It's You, It'll Always Be You

Chapter 15

[Flashback]

"Hey Torres! Are you down for lunch later?" Arizona called out as she was heading off to her first surgery of the day.

"You know it! I'll be there," Callie answered, a big smile on her face.

Mark came walking up in time to hear the exchange between the two and saw the beaming smile on the face of the woman who quickly became his best friend. "So I take it you finally talked to Blondie about how you really feel?"

"Huh? No…"

"Oh come on, Torres. I totally saw that!"

"I really don't know what you're talking about, Mark."

"You're joking, right?" Callie shook her head. "You mean to tell me that you and Blondie are just miraculously okay again?"

"Well I wouldn't say miraculous, but Arizona and I are trying to be friends."

"Friends? What happened to telling her how you felt?"

"It's not that simple. It's a complicated situation right now."

"You're becoming a broken record with the never-ending it's complicated excuse you constantly give me."

"I know and I'm sorry about that. But ever since she found out about George, nothing between us has been simple. After the shooting, we just realized that all our fighting is ridiculous because we could have lost each other and it's just not worth it. So we're trying again and we're going to try to be friends. It's all she can give me right now."

"You've gone soft, Torres."

"No. I. Have. Not! I'm just… I'm giving her the space and the power to decide where we go from here."

"Like I said, soft."

"Oh shut up, Mark. You wouldn't know how I feel because you don't know what it's like to be love."

"And how is this you proving your love for Blondie?"

"When you are truly, deeply, completely 100% in love with someone, you give them your all and surrender yourself to them, trusting that they won't break your heart or hurt you when you make yourself open and vulnerable without all your protective walls."

Mark was quiet for a moment, letting what Callie said simmer for a few seconds. "Nope, I still think you've just gone soft." Callie couldn't do anything but shake her head and look away with a slight smile on her face as Mark went off to probably coax some nurse into a mid-morning rendezvous in an on-call room.

Lunch had gone pretty well. The two ate their food and talked about their days with a happy pink bubble encasing them both. Their interaction brought smiles to the others in the cafeteria to see them laughing and smiling together instead of sulking and pouting in the absence of the other. Callie suggested that they hang out that afternoon since both their shifts ended rather early that day. Arizona thought it was a good idea and when Callie asked if she had anything she wanted to do, Arizona merely smiled and told her she had the "perfect" thing.

So now Callie was waiting anxiously in her apartment wearing the athletic clothing Arizona told her wear. What is she up to? She better not be taking me out for a run. Or a hike through the forest. Especially not in the woods! Callie then had a moment of panic thinking she was going on a hike in the woods before she was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She nervously answered the door to a dimpled-smiling Arizona. "So…what are we doing? You wouldn't tell me earlier, but we're not going on a hike, are we? Because I don't do woods. The woods are dirty and there are many, many bugs."

Arizona couldn't help but chuckle at Callie's nervous ramblings. "Relax, Callie. Just trust me on this, okay? We'll have a super time together and get a good workout in while we're at it too! Now come on, let's go before we lose all the daylight!"

Was that a wink? Oh my god, is she trying to torture me here? And that smile… I might have a heart attack by the end of this afternoon at this rate. "Okay, I trust you. This better be great, Robbins, or else I'll never hang out with you again!"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Not only will today be awesome, I'll totally blow your mind!"

"Awesome? What are you, five?" Callie teased, automatically being brought back to that first day they met when she said those exact words.

Arizona seemed to have remembered that moment as well and broke out into a huge grin. "No, but the patients in my future department will be!"

After the short walk to their mystery destination with Arizona leading the way, they found themselves standing at the basketball courts of a nearby park. "You brought me to a park? Seriously, Arizona? This is your idea of an amazing afternoon?"

"Will you stop with the complaining and the skepticism? Just give it a try, alright?"

Callie puffed up her cheeks and let out a stream of air up towards her forehead to blow at her bangs, which amused Arizona to no extent since Callie's behavior was very much like her tiny human patients. "Fine. I'll be quiet now. So why are we playing basketball at the park when there are so many other things to do in Seattle on such a beautiful afternoon?"

"When I first moved here to Seattle, I didn't know much about the city. I was just an unattached intern trying to make a new connection in my new life. So in what little free time I did have where I wasn't trolling for surgeries or studying up on a procedure, I found a hobby."

