AN; In case it wasn't obvious, I'm still writing lol. Just needed some time to get over the finale (which was so stupid), and mourn SaRa's exit. I'm still holding out hope for Calzona, but I know IF it does happen, it's not anytime soon. I can accept that now and just look forward to what the show can bring next season with all hope but very little expectation.
I've got a few more chapters outlined for the rest of this story, then starting a sequel most likely a little more into the summer. So no, I'm not done lol. And if you haven't checked out my other fic, If I Go, please do. It's of course Calzona, but with a different vibe. I've gotten some messages about writing an AU and I'm interested but have NO idea where I'd start. Any storyline ideas?
Enjoy.
Twenty-four hours. That's how long Arizona had decided to wait before talking to Callie. If Callie didn't talk to her first. Which had not happened. It made her anxious. And even more worried. She barely slept that night. Natalie was operating into the night and Sofia was with Callie. Deluca could only do so much shoulder pats before it became annoying.
This was the right thing to do. She couldn't just fly off the handle and overreact, even though a part of her really wanted to. The part of her that didn't learn her lesson in anything. So Arizona was trying to remain calm and logical.
Callie would never decide to just…move, right? There was no way the woman that she knew would make a decision to move Sofia away with her.
And wasn't Penny's grant for a year? What was the point in that, right? That really wasn't that long. And it was in New York, not like it was out of the country. Like Africa. Not to be judgmental, but a three-year stint in Africa made sense. Not a one year grant in New York.
The blonde paused, gripping the soapy glass in her hand. That couldn't be why, could it?
She needed to figure this out.
For the most part things had settled down substantially. Was Callie setting them up for another war? An even bigger battle?
"Dude, you just leave your door unlocked? What if I was trying to rob you?"
Arizona rolled her eyes, "It's a good thing you're not."
"Quit winding yourself up and just talk to Torres, already," Alex stated, leaning against her dining room table.
"I need to think. Because if I talk to her I'm going to be irrational and start yelling and possibly cry. The woman's seen my crying face enough when she was married to me."
"Well if she's actually thinking about leaving then you need to say something."
She dropped the squeaky clean glass into the drying rack, "Did you talk to Meredith like I asked?"
The blonde had managed to get through the rest of her lunch with Amelia reassuring her to not worry, and then proceeded to internally and externally freak out. Alex had been the next person she had run into that day. And since he was Mer's 'person,' it was his duty as her friend and protégé to find out what was actually going on.
Alex snorted, "No, you asked me when she was in the middle of surgery, and when she got out I was already home."
Arizona rolled her eyes, "It's called a phone, Karev."
"Keep your pants on. And I'm not gonna ask Mer. It's funny when you're like this."
"This isn't funny!"
"You're right, so be an adult and say something to her."
Alex already had an idea that Callie most likely wasn't leaving due to the fact that Jo found Penny crying in a supply closet earlier. A part of him wanted to ease his friend's worries a little by telling her, but the other half knew there was no point. Arizona was going to believe what she wanted unless she heard from Callie herself.
"I can't."
"Why not?" he asked softly.
The blonde sighed, dropping her hands helplessly, "I don't know where to start."
"Start at the beginning."
###
It was times like this when Callie remembered why all the play dates were always at Mer's house. Her house was big and spacious, and the clutter was kind of what made it home. Callie's place, on the other hand, was not suited for multiple children running around. Most days it wasn't suited for her either.
First off, it wasn't as big, and although the brunette didn't mind clutter, some would say she was a messy individual, but this was just too much.
Plus Penny had yet to come by and pick up the stuff that had filtered in throughout the months.
"Okay," Callie exclaimed, "I think it's time for you guys to go tear up Zola and Bailey's house now!" She clapped her hands enthusiastically. Sofia, Zola, and Bailey continued to zoom through the house, knocking over half the fort they had built out of sheets and chairs.
Children's laughter had a sentimental effect on her. Crap all over her place, not so much. Somehow Bailey had gotten ahold of some candy in her pantry and methodically handed it out to the two girls when the adults weren't paying attention.
Meredith smirked, "Let's go guys. Maggie's making ice cream sundaes after dinner."
