Walk Tall...by lilscout
Chapter 11
A/N – Summer is a really hard time to write...so much going on, and who wants to be stuck indoors writing when the weather has been so lovely? Not me, that's who! That said, I sincerely do apologize for the delay. Now...last I recall, Callie was on her way over... :)
...
Arizona scanned her surroundings. The apartment had become more than a bit messy during her self imposed hiatus, and Callie was due to arrive in an hour.
Time for a bit of domestic triage.
She jammed every dirty dish she could find into the dishwasher and hit 'start', then scooped up the pile of dirty clothing teetering on the back of the couch and spilling over onto the floor in one fell swoop, and half dragged and shoved all of it into the bedroom closet.
The bathroom was next. She gave it a quick once over with some cleanser before hopping into the shower, finally feeling three days worth of grime and guilt gather and swirl quickly down the drain. She used her fruity scented body wash, the one she knew Callie liked, and took extra care when shaving. 'Cause Arizona was done waiting.
She towelled off as she rummaged through her closet to find something clean to wear. She settled on a snug fitting scoop necked white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, and as she was pulling a brush through her damp locks, she heard a tentative, quiet knock.
She hurried to the door and yanked it open.
"Hi," Callie said, hesitating. "Your neighbour let me in the building. Hope that's okay."
"Of course it's okay," Arizona answered, stepping back to let Callie pass. "Thanks for coming over so quickly."
Callie removed her jacket and slipped out of her boots, and made her way into the living room. "I wanted to see you. And the Chief was understanding. He gave me the rest of the day off."
Arizona followed behind. "That's nice of him. He's been great with me too. Told me to take all the time I need."
Callie turned to face the blonde, and nodded. "That's good, Arizona."
Arizona gestured to the couch. "Why don't you have a seat, and I'll get us something to drink. I can order a pizza from that place you like, if you're hungry..."
Callie stepped close, cutting her off.
"I'm not hungry. I just want to know that you're okay." She cautiously placed a hand on Arizona's shoulder. "Can I see your arms?"
Arizona swallowed hard and held them out.
Callie hesitated just a second, then took each arm gently in her hands, supporting its weight, lightly stroking her thumb along the faded bruising, squeezing tenderly to check for signs of fracture or other damage. "Does it hurt?" she asked quietly.
Arizona shook her head as they both gazed down at her arm. "No. It doesn't hurt at all."
Callie took a deep breath in, then exhaled quickly. "That's good." She looked up to find Arizona staring at her, tears pooling in her impossibly blue eyes.
"Callie, I'm so sorry..."
The brunette hushed her as she gathered Arizona into a strong embrace, struggling desperately to contain her own tears. It was no use.
They stood that way for several minutes, until finally they pulled back to look at each other, both of them sniffling and sobbing. Callie spoke first.
"All this time I thought you were mad at me..."
"What? No!" Arizona was incredulous. "How could you think that? God, Callie, I could never be mad at you."
"Then what?" Callie asked. "Why wouldn't you talk to me...or see me?"
Arizona's gaze dropped to the floor, ashamed. "I thought...after what I did to that guy...how I hurt him...I thought you would think I...well, I was afraid of what you would think of me."
"Are you kidding me?" Callie lifted the blonde's chin. "Arizona, look at me." Callie smiled at her, and it was soft and warm and loving. She placed her hands firmly on Arizona's shoulders. "You...have nothing to be embarrassed or worried about." Callie paused, reflecting. "Do you want to know what I think about when I remember that night? Do you?"
Arizona nodded as she wiped her at her teary eyes with the back of her hand.
Callie continued. "I remember you begging me to leave...to get help...but I think, really, you were just trying to protect me...to keep me from harm, right?"
"Yeah..." Arizona responded.
"Yeah." Callie nodded. "That's what I thought."
"But..." Arizona started.
"Stop. Just stop." Callie placed her thumb lightly against Arizona's lips. "You were willing to put yourself in danger to protect me. So...'cause you asked...that's what I think about you, and about that night. Okay? Nothing else."
"Okay," Arizona answered shyly. "But, I am sorry I didn't call you. That was very selfish of me. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to you...honestly...I just didn't know what to say."
Callie smiled and leaned in to steal a quick kiss. Then two. "Listen...let's talk about all this later, huh? I missed you and I really missed being close to you." A third kiss, this one lingering just a bit longer.
Arizona smiled against Callie's soft full lips. "Mmmm, I missed you too. It feels like much more than three days since I've seen you."
"I know the feeling..." Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona and pulled her close, kissing the blonde's neck and earlobe, feeling Arizona sigh with happiness at the touch.
Arizona shifted to bring their lips back together and then deepened the kiss, marveling at how good it felt to be holding Callie again.
"You know," Arizona began, pulling their lips apart after a few very long seconds, "before we were so rudely interrupted, I seem to recall that we were headed somewhere...specific...that night. Do you remember, Calliope?"
"Hmmm, let me think..." the brunette teased. "Nope, don't seem to recall that at all." She traced her finger lightly along the low neckline of Arizona's top. "Maybe you can...help me remember?"
Arizona lifted the sides of Callie's shirt and ran her fingertips lightly across the bare skin she found there, smiling as Callie closed her eyes and shivered with arousal.
"Do you recall anything now?" Arizona asked, her voice seductive and low in Callie's ear.
"Mmm hmm..." Callie managed, nodding as she blinked her eyes open.
"Good," Arizona smirked. Then she turned them both around and took a step backward, tugging against the belt loops of Callie's jeans. "I've wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you Callie. And we waited...we agreed to wait." She shook her head lightly, her damp curls tickling against her bare neck. "But I can't wait anymore. I'm done waiting. I want you...in my bed...now." She paused, leaning her back against the closed bedroom door. "But, if you're still not ready..."
Callie didn't let her finish that thought. The brunette roughly pulled at her own top, yanking it quickly and messily up over her head, dropping it where she stood. She leaned in and captured Arizona's lips in hers, pulling desperately at the blonde's shirt too, separating their lips long enough to get the material up and over Arizona's head. It too landed in a heap on the floor.
"Arizona...I want this as much as you." Callie spoke quickly between kisses. "That night at the dojo...after our first date...hell, any time I saw you, it's all I could think about. So...yeah...I'm ready. I want you too."
Arizona reached behind her body and turned the knob. They pushed open the door, giggling and peeling off the rest of their clothing with each clumsy step.
...
"When do you have to be back at work?" Arizona asked, her arms wrapped around Callie's waist, her leg thrown over Callie's thigh, and her head nuzzled firmly between chin and breast.
"I'm due back tomorrow..." Callie saw the giant pout that was cast in her direction, and reconsidered. "But...I suppose I could be persuaded to call in sick."
"Yay!" Arizona hugged even tighter. She looked up at Callie. "Could this persuasion possibly involve some dinner? I seem to have worked up quite an appetite," she smirked.
"That's odd..." Callie smiled back, "I have too...so how about an extra large double cheese...you know, in case we need the energy for later on."
Arizona bounded out of bed and hurried from the room, only to return seconds later brandishing her cell phone. "Your wish is my command."
Now it was Callie's turn to smirk. "Careful...I just may hold you to that..."
An hour later they had pushed the half eaten pizza to the end of the bed and were once again snuggled firmly in each other's arms.
"Can I ask you something, Arizona?"
"Of course."
"Well..." Callie searched for the right words. "That night...you know...when we found you in the alley...well, you acted like you didn't even know me." Arizona opened her mouth to speak, so Callie rushed to get the rest of it out. "And then after, at the police station, you left without me. And you wouldn't answer any of my texts or calls...I'm just trying to understand why. Were you mad at me? Because I left you to get help...because I didn't stay in the alley with you?"
Arizona was silent for a long moment, then she turned her body to face Callie and sat up, the sheet slipping halfway down her naked torso. She consciously pulled it up around her again before she spoke, and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ears.
"I'm sorry for how I behaved around you. And I'm sorry that I didn't try to talk to you at all. I know now that it was wrong and selfish of me."
"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, Arizona. I just want to understand what happened and why. Maybe we can avoid this kind of...miscommunication...in the future."
"Calliope...I wasn't distant with you because you left to get help...you have to know that, right? I wanted you to leave, I wanted..." Arizona hesitated, until Callie nudged her to continue. "The guy had a knife, Callie. I was terrified. I've never had to actually use my training in real life before. I just...I wanted you to not be anywhere near him if he decided to use it. I wanted you to be safe."
"I know that now. Thank you for telling me," Callie answered.
"Then later," Arizona continued, the words spilling out of her now, "Callie...I had beaten him. I kicked the knife away and broke his fingers. He got so enraged, and panicked...I think...when he heard the police siren, that he just kind of lunged at me. But I could see it coming. I knew what he was going to do, so I just decided to keep attacking until he was down. But then...I didn't stop." She looked away, embarrassed. "After...when he was on the ground and I could hear the siren getting louder, and he was still screaming and swearing at me, I didn't stop. I...I wanted to make him hurt. I wanted to make him pay for hurting you that first time and for what he had just tried to do to me."
"That's totally understandable, Arizona."
"But it goes against everything I am, everything I teach at the dojo. I don't hurt people. I just don't. I don't even kill spiders when I see them. I always try to capture them and release them outside." She smiled in spite of herself, but only for a moment, and her face grew somber again. "I saw how people looked at me in the alley. Derek, Cristina, Owen. I could see the shock on their faces...the alarm, the pity? Maybe even fear. It scared me, and I was so deeply ashamed."
Callie shook her head as she took Arizona's hand in hers. "Do you want to know what your colleagues think of you?" she asked, not waiting for an answer. "Cristina and Meredith happen to think you're Wonder Woman, Derek and Owen have remarked openly about how they admired your self control, and Joe told me you never have to pay for another drink in the bar if you promise to show him a few karate moves. That's what people are saying about you." Callie's dark eyes searched for, and held, Arizona's sad blue gaze. "If you saw shock, well, frankly, I think I was shocked at first too. That outcome...it just wasn't what any of us were expecting to find. And then I just wanted to hold you and comfort you, and you shut me out. It was hard to deal with."
"I know...I'm sorry. My dad said the same thing. He said I wasn't being fair to you because you were there too and were probably scared and needed someone to talk to. He told me to call you."
"Ahh, well, your dad sounds like a smart guy. Maybe I'll get to meet him someday?"
"Play your cards right, Doctor Torres, and you just might." Arizona settled back against Callie's warm body and pulled the sheet tight around both of them.
"So...we're good?" Callie asked.
"We're good," Arizona nodded back.
...
So, like? Don't like? I was trying to have it seem genuine...sincere. Not too schmaltzy.
Did I hit the mark?
Drop me a line or review if you get a chance. Thanks again for reading.
