Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine. I borrow…
AN: Hey ya'll. I know it's been a while since I've update last. Sorry. Here's the next chapter, Enjoy!
Chapter 25
The apartment door slams shut as Arizona crosses through it, the last out of the four women to enter. Team USA's mood is… not good. They lost. Not by a lot, just one run. But still. …They lost. Japan brought their A game and just… outplayed them in the first two innings. Despite USA making a comeback in the remaining innings, they just couldn't catch up. So now Team USA stands with a 5-1 record, Japan in first with a 6-0 record. It doesn't matter, the record, because the top four move on to another round robin. After tomorrow's games, the slate is wiped clean. But still, that does little to ease the sting of disappointment and failure from the minds of those women wearing red, white and blue.
Callie stands at the small kitchen bar and sips at her bottle of water as she recaps the game in her mind. She quickly picks out a handful of scenarios that her team just… fell short. Small errors, that's all it was. Errors that, if it were any other team, wouldn't have cost them the game. But Japan is the cream of the crop, and they know how to capitalize.
"Well… that sucked balls." Addison states, letting the fat elephant out of the cat's bag.
"Eloquently put, Red." Teddy replies. Silence falls upon them again, each burying themselves with quilt of what they could have done to make a difference. Finally, Altman shakes her head and leaves the game behind. "Well… I'm going out."
Arizona whips her head up and watches as her friend disappears into their room, then exits. "Where are you going?"
"I don't know." Teddy answers with a shrug. "Out." At the front door, the first baseman looks back at her brooding threesome and says "No sense in stewing. It's done. Over. We got two more games tomorrow. We win those, we're in. So… I'm going out. You suckers can stay here and be pissy if you want to." The blonde pauses, waiting for anyone to comment. But when none do, she just brushes them off and leaves.
Addison slowly looks between her two remaining roommates, Torres staring at Arizona who is staring at the floor. "You know… a drink does sound good." Montgomery states, looking for some sort of out. Without asking for either to join her, the redhead leaves her apartment in search of a glass of wine. …A big one.
Only when the door closes for a second time do blue eyes move up from the floor and find her catcher watching her. "What?" Arizona asks in a harsh tone. "You don't need to say it, alright? I know it was me who cost us the game." The blonde sneers, her teeth grinding.
"You?" Callie asks. "Why do you think it's your fault?"
"Because…" Arizona drawls, using the tone suggesting Callie is being an idiot. "Because I gave up six runs in three innings? Because I got scored on more times than back alley hooker. …Weren't you paying attention at all?"
Callie has to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. "Yeah… yeah I was paying attention." She replies. Rounding the bar, she joins Arizona on the tiny loveseat of a couch, placing a tanned hand on Robbins' knee. "And just to correct you, I was scored on more times than a back alley hooker. Not you." Arizona can't help the small giggle fall from her lips, but immediately bites her cheek to control herself. "But it takes more than one person to lose a game, Battleship." The blonde just huffs, not buying into her catcher's story. "Ok… was it you who bobbled the tag at second? Or overthrew first? Or didn't capitalize on the base running?" She keeps listing off the mistakes her team made, none of them being of Arizona's doing. "No, you didn't. You pitched. You pitched well. …They just happened to put the ball into play a lot more effectively than the rest of the teams we've faced."
"Why are you being so calm about this?" Arizona asks. "We lost, Callie. I mean, you get that, right?"
"Yeah, I get it, Arizona." Torres replies. "But… I mean, Teddy's right. Doesn't do any good to get all pissed off about it. I mean, I wanted to punch a baby at first. I hate to lose just as much as the rest of the girls but… I'd rather learn from this game and face the next opponent that much stronger."
"You're pissing me off with how much sense you're making." Arizona growls, pushing off the couch and shuffling to her new room. Callie follows, but doesn't cross the threshold. That's one of their rules, the 'no bedroom' rule. Hopefully if they aren't allowed in each other's bedrooms, any other… activities… won't have the possibility of happening.
Torres watches as Arizona strips off her loose fitting shirt and digs out a tighter top, dark eyes skimming the fair flesh revealed. She's draw to the curve of Arizona's hip, the slight dimpling of hidden abs and the ink covering the pitcher's right shoulder. All of it exuding strength mixed with softness. Torres doesn't realize that her mouth has gone dry, or that she is blatantly staring at the blonde like she is a piece of meat… and the Latina is a hungry wolf.
"Close your mouth." Arizona says, not needing to look up to know that the woman is staring at her. "You look like you're missing a chromosome." Callie's mouth snaps shut, a blush racing across the bridge of her cheeks from getting caught.
