A/N: Chapter 5 is here! This one isn't as long as my other updates for reasons that will hopefully become clear as you read it, but it's an important one for plot progression, and I had fun writing it! I did briefly consider merging it with the next chapter but decided against it as I don't think it would flow as clearly, so in exchange I am hoping to post the next chapter fairly soon (although I do need to make sure I'm on top of where I'm currently writing so I don't get ahead of myself!)

I just wanted to say I am absolutely loving hearing your guys's thoughts on this fic, it's really nice to hear people interacting with the plot and letting me know what you liked/where you think it is going! Thank you all for being so supportive!

Ok that's probably enough rambling from me - please enjoy the fic!

Disclaimer: none of these characters are mine, they all belong to Shonda Rhimes, I'm just borrowing them and making them do what I want for the sake of my fic.

To Callie's relief, Arizona seemed to take her threat of physical violence seriously, the only sound greeting her as she had re-entered her dim bedroom the gentle ticking of her alarm clock and the soft shuffling of the sheets as she crawled back into her still-warm bed. The brunette had found herself letting out a sigh as she wrapped herself deep into the covers, rolling the duvet around her like a burrito as she rested her pounding head against the soft material of her pillows. Finally, she could get some more rest.

Unfortunately for the brunette however, sleep had decided to evade her.

Despite the suitable conditions, Callie hadn't been able to get her riled-up body to calm down enough to fall back asleep. She still had a cocktail of adrenaline and anger running through her bloodstream and was struggling to relax. If she was honest, she also couldn't shift the image of a scantily clad Arizona standing in her doorway from her mind, the blonde's chest heaving from the exercise she'd been doing and her skin gleaming with a sheen of sweat. It had taken all that Callie had within her to keep her eyes on the woman's face, and not let them fall to the set of toned abs or the ridiculously long legs that were in front of her, inviting her attention. The fact that she couldn't seem to think about anything else was something that was adding to her irritation, the combination of which was not all that conducive to sleep.

She gave up in less than five minutes, electing instead to check her emails. She vaguely remembered seeing a notification for a new message some time the night before, but she'd been too out of it to really register it. God, why had she let Addison talk her into drinking so much?

Opening her laptop, squinting slightly at the bright light, Callie navigated her way to her inbox to find an email from the hungry med student waiting for her.

Reading through it quickly, she'd found that the words eased her irritation. This person wrote to Callie like they knew her, like she was some friend that they'd been chatting to for years. It was nice; comforting and, after firing off a response, she'd found herself able to slip back into a dreamful sleep, one that may or may not have involved images of a sweaty blonde woman, muscles rippling deliciously under her pale skin as she ran.

Callie woke feeling well rested and more than a little confused.

She next heard from the med student the following morning, the email waiting in her inbox when she awoke. It had been sent late the night before, not long after the Latina had called it a night herself, still a little worn out from the previous evening of heavy drinking and comforting her sad friend. This was only the second email she'd received from the kind commenter, yet she found herself excited to hear what this person had to say. Despite still being against sharing anything personal herself, she hypocritically found herself cherishing the tiny nuggets of information that she was learning about the stranger. It was oddly pleasant to find out more about this person that had so many nice things to say about her and her cooking.

From: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom
To: cit107 hotmaildotcom

Hi C,

Well, there go my plans to steal your identity. How will I sell your social security number on the black market now? (for the sake of not wanting you to block my email address I will clarify that I'm joking).

In the name of being fair, I will tell you my initials – ABR. Now we're even.

I think that being wary of strangers on the internet is definitely good practice, and whilst I can promise you that I'm not some weirdo, I'd say the same thing if I was some weirdo, so how would you ever know if I was telling the truth? I would say I am equally as wary (because of course I am wary), but at least I know you're reputable enough of a person to run a cooking blog to help out students. I'm just some random commenter. I realise this probably isn't making you feel any better, so I'm going to shut up now.

