Thanks for the reviews! Sorry, it's been a little while, I've been crazy busy lately. Hope you enjoy this next chapter :)
A few days had passed and Callie and Arizona were both eager to keep whatever was going on between them, between them. Callie because her job would be on the line, the fact that she was dating Tim Robbins's younger sister was more than enough to raise a few eyebrows at the station. Arizona because her older brother wouldn't be too impressed with her latest choice of girlfriend. So their arrangement was quickly agreed upon.
"Good morning" Arizona smirked as Callie opened the door. It had been their usual routine the past few days. Arizona would wait for Sofia to call round at Casey's on her way to school and then she would walk over to Callie's place knowing it was going to be empty.
"Good morning" Callie smiled shyly as she pulled Arizona closer to her. "I am afraid we don't have a lot of time this morning…" she trailed off.
"That's a shame" Arizona frowned. "But at least we can make the most of the time we do have" she laughed. "How long do we have?"
"Thirty minutes" Callie smirked.
"How is something amazing supposed to happen in thirty minutes, Calliope" Arizona laughed as she pulled her top over her head.
"Think of it as a challenge" Callie replied as she took Arizona's hand and led her upstairs. They were just about to enter Callie's room when they heard the door open. "Quick, hide" she told Arizona who went into Callie's room. Callie wandered downstairs to see Casey and Sofia.
"Aren't you two supposed to be on your way to school?" she raised her eyebrows.
"We were but I lost my homework and now I can't find it" Sofia frowned.
Callie rolled her eyes. Sofia was always losing things but it was doubly frustrating knowing Arizona was upstairs in her room half naked as Callie was dealing with Sofia.
"Where did you last have it?" she asked.
"If I knew that I would have it in my hand by now" Sofia pointed out. "Are you alright, you seem a little flushed"
"Yep I'm fine" Callie lied, fanning her face to try and cool down. "Just been doing some squats" she added. "Here why don't I help you find it"
"I'm sure you've probably got better things to be doing" Sofia smiled.
"Not really" Callie shrugged, eager to get her daughter and Casey out of the house. "You sure it's down here?"
"Yeah" Sofia pulled a face. "I always keep my school stuff down here"
Callie nodded as she knelt down beside Sofia. She'd already been looking for a few minutes now.
"Maybe you should just leave it otherwise you'll be late for school" Callie reminded her after a long time searching.
"It's important" Sofia argued back. "I'll get in even more trouble for not handing it in than for being late"
"I'm sure they'll understand" Callie muttered glancing at the clock. What was meant to be a half an hour for her and Arizona had now become ten minutes. She sighed, knowing they'd have to give it up this time.
"Found it" Sofia beamed as she pulled out a piece of paper.
"Oh thank god" Callie muttered, watching Sofia attempt to arrange the papers neatly. "I will do that, you two get to school"
"You sure?" Sofia narrowed her eyebrows. Callie nodded. "Okay, see you later"
Once Sofia and Casey had left, Arizona came downstairs to see Callie ironing.
"If she was any longer…" Arizona rolled her eyes. "Now where were we" She grinned. Callie took her top off. "That is an excellent, excellent place to start" she added, before the smile on her face turned to a frown once she saw Callie was putting her police uniform on. "What's going on?"
"You're about to leave and I'm about to go to work?" She shrugged as she put her hair up in its usual ponytail. "Don't look at me like that" she sighed, noticing the expression on Arizona's face. "We had a window and now it's closed"
"This isn't fair" Arizona commented.
"I will make it up to you" Callie smiled. "I promise"
"You better" Arizona told her. "I'll hold you to that" she laughed. "So when can we see each other again?" she asked, wrapping her arms around Callie's neck.
"I don't know…but I'll call you"
"I wish things didn't have to be this way" Arizona broke off eye contact.
"But it has to be" Callie told her. "You know that don't you?"
"Course" Arizona smiled brightly. "It just sucks not being able to do stuff like this" she leaned up and kissed Callie's delicate lips. "Out in the open"
"I'll call you" Callie promised. "Bye"
"See you around serge" Arizona replied as she left Callie's place, both of them feeling a little frustrate that their limited time with one another was cut short. Callie continued to get ready for work.
"Psst" Teddy hissed at Callie as she arrived into work.
"What's up?" Callie shrugged sitting down beside her work mate to see what she wanted to say. She could see Teddy's eyes were fixated on another woman who was chatting to their boss on the opposite side of the room.
