Author's Note : Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter . This chapter is longer than usual , I hope it will make up for the time that I will take to write the next chapter .
Someday someone is going to look at you with a light in their eyes you've never seen , they'll look at you like you're everything they've been looking for their entire lives . Wait for it
While they were riding down the elevator to the Nathaniel's penthouse slash the building of Sullivan Industries's branch in New York , the venue where the prom night was being held , Arizona couldn't keep her eyes off of the stunning woman next to her . Callie was clearly feeling anxious about this .
And Arizona was just as nervous as the brunette . She had invited a few of her friends . Friends that she rarely contacted , that she hadn't seen for years already . Friends that suprisingly didn't turn down her invitation even though she knew how much of a jerk she was toward them . Arizona had also invited a few closest friends from her business world . And tonight , they were all in this building . Some of them were excited to see the new Arizona . And some of them just were just showing up in order to gave Arizona some respects and thank yous for the invitation .
As soon as the elevator door opened , they both walked forward with their arms linking together . Arizona and Callie both flashed their smiles to the few people that had started to notice their arrival . The blonde was with her dimpled charming smile , the smile that her (used to be) best friend hadn't seen for years . And Callie , she had a broad smile as she looked around with a calm face . But only God knew how nervous she was right now . The theme of the night seemed to be focusing on classic ballroom prom as everyone was looking very sharp and pretty with tuxs and dresses .
The lighting of the room was great and the big chandelier in the middle of supposed to be the dance floor was perfect .
Callie's anxiety slowly disappeared when she spotted someone that she knew . Her long time best friend smirking like an idiot on the stage with a microphone in her hand .
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen . It looks like our VIPs have arrived ." The redhead announced excitedly using the microphone . "Please welcome . Our queen and queen for tonight's prom , Miss Arizona Robbins and Miss Callie Torres !"
All of the attentions of the people in the room were quickly focused on both of them . They were cheering when they saw Arizona and Callie as all of them made a room for the couple .
"You invited Addie ?" Callie was shocked but she was also happy . It's been a long time since the last time they had spent time with each other . The redhead had been busy lately with her private law firm in California .
Addison Montgomery . Arizona was very grateful when she reached the redhead via phone call , Addie was more than happy to played her part in making this prom happened tonight . She had help Arizona a lot since the last few days .
"Yes . And I invited Lexie too . Along with Amanda , Toby , Sam , Jessica , Becky and a few other people from your university years and your ex colleagues of Seattle Spectator , that I couldn't memorize their names altogether ." Arizona's forehead was wrinkling as she tried to say the names one by one .
"Seriously , Arizona . This is the best birthday present ever . And Addie …? Oh my god , I hadn't seen her for a very long time ." Callie threw her gaze between the blonde and the redhead . There were a lot of things that she wanted to talk to Addison . As a kid , Addison Montgomery and Callie Torres were inseparable . The redhead was her best friend since kindergarten . And when they were both fifteen , Addie and her family moved to Vancouver before returning back to the state five years later .
Seeing Callie was almost leaving Arizona's side , Addison quickly stopped the Latina . "Nuh uh , Torres . I missed you too , but you will hug me later . 'Cause now ! You are going to have your prom dance with your prom date ."
Callie chuckled almost immediately after that as she turned around , facing Arizona who was raising her eyebrows , extending her hand .
"Dance with me ?"
Callie happily obliged as she took Arizona's hand . All eyes were on them but shockingly , Callie didn't feel bothered by it at all . Not at this moment . As long as Arizona stayed beside her , she felt completely safe . And right now , she just wanted to dance as she slowly found her gazes lost into the intense blue eyes .
They both walked toward the dance floor , just in front of the stage , under the big crystal shining chandelier and that was when the applause of the audiences hit their ears . Both women were trying to ignored the stares that they both received right now and just simply focused on each other . As the sounds of the acoustic guitar and piano started to play the song that Arizona had picked up specially for tonight . The band was also chosen by Arizona . She picked this song because the lyric was almost similar to their story . She could totally relate to it . It was the perfect dance song for her and Callie .
I met you in the dark, you lit me up
You made me feel as though I was enough
We danced the night away , we drank too much
I didn't know that I was
Ready for love
The soft music began and once it started , Arizona took a step forward . She was staring . Her stare penetrated deep into the Latina's soul . Gazes locked , they both started to move , circling each other at first before Arizona gently placed her hand on her girlfriend's back while Callie's hand was placed on the blonde shoulder , their free hands easily met each other . Arizona kept the move simple as she smiled to the amazing woman in front of her . Their feet moved perfectly with each other . Callie was clearly nervous with the idea of dancing in front of a crowds but Arizona totally calmed her down . They were both supporting each other , taking out one another from their comfort zones . Wasn't it a beautiful relationship ?
"Arizona ." Callie whispered as she leaned in . "Everyone is looking at us ."
"Really ?" Arizona asked , didn't even bother taking her eyes off of Callie . "I didn't notice that ."
