"Amelia, hey! I need to talk to you."
Arizona quickened her pace as she walked alongside the neurosurgeon.
"What's up?"
"I need a favor."
"Go on," Amelia urged, her eyes narrowing at Arizona's evident nervousness.
The pair stopped when they reached a supply closet, and the brunette stepped inside to grab a suture kit. Arizona followed her into the room, closing the door behind her.
"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."
Amelia turned her head to face the blonde, her eyes slightly widened.
"Uh... may I ask why?" she inquired.
"I sort of told a friend of mine that I was dating someone...," Arizona began timidly. "My friend, Melissa... well, actually, I don't know if 'friend' is the right word. But anyway, she's throwing this huge Christmas party on Friday, and I told her I'd be there. I haven't seen her in years, and there's always been this sort of competition between us, she's always tried to be better than me. And now she's super successful and happily married, and she and her husband have this big beautiful house, and all these people from college are going to be there... and I don't know if I'd be able to face her if she knew I was still single and living with a bunch of residents. So, when she asked me if I was going to bring anyone to the party, I told her I was bringing my girlfriend. And that's where you come in."
Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when the blonde spoke again, her voice desperate.
"Please, Amelia, please, please, please, plea-"
"Fine! Yes, Arizona, I will pretend to be your girlfriend," she said, rolling her eyes at the other woman's childlike behavior.
"Yay!" the blonde exclaimed, grinning widely. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Just one question, though."
"Yeah?"
"Why me?"
The blonde hesitated for a short moment, blushing slightly.
"I... I wanted to impress everyone. And you're... you know. You're smart, and funny, and... really, really pretty," she admitted awkwardly.
Amelia's lips curved upwards into a smirk.
"Well, in that case, I'd be honored to be your fake girlfriend."
"Really?" Arizona smiled.
The neurosurgeon nodded. "What time should I be ready?"
"I'll pick you up at seven."
The brunette smirked again before turning to exit the room, looking back as she walked out the door.
"The things I do for you, Robbins..."
Arizona smoothed out her hair as she stood outside Meredith's door, fidgeting nervously as she waited for Amelia to answer. Her breath caught in her throat when the brunette swung the door open, and she found herself captivated by the sight of the neurosurgeon in a tight, black laced dress and tall crimson heels, her soft chocolate locks cascading elegantly over her shoulders. She forced herself to look away, clearing her throat and smiling brightly. It's just pretend.
"Damn, look at you!" the blonde mused, whistling playfully, causing the other woman to laugh and lightly slap her shoulder.
"Shut up," Amelia teased, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, okay," Arizona smiled. "Really, though. You look beautiful."
The brunette felt her cheeks flush, and she suddenly felt very warm.
"Thank you," she replied sincerely, linking her arm through the blonde's. "You're not too bad yourself."
Arizona pulled into a long driveway, stopping to park outside of a very large white house, its roof lined with sparkling lights and windows lit with candles.
"Here we go," Arizona announced, letting out a deep breath.
Amelia reached over, placing her hand on top of the other woman's.
"It'll be fine," she assured her. "You have me. I'm a fantastic fake girlfriend."
The blonde chuckled.
"Thank you for doing this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Anything for you, my love," Amelia teased, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the car door. "Come on, let's go."
The two entered the house, Amelia glued to Arizona's side.
"Which one's that Melissa chick?" the brunette whispered. "Wait, don't tell me."
She scanned the room, her eyes fixating on a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a showy red dress.
"Her," she guessed, nodding her head in her direction.
"Impressive," Arizona laughed.
She let out a sigh when the woman began to make her way over to where she and Amelia stood.
"Brace yourself," she instructed, muttering the words out of the corner of her mouth.
"Zona!" came a high-pitched, enthusiastic voice. "I'm so glad you could make it, it's been forever!"
Arizona feigned a cheerful smile, leaning in to reciprocate the other woman's hug.
"It's good to see you, Melissa."
Amelia suppressed a laugh at the blonde's plastered smile and fake excitement. Melissa turned to face the neurosurgeon, her eyes narrowed and somewhat judgmental as they scanned from Amelia's feet up to her face.
"And you must be..."
"Amelia," the brunette finished. "Arizona's girlfriend."
"Ah, well, it's lovely to meet you. Glad to know that Zona's finally found someone. How did you two meet?"
"Amelia's the head of neurosurgery at Grey Sloan," Arizona explained.
"I see," Melissa nodded, her voice emotionless and rather condescending. She flashed Amelia a clearly ungenuine smile. "Well, enjoy the party."
Arizona's fake smile disappeared from her face when Melissa turned to walk away.
"Zona?" Amelia asked incredulously, her eyebrows raised and lips curved into a smirk.
"What a bitch," Arizona huffed, eliciting a loud laugh from the brunette.
"Oh, come on. She doesn't seem that bad."
Arizona raised her eyebrows.
"Trust me, you have no idea."
She linked her arm through the other woman's once again, and the two situated themselves at a small table in the corner of the room. Several minutes passed, the two women deep in conversation. Arizona's confusion became apparent when Amelia reached across the table, taking both of the blonde's hands in her own and linking their fingers together.
"Melissa's looking," she explained, brushing a lock of hair behind Arizona's ear. She stood up from her chair when a slow song started playing, pulling the other woman up with her. "Dance with me."
"Are you serious?" Arizona asked.
"You want to be convincing, right? Come on, baby," she teased, winking at her.
The pair walked hand in hand to the middle of the room, where several couples began to sway to the music. Amelia linked her arms around Arizona's neck, gazing into her eyes as the blonde wrapped her arms around her waist.
"I know I keep saying this, but thank you for coming. Really."
Amelia smiled. "I'm happy to. Honestly, I'm having a really good time."
"Good," Arizona grinned. She leaned in to press a gentle kiss against Amelia's cheek, causing the brunette to blush. They swayed slowly to the music, and Amelia let her eyes flutter shut as she rested her chin on the other woman's shoulder.
Moments later, her eyes shot open when she heard someone yell, "mistletoe!" She looked up to the ceiling, her heart pounding in her chest when she saw the mistletoe dangling above them. She met Arizona's eyes, and she could sense everyone in the room watching them.
Screw it, she thought, and she leaned in close, her nose brushing lightly against Arizona's. She allowed their lips to make contact, sighing into the kiss as the blonde lightly traced her bottom lip with her tongue. Their tongues collided, battling for dominance as Amelia's hands cupped the other woman's face. She let out a dreamy sigh as they pulled apart, their hearts racing as they stared into each other's eyes.
It's just pretend.