Title: Dreaming
Author: gabs88
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Summary: Callie and Arizona are barely a month into their relationship. It's becoming everything they could have ever wanted. What could possibly change that?
Rating: T. Sorry. That sorry has been there awhile. I'll leave it though...sorry.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to ABC/Shonda Rhimes. The story is mine.
Note: You're all awesome. That is all.

chapter Twenty Eight
Decisions

Callie was walking circles in the carpet of her and Marks living room.

Teddy sat on the couch, still a little drunk, cross legged and watching her walk around and around, looking slightly dizzy.

Callie had fled Arizona's, there was no other word for it. She had completely and utterly fled. She'd run down the stairs and pulled her phone out, texting Teddy to meet her at her and Marks straight away, and to leave without making it obvious. She'd then text Mel, saying she was sorry but she wasn't feeling great and had gone home.

And now she was pacing, feeling angry, confused and guilty, unable to put it into words to share with her inebriated friend.

After the fifth minute of wordless pacing, her phone beeped in her pocket again.

Mel.

Are you sure you don't want me to come over?

Callie stopped dead and sighed.

No, really, it's okay. I don't want to make you sick, too. I'm sorry to abandon you with people you don't really know.

She hated lying. Absolutely hated it.

She looked at Teddy helplessly, her phone hanging uselessly in her hand. Teddy just looked at her and blinked, taking a sip from the water bottle Callie had thrust at her as she'd entered the apartment, smelling like a brewery.

"Do you have straw?"

Callie looked at her like she was insane, "For your water bottle?"

Teddy nodded adamantly, "It'll sober me up."

Callie raised her eyebrows, but wandered into the kitchen. Her phone beeped again and she read the message as she blindly searched a drawer for a straw and took it over to Teddy.

Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself! Owen and I are bonding over diving and Jaime said she was going to join for a pint-which we both know means shots and a four am finish. Drink lots of water x

It bleeped again.

You're a doctor, so you probably know that. It's just the only health advice I know of ;)

Callie smiled and stared at her phone, then groaned and dropped it on the couch, resuming her pacing and starting to rant. In Spanish.

Teddy's eyes widened as she dropped the straw through the neck of the bottle and happily sucked at it.

She didn't speak Spanish. She watched as Callie made another lap. She was way to drunk for this. She thought of a solution, and pulled out her phone to send a text.

Not a minute later, she heard Marks door open and close as he walked through and sat next to her on the couch, shirtless. He watched the mess pace in front of him, gabbling in Spanish and throwing her hands around. He looked at Teddy, who was now staring at him.

"What the hell's happened to her?"

She squinted at him, "How did you get here so fast?!"

He looked at her like she was the stupidest person on the planet, "I was in my room, Altman."

She suddenly grinned, "Oh! That makes more sense." She sipped her water, looking back at Callie then back to Mark, "She told me to come over. I did. And now she won't stop doing this." She waved her hand in the direction of Callie.

Mark watched for another lap, then rolled his eyes and stood up, blocking Callie by grabbing her shoulders and speaking loudly, "Hey! Stop speaking Spanish! Because I have Lexie in the other room with less clothes on than me, and I don't speak Spanish!"

Callie stopped and blinked at him.

"When did you get here?"

"In the middle of this insane rant."

He went and flopped down next to Teddy, who was smiling at both of them, lips wrapped around her straw again.

Callie swung around and faced them.

The looked up at her from the couch, expectant.

"Arizona kissed me."

They nodded, not saying a word.

"I'm seeing someone."

They nodded again.

"Shouldn't you be outraged?"

They looked at each other then back up at Callie.

"Or surprised?"

They shrugged as one.

Mark spoke, "Not really surprising, Torres."

Teddy shook her head, "Nope."

Callie swallowed heavily, "But I'm with some one. A really, really nice, good person someone."

Mark and Teddy looked at each other again, then turned back to Callie. Mark spoke, almost carefully, "We like Mel. She's been really good for you."

