A/N -
Good morning everyone and a happy Sunday to you all. It's time for some Calzona. Now please bear in mind what Callie has been through, im not going to rush this story. It's gonna take some time for them to get 'there'. they wont just be jumping into a relationship and having hot wild sex everywhere and all the time... If you dont think you can handle the slow burn, this fic is definitely not for you. For those of you that can handle the slow burn, you will be rewarded... eventually haha.
I've had a few reviews and pm's asking if this is actually a Calzona fic. Yes it is, but i went into this wanting to tell a story of a woman who was domestically abused and raped by a husband she never truly wanted or loved but was forced to marry being saved by her best friend who she eventually realised she had been in love with all of her life. I dont want to take away from that story by jumping the gun and have them hook up and getting down and nasty with each other, it wouldnt happen in real life, and so i dont want it to happen in my fic. If thats not for you then i completely respect your decision to stop reading, but please for the love of all things Calzona, either stick with it and ride out the story or stop reading. I wont be pressured into speeding things up. Also im currently writing chapter 47 so all that you are reading now has been written for quite some time.
To the reviewers who are leaving great feedback, thank you so much. you have no idea what it means to me and i appreciate every single review.
Now time for the not date, date. How do you think its going to pan out? Will we finally get our girls moving in the same direction?, is it their time? is this not date, date really a date? read on to find out!
Lots of love
AL xx
-oOo-
It was the evening of their none date, date and both women were feeling nervous as they separately got ready in their own houses. They had spent the day with Tim, Claire and Aria lounging around the pool in the Torres back yard chatting and laughing and getting reacquainted with each other and it had been exactly what the doctor had ordered for Callie.
As she pulled out a red dress from her wardrobe and held it up against herself she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and for the first time in a long time, her eyes looked happy. She stared into them for a long time and couldn't stop the smile from breaking onto her face as she realised that she had finally found her happiness, she was safe, healthy and happy and that's all she could wish for. Deciding that the red dress would suffice, she laid it down gently on the bed before scampering towards her dresser where she applied a thin coat of makeup. Earl hated her in make up, said it made her look like a cheap tart, but tonight she didn't care what Earl would think, tonight was about making the effort for herself and for Arizona.
She had donned some practical yet still 'sexy' lingerie and as she glanced back in the full length mirror she turned sideways to admire her baby bump, it was now looking rather large, she had only two months of her pregnancy left and the little girl inside of her was growing with an alarming rate. She smoothed her hands over her taught skin lovingly and smiled as she felt a small kick against her hand. Little girl was awake and feeling playful.
Rousing herself from her dawdling, she grabbed her dress and threw it on, careful not to smudge her make up. She grabbed her clutch bag and sandals, and made her way downstairs where her father whistled at her approvingly.
"Mija you look stunning" Carlos smiled softly.
"Holy shit sis, you look hot!" Aria smirked playfully, laughing when she received disapproving glances from both of her parents.
"I knew that dress would suit you darling, you look breathtaking" Lucia grinned.
"Right well, I'm off to pick Arizona up, I doubt we will be late" Callie said as she struggled with putting her sandals on.
"You be out as late as you wish Mija" Carlos said as he moved to give his eldest a peck on the cheek. "You really do look stunning"
With final goodbyes, Callie made her way out into the back garden and through to the Robbins household where she knocked on the back door before letting herself in. It had taken her a while to get used to just letting herself back into the Robbins household, but after months of being lightly scolded by Barbara, Daniel or Arizona for waiting at the backdoor, she had finally succumbed and agreed to let herself in.
"Cal you look beautiful" Barbara cooed the second her eyes landed on the Latina, "Arizona will be down in a minute, she's just finishing up"
"Thankyou Barb" Callie smiled broadly, after all the compliments she had received this evening on her choice of attire, she was feeling pretty good about herself.
"Is that Callie?" Arizona's voice came from upstairs.
"It is dear" Barbara shouted back.
"I'll be down in a few minutes, I'm almost ready" Arizona announced loudly.
"Can I get you a drink while you wait?" Barbara asked.
"No I had best not, this pregnancy bladder will ensure that I won't make it to the restaurant if I have something now" Callie smiled softly, before blushing. Wondering if that was a little too much information.
Noticing the blush Barbara giggled "Yes when I was pregnant with Timothy and Arizona one of the two of them were always pushing against my bladder, it was just awful"
"I'm glad it's not just me, and I'm only carrying one child!" Callie smiled softly, glad that Barbara hadn't made her little slip up awkward.
"Right I'm here, holy shit!" Arizona stopped in the door way as her eyes raked over Callie's red dress.
"Arizona!" Barbara chastised the blondes language, giggling as she saw her daughters jaw practically on the floor.
"Sorry mom. Calliope you look... amazing. Your glowing" Arizona smiled bashfully and Callie couldn't stop herself from swooning a little at how cute that little smile was.
"Shall we?" Callie asked as she pointed towards the direction of the front door.
"Yeah lets. See you later Mom, have a good night" Arizona said as she pulled herself together.
