Walk Tall...by lilscout

Chapter 6

A/N - Wasn't sure how I was going to pull off their first kiss, then DeviantOrchid planted a little suggestion, and I went with it. So, thanks D.O.! This one's for you!

...

Callie practically ran down the darkened street, her gym bag banging against her hip as she moved. She was late, and worried that Arizona might think she had blown her off.

Good excuse to ask for her number. I could have texted her if I had it.

Stopping in front of the dojo entrance, she took a few necessary calming breaths before wrenching open the heavy door. Inside it was dark and appeared deserted. Her face fell.

Damn.

"Arizona?" she called out, quietly at first, then a little louder.

She must still be here, otherwise the door would've been locked. Maybe downstairs?

Callie removed her shoes and clutched her bag as she headed down the narrow staircase to the change room. She smiled when she saw a familiar pair of tall black low-heeled boots tucked neatly under the bench and dark jeans and a light blue top hanging from a hook on the wall. She laid her bag on the floor, and, stealing a quick glance back to the door, reached out and gingerly touched the fabric of the silk blouse. It was soft and lightly scented. Decidedly feminine. And incredibly sexy. Callie smirked to herself as she shook her head to try and stop the thoughts that began to take shape. She quickly changed into her gi and ran up the stairs to find Arizona.

The light in the training room was dimmed, but Callie could hear muffled sounds coming from the back room of the dojo. She padded over to the doorway and peeked inside.

Arizona was luminous. The light sheen of sweat covering her face and arms almost glowed in the darkened room, lit only by bright moonlight streaming in through the single window. She was moving with a determined but unfamiliar purpose, which appeared to Callie to be a bit like the tai chi she had seen a few seniors practising in the park behind her building. Callie stood silently, respectfully, and watched until Arizona reached a natural conclusion, then bowed to her imagined opponent.

Callie cleared her throat.

"Arizona, that was beautiful," she said as she stepped inside the smaller room. "What were you doing?"

Arizona was aware of Callie's presence long before the brunette announced herself, so she wasn't startled at all.

"It's called heian shodan. It's the first kata I learned, and I'm going to teach it to you tonight."

Callie stepped further into the room and looked around to get her bearings. The floor was laid out with throwing mats and there were two stand up punching bags in the far corner, and an assortment of boxing gloves and protective head gear neatly piled up beside it.

"Kata?" Callie asked, her tone uncertain as she turned her attention back to the smaller woman.

Arizona smiled. "It's a fighting pattern designed to simulate a defence against one or more opponents." She stepped closer to Callie. "It teaches you to move quickly with balance and power, and to think before you act, then to act with intent."

"It's looks pretty complicated...I'm not sure I can learn it all tonight," Callie replied.

Arizona smiled as she reached out for Callie's belt and began to untie it. The brunette was startled but made no attempt to stop her.

"Baby steps, Calliope, baby steps." She dangled Callie's clean white belt before her. "Like learning the proper way to tie your belt." She wrapped it twice around Callie's waist and held out the two ends to the brunette. "You take these and I'll explain how to do it. Then you'll always know."

With her newly secured belt around her waist, Callie happily followed the blonde back to the main training room. Arizona flicked on a few switches and Callie squinted as half the room was flooded with light.

"We won't need all the lights on to train, and I don't want anyone to think the dojo's open... besides..." Arizona winked, "we've had our fair share of interruptions, wouldn't you agree?"

Before Callie could respond, Arizona had quickly jogged over to the centre of the room and motioned for Callie to stand beside her.

"Since it's just you and I tonight, Callie, we won't start how we usually do. We can be a little less formal. We'll just bow to the room, and to each other, as a sign of respect, okay."

Callie simply nodded. She was putty in her hands whenever Arizona became assertive.

"First we'll start with a warm up, then we'll work on your blocking and kicks, and then I'll teach you the kata." Arizona spun around to face Callie. "Now," she grinned, "bow to your sensei, and we can begin."

Callie complied, her eyes wide as she tried to stifle a laugh.