Teddy added, "But Arizona and you have a history, it's written all over the two of you every time you talk." She sipped her water again, speaking around her straw, "It's kind of gross."

Callie looked at them helplessly, "So what do I do?"

They shrugged again.

"Really guys, this is great, thanks."

Mark crossed his arms and leant back into the couch, making himself comfortable, "What's stopping you going to Arizona?"

"Uh-well, Mel. And..." Callie trailed off, confused.

"And what?"

"I'm with someone." Callie added lamely.

Teddy raised her eyebrows, "I'm drunk and even I can tell you were going to say something else."

Callie swallowed and flopped down onto the floor, leaning her elbows on the coffee table and looking up at them, "And, I don't know, I thought maybe Arizona might leave. Again."

Mark looked at her, "But?"

"Well, I don't think she is leaving. Or, well, she'd stay. For me."

Teddy cocked her head at her, "What makes you sure of that now?"

"She pretty much said as much. And more."

Mark smirked, "So she finally broke."

Callie looked at him, confused, "What?"

"Robbins. It's been so obvious."

Teddy looked at him, "Duh."

He shrugged at her. Teddy looked back to Callie, "What else she say?"

"Uh, just...stuff. Intense, stuff. That I never thought would come out of Arizona's mouth."

Teddy grinned, "What you say back?"

"I left."

Mark let out a bark of laughter and Teddy threw her hands up in the air and dropped back against the couch.

Callie shrugged, "I-I couldn't stay. I'm seeing someone." They both just stared at her, watching her try and figure it out. She didn't get any further.

Mark sighed and decided to help her on a little, "Well, clearly Robbins is staying."

Callie nodded, "Or will, for me."

"So it's Mel that's stopping you."

Callie nodded.

Silence settled over them as they both looked at Callie who looked back at them helplessly.

Teddy rolled her eyes and Mark sighed again, speaking, "I'm gonna ask it again-how do you feel now, after a couple of months with Mel, compared to how you did after four weeks with Arizona? Or, hell, after her kissing you tonight?"

Callie looked even more helpless.

Mark suddenly slapped his hands on to his thighs, sitting up straight, "Well. I'm going to let you stew on that one a while. My lady awaits." He went to stand.

Teddy suddenly grinned.

Callie glared at her, "What, Teddy? What is possibly funny?"

"How do your words taste?"

"Huh?"

Mark was standing, smirking. Teddy put on a mimicking voice, "Naw, poor Callie, two hot women wanting you at once."

Callie's glare intensified.

"You guys are really, really shit friends." She dropped her chin into her palm, elbows still on the coffee table, "I'm just saying."

They grinned at her. Mark even laughed, now standing behind the couch, he leant his palms on it, "We're awesome."

Callie groaned and threw herself back on to the ground, flopping a forearm over her eyes dramatically.

They both just watched her.

"She'll get there." Mark whispered to Teddy, turning and heading to his bedroom.

Teddy nodded, returning to her water.

She really shouldn't have gone to the bar early with Owen. Now she was headed to water overload and was still drunk.

####

Arizona turned up to work the next day in business mode. So what if she'd poured her heart out to a woman yesterday, and her response was to flee her apartment?

Callie was seeing someone.

Arizona had crossed a line.

So now, she was going to show up, give Callie a hell of a lot of space, and just work. Her hair was in braids, ready for a full day of surgery, she was already in her scrubs: she was set. She'd round, smile politely if she saw Callie, then throw herself into saving tiny humans.

She needn't have hyped herself up so badly. Callie had either called in sick or was on a rostered day off, because Arizona didn't see her once.

Or the next day.

It wasn't until the third day after that Arizona was walking around the corner towards one of the nurses stations that she looked up from the chart she was reading and tried to make herself not stop dead, and instead slowed down to a ridiculously slow walk-how that was better than just stopping flat was beyond her, but it felt like it was.

Callie was standing at the desk, an intern next to her with six charts piled into his arms. Callie was laughing at something someone had said and Arizona felt her palms go sweaty at the smile that lit up her face.

She had kissed those lips three days ago.