Then you smiled over your shoulder
For a minute , I was stone-cold sober
I pulled you closer to my chest
And you asked me to stay over
I said , I already told ya
I think that you should get some rest
I knew I loved you then
But you'd never know
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go
I know I needed you
But I never showed
But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
As the song progress , Callie felt relaxed even with all those stares . A small dimpled smile formed on the blonde's pink lips was enough to infected Callie . Arizona was perfect , the red handkerchief that was slipping out of her tuxedo pocket was matching Callie's red dress . Her eyes were blue , so blue , almost like an ocean . And the deep stare she gave was irresistible . It was impossible for Callie to looked away from it . The attention that she received from the gaze was enough . She didn't need more . In fact right now , she felt really lucky . Arizona was everything that she needed . She was the person that Callie had been waiting for . The prince or princess charming that Callie had painted inside of her head since she was just this awkward little girl . Arizona Robbins was Callie Torres's fairytale . And her heart was hers .
I'll wake you up with some breakfast in bed
I'll bring you coffee with a kiss on your head
And I'll take the kids to school
Wave them goodbye
And I'll thank my lucky stars for that night
When you looked over your shoulder
For a minute , I forget that I'm older
I wanna dance with you right now
And you look as beautiful as ever
And I swear that everyday you'll get better
You make me feel this way somehow
I'm so in love with you
And I hope you know
Darling your love is more than worth its weight in gold
We've come so far my dear
Look how we've grown
And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
I wanna live with you
Even when we're ghosts
'Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most
I'm gonna love you till
My lungs give out
I promise till death we part like in our vows
So I wrote this song for you , now everybody knows
'Cause now it's just you and me till we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
The warmth between them grew more intense by the second . Callie's heartbeat was growing steadily by now as Arizona just watched her . She noticed that ... The dance was perfect , everything was in sync . From the breathing to their moving feet , it stayed sync . From the beginning of the dance until right now , the end of the song … Nothing felt forced . Yeah , that was how her relationship with Arizona even before they both began dating . The fake relationship , the confessions , the admiring and the pursuing . They had their ups and downs but none of their action was forced . It was perfect .
Arizona is perfect , Callie smiled as her brain started to have its own monologue .
And the sound of hands clapping around them quickly brought them back to the reality .
"Whoa , what a beautiful dance from them both . Ladies and gentlemen , help yourself to the buffet line . Speaking on behalf of Arizona and Callie , I hope you all have a good times ." Addison spoke . "I'm handing this microphone to someone else because .. I'm hungry and I want to hug my best friend ."
The guests in the room all laughed to Addison's joke . The redhead quickly left the stage , seconds after that she found herself collided into Callie's arms . "Callie Torres ! How are you , dear ? And happy birthday !"
"Thanks , Addie . I'm great , even better that you are here . I've missed you so much . It's been almost like what .. ? A year since we saw each other eyes to eyes ? Thanks for coming ."
"Don't thank me . Thank her ." Addison pointed her finger toward the blonde who was now watching the two best friend's reunion . "She was the culprit behind all these things . I am just happily making a guest appearance . You really landed a jackpot ."
The last sentence was almost a whisper from Addison but if they thought Arizona couldn't hear them , they were totally wrong .
"Ahem , I am still here ." Arizona cleared her throat , announcing that she was still standing next to them . But her attention was somewhere else . It was on a stranger that was staring at them from across the room . No , not at them . At her girlfriend . The staring had started even since they both were dancing just now . Arizona may seemed like she was looking at Callie the whole time but it was completely false . But she couldn't help it . Because to be honest , the staring was pretty distracting . Sure , other people stared too but at some point they did blink or looked away but this person … Her stared was never ending even until now .
The woman had a slender build . She was standing near the black cocktail table , holding her glass up while the eyes still busy eyeing Callie . She was in a cream colored casual v neck shirt with a black matching color blazer and pants . She was definitely taller than her , almost 6 foot tall , in fact . And the combination of thin and tall was making the woman looked almost like a light pole in Arizona's eyes . She wasn't a competition . With the boxing classes she had taken , Arizona could just easily knocked . Even though she often skipped the class with the private coach but she practiced her punches alone , almost every week .
Yes , Arizona did ask her secretary to tracked down Callie's friend in high school , college and even in her former workplace for tonight's prom . And when Evelyn came back with the names , she was the one that approved those names , names to be invited . But there were only names without photos , so she didn't have any clue who was the woman that had been staring at her girlfriend now .
And finally , the stranger looked away when she realized that Arizona had noticed the staring session .
With both best friends were engaging in a deep conversation , mostly each sentences ended with giggles and laughs , they hadn't notice where Arizona's attention was or that the blonde was now frowning a little bit .
"Calliope , I think you have an admirer ." Arizona simply pointed toward the stranger's direction with her eyes . "She kept staring at you the whole time we were dancing . It's quite irritating ."
Callie turned her head to see who was it , followed by Addie . The stranger wasn't looking at her now but even though she only caught the side of the stranger's face , she knew that person well . That body , that signature above the shoulder curly haircut . She knew her . Callie's jaw almost dropped to the floor . All of other places on any other day , why is she here ?
"Uh - oh …" Addie was also shocked .
"Miss Robbins ." A dark brown haired man suddenly interrupted the three women . "Miss Robbins , I am sorry to disturb you . But there's a situation in the lobby that needs your attention ."