I am excited to hear that you're a med student too! What year are you in? I'm in my second and whilst its tough, I do love it. Although, I'm still not sure what I want to do afterwards, other than that I want to go into surgery – as for what speciality, I'm clueless. I've kind of always liked the idea of paeds, but I think I'd be equally happy in general or maybe even something like cardio or neuro. What about you, C? Where do you see yourself ending up in the future? You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable, whilst I'm pretty sure even the best identity thief couldn't track you down from that kind of information, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, or feel like you have to respond to me. I'm sure you are very busy, what with the being a med student and running a successful blog.

I am glad that you don't mind being complimented, because I don't think I could stop thanking you for your recipes if I wanted to. I enjoyed my dinner very much, all the more so for knowing that I'm probably the only other person with your enchilada post! Well, technically I don't know that - you could be emailing loads of commenters at the same time as me. Not that that is a problem, you do you and all. But still, it tasted amazing, and I was able to understand it perfectly, so thank you again.

Enjoy your week,
A/Hungry Unicorn Girl

Ps don't think I didn't notice you calling me a kiss-ass. Rude!

Just as she'd finished reading it, she'd clocked the time and quickly realised that she was running late for brunch with Addison – whilst they were both from wealthy families, her friend seemed to lean into the lifestyle more than herself. Hence why the redhead had insisted on brunch to further discuss her woes and get tipsy in a civilised setting rather than just setting up camp on the sofa with a six-pack and last night's cold pizza, which was Callie's MO when she was upset.

After that her phone had rapidly been discarded on the bed, email still open, in favour of trying to locate some clothes that weren't desperately creased. She'd known she'd have to rush if there was any chance of her making it out of the door in time, so, she hadn't had the chance to reply until that evening.

From: cit107 hotmaildotcom
To: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom

Hi A,

Whilst the number of references to stealing my identity in your last email could be seen as concerning, I have decided that it is a good thing – you'd be a truly awful identity thief if you're giving away your plans that easily.

It's definitely good to be wary, you have no idea who's who online. My best friend got catfished last year and it was so creepy. Actually, to be fair it was more funny than creepy. She made me come on the date with her and sit on the next table, so I got to watch her '6ft2 hunky football player' turn out to be a spotty 19-year-old wearing a star trek shirt. The date lasted 10 minutes before she made us leave, because I couldn't stop laughing and people were starting to stare. To be honest though, I think she was grateful for the excuse, because he was completely socially inept.

I am also a second-year med student, plus I also want to be a surgeon! What a small world we live in! Paeds surgery is a bold choice of speciality, I don't think I could handle being around kids all day. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, I just don't think I have a bubbly enough personality, or the patience to be honest. You on the other hand, miss unicorn girl – I guess I could see that. You don't have to know what you want to do just yet anyway, that's what residency is for! Saying that, I do have my heart set on a particular speciality. And whilst I'm happy to tell you what it is, I'm also intrigued as to whether you'd be able to guess, if you're up for it.

I am glad that my recipe was legible, and that it came out well! And I can confirm that you are the only person I'm emailing my unpublished posts to, so you can enjoy that, or whatever. Also, I know that I don't have to reply to your emails, I do because I quite like talking to you! Without sounding like a weirdo, I enjoy talking to someone that appreciates my blog, and you're fun to chat to. I enjoy your replies.

Have a good week!

C

It was almost a week later when Callie received a reply. She'd pretended that she didn't notice the delay, but she was definitely lying about it to herself. She'd found herself checking her inbox more frequently than she liked to admit. And whilst, granted, she had been kept busy with the ever-growing workload that was piled on top of the med student, she still found herself hoping that A would reply soon. If you'd asked her why, she wouldn't have been able to give you an answer, not really. There was just something about the commenter that had Callie keen to learn more about them and their life.

From: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom
To: cit107 hotmaildotcom

C,

I'm sorry for the delay in my reply – it's been a completely hectic week, as I'm sure you can relate to as a fellow med student. I'm currently stunted working on a really nasty paper, and it has taken literally everything out of me!

I'm glad that you believe me when I say I'm not out to steal your identity. I agree, if I were in fact thief, I'd be doing a terrible job telling you all about my plans.

As for that story about your friend, I don't like to laugh at other people's misfortunes, but that is kind of hilarious. And also not that uncommon – I will admit had a brief stint on Tinder a while back, and whilst no one catfished me per se, there were plenty of people that definitely didn't live up to their profile. Funnily enough I gave up on that one very quickly.

