(Sorry for the super long wait for this update, I've been sicker than usual, apologies! I hope you've not abandoned my story!)
(AN2: Response to someone who asked: No i do not use a beta, never have, any mistakes are all my own doing lol Happy reading!)
By the end of the night the evening's events were starting to take their toll on Callie. Aria had barely spoken a word to her for the rest of the meal, in fact, she'd hardly uttered two words to anyone, instead choosing to convey her steady stream of anger through intimidating glares and childish huffs. Although Callie's father was by his own admission, a man who lacked the skills necessary for effective perception, the hostile atmosphere was becoming too obvious for even him to ignore.
"Is there something bothering you Mia? You've been very quiet since dessert" Carlos Torres asked, smiling appreciatively at the restaurant valet as he handed him back the keys to his Maybach 52 S.
"I'm fine Daddy, just tired" Aria replied, strutting purposefully around to the passenger seat of the vehicle.
"I know when something's upset you mi amore" Carlos said, handing the delighted valet a fifty dollar bill.
"Honestly I'm fine, I'm not the one with the problem" Aria snapped, casting a malicious look over her shoulder at her sister.
Callie rolled her eyes exhaustively 'not long to go' she told herself.
"Have you two had an argument?" Carlos asked, opening the car door and extending his arm, motioning courteously for Callie and Arizona to climb inside.
"No we're fine" Callie lied "…thanks for dinner Daddy" she said kissing her father fondly.
Arizona paused at the open door, she wasn't well versed in Spanish customs, was she expected to exhibit the same degree of affection? Or would kissing a man she barely knew be a huge invasion of personal space?
"Thank you again for dinner Mr Torres, it really was a beautiful restaurant" she said politely, throwing caution to the wind and planting a shy kiss on the older man's cheek.
"You are most welcome…" Carlos replied, blushing fiercely "…you are a lovely young woman, I'm glad my daughter has made such a good friend"
Callie smiled at the sweet exchange, grinning wider at the pink tinge that flushed her father's olive features. 'you are a lovely young woman' she prayed he wouldn't regret those kind words later, she hoped not, they were true.
"He wouldn't be saying that if he knew where that mouth has been" Aria whispered spitefully.
"Oh just shut up, five more minutes and we'll never have to see each other again"
"Counting the seconds big sis'"
"You and me both" Callie hissed.
The twenty minute drive back from the restaurant felt more like twenty hours, drawn out and laborious. Aria sulked silently in the front passenger seat, huffing every now and then as Arizona and Mr Torres debated enthusiastically the pros and cons of a national health service.
In all her years Callie had never witnessed her father take so quickly to one of her 'friends'. It was in his nature to be polite and engaging, but knowing her father as well as she did, Callie had always been able to see past the pleasantries, and detect the cautiousness that brimmed beneath his cool exterior. Mr Torres was incredibly protective of both his daughters, never quite accepting the people in their lives until he was sure they were decent and moral human beings. But this was different; he was showing a level of respect for Arizona that she had never seen before and he appeared to be genuinely interested in everything she had to say.
Callie thought back to a few months previously, when her family had visited and they had met both George and Mark for the first time. As she expected, her sudden romantic involvement with the young intern hadn't been well received, but her father's reaction to Mark had surprised her.
At the time, Mark had been nothing more than a friend and a colleague; he was smart, talented and hard working, all the things her father valued, but it had become apparent within the first few minutes of introductions, that her father had formed an almost instant dislike to her best friend. Admittedly, Mark's moral compass was somewhat off course, but her father hadn't interacted with him long enough to make that judgement. Aside from the obvious gender differences and sexual indiscretions, Callie found Arizona's personality to be a lot like Mark's, they were both incredibly charming and articulate, but why then, she wondered, did her father seem so comfortable in her girlfriend's company as opposed to Mark's? Not that Callie dared question it, whatever the reasons, she was just happy that Arizona seemed to have won her father over so naturally. Callie hoped that this would lay the foundations for what was to come.