"You too darling, both of you have an amazing night" Barbara smiled as she watched the two women make their way through the house. She couldn't help but wonder if love was maybe in the air.
-oOo-
Callie pulled the car into a parking space and turned to smile nervously as Arizona, she couldn't help but wonder why she was feeling so nervous, this was like first date jitters which was crazy because she was with her best friend, someone she felt totally safe and content with, not some random stranger she had just met.
"Shall we?" Arizona asked as she jumped out the car and rounded it before opening Callie's door for her. Callie accepted the hand that was held out to her and shuffled out of the car with a little bit of a struggle.
"This pregnancy thing does not get any easier" Callie joked as she locked the car up and guided Arizona with a hand on her back towards the restaurant which was conveniently a few meters away.
"It suits you though, you look beautiful tonight" Arizona said shyly.
"Why thank you, you don't look too bad yourself" Callie commented, truth be told when she had seen Arizona appear in her short black dress it had taken all of her effort to not gawp. Arizona looked like she had pulled out all the stops and suddenly Callie was wishing that this was a date. She would be honoured to have a woman as beautiful inside and out on her arm. But alas, she had made it painfully clear with yesterdays verbal diarrhea that this was not going to be a date... that didn't mean she wouldn't enjoy herself though.
They entered the restaurant and were quickly shown to their table which over looked the beautiful coast line of Miami as the sun was setting. It was picturesque and as Arizona stared out the window at the view, Callie couldn't stop herself from drinking in the view in front of her. The lowering sun was setting blue eyes alight and she didn't think that the blonde had ever looked so beautiful.
Deciding that they would save some space for desert, they ordered just a main meal each, Arizona choosing a glass of white wine while Callie, pregnant and designated driver chose a Pepsi Max.
They talked animatedly whilst they waited and as they ate, laughing about little things from their childhood and stealing side glances at each other without the other even realising that they had the full attention of the other woman.
Once they had finished their meal they decided to take a stroll along the beach front in search of some ice cream. Callie had bashfully admitted to craving bubblegum ice cream so Arizona was now on a mission to find some and after about a quarter of a mile they found a small ice cream shop that sold it.
There was a pier a little walk further down the coast so they headed in that direction, ice cream cones in hand with Arizona laughing at the way the brunette hummed in satisfaction at finally quenching her craving.
When they reached the end of the pier they stood side by side glancing out at the ocean as the slowly rising moon cast its reflection across the gentle swell beneath them. As Callie put their napkins from the ice cream in the bin, she noticed that they were the only two people left on the pier and that comforted her somewhat. Although she was getting better at being around people, she was still more comfortable in solace or with just Arizona. She couldn't pin point what it was about the shorter woman that was so comforting, even before the whole Earl saga, but even more so now, she was just so... so... alluring.
Returning to stand beside the blonde, she rested her arms against the metal railing and breathed out deeply into the night air which caused Arizona to glance to her questioningly.
"I just feel really at peace right now" Callie admitted when she felt the intensity of Arizona's stare and glanced towards her.
"Good I'm glad, you're not going to have much peace when little miss arrives" Arizona joked.
"You're not wrong there" Callie scoffed.
"Don't worry, I will be on babysitting duty all the time so you'll have plenty of downtime and time to study. I can't wait for cute little cuddles with a tiny baby that looks just like you" Arizona grinned.
"I will remind you of that when its two in the morning and I'm calling you for back up" Callie laughed.
"No problem, I'm used to being awake at odd times anyway, it's all part of the job" Arizona rolled her eyes playfully.
"You love it" Callie stated.
"I really do, and you will too when your time comes, although being woken up through the night to your pager going off really does suck" The blonde mused.
"But by then I will be accustomed to being woken up by a screaming baby, so a pager will be easy" Callie joked.
"So true... you're going to be a kick ass surgeon, and an even bigger kick ass mother" Arizona smiled sweetly.
Callie looked deep into Arizona's eyes and saw nothing but honesty reflected back at her. Without really thinking it through she leant forward to place a kiss on the blonde's cheek just at the moment Arizona heard a noise behind her and turned to see what it was, resulting in the kiss being placed at the very corner of her lips. Their eyes met both in shock at what had just happened. Neither spoke a word. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it was a silence none the less.
Arizona took a deep breath, deciding to bite the bullet and leaned in the small distance between them, her lips placing a chaste kiss upon Callie's awaiting lips. Instinctually both women smiled as they drew apart from each other.
"You kissed me" Callie stated dumbly, despite the broad grin tugging at her lips.
Watching the brunette for a few moments for any sign of regret, Arizona saw no sign of anything other than happiness. "I did"
"Did you... I mean do you... regret it?" Callie asked nervously.
"Not for a second" Arizona replied immediately, her voice more confident than she felt. "Do you?"
