A/N - Hey guys, I know. Back with another update after years out? What madness is this?! Anyway. This is quite Callie centred. There's also some time jumping. I feel like I'm going to do more of that as I continue. I have an idea of how I want this story to end, I just need to start wrapping things up. Hope you continue to enjoy their story.
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Previously….
"You have got to be kidding me" Arizona groaned as she realised the sounds were coming from their 2 friends in the room next door. "Seriously? Why did we get a room next door to them? I don't want to listen to this all night." She started to lift herself but the arm wrapped around her waist held her in place.
"I guess were going to have to just drown the sounds out with our own." With that she plunged 2 fingers inside the blonde, immediately generating the first of many primal screams that evening.
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Chapter 48
Finishing stirring the liquid in both mugs, Callie place the spoon in the sink before picking up one of the full mugs and bringing it to her mouth. She blew on the drink before taking a careful sip. "Mmm" she moaned in approval. She had a feeling this would be the first of several strong coffees that morning if she was going to make it though the day.
As she wandered over to the window on the other side of the kitchen, a yawn crept up on her, forcing her head back and her mouth to open wide. She glanced at her watch. 05:22am. Yep, this was definitely going to be the first of many caffeine boosts. "Babe, you better get a move on. They'll be here in a minute."
"Ok, Miss bossy boots" came the reply from the bedroom.
Callie rolled her eyes and took a longer sip of her hot drink while she continued to wait for her girlfriend. Strangely, it had been Callie that had peeled herself from their bed first this morning and having not gone off to sleep until near on 1am, the struggle had been real.
There was ofcourse good reason for the 5am alarm clock. Addison was heading back to England this morning and her friends wanted to be there to see her off. Although they'd had the best couple of weeks together, there was an air of sadness as the red heads day of departure had arrived. The 4 of them had gone out for a final goodbye meal lastnight and though they had tried to hide it, the impending separation had caused a dampened demeanour between Teddy and Addison.
"You know you can still see eachother often" Arizona had said. "You can work on flights over to England on a more regular basis" she'd told her friend. It was true ofcourse and Addison had implied how much she'd enjoy that.
Callie and Arizona had headed home by 9, leaving the other 2 to enjoy one last night together. They'd only been back in Missouri a couple of days but the break had reached its end and it was time to get back to reality. Callie's own flight back over to Seattle was later this afternoon and the thought of going back to that life filled her with sheer dread. She had so many loose ends to tie up over the next few weeks but at the end of the day, it was all going to be worth it.
The Latina was pulled from her thoughts as Arizona wandered into the kitchen. She glanced at her watch again. 05:27am. "It's about time, lazy bones."
"Coffee" Arizona mumbled, shuffling over to the fresh coffee on the bench. A hoarse moan left her throat in between sips. All the while, an amused Callie watched her from the other side of the room. "This is your fault, Calliope."
"Me?" Callie feigned innocence, bringing a hand to her chest. "I thought you were a morning person?"
"I am.." the blonde replied. "..but you destroyed me lastnight. My body is exhausted."
Laughing, Callie took a few long swings of her coffee and pushed herself off the counter. Walking over towards the blonde, who was leant up against the sink, she poured the remnants of her drink down the drain and left the mug in the sink. Her arms came up around her girlfriends neck. "You weren't complaining lastnight" she replied. "Infact, I'm pretty sure you kept asking me for more."
"Because I'm insatiable and you are like a drug" the blonde exclaimed. "I cant get enough. Just like this coffee." She brought the mug to her mouth, taking several big gulps to show her point.
"You're my drug too." Leaning in, Callie softly brought their lips together. Before the kiss could be deepened, there was a knock at the door. "I guess that's our cue."
