Title: Heart Bugs - Chapter Seven

Pairing: Erica/OC

Rating: Let's start saying M to be safe. The rest probably will be.

Summary: A surprise date and a party!

Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, nor any of the characters in it. Everything in this story is fictional and I am not making a profit from this.


Marsh knocked on Erica's door at precisely 10 am. Normally she was the type of girl to use the phrases 'mid-morning' and 'later on', but she figured Erica Hahn was more of a planner. Dating was all about bending, at least for the little things, and after her disappearance the week prior, Marsh figured she owed Erica some of the little details.

"Morning! You ready?" Marsh asked exuberantly.

"I might be a bit more ready if you told me where we were going," Erica replied, trying to sound annoyed, but in reality excited to be spending her Sunday off with the brunette.

"I did tell you, Erica."

"Pardon?" Now she was actually confused.

"Mmm hmm. I told you Alberto's, where we had our first date, would be your first lesson in the neighborhood, and that the second would be -"

"The zoo!" Erica finished, relieved that skydiving or something equally as terrifying hadn't just escaped Marsh's mouth. She could handle a lot of things, she could handle most things. It was the lack of control that was pushing Erica's boundaries lately with this woman. And while it was frustrating at times, when she was being honest with herself, it was also exhilarating.

"Ah, so your memory isn't going completely yet," Marsh smirked, the smart-ass comment rolling off her tongue too easily for Erica's taste.

Erica froze on the spot and gave Marsh her best Hahn death glare, usually reserved for the likes of cocky interns and incompetent residents. Marsh cocked her head to the side, as if to say, how cute, and reached up on her tip toes to kiss Erica quickly on the lips. The brunette smiled wide, turned on her heels, and walked out Erica's front door.

"Let's go!"

They had already seen the pandas, cheetahs, elephants, and giraffes and were now making their way through the primate house. Marsh had underestimated herself when she called herself an animal nerd, Erica thought, but the blonde found in endearing. Marsh not only had a childlike wonder for these animals but an impressive scientific knowledge of most of them. She appealed to Erica's intelligence by telling the blonde interesting facts about each animal they encountered.

Erica had been reading an informational poster about cognitive training and primates when she turned to find Marsh making the most ridiculous faces at a group of orangutans. To the apes' credit, they appeared rather disinterested at the antics of the woman, but Erica, on the other hand, burst into laughter at the sight.

"Wow. You are something else."

"What? It's non-threatening. It's playful. They love it!" Marsh retorted.

"Um, I don't know about that, they look pretty bored to me."

"Actually, she's right," they both turned at the sound of a zookeeper approaching them from behind. "See the way they're still watching you guys, they're definitely interested. These guys aren't as animated as some of the other primates, but just as smart. They're thinkers, observers," she finished, making her own faces at the apes before walking through the building.

"Haha, I win."

"Psshh, whatever," Erica said, walking away.

"Oh, Dr. Hahn," Marsh chased after her, grabbing her hand and leaning closely against her. She noticed Erica's apparent change in body language. "Wow, you're really used to knowing everything, aren't you?"

Erica softened up a bit, feeling her defenses simply drop around this woman. "Well, most of the time I do, so yes." She was being honest, if blunt.

"Hmm, well then, we're going to have to work on that. Because I already plan on teaching you lots of things I'm sure you don't know." And with that Marsh skipped off toward a concession stand that Erica noticed, above all things, sold a rainbow medley of cotton candy.

They held hands and walked through the rest of the zoo. Marsh insisted on feeding Erica cotton candy, and licking it off her lips after purposefully getting her sticky. Erica was delighting in watching Marsh lead her through the grounds. Even though she did prefer to know more than those around her, Erica was enjoying the learning process. It didn't hurt that Marsh made a point to kiss her after every exhibit. Which was new in and of itself for Erica. She thought for a brief moment at the beginning of the day that she might be nervous about displaying affection for this woman in public, but the nerves regarding that aspect of this relationship never came, and for that Erica was thankful. She realized on the inside that she was more than strong enough to deal with any onlooker who was brave enough to question her.


"So we have a couple hours before this party of yours?"

