Title: The What Happened After… Series (2/5-ish)
Author: iheartcallietorres (laurenxx3 on LJ)
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: varies from G to T
Summary: The lives of Callie and Arizona between the scenes we see on Grey's, separated into different parts, all beginning with the title "What Happened After…" Bad summary, but you get the picture. : )
Disclaimer: You know the drill. All characters belong to Shonda Rhimes/ABC. I don't own anything. If I did, I'd be a lot richer than a poor college student. Any similarities to real life situations/persons are purely coincidental. Not for profit; for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: I have absolutely NO medical knowledge beyond what I see/hear on Grey's Anatomy, so forgive me of any medical-related errors. Also, this is un-betad, so all mistakes are mine. Please let me know if you come across any. As always, comments are much appreciated (and will encourage me to write more fics in the future - *hint, hint*).
A/N2: Warning!: Insane amounts of fluff ahead! Read at your own risk ;-)
A/N3: I'm really enjoying writing this fic and I've gotten 98% positive feed back so far! Thanks to those of you who encouraged me to keep writing when I was feeling a little apprehensive about this. You know who you are and y'all totally rock! 3
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006. What Happened After… the Wedding (5x22) [T]
Just Want You Close - Alicia Keys
Callie's POV
I mentally kicked myself as I sat next to the gorgeous blonde and clapped along with the rest of the attendees of the wedding. I'd been so close to ruining the best thing that's happened to me in so very long.
I glanced over at Arizona and she shot me a sweet smile, complete with those irresistible dimples and I had to smile back. I was so lucky that she didn't just give up. She'd tracked me down, more than once, and fought for me and I realized that she was exactly what I need—someone fighting for me for a change.
She leaned into me slightly and I couldn't resist leaning over and kissing her smooth cheek. She grinned and shot me a look that said if we weren't in public she'd do more than kiss my cheek.
I had to force myself not to grab her and run out of the church.
We decided to skip the reception. I blamed it on my exhaustion, but really, I just wanted to get her alone.
She walked with me to the apartment I shared with Cristina. "If you're really exhausted, Calliope, I should probably let you sleep," Arizona said when I invited her inside. Her grin told me she knew I'd just used exhaustion as an excuse to leave before the reception.
I smiled. "I rallied," I said and unlocked the door. I pushed it open and stood aside to let her enter.
She gave me a smug look and gripped my hand, pulling me inside along with her. As soon as the door closed behind me, she pushed me roughly against it and captured my lips with hers, thrusting her tongue between my lips.
I groaned and tunneled my fingers into her soft blonde locks, holding her to me as we made our way to the couch, both having determined that my bed was too far away. She pressed me back onto the couch, our lips never parting as she stretched out on top of me.
My hands found themselves roaming her back and hips, slipping down to run over her firm ass, causing her to groan.
"Oh, come on, Torres!" an angry voice quipped from the direction of the front door. "You have a bedroom, you know!"
We sprang apart like guilty teenagers and I glared at Cristina who was staring daggers right back. She was supposed to be at the reception.
It was the second time Cristina had caught us making out, the first time being when she opened the door and we'd fallen into the apartment. So, Arizona just stood and gave Cristina a sweet smile before grabbing my hand and dragging me into my bedroom. I looked over my shoulder at my roommate and gave her a tiny wave with the tips of my fingers before laughing and closing my bedroom door on her pissed off expression.
Suddenly, it hit me that we were in my bedroom. Which meant this was really going to happen. Now.
I stared at the vision of beauty in front of me and licked my lips in anticipation. I was nervous, but it had nothing to do with the fact that she was a woman and had everything to do with the fact that I was already falling for her and I didn't want to screw it up.
Arizona kissed me softly. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked softly.
I nodded. "I'm sure," I replied. "Are you?"
She smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. "Oh, yeah," she whispered and kissed me again.
As I melted into the kiss, all my worries—my family, money, work—faded from my mind until Arizona was the only thing I was capable of thinking about. Her scent, her taste, her touch. I took it all in, knowing I'd finally found someone worth fighting for. As long as I had Arizona, nothing else mattered.
