FLIRTING WITH SATAN
'I need sex, Cal! Heck, at this point, I'll even settle for a one-night-stand.' Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, for her, Teddy had overheard. Taking a stab at Teddison as suggested by Pandora007. Set in GA6X11 Blink.
As Mark said in GA7X09 Slow Night, So Long (hilarious epi!), one needs a sexual palate cleanser. So, this is me, cleansing my palate (in the hopes of improving on my MerAdd) with this short fic (possibly three chapters, four at the most). Taking a stab at Teddison in response to the suggestion of Andrea (Pandora007), so this was written for her. Before you read, please promise me to lower your expectations because this is my first attempt at writing Teddy and Arizona, so I'm worried about characterizations. Plus, I'm still struggling with femslash.
This is a rewrite of GA6X07, Blink. Things you need to know (storylines I twisted to suit the story):
1. Mark didn't interfere with Addison's surgery on Sloane, allowing her to successfully complete the procedure.
2. Addison didn't go back to LA immediately after her surgery.
3. Picks up on Addie's 'I need sex' PP storyline.
Don't own anything … except for the mistakes.
Flirting with Satan
"Sooo …," Addison began tentatively, distractedly pushing the salad greens around in her plate with her fork.
"Hmm," the orthopedic surgeon acknowledged, not looking up from her meal.
After Addison's successful surgery on Sloane, the redhead had sought her out to say goodbye, but she had managed to coerce her friend into postponing her departure till the following morning. Having been able to clear the OB-GYN's schedule with the help of someone Addison referred to as Dell, the two headed to their relatively secluded spot under the trees for a late lunch. Taking advantage of some alone time before the pediatric attending joined them, the old friends spent the past twenty minutes catching up and keeping each other abreast on what's been happening in their respective lives.
"Just how serious are Mark and Little Grey," the redhead queried in a rather small voice, a tad hesitantly.
The brunette's head snapped up at the question.
"No. No! Addison, no, no, no," Callie chanted, making big eyes at her friend as she shook her head vigorously. "Oh, Addie, don't go there."
"I. Need. Sex," the attending whined in a high pitch, not bothering to filter her words with one of her dearest friends. "I don't think you realize what I'm dealing with here, Cal. We're talking months. Not days. Not weeks. Months," she justified, taking her frustration out on her lunch by furiously stabbing at the lettuce leaves.
"Months? Really," the brunette asked curiously, disbelief momentarily distracting her from her objections.
"Yes," Addison groaned. "And there's really only so much a showerhead massager could do for a woman."
"Sho …," Callie trailed off, her mouth hanging open as she continued to stare at her friend. "Do I even want to know," she voiced the question, her face scrunched up.
"No, you don't," the neonatal surgeon replied sheepishly, her shoulders hunched. She pushed her tray aside, leaning her elbows on the table and cupped her face. "Self-love isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Er, yeah," she agreed, stifling the laughter that threatened to erupt. She was still pretty much in disbelief and, to a certain extent, amused at the new insight she had gained about the good Dr. Montgomery. "Okay, I feel for you. I do," she placated her friend, reaching out to pat the redhead's arm. "But don't go down that road. Just … just not with Mark."
"I sound like a skank, don't I," Addison asked embarrassedly, throwing her friend a dejected look.
"Uh, yes, you do," she answered frankly, the amused smirk diffusing her statement. She squeezed the arm she held. "But I still love you just the same."
"Ugh," the redhead groaned again, burying her face in her hands.
She was admittedly a little embarrassed about her behavior. Not the telling Callie part. The lusting after Mark part.
No, scratch that. She wasn't actually lusting after Mark, though seeing him again, during this frustratingly long dry spell, had driven her to thoughts of transcontinental booty calls and satisfying evenings in his arms.
She wasn't actually going to sleep with Mark again, even if the opportunity presented itself. That was a complication they could both do without.
She was just craving human touch. A connection with another human being. To feel alive.
The last person she's been with was Kevin (Wyatt and Noah didn't count), and that was ages ago.
She emitted another groan and raised her head to look at her friend. She made a face and clutched at the brunette's arm.
"I need sex, Cal! Heck, at this point, I'll even settle for a one-night-stand. Skank or not, I want sex."
"I hope that wasn't you propositioning my girlfriend, Montgomery," the teasing threat interrupted her impassioned tirade, causing the neonatal surgeon to gasp and jump in surprise at the unexpected intrusion to their intimate conversation.
