Title: Frontlines

Author: captstarbuck

Rating: T

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Disclaimers: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual. (I don't own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy.

Summary: My take on Callie and Arizona in NYC at the time the pandemic hit

The Frontlines

Chapter 1 – What Do You Know About

Friday, March 6, 2020

Callie opened the freezer door to the large industrial, stainless steel refrigerator. The shiny appliance matched the double oven, six burner stove and dishwasher. The large granite topped island could seat six comfortably, and the mammoth counter gave her plenty of room for food preparation. All in all, it was her dream kitchen. And it only took me how many years and a move across the country to get it, Callie thought with a wry smile.

Loud laughter interrupted her and kept her from reminiscing any further. She turned around and looked into to the open concept living room/dining room. She couldn't help but smile at the sound.

"I have ice cream for dessert," she called out. "Who wants some?"

Two hands shot up immediately and waved. A third hand subtly raised to shoulder height, letting her know that the vote was unanimous.

"Me, Mama! I want ice cream," Sofia answered. "We all do."

"What kind do you want?"

Nicole Herman turned toward the young girl sitting next to her. "What do you think, kid? What should we have?"

"I want something with chocolate."

"I agree," the woman nodded.

"No nuts for me," added a third voice.

"Big surprise there, Robbins," Nicole Herman said with a smirk. "And close your mouth," she added knowingly.

"Wait? How? You can't see," Arizona sputtered.

"I know you, Robbins," Nicole cackled.

As the tall woman rose from the sofa, she reached out her hand. Sofia shot to her feet beside her. She matter-of-factly placed Nicole's hand on her shoulder and instinctively guided her tall friend over to the breakfast bar.

An unlikely friendship had developed between the youngster and the prickly surgeon. Sofia was curious about everything and she was always direct with her comments and questions, which surprisingly, Nicole didn't find annoying. She never talked down to Sofia, and seemed to have more patience with her than she did with either of her mothers.

Arizona walked behind the counter and joined Callie. As she reached to open the drawer to get spoons, she brushed her hand across the brunette's waist, letting it linger for a moment on the small of her back.

"Should I get bowls or are we eating straight from the containers?"

"Skip the bowls," Callie replied as she opened the freezer door once more.

The others sat down at the breakfast bar, spoons at the ready.

"So, for Miss Sofia Torres, I have 'Chunky Monkey'," Callie announced, setting down her daughter's current favorite ice cream flavor. Sofia's favorite seemed to change about every two weeks as she was exposed to more flavors.

"Yay!" Sofia cheered.

"And for the lovely Dr. Robbins, 'Triple Caramel Chunk'."

"Thank you, Callie."

"And for our esteemed guest, the one and only Dr. Nicole Herman – "

"Wait! Don't tell her, Mama!" Sofia interrupted. "She has to guess."

"I don't guess, kid," Nicole stated. "I make informed decisions based on facts and careful analysis."

"Huh?" Sofia scrunched her face up in confusion.

"She tastes the ice cream and based on the flavors, she guesses," Arizona explained with a smile.

Callie slid the pint over into the blind woman's hands before taking out her own pint. She preferred coffee flavored ice cream so hers was 'Chillin' in the Roast'.

As Nicole pried open the lid, she turned to Sofia. "So, how many bites do you think it will take me to figure it out?"

"Hmm, let me think," Sofia said, tapping her moth with her spoon.

"Seven," Arizona offered after looking at the label on Nicole's ice cream.

"Ten," Callie said firmly.

"Four," Sofia added, her voice brimming with confidence. "Dr. Nic is never wrong. She knows all the Ben and Jerry's flavors."

Nicole lifted the container and inhaled deeply. "I can smell some sort of alcohol."

Calle and Arizona were both glad Nicole couldn't see their faces, certain that their expressions would be a dead giveaway.

"There's a little bit of chocolate," she said after the first taste. She savored the spoonful, before taking a second bite. "Almonds and caramel," she added. "I need one more taste to get the last ingredient."