Arizona's POV
I couldn't help but grin at the beautiful woman in front of me as she polished off her fourth slice of pizza before tossing the unwanted crust back into the pizza box next to us.
"What?" Calliope asked when she noticed my grin.
I shook my head slightly, still grinning and hugging the pillow closer to my chest. "I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to be in the presence of such a beautiful woman," I said, not caring how cheesy it sounded.
She blushed slightly. "I'm the lucky one," she said and brushed her hand over my exposed shin, sending a shiver up my spine. "Thanks for not giving up on me today."
I softened at that and took her hand in mine, bringing it up to kiss her palm. "I couldn't let you get away so easily," I said. "Besides, I didn't want to show up at the wedding without a date. I'd have looked like a total loser." I reached for the last slice of pizza and took a bite before returning the slice to the box. "I do have a reputation to uphold, you know."
Calliope laughed. "Oh, yeah, women lining up for you, right?" She reached out and brushed her thumb across my upper lip, wiping away a stray glob of pizza sauce. "I'd like to meet these women so I can tell them to back off."
"Hmm, why would you want to do that?" I asked with a mischievous smile.
"Because you're mine," Calliope growled, sitting up and capturing my lips with hers in a hungry kiss.
"I like the sound of that," I said breathlessly when we broke apart. I was about to recapture her lips when a loud banging noise came from elsewhere in the apartment, causing us both to jump.
"What on earth?" Calliope said. "Sounds like it's coming from Cristina's room." She threw off her covers and grabbed a robe from her closet. Even though we'd just made love—twice—I couldn't help but stare at her nude form.
She quickly threw on the robe and grabbed the empty pizza box. "Be right back," she said and left the room.
I was suddenly unsure of myself. Should I get dressed? Did she want me to stay the night? Normally, I never stayed the night at another woman's home until several months into the relationship. I liked my space. But again, everything with Calliope was different. I wanted to fall asleep in her arms. I wanted to wake up next to her, breathing in her unique scent.
But did she want that? In my experience, most women had generally wanted their space as well.
I sighed and threw my legs over the edge of the bed, looking around the room for my discarded clothes. I spied my dress in a heap on the floor next to the bed and my panties had somehow managed their way on top of Calliope's dresser. I grabbed them and stepped into them, pulling them up my legs. I'd just pulled them into place when the door opened and Calliope entered the room, muttering about her crazy roommate and hammers and something about not getting their security deposit back.
She stopped when she saw me getting dressed and her face fell. "What are you doing?" she pouted. She was so adorable.
"I'm getting dressed," I said. "I thought, well… I…" I was at a loss for words.
She came to stand in front of me and kissed me softly. "You don't have to go," she said.
"You sure?" I asked.
"Stay," she reassured, pressing me back onto the bed.
So I stayed.
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007. What Happened After… Arizona's Flag Speech (5x24)[PG]
April Showers - Sugarland
Callie's POV
"That's who I am." With that, Arizona turned to leave and I knew I couldn't let her. I grabbed her hand as she passed me.
"I'm sorry," I said, not looking up, not wanting to see her angry face. I had no idea about her brother and I realized how idiotic I'd been.
I felt her start to pull away, but I gripped her hand tighter. "Please," I said.
She was silent for a moment and my stomach clenched. But she sighed and moved to sit on the coffee table in front of me. I lowered my feet to allow her to sit. "I get that you're scared for George," she said softly. "But he's an adult. I'm sure he's thought this over and knows what he's doing."
I swallowed hard and finally looked her in the eyes. There was a hard edge in her blue eyes that I'd never seen before.
"I'm still going to try and stop him," I said. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say at the moment, but I wasn't going to lie to her. I was still going to try and stop him.
But she nodded. "I figured," she said. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't try. I just wanted you to understand where I was coming from."
I nodded and gripped her hand tighter. "I'm sorry," I said again. "About your brother. I didn't know…"
The hard edge in her expression softened. "I never told you because… well, it still hurts. We very really close…" She trailed off and I noticed the tears begin to well in her eyes.
