Thanks for the reviews. I'm really excited for this fic because it's the first one I've planned ahead rather than posting immediately after writing. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Also sorry for the confusion about Callie's ex. I was playing around with two names and hadn't read it through properly before posting. Callie's ex-girlfriend is called Bianca. :)
When Callie first met Arizona Robbins, she had no idea who she was. It was an event held in a gay bar in a town a little bigger than Summer Bay. Sofia and Meredith had urged her to go, it was a good thing to try and move on from Bianca and Callie knew for certain she wouldn't be back. She didn't like talking about Bianca, luckily she didn't have to because Summer Bay was that small that everyone already knew the story anyway.
So due to Sofia and Meredith's protests, Callie found herself dressing up to attend this singles night. She was nervous, she'd never done this sort of thing before. She put on her tightest red dress and a pair of black heels and trotted downstairs to see if Sofia approved.
"You look great mom" Sofia gushed.
Meredith added to the compliment and so did a couple of Sofia's friends who always seemed to be around. Callie didn't mind that so much, it was nice for Sofia not to be lonely whilst she was at the police station and her friends were a good bunch. There was Maddie, Sofia's best friend since moving to Summer Bay. The two girls instantly clicked on their first day of high school and were inseparable since. Then there was Zola, Meredith's and Derek's daughter and their next door neighbour, another one of Sofia's best friends. Then there was Evie. Evie had only been in the bay a couple of months but Sofia, Maddie and Zola took her under their wing at Summer Bay High. Then there were the boys Josh and Xavier. Both were nice boys, although Callie had doubts about her daughter hanging out with boys when alone in the house until Sofia ensured her they would ever only be friends. And right now that was definitely the case, Josh and Zola were dating as were Maddie and Xavier. Callie had nothing to worry about just yet.
Callie smiled, hugging her daughter and making her promise for the millionth time that she would be fine alone and yes she would go to Meredith's in case anything happened and of course she would call Callie in an emergency. Callie was satisfied with the answers and kissed her daughter goodnight. Sofia was evidently embarrassed because all her friends were in the room. Callie smirked and headed out to the car. It was a warm night and the sun was just beginning to set. Once in her car, Callie took a couple of deep breaths and headed off in the direction of Yabbie Creek.
Yabbie Creek was another small town, not far from Summer Bay. It was probably a little bigger, with a lot more to do and Callie and Sofia would often go shopping there whenever Callie had the time off. Callie pulled up outside the bar and applied her lipstick. She could feel her heart beating faster and tried to resist starting the car up again and going home. She caught her reflection in the mirror. She needed to do this, she needed to show Bianca that she hadn't won.
So she made her way inside and made awkward small talk with a couple of girls who definitely didn't look as though they had sixteen-year-old children at home. Callie knew she was young when she had Sofia, most people at her age were only beginning to think about having kids. She was first paired up with a tall brunette woman called Marie. Marie was nice, she was a lawyer and an extremely successful one at that but Callie was bored. She didn't need stability, she needed passion, someone who made her feel alive. Still, Callie gritted her teeth and forced her way through the small talk with Marie, who had a lot to say about herself. By the time their ten minutes was up, Callie was relieved. Still she took Marie's number when it was hurriedly scrawled onto a napkin. Callie placed the napkin in her pocket, knowing she would probably never use it.
The second woman was a lot more interesting and Callie could feel somewhat of a spark. The conversation was pleasant enough with Beth who was a teacher even though that quickly turned awkward when Callie realised she was a teacher at her daughter's own high school. The two of them laughed over it, both knowing it would be awkward for both of them to take anything further. That conversation quickly turned into a parent-teacher meeting, where Callie received information on how Sofia was coping with exam revision and how well her teachers thought she would do. At the end of their ten minutes, Callie was beginning to lose all hope. It had been a bad idea coming here and Marie and Beth were proof of that. She sat at her table waiting for the next woman to join, praying that it was third time lucky otherwise she could see herself leaving the night early.
