Thanks a million for your understanding about me reposting a new ending for this story. It was great to read all your kind words about this story. This chapter covers the much needed talk and clears things up a bit more.
"Oh thank God!" Callie said as she took an audible sigh of relief, generating a small chuckle from Arizona. Callie locked eyes with the blonde as she absorbed what the physio had just told her "I still want you".
Callie took a small sip of her beer as she thought through the next steps. She felt completely out of her depth when it came to relationship experience here. Where did they go from here?
"So what do we do now?" she asked Arizona expectantly, hoping that the blonde would have the answer.
"Well" Arizona responded slowly as a smile formed on her face "firstly…." she said standing up "I'm sorry but I really need to go change my top!" she said with a chuckle. "You look...well, you look great and i've literally got ketchup on my tee."
Callie chuckled "Arizona you really don't need to.."
"No I know I don't" the physio said as she started backing out of the room "...but I want to. I'll feel less self conscious if I change. I won't be long. OK?" the blonde asked with a smile.
"Of course. But you look perfect to me" Callie added softly and smiled as she watched the blonde return her smile before leaving the room.
Callie chuckled to herself as she then heard the physio start running up the stairs. It didn't matter what Arizona was wearing, the fact of the matter was that they had spent most of their time around each other in tracksuits and so Callie had found it adorable that Arizona had wanted to change. Like a stain on her top would make her any the less attractive!
Arizona quickly pulled off the stained T-Shirt
"Sorry Britney" she had said out loud as she dropped the garment onto the floor and stood in front of her open wardrobe deciding on a new top.
She didn't want to miss any time with Callie, and they had so much to catch up, so she quickly grabbed a jumper and tucked the front into her jeans. She pulled the band out of her hair and shook down her blonde curls. She was tempted to apply a quick lick of mascara and lip gloss, but there wasn't time. After a quick glance in the mirror she turned and made her way back downstairs.
As Callie waited on the sofa her thoughts turned to what Arizona had said earlier - "there was something briefly with someone…."
So Callie had been right as she recalled the interaction at the Olympic after party between Arizona and the redhead, who she now knew was called Naimh.
It had stung like hell as she had watched the woman gently touch Arizona's back. She knew she had no right to, but she felt a wave of jealousy flood through her as she pictured the redhead touching Arizona.
Callie was relieved when she heard footsteps coming back down the stairs and was able to push the thought to the back of her mind. She felt her heart flutter slightly as Arizona entered the room, her eyes drifting to red v neck jumper the Brit had changed into and the way the material hugged the blondes breasts.
Arizona smiled to herself as she watched Callie eyes scan her as she walked back over to where the American was sitting. "Sorry about that" she said as she sat back down on the sofa and turned to face the brunette.
"Well now you look even prettier" Callie said softly as she held the blondes gaze.
"Ha! There is a time and a place for Britney, and this wasn't it!" Arizona chuckled before her face suddenly became more serious "you look good Callie. Florida is obviously good for you!"
"It was good, but I'm here now Arizona" Callie replied and saw the doubt in Arizona's eyes. Whilst she might not have that much experience in relationships, the American knew she had to prove to Arizona that she wasn't going to run again.
"I'm sorry Arizona for how I reacted that night in Deal after we bumped into your friend. I 100% freaked out"
"Yeah. Yeah you did." Arizona replied, the hurt clearly visible on her face and in the tone of her voice. As happy as she was that Callie was back, she needed the American to understand how hurt she had been.
"I know it looks like I ran away from the problem…"
"Err that's because you did!" Arizona said interrupting the brunette.
Callie held the blondes gaze for a moment "OK fair point, but I didn't really have any other option." Callie responded
"Right so sitting down and talking to me before you left wasn't an option?" Arizona was trying to remain calm because she could feel some of her frustrations start to rise.
Arizona was right, she should have spoken to Arizona before leaving, should have had the decency to explain what was happening, but she panicked.
"Of course I should have spoken to you before I left, I'm sorry and if I could go back and do it over again I totally would. but there was more to it. So after I got back to London I had the interview with the LA Times and well basically that's when I found out about the National Enquirer story."
"About you and Jess?" Arizona asked
"Well yeah...but it was actually about us." Callie told the blonde for the first time.
"What?" Arizona eyes grew bigger at the news.
Callie took her time to explain everything that had happened, and how she had no idea at the time who had told the press and what info they had? Whether there were photos.
"Shit so they knew it was me!" Arizona said as she processed what the striker had told her.
Callie nodded.
"And Jess...she agreed to take the heat? WOW!" Arizona said out loud thinking what an unselfish act that had been.
"Yeah she umm, she really helped. It was the only way. We couldn't sue as the story was true, but if we put them off the scent by giving the wrong name then we could, if we needed to." Callie explained the plan that Stacey had come up with.
"Shit Callie. Why..why didn't you tell me?" Arizona asked as she took in this information and realised the seriousness of it all. She had had no idea how close things had got to the news coming out and potentially losing her job.
The brunette considered her response "Two reasons I guess ….firstly it all happened so quickly. If the LA Times were going to cover it then it was going to be big! News that I wouldn't be able to brush off as easily as a piece in the Enquirer, so I had to go straight away. I was so scared. I just needed to be home with my family so I would be able to talk to my parents in person."
Arizona listened and nodded "that makes sense. And the second reason?"
Callie inhaled "because I knew if I saw you I'd doubt my decision". Arizona looked over at the American with a puzzled look on her face.
