Title: The Box in the Pocket
Author(s): Bre and Sam
Rating: T
Summary: Callie surprises Arizona with a little something in a velvet box.
A/N: Hours upon hours and many references to Gwyneth Paltrow's pretty head in a box later (reference to the movie Se7en) here is a fic requested by Xam. I am sorry if this doesn't fit perfectly into the canon (and time-line) but I spent a good bit of time agonizing over that and finally decided that I liked it the way it was and took some advice from Dr. Robbins herself, "Walk away Karev" So, here it is and I was thinking of writing a sequel to fill out Arizona's back story. Thoughts?
Written as per Xam's request over at Jessica Capshaw: Fansite and Forum. (You should totally go over and check out that awesome site.)
Oh, and we've settled on John's Hopkins for Arizona's schooling in case you wonder about the Baltimore bit.
The cool crisp night radiated promise, and the leaves were gasping for their last breath of life before Fall would take them to the ground. On a lonely stretch of coast along Elliott Bay, one woman waited patiently for another. Arizona watched the clouds flow through the sky as she leaned against the railing just above the dark, glassy water.
She had come to appreciate the beauty of her adopted city, even if at first it had been a strange fit. It was definitely different from where she had grown up but here in the after, it worked. There had been lonely days and nights spent reliving the past. The sight of her father as he accepted the death of his son, the lifeless emails she had received from her ex who was still with her brother's unit in Iraq, and the five pounds that she had gained from eating her weight in donuts: all pieces of her post-Baltimore-life.
The memories found her more easily on nights like this, when she was alone and waiting. She always seemed to be counting down to something; at least this time, it was for a good cause. It was not waiting for the other shoe to drop, but for the woman who had pried open the door to her heart. Although she had dated since arriving in Seattle, it was always casual - nothing heavy.
She had come west in search of a place that didn't remind her of her grief, and getting close to anyone wasn't really part of the picture. It didn't take her long to remember that the essential elements that comprise life are everywhere... and Seattle was no exception. It has been a little tough to realize that she would have to turn around and face the issue: the fear of loss that kept her from devoting herself to another person.
Then came Callie. She was one of those rare people who somehow fused together beauty, passion and a love for life that made Arizona's heart soar even when they were just in the same room together. She had watched from afar, unsure how to approach the situation. She had wondered if she should go there at all, but she couldn't help but feel that they were kindred spirits. Their differences created a harmonious balance. It might be true that opposites attract. In the end, the temptation had been too much and she had made her move. Initiating their first kiss in the bathroom at Joe's. Her subsequent rejection of Callie's invitation to dinner had been evidence of how great a hold fear still had on her at times. Thankfully, she had rethought her answer and was rewarded with what she thought was now turning out to be a steady, healthy relationship.
The constant mild temperatures were indicative of her life here. It had been a welcome change from the constant extremes of the East. She had not been back since that ugly scene of acceptance in the airplane hanger, because it was never real until you saw the evidence. The sight of the coffin containing the dead shell of a man who had been her dear friend, companion and a better big brother than she could have ever asked for. She ruminated on the surreal feeling of accepting that she would never, speak to, touch, or see him - her favorite person - ever again.
It was then that Callie approached her, noticing the goal of Arizona's now down turned gaze. She was looking for answers in the reflective waters. She knew that Callie was there. She chose not to speak but rather to steep in her presence .
They had claimed the secluded little spot as their own after Arizona had discovered it. Callie had gone to the hospital after receiving a 911 page, leaving Arizona half-asleep in her bed with a kiss and the promise of a swift return. Not able to fall back into full rest, Arizona had risen and busied herself exploring the neighborhood, wandering around without a real destination in mind until she found this park with its bike trails and rocky shores.
It had been easy to spend half a day there in quiet contemplation, even forgetting about lunch. The water was familiar; water was comforting. It reminded her of childhood days spent frolicking in the surf, of hours on her father's boat, of the simple pleasure of staring into a tidepool, searching for life unknown. Callie found her after a worried text, and they had wiled away an hour with quiet talk, watching the gentle ripples on the surface.
Callie knew this mood and she was aware that few people witnessed it. No one saw beneath the perk and the surgical skills. They didn't know about the sleepless nights and the shadow of her past periodic depression. They didn't know that it was something that you didn't get over by just moving to new city or starting a new job.
It was something that stayed with you in the little ways. Arizona kept those things in and only Callie had seen them. She was the one who held her when she woke up screaming on rare occasions and she was the one who saw the real tears not just the ones inspired by authority issues.
She lifted her hand to Arizona's forearm as she settled beside her also facing the water. The touch was enough to break the spell. The fair tresses shook as Arizona turned to face the woman whose status was as yet undefined in her life. She knew what she wanted. She was all in and she hoped that Callie would be too, someday soon. She had been Callie's the moment that she had revealed that painful part of her past. She had decided after that day that she was done walking away from worthy things.