After the warm up, Arizona motioned for Callie to face her. "Okay, so traditionally, a karate-ka doesn't ask questions while in class, but tonight, stop me if there's something you don't know or want explained." She moved herself into a fighting position. "We're going to go over a lot of the basics tonight, such as stance, balance, breathing, and focus." She looked down at Callie's hands, still dangling by her sides. "Is that your reaction to someone who looks like they want to fight you, Callie? Hands up!" Arizona commanded. "Show me your front stance, your zenkutsu dachi."

Callie quickly drew her hands to her chin, each fist curled tight, with one arm slightly out in front of the other. She stepped forward with her left leg as she pivoted her upper body slightly to the right, but still facing Arizona. She remembered, thankfully, to bend her knees a little and space her feet apart to the same width as her shoulders. She quickly took a look down at her own body.

Yep. It's right this time. I got everything right.

"You done yet?" Arizona asked her, trying to keep her amusement in check.

"Uh huh. Yep." Callie looked back up at Arizona.

"You're sure?"

Callie quickly did a mental checklist. Hands, arms, hips, knees, feet.

"Yep, I'm sure. I'm ready for you."

Arizona raised one eyebrow as she lightly grabbed Callie's unintentionally proffered left hand with her own. Arizona simply leaned back, changing her front stance to a back stance, and effortlessly pulled a bewildered Callie off balance and gently onto her knees.

As quickly as she put her down, Arizona pulled Callie up again.

"What happened?" Callie sputtered. "I did everything right that time...didn't I?"

"You did," Arizona responded, "except you couldn't see that your entire upper body was leaning forward." She smirked. "You were practically giving yourself to me, Callie."

Callie raised her eyebrows at the innuendo, and blushed.

She tried to regain her focus as she attempted the zenkutsu dachi again. This time her upper body was perfectly straight, and when Arizona tried to pull her off balance again, Callie didn't budge. The smile that plastered the brunette's face at that small victory was breathtaking, and this time it was Arizona's turn to blush.

They practised the basic stances a while longer. Arizona showed Callie how, defensively, it was key to be in the proper stance, as she blocked or avoided all of Callie's punches simply by shifting her weight or pivoting her hips. Callie was amazed. There was something almost geometric about it. The more she learned, the more she wanted to learn.

They moved on to kicking.

"Your legs can be used for defence or offence," Arizona began. "It can depend on the situation. But, since kicking requires one of your feet to leave the ground, proper balance of your whole body is very important, otherwise you could fall or be pulled down by your opponent."

She stepped away from Callie to give herself some room.

"Kicks are usually done fast and with a lot of power. If properly executed, a kick can be devastating. Target areas are generally the shin, the knee, the kidneys, the chest, the throat and the ear. I'll go slow to show you, then get you to follow along with me."

Arizona held her staggered fists out in front of her, looked right, as if at an imagined opponent, then quickly brought her right knee up in front of her body to waist height. She shifted her weight to her left leg and leaned her body slightly left as she snapped her right leg out from her hip with a force that surprised Callie. Just as quickly, Arizona pulled her leg back to the bent knee position, then smoothly placed her leg down on the ground as she shifted her balance back to the centre.

"That middle position...with the knee at ninety degrees," she demonstrated again for Callie, "is critical. I can execute a kick in any direction from that position." She explained each one as she performed it, front kick, side kick, back kick, high, and low, and not once did she have to place her foot back on the floor to keep from falling.

"Now, let's do it together...slowly." Arizona caught the double meaning after it had already escaped her lips, but just shook her head at her own awkwardness. After several almost falls, Arizona could see that Callie had found the point of balance required to not tip over.

"You're doing really well Callie, especially for a white belt. Usually I don't even begin to teach those kicks until a person gets their yellow."

Callie beamed as she tried another side kick. She liked those ones the best. "I have a great teacher," she shot back playfully.

Together they worked on improving Callie's blocking and punching, taking turns in the roll of attacker and defender. After a while, Arizona suggested they take a few minutes to rest and drink some water, then they could begin to work on Callie's first kata.