An attractive blonde came down and sat across from Callie, giving Callie one of the widest smiles that Callie had ever seen in her life. She held out her hand.
"Hi" the blonde grinned. "I'm Arizona"
"Calliope" Callie replied, returning the handshake. "But everyone calls me Callie"
"Nice to meet you Calliope" the blonde smiled. "So what is a pretty woman like you doing in a place like this? I thought all the pretty, non-crazy ones were taken"
Callie blushed at the compliment.
"Is this your way of trying to tell me you're a little crazy?" Callie raised her eyebrows.
"Aren't we all, Calliope?" Arizona pursed her lips together like she was about to attempt blowing a kiss. "So where are you from?"
"Summer Bay" Callie stated. "Yourself?"
"Mangrove river" Arizona replied referring to the town on the other side of Yabbie Creek. It was a little further away than Summer Bay but Callie found herself there frequently. Mangrove River had some shady characters, after all. "My brothers and I run a shop" she added. Technically she wasn't lying if a shop meant selling stolen goods in their garage in return for money and other stolen goods.
"Have you ever been to Summer Bay?" Callie asked, avoiding the question of her job like she had with the other two women. She found that telling people she was a police officer led to strained conversation and people eager to get away.
"Once or twice" Arizona told her. "I mustn't have seen you there because yours is a face I would have definitely remembered" she smirked as Callie blushed again. "You're really not used to the whole women hitting on you thing, are you?" she commented.
"I've been out of the game a long time" Callie told her. "My last relationship there was no spark, no chemistry it was like we woke up one day and we'd been in a relationship for three years"
"So what happened? I'm wondering why she didn't make you her wife and demand ten kids of you" she smiled.
"That…is a long long story" Callie smiled shyly. "And we only have ten minutes"
"Maybe you can tell me that story another time?" Arizona raised her eyebrows.
"So there's going to be another time?" Callie pursed her lips and tried not to smile.
"I would like that" Arizona cocked her head to the side a little and gave Callie another wide smile.
"Hmm…if you're lucky" Callie smirked.
"See you're not so bad at flirting after all" Arizona commented. "So I take it you're not a local?" she added, picking up on Callie's American accent.
"I've been here about four years now" Callie told her. "I originally lived in Seattle but there was a job offer her so I moved with Sofia" she rambled.
"Sofia?" Arizona asked. "Is she the ex?"
"Oh…erm no" Callie was beginning to panic because telling a potential date about your sixteen-year-old daughter didn't always turn out to be a good thing. "Sofia's my daughter"
"Oh" Arizona smiled, trying to let Callie know that she wasn't all that fussed about her having a daughter tonight. "I love kids"
"She's a big kid" Callie laughed. "She's sixteen"
"Young mum" Arizona told her. "That must have been tough" she sympathised. "I know how it feels"
"You have a child too?" Callie asked.
"Not exactly" Arizona sighed. "My younger brother is sixteen. When he was two our father was killed in a hit and run. My mother, it was like she couldn't function anymore. So my elder brother and I basically raised the little one. When my dad died, it was like we lost two parents rather than just one"
"I'm so sorry" Callie commented. She couldn't imagine a life without her parents even though they lived hours apart now. She still called them every day and they visited frequently. Both of them were as impressed with Summer Bay as Callie and Sofia were.
"That was a long time ago" Arizona instantly wiped the frown from her face and resumed smiling. "And I don't want to be a downer when I'm talking to an extremely attractive woman"
"You're not so bad yourself" Callie smirked.
A timer rang out, letting everyone know that their time was up and it was time for people to move on to someone else.
"Well, I had fun" Arizona's eyes seemed to twinkle. "I hope we'll meet again, Calliope"
"Me too" Callie smiled. "Goodbye Arizona"
It was when she walked away that Callie realised they hadn't exchanged numbers with one another. She wanted to have the courage to go up and hand Arizona her number but was scared Arizona had purposefully not given Callie her number. Maybe their ten minutes didn't go as well as Callie had thought. She could barely concentrate on the next couple of dates, instead she watched Arizona interact with the different women. Occasionally their eyes met again, but Arizona would turn away first trying to concentrate on her date, despite being unable to stop stealing glances at Callie.
