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.


Nine


"So, did you two. . .eat cheeseburgers?"

Callie rolled her eyes at the question from her best friend as she awkwardly held her phone between her ear and her shoulder. "I swear to God you have a one track mind," Callie replied as she stood at the closet in her hotel suite, anxiously scrutinizing her wardrobe as she attempted to figure out what to wear for her evening spent with Arizona. "I just told you what happened. We went out. I took her home, and then I came back to the hotel."

"Seriously?" Meredith impatiently asked, completely disbelieving what she was hearing. "You screwed her brains out the night you met her, but now, NOTHING? Come on, Callie. You really expect me to believe that?"

Callie sighed, pulling a black blouse from its hanger. "Yes, I do expect you to believe that. Because that is exactly what happened," she coyly replied, purposely omitting the amazing kiss she and Arizona had shared the night before. "Then she texted me when I got back here, and I'm going to see her again tonight."

"So, tonight then. You're totally gonna do it tonight."

"Seriously, Mer. Why is it always about sex with you?" Callie asked with a slight chuckle. "We're taking it slow. Seeing what happens. Trying to decide where I fit in with her and with Lillian. It's. . ."

Callie paused, the beeping of her phone alerting her to another incoming call. Pulling the device from her ear, she glanced at the display, a megawatt smile immediately gracing her face when she saw the name Arizona written across the screen. "Hey, Mer. I'll call you back. Arizona's on the other line."

Before hearing a response from her best friend, Callie hurriedly clicked over, excitedly plopping herself down to sit on the bed. "Hey, you."

"Hi."

Callie hadn't known Arizona for very long, but she could certainly tell something was amiss, the dejected tone in her simple greeting, completely giving her away.

"Everything okay?" Callie nervously asked, her thoughts instantly jumping to the very worst possible conclusion.

Arizona sighed from where she stood in the scrub room of OR 2 and, leaning back against the lip of the stainless steel sink, she apprehensively cleared her throat before beginning to speak. "I'm so sorry, Calliope, but I just got called into an emergency surgery, and it doesn't look like I'll be able to leave the hospital for a long while," she hesitantly admitted, the distress she was feeling obvious in the tremor of her voice.

Callie found herself feeling completely downtrodden - but strangely relieved that it wasn't something more - both sensations blending together into an amalgamated emotion that left completely irrational tears brimming in her eyes.

Her mind had instantly jumped to the very worst; Arizona didn't want to see her tonight. . .or ever again. Lillian hated her. The little girl wanted Leah to come back. Arizona couldn't be with a woman her child didn't like, so she was going to go running back to Leah to beg her forgiveness. Arizona couldn't handle all the baggage she had revealed to her the night before. A long distance relationship was a total deal breaker.

So many worries. So many fears.

But, with the revelation that Arizona's work was the only thing keeping her from seeing her that night, Callie felt herself deflate, her eyes falling shut as she attempted to stem the fall of her tears and slow her now clamoring heart.

Because, she completely understood. Her own job had been the ultimate demise of many of her own relationships, and so, she got it. She really did.

"I'm so sorry, Callie. I. . .I really wanted to see you."

Callie swallowed hard before clearing her throat. "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay," she calmly tried to soothe, despite the fact that she was feeling it, too. "It'll be okay. I knew when I came to Seattle that you would most likely have to work. And, I get it, Arizona. I completely understand. More than you know."

"What about tomorrow?" Arizona urgently asked, desperately hoping the answer would be yes. "Can I see you then?"

Callie smiled, her heart leaping with joy at the other woman's intense insistence upon seeing her. "Definitely," she definitively replied. "I came here for you, Arizona. I have no other agenda other than to take in as much of you as I possibly can."

Arizona found herself smiling like an idiot at Callie's admission, dimples popping as a cheesy grin lit her face. "Sounds great. And, thank you, Callie," she earnestly stated, slowly exhaling the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "And, if it's not too late when I get out of here, I'll call you tonight."

There was a slight lull in the conversation, the awkwardness and newness of the relationship they were attempting to forge shining though as they both remained silent, neither woman knowing exactly what to say next. And, just when Arizona was about to ask Callie if she was still there, the clearing of the other woman's throat quickly caught her attention.