"Let me guess, that hobby was basketball?"

"Not quite. I was just roaming around downtown one day to explore the city and I ended up at Key Arena. It was summertime and in the midst of the WNBA season and it seemed like they had a pretty big fanbase so I bought a game ticket to see what the hype was about and fell in love with both the team and the game. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did after that first game, but I became a hardcore fan. Whenever I had a day off, I'd go get a ticket for a game and have a blast there. It helped me not only build that connection I was looking for, but it was a great way to get away from the stress of surgery and internship and hospital drama and just have a fun time for those two or three hours."

"Wow, well I never would have dubbed you for a basketball fan."

"I wouldn't have either. But being in Key Arena and sitting there with the other fans, it was definitely something unlike I've ever experienced before. They won a championship that year and it only inspired me to love the game that much more. So since then I've slowly been getting into actually playing basketball. I wouldn't say I'm an amazing player or anything, but I'm definitely better than your average joe from the streets. It's a fun game and it definitely keeps you in shape too." Callie couldn't help but smile at seeing the goofy grin and almost dreamy-eyed look on the blonde's face. "What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah, passion and love."

"Oh, you're so cheesy!"

"No, you're the cheesy one! But it's cute. Beyond adorable to see you so passionate about something other than medicine. It'd be nice if everyone could find something else besides surgery that they were so passionate about. It'd help keep all of us doctors on a level ground and won't allow that God-complex get to our heads."

"Exactly. When I'm at a Storm game, I'm not 'Arizona Robbins, on-the-rise PEDs surgeon.' I'm just another fan in the crowd and I can just relax and let the stress of my day or week melt away."

They hadn't talked with such ease in years and Callie couldn't help but feel as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest from happiness. "Okay, you dorky little cheese ball, let's go see if you have any skill to back up all your talk."

Forty-five minutes later found the two engaged in an aggressive game of one-on-one. Arizona wasn't kidding when she said she had better game than the average joe and was giving Callie a run for her money, but Callie's height advantage proved to be a roadblock for the blonde. Despite Callie's lack of experience, she was able to keep pace with Arizona by contesting most of her shots and defending her really closely. Having Arizona's hot, sweaty body pressed up against her was killing Callie inside and it got even worse as the game progressed. "Hmm, you never told me you were so good at basketball, Callie."

"I have a lot of hidden talents," Callie responded getting ready to play defense as Arizona turned her dribble away and backed into Callie. "Especially with my hands," she whispered into the blonde's ear once she was close enough.

Arizona let out a gasp and felt a rush of heat flood her entire body, causing her to lose focus for a moment and provide a window of opportunity for Callie to steal the ball. "Hey! Cheater, cheater pumpkin eater!"

"Aww, are you going to go crying home to your mommy now? This is street ball, Arizona. It gets a little rough sometimes," Callie teased.

"Oh yeah, huh? Okay, game on!"

The game turned in a different direction after that and got a bit more…physical. It was more subtle the first few plays with a bit closer defense and more verbal teasing, but it quickly heated up from there. What used to be tight defense turned into full body gropes and verbal teasing into sexual innuendos. Needless to say, both were very hot and bothered, but definitely not from the basketball.

"Ooh, getting pretty handsy there, Robbins. I'm pretty sure in basketball you're supposed to be going after the ball, not grabbing my ass."

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about!" Arizona countered, sliding her hand from where it was rested on Callie's hip and up her side, her fingers dancing dangerously close to the swell of Callie's breast. Arizona heard Callie's sharp intake of breath and smirked realizing she was now in control of this possession. "Well…" she basically purred into Callie's ear. "It's not like you're complaining. In fact, I think you may be enjoying my hands rubbing all across your hot, sweaty body. A little too much, if you ask me. Besides, it's not like I'd do it so much if I didn't know it made you weak in the knees."

Arizona's voice becoming all husky like that was driving Callie wild. She could no longer concentrate on playing the game since the only thing on her mind now were her raging hormones. Arizona was toying with her and she knew it, but yet she couldn't find a way to not let the blonde affect her. She wasn't sure she wanted to block out those feelings. Now it was Callie this time who was distracted long enough to get the ball stolen from her and Arizona who pulled away with a mischievous grin on her face. "So you like to play dirty? Well, two can play that game. But how about we make this more interesting, what do you say?" Callie asked, cocking her eyebrow and shooting Arizona her sexiest smoldering look.