Erica checked her watch as she walked through her front door with Marsh. "Yeah, I suppose so. Ya know, we could probably get away with skipping it . . ." Erica said as she put her arms around Marsh's waist, drawing her close to her body.

"Um, no. One, because I want to go. This sounds like fun, a gay restaurant opening!"

"Can a building be gay?"

"Hush, you. And two, I have a feeling that your friend Kate would kick my butt if I kept you from her brother's party."

Erica gave in, "Fine, fine, you're right. We'll go, we'll drink too much champagne, and I'll get to show you off."

Marsh smiled wide at Erica, reaching up and running her hands through her long blonde hair. She reached forward and placed a few slow, tortuous kisses along Erica's jaw line. "You're pretty amazing, you know," she whispered softly into Erica's ear.

"Yeah, I do."

For that, she earned a light punch on the arm, but Marsh made no attempt to remove herself from Erica's embrace. "Ok, well then I'm gonna run home and shower. Meet you back here in a bit?"

Erica tightened her grip on the brunette, pushing her back the step or two toward the wall, and pinning her there. She pushed her against the wall, leaned in and kissed her. Not hard, but insistent and sensual. "Or . . . you could just shower here."

Marsh smirked widely even as she shook her head. "Get your mind out of the gutter Dr. Hahn. You're just gonna have to make due with imagining me in the shower for now. All naked and soapy and wet - "

"You're cruel, you know that, right?" Erica asked, slightly breathless.

"Maybe, but am I wrong in assuming that you also think it's too soon for that sort of thing?" Marsh asked honestly.

"No, you're right," Erica relented. "I . . . know I want to, but I know it's right to wait. I'm too damn logical for my own good."

"I like it. Because I think it's going to take our combined wills to keep me out of your pants until we're ready," Marsh said as she opened the door to the side of her and slipped out. Erica couldn't even retaliate as the brunette waved a polite goodbye, nearly skipping down Erica's walkway.

Erica groaned out loud and headed upstairs toward her bathroom. She really did need a shower, a cold one at that, she thought.


Erica gently placed her hand on the small of Marsh's back, leading her through the entrance of James and Kevin's restaurant. There were about two dozen people milling about, dressed up for a summer party. People were laughing, drinking champagne and being introduced to new friends of friends.

Erica spotted Kate and her brother in the far corner and grabbed Marsh's hand to walk her over in that direction. She had become breathless earlier seeing Marsh standing in her doorway, wearing a tan, off the shoulder cotton dress, her hair piled on top of her head in a soft up-do of sorts. Simple shoes and that simple silver jewelry she always wore finished it off. Erica had gone with a basic black spaghetti strap dress, adding a black cardigan for modesty. She knew walking through the restaurant that she and Marsh made a damn attractive pair.

"Erica, you made it!" Kate said loudly upon seeing the blonde and her date. "And Marsh, nice to see Erica hasn't scared you away quite yet!"

"You're an ass, Kate."

"Nice to see you again too, Dr. Robinson."

"Oh please, it's Kate. And this is my brother, Kevin. He owns this place, along with his partner, James, who is," she scanned the room, "over there, flirting with someone who is not his boyfriend." Kate and Kevin laughed together, while Erica and Marsh exchanged looks and shook their heads. At their laughter, James looked back and noticed the motley crew, and began walking over.

"Erica!" he exclaimed, "I have the perfect set of ladies here for you to meet. I've got a civil rights lawyer who kayaks and skis, a CEO of a local DC non-profit for children, and a professional golfer, although come to think of it, she might be just a tad too butch for you, and she's blonde and it's always been my opinion that two blondes together is just trouble."

Erica laughed out loud at James and his match-making attempts. "Well, James, as much as I appreciate your efforts, which appear larger than you should have time for with this new restaurant, I'm here with someone tonight."

James regarded Marsh for the first time and turned back to Erica, "Ooh, I see." He nodded toward Marsh. "You're cute, what do you do?"

"I'm an entomologist, with the University of Maryland," Marsh replied proudly, seemingly not at all put off by James' blunt manner.

"Eww, like bugs and stuff?"