A truckload of cheers followed the general surgeon's statement and the three musketeers ran to the front door, each putting their own shoes on.
They were hyper, and loud, and sometimes completely messy. But no one could say they weren't well behaved. Even though Bailey had managed to put his shoes on the opposite feet again, prompting Zola to fix it.
Callie grabbed Sofia's overnight bag and handed it to her friend.
"Same time next week?" Meredith asked, pulling the bag over her shoulder.
The brunette laughed, sarcastically, "Oh sure."
"Bye mama," Sofia said.
Callie pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Bye baby, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? We'll go get some pudding at the hospital after Claudia picks you up from school."
"Awesome," Sofia nodded, grabbing onto Bailey's hand dutifully as the group made their way out the door.
Meredith chuckled, "That is awesome, huh Sof?"
"OkayBYE."
Callie closed the door finally, resting her head against the cool wood. Squaring her shoulders, she turned around to face the absolute mess that three tiny humans managed to do to her living room. She didn't even want to know what Sofia's room looked like.
Sighing, she began tearing down the fort and pulling the chairs back to the dining room table. She tossed the sheets in the washer. They were originally clean, but after several grubby, chocolatey hands had gotten ahold of them, Callie knew it was best to just wash everything.
Then she picked up all of Sofia's toys and put them back in their place. Since Penny had come around there had been a lot of new additions to her daughter's collection. Callie thought it was sweet that the redhead payed attention to things that interested Sofia. In hindsight maybe Penny had been trying too hard, but either way it didn't matter. Because they were over.
Truthfully she knew the breakup could have been worse. She could've been cold, or lashed out. But Penny didn't deserve that. Callie had handled it the best way she could, and she still had to say she was a little proud of herself. No doubt it was still awkward, and sad.
The resident still had a few days before she was off to New York City, and Callie hadn't talked to her since. There was text she had sent out yesterday, telling her to let her know if she wanted to pick up the last of her things. There were some clothes, toiletries, and other little things still placed around the house. But there had been no response yet. Penny was still hurt perhaps, or going the normal route…of completely hating her guts.
Which was understandable.
They had crossed paths in the hall, in the cafeteria. It seemed their breakup didn't create the scandal that she originally thought. When they had first gotten together it was kind of a big deal, with Penny being one of the doctors on Derek's case. But after Meredith had come to accept the resident, things had died down. And people had just…accepted it.
Come to think of it, they weren't really all that interesting anyway. At least to the hospital's standards. Which had been what Callie needed at the time.
Usually she'd grieve and mope for a couple of weeks before snapping out of it. But there wasn't really anything to snap out of in this case. Penny was moving, and Callie simply couldn't turn her back on her responsibilities here.
She was 'adulting', as Owen had put it. The trauma surgeon had done some adulting himself; selling the trailer and finally buying a house. It was honestly about time. And it seemed that him and Amelia were getting on some sort of solid ground. As solid as it could be with those two.
Honestly Callie was too wrapped in her own life to consider anyone else's. It scared her at first; the thought of starting over and doing some soul searching. But she found herself a little excited to be by herself. This was what she essentially ended her marriage over, but realistically she didn't accomplish anything. She had been superficial and went through the motions, without growing.
Her work as a surgeon was something she was excited to immerse herself into again. It never actually went away, but it was like her brain opened up, bringing in new ideas and projects that she had shied away from for so long. All possibilities felt endless.
There had been so much time she had wasted fighting what she really needed to do, which was love herself. And forgive herself.
"Fuck!" she exclaimed, a stray Lego piercing the bottom of her foot. The brunette tossed the object somewhere behind her. Hopefully she wouldn't step on it again.
She was never inviting the Grey brood over ever again. The doorbell rang, and she outwardly groaned.
"Please don't tell me you got paged," Callie began, swinging the door open.
"So picture this: I'm in the cafeteria having lunch and I have to hear from an intern that my ex-wife is taking our child across the country with her resident girlfriend and didn't even have the decency to talk to me about any of it. And I literally feel my insides coming apart and it takes Amelia…Amelia of all people to talk me off the ledge before I completely go crazy and like…yell at you or – something. And so I decided to give it some time, I figured that you would find me yourself to explain. But you didn't, so I've been thinking not so nice things about you and Perfect Penny, who by the way I don't like anymore. So I've talked myself into a tizzy and still not one word from you. And now I'm standing here, like a crazy person, demanding an explanation."