"More interesting how exactly?"

"Next basket wins and the loser has to take the winner out to do whatever she wants whenever we both have the day off again, no complaining either!"

"Yeah, Callie. Remember your words when you have to do whatever I want, again, next time."

"Ha, a little cocky, aren't we?"

"Not cocky, confident." Arizona corrected, scooting closer to Callie until they were standing face to face. "And I know that you find my confidence hot."

"I-I…Umm…I-"

"Check." Arizona said, passing Callie the ball with a wide grin on her face.

"Mate." Callie responded, collecting herself and passing it back before crouching down into her defensive position.

Both had difficulties scoring that final basket as their flirtatious touches got increasingly more risqué. It became nearly impossible to focus long enough to put the ball through the hoop when heated hands were grabbing at places that were mere inches away from where they were wanted, where they were needed . By this point, they had been playing for more than an hour and they were both beyond exhausted. This game needed to end, and it needed to end soon if either had any intentions of being able to move the next day. This is it, Callie thought. It's now or never. She put her head down and charged through the lane towards the basket, leaping up and releasing the ball, watching it float in through the hoop hearing that sweet sound of the swish, indicating her victory before crashing into the body trying to block her and went tumbling to the ground.

"Hmm, looks like I won and you have to do whatever…I…want…" Callie's last three words each slowly annunciated as she pressed her body fully flush against Arizona and inched her way lower...lower…lower, until her chest was level with Arizona's hips. She kept eye contact with the blonde her entire journey down her body and smirked when she saw Arizona close her eyes and lift her hips in search of some friction. Both her body and hormones were screaming for Callie after that heated game and she could feel her resolve slipping away with each second that passed feeling Callie on top of her. She nearly let out a groan of frustration when she felt Callie get up and hover above her with a sly smile on her face. "You're so easy, Robbins," Callie chuckled at the blonde's reactions. "Now let's get out of here. No offense, but I'm getting pretty sick of all the basketball."

"I'm not easy! You just play dirty."

Callie scoffed, "I'm a badass, 'dirty' is my middle name."

"Ha, that's a new one. I didn't know 'dirty' was codeword for Iphigenia."

"Why I outta!" Arizona quickly jumped to her feet after seeing the shocked expression on Callie's face and knew she was about to get in trouble for uttering her middle name. She took off out of the basketball courts and ran into what seemed like a random direction into the trees with Callie hot on her trail. After a short chase, the brush and trees led out to a clearing where there was a single park bench atop a hill that overlooked the rest of the city skyline. "Wow…" was all she could manage to say at the sight.

"I found it a couple years ago. It's a really nice place to just sit and think. Plus it's pretty quiet and not a lot of people know about it, so you don't get bothered all that often. I like coming here when I have those moments of just wanting the world to stop for a few minutes so I can take a deep breath and get myself together, you know what I mean?" Arizona asked as she took a seat on the park bench.

"Absolutely, it's incredible. Just…beautiful," Callie answered while looking at Arizona, partly talking about the view, mostly talking about the woman sitting in front of her.

They sat there for a while, switching between exchanging a little small talk and just enjoying the comfortable silence. They didn't realize it, but after starting out with a substantial amount of space between them, they were now sitting almost shoulder to shoulder. Callie was nervous because she didn't know how Arizona would react, but she tentatively lifted her arm up and around so it was lying on the park bench behind Arizona's back. After receiving no protests and only a slight flinch from surprise before relaxing again as a response, Callie closed the gap between the two and cupped her hand around Arizona's shoulders, bringing her closer to her. She placed a gentle kiss on Arizona's temple before looking out over the city where the sun was beginning to set over Puget Sound. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"Life sure would be a lot easier if it worked out that way."

"Arizona, I just wanted to say-"

"If you're going to apologize to me one more time or start professing your love, I don't want to hear it."

"But I really do-"

"I mean it. Today has just been so perfect and I don't want to ruin it by bringing up feelings and saying more apologies."