At this, Erica laughed and Marsh challenged, "What is it with you people, are you all scared of bugs?"

"No."

"No."

"No."

"Yes."

They all looked at James. "Whatever, I own a restaurant now, you should all be glad I don't like bugs."

Erica spoke up, "By the way, everything was great last week, I really loved it."

Marsh added, "This space is great. Did you travel to get some of this stuff?" She gestured to some of the decorations on the walls of the Asian inspired eatery.

"We did actually. My partner and I fell in love with Asian food while we taught out there years ago. Kevin and I have been friends since college, and he can actually cook, so we started the process of this place. Plus, it seemed like a good excuse to go back to China and write it off for work purposes," James explained.

"I like it, I thought it looked more authentic than usual," Marsh said. James tipped his head curiously and Marsh finished, "I spent some time in China and Tibet about 8 years ago. I love to travel, I get out of the country every chance I get."

"Well traveled and she compliments me. I think I approve of this one, Erica," James said, as he and Marsh monopolized the conversation. "Did that necklace come from somewhere exotic?"

Marsh fingered the silver pendant that hung at the hollow of her throat. She contemplated it for a minute while Erica looked on, curious herself. "It came from a silversmith in the Congo. I lived there for three years after college."

"I like that, a one of a kind," Kevin jumped in.

"Well, there were two of these made," she replied slowly, "but yeah, I like things that are unique, that are original."

Erica smiled, but found herself thinking about the implication of Kate's explanation, while Kate sarcastically jumped in with, "And that's why she likes Erica. Awww." She eyed the bar at the back of the building, "I'm going to go drink, who's with me?" And with that, Kate walked away before anyone could even answer.

"Well, we're going to go mingle. You two enjoy yourselves. And I suppose if you're ever in the market for a threesome, you know who to call," James said cheerfully, while being hit in the shoulder by Kevin. He shook his head apologetically as the two men excused themselves.

"Ok, I think I need a drink," Marsh said, fanning herself off. Erica laughed at the brunette's nervousness as they walked toward the bar.

"You're great, Marsh. They like you. And I like you a lot, so relax."

"Oh, I'm fine. Those guys seem great. Kate does make a little nervous though. It's the best friend thing, ya know?"

Erica had never really thought about Kate being her best friend, but as she thought about it, she realized that's exactly what Kate was. She also realized she hadn't had a best friend since she was a kid in New England. She began to contemplate just what kind of a friend Callie had been in her life, but stopped short. There was no use in trying to wrap her head around that situation tonight.

"Eh, Kate's all talk. It's what she does."

"Well, I certainly know that," Marsh laughed.

Erica turned to her date, "What do you mean?"

"The day I came into the hospital to ask you out, she met me first."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. She wasn't mean to you, was she?" Erica got nervous.

"Oh no," Marsh reassured. "She told me you liked me actually." She smirked.

"She what? I hadn't even . . . I can't believe she . . . Meddling little - "

"Hey!" Marsh grabbed Erica's hands, forcing the blonde to look at her. "I'm glad she did, I was beginning to chicken out."

Erica smiled and squeezed Marsh's hands back. "You're sweet. I'll have to thank her sometime," she added only somewhat sarcastically. "Besides, I suppose Laura did the same with me last week."

"What?" It was Marsh's turn to be surprised.

"Yeah, when her aunt came in, she gave me a little pep talk. Told me to go after you."

"Wow, we have a set of match making friends, don't we?"

"Yeah, we should be careful about letting them ever meet, I feel like they could do some damange," Erica laughed.

"I'd say so," Marsh agreed.

The two women enjoyed a glass of champagne, and then another, as they sat on high stools near the open air bar. Erica could feel her cheeks getting red, her muscles becoming loose. She was still constantly surprised at how comfortable she was getting out on these social adventures. Being a doctor at the top her field, Erica was used to dinners and banquets and the like, but those became more tedious as the years went on. Unless, of course, the event honored her. But sitting here with Marsh was easy, was comfortable and comforting. Erica felt her doctor persona safely across town in the hospital while she allowed herself to relax and enjoy this evening, this moment.