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Cutting off the engine to her car, Arizona inhaled then exhaled a breath theatrically. "For a day off, I sure have spent alot of time at work today" she said, looking over to the entrance of departures. Her gaze shifted to the Latina in the passenger seat. Yet again she was having to say goodbye to the woman she loved and for how long, she wasn't sure. They didn't have any more trips back or forth planned and she knew the next few weeks were going to be hectic for Callie. The Latina was going to be moving her whole life across state and that wasn't a simple task.
The thing that bothered Arizona most was that Callie was returning to the home she shared with her ex girlfriend. Yes, she knew she didn't have to worry but still, she would be living with her ex for the next few weeks and she couldn't help but feel a tad bit jealous. Would Erica try to make the move more difficult? Would she guilt trip Callie? Perhaps ask her once again to try and make another go of it? She mentally shook her head to try and expel the ridiculous thoughts from her mind.
Having been picked up by Teddy early that morning, they arrived in good time to get Addison through check in. It had been a tearful goodbye, more so for Addison who felt like she'd shared a special bond with her friends in America and was sad to be leaving.
Once the red head had gone through to departures, the other 3 headed back home. Teddy had come back to Arizona's for an hour or so before saying she was going home for more sleep, leaving the 2 of them to grab an early lunch before they headed back up to the airport for Callie's flight.
"It never gets easier, does it?" Callie placed the side of her head against the head rest, looking over to the blonde.
"Nope." Arizona mirrored Callie's pose. "I think what makes it worse this time is that it'll probably be weeks before we get a chance to see eachother again."
Callie nodded sadly. "I know." Her had came up to rest on Arizona's thigh. "Maybe you could sneak a day or 2 over to see me? I'm sure Cristina would let us stay at her place again."
"We'll work something out. July can't come quick enough. I know how busy you're going to be for a while and I don't want to distract you."
"Are you kidding me? You're the best kind of distraction and if I don't get my fill of you then these next few weeks will drag to hell." She leant over, bringing their lips together. Arizona's hand came up to grip the back of Callie's neck, savouring the feeling for just a little longer. Pulling back slightly, Callie rested her forehead against the one in front. "July will be here before you know it and I'll be back over here for good."
"Oh, I didn't mean July cant come quick enough for your move, I meant because its my birthday." Arizona replied, her eyes twinkling as a grin worked its way onto her lips.
Callie laughed, moving back into her seat. "How could I forget? You've mentioned it at least once a day for the last 2 weeks. You're like a big kid."
"I cant help it. It's a day all about me." Her hand reached over and took a hold of the Latina's. Lacing their fingers together, she looked into brown eyes. "This is going to be the best birthday I've ever had because you, moving in with me, is the greatest gift I could ever ask for."
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It was no surprise to Callie that when they neared Seattle, rain had once again lashed against the side of the plane. This weather was definitely not something she was going to miss when she left. As the plane had made its decent, she'd mulled over whether or not she'd actually miss anything about her life in Seattle. She'd made friends there. Mark and Cristina being her closest. She'd definitely miss them but she hoped that this wouldn't be the end of their friendship. Cristina was always flying around for different events so it wasn't out of the question that she'd turn up in Missouri every now and again.
She wouldn't miss her job. Although it had had its ups and downs, her new job was promising to completely overshadow her work at Daily Scoop.
Then there was Erica. The woman that had brought her over here in the first place. She'd let herself digress back several years ago when she'd first made the move. She'd been happy, in love and her life had been on an all time high. The older woman had meant so much to her.
Ofcourse, over the years their feelings had dwindled until in a way, they were merely just existing alongside eachother. Would she miss Erica? The woman had been her first real love and they say you always remember your first.
Yes, a part of the Latina would miss the older woman. She'd been a good friend aswell as a girlfriend over the years and she'd never forget that.
Her mind then drifted to Arizona. Her feelings for the woman in Missouri were so strong. It had been an instant attraction from the moment she laid eyes on her photo in that thread. She couldn't wait to move over there and officially start their life together. The thing was, would her feelings for Arizona also dwindle over the years? Once the honeymoon period was over and they'd been together a few years.