She plastered a friendly smile on her face just as Callie looked across and saw her coming down the hallway. Their eyes locked for a split second before Callie turned to the nurse she'd been laughing with, said something, then turned and walked away, intern scampering after her.

Shit.

####

Mark handed Callie a coffee.

"You can't avoid her forever."

She took the coffee, "I know that, Mark."

"I don't really get why you are, either-hey!" He yelled the last bit as Teddy grabbed his coffee and took a long sip.

Teddy handed it back to him and raised her eyebrows when he glared at the lipstick mark on the lid then back at her, "What? I know I said I didn't want one, but then it looked good." She turned back to Callie, "You're going to need to talk to her, you know."

"I know that!"

"It's been four days."

"I was on days off. Two of those don't count."

"Why are you avoiding her, anyway?"

Callie sipped her coffee and glared at both of them, "I need to figure this out. Properly."

Teddy slid her hands into her lab coat pockets, leaning against the wall next to the elevators and raising her eyebrows, "I thought you had."

"I have, mostly. And I've done what I need to do. But I just-" Callie looked at them, irritated, "I'm just taking a few days, okay?"

They looked at each other, then back to Callie.

She glared at them, "You two spend too much time together."

"We spend too much time together listening to your dramatic love life."

"I still maintain yours is more dramatic, Teddy."

Teddy just shrugged and smiled at her.

####

Five days on, and Arizona could no longer pretend to herself that Callie wasn't avoiding her.

Standing at the coffee cart waiting for her dose of caffeine, she felt someone slide up next to her. She turned to find Teddy standing there, smiling. The last time she'd done that, she'd been incredibly inebriated. This time, she just looked friendly.

Arizona couldn't help but feel a bit better, "Teddy, hey. How are you?"

Teddy grinned, bouncing on her feet, "Really good, actually. How are you?"

Arizona nodded, her smile not faltering, "Yeah. good. How goes the man drama?" She reached forward and took her coffee from the attendant with a smile of thanks. Teddy ordered her coffee and turned back to Arizona.

"Man drama?"

"Hotty husband vs hotty boyfriend?"

Teddy grimaced, "Oh, right, I over shared with you when I was drunk."

Arizona laughed, "I enjoyed it."

"So did I, actually." Teddy smiled at her, "You made me realise something with your boundary question. Hotty husband is now the hotty boyfriend." Teddy's smile got even wider.

"Teddy!" Arizona couldn't help the delight in her voice, "That's awesome."

"It's really awesome."

Arizona laughed, "So, tell me all about it?"

She stood and laughed with Teddy, listening to her outline of how Henry-because apparently hotty husband actually had a name-had become more than a husband for convenience. She wrapped her hands around her takeaway mug and resisted the urge to ask about Callie, conscious that this was one of Callie's best friends and she couldn't over step that line.

Alone again and walking up the stairs, coffee cup in hand, Arizona made a decision she'd been sitting on a few days.

She'd told Callie they couldn't be friends. But she had to work with her, had to see her every day and, in all honesty, if Callie had decided she wanted to be with Mel, then Arizona had to suck it up and be friends with her.

Because, really , there was no way she could not have Calliope Torres in her life.

She couldn't have her how she wanted to, so Arizona needed to pull her head out of her ass and get over it, so they could be friends.

She exited on the fourth level to walk across the cat walk and headed towards the bridge slowly, finishing the remnants of her coffee.

She'd obviously come back expecting something from Callie. She hadn't even realised she had until she'd seen her with Mel when she'd stepped off that van. And now, she needed to readjust her expectations, she needed to get some space and come back without the expectations she'd arrived with last time and then she could suck it up and be Callies friends.

She reached the Chiefs door and knocked.

"Come in."

She pushed the door open and walked through, standing in front of the chief, smiling.

"Robbins, more clinic talk?"

"Kind of, Chief."

He gestured to the chair in front of the desk and she slid into it, flicking her nail against the white plastic lid of her take away cup.

The chief leant back in his chair, his hands linked and resting on his stomach.

