AN: Whoa, sorry. Like I mentioned, I've been moving. And, well…it's way overwhelming. I figured since I've been getting bugged fairly regularly for updates (which I don't mind at all), that it was about time I find the time to write again. Besides, it helps keep me a little more sane. So, here's the next step in their journey. Enjoy and have a wonderful day.
Arizona's POV
The next time I saw Callie, I was twenty nine and she was twenty seven.
"Mary!" I bellowed from the kitchen.
Mary stalked around the corner, entering the room, "Yes, your highness? What can I do for you?" She hopped up onto a bar stool, swiped a grape from my bowl, and popped it into her mouth.
"My Cocoa Puffs are gone. Any idea how that happened?" I arched an eyebrow and glared at her casual face.
"I ate them all." She shrugged as she chewed on two more of my grapes.
"I see that. Two part follow up question." Mary motioned for me to continue. "Part one, why did you eat my cereal?" I brought my hands to my hips and waited impatiently for her to give me an acceptable answer. Which did not exist.
"I was hungry. They were there. And, they were delicious." Mary rolled her eyes back in her head and smiled dreamily in an expression of mock ecstasy.
I huffed in frustration, "Ok. Part two, why didn't you replace them? You know I need my morning sugar rush."
Mary held her arms out wide and shot up her eyebrows, "I did replace them."
Clenching my jaw, I reached behind me and snatched a box from the shelf, "With these!"
Mary gestured dumbly, "Uh, yeah. With those. They're a sugary cereal made for morning consumption. What's your damage?"
"They're Fruit Loops! Fruit Loops! Hardly an appropriate substitute for Cocoa Puffs!" I slammed the box down on the counter, disproportionately angry due to the early hour. I wanted my cereal.
"Don't your kind like rainbows? And fruity things? And holes?" Mary snorted as my jaw dropped in disbelief.
"You're crazy, you know that, right?" I narrowed my eyes in concern as I studied her.
Mary laughed and tucked her feet under her on the stool as she pulled her light brown hair into a messy ponytail, "Yes, I'm aware. You tell me quite often…I'll buy you some more Cocoa Puffs this afternoon. What time do you have to be in?"
I sighed and moved to the coffee pot, "Little over an hour."
Mary nodded and checked her watch. "Ok, hang on." I watched with curiosity as I sipped on my steaming cup. Mary pulled out her phone and punched in a number. While she waited for the person to pick up, she finished off my bowl of grapes, causing me to glower and roll my eyes again. "Hey, it's Mary, where are you?…Cool, swing by Zoe's Bakery on Henderson and pick up three jelly filled, two chocolate bars with sprinkles, and two maple cake donuts. Bring them by my place on your way to work…please." Mary grinned into the phone and nodded, "Thank you. I'll see you soon." Mary hung up the phone and slid off the seat. "Toby is bringing you breakfast."
I smiled and shook my head, "Someday you're going to have to put him out of his misery." Toby was another resident at Seattle Grace and he was totally in love with Mary.
Mary winked, "Hey, I don't lead him on, he follows me around all on his own. Besides…I kinda…might…like him a little…" Her voice dropped to a mumble as she turned away.
I cocked my head, smirking, "Um, what? You like him?"
"Don't pressure me, Robbins!" Mary mock snapped through a pout.
I grinned as the doorbell rang. Mary looked relieved and darted from the room, declaring she'd get it. I laughed, calling after her, "I love you!"
"I know, who wouldn't!" Came a faint answer as she reached the door.
Looking at the box of Fruit Loops with disgust, I pushed it away and took a long drink of my black coffee. "Arizona! Your Harry slash Sally is here and she's looking fantastic!"
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. There's only one person she could be talking about, but why would Callie be here? I set my cup on the counter and walked into the living room. When I rounded the corner, I saw Callie grinning at Mary as the talked animatedly. I smiled widely as she shifted her eyes to me. "Hey, stranger."
"Hey." She replied simply.
I hadn't seen Callie since my brother's funeral, right after that surprisingly amazing night I had with her. We pretended we didn't have time to see each other, but that wasn't true. At least, it wasn't entirely true on my end. I needed time to figure out what that night meant. What the feelings it stirred up meant. I needed time to heal after my brother died. And, I had a sneaking suspicion that she needed similar things. Even after all this time, just seeing her made my stomach flip.
