A/N Alright the general consensus is for me to go on with this story so here goes.
Sorry it's been so long, I had tonsillitis and then bronchitis. Still recovering.
12:02pm, Tuesday, Callie's work
Callie walked into work the next day with a growing sense of dread. She hadn't talked to Arizona since she'd found out that she had slept with her boss in a moment of drunken insanity. She knew that it wasn't the blonde's fault that the woman she picked up just happened to be Callie's boss (and the devil incarnate) but she still couldn't help being monumentally pissed off at her. Callie walked into the kitchen, praying with everything she had that Erica wasn't the shift manager on duty that day. She clocked in, looked around for the she-devil and, not spotting her, breathed an inward sigh of relief. Until she heard the harsh tones of the person she had been most desperately trying to avoid.
"Callie! You're late! Do back-up!" Erica strode over to her and practically pushed her in the direction of the cleaning cupboard. 'Doing back-up' was everyone's worst nightmare. It was usually reserved for the kitchen staff who were on shift during closing but it was also used as a punishment for staff members who had really pissed the management off. 'Back-up' was the back corridor and the trash room and whoever drew the short straw (Erica had made sure that today it was Callie) would have to clean it.
"And when you've finished that, I want you to detail the break room and clean the cupboard on the restaurant floor," Erica added before flouncing back into her office.
Callie sighed and entered the cleaning cupboard. She turned on the tap and positioned the mop bucket under it, squirting a bit of detergent in as well; she really was not looking forward to this. She was a waitress; this wasn't even in her job description! Why was Erica being such a bitch today?
Back-up was always disgusting because it was on the way from the store-room to the kitchen; everyone always dropped things, spilled things and didn't bother cleaning up after themselves. Not to mention that the trash room always smelled awful. Callie resolved that she would clean it all as quickly as possible so that she could get back out onto the floor and actually wait on customers instead of being forced to be Erica's lackey. Mark sauntered into the cleaning cupboard to retrieve some clean cloths just as Callie turned off the tap, having finished making up her mop water.
"Hey Callie, you'll be out on the floor soon, right? It's kind of insane out there, we need you. Addie's about to lose her shit." He said as he picked out three clean cloths from the red basin and wrung them out over the sink to get rid of the excess water.
"Nope. Apparently today I am Erica's bitch," Callie said bitterly, replacing the dirty mop head with a clean one. "She's got me doing back-up. And the break room. And the freaking cupboard on the floor."
Mark just blinked at her with a confused expression on his face. "What did you do to piss her off this time? She didn't even send my reprimand to Head Office, I'm her favourite person again. Why does she hate you?"
"She's a lesbian," Callie deadpanned.
"I KNEW IT!" Mark screeched. "I told you didn't I?! I knew she was gay from the moment I met her! I have like, super-gaydar!" He paused, "wait, what does this have to do with the fact that she's made you her bitch? Did she ask you out and you said no? Bad move Callie. She will destroy you. No one says no to Erica. Man up and take one for the team. It can't be that bad, can it?"
Callie gave him a withering look, "no Mark, she did not ask me out."
"Well then how is the fact that she likes vagina even relevant?"
"You're charming." Callie said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know why she's being a dick to me. I mean, she slept with Arizona a couple of nights ago and we had a bit of an awkward encounter yesterday morning when she was doing the walk of shame… Do you think that's what it is? Is it about Arizona?"
"Probably. Maybe Arizona never called her back and now she's taking her anger out on you. That's just a guess though."
"Well, knowing Arizona that actually sounds about right." Callie sighed and put her mop into the bucket and started wheeling it out of the closet by the handle when the door flew open and almost knocked her off her feet.
"Hey wow, watch it! You almost decapitated me!" Callie yelled at the intruder.
"What are you doing with a mop?" the figure asked accusingly.
"Erica said…" Callie started.
"I don't give a shit what Erica said, get out on the floor now. You too Mark, it takes less than a minute to get cloths, not five, gossip with Callie on your own time, not my time!"
"Addie."
"What Callie!"
Callie put her hands on Addison's shoulders, "Addie just breathe."
Addison's body visibly relaxed at the soothing sound of Callie's voice and all the fight seemed to drain out of her as Callie pulled her into a hug.
"I'm just so fucking stressed today."
"I know, I know, Erica's an asshole and has this place understaffed and running on 15% labour. What I want you to do is to go up to the break room for ten minutes. When you come down, me and Mark will have everything sorted for you, okay?"
Addison removed herself from Callie's arms and smiled tiredly, "okay."
"Right," Callie turned to Mark, "we have ten minutes. We've got this."
Mark grinned, "yes, yes we do."
30 minutes later, Restaurant Floor
"I think that's it. The rush is over. It should be quiet from here on out," Callie said, handing the floor manager her cloth. "I have to do back-up now or Erica will bite my head off. I was supposed to start," Callie glanced at her watch "shit, half an hour ago. Better get going."
Addison took the cloth and smiled at Callie gratefully, "okay."
"Hey!" she yelled at Callie's retreating form as she walked towards the kitchen. The brunette turned back to look at her, "thanks, Cal. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Callie grinned as she opened the door, "no worries, boss," and immediately stopped as she found herself face to face with a certain blonde, angry-looking manager. "Okay, maybe worries."
