A/N: The title of the last chapter is a song by Panic! At the Disco, I band I used to listen to as a teenager and one I still regularly listen to while in the gym.
Chapter 2: Who are you?
Today was a big day for the city of Seattle, at least, that was what the headlines of the local newspapers announced. The three-day trial against one of the biggest business moguls of the city, Lawrence Bishop, started today. The man had been accused of heading a drug cartel as well as several other cartel related charges and the media was eating it up.
When Callie arrived at the courthouse, her legal team in tow, cameras started snapping and microphones were almost literally shoved in her face, questions being asked left and right. The tall raven-haired woman made her way through the crowd while repeating 'No comment' in response to the questions that were directed her way. As annoying as it was, deep down it also massaged Callie's ego. She was a damn good lawyer and soon enough, the whole city would once again be talking about her work and the law firm she was a partner at. As annoying as the press was, it was also free advertising. At least, it would be if she did her job right. Just before entering the courthouse, Callie stopped and turned towards the crowd behind her, striking a powerful pose that oozed confidence. "The city of Seattle is on a witch hunt, my client is innocent," she said before turning on her heel and entering the impressive building behind her.
Her client was not a fan of the media at all and had managed to sneak into the building through one of the back doors. A bright smile appeared on the tall man's face upon seeing his lawyer. "Miss Torres," he said with a smile while extending his hand. "Good to see you."
Callie returned the man's smile and shook his hand. "Mr. Bishop, how are you? And how is the family?"
They walked towards the court room together while Lawrence filled her in on the well-being of his wife and kids. Upon entering the room, Callie looked at the man and smiled. "Don't worry, we will get you out of this mess."
"I know you will," the tall man replied. "That's what I pay you for."
Bishop was by far Callie's biggest client and when she landed him, almost five years ago, the firm had immediately given Callie the opportunity to become a partner. He was that big of a client and since he only wanted to work with Callie, the other partner's at the firm had little choice. She had been the youngest partner in the firm and also the first woman to make partner. Some would say her father had something to do with it, but Callie had worked hard to get where she was. Her father's business empire, nor his money had anything to do with her skills in the courtroom. Sometimes it felt like her background was making it even harder for her to make a real name for herself.
The moment they settled down behind their table, the hairs in Callie's neck stood up right away. She closed her eyes for a second, willing the now visible auras of the people around her to go away. Without looking behind her, into the rows and rows of onlookers, she knew right away who would be there. Still, she felt the need to look and within seconds her brown eyes locked with the blue eyes of the white aura lady.
The blonde was wearing a black tailored suit and a white blouse, standard attire for most people in the courthouse, but she stood out to Callie. Their eye contact only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to start a fire in the pit of the lawyer's stomach. She quickly turned her attention back to the task at hand, gripping onto her leather bag tightly to help herself focus. She could not let her attention slip now, this case was too important.
When she had thought to herself she would see the mystery blonde again, she had not expected it to be here. And once again, it had thrown her a little. But it was not enough to completely thrown her off her game. She had come in well prepared and nothing was going to stop her from winning this case.
When the court officials arrived, everybody in the room stood up and Callie took the moment to quickly scan around the room. The DA was fidgeting with his tie and his aura was a greyish color, the color of anxiety and nervousness. Which made sense, because they had nothing substantial against Callie's client. Most of their case hinged on the testimonies of a few questionable informants and some circumstantial evidence.
The judge had a bright green aura, the most neutral color. It meant he was open to both parties and was not biased, or at least, not noticeably. Just how Callie liked it. Soon enough, she would convince him of her case, she was sure of it.
Her opening statement had gone flawlessly. She had managed to persuade some of the jurors with just the introduction to Lawrence Bishop and the witch hunt the DA's office was on, allegedly of course.