"I'll move to the centre of the room, Calliope, and demonstrate it all the way through one time, then we'll break it down into each step." She added, "As you watch, imagine that I'm fighting an opponent. Everything will make much more sense that way."

Callie silently nodded as she recapped her water bottle.

Arizona stepped forward with a quiet purpose. She stood perfectly straight, hands at her sides, feet together, head up, eyes focused directly ahead. She stood that way for a long moment, then dipped at the waist to bow to her imagined opponent. She snapped back up and yelled out, "Heian Shodan!"

Callie watched her movements with great fascination. Arizona was fast, and precise, and displayed more power than Callie had imagined the smaller woman to have. Twice Arizona yelled out during what, to Callie, looked like attacking blows. When it had concluded, Arizona again gathered herself and stood quietly, then bowed one final time, and relaxed her body.

She turned to Callie.

"That..." she gathered her breath, "is the first kata everyone learns. It's got all the blocks and punches and stances you've learned so far."

She could see the look of apprehension on the brunette's face.

"Come..." Arizona held out her hand, "we'll go slow, I promise."

And they did.

Callie tried to mimic each movement Arizona made, sometimes with success, a few times really badly and off balance, but by the fifth go through, even Callie had to admit to herself that she was doing okay. She found it really helpful to understand the purpose of a movement when she imagined an opponent. They shared a few lingering touches when Arizona would stop to correct Callie's stance or hand position, but nothing more meaningful than that.

By the end of the sixth time, they both were out of breath and needed a minute to rest again.

"Can you show me some of the really cool stuff you can do..." Callie took a chance, "you know, the throws and stuff?" She hesitated. "Are you allowed to do that?"

Arizona smiled and waggled her eyes at the brunette over her water bottle. She swallowed the last of it then recapped it and placed it on the floor.

"Come with me," she said, standing up and walking towards the back room.

Callie quickly followed.

"I'm not gonna throw you over my head, or anything like that...but I can show you a couple of my favourite blocks and take downs if you want."

"You have favourites?" Callie was surprised at the admission.

"Of course, most people do. Even you. I can tell already that you prefer the side kicks over the others, right?" Callie nodded as Arizona continued. "Well it's the same for me. Some of the blocks and take downs just feel so natural to me that it sets off little endorphins in my brain." She smiled at her own silliness. "Kind of like my own private fireworks."

Callie smiled back at her. Sweet jesus, how adorable can this woman get?

"So that's why we're in here," Arizona explained. "So you won't get injured when you end up on the floor."

"Pretty sure of yourself, there, Dr. Robbins," Callie teased as she lifted her fists to her chin and began to bounce lightly on the balls of her feet, ready for a fight.

Arizona bit her lip to keep from laughing at Callie's behaviour.

God I could kiss her right now...okay...behave Arizona. Not here, ask her out first.

"Looks like someone needs to be taken down a peg," Arizona volleyed back playfully.

"You and what army?" Callie questioned. Bounce, air punch, bounce.

"That's a lotta talk, Torres. You got anything to back it up?"

"Try me..."

"You're the one looking for a fight..."

"Okay," Callie answered, moving forward, "here I co...ooof!"

Callie blinked twice as she looked up into Arizona's clear blue eyes, and wondered to herself how she ended up in that position. She wasn't hurt, well, not physically anyway. She accepted Arizona's extended hand as she stood up from the padded mat.

"Okay, what the heck? I didn't even see you do anything and I ended up on the floor in, like, half a second."

Arizona chuckled at the brunette's mock outrage. "You're right, I didn't have to do much, 'cause you did it all for me, Callie." She motioned for her to set up in an attack position again. "See, you set up okay, but...come at me again...only slower this time so I can show you...you were off balance and you lead with your right arm and right leg."

Callie moved forward the same way she did before.

Arizona stopped her when they were in close proximity. "See, this is all I had to do," she said as she blocked Callie's punch with her open left palm, then stepped in close to Callie's body with her own right leg, placing behind Callie's leading leg, at the knee joint. After that it took almost no effort to force Callie off balance enough for her to fall backwards before she even really knew what was happening.