"Hey, you don't have to if it's too difficult," I said. "I understand…"
She shook her head. "It's alright," she said. "I want you to know."
We sat in that lounge for nearly an hour afterwards with her relating stories of growing up with her brother and then how much losing him had impacted her life until we were interrupted with the insistent beeping of a pager. It was hers.
After she'd left, I sat in that lounge, going over the events of the day in my head. I couldn't wait to get home tonight and curl up next to Arizona. It's been a long day and it's only half over.
Arizona's POV
I couldn't really blame Calliope for being so upset. I knew that George had and always will have a special place in her heart. It was obvious she still cared a lot about him.
I wasn't jealous. We both had past loves, past relationships. It was life.
But I was glad that she finally realized where I was coming from. It felt good to be able to talk to her about my brother's death. I'd held it in for so long, I'm surprised I haven't exploded by now.
My shift was finally over at four, but I knew Calliope was on the schedule until seven. I decided to track her down and see if she wanted company. I didn't feel like going home. I didn't really want to be alone right now.
I found her in an on-call room, fast asleep. At least, I thought she was asleep. As I was backing out of the room to let her sleep, a voice called out. "Arizona," she said sleepily. She held out her hand, looking weary. I knew she was still hesitant because of our little mini-fight earlier, but I'd put it behind me.
I closed the door and walked to the bed, sitting on the edge. I leaned down and kissed her softly. "Tired?" I asked.
"Exhausted," she answered. "Are you done with your shift."
"Yeah," I said, playing with a lock of her dark hair. "But I don't want to go home and be alone."
She grinned and scooted over as far as she could on the bed so that her back was against the wall. She patted the covers next to her. I couldn't resist. I toed off my Heelys and made my way under the covers, curling against her warm body. I took a deep breath and felt my eyes drifting closed already.
I must have been exhausted as well because I was asleep before I realized just how tired I was.
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008. What Happened After… Callie Storms Out of the Chief's Office (6x02)[G]
Stay With Me - Colbie Caillat
Callie's POV
She found me sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at my reflection in the mirror above my dresser, trying to figure out how everything had gotten so screwed up. George was dead, Stevens had cancer, my family was still silent and now, I was jobless.
I knew I'd have no problem finding another job. I've been getting offers from area hospitals for a while asking me to come work for them when I finished my residency. I just never imagined have to turn to one of them for a job. Seattle Grace was where I had imagined spending a good portion, if not all, of my surgical career. Now I would be forced to find a job at a lesser hospital because the old geezer that ran the ortho department at Seattle Grace refused to retire and the Chief refused to make room for me.
I didn't move when the door to my bedroom opened and Arizona hesitantly made her way inside, closing the door softly behind her.
"I heard," was all she said as she sat next to me.
The events of the past several weeks finally got the better of me and I broke down. My arms wrapped around her waist as I buried my face in her neck. She whispered soothing words of comfort into my ear as she rubbed my back with her hands.
My tears slowed, but I didn't want to let go of her. I felt safe in her arms, protected. She must have sensed that because she moved us so that she lay on her back, head on a pillow at the head of the bed. I lay with my head resting on her shoulder with an arm thrown across her stomach. She stroked my hair, calming me further.
Words were unnecessary in this moment. All I needed was Arizona by my side and suddenly, I knew everything was going to be alright.
Arizona's POV
I knew she was asleep from her deep, even breaths. I didn't want to wake her, but my arm had long fallen asleep from where it was nestled under her head and my bladder was screaming at me for relief. I shifted slightly, moving slowly in attempt to not wake her. I was successful and I made my way off the bed.
As I washed my hands in Calliope's bathroom, my mind wandered, going over all that Calliope had been through these past several weeks. The Chief's denial of promoting her to attending was just the icing on the cake. I have no idea how she's gotten through it all.
I reentered Calliope's bedroom and smiled when I saw her, still asleep. Her face was so peaceful as she escaped into her dreams.
My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since lunch nearly ten hours ago and I knew Calliope should eat something as well.
