Disclaimer: I own nothing and borrow lots. No, really... lots. Like the characters of Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins which are the sole intellectual property of Shonda Rhimes, Shondaland and ABC. All ideas for this story are from brain wrinkles and influenced by many other TV shows and movies. This is purely for entertainment purposes and sadly, no profit is being gained.
Ratings: Overall rating of this story is PG-13ish to R. This story will likely contain adult themes, activity, and language.
Feedback: Yes, please. I mean... I'm not that needy. Much. I'll totally love you forever if I know you're reading and even marginally enjoying it. Without feedback, there is no love for you and less enjoyment in writing for me.
Story Information: I again couldn't concentrate. I again was talking to or at roughian and decided to write a crackfic/flashfic/nowfic to try and work out some writing kinks in my fingers. This simply addresses the question that we all ask in a relationship, "Who were you with before me?" Sometimes we're surprised, sometimes pleased, and sometimes we wish we had not asked.
Before Me (1/2)
Her hair was splayed across the pillow case as she watched the rain slowly trickle down the window pane; each droplet seemed as if they were racing each other to the edge. The tracks of the water lit up occasionally as the lightning flashed from the storm. It was slowly rolling away allowing the morning to peek through breaks in the clouds. Sunlight creeped in slowly, reminding Callie that another day was now threatening to start on her and all without a companion at her side.
The storm cell and winds had detoured Arizona's flight from Georgia, where she had been visiting her grandparents, to Chicago and through a phone call that was equal parts coated in tin foil and laced with the high-pitched cry of a small child she had heard that it was not looking good that Arizona would be making it home.
Callie had paused when Arizona had said home, her heart fluttering for a moment as she wondered if home was Seattle itself or if home was perhaps where Callie was, she had hoped for the latter, but shook it off for the place. Seattle was home and Callie was just a piece of it, a pleasant piece. The call was cut off as the signal dropped right after the comfort of O'Hare was compared to the comfort of cinder blocks covered in a moldy blanket.
A soft glow of light shimmered its way in as if it was trying to wake the occupant of the room very gently; whispering words of encouragement to get out of bed as it glided over scattered books, the side table and then it inched up Callie's arm itself. She sighed as it slowly moved up upon her shoulder. The slight warmth the rays brought with it made her hum lightly as she closed her eyes, not quite ready to accept the defeat of another day without Arizona.
She unfurled her back, slowly stretching out like a cat from the tips of her fingers to the edges of her toes. Peeking through one eyelid she let out a soft puff of air and her bangs flipped up from her eye and then back down to cover it in a sort of veil. The stretch didn't work in convincing Callie to get out of bed the covers were twisted around her legs, one foot stuck out testing the temperature of the room for a moment before snaking its way back inside to shelter.
The tug of sleep pulled lightly on her as the sun continued to creep across her skin teasing it with memories of Miami beaches and summers of sin. A grin worked its way across her lips as she thought of the breaks in college, before medical school when she was still trying to decide on medicine or saving the world or perhaps saving the world through medicine. A gasp left her mouth as she remembered Heather.
A kiss dropped on her bare shoulder, "And here I was trying to be quiet and slip right in without you noticing," the voice seemed to drift through the air for a moment before she could place its owner. Her eyes fluttered open and Callie felt a hand softly run through her hair, Arizona's hand.
"You're home?" Callie turned towards the clothed figure on top of the sheets and frowned, "You're home and in clothes."
Nodding Arizona laughed for a moment, Callie realized the laughter did a better job of warming the bedroom than the sun had, it could take lessons. "You are correct on both accounts." Her hand slipped farther into Callie's dark hair, her eyes following the strands as they fell towards the pillow and formed a new design.
"Were you dreaming?"
Callie shook her head slowly leaning up towards Arizona as a kiss dropped on her lips in moments. She tucked an errant piece of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear, "You straightened it."
Cocking her head Arizona's eyes glimmered with amusement, "I got bored at the airport so I had an impromptu spa day in the family restroom."
She wiggled down on the bed getting closer to Callie's level. Her pointer finger circled in the air before tapping the end of Callie's nose lightly, "And you are avoiding my dream question," she pursued her lips for a moment assessing Callie's body language, "which means it was dirty," she paused for a moment.
Callie avoided her eye contact and Arizona gasped, "Dirty and not about me, oh Calliope."
Her tone was of pure amusement and it bothered Callie. She felt her muscles tense before she was aware of it and Arizona's smile faded quickly as she ran a hand up and down her arm, "Callie, I'm sorry did I upset you?"