"I don't" Callie replied in a shaky voice, with a smile Arizona leant forward once again closing the distance between the two women, this time when her lips met plump red lips, they remained for a few seconds... she wanted to take Callie by the neck and kiss her deeply, she wanted to plunge her tongue into Callie's mouth and taste the other woman. She wanted to kiss the life out of the Latina but the voice in the back of her head told her to slow down, to not push things too far. Callie after all was recovering from a traumatic experience and she didn't want anything she did to cause her best friend any pain. So instead, despite her needs, she pulled back and sighed contently.
"What does this mean?" Callie broke the silence after several moments had passed and both women stood staring at the other.
"I think it means that this was a date" Arizona said carefully, cautiously, as she watched the brunette for any traces of uncomfortableness.
"Does that mean..." Callie trailed off suddenly unsure of herself.
"What Calliope? You can say anything to me, your safe I promise" Arizona soothed.
"Does that mean I might get another kiss at the end of the night?" Callie asked, her heart in her mouth, her hands trembling slightly.
"Definitely" Arizona said, reaching out and taking a trembling hand in her own. She entwined their fingers and squeezed them supportively as she smiled sweetly at the brunette who seemed to look relieved. "We take this at your pace Cal, there is no rush... I've waited a long time for this moment and I can wait as long as it takes" Arizona admitted honestly, despite feeling a little foolish at admitting she had been crushing on her best friend for a very long time.
"How long?" Callie asked, her interest in the conversation suddenly rising.
"Since before our first kiss" Arizona said shyly.
"You never said?" Callie asked, her heart hammering in her chest. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening.
"There was never the right time... now feels like the right time... is it the right time?"
"I think it is, it feels right to me" Callie admitted with a shy smile before taking the plunge and leaning into the blonde, her lips sought out pale pink lips in a tender kiss. They pulled back slightly, Arizona checking Callie's eyes for any traces of doubt or worry before she squeezed the hand within her own and leant forward to seal their lips once more, this time though she didn't pull away. She ran her tongue almost teasingly across the crease of Callie's bottom lip and her heart jumped when Callie opened her mouth to grant her access.
Her tongue poked out tentatively as their lips melded together as one, the second her tongue met Callie's she felt her entire body set on fire with desire and adrenaline, but still she held herself back and instead of claiming Callie's mouth desperately like her body urged her to do she kept the touches light and soft, slow and tentative. Callie, nervous at first fought the feeling to run away. The intimacy scared her more than she cared to admit, but something deep inside her kept her rooted to the spot, kept her lips joined to Arizona's, kept her tongue dancing against the blondes. In this moment she was both terrified and content.
Pulling back from the kiss Arizona smiled softly at the brunette who smiled in return.
"Come on Cinderella, I should get you home before you turn into a pumpkin" Arizona joked lightly.
"It's barely ten" Callie pouted adorably.
"I know but it's been a big few days for you and you need your rest... come on let's walk back to the car?" Arizona asked, as always giving Callie the choice of what to do, never telling her what she was doing and it was something that made Callie's heart swell with affection.
"Fine" Callie acquiesced as she turned and tugged Arizona by the hand towards the direction of the car.
They walked in silence, both lost in their thoughts of what had just transpired between them, both floating on cloud nine and both excited for there to be another kiss.
When they reached the car, Arizona helped Callie into the driver's seat before rounding the car and jumping in. The journey towards home was mostly filled with Arizona singing along to the radio which in turn made Callie laugh melodically at her poor attempt at singing.
When they pulled into the drive, once again Arizona jumped out and opened Callie's door and helped her out of the vehicle. They walked slowly a few steps towards the house before coming to a natural stop as they glanced between their two childhood homes and each other.
"I guess this is good night then" Callie muttered nervously. Those damn nerves were back again.
"It is, sweet dreams Calliope" Arizona smiled at the shyness Callie was showing.
"You too, I should go" Callie said, trying to will herself to lean forward and kiss the blonde but her nerves were getting the better of her.
"I think your forgetting something" Arizona smiled coyly.
"I am? What's that?" Callie asked, glancing around behind her to make sure she had locked the car.
Arizona ran her hand from Callie's wrist, up her fore arm, across her elbow and up to her shoulder before trailing up her neck and to her cheek where she cupped the flushed flesh. She leant in ever so slowly, her eyes flitting between Callie's brown orbs and her plump red lips.
"You're forgetting your kiss goodnight" Arizona whispered as she ghosted her lips across Callie's, Callie smiled into the kiss, her lips pressing forward. Once again the blonde seeked out entrance gently and Callie allowed her in. As their lips sealed their tongues danced together in a way Callie had never experienced before and it took her breath away. Breaking the kiss, Arizona leant her forehead against Callie's, her eyes still closed as she basked in the moment, her every breath inhaling Callie's unique scent.
"Good night Calliope" Arizona whispered, before pulling herself away from the brunette. She stroked her cheek a few times, making sure that Callie was alright before turning and heading towards her house.
On the outside she walked the few steps confidently with a sway to her hips, hoping that Callie would be watching her, on the inside she was dancing and screaming like a teenager who had just kissed their biggest crush in high school.