Morning seemed to come around far too quickly, as there hadn't been a huge amount of sleeping in Arizona's motel room. An insatiable need to reacquaint themselves with one another's bodies, combined with several deep conversations about Callie's fears about walking away from the only town she'd ever known, hadn't left much time for rest.
"Nooooo" Callie whined as she felt the blonde getting out of the bed.
"Wakey wakey Calliope" Arizona sang cheerfully "we've got loads to do today and we're on a strict time limit"
"Just five more minutes" the brunette begged grumpily.
"You can stay there until your coffee's ready"
"Fine"
Laughing to herself as the brunette put a pillow over her head, Arizona began making a list as the coffee pot boiled. Once she had poured two mugs, she placed one on the bedside table next to Callie and began lightly stroking her back.
"Hey beautiful" she leant down and kissed her shoulder "your coffee's here"
Callie grumbled, slowly dragging herself up into a seated position as she stretched out her arms.
"You're a cruel woman Doctor Robbins"
"Hey" the blonde smiled, leaning in to kiss Callie good morning properly "the sooner we get on with our day, the sooner we can be on that plane"
"You do realise that the plane will leave at the same time, regardless of how quickly I get through your to do list?" the brunette pointed out, taking a long sip of her coffee.
"Smart ass"
"So you're not denying you've already made a to do list then?"
"I mean, I could deny it…"
"It's fine" Callie teased "you're the organised one, I'm impulsive. You're the yin to my yang"
The blonde rolled her eyes "You're so damn cheesy"
"And you love it"
"Maybe" Arizona grinned "now come on, we need to start getting ready. Number one on the list is being at the bank when it opens"
"As you wish ma'am" the brunette saluted her "only one slight problem though"
"What's that?"
"Well, I've kinda been wearing the same clothes for the last two days. I'm not sure even I'm gross enough to stretch to a third"
The blonde wrinkled her nose "Yeah, I'm not sitting next to you on a plane for five hours in three day old clothes. You can just borrow something of mine"
"Ok" Callie got up with a twinkle in her eye "does that mean I get to go through your underwear?"
The blonde followed her over to her suitcase, standing directly behind Callie and sliding her hands around her waist.
"You can…" she whispered into her ear "or you could drive me crazy all day by going commando"
"Hmm" the brunette turned, leaving a lingering kiss on Arizona's lips "I like the way you think Doctor"
"Well right now I'm thinking that you should get your butt in the shower while I find us both something to wear and get the rest of my shit together"
"Is that your way of politely telling me that I smell?" Callie raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"It's my polite way of saying I don't think anyone else is going to appreciate the 'I spent all night fucking' aroma quite like I do"
"Fine" the brunette kissed her "so long as you know that I fully intend on getting all hot and sweaty again with you as soon as we get to New York"
"I'm counting on it" Arizona grinned, watching the brunette shake her ass as she headed for the bathroom.
While Callie showered, the blonde sorted through her suitcase, pulling out some leggings and an oversized sweater that she thought would work on the brunette. Grabbing some clothes for herself, she then began to throw the rest of her belongings into the suitcase, not really caring to fold or organise them.
As she was finishing up, the brunette re-emerged, wrapped in a towel.
"I got you some clothes" the blonde nodded to the bed "hopefully they're not too 'Arizona' for you"
"I don't care if they are" Callie smiled "especially if they smell like you"
"I'll be back in five"
Arizona took her turn in the shower, washing the scent of their evening off of her. She couldn't help but smile to herself. She always knew that she would be packing to go back to New York, but never in a million years did she think that she'd be taking Callie with her.
When she came out of the bathroom, she found the brunette dressed in her clothes and trying to fix her bed-hair in the mirror.
"Hey" Arizona smiled, her eyes meeting the brunette's in her reflection "you look great"
"It's kinda fun dressing up as you"
"Don't get too attached to the idea, we're going to pick up a bunch of your clothes before we leave for the airport" the blonde warned.
"Whatever you say dear"
Arizona pulled off her towel, whipping the brunette's ass with it before throwing it aside and getting dressed herself. Once they'd both finished getting ready, the blonde grabbed her list and they headed outside.
"So, bank first, right?" Callie asked as they got in the car.
"Yep. We should be about right for opening time. So let's just get in, get the money, and get it out"
"You're making it sound like we're gonna rob the place"
"I'm pretty sure I'm about as nervous as I would be if we were going to rob a bank" the blonde confessed as she drove them out of the parking lot.
"You're nervous? You have nothing to be nervous about Ari"
"I just…I just need us to get through today. Once we're on that plane I'll be able to relax. I just don't trust this town not to fuck things up"
"Listen" the brunette reached over and placed a hand on her knee "whatever happens, you and I are getting on that plane tonight, ok?"