The evening drew to a close and Callie felt she only had a spark with one of the women and that woman was Arizona. She'd gotten a few numbers, none of which were the numbers she really wanted which bummed her out the most. Still there was nothing she could do about it as she watched Arizona talking with a woman once the night was over. Trying to ignore the feeling in her stomach she headed out the door, surprised at the change in temperature as she reached her car.
"Calliope!" Callie spun around to hear her name being called by Arizona. She tried not to let her happiness appear visible. She walked to where Arizona had stopped, holding up a piece of paper.
"You called?" Callie asked.
"I believe I forgot to give you this" Arizona smiled as she handed Callie the piece of paper with her number scrawled on. "How else would next time happen?" she added.
Callie smiled taking the number and placing it in her pocket. She didn't know whether to give Arizona her own and was worried about being the first one to make contact. She decided to question Sofia and Meredith once she was back home.
"Goodnight Arizona" Callie smiled as she turned away from the woman and back to her car.
"Calliope?" Arizona's voice called out again. Callie turned to see Arizona coming towards her, her hands cupping Callie's face. She pressed her lips against Callie's gently before she broke off biting her lip. "I also forgot to give you that" she smirked, still holding Callie's face in her hands. Arizona let go and went back inside, leaving Callie to process what had just happened.
"Mom" Sofia beamed as she woke up from sleeping on the couch. "How was your night?"
"You should be in bed missy" Callie scolded, although she was happy her daughter was awake so they could discuss things. They had a close relationship, due to the age gap between them it was almost sisterly rather than mother and daughterly.
"That doesn't answer my question" Sofia yawned sleepily. "So how was it, did you meet anyone nice?"
"Maybe" Callie pursed her lips together, knowing that Sofia would be eager for more details.
"Tell me more" Sofia sat upright, crossing her legs so that Callie had room on the couch to sit down.
"Well, there was this one…"
"And what was she like?"
"I am getting to it" Callie laughed. "She was attractive and funny and flirty"
"So you got her number, right? Please tell me you got her number?"
"Maybe I did, Maybe I didn't" Callie teased her daughter.
"You did!" Sofia exclaimed. "You should call her"
"I'm not going to call her right now" Callie shook her head. "I've just come back and I need to go to work"
"But you will call her right?" Sofia asked.
"Goodnight Sofia" Callie replied as she rose from the couch and made her way upstairs to bed. Sofia shook her head, hoping that her mom would call this woman. Sofia had never seen her mother so twinkly-eyed at a possible date before. Sofia sighed and went off to bed. She could always press for more details tomorrow. Whether Callie gave those details was yet to be seen.
A couple of weeks passed and Callie still had the number on her bedside table. She told Sofia it had fizzled out between her and the woman she met that night and that there was no chemistry between them when they texted or called. The truth was she hadn't called Arizona as she was far too scared. Scared of rejection and even scared of this turning into something more. The more time that passed, the more scared Callie got. She knew she had missed her chance, but she couldn't bring herself to discard of the piece of paper with Arizona's number on it.
It was a typical Monday morning. Sofia had complained about getting up for school and Callie had told her the same story about how when she was in kindy she was so excited to go to school every day. They both drank coffee and ate cereal in silence. Sofia scrolled through various social media catching up on all the news from her peers and Callie read the newspaper that came early every day. It was a comfortable routine they had perfected in the last couple of years. Then Zola and Maddie would come to the door for Sofia so they could walk to school together, calling into Evie, Josh's and Xavier's house on the way. Then Callie would leave for work. She never brought her car home, there was never much point as she lived in walking distance of the police force and a walk along the beach was nice first thing in the morning. Every day, she would stop in at Summer Bay Diner and pick up a large coffee and a sandwich for lunch, served every day by the town's busybody Colleen who was eager to know everyone's business.