The DA fidgeting with his tie once again, told Callie that the man had nothing new. If she had to compare him to an animal, he would certainly be a mouse. His skittish behavior and grey suit were only too fitting. While she listened intently to the man's opening statement, she could feel that she was being watched. Callie just knew it was the mystery blonde, but she refused to look behind her. She would deal with that later.
With her being in the zone, the day flew by and before she knew it, the judge was closing today's session. She had done a pretty good job today and with one of the key witnesses for the prosecution not showing up, it was starting to look better and better for Lawrence Bishop. Another day, another dollar, Callie thought to herself as she shook the tall businessman's hand. Today had also boosted his confidence.
"I'm glad you're keeping your promise," he said with a smug grin on his face.
Callie just nodded at him. "Of course. You hire the best, you get the best." Nothing could phase her confidence right now. She had been kicking ass all day. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early, so we can go over your testimony one more time."
The man nodded. "You got it." With that he turned to his wife and kids.
Once she had packed up her things, her eyes darted through the court room, landing once again on the blonde. She was still there and was putting away a notepad. What was she doing here? Was she a journalist? A court reporter? Or one of those obnoxious bloggers? When their eyes met, it felt like an electric current went straight to her and once again, she felt her hunter instinct kick in. The primal emotions she normally could easily suppress were waking up, like a bear after hibernation.
A slight blush crept up the blonde's cheeks as she held Callie's gaze. It seemed like neither woman was prepared to break the stare, as if neither wanted to show any sign of weakness. It was Callie who looked away first, because her assistant demanded her attention. She tugged on Callie's sleeve and showed her a note saying they had located the missing witness for the prosecution.
"Good work, Wilson," she said as she patted the younger woman's shoulder. "Keep an eye on him and let them flounder. We don't want any nasty surprises."
When Callie looked up again, the blonde was gone. But she knew that already, the auras had disappeared and so had the fire in the pit of her stomach. On her way out of the courthouse, she could not help but look around to see if she could spot the woman, but she had probably already left. The security guard greeted her on the way out and the receptionist validated her parking ticket with a smile. Everything today had gone smoothly, just how she liked it.
She got into her car and as soon as she turned on the ignition, her radio started blaring. The song 'Who are you' by The Who was playing. She chuckled and shook her head, the irony was not lost on her. "Who are you indeed," she said as she pulled out of the parking garage and drove home.
###
Callie was standing in her favorite spot of the house, behind the huge floor to ceiling windows of her bedroom, cradling a cup of tea as she gazed out over the lake that bordered her backyard. Usually, this was her sanctuary, the place that made her feel at peace. But today, her mind was going a mile a minute and she felt everything but peace. She wondered where her father was and if he was still alive. Another week had gone by without a word from him and by now she was sure he had not left at his own accord.
And then there was the blonde. Her father would sure have known what the white aura meant. He would have been able to tell her all about it. But he was not here and so it remained a mystery. The woman had managed to slip away twice on her now and Callie was determined to at least get her name the next time she saw her.
She sighed as her phone rang. Callie walked over to the table and looked at the caller ID. If it had been anyone other than Lena, she would probably not have picked up.
"Hey you," Callie said after taking a deep breath, her tone of voice sultry and sweet.
"Babe, it's me," Lena's voice sounded off, almost shaky. Something was wrong.
"I know, what can I do for you?" Her voice went straight to business, since flirting seemed to be off the table.
"I just…I just wanted to warn you."
"Warn me? About what?" Callie unconsciously raised one eyebrow and put her cup down on the table.
"Oscar and his father. They've gone nuts."
"What do you mean?" It was common knowledge those two guys were so detached from reality, but she was sure Lena did not call her to state the obvious. What could they have done that was worse than what they had already done in the month they had taken over from her father, which was causing a rift within the vampire community.
"They are working on changing the law."
"What?" Callie could feel tension in her body starting to rise. Even though she was not in charge, she still felt responsible now her father was not there to rule like he had always done.
"They want to allow the true bloods to hunt again, to go out at night," Lena continued. "They want to restore the old law, go back to the good old Golden Age."