"O' Malley . What is it ?" Arizona's attention turned to the man who was wearing a full black suit . "I will be right back , ladies ."
George O' Malley . A man in his early 40s . He was the head of security this building , this company . Every securities or bodyguards guarding this building or Arizona's office in Seattle or any other buildings that the Sullivan's owned , they were all under him . He had started working here ever since Joanne's father was still around . Joanne and Arizona both trusted in him .
And why was the head of security resided here when the headquarter of Sullivan Industries was in Seattle ? Only Arizona knew the answer to that . She had plans . Bigger plans , of course .
And just like that , Arizona disappeared with the man . Callie watched her girlfriend walking toward the elevator really fast with that O' Malley person before she finally turned her head again in the stranger's direction . No , it wasn't a stranger . She knew who the woman was . Addie knew too . Because she had talked a lot about that woman and Addie was the one that kindly lent her shoulder when Callie and that woman broke up .
"You invited Echo to your prom night that your current girlfriend organized special for you ?" Addie asked . "Really , Callie ? Really ?"
"Hey , it's a surprise prom . I don't know the people on the guest list , obviously ." Callie rolled her eyes .
"No freaking way ! Do Arizona knows that she just invited your ex girlfriend ?" Addie's eyes were wide open now .
"I don't think she knows . I .. I don't know ." Callie stuttered .
"Well , you want me to kick her ass out of here ?" Addie asked while she observed the now , estranged person for both of them .
"Just … leave her alone , Addie . Arizona invited her . It's inappropriate asking her to leave now ." Callie replied . She knew Addie well . If Callie said yes , the redhead would surely do it without hesitation . Addie was the woman that certainly knew how the game played .
Echo Monaghan . She was the first woman Callie had began openly dating . It was back in her college years . Their relationship was so good , so great until one day , she found Echo with another girl , their junior to be exact , on their own bed . The bed in their bedroom inside of the apartment that they had been living together since their first year in college . And their relationship immediately stopped right after that incident . Callie never wanted to know anything about her anymore . The sad part of the break up was how quick Echo gave up and stopped trying to fix their relationship . It was for merely three months her ex girlfriend chased after her , pursuing her and saying sorry before she finally went radio silence and disappeared . The last time Callie heard about her was the news that she dropped out of the university . And being a kind hearted human she was even when she was hurting , Callie tried to find her to checked her if she was okay . And one certainly didn't need to left the university just because she broke up with her girlfriend . The university had so many plenty of places to hide , it wasn't like one of them quitting was the only choice they had .
Echo … She managed to lay low but now , she appeared again in front of her . Acting all innocent .
But like it or not , Callie had to admit that the brunette had a huge impact on her life . They dated for almost five years and if only Echo didn't screw with someone on their last year of university , they would probably still living together now , maybe still hadn't married to each other yet because Echo ? She never believed in marriage . She believed that vows were acceptable even without getting married as long as both of the person were sincere enough to shared their lives together , to came as one in the end .
Or maybe that was just her way of avoiding commitment . Callie glanced at her ex girlfriend from across the room . And their gazes finally interlocked . Echo was staring at her as she gave a small smile to Callie .
"You are staring at her !" Addie suddenly interrupted her thoughts . She put her hands on both sides of Callie's shoulder , shaking her friend a bit . "Torres , stop it ."
Turning her attention to her best friend again , Callie raised her eyebrows . "What ? It is not a crime ."
"You are happy with Arizona ." Addie stated . Even back then , when Callie dated that brunette , she wasn't really a big fan of Echo . That girl was troubled and Callie as usual , often found love in them - the bad girls . Maybe she just liked to fix broken and troubled people . It was like a habit of her . And bad girls ? Arizona wasn't an exception . Arizona was also the bad girl type . She was very quiet , mysterious and always angry when they first met . But people changed , right ?
And Callie ? Somehow , she was the reason behind the changes in most people she once had a relationship with . Callie Torres believed in kindness even when the world seemed to be cruel to her . And most importantly she believed that not everything on the surface matched the inside . There was something more deep down , more than just a black or a white . More than just a cover .
"I am .. Happy with Arizona . She's great . Amazing ." Callie replied , her forehead was still wrinkling . "Why are you even asking that question ? You really thought that I'd want to go running back to her after what she had done to me ?"
"I am just checking . I am myself , don't like Echo too ... to be honest . But I am all team Callie , so I will endure anything .. Any person , any asses you would probably dating with in the future ." Addie said . "I will be right behind you for anything . Anything that makes Callie's heart and vagina happy again ."
On instant , Callie rolled her eyes to Addie's last sentence . "I am hoping that she will be the last person on the list of the asses I have dated with . And ! Arizona isn't an ass . She's nice . Caring and romantic . And I just found out she is actually funny too ."
"True , although I haven't , yet , get to witness the funny side . You know , she's very quiet and an observer , with the mysterious stare and that strong jawline . She looks like a stuck up ass to me , sometimes ." Addie said nonchalantly . Her words may sounded rude but she was probably the most honest woman on the earth . She would tell you if there was anything wrong in her eyes . "So , tell me … Does she makes your vagina happy ? Does she treat you well on bed ?" The last question was a playful whisper from the redhead .