5 minutes later, Erica's office
Callie sat with her arms folded, defiantly staring up at Erica as the woman yelled at her.
"If Addison tells you to do something and I tell you to do something, you do what I say! I'm ranked higher!"
"Addison's my immediate manager; help was needed on the floor so I helped. I knew back-up would still be dirty when I was finished."
Erica slammed a hand down on the desk, "that is not the point; you intentionally disregarded what I told you to do in favour of a less important manager and so you have to be disciplined for that."
"I think we both know that this isn't actually about me not listening to you," Callie muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" Erica's voice went dangerously quiet.
Callie had an unexpected burst of bravery. "You heard me. I don't care about what you do or don't do with my roommate but me and her are separate people so don't punish me for something she did."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Erica replied.
"What?! Don't play that bullshit with me. I saw you leave her room, remember?"
Erica brought herself down on her hunkers so that instead of towering over Callie, she was now at eye level with her. Callie tried to edge back further in her seat, somehow this new position made her even more intimidating. Erica grasped the armrest of the chair and brought her mouth to Callie's ear.
"If you breathe a word to anyone about the other night, I will do everything in my power (and I have a lot of it) to get you fired. And," she paused, "I will make it impossible for you to get a job elsewhere. I have contacts. No one will want to hire you once they talk to me for thirty seconds."
Erica let go of the armrest and moved away from Callie slightly. "Are we clear?"
Callie stood up. "Yeah. We're crystal," she said with unadulterated loathing in her voice and started to walk towards the door.
"Oh and Callie," Erica added, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to suspend you for one week for your tardiness, inappropriate language and complete disregard for orders from management." And she couldn't help the grin that spread over her face after seeing the look of shock on Callie's.
"See you soon. Or not."
6pm, Callie and Arizona's apartment
Arizona sat on the sofa, impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for Callie to come home. She hadn't seen the brunette in their shared apartment since yesterday morning when she had stormed out after meeting Arizona's conquest and the blonde was getting worried. Her worry immediately ceased when she heard a key in the lock but was immediately replaced with fear when the door was flung open and Callie stood there with a wild look in her eyes and a very pissed off expression on her face.
"Callie." Arizona stood up.
"No, Arizona. Don't even." Callie flung her keys into the bowl by the door. She started slowly walking towards Arizona. "Just. Don't. I have had the day from hell." She took a few more steps towards the blonde. "Why have I had a shit day you ask? Well, it probably has something to do with the fact that MY BEST FRIEND FUCKED MY SELF-LOATHING LESBIAN BOSS WHO NOW HATES ME BECAUSE I KNOW SHE LIKES GIRLS." She threw her bag down as she continued to stalk towards Arizona. "Or maybe it's the fact that she suspended me for a week today FOR NO FUCKING REASON." Callie was coming closer and closer to Arizona and the smaller blonde girl was genuinely frightened.
"Callie," she tried again.
"Shut up Arizona! I wouldn't even have this problem if you didn't fuck everything that moves!"
"Callie!" Arizona said again, this time with a warning tone. "Watch yourself."
"It's true though isn't it? When's the last time you slept with someone whose name you actually remembered in the morning?" Callie was now standing right in front of Arizona, practically spitting the venom from her words in her face.
"Callie, I mean it," Arizona repeated again, getting angrier and beginning to square up to the brunette.
"What? Afraid I'll say something I regret? Or are you afraid you'll hear something you don't want to hear? Face it Arizona, you're nothing but a dirty whore and I'm surprised you haven't contracted an STD yet with the amount of sluts you've let into your bed."
Callie felt it before she heard it: there was a searing pain in her check and then the harsh sound of the smack of skin on skin. Arizona had hit her. She felt the tears roll down her face as an instinctive reaction to the pain and felt them sting when they touched the cheek Arizona's hand had come into contact with. She looked up to see a similar sight in front of her; Arizona was crying too, but her eyes were filled with emotional pain rather than physical.
"Oh god Callie I didn't mean to… I just…" Arizona reached her hand out again but this time it wasn't to slap Callie but to cradle the brunette's still tender cheek.
Arizona seemed to have literally slapped the sense into Callie and the brunette's hand came up and clasped Arizona's as she realised what awful things she'd said to her best friend in the heat of the moment.
"Callie I'm so sorry…" Arizona attempted to continue but Callie cut her off.
"No, Arizona, I was out of line. It's not your fault. I'm so sorry I never should have said those things."
Arizona brought her hand away from Callie's face and back to her side and shuffled awkwardly, "they're true though."
"They're not true! So you enjoy having a good time, so what? It's not a crime to enjoy sex." Arizona still didn't look convinced. "You know that I don't actually believe those things I said, right? I was just angry. But not at you. I'm angry at Erica. And I should never have let her come between our friendship."
Arizona smiled a small smile. "I'm sorry too. For hitting you. And for sleeping with your boss." Arizona smiled sheepishly and added as an after thought, "and for using your toothpaste."
Callie gasped melodramatically, "I knew it!"
Arizona smiled weakly again, "Callie."
"No, shush, no more talking," the taller girl said, pulling the smaller one into a bone-crushing hug.
Arizona relaxed into her arms, feeling safe "I'm sorry," she whispered into Callie's ear.
"I'm sorry too."
A/N Hopefully I won't take as long with the next update.
Review please!