"Do you mind if I crash at yours tonight? Christina's not exactly thrilled about the duties I gave her today, I don't think she took too kindly to draining Mrs Thompson's fluid build up…" Callie laughed, remembering her roommate's mortified expression at the prospect of having to spend her lunchtime tending to giant pustules, instead of racking up some precious OR time "…could do without the extra headache" she added quietly.
"Sure"
"Could you drop us both at Arizona's apartment Daddy, my roommate's not in the best of moods with me at the moment, I had to pull rank today"
"Of course Mia, I know what a strain it can be, having to take command, it doesn't always win you friends"
'Just a better class of enemies" Callie thought.
"…where would you like to be dropped?"
"Harpole street, number 35" Arizona replied.
"Do you find it difficult Arizona? Gaining the trust and respect of your co-workers?" Carlos asked, programming the car's high end satellite navigational system to the desired location.
"Ergh yeah, I guess I did at first"
Callie bit her lip in amusement; she found it hard to believe that anyone working alongside Arizona would treat her with anything less. Her mind drifted back to her second day in Miami, recalling vividly the seminar her girlfriend had delivered. She had exuded confidence and held the audience's attention with captivating interest.
Jill's words resonated in her head 'Arizona Robbins is always right' which, if said about anyone else would have sounded irritatingly arrogant. Yes, it was hard to imagine that anyone would have the audacity to question her authority, she was so well renowned in her field, you don't argue with a rock star and in Arizona's Peds wing, wherever that may be, her word was God.
Callie stifled a laugh, prompting the blonde to elbow her in the ribs "Sshh, I'm trying to be modest, it's hard work" she said.
"And so out of character" Callie teased.
"Sshhh! I'm trying to get them to like me" she whispered.
Callie glanced at the back of her sister's head with raised eyebrows.
"Ok, fine, that ship has sailed" Arizona admitted.
"And sank"
"Like the Titanic"
"Are you comparing my sister to an ice berg?"
"No, that's being unfair to the ice" Arizona said dryly, catching Aria's eye in the rear view mirror.
"What did you just say about me?" Aria sneered.
"I said that you are so nice" Arizona commented, pokerfaced.
"Whatever" Aria grumbled.
"I think someone is over tired" Carlos said, patting his youngest daughter on the arm.
"I'm not five Daddy"
'No you certainly aren't' Arizona thought 'it takes years and years of grinding resentment and practice to become this selfish and cynical'
"What's funny?" Callie asked.
Arizona looked at her girlfriend in surprise, she hadn't realised she'd laughed out loud.
"Nothing" she replied, lowering her tone "I just remembered one of Jill's favourite sayings, Benjamin Franklin: We are all born ignorant, but one must work very hard to remain stupid. And there's you saying your sister never works hard at anything, I don't think you've given her enough credit"
"Silly me" Callie laughed quietly.
"Must be hard, trying to prove yourself to be as competent as your male counter parts. Times have changed but sadly its still a man's world, although if you and my daughter are anything to go by I think this will continue to shift" Carlos said, voicing the train of thought that had been tunnelling through his mind.
"Yeah things are changing alright, not necessarily for the better" Aria chided.
"Now why would you say a thing like that, as a woman surely you would want to see equal opportunities in the work place?"
"I'm all for gender equality at work Daddy, but some gender stereotypes shouldn't be confused"
Callie exchanged a worried glance with Arizona, noticing the stiffness in her posture. 'Don't go there Aria, don't be a vindictive little bitch' she willed.
"I think a woman can do things just as well as any man, no matter what the task…living in a house with three women has defiantly taught me a few things" Carlos chuckled.
"I agree" Callie said, smiling sweetly at her sister "…there's some things only a woman can do"
"Yes but there's also some things a woman shouldn't" Aria barked.
"What's gotten into you tonight, you're not acting like yourself, are you feeling stressed about work?" Carlos asked, smiling sympathetically at Aria.