It was quiet on the other side of the line. Callie did not know how to answer. She balled her hand into a fist and clenched it, almost drawing blood from digging her nails into her own skin. It had taken her years to learn how to deal with her instincts and her temper and right now she could feel she was starting to lose her control.
Even though she had chosen to not follow in her father's footsteps, she was still behind him. Seeing a bunch of lowlifes tearing apart everything her father stood for, everything he had built, was making her so, so angry. She had grown up knowing she was untouchable, her family was untouchable and everything she knew was starting to crumble before her eyes. It was infuriating.
"Cal?"
"I'm here," The raven-haired woman's tone of voice had completely changed from when she picked up. She was trying hard to control herself and to keep focus. Lena could not know she was slowly losing control. She had an image to maintain. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to calm herself. "When are they going to do this?"
"They've called a ceremonial meeting on Sunday."
Sunday? That meant she only had six days to run interference. Six days to figure out what she was going to do. With all the real world business going on, that was going to equal very little sleep this week.
"Fuck."
"Only true bloods have been invited. I've heard that Oscar instructed the guardians to stop you from attending at all costs. They are afraid of you, Cal. Why is that?"
That piece of information surprised Callie. Yes, she was a Royal, but that was just by name. She had vampire abilities, but she was not strong, at least, not like her father. She was far from untouchable physically with her father not around to protect her.
"If only I knew," Callie huffed. "If they are changing the law, everything will turn to shit. We'll end up in the spotlights and we'll go all the way back to the middle ages when they were hunting us, just like the witches."
"A lot of people are worried," Lena continued, her voice still quaky. Callie only now realized Lena did not call her to inform her, but because she was seeking guidance. As if Callie could make her feel safe like some modern day Robin Hood.
"Dammit. Thanks for telling me, Lena," Callie was glad not everyone had succumbed to the power of the new Royals. At least some people were still using their brains instead of just listening to their instincts.
Things had changed after the Golden Age for a reason. Vampires had gone underground to avoid constantly being hunted by humans. They had opted for a more peaceful way of co-existing with humans, so everyone could just live their merry lives. Humans were none the wiser and probably thought all vampires were extinct or gone, or whatever helped them sleep at night. All because of a pact that had been made within the vampire community.
"You have to do something." Lena pleaded.
And there it was. Even though she had abdicated the so-called throne, she was still being looked upon as a ruler. She had not signed on for this. Fuck.
"I will go to my father's house this weekend and see what I can find out. I have to handle this lawsuit first."
Lena sighed. "You should get your priorities straight, Cal."
Callie shook her head and pursed her lips. It was no use getting angry with the woman now. "I will make it work. Will you keep me posted?"
"I will. Just…just watch your back, okay?" The woman all but pleaded.
"Always, Lena. Always."
Callie hung up the phone and put it back on the table. Quietly she walked back to her spot, looking out over the lake and gazed out. "Daddy, where are you? I need you," she said softly as she clenched both her fists. She stood there for a moment, without making a sound. Her heartbeat was picking up slowly but steadily and just before it seemed like she was about to blow, she growled and turned on her heels. "Fuck this," she muttered as she got her keys and stormed out of the house.
As time ticked away, she was getting more and more furious, beyond furious even. At moments like this, when she felt emotions to such extremes, it was hard to control her vampire side. Her anger made her feel like she wanted to sink her teeth in someone's neck and drain them until there was nothing left. That was how angry she was. She stomped towards her car and got in. The engine of the T-Bird roared as she kicked it into gear and sped off into the night.
Even though she had never done it before, right now she felt like going to some remote area and just….kill someone. Her father would have been proud and ashamed of her at the same time. He had always wanted her to embrace her vampire side more, but he had also taught her to remain civil and live alongside other beings instead of killing them. Her father had been responsible for keeping the pact into place, for keeping the peace in this city. If the pact was broken, if the laws were changed, the mayhem that would break out would be worse than any kind of war known to mankind.