"G'day Sergeant" Colleen greeted her, handing over Callie's regular order. "Busy day today?" she questioned as Callie sorted out the money to pay Colleen.
"Who knows?" Callie questioned. It was either or in Summer Bay. "Catch you later Colleen" she added, walking out the door and continuing on her way to work.
Callie walked past the old abandoned restaurant. She was good friends with the owner Angelo and was disheartened to hear he was struggling and looking for a co-owner. By the looks of things, he was in a serious talk with a tall blonde man. Callie hoped it was for the restaurant. She didn't want to find a new pizza place either. She smiled at Angelo and continued walking to work. It didn't take long from her place, maybe ten or fifteen minutes at most. Teddy Altman was already there. She lived a little on the outskirts of Summer Bay and was Callie's partner and closest friend at work. The two of them were sergeant's together and had started the job together at the same time. She greeted her friend warmly, but Callie could instantly tell she had something more to say.
"Did you see who was talking to Angelo?" She asked. Teddy had dated Angelo in the past so it wasn't all that surprising that she was still observant of him.
"Is it a co-owner?" Callie asked.
"I sure hope not" Teddy pulled a face. "We don't need those kinds of people in Summer Bay"
"You know the guy?" Callie asked. She was certain she had never seen that guy before in her life.
"I know his face. You know who Tim Robbins is, right?"
Callie pondered this for a second before Teddy filled her in.
"He's the leader of a small gang. Handling stolen goods, dealing drugs, fighting and wrecking places" Teddy filled her in. "They are bad news"
"If we know this much how have we not got these guys in jail?" Callie asked.
"Lack of evidence and they have the best lawyers in Sydney"
"Wait is this the gang from Mangrove River?" Callie asked, remembering a couple of incidents out there in the past. "Surfer gang?"
"That's the one" Teddy replied, a grim look on her face. "We should head over to Angelo's, check it out and make it look like we're there for a lunch reservation or something"
"Sounds like a plan" Callie said as the pair of them made their way over to Angelo's.
Angelo's restaurant was the most modern feature of Summer Bay. It was pretty fancy although the prices were reasonable and the food was a lot better than what was available at the diner. It was never busy early morning, except for people making lunch and dinner reservations so Callie wasn't all that surprised when they were the only two "customers" in the place. They saw Angelo sitting at the table, in talks with a guy, who Callie presumed to be Tim Robbins. Upon seeing the girls, Angelo stopped the conversation and walked over to them.
"Ladies" he beamed. "What can I get you for? Lunch or Dinner reservation?"
"Lunch please" Teddy replied. She nodded over at Tim Robbins. "Potential buyer?" she questioned.
"Just finalised things" Angelo wore a big stupid grin on his face, hoping that this investment would work out for him. Things had been tight money wise, especially now he had a baby.
"Have you checked him out?" Callie asked. The smile on Angelo's face disappeared and slowly turned into a frown.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked, noticing the way the women were looking over at the guy who sat down at the table.
"Be careful" Callie warned him, her eyes darting to a blonde woman emerging from the back with a pile of plates in her hand. The woman stared at her and dropped the plates onto the ground.
"Jesus, Arizona" Tim barked as he rushed over to his sister's side as she crouched down to sweep up the smashed plates.
"Hey mate don't worry about it, there's plenty of plates" Angelo called out after Tim. Once they had finished sweeping Arizona stood up again, in full view of Callie.
"I'm so sorry" Arizona rushed over to Angelo. "They were just so heavy"
"It's fine" Angelo reassured her. "I'm sure I can forgive you for a few plates" he smiled. "Tim, Arizona these are Sergeant Altman and Sergeant Torres – they're regulars in here so treat them well" he smirked at the two women. Callie couldn't take her eyes of Arizona, something which was picked up on by Angelo.
"Do you two know each other?" He questioned, noticing the stares between the two. Before Callie had the chance to answer, Arizona answered for her.
"No. No, we don't"