"Addie !"
"Oh , come on . I have always wondering of how does it feels like to have sex with a lady ."
"And that is the reason why you should have experimented it yourself during the college years ." Callie clicked her tongue . "But too bad , you didn't . And now you are just that sad woman with a mind that always wonder just how it actually feels ."
"It is that good , huh ?" Addie still pushed , trying her luck as she ignored Callie's sarcastic remark .
"She makes me happy , Addie . Really happy . And all the sensual sex between we both ? It's a bonus for me . I have never been happier in my life like right now ." Oh boy , if only Addie knew how the sex started . How Callie seduced Arizona in that bathroom into having sex with her that night . Without realizing it , Callie was grinning alone .
"You are smiling alone ... with an in love eyes. I'm happy for you ." Addie smiled to her best friend .
"I am . Now , enough about me . What about you ? When will you finally seal the deal with Mister what his name … ?" Callie couldn't exactly remember the boyfriend's name as Addie kept coming in with a new one . That woman's love life was almost like Taylor Swift's . All tangled up like spaghetti . "Are you still with Jeremy ?"
"Oh , about that … I am not with him anymore . In fact , I am enjoying a healthy single life ." As Addie began explaining , Callie knew it was going to be a long story .
Exiting the elevator , both Arizona and George walked pass by the twenty four hours information desk . George was the one that led the way as he brought Arizona into the lobby waiting area .
"You are temporarily dismissed from here ." Arizona said without looking to the man behind the desk as they walked pass him . She was about to had a big blow up and she didn't need an outsider to be the audience of the scene .
Arizona was really pissed off with what George just informed her . And today was her girlfriend's birthday . She planned all this and she should be up there , all happy and smiley with Callie . But instead ? Arizona sighed to herself . Normally , a long deep exhale or in other name , a sigh , was a sign of relief , calming down after a storm just hit . But for Arizona ? An extra long exhale was a preparation for her to get the extra oxygen . The extra oxygen that she would be using to yell at Jack in just a few incoming seconds .
"I tried to get him leave , but he started screaming and throwing things . I would like to use the old fashioned way on him , just drag him out of here but I don't think it's appropriate . After all , he's still a family member of yours . I'm sorry this all happened on this day . Big day ."
"Big day that already ruined , thanks to .." Arizona stopped as she turned to the corner . "This freaking man ."
"Oh , just…what is this shit ? All I am asking for is my niece . Is that fucking hard for you to understand ?"
The smell of liquor was confirming Arizona's early assumption . "You are asking for him or for more of his money ? Go home Jack , you are drunk ."
"That is beeetewen me and Nate . He is my niece ." Jack got up from his seat . "It's none of your business ."
"Your niece ? Now you wanted to call him your niece ? Where were you when Joanne died ?! When Nathaniel almost gave up on his study ? Where were you ?" Arizona said , half yelling . "Oh , yeah . You were busy with your own life ."
"I didn't have to drop everything at the moment just because someone died ."
George just stand back against the wall with a stern look on his face . He would just stay invisible there and only jumped in if things started to get out of hands .
"That SOMEONE is the daughter of the person that took you in ! He basically adopted you . You could at least watch over his kids when he's gone . But have you ever did anything for them after their father died ? Anything that is indicating that you actually care ?"
"I care about them . I just don't like to show it publicly ." Jack huffed .
"Really ? So tell me , where's the place we buried Joanne ? Which cemetery ?" Arizona demanded .
But all she received was a silent . Arizona had enough off all this thing . It wasn't like she didn't have any empathy toward Jack . In fact , both Joanne and her had given him so many chances but he blew the chances everytime . There was once upon a time when Joanne and her thought he would change , one day perhaps . Arizona even offered Jack a position in Seattle but he refused to work under her . And Arizona wasn't going to offer him the same position at the other branches . She just had to monitor him closely . So offering him a position in Seattle was the best thing she could offer. For both him and the company's sake .
Arizona had to look out for the company too . And given Jack's track record in the past of how he wrecked the branch in Baltimore , the first ever branch for Sullivan Industries , Arizona knew she had to be extra careful so that the same thing wouldn't happen again to other branches .
"When Nathaniel and I buried Joanne and Aiden with sadness and pain , you didn't even come . And now when I asked you where is the cemetery , you don't even know . You ever visited their graves ?" Arizona barked .
"I didn't come because you were there too ." Jack approached Arizona , step by step . Arizona just stood up straight , didn't budge at all . "I don't fucking like you !" Jack added .
George's hand that he rested earlier on his belt slowly roamed around as his hand found the gun holster of where his beloved Glock 19 was safely placed . His hand was on standby . If something were to happen , he would managed to take it out just in time . But the direction of the bullet didn't necessarily need to be on a human body . It could be up in the air just to released a warning shot first but if Jack didn't back down , then he had no other choice . After all , his top priority was to protect his employer , her buildings and properties . But he always kept in his mind that his job as a head of security was to protect and not to kill . And tonight , George would try not to use his handgun . Because there were like a hundred person up there in the penthouse and those people would surely panic if one of them suddenly heard a gunshot .