"Okay," Callie relented and just kept quiet as they watched the rest of sunset and the transformation of the city into a million sparkling lights before them. "Everything is so peaceful up here, I like it. I like just being able to be with you and not have the urge to say something every single second. It's…comforting." Callie said warmly as she started tracing patterns on Arizona's arm, causing a shiver to run through her body. "Oh, are you cold? We can head back now if you want. I mean, it's getting kinda late and I don't want to keep you out on my accord and-"

"No, I'm not cold. I just… Even though I said that we could be just friends again, that doesn't mean that it's easy to stick with it. Even though we're supposed to be friends and just friends, my body can't help but react to yours whenever you're near me. My body can't resist your touch and my heart can't stop racing whenever you hold me close. So…I just…I-I mean, yeah…it still affects me."

"Well we don't have to be just friends, you know," Callie answered in a whisper as she buried her face against Arizona's neck.

"Yes we do. Because to be honest with you, I'm not ready to give you more than that right now even if my body decides to betray me whenever you're around. Plus, I won't be that girl who gets in between you and your morals. You're still engaged, Calliope, regardless of whether or not you choose to acknowledge it. You're promised to someone else and I don't have to right to mess with that. I'm not the kind of girl who allows others to break promises like that." Arizona pulled back a little to see Callie smiling at her and was confused as to what she saw smile-worthy in that mini-speech. "Uhh, did you not just hear anything I said? What could you possibly be smiling about?"

"You called me Calliope…"

"Yeah, so? It's your name. I call you that all the time. You gave me permission to! What, are you revoking my privileges now that-"

"You haven't called me Calliope in a long time. I missed hearing you say it," Callie's smile was so genuine that Arizona's heart melted and any seriousness she was feeling earlier about clearing up their situation, quickly disappeared as they once again returned to their comfortable silence.

Time was quickly passing by and soon enough, the temperature dropped to a normal Seattle night and the athletic clothing they wore for the basketball game wasn't enough to keep them warm. Arizona was reluctant to go, wanting to stay there in Callie's arms, overlooking downtown and imprint that memory onto her mind forever. For those few hours, there was no stress, no worries about residency, no one's lives were in their hands, no maniac shooters roaming around, no George, no promises, no commitments…just the two of them, being together exactly the way they should be.

Arizona walked Callie back to her apartment complex and was an absolute cliché of the nervous person after a first date. "So, I had a lot of fun today…"

Callie couldn't help but laugh at Arizona's nervous tactics. "That the best you could come up with? So is this where I'm supposed to invite you up for coffee and then we end up on my couch making out until god knows when?"

Straddling a naked Callie as she's ravishing you and ripping off your clothing and kissing you here as her fingers go there… "Umm, uhh, I d-don't think-"

"Relax, Arizona. That was a joke…Ha, ha?"

"Right, sorry. I was just umm… Thinking about…work! And how I have so much to do tomorrow. Yeah, so, I really did have a lot of fun today."

"I did too. Who knew playing basketball could be so fun?"

"It's cause you were hanging out with me!" Arizona cheered, her confidence returning once they went back to their playful banter.

"But of course! You're right, I did have a blast and you did totally blow my mind."

Oh how I wish I could blow your mind in a different way… "Told you! So I guess this is goodnight?"

"I suppose it is. Goodnight, Arizona."

"Goodnight, Calliope. I'll see you tomorrow," Arizona flashed Callie a super magic smile as the Latina started up the stairs to the door of her apartment complex. "Oh, wait, Calliope!" Arizona called out before the door shut completely.

"Yes?" Callie asked, poking her head out the door.

"Did you decide what you wanted to do for our next day off together?"

"Hmm, thanks for reminding me. I did actually."

"And would you care to share with the rest of the class?" Arizona teased after Callie remained silent for a few moments.

"Right, sorry. Girl's Night Out."

"What?"

"Girl's Night Out! Dress up and look hot. I want to go out for a night on the town and hit the clubs and go dancing."

Oh dear god. Calliope, dressed up+drinks+dancing=Dunzo Arizona. "That sounds like a ton of fun. I can't wait to go!"

"Trust me, now it'll be my turn to blow your mind. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Baby, you won't have to try very hard. "Right, see ya!"