"Hey, Arizona?"

"Yeah?" the blonde tentatively questioned.

"Call me tonight, even if it is late. Please? I just like hearing the sound of your voice."


A dismal sigh left Arizona's body as she opened the door leading from the garage into her foyer, her bag and jacket haphazardly falling from her body as she glanced down at her watch.

9:12pm.

It wasn't technically that late and, by most people's standards, she was sure it wasn't late at all but, after being at the hospital for nearly fourteen hours and on her feet, standing over a surgical table, for twelve of those hours, she was absolutely exhausted.

Her back hurt, her neck and shoulders ached, and all she wanted to do was take the hottest shower possible before slipping into the comfort and solace of her bed.

Glancing around the main living area of her home, Arizona was surprised to not see her mother in the kitchen cleaning up or enjoying a glass of wine in the living room as she usually did on the nights when she stayed with Lillian. These kinds of nights were few and far between. Arizona was the Chief of Surgery and the Head of Pediatrics and, thanks to her seniority and some leeway from the board, she generally enjoyed a more normal schedule; one that allowed her to be home for dinner with Lillian most nights.

She didn't really even have to work due to the massive settlement she had received after the car accident and Kiera's death, along with the trust fund set up for her by her mom and stepfather years ago, but being a surgeon was what she loved. Next to Lillian it was what gave her purpose in life, and she desperately wanted to teach Lillian the value of having a working mom - a mom who loved her job.

Reaching the top of the staircase, Arizona immediately made her way to Lillian's bedroom and, finding the door slightly ajar with the soft glow of the little girl's bedside lamp providing the only light in the room, she happily peeked her head through the crack in the door, her feet immediately halting in their forward progression and her breath catching in her throat at the gorgeous sight that greeted her.

This was not what she had expected to see. Like. . .at all.

Because, in the center of the twin size bed, Callie sat propped up against the headboard, her left arm wrapped around Lillian's shoulders as the little girl held up a book for the woman to read. They looked so comfortable together. So at ease. So much more natural that Lillian and Leah had ever looked together even after a period of years.

Swallowing hard, Arizona immediately felt her heart begin to pound in her chest with adrenaline and shock, her face unexpectedly blushing profusely and burning like fire at the sight of Callie with her little girl.

The feelings she now found bubbling up inside herself were indescribable. This was like nothing she'd ever before experienced, and she found herself surprised, to say the least but, more than that, she found the presence of Callie in her home - acting as a caregiver to her child - to be unsettling, but not upsetting, perplexing, but not completely unwelcome.

The vision of Callie with Lillian was something she couldn't quite explain. Seeing the two of them together like this was quite unlike anything Arizona could have imagined, dreamed of, anticipated, and she quickly found herself shyly smiling as she watched Lillian's face light up at a character voice Callie supplied before switching to narrate the remainder of the story in a soothing tone that was already lulling the sleepy little girl into dreamland.

"I love this story, Callie," Lillian stated, closing the book she had memorized word for word as she cuddled further into the brunette's side.

With a smile on her face, Callie leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss atop silky blonde waves. "It's one of my favorites, too," she softly cooed.

After gazing in on the two, undetected, for several long moments, Arizona finally fought her way back to Earth, the palm of her hand pressing against the door and causing it to creak as it slowly swung open.

Both Callie and Lillian's heads whipped to the side at the sound, both smiling when they saw Arizona standing there.

"Hey," Callie softly greeted, sparkling brown eyes immediately finding uncertain and questioning bright blue.

"Hi?" Arizona quizzically replied, her eyes silently wondering why Callie was there with her daughter at bedtime.

Immediately noting the blonde's apparent unease at her presence, Callie quickly extracted herself from her position next to the little girl. "Goodnight, Lillian," she softly stated as she stood from the bed before automatically pulling the comforter up more snuggly around the little girl's slight form. "I had fun, today."

"Me, too. . ." Lillian spoke, pausing suddenly as her mouth opened with a wide yawn, her eyelids fluttering shut and then back open, each blink lasting longer and longer as she valiantly fought against completely losing the battle with succumbing to the land of nod.

Feeling suddenly nervous in Arizona's company and, completely unable to gauge the blonde's reaction to her presence in her home, Callie felt her own heart begin to rapidly palpitate in her chest.