Marsh felt her knees becoming warm, an unfortunate side effect of drinking that had plagued her since high school. She also felt her tongue loosen up as she and Erica talked in the corner. She knew already that there was something about this woman that fit into her life. She had these little secrets and smiles and intricacies that kept bursting through. And so Marsh kept talking, telling stories, asking questions in order to draw these things out from Erica. And although they were mostly talking to each other at this point, Marsh really had a thing for a good party.

"I had a really good time today, so thanks again," Erica said, smiling like a little kid.

"Even though I know more than you about animals?" Marsh exclaimed in a sing song voice. She was beginning to understand which buttons of Erica's she could push to elicit the best responses from Erica. She suspected if she pushed any harder or brought up a different issue, Erica could be quite serious, but it was in Marsh's nature to push people; push them to their most honest, their best.

"Oh whatever. You were just showing off."

"Something you know nothing about, Dr. Hahn."

"Oh please don't call me that outside of the hospital. Or ever actually," Erica's face fell into a frown, but quickly rebounded. "You make me feel more like Erica, and I like that. If that makes any sense."

"It does and I'm glad. Did playing with monkeys make you feel more like Erica, Erica?" she asked giggling.

Erica stared into the distance thoughtfully as she pondered her past. "Definitely. We grew up near a fairly large zoo, my mom, brother and me. And she never had many days off, but when she did, she would take us there a lot. My brother was never as big of a nerd as me, but he loved animals. And so it was one place we would never fight, which we did quite often, he was only a year younger than me. Hell, that's probably why my mother brought us there, she got some peace and quiet, she got to relax," Erica said, realizing that she hadn't talked about her family to anyone other than Kate in a long time. She blushed just a little, "So yeah, the zoo is a good place for me."

"Well, lucky for us it's just down the street then," Marsh said, placing a hand on Erica's knee, tracing lazy circles. "So your mom and brother, are you still close to them?"

"Um, yes, actually. Well, as close as I can be with a career like mine. I've had to move all over and I always find my schedule running away on me, but yeah. My mother still lives up in New England, we talk a lot more than we see each other. And Aaron is a teacher in Boston, a music professor at BU actually, you two would get along," Erica said, just realizing the connection then.

"A cardio surgeon and a music professor! Two doctors, your mom must be proud."

"She is. Although, she'd probably be proud no matter what. She worked her ass off when we were kids just to make sure we survived to get to college. I think . . . that pushed my brother and I to work hard, to be the best, even though we went in completely opposite directions, professionally speaking." Erica nodded her head, thinking about her mother. She realized they hadn't talked in a while, and suddenly felt guilty.

"Ok, last prying personal question of the night, and then I'm done, I promise," Marsh said, hoping Erica was still ok with sharing. "Does your family know?"

Erica caught the brunette's drift. "Um . . . short answer, no. I told my mom the move to the east coast was purely professional and she was so happy that I would be closer, she didn't question it. My brother, on the other hand, knows I left because of a relationship debacle, but has only assumed the details," Erica said, adding after a beat, "because I never gave him any."

Erica waited for the speech. The 'well you need to tell them eventually' speech, the 'you'll be so much happier and relieved after you tell them' speech. But instead, Marsh only nodded, kept rubbing Erica's leg and said, "They sound like wonderful people, I'm sure if you ever decide you want to tell them, they would be supportive."

The truth was Erica had thought about telling them. She was closer to her small family than people would think, and her family had been nothing but loving and supportive of her for her entire life and when it came to loyalty, Erica Hahn was a master. A convenient time had simply not come up to spill the news, Erica decided. But the longer time went on, she had begun to realize there would be no perfect time. But as she sat here with Marsh though, she had a feeling the right time was quickly approaching. And instead of making her nervous, this thought made her excited, played upon those nerves that made her better rather than frightened.

"So what about your family? You mentioned they lived around here, but not much else," Erica inquired, not uneasy, but ready to discuss Marsh rather than herself.