Since killing someone was not an option, she directed her car to the next best place. Deep down she knew this was going to be a mistake. Confronting Oscar would probably only make things worse, but she had to. She had to get rid of this anger inside, she had to defend her father's honor. She just knew it was Oscar and his father who made her father disappear. She needed answers. Her car flew through the streets of the city, breaking every speed limit as if she was in a high speed car chase. She did not even know how she was getting to her destination, it was all a blur.
As she sped through 5th Ave, all of a sudden, things seemed to slow down. Her blood was no longer racing through her veins at top speed and she could hear and feel her heartbeat slow down and steady. For a split second, everything around her, the whole world seemed to slow down. Callie could have sworn she could see specs of dust floating through the car in slow motion. She noticed the traffic light ahead of her was red and she hit the brakes. And then she saw it again. She saw her, the mysterious blonde and her white aura, walking down the street, coming out of the police headquarters. Her whole being zoomed in on the blonde and as she blatantly stared at her, she felt herself calm down.
The blonde crossed the street in front of her and all Callie could do was gawk at her from behind the steering wheel. Her knuckles were no longer white from gripping onto the steering wheel with all her might and she could feel herself sink into her seat. It was almost as if she was forced to take deep, slow breaths, centering herself and bringing herself out of her fit of rage and her back into reality.
She did not know how, but she knew it was the blonde causing this. The calm and serenity just seemed to ooze from the woman as she walked in front of Callie's car. Their eyes met and Callie saw the look of recognition in the blonde's cerulean blue eyes. A gentle smile appeared on the blonde's lips and she nodded towards Callie. All the lawyer could do was nod back and hold up her hand in a weak wave.
A car behind her honked because the light had turned green and she had not moved, breaking the moment. Callie flipped the driver behind her the bird in her rearview mirror before putting her car into gear and driving off. Should she follow the blonde? Nah, that would be creepy.
All the anger she felt earlier had completely subsided and she no longer felt like confronting Oscar. So, instead of probably making the biggest mistake of her life, she turned her car around and drove back home. If she was going to be on top of her game again tomorrow, she needed to get her rest. She needed to stay grounded and keep her head down while her father was gone. He would not want her to do something stupid and put herself in danger.
One thing she did know for sure. Once this lawsuit was finished, she was going to figure out who that blonde was. It was no longer a coincidence that she seemed to show up wherever Callie went. Not to even mention the weird effect the woman seemed to have on her. This was something she needed to find out sooner rather than later.
###
Even though last night had been slightly crazy, Callie was looking forward to today. She would further set up her win today, she was sure of it. This morning, Lawrence Bishop had called her in at the crack of dawn for a meeting before going to court. He had wanted her to help him on a different matter, but when he had started explaining she had held up her hand and shook her head. She would only represent his legal business and for anything even slightly less legal, he would be on his own. Callie was no saint herself, but she was very strict to following the rules while she was working. She already had extra heat because of her last name, so she needed to keep a clean book.
The tall, dark and impressive man in front of her had been quiet for the longest time and Callie could see that he was angry, but she had not caved. He probably understood that he already had the best lawyer in town and he would have to find someone else to sort his dirty business. She did not even want to know there was any of that kind of business.
Confident as ever, she drove into the courthouse garage, parked her car and stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and just the doors were about to close, a voice filled the air.
"Hold the doors, please!"
Since Callie had already felt the other person's presence, she had pressed the 'open doors' button before the words had even floated through the air. More than once now, she had sensed the mystery blonde's presence before actually seeing her.
"Thank—oh, hi," the mystery blonde said as she rushed into the elevator. She flashed Callie a warm smile as the doors closed again.
"Well, well," Callie said in a teasing tone of voice, her face giving away her amusement. "Come to see me again?"
The blonde chuckled. "In a way, yes."
