Title: Dilemma, Chapter 1: The Ped's Predicament
Author: DianeB
Rating: PG
Pairing: Robbins/Torres
Summary: After her little smooch in the ladies room, Doctor Robbins finds herself in a bit of a bind.
Author's Notes: I am (and always will be) the biggest Hahn/Torres fan in the universe. However, I'm seeing in Arizona Robbins an out lesbian who will put Calliope Torres soundly in her place. There'll be none of that "whole forest" crap with Arizona.
This is set after the Robbins/Torres bar scene in the Season 5 episode, "Beat Your Heart Out," but takes into account a few things we learned about Arizona in "An Honest Mistake" and vaguely "I Will Follow You Into The Dark."
Thanks to my Mighty Editor Goddess Brenda S., and to Jules 68 for her enthusiastic support of my fanfic attempts. Written in early March, 2009. This is my fourteenth Grey's Anatomy story. Dedicated to all those dykes out there who gamely try to resist (try being the operative word).
Disclaimer: This is femslash (lite), and there are some curse words. Don't read it if you're not into that sort of thing. I own nothing of Grey's Anatomy. I'm only having fun with the characters, and I promise to put them back when I'm done. Written with the knowledge that new episodes aired after AHM could spoil this scenario.
Doctor Arizona Robbins didn't have to listen very hard to hear things. She hadn't Heely-ed down three feet of shiny tile corridor on her first day at Seattle Grace before she'd heard a group of nurses whispering about a cardio attending named Hahn who'd vanished as if beamed from the planet.
She'd also heard their speculation as to why, and that was the part which had intrigued her. But her new post as replacement for Doctor Jordan Kenley had to take priority, so she couldn't spare the time for deeper research. She did, however, tuck the information away for the future.
After all, Arizona Robbins had been a lover of women since the womb, and it wasn't like Calliope Torres was hard to look at.
oOo oOo oOo
When time finally permitted, Arizona reflected on what little she'd garnered so far. Lord knew she'd been through the kind of heartache Callie was currently experiencing. In fact, she didn't know of anyone in her particular circle of friends who hadn't. Of course, Callie's story contained some interesting twists that were absent from her totally lesbian versions, but heartache was heartache no matter what scorecard you were using.
If she were to be completely honest, however, it was Callie's latest anguish that Arizona could most identify with, so once she and Miranda Bailey had gotten on firmer professional ground, Arizona turned her full attention to that part of the gossip.
It wasn't difficult to learn that Callie Torres was an orthopedic resident with skill that set her apart from all others. Nor was it hard to learn that Callie and Erica Hahn, had had a whirlwind, first-time affair capped by a hospital scandal that, given the amount of personal information people were otherwise willing to share, had been kept surprisingly hush-hush. Since hospital scandals were a dime a dozen, Arizona stopped wasting time on it.
When two days passed without her learning anything much more than what she already knew, Arizona figured she had enough information to approach Callie. All she needed now was the opportunity to do so without scaring the woman to death.
oOo oOo oOo
Sitting at the bar in Joe's, Arizona observed the activity around her, marveling at the amount of alcohol these people could consume and still remain coherent. She cast a sideways glance at Callie, who was sitting at the bar a few stools away, downing shots like water and talking to a young woman Arizona had seen around but hadn't yet been introduced to. It was clear Callie was profoundly upset and was using the liquor to keep her demons at bay.
When Callie abruptly left the young woman and headed for the ladies room, Arizona decided her opportunity had arrived. Waiting ten beats, she smiled at Joe, then followed Callie into the bathroom.
oOo oOo oOo
It was hard for Arizona to return to the barstool. Or at least it was hard for her to return to the stool acting as if she had not just rocked her own world. It was not necessarily out of character for her to be so butch, but Callie's full lips had been nothing short of delectable. She had not planned to employ the "kiss and leave" tactic; she had intended only to let Callie know there were more "fish in the sea," so to speak. But, Lord, when the time came, she just could not resist planting one on those plump, kissable lips. In fact, she would have been perfectly content to linger against those lips till the damned cows came home, and that was definitely out of character for her.
