Title: Back at One
Author(s): y0ungalaska & BrennaAimee
Rating: Ranging from PG to M
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Shonda Rhimes and ABC. We own nothing but our ideas.
Summary: "It's so incredible, the way things work themselves out and all emotional once you know what it's all about."
A/N: Well, here we are, back with another update. I was told to let you all know that Brenna says that she is soooo sorry for not being around, but as you know, life gets in the way sometimes. So here's Chapter 10. We do hope that you enjoy it and know that, in due time, you will get what you all are so patiently waiting for. From the both of us, thank you all for reading. We really do appreciate your feedback, comments etc..We may not reply, but know that we are reading and taking your words in. We love our readers! Thank you, again!
Chapter 10
"Arizona, you didn't press charges?" Callie asked, holding back the anger that was growing inside of her. Of all the things in the world that could have gone wrong, this was definitely one of them. It meant that Arizona was falling for his lies.
"No, Calliope, I didn't. He is my husband!" The blonde almost yelled.
"Arizona, he beat you! I watched as he literally choked you. He threw you around. Those scars, those bandages are because of him! How could you not press charges?" Callie yelled with a pleading tone.
"You don't think I know that?" Arizona yelled back before taking in a heavy breath and closing her eyes. "Can we please just drop this? It's been a long day and I'm tired." And with that, the blonde headed to the guest bedroom, leaving Callie standing in the middle of the room alone.
Callie really just couldn't understand how Arizona could go without pressing charges. That man beat her, he did all these awful things to her, how could she even think about believing his lies? What if he did it again? Callie didn't know what to do, but in that moment she did all she could, which was vow to herself to always be there for her friend no matter what. She would try to make Arizona see that she deserved more than that. She deserved real love and to be treated like a queen.
While Callie was pacing the living room she heard a knock on the door and before she had a chance to open it she watched as her soon to be ex-husband walked through the door. Callie looked at him, had he really just walked in her house like he still lived there? Granted he did knock, but that didn't mean anything. Callie mind immediately wondered back to why Arizona couldn't let James go. It wasn't easy to let go of Javier, but she did it and all he did was cheat. He had never laid a hand on her.
"Hey Callie."
"Javier."
"Callie, baby…"
"No Javier, do not baby me. I do not want to hear that shit. I don't have time for it." She replied, her voice laced with anger, confusion and most of all, defeat.
"Callie I'm here for you. I've missed you."
At hearing his last words, everything drained from the Latina, but anger. "I don't care what you think you missed. It wasn't me. You should have thought about everything before you started fucking some whore."
"Callie…" he began but was quickly cut off.
"What, Javier?" Arizona overheard Callie yelling at the man. They may have just gotten into a small argument but she didn't care. Callie was her friend and she was going to be by her side though every step of this divorce. Arizona walked and stood in the door frame. Her eyes followed Callie as she paced back and forth.
"Calliope, can I get some help in here please?" Javier looked at Arizona and flinched. He had never seen anyone so bruised and hurt in his life. He couldn't believe some man had the audacity to do such a thing to a woman. What kind of man was he really? He knew he messed up, but he would never lay a hand on Callie. He watched as Callie turned, gave him a look, and walked toward Arizona, defeated.
Arizona grabbed Callie's arm after seeing the defeated look in her face and took her up the stairs to the guest room. She stopped when they got in the room, sat Callie down on the bed, and walked over to close the door. She sat down beside Callie and watched the woman's face go from defeated to a blank stare.
"Callie."
"Yes, Arizona?" The Latina answered without so much as looking at her friend.
"Are you ok?"
"No, not really," Arizona was starting to worry about this blank stare. She had never seen Callie shut down like this, but she could tell Callie was used to it. She knew this had to be Callie's way to protect herself. Arizona reached out with her hand and put it on Callie's drawing circles in a comforting way. She felt Callie relax and watched as a single tear rolled down her face before she began talking again.
"Every time I look at him, all I can think about is him with another woman. I don't even know the woman. Then again, I look at him and see the man I fell in love with and I want to be in his arms. As soon as that thought is over, its right back to him with someone else." Callie's tears began to flow and Arizona reached up to pull her down to her and held her tightly as she cried. She realized how much she hated seeing her Calliope cry and she wanted more than anything for this woman to smile again.