At this point the blonde was almost gasping for breath. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were as bright as can be.
Callie blinked, "You're not Meredith."
Arizona squared her shoulders snootily, "And you have chocolate on your nose."
The brunette self-consciously rubbed her nose, finding a smear of chocolate on her finger. She casually wiped her hand on her jeans.
"Um – Mer and the kids were just over…"
"I figured."
Callie sighed, "Get in here before you have a heart attack."
"I'm glad you think this is funny," the blonde huffed, breezing past her anyway. Why did everyone find this amusing?
"It kind of is, considering the circumstances," Callie stated, walking into the kitchen. She grabbed two glasses out of the cupboard and a bottle of white wine from her fridge. All the red had been drained the night she ended things with Penny. She had planned on having a glass or two anyway with the rest of the night to herself, but it seemed the blonde had in fact talked herself into a tizzy.
"Really Calliope? You think serving me wine is going to make me less calm?" She set her purse down on the coffee table.
"No," the brunette handed a glass over, "but you will once you hear what I have to say."
Arizona eyed her skeptically but accepting the wine anyway. They both took a sip. Callie hummed at the fruity tones of the liquid.
"Well?" the blonde demanded. If she was any more impatient she'd be tapping her foot.
Callie sighed, sitting on an arm of her couch. "I'm not going."
Blue eyes blinked, "You're not going."
"Nope. Penny wanted me to go with her. But I said no."
"But…you and Meredith were talking about schools and traveling back and forth for Sofia…"
Callie rolled her eyes, "We were just talking about how much of a pain in the ass it would be if I did go. Cross must have caught the tail end of the conversation."
Arizona sighed, "That…kind of – sounds right." She took a long sip of the wine.
The Latina smirked, "You calm enough yet?"
"Well can you blame me?"
"Arizona there was nothing to talk to you about, because going to New York wasn't even an option. I thought," she shrugged, "I thought that'd be pretty clear. So I didn't see the point in discussing something that wasn't happening."
"So…long distance then?"
Callie shook her head, "Nope. We broke up."
Now she felt kind of dumb. Of course the thought occurred to Arizona that Callie would never do that. Maybe she should have said something first. But…things were just – confusing. Perhaps when it came to your child, rationality went out the window.
The blonde smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"You know what, I am? At first it was sad, it still is, but she needs to be selfish and Sofia's home is here. So…it's okay."
"So you're staying for Sofia?"
Callie nodded, "For Sofia, and for myself. My life's here."
Arizona nodded pensively, taking another drink from her glass, "Okay." With a second thought she drained the goblet.
The Latina stared into her glass.
"Do you really think I would just – take Sofia?"
That, strangely enough, bothered her more than anything. Sure, they'd have their disagreements, but Callie would never…do that. She wasn't just playing house when she said all those years ago that she wanted Arizona part of the plan. And she wasn't kidding when she had her lawyer at the time draw up papers for adoption. Sofia might not have been biologically Arizona's, but the blonde was a part of that little life from the beginning.
The three of them were all a part of each other.
"No…at least not truly," she sighed. "I guess I just got ahead of myself. I let the rumors get to me."
"You're her mom, too. And if I ever thought for a second about moving, believe me I would talk to you first, no matter what."
"Well, it wouldn't matter. There's no way in hell I'd let you."
Callie blinked. "What…let me move?"
Arizona pursed her lips, "Ye – take Sofia with you. I'd have to fight you," she said with conviction. She had already thought about it. Of course she didn't actually do anything, but the wheels had already been turning out of fear. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief, thank god she didn't take it further. Because that wouldn't have been awkward.
It made the other woman smile.
"That would be one messy ordeal," Callie stated, emptying her glass. "But…we don't have to worry about it. You want another?"
"Sure," she replied lightly. Arizona handed her glass over. "So…are you sure you're okay?" she asked, perusing the living room. Pictures lined the walls and shelves, some she had seen before and new ones. The fridge opened and closed, with no response in between.