Callie, Arizona and Sofia all held their breath as they waited for Nicole to tell them.

"Bourbon," Nicole said with conviction. "Caramel, almonds, chocolate and bourbon. It's 'Urban Bourbon'."

"Right again, Dr. Nic," Sofia clapped, impressed once again with Nicole's skill at identifying ice cream. "And it only took you three bites, too!"

"Damn, you're good," Callie said in awe.

"Mama, language!" Sofia chided her mother. "You owe a dollar to the swear jar."

Sofia hopped down from her stool. "Don't touch my ice cream," she ordered and ran off to get the swear jar that she kept in her room.

"Good thing the swear jar isn't in your bedroom, right, Robbins," Nicole teased once she was sure Sofia was no longer in the room.

"Shut up," Arizona responded as she and Callie both blushed. "That was ONE time."

"Once was enough for my ears," Nicole complained. "Then again, you wouldn't be in here in this apartment if wasn't for me."

Sunday, February 17, 2019, one year ago

An empty pizza box in hand, Callie left a sleeping Arizona and padded down the hall to

the kitchen in the apartment Arizona had been sharing with Nicole Herman for over seven months.

"Have a good night, Torres?" Nicole said with a knowing smirk as she sat at the dining room table, sipping her coffee.

"Shit!" Callie exclaimed. Startled by the unexpected appearance of the older woman she dropped the pizza box. "We… I… didn't know… when did you get home?" she stammered.

"Last night about midnight."

Callie was grateful that her embarrassment was unseen.

"Oh, uh, we didn't expect you to be home."

"Obviously," she remarked dryly.

"Well, uh, I hope we didn't disturb you."

Nicole set her mug down. "Look, Torres, I get that you two have a lot sex to make up for. What is it? Three years? Four years? I get it. But do you have to do all your loud, noisy makeup sex here in this apartment? Your kid is in Florida for February break. You've got a perfectly good EMPTY place of your own that you should be using."

Callie cringed. After months of couples counseling to determine if they were going to try again, followed by dozens of dates, she and Arizona had finally been ready to have sex again. As soon as Callie had returned from Miami after taking Sofia to visit her grandfather, she'd picked up a pizza and a six-pack of beer and went straight to Arizona.

"I know, I know," Callie apologized. "I'm sorry."

"Use your own place. I don't think I want to spend another night listening to you have your LOUD, NOISY sex again."

"We can't!" Callie blurted.

"Why not?"

"Arizona won't spend the night at my place."

Nicole's silence prodded Callie to continue explaining.

"She doesn't want to use the same bed that I shared with Penny."

"Why not use your guest room?"

"It's only a two bedroom apartment. And we're not going to have sex in Sofia's room."

"Yeah, that would be too weird, even for the two of you," Nicole agreed. "Torres, you know I don't like to get too personal or involved with your relationship, but I'm going to make an exception, if only for purely selfish reasons."

"What?"

"You two love each other, right?" She paused, knowing Callie was probably nodding her head. "You've done all the steps. You're together."

"Uh huh."

"So, take the last step and move in together. Find a place for the three of you."

"That might work."

"And do it quickly. I cannot bear to have any more nights like last night."

"She's right," Arizona said.

"Of course I am. I'm always right."

"And humble, too," Callie added.

"And it took far too long for you to find this place, in my opinion."

"It only took us three months to find a place, have it remodeled and for us to move in."

"Three very long months for me."

"Yes, because we know it's all about you, Nicole," Arizona retorted.

The three women ended their conversation as they heard Sofia coming down the hall.

"Where's your purse, Mama?" Sofia asked she returned, a large jar stuffed with quarters and dollar bills.

"Under the coffee table," Callie replied.

Sofia set the swear jar on the counter with a loud thud then skipped over to the coffee table. Nicole reached out for the jar and shook it.

"Seems like you've got quite a stash, kid," she remarked. "How much is in there?"