"Yeah, they're scattered around the whole Baltimore/DC/Virginia area, and we're all pretty close. My parents live up in Baltimore, as does my oldest sister. They're retired schoolteachers, music and science, obviously, and my sister owns a bookstore in this cute neighborhood up there. My middle sister lives in Northern Virginia, she's a fancypants lawyer out of DC. Actually, her firm is located pretty close to your hospital. I wonder if that's a coincidence?" Marsh mused for a brief second. "And then there's me, the baby, the baby who plays with bugs."

"Wow, that sounds nice, that you're all close I mean."

"Yeah, I felt pretty far when we were down at Virginia Tech, but after Lisa and everything, I knew I needed to be closer to them. My family was . . . amazing with everything. My parents were just constantly there during the worst of it, at the beginning. And then my sisters, and Laura of course, started kicking my ass after I was still pretty depressed after a couple years or so," Marsh said honestly. She noticed Erica's concerned look and added, "It sounds tough, but it's what I needed. I grieved, I dealt with it, I did all the healthy things you're supposed to do, but I needed help just . . . getting back to the rest of the world. They were amazing."

"So you're family obviously knows about you then," Erica asked in a statement.

"Oh yeah. I came out early in college, had a few serious relationships before Lisa actually. My sisters were pretty quick to come around, my parents . . . took a much longer time. An Italian Catholic and Eastern European immigrant, not really the best for understanding the whole gay thing. But when I met Lisa and started to settle down, they really began accepting it. They grew to love her a lot, I was proud of them."

Erica nodded, not quite sure what to say. She had no doubt that Marsh was at a good place, that she was here with her willingly and enjoying whatever was beginning to build between them, but she still couldn't help being socially awkward around the subject of her date's past fiancé. Marsh noticed.

"Hey, I'm sorry if this is weird. I haven't dated anyone since . . . I guess I'm not sure what's appropriate . . ." she apologized.

"Hey. You're here with me tonight, right?"

"Yeah."

"And . . . you want this to go somewhere, right?"

"I do."

"And you're obviously comfortable moving somewhere physically, seeing as how you're hand has been inching up my leg for the past ten minutes," Erica said, her blush betraying her cool line of questioning.

Marsh smiled shyly, removing her hand, only to have Erica grab her and return it to exactly where it was.

"We all have our pasts. I certainly have one of my own. She . . . will always be a part of you, and I understand that. As long as you know you're in a spot to move forward, I am . . . fine with the fact that you have this past. And this hurdle that . . . you're still finishing the jump over." She covered Marsh's hand with her own and bit her lip. Marsh didn't think Erica could ever look shy, but at this moment she was unbelievably attracted to the emotion on Erica's face. "If you're willing to be patient with me and my crazy past, I am more than willing to help you move on from yours."

Marsh stared at the blonde for a couple beats. "You are amazing, Erica," she whispered, not wanting to say anymore for fear of being an emotional girl at this amazing party.

Erica leaned in close and whispered, "I know."

Marsh drew back, a smirk on her face as she shook her head back and forth. "And you're an ass."

Erica nodded, "I know!"

As they both took deep, cleansing breaths, breaking out of their emotional conversation, James and Kate wandered over and approached the two women.

"Ok, lovebirds, as sickeningly cute as you two are over here, it's time for shots," Kate said seriously, her face matching her tone.

"Yup, come on, it's mine and Kate's tradition," James added.

Erica looked weary as Marsh's expression lit up. "I don't know," Erica said, already feeling fairly tipsy off the champagne she had been drinking all night.

"Oh come on," Marsh and Kate said at the same time.

"Ha, you're girlfriend is tougher than you, Erica. Are you going to let that happen?" Kate pushed, knowing Erica too well.

"Of course not," Erica said as she got up off her stool, happy to hear the word girlfriend even though she knew it was too early and that Kate was only being facetious.

"Yay," Marsh and James said at the same time.

The three women waited as James went behind the bar and lined up shots of tequila, limes and a couple of salt shakers. Erica picked up one of the glasses, preparing herself for the shot.

"Oh wait, there's one more rule," Kate said, stopping Erica.

"Yeah," James added, as if it was obvious. "They have to be body shots."

Marsh smiled entirely wider than she wanted to as Erica challenged, "Oh come on, what are we, drunken frat boys?"

"No, but you learn early on that body shots are the best way to get those drunken frat boys into bed," James admitted.