"Calliope, stay in the room again with me tonight. I'll take Javier some blankets and a pillow since he is sleeping on the couch. I'll handle him, it is the least I can do since . . . you know . . . everything you have done." Callie started to protest but Arizona quickly shut her down. "Calliope, blankets are not that heavy and neither is a pillow. I can handle this." She placed a light kiss on top of Callie's head and went to do what she needed to.
Arizona made her way to the hall closet and grabbed a semi light blanket and the first pillow she saw. Closing the door, she made her way to the top of the stairs where she could see Javier sitting on the couch watching TV. For a moment, she let herself remember how many times she had seen this exact scene just in different situations. Now, she was bringing the man a blanket and a pillow for him to sleep somewhat comfortably on a couch that he once called his own. Not that Arizona agreed with his actions at all, but she couldn't help feeling some kind of sympathy for a love lost. She, too, had a feeling of what the man was going through.
As she made her way to the end of the stairs, Javier turned to look at her and stood immediately, making his way to her side. He glanced to the top of the stairs, where Arizona briefly let her eyes follow, and then down to the blanket and pillow she held between them.
"These are for you," she spoke as she handed them over.
Slowly, he reached out and took the bedding into his own hands. "Is she okay?"
Arizona tilted her head to the side for a moment and she could read nothing but genuine concern on his face. For a moment, she even contemplated answering his question even though she felt as though it wasn't really any of her business. But they were both her friends and she was always one to 'fix' things. People. She loved to fix people.
"You know, with everything going on, I think that she's handling the situation as best she can." The blonde stated before crossing her arms and allowing her shoulders to drop.
"I know that I fucked up, Arizona. Believe me, I do. And I know that she'll probably never forgive me for what I've done, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about her, you know? I just… It sounds so stupid when I say it aloud. How can I say that I care about her and cheat on her, right?" He looked to Arizona for conformation, but only found her standing and staring back at him. Her emotion was hard to read. He sighed as he ran a hand through his black hair. "I know she doesn't want to talk to me, but I just… I need to know that she's okay."
Arizona nodded with affirmation and spoke, "I can't tell you when or if she'll forgive you, Javier. I can tell you that you hurt her pretty badly and she's… it's going to take time for her to get over it. So just… give her some time. Let her work out her feelings because right now, she's confused." She stopped herself before saying anything more and let the words sink in.
Arizona watched as his eyes raked over her own body. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious and so she shrunk into herself. "How are you, Arizona? I know that you and Callie are taking care of one another, but we were once friends too, you know? He did a good number on you."
She swallowed harder than she wanted as she instinctively took a step back, "I'm okay."
Javier ducked his head as he tried to catch her gaze, "You know, I may be an asshole when it comes to relationships, but I'm a pretty good friend. If you ever, you know, want to talk or something…"
As his words trailed off, Arizona smiled slightly and nodded, "Thank you, Javier." Looking back up the stairs, she started to back track her previous path. "I should probably get back to Calliope."
"Of course," he nodded, "Good night, Arizona. And thank you, for taking care of her."
"We're taking care of one another." She smiled. "Good night, Javier."
A shadow sat across the street from Calliope Torres' house and watched as the two silhouette's stood in the walkway, apparently having conversation. The shadow watched as the two people dispersed into their own directions and soon, the lights were out. Looking up to the second floor, studying the house, the shadow finally made its way across the darkened street and to the house.
Javier had been tossing and turning all night. Though he had loved working for Mr. Torres, it seemed somewhat harder now as he was no longer with Callie. Walking into her childhood home and seeing pictures of her throughout the years only brought back the memories of what he had done and even more painful memories of what he had lost. But he would do his job because in all honesty, he loved what he did for a living. He loved the freedom it gave him. Not to mention, traveling was a big bonus.