There are three things in this world that I can cook without setting the kitchen on fire: scrambled eggs, grilled cheese and rice. A quick search of the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator revealed my options were limited to a grilled cheese. I was just placing the grilled sandwiches on two plates when Calliope's door opened and she stood in the doorway, her clothes wrinkled from falling asleep in them looking all cute and cuddly.
She looked relieved when she saw me. "Hey, I though you left," she said.
I smiled back. "I figured you would be hungry," I said, placing the plates on the bar. I poured two glasses of milk before sitting on the stool next to her.
"Thanks," she said, her voice laced with exhaustion even though she'd just woken up.
"Least I could do," I said. We ate in silence. One of those comfortable silence that only occurs when you're totally comfortable with the person you're with. You don't need words to convey your thoughts. I knew Calliope was stressed and worn out just from her posture and body language. Conversation, at this moment, was unnecessary.
Calliope edged off her stool when we'd both finished our meal and reached for both plates. I lightly slapped her hand away. "You go back to bed," I said. "I'll clean up."
"But you cooked," she protested, reaching again for the dishes.
I just shook my head. "Bed. Now."
This time she didn't protest. She gave my cheek a tender kiss. "You'll stay with me tonight?"
I nodded. "I'll stay."
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009. What Happened After… the "Am I Your Girlfriend" Question (6x03) [T]
Helplessly, Hopelessly - Jessica Andrews
Callie's POV
"I need to know," Arizona said, biting her lip. "Am I your girlfriend?"
That caught me off guard and I laughed a bit. "Yeah," I said, smiling broadly. I've been thinking of us as girlfriends for a long time now. Where the heck has she been?
"Okay," she said. "Good. So, yeah, no you're not moving to Portland." She placed her purse and jacket on an empty stool before sliding onto another. "No, but what you are gonna do is you're gonna go into the Chief's office and you're gonna beg—"
I cut her off. "I'm not gonna grovel." Seriously. I had more dignity than that. So what if Seattle Grace and Mercy West were merging? There were dozens of area hospitals I could work for. Except I've already asked around and no one was looking for a new Ortho attending. Most were in the same financial downfall as Seattle Grace and Mercy West and I've been unsuccessful so far. Therein lies the Portland job opening that I really didn't want to take, but was beginning to think was my only option if I wanted to, you know, eat or have a place to live.
"Ah, yes you are. Seriously, you don't wanna mess with me." With that, she did the cute little thing with her head that made me smile. She was so freaking adorable sometimes.
"I don't, huh?" I asked, abandoning my cold leftover pizza to sit on the stool next to her.
"That's right," she said, grinning mischievously. "I have ways to make you obey me."
I already knew this little fact. She had me completely wrapped around her little finger and she damn well knew it.
Arizona's POV
It wasn't that I hadn't thought of Calliope as my girlfriend for quite some time. I was just unsure if that's how she thought about me. We had never had that conversation about being exclusive or committed. I knew she hasn't been with anyone else, but it was nice to hear confirmation.
After trying my hand at making her obey my ever command, which I was highly successful at, of course, we lay cuddled together under the tangled sheets of her bed and I felt more at home in her arms here than I've ever felt. We still had our separate places and I only spent the night twice a week or so. After all, we've just "officially" established our commitment to one another.
"You're really gonna make me do this?" Calliope asked as she played with a lock of my hair.
"Yes," I said, turning to face her and raising myself on my elbow. "I was serious before, Calliope. I don't do long distance relationships and I'm sure as hell not moving to Portland. I like it here, thank you very much, and I like you. A lot. So you have to stay here."
Calliope sighed, but grinned. "You're kind of a bully. You know that, right?"
"Hmm," I said, nuzzling her throat. "You love it, don't try and deny it." Her arms wrapped around me and I kept nuzzling her neck and chest, placing light, wet kisses along her clavicle.
I heard her sigh. "I love that," she said, craning her neck to give me better access. "Don't stop."