Ooh, a guessing game! I'll have you know that I am very good at guessing games. I also don't like to lose, so I will get this - don't tell me the answer even if I'm wrong! There's only so many specialities to choose from, I'll get there eventually.

Now let me think. I can already rule out paeds, obviously, so that's a nice easy start.

Despite your previous comment about enjoying compliments, you don't strike me as someone self-centred. Because of this, I want to rule out the fancy pancy ones where you get loads of praise for everything that you do, even when it's the most basic procedure, just because of their life-threatening elements like cardio or neuro. (If it is cardio or neuro then I take back what I just said and also urge you to remember that they are potential pathways I might go down myself, so please don't think I'm being mean!)

One thing I have gathered is that you like to try new things, based on your blog. So, I think it's got to be a speciality that has a lot of scope for experimentation and doing your own thing to solve problems. Based on that, I'm going to guess maybe plastics? I say that with the kindest intentions – I don't mean I see you as the next boob job queen of America (or wherever you are from), but someone that breaks the mould and develops new methods for facial reconstruction in people affected by traumatic facial injuries, or does free cleft palate surgeries for kids in impoverished countries. Or something like that. As I'm writing this, I realise this is much harder than I anticipated – I know barely anything about you. I'm probably wrong, but I'm excited to hear the verdict.

I'll swiftly move on now that I may or may not have offended you. Please don't hate me.

I am honoured that I am in fact the only person you are sending your unpublished recipes to. Please send me them all! (I am obviously joking, however if you do ever want a taste-tester then I am at your service. I know this is a long shot but whatever, no shame in asking!). I'm really glad that you like talking to me! I really enjoy talking to you too C.

I look forwards to hearing the verdict on my guesses!

From A (potential paeds surgeon-to-be)

From: cit107 hotmaildotcom
To: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom

Hi A,

No worries on the delayed reply – I understand what it's like to be stuck working so hard on a paper you don't like very much!

I've never tried Tinder myself, although not for lack of my friends trying to convince me to give it a go. I just can't see how you can decide whether or not you're attracted to someone from a couple of pictures. Especially when the pictures aren't representative of what the person actually looks like.

As for the guesses, sadly you are wrong with plastics. Even the most innovative and well-respected plastic surgeon has to do their fair share of butt implants and boob jobs and I just can't see that being my day-to-day, even if it makes me known across the whole of the US. Although your reasoning for choosing plastics was pretty on the nose, so keep that in consideration for your next guess. You were correct with the ones that you ruled out, so luckily no you haven't offended me. I have to say I kind of agree with your summary of cardio and neuro (although I too take that back if you decide to ditch paeds and go for one of them!). I look forwards to your next guess!

I know you were joking about getting your hands on more of my unpublished recipes, but I do kind of like the idea of someone trying them out for some feedback on how easy they are to follow. My friends taste-test them for me, but if I'm being honest they don't actually know about my blog, so it makes it kind of hard to get exactly what I need out of them. I am, as previously established, still very apprehensive about internet strangers, so I can't see myself sending stuff to you right now, but maybe some time in the future, if you'd be interested? No worries at all if not, I'm only really thinking about this now because of your comment.

I hope that you find the medical muse for your boring paper!

C :)

The next email came through as Callie sat alone in a lecture theatre, waiting for the class to start. She was uncharacteristically early, having been in the building already and not wanting to search for somewhere to sit when she only had a few minutes until she had to leave again. She'd had free pick of the seating, the room being practically empty, and had taken the opportunity to slide into the back row and occupy the three middle spots. She'd already gotten all of her books out and was starting to annotate her notes before there were even ten people in the room.

The notification popped up on her phone alerting her of the reply, and, deciding that she had enough time to at least read it, she put her pen down and opened up the email. Glancing around the room to check that no one would be able to see what she was doing – which was stupid because a) no one would be able to read her phone screen from here and b) no one other than Mark and Addison would care anyway – she noted that, of the people in the theatre already, she only recognised a couple. For some reason she noticed that a certain blonde hadn't arrived yet, surprised at the notion as she'd figured that Arizona was the kind of person that would always be early to classes. She based this on the woman's apparent pathological need to be a goody-two-shoes teacher's pet, something that she'd picked up on very quickly after first noticing her properly over a year ago.

