1.

Three days pass. Arizona happens to have a few days off, which is desperately needed, since she's been working her ass off for weeks. But for some reason she can't really enjoy her little break. She's annoyed. Her last encounter with Minnick, on the parking lot, keeps playing in her head like a broken record. Whatever she tries - video chatting with Sofia, cleaning the kitchen, taking long baths - she can't get rid of that feeling. It's like an itch she can't scratch.

She can't even define what really happened in that moment. Were they fighting? Were they flirting? Did she hate it? Or did she enjoy it - in some disturbing way? She isn't willing to admit to herself that there might be some truth there. Oh no! She might feel a little flattered by the attention - who wouldn't? - but that doesn't mean she is actually interested in this... this... overly self-confident, job-stealing agitator. This... Eliza. She's bugging her. She is the pain in the ass here. Period.

Period or not, the inner monologue goes on for days, driving her crazy. She needs to get out of the house, get into (distr)action. And so she goes into town.

Spending money on a bunch of new dresses she doesn't really need might just be a placebo, but doesn't hurt anyone either. Before heading back home she decides to get a coffee, changing her mind when she spots a cozy looking Irish pub she's never seen before. Why not finish this mini break with a nice glass of wine?

This might be why...

Not even 30 seconds in, standing at the bar to make an order, she hears a familiar voice right behind her.

"Drinking all by yourself?"

Arizona turns around. What are the chances? What - for f*ck sake - are the chances!? Grounding herself, she takes a deep breath.

"I went to Africa all by myself, I think I can handle a drink by myself," she replies sharply.

Eliza raises her hands, like an instant protection against Arizona's outburst. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

Arizona ignores her and starts rumbling in her bag, searching for her wallet. Eliza, for her part, ignores Arizona's obvious attempt to disappear on the spot and continues: "How 'bout that drink?"

"What?!" Arizona asks confused, as she's trying to divide her attention between the bartender handing her a glass and Eliza not taking a hint (and looking way too pretty, which is not helping at all).

"You agreed to have a drink with me. Might as well be now. You're by yourself and I... need some nice distraction," Eliza clarifies, nodding her head to the other side of the bar, where papers are lying around, next to a glass of wine. Half empty. Or half full perhaps.

"Work? Seriously? In a bar?!" Arizona exclaims.

Eliza sighs. "Of course not, I do know a thing or two about privacy. I'm buying an apartment, so I got all this information about mortgages I need to read. Incredibly boring."

While explaining she walks back to her spot, with Arizona subconsciously following her. She catches herself on it - shit! - and decides this is as far as she'll go: she won't sit down.

As Arizona is telling herself she is only having a drink next to Eliza, instead of with her, Eliza easily sees through the whole act and decides to ignore it again. She sits down, raises her glass and takes a sip. Arizona can't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused here, didn't you recently state that I could, I don't know, screw myself?!"

Eliza looks thoughtful, and when she starts talking it's almost like she's talking to herself. "Yeah, that didn't come out right..." She looks up. "Listen, all I meant was that I understand. Just accepting me in the hospital already conflicts with your loyalties, let alone actually liking me. It's a no go. I get that. I'm just not willing to play along. To let go that easily. I guess that's what I meant: screw you if you think it will be that easy."

Arizona stares at her. "You think you know me so well," she mutters, her voice low and tightly controlled.

"I do," Eliza reacts in that same wisecracking way as when she first asked Arizona for a drink. But this time it isn't funny.

"In what universe do you think you know me? You know nothing about me! You know my name, my job and, because people talk - although I wonder who talked to you - the fact that I like women. Nothing else! And if you do, it means that you've been checking on me, which is just creepy."

Agitated as she is by now, Arizona takes a huge gulp of her wine, then drops herself down onto the stool behind her. Shit!

She quickly wants to get up again but Eliza stops her. "You're right. I don't know you. I only know something about you. I will tell you about it, but first I need to say one more thing."

Arizona looks at her, waiting. Eliza goes on. "You don't know me either. You don't know who I am, where I come from, how I ended up doing what I'm doing these days, apparently pissing you guys off. You're profiling me and excluding me, without even asking me a single question. So how is that any different?"

For the first time both of them are quiet. Arizona doesn't leave her seat.

"Okay," she breaks their silence at last, "Tell me. Tell me three things about you I need to know. Three things that make you you."

The unexpected question makes Eliza avert her eyes, just for a second, but as soon as she looks up again Arizona notices the change. There's a hint of relief in them. Maybe she isn't that confident after all?

Eliza's lips curve into a smile. Good memories seem to pop up. "Alright," she starts, "Like many, I had no clue which direction to choose after finishing high school, so I chose the easy one: I went traveling, for almost two years. Asia, mostly. Some parts of Europe, Africa and South-America as well. Got some jobs along the way, teaching English mostly. I even became a scuba instructor. All very cliché. Best years of my life though. Everyone should do it." She falls quiet for a moment. Arizona waits patiently. The air starts to clear a little.

Eliza continues. "Whenever I'm at a hotel, like now," she mindlessly points to the building across the street, "I always redecorate the place, even if it's just for a few days. Make it more 'home' and less hotel; some extra pillows, plants, some photos..."

"Photos of whom?" Arizona interrupts her, but Eliza goes on.

"I guess I love traveling, but I'm really done with hotels. Hence the homework," she sighs, glancing at the pile of papers. "And last, when starting a new book I always read the final chapter first. I can't stand not knowing how the story will end, it drives me crazy. I know it's like a bad habit, but it keeps me calm and it's not really harming anyone. Except that nobody wants to see a movie with me anymore, since I tend to check the end of that as well before we watch it - and tell people about it."

Arizona is struggling not to ridicule that last one a bit, but that doesn't seem fair.

"So that's three. Your turn."

Arizona takes another sip and gives it some thought. "Okay," she nods. "One: I am named after the battleship, not the state. Two: I love pound cake. Could eat it all day. And three - my bad habit trumps yours: I smoke, but like, only when I know I'll be in trouble. Which is, you know, never."

Eliza looks surprised. "That's it? I gave you all of that and you give me a battleship, a cake addiction and some cigarettes?!"

Arizona can't help but laugh, a little satisfied.

"Come on, give me one thing that matters!" Eliza playfully begs.

Arizona gives in. "Alright. I have a daughter. Her name is Sofia, she lives with her mom in New York. Her happiness is the most important thing in the world. It's the only thing that really matters to me."

Eliza nods, she doesn't ask any questions about it. Instead she finishes her wine in one gulp, grabs her stuff and rises from her seat. "I have to go," she simply states.

Arizona makes some room to let her pass, then stops her halfway. "Wait! What was it?" she asks.

"What was what?" Eliza asks in return.

"The thing you think you know about me?"

Eliza, now standing close - way too close! - to her, looks straight in her eyes. "I know you get a sparkle in your eyes every time you look at me. A sparkle that tells me you don't want me to go… You want me to stay."

Taken by surprise, Arizona can't come up with something - anything! - to say.

"So here's one more thing about me: I intend to stay," Eliza winks. With that, she turns around and walks towards the door. "Goodnight, Dr. Robbins!"

Arizona doesn't reply. She watches Eliza leave the pub, cross the street and enter the hotel through the big sliding doors - disappearing out of sight. A deep sigh escapes her lungs. Oh crap.

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap...

... ...


(Note: English is not my first language, I apologize for any spelling errors.)