Callie stepped closer to the woman, purposely getting into her space. She wanted to establish her dominance, which really only meant she felt the need to do so. "I wish I had known, then I would have worn something nicer."
"You look just fine as is," the woman quipped back, her dimples popping from the genuine smile on her face when their eyes met.
Callie immediately felt the fire in the pit of her stomach start again and forced herself to stay calm. This was her chance to find out more about the woman. "So," she said in a sultry tone of voice, "since we seem to keep meeting each other, I think I should at least know your name so I can greet you next time."
If the blonde was phased by Callie moving into her space or speaking to her like that, she did not let it on. The mystery woman pursed her lips, a mischievous twinkle appearing in her eyes. "Now what would be the fun in that?" She retorted.
A chuckle left the raven-haired woman's throat. The blonde was playing hard to get and this was exactly the type of game Callie loved to play. This prey was begging to be hunted and she was all for a little excitement. "Alright then," she said. "I'm…."
Just before Callie could finish her sentence, the blonde woman's head suddenly shot up and she turned towards the doors of the elevator. The playful look on her face faded instantly and was replaced by something Callie could not identify. Yet another thing she could not read about this woman.
The elevator reached its destination and started slowing down. As soon as the doors slid open, the mystery blonde started frantically punching the 'close doors' button. Gunfire and shouting sounded in the hallway in front of them and the blonde all but jumped in front of Callie after pressing another button on the elevator's control panel.
The elevator started moving again, but only for a few seconds. Suddenly, the power went out, making the elevator come to a halt. The small cage went pitch back before the emergency light went on, filling the confined space with an eerie glow.
Callie blinked a couple of times and stared at the other woman in disbelief. "What the hell just happened?" Everything that had just occurred, had happened in a matter of seconds and Callie, even with her swiftness, had a hard time catching on. It was probably yet another effect this woman had on her, she was usually more astute.
"Gunmen," the blonde said matter-of-factly. She grabbed her mobile phone and cursed as she noticed it no longer worked.
It was only then that Callie noticed that blood was dripping from under the other woman's skirt. "You're bleeding".
The blonde looked down and only then noticed she had been shot. "Are you ok?" She asked Callie while she instinctively put her hand over the spot that the lawyer still had her eyes trained on. She hissed as she pressed down on it to stop the bleeding.
Callie chuckled in disbelief. "Am I ok? You got shot. You should sit down."
"I'm fine, I think my phone took most of it," the blonde said, slightly protesting, but still obeying Callie's order. She sat down with her back against the back wall of the elevator.
Callie kneeled down next to her, putting her hands over the blonde's that was pressing on the wound. "Here, let me."
The blonde had not even felt getting shot, but now she was sitting down and the danger seemed to be averted, she started feeling the burning hot throbs of pain. "It also hit my phone," she said, as if that was the most important thing. "Can you call 911?"
With one hand still firmly pressing down on the other woman's thigh, Callie rummaged through her purse to get her phone. She unlocked it with her thumb print and handed it to the blonde. "You call." With that, she immediately went back to tending to the other woman's wound.
The situation was unreal, but even though it was not her main focus, Callie noticed that the other woman was giving off a calming vibe. The blonde had been shot and even now she seemed calm and welcoming, making Callie feel less stressed herself. How on earth was that even possible? How on earth was this woman not screaming in pain?
The blonde took Callie's phone and paused for a moment, staring at the background picture of Callie and her father. The dark-haired woman did not notice though. The blonde shook her head and looked at the woman hunched over her. "I think they might have scrambled reception, there is no service."
"Fuck," Callie cursed. "It's gonna take a while before we get help. Put your hands here." She got up and took off her blazer and blouse, leaving her in just a white, silky camisole. She rolled up her blouse and used it as a makeshift tourniquet to tie off the blonde's wound.