Frowning, the Latina found herself recalling the argument from the other day, the way that Arizona had all but laughed at the brunette's pain at being woken up so early, like it wasn't so horrendously antisocial that it made her blood boil. And the way that she had so freely tossed around information about her sex life, as if Callie was at all interested in hearing about it, was totally inappropriate and left the Latina feeling more than a little hot under the collar in a way that was very unpleasant.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind and pretending that it was the first time that she'd thought about their last interaction today, Callie focused her attention on the email that was sat on her screen.

From: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom
To: cit107 hotmaildotcom

Hi C

This is a very quick reply as I am in a rush. I have a class very soon, but I've been thinking about it and wanted to make another guess before I went in.

There are two options that I've been playing with in my head, and I can't for the life of me decide which. So, I'm going to guess one, and then if I'm wrong, I'll know it's the other one (and maybe you can have bragging rights for the fact that I lost this game).

Based on what you said about me being right about my rationale for plastics, I'm going to go down a slightly different route and guess general? My reasoning for this is that it is quite a broad speciality, with a lot of diseases that have a large amount of ongoing research. I can see you maybe being one of those fancy innovative surgeons that pioneers new techniques and treatments for common and difficult conditions?

It was a 50/50 on which of the two to pick so I'll be mad if it's the other one.

As for taste testing that doesn't even need to be a question – the biggest yes please! I would love nothing more than to be privy to your recipe-perfecting techniques. I totally get it that you don't trust me enough yet, but I promise you I am very trustworthy. I'll just have to work harder to prove that to you!

I really have to go - I 'm on the wrong side of campus right now and the class starts in five minutes. God why did I decide to reply now?

From a rushed A

Scanning her eyes around the fast-filling room, Callie noted that there was still no sign of any of her friends, so she was probably safe to tap out a quick response. She was enjoying watching the commenter try and guess what speciality she was interested in, marvelling at how close she was with her reasoning despite failing to actually guess it correctly.

From: cit107 hotmaildotcom
To: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom

Hi A,

I hope you made it to your class on time! This is an almost instant response I realise, but I have actually just reached my own class and I'm currently waiting for the lecturer (and my slacker friends) to show up, so I thought I'd quickly reply right now.

It's not general, although again I understand your reasoning! Sorry to disappoint. It's probably for more similar reasons to your plastics guess – I like the idea of having to assess each case and improvise based on my intuition and what I have available.

Ok the lecturer is here, gotta dash!

C

She pressed send just as the professor appeared at the podium, setting up the powerpoint ready to introduce the class. Just at that moment Mark and Addison slid into their seats either side of her, both muttering a hurried hello as they pulled their books out of their bags, both slightly out of breath. She also spotted a frantic looking blonde hurrying towards the front of the room, ducking into her own spot in the second row. Clearly Callie was the only one that was feeling punctual today.

Just as she was about to put her phone away, she saw a reply had popped up. That was quick.

Although it was probably time to focus seeing as the lecturer had now started talking, Callie was curious to know what A's second guess was, figuring that she was likely to get it right this time around. She quickly checked that her friends were both still preoccupied getting themselves ready for the class, before opening up the email.

From: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom
To: cit107 hotmaildotcom

Right its ortho isn't it. All of those broken bones smashed up in random and unique ways – that takes a large amount of improv and intuition to fix. It's got to be. If I'm wrong and its OB or something, then I formally retract my statement about being good at guessing games. I'll have lost my touch.

A

Ps my lecturer is literally talking right now, and I am replying to you. You are a bad influence C.

Grinning, she quickly tapped out a reply, before turning her phone off and focusing her attention on the class.

From: cit107 hotmaildotcom
To: iloveunicorns115 hotmaildotcom

You got it :)

C

A/N2: Random sidenote - is it just me that really likes the ticking noise of analogue clocks? (I only mentioned it in passing in this chapter but it got me thinking) I find it really cathartic although I know a lot of people find it annoying.

Please keep your thoughts coming - it's lovely to hear what you are making of this so far!