"Well?" He raised an eyebrow at her, "What is it?"

She cleared her throat, "I know I've not been back for long, but I think I may be needed back at the clinic for a few weeks."

He looked at her, waiting for her to go on.

"The new surgeon there, Waters, is going to be having a lot to do with the kids we had over here, and mid next week we'll be sending the last two back. I was thinking I could go ahead of them, on the Monday, and hand over properly, be there when all the kids are back. There's a few cases coming in, and some rostering and finance issues, too, that Waters will need some help with."

The chief just nodded.

"If I were to go back for maybe three weeks, I could get it all settled? I left quite quickly before. And then when I got back I shouldn't be needed for at least a few months."

Webber appraised her for a few moments, then nodded, "Okay. It's good timing, really."

Arizona looked surprised, "Really? I'm only giving you three days warning."

"Well, Starks contract is up in two weeks. When you get back, you can slide properly in to that role and settle in. I'd rather you did this now then in a few weeks. Get it all sorted and get back to do this job properly."

Arizona sat up straighter, "Okay."

He sat up and went to go back to the paperwork he'd obviously been in the middle of, looking up at her as he leant over it, "I want this clinic to be in working condition if we're going to start sending our surgeons over there."

Arizona grinned, "Yes, sir."

She got up and left the office, letting out a long breath.

She was definitely getting better at facing authority figures

And in three days, she'd head back to Africa for a few weeks, throw herself in to the clinic, get her head straight and come back ready to be Callies friend and to actually move on.

Then maybe she'd buy a cat.

####

Two days later, Arizona was packed (again), had her ticket and passport sitting on top of her suitcase near her door, and had just been paged in to assist Karev with a nasty bowel obstruction. She'd been on a call to Waters, his relief that she was returning the next day apparent even over the phone. She really had left with minimal warning, and the man needed some training in some of the further aspects of running the clinic. In short, he was kind of drowning and asked, half joking, if she could even fly in that night. She'd laughed and told him she'd be there the next day, her pager going off. She had hung up with promises she'd be on the plane tomorrow to sort everything out and that he didn't need to worry.

And then she'd made her way to surgery with Karev.

She grinned at him as they scrubbed out, "Wanted to spend time with me before I fly out for three weeks, Karev?"

He rolled his eyes, "Dude, you were just the lesser of two evils."

She laughed, "You so wanted to hang with me."

He grunted at her and walked out, throwing a "Fly safe" over his shoulder.

"Or whatever," She muttered under her breath. Thankfully, he didn't hear her.

She dried her hands and walked out, wandering down the hallway. It was only four in the afternoon, she didn't fly out until nine am the next day, and she was packed and all good to go. She considered finding someone to go have a drink with her when she exited the theatre wing and saw Callie's back ahead of her, turning in to an on call room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Arizona stopped dead, no one there to judge the movement this time, and hovered, paused on a decision for a moment. She almost hovered, unsure.

She could just go, for three weeks, and come back refreshed and moved on and ready to be Callie's friend. Or she could go in and say the mini speech she'd had prepared to say if Callie ever stopped avoiding her.

She bit her bottom lip and finally moved forward before she could stop herself. She didn't even hesitate at the on call room, a bold move in this hospital, and she wrapped her knuckles once on the door before pushing it open, slipping through the doorway and pushing the door shut behind her.

She stood, hands behind her back, resting on the doorknob, leaning back against them, and looked at Callie, wide eyed on her back on one of the beds, hands folded under her head.

Callie raised her eyebrows at Arizona-the woman looked ready to bolt. She sat up and sat on the edge of her bed, elbows resting on her knees, hands clasped between them, looking at Arizona with interest.

"Okay." Arizona nodded her head, "I had no right to say any of that. I agreed we would just be friends. I'm sorry."

Callie looked at her, her head tilted to one side, saying nothing.

"I-I scared you off. Talking about kids and a house. And you're seeing someone. I can be friends. We can be friends. I'd rather you be in my life, Callie, even just as friends, than not at all."