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010. What Happened After… the Chief Gives Callie an Attending Position (6x04)[PG]
Put Your Arms Around Me - Natasha Bedingfield
Callie's POV
I was astonished. I've been stalling for days. I knew that Arizona was beginning to get a little fed up with my stalling the past few days. But I'd finally tracked down the Chief and was prepared to ask, beg if necessary, for a job when I'd found a broken version of the Chief I'd once known. I had been about to walk way, so close to walking away, when he'd offered me an attending position out of nowhere.
I was stunned.
And now, I've been standing here in the conference room where I'd found the Chief for a full ten minutes, trying to figure out if I'd just imagined the whole thing.
I finally willed myself to move. I had to find Arizona. She was on call tonight, so I guessed she'd either be in surgery or in an on-call room. A quick perusal of the OR board told me that she wasn't in surgery, so I hurried to the on-call room, our on-call room.
Sure enough, she was there, laying on a bed, but not yet asleep. I hadn't told her that I was coming to see the Chief tonight in case I'd chickend out, so she was surprised to see me.
"Calliope? What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up.
I couldn't keep the gigantic smile off my face. "You are looking at the newest attending surgeon at Seattle Grance-Mercy West!" I practically yelled in my giddy state.
"Oh, my God! You did it?" she yelled back, jumping off the bed and rushing towards me.
"I did! Well, kinda. I didn't even have to beg. He just gave me the job!" I pulled her against me and kissed her hard. I pulled away when breathing became essential and couldn't keep the huge smile off my face.
"I knew it would all work out, Calliope," Arizona said softly with her own megawatt smile.
I placed my forehead against hers and brushed our noses against each other. "Thanks," I said.
"For what?"
"For not giving up on me," I said. "I know I've been a bit frustrating lately, but I was scared."
She kissed me lightly. "I know," she said. "The Chief can be intimidating sometimes."
I shook my head. "It wasn't even that. I was scared he'd say no and I'd be forced to leave Seattle to find another job. I didn't want to lose you. You've become so important to me, Arizona." I cupped her cheeks in my hands as I said those words, wanting her to see how much I meant them.
"Calliope," she whispered, her voice uneven. Tears shown in her eyes. "You are so amazing," she said before kissing me again. I knew then that things were going to be alright. I had everything I needed right here in my arms.
Arizona's POV
"Wakey, wakey, Calliope," I whispered into my sleeping girlfriend's ear. She groaned softly, trying to ignore me and return to the bliss that is sleep. "Oh, no, Calliope. Rise and shine, sleepy head. It's your first day as an attending at Seattle Grace-Mercy West. You don't want to be late, do you?"
Again, she just burrowed deeper under the covers and I immediately put plan B into action. I climbed under the covers and curled up behind her, placing wet, open-mouthed kisses along her neck and shoulders. That got her attention and she rolled over onto her back, trying to pull me to lay on top of her. I kissed her sweetly until her hands moved to encircle my waist. Satisfied she was finally conscious, I sat up and quickly scooted off the bed, out of her reach.
She lazily opened one eye and glared at me. "Tease," she grumbled, sitting up and pushing her tangled hair out of her face.
"Only when I have to be," I said with a grin. "Now get up and get dressed. Our shifts start in an hour and I want to take you out to breakfast first."
She showered quickly before dressing and we made our way down the street to our favorite little hole in the wall diner that serves the best omelets and hash browns this side of the Mississippi. We sat in a booth waiting for our food when she breaks out into a huge smile.
"What?" I ask.
"You're so beautiful," she said, clasping my had across the table. "And I know it sounds cheesy, but I really don't know what I'd do without you. You're my rock. You put me back together. I don't think I've ever actually thanked you for that night."
"What night?" I asked, squeezing her hand.
She smiled. "The night at Joe's. When you first kissed me. You made me realize that I'm not alone in this world. I have my friends and now, I have you as well."
"Of course you have me," I said. "You'll always have me."
And right then, right that very second in that little hole in the wall diner with the amazing omelets and hash browns, I realized that I had fallen head over heels in love with the amazing Dr. Calliope Torres.