Even though she had chosen to not participate in all the 'vampire stuff' as she called it, seeing, smelling and feeling another person's blood did not leave her completely unperturbed. Especially since it was the mystery blonde's blood. Even her blood smelled good and made her feel all kinds of things. It felt so wrong to feel this right now, but she could not really help it. She tried to push the thoughts and feelings as far away as she could in order to help the blonde, who had probably just pretty much saved her life.
"Robbins," the blonde suddenly said. "Arizona Robbins." When Callie looked up at her and their eyes met, the blonde smiled at her. "That's my name."
"Arizona…" Callie's voice trailed off, savouring the way the woman's name felt rolling over her tongue. "My name is Callie Torres, but you probably already know that. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine, Calliope," the blonde replied.
Callie's head shot up at hearing her full name. How did this woman know her name? "It's Callie," she corrected out of habit.
"If I had a beautiful name like that, I would use it," Arizona retorted.
Not wanting to linger on the trivial subject, Callie moved to something more pressing. "How did you know?" She asked as she tied the last knot in her blouse tourniquet.
"Know what?" Arizona was obviously confused.
"You seemed to know something was wrong before the doors even opened," Callie replied. "How did you know?"
"Instinct," Arizona replied simply.
"You're a cop, aren't you?" Callie said. Great, that was just great.
"I am," Arizona answered. She did not seem to be a woman of many words, only answering Callie's questions directly and not offering any extra information.
Callie sat down on the elevator floor next to Arizona with a huff. She rummaged through her purse and handed the blonde a bottle of water. "Are you ok?"
"Thanks," the blonde said as she took the bottle from Callie. She took a sip and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm fine, Calliope," she said, purposely using the other woman's full name. Her eyes were wandering over the other woman's body and ended up focusing on Callie's cleavage, which was extra visible now she was not wearing her blouse anymore.
"I know you've just been shot, but that does not give you the right to ogle," Callie's voice sounded stern, but her face gave away she was slightly amused that she caught the blonde staring at her boobs.
Arizona chuckled, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks as she averted her gaze to the soulful brown eyes of the woman next to her. "I'm in pain, I don't know what I'm doing," she answered playfully.
"Riiiiight," Callie responded with a knowing look. It was quiet in the elevator for a moment, apart from Arizona's ragged breathing. She was obviously in pain and Callie did not know what else to do to ease it. "So.." she started, her voice trailing off as she looked at the woman next to her. "Why have you been following me? Is that part of your job?"
"I'm not….," Arizona's voice trailed off and she looked at Callie for a moment, obviously thinking of what to say. After pondering for a moment, she decided to go with telling the truth. "I'm investigating your father's disappearance," she said.
Callie raised her eyebrow, she really thought that they had put her father's case on the shelves. It also made her re-think all the times she had seen the blonde. They were probably not as coincidental as she had thought. "Hmmm," she said, clearly put off by the information she had just gathered.
"Not a fan, huh?" Arizona replied. She was used to people not liking her because of her profession.
"I don't like liars," Callie retorted, adding a sharp edge to her voice.
"I haven't lied to you," Arizona retorted matter-of-factly. "We would have had to exchange actual words for me to lie to you."
The raven-haired woman did not reply, instead she just raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Callie knew Arizona was technically right, but she still felt like she had been lied to.
For a moment, both women ended up in a stare down. Deep brown eyes met cerulean blue and neither woman had any intention of caving and looking away. The air in the elevator seemed to become thicker and loaded with electricity. For a moment, Callie wondered if she should just lean in and kiss the other woman. She surely was not the only one feeling this attraction, right? The tension between them was palpable and Callie was pretty sure it was sexual tension. That and an almost unhealthy interest in finding out more about the woman.
"Tell me," Callie suddenly said, breaking the silence. "What have you found?"
"I can't comment on an active investigation, Calliope. You know that."
"Fuck that," Callie huffed. "This is my father we are talking about, he has been missing for over a month. I deserve to know if you guys have found anything."