Callie blinked, head still tilted. She didn't say a word. Arizona was on a roll.

"I'll be off to Africa all the time. It'll be fine. We can be friends. I can even be friends with your girlfriend, I'm sure. She seems nice." Arizona leant back even heavier against her hands, the doorknob pressing into her back, "Though, uh, if she breaks up with you, I consider you fair game."

Callie finally laughed.

Arizona closed her mouth sheepishly.

Callie stood up, "I walked out because I'm not a cheater."

Arizona took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment before opening them, saying "I know, and I'm so-"

"Arizona, shut up."

Arizona closed her mouth.

Callie took a step forward, "I'm not a cheater. I left because I would've cheated. I told myself it was for other reasons, but really, it's because, well," Callie gave a small laugh, "The feel of you? I would've cheated if I stayed."

Arizona nodded. She swallowed heavily. "Maybe we can't be friends."

Callie shook her head, "No, we can't."

Arizona's face went unreadable. She tilted her chin, setting her jaw, "That's okay, Callie. We can avoid each other. I'll be away a lot."

Callie took another step forward, shaking her head, "We can't be friends."

Arizona's expression remained unreadable, she made her self smile, standing straighter, no longer pressed against the door, "I know. I agree. I'm going to Africa tomorrow for three weeks. It'll give me some space, and I'll come back and-"

Callie, who had been taking another step forward, paused and a look of disbelief crossed her face, "You're going to Africa tomorrow?"

Arizona nodded, confused at the look on Callies face, "Uh-yeah?"

Callie shook her head and laughed.

Arizona raised her eyebrows at her. Callie was actually laughing? "That's funny? Or my being friend zoned by you is funny?"

Callie stepped forward into Arizona's space. Arizona's eyes widened and she went to take a step backwards, to press herself against the door again, Callie's hand on her wrist stopping her.

"It's pretty funny. Why do you always leave for Africa at really inconvenient times?"

Arizona, confused, tilted her head slightly, just looking at her.

Callie smiled softly, letting go of her wrist and bring her hand up to the back of Arizona's neck.

"I left the other night because I'm not a cheater. I-I couldn't be with Mel, and have that happen. I've had it done to me, it doesn't feel good. I went to your house to say pretty much what you just said to me now, that we couldn't be friends-it was too hard. Then you said all that stuff-and it all kind of, clicked." Callie tilted her head again, "You're back for good."

Arizona nodded.

"And if I stayed, well, I would've cheated."

Arizona looked confused.

"I ended it with Mel the next night."

Arizona blinked.

"I needed some time-a few days, you know? To think. To have that relationship be over. It wasn't an easy one to end, and Mel deserved better than being cheated on."

Arizona licked her lips, suddenly dry, and just blinked at her again.

Callie smiled, almost laughing again, "And I was going to come to your place tomorrow night, to tell you. To ask if you wanted to see a movie, or get dinner, or-or something more romantic than that." Callie took a final step forward, hand still resting against Arizona's neck, thighs pressed together, other palm pressed to the door, "Because Arizona, it's always been you."

Arizona swallowed, her smile wide as her words sunk in. Callie was looking at her so softly, her eyes, so expressive, didn't falter from her own. She reached both her hands up, oblivious to the door handle once again jabbing into her back, and grabbed a hold of the lapels of Callie's lab coat, pulling her to her.

No one held back this time. Their lips tugged at each others, tongues traced and sought entrance. Teeth grazed sensitive flesh, thighs slipped between each other, heat radiated between them and they lost themselves in a kiss that felt more overdue than anything else had in their lives before.

It slowed, gradually, both breathless, to end with a final small press of their lips. Callie pulled back slightly, Arizona seemingly unable to do so, and rest their foreheads together, Arizona's hands crushed between them, still gripping her lab coat.

Callie actually laughed once more, her voice slightly hoarse, "And now you're going to Africa tomorrow. Again."

Arizona pressed her lips to Callie's once more, before her own laughter joined hers.

Because really, that was just ridiculous.

####