"How are you?" Callie asked, emphasizing her concern by sliding her hand down Arizona's arm and entwining it with her own.
Arizona pursed her lips in a tight smile and nodded. "I'm fine... better now that you made it."
Callie smiled back and brought the hand she was holding to her lips. The kiss she placed on Arizona's palm was whisper light and fleeting. "Sorry, I'm a little late. I ran into Christina on the way out and she wanted to yell at me... something about drinking all of her milk." She paused to tug Arizona away from the railing and down the walkway. "She just kept going on and on..." She trailed off when she noticed that the corner of Arizona's mouth was upturned. "What?"
"I was just thinking about you standing around with Yang, getting all impatient. You know you shift your purse from shoulder to shoulder and look around a lot... and you move your mouth around and scrunch it up." She looked into the dark eyes that were gazing at her. "It's adorable, really."
Callie smiled bashfully; she wasn't used to people noticing those kinds of things about her. The fact that Arizona paid that much attention to her made her slightly self-conscious but it reinforced that she was truly cared for. "I scrunch my mouth up?" She scoffed and vowed to pay more attention to what she did with her mouth in the future. Arizona laughed, glad that the mood had been lightened. She planted herself in front of Callie and stopped their progression.
"Yeah, you do it like this," she pursed her lips and moved them as far to the right as possible." Callie let go of Arizona's hand and instead placed it on the lips that were busily demonstrating her little quirk. She gently pushed them until they were back in their normal place. She caressed them for a second more with her thumb until she let her hand drop back down to her side. "Do not," she asserted. She unconsciously pouted, performing the exact action that Arizona had been demonstrating.
"Told you," Arizona said, triumphantly pointing at Callie's lips.
A dark eyebrow shot up and accentuated the pout even more. "Yeah, you do that too," Arizona said, melting a little on the inside.
Callie relaxed her face when she caught the intense expression that betrayed Arizona's smitten status. She reached out and clasped the pointing finger and maneuvered it's fellow digits into her hand so that they could continue on toward her apartment. She was happy to see the dark shadow gone from Arizona's face and she hoped that she had helped banish it. She had started noticing the dark moods without knowing the root of their appearance but now that she did she had made it her mission to be there for Arizona in any way that she could.
With her free hand, she felt in her jacket pocket for the box that was hidden there. She fiddled with it nervously, mulling over what she had planned, hoping that it wasn't going to blow up out of proportion - the way she feared it would in her head. She had been considering it for a while, and even consulted with Christina and Sloan about it. She was hardly going to back out now that she had made the decision, but that little box seemed to grow heavier with every step she took.
She sighed loudly and tried to focus instead on the soft skin of Arizona's hand in her own. They walked like this, in silent contemplation by the water, until they neared the turn that would take them to Callie's apartment building. Here, the secluded waterfront park ended and the urban landscape began.
Arizona returned to the present, remembering that she had not asked about Callie's day. "How did today go?"
Callie turned her head toward Arizona and grimaced. "There were some not so fun parts... and there some that were okay... but it was a day. You know?"
"Yeah, I know," Arizona replied.
They reached the point where they would turn onto the road. "Could we stop for a minute?" Callie asked. She turned placing both hands in her jacket pockets. Her gaze fell to the ground and she fidgeted with nervous energy, trying like hell to keep it together. She wanted to get it over with but something stopped her. A deep flush made its way up her chest and to her cheeks.
Arizona obeyed and angled her body toward Callie who was becoming visibly uneasy. A twisted feeling cropped up in her stomach like a quickly forming stone that was scattering fear in all directions. She was getting a odd vibe from Callie who was looking just as uncertain as she was starting to feel. Callie continued to finger the box in her pocket now unsure of her timing. Should she do this at all? She didn't know what this would really mean for them and specifically she was afraid that she was moving too fast for Arizona.
Arizona was waiting patiently for Callie to say or do something but word nor action was coming forth. "Hey," she started, "what's going on?" She was getting the distinct impression that she should really start worrying. Callie tried to put a good face on and turned to meet the question head on. "Nothing, it's fine, I'm fine," she paused making sure her voice was steady, "I was just thinking about something I forgot at the hospital." She really hated lying but she was so not ready to reveal what she had hidden in the box. So she started walking again, hoping that motion would take them back to normal.
They reached the corner where the street ran into the walkway and took a quick left. Nervous energy pulsated around the couple as they mentally grew apart in their own little worlds of uncertainty. Arizona's mind automatically went to thoughts of abandonment and its aftermath and Callie was teetering on the precipice of too much, too soon. The street was strangely empty and they found that the sidewalk was awash with silence.
Arizona was afraid to ask any more questions even if she knew that something was hanging between them. Had she been right to assume that starting this relationship would end in another heart break for her? She was usually not one to take things like this to the worst possible conclusion but this felt like gambling and she was a person who liked control. She tugged on Callie's hand until their shoulders brushed. The contact bade Callie to scan her companion's face through a sideways glance. It was locked tight and had a far away quality to it. Arizona was lost to that world again.