"Agreed," Kate added, thinking about her slightly post college husband.

"Come on Erica, it'll be painless, I promise," Marsh said, her voice leading Erica to see just how sexy this woman could be. She was staring suggestively at Erica, and suddenly the blonde found herself getting hotter, despite the fact that she had yet to drink the liquor.

"Ok, just in case you old ladies have forgotten how these go, we'll go first," James said as he licked Kate's neck and applied the salt. He licked it off, took the shot and ate the lime that was perched between Kate's teeth. She quickly reciprocated in an act that looked entirely too well rehearsed. How Kate had failed to mention that she was a fan of dirty tequila shots with her brother's gay business partner, Erica didn't know. But at this moment, she was laughing at the sight.

"Alright, my turn!" Marsh exclaimed.

She took the salt shaker in her hand and coaxed Erica's mouth open, placing a sliver of lime, rind first, between the blonde's waiting lips. She took a deep breath and licked a long line up her neck. Erica tipped her head to the side and shivered as Marsh shook a little salt onto her wet skin. Marsh then trailed her mouth up the blonde's salty neck, pressing down with her tongue, the rough, wet sensations making Erica go a little weak. She drew back, downed the shot expertly, and went in for the lime. She captured the fruit slowly, making sure to let her lips linger just in front of Erica's before sucking the sour juice into her mouth.

"Wooo, damn girls," James exclaimed, breaking the spell and making Marsh laugh. Erica, however, was still reeling a little. She shook her head, not to be outdone at anything, and grabbed the other salt shaker purposefully, never breaking eye contact with the sexy brunette.

"Alright," she said, dropping her voice down into that husky range she knew made people weak in their knees. If anyone knew their strengths, it was most assuredly Erica Hahn. "My turn."

Marsh smiled, finding herself being backed into the bar by a now standing Erica. She willingly put a piece of lime in her mouth and waited. Erica wasted no time leaning down and licking the brunette's neck, but as she neared Marsh's ear, she let her tongue flick over Marsh's earlobe, just briefly, causing Marsh to buck just a bit. Marsh's head fell to the side after that, and Erica sprinkled salt, her index finger tapping the glass bottle in a slow, drawn out rhythm. Marsh couldn't believe that Erica was managing to turn her on like this in the middle of public, with people watching.

Erica leaned in again, licking the salt up, at the same time, placing one of her hands on Marsh's hip and squeezing. She let her hand linger at the brunette's side, kneading the flesh under her dress as she threw back the shot with the other hand. When she went in to take the lime, she let her lips caress Marsh's, but drew back as the brunette leaned into it. They continued to stare at each other, looks of lust laced in challenge floating between them. Both would have it no other way.

"Wow. I kind of want to date you now, Erica," Kate blurted out, leading Erica to shake her head.

"I know, Kate, but then you're boy toy would be so sad."

"Yeah, you're right. Plus, if I dated you, I'd start to miss his - "

"Okay!" Marsh and Erica halted that statement together.

"Massages! Damn, you girls are dirty."

"No, they just need to get out of here and get it on," James said, bringing on a blush all around.

"Actually," Erica said, "That doesn't sound half bad. But because it is late and I have surgeries tomorrow, unlike some people. I should go get some sleep."

Kate replied, "Eh, I called in a favor from the chief. I plan on being hung-over tomorrow, thank you very much. But I'm glad you came, Erica. You too, Miss Marsh."

"It was a pleasure, thanks for the invite. Tell your brother thank you too." Kevin had disappeared with some other friends a while ago.

"For the both of us," Erica added.

They quartet hugged as Erica and Marsh made their way toward the door. They were both sufficiently buzzed as they held hands, the fire between them having nothing to do with the tequila. They quickly hailed a cab and started the short trip back to their neighborhood.

"Hey Erica?"

"Yeah."

"Are you really going to sleep right now?"

She looked over at Marsh and smirked in that way she had perfected as well as any surgery over the years, "Of course not."


Hooray for cliffhangers! Don't hate me though, the next updates will hopefully come more quickly than these have. Hope you're still enjoying, let me know if you are!