This is a bit of a different story for me, and I'm going to write it how I see fit. If you don't like it, I would suggest you don't read it. That said, me being me, it will probably be filled with smut, it will be dark and twisty in places and fun in others. Enjoy, or don't, the choice is yours!
General POV
Amelia was a kick ass surgeon, she knew that. She knew she was nothing compared to her brother, always living in his shadow. But she was exceptional. Exceptional in her own right. Unlike Derek, she had fought, hard, to get to where she was. Life was always knocking her back, but she'd pushed and fought and persevered. She'd struggled, for a long time with addiction, drugs and alcohol, her father's death, her friends suicide, her boyfriend's death. He had died in bed beside her whilst she was comatosed, too high to even realise. Even her own babies death. And now, now she was a neuro superhero. She knew it, the whole of the world knew it. She was the second choice neurosurgeon in the US. Only second choice to Derek, and that, she could live with. Or could she? Could she accept that she'd always be in Derek's shadow?
Currently Amelia is trying to rebuild her life. Rebuilding her life, again. For the umpteenth time. Her baby, he had no brain. The universe, it had a sick sense of humour. She is a neurosurgeon and her baby had no brain. No brain, that is something that can't be fixed with surgery, nothing can fix that. So her little boy, he'd lived, for 46 minutes. And Amelia had loved him, unconditionally, for 46 minutes. 46 agonising, heartbreaking minutes. Engaged to James, Amelia is freaked out. After everything she has had to deal with, she's scared, terrified even. How do you let yourself be loved, when every man you have ever loved, has died? How?
Taking some time to figure things out, Amelia heads to Seattle. Spending time with Derek and Meredith. Taking time to see if she can have, or even cope with the 'normal' life. The husband, the kids, the job. The perfect life. But the longer she spends surrounded by Zola and Bailey, the more she doesn't want to return to James. The longer she's in Seattle, she doesn't want to return to LA. She wants the fresh start, the place where only a handful of people know of her past, where the people she loves most are. Her brother and his family. That's what Amelia wants. A fresh start.
Arizona had been through hell herself. She'd lost her brother, she'd left Callie for Africa, only to come back and find her pregnant. She'd almost lost Callie and Sofia in the car crash, all because she had proposed. She'd been in a plane crash and lost her leg. And now, now she had cheated on her wife, and for what? 5 minutes of fun? To not feel like a patient for a little while. Because Lauren had wanted her, wanted her in a way that Callie hadn't since the loss of her leg. And of course, like is standard when you cheat, Callie found out and has moved out with Sofia. Leaving her struggling to see her daughter and without her wife. The latter, being her own doing.
Living in a hotel, it isn't like going on holiday and staying for a week. It's cold, it's lonely. It definitely doesn't feel like home, but that's what Arizona has right now. A hotel room, not a home. So yes, she's sleeping with Leah Murphy. Not to hurt Callie more, but as a way of forgetting. A way of escaping the pain and hurt she has caused. A way of feeling something, anything other than loneliness.
Being an awesome pediatric surgeon was one thing, but Arizona was about to embark on a very intense fetal fellowship. Making her one of only a handful of people in the country able to perform inutero surgeries. The only other surgeon Arizona knew, except Herman, obviously, with both specialties, was Addison Montgomery. Derek's ex-wife. Amelia's sister.
Amelia's POV
Seeing Arizona sitting alone along the bar from me, I get lost in my own thoughts. I've always looked up to Arizona. She was at Hopkins when I first started. She was phenomenal back then, even before she got experience and grew up. As much as anyone can grow up, working with children all day long that is. She's become one of the most recognised and sought after pediatric surgeons in the country. She's been through so much, survived so much, and she's still here, bright and shiney. Taking names and kicking ass. She is what I strive for. The person I hope I can become even a fraction of. She's definitely something special. I don't know how she does it, after everything.
I tried dating women back in med school, it never really worked for me. And since then, I've only dated men. That said, if i was going to date a woman, ever, it'd have to be someone like Arizona.
Sitting in Joe's bar, vodka in front of me, I contemplate what I'm actually going to do. Do I go back to James? Or do I run, start over, in Seattle. With my brother. Can I work for my brother. What sort of things would that do to our already fragile relationship? Am I even at a point in my life where I care anymore?
Bringing my nearly empty glass to my mouth, I down the remnants of vodka, grimacing as it burns my throat. I know I shouldn't be drinking, I know I have a problem, but what the hell, you only live once right? And right now, my mind is a mess, I'm confused, I love James, I do, in my own way. I'm just, I'm not happy with him. And I'm scared, what if I can never give him the child he desires so badly? What if we try to have a baby and it again has no brain. It would kill me, that I am sure of.