[Present Time]

Callie was excited to get back to work. After accepting Head of the Orthopedics department, Callie remembered she still had to hand in her resignation for the hospital she was working at in San Francisco. She decided to spend the grace period she had before starting her new job with her father as he recovered and coaxing Cristina, her roommate back when Callie was an intern, to let her crash at her place for a few days as she searched for her own place to stay. Everything was happening at a whirlwind speed and it was quickly overwhelming Callie. How could everything be happening so fast? One minute, Papa supposedly only has a benign tumor, the next, we're flying out to Seattle to have him undergo dangerous brain surgery. One minute, I'm still married to George, the next, I'm divorced and telling Arizona the ball is in her court. One minute I'm still on personal leave from UCSF [University of California, San Francisco] Med and the next I'm accepting a position of Head of the Department at SGMW. Wow, I could really use a change of pace right about now.

Callie was sitting in her and Arizona's on-call room propped up on a bed with the newspaper in hand looking at ads for apartments. After calling and inquiring about some, the door burst open and in came an exhausted looking Arizona. "Hey, are you okay?" Callie called out, letting her presence known.

"Oh god, I can't do this right now," Arizona muttered under her breath.

"Come on, don't be like that. It's only me. What's up?"

"I really can't do this right now, Callie."

Callie pouted at Arizona going back to using her nickname, though she had done so before when they finally admitted their feelings to each other the other week. Though nothing significant had happened to change their current status, Callie still missed hearing Arizona say her full name. "I wish you'd stop calling me that."

"It helps me keep some sort of distance from you."

"Okay…distant enough to not talk to me about what's bothering you?"

"I'm afraid that if I tell you, you'll get the wrong idea."

"Come on, just talk to me, Arizona. Can you at least throw me a bone, let me try to be there for you?"

"Fine," Arizona let out a sigh as she plopped down on the tiny bed next to Callie. "I broke up with Caitlin the other day." Arizona felt Callie's body immediately perk up at the mention of breaking up with Caitlin, but she was quick to continue before Callie had a chance to react completely. "Don't get too excited though. I didn't break up with her so I could just go jump back into your arms. I did this for her and me. I couldn't keep stringing her along and hurting her more in the process. I love her too much to do that. And I most definitely respect her too much to do that. That woman has done nothing but be there for and love me. She deserves the best, she deserves more than I can give her. So no, I didn't break up with her for you, so don't get so excited over it. I pretty much broke her heart…"

Callie sat quietly for a few minutes, allowing Arizona to lean her head on her shoulder and cry out of frustration, exhaustion, guilt, and all the other feelings she'd been keeping inside. "I'm sorry, Arizona. I'm sorry that you're hurting so much over this. I'm sorry that you had to break someone else's heart, but try to think that it'll be better in the long run for the both of you. You said it yourself, she deserves more than what you can give her. At least you're giving her the chance to find someone who can give her what she deserves. Caitlin's a great girl and I'm sure they'll be people lining up for her in no time."

"Thanks, Callie. I've been trying to convince myself that I was doing the right thing, but the guilt just kept eating me up inside. I guess it helps that someone else can see it that way too, even if you are just a tad biased in the matter." Arizona teased.

"I know that there is a little conflict of interest here, but I do think you did the right thing. It may not feel like it right now, but that feeling won't last forever and you'll both be happier for it."

Arizona nodded against Callie's shoulder before getting up and shifting to the other end of the bed so that they could sit facing each other. Callie looked over at her puzzled as Arizona proceeded to fold her hands into her lap and continue looking over at her. "It's easier to have a conversation while we're facing each other. Plus, I find it very difficult for me not to just jump right back into your arms when I'm practically lying in them in our on-call room."

"Point taken. Actually, I have something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Is it Carlos? What happened? Is he alright?"

"It's nothing bad, at least, I don't think it is. And no, my dad's fine. He's doing great, just annoyed that he still has to stay in the hospital, so he's just giving everyone a hard time about it."

"Now I see where your hard headedness comes from."

"Hey now, there's no need to start using those fighting words. Especially when that person was just there for you when you needed to let out your thoughts."

"Fine, I take it back…for now."

"So anyways, back to what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm coming back to Seattle. Richard offered me a job here the other day and I accepted. I handed in my letter at UCSF and I'm just waiting until that time is up and I'll be back here to run the ortho department." After seeing Arizona's shocked expression, Callie paused for a moment. "Please tell me you're okay with this. I didn't want to just bombard you again, but I just felt like it was something I had to do, you know? I wasn't happy in San Francisco and I haven't been happier anywhere else except for with you and plus my dad's here for the meantime until it's safe for him to fly back to Miami and I just-"

"You're rambling again."