'Work? She doesn't work, you really do give that girl too much credit' Callie scoffed, resisting the urge to say as much, 'decorating Daddy's office hardly qualifies as a stressful day at the office'
"It's not me that's not 'myself'" Aria snapped, losing patience with her father's subconscious support of her sister's depraved lifestyle.
"I think we're all just exhausted" Callie offered, relieved when the sat-nav announced that they had arrived at their destination, 'finally' she thought.
"It's the block on the right, you can stop here" Arizona directed, wanting to get out of the car and away from Aria's relentless insinuations as soon as possible.
"So, will you be free tomorrow for lunch? We can come to the hospital?" Carlos asked, slowing the car to a standstill.
"Actually I thought I'd do some shopping" Aria interrupted.
'Shame' Callie thought "Umm probably not, I don't have a definite break time, I'll just have to grab some food when I can"
"It's important that you eat Calliope, keep your strength up"
"Tell that to the dying people, they have no consideration…" Callie said "…that was a joke Daddy" she added, noticing his alarmed stare.
"Can you blame a man for wanting to take care of his little girl…what time does your shift finish tomorrow?"
"Depends how manic things get. Late probably"
"Why don't you come over to the hotel when you're done, it doesn't matter about the time"
Callie paused, her fingers gripping the door handle tightly, as terrified as she was she knew she couldn't keep her relationship with Arizona a secret much longer, her father deserved the truth and she needed to free herself of the burden and start to openly and honestly enjoy her new relationship. 'No more lying' she thought. "Ok, I'll call you tomorrow, I love you Daddy"
"I love you too Calliope…It was a pleasure Arizona"
"I had a really nice evening, thank you" Arizona replied, 'it was only a half lie' she thought, without Aria's company it really would have been an enjoyable experience.
"Goodnight ladies, I'll wait until you're safely inside" Carlos said, removing his hands from the steering wheel.
"Night Aria" Callie said flatly.
"Yeah, goodnight" Arizona said, mimicking Callie's deflated tone.
"Aren't you going to say goodnight to your sister and her friend?" Carlos questioned.
Aria allowed the ghost of a smile to prick her lips but remained silent.
Callie wanted to laugh, that small gesture looked as though it actually pained her.
"She's had a long day" Carlos offered by way of an explanation.
'No Daddy, she's just a spoilt little brat' Callie thought 'stop making excuses for her, you've been doing it her entire life and look what it's gotten you, a daughter so selfish that she doesn't consider anyone else's feelings besides her own. She plays you for a fool and you can't even recognise it'
"Night then, see you tomorrow" Callie said, shutting the car door behind her and breathing a sigh of relief.
The cool breeze of the evening nipped at her face, stinging her ears but she didn't care, the crisp night air was a refreshing contrast to the stifling humidity of her father's Maybach, she wasn't sure whether the car had been excessively over heated or rather it was her sister's overbearing presence that had caused the perceived rise in temperature. Either way, she was glad to be out, and from the soothed expression on Arizona's face, she was feeling the same.
"So this is your place?" Callie asked, gazing around at the tasteful lilac walls and modest art work.
"You sound surprised?" Arizona replied, tossing her jacket onto the kitchen counter.
"I guess I am, it's so…normal" Callie admitted.
"Why? What did you expect?"
"I dunno, a lot of pink, perhaps the odd fluffy pillow and sparkly throw, an assortment of gaudish cuddly toys, maybe holding hearts, you know, like an overly dressed valentine's card"
"Wow you've given that a lot of thought…sorry to disappoint" Arizona laughed.
"No, it's nice, really nice actually"
"Ok, enough with the surprise, I may spend a lot of my time with kids but that doesn't mean I want my home to look like a toy factory…" Arizona paused "…would be cool though…so do you want some form of sugary delight? Understandably you barely touched your dessert"
"No I'm good, kinda fooded out"
"Yeah…bit of a disaster wasn't it…are you ok?"
"Truthfully? I don't know, just feel… numb, these past couple of days have been…"
"Hell?" Arizona offered.