This time, Arizona held onto Callie's jacket, supporting the brunette's body as she lead her gently down to the floor. Arizona followed Callie to the mat with a soft thud, and found herself unable to tear away from the deep dark, wanting eyes staring back up at her.

Now or never.

Arizona shifted herself over Callie's splayed body, and nestled one knee in between the brunette's legs. She gazed down at the woman beneath her. It was clear that both of them wanted this. Arizona placed one hand on the mat beside Callie's head, and used the other to gently smooth the flaps of Callie's ruffled gi. She trailed her eyes down the brunette's long torso, pinned beneath her, and marvelled at the soft curves she found there, clearly evident despite the heavy material covering them. Guiltily, she tore her eyes back up to Callie's face, fearful that she might be making the brunette uncomfortable with her brazen attention. She needn't have worried.

Fireworks, indeed.

Callie studied the face hovering over her, even as Arizona's eyes were focused elsewhere. Scented, lightly damp, blonde curls that fell and tickled across Callie's cheek as Arizona moved her head. A nose as near cute and perfect as any she had ever seen. Eyes a hypnotic shade of blue she couldn't name. And a mouth, soft and supple and pink, now flush in one corner as Arizona bit down on it, her gaze still occupied by the body beneath her.

Arizona looked back into the impossibly dark eyes that had been studying her. A wordless moment passed, and then she leaned down, pressing her body lightly against Callie's as she took the brunette's lips in hers. They kissed, softly but fully, days, maybe weeks of yearning, suddenly fulfilled. Quiet moans of arousal began to escape their lips as Arizona settled her body fully onto Callie's, who enjoyed the feeling more than she could have ever guessed. The kiss deepened, and Callie's head spun.

And then it was gone.

Callie forced open her eyes to see a panting and highly aroused Arizona sitting back, resting on her own heels.

Callie propped herself up on her elbows. "What...are you okay? Why did you stop? That was incredible!"

Arizona nodded her head as she began to stand up. "It was. Incredible. And I don't want to stop."

She held out her hand and helped Callie up from the floor. "But that's the problem." She looked around the room. "It...this...can't happen here." She put her hands on her hips and took a step back from the brunette, lest her resolve fail her again. "Besides, we haven't even gone on a proper date yet...so..."

"Arizona..." Callie interrupted, "will you go out with me? This weekend? Say...Saturday, 'cause I know we both have it off...'cause I kinda, maybe, checked your schedule already." Callie huffed as she got it all out at once.

Arizona chuckled and shook her head as she moved towards the nervous brunette. "Well, I was gonna ask you out just now...but, okay...yes Calliope, Saturday sounds wonderful." She wrapped her arms around the grinning woman. "Not sure if I can wait that long, though." She planted a light kiss against Callie's red lips, then pulled back again. "Guess that'll have to tide us over until then, huh?"

Callie outright pouted. "So not fair, but yeah...I guess so."

"It's getting late and we're done for tonight, so why don't you head down and get changed and I'll tidy up and join you in a few minutes."

Callie looked around. The place was spotless.

"What do you have to tidy? I can help if you want."

"Calliope!" Arizona sighed and rubbed her face with her palm. "There's nothing to tidy...I just don't think I can behave myself if we're both down there getting...undressed," she rolled her hand, "at the same time."

"Oh." Callie responded. "Ohhh...I get it, okay."

Several minutes later, bags in hand, Arizona turned the key in the lock as she pulled the dojo door closed. She walked over to Callie, leaning against a lamp post a few feet away, and wrapped her arm around her waist as they walked back to their cars.

Callie glanced around at the deserted streets and dark alleyways she had somehow never noticed before. Though, she was seeing a lot of things with new eyes now.

"Kinda not the greatest area, huh?" she said aloud.

"I'm not worried," Arizona playfully responded, nudging the brunette's hip with her own, "I know this really hot woman with a really badass side kick who can protect me!"

...

So, I know it wasn't graphic or anything, but...was *the kiss* worth the wait? I have something really fun (well I think it'd be fun) planned for their first date. Gonna have to wait and see...