"I'm sorry. But yeah, I got offered the department and I couldn't really turn that down. I never realized how much I missed Seattle. The nurses are still as nosy as ever, but the atmosphere around here is still so much better than back at UCSF. I've always felt like I fit in better here. And it's helped that I've gotten to know a few people here from hanging around so often with my dad here and everything. Please tell me what you're thinking because I don't want you to be upset about this."

Arizona took some time to pick her words for her answer. "I'm not upset, just a little surprised. I'm glad you're coming back. I missed you and I know Mark missed you too. Even though we got closer over the years, I know he still misses his badass best friend. I'm okay with this though, okay? Just give me some time to adjust because a lot has changed and I've had a lot of things thrown at me too."

"I know, and I'm sorry for any troubles I've caused you."

"Don't apologize to me any longer. We'll be okay. But like I said, I need some time. And you definitely can't expect me to just fall back into your arms. You've hurt me before, Callie. I'm still scared that you'll hurt me again, so you'll have to show me that you're serious this time. You'll have to earn my trust back because I can't just hand it to you. But I promise I won't lead you on. I won't make you waste your time if I'm not serious about us too. I love you, I never stopped, but you get why I have to be cautious, right?"

"I told you before, all I want is another chance. I want another chance to make it up to you. And I promise that you won't have to worry about whatever happened in our past happening again because I'm here to stay and I will fight for you, and for our future. I won't let you down this time, Arizona, I promise."

Callie was in a good mood after that talk with Arizona. Arizona had given her hope. She was a little worried at breaking the news about her returning to work there, but things were good again after getting over that speedbump. They were taking things slow, getting to know each other all over again essentially. They had breakfast and lunch together at the hospital whenever Arizona had a free moment and most of the blonde's breaks were spent with Callie talking in some random place in the hospital. Most of the time, it was in their on-call room where they spent a lot of time getting to know each other again back when they were trying to maintain a friendship after the Gary Clark shooting.

Today only added to Callie's happiness though. Today was Callie's first day back as the new Head of Orthopedics and she was so glad to get back to work. Surgery and breaking bones was always a great way to put her in a good mood. She hadn't been practicing medicine for a while though since she'd spent a lot of time with her father, so she was hoping for a relatively slow day to ease into being back.

She was paged into the Chief's office after she finished the mountainous piles of paperwork and was headed that way now. "Hey, Chief, you paged?"

"Ah, Dr. Torres. I'd like to welcome you back officially."

"Well thank you sir. I just got done with all that mandatory paperwork stuff, so I'll just be on my way to cruise around and see how the ortho program was being run before so I can make some notes for changes I'll want to make."

"Actually, that's what I called you in for. I know that it's your first day and I know that you were hoping for a slow day with a lot of administrative stuff, but I have a special task for you today. As you may or may not know, the Seattle Storm basketball team means a lot to the huge fan community here. They're the only team who can seem to bring back any championships back home to Seattle!" He joked before clearing his throat to return back to business. "As such, the Storm are extremely precious to the city of Seattle and so I need my best ortho doctor to look at a VIP patient. She's on her way now and will be here shortly. I'm sorry to drop this on you so suddenly, Torres, but do you got this?"

"Absolutely, Chief. Where do I go meet her?"

"Her friend is bringing her in. I'll go down with you and escort her up to one of the VIP rooms right away. Now, we don't know if there's anything serious or worth freaking out about, so she's here for an examination and second opinion really. All that practice and training can take a toll on you. Anyways, let's go get our VIP patient."

Once they were settled in the private room, they started the standard protocol with the Chief presenting her case. "Lauren Jackson, 31 year old female complaining of knee and back pain. Her friend Sue is here with her and I already cleared it, so she can be here. Lauren, this is Dr. Callie Torres. She's the best orthopedic surgeon I've seen in a long time and she'll take great care of you. Dr. Torres, she's all yours."

Once Richard left, the fear finally seemed to register in Lauren's brain. "What a second, he said you're an orthopedic surgeon? So you guys think I'll need surgery?"

"No, we're not saying that at all. Let me take a look and we'll see what's up with your knee and back, alright?"

After her initial examination, Callie sent Lauren up to get an x-ray just to double check that everything would be okay. "Is is going to be alright?" Sue tentatively asked after staying relatively quiet the whole time she was there.