"I was going to say hard, but let's go with your word"
"It'll be alright you know"
"Swear?"
"I pinky promise" Arizona said, poking out her left pinky finger and waggling it.
Callie stared at her girlfriend's out stretched little finger with amusement, enjoying the way her lover's eyes twinkled in the lamp light.
"You're supposed to do the same" Arizona instructed.
"Umm, ok…"Callie said, linking Arizona's pinky finger with her own.
"Don't worry, pinky swears always come true, ask any one of my kids" she beamed.
"You base a lot of faith on make believe don't you?" Callie teased, stroking the inside of Arizona's wrist lovingly.
"Hey in my line of work you have to…besides, reality is for people who lack the power of imagination"
"Well you certainly have tons of that"
"Yep! What can I say, I'm a believer…"
"Next you'll be telling me that you believe in ghosts, psychics and aliens"
"I take it you don't?"
"I most certainly do not!" Callie snapped, with more muster than she had intended. She'd always had little patience for people who believed in such nonsense, who put their faith and more often than not, their hard earned cash, into searching for answers from the great beyond.
It disgusted her the way that these so called 'psychics' prayed upon the weak and vulnerable, draining their bank accounts, using nothing more than cold reading techniques and common sense intuition to provide vague answers for these desperate people, who were quite willing to accept any little crumb they were given as gospel truth; it was a complete and utter farce.
A few months ago she'd had a similar debate with Mark, who, like herself, was intelligent enough to know that such hocus pocus were the thing of fairytales. He had raised one provocative point though, having no religious affiliation of his own, he found it amusing that whilst Callie didn't believe in supernatural phenomena of any kind, she was still a Catholic.
He couldn't understand how someone who'd spent the last hour debunking psychic readings and alien conspiracy theories could believe in something that was in essence, a mirror image of everything she had just disputed. Callie was born and raised a Catholic and believed, despite all scientific theories to the contrary, in a higher power.
Her friend had challenged her religion, asking whether she would still have the same religious philosophy if it hadn't been forced upon her, if she had been given the freedom to decide for herself. If she was honest she knew that without her parents' guidance, she probably wouldn't, she was after all, a woman of science. Perhaps her belief in God was more out of comfort than anything else. She witnessed people die everyday, mothers, fathers, and children, all before their time, maybe she needed that hope, needed to believe that there was a reason behind all of it and that death wasn't the end, because the alternative was far too terrifying for her to process.
Mark had argued that this made her every bit as foolish and misguided as the people she had just disparaged; maybe he was right, but she had to believe that their was a difference, at least there was no price tag attached to her faith.
Callie pulled her thoughts back to the present.
"I don't either, not really…you have to admit though, the most compelling evidence for intellectual life on other plants is that they haven't made any effort to contact us yet" Arizona laughed.
"I never thought of it that way" Callie smiled.
"You tired?"
"I should be, but no, not really, brain feels wired, restless"
"Spazzy neurons" Arizona joked, circling Callie's waist with both arms.
"Hey! Did you just call me a spaz?" Callie said, pulling away in mock offence.
"No, I called your neurons spazzy…if you're not tired want to watch a movie, I'm sure you'll be thrilled at my vast selection"
"I very much doubt that" Callie said, casting her eyes sceptically across the living room at the full to bursting DVD rack.
"I'll make us some coffee…the decision is yours" Arizona replied.
Reluctantly Callie approached the pine storage unit, groaning audibly as she ran her eyes from left to right, scanning the titles. "You seriously have too much Disney, my teeth hurt at the prospect of having to sit through, what, five hundred hours of talking fish and cutesy deer?…"
"Hey! Nemo's a classic, you can't argue with a classic"
"Finding Nemo is not a classic Arizona, the word classic implies that it has stood the test of time…it was made in 2003….a Hitchcock movie, now that's a classic"
"Yes if you enjoy morbidly depressing, slit your wrist type viewing …why would anyone choose to watch some woman get sliced up when they could instead watch a movie about cute furry little animals"
"Because most adults aren't mentally eight"
"Well if that's what it means to be an adult, totally overrated, I'd much rather be like Peter Pan and stay in Neverland…which you might also notice I own the collector's addition of"
Callie couldn't help but smile in spite of herself, Arizona's adorable ramblings were infectious and incredibly sweet.
