Title: Skinny Love

Author: MysteriousSwaggerOfScrubs

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: M

Summary: A haunting tale of wealth and power, love and loss. Are one night stands ever meant to last for longer than just one night?

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.


Eight


Sitting across from Callie at a small table surrounded by panoramic windows that allowed her a spectacular view of Lake Union and the cityscape of Seattle, Arizona decidedly took back her thoughts from earlier that day.

She had thought that seeing Callie dressed in black leather as she stood on her doorstep earlier that day was her favorite version of the gorgeous brunette but, now, seeing her in a classically beautiful deep purple cocktail dress with capped sleeves, square neckline, and a lean sheath silhouette, she was fully prepared to eat her own words. Or her thoughts.

Because, as she watched Callie's head tip back with laughter at something she'd just said, Arizona knew then that she'd fully changed her mind. With long brunette hair swept up on one side and her make-up sultry and smoky - and just perfect - Arizona decided that this was by far her favorite Calliope Torres.

"Your smile is breathtaking, Calliope."

Arizona's dimples popped at the sound of her own voice, the thoughts in her head making their way to her lips and out her mouth before she could stop them.

Callie blushed at the compliment and, reaching forward, she grabbed her glass of red wine, her eyes never leaving Arizona's as she took a sip from her glass. "Thank you," she shyly replied, returning her glass to the table.

"You should smile more," Arizona commented, taking a drink from her own glass.

Callie's brow furrowed at Arizona's statement but, before she could speak, Arizona continued.

"It's just. . .I haven't been around you a lot but, when I have, most of the time you've seemed so. . .sad," the blonde began to elaborate. "And the piano. . .I've never heard someone play with such emotion. Such sadness. Such. . .longing."

Callie took a moment to consider Arizona's words. There was so much she needed to tell her, so much she needed to say and, deciding not to hold back anything from the beautiful woman seated across from her, she leaned forward, her clasped hands now resting on the table. "When I was younger, I had all these dreams and aspirations. I wanted so badly to go to Julliard, but my parents would hear none of it," Callie softly began, her expressive brown eyes beginning to glaze with her memories. "My father wanted me to be the one to keep the company going. He wanted me to be the one to do what he and his own father had done, and so, I gave up that dream. On one condition. . ."

Arizona shifted in her seat as she listened to Callie speak, the tone of the brunette's voice soft and enchanting as if she were telling the tale of ancient kings and queens, fairy godmothers, and a castle on a cloud.

"I said I would carry on with the family business only if they would allow me to double major in college. My mother was a lot easier to convince than my father, but he eventually relented," Callie remembered, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "I ended up graduating with both an MBA and a Master of Music Performance and Collaborative Piano," she proudly explained.

Arizona watched in awe as Callie told her story but, soon noting the other woman's face fall as a distant memory seemed to fill her mind, she found herself internally steeling herself for whatever Callie was about to say.

"And, then. . .right after graduation, I was supposed to have an audition with the New York Philharmonic. I'd gone behind my father's back and submitted tapes. Done everything I needed to do. The only person who knew was my mom."

"Wow, Callie. That's amazing," Arizona excitedly stated, unable to keep herself from interrupting.

Callie smiled softly at the compliment, though her smile once again drooped as she shook her head. "I didn't make it. . ."

Arizona waited for Callie to continue but, when the other woman didn't say another word, the blonde hesitantly asked, "The audition didn't go well? Or. . ."

"I never made it to the audition," Callie softly corrected, tears now brimming in overwhelmingly melancholy brown eyes. "My mom. . .she died the day before my audition. She had a massive heart attack, and I-I. . .I didn't make it to the audition."

With her heart instantly plummeting into her stomach, Arizona felt a giant lump form in her throat at Callie's despondent revelation. "Oh, God, Callie. I'm so sorry. I didn't. . ."

