Title: Understanding
Author: Jrn77
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Summary:Sometime after 9x17
Rating: T for now
Disclaimer: All characters belong to ABC/Shonda Rhimes.
Note: I have a few more chapters I'm working on. Might possibly start another story. What do you think?
Flashback
It was a Monday. Monday meant the ending of sleeping in and a new week ahead. But for doctors, they didn't have weekends. The days blended together so often that sometimes an entire week felt like one long day.
Callie found herself staring at the clock. Its only 9am she thought to herself. This is going to be the longest shift ever. Suddenly, she turned to see blonde hair bouncing around the corner.
"How in the world do you have that much energy this early in the day?" Callie questioned her wife who seemed to be radiating happiness off of her.
"Hmm...I don't know! Probably the joy of my job. And my adorable daughter. And my wife, she's pretty hot also." Arizona says as she kisses the side of Callie's face.
"Or maybe because you've had nine cups of coffee since I last saw you this morning when I had to practically drag you out of bed."
Arizona smiles, nodding her head in agreement knowing that if it was not for the coffee running throughout her veins, she would be sleeping in her office.
"Welp! I've got tiny humans to attend to. Here, you can have the rest of my coffee. You need it. For real." Arizona says with a smile as she pushes the coffee towards Callie.
"I was going to take it from you anyways so thank you. Good luck in surgery today." Callie says giving her wife a small kiss as a thank you for the coffee that will hopefully supply her with enough energy to make it through her busy schedule.
"Of course. Now go get moving!"
Callie smiled as she watched her wife walk away with her hands in her pockets. Making it half way down the hallway Arizona turned around to blow Callie a kiss.
Callie sat at the counter and began to get lost in thoughts rather than attending to her interns who could not even handle simple addition.
Finally she turned and headed to the elevator. Entering the doors opened she clicked the third floor button and continued to sip her wife's borrowed coffee, bopping her head to the music being played.
Suddenly, she stopped. It was not just any ordinary elevator music that could cause someone to fall asleep while drooling everywhere, it was their song. It was the song they had first danced to. Today was not just any ordinary Monday; it was the anniversary of their first date.
Rewind: The first date.
After a delightful meal from the best Italian restaurant in Seattle, Callie and Arizona began their journey back to Callie's apartment.
"I don't think Cristina and Owen are here so we should be safe. We can just watch a movie or something simple...if you want." Callie says as she glances over to the shorter beautiful women walking beside her.
"That sounds great to me!" Arizona replies showing off her trademark smile, a smile that Callie can't help but mimic back.
Once they had made it into the apartment, Callie soon realized that her movie selection was horrific. Literally. All they had were bloody gory movies, not the type of movie you watch with someone like Arizona,especially on a first date.
"Well, my movie selection sucks. And I don't think any video stores are open so..." Just as Callie was beginning to see the end of this night she never wanted to end she somehow managed to click the stereo on.
Arizona immediately began bopping her head from side to side.
"Alright, alright. So,lets dance instead!" She says as she grabs Callie's hands and laces her own fingers within them.
Callie nods and lets Arizona take the lead as she continued to hold onto Callie's hands as they bounced across the living room. Then, Callie realized she knew the song that was on.
"Ohhh this is a good one!" Callie says as she puts her hands on Arizona's hips.
As little pieces plays throughout the speakers the two danced together in the moonlight. It wasn't a formal dance that required both of them looking directly into ones eyes,it was a fun dance. An enlightening dance that allowed them to be themselves. A dance that filled the room with Arizona's laughter and Callie's singing.
Finally, after dancing to what seemed like twenty songs, the two fell back into the couch behind them.
"This was the best first date ever." Arizona says as she turns to look at Callie.
Callie continues to stare at Arizona in awe, still surprised that she is seriously out on a date with this amazing women.
"Yes, yes it was. Do you want to see what's on tv?" Callie says as she gets up to find the remote.
