Dr. Callie Torres could sense it – something important was about to happen.
She forgot how much Addison liked to drink – the woman was already on her third, while Callie was struggling with her first beer. It was good to have Addison back in Seattle – if only for a couple of days.
"Well, suppose I never ever met George," Callie proposed.
"Then no torrid affair, no marriage, no divorce…." Addison paused. "But here's the thing – what doesn't kill us…" She lifted her glass and Callie clinked her bottle to it, finishing her last swig. Both women's heads turned automatically at the sound of Joe's creaky tavern door and they smiled when Mark Sloan strolled in.
"I need another drink," Callie headed to the bar. Mark sidled up next to her.
"Poison tonight?"
"No, just beer. I have to scrub in early tomorrow."
"Come on, one shot. I'm celebrating!"
"What is the occasion?"
"You." Callie blinked and then blinked again. "And Addison. And that one…" Mark tilted his toward the door, where Erica Hahn had just taken off her trench coat and was working to close her umbrella. He smiled conspiratorially. "I can't help it – she's just so…"
"So not into you," Callie pointed out, motioning to Joe that she'd have that shot now. Quickly she downed the drink and ordered another for herself. Erica was still near the door, and Callie figured she'd need these shots to help her deal with Erica, Mark, and the ever-observant Addison all night. After lunch, after Addison pointed out the extreme closeness of Callie's friendship with Erica, Callie's head began to spin. And it kept spinning all day long. Erica Hahn was lots of things – brilliant, dedicated, witty, beautiful – but Erica Hahn wasn't gay. She had confessed her past with Burke over a long night of drinking. And Callie knew that she herself wasn't the least bit gay. So why the nerves?
"Hey, that's not fair. She just doesn't know the real me yet," Mark carried his and Callie's drinks over to Addison's table. "Addison – remind Dr. Torres. I am an irresistible force!"
Addison shook her head, and then she and Callie burst into simultaneous laughter. Mark's face flushed slightly, but he didn't laugh at all. He narrowed his eyes, grimaced, and backed away from the table – quickly finding a group of friends playing darts to join.
Erica walked up just as Callie was wiping the tears from her eyes.
"What did I miss?"
"Nothing!" Addison started laughing again. Erica sat down next to Callie, the blond's left thigh touching hers and giving Callie a full-body electrical shock before she shifted her own leg away. She blushed, looking down at her shoes, hoping Addison wouldn't notice. Despite the strange feelings she'd had all day, Callie was glad that Erica showed up. She wanted to clear the air with her and Addison about this whole Vagina Monologues thing.
"You're not going to believe what she – " Erica cut Callie off, suddenly leaning in close and reaching towards her lips.
"Wait, you've got…a hair… stuck in your lip gloss." Erica gently removed the hair, and fluffed Callie's long black curls back over her shoulder. "Okay, it's gone." Callie's eyes widened, she looked directly at Addison, whose Cheshire grin said it all. She downed the second shot, her head spinning again with confusion. Damn Addison, could she be right? It had been so long since Callie had felt – well, anything, really – that she nearly forgot what it was like. The butterflies, the shaky hands, all of the things that she'd felt when she met George and fell in love. She sat on her hands.
"Go on," Erica commanded with a smile. Mark sauntered back to the table, undeterred by the last episode, and asked for a dance partner. Addison refused, Erica shook her head, but Callie immediately decided that this was her out. She wasn't even sure if her legs would work correctly, but she knew if she stayed with the women at the table, it would only get worse.
"I will," she murmured, standing up, pausing a brief second to get her balance. She and Mark stepped onto the dance floor, Callie feeling good from the drinks and the distance from Erica – she started to let herself go, alternating from hanging on Mark to dancing solo. From the table, Callie could see Addison whispering to Erica. She desperately wanted to be a fly on that table, but more than that, she wanted out of Joe's bar. What she was feeling was not simple – but Mark Sloan, he was simple. No surprises, she knew exactly what to expect and what she would get. And she needed it tonight, to clear her head. She grabbed Mark's hand.
"Let's get out of here."