Waving off the now distraught blonde, Callie smiled a watery smile as she quickly reached for her cloth napkin to carefully dab at her eyes. "It's okay," she softly insisted, a nervous laugh escaping her throat as she boldly attempted to gather herself. "It's okay. It's been years. . ."

Arizona swallowed hard against the mass that had now taken up residence in her throat. "H-how long?" she nervously asked, unsure of what else to say.

Reaching out for her glass, Callie took another sip of her wine, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "It's been just over ten years," she replied, her eyes quickly ridding themselves of the saddened haze and the glistening of tears that had come over them at the mention of her mother's death. "But, anyway. . .I didn't make it to the audition, and I never called to explain or reschedule. That's when I started working in the New York store, and I've been been working for the company ever since."

Arizona smiled at Callie's valiant attempt at composure and, not wanting to seem uncaring, but desperately wanting to shift away from this dismal subject, she took a sip from her own glass, wracking her brain for something safe to speak about. "When did the company officially become yours?" she nervously asked, hoping that question didn't hold an emotionally charged answer.

Callie pursed her lips, glancing toward the ceiling as she did the math in her head. "My father unofficially retired five years ago, and I took over a year after that," she explained with a slight shrug.

Quietly staring at the woman seated across from her, Arizona thought back on all the things she thought she'd known about the Torres Family - everything she'd read in the tabloids and seen on TV - and clearly, as she listened to Callie speak, she soon realized that most of what she'd thought she knew certainly wasn't true.

"You should be proud of your accomplishments, Calliope," Arizona then stated, bright blue eyes full of adoration. "You're awfully young to have done so much. To be. . ." she trailed off at the sound of her phone buzzing in her purse. ". . .to be where you are today."

Noting Arizona's pause, Callie smiled at the other woman's attempt not to interrupt their date by answering her phone. "You can answer your phone, Arizona. It might be important," she gently urged.

Arizona gave a sheepish smile and, with a long sigh, she reached into her bag to grab her phone. Noting the message on the screen, she chuckled softly before reaching across the table to hand the device to Callie. "It's for you," she said with a teasing roll of her eyes.

With her brow furrowing in question, Callie skeptically reached for the phone and, as she glanced down at the screen, her face lit with a megawatt smile brighter than all the lights in Times Square.

Staring back at her was a picture of Lillian, a goofy smile on the cherubic little girl's face as she sat in the middle of her bed, surrounded by baby dolls and what seemed like a million stuffed animals. Below the image were two messages from Barbara:

Lillian wanted to say goodnight to Callie.

Oh, and mommy, too.

Glancing up from the phone, Callie mentally reminded herself to once again thank Mrs. Robbins for agreeing to babysit Lillian when she'd discretely asked her to do so earlier that day and, with another glance down at the child's smiling face, she then returned the phone to Arizona's hand. "Tell her I said goodnight and sweet dreams," she requested, her heart swelling with love for the little girl she'd only known since earlier that day.

Happily watching as Arizona's thumbs tapped against the phone, Callie once again found herself wholly unable to remove the smile from her face. "She's amazing, Arizona," she softly stated when the blonde looked back up in her direction.

Arizona found herself completely unable NOT to return Callie's infectious grin, her body filling with pride for the little girl who literally was the light of her life. "Well, she clearly thinks the world of you," she commented, happy to see Callie's smile after their near disaster at the previous mention of her mother just moments before. "You are amazing with her, Calliope. A complete natural. I'm honestly surprised you don't have kids of your own."

And, with that statement, Arizona watched as Callie's face instantly fell, though it was obvious that she was now bravely attempting to plaster a smile back on her face.

"I've always wanted kids, but I. . ." Callie stopped herself from continuing on.

Did she really want to tell Arizona all of this? Especially on their first date? Did she really want to bore this miraculous woman with what she viewed as the failures of her past when they had essentially just met?