He would constantly sit up and just watch the stairs, knowing that Callie would always make her way down the stairs in the middle of the night for a glass of water or a small snack. It was something he had come to love about her. He knew it was idiotic for him to be sitting in wait for his soon-to-be ex-wife to possibly appear at the top of the stairs, but a part of him couldn't help it. He wanted so badly to just talk to her and know that she was okay. Shaking his head, he heard Arizona's words replay and he made the conscious decision to give Callie the time that she needed. For fear that if he pushed her, he would only cause more damage than he had already.
As he laid his head on the pillow, his eyes fell shut and sleep finally began to overtake him.
Javier jerked awake and looked around. He hadn't known how long he had been asleep, but looking towards the window he could see that the sky was still darkened. Squinting, he heard a small noise coming from the kitchen area. Throwing the blanket to the side, he rose to his feet and made his way around his home in the dark. Again, there was a noise, only this time it was a little louder. Slowly, he made his way back over to the couch and grabbed for his .9 mil berretta, silently flicking the safety off and stood in wait.
Someone was breaking into Callie's house.
He watched from the opposite side of the wall as a shadowed figure slowly made its way, clumsily, through the house. Crouching down a bit, he cautiously started to move around the wall and just as he did, the assailant noticed him and Javier drew his gun.
"Stop right there." He voiced in a calm manner, hoping not to wake the girls who were asleep upstairs.
The man never said anything and before Javier knew it, his back was being slammed against the wall and his gun had flown across the room. Momentarily stunned, Javier felt a blow to the face which only brought him back to the moment. With one hand held above his head, he swung as hard as he could with his left hand and connected with the man's jaw, causing him to stumble back. The space created allowed Javier to regain his footing and as he did, the man bent down and tackled him to the ground. Landing on his back with one knee up, Javier used his leg pent between them to flip the man onto his back and gain the upper hand. The two fought back and forth for a moment before Javier felt himself crashing into the coffee table. Quickly looking towards the stairs, Javier scrambled to his feet and just as he rose to his feet, he saw the man's face.
"James? What the fuck?" The anger inside him rose so quickly, he almost had no time to register the burning within his veins. This man had beaten the hell out of Arizona and now, he was breaking into Callie's house. God knows what he was planning to do to the both of them. Protective instinct kicked in and before Javier knew it, he was once again, on top of James and beating the bloody hell out of him.
The only thing that brought him out of his blind rage was the sound of a woman's voice from the stairs.
"Javier!" Callie screamed as she held onto Arizona, who was now trembling.
He stopped himself in mid swing as he rose to his feet, bringing James along with him. Hooking one arm behind back and the other around his throat, he assured the two women that everything was under control and told Callie to call the cops.
Callie let go of Arizona and quickly ran up the stairs retrieving her cell phone and dialing 911. She reported the break in and altercation giving them the address and hanging up, the phone conversation ending as quickly as it began. Callie clutched the phone and walked back toward the staircase. Everyone pretty much in the same position she left them in. Arizona was staring at her husband in utter shock. Javi still had James in his grasp firmly even though he was squirming. James was looking into his wife's eyes with a look Callie couldn't even place. She wasn't sure if it was guilt, fear, or threatening. Either way, Callie wasn't going to leave her to deal with it alone. She walked down the few stairs, lightly and subtly placing her hand on Arizona's back.
James made an advance to break the hold that Javier had expertly placed on him as he looked at his wife. "Arizona…"
"Don't even speak her name." Callie retorted in a sense of calm anger.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" James spat which only caused Javier to tighten his grip around the slightly taller man's neck.
"Who do I think I am?" Callie's anger was rising and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Arizona standing, completely stoic, and never taking her eyes of James. "You break into MY house and you have the audacity to ask me who the hell I think I am?"
"You don't know how lucky you are, bitch. If Javier wasn't here, I swear to god, I would make you pay for coming between my marriage."
"Hey!" Javier yelled, "Watch your fucking mouth."
"What? You think you're some kind of saint? You're the one who cheated on your wife. If it wasn't for you, none of us would be in this fucking predicament!" James looked to Arizona and his anger could be felt throughout the small space between the four of them. "You swore to me, Arizona. I told you I was getting help and you fucking swore to me that you weren't sleeping with this bitch!"