"That's Miranda Bailey" she nodded discreetly at the woman.
"The Miranda Bailey?" Callie questioned. "Are you being serious?" she added. Miranda Bailey worked right in the centre of Sydney and there wasn't a police officer in Sydney who didn't know her name. "What is she doing here?"
"Looking for recruits for the detective exam" Teddy informed her. "I've been lip reading"
"I won't hold my breath on what you just said then" Callie smirked. She knew this was a big deal to herself and a lot of her colleagues. Callie was interested in becoming a detective, despite loving her current role. "You going to apply?"
"Eh" Teddy shrugged. "I don't know, it's a lot of work"
"That's true" Callie mused. It was easier now Sofia was basically grown up and could be trusted in the house by herself.
"Are you?" Teddy asked.
"Maybe" Callie shrugged, watching as Detective Bailey wandered around the police station. Teddy and Callie pretended to be doing something work-related when she approached them.
"Hi Detective Bailey, it's a pleasure" Teddy stuck her hand out.
"No point sucking up" Bailey snapped. Callie raised her eyebrows but she wasn't surprised. Detective Bailey had the nickname "The Nazi" for a reason.
"I'm Sergeant Altman and this is Sergeant Torres"
"Nice to meet you" Callie added. "What brings you to the bay?"
"I need some good recruits so I'm personally visiting stations to scare people into joining" Bailey added and from the look on her face Callie could tell she wasn't joking. "Are you going to apply?"
"I haven't really given it much thought…" Callie began.
"Well decide" Bailey responded. "Are you working on a case?"
"Nothing major" Teddy told her. It was true, Tim Robbins and his surfer gang had been pretty quiet and Arizona had revealed he'd been at home the past few days taking care of their mother whilst she was sick. So apart from the odd speeding ticket or shoplifter, Teddy and Callie mostly found themselves catching up on the paperwork they had put off for so long. "We had a case not long ago, Tim Robbins was the suspect"
"Suspect?" Bailey raised her eyebrows.
"The case went cold" Callie frowned, realising this probably wasn't the best example of their work to be bringing up in front of Miranda Bailey. "But if any new information comes to light…"
"Hmm" Bailey pursed her lips and checked the clock. "Where's good for lunch around here?"
"The diner, I guess" Callie told her.
"We'll join you" Teddy grinned, picking up her bag before Bailey could interrupt and say that she would prefer to be alone. Callie rolled her eyes and followed her friend and Bailey who had already started to leave.
"Actually, I have to go" Teddy pulled a face as they got to the diner. "It's Henry I forgot I was supposed to meet him for lunch"
Callie glared at her friend for trying to leave their lunch with Miranda. It had been her idea to join Miranda after all, Callie was more than happy having something out of the cafeteria or even heading home for lunch. Now she looked over at Bailey who looked as though she didn't want Callie to leave anymore. Teddy apologised once more and left the diner.
"So, have you thought any more about the application?"
"Between the five-minute walk from the police station to here?" Callie tried to joke. "Not really"
"I don't like people"
"I would never have guessed" Callie raised her eyebrows.
"Let me finish" Bailey snapped. "I've heard good things about you Sergeant Torres and I'm going to be annoyed if you don't try to become a detective" she added. "The city is in great need of officers"
"Oh I couldn't move away from the bay" Callie told her. "My life is here. My daughter loves it here"
"It was just a suggestion" Bailey told her. "There's still the opportunity for you to be promoted within your own station"
"That sounds pretty good" Callie smiled.
"Just think about it" Bailey told her. "And then do it"
"I will think about it" Callie pointed out, trying not to smile at how bossy this woman was.
Meanwhile Sofia had just walked in with Meredith and Zola. Pupils who lived in Summer Bay often went home for lunch rather than staying in school and instead of their usual meal at home, Meredith had agreed to take them to the diner whilst she had the day off.
"Who's your mum talking to Sof?" Zola nodded in the direction of Callie who was too engrossed in police talk with Bailey to notice everyone coming into the diner.
"I don't know. I've never seen her before" Sofia shrugged. "But she does seem to be having a really good time…for a change"
"Come on, she hasn't been that bad" Meredith pointed out.
"You haven't been living with her" Sofia pointed out.
"Yeah alright, maybe you're right" Meredith smiled. "Maybe she needs to go out and have some...fun"
"Gross" Zola commented.
"You think mum needs to go out there and get some action, don't you?"
"I said fun!" Meredith protested.
