GREYS
"Arizona! Seriously? Get out of bed! We have to be at Meredith and Derek's in an hour!" Callie yelled from the kitchen. She knew that Arizona was not a morning person, but this was ridiculous. Callie had been up since eight preparing food to take over for Thanksgiving, and Erica had gotten up not long after. But Arizona was still in bed, covers pulled over her head.
"She is in the shower," Erica said, coming out of the bedroom. She walked over to Callie and wrapped her arms around the Latina's waist. "You need to relax. Today is your day off, too."
"Well it doesn't feel like it," Callie muttered, too preoccupied to reciprocate Erica's affections. "At this rate, none of us are going to get out on time. I know Arizona. She takes forever to get ready. And I have yet to start getting ready myself."
"Then go get ready," Erica replied, kissing her temple while ushering her back toward the bedroom. "I can finish getting the food prepared. All I have to do is stir this brown stuff, and make sure the orange blotchy stuff in the oven doesn't burn, right?"
"Really, Erica?" Callie said, rolling her eyes. "You mean the gravy that Lexie asked me to make for the turkey, and the sweet potato hash. Yes, that's all you have to do. You take care of that while I go prod the problem child."
Erica chuckled, watching Callie move back into the bedroom. The three of them had only been together a few days, but already they were getting comfortable in the relationship. Having both Callie and Arizona made Erica happy. She was lucky.
"Arizona! Stop this. I am not in the mood for games. Please just go get ready!" Erica could hear Callie's exasperated tone along with Arizona's giggles come through the walls. The door opened and out walked Arizona in only a towel, her hair dripping.
She looked over toward Erica with a twinkle in her eye. Sauntering over, she pouted lightly. "I swear, Calliope has a stick the size of Texas shoved up her ass this morning. I just wanted some coffee…"
Erica snorted, willingly receiving a kiss from the steamy blonde. "She is just a little stressed about today. So just tone down on the feisty stubbornness please?"
"We all know the drill. We're keeping our relationship with you on the down-low for now so that no one else finds out until Calliope tells Mark. Which she really should do soon…but that is beside the point. The point is that there is no reason for Callie to be this uptight this morning."
"I agree, but I don't think you walking around in a towel, when we both know you take forever to get ready, is helping much. So as much as I love this look on you, will you just comply with her? We really do have to leave soon."
Arizona playfully rolled her eyes. "Fine," she huffed. "I'll go make nice." Leaving her coffee on the table, she tightened her towel and headed back toward the bedroom.
Not even a moment later, Erica heard a loud squeal come from the other room. Completely bewildered, she left her task and made her way into the other room. Once she entered the bedroom, she leaned against the doorway, taking in the scenario. Callie was lying flat on her back on the bed with Arizona straddling her waist. The towel that was originally covering the blonde had now been dropped to the floor. While Callie was struggling slightly, the lust in her eyes made it clear that she wasn't trying too hard.
"I thought you said you were going to make nice," Erica finally said, making her presence known.
Arizona turned her head, keeping her hands at Callie's wrists. "I am, silly. Care to join?"
"Erica, please," Callie cried, trying not to giggle at her rambunctious girlfriend.
"I don't know," Erica said, slowly treading into the bedroom. "I'm kind of enjoying the view…"
"You are as bad as she is! I thought you were on my side!" Callie scolded.
"I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying that I'm not going to interfere. But, just so you know, it's almost noon and Mark is going to be here any second with Lexie."
"What about Mark?" A voice bellowed from the other room.
"Shit!" Callie hissed. "I forgot he was meeting us here—"
"Well, this is quite the show," Mark cut in, grinning from behind where Erica was standing. Arizona squealed and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
"I didn't know a peep show was part of the roommate package, Erica," Mark snidely remarked. "If I had known that, then I would've jumped on the chance to move in here."
Callie scowled, brushing past Erica and shoving Mark back into the living room. "You have a girlfriend, asshole. And you might want to watch your mouth if you want to keep her."
Mark held his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, it's not my fault. The door was open. And I'm perfectly happy with my girlfriend, thank you very much. Maybe Erica should find one herself. She seemed to get a little too much pleasure from watching you two get it on…"
"Mark!" Callie exclaimed. "That is none of your—"
"I'm going on to Meredith's," Erica cut in. "Do you want me to take anything?"
"Yes, just take the hash please," Callie said, shooting Erica an apologetic look.
