Title: Angel
Author: A. Windsor
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG-13. Little language, kissing.
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My one semester of law school could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not mine, I'm just playing!
Summary: Christmas is off to a bad start.
Author's Note: Merry Christmas! Short, short, short. Fluffy, fluffy, fluffy.
Arizona loves Christmas. This being her three-month-old's first, she's been looking forward to it since Halloween (but restrained herself until December, in deference to Thanksgiving). She's been wheeling around the Peds ward singing carols and getting into lengthy discussions with her patients about their Christmas lists. She's taken to wearing her Santa hat to do rounds, and even (with the help of a few of her tiny humans) convinced her reluctant protégé Alex Karev to wear one as well. Christmas music has played twenty-four/seven in the peds ward. Cristina and Owen invited them over with the Shepherds for a great Hanukkah dinner (where two-year-old Ally Shepherd entertained and Asa Robbins-Torres slept like a sailor at the end of a four day bender). And Callie has been cooking like crazy as she gets more and more in the spirit.
The first fifteen days of December had been proceeding perfectly, all according to plan, but then the train had gone completely off the rails. The Christmas schedule was released, and it shattered all of their plans. One of Arizona's attendings had broken his hand, and that combined with the several weeks she'd taken for Asa's birth meant that she was working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and on-call for the 26th. Callie, fresh off maternity leave herself, was working or on-call from the 27th to New Years.
Things had spiraled out of control from there. Both sets of grandparents were very bent out of shape about being "robbed" of their time with their only grandchild at the holidays, and somehow Arizona's patients, who usually had an upswing in miraculous recoveries around Christmas, started dropping, pardon the metaphor, like flies. Arizona's mood had plummeted, and she'd, unfortunately, been taking it out on Callie.
So things were tense at work, they were tense at home, and they were tense via phone and email with her parents and in-laws.
She and Callie had a huge fight just that morning, the 22nd, about just when to decorate the Christmas tree that had been sitting bare in the living room since December 12th. Arizona, hating Christmas and its infinite stress at that point, just lost it.
"Arizona, why are we even fighting about this? It's Asa's first Christmas: we have to at least have the goddamn tree decorated."
"I'm late, okay, Callie? I have three major surgeries, and with my luck, none will make it off the table. And our son woke up six times in eight hours last night. I am tired, and I don't want to talk about this right now. It'll get done."
"And when, exactly? This is something we should do as a family."
"We will." Arizona's beeper blares. "I have to go." Asa starts crying in the nursery. "And so do you."
"Arizona..."
"I'll be back after dinner."
But she isn't. Snow on the roads led to multiple ice-related accidents, and Arizona is in surgery until one am. Since she left the apartment in a huff just as Asa woke, she's gone at least eighteen hours without seeing her baby boy, which only serves to worsen her mood. She managed to save five of the six kids that went under her knife, a bit of an improvement, but she feels each loss even more keenly now that she has her own son waiting at home for her.
She finally drags herself across the street to the apartment, her Santa hat covered in mud from where it fell from her purse. She wants to cry at her ruined Christmas, that the fates, just three months after her world changed for the absolute better, have chosen to balance out the greatness by taking away her favorite holiday.
She fumbles with the keys and groans at the extra noise she's making. She doesn't want to wake either Callie or Asa if they are asleep at this hour. She pushes into the apartment and freezes at the sight that greets her.
The apartment is decked out in white lights, the Christmas tree adorned with ornaments, all the presents they bought for Asa and for each other piled up underneath. By the window, haloed by the Christmas lights, are her very own Christmas angels, saving her from her poor mood and a ruined holiday with the extremely beautiful picture they pose.
Callie has Asa up on her shoulder, where he half-dozes as she sings "Silent Night" softly in his ear, the lights shimmering on their matching dark curls.
She's struck by just how very lucky she is, and how all her whining for the last week has been so ridiculous. She sets her bag down with a dull thud, and Asa's tiny head lifts up with great effort to see the source of the noise. She beams as his big eyes settle on her general vicinity.
"Hey, little man," she announces her presence. "You're up late."
"Up again," Callie corrects, turning around to meet her eyes with a small smile.
"It's hard being three-months-old," Arizona says seriously. "You decorated."
"Yeah. Sorry. I spent all day being really mad at you, so I pulled out everything and whirlwind-decorated after I put him down at eight. But he woke up before I could put the angel on top, and I realized that it was kinda stupid to be so pissed that I decorated without you, because that's not really punishment for anyone, and we should do it together. You've just been, well, kinda a brat, for the last week."
"I know. I know. I'm sorry. I was just upset about all our fun Christmas plans being ruined. It was dumb. I was dumb. I'm really sorry."
"What do you think, m'ijo? Are we gonna take that apology from your Momma?" Callie looks down to Asa, who is still looking intently (kinda, sorta) at Arizona. He whimpers. "Okay. In the spirit of the holiday, I guess we can. Come over here, moron."
Arizona lets out a relieved sigh and hurries to them, wrapping the pair up in a bear hug.
"We saved the angel for you," Callie murmurs, leaning down to kiss her.
"Thanks."
Arizona steals Asa from his madre's arms, nuzzling his soft little neck. "Hi, you. Have you been watching your Mami for me? Did you see the winter wonderland she's created? I missed you today."
Callie grins at their interaction: he might only be three months old, but those two have a tighter bond than she could've ever hoped for, and Arizona, despite her misgivings, is a wonderful Momma.
"He missed you, too."
"Yeah? Is Mami learning to speak baby, too?"