Shaking her head briskly, the pillow taking most of the beating, Callie denied it, but her eyes told Arizona something else so she pushed on, "If I did you have to tell me or I'll do it again and most likely often."
Callie bit the inside of her lip for a moment, "I just remembered something."
She decided she would start off vague and hopefully Arizona wouldn't pry.
"Something?"
"Someone." Callie corrected quietly.
Her body moved closer to Callie's as she watched the emotions play over her face. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Callie's face scrunched together in thought and she looked up at Arizona, "Do you really want to know about someone before you?"
"Before me?"
The question hovered in the air for a moment as if Arizona needed to visualize the shape and weight of the words before following through with a full sentence, "If you want to share it with me and it doesn't," she moved her hand around in a slow circle trying to push a word out of her mouth, "get too graphic sure."
With her eyes closed Callie took a deep breath, "I remembered Heather."
It came out as a rushed declaration and Arizona's voice softened, "What did you remember about Heather?"
She shifted, the sheets were too confining now she found her body engaged in a tug of war with a poly cotton blend and losing until Arizona's palm graze her cheek, bringing her back to her eye line, "We don't have to talk about it Callie..."
"Thanks." Callie smiled and rolled onto her back staring up at the speckled paint on the ceiling. Arizona scooted in beside her, curling easily into her side. An arm slid along her stomach as Arizona snuggled in deeper taking comfort in the slight contact, even with the comforter still separating them. Callie's hand idly ran through the silky strands of hair, noting how a sigh escaped from Arizona, her girlfriend always turned into a puddle when her hair was played with and Callie thankfully obliged her, hoping the memories would start to fade now that her present was humming notes of contentment into her shoulder.
"Was she blonde?"
Callie looked down her nose as she found curious eyes looking up at her, "What?"
"This Heather, was she blonde?" Arizona smirked, "I hear you have a type," her eyes darted from left to right before smiling, "when it comes to the lady types."
Quickly moving her gaze back to the ceiling Callie took a deep breath and understood where Arizona was coming from in her questioning; a kind of Pandora's box that had creaked open before Callie had slammed it shut. "No, she wasn't blonde."
The minutes slowly moved by and Arizona had kept silent more so Callie believed from complete exhaustion than from her concession about Heather. "So," she felt Arizona stir as the noise probably, "it was the summer in between my sophomore and junior year of college."
Arizona asked, "When was that for you?"
Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment Callie laughed her chest rumbling under Arizona's ear, "1996, why is that important?"
"I just wanted to know where I was during that time of your life." Arizona stated as if it was completely natural.
Callie countered, "And where were you?"
Pulling herself up Arizona shook her head from side to side, "In Atlanta at the Olympics, volunteering... naturally."
Her eyebrows pushed together as Callie laughed, "Why naturally?"
Arizona mimicked the face being given to her, "Well it was in my grandparent's backyard and-" she trailed off glancing over her shoulder mumbling.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that purposefully hidden other half of your sentence as you delivered it to the dresser drawers." Callie pushed herself up into a sitting position her back resting against the wall.
"And I may have been volunteering at the women's softball event." Arizona blushed slightly, "I mean, might as well try to get some summer play along with my summer work."
They both broke out into laughter for a moment before Callie cleared her throat, "So, it was the summer of 1996 and I was back in Miami trying to decide what to do with my life." She dipped her head to the side and winced, "Or that's what my father intended the summer to be; I, on the other hand, decided it would be my last summer to ignore what to do with my life."
Arizona nodded and squinted her eyes in thought, "Who won?"
"It was a draw." Callie offered after a long moment.
The bass guitar took over the speaker system in her car, pulsing and reverberating through the glass to where Callie could almost visualize the strains of No Doubt's Spiderwebs filling the car as she drove towards the beach. She had missed the sun and sand afforded to her throughout high school in Miami now that she was in Manhattan for her undergraduate degree. Callie was happy to be able to go out with a small crowd and discover the city on foot or by subway instead of driving everywhere, but now that she was back in Miami and able to slip back onto the white leather seats of her high school graduation present, a 1962 Lincoln Continental, home seemed a little less of an irritation than she had remembered. Yes, she was expected to do volunteer work that would pad her resume for post-graduate school, as well as pose for photo opportunities that could pad her father's notoriety in the circles they kept, but she got down time. That time would always be spent at the beach where she promised her father she was 'contemplating the trajectory of her life and the seriousness of her studies' and she was, to a point.
The click of the radio dial in the middle of the last chorus caused her to roll her eyes as she looked across the bench seat at her sister chomping on gum and twirling her hair. Aria was intelligent and talented in many ways, but her best use of energy as far as Callie could tell was the sheer irritation that only a sibling can bring forth from the other.
