Arizona started to wake. Her head was pounding. She had way too much to drink last night. What was she thinking? Oh yeah, she needed the pain of Callie finding the perfect girlfriend, perfect, pretty Penny to go away. So she drank. She drank a lot. And this was her punishment. Besides her head, her whole body hurt. Muscles she hadn't used in two years were aching. Wait! Oh God! No, no, no! Not again. Maybe it was the alcohol. That was it. Alcohol gave her this deliciously aching yet satisfied feeling.
Arizona cracked open one eye. Well shit. This was definitely not her apartment. She cracked open the other eye. This wasn't her apartment and she had definitely never been here before. However, something looked familiar. She felt the bed move on her right. She refused to look that direction so she looked left. She had definitely seen that picture on the wall before. Then her eyes made their way to the night stand. Oh God. She had taken that picture of Sofia and Callie the last time they went to the zoo together.
Arizona moved her hands to her stomach. It was bare. She moved her hand further down. Yep. She was completely naked. Was Callie naked? Maybe she puked on herself and just jumped into bed nude. That made sense right? What if it wasn't Callie? Who the hell was she in bed with? She was going to have to look to the right.
Callie was under the blankets laying on her back. Arizona just stared at her face, finally being able to just look at her again, no one judging her for looking too long. She was beautiful. Just as Arizona had remembered. She had a few hairs covering her left eye and Arizona reached up to brush them away. And Callie smiled. That big huge smile she had always had in her sleep. Arizona inhaled and closed her eyes. God, she had missed that smile.
Remembering what her mission was, she needed to decide how to move the blanket without Callie noticing. She slipped one finger under the blanket near Callie's long neck. Slowly, slowly she raised up the blanket. Arizona deeply inhaled again and licked her lips. It had been too long since she had seen her. How did she mess up so badly that she hadn't seen her naked in two years? Arizona couldn't help but stare. She ogled her breasts for a couple minutes before she decided to raise the blanket just a little more. Just a little bit more and she could see everything.
Callie yawned loudly, in a way that they do in cartoons. Arizona dropped the blanket. And Callie laughed. She had obviously been caught.
"I know it's been a couple years, but when did you turn into a creeper?"
"I, I, I… ummm." Arizona was mortified.
"Relax Arizona, I was kidding. You could never keep your eyes off my hot body." Callie smiled.
What was happening here? Arizona was naked, Callie was naked and Callie seemed ok with it.
"I'm sorry." Arizona didn't know exactly what she was apologizing for. Maybe the creepy naked watching, maybe for the sex she didn't remember, maybe everything that had happened that had gotten them to this point.
"I'm the one that should be apologizing to you Arizona." Arizona raised an eyebrow and have Callie a quizzical look. "You were obviously a little more intoxicated than I thought at first, I may have taken advantage." Arizona snorted.
"I may not remember much Callie, but believe me when I say that is not in the realm of possibilities."
Callie frowned. "You really don't remember?"
Arizona tried to recollect the previous nights activities. She remembered going to Joe's. She remembered April bugging her to tell Callie how she felt. Arizona remembered looking at Callie across the bar. She started remembering everything.
"Arizona, you are in love with her, you told me you can't stop thinking about her."
"She is with perfect, pretty Penny, she didn't want me anyway." Arizona downed her 4th maybe 5th shot of the evening.
"Arizona I think you are wrong. I saw her watching one of your surgeries yesterday then telling everyone how great you were when you finished."
"Well I am great. A great surgeon that is."
"She also looks at you when she doesn't think you are looking."
"She does not." Arizona looked over the bar towards Callie. They made eye contact before Callie turned away. April laughed at what she had witnessed. "That was a coincidence. Besides she is with Penny."
"Really? Where is Penny then?"
"I don't know, probably the hospital. She is a resident."
"I heard her talking to Meredith. They haven't been together since the dinner party."
"What!" Arizona looked over the bar. There was a woman talking to Callie. Callie was laughing. Had she really broke it off with Penny. She couldn't let her find another perfect lady. Arizona had to think quick. Project win Callie back before that whore she was talking to got to her. OK that isn't fair, she might be a perfectly nice lady, but…. "Remember karaoke starts at 8." Arizona heard in the background. It's the reason April wanted to come in the first place. That gave her an idea. Callie likes big gestures. She could do this. She could let Callie know how she feels.
She ran up to the dj. "This is kinda important, can you put on this song and let me go first?" She asked handing him a $20 bill. He nodded and handed her the mic.
Arizona hated this cheesiness, but she knew Callie loved it. Maybe it would at least start a conversation between the two of them. So the music started and she raised the mic to her lips.