Addison felt heat suffuse her face and neck at seeing Arizona lay her tray on the table next to a chuckling Callie - who had apparently recovered from the shock first - and her blush intensified when she spied a tall blonde hesitantly settling down on the seat next to the pediatric surgeon.
"I, uh, didn't … I wasn't propo …," the redhead stuttered, clearly thrown. Her grey eyes flitted to the unknown woman, who had the grace to mask her mirth behind an awkward smile. She absently scratched at a spot on her neck, flustered by the attention, and then she addressed the surgeon she had the pleasure of working with on Sloane's case. In a small voice, she said, "I wasn't asking Callie for sex."
"I know," the jovial blonde replied, flashing her colleague a dimpled grin.
"How much of that did you hear," Addison asked, lowering her head a fraction to evade the curious gaze of the woman she has yet to officially meet.
"Not a lot," Arizona chirped. Spying the glances exchanged by the blonde and the redhead, she made the introductions, motioning with her hand, "Teddy Altman, cardio; Addison Montgomery, neonatal, obstetrics, gynecology, and a host of other specialties too tedious to enumerate."
Addison consciously chose to ignore the spark of interest that she felt as she accepted the delicate hand the heart surgeon extended toward her. Forced herself to look away from the brilliant warm smile that transformed the appearance of the slightly harassed-looking doctor.
"Good to meet you," the newcomer greeted, pale blue eyes twinkling with curiosity as they rested on the visiting surgeon.
"Likewise," she breathed out, clearing her throat.
"So …," Teddy spoke, breaking eye contact by attending to her lunch. Picking her fork up, she continued, "Mark? As in Mark Sloan, hunky plastics Adonis?"
"Oh, God!" Addison exclaimed, her horrified grey eyes snapping to glare at a certain baby doctor. "You said you didn't hear a lot of our conversation," she accused, the blush creeping back into her face.
"Okay, fine. We may have been standing over there for a while, but in my defense, I didn't want to interrupt what looked like a very serious dialogue between friends. I was giving you time to catch up," Arizona explained with a beam.
The Peds attending noticed that the redhead's eyes kept darting to the tall blonde, comprehending the reason behind the older woman's discomfort.
"Oh, don't worry about Teddy," she attempted to calm her, "She's one of us. And by us I mean female surgeons struggling to make our mark in a male-dominated world. Not lesbian 'us'," she added with a giggle, motioning between a gaping Callie and herself with a finger. Looking at their new friend, she added, "Unless of course you are a lesbian, then that would be wonderful, too," trailing off awkwardly as she finally caught her girlfriend gesturing for her to cease talking. Unable to prevent herself, though, she slipped out, "You're not gay, are you?"
"Not that I'm aware of," Teddy answered with a chuckle, giving in to the hilarity. Her fondness for her new friends was increasing by the minute.
"Oh, that's too bad," Arizona quipped, and then she grunted in pain and turned questioning eyes towards her lover, who had none-too-gently kicked her discretely under the table. "What? I'm just saying …"
Callie widened her eyes as she silently scolded her partner, pursing her lips to augment the message, and then she turned her attention to their companions.
"Anyway, the good news is I was able to convince Addie here to stay overnight," the brunette announced brightly, changing the subject.
"Convinced? More like bullied," the redhead scoffed, quickly jumping at her friend's efforts to steer the conversation to safer ground. She needed to be distracted from the shiver of awareness caused by the cardio surgeon's presence. To give her hands something to do, she reached for her bottled water and took a sip, watching the newcomer out of the corner of her eye.
"Eh," Callie dismissed with a wave of her hand. "So, we're having a Ladies Night Out. Altman, you in?"
"What did you have in mind," Teddy asked, raising a forkful of pasta to her mouth.
"Dinner perhaps? Hey, we could try that new Spanish restaurant round the corner of the Archfield. You're staying there, right," she addressed her friend.
"My home away from home," the OB-GYN responded with a smirk.
"Great! Then, I'm thinking we can go to that club Arizona and I recently stumbled upon," Callie proposed, earning her an enthusiastic nod from her girlfriend. "It's two blocks from the hotel, so that'll be convenient," she beamed, pleased. "I'll ask Bailey if she can join us. What time are you off tonight, Teddy?"
"I can meet you guys for dinner at eight," the heart surgeon supplied, her gaze flitting to the neonatal surgeon.
"It's a date then," Arizona burst out gleefully, the dimpled grin evidence of her satisfaction over their evening plans. Taking note of the awkward silence that had befallen, she rolled her eyes at them and added, "And by date I mean group date."