There was something she was missing in this very complex puzzle that was Calliope Torres.
"I mean, you guys were kind of – serious, right?" She winced. Okay, so she might have been fishing for information. But she couldn't help it. This was a woman that she knew inside and out at one point. Callie couldn't have been as okay as she claimed to be. The woman wore her heart on her sleeve, a lot of the time it destroyed her.
No thanks to you.
"You don't have to talk me off a ledge you know," Callie called out.
"I know you're not on a – ledge. But still it's got to be hard for you. That's…one of the reasons why I thought you'd go with her." She accepted the now full glass.
Callie hummed, "You thought I'd go because of Africa."
"In hindsight I don't know what I thought," the blonde ran a hand through her hair, "Maybe you…didn't want to go through that…again."
"Those are…two different situations. Sometimes I wished that I did go with you, maybe I would have loved Africa in the end. And we wouldn't have to go through…everything else. Like…literally everything else."
"It was better, for you to stay. And, Sofia wouldn't be here if you'd gone. But…Callie a year isn't that long. Surely you could make it work. New York is what – a 6-hour flight?" The blonde took a seat on the couch. Girl talk with her ex-wife wasn't as weird as it was supposed to be. Maybe this was what good co-parenting was. Maybe. They were still figuring it all out.
"True, but I just…I don't want that," Callie confessed, "and she's young, she needs to be all about herself, like we were."
"You – you're really okay, aren't you?" Arizona asked skeptically. It just…it wasn't normal for her to see. Callie didn't actually seem heartbroken after their split, but Arizona was going off of the premise of Penny being her ideal relationship. At least that's what she heard.
Callie chuckled, "Yes Arizona, I'm okay. Penny wasn't the one."
"How do you know? It's only been a few months."
"When you know you know," Callie answered simply. "She was great, easy to get along with. Funny, smart. But she didn't make me – well, she didn't –" she stopped. A leg curled under her on the couch. "You know that feeling? Like the one where you can't eat, can't sleep, all you do is think about that person and it's scary and embarrassing but you're in so deep that you don't even care. You don't even remember your life before them. Like you're…walking across a tight rope in the middle of a Seattle rainstorm –"
"But you feel safe," Arizona finished. "I know."
The feeling was stifling. It was safe, crazy, and calm. Love was one big contradiction. Where it complimented one, it decimated the other.
"Well, yeah. I mean, of course you – you know. Natalie's like that, right?" Callie stammered. She rubbed her free hand on her jeans and set her glass of wine down. It was best she refrain from that at the moment, before her verbal diarrhea came back full force.
"Right," Arizona smiled tightly. "I – I better go." Far, far away. She swiftly stood up and set her glass into the sink. Grabbing her purse, she swung it over her shoulder. Callie was still seated on the couch, watching the sweat from her own abandoned glass form a ring around the base.
It wasn't her right. Not her place anymore. She wasn't going to be that ex-wife.
"Box…right," Callie mumbled under her breath. "Okay, yeah. Of course." She stood up finally, following the blonde to the door. Callie was too preoccupied to notice the bright red, devil of a Lego. Arizona's heel to her left boot landed on the piece, throwing her balance off just as she reached for the door knob.
She gasped surprised, using the door to stable herself. Callie blinked, grabbing onto Arizona's arm as extra support.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I stepped on it earlier and should have picked it up," Callie said apologetically.
Arizona chuckled, feeling balanced enough to take another step, "It's okay. It happens from time to time."
Callie cleared her throat, letting go of the blonde's arm, "Yeah," she picked up the Lego and placed it on the side table where her keys were.
"I'll see you at work," Arizona said, making it across the threshold.
Callie smiled, "See ya." She leaned against the door frame, watching Arizona make her way down driveway. A clicking noise made its way into her body. It started out softly, like a song, and worked into a crescendo. She had ignored it long enough. But no. She would sit on it for a bit. Weigh the pros and cons. Talk about it to the people that mattered. Run it up the old flag pole. And then maybe, she could go there. But not yet. It wasn't ready yet.
To her, it was a secret that held everything. It was a slippery slope of jagged edges and discrete crevices. She had to be careful, controlled…box-like. And she could do it. Just not right now. Right now it was hers alone.
