The two friends pushed their way across the crowded pavement. The bar was already nearly full and as the sign on the door stated, the act wasn't to start for another hour. Seemingly popular this musician was.

Callie really couldn't have cared any less about who she was to be seeing on stage tonight. She didn't plan on looking at anyone other than the bartender and Mark, or looking at anything except a full glass of hard liquor. As soon as a glass was empty she expected her friend to have another waiting on her. That was the plan of her night.

"One in, one out!" Shouted the bouncer over the hustle and bustle outside of the street.

'You've got to be kidding me' Callie thought to herself. She needed out of the rain, and a drink in her hand now. There was no way she was queuing for this little bar and some singer she didn't care to see at all.

"Mark lets go somewhere else, sack this man"

But luckily for her, Mark had friends.

"SLOAN!" One of the bald, 6ft, block of muscles shouted from the door.

And within two minutes Callie and Mark were inside, at the VIP section of the bar with two whiskeys in hand.

"Thank God for your charm Dr Sloan." Callie said slapping her best friend on the back. "How'd you get in with him?"

"Well, see that tiny scar on his cheek?" Mark asked.

"Yeah?"

"That was me" Mark smirked "That man should barely have a face after his dog turned nasty on him" And with a wink he threw back his whiskey, slammed the empty glass on the bar and received another with a sexy smile from the young slender bartender.

"Lets get messy"

ooo

"You cheated?" Mark looked almost proud.

"Don't say it like that" Callie said through gasping sobs "You sound happy about it."

"Well I wouldn't say im happy Cal, but come on. You. Cheated. You don't cheat, ever. And Zooey? To cheat on Zooey, seriously. What in the hell were you thinking?"

"I. Don't. Know." Callie said attempting to breathe.

"You don't love her man. I can see it. You know it. Everyone knows it." Mark sighed. "If you did, there's no way you could have done that."

"I know Mark. I really thought I loved her. I really wanted to love her.

Look at her! She's gorgeous. She's funny. She's everything I could ever look for."

"But you don't love her."

"I don't love her"

ooo

Callie threw back her 6th...or was it 7th, tequila of the evening in remembering this conversation with Sloan.

They had been in the bar around a hour and she was getting incredibly light on her feet already. It certainly was to be a messy evening.

"Sloan, whens this chick on? I want out of her, I need to get my dance on."

Callie yelled over the constant noise of the bar.

And as she turned and pointed to her empty glass another was put in front of her. She took a long swig of her beer before lifting the next tequila.

"'Blue. Songs are like tattoos, you know I've been to sea before'"

There was a sudden and defeating silence around the once mobbed room

"'Crown and anchor me, or let me sail away'"

That voice. That was unbelievable. It stopped Callie dead in her tracks as she lifted the small glass to her lips. She suddenly stopped.

It was angelic. She could have sworn Grace Slick was on stage singing the soft words of Joni Mitchell. She turned slowly to see Mark standing with a stupid grin on his face, and the rest of the crowd stood in awe.

If only she could see what they were looking at. Damn, she should have worn those heels tonight. Her and her practicality of making sure that she could get legless tonight and not have heels as another reason for her falling over.

She pulled over the bar stool and stood on the small perch at the bottom.

It was as though time was moving at a snails pace. Slowly the young woman and her guitar came into view.

Her blonde hair was hanging over her face as she strummed at the guitar. Not quite visible yet. The vision was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a plain white tshirt that hung from her. Callie was pretty sure she would've been as at home sitting in the park playing this guitar and singing to herself as she was playing to this busy, smoky bar.

And then the woman looked up.

Dr Calliope Torres was smitten.