"I am not sleeping with her!" Arizona yelled once she finally found her voice. Callie slowly rubbed calming patterns up and down her back, "You don't have to explain yourself to him, Arizona. Not anymore. He lost that privilege when he put his hands on you."
"Oh and you're just Mrs. I know everything, aren't you?"
"I know that you're a dumbass for thinking you could even get away with whatever you were trying to do. I also know that when you asked for my forgiveness outside of your house, you were lying. I don't trust you, James. I didn't trust you then and I don't trust you now. But you know what? When Arizona didn't press charges on you, I got angry, but I thought that maybe…. Just maybe she knew you a little better than I did. Apparently, I was wrong. You're the scum of the fucking earth. You deserve everything that's coming to you."
Arizona flinched at the sound of Callie's every word. Her head was telling her to run. Run out the door and never look back, but her feet would not comply. And so she stood in her place, watching, listening as the one person who she thought would be a part of her forever and the one person who she'd come to know as her savior fought it out with words. She knew that Callie was right. She should have pressed charges. If she would have, none of this would be happening. Honestly, she never thought that he would go to these lengths. When he stood before her, promising to get help, she saw the man that she fell in love with; the man who had promised her forever. But standing before her now was the same monster that had all but tried to kill her without so much as a second thought.
As she stood lost in her own thoughts, the words being spat only cut her deeper and deeper. So much so that she failed to remember to breathe. The air around her was thicker, the act of breathing was harder, and she felt herself getting lightheaded.
"You are nothing to me, Arizona. Do you hear me? NOTHING! I will never forgive you for this." James yelled at the top of his lungs and suddenly, she felt just that. She felt as though she was nothing. Insecurity was eating away at her like a fast spreading virus. She felt Callie place a hand on her and step in front of her, trying to block her from the words that were being spat at her, but the damage had already been done. Arizona Robbins was broken beyond repair.
"And you?" James looked to Callie, who was now standing protectively in front of his wife, "Someday, somehow, you are going to pay. You will pay for everything you've done."
Instinctively and almost out of body, Arizona placed a hand on Callie's arm from behind the Latina as to somehow try to protect her from the venomous words of her husband. Javier, being fed up with James' attacks on his soon-to-be ex-wife, threw James up against the wall and tightened his grip on him. Callie picked up her phone and called Cristina to see if she was on duty. Cristina's phone went straight to voicemail signifying that she was indeed on duty. After about five minutes of no one moving Javier could feel the sweat getting thick on his hands and James could also feel this knowing he could gain some leverage for it and take at least a swing at the man holding him. And if he was lucky, a lunge at the woman standing between him and his wife. James wiggled a little and Javier, anticipating the move, slammed James's face into the corner of the doorframe, giving him just enough time to readjust. He slammed James onto the ground and dug a knee firmly in between his shoulder blades, at the same time pulling his arms behind his back so he couldn't move.
Before anything else could happen, Cristina came barging into the back door gun drawn followed by her partner, Officer Fields, and Officer Lewis. Cristina went straight to Callie's side, never taking her eyes off her. Her best friend had been through so much in these past couple of weeks. As strong as Callie was she knew everyone had a breaking point. Officer Fields moved Javier and slapped handcuffs on James as Officer Lewis stepped forward to help her get him up. They walked him outside and put him in Officer Lewis's car with his partner. The two left taking James back to lock up. Officer Fields went back inside to help Cristina, who unlike usual had put aside her job for the moment to comfort her friend.
Cristina looked at the way Callie had been standing in front of Arizona as she entered the house, it was protective. Even though Cristina had witnessed and been a part of the case that had Arizona appearing the way she was, she couldn't think of a reason for Callie to be that way. The way she stood there seemed almost instinctual. Even as Cristina stepped toward them she seemed to keep her body between hers and Arizona's. Soon they had to get the actual questioning out of the way and head back to the station. So after questioning Callie from a friend's point of view, she got to business. Before long Cristina was leaving and Callie was walking her to the door with Arizona and Javi not too far behind her. As Cristina walked out, Callie got her attention.