No, she couldn't imagine that. Though she realised circumstances seemed vaguely similar, this relationship was completely different to the one she'd shared with Erica. She'd learned so much in the past few years, like her mom had said. She knew now more than ever what she wanted and a life with Arizona in Missouri with a good job to go to everyday was exactly what she wanted. It's what she needed.
And in less than 6 weeks, that's exactly what she was going to have.
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"Hey you."
Callie smiled as the message came up mere seconds after she logged into skype. Bringing her fingers to the keyboard, she typed out her reply. "Hey yourself. Hows things?"
"I'm bored and lonely…" came the quick reply. "…and this bed feels too big without you in it."
"Is that because you're so used to me being sprawled out, taking up almost all the mattress?"
"Exactly. It's not just the bed but my whole apartment feels empty when you go now."
"It wont be long, baby. Pretty soon you'll be sick of the sight of me."
"I very much doubt that, Calliope."
"Video call?"
"Sure. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to."
Instead of typing, Callie clicked to start up a video call with the blonde. In the few seconds she waited for Arizona to accept, she plugged in her headset, adjusting the mic to her mouth. "Hey beautiful" she smiled once the blondes face came up on the screen.
"Hey cutie."
"There's no one home. I guess Erica and Jack have gone out for the evening."
"That's good. Means you got to unpack and relax without any awkward conversations" the blonde replied.
"Yea, I put my laundry in as soon as I got back. Figured I should get it all done before I go back to work tomorrow. How was Teddy?"
"We went out for that jog once she woke up from her nap. I think it helped a little. It's gona take a while for her to get her head around what happened in the last 2 weeks. Who knows, maybe it'll end up just being a holiday romance."
"I'm not so sure" Callie replied. "But it's up to them how they want to play this. All we can do is be there for them and offer advice."
"I know. I count my lucky stars you were just across a few states and not over in Europe. It would have made things so much harder." She stared lovingly at the screen. "Oh, I spoke to my mom earlier. She says hi by the way." Callie smiled down the camera. "She thinks I should look into getting compensation for that crash. What do you think?"
A soft knock at Callie's door pulled her attention from the screen. "Come in." she shouted, casting a quick glance at Arizona and her furrowed eyebrows.
The bedroom door opened and Erica slid her head into the room. "Hi Callie. I saw the laundry hanging up and figured you were back."
"Hi. Yea, I got back a couple of hours ago. Have you been out with Jack?"
Erica nodded, opening the door a bit wider. "Yea. We went for dinner and then onto the movies."
Callie smiled, genuinely pleased that the blonde and her son were getting out and about together. "That sounds like a good night."
The older woman hesitated in the doorway, wanting to talk with Callie but she'd heard her speaking before she'd knocked and figured she was skyping with someone. Presumably Arizona. "Perhaps we can talk at some point this week?"
The Latina nodded. "Yea, we have things we need to talk about so maybe tomorrow after work?"
"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow then." She began to back out of the room. "Goodnight Callie."
"Night." As the door clicked shut, Callie looked back at the screen. "Sorry about that" she told the blonde. She noticed the sadness in the blue eyes looking back at her. "Heyyy, really. I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can do at the minute. I need to talk with her. We have the house and all the bills to sort out over the next few weeks. I'm going to have to get a lawyer and everything." She lowered her voice. "I need to keep her on side or it'll make everything so much more difficult."
A small pout was on display through the laptop. "I know" Arizona finally responded. "I'm sorry for being sulky. I just.." She paused, not quite sure how to put her feelings into words.
"I know Arizona." Callie cut in. "I get it. If it was the other way around and you were still living with your ex, I'd hate it. Like reallllllly hate it. I just need you to understand that its only temporary, Ok? Can you do that for me?"
Not wanting to create another burden for Callie to carry around with her, Arizona softly nodded, smiling reassuringly down the webcam. "Ofcourse I can, Calliope. I admit it makes me feel a bit…weird, you being back there with Erica, but it is what it is. I just cant wait to have you over here, all to myself."
