A/N: I want to give you all a big virtual hug for giving me such an amazing response to this story (don't worry, it's not even nearly over yet). I just wanted to voice my appreciation so far! ... This chapter is considerably longer than the others and relates more closely to the show, which you'll probably notice as I borrowed quite a few quotes! This is sort of a very long filler and I chose to do it for one of a few reasons:
1. Being that the episode that gave me the inspiration for this chapter is one of my favourites.
2. I love papa Torres and think we don't get to see nearly enough of the girls' families.
3. It kind of advances the story in the direction I don't think I could have without it.
As always, I love to hear what you guys think!:)
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.
I broke away from Mark and looked at him, slightly startled. Initially the plan had not been to sleep with him, but after seeing how horribly our earlier plan of making Arizona jealous had backfired, I saw no reason not to indulge in a little sexual sorbet.
"Callie open this door!" commanded the voice from the other side of the threshold.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.
"Uhm… I think you should maybe open the door Torres; before she blows it down." Mark said, amusement dancing across his features.
I did as told and opened the door to a very dishevelled looking blonde. Her eyes were bloodshot and glossy from alcohol, and possibly even the beginning of tears; her curly hair was a bit insane, clearly having been interfered with by the ever present Seattle wind; her expression was difficult to decipher, she looked angry, upset, worried, nervous with no dominant emotion present, all balancing equally on her beautiful face.
"Don't…" She squeaked. It was barely audible and made her look so adorably vulnerable I felt my earlier bitterness and resentment at the sight of her and the skanky brunette wash instantly away.
Mark made his way towards us, earning daggers from Arizona. "I, uh, think I should go." He gestured across the hall to his own apartment.
Once safely in the confines of his own home, I returned my attention back to the woman that stood before me, torn about what to do. After all, she was the one who had said she didn't want to see me anymore, yet here she was, standing on my door step, a bundle of emotion.
"Arizona…" I whispered. Barely had the words come out of my mouth before she was on me, her lips hot on mine, pushing me backwards into my apartment, tugging and discarding items of clothing. I knew that a drunken fumble wasn't the best idea, talking needed to be done, but I couldn't help but abandon my better judgement, the alcohol not helping my restraint, I needed to feel her, to be close to her again, I missed her touch. Tossing my inhibitions to the side I reciprocated with just as much force and passion, removing clothes, grabbing at flesh, trying to get as close to her as was physically possible.
She rammed me forcefully against the bedroom wall, but it didn't hurt, not in the conventional sense anyway; it was the good kind of pain; grinding her hips against mine, my heart pounded in my chest, my body aching with desire.
She spun me around, guiding me to the bed, pinning me to the mattress as her kisses moved lower; down my neck, across my collar bone, my breasts, before moving back up to my lips. She was delicious, the lingering taste of alcohol still present; her hand moved slowly down my body, loitering agonisingly on the entrance to my underwear. It took all my self control not to grab her hand and force it to where I needed it most, but I always loved being teased. She ran her fingers excruciatingly slowly against the fabric that separated her from where I wanted, a guttural moan erupted from the back of my throat as the longing began to become almost painful. She smiled against my lips, clearly delighting in the reaction she was getting from me. Decidedly putting out of my misery, she plunged two fingers deep into my soaking core; my arousal had risen to such a height it was no longer just satisfactory to have her inside of me, I needed to feel her too. Without any hesitation or teasing, I mirrored her actions. She froze into the kiss with surprise but soon fell back into her skilful, rhythmic movements. Thrusting and grinding against each other, the other's reactions and moans spurring us on; I could feel the tension rise within me, the familiar feeling so close, she placed her thumb to my clit, rubbing gently, throwing me over the edge. The weight of her on top of me held me in place as my body writhed beneath her, a few short moments later she too began to convulse. We held on to eachother, riding it out, until the shaking stopped, the moans of pleasure ceased and we drifted into a drunken and sedated slumber.
I woke the next morning to the familiar pang of a post drinking headache, I scrunched my eyes shut even tighter willing it to pass but to no avail, stretching my hand to the opposite side of the bed, my eyes shot open as my palm fell on the cold, empty space. She was gone, but her scent still lingered, confirming that it had not been just a dream. My heart sank. I had really thought last night had been some kind of turning point. She obviously had not wanted me to sleep with Mark or she wouldn't have come, basically asking me not to. So why had she left?