…and Bambi Arizona? Seriously?"
"Yeah that one was a huge mistake, I can't bring myself to sit through it again, once was enough, its too upsetting. What a horrible life lesson to teach a kid, act all nice and cute and your mother dies, I mean seriously!"
"I'd say it was a realistic lesson actually"
" …And don't get me started on the Lion King, sobbed my heart out" Arizona continued, ignoring Callie's cynicism.
" Umm…Arizona?"
"Yeah?"
"You've been holding out on me?"
"What?"
"Not all of your movies are as child friendly as they seem" Callie laughed, pulling one of the DVD's free and holding it up for Arizona to inspect. "…Big busty brunettes huh? I gotto say, I had you down for more of a classy porno watcher, but you know what they say, there's no accounting for taste"
It took Arizona several moments to register what Callie was saying. Abandoning her coffee duties, the realisation dawned on her.
"That's not mine" she wailed "Well, it is mine, technically, but I didn't buy it, I haven't watched it"
"Yeah yeah" Callie teased, holding the movie above her head, thwarting Arizona's feverish attempts to swipe it out of her hands.
"Honestly! It was a secret Santa present from Jill, a joke, I haven't watched it, I swear, see, the cellophane wrapper is still on, look"
"Still kept it though didn't you, coulda tossed it out"
"I…didn't…I…shut up!"
"You don't need to hide your secret fetish from me" Callie joked, enjoying the blonde's discomfort "…I'm just a little stunned that you thought it appropriate to store it between Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, sort of sends out disturbing mixed messages"
"I like to alphabetize…" Arizona replied meekly "…I really didn't buy it Calliope, ergh, I'm gunno kill Jill"
"So I'm guessing you don't wanna watch this one then" Callie asked, laughing so hard her chest hurt.
"You'd be guessing right" Arizona replied sulkily.
"Hey, I was only messing with you" Callie said, lifting Arizona's eyes to meet her own.
"Yeah, real hilarious"
"It was actually…I've never seen you panic before, it's sexy"
"Continue…" Arizona replied, crossing both arms.
"And hot…" Callie grinned, sliding the DVD back into its place on the shelf.
"And?..." Arizona pushed, a slight smile creeping slowly across her mouth.
"And…you were amazing at dinner, thank you" Callie swooned, kissing Arizona's lips tenderly.
"I didn't really do anything"
"Umm yeah you did, you charmed the pants off my father…figuratively speaking of course…and you didn't lose your tempter with my idiot sister the way that I did…so yeah…you were awesome"
"Well, awesome is my middle name…Arizona 'Awesome' Robbins, a nice ring to it don't you think?"
"I do…"
"So, you going to pick a movie that isn't R rated?"
"Already did" Callie replied, placing the limited addition of E.T. into Arizona's hands.
"Good choice" Arizona beamed.
"I must admit, I did enjoy this film, haven't watched it in years…Didn't have you down as a Spielberg fan though" Callie said, reading the movie synopsis.
"Yeah, he's freakin' awesome, my mum loves him, my dad, not so much! I'm a die hard Indie fan!"
"Lets go be invaded then" Callie said, kneeling beside the cosmos black DVD player.
"Nope…bed…" Arizona commanded, reaching out for Callie's hand and lifting her to her feet.
"Thought you wanted to watch a movie?" Callie asked questioningly.
"I do, in bed" Arizona replied, her adorable dimples popping in anticipation.
Entering Arizona's bedroom Callie smiled widely 'this is more like it' she thought. Although the subtle pastel lilac of the living room walls extended into the bedroom, the walls were adorned with an array of brightly coloured artwork; flowers, stick figures and badly executed animals, most with the words 'THANK YOU' scribbled in capitals beneath. Callie found the scene in front of her oddly comforting, yes the living room had been beautifully finished and elegant, but it could have been anyone's living space, this room however, seemed to reflect Arizona's personality a lot better.