Was Arizona upset with her? Had she made the wrong decision by coming over when Barbara had called?

Callie had no idea what Arizona was thinking and, deciding to give the other woman a moment, she slowly stepped into the hallway, allowing mother and daughter the time they needed to say goodnight.


"Where's grandma," Arizona quietly asked once she and Lillian were left alone.

Lillian shrugged, completely unsure of the answer. "Grandma picked me up from school, but then Callie came over," she excitedly began to explain. "And we played outside, and then she made me dinner. She makes the best dinner, mama. I ate all my chicken and all my broccoli. I even ate cucumbers and red peppers in my salad. And, then she made chocolate chip cookies, and I got to help."

Arizona once again found herself surprised. Not that she didn't think Callie was perfectly capable of doing all of those things, but because she just. . .well, she was still just too shocked by the fact that she had found Callie - cuddled with Lillian and reading her a bedtime story - to adequately process anything.

"So, you had a good time?" she asked, though the answer to that question was already more than obvious.

Lillian emphatically nodded, though a pensive look then took over her angelic little face. "Is that okay?" she innocently asked. "Is it okay to have fun with Callie even though Leah is gone?"

Arizona found herself surprised by the question; Lillian had always been observant and introspective way beyond her years.

They had talked about Leah's disappearance, and Arizona had explained that she had been the one to make Leah sad, and so she had gone somewhere so she could be happy. She made sure Lillian knew it had nothing to do with her - that she had done nothing wrong.

And, Lillian seemed to understand. It was obvious that Lillian missed the younger woman, but it was also becoming indubitably clear that Callie was quickly filling the void left by Leah in the little girl's heart.

"Yes, baby," Arizona replied after taking a moment to choose her words. "It is definitely okay for you to have fun with Callie even though you miss Leah. Leah would have wanted you to be happy. No matter what."

Lillian nodded, but didn't respond, a giant yawn once again splitting her face.

Arizona smiled in response and, standing from the bed, she then leaned down, pressing the whisper of a kiss against Lillian's cheek. "Love you, baby girl," she softly stated, the little girl's eyes already fluttering shut. "Goodnight," she then whispered. "Don't let the bedbugs bite."


Briskly standing from the sofa when she saw Arizona making her way down the last two stairs, Callie nervously began to pace the living room, her hands anxiously wringing in front of her as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Arizona," she apprehensively began, her eyes wide as she moved about the room. "I know it must have been a total shock to see me in your house. Alone. With your little girl. . ." she trailed off, her eyes squinting in thought as she recklessly scratched at the side of her head. "I-I-I didn't even stop to think that you wouldn't be okay with it, but I guess I really should have. I mean, I'm essentially a stranger, and I should have thought about it more. I should have taken into consideration what your reaction would be before I agreed to come over. It's just. . .your mom called and said she had an emergency at work, so I just thought it would be okay. I mean, I'm sure you have other babysitters who watch Lillian, I'm not saying you don't, but Barbara called me, and I. . ."

Before Callie could continue her overwrought rant, Arizona found herself swiftly closing the distance between herself and the woman who was quickly working herself into a tizzy - for lack of a better phrase - pink lips instantly assaulting rapidly moving red ones as a slim body immediately forced the taller one back down onto the couch.

"Oof," Callie grunted, landing with a thud against the cushions of the sofa as Arizona seductively shifted closer to her before lifting one leg over Callie's hips to straddle her lap.

"No more talking, Calliope," Arizona husked into the brunette's ear as she pressed her front further into Callie's to take some weight off her prosthetic limb. "I'm not mad," she then added, pulling back just enough to earnestly stare into still worried brown eyes. "I was shocked to see you with Lillian, but I'm not mad."

Callie only nodded, feeling a bit uneasy and still concerned that she may have overstepped by agreeing to stay with Lillian when Barbara had asked. But, seeing nothing but honesty, gratitude, and now - quite a bit of lust - reflected in those brilliant blue eyes she was quickly falling in love with, two tanned hands instantly made their way to denim clad hips, strong arms knowingly supporting some of Arizona's weight as if they had done this a million times before.