"Arizona...being with you was amazing, like life-changingly amazing…." Callie said holding the blondes gaze "when we were together I didn't think about anyone or anything else, I didn't think about the consequences of our relationship becoming common knowledge….the impact on my family, my career, your career. When we were alone together, everything was perfect, but in reality that wasn't really the case".
"I know Callie and I am sorry I said what I said that night on the beach" Arizona had kicked herself over and over about how insensitive her comment about Callie being in the closet had been. She knew from personal experience that it can take a long time to come to terms with these things.
Callie shook her head "But you were right!"
"No Callie. I was 100% wrong to say that. I wanted to sit down and apologise properly to you, to explain that I understood that it would take time for you to get your head around things, that it was fine and that I would wait, but when I got back to the house…"
"I had gone!" Callie finished the sentence as she remembered the train journey back to London after their fight.
"Yeah. I'm not gonna lie, that hurt!" Arizona admitted
Callie pictured the scene of Arizona returning to the cottage to find her note. It had been a cowardly way out.
"I'm sorry I ran from Deal and I'm sorry I left London the way I did, but I was SO scared that everything was going to come out and I knew if I'd had told you I was leaving you would have convinced me to stay, because you would have told me that everything would be OK, that we would work things out"
Arizona listened to the American speak and realised that she was right. She had been falling in love with Callie and so she probably would have said those things if it meant the brunette stayed in London.
"You would have convinced me to stay, but the risks were too high - your job, my family!" Callie said "So I left to save those things!"
Arizona got it. She understood what Callie had done. She had left London to save Arizona's career and to protect her family. How could she be cross with someone for doing that? For protecting the things she cared about the most!
Arizona reached over and took Callie's hand in hers and brushed her thumb over the back of her hand "Thank you Calliope." she whispered "Thank you for protecting me." Arizona smiled "Jeez I think I owe Jess Wood a drink or two as well!" Arizona said witha chuckle
"Ha, well I'm sure she'll happily accept those drinks. Truth is she felt super bad for telling Jules in the first place!"
"I know but even so, it was still a big thing to do, you know to take the heat for someone else"
"Well it actually helped her in a way as it gave her a bit of push to tell her parents about her relationship. They are not religious and so it wasn't as big a deal as with my parents"
"Ohh wait...I need another drink before you tell me about that. I can't believe you told them!" Arizona said jumping up and running to the kitchen to grab a couple of beers before dashing back to hear the rest of the story.
Callie accepted the bottle from Arizona and crossed her legs as she started telling the blonde about how her parents had reacted.
"So the deal you struck with the LA Time journalist was that she waited writing the article until after the Olympics?" Arizona asked.
"Yeap. We basically spend two hour a day on the phone talking about my life for the book. Stacey was able to get a really good deal - weirdly my coming out made it more 'marketable'! Apparently there was a bidding war for the publishing rights"
"I mean that makes me so bloody mad! Why can't you just live your life how you want?" Arizona said with an angry look on her face which generated a broad smile on the Americans face. "Why are you smiling? Doesn't it make you angry?" she asked, confused by Callie's response.
"Of course!" Callie replied, still smiling, "..but I've really missed you saying bloody!"
Arizona shot the brunette a behave look before a small smiled formed on her own lips. "So when is the book out?" she asked keen to get the talk back on track.
"Umm I think they are pushing for a December launch to cash in on Christmas sales"
"Jeez. And are you OK with it? You know with the whole coming out?" Arizona asked with concern.
"Yeah...yeah I am." Callie responded "I mean I went home and did a lot of thinking, and i mean a LOT. I think telling and talking to Stacey really helped me. She was shocked and is religious and so it was like a dry run when it came to telling my parents."
"And how are things now with them?"
"Well as I said earlier, they aren't signed up members of PFlag just yet, but they haven't disowned me and we still speak, so I'm hopeful."
"That's great Callie. I'm just sorry that you have to do it so publicly!" Arizona said
"It's OK. I've watched the Ellen coming out special so I think I've got this." She said smiling before adding "In fact I think I've watched EVERY coming out video ever made. I did a lot of thinking and a LOT of reading and it just made things so more clearer. Made me see that a) I wasn't alone in feeling this way and that b) life was too short to not be the person I am….or with the person I want to be with" Callie said as she stared into those blue eyes.
Arizona felt a lump form in her throat at Callie's words.
She felt a mixture of pride for everything Callie had gone through, admiration for the strength she had shown and a strong dollop of desire. Keep it together Arizona told herself as she shuffled back slightly on the sofa.
"Callie….I…." the blonde stuttered to get her words out as she was hit by a wave of emotions as she gazed back into those molton brown eyes.
"I know it's not simple Arizona" Callie took over "I know I don't get to come back and say I miss you and that we can pick things up straight away...I know that I need to earn your trust back….to show you that I'm back and i'm not going anywhere." Callie paused "but I hope that you'll give me a chance to prove that to you."
"Callie, what you did...to protect me from the story coming out...it was well…I really appreciate it. A lot!" In the short time she had know Callie Torres the American had been there for her, initially when it came to Alex and now how she had protected her name and career. Sure she had hurt Arizona by leaving, especially after what had happened to Alex, but now she understood why she had done it.
"I'm so happy that you are back and I want us to try again….so Calliope Torres...will you come on a date with me this weekend?" the blonde asked with a shy smile.
Callie's face beamed at the question "I would love that."
OK so they totally needed this talk and I hope I did a realistic job here. Maybe a date chapter and one more after that and it will be a more rounded ending.
Take care as ever.
Sarah x