Title: Something to Sing About
Fandom: Grey's Anatomy
Author: justdrifting
Pairings/Characters: Callie/Arizona
Rating: R
Spoilers: Up to 7x20
Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy does not belong to me.
Author's Notes: Written for neolithicdream for the ga_fanfic exchange on livejournal. Title comes from Buffy's 'Life's a Show'.
...
1 | "When you dance do your senses tingle and take a chance?"
They've only just started dating the first time Callie turns the music up and drags Arizona into the middle of the room. Arizona is confused, initially, and then her mood just changes to stunned as Callie starts to move. 'Cause Arizona, she's never been much of a dancer. Sure, she's always enjoyed it, but it's never been something that came effortlessly to her like it did to some other people. Like it does to Callie.
The way Callie moves is really something else; swirling hips and ass exactly in time to the beat. Her body draws Arizona in, her confidence and ease, and simple happiness extends, becoming palpable in the air around them, in the space between their bodies as they dance, and Arizona feels herself blown away and kept grounded all at the same time by the heat of Callie's hands over her hips.
2 | "You are so sweet, dancing and moving to that beat."
When they make love for the first time, it is a dance. It begins, literally, with dancing. Some song about love, about passion, about devotion, and their innocent bouncing around quickly turns into the two of them getting handsy in the middle of the living room floor. "Bedroom. Please," Callie gasps, and Arizona complies, pushing her back, their feet bounding over the floor in an effort to reach the bed as quickly as possible.
And then, though they are not literally dancing anymore, they kind of still are. Callie pulls back slightly and Arizona surges forwards. Callie's hands skip tentatively along Arizona's sides. The way Callie hums in pleasure, the sound reminiscent of a tune, or the swirl and dip of her hips as she begs wantonly for more, reminding Arizona of her movements on the dance floor.
The music plays on, half forgotten, and comes to a crescendo just as Callie reaches hers. Callie's breathy cries intertwine with the song still playing, and as Arizona gazes at her, waiting for her to come down from her high, she comes to realise that this is who they are, that this is what defines them as a couple: music, movement, the many faces of a dance.
3 | "You make me sing like a church bell ringing to let you in."
They decide to stay in on Christmas Eve. Callie cooks dinner and Arizona builds a fire, and they curl up together on the couch and watch the flames dance. Later, Callie gives Arizona her very own carols show, singing Silent Night into her ear in a hauntingly beautiful voice; slow and rich and nuanced and possibly the most beautiful thing Arizona's ever heard.
Callie pulls back to finish her song, leaving Arizona not only stunned by the loveliness of her voice but also by the way the flickering lights of the fire bound and leap over Callie's face, giving her a sort of ethereal, otherworldly look, and Arizona finds her throat closing up at the overwhelming beauty and perfection of this scene, created just for her.
Callie takes her breath away.
At the close, Callie looks to her searchingly for a response, and she seems to have stolen Arizona's words as well as her breath, because all Arizona can do is let out an inadequate, "You amaze me."
But it seems to be enough, because Callie reaches for her and Arizona kisses her, slow and rich; an imitation of Callie's song.
4 | "And when the music starts I never wanna stop it's gonna drive me crazy."
Callie takes her clubbing. It's something Arizona's been begging for ever since their first Girl's Night, and finally Callie complies. The club is loud and dark, and the smell of sweat from the sea of pulsating bodies on the dance floor permeates the air as the walls throb with a beat that feels alive. All that is forgotten, however, the moment Callie grabs her arm and pulls Arizona into the middle of it.
And this...this is not the usual fun, boppy, relatively innocent type of dancing they do at home. This is the type of dancing Arizona hasn't done since college or even, well, ever. This is sweaty and gritty and really fucking hot. This is Callie's hands running up and down Arizona's body, this is Arizona's fingers fisted in Callie's hair, this is their already slippery thighs sliding against each other. This...this is pretty much sex in dance form.
And Arizona's a little bit completely in love with it.
"Holy shit. Callie."
Callie smirks and gives in a little more to the movement of her body to the music, and Arizona is so enamoured with the way Callie's head tips back, exposing her throat, or the sensuous swing of Callie's hips against her own, that she finds it just a little bit hard to keep in time.
Callie's hands come down firmer on her hips. "Concentrate."
"Seriously, Callie, this is amazing," Arizona says, and, "Seriously, Callie, I've never felt like this," and, "Seriously Callie, why have we never danced like this before?"