"What is happening here ?" Nate suddenly walked into the heated argument . "Uncle Jack .. You looking for me ?"
"Yes ." Jack quickly answered . "I need a little help from you , buddy . I need money ."
"You need to stop pitying him , Nathaniel . I am telling you , your uncle is very capable of finding a job to earn his own money ." Arizona shook her head before she turned around , patting Nate on his shoulder . "It's up to you . But if I were you ? I won't help him ."
Arizona was ready to leave but that was when Jack suddenly opened his mouth again .
"Gold digger !" Jack scoffed .
Almost instantly , Arizona turned to face the half drunk man . "What did you just say ?" She roared , her voice was rough and loud . Her face was red , like she was about to explode .
"Joanne . She was a good one , huh ? A gold mine of yours . And now that she is dead , you got it all . Her property , the company , her money . Every fucking things !" Jack screamed .
And Arizona just lost it , she shook her head a few times before it all exploded . "I didn't ask for all of this ! You think I WANTED THIS ?"
"If you didn't want it , you would just give it to Nate . But did you ?" Jack continued with his provoke . "Nate should get all of this . It's their father's company . You are just an outsider and Joanne died , you are no one in this family . NO ONE !"
Arizona didn't say anything but she just lunged forward to Jack . But that was when George stopped her . Nate did the same with his uncle , body blocked him from moving forward . He always knew that his sister in law and his uncle weren't on good terms but tonight ? The bad blood had gotten worst .
"Arizona , it's not worth it . He's drunk ." George said , calming down the enraged blonde . He had always been more than just the head of security . He often gave Arizona the best advice while still managed to maintain the professional attitude .
"You see , Nate . Now that she already found someone and she's all in love again . Soon , you will be a history to her , Joanne will be a history . Everything will be a history and she's gonna take everything , leaving you with nothing at all ! And she will be spending all of Joanne's money for her new girlfriend !" Jack was still yelling as he warned Arizona . "One day , you won't be so lucky !"
Arizona gritted her teeth , that wasn't true . She made a good money as a surgeon and she wasn't the one that depended on Joanne's money . Jack was the one . And Jack had said her late wife's name for too much today and that wasn't right . Joanne should be resting in peace by now ."You come here , you bastard son of a bitch ! You say my wife's name again and I will make sure all of your teeths fall onto the ground ."
"That's enough , Jack ! Just enough !" Jack was about to open his mouth when Nate suddenly shouted . "Let's take a walk outside ."
"Arizona , calm down ." George shook his head .
"He's too much ! He knows nothing about my relationship with Joanne !" Arizona's voice was shaking as she watched Nate and Jack walked out of the building . Yeah , she just threatened to punch someone's in the face , something that she surely never done before .
"Come on , I will get you a bottle of water . Calm down , okay ?" George said .
Oh my , just how the day had turn out ...
Alex Karev greedily took all of the foods that were being served today in one plate . Every single foods they prepared , there was not one he didn't get to taste . The foods tasted great , especially the butter chicken and now all he could do was staring at the empty plate , with his full stomach . He burped as he immediately received a glare from April .
"You looked like you hadn't eat for years ." April made a sarcastic remark .
"I have been eating crappy food in Seattle ." Alex replied nonchalantly as he watched Arizona's new girlfriend from across the room who was now talking with a dark brown haired woman . With that ass ? Everyone would love to hit that . Alex found himself grinning from ear to ear as he continued with his observation . Arizona shouldn't left her girlfriend alone just like that . It was a definitely a crime . Where the freaking hell is Arizona ? She hadn't introduce her girlfriend to them yet .
"It looks like I won and Cristina actually lost to me ." Jackson suddenly appeared , bringing a glass of red for his wife .
"Won what ?" Meredith interrupted from out of nowhere . "Cristina lost to you ?"
"Hey .. Where did you come from ?" April asked to Meredith . Jackson , Alex , April and Meredith were the only four doctors that could find their time to be here tonight . Arizona invited the other doctors , even Webber too but not everyone could come . But it was okay . Because the four doctors had mouths like twenty doctors , so it kinda saved the day .
"Did I miss the dance ?" Meredith eagerly asked . She was excited for the prom dance more than anyone else . Moreover , this was going to be her first time to see the first woman that opened Arizona's heart again after five years of Joanne's and Aiden's death . And the feeling of excitement escalated to even higher level when she found out that the mysterious woman was also Lexie's friend . She knew about Callie Torres even before this invitation but she never had a chance to actually meet this woman .
"You missed the dance ." The three other doctors said in unison .
"Where were you , by the way ?" Alex asked .
"In the toilet . Having a little video call with my childrens ." Meredith replied like it was not weird at all to her .
"In the toilet ?" April raised her eyebrows .
"Hey , no judging . So .. You won what , Avery ?" Meredith once again asked .
"Oh , just a little bet ." Jackson shrugged .