"Ok" Arizona exhaled "thank you. I'm sorry, I'm just the glorified getaway driver, I know it's stupid for me to be worrying"
"This whole situation is crazy. If you're worried, then we deal with that. Your feelings are valid, ok?"
"Since when did you become the rational one out of the two of us?"
"Honestly, I'm running on adrenaline and caffeine right now. And I know that when I crash, and I will, you'll be there to hold me up. So I'm trying to pre-emptively return the favour"
The blonde laughed "How can someone sound so crazy and yet so perfectly logical all at once?"
"When you figure it out, you be sure to let me know"
"Right, here we are" Arizona pulled up outside the bank "and right on time. Do you want me to come in with you?"
"Kinda defeats the point of being a getaway driver if you don't wait outside, don't you think?"
"Fair point. Well I will be waiting right here. Good luck!"
Callie got out of the car, leaning back in once she was stood on the sidewalk "Arizona, you do realise I'm not actually going to rob the bank, don't you?"
"Yes?" the blonde replied meekly.
"I'll see you soon" the brunette laughed, shutting the car door.
As she stepped into the bank, Callie could feel her own nerves kicking in. Which was ridiculous, she told herself. She wasn't doing anything wrong – just trying to access her own money. Which happened to be sitting in an account that she shared with her now estranged husband. Which he had apparently tried to cut her off from.
"Hi there" she was greeted by an overfriendly host "welcome to Wells Fargo. How may I help you today?"
"Hi…" the brunette peered at his nametag "Chad. I'm looking to make a withdrawal from my account"
"Sure thing honey, my colleague Rita over here will be happy to help you"
She returned his smile and headed in the direction of the woman that she presumed to be Rita.
"Good morning" the woman greeted her "my name is Rita, what can I do for you today?"
"I need to get some money out of my account. I…" Callie cleared her throat, chastising herself for letting her nerves show "I can't seem to use my debit card at the moment so I was hoping I could withdraw enough to tide me over until that's all sorted"
"No problem at all. Do you have your ID and debit card?"
"Yes, got them right here" Callie handed over her card and her driving license.
"Ok let me have a look at this for you" Rita began typing on her computer "so it says here that this is a joint account Ms Torres, is that right?"
"Umm yeah. It's erm, it's me and my husband"
"Right, ok. So I can see here that your card was reported lost yesterday which is why you're no longer able to use it. Although I obviously see that the card is right here"
"Yeah umm…my husband must have reported that…by mistake"
"Ok well I can't reactivate this card but a new one should be in the mail" Rita smiled at her.
"Sure" Callie put on her own broad smile "so in the meantime, do you think you could help me out with withdrawing some cash"
"How much are you looking to withdraw today Ms Torres?"
"Could you tell me the balance of the account?"
"Right now there is…" Rita squinted at her screen "$3,231"
"Ok" Callie did the maths in her head, accounting for the fact that she had withdrawn $500 the previous day "I'd like $1,100 please"
"I'm sorry Ms Torres, but we do have a policy that if you want to withdraw more than your daily ATM limit of $500, we need both account holders to be present"
"Ok listen" Callie kept the fake smile on her face, leaning onto Rita's desk "I understand that it might be a policy, but given this is a joint account, that money is 50% mine. I'm not asking to clear it out, I just want the rest of my half"
"I understand Ms Torres, but…"
"See I'm not sure you do. My husband is a monster, Rita, and right now I'm in the process of leaving him. He's already cancelled my card so I currently have no access to anything. So if you could please just do me this favour and let me have my money, I will walk out of here and I can finally be free. Please…please don't force me to go begging to him for money that's legally mine"
Callie knew that she was over-egging it slightly, but it wasn't like she was being untruthful, and right now, she just wanted more than anything to have the security of knowing that she had her own finances behind her.
Rita looked at her, clearly considering her plea.
"Please?" she asked one more time, using her sweetest voice.
"Ok you know what, I don't want to put a girl like you in a situation like that. And seeing as you're not emptying the account…maybe I can make an exception"
"Thank you, oh my god thank you. You don't know how much this means to me"
"Give me one second Ms Torres" Rita smiled at her sympathetically.
Two minutes later, Callie returned to the car with a massive grin on her face.
"You got it?" Arizona asked hopefully as she watched the brunette get back into the passenger seat.
"Yep" Callie continued grinning "the cashier took pity on me, so my stash is now up to $1,600. Which is my share. I know you think I should have taken more…"
"I understand why you didn't. I know you're trying to do the right thing, that you don't want him to have anything to hold over you. And I admire you for that"
"Thank you" the brunette squeezed her hand, fighting back the tears "I just want a clean break. I want to start this new life without having to worry about looking over my shoulder"
"Speaking of which…" Arizona bit her lip "you want to go get your things?"