"Me too baby. Me too."
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Driving home the next evening, Callie was going through in her head how to approach her conversation with Erica. Emotions would undoubtedly be running on a high once again and the thought of that made her want to drop everything and hot foot it back over to Missouri, everything else be damned.
Her first day back at work after her time off had gone pretty well. She'd been greeted by a large bouquet of colourful flowers atop her desk. Spotting a grinning Mark as she'd approached, she first assumed they were from him. On closer inspection however, it turned out they were from her thoughtful girlfriend."Taste the rainbow - Let the countdown begin. Love You, A xx" the card had read. Clearly Mark had read the card and wanted to know exactly what taste the rainbow had meant. Its obviously something dirty he'd exclaimed. She'd recalled the flight they'd taken over from Missouri to Seattle where Arizona had informed her they'd been the victim of a "gay drive by" when Teddy had showered them with skittles.
It had been good to see the sports writer again and catch him up on everything that happened last week, including the meet up with her parents. She couldn't help but think of how useful it could have been had she confided in him years ago. He was proving to be a real confidant to her. Yes, she was definitely going to miss the guy.
Not long after lunch, she's had a meeting with Richard who wanted to know how long she intended to continue working there and also divulge to her more details of her job at Sports Illustrated. Apparently her new boss was a fiery woman. Not the kind of person you want to be on the wrong side of. Richard had known her since she as a child, having been her fathers childhood best friend. As long as she was punctual and got her work done however, there was no reason to worry.
The afternoon had been spent catching up on emails and organising what events to travel to over the next few days. She hadn't spoken to Arizona since her morning text, thanking her for the flowers. The blonde had been getting ready to travel to Las Vegas later that day and was scheduled to stay there a couple of nights.
Pulling up outside the house, Callie noted Erica's car already there. Giving herself a small pep talk, she took a breath and got out of the car. Coming in through the front door, a familiar smell attacked her senses. Going to the kitchen there was Erica, stirring something in one of two pans on the hob.
Hearing movement in the doorway, Erica turned. "Oh, hey Cal. I hope you're hungry. I've made my mom's bolognaise recipe. Thought you'd enjoy it."
The Latina smiled in the doorway though felt slightly awkward that her ex was still wanting to cook meals for her. Especially one that Erica knew had been one of Callie's favourites over the years. "I had a feeling that's what I could smell when I came in" she replied, stepping into the room. "Thanks."
"Take a seat, its just about ready."
Callie did as instructed, watching as the blonde went about dishing out their meal. "Is Jack around?"
"No. He's out with friends for the night. He's really settled back in here. It's good to see him happier."
The Latina nodded, remembering how unhappy the guy had been in his marriage. Very much how she herself had felt. "I'm happy for him. He's giving himself a fresh start." Food dished out, Erica turned and placed a full plate in front of the Latina as well as one for herself on the opposite side of the kitchen table. "This looks great Erica. Thank you."
"Don't mention it" the blonde replied. "Would you like some wine?"
She was originally going to decline but thought perhaps a little liquid courage would help with the impending conversation. "Yea, why not."
Wine poured, they began to tuck into their meal. Erica watched with delight as Callie quickly lifted forkful after forkful into her mouth. "So, while were on the subject of Jack…" Erica started. "…he knows about you and me."
Callie froze mid chew. She pointed her fork from herself to Erica. "Me and you?" she said.
Erica nodded. "Yea. I told him everything the other night. I couldn't keep it in anymore, Callie. He'd noticed that there'd been alot of…tension, between us lately. In the end, I just admitted everything."
Finishing the food in her mouth, Callie studied the blonde. "How did he respond?"
"At first he laughed." A small laugh left Erica's mouth too. "He thought I was joking because, in his words, I was old. When he realised it wasn't a joke he went quiet for a bit. Then he started to ask questions. Nothing too personal. He just couldn't wrap his head around you being with me because you're not much older than him."
