Title: We All Have Wings... (Some of Us Don't Know Why)

Author: Obi-Kim

Rating: T (language)

Pairing: Exploration of the Hahn/Mark/Callie fiesta of fun. Mostly Hahn/Callie friendship, some Mark/Callie thrown in for good measure.

Summary/Disclaimer: Right after 4X11 Lay Your Hands On Me... Callie and Erica go to Joe's, and Mark comes up as a topic of conversation.

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Callie was finding that she actually liked Erica. She was fun, why didn't she ever show this side of herself at work? It must have been the separation. YOu have to be a hardass to get people to take you seriously. She understood it, she really did, but it just was hard to deal with the complete shift of Hahn the professional, to Erica the Awesome.

She could see what Mark liked in her. She was feisty, and strong, and independent, which was everything he was secretly attracted to. It scared her how much she understood him, sometimes. She felt like they could communicate telepathically. So why couldn't he see her?

She was hot, right? She was desirable, and smart. But she wasn't Erica Hahn. She couldn't believe she was actually wanting Mark at this point. Mark the manwhore, the cheater. But underneath all that swagger, once he let you in, she could understand why he and Derek had remained friends. Oh, Hell, she knew he respected her, and he could actually be a total sweetheart, but he was Mark.

It was wrong on SOOO many levels to be thinking this way. She was just emotional because of Mrs. O'Malley. That was all. Right?

They had gone to a different bar for "warm-ups" and to stay away from Mark for awhile. Apparently, Erica had admitted she was attracted to him earlier in the day. Callie told her that was a bad idea, but maybe if somebody could get some action around here, not everyone would be so miserable. Then Hahn had decided it was better to go to Joe's, even if Sloan showed up, because she liked Joe and it was closer to her apartment. They had talked about her faith healer patient and her issues with Bailey. And then the unthinkable happened...

"So how long have you and Sloan been fucking each other?" Erica suddenly asked.

"What?" she nearly spit out her drink, well, she actually had spit out some of it. Hahn laughed and threw her a napkin.

"Ahh... Torres, you think I didn't notice that?"

"We're not together. He's flirting with you," she smirked, "he wants you."

"Oh, so you're playing that part, the girl who's getting him the other girl?"

"Maybe," she smiled.

"Yet you kind of want that girl to be you..."

"Heh... right, I just got out of a bad marriage, a BAD marriage... ADULTERY bad, and you're saying I want the king of infidelity?"

"Well, everyone wants Sloan. That's why everyone's done him. But he's nice to you. He isn't nice to anyone.'

"Mark's nice..." she could not figure out why that came so defensively.

"Yeah, only to the people he actually cares about."

"His last relationship, it was kind of, well... It's complicated," Callie sighed, taking another shot.

"I'm a big girl," Erica prodded.

"Well, Shepherd was married, and Mark kinda slept with his wife..." she half-laughed into her sigh, "a lot, and he caught them."

"Pretty and prettier?! It IS a soap opera... yet..."

"Yea, they're friends now, but I guess Derek caught them having sex and left, then they lived together, and she caught him cheating, so she came after Derek, and then Mark came after her."

"That's..."

"Complicated, yea."

"Where is she now?"

"LA."

"She was your friend, wasn't she?"

"I miss Addie, yea, she was like my hospital buddy, you know? And Mark's been kinda my friend ever since," she laughed heartily, "you know, its kinda ridiculous, because I slept with him when my boyfriend was being an ass, maybe that should have clued me in actually, and that's how we bonded, over mutually hating him, that and a patient, but now he's my friend."

"So you did sleep with him,"

"Just the once... well.. one night."

"So it was good!" she smirked.

"It was dirty, a dirty nasty night,"

"and you got off like you never had..." Erica couldn't help it, this was fun. Her little friends were completely attracted to each other. Yenta was going to come out and have some fun.

Callie just moaned, slammed her head against the bar, and then asked Joe for another beer, taking a swig, "The sad part is, I think he's still in love with her, she left him, completely high and dry. I mean she hurt him so much and he's so in love with her still that he's going after you, because he gets off on the chase. He likes it when you're mean to him, I think... God, I don't know. I probably shouldn't be telling you this," it was the alcohol. The beer was making her say things she didn't want to. It was making her feel things that weren't supposed to be there.

"Hey, I can be your friend, I didn't sleep with him and I don't really plan to, but I am a damaged doctor too... and here's what I say... you're clearly, clearly attracted to each other... so you're both damaged, but you're both frickin prettier than should be allowed, and you actually understand each other. I don't understand the hold up."

"I'm not ready. I'm not ready to be in that place again, and I certainly can't be there with HIM..."

"Just jump his bones and work from there," Erica shrugged.