"No problem," Erica stiffly replied, not even looking at Callie. She swiftly turned and walked toward the kitchen. Casserole dish in hand, she said, "I guess I will see you guys there. Happy Thanksgiving, Mark."
Mark smirked. "Happy Thanksgiving, Erica."
Callie glared at him. Hearing the door slam shut, she slapped Mark's shoulder. "Why do you have to be such a dick, Mark? She is trying to be nice to you, and you have to ruin it."
"She was literally standing there while you and Arizona were getting it on!" Mark cried. "Was she just completely invisible to you two? That is not normal roommate behavior, Callie."
"She is Arizona's best friend," Callie muttered, shoving Mark out of the way as the moved into the kitchen to take care of the gravy. "Arizona doesn't care if Erica sees her naked! But you do nothing but objectify her and make her seem like just some sex toy. Is that how you are with Lexie, too?"
"Oh come on, Cal," Mark replied. "You know I'm not like that with Lexie. But it was funny! She was completely naked. How was I supposed to act?"
"Oh, I don't know," Callie snipped. "Maybe like a mature human being?"
The door to the bedroom creaked open. Arizona popped her head out. "Is Erica still here?"
"No, she went on to Meredith's," Callie replied, leaning against the counter.
Mark narrowed his eyes playfully. "You still naked behind that door, Blondie? Why don't you come on out and play?"
"I want him out, now," Arizona snapped at Callie. Looking at Mark, she snarled, "If you so much as even look my way today, I swear that I will strangle your neck like a Thanksgiving turkey. I do not want you near me. I do not want to hear the bullshit that explodes from your mouth. Not today."
"Mark, you should leave," Callie said, sighing. "Girlfriend trumps best friend."
"Girlfriend trumps asshole…" Arizona muttered, slamming the door behind her.
"What about Lexie?" Mark asked.
"Call her. Tell her to meet you there. I don't know, Mark. I just know that right now, you can't be here. Arizona was completely serious. She will kill you if you stay."
Mark chuckled, walking toward the door. Just as it closed, he darted his head back in and said, "If the last thing I see is a hot naked blonde, then I will die a happy man." The door slammed, causing the spoon aimed for his head to hit the wood instead.
GREYS
When Arizona and Callie reached Meredith's house, they could already hear the festivities happening inside. Music and laughter rang through the walls. The girls walked in, hand-in-hand.
Arizona was extremely tense. She had been quiet the entire car ride. Callie squeezed her hand. "Are you okay?"
"I just want to talk to Erica," Arizona muttered, still stiff. "And I want booze. This is Meredith's house. Surely there is some sort of alcohol around here somewhere."
"Check the living room," Callie said, kissing her temple. "There is probably plenty of booze in there. Erica said she was coming here so just look around."
"Thanks for the advice, Sherlock," Arizona muttered bitterly.
Callie dropped her hand. "Look, I'm sorry about Mark. He is a dick. You know that."
"No, Calliope. Alex is a dick. Mark is an absolute monster. How can you defend him when he acts like that? He looks at me like I'm a piece of meat, not his equal or his colleague. I've dealt with him for as long as we've been together because he is your best friend and I respect that. But after how he treated me…after how he treated Erica…."
"I know. That was completely uncalled for, and I called him out on it!"
"You did not. I could hear you through the door, Calliope. The most you did was maybe slap him on the wrist, if that."
Callie sighed. "Can we not argue, please? This is not the time or the place. What's done is done. Mark knows to stay away from you, and I will tell him to stay away from Erica. Okay?"
Arizona scoffed, brushing past her and walking toward the living room. "Yeah, and while you're at it maybe you can mention to him that you're dating her, too. But wait, that would require outing our dirty little secret, wouldn't it?"
"It's not a dirty little secret, Arizona!" Callie tried to say, but Arizona was already out of earshot.
Before Arizona had walked even a few feet, Erica was at her side, shoving a glass of wine in her hand. Arizona gave a sigh of relief, leaning into her. "You are just who I was looking for."
Erica chuckled. "I'm just that good."
"I don't even want to be here right now," Arizona said. Grabbing Erica's hand, she said, "Can we just go somewhere private? Just for a few minutes? Please?"
Erica nodded, leading her back out the front door. Arizona blindly followed, not the least bit concerned with where she was taking her. Within a few moments, Erica car came into view, parked pretty far down the street.