"They have there own shelf" Callie commented, nodding her head in the direction of the familiar stuffed toys that they had won at the fair ground.
"Of course, they get pride of place…I still need to find a good spot for Mr Gimpy" Arizona said, sliding the movie into the player and pulling back the pale pink silk bed sheets invitingly.
"What no Disney bed covers?" Callie mocked.
"Nope, my Nemo sheets are in the wash" Arizona joked.
Callie shot her an alarming glare.
"Geez, I'm just kidding…" Arizona laughed "…they don't do them in king size" she added, nudging Callie playfully "Mr Gimpy will be alright at yours tonight won't he? Your roommate won't murder him while he sleeps will she?"
"Do fish sleep?"
"Not quite the reassuring answer I was looking for"
"What? Oh, no, don't worry he'll be fine, she doesn't even know we got a new fish" Callie answered absentmindedly.
Arizona smiled.
"What?" Callie asked.
"I like that you said 'we', I like that we are a 'we', I like it a lot!"
"Me too" Callie replied, returning the smile gently.
Getting into bed beside Arizona, Callie groaned in pleasure "This bed is heaven"
"Yeah, it was super expensive, I bought it during my residency, took me months to save for…but it was worth every penny, a well rested surgeon is a more efficient one"
"Uh huh" Callie murmured, propping herself up against one of Arizona's lavish pillows. "Oh my god…" she moaned.
"I know right, memory foam magic" Arizona said, clicking play on the remote.
"Nice flowers…" Callie said, noticing the framed sunflower painting above Arizona's small flat screen "…your kids must really love you"
"Hey!" Arizona exclaimed.
"What?"
"A kid didn't paint that, I did"
"Oh…it's really umm, good" Callie said, trying to bite back the smile that was threatening to form.
"I thought it was"
"It is" Callie said, trying to hide her smile behind her hand.
"You thought a child painted it!" Arizona whined.
"I didn't say I didn't like it"
"I took an evening class and everything" Arizona pouted.
"I hope you asked for your money back…or did they just give you a refund when they saw the results?" Callie joked.
"Not nice" Arizona said, swiping the pillow out from behind Callie "…no magic memory foam for you" she sulked.
"Oh come on, I'm kidding, I love it, I do, I especially like how you stayed within the lines" she teased.
"Do you want to lose the covers too?" Arizona threatened, hugging Callie's pillow to her chest.
Callie howled with laughter, even when Arizona was angry she was still so cute.
"Ok, so I'm not the most talented artist, we can't all be amazing at everything, I have to leave some skills for other people, I'm not selfish"
"Can I have my pillow back now?" Callie asked, regaining her composure and batting her eyelids seductively.
"Sexy eyes will not work"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"I guess I'll just have to use one of my other, ergh, talents" Callie said, tugging the pillow from Arizona's arms and placing her body on top of the blonde.
"Won't work" Arizona said defiantly.
"Ok" Callie grinned, brushing Arizona's hair away from her neck and trailing her full lips along its length.
"Not working" Arizona said with a shiver.
Callie smiled, confident that whilst Arizona's mouth said one thing, her body was responding in quite another way. Swirling her tongue around Arizona's ear, she sucked purposefully on the small lobe, eliciting involuntary gasps of pleasure.
Arizona's body pressed up into Callie's, the intoxicating smell of her lover's perfume filling her nostrils and clouding her senses, making her giddy. She knew that her resolve had well and truly crumbled but she didn't care, all she could think about and all she could feel was the heady sensation of Calliope's soft lips exploring her delicate skin.
'So this is what heaven feels like' she thought.
(Please leave me a review if you get the chance so i know what you guys think...pretty please with cherries and sprinkles :) Spolier: things are going to get a little rough but keep reading, there is lots of fluffy and funny to come, i pinky swear hee hee)
