked up a napkin and tucked a corner of it into the black crew neck shirt that she wore. Jill saw Teddy looking at her and in a nonchalant tone said,
“Extra protection. You know in case you’re like me and love chicken wings but actually don’t know how to eat them. Now I have to warn you, I will get sauce everywhere so it won’t be a pretty sight.” Teddy couldn’t help but softly chuckle at that and in a show of support, also tucked a napkin in the collar of her shirt.
“Since you’re the resident chicken wing expert, where do you suggest we begin?” The snort that Jill let out led to full blown laughter that Teddy couldn’t help but join. When they’ve finally composed themselves Jill topped off their beers (her’s more than Teddy’s) and picked up a wing that even Teddy herself could identify as the classic Buffalo flavor. Jill said with a bright megawatt smile,
“Can never go wrong with a classic.” With no rebuttal to the argument Teddy too picked up a wing and they spent the majority of their time waiting for their time polishing off the platter of wings, leaving none for Jill to take in with her the next day.
Whoops.
It took Altman three hours (three fucking hours!) for her to come back out.
Cristina knew this because she was able to take the risk in going to the gas station that was a half a mile away from the restaurant, fill up her tank, pick up some gross convenience store silo wrapped turkey sub sandwich and sit on the ground long enough for her ass to grow numb from the cold. She thought about leaving, several times in fact, trying to convince herself that it wasn’t worth it, yet something kept her rooted there, not moving, not wavering, as she waited for Altman to finally come out. Cristina had only a fraction of a second to react when she saw Altman walk out the door, putting her motorcycle helmet on to conceal her face. It was pretty dark and she was far enough that she wouldn’t be easily spotted but she didn’t want to take the risk of Altman seeing her face and it leading to questions that she couldn’t possibly answer.
From the safety of her bike Cristina watched as Altman and her date (Cristina nearly choked on the bile that formed in her throat), the EMT whose name Cristina either didn’t know or didn’t bother to remember, exit the restaurant. They were talking adamantly because Altman only started to talk with her hands when she was really worked up…not that Cristina was taking note of Altman’s speech patterns. The EMT was smiling in that sicking kind of way, full of emotion and basking in Altman’s presence like it was the most amazing thing in the world. When they reached the car, the alarm disengaging with two quick chirps, the EMT opened the passenger’s side door for Altman. Altman gave her a large toothy grin and a hardy laugh that even Cristina could hear (not physically but mentally because it was again one of those things that she didn’t memorize). When Altman turned to get in, the EMT took the opportunity to tap her shoulder once in warning before gently tilting Altman’s chin up and kissed her. Cristina could only imagine what Altman felt but she herself felt like a knife had stabbed her in the ribs, making it very difficult for her to breath. It honestly felt like she didn’t take a single breath the entire time the EMT’s lips were on Altman’s because when the two finally separated the breath that she released was so heavy that it fogged the face shield of her helmet for a solid 45 seconds. When it finally cleared Altman had pinned the EMT to the car, their kiss deeper, and Cristina couldn’t tell whose hands were where but she could see them moving even under the heavy layer of jackets. It was sickening to watch yet Cristina couldn’t look away, nor could she stop her own brain as it flooded her with the image of her storming over there, pulling Altman away from the EMT, and driving off faster than Ghost Rider, taking Altman far…far…away…
Stop it!
This was ridiculous! Completely disgusted with herself Cristina revived her bike on, not caring who heard and sped off. At the light she debated on if she wanted to go home or to Joe’s, it really didn’t matter which because she was going to get shitfaced on whatever she could get her hands on until she could pretend that this night never happened. Normally in cases like these she would go to Meredith’s but Meredith had apparently taken a vow of sobriety without telling anyone and didn’t keep her usual ready supply of tequila. Yet another thing she could blame Satan for. At the last minute she decided to take the exit that would take her in the direction of where she lived, cutting someone off because she heard them blaring their horn at her. She’s had enough of people for one day and all she wanted was a place where she could drink in solitude and not think about Altman for the rest of the night.
So it turned out that ax throwing was a lot more fun than Teddy first thought it would be.
She and Jill didn’t have to wait that long after their chicken wings had been consumed for their time slot to open. An employee came up to them and led them to the most recently departed lane. He gave them a quick rundown on the rules and safe throwing techniques (double handed, over hand, only) before starting their time,which was dictated by the color bands that they received at check in. At the reception desk they filled out the waver, were ID carded, checked to see if they were wearing closed toed shoes and given a wristband before being allowed to enter the main area. There were two different colored bands, red for one hour and green for two. Teddy and Jill had green bands so their overhead timer was set the appropriate length of time. The employee left them after he showed them what they needed to know but Teddy saw him hovering in the background, most likely to stand guard to make sure everyone was obeying the rules.