"Callie?"
She looked up, smiling questioningly.
"Yeah?"
"I –" Arizona sighed, "I'm glad you're not leaving."
"Me too."
###
She squinted her eyes. Arizona was confused. Very confused. Which didn't happen often. Of course, no one knew everything. But this was…something else. Had she been that preoccupied with her own insane life? Did she get sucked through a time capsule and just now thrown to the other side?
"I thought you guys just got back together?"
"We did."
"…and you're getting married?"
"Yep."
Nope, she was still equally as perplexed.
Amelia looked up from the exposed brain, "You're confused." Amelia didn't really like questions.
"Um – no." She drew her eyes back to the liver, even though she knew there weren't any bleeders. It was a standard peds surgery on her part, while the neurosurgeon performed a craniotomy. There were 3 very pregnant mothers under her care, but so far none of their babies' showed signs of distress, which led her to an OR with a 12-year-old.
"Robbins…"
"Alright," the blonde shrugged, "I'm a little confused. Doesn't it seem, sudden? Why rush things?" She glanced up, "I'm not trying to be unsupportive. If you're happy, then that's all that matters. I just want to make sure you're not just being reckless."
It wasn't really her right. After all, Arizona wasn't known for making stellar decisions all the time either. But Amelia was her friend and had been there for her in times of need, most often when Arizona didn't know she needed it. Maybe this was her turn.
"I thought I was, maybe it was being an addict but…I didn't want to just jump into things. I wanted to take my time, feel things out, do what I didn't do back then. Be careful. But, what's the point? We see people die – every day. I don't know when that stopped being enough. Life is too short to just take your time. I'm still an addict, that will never change, but I just…I just want to do this. It's not me being a reckless junkie. This is me living my life. This feels right."
Due to the spiel Arizona guessed that the Shepherds weren't too happy about the upcoming nuptials. And if she had to guess Meredith probably wasn't too happy about it either. It was like your birthday without the cake. Sex without an orgasm. Surgery that led to time of death. Which just…sucked.
She couldn't imagine her family not having her back. When the decision to be a part of Sofia's life first came about, her dad wasn't all that supportive but eventually he came around, which was what mattered in the end. And he was accepting from the beginning when she came out, along with her mom and brother. Not having family support was foreign to her, like a different language, and the blonde had heard many.
Not having that…she didn't know what she would have done.
But it seemed that Amelia didn't need advice. Amelia Shepherd was sure, like always.
Arizona grinned beneath her mask, "Okay."
She blinked, "Okay?"
"Yep, I just wanted to know you were sure. And it seems like you are." She stepped back, letting her resident close up for her.
"So does that mean you're coming?" the brunette asked, snapping off her gloves. Everyone was stressing her out, this wedding was giving her nightmares. She loved Owen, she wanted to marry him. But it seemed like everyone was determined to tell her how much it wasn't going to work out. Maybe nobody really knew them at all.
"Of course I'll be there. I'll be the one dancing my ass off."
Amelia chuckled, "Callie said the same thing. Which is good. She seems happy even though Blake's gone."
"Yeah, she does," the blonde nodded, lifting her foot off the sink pedal. Penny had pretty much vanished after her last week at the hospital. One minute she was there, and then she wasn't. After all that drama and tension when she first arrived, it was like the redhead was no more than a second thought.
When it was all said and done, it was ironic to believe at one point it was a big deal. Where did it all go?
"Is it weird now, you two getting along? Because it's kind of weird to watch."
Arizona rolled her eyes, "Why does it have to be weird? It's how it was supposed to be."
"I guess, it was fun while it lasted," the brunette sighed.
"You have an illness. Your wedding present is looking cheaper by the second."
"Please," Amelia scoffed, "I don't need a present. Just show up without a judgmental look on your face."
The OR floor was full of surgeons in different shades of blue, with the occasional pop of color of a distinct scrub cap. It was almost the weekend, which meant everyone was trying to fit in all the scheduled surgeries and procedures. People were moving, talking, writing fast.
Sometimes people just go – all day, without really thinking about much else. Just wanting to get to the next phase of whatever it is they're entering. It seemed like Amelia and Owen were the only ones thinking about the 'in-between.'