Callie took a deep breath "Yeah, let's just go. Let's get it over with"
They drove the short distance to the house that Callie had shared with Eduardo in silence, with the blonde reaching a hand out to squeeze her knee reassuringly.
As they pulled into the driveway, Arizona turned to the brunette "I'm not sure I'm the getwaway driver anymore. I…I think I should come in with you"
"I…" Callie's immediate reaction had been to refuse the offer, but when she thought about Eduardo's response the last time that she had been in the house, she reconsidered "you know what, yes. I'd like that"
"Ok" the blonde took a deep breath and unfastened her seat belt "Are you ready?"
"Nope, but let's just get this over with"
Both taking a moment to gather themselves, the two women exited the car and walked silently down the driveway.
"Do I use my key, or…" the brunette turned to Arizona.
"It's still your house Calliope"
"Right. Yeah" Callie took a deep breath and turned her key in the lock, letting the door swing open.
"Do you think he's here?" the blonde whispered as they stepped into the house.
"I don't know"
They slowly walked through the hallway, and Arizona found herself following the brunette as she headed for the stairs.
"Well look who it is" the sneering voice came from behind them.
The two women turned to watch the man emerging from the kitchen.
"Just a pair of dykes sneaking into my home. Are you still here trying to fuck my wife, Arizona?"
"No" the blonde turned to him, her eyes narrowing "I'm here to make sure you ever lay a hand on her again"
Eduardo laughed to himself "I don't think it's my hands she should be worrying about. I bet you're already trying to put your filthy hands all over her, aren't you?"
"Callie" Arizona turned to look up the stairs at the brunette "go get your stuff"
Callie opened her mouth to argue, but saw the intent in the blonde's eyes "I'll be right back"
As the brunette hurried up the stairs, Arizona turned her attention back to the man in front of her "I think you know that what I am, or am not, trying to do with Callie is none of your concern right now. You don't need to pretend with me, because you know that I know who you really are"
Eduardo walked towards her, standing on the step below the blonde so that he was able to look down on her "You think I care what a dyke like you thinks? I know all you've ever wanted is to get into Callie's pants. Are you happy, now that you've got your claws into her? Or deep down do you realise that every time you stick your fingers into her she'll be wishing it was my dick"
Arizona smiled, shaking her head "You really have no idea, do you? Do you honestly think this is all about sex?"
"That's what it's about for you though, isn't it? It was all you wanted years ago, you pushed and pushed until she gave in, until you could get your hands all over her. What did you do, push her down? Persuade her that this was what that friends do?"
"You wanna know my secret?" the blonde almost whispered, leaning down towards the man that she despised.
"Go for it" he smirked.
"When it comes to Callie, I did one thing, and one thing only. I loved her"
Arizona stood back up, watching her words register with the man stood in front of her. She could almost see the fury coursing through his body, his hands clenching into tight fists by his sides.
"I'm not expecting you to understand" the blonde continued "you see, I'm not sure a guy like you ever could"
Eduardo grabbed her collar, pulling her roughly into him "If you were a guy, I swear to god…"
"It never stopped you before" Arizona stared him down, determined that her face wouldn't betray the fact that her heart was pounding right now.
"You make me sick" he spat.
"You know what, you can carry on in your disillusioned life where you forget that you beat a girl while she was on the floor, or where you deny that you threatened to rape the woman that would later become your wife, but I know who you are, Eduardo. And finally, so does Callie. And so we're both going to walk out of here without another word from you. Because I swear to you, if you try anything, any little thing to try and make her life difficult, I will make you pay for what you've done"
"Is that a threat?" he smirked.
With a smile, Arizona shook her head "No, it's a promise"
"Do you really think I'm afraid of a little dyke like you?"
At that moment, Callie appeared and walked back down the stairs with a holdall over her shoulder.
"You should be" she answered, staring straight at Eduardo.
"You know what" Eduardo stood back, letting the two women come down the stairs "good luck to you Callie. And I am really, really looking forward to the moment in a few weeks time when you see Arizona for who she really is, and come crawling back here"
"I will never, ever come back to you" Callie squared up to him "do you understand that?"
"We'll see" he sneered back at her.
"Callie" the blonde called to her "let's go"
"Goodbye Eduardo" Callie gave him one last look as she followed Arizona out of the door "have a nice life"
As they stepped out of the front door, both women half ran to the car, as if afraid that Eduardo would somehow pull them back into the house. Jumping into the car, it was the brunette who spoke first.
"I know I've said this a lot recently, but oh my god, please just drive!"