When the other women shrugged and exchanged small smiles, and they went back to consuming their lunches after the awkwardness had somewhat dissipated, Callie intercepted the rather mischievous knowing grin that graced her lover's face.
X ~~~~~~~~~~ X
"Calliope Torres! You're a terrible host," Addison barked into her cell phone, propping her fist against her hip, her body leaning towards the left as she stood at the waiting area. "It's ten past eight, and the receptionist said she can only hold our table for ten more minutes."
"I'm so sorry, Addison. But it's totally Arizona's fault. She jumped me in the …," the orthopedic surgeon's excuse was interrupted by the faint laughingly-issued protest of the Peds surgeon that could be heard in the background. "Yes, you did. Now keep both hands on the steering wheel, woman," Callie instructed with a flirtatious giggle. Speaking directly into the mouthpiece once more, she went on, "Sorry about that. We're on our way. We just spoke with Teddy, though, and she said she'll be there any minute."
Addison stifled the slight impatience that was getting the better of her. After spending a few more hours at the hospital, paying personal visits to her former colleagues and friends, she left for her hotel shortly after three, when everyone she knew had to go into surgery. With no other options, she spent the succeeding five hours in solitary confinement. Having been reintroduced to the comfort of being immersed in the company of dear friends, the loneliness had become suffocating.
Plus, she had all that free time to contemplate on that spark of awareness that her new acquaintance had triggered. She wondered if being attracted to someone of the same sex was contagious, considering that she'd spent a fair amount of time with both Callie and Arizona the whole day, and then she dismissed the ridiculous notion as quickly as it had formed. Instead, she attributed the flurry of sensations the blonde had aroused to her desperate state of sexual frustration.
That made a lot of sense. At least that's what she kept telling herself.
Wary about the unfamiliar territory - unchartered waters … unexplored terrain ... whatever you want to call it - she actively avoided all thoughts related to their initial encounter.
And now she was just told that she would have to spend an indefinite amount of time, no matter how short, with the intriguing blonde.
All alone. Just the two of them. With no Callie and Arizona to act as buffer.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just walk back to my hotel," the neonatal surgeon challenged, teasingly.
"You're seriously not gonna leave me alone with the sickeningly sweet couple, are you," the sultry voice asked from behind her, startling the redhead out of her thoughts.
Invading her senses.
She fought against the pricks of excitement that danced along her spine.
"Cal, Teddy's here. See you in a bit," she announced in a clipped tone then promptly ended the call.
Lowering her phone from her ear, she whirled around to face the new arrival, her lips automatically curling upward in greeting.
Her smile faltered for a couple of seconds as her pulse began to race. Though attractive in scrubs, even with the rather unkempt half ponytail she had sported that afternoon, Teddy Altman in a simple-but-stylish royal blue dress, with the blond locks left down to frame the lightly made up delicate bone structure, had admittedly left her a little breathless.
And to complicate her already-confusing 'attraction' to the heart doctor, they shared an affinity for marvelous shoes.
"Hey!" Addison greeted with a smile, a little nervously. That's all she could trust herself to say at the moment.
"Hi," Teddy greeted back as she stepped closer to the redhead, pale blue eyes alight with interest as it took in the appearance of the stunning woman before her.
Addison trampled on the urge to run from the blonde's blatant perusal of her body. Conscious of the other woman's every move, she started when she saw Teddy leaning into her personal space. Quickly comprehending her intent, she moved to press her right cheek against the cardiothoracic surgeon's, let the gesture of greeting last longer than the customary one second, and then pulled back.
She was totally unprepared for Teddy to go for the double cheek kiss, and as such, in the confusion, their lips brushed against each other's briefly … fleetingly.
Both women stunned by the unexpected contact, as well as the sensations it stirred in each of them, they stared intently at one another.
"I'm sorry," the blonde broke the uncomfortable silence first, her cheeks flushed. "I didn't mean to …"
"No … yeah … I know," Addison piped in, equally flustered.
"I thought the norm was to …"
"I just wasn't expecting …"
They both chuckled weakly, breaking some of the tension.
"I didn't mean … to, um, kiss you on the lips," Teddy stated with a shy smile, her hands gesturing stiltedly in the air.
"I know. Teddy, it's okay," Addison hastened to assure her, capturing the blonde's hands in hers to stop the wild gesturing. "These things happen," she added with a laugh.