Arizona was giggling as she asked Joe for another round of white wine for her and her partner tonight . Feeling a little tipsy , Arizona couldn't exactly remember what was the name of the woman next to her . But it wasn't her fault . They had met for just like half an hour . The woman approached her when she was all alone in this bar . Yeah , drinking alone at night had been her routine these days . But lately in this week , she found herself getting approached by strangers . And Arizona must had that gay aura glowing all around her as all the strangers that approached were all women . It started as a playful conversation and then all the harmless flirts came naturally .
"I'm gonna get out of here once I finish with this one ." Alex lifted the liquor glass up while his eyes watching the two blondes who were laughing not far from their table . "It's depressing to see her like that ."
Just how could a laugh be a depressing sound ? Well , in this case , Arizona was drinking with a stranger , a person that she barely knew , instead of drinking with her friends that knew what she had been through .
"She will make a come back , just give her a little break ." April was looking at the blondes too , mainly at Arizona .
"And just when will that happen ?" Alex sarcastically asked .
"That woman just lost a wife and a son ." April simply stated .
You don't get it , Kepner . She's my teacher and she's awesome as a surgeon , I need her back . IMMEDIATELY !" Alex growled . "Working with Stark sucks ."
"She needs to get over it . It's been like what ? Two and a half months ?" Always being that cold person , Cristina interrupted their conversation .
"She's allowed to grief ." April as usual , still defending her friend slash colleague .
"Don't you think that the grief has gone a little bit too extreme ?" Jackson threw the dart perfectly on the heart of the dart board . "Yeah ! That is just how you do it ."
"Don't gloat . I will beat your ass for the next round ." Cristina yelled at Jackson before she turned her head to the redhead and and her ex roommate . "But seriously though , 50 bucks says she will not be dating a brunette again ."
"And just how you can be so sure of that ?" Alex huffed , staring at his teacher from far .
"Joanne was a brunette . And Arizona ? She is traumatized by a brunette . And this is the fifth blonde for her this week ." Cristina replied . "I am very sure of it ."
"And my 50 bucks says every girls that approached her just happened to be blonde . There will a brunette at some point ." Jackson raised his eyebrows playfully as he took out the notes .
"Oh , you are placing a bet ?" Cristina had a wicked smile on her face .
"Yes , I am ." Jackson nodded .
"You both are horrible person !" April rolled her eyes before she left the table . Why couldn't just people be a little more sympathetic ?
Alex shrugged as he finished his drink . "I'm out ."
"What ? You are actually not going to participate in this bet ?" Cristina laughed .
"She's my freaking teacher ." Alex collected his stuff before he left the table . He just wanted Arizona to be back again at work .
"Very noble ." Cristina shook her head .
"And now she's all happy again . After five years ." April smiled . "She deserved happiness more than anyone else . I am so happy for her ."
"I wouldn't be who I am today because of her ." Alex was leaning against the wall . "She shaped me ."
"Shaped you into being more human ?" Jackson chuckled , he was looking very dapper in his tuxedo .
"Shut up ." Alex could only roll his eyes .
"Of course you are all happy for her . She gives us eat good food , paid for our flight tickets ." Meredith said jokingly . She knew that they were all here today because they wanted to show some support for Arizona . After all , the blonde was very quiet all this time until now . Everyone just seemed to be a little too eager to see the new Robbins .
The night had gone well so far for Callie . Addie had finally left her side to went to the toilet . Seeing all of her friends , with each of them came from a different timeline of her life , Callie felt quite full with all the conversations she had engaged with . This moment was so perfect , catching up with old friends and all but there was just something that she felt missing and not right . Maybe that feelings were probably had something to do with the fact that Arizona wasn't around her right now . She really wanted Arizona to meet her other awesome friends , Callie slowly sighed .
"Hello , beautiful ." A voice suddenly interrupted Callie's mind .
Callie recognized that voice very well . And she really didn't want to answer to that voice but it had been fifteen years . They both should be moving forward from the past , right ? So Callie put the best poker face that she owned and turned around to meet her ex girlfriend's eyes . "Hi . Thanks for coming ."
"Happy birthday ." An extra smile was quickly added on Echo's lips .
"Thank you , Echo ." Callie tried her best to keep the conversation straight . Damn , she hadn't age at all .
"It's been a while since ..."
"Since you slept with that junior girl …?" Callie quickly finished Echo's sentence . Her voice was full with calmness but only God knew just how much she wished the brunette didn't come at her table on the first place .
"I was about to say , 'since the last time I saw you ' ." Echo rubbed her curly hair innocently .
And then , the conversation stopped there , abruptly . Echo cleared her throat awkwardly before she finally decided to give another try .
"So .. Your girlfriend organized this ." Echo was grinning . "She has quite a reputation ."
And somehow Callie found the grin as a little offensive . Like Echo was mocking Arizona . "She's almost flawless . She's just amazing . She's not like you at all , clearly . And it isn't a compliment for you but for her ."