"Amelia, hi, can I get you another?" Arizona asks, having sidled up to the seat to my right. Giving Arizona a look, my eyes roaming her outfit, her body, her face. I take in everything, trying to ascertain if Arizona is aware of my alcoholism or not. Whether she's trying to catch me out or just be kind and buy me a drink.
"Uh, yeah, sure. Sit." I struggle over my words, motioning for Arizona to sit beside me. My gaze falling back to the wall in front of me.
"Joe, can I get a whiskey and a….." Arizona falters, not actually knowing what i'm drinking.
"Vodka" I state, flatly.
"A whiskey and a vodka please." Arizona finishes the order. Not mentioning anything about my choice of drink.
"Rough day?" I ask Arizona, noticing her choice of drink is a bold choice.
"Rough year Amelia." Arizona responds, mirroring my own flatness.
"I know what you mean." I respond. A comfortable silence settling between us. Both of us content to just drink our drinks in silence. Neither of us needing to fill the time with meaningless chit chat. Not yet, at least. We both just take a moment, to breathe, to relax, to let the calm wash over us. Finishing my drink, in what can only be described as, record time.
"Another?" I ask Arizona, noticing she's also finishing the last of her Whiskey.
"Sure." She responds, as I signal to Joe to top our glasses up.
A few hours later, I've honestly lost count of how many drinks Arizona and I have had. Sometime between the second and third, we finally started chatting, reminiscing over Hopkins, talking about our lives, sharing stories, discussing the crap we both have going on. Generally acting like the best of friends. Acting like two people that have been friends since kindergarten. Laughing, giggling, joking about everything and nothing.
"We should head home." Arizona states, causing my face to contort at the idea of returning to Derek's house drunk.
"Where's home?" I ask of no one in particular, because honestly, right now, i have no home.
"The Archfield." Arizona responds indifferently to my rhetorical question. My gaze lingering on her, taking in her response. My eyes widening as the intensity of her situation hits me in my drunken state.
"Callie kicked me out, you know, when I was a slutty whore and cheated on her." Arizona confirms, as if trying to remind me of an earlier conversation we had, had.
"Ah, yeah. Ok, well I'll get a room there tonight as well then, we can share a cab. I can't be going back to Derek's house and waking the kids as I fall through the front door." I shrug, desperately trying to justify why I would need a hotel room, rather than just going to my brothers house, drunk. After all, Derek knows about my alcoholism, Arizona doesn't.
"Good idea." Arizona slurs, steadying herself on my arm as she climbs down from her bar stool. Stumbling into me. We head outside, hoping to hail a cab. The cool Seattle air hitting me full force as we exit the bar. My mind is pretty hazy, it has been a long time since I have drank that much. But I feel good, euphoric even. I am pretty sure, that, without the hangover tomorrow morning, I wouldn't remember I'd even been drinking tonight.
"Why don't you just share my room?" Arizona suddenly asks, out of the blue, stopping in her tracks.
"I'm not sleeping with you, Arizona." I state, a smirk crossing my features as Arizona bites on her bottom lip nervously.
"I didn't mean like that Amelia, God!" Arizona exclaims, once her shocked look has faded a little.
"I'm messing with you. Relax. If you don't mind, I'd like to share your room." I say to Arizona, giggling at the look on her face as I do. And suddenly, we're both laughing again, leaning on each other as we try to make our way down the street, stumbling, weaving across the pavement and laughing harder than I have in forever. Arizona is certainly fun, I give her that. Through all the bullshit, she still knows how to have fun.
We walk, what feels like miles down the road, giggling, laughing, having fun, before we finally manage to get a cab.
"So, you won't sleep with me then, huh?" Arizona asks, pouting at me as she does, before bursting into another fit of giggles.
"Get me drunk enough, you never know." I half heartedly flirt back. Arizona is fun and good, kind and caring. She's everything, anyone, could want in a woman. My eyes roaming her features as she sits beside me in the back of our cab, her giggling stopped by my response. Turning her head, the look on Arizona's face is priceless. It's a mixture of shock, awe and amusement, all rolled into one. Contemplation washing over her features, causing me to laugh myself.
"What?" I ask her between chuckles.
"Nothing, just, seriously?" Arizona asks, her confidence clearly shot from everything that she has been going through lately.
"Arizona, you're hot, like dirty hot. You know this. Why are you so surprised?" Trying my best to boost Arizona's confidence a little, whilst not coming on too strong. Sleeping with her wasn't on my agenda tonight, but she is hot, beautiful even. And I do have a habit of having inappropriate sex with people when I'm high, or drunk, or just feeling too much. It's what I do. But is it what I want to do this time? Is that something I want to do to Arizona? No, probably not. But if she does continue to give me drinks, I can't be held accountable for my actions.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Hit review please. This is a new one for me, a new ship, a new story. Thoughts are welcomed.