"Did the fact I was a woman not bother him?"
Erica shrugged. "Honestly, not really. I so wasn't prepared for him to be so calm about it. I was expecting him to make a scene, to get all weird and freak out on me, but he didn't." She looked from her plate to Callie. "If I'd known, I would have told him a long time ago. I'd have told everyone."
The Latina took a long sip of her wine before replying. "I guess you were just scared. We both were. If we'd taken the leap and been honest with everyone, who knows how it would have been?" Feeling a little uncomfortable under Erica's stare, Callie began to focus on eating her food again.
Erica continued to watch Callie, trying to arrange the words in her head that she'd rehearsed for the last few days. "Cal? I know for the last few months you've moved on. You've met someone new and its all fun and exciting, but…"
"Erica." Callie said, her hand coming up as though to signal for the blonde to stop. "Please don't do this."
"Please Callie, will you just hear me out?" She watched as the Latina sighed, putting her head back and looking toward the ceiling. "Things have changed. Maybe you being honest with me and breaking it off was exactly what we needed. It's woken us both up to the mess we were in. I can see where we went wrong and I'm willing and I want to work on it. I think we could be good again. Just like we used to. We can tell everyone. I know that with you and Jack by my side, nothing else matters."
Callie dropped her head forward again, putting her fork on the plate alongside her half eaten meal. Why was Erica insisting on trying to salvage something here?! All she was doing was making things harder. She didn't want to be mean but this had to stop. "Erica, we've discussed this. I'm sorry but there's nothing here anymore" she said, gesturing between them. "There hasn't been for a long time. You can say you want to work on it and salvage something until you're blue in the face, but I've moved on. You need to move on too. Cant you see that?!"
"I just think you're throwing this away too quickly. You wont even let yourself try. Surely you owe me that?"
"Erica, I don't owe you anything. I tried. For years I tried but you're the one that kept me at a distance. You controlled me, made me feel small and unattractive. Finally I feel free. I feel loved and I feel beautiful again. What we had wasn't healthy. It wore us both down until we were just empty shells coexisting. It wasn't living."
Tears started to form in the blondes eyes. "I know. We were both so unhappy and I know that's my fault. I just want you to let me try and make it right."
Callie shook her head sadly. "No Erica. It's too late now. Everything has changed. I've changed so much in the last few months. You need to come to terms with that." She knew she sounded horrible and it did hurt her to cause the blonde such sorrow, but she had had enough of this now. She needed to start being firm with her ex. There was no going back.
A silence surrounded them for a few moments. Callie looked down at her forgotten meal, no longer having the appetite for it. "When I said I wanted to talk to you, I meant we needed to talk about the house. Were going to need to get lawyers so you can buy me out of my share. I've also put my notice in at work. I'm planning on moving early July."
"And that's it? You're just…up and leaving in July, never to be seen again?"
"I'm moving on Erica. I know it hurts and I'm sorry about that, but we need to do this."
"How can we Callie? I have no money to give you. You want me to buy you out of the house but I have nothing."
Callie knew Erica had struggled for money for some time and knew there was very little savings. Jack being there meant she'd be able to survive OK but she wouldn't be able to get any money together to buy Callie out. "I cant walk away with nothing Erica. I've paid my way in this house for 7 years. I've helped decorate and do the place up over the years. I cant walk away with nothing."
Erica leant her elbows onto the edge of the table, her body slumping forward dejectedly. "I have nothing to give you Callie. I have nothing to give."
The room went quiet once more. Stalemate.
The sound of Callie's phone ringing broke the silence. Reaching into her pocket, Callie saw it was her mom calling. Rising from the table, she looked at Erica. "We need to get lawyers in place Erica. We have to get this in motion. As she backed out of the room to answer the call, she thanked the blonde for dinner and headed towards her bedroom.
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