"Noted. But, I'm happy for you, really." That's all you can want in the end, right? To just – be happy. It didn't matter if it was by yourself, or with others. If you're happy, then that's it.
Amelia wasn't an emotional person, at least not outwardly, but even Arizona could catch the relief in her eyes. And she didn't need to say anything, Arizona knew what it meant.
Sometimes you don't have to say anything at all.
"I got to run, I'll check in on the kid in an hour after my meeting with Torres and…yeah," Amelia stated with a sincere smile.
The blonde perked up, "Oooh do you guys have another patient in mind for the robotic leg?"
"Yeah, we're just meeting to go over it and make sure they're a candidate."
"Nice, well I'm in surgery the rest of the day so I guess I'll see you at the church tomorrow. Yay!" Arizona yelped, clapping her hands. She couldn't help it, she loved weddings. It was like a scoop of hope for people to hold onto. Weddings were true and powerful to her. Even if it was nothing but darkness and pain after, that moment was light.
Amelia rolled her eyes.
"I almost thought we'd get through this conversation without a 'yay.'"
###
This wasn't looking good. Sure, it's Seattle; it always rains. But this was a torrential downpour, in the middle of the day, the day of a wedding. It's not really a bad omen, because once again, it's Seattle, Washington. The rain just…wasn't helping the matter. The bottom of her dress was weighed down by the puddles she had to maneuver through, and she felt like her feet were sinking into her heels.
Callie heard something about missing rings and a missing Kepner. Meredith had been a bit of a bitch leading up and Maggie was being a little too extra to make up for her sister's shortcomings. There was also the fact that no one from the bride's family was in attendance.
It made her wonder how Owen could be so…calm.
"It's okay, April will be back with the rings and then it'll be fine."
"I know, Callie. I'm not worried."
"And that's worrying me. You're so – relaxed. You're not nervous?" She avoided Richard's penetrating gaze. A gaze that told her to shut it. But Callie couldn't help it. She was notoriously known for her verbal diarrhea. It seems her newfound self couldn't erase that trait. Perhaps someday people would find it endearing.
Owen shrugged, pulling at the lapels of his suit, "Not really. We're ready, it's not nerve wracking to me. Maybe no one can understand, but it's right, Callie. I'm…excited for this. She makes me excited for the future."
It made her blink for a second. Not that Owen wasn't that kind of guy. He wanted commitment, a family, he wanted more. And he never got it. But maybe this time he would. That's all anyone can ask for.
"I knew you still had some happy saved up somewhere."
Owen grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You do, too." And the Latina would scour the Earth for it if it was the last thing she did.
"Hey Callie, could you help me with something?" Three heads turned at the voice behind the cracked door.
Arizona had stuck her head in. There was a frozen smile on her face and her eyes were like saucers. Most people would think she was just excited, but the Latina knew better. Something was not right.
Callie cleared her throat before making her way across the room and following the blonde out into the hallway. She couldn't help but drink her in slowly.
It had been, well, years since she had seen Arizona in a dress like this. It was a slate gray number, the material rolling off one shoulder and clinging snugly all the way down. A slit ran up mid-thigh, exposing her right leg. Her hair was curled and twisted off to the side and all Callie could think about was how the dress made her eyes even more blue.
"Amelia's gone."
Callie blinked, "Huh?"
"I can't find her. She took off with Meredith and Maggie," Arizona sighed, "I don't know if she's coming back." Her sad painted mouth didn't make her any less beautiful. And although Callie's dress was a deep burgundy that caressed all the right places, she still felt inferior. Arizona made her feel like that sometimes.
"Shit."
"Yeah."
"Can we call her?" she asked dumbly.
"I tried calling all of them a dozen times already. Natalie's in the other room trying to call them now." She turned to another door further down the hall. There were floating umbrellas rushing into the church, harboring well-dressed guests trying to avoid the rain. There was no avoiding it though.
Callie exhaled, "She's probably just nervous and needed some time. Mer's not going to let her miss her own wedding."
A blonde eyebrow rose, "Are you sure about that?"
"…no."