"I haven't counted it in a coupla weeks." She handed the purse to her mother. "I think there's more than fifty dollars."

Nicole laughed. "At the rate you two are contributing, you'll have a college fund in no time."

Arizona rolled her eyes and huffed at Nicole's comment.

"The money is Sofia's 'fun money'," Callie explained as she added another dollar to the jar.

"What are your plans for the money, kid? Buy a car?" Nicole asked.

"I'm too young to buy a car and I don't have enough money yet for it anyways."

"Are you going to save it?"

"Not all of it." The young girl's face suddenly broke into a big smile. "I know. We can go to Ben and Jerry's for your birthday, Dr. Nic, and see if they can fool you with the ice cream flavors. I bet you get them all right."

Sofia's confidence in Nicole pleased the older woman, but she hid it. She would never admit it to anyone, but she'd developed a soft spot for the young girl.

"Are you staying tonight, Nicole?" Callie asked as she put the half-eaten ice cream containers back into the freezer.

"'course she is," Sofia answered matter-of-factly. "It's Harry Potter night. Me and Dr. Nic almost always listen to Harry Potter on Friday nights."

"Then I guess I'm staying,"

It had become their routine on Friday nights, whenever their schedules were in sync. Nicole would have dinner at the Robbins-Torres home, then they'd listen to a chapter or two of Harry Potter on Nicole's iPad. Sometimes she'd stay over in the guest room. Every now and then, she'd act as a sitter as the two moms would have a date night.

"Go get ready for bed, Sofia," Callie told her daughter. "You know the rules. No Harry Potter until you've washed up, brushed your teeth and put on your pajamas."

"I know, Mama," Sofia sighed with a roll of her eyes, as she marched off down the hall.

"How old is she again?" Nicole asked with a smile. "Fifteen?"

"No, she's almost eleven, but she's definitely showing signs of a teenaged attitude," Arizona answered.

"Must be you, Robbins. She never gives me any attitude."

"I'm sure she doesn't. You're not her mother. You're fun. You're the cool friend."

"And will we be listening to my audio book tonight, or will 'Hermizona' be reading tonight?"

"God, I hate it when you call me that."

Callie hid her chuckle behind her hand. She thought Nicole's nickname for Arizona was pretty creative.

"Well, it fits. You're both know-it-all rules followers."

"It is clever," Callie admitted.

"Callie! I thought you were on my side," Arizona protested.

"However," Callie continued, "you may want to rethink it, Nicole. It sounds like a mashup of your names."

"What?"

"You know, Herman and Arizona. Hermizona."

The matching looks of absolute horror on the two other women caused Callie to laugh out loud.

"Well, that's just all kinds of wrong," Arizona said, her face wrinkled in disgust.

"I agree." Nicole shivered with distaste.

Callie's phone rang, interrupting any further discussion of Arizona's soon-to-be forgotten nickname.

"Hey, Mer," Callie answered, walking into the livingroom.

"Callie, we need to speak to you and Arizona. Can you talk now?"

"Um, can it wait? Can we call you back? Sofia's getting ready for bed and it's Harry Potter night."

"It's really important, Callie."

"Go take your call, Torres. I got the kid," Nicole ordered, standing up.

Callie pressed her phone against her chest. "Are you sure?"

"Not a problem."

"Okay, thanks." She returned to her phone. "Hang on a sec, Mer. Arizona and I will put you on speaker once we get to the other room."

They followed Nicole down the hall as the taller woman headed for Sofia's room, her white can tapping the way.

"What does Meredith want?" Arizona asked as she closed the office door.

"I don't know."

Callie switched to speaker and set the phone down on the desk.

"Can you hear me?" Callie asked.

"Yes." Meredith cleared her throat. "Callie, Arizona, I've got Richard and Bailey with me. We're in Bailey's office."

The group of doctors exchanged hellos.

"What do you two know about the coronavirus?" Richard asked.