After debating on rather or not to use both targets (each lane had two sets of targets) they decided to use the one at first because they would have to wait for the other to throw their ax before retrieving their own (just like bowling) because they can keep score on the black boards that were attached to the wooden post at the start of the lanes that the chicken wire were attached to. The first ten minutes or so were used as a warm up so Teddy could get used to the concept of ax throwing as Jill was. Jill’s first shot was impressive, she effortlessly shifted her weight from one foot to the other, threw the ax smoothly, and it landed between the outer and middle black target rings. It took Teddy longer and many failed tries before she got the ax to feebly land on one of the 4X4’s. It landed right on the edge of the target’s outer ring. It was a shallow hold because it fell off not even a second later, but it was a start! Once it seemed like she got the hang of it they decided to have a little competition, first to score 21 points in the remainder of the hour picks up the tab (Jill hadn’t closed out when she ordered the wings and beer just in case they wanted a refill). It sounded fair to Teddy because she still felt guilty that Jill had to pay so much for something that she didn’t really touch. They both only really had one glass from the pitcher of beer with Jill drinking only slightly more from refilling her glass halfway when they were eating. In the end it didn’t matter because neither of them managed to get the acquired amount of points in the time frame. It sparked a rematch…then another…and another…until they forgot who was winning and who was losing. It didn’t matter anymore because they were just consumed with having a great time and before they knew it their time was up. They decided to split the cost, which definitely felt fair because Jill was the one to pay in full for their playing time, and they left the establishment still riding their high.
The cold mid-January night air felt wonderful on her still warmed skin as she followed Jill back to the EMT’s car. Jill was enjoying playing the chivalrous partner, she kept opening doors for Teddy the whole night, just like now. Jill made it a point to rush past her so she could open the passenger’s door with a mock bow and said in a light teasing voice,
“Your chariot my lady.” Teddy couldn’t help the hardy laugh she let out nor the large toothy grin as she made her way to the open passenger’s side. Teddy teased back,
“Why thank you good lady.” And it sent Jill into her own laughing fit. As Teddy started to climb into the vehicle she felt a light tap on her shoulder and she turned to Jill who then slightly tilted her chin up and kissed her. Jill’s kiss was sudden but light in a way that if Teddy wanted to object she could, but she didn’t. Though it wasn’t the best kiss she’s ever had it also wasn’t bad, which was why she didn’t do anything to stop it. Sensing this Jill deepened the kiss, pressing her lips more fully on Teddy’s. Things got heated pretty quickly, both of them swept up in the moment. Teddy, who wasn’t a sit back and take it kind of person, brought Jill in, wrapping an arm around her waist, and half twirled them so Jill was trapped between her and the car. Jill’s moans sent tidal waves of hot pleasure all the way down to her core and Jill’s hands started to roam over her body, sneaking under her open jacket. Teddy’s did the same, almost having a mind of their own as one roamed up to cup one of Jill’s breasts and the other down to take in a handful of Jill’s ass. Though she was nearly consumed by the mind fogging pleasure there was still a small part of herself that was aware that if they continued like this they were going to reach the point of no return and she really wasn’t looking forward to having sex out in the open for all to see (no offense Erica). But before she regained enough of herself to even suggest the idea of stopping, the sound of a motorcycle backfiring pierced the otherwise silent night and they both jumped, separating themselves from one another.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to go that far.” They both flashed apologetic smiles but Teddy could tell from the look in Jill’s dark eyes that she wasn’t sorry one little bit. Still, Teddy accepted her apology.
“It’s okay. I didn’t mind.” Jill nodded and freed herself from her trapped position so she could round the car to the driver’s side and got in. Teddy did the same and once they were both buckled in their seats Jill drove in the direction that led back to the main roads. As they waited at the stop light Teddy couldn’t help but notice that Jill kept sneaking glances at her. “What?” Jill blushed and looked at the road for a moment but the slowly said,
“You know…I never got a chance to experience what it was like to make out in the backseat of a car in high school.” Teddy snorted but confessed,
“Neither did I. Consequence of being a good kid I suppose.” Jill lightly hummed in agreement and then turned to Teddy, there was a mischievous look in her eye.
“Do you want to know what it feels like to be bad? I know a spot that’s perfect for it. That is, if you’re up for it?” Teddy thought about it for a moment, honest. She knew what it looked like to have two one night stands in less than a month and she couldn’t use the same reason to justify having this one like she did with Mark. Besides, Jill was more than what Mark was, they went on a date, a real bonafide date for crying out loud, and she was entitled to say how it ended. Factor in not knowing what awaited her when she got home because Callie was still staying with them and she and Erica proved that they were incapable of keeping their hands off of each other (Teddy wasn’t judging them or complaining it’s just that Erica’s house apparently had thin wall and she was starting to lose what little sleep she got because of it) she had more than enough grounds to have a little fun. So, with her signature smirk she said,
“Lead the way.” Jill smirked back at her and changed her turning signal from left to right. Right before they merged onto the exit a motorcycle sped out in front of them, almost causing Jill to slam her breaks. Jill rightfully leaned on her horn and mumbled under her breath,
“Asshole.” And though Teddy agreed she couldn’t stop staring at the rapidly retreating form of the cyclist. She had this strange gut feeling that there was something familiar about the cyclist but the only connection that she could draw was that she knew that Yang rode a motorcycle but there was no way it was her. It couldn’t be…
Right?