"So…what do we do? We should do something, right? I mean, we're not exactly part of the wedding but we're also the only ones standing here."
"I…don't know."
"Me neither."
"The only thing we can do I guess is, wait and hope they come back."
Arizona sighed, "I know." That's what she was afraid of.
The other door down the hall opened and Natalie closed it behind her. She was wearing a deep green number that had absolutely no back. Needless to say, it wasn't acceptable for all of them to look this good for an event that was looking more questionable by the minute.
It also wasn't okay for the man on the other side of the door, with hope in his heart that things could still be okay. It made Callie's stomach hurt.
"So, they're still not answering," Natalie stated awkwardly, locking the screen to her phone.
This should have been weird. At one point it would have been. Maybe it was because of the runaway bride, or maybe enough time had passed, but Callie didn't feel uncomfortable to be standing here with her hot ex-wife and her hot new girlfriend. Sure, it gave her certain feelings, but that had been acknowledged going into this whole 'box' arrangement.
It was just…how it was. That also made her stomach hurt, but not in the bad way that it hurt for Owen.
"She'll come back," Callie stated. "She has to…?" It came out with conviction at first, but somewhere along the way it turned into a question.
"Right," the blonde agreed. "So we just – wait?"
A silent agreement was made between the women that they all, guests included, would just wait. No one wanted to tell Owen that, from the looks of it, Amelia freaked. And so they stood in the hallway, dressed to the nines, for a wedding. Or maybe just a reception.
Natalie perked up, "The bar's open?"
A part of Callie couldn't help but grin.
Arizona hummed, her eyes glowing.
"This is true."
###
"The next time you wanna do that, at least let this one know first," Natalie nodded to the blonde, "I thought she was going to have a tantrum at the thought of no wedding." And it was true. As worried as she was about Amelia's whereabouts, it was a serious disappointment in those short hours to think that there would be no nuptials. It was almost a crime to go through all the trouble and not bear witness to any union.
"Let's hope there's no next times," Amelia smirked, drinking from her flute of sparkling cider.
Sometimes things work out. And even though Ben had apparently delivered April's baby, Riggs was here, and Amelia had drops of blue slushy on the bottom of her dress, the wedding had happened. All was well.
"I wasn't going to have a tantrum," Arizona stated, all three women pausing for a picture for the wedding photographer. "I was just worried. You don't run away from your wedding as a joke."
"I got scared…and then I – didn't."
"That's one way of putting it," Arizona murmured into her glass of champagne.
"Anyways," Amelia interjected, "where's Torres?" Both neurosurgeons met the other's eyes briefly.
"On the dance floor," the blonde answered. "Where else would she be?"
In the thick of it was the Latina, along with Sofia, Zola, Meredith, and everyone else it seemed. The music had been turned up after the dinner and the lights had dimmed. To all in attendance, it was perfect. This was how all major events ended, with everyone happy. The beginning and the middle were questionable and almost dreary, but in the end, it was just like this.
"It can wait," the bride shrugged, flipping a tendril away from her face.
"What can wait?"
"Nothing," both women replied simultaneously. Arizona narrowed her eyes. Amelia looked mischievous, which wasn't anything new. Natalie looked somewhat uncomfortable, secretive even. That was new.
"What's going on?"
"We'll…talk about it later," Natalie set down her wine glass and grabbed a fair hand, "I have yet to check out your dance moves." The blonde allowed herself to be pulled along with Amelia to the dance floor as well. Hoots and hollers were shouted with their entrance into the mob of well-dressed people.
Richard had Callie in a gentlemanly dip, her smile like a burst of light coming off her face. Owen and Amelia were on the outside, slow dancing to a fast beat, on their terms like always. Today was a pause in the midst of everything else.
Sofia was twirling around in her dress and laughing, a sound that would never get boring.
Arizona would table it for now.
Meredith grabbed her hand, throwing the blonde in front of her, the beginnings of a very dysfunctional conga line starting. And she would go along with it, because it was a happy moment and she felt good in her dress. The heels were starting to get to her, but whatever. Amelia and Owen had gotten married. April's baby was healthy. And strangely enough, Callie and Natalie were showing Richard and Nathan how to salsa.
Everything else could wait.