But, deciding that she needed to open up, that she needed to not hold back anything from Arizona if she wanted their relationship to move forward, Callie knew she needed to put herself out there. She needed to be open and honest, even if that meant once again enduring all the pain and hurt she'd previously experienced.

"I. . .I had a. . .miscarriage. About eight months ago," she finally revealed, her voice barely above a whisper as giant tears now brimmed unabashed in distraught brown eyes. "I was just around twenty-one weeks, and there was just. . .nothing that could be done. It was awful, Arizona. It was horrifying a-a-and scary, and the grief I felt afterward was like no other," Callie recalled, her cheeks becoming moist with a trail of tears. "And then, my girlfriend, Lauren. . .she left. Apparently, I was too much to deal with. Too much to handle. She just couldn't seem to wrap her head around what I was feeling and how I was grieving. She thought I needed to just snap out of it, and well. . .yeah."

For the second time that night, Arizona felt her heart drop into her stomach - or her stomach leap into her throat - which it was exactly, she couldn't tell. It was probably a bit of both and, desperately attempting to halt the urge she felt to vomit or cry - or both - she hastily reached out to grab Callie's hand.

"I have no idea what to say, Calliope," Arizona reverently stated, at a complete loss for words. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. . ."

"It's not your fault," Callie quickly interrupted, hastily reaching for her napkin to once again dab at her face. "It's okay. I'm okay. . ."

But, it wasn't okay.

Callie wasn't okay.

Arizona felt like total shit.

And now. . .Callie was crying.

They were having such a wonderful time - minus the slight faux pas concerning Callie's mom - but then Arizona had to once again open her damn mouth and totally ruin it.

And, as she watched Callie valiantly attempt to compose herself, Arizona knew she needed to do something. She needed to get them out of there. She needed to somehow find a way to stop the other woman's tears.

"Umm. . .do you want to go?" Arizona anxiously asked, reaching across the table to squeeze both of Callie's hands.

Callie shook her head, though she continued to struggle with the tears that refused to remain dammed behind her eyes.

Arizona swallowed hard, frantic blue eyes desperately flitting around the restaurant. "Come on. We're leaving," she gently insisted upon seeing several other patrons gawking at them. And, urgently needing to make the pain she could tell Callie was reliving go away, she quickly stood from her seat. Motioning to the waiter for their bill, she then moved to Callie's side, her hand supportively resting on a quaking shoulder.

"No, Arizona," Callie meekly argued glancing up in her direction as she once again blotted at her face. "I don't want to ruin. . ."

"You haven't ruined anything," Arizona softly contended as she reached into her purse to find her wallet. Grabbing a couple large bills from within, she then handed them to the waiter before he even had a chance to give her the check. "That should cover it, right?" she urgently asked.

When the waiter nodded, Arizona mouthed a genuine thank you to the young man before crouching down at Callie's side and, when tearful brown eyes skeptically flicked up to meet concerned blue, Arizona automatically reached out to gently brush a stray tear from a flawless caramel face. "What do you say we go for a walk," she gently offered. "Take some time to clear our heads."

Though Callie wanted to argue - though she didn't want to be the cause of their date coming to an untimely end - she gave a tight nod, taking Arizona's hand to follow her out of the restaurant.

And, it was in that very moment that Callie realized she'd follow Arizona Robbins absolutely anywhere.


"I'm so sorry, Arizona," Callie shyly stated, squeezing the smaller woman's hand as they strolled along a romantically lighted path surrounding Lake Union. "I'm not usually like that. I don't usually. . ."

"It's okay, Calliope. Really," Arizona adamantly insisted, carefully tugging Callie to a halt.

Gently guiding Callie to rest her back against the railing surrounding the trail, Arizona then leaned her own body into the taller woman's side and gazing into the most magically expressive eyes she'd ever seen, Arizona now knew why Callie played the piano and sang with such somber emotion.