"She should be. I'm just running some basic tests to make sure before I give her the go. So far, it seems that all she needs to do is take it easy the next couple days and ice her knee. It's taken a lot of stress from all the practices and games as I can only imagine what playing professional basketball is like."

"It's a dream come true if you have a real passion for the game. Not only do we get to make a living and have a career doing the thing we love, but we can also give back and inspire little girls all around the world to pick up a basketball and play. I never really had that growing up, so it's definitely a blessing to be able to give that to the kids of today."

Callie smiled at hearing Sue talk about how much she loved the game and it brought her back to when Arizona was talking about her new love for the sport. "You sound just like my friend when she was talking to me about basketball a few years back."

"Yeah? Does she play?"

"Nah, she's a doctor here too. Pediatric surgery. Huge fan of the team by the way. She was talking about loving going to the game and being in the crowd and watching you guys win a championship."

"Hmm…She's been a fan for a while then since we've had a couple dry spells in the post-season since that win. A lot of it has to do with Lauren getting hurt at the end of the season so we didn't have her in the playoffs and that ended up hurting us. That's why Coach is taking extra precautions by making Lauren come in today; we can't afford to lose her at this point in the season now. I think this could be the year for us though. We've been on a roll this season and I think this may be our year to grab that championship one more time. Our team is more mature, we have great chemistry, and we have the experience to know how to handle press situations since every team is gunning for us right now."

"Wow, I never knew. Maybe I should go to a game or two this season. My friend absolutely loves the team, so she'd probably want to go with me sometime."

"You definitely should. I'd love to meet such a loyal, long time fan."

"What is this I hear about long time fan? You holding out on me, Doc?"

"Ha, no Lauren, but I have a friend who absolutely loves the Storm. She'd probably freak out if she knew I met you two today. Actually, I bet she wouldn't believe me."

"Dr. Torres, here are Ms. Jackson's scans."

Callie grabbed the scans and took a minute to look over them before turning back to Sue and Lauren. "Well, everything seems to fine. You just irritated the muscles and tendons in your back and knee from all the stress you've put on it from the games and practices, but just ice it and take it easy for the next few days and you'll be good as new."

"Whew, good to know. Thanks Dr. Torres."

"Yeah, thanks, Doc. It's definitely a relief to know that I can keep playing."

"You're very welcome. Just remember to stay off of it, okay?"

"Hey, why don't you and your friend come down for our next home game? We can get you some premium seats as a thank you from the team for taking such good care of our star player over here."

"Oh hush, Sue. I'm just a part of the team."

"She's being modest, Dr. Torres. She's a two-time MVP winner and the frontrunner for it again this year."

"Wow, impressive, Lauren. No wonder you're going crazy and overworking your muscles. Got to stay in shape to be at the top."

"You know it, Doc. But yeah, Sue's right. You should bring your friend and we'll get you some VIP tickets for treating us like your VIPs here."

"She'll absolutely love it. Thank you two so much. And good luck with whatever you've got up next. See you soon!"

"You WHAT?" Arizona exclaimed after Callie told her of her VIP case.

"The Chief told me to look after Lauren Jackson from the Seattle Storm, so I did. Her friend, Sue, was there with her to make sure she was alright. What a nice girl. The both of them really."

"Sue BIRD! You met Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson? Do you even realize how amazing that is?"

"Umm, no… But I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyways?"

"Callie…those two are like…the stars of the team. Sue Bird is considered one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game and Lauren Jackson is always thrown up there as being the greatest player of the game. Man, I am so jealous of you right now! You met them and didn't even know who you were talking to!"

"Jeez, calm down, Arizona. They're just two people like you and me. I really liked talking to them. Actually, they invited me to come see their next home game and that they'd hook me up with a couple VIP tickets so that you and I could go."

"Could this get any better? Ohmygosh, we have to go, Callie! We have to go!"

"Haha, alright. I'll call them up tonight and let them know I'll be there so they can hold our tickets."

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm so excited! This is going to be the greatest thing ever!"

The next home game was on a Saturday night and Seattle was playing one of their rivals in the Phoenix Mercury. True to their words, Sue and Lauren hooked Callie and Arizona up with VIP tickets to the game, giving them the best seats in the house. Callie failed to mention though, that she wanted to surprise Arizona by letting her know after the game that they were invited to join the team in the post-game dinner so that Arizona could meet the rest of the team. Callie was surprised at the generosity of the two players since she had barely treated Lauren for anything, but it must have been the instant connection she had with the two that kept getting them all these perks.