They reached the entryway of the apartment complex and stopped in front of the steps, Arizona was waiting for Callie to take the lead into the foyer. Instead of taking the steps Callie stood waiting for her heart to slow down. Finally, she released Arizona's hand and reached out for the handle of the glass door that lead inside. She swung it wide and waited for Arizona to go through. She inhaled and released the breath slowly screwing up the courage to follow. She trotted on and both women took the stairs one after the other. When they reached the correct floor Arizona walked quickly down the hallway and stopped in front of the apartment door.
Callie was a few steps behind her and when she caught up she dared not meet the blue eyes that she knew were peering into her like lasers. Her hand flew to her pocket and she palmed the box, trying to make the move as inconspicuous as possible. Of course, she failed and Arizona caught the awkward movement, but assumed that she was just reaching for her keys. She waited for Callie to step to her door or to say something, anything at all that would shed light on the situation. It was a maddening game of waiting for the unspoken to burst forth and she was quickly loosing patience with the intricacies of the dance- her worry rapidly turning to frustration and anger.
"Are you going to open the door?" Breaking the silence was an instant relief to Arizona. "If you didn't want me to stay over, you should have just said so." The words were edged with the beginnings of accusation.
"No-no, that's not what I," Callie stuttered out stopping to collect herself. She began to understand the impression that Arizona had gotten from her behavior. "What I mean to say is... that..." she paused, her eyes becoming glossy with unshed tears, "I thought you could open the door for a change." Arizona tilted her head in confusion until Callie reached out with the hand containing the box and offered it to her.
The box was a small, black velvet square, and its appearance instantly gave the impression of jewelry. Arizona stared at it for a moment, startled by the familiarity of its shape and size. When she didn't take it, Callie gently took her hand and deposited it in her palm. "I don't understand Calliope, are you asking me to..."
"Just open it," Callie urged.
Arizona obliged reaching up with her free hand to pull back the lid of the box. There, nestled was a key, covered in a pink and purple butterfly pattern. "Is this what I think it is?" Arizona laughed in relief and lifted the key from its confines.
Callie nodded waiting for a final verdict. A bright smile burst onto Arizona's face as she shook the rest of her worry away. "Oh, Callie... is this why you were acting weird?" When she glanced back to the key she relaxed, knowing that the suspected crisis had turned out to be a sweet gesture instead. "You had me freaking out there for a second." She had totally skipped to the two worst outcomes, polar opposites but equally terrible: either she was being broken up with, or Callie was about to propose. She was so glad to be wrong.
"I just thought you could use your own key since you're here so much and It's hard for me to get away to let you in sometimes. I'm sorry if I freaked you out. I really didn't mean to." She smiled and motioned toward the door again. "Shall we?"
Arizona turned and put the key into the lock. She turned it and a satisfying click emanated from the depths of the mechanism. She pushed the door open, sliding the key back out in the process. She held it in her palm and stared at it in wonder. This was the little piece of metal that had almost caused such a big mess. "It's got butterflies," Arizona exclaimed. Obviously, great care had been taken in choosing this specific key. It was that little bit of personalization that made it all the more special.
"It reminded me of you," Callie replied, smiling fondly. Arizona rooted around in her purse for her keyring and found it sitting in the bottom. She nimbly slipped the key onto the ring, making sure it was secure. She smiled down at it as it stood out against its new silver companions. Then, she placed the keys back in her purse and reached out for Callie.
Their hands found each other and the spark ignited instantly. Arizona dropped her purse to the floor where she stood and moved her hands to either side of Callie's face before kissing her soundly. They stayed there just inside the door luxuriating in the deepening kiss. Neither of them were aware of what happened outside of their cocoon for many minutes.
Callie pulled them back into the apartment. She managed to push the door closed with her foot while still forging ahead passionately, blazing a trail across Arizona's jawline with her lips and tongue. Both of them were breathing heavily and in need of a position change. Arizona took the lead, gracefully maneuvering around the couch and in the direction of the bedroom with Callie still wrapped around her. She guided them both past the remaining obstacles and through the door frame, pulling her own coat off as she went. She felt Callie release her and heard the heavy thud of her signature black leather jacket as it hit the floor.
Anxious to reinstate contact she reached out and found the hem of Callie's green shirt. She tugged upwards until it joined the jacket that had been covering it. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkened room and she could barely make out the voluptuous torso in front of her before she felt strong hands divesting her of her own shirt. They met in front of the bed and instinct guided their lips back together. Callie turned and sank down to the mattress, bringing Arizona with her. They landed in tandem and struggled to cast off the rest of their clothing. Free of all restraints, their clothes finally in a tangle on the floor, they spread out along each other. The need to have as much of their bodies touching was desperate and elemental, a complete submersion of themselves into each other. Callie's body was like the water surrounding Arizona as she dove, the fast moving waves of pleasure making her weightless and free from the laws of gravity.