I went about my day as usual, going through the motions half heartedly; I hated myself for getting into this position. I had wanted so badly to believe that this had become more than just sex that I allowed my own fantasies to cloud reality. The reality that for her, sex was all it was. It was so typical of me to get ahead of myself, run away on a notion that my little game with Mark had somehow made her realise that she wanted me back. I was terrified of seeing her, knowing that no matter how hard I tried, she was like kryptonite to me. I liked to think I was too much of a rockstar to let her affect me, to allow her to worm her way back to a situation that suited her, but I knew how easy it was for her to break my resolve; I was addicted to her.
Miranda Bailey approached me in the ER as I was finishing a suture.
"Did the gentleman from the waiting room ever find you?"
I looked up at her, puzzled. "What?"
"It's the gentleman who could possibly be your father."
To say I was shocked would be the understatement of the century. I hadn't seen or heard from my father in almost a year. I had only been dating Erica for a few months when he last visited and we had agreed not to tell him until we were sure it was serious, deciding it was too soon to do the whole family thing. But in the typical, unpredictable fashion of events, the world had instead decided to spite me, leaving me no choice but to introduce my father to my girlfriend. Needless to say he was not impressed by my choice of suitor and threatened to cut me off unless I broke up with her; so I cut him off. Always a man to stay true to his word, he cut off my trust fund and basically ostracised me from the family. I emailed my sister every now and then, but never received a reply. My father wielded great power among my family so I was not surprised by the behaviour of my mother and sister. I was however, surprised to see him reading a magazine in the ER waiting room.
I walked cautiously towards him, consumed by nerves and fear of the unexpected. What reason would he have to come after all this time? He was a stubborn man and I was sure he wasn't there to swallow his pride.
"Daddy…"
"Calliope."
"What are you doing here?" I asked sceptically.
"I came to see you." My heart fluttered momentarily but I couldn't understand the reasoning behind such an impromptu visit.
"Why?"
He stepped closer to me and I felt my body tense with unease awaiting the answer I wasn't sure I wanted to hear.
"Calliope, we used to talk, every Sunday we used to talk; I'd wait for your call and you'd tell me everything, all about your crazy adventures." I couldn't help but smile at the memory of the bond we once shared. "Even when you were in trouble; you'd still call, and we worked it out, we'd always work it out mija."
Relief and happiness washed over me. It was the last thing I had expected but I was so happy to hear him say it. I stepped forward, closing the gap, engulfing him in an overdue hug.
"Daddy." I sighed into his shoulder. "I'm sorry; I'm sorry things got so…"
"Sure." He whispered back warmly.
"I'm just so glad you've finally come around. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Well, Aria told me you emailed her about your break-up." I smiled warmly into the embrace at how he had flown all this way just because of a break up. "I just knew you'd see sense mija."
My smile faded with his concluding words. For the first time, I caught sight of another familiar face sitting on the opposite side of the waiting room.
"Daddy, is that father Kevin?"
"Hello Calliope." The priest addressed, standing to his feet.
I pulled away from my father, staring at him in disbelief.
"Are you two here to…?" Realisation hit me. "You think you can pray away the gay."
"We can just sit and talk, I know you don't want this either." My father attempted to sound reasonable.
"Oh no. You can't pray away the gay." I told him, backing away towards the ER.
"Calliope Iphigenia Torres." He called after me with a tone of authority. He was unbelievable.
"YOU CAN'T PRAY AWAY THE GAY." I shouted at him before making my final exit.
"The man flew three thousand miles to make me straight; with a priest! I'm lucky they didn't march into the ER, swinging incense, all hepped up for an exorcism."
Mark sat on the couch in the attending's lounge, watching me pace back and forth.
"Maybe, you should talk to him?" He offered. I looked at him disbelievingly.
"I have nothing to say! If he wants to throw away our relationship after thirty years, that's his decision."
My best friend rose to his feet, grabbing me by the shoulders, bringing me to a halt. "He hasn't done anything here; you're the one who changed the game." I could see in his eyes he wasn't taking sides, he was always on my side, he was simply trying to get through to me. "You dated men your whole life; you loved men. You even married one. I mean talk about thirty years of a relationship; he's been consistent for thirty years and all of a sudden, you're a whole new girl. Cut the guy some slack, talk to him; give him room to be, a little shocked."
I continued to stare at him. I wanted to be angry with him for not agreeing with me 100%, but I knew he was right; which frustrated me even more. I sighed in defeat, giving him the tiniest of smiles. "I hate you." I stated plainly, flopping onto the couch he had recently vacated.
"That's coz I'm right." He smiled in triumph.
Staying true to my word, I sat down with my dad and father Kevin to a conversation about as successful as our earlier screaming match, only this time; with bible quotations and my parting words of "You'll, you know; see me in hell."