Erica leaned against her car, Arizona immediately collapsing into her, tears falling from face. "She just doesn't get it, Erica," Arizona cried, burying her face in Erica's neck. "I'm completely humiliated. When it was just me and you playing around with Calliope, I was really happy. I just wanted time to freeze so I could stay there with you two forever. And then Mark waltzes in like he lives here. He took one look at me and…ugh. I don't want to know what dirty awful things went through his head. I was completely vulnerable, and Callie did nothing."
Erica rubbed her back, unsure of what to say. She had her own issues with Callie as well, but Arizona was too upset to really listen. Finally, she said, "Do you want me to talk to her? I have a few things that I want to set straight as it is."
Arizona nodded. Wiping her face, she took a step back, giving Erica a little space. "I don't know if she will listen or just take Mark's side again, but I would appreciate it if you would at least try."
"No problem," Erica replied. "Are you coming back in or staying out here?"
"I'm gonna stay," Arizona answered, kicking up a few leaves. "It is really hot in that house. I feel like I can't breathe."
"Alright," Erica said, squeezing her hand. "But don't stay out here too long. The food is probably going to be served soon enough." She squeezed Arizona's hand once more, giving her a gentle kiss, and then walked back inside to have a talk with Callie.
GREYS
Callie wandered through the house trying to figure out where Mark was. Once she made it to the kitchen, she could see Lexie by stove, heating up the last few dishes. The turkey sat on the counter.
"Wow," Callie smiled, startling Lexie. "That is one gorgeous turkey."
"It's huge," Lexie replied, smiling kindly. "I wasn't sure how many people were coming, so I just got the biggest one I could find. Good thing, too. Everyone is here."
"If this is Meredith's house, then why isn't Meredith doing all of the cooking?" Callie inquired, leaning against the counter.
"The closest Meredith has ever come to cooking dinner is Ramen Noodles. Her idea of a fancy meal is opening a bottle of wine."
Callie chuckled. Lexie turned to look at her. "Erica brought in your hash. It looks delicious. Do you need me to reheat the gravy?"
"Shit!" Callie yelled. In all of the heated drama from the morning, she had completely forgotten it back at the apartment. "I'm sorry Lex. It isn't here. Some stuff happened this morning—"
"I'm well aware of what happened in your apartment this morning," Lexie cut in. "I should be the one apologizing for my boyfriend being a complete bonehead."
Callie laughed. "Yeah, bonehead is good word for it."
"I don't know. I think asshole might be a better synonym for his actions this morning," Erica said as she walked into the kitchen.
Callie turned around to see Erica leaning against the door frame. The atmosphere in the room quickly grew heavy with tension. Lexie could feel it, and opted to make her exit.
"Well, I think I will go try and find the bonehead," she chuckled nervously. "Just watch the food, will you?"
"Sure, Lex," Callie off-handedly replied, still watching Erica. Once the brunette was out of sight, Callie spoke again. "Erica—"
"Just shut up," Erica interrupted, walking toward her. Intertwining her fingers into Callie's dark hair, Erica crashed their lips together in a heated kiss.
Callie instinctively reciprocated for a moment, but quickly backed away. "Erica, you know we can't—"
"We can't what, Callie?" Erica snapped. "We can't kiss, we can't touch. I can't even look at you in a more than friendly way unless we're in private! I am your girlfriend too, you know. I don't think you really understand how much it hurts to feel like you are ashamed of me. And I know you don't know how much it hurts Arizona."
"What do you want me to say, Erica?" Callie sighed, leaning back against the counter.
"I just want to know that you really want this," Erica replied, stepping toward her. "I want you to stand by me when Mark says the shit he said about me this morning. I want to know that this is more than just a fantasy for you. You are the one that brought up this arrangement. You are the one that couldn't choose. That is on you. And the way you are acting makes me feel like I made a mistake by getting involved."
"You aren't serious," Callie said, her breath catching. "You know I want this. You promised you wouldn't walk away."
Erica shook her head. "I promised Arizona that. And I'm not walking away. I'm just saying that if you really care about me, or about this, then you need to start acting like it. I'm sick of getting called out for flirting with my girlfriends because no one has a clue."
Callie reached out toward her. Erica turned away before she could. "Fix this," she said as she left the room.
"Erica—" Callie called, but she was already gone.
"Crazy bitch," Mark's snide voice said from behind her. "You should really get her out of your apartment. She's leaving after Thanksgiving, right? Once a hotel space opens?"
Callie didn't say a word. She could feel the heat rising up her neck. Mark took no notice. "So, I'm actually looking for Blondie. You know, your Blondie. I couldn't care less about the other. Lexie told me to apologize. I guess I wasn't entirely appropriate this morning. Anyway, I just wanted to talk to her. Do you know where she is?"