"I think they're coming," Arizona suddenly said after being quiet for a few moments. Her face was now turned towards the doors in front of them and Callie could see her straining. The lawyer followed Arizona's gaze towards the elevator doors, but she did not see or hear anything.
"And how would you know that?" Callie was wondering if Arizona really heard something or was just trying to get herself out of the jam of having to answer questions about the case.
"I'm a cop," came the short answer.
Loud noises were coming from the hallway above them. To Callie it was unclear what exactly was going on and without thinking about it, she slipped her hand into Arizona's as they both looked up, to where the elevator doors probably still covered a little bit of the fifth floor.
"It's the SWAT team," Arizona said, not letting go of Callie's hand. "We'll be okay."
"I wonder what the hell happened," Callie murmured. Lawrence Bishop had promised her that his business was clean and there were no nasty surprises.
"Gunmen," the blonde cop explained. "I noticed masked men in the hallway, that's why I pressed the 'close doors' button."
Callie frowned. The doors had barely opened before Arizona had reacted, it had been humanly impossible for her to see what she claimed she saw. That was odd. But since the blonde was hurt, she was not going to ask further or call her on it. Maybe the doors had opened further than she had thought. Arizona had jumped in front of her just in time, so she must have seen something, or else she would have had no reason to do that.
Suddenly, there were knocks on the elevator doors. "Is there someone in there?" A man's voice shouted as he pounded again. "This is agent Jeffrey Rouch, is there someone in there? Robbins?"
Arizona looked up at hearing her name. "Agent Rouch, Robbins here."
"Robbins, is everything ok in there? Is anyone hurt? How many people are in there?"
"There's just two of us. The defendant's lawyer, Callie Torres and myself. I've been shot, but it's not too bad, the shot ricocheted off my phone and into my thigh. I think I can walk."
It was not lost on Callie that Arizona did not use her full name this time. And she was glad for that. The blonde using it as an inside joke was something she could get used to.
"Alright, Robbins, thank you. Stay away from the doors please, we are coming in."
Callie quickly got up and helped the other woman up as well before the both of them moved to the back corner of the elevator. The doors wailed when they were being pried open, but unfortunately they would not open far enough to let them both through. They had not even made it halfway down to the next floor, so if they doors would open a bit further, they could climb out of the elevator easily.
"Hi ladies," Agent Rouch said as he peeked his head into the elevator. "We are going to have to use some power tools, hang in there."
The power tools were brought in and within no time, the doors were open. Arizona told Callie to go first and helped her up, even though she was hurt herself. The blonde cop was carefully pulled out while Callie was given a quick once over by some emergency personnel.
The raven-haired lawyer looked into the hallway and could do nothing but stare. She had never seen anything like this in her life. Bodies were lying on the floor, cops, civilians, court officials, blood spatter covered the walls, spent bullet casings were everywhere. She stood there, nailed to the ground, tears pooling in her eyes. Only now the realization hit her that the mystery blonde had saved her life. If it had not been for her acting so fast, she would probably have been shot. Instead, she was standing there with not a scratch on her, while Arizona had a bullet wound.
Callie turned to where emergency personnel were tending to Arizona, a tear running down her cheek as she watched the woman being transferred to a stretcher. They would transport her to a hospital to check out the damage to her thigh. She had known the blonde was in pain, but only now she realized that their banter had probably helped Arizona forget. It changed the whole meaning of their time together in the elevator.
The cop's skin had turned pale though, she had probably lost a lot of blood already. "Where are they taking her?" Callie asked the paramedic.
"Memorial," was the answer before Arizona was wheeled off down the hall.
"Miss," someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to look, ready to tear into whoever was interrupting her. She stopped when she noticed it was a young cop. The man guided Callie towards the exit with a hand on her lower back. On any other day, she would snap his neck for even touching her, but right now she was so subdued that she let herself be guided. "I understand you are shaken up, but would you mind giving me your statement?"