"I was listening to that." Callie said through clenched teeth.
Aria worked over dramatically on the window lever cranking it as if physical exertion was pure torture, "I could see that, but you're not Gwen Stefani and you should stop being all 1930's with your suit and your hair." She flipped her long hair over one shoulder, the wind filtered in through the window causing bits to float backwards. Callie hoped that it would get tangled, horribly.
"I like what I'm wearing, what's wrong with a red bikini Aria?" Her nails clicked on the steering wheel as she focused on pulling into the parking lot to the beach, "And so what if I'm taking cues from what's popular?"
The snort from her sister caused her to hit the brake a little too hard as she backed into a parking spot, the trunk facing the sand.
"Please," Aria drew the word out into what seemed like an entire sentence, before blowing a large bubble. It popped, deflating as Callie raised an eyebrow waiting for her sister to grace her with the remainder of her proclamation, "Since when were you popular Callie?"
"Took you long enough Torres!"
The teasing voice broke through the staring match the two sisters were engaged in, Aria let out a disgusted grunt as she pushed her door open connecting with the stomach of their greeter, "Move Heather!"
"Nice to see you too Aria," leaning down playful eyes caught Callie's as a lopsided smirk worked its way over her face before wet strands of auburn hair fell down from behind her ear, "Callie you have to actually come out in the surf today. The waves are back just like you."
Callie pulled her oversized beach bag on over her shoulder as she flipped her sunglasses down over her eyes, "I'm not surfing today. I don't even have my baggies."
Rounding the corner of the car Callie slid her key into the truck and wiggled it until she heard the satisfying pop of the creaky classic. She pointed into the massive trunk, "I didn't even bring a board."
Heather pushed her hair behind her ears with both hands. She waved unconcerned at the obvious sunbathing equipment that was scattered along the trunk bed. "Bah, come off it you don't need to pull on anything but what you got on and I'm sure you can be all 'oh I'm so hot' and get the boys to let you borrow one."
The laughter erupted out of Callie as she shook her hands at her friend, "Those boys do not think I'm hot." She pointed at the rag tag bunch she had known since they all had started at St. Mary's in primary school.
Crossing her arms in front of her Heather raised an eyebrow, "Trust me, your hotness is all we've been talking about in between critique of Matty's utterly hack use of the swell."
Callie's smile wiped off her face and she felt her heart quicken for a moment before she shook her head again, slight curls sliding across her shoulders.
"We?"
She glanced back at Heather who was shuffling her feet in the sand, as it clung up and down her legs from the run she must have taken to meet the car.
"Come on, it's not like I'm blind to the pretty Callie. You went to New York and got all hot." Callie couldn't tell if it was the sun or if Heather was blushing behind that golden tan. She narrowed her eyes, moving her gaze slowly from the fidgeting arms in front of her, down Heather's dark blue rashguard as the spring wet suit was peeled down to barely past her hips, a sliver of skin peeking out. "What was that Torres?"
Callie's eyes shot back up to the warm gaze of her friend that tell-tale smirk coming out to play again, "What was what?"
"You gave me the once over." Heather teased.
Her jaw worked open and shut quickly before her lips pursed out, "No, you're suited up, so it's cold."
Heather shook her head and leaned forward grabbing the beach chair before turning back to her, "It was cold before the sun came up, now I'm about to strip down to the rashguard and my bottoms." She winked at Callie, "You can twice me over when I get this thing off if you want."
The retreating form of Heather left Callie with the only choice of dipping down into the back and getting the remaining cooler and radio before slamming the trunk down roughly. It had the effect she hoped it would as Heather turned, backpeddaling towards the water, "Come on Callie, when's the last time you got all wet and wild in Miami."
Sucking in a breath Callie followed her friend, not sure how she wouldn't end up on a board by the end of the afternoon.
Arizona's eyes opened wider and Callie stopped her story, "What, what too much?"
She found her hand wrapped up fiercely and Arizona dropped a kiss on the back of her palm, "No, no," she chuckled, "I just went to Callie in a bikini and surfing mental place."
"So I've lost you for a while?" Callie raised her eyebrows in a mock challenge. She saw the rough shake of Arizona's head and leaned forward dropping a kiss on Arizona's cheek, "How about I make some breakfast and continue so I'm not late to work."
A wrinkled nose answered her, "Why did you have to mention work? I was in Callie bikini land."
"Life is unfair," Callie slid off the bed, "But my waffles are not."
Arizona fell onto her side on the bed with a contented sigh, "Waffles are not awful."