Lifting herself onto the stool, she ran her tongue surreptitiously over her lips, tasting cherry and deadly temptation. Suddenly warm, she picked up a cardboard coaster to fan herself, thinking if this was what Callie had done to Erica Hahn, it was no wonder the woman had vanished. It was not outside the realm of possibility that Callie had just eaten her up! Certainly, after a mere peck, Arizona was ready to allow herself to be devoured…
The sound of Joe pouring pretzels into a basket at the far end of the bar brought Arizona abruptly back to herself. Backpedaling furiously to clear her mind of the startlingly erotic images it was gleefully conjuring up, she took a ragged breath and gave herself a stern internal talking-to.
If the gossip were even remotely true, Callie Torres was fruit of the forbidden tree, no matter how luscious her lips had been. The orthopedic surgeon was in the aftermath of a first-time lesbian love affair with another surgeon that had ended badly. It would be far too easy for Arizona to invite herself into Callie's personal space, offering a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear, knowing with little doubt she'd be readily accepted. But Arizona also knew that babydykes (particularly the drop-dead gorgeous types like Calliope) tended to be needy and high-maintenance – with or without the tragic affair - and this was not something Arizona wanted in her life. She spent her days with infants; she didn't care to spend her nights with them as well. Still, she thought, continuing to wave the coaster in front of her face, she'd already kissed Calliope. What could it hurt to…
Joe arrived in her field of vision at that moment, thank God, wiping the bar with a cotton rag, or her musings would have skipped blithely to that erotic place she was trying to avoid. "Hey, Doctor Robbins." He cocked his head towards the ladies' room. "She all right in there?"
"Huh?" So much for the IQ, Arizona thought, wondering how long it would take before she got used to the way this sweet-faced bartender fretted over his hospital clientele. Gathering her wits, she tried answering him with some semblance of intelligence. "I'm sorry! I-I mean, yes, she's okay."
Nodding, he seemed satisfied to take her at her word, and Arizona began to get an inkling of what it was about Joe. "Can I get you anything?"
Though she didn't usually drink beer, a cold one sounded good right about now. "A draft would be great. Thanks." Before she could stop herself, her eyes went to the ladies room door.
Clearly Joe noticed. "Hey, doc," he said warmly, "maybe you should check on her, just to be sure, huh? I'll get your beer meanwhile."
"Um, yeah," Arizona agreed, not bothering to take her eyes from the bathroom door, "maybe I should." She slid off the stool, but before she could get two steps, Callie emerged and began to make her way towards the exit, pointedly not looking in Arizona's direction. In the dim light of the bar, Arizona couldn't see Callie's expression, but it was clear Callie wasn't sticking around. Fighting an urge to go after her, Arizona forced herself to remain where she was.
Watching the door close on Callie's backside, Arizona blew out an uneven puff of air, torn between her relief that Callie was gone and her desire to go after her. Experience told her it was wiser to leave well enough alone. Sighing again, she turned to the bar in time to see Joe put her beer down on her coaster-fan. "Here ya go, doc."
"Thanks, Joe." Climbing onto the stool, she smiled, raised the heavy glass in mock toast and took a deep swallow, savoring the brew's bitter chill. Centering the glass back onto the coaster, she inhaled and took stock, exhaling a breath that fogged up the beer logo on the glass.
Calliope Torres was a lovely fantasy, but that's all she was. Yeah, okay, the kiss had been a mistake, but Arizona was sure the Goddess would forgive her once She got a good look at Callie. In any case, the first chance Arizona got, she would apologize to Callie for the kiss and explain to her that all she'd been trying to do was boost Callie's confidence, let her know she shouldn't feel as though her first love would be her only love. That there were lots more lesbians out there who'd be "lining up" for Callie in no time.
Not that she'd be one of 'em. As yummy as Callie was, Arizona Robbins told herself firmly that she would not be touching Calliope Torres again with a ten-foot pole. End of story.
Thinking she had given herself enough what for and certain she had convinced herself that Callie was to be avoided at all cost, she dared to run her tongue over her lips again, and that proved to be her undoing.
The cherry was gone, but, oh my, the temptation was not.
End Chapter 1
oOo oOo oOo
Things forbidden have a secret charm.
-- Tacitus
Temptation is an irresistible force at work on a moveable body.
-- H. L. Mencken