"Actually...I kinda want to watch one of your scary movies. If that's okay with you. I eventually need to get over my fear of all that stuff." Arizona says tilting her head sideways as she blinks her eyes widely at Callie.
"Well sure,but I am not responsible if you can't sleep for the next few months, deal?"
Arizona laughs,knowing that she probably won't sleep regardless after this date Callie.
"Deal!" Arizona says with a thumbs up.
Callie searched through her massacre movie selection to find the one movie that wouldn't bring total fear to Arizona.
Within minutes of the movie starting, Arizona had already pulled herself into a ball with a blanket half covering her face.
After one scene, she managed to jump from her seat and latch onto Callie's arm.
"Sorry..." Arizona said sheepishly as she looked up towards Callie.
Not phased by Arizona's nervousness about the movie, she pulled her arm around the small women beside her and pulled her into an embrace.
"You comfy?" Callie asks as she rubbed the side of Arizona's arm.
"Perfect. This is perfect." Arizona replies as she snuggles her head against Callie.
Without hesitation, Callie leans forward and places a kiss on the top of Arizona's head. So it wasn't a passionate kiss that ended up with sweaty bodies meshing together. So it wasn't a face to face kiss. It was a simple care gesture. A gesture that showed Arizona that Callie was a protector.
Back to reality.
Suddenly, the elevator stopping and the binging noise of the doors opening brought Callie back into the real world.
Bailey suddenly appeared in front of Callie, startling to the point that she almost dropped her coffee.
"Torres...whatever world you were just dancing in you need to come back to hospital land and I need a consult on a patient with a broken leg and I don't want a doctor operating on him while she's in pretty pony land"
Callie began to laugh and shake her head.
"Yes, I'm back in my world now. Real life." She replies smiling as she sips her coffee.
After a work day that seemed to go on for ages, Callie finally made it home. Arizona's surgery had been pushed to tomorrow so she was able to get home and put Sofia to bed.
Callie walked into their apartment finding Arizona already asleep on the couch.
"Hey, hun you should probably move to the bed. You falling asleep out here is becoming a bad habit of yours." Callie says as she gently rubs the side of her wife's arm.
"Mmm..what? Dang it. So much for staying up huh." Arizona says as she puts her hands over her face as she tries to avoid the bright lights from the kitchen.
"Come on,lets go to bed." Callie says as she begins to help her wife to her feet.
After changing into her pjs, Callie was finally able to climb into her bed. Her own bed that actually didn't have metal springs sticking out of it as opposed to the on call rooms at the hospital. Shockingly, Arizona had somehow managed to keep herself awake while Callie was changing.
"Hi." Arizona says as she turns to face her wife.
"Hi sleeping beauty." Callie says with a chuckle as she kisses the top of her wife's head.
Arizona smiles and snuggles closer into Callie's side. Callie automatically pulls her head down to rest on top of Arizona's.
"Arizona?" Callie says as she pushes the curly locks that haven fallen onto her wife's head.
"Hmmm" Arizona responds in a sleepy tone.
"I love you. And our life. Regardless of everything we've been through and regardless of what we might go through in the future. And I love our story."
Arizona found herself quickly awake again after hearing the heartfelt words that were coming from Callie's mouth.
"You never stop amazing me which is one of the reasons I find myself loving you more and more everyday. Our story is pretty cute huh?" Arizona responds as she grips onto one of Callie's hands.
"It is. One for the record books. We've got to start dancing again." Callie says nervously, hoping Arizona will be up to dance for the first time since the amputation.
"I would love to dance with you again." Arizona say with a smile.
"Alright, dance date it is! Now we both need to sleep." Callie says kissing her wife as she turns off the light beside them.
"Goodnight." Arizona replies as she continues to toy with the necklace hanging around her wife's neck.
Sometimes we find ourselves cherishing the smallest memories in our lives. But,those are the memories that build our stories. Those little pieces that attribute to whole that makes us the people we are. The people who will always love each other. The people who will cry with you, smile with you, and always support you.