The game was close, as it always was with those two teams, with Phoenix's star player always keeping her team within striking distance, never letting Seattle completely pull away. Callie enjoyed watching Arizona's various facial expressions and reactions to the happenings in the game much more than the game itself, but she did manage to pay attention to her two newest friends going to work out there on the floor. In the end, Seattle won, which boosted the blonde to a whole new level of happiness and excitement.

She was even more overjoyed with excitement when she heard about the post-game dinner celebration and just about fainted when she finally met the players of her favorite team. She seemed to get over the obsessed fangirl moments when they were all together and both Callie and Arizona seemed to fit well into the team's dynamic.

After a fun dinner with the team filled with lots of laughter and riled up speeches about the rest of the season, Callie and Arizona had to call it a night and headed back to drop Arizona off at home. "Wow… I can even begin to thank you enough for this day. This was just…beyond amazing. It was one of my dreams come true. I've been a fan of this team for a long time now and I can't believe you got me tickets to see them, and then meet them during dinner afterwards! This is all just so surreal, you know? I feel like I have to pinch myself to make sure this night was all real."

"It was definitely real, Arizona. I'm so glad that you had a great time."

"Are you kidding me? One of the best days of my life, Calliope! And I seriously couldn't think of anyone else I'd want to spend it with. I can't believe you remembered… Thank you so much…"

Tears started forming in Arizona's eyes as she was overwhelmed with emotion from this day. "You're forever welcome, Arizona. It was the least I could do. I'm just glad that I hit it off with Sue and Lauren so quickly. And you called me Calliope." Callie beamed a smile at Arizona.

"How could they not have loved you from the first second? Of course you guys hit it off. But seriously, thank you for tonight. You were amazing in every single way and are definitely getting some major points for it."

"I know it won't happen all at once, but tonight was just a preview of how I intend to treat you right, Arizona. Like I should have in the first place. You deserve the world too and I want to make all your dreams come true."

"You're awesome, Calliope."

"And you're incredible, Arizona."

"Is this where you kiss me goodnight now and watch me as I make my way in?"

Callie let out a short laugh at how cheesy Arizona was. "Yes, Arizona. This is where I'm going to kiss you goodnight now," she answered as she leaned in and pressed her lips against Arizona's in a slow, soft kiss, making sure to pour in all the feelings her heart contained in that one simple kiss. The one kiss that would spark the beginning of Callie Torres winning back Arizona trust, and ultimately, her love.

Ha, there was my attempt at a happy, flirty, fluffy chapter. How did I do? I know it was definitely a change from all the heartache and drama I put you guys through, but I figured it was time I gave you an inch and wrote something happier for a change.

Yes, I'm a huge basketball dork and made Arizona love basketball for the purpose of this cutesy chapter. Hope you didn't hate it too much!

As always, a huge thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter. You seem to be happy Caitlin is "out of the way", but agree that she needs a happy ending as well. Let me see how well I can do that for you. =]

If you play Fruit Ninja on your iPod, add me! Oh my gosh, I am like addicted to playing that game and I think it'd be awesome to play against my readers and have you guys kick my butt! Let me know if you want my screen name so we can play! =D

Ooh, and if you're a JCap fan, which how could you not be, right? But anyways, if you are, have you seen the new pics of her and her family from this week? Ohmygoodness I was dying from the cuteness! If you haven't seen them, go check them out. They're all over tumblr and you won't be able to stop yourself from smiling from all the cute adorableness.

Okay, a lot of my dork is showing here in this AN after I already wrote a super dorky chapter, so I'll go shut up now…

Hello if you're a new reader! Let me know if you are so I can officially welcome you aboard!

Oh, and don't worry, Callie isn't done being sweet and romantic and trying to win back Arizona quite yet. More happiness and fluff you say, it's a huge possibilities my friends. That is, if you want it.

Love Always,

Rox

P.S. Absolutely no harm intended at all in borrowing the Seattle Storm, KeyArena, Sue Bird, and Lauren Jackson. I'm just such a huge fan! I'd definitely be like Arizona and be the squealing fangirl who would pass out upon meeting them. =P