And, that was because, she literally was doing so from her heart. Callie kept all of her emotions bottled up inside herself, and they only left her by way of the consonance of her music. And, while Arizona found that incredibly beautiful and wonderfully poetic, she also knew that realistically, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. She had learned from her own heartbreaking experience that not talking never came to any good, and she wanted so much for this glorious woman silently staring back at her.

So, taking a chance, she told Callie just that.

"Please don't ever apologize for telling me your feelings, Calliope," she earnestly began. "I've gone down that road before. I've held things in, and well. . .it doesn't work. It never ends well. So, please. Please. If we're going to give this - us - a shot, please don't ever hold anything back. If you're feeling something, I want to know."

Callie considered Arizona's pleading request, her heart swelling with respect and adoration for the gorgeous woman standing next to her and, leaning forward, she reverently brushed a kiss against the prominence of an ivory jaw. "Thank you, Arizona," she whispered, her lips lingering against satiny smooth skin. "I'll try my best," she then added before slightly pulling back. And, now gazing into the cerulean eyes she could already see her future reflected in, she cautiously added. "And you'll do the same?"

Arizona smiled at Callie's heartfelt request and, though she knew it was going to be just as difficult for her, she slowly nodded in agreement.

Because, she could already tell, she'd do anything in the world Calliope Torres asked her to do.


Stepping through the door of her hotel room an hour later, Callie shook her head, completely unable to wipe the cheesy grin from her face that had been there since she'd left Arizona's front porch.

She'd been nervous about how the night would end but, when their eyes had locked, lust and hunger evident in both brown and blue, she knew she shouldn't have worried at all. Because, before she knew it, Arizona's moist lips were pressing themselves against her own, a tingle of anticipation racing down her spine as the blonde took charge of the kiss, her tongue sweeping across a plump bottom lip to demand entrance.

And, of course Callie had conceded. How could she not? Arizona Robbins was kissing her and wanting more, and there was no way in hell she could ever say no to that.

But, they had eventually parted, both content to take things slowly - for now, at least - and, as Callie moved through her suite to step into her bedroom, she could still feel the electric buzz of Arizona's beautiful mouth against her own.

Pressing the pads of her fingers to her lips, Callie was about to squeal like a moony-eyed teenager when she heard her phone begin to buzz. Hastily searching through her purse to find it, her eyes twinkled with joy, her smile quickly returning as she read the text message from Arizona.

You've worked your way into my head, Calliope Torres. I can't stop thinking about you.

Callie let out a slight chuckle at the simple, yet meaningful admission, her thumbs quickly tapping against the face of her own phone.

I hope that's a good thing.

It's a VERY good thing.

Callie found herself absolutely giddy at Arizona's reply and, after stripping off her dress and readying herself for bed, she slipped under the plush covers on her king size bed, her phone tightly gripped in her hands.

When can I see you again?

Callie pursed her lips as she stared at her own question, slightly worried at what the response might be. She didn't want to be too forward. She didn't want to push too hard. She knew her arrival at Arizona's house had been a total shock and utter surprise, and she certainly didn't want to intrude if the blonde already had other plans.

Would it sound too needy of me if I said right now?

Feeling a wave of relief wash over her at the quickness and the jovial nature of Arizona's reply, Callie tugged her bottom lip between her teeth as she excitedly pressed her fingers to the keys.

Maybe to some, but definitely not to me.

And, that was the truth. Because, Callie was quickly finding that she wanted to spend every waking moment with Arizona - getting to know her, getting to know Lillian, figuring out where she fit into both of their lives.

As much as I'd love to spend the entire night with you, I have surgery tomorrow at 8am. But how does tomorrow evening sound?

Callie grinned as she scooted her body down the bed and, with her head now burrowing into the softness of her pillow, she entered her response without a moment's hesitation.

Tomorrow evening sounds perfect. Just tell me when and where.

XXXXXX

AN: As always, thank you all so much for continuing to read and for taking the time to review. Your reviews, comments, and questions are always welcome and appreciated.