"No, but it's true. She's been all cranky recently and her love life's been non-existent since that speed dating event in the Yabbie Creek" Sofia replied. "Maybe if she got herself out there she'd get off my back about Casey"
"I'm staying out of this" Meredith laughed, holding her hands up in the air.
"I have an idea" Sofia smirked as she heard her mum and Bailey laughing. She went up to the counter and ordered a slice of cake with two forks, before taking it over to where her mum was.
"Hi" Sofia smiled brightly. "I'm Callie's daughter, Sofia"
"Sof we didn't order this" Callie shook her head in confusion.
"I just thought you'd worked yourselves up an appetite" Sofia beamed in reply.
"This is Miranda Bailey. She's a detective in the city. We're just talking about work".
"Oh you're a cop too, that's great you have so much in common" Sofia added as Callie narrowed her eyes, guessing what her meddling sixteen-year-old was up to.
"Okay, you need to go now" Callie replied firmly.
"Right" Sofia smiled. "She's using her scary cop voice but you really learn to love that" she smiled down at Bailey.
"Goodbye Sofia" Callie's tone of voice was even firmer. Sofia got the message and quickly joined Zola and Meredith.
"I could kill you" Callie came over to where Sofia, Zola and Meredith were. Bailey had taken off and Callie still had a bit of her lunch break left.
"I'm sorry she looked nice, you seemed to be having a good time" Sofia pointed out.
"I was being polite" Callie told her daughter. "Besides, I don't need you to match make, where has this whole idea come from anyway?"
"Meredith pointed out that you weren't getting any"
"Fun!" Meredith interrupted. "I said fun"
"I am fun and I have plenty of fun" Callie argued.
"When?" Sofia screwed her face up.
"All the time!" Callie insisted. "I go for runs and I have coffee and pizza…"
"Wow" Sofia rolled her eyes. "I'm almost jealous"
"I have fun!" Callie protested.
"All I'm saying is it would be good for you to get out there, get a little fun"
"This is an inappropriate conversation" Callie's face went bright red.
"Just go on a date" Sofia looked up at her mum with her big brown eyes.
"Look, even if I wanted to go on a date…and I don't" She narrowed her eyes at Sofia before continuing. "There's no one in this town who I would go out with anyway"
"You never know there might be someone right under your nose who you never thought of before" Meredith added. Callie tried not to blush thinking of her current situation with Arizona. She hoped to get Sofia off her back about the whole dating business.
"You are just as bad as Sof" Callie frowned at her friend. "I am going back to work where I will also have fun" she smirked, walking off from the diner hoping that the conversation about her love life would be forgotten about.
"Hey" Callie smiled at Sofia when she walked through the door. She'd worked late tonight. "You're up late" she observed, noticing that Sofia was glued to her laptop screen.
"Mum" Sofia smiled sweetly and Callie knew she was going to drop a bombshell. "You know how you said you would love a relationship but there's no one in this town?"
"Funnily enough, I do not remember saying anything about how I would love to be in a relationship" Callie muttered. "Oh what did you do"
"Well I made a list of potentials, I think you'll be surprised at how many I've found" Sofia chattered excitedly. "I've also made a shortlist of the best ones…"
"Where are you getting all these people?" Callie asked, joining Sofia on the couch.
"I signed you up for a dating site" Sofia beamed. "It was easy and you have a lot of interest already"
"What?!" Callie raised her voice, taking Sofia's laptop out of her lap. "That's my picture!" she exclaimed. "What happened to not butting in?"
"But these women have great potential" Sofia whined. "Do you really want to be known as the sad old spinster cop?"
"Who calls me that?!" Callie cried out.
"No one" Sofia told her. "Yet, but they will" she continued. "Please, I've sorted through all the crazy ones, please for me"
"Sofia sweetheart I am happy with my life the way it is" Callie protested, not wanting to reveal that she was with someone although she hadn't discussed things with Arizona as to whether they were an actual couple or friends with benefits.
"One date" Sofia replied. "What do you have to lose?" she added. "And it could be fun"
"You're not going to give this up, are you?" Callie narrowed her eyebrows.
"Nope" Sofia smiled. "One date and if it goes badly then I will never match make you with anyone ever again"
"Ugh" Callie rolled her eyes. "One date" she told Sofia, figuring it was the easiest way to keep the peace. She didn't know what to tell Arizona, things were still so new and exciting between them and now it seemed like Sofia was going to rock the boat, without knowing there was even a boat to be rocked.