Title: Bout of Nervousness
Author: lilyme
Summary: They had an agreement. An understandable one initially. But Arizona felt it was time to change something about it. Will Callie be brave enough to agree?
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Grey's Anatomy". They were created by Shonda Rhimes and belong to her and the ABC network. No copyright infringement intended! All mistakes are mine.
A noise could be heard outside.
A little bird that had to be sitting somewhere near the window and was chirping animatedly.
It didn't even take a look, but only a trained ear to figure out what kind of bird was singing its song to the world here.
When she was little, her dad had taught her enough about birds to be able to identify this one as a starling. Most likely using the quiet of the early morning hours to tell the other critters in the area that this was his place and they better stayed away.
Interestingly enough his chirps sounded like a car.
But that was not that surprising.
Growing up in a big city, sounds like these were very natural and familiar to these little guys. And maybe the birdie even liked them.
She, however... didn't.
Okay, the little guy's song was fine. But not when it was waking her from a content sleep!
Callie Torres loved her sleep.
Craved it.
And even though this was better than being woken up by her pager in the middle of the night... this was really not ideal.
She went to cover her free ear with her pillow to shut out the sounds of nature and maybe try to go back to sleep. But not only did she now find that there was a weight on her pillow; she also found that she herself was being pinned down by the waist.
Callie blinked her eyes open and took in the pale arm curled around her body over the thin sheet securely, the person attached to the possessive arm pressed lightly into her back.
This was unusual. She was not really used to being the little spoon. Which was not to say that she didn't welcome this novelty. It felt oddly pleasant. Scratch the oddly. It felt amazingly pleasant.
She turned carefully and soon caught sight of the most beautiful woman to ever step foot into her life and into her heart.
The sleeping face was completely serene. Only the perfectly shaped nose twitching once or twice in an involuntary way, as the woman dreamt. The lips slightly parted as breath whisked in an out. The trace of dimples, deepened by decades of smiles framing them in just the right way. The eyes that held so much love behind the currently closed lids. Closed lids adorned by eyelashes that were so accentuated by the soft beam of morning sun that she could easily try and count them.
And then she realized.
Morning bird sounds outside.
Morning sun filtering in.
"Crap...Crap, crap, crap," she whispered, her voice a low mumble, as she carefully untangled herself on her way to scramble out of bed and get dressed.
She found her panties and bra and quickly put them on. Grabbing her pants, she has no chance than to watch her keys tumble out and fall to the floor with a metallic thud.
Instantly she heard stirring behind her and cringed.
"Hey... What's going on?" wondered the sleepy voice and she turned towards the woman who looked surprised to find her out of bed.
"I fell asleep! I need...," she pointed towards the door, hoping her lover would understand their secret agreement.
Arizona knew about this the agreement. This stupid agreement. "You were gonna leave without saying goodbye?" she questioned, and Callie could see the hurt look in her eyes.
"No!" the brunette instantly negated, as she, still struggling with her pants, bent down to kiss the other woman. "I was gonna wake you when I was done dressing. Because you know... you and me and nakedness? It would be too distracting to follow through with this scheme."
"Right...," Arizona shook her head with a wry smile as Callie continued to look for her clothes, still needing her shoes, socks and, most importantly, her shirt.
"And you know I have to leave before Sofia wakes up, so..."
"I let you sleep," the blonde's voice behind her sounded again, and Callie, having just slipped into one of her shoes, turned back to Arizona to question this when the woman's very absent outfit came into view and made her go weak in the knees.
"See, distracting nakedness...," she grinned. So distracting in fact that she almost missed the tiny detail of Arizona only standing on her right foot. Not having put her prosthetic on yet. "Whoa! Come here!" she rushed to grab her around the waist in worry. "What are you doing?"
"I can hold my own pretty good," the blonde calmed her with amused eyes, as she still gratefully found support in Callie's arms. "Did you hear what I said?" she wondered, making Callie think hard about what had been on her mind before the nakedness.
"Sleep...?" she questioned and Arizona nodded, looking deep into the soulful eyes.
"When I noticed you had fallen asleep after our little 'get together'", the blonde smirked, "I wanted to wake you. But... you just looked so peaceful and happy. Sleeping in my arms with that adorable smile of yours. So... I didn't want to send you out into the cold and lonely night. Plus, I know how you despise being woken in the middle of the night, so...," she shrugged her shoulders, playing like she didn't have a choice anyway.
"But...," the other woman wanted to argue. They were dating for three months now. Sleeping together for two. At both their places. Yet until now neither of them had spent the night. One of them going home after - always. It's what they were doing. What they had agreed on. For now.
And there was a reason.
"But... what if Sofia sees me here? We didn't talk to her yet. And... she's gonna have questions...," she argued.
"Then let her ask, Calliope," Arizona returned encouragingly. "We have to tell her someday."
"I know," Callie agreed. "It's just..."
"You're scared," Arizona guessed. "And believe me, I am too," she nodded understandingly and put her hand on her lover's back in support. "But... we're so happy right now. And we're on a good way, right?"
"Yes, yeah!" Callie nodded emphatically. "We are!"
Arizona smiled at the eager agreement to their current state. The state of bliss and ecstasy. But she knew they could still do better.
"I want to spend every possible minute with you," she emphasized as she let her hand move up and her fingers play with the brunette's hair. "I don't want to keep on sneaking into your house when Sofia is asleep to be with you and then leave very early in the morning so she doesn't catch us. And I don't want you to sneak in and out either. I want to wake up with you every morning. See your adorable grumpy face when the alarm goes off far too early for your liking."
Callie smiled at this. It sounded so good. So, so good.
"And I want all of us to eat breakfast together again. Laugh and talk together. Get Sofia ready for her school day. See you off to work with a little kiss. Simply... be a family again. It's my biggest wish," the blonde concluded with tears forming.
Callie exhaled deeply at the words. Her own tears threatening to spill. Arizona had laid out all her arguments. And none of them were refutable.
If only it wasn't for her tiny little voice of fear plagueing her with all sorts of scenarions of how this could go wrong again. Could drag them all down the abyss again.
One could call it the voice of reason. But it could also be the voice of holding back.
She looked into Arizona's intensely hopeful eyes. And she realized that this voice in her head would always be there. She just had to prove it wrong.
Because... she really did not want to miss out on the best possible future she could have with Arizona.
"Okay," Callie finally nodded with a gulp.
"Okay?" Arizona repeated, making sure. Her eyes searching Callie's face, memorizing every bit of her slowly opening up to the idea.
"Okay!" came the more vehement affirmation.
"Yes!" Arizona rejoiced and kissed her new... old lover... life partner... once more. "Oh, I love you!" she whispered, realizing it was the first time since getting back together that she had said this.
"I love you too," Callie felt a tear escape her eye as she held Arizona close.
Holding onto this next terrifying, yet so exciting step for them.
"I guess it's time to do this," the other woman resolved, as they heard rustling from the direction of their daughter's room. The eleven year old slowly waking up herself.
"But maybe not like this," Callie motioned to her disheveled appearance and the blonde's completely undressed deliciousness.
"Agreed," Arizona laughed as Callie helped her sit down on the bed and continued the hunt for their clothes.