Mary looked between the two of us as we stared into each other's eyes, something akin to electricity already sparking between us. "Well, I'd love to stay and bask in the tension, but I've got to go finish getting ready for work. Holler when Toby gets here. And, keep your cloths on." With that, she spun on her heel and bounced out of the room.
"Does she really not kill anyone at the hospital?" I asked as I started back toward the kitchen, motioning for Callie to follow me.
"Not yet. We've got bets going, though." Callie answered with a fond smile, taking a seat.
Without offering, I made up a cup of coffee and set it in front of Callie, "So, it's been a while…how've you been?" I wasn't really sure what she was doing here, but it was nice to see her.
Callie took a sip from her cup, eyebrows shooting up when it was to her liking. "I've been good. I'm finishing up my first year as a resident, so I'm stressed…all the time. But, it's kinda great. Turns out, I'm a rock star." Callie smirked as she crossed her arms on the counter, leaning lightly on them.
I laughed as I rolled my eyes, "As if there was any doubt. You have great hands, if memory serves."
An adorable blush colored Callie's cheeks and neck as she grinned shyly. "Yeah, well, I'm more than good hands…" Callie shifted in her seat, "So, how about you? How are you?"
"Not bad. I pretty much never stop working, which works for me…" I trailed off, unable to stop the thoughts of my brother from entering my mind.
Callie watched me closely, "You miss him."
It wasn't a question or a revelation, simply a statement to let me know she understood. My eyes dropped as I nodded, "All the time. But, I'm doing much better. It doesn't hurt like it used to…I'm slowly adjusting to the idea that I'm totally alone…" I hadn't meant to be so open and depressing, it just came out.
"How are things with your mom?" Callie asked gently, not hesitating to push right into the messy stuff.
"She had a really rough patch after Tim died, but she's doing better. And, we're…I don't know, we're talking and I've been to see her a few times. It was hard…" I shrugged, unsure of what else to say.
Callie reached across the counter, taking my hand, "You're not alone, Arizona. I have a feeling things will work out in the end with your mom. You have Mary, who I'm pretty sure is the kind of friend that would kill for you. And, apparently, you're stuck with me for life." Callie smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling.
I grinned back at her, feeling tingles erupt through my body. I cleared my throat, "Well, I doubt you came over to hear the 'woe is me' spiel…" I cocked my head, silently asking her to explain her random presence.
Callie suddenly let go of my hand and leaned back, "Yeah, not that I would ever mind listening to whatever you needed to talk about, but I did come over her to talk to you about something." She wrung her hands and cleared her throat, "It's just that-"
The doorbell interrupted Callie. She looked over her shoulder as Mary barreled down the stairs, "I'll get it!" We stayed quiet as Mary came in a minute later with a small box and plopped it on the counter. "Breakfast, me lady." Mary flourished her hand toward the box, picked out a maple cake donut, then turned to leave, "I'm off. Callie, I'll see you at work. Arizona, I'll see you, when I see you."
"With my brand new box of Cocoa Puffs!" I called after her.
"Yeah, yeah! I'll have your crack." The door slammed as she left, I assumed, with Toby.
Callie smirked as she snooped in the box, "Who brought donuts?"
I slapped her hand away and grabbed a chocolate bar, "Toby, because Mary ate all my cereal."
"Stupid girl. I thought she didn't like Toby?" Callie said lightly as she quickly snatched a jelly donut before I could stop her. She smirked as she took a huge bite, despite me glaring at her.
"Well, I guess, she does now." I poured more coffee in my mug and topped off Callie's. "So, you said you came by to talk to me about something…what's going on?"
Callie finished her donut and wiped her fingers, wringing the napkin aggressively between her hands. "Yeah…" I studied her, she seemed nervous. "Do you remember that night after you found out Tim died?" She scrunched her brows like she was also baffled by the stupidity of what came out of her mouth.
Unsure of where she was heading with that, I answered, "Of course, I remember that night. It was…" I left it there, hedging my bets, since I wasn't sure of her intentions.