"No," Callie replied. "She's pretty mad at me, too."
"What for?"
"It's complicated. But stop talking shit about Erica, okay? You don't know the half of it, so stop."
"What the hell are you talking about, Torres?" Mark said, furrowing his brow.
"Nothing, Mark. Forget it," Callie muttered, walking away from him.
"Hell, no," Mark replied, quickly following her. "What aren't you telling me?"
Ignoring him, she kept walking toward the living room. It was extremely crowded with everyone mingling before the meal was served. Mark followed close behind. Finally getting close enough, he grabbed her shoulder.
"Stop this, Cal," he said, turning her around. "You tell me everything. What aren't you telling me now?"
Callie sighed. She could see Arizona coming through the front door with Erica following her, gently pushing her back inside. She had to stop this. All she wanted was to walk away from Mark, kiss both of them, and apologize.
Mark followed her gaze. "Why do I feel like I'm seriously missing something?"
Before Callie could reply, Meredith stood in entrance to the dining room, beckoning everyone to come eat. Erica and Arizona walked through the living room, greeting Owen and Christina as they walked past. Shaking off Mark, she followed the crowd.
Mark glared at the back of Callie's head. "This is not over, Torres."
Callie whipped around. "Of course it isn't. It's never over, Mark. I could tell you everything I'm thinking and feeling right now. I could totally release that burden. But releasing that burden will only cause another. Nothing in my life can just go right and be okay. Someone has to hate someone else. There has to be confusion and hurt. So just for today, can you forget about it? Please, just apologize to Arizona. I would like you to apologize to Erica too, because you are a total and complete ass to her every time you see her, but I know you won't. So apologize to Arizona. Make my life a little easier, please?"
"Why do you stand up for her?" Mark asked. "I'm not trying to throw it in your face, because I know you are happy with Arizona now, but why do you stand up for Erica? I've seen a lot of bad breakups. In fact, I've had a lot of bad breakups. She was your first for a lot of things, Callie. It took a lot for you get back on your feet. So why forgive her?"
"Why did you forgive Lexie, Mark?"
"Because I love her…" Mark replied, trailing off. Suddenly, the pieces came together. He shook his head. "No. You are stronger than this, Callie. She has broken you down. Do not give up Arizona for her. She isn't worth it!"
"So Lexie was worth a second chance, but Erica isn't?" Callie shot back.
"I wasn't dating someone else, Torres!" Mark yelled.
A single spoon fell. Both looked over to see the entire dining room watching them. Heat rose to Callie's cheeks. "For once, can my entire life not be on display?"
"No," Mark replied, ignoring the audience, "Because then it wouldn't be your life. As much as you pretend to hate it, you love the attention and the drama. Otherwise you wouldn't stand here and tell me that you are leaving Arizona."
Amongst the shocked silence, a single snort erupted from the room. Callie looked over to see Erica shushing the culprit, Arizona herself, while they both tried not to giggle. The Latina rolled her eyes, smirking at the two. "I'm not leaving Arizona. I'm dating Erica, and so is she. We're happy. Or we were, until you came in this morning acting like a child and causing drama."
"So…like a threesome?" Alex stated from the dining room.
"A romantic threesome," Arizona replied, immediately bursting into uncontrollable laughter along with Erica.
"You see, Mark?" Callie said, trying to ignore her lovers. "This seems complicated, but it isn't. In fact, surprisingly enough, it is probably the least complicated thing in my life right now. I'm happy. They both make me happy. So get over yourself, and get over your grudge. I am not going to let your snarkiness ruin this holiday. Happy Thanksgiving, Mark. Now let's go eat."
Grabbing Mark's hand, she pulled him into the dining room with everyone else. They took the two remaining seats, right next to each other between Lexie and Arizona. The meal commenced as if nothing had happened, with lively conversation from every direction.
Callie handed Mark the mashed potatoes. He begrudgingly accepted. "How long has this been going on?"
Callie shrugged. "Not long. We were keeping it to ourselves until I told you."
"I still don't like her," Mark grumbled.
"I'm over what happened, okay? I've been over it. So you need to do the same. She isn't the same person she was when she left."
"She hasn't changed that much…"
"She is staying. She promised. And that is enough for me," Callie replied, looking to her best friend for approval.
Mark sighed. "So when are Lexie and I coming over for dinner?"
Callie grinned. "Anytime, Mark."
GREYS
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