The look Callie gives her is a little bit bemused, a little bit annoyed, and a little bit turned on.
"Seriously, Arizona. Shut up and dance."
So Arizona presses her lips to Callie's, closes her eyes and gives into the way Callie's mouth and body consume her.
5 | "Dance with me, into the ocean. Dance with me, into the sea."
It takes them awhile to get back into it, after Africa. Tt takes them awhile to get back into anything at all, after Africa. But then one day Arizona just...puts the music on. It's spur of the moment, and she thinks she probably does it because she can't bear the silence that stretches out between them and threatens to consume them, so full of broken promises and abandoned dreams.
So she turns the music on and starts to move. Her body is slow, lethargic, as if she can't quite remember how to do it properly. But gradually she starts to gain momentum, because this is them and, despite everything, she will never ever forget that.
Callie just sits there watching her for awhile, sullen and silent, but eventually she gets up, unable to resist the lure of a beat so rich in history and passion. She takes Arizona's hands, guiding her as she always does, and it's as if they both breathe a sigh of relief the moment their bodies come together.
And Callie's crying, and Arizona's crying, and Arizona places her hand on Callie's stomach and swears she can feel the baby moving.
It is not everything. It is not an instant fix, a magic solution. There are still things that need to be said, questions that need to be answered, but for now, as they dance together, those words disappear on their tongues. Instead, it is a step forward. A step towards healing, towards forgiveness and moving on.
What it is is a little bit of salvation in the intertwining of their bodies.
6 | "We dance to the beat of gravity giving us a break."
Their dance at their wedding isn't so much a dance as an awkward sort of swaying, where they're not really even close enough to call it romantic. It's something they perhaps should have thought about before both deciding to turn up in big white dresses.
Still, the new ring on Arizona's hand sparkles brightly in the late afternoon sun as she wraps her arms around Callie's neck in a loving embrace, and Callie smiles so brilliantly at her as she follows Arizona's thought and promises they will dance properly once they get home and away from all these people, so it's not really like Arizona has anything at all to complain about.
And though they have every intention of dancing "properly" now that they're home, Callie turning the music up, Arizona clearing the floor, once they actually come together, skin on skin, those troubling dresses no more, Callie's naked thigh brushing against Arizona's own, Arizona finds she really doesn't want to be anywhere but in Callie's arms.
Wrapped in a tight embrace, they do sway just like they did at the wedding. Except this time there is no barrier, no space between them; their bodies pressed tightly together. This time Callie rests her lips on top of Arizona's head. This time Arizona burrows her face into Callie's shoulder and whispers, "My wife, my wife, my wife," over and over again into her neck as a smile spreads across her lips and she decides that, sometimes, not dancing is just as good as the alternative.
7 | "Life's a song you don't get to rehearse."
They take Sofia to see a concert. It seems fitting, and they're certain they've made the right choice when they see Sofia's face absolutely aglow, as she watches with that sort of innocent wonder that only children and Arizona are able to maintain.
And when they come home, and Sofia leans her head tiredly against Arizona's shoulder, Callie moves almost without thought to the stereo. Slow, quiet music begins to play as she wraps her arms around her girls as they begin to sway, this new form of dance they've developed since the arrival of Sofia, one designed for exhausted mothers rather than young women with energy to burn.
Sofia lets out a giggle at the movement, and Arizona laughs a kind of tired, soft and easy laugh. "She's gonna be just like her moms."
Their daughter falls asleep in their joint embrace, content in her mothers' arms. The song changes and Arizona grins up at her wife, her eyes lighting instantly.
"Remember this?" Callie asks.
"How could I forget?"
"The first song we ever danced to together."
Arizona sighs happily. She feels completely and utterly at peace, here with the two people she loves more than anything else.
"Look how far we've come."
"Just image how much further we'll go."
Arizona kisses her. For the moment, the rest of the world disappears, and there is just her and Calliope and Sofia, happy and in love.
"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life dancing with you."
End.
...
Subtitles:
1. When You Dance You Can Really Love – Neil Young
2. Dance Anthem Of The 80's – Regina Spektor
3. You Make Me Sing – Kasey Chambers
4. Music – Madonna
5. Dance With Me – The Old 97's
6. We Dance To The Beat – Robyn
7. Life's A Show – Once More With Feeling