"Oh that is SO not a good idea," she drank another swig, though she knew it was a bad idea.

"I think it will make you feel better."

"I tried that already..."

"And it made you feel better."

"Yea, actually," she laughed. Suddenly feeling the effects of Stage 2 Drunk - Delirious giggling, coming on.

"So. It doesn't mean anything, it's just sex with two people who understand each other. If you want it to go anywhere, then make it go there. You two both need to get laid."

"I think this is really about you wanting him to go after me and get off your ass."

"Maybe, but if I can make all of us happy with one action, I will do it."

Callie was about to protest Erica's actions when she felt him. She didn't even have to look back to know he was in the room. He had an air about him she could just sense. That was odd. Oh, crap, stage 3 drunk was coming... at the worst possible time.

"Hey Ladies," he smirked, in much the same way he had this morning in the elevator. She just smiled back at him, very toothily. He kind of looked at her like she was going a bit nuts, but then sat on the other side of Erica, "how are you?"

"I'm great, Dr. Torres is a little bit drunk," Erica smirked, taking a swig, not seeming to have a buzz at all, Callie just giggled.

"I can see that," he looked over at her, concern written across his face, that he quickly held back, "but she's a big girl, she'll be fine. Hit me with some scotch, Joe!" he pounded the table.

"You look so funny when you hit things," Callie got a throaty giggle coming through, both Mark and Erica looked over at her with shock. Mark suddenly got up and went to sit on the other side of Callie, he took his hand and grabbed her face to latch on to her eyes, "Callie, you're not going to drink anymore, and you're going to go to your room, without picking up any cute boys, and you're going to sleep, got it?" he asked, searching her eyes.

"You're so cute," she giggled, again, reaching for the glass that had been next to her which Mark had managed to down right before she went for it, "Hey, that was mine!" she pouted.

"Not anymore," he flashed a smile.

"uh.." she moaned, "Don't smile, not now. Do not smile at me."

"Why not," she didn't think it was possible, but the smile actually got wider.

Callie felt her body lean forward, and practically fall onto him. His arms immediately went to hers to steady her, "Cal-" he started to ask before he was cut off. Somehow through her stupor she managed to find his mouth. Latching her lips on to his bottom lip and sucking, then she thrust her tongue into his mouth. He seemed taken aback, but he kissed back.

At least he knew that she wanted to feel wanted for a little bit, even if it was fake. Their tongues had been dueling for something... maybe they were just playing a game... she was kinda drunk, OH SHIT! She knew how to play this off, pretend that it was exactly what she wanted to do, he didn't really want her, so their was no chance it would end up in his bed again. She pulled away. He actually seemed like he didn't know what was going on, for once in the time she knew him he actually looked confused.

"Hey, told you not to smile at me," she laughed, "I'm gonna go up to my room, now, if you wanna join me, you know where it is. Been there before," she tried her best to think coherent thoughts as she walked out of the bar, trying not to feel his eyes on her ass. God she hated inappropriate touching drunk.

"So are you going after her?" Erica asked as he turned back around face the bar.

"She's drunk," he stated as if it wasn't obvious.

"That's never stopped you before."

"Shut up. She's Callie. She'll regret it in the morning, and well..." he grabbed the scotch he had asked Joe for originally, and swung it back.

"You've been there already, so you're not gonna do it again?"

"Are you kidding? Callie's... God... " he smashed his head against the counter.

"Mmm... so what's the problem?"

"She doesn't want this," he mumbled into the counter.

"I think she does."

"I just - don't want to hurt her. I hurt people," he turned his head to her side.

"So it was okay to go after me?"

"You wouldn't get hurt," he sat up, and gave her an eyebrow.

"Callie's strong," Erica shrugged.

"No. She seems strong, and he already broke her, I'd just rip her apart," he sighed.

"Well, you do what you think you want, Pretty, but worrying about hurting her is just stupid, because the only way you're going to hurt Torres is by making her think nobody wants her."

"What?"

"Just fuck her. Deal with the consequences later."

He turned to her with a disgusted look, "you are completely screwed up."

"Maybe, but I'm not running away from what I want."

"You want me," he smiled, "You're running away."

"Get it through your head Sloan, I'm the one-night stand... she's the lion-tamer."

"And you don't think that's my problem?" he eyed her sideways.

"Take a chance, fall, you'll either find some wings, or you'll fall flat on your face, but if anyone can fix it, you can. But not trying because you're afraid is just stupid, and completely unsexy," she took a swig of her glass, and slammed it down, "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Dammit, he was going to have to tell Callie how he felt, and it would end in one of two ways... crying or sex. Either one would fuck up everything. He never wanted to hurt her.

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A/N: Let me know what you think. This has a follow-up, if you're at all interested.