Was it true ? That Arizona wasn't like Echo at all ? But weren't they just like the two sides of a same coin ? Unrelated in some stuff but seemed to have no differences in certain things . Both of them had a troubled pasts . Echo was brought up by her drug addict mother , alone . Her father left them when she was only five years old . And not once Callie ever heard her ex girlfriend called that man as her father . Echo had never referred him as a father . She only called him 'bastard' or if she was kind enough at the moment , she would call him by his first name . And when her mother died of a drug overdose when she was seven , Echo began to live with her foster parents , shuffling from one home to another before she finally ran away . Just like her mother , Echo was also doing drugs ever since she was in high school . And somehow , meeting Callie had change her . Or did she really changed ? The truth was , Echo was still abusing the drugs . It was just not as often as before . And that night when she slept with that girl ? She was clearly high , Callie could see it . Not only Echo cheated on her but she broke her promise too . The promise that she made , that she would never ever touch that thing again .
Echo was clenching her teeth , silently without opening her mouth . She was trying to act all cool but she's a little offended , if only Callie could see ... A waiter walked by them as Echo grabbed a glass of red wine . "Your favourite , red wine ." She handed the glass .
Callie didn't take the glass , she just looked at it with the end of her eyes . Echo didn't have to be nice to her . Because Callie didn't plan on seeing her again after this .
"Don't worry , I didn't put anything in it ." Echo tilted her head to the left , waiting for Callie's reaction , to see if she still remembered it . What she just said , that was the same exact words she used on Callie when they first met at the bar . True , their first meeting was at a bar . Callie was sitting alone and that was when she approached the Latina . It was kind of a predatory behaviour which what Arizona didn't have when they first met . Arizona wasn't the type that just go for the girl she wanted . She observed , she analyzed the girl and then she analyzed her feeling . But Echo ? She was reckless and wild . The type of person that just went for it . There were a lot of differences between them , Callie had just noticed it .
Silence , only silence . Callie didn't want to say anything that could prolong the conversation
"I have been clean for five years now . Of course , there were series of relapse before I got to this point but .. Five years are the longest and I am still counting ."
"Good for you ." Callie said in a sincere tone . Yes , they broke up in an ugly way but she still wanted to see Echo lived a healthy life . If she was still doing drugs , at some point it might backfired her or even worst ... took her own life . Abusing drugs oftenly didn't end well and just what did a person knew when she was very high . Most people couldn't think rationally in that moment . "I hope you stay that way ."
"I will , now that I got a motivation from you ." Oh , Echo . She still had such a sweet mouth . The one that used to bring confidence in Callie whenever the Latina was in doubt .
"Don't get the wrong idea by what I just said ." Callie shook her head . No , she wasn't affected by the flirtation . Not anymore .
Echo's cheek curve into a smile . She had no dimples like Arizona but any women would fall for that genuine smile . "We should go out sometimes , for coffee . There are still much things that I would like to talk to you ."
"I'm just afraid that I don't have time for that . I'm just staying here for this weekend after all ." Callie was indirectly trying to say no . Busy ? She owned her own coffee shop . A meeting over coffee was surely arrangeable .
"Where do you live now ?"
"Echo .."
"Pennsylvania ? Scranton ? Boston ? Philly ? Oh my god , what else … Hmmm ."
"Echo ! I am not planning on keeping a close contact with you , okay ? So , please ..."
"I just want to apologize in a proper way , Callie . I never say sorry for what I've done to you , to us . Please , let's meet somewhere and just talk ."
"It's all forgotten . You don't have to apologize to me and we don't have to rehash what happened between us . It .. it wasn't a happy incident ." Callie shook her head a few times . "I don't want to remember anything about it anymore ."
"I really hurt you , did I ?" Echo let out a sigh . "You are the one that believed in me when I was nothing to anyone else's eyes . I just wish … there's do over for this thing because … I am actually , might be .. have feelings for you . When you were dancing just now , I didn't see anyone else . I just saw you ."
"Echo , I am in love with my girlfriend ." Callie stared at the woman in front of her . "And she loves me . Very much . I am really happy and you should too , be happy , but not with me . I am not that person ."
"You are such a sweetheart ." Echo nodded her head . Callie had always been so kind to everyone , to her , that it was really hard for Echo to took in what Callie just said . "Can I hug you ?"
"We don't really need to hug it out …"
Callie words was cut off by a pull from Echo . It all happened too fast and now she found herself in the arms of her ex girlfriend . She quickly free herself from the hug as she looked around . God knew what people might say . Sure , it was just a hug but people talked . She didn't want to give anyone , especially Arizona the wrong idea .
Almost at the same time , Arizona just got out from the elevator . Her eyes were wandering around the penthouse , looking for a sight of her girlfriend before she finally found her with the staring woman earlier . And did she saw the hug between Callie and Echo ? No , luckily she didn't . Or else someone would be roaring again for the second time tonight . But Arizona still saw something that she didn't like . The hand of the woman resting on Callie's waist . Hell . Even if the woman didn't touch Callie , she would still dislike the situation . The situation of where the staring woman stood awfully too close to her girlfriend , she just couldn't stand it . Arizona felt like her safety zone had been stomped by someone else . Yes , Calliope Torres was her safety . Callie kept her emotionally safe and she kept Callie safe , well ... physically .
Callie was indirectly trying her hard to kept the woman's lingering hand off of her , Arizona could see it clearly as she frowned at the scene . She would like to yell to the woman from here , to asked her to keep her hands away from her girlfriend but Arizona's head kept reminding herself of how tonight was supposed to be a special night for Callie . She didn't want to make a scene . What happened down there at the lobby , that was enough drama for today .