"Not as fluently as you, but yes." Callie takes in a deep breath. "I have something to tell you. I don't know if it's going to make you happy or sad, but it's definitely gonna stress you out some more. But I have a plan to deal with it. Are you ready?"
"After that introduction? How could I not be?" Arizona snarks, dreading what's to come but pretty amused by Callie's babbling.
"Our parents have conspired against us."
"What?"
"They have joined forces, and they're both flying out here to spend Christmas with Asa. Dad got two rooms at the Archfield, and they'll all be arriving Christmas Eve."
"What?" Arizona feels her stress levels skyrocketing again and looks down at her son, which manages to calm her a little. "Your grandparents, Asa. What they'll do just to be with you."
"Well, he's pretty damn cute."
"Watch your language in front of the baby," Arizona admonishes, sheltering his tiny little ears.
Callie laughs. "Don't you want to hear my plan?"
"Yes, of course," Arizona sighs, sinking onto the couch, cuddling their little boy close to help keep her calm. She loves her parents and in-laws, but this is certainly not what her already stressful Christmas needs.
Callie sits down beside her, wrapping her up from behind.
"So, I was thinking that I like the idea of just the three of us for his first Christmas, even with our awful schedules. And neither of us is working until tomorrow afternoon. And he's three-months-old and has absolutely no concept of time. So, we could, if it's okay with you, put the angel on the top of the tree together tonight, then settle the nene down for the rest of the night, then wake up in the morning and pretend it's Christmas, with just our family. So when the grandparents get here, we'll have already celebrated and won't feel any extra pressure. It'll be all about Asa and his crazy grandparents. What do you think?"
"I love it," Arizona says breathlessly, twisting around to meet her eyes. "I... you're awesome, Calliope. That's brilliant. I just have two addendums to the schedule."
"Oh, yeah. What're those?"
"First, I just wanna sit here with you two, just a little while longer."
"That can be arranged," Callie kisses her neck.
"And look, you've already guessed number two," she teases. "After we get the little man back to bed, I want to ravage his madre underneath the beautiful Christmas tree she's decorated."
Calle chuckles warmly, moving her hands off of Arizona's waist to cover Asa's ears. "And you're worried about the occasional curse word, my god. He can't be hearing that!"
Arizona grins. "Oh, he knows."
Half-asleep again, Asa grunts at all the commotion.
"Sorry, buddy. Your crazy moms will be quiet. For now," Arizona soothes, pressing a kiss into his temple as he cuddles in close to his momma's chest, one tiny fist clutching into her shirt. She leans her head back against her Calliope's shoulder and whispers, "The apartment looks wonderful. Thank you for doing all this."
"Lexie came over and helped with the lights a little. I think to escape the apartment. Sloane Sloan arrived today for the holidays."
"Ah. Yes. Always a pleasure."
"Can't wait to see our dads' reactions to her at Christmas dinner," Callie snickers softly in her ear.
"Oh, see, that's just mean, rubbing it in. Take pictures?"
"Of course."
They sit for a few minutes longer, illuminated only by the strands of Christmas lights, enjoying the miraculously familiar feel of each other.
"Okay, hand over the baby and get your cute little butt up that ladder with the angel. We'll spot you."
"He's asleep," Arizona whispers as Callie stands and takes Asa from her.
"Good. The quicker you get that angel on the tree, the quicker we get to your part of the plan."
Arizona pauses halfway up the stepladder.
"I love you," she calls over her shoulder.
"I love you, too. Merry Christmas, my dork."
"Merry Christmas. Can't wait until you open your presents. They're awesome."
"Hey, we already got the best present ever, right?" Callie counters, eyes on their beautiful baby boy.
"The best. Hand me the angel?"
"The tree-topper or the baby?"
"Ha. Ha. Whichever you want me to place precariously on the top of this evergreen," Arizona teases as Callie hands her the angel they bought last Christmas.
"Oh, tree-topper then, please. El angelito is sleeping, and I'd like him to stay that way."
"Okay, tell me if she's centered."
"To the left. Okay, now a little more to the right. Nope, left again. Right. Right, no, too right. Left. Now..."
"Calliope, are you just checking me out?"
Callie grins, totally caught. "Maybe."
"Is the angel centered or not?"
"It's perfect."
"You better be glad you're holding Asa right now."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Okay then. I'm coming down."
Arizona stumbles a little on the last step, but Callie catches her with her free hand, the other holding Asa tight.
"Look at that. Still sweeping me off my feet."
"You are so cheesy," Callie laughs, even as she presses her lips to hers, parting for her tongue. She moans as Arizona pulls away.
"Time to get you to bed, young man. We have plans you'll want to be in your bedroom for," Arizona says, grabbing Callie's hand and dragging her to the nursery (previously, hilariously, Cristina Yang's room).
They tuck Asa into his crib and spend a few moments being sappy new parents and watching their sweet little angel sleep on his back, dressed in, Arizona just now notices, a little elf sleeper.
"Okay, Asa. Let's make a deal. We're giving you Christmas early. How about you let us sleep just a little bit longer at a time, tonight? Huh?" Arizona negotiates. "How's that sound?"
The sleeping infant lets out a giant sigh.
"That was a yes, let's go. Time's a wastin'," Callie grins, pulling at the hem of Arizona's shirt impatiently.
"Ooh, see, Christmas is coming early this year."
"Not too early," Callie whispers hotly in her ear.
"Yeah, okay. Goodnight, Asa! We love you! Merry Christmas!" she manages to get out as she's dragged out to the living room for their own little celebration of the holiday.
el fin
¡Feliz Navidad!