"Yes, I would mind," Callie said angrily, her eyes squinting when the bright daylight hit her in the face. "I need to get to Memorial Hospital, now."
"Since you don't appear to be hurt, we cannot take you to the hospital right now. They are only accepting emergencies at the moment. A lot of people were hurt today," the young agent explained calmly. "Look, I personally know Agent Robbins, how about you give me your statement and I'll make sure I'll keep you updated on how she's doing?"
The lawyer smiled, but in reality she wanted to bite his head off, preferably literally. She knew he was just doing his job and that he was right, so she let out a soft sigh in defeat. "Okay," she said. "I'm going to have to disappoint you though, I didn't see much. Agent Robbins did a good job protecting me."
"I'm glad to hear that, Miss Torres." The agent took out his notepad and started asking questions. Callie could see his mouth move, but she did not really register his words. All she could think of was what had just happened. The look on the blonde's face, the way she felt with the other woman so close to her. They had barely touched each other, but already Callie knew she wanted to spend more time with Arizona. At least now she knew the woman's name.
"Miss Torres?"
"Sorry," she said after shaking her head to pull herself back to reality. "It all went so fast."
"I understand, what do you remember?"
"I stepped into the elevator and as the doors closed, Arizona…Agent Robbins arrived. I opened the doors for her and we rode the elevator together. When we got to the fifth floor, she noticed something, hit the 'close doors' button and jumped in front of me. I did not see anything of what was going on. I did not see who was shooting. I just heard the gunshots and the shouting. Agent Robbins pressed the ground floor button, but the elevator only moved a little bit before the power went out. We got stuck and then I realized Agent Robbins got shot. That's about it."
"The shouting you heard, in what language was it? Could you make out anything that was said?"
Callie closed her eyes and tried to take herself back to the moment she heard the gunshots and the shouting. She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Sorry, no, I have no idea."
"Okay. Thank you, miss Torres. If you remember anything else, please give me a call." He handed her his card and escorted her outside of the building.
"What about your part of the deal, Agent…" her eyes darted towards the card and back to the handsome young man. "O'Donnell."
The man smiled and nodded. "Give me a minute." He turned around and got on his phone while Callie watched him intently. His aura was blue, just like it should be. He was professional, but since the blue hinted a little towards pinkish, he was also caring. He probably knew Arizona personally. After hanging up his phone, he walked back towards her and smiled. "She has not arrived at the hospital yet, I'm sorry I don't have any more information for you right now."
Callie nodded. She got her business card out of her purse and handed it to the cop. "Can you make sure you give this to her and ask her to call me? She saved my life."
The agent smiled at her and nodded. "I will, ma'am."
"Thank you."
And with that, Callie was left to her own accord. She just stood there on the sidewalk, not really knowing what to do next. She looked up at the building and gazed at the fifth floor. She was supposed to be there, winning a case. Or maybe even back home, celebrating the win with a big fat contract. Instead, everything had turned to shit and she should be glad she had made it out alive.
"Ah, Agent O'Donnell?"
The young man turned around.
"Could you tell me if Lawrence Bishop is one of the victims?"
"Ma'am, I can't give…"
She cut him off, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "Look, I'm his lawyer, I was there to defend him. I need to know if my client is okay."
He nodded. "I happen to know he was transported to the hospital. I don't know what the extent of his injuries is, you would have to inquire yourself."
"Thank you." And with that, Callie had a goal and she felt so much better. She would go to the hospital and check up on Mr. Bishop. At the same time, she had a reason to go there and see if she could check up on Arizona as well.
"Can I do anything for you, Miss Torres? Call you a taxi maybe?"
"That'd be great, thanks." She watched the man turn on his heels and sat down on a bench on the sidewalk, waiting to be picked up. "Arizona Robbins," she said to herself. She now knew the mystery blonde's name, but she had also realized she wanted…no..needed to learn so much more about her.