"Oh, and Cristina, I want to press charges. I do not want him to get away with this." With that and a solemn nod from Cristina, she shut the door.
"Callie, I'm going to get a new lock for the door from Wal-Mart and I'll install it as soon as I get back. It looks like he messed this one up. My gun is lying over there on the floor. Hold onto it and try not to go to bed before I get back. I don't want anything happening again." Callie nodded and he grabbed his keys to walk the block to his car.
Callie studied Arizona as she turned around to face the smaller woman. She stood stoic as ever. That seemed to be the only look Callie was getting out of her lately. Every once in a while she would let some emotion show, but it was hardly a hint. Callie could only attempt to imagine what all Arizona was holding in.
"You shouldn't have done that."
"Shouldn't have done what, Arizona?"
"You shouldn't have pressed charges." Callie watched as Arizona's face transformed from this blank state. Her eyes were filled with anger and even more, rage. Callie could honestly say she had never seen this look on the blonde before. It was actually a bit frightening to her, but Torres' never show fear.
"I shouldn't have pressed charges? Arizona, are you kidding me? Look at what he did to you and he just broke into my house. MY HOME, Arizona. The one place someone is supposed to feel safe. You can't honestly believe that he wouldn't do anything and that I should just let him roam free, can you?" Callie thought about what she just said as a look of pain crossed Arizona's face.
"You should NOT have pressed charges, Callie." Arizona crossed her and ran out the door.
Callie stood dumbfounded for a moment trying to wrap her head around what just happened. Callie? Arizona hadn't called her Callie since she answered her cell for her and her dad asked to speak with Calliope. At first Arizona called her that to pick on her, but then it just grew into a term of endearment. The fact that the blue-eyed woman called her by her nickname stung a little.
Then again, Callie was more concerned with the overall argument. Arizona couldn't possibly still believe James' lies, could she? Callie took into consideration that it was the man she loved, but after all of that, how could she believe him? Callie thought about this for a few seconds. She looked down, grabbed Javi's gun, clicked the safety on, stuffed it into the back of her jogging pants, and ran after Arizona. They may have fought and Callie may not understand the blonde, but it was the middle of the night. Arizona was her best friend and she wouldn't let anything happen to her. She walked to the street and looked up and down each side until she spotted Arizona to the left, walking probably as fast as she could without it hurting herself too much. Callie jogged hoping to catch up with her, but then thought better of it and slowed her pace. She knew Arizona needed time to cool off, so she decided to stay at a safe distance, just close enough to not let anything happen to her.
Arizona walked briskly hoping to clear her mind of everything that just happened. Yes she was mad, but no, she was not mad at Calliope. She was actually quite glad that Calliope had pressed charges. It was the right thing to do. If James was to break into her house there was nothing he wouldn't do. Arizona's reaction was simply what they called 'kicking the dog'. She couldn't stand up to James because of everything he had done to her, with him she was helpless, but with Calliope . . . She knew Calliope was a safe place, so if she was to take her frustrations out on her then she wouldn't get the crap beaten out of her.
'Home, the one place someone should feel safe.' Calliope's words kept playing over and over in her head. Arizona thought back to the last 6 months of her marriage. She guessed she never really had a home. The only place she had felt safe since she was married was every time she was with her best friend, especially since her 'rescue'. The one place you should feel safe . . . home. In that case, for right now, her home was with her best friend. At least until she got back on her feet, she thought. After walking a bit longer, she began to feel tired and completely guilty. Callie may have been a safe place for her, but she still shouldn't have treated her that way. She began to think of reasons why Callie shouldn't forgive her and it hurt. That's it, she decided. She had to go back and apologize until she had Callie's forgiveness. Tears began to roll down her cheeks slowly as she turned around to walk the few blocks back to Calliope's house. She looked up and was suddenly face to face with the woman she wanted to see. She let her head fall and walked toward her slowly. When she got within arm's length she looked up into the woman's warm brown eyes, and before she could even began to apologize Calliope wiped away one of her tears and pulled her in for a hug. And there in street, they stood hugging while Arizona finally let it all out in Callie's arms.