bTitle/b: Baby when you're gone
bAuthor/b: emdha
bPairing/b: Callie/Arizona
bRating/b: PG13
bSummary/b: Callie goes on a trip to promote her successful cartilage research and Mark and Arizona give her a funny goodbye present.
bDisclaimer/b: I don't own anything but Shonda does.
I was writing on a new chapter for "It's about sex and saving lives" and got a little stuck there. I was driving the other day when the classic "Baby when you're gone" by Bryan Adams and Mel C came on the radio and this scenario popped up in my head. I hope to update my other fic within the next two/three days, it's well on its way! Meanwhile, enjoy this little piece of musical fluff!
Marks apartment was full of people. Callie was leaving the next morning to attend some conferences and visit some hospitals on the east coast to promote and present her cartilage research. She would be gone for a month so her friends decided to throw her a proper goodbye slash celebration party. She was kind a celebrity now after all.
She was very excited about the trip but she hated leaving Arizona behind. Arizona was at least as excited as Callie but being a well renowned surgeon herself, she couldn't exactly drop all her work and leave to play Callie's arm candy for a month.
The apartment was crowded, which showed how much everyone liked and respected Callie. The living room was filled with loud chatter, the clattering of glasses and music playing in the background. Richard Webber was dancing with a lightly intoxicated Cristina, trying in vain to teach her the cha cha. Meredith and Derek were dancing closely and some others joined the make shift dance floor. The party had been going on for a few hours already and everybody was starting to get cozy.
Callie was enjoying herself, chatting with everyone and appreciating her favorite red wine of which Arizona had bought plenty. She hadn't seen Arizona much. The last time was about ten minutes ago, when she found her whispering with Mark conspiringly in a corner. She had tried to eavesdrop but all the noise made that impossible. She didn't think about it much as she engaged in conversation with Adele and Bailey. Suddenly, the crowd went silent when someone coughed into a microphone.
"Ahum-test. Testing. Hello?"
"It's working Blondie" Marks voice sounded in the background.
"Oh. Right. Hello everyone!" –peeEEEEEEEEEP_ "AAAAH!"
"More distance. Try not to swallow it Blondie..." Mark stepped in again. Arizona eyed the microphone in her hand for a second before doing as Mark told.
"Thank you all so much for coming. We are all here to celebrate the successes of Callie Torres, the most beautiful and inspiring person I have ever met. Within a few hours she will be leaving us for a month to share her medical successes with the rest of the country. To give you a proper goodbye, Mark and I have prepared a little something for you Callie."
"I'm sure the inappropriate goodbye will follow tonight" Cristina said to Meredith but loud enough for everyone to hear. A wave of soft laughter filled the room.
"Shut it Yang. Anyway, if everyone could just step back a little, we need the space."
Callie raised her eyebrows. What were those two up to this time?
Mark came on to the improvised stage and pushed some buttons on the controller of his Playstation 3. He fumbled with a second microphone and took his place next to Arizona.
"Ready?" Arizona nodded, fumbling with her microphone.
The loud sounds of a piano and a guitar blasted through the room.
"When you're gone!" Mark yelled.
"I've been wandering around the house all night wondering what the hell to do" they started singing in unison. Callie knew that Arizona had a pretty nice voice, not too steady but enough to carry a good tune. Mark on the other hand surprised her. His voice was as raspy as Bryan Adams' and together they made a surprisingly good duo.
"Yeah, I'm trying to concentrate but all I can think of is you" they sang, pointing at Callie who was slowly pushing her way forward through the crowd.
"well the phone don't ring 'cause my friends ain't home, I'm tired of being all alone" Arizona sung second perfectly, occasionally looking at the TV screen to check her notes.
"Got the tv on 'cause the radio's playing songs that remind me of you" Mark pointed at Callie again and jumped forward, pushing Arizona from view.
"Baby when you're gone, I realize I'm in love" Arizona sang a little louder now, bumping Mark aside with her hip and taking the centre stage to sing to her lover.
"days go on and on, and the nights just seem so long" Mark fought back, taking his place next to Arizona again as they continued to sing the chorus in unison.