"Didn't go well huh?" Mark asked, sitting down next to me and my pile of used Kleenex'.
I released a heavy sob and shook my head in wordless response.
He looked at me with sympathetic eyes, pulling me into a comforting embrace, kissing the top of my head as I sobbed into his chest.
I managed to compose myself in time for my afternoon surgeries, resigning myself to the reality that my father and I would never reunite.
Anger had mostly replaced my earlier sadness but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of anguish at receiving such concerned and careful looks from my colleagues. Word had travelled fast in true Seattle Grace Mercy West fashion and I doubted there was anyone that had not heard about poor Dr. Torres and her homophobic father.
I needed air. Making my way towards the hospital entrance I stopped short at the sight of my father, I had assumed he would have left, standing next to a head of familiar blonde locks. I moved closer to them, enough to hear their exchange but far enough to not be seen, not wanting them to discover my presence.
"Calliope's father, right?" she graced him with one of her signature, super magic smiles.
He gave her a stiff smile and a nod in confirmation before turning to stare forward again. She kept her eyes on him for a few moments longer before turning forward herself.
"Most people think that I was named for the state but it's not true, I was named for a battleship." I watched her with great puzzlement; why was she even talking to him? "The U.S.S Arizona. My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour and he saved, nineteen men, before he drowned… Pretty much everything my father did his whole life was about honouring that sacrifice. I was raised to be a 'good man in a storm'. Raised to love my country, love my family and protect the things I love. When my father, Colonel Daniel Robbins of the United States Marine Corps, heard that I was a lesbian, he said he only had one question; I was prepared for, 'how fast can you get the hell out of my house?'; but instead, it was, 'are you still who I raised you to be?' My father believes in country the way that you believe in God, and my father is not a man who bends but he bent for me because I'm his daughter. I'm a good man in a storm…." She turned to face him once again, shoulders broad with confidence. "Calliope's strong and caring and honourable and she's, who you raised her to be." A faint smile played across her lips as my father's expression softened just the slightest bit. I moved quickly into the nearest bathroom as she began to back away from him.
Once safe in the confines of a cubicle I let out a breath I was unaware I had been holding. I couldn't believe she had done that. No one ever stood up to my father like that, he had almost looked as though she had gotten through to him. It just made me even more confused as to where I stood with her.
I finished my shift, not encountering Arizona even once; I was slightly disappointed; I wanted nothing more than to talk to her, find out what was going on; but it had been a busy day for all of us.
Exiting the hospital I paused momentarily as my father stood in my path. He hadn't left, which, could be a good thing… I hoped.
"Calliope." He stood in front of me, his face serious, but not angry.
I shook my head, "Daddy, I can't do this anymore."
"Listen to me please."
I waited, expectantly, nervous. After what I had seen occur between him and Arizona earlier I really had no clue how this conversation would go, knowing it was our last shot; and was pleasantly surprised by what he had to say.
"I have to catch you; you've always been on a bridge Calliope, ever since you were a little girl. And you don't just walk on it either, no, you climb on the railing and you're ready to leap, and when you do, when that happens, I have to be there; I have to catch you."
I sighed a heavy sigh of relief, understanding how much it was taking for him to swallow his pride.
"You're still my little girl, Calliope; no matter how grown up you get. But if this is what you want; if this makes you happy…." He paused, each of his words weighing heavy with honesty. "You're my little girl."
I smiled broadly at him closing the space between us to encase him in a similar fashion to earlier. We remained like this, in silence for only a few moments before he spoke.
"I have to go mija. My flight leaves soon." I pulled away, slightly disappointed by the quick departure after such a turning point.
"Can't you stay a little longer?" I pleaded but he shook his head.
"No, you're mother is expecting me home. I'll call you." He said, placing a delicate kiss to my forehead before walking into the night.
I remained in the spot, smiling to myself, disturbed only by the sound of a throat clearing. Breaking from my dream I looked up to find Arizona standing in front of me, a cautious smile on her face.
"Hi." She said quietly.
"Hi."
"Everything work out ok with your dad?" She gestured in the direction he had headed.
I nodded, smiling kindly at her. "Thank you."
"For what?" She questioned with feigned ignorance.
"For talking to my dad." Her expression grew self conscious as she realised I knew what she had done. After a few moments of silence I spoke again. "Come on a date with me?"
It wasn't so much a question as a statement and she looked at me with a torn expression.
"Come on a date with me?" I repeated, before should had the chance to decline. "Just one date. Dinner. A movie. Whatever."
She stared at me in contemplation for a few further moments before nodding.
"Okay."