Nuzzling her nose against that of the other woman, Arizona found herself completely unashamed as her right hand brazenly blazed a trail down Callie's chest, the pads of her fingers brushing against the caramel skin that lay exposed at the top of her open collar blouse. Arizona's left hand soon joined in, two wanton palms brushing over the material covering Callie's breasts before taking their weight into her hands.

Callie bit her bottom lip when she felt her own nipples harden against the fabric of her bra and, throwing her head back against the sofa, she held Arizona's gaze for as long as she could before finally closing her eyes, completely content to allow Arizona to go as far as she wanted with this, for as long as she liked.

"I find you amazing, Calliope," Arizona huskily admitted, her tongue peeking out to wet her own lips before swiping against the prominence of Callie's jaw. "Gorgeous. Intoxicatingly beautiful. . ." she added, deft fingers working the buttons of the brunette's shirt through their matching button holes.

Callie's hands tightened at Arizona's hips and, drawing the smaller woman closer until two jean clad centers were now firmly pressed against each other, brown eyes then suddenly snapped open in slight surprise when a fair right hand moved from cupping her left breast to trail down her abdomen before insolently landing between her legs to cup her now aching mound through her pants.

"Arizona. . ."

Stroking her index, ring, and middle fingers firmly against the length of Callie's heated sex, Arizona smirked as she watched the other woman's mouth fall agape, two curvaceous hips lifting from the sofa to press her body more firmly into her hand.

"You're so fucking hot," Arizona hissed, her lips latching on to the brunette's pulse point as her free hand worked Callie's shirt over her shoulders.

Gone was the fatigue Arizona had felt upon returning home after such a long day at the hospital. Yes, she still wanted to go to bed, but no longer to sleep. Now, she wanted nothing more than to go to bed for a completely different reason, and that reason was to make love to the miraculous woman currently writhing against her hand, so that she could show her exactly how strongly she felt for her and to thank her for being so great with Lillian.

There was just something about finding Callie with Lillian that felt so, so. . .right. Like it was meant to be and, now, Arizona found herself on fire with want and need, her mind, body, and soul desperate to show her appreciation - to rip off this amazing woman's clothes and have her way with her.

Removing her hand from Callie's heated center, Arizona salaciously moved to kneel between two gloriously long legs, her mouth traveling from Callie's neck to her chest. "I want you, Callie," she boldly admitted, mischievous blue eyes holding the other woman's provocative gaze before flicking shut as she began to lick and nip at Callie's core through the fabric of her jeans.

"Oh, God," Callie croaked, needy hands immediately fisting and tangling in wavy blonde locks.

"I want to-"

"Mama!"

With both brown and blue eyes instantly snapping open at the sound of Lillian's frantic cry, Callie jumped up as if she'd just been burned, causing Arizona's body to go haphazardly flying backward against the coffee table behind her.

"Mama!"

"Oh, shit, Arizona. Shoot. I'm so sorry," Callie immediately apologized, reaching with one hand to help pull the stunned blonde up off the floor as her other hand frenetically tried to find her divested blouse.

Rubbing the side of her arm that had painfully smacked against the corner of the wooden table, Arizona took Callie's hand, allowing herself to be pulled upward. "No, no," she contended once she was back on her feet, shaking her head as she straightened her clothes. "I'm sorry. I. . ."

"Mama!"

Callie sheepishly smiled as she threaded her arms back through the sleeves of her shirt and, slipping the buttons back through their holes, she then nodded toward the stairs. "It's okay, Arizona. Go," she softly insisted, anxiously running her hands through her hair. "Lillian needs you."

Arizona appeared momentarily torn but, with a tight nod, she quickly moved toward the stairs. But, before she had ascended more than three steps, she slowly turned around, a look of uncertainty and despair written across her every feature as she sadly watched Callie continue to straighten out her clothes.

"Are you sure you want this, Callie?" Arizona hesitantly asked, her voice beginning to tremble at the thought of losing the other woman before she ever truly had her. "It's just. . .dating a woman with a child is a lot to take in."

Smiling at Arizona's concern and, with her mind turning to complete goo at the other woman's mention of the word 'dating', Callie slowly nodded her head, completely certain of her response when she finally found her voice.

"I've never wanted anything more. . ."


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