"Watch out , Robbins is turning red over there ." Alex pointed with his eyes as he noticed Arizona just stepped into this room again .
"Wooo , this doesn't look good . She's angry , clearly ." Jackson raised his eyebrows . He worked under Robbins several times and when that woman gone cuckoo , it usually didn't end very well .
"Guys , Arizona got it under control . She wouldn't explode tonight ." April said . Only if she knew that Arizona had exploded just now and she wasn't really in a good mood now . "She's okay . She's just bad at hiding her face whenever she gets irritated with something … Or someone ."
"Who is that woman , I wonder …" Meredith rubbed her chin as she spoke . "Seems like her girlfriend knows her for years ."
"Her girlfriend's ex girlfriend , perhaps ?" Alex made a wild guess and he was correct .
"Who invites their girlfriend's exes to celebrate the girlfriend's birthday ?" Jackson chuckled .
Just right after Callie managed to move her ex's hand away from her body , the brunette once again popped up an insane question , again . No , this isn't look good .
"Can I dance with you ? Echo asked with a voice full of hopes .
This woman , Callie thought . Don't she gets it yet ?
"It's just a dance ." Echo was still pushing her luck .
Callie moved her head to the left and right , motioning a 'no' . "It wouldn't be appropriate ."
"It certainly wouldn't be appropriate ." Arizona interjected from behind .
And Callie was literally jumped when she heard her girlfriend's voice . Just how long Arizona has been standing there ?
The situation quickly got very awkward as Arizona just swooped in and seized Callie by the waist . She was clearly taking what hers , telling the woman to fuck off without any words .
And Callie , what did she feel about the whole thing ? Suffocated , off course . She could sense the situation was getting tense by seconds . "Arizona , this is my ex … my friend at my ex .. former , I mean , the university I used to go to . Her name is Echo ."
"Echo ." The brunette extended her hand . "Echo Monaghan , the FRIEND ." She nonchalantly pressed her voice on the last word as she took a quick glance at Callie before turning her head to the blonde in front of her .
"Arizona Robbins , the girlfriend ." Never smiling , Arizona took the handshake firmly while her eyes eyeing the woman up and down . She would never like this woman , Arizona decided as she was voicing her opinion inside of her head . The woman seemed cocky to her and something about her was just so .. disturbing . Arizona's body was stiff as her jawline went strong , clenching her teeth secretly .
"Callie , let's go . I want you to meet a few friends of mine ." Arizona practically dragged Callie away from Echo's table .
"Arizona , are you okay ?" Callie carefully asked when they were far enough from the crowds . The blonde seemed to be very disturbed . Does it have anything to do with meeting Echo ? Or did something else that she isn't aware of happened ?
"Of course , I am . Why wouldn't I ?" Arizona answered quickly . She didn't even notice that her tone was getting extremely defensive . "I mentioned that staring woman before and you didn't tell me that you both knew each other ."
"I was about to say something about that but the man who looks like he is the president's secret agent just took you away from me ." Callie replied . "Why are you getting upset over this ? What happened ? Where did you go with the man just now ? I really wanted you to meet my friends but you weren't here ."
"Joanne's uncle was at the lobby just now . He's drunk . We had arguments about several things ." Arizona let out a deep breath . It was so stressful . A lot of things happened in one day and she was failing to catch everything up .
"You want to talk about it ?" Callie looked at Arizona , she was worried . The blonde tendency of keeping things out of her reach was one of her traits . And to Callie , it was a bad trait . Arizona could be drowning , handling everything alone and she wouldn't even say a word to Callie . She just wouldn't share it , sometimes . But if only people could understand the blonde ... See her through behind all of the masks she put on …
Arizona Robbins lived a solitary life for five years , she was used to moving solo , unaccompanied . Sure , it wasn't as bad as before but she clearly still needed more time to adjusted herself to began sharing everything again .
"I'm okay , Calliope ." Arizona had began sharing things with Callie but this time , she would just keep the thoughts to herself .
"Are you sure ?"
Arizona only nodded , showing off her dimpled smile . "But .. I just want to ask you something ..."
Callie looked at her , never blinking as she waited for the question . The blonde had a wrinkle on her forehead , showing that she was clearly thinking about something .
"Nevermind , I forgot what was the question already ." Arizona shrugged . "Let's go meet my doctor friends . They are great people , you will love them ."
And just like that , Arizona dismissed the previous conversation . Callie knew that something was eating her girlfriend , she just knew it . Was it because of Echo ? Oh , she just lied to Arizona just now .. That Echo was her friend . She didn't tell the blonde that Echo was actually her ex girlfriend . Callie gulped down .
Don't forget to leave your thoughts , guys . The song when they were dancing , called 'Say You Won't Let Go' originally by James Arthur but I listened to the Boyce Avenues's cover while writing it . It's an amazing band , go check it out !
You texted me again when I am trying to put some boundaries between us .. Oh , girl .. Just what I should do to deal with you ? I am running out of ideas and I'm missing you more and more each days .
Wednesday
12th April 2017
0600hrs