"It all came so easy
All the lovin' you gave me
The feelings we shared
And I still can remember
How your touch was so tender
It told me you cared"
She glanced at Callie and she was in fact watching her, with eyes wide and her jaw dropped.
"We had a once in a lifetime
But I just couldn't see
Until' it was gone
A second once in a lifetime
May be too much to ask
But I swear from now on
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll love you much better
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll hold you forever
This time we'll never end"
She held Callie's eyes and smiled as she sang.
"Now I'm seen clearly
How I still need you near me
I still love you so
There's something between us
That won't ever leave us
There's no letting go
(No letting go)
We had a once in a lifetime
But I just didn't know it
'Til my life fell apart
A second once in a lifetime
Isn't too much to ask
'Cause I swear from the heart
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll love you much better
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll hold you forever
This time we'll never end, never end
The best of romances
Deserve second chances
I'll get to you somehow
'Cause I promise now
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll love you much better
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll hold you forever
This time we'll never end
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll love you much better
If ever you're in my arms again
This time I'll hold you forever
This time we'll never end"
She finished the cheesy ass song and continued looking at Callie who now had her head down. The audience clapped, she wasn't a bad singer. She could hear April sniffing in the background. She saw Callie get up and start to walk out the door. Arizona glanced at April who mouthed 'go after her'. So she dropped the mic and ran, she couldn't let her leave again. She ran out the door looking left, then right. Callie no where to be seen.
"That was beautiful Arizona." She flipped around to see Callie leaning against wall.
"I thought you were gone."
"I needed some air." Arizona just nodded. "I had no idea you felt that way. Why didn't you tell me?"
"When Callie? When you were spending night after night with Penny? When you told me you wanted to be free from me? When we were barely speaking?"
"We needed that time apart Arizona we were killing it each other."
"I know. I know that. I think I just thought you would have some fun and then come back to me. But you found Penny and I didn't think I could compare. So I just decided to let you be happy with her. She seemed to make you happy and that's all I really want."
"Arizona she pales in comparison to you. She's like the Walmart brand Arizona." Arizona laughed. "It's true. Everything I ever loved about you, she had, except not quite. Not quite the surgeon you are, not quite the listener you are, not quite the beauty you are, not quite the mother to Sofia you are, not quite the lover you are." Callie winked and Arizona smirked. She did know her way around Callie's body. "So with everything with Derek it just kinda made me realize she was second rate to you."
"Well why didn't you tell me Callie, that was a month ago?"
"I didn't want you to think you were someone I was just falling back on, a rebound. I was planning on approaching you tonight actually, but you seemed a little angry yelling at April. Listen, we have so much to talk about. Do you want to come to my house, we can open a bottle of that wine you love so much?"
"Let's go." Arizona said as she grabbed Callie's hand. She was better at holding Callie's hand too. That she was sure of.
Arizona remembered it all, which was actually kinda surprising since they had had two bottles of wine when they got to Callie's. She remembered them talking and talking. She had missed just being able to talk to her. They apologized. They asked for each other's forgiveness. They agreed to try again. They agreed to take it slow. To start to date again. But then Arizona just had to have one kiss. They could never just have one kiss. So they ended up naked in Callie's bed making love twice before falling asleep. Arizona started to wonder how the hell she forgot all that. Because it was in fact the best night of her life.
"I do remember." Arizona smiled big. "I recall something about 'I can't take anymore Arizona, but I'll make it up to you in the morning' does that sound familiar?"
"Hmmmm." Callie hummed as she leaned in for a deep kiss. "Well it's been awhile since I came three times in one night, I needed a break."
Arizona blushed and smirked, she was definitely better than Penny at that. "Would you say it has been about two years or.. "
"Arizona!" Callie slapped Arizona's arm. "I already said you were better."
"Would you say better or best?" Arizona questioned.
"I guess we could go again, you know for research purposes." Callie played along.
Arizona rolled on top of Callie. "They say you really need to experiment like 10 times to get a clear conclusion. So we probably should get started." Arizona pressed her lips hard against Callie's. She had missed these lips so much. Callie slipped her tongue in Arizona's mouth and grabbed her ass with both hands pulling her closer.
Arizona pulled back to look in Callie's eyes. "I love you Calliope."
"I love you too Arizona "
"This isn't a dream right? "
"You are my dream Arizona."
Arizona smiled, "You are my dream too. We have so much lost time to make up for."
"Arizona I want to talk about this I do, but Sofia will be back from the sitter in 20 minutes. So less talking, more proving you are the best."
"I can definitely do that." Arizona gave Callie one more life changing kiss before slipping under the blanket.
AN: Song credit, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson