So, Webster's defines plagiarize as: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another's production) without crediting the source.
Me? I happen to think of it more as the highest form of compliment.
Let's face it – if we're writing for this site, we don't own the characters we're writing (unless they're original).
So, here's the promised next chapter. I probably re-started it another 10 times, before I realized that the big issue I was having was figuring out how the Arizona/Mr. Torres and Callie/Mr. Torres scenes could be better than the actual ones. My answer? They can't be! So yes, those scenes are straight from the show, except for the thoughts and emotions, cause while it may look like one is being displayed, something totally different could be what they're trying to convey. But of course I had to change some of it up a bit. After all, Invasion was set in the fall, whereas this is set in the final days of the year, and Callie's pregnant in the story. Any-whooo… let me know what ya'll think please!
The doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital were known to frequent the Emerald City Bar following a shift, nasty or otherwise. Following the merger with Mercy West, the new doctors eventually began to trickle in, one at a time, each time staying longer and longer.
A few miles away, there is another bar, this one frequented by no doctor at either hospital. Through the windows behind the bar, the rain that is a fixture to Seattle weather can be seen coursing down the windows, matching the mood of many of its inhabitants, one in particular.
This one particular inhabitant has been sitting at the bar for several hours, a barely touched glass of scotch sitting in front of him, and a well worn photo in his hands. Anyone that took a closer look would see a younger version of the man with a young girl, likely still in the single digits of her youth. The man is startled out of his reverie by an older gentleman sitting beside him.
"That's a beautiful girl that you've got there. Grandkid?" The new man orders his own scotch while allowing the man to gather his thoughts.
"Kid," he replies, "my daughter."
"Judging by the age of the photo, my guess is that you've been carrying that particular photo around for some time. How old is your girl now?"
"She is 33."
"Any particular reason why you're carrying around a photo that's 20-some years old then?"
"We were happy then." The newer man is silent at that thought; both men are while gathering their thoughts. "Do you have children?"
"Yup." The man digs out his wallet, pulling out three photos, he hands one to the man. "This is a few years old, but it was taken at my youngest daughter's graduation from medical school." He hands over a second photo, this one of two kids, "she's made me a grandpa twice now," he hands over the third photo, "and my oldest daughter is about to make me a grandpa for a fourth time, that's her daughter, she just turned 20. Do you have grandkids?"
"Four – granddaughters – by my oldest son."
"So with all this family, how is it that the last time you remember being happy is 20-some years ago?"
"This was the day that my daughter told me I'd be the only real man in her life. She was seven. I'm just now realizing the truth behind that statement. Maybe she knew even then." The last bit is said under his breath, but the older man manages to catch it.
"Knew? Knew what?"
"Last time that I was in Seattle, my daughter introduced me to her girlfriend."
"And she had always dated men before that." The second man states with certainty.
"You sound like you've got some experience there?"
"Not really. My oldest daughter never had boyfriends, but it still threw me for a loop when she told me that she was a lesbian."
"May I ask how you responded?"
"All I cared about was if she was still the same woman that I raised her to be. We try, every day, to make sure that our children grow up to be strong pillars of the community; men and women of strength and honor, with integrity. Whether my daughter brings home a man or a woman, she's still the same woman that I raised her to be; and even if she knows that, I still make sure to remind her of it every time that I speak with her." He retrieves his photos, putting them away while pulling out money to cover his drink in the same motion before getting up to leave. He leaves the other man with a parting thought.
"Do you know if your daughter is happy? With this woman? Maybe you're so used to seeing her unhappy with men and that's why it's been so long since you've been happy; now… you can't see that she is happy with this woman."
"Hi, I was paged down here?" Arizona smiles broadly at the nurse at the general intake desk. The nurse looks up briefly before pointing her in the direction of the waiting area. Arizona turns, expecting to see the family of a former patient, or even her family, but is surprised to see the form of her fiancée's father standing in front of the windows. With some hesitation, Arizona approaches and stands silently behind the man, waiting for him to speak first.
"I don't know you well enough to talk about her, we're not going to do that." Mr. Torres spares the blonde the briefest of glances before returning his attention to the freezing rain on the other side of the windows.
"Most people think that I was named for the state, but it's not true, I was named for a battleship - the USS Arizona. My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and he saved…19 men, before he drowned. Pretty much everything my father did his whole life has been about honoring that sacrifice. I was raised to be a good man in a storm, raised to love my family, love my country, and protect the things I love.
"When my father, Colonel Daniel Robbins of the United States Marine Corps, heard that I was a lesbian, he said he only had one question. I was prepared for: 'How fast can you get the hell out of my house?' but instead… it was… 'Are you still who I raised you to be?'
"My father believes in country, the way that you believe in God. And my father is not a man who bends, but he bent for me because I'm his daughter. I'm a good man in a storm.
"I love your daughter, and I protect the things I love. Not that I need to. She doesn't need it. She's strong, and caring… and honorable." Arizona is unable to keep her voice from breaking as she delivers her final stand.
"And she's who you raised her to be."
Mr. Torres fumbles with the buttons of his jacket, absorbing all that he has just heard from the petite blonde at his side.
One line from her speech stuck out in his mind: "I love your daughter."
Arizona smiles to herself, knowing that whatever comes next, that move belongs to her fiancée's father. And she walks away, allowing Mr. Torres a moment to absorb all that she just told him.
Callie leaves the hospital following a 12-hour shift, wanting nothing more than to drop everything and enjoy a leisurely soak in her tub, maybe with her fiancée joining her, definitely with the intent of politely demanding a foot rub from said fiancée before bed. Her thoughts are interrupted by a voice coming from the side.
"Calliope." She turns in shock, to match the voice she fears she is hallucinating with the body it came from.
"Daddy? What-? What are you doing here?" The Torres clan hadn't seen or heard from the elder Torres since the Independence Day picnic in Miami. "Look, if you're here to – know what, no. I can't do this again. You know what, you'll see me in hell."
"Listen to me, please." Callie stops and turns at the hand on her elbow.
"I have to catch you."
"What?"
"Your whole life, you… you've always been on a bridge, Calliope, ever since you were a little girl. And you don't just walk on it either. No, you climb on the railing and you're – you're ready to leap. And when you do, when that happens… I have to be there, I have to catch you."
"You don't have to catch me, dad."
"Yes, I do. It's my job."
Callie allows a half smile to shine through, knowing this is the start of her father accepting her, though she's not prepared for what's to come from his mouth next.
"Listen if this works out between you and Arizona… is there a chance you'd, uh… give your mother a wedding?"
Knowing that he's been out of the loop for the past six months, Callie smiles softly, answering in vague terms for the moment.
"If Arizona wanted to spend the rest of her life with me? Yeah, I'll put on a big white dress and dance down the aisle."
"Hm…how – how about grandkids?"
Callie pulls her winter coat around her a little tighter, leaning over to hide the baby bump for a little while longer.
"Yes, I would imagine… when the time came… there would be kids."
"Mm-hmm. Does she make you happy?"
"Yes, dad, she makes me very happy." Callie refrains from throwing her arms around her father, instead bringing him in gently.
"I love you, you know that?" Mr. Torres draws back, with a glint only a few could recognize in his eyes.
"She's not a vegetarian is she? Because I-I don't know how much more I can take."
"She's not a vegetarian." Callie chuckles while pulling her father back into her arms.
"I feel very old." Callie smiles before drawing away from her father's arms, her own glint of mischievousness present.
"Prepare to feel a little older, grandpa." Callie digs in her purse for the ever-present ultrasound photo she carries around with her. With a soft smile gracing her features, she hands it over to her father.
He stares at the photo in confusion for a moment before he notices his daughter's name printed across the top, right above the name William Ford Robbins-Torres. He looks back to his daughter, the question dies on his lips when he notices that she's now standing up straight, her bump clearly visible to him, though she still doesn't look like she's nearly full term.
"I- what?"
"Genetically, he's Arizona's. I certainly hope that you won't love him any less. I know I won't. And mom, Aria and the boys have made it clear they won't either."
"Of course not, mija. I'm just so happy to be back in your life. Ummm-?"
"Apologize to mom, hopefully she'll forgive you, and let you know the when and where for the wedding. I'll at least tell you that it's after I deliver."
"When-?" He points to the photo, then her belly, silently asking when the baby is due.
"I'm due in 8 weeks. There's – we're hosting New Year's Eve tomorrow." Callie digs around for a pen and piece of paper, writing down their new address before handing it over to him. "I'd love it if you came. I'd offer you one of the guest rooms, but Arizona's parents and siblings have taken them over. But mom rented a house short-term, she's planning on staying until William is born. If you apologize nicely, maybe she'll let you stay with her."
Entering her house, Callie closes her eyes and leans back against the door to take a deep breath, quickly reliving the events of the past hour. Feeling herself being relieved of her bag, she opens her eyes to meet the sea-colored gaze of her fiancée's mother.
"Is everything alright, dear?"
"Fine, it was just a long day."
Kate can tell that there is more on the brunette's mind, but she wisely leaves it alone.
"Well, Daniel and I are going out." She leans in to deliver the next line with a conspiratorial tone. "I'm not supposed to tell you that Arizona is upstairs drawing you a bath." She leans back as her husband approaches, allowing him to help her don her coat before he helps relieve Callie of hers. Callie gives the retired Colonel a soft smile of thanks, eliciting a smile from the normally stoic-faced older man.
"Don't wait up." Kate winks at the younger woman before dragging her husband out the door.
Callie chuckles softly to herself at the antics of her future in-laws. She thinks back to the first time she met them, remembering the shock at the open affection shared between the couple. She was so used to witnessing the retrained affection her own parents displayed in public that it was a shock to see such opposite behavior. Knowing that both her parents might be present the following night, she allows herself a brief moment to wonder how the two pairs will get along before shaking off the thought.
Tonight is all about relaxing…relaxing with the love of her life. Who is currently upstairs unknowingly preparing the younger woman exactly what she wanted for the evening.
Upon entering the bedroom, Callie hears water running over the sound of the blonde puttering around. Callie leans against the door jamb allowing herself the opportunity to observe her fiancée lighting the last few candles and selecting some relaxing music from the ipod.
Noticing movement in the corner of her eye, Arizona turns toward her fiancée, returning the gentle smile directed towards her.
Callie moves toward the blonde, draping her arms around the blonde's shoulders, sighing in satisfaction as hands find and massage the small of her back, rubbing the tension out of the joints.
"Mmmm… you read my mind."
"I've been known to do that where you're concerned." Callie smiles at the playful tone evident in Arizona's voice.
"I don't suppose that I could convince you to join me?"
Settling themselves into the tub, Callie leans back into the blonde's embrace.
"I saw my dad today," Arizona hums an acknowledgement, reaching for a washcloth as Callie continues her story. "He was waiting for me as I left the hospital." Callie falls silent, gathering her thoughts, enjoying the sensations from Arizona's movements.
"I think he's okay with this…with all of this." Arizona's movements cease as Callie covers her hands, resting them over her belly. The pair is silent for several minutes, enjoying the moment, with only the occasional movement from their son as interruption.
"You don't seem all that surprised to hear this." Callie cranes her neck to look the blonde in the eye, waiting for a response.
Arizona smiles softly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head before continuing her previous ministrations.
"I spoke with him, too." Arizona softly responds. "After lunch… he didn't say much.
"I wasn't planning on telling you. Not if he wasn't going to speak to you. I didn't want to upset you."
"Can I ask what you spoke about?" Arizona wrings out the washcloth, hanging it up and returning her hands to Callie's belly while answering.
"I told him about how I got my name; when I came out to my dad. I told him how much I loved you, how it didn't matter who you shared your bed with, you were still the same strong, caring and honorable person that he raised you to be." Her tone is soft throughout the speech, which she ends with a soft kiss to the side of the brunette's neck.
"I love you, you know that?"
"Even though I didn't tell you about seeing your father?"
"Yes. Normally it'd be nice to have some warning when he comes to town… but I don't think I could have handled knowing he was here and didn't want to see me."
"You could've handled it. I would have been here to help you."
"I… I invited him to tomorrow night."
"Okay." Arizona weaves her fingers through with Callie's, resting them on top of her bump. "Did you tell him about William?"
"Yes. I think that was one of the few times that I've seen my father tear up."
"Even-"
"Even when I told him that William was yours biologically. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempts to ask if we plan on doing this again."
"Attempts?"
"My dad has never been one to talk about intimacy issues. Add his likely discomfort about the 'two women' situation and he'll be stammering over every other word."
"Hmmm…" Noticing one of the candles has burned itself down, Arizona moves to get out, reaching down to pull the plug stopping the tub.
"Come on, no more parent talk. I need to show you something."
Leaning back into the mountain of pillows, Callie moans in happiness as Arizona hits a particularly sore spot in the arch of her foot.
"You really read my mind."
"Just remember to return the favor when it's my turn." Callie cracks one eye open to stare at the blonde.
"Gladly."
Arizona squirts out more lotion and slowly starts to work it into her legs, moving higher with each stroke.
As she's doing her thing, Callie thinks back to the surprise Arizona had for her: the completed nursery.
Callie didn't want to decorate with a gender-specific color and Arizona didn't want to use a gender-specific theme. So the nursery had remained empty, save for the furniture, clothes, diapers and other baby items packed in boxes and stacked in the center of the room.
Ashleigh – home for Thanksgiving – commented to the lack of decoration, silently of course, and took upon herself the task of figuring out the decoration.
Taking measurements, she gave them to Patrick along with the rules: gender-neutral colors and themes. Together, they arrived the day after their last final, sequestered themselves in the nursery, and got to work, keeping everyone out at all times. Patrick began sketching out the design while Ashleigh and Callie's mother went out for the paint, brushes and supplies. Aria, finding herself without an assignment this holiday season, roped the visiting Colonel into helping her assemble all the furniture.
Two days of sketching, eight days of painting, and two days airing out the fumes and 6 hours arranging the furniture and the final product was a child's cartoon wonderland.
On the wall behind the crib was a single large tree with the birds seen floating through the branches and leaves. Spaces throughout the branches were several frames of different types of wood, some were filled and some were waiting to be filled. The intent for the final product being a 'family tree'.
Trees of the forest spilled out onto the two adjoining walls, thinning out so that the opposite wall was a springtime flowering meadow. Hanging out near the forest was a family of deer while the meadow was filled with cartoon rabbits, squirrels and various other woodland creatures. Peeking out from some tree branches was an owl on one side, while a woodpecker was seen on the other, making a home in one of the tree trunks.
Upon closer inspection, Callie saw that most of the flowers in the meadow were simple, 6-petal flowers – done, not with brushes, but with Patrick's thumb-print. His signature on the room, Arizona told her.
All the furniture was a dark wood, the color matched that of the bark of the family tree. Looking over the photos, Callie sees that one side looks to be dedicated to the Torres family, including several of her father – at Patrick's assistance; the other side dedicated to the Robbins' side. Up top is the family the two women choose to be a part of: the men and women of Seattle Grace/Mercy West – including George and Izzie.
Seeing the photo of the two former interns of George walking Izzie down the aisle was what sent Callie over the edge. With silent tears flowing down her cheeks, Arizona leads her out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
Callie is brought back to the present when she no longer feels her fiancée's hands on her. Opening her eyes and sitting up, she turns to see Arizona swapping her favorite lotion out for the cocoa butter.
Arizona settles into position behind Callie and begins to rub the lotion into Callie's belly, hips and breasts.
When Callie hit the 12-week mark, stopped freaking out over the morning sickness and started freaking out over the non-existent stretch marks, the pair turned this into part of their nightly routine. Every night, before bedtime, Arizona would settle in behind Callie and massage the lotion into her skin.
Callie insists that's the reason she never developed stretch marks; Arizona insists that she probably wouldn't have developed them anyway, being that she's currently 32-weeks along and looks like she's closer to the half-way point than the finish line. But the blonde loves this nightly ritual of theirs so she doesn't complain. Often times – like tonight – this is what relaxes Callie to the point of sleep.
Okay, here's my credit: These characters don't belong to me, they belong to Shonda and TPTB at ABC. Therefore this is not plagiarism.
So normally, I write up whatever comes to mind, and then I arrange those bits into a story. So, as this story is coming to a close, I'm going through and finding all the bits that I didn't use because they didn't fit into the story. My question for ya'll is: Who would like to see those chapters? There's only two or three, I think. They're good bits, they just didn't quite fit in; Like both George and Mark offering to be the father of their baby – with two very different attitudes, of course. Anyways…votes?