Teddy smiled at her in relief.
And then she looked down at their clasped hands, prompting Addison to do the same.
They released each other as soon as realization kicked in a second later.
"Oh, God! This is awkward," the redhead proclaimed sheepishly, amusement gleaming in her grey eyes.
"Yes, it is," the blonde agreed with a chuckle, sharing her mirth. "But, hey, openly stating that this is awkward should negate the awkwardness, because owning up to it and acknowledging that a situation is awkward cancels out the feeling of, well, awkwardness, so in effect, it shouldn't be awkward between us anymore, right?"
Addison stared at her with her mouth slightly ajar, taking in the hopeful, questioning look on the other woman's face. Then, she collapsed into a fit of giggles.
"That is the most number of times I've heard the word 'awkward' used in a single sentence, and the scary part is that it actually made sense," she said laughingly, unconsciously leaning closer to lessen the distance between them. "I have to say, Teddy, I like the way your mind works," she purred, the breathlessness in her voice caused by the proximity.
X ~~~ X
Her senses already heightened, the blonde caught the subtle yet highly intoxicating changes in the other woman's aura: the smokiness in the grey eyes; the alluring tinge of pink that highlighted high cheekbones; the way her heartbeat accelerated; the addictive scent of attraction that permeated the air, scintillating and tempting, wrapping them in a blanket of intimacy.
Her 'date' fascinated her to no end. Oh, she was well aware of the Peds attending's ploy; she'd seen the knowing look and satisfied beams that the couple had exchanged that afternoon. Realizing their intent, she had gotten nervous and anxious … and confused. Did she give off the impression that she was interested in women? Or more specifically, in a certain tall, auburn-haired neonatal surgeon? The thought that she found Addison appealing had bothered her; it had dogged her through rounds and surgeries, distracting her. She'd tried to ignore it, but the redhead had already ensnared her with her charm and wit, leaving her wanting more.
She was insanely curious about the woman that had captivated two world-renowned surgeons and had the ability to make every nerve ending in her body dance with anticipation. She recalled how her heart had thudded when she had first arrived at the restaurant several minutes ago, able to stare unnoticed at the tempting display of long bare legs.
Deciding to pay no heed to the rational voice screaming its warning in her head, Teddy moved in to bridge the remaining gap, bringing their faces dangerously close. Pale blue eyes focused on delectable thin lips, she uttered huskily, "I'm glad you're not ditching me. Who knows? We both just might get lucky tonight, and that dry spell of yours would end."
Their gazes met and held … and then she waited to see if the redhead was interested in exploring this unexpected attraction.
X ~~~ X
She detected the flare of attraction in the pools of blue that mesmerized her.
Was she seriously considering a flirtation with a woman?
She quickly called upon her brain to justify why she could and should give in to the tempting offer.
When in Rome?
No. Highly inappropriate line of thinking.
What happens in Vegas …?
Okay, so they weren't in Vegas, so technically that saying didn't …
Focus!
It was rather hard to comply, though, because she could feel the blonde's warm breath fanning her face, sending shivers of excitement up and down her spine.
Say, just for this evening, she pushes aside the fact that Teddy is a woman, what harm could a little flirtation do? The blonde appeared just as willing anyway, even hinted at satisfying her sexual urges. Based on the conversation during lunch, she knew for a fact that the heart doctor had overheard her specifically mention a one-night-stand, so she assumes that expectations were clear.
Now, if the evening ended disastrously … well, they had the whole state of Oregon and a number of towns and counties to safeguard against the fallout. And with the advancement in technology, she figured that her friends could fly to LA for a visit and she'd rely heavily on e-mail and phone calls to sustain communication with her Seattle friends, thereby eliminating the need to set foot in the rainy state again. Richard would just have to find himself another neonatal/OB-GYN specialist.
So, really, when you think about it, there was only one thing she could do.
Addison leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I can't wait."
I wasn't planning on Teddy and Addie realizing and acknowledging the attraction so early into the story; alas, the chemistry between the women refused to be denied and contained.
My obsession with GA seemed to have waned during the latter seasons of the show (which is why, I think, my stories are mostly set in the early seasons), so I haven't really gotten a firm grasp on the characters of Teddy and Arizona. I couldn't resist a challenge, though. Continue or don't bother?
Honestly, it was quite a struggle to write for this new ship. Also, having been married for eleven years, I'm a little (okay, a lot) rusty on the flirting, so please bear with me if it takes me long to update.
Thanks for reading.