"Even food don't taste that good, drink ain't doing what it should. Things just feel so wrong, baby when you're gone"
"Yeah!" Mark growled. Arizona was jumping around him, stirring up the crowd while getting ready for the second verse. Everyone was clapping, dancing and cheering.
"I keep driving up and down these streets, trying to find somewhere to go. Yeah I'm looking for a familiar face, but there's no one I know" they placed their hands above their eyes, pretending to be on the lookout.
"Oh, this is torture! This is pain! It feels like I'm gonna go insane" Mark was on his knees now, holding his hand over his broken heart while Arizona was imitating a crazy person behind him. It surprised Callie that she still managed to hit all those high notes while drooling and rolling her eyes.
"I hope you're coming back real soon, 'cause I don't know what to do" Arizona gave Callie a quick wink which was received with a big grin.
"Baby when you're gone, (Arizona: When you're gone!) I realize I'm in love. Days go on and on (Arizona; on and on!) and the nights just seem so long" Arizona and Mark were singing back to back now, knees bent slightly as they belted out the chorus with their eyes closed.
"You GO Blondie!" "Go Mark!" the crowd cheered and whistled.
"Even food don't taste that good, drink ain't doing what it should. Things just feel so wrong, yeah baby when you're gone…"
No one was prepared for what came next.
"Take it away Blondie!" Mark yelled and stepped back as Arizona leaped forward and took on the big solo playing air guitar, her microphone being the guitar. The party went wild as she starting strumming wildly, her tongue peeking out in concentration. Mark came back on stage after a few bars.
"Ladies and gentlemen, BLLLLLLLONDIE RRRRROBBINS on the guitar!" he announced her. She grinned as another wave of applause reached the stage but fell back into her role again to take on the second part of the solo.
She faced the crowd sideways and pulled her leg up, hopping backwards on the other like she always saw David Bowie do in his video clips. Time for the kill.
She slid forward on her knees to jam out the last part of the solo, her eyes closed facing heaven and her nose wrinkled.
"Oh my god, she's doing her sex face!" Callie yelled in Teddy's ear.
"I really didn't want to know that!" Teddy yelled back, never taking her eyes off the blonde rock star currently raping her microphone in the throes of her solo.
"I know!" Callie screamed back before erupting in cheers and jumping up and down in excitement as her girlfriend finished her solo.
Mark slid onto the stage smoothly to join in the final chorus.
"Baby when you're gone"
"When you're gooooone!" Arizona ad libbed, making Mark jump backwards in surprise.
"I realize I'm in love" Arizona repeated the last three words while placing her hand over her heart and made a longing face towards Callie.
"days go on and on and the nights just seem so long" Arizona and Mark stood on opposite sides, singing to each other with big smiles on their faces. It was a success.
"Even food don't taste that good, (Arizona: OOOHHH!) drink ain't doing what it should (Mark: AAHHH!). Things just feel so wrong (Arizona: so wroooong!) baby when you're gone."
They walked to the centre and both faced Callie to sing the last words.
"Baby when you're gone, baby when you're gone…" they finished, both one arm stretched out towards Callie as the music faded.
Everyone erupted in ear deafening cheers one last time as Arizona and Mark bowed, holding each others hand.
"Thank you…thank you so much" Mark said in the mic in his best Elvis voice. "CD's are available at the exit, we will be signing autographs later and-"
"What Mark is trying to say: Callie we'll miss you, come back soon! And thanks to Mark Sloan and his Singstar thingy for making this evening possible!" Arizona's last words drowned in the noise that picked up immediately after.
She high fived Mark and was immediately attacked by Callie who threw herself around her neck.
"You. Are. The. Coolest. Girlfriend. EVER!" she said happily in between kisses that she peppered all over the blondes face, placing the last one on her lips as she pulled her in by the waist.
Arizona kissed her back and swung her arms around her neck. "You deserve it. And now I know that if I get bored when you're gone, I can go practice my SingStar skills with Mark. I already beat his high score of "In Da Club" and "Move Bitch".
Callie pulled back. "You rap?"
Arizona smiled. "Like you wouldn't believe" she grinned, pulling out of the embrace to find the controller and handing Callie another microphone.