Callie nodded, "Uh, yeah, it was." I could see her swallow hard before she continued, "Did you mean what you said?"
My heart started to thump, anticipating something big on the horizon. I managed a rough, "What I said about what?"
Callie licked her lips, "About giving us a try? That it would be nice to see what we could have together?"
My heart was hammering and my palms pricked with moisture, now that I could see where the conversation was heading, "I did, yes."
Callie let out a breath, "Good…I've been thinking about you and us a lot lately, and I was wondering if you would have dinner with me?" She smiled shyly, her eyes twinkling.
My mouth fell open. This was maybe the last thing I expected to happen. I mean, I had been thinking about Callie, too, but I didn't think she'd just show up and ask me out. As the pleasurable shock began to fade, the butterflies and fuzzy feeling gave away to dread and guilt. After the excitement, that came with the thought of going out with Callie, lessened just enough, I realized what I was going to have to tell Callie. Taking a deep breath, I muttered, "I can't."
Callie's shoulders slumped, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even ask if you were with somebody. Mary said you weren't seeing anyone, but that doesn't mean-"
I held up a hand to stop her rambling, "No, it's not that…"
Callie's eyes dulled and she bit her lip, "Oh…ok."
Catching my mistake too late, I stretched my hand out to grasp her arm, "No, Callie. It's not like that-"
She stood up, pulling away from me, "No, don't worry about it. I shouldn't have just showed up after not seeing you for so long and dropped that on you. It was stupid, and I'm just gonna go. I'm sorry, I-"
"I won the Carter Madison Grant." I blurted, attempting to cut her off.
It worked. She stopped and stared at me. "You won the Carter Madison Grant?"
I nodded slowly, the corners of my mouth curling up, "Yeah, I did."
Callie shook her head, then smiled widely, "Arizona, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you."
I grinned back at her, warmth spreading through me at the pride and genuine joy coming from her eyes. "Thank you. I'm really excited, it's a dream come true…"
Her smile faded a little and was replaced with confusion, "But, what does that have to do with going out with me?" Her voice was quiet as she rested her hands on the edge of the counter.
I took a deep breath, "The grant requires that I move to Africa for, at least, three years…"
I watched as her jaw nearly hit the floor as she whispered, "You-you're moving to Africa?"
I nodded, gazing deeply into her dark brown eyes. "So, I can't start something with you, something that I'll have to abandon less than a month later…I'm not saying no from lack of interest, trust me."
Callie nodded and ran her hand through her hair, keeping her eyes low. After a few minutes of contemplative silence, Callie sighed, "Ok, I should go. I need to get to work."
I walked around the counter and laid my hand on her arm. I caught her gaze, "I'm sorry, Calliope. I really am. The timing just sucks." I didn't know what else to say. I really liked Callie and did think that we would be good together, but I gave my word to the grant committee. Going back on the word just wasn't an option. Plus, I really wanted to go and do what I do best.
Callie cupped my cheek, "Hey, never apologize for being awesome. I'm so proud of you and you're going to do amazing things for those kids. Don't worry about me. I'll be here being a bad ass." She shot me a bright smile, then leaned down and placed a firm kiss to my lips. Even though she meant it as a goodbye and a gesture of friendship, the kiss sent sparks through my veins. She pulled back and winked, "Just a little something for the road."
I laughed as I walked her to the door. "I'm having a going away party next weekend, you should come."
Callie turned back to me as she stepped onto the porch, "Yeah, I'll definitely try. If not, have fun in Africa. I hope it's everything you want it to be."
I smiled, "Thanks, I think it will. Bye, Calliope."
"Bye, Arizona."
She came to my party, but with the amount of people and the chaos, I didn't really get to see her. Then, the next few weeks were crazy and we couldn't align our schedules to see each other again. Well, I think, we didn't want to make it work. We'd said goodbye and doing it again would be harder. We went three years without seeing each other before, we could do it again. And, that was it. I left for Africa.
AN: I know this chapter wasn't all that exciting, but it's a bridge chapter. Let me know what you thought. Also, I know there's quite a bit of Mary in these last chapters, but even though I accidentally created her (she was never in the plan), I love to write her. So, you'll probably have to put up with her for most of the story.