"You wanna go… do something?" Torres asks, wishing she could cross the imaginary boundary. But she doesn't because the 'no bedroom' rule was Arizona's, and the Latina doesn't want to push her. She's already folded to Callie's wants of kissing… and their date… and other stuff involving no shirts. If Arizona wants more to happen, Callie is intent on making her initiate it. Even if the wait might kill the captain.
Arizona plops down on her bed and snarls. "No. I'm just going to sit here and cook." She growls, pulling out her laptop and notebook. "Besides, I should be studying anyways." All she really wants is some time alone, but it always seems like that alone time turns into Callie time. Not that Arizona minds, not at all but… sometimes she just needs to be alone.
Torres picks up on the blonde's attempt to push her away. She doesn't know if it's because this whole roommate thing has shaken Arizona, or that she's taking the loss personally, but Callie decides it's best to let this one go.
"Alright then." Callie replies, sending her pitcher a big smile that doesn't get returned. "I'll just go… find Addison or something." Arizona just shrugs, intent on keeping the Latina on that side of the doorway. Torres watching the blonde for another minute, but blue eyes stay glued on her notebook, not wanting to meet the penetrating effect of soulful brown eyes. So with one last look. Callie leaves her pitcher by herself to deal with her team's first real loss.
Staying holed up in her room didn't last too long. Like the weeks before, Arizona soon became bored with the redundant material of her notebook and textbooks. Before she knew it she was roaming Olympic Village. The blonde hasn't taken the time to actually explore all the much, all her time being spent either on the field, in her room, or with Callie. Even thought the Latina is amazing company, addicting almost, Arizona can't help but feel the need to distance herself again. Maybe she's getting too close. Or maybe she's just… not ready. She doesn't know, but it's driving her insane.
One minute she and Callie are having a blast, laughing and talking and… kissing, wanting to do so much more than that. But then the next, life is slapping her with a cold bucket of water. Is their 'relationship' messing with their chemistry on the field? Was team's loss really Arizona's fault? Callie's fault? Or was the captain right, just a string of unlucky breaks and bad plays by USA.
Somehow the pitcher ends up on the same bench she and Callie shared just last night. The night of their second date. It was comfortable, and… nice. She and Torres just seem to click. But if the past seven, eight months have taught Arizona anything, it's that you can't trust people. No matter what kind of relationship it is, someone will always end up getting hurt. Getting betrayed. That's something the blonde is intent on not letting that happen to her again. Because she doesn't know if she would be able to pick herself up off the floor again, not if Callie's the one hurting her.
The moon is shining bright over the city of London and, just as every other time before, Arizona looks up and feels… better. Like there is some kind of sense to her crazy, messed up life. That maybe she isn't alone, maybe her brother is out there somewhere, causing trouble and breaking hearts like they did when they were younger. The memory of their last encounter replays in her mind, as it always does whenever she stares at the sun's opposite. It was the first time Tim met Rachel, Arizona's girlfriend at the time. They went out to dinner, and then dancing. …Because Tim loved to dance. So did Rachel. Arizona never really enjoyed it, she always thought she looked like a fish out of water, but she loved to watch Tim dance. He'd make a complete fool of himself in a room full of people, and not give a single care.
She thought her brother would love Rachel. Everyone loved Rachel. She was pretty and smart, she was going places. She and Arizona planned to take on the world together. But Tim saw through it, and it pissed Arizona off. When her brother told her that Rachel wasn't right for her, Arizona yelled at Tim. She called him bitter, and jealous. An ungrateful crapdog. That was the last thing Arizona ever said to her brother. She didn't want to hear her brother say she could do better, that Rachel didn't make her light up. That Arizona deserved someone to make her light up.
And now her brother is dead. She has no way of going back and apologizing, of telling Tim that he was right. Rachel wasn't right for her. Yeah, she was there for the good times but she couldn't Arizona during her worst. She ran as soon as it got hard. Maybe that was one of the things that brought them together in the first place. But they had no real future together, and now Arizona understands her brother saw that from the beginning. And Arizona wouldn't listen. Instead, she yelled at her brother, shoved him, told him to go back to Iraq. …And he did. And he died.
Those few months before his death, Arizona and Tim wrote back and forth, and the pitcher knows her brother forgave her. She knows that her bother knew she was just upset and didn't mean a word she said. He explained to Arizona that all he wanted for her was to be completely happy. To find someone who made her glow, made her world spin. Because he wanted to dance at her wedding, and dance with his sister-in-law. And he wanted to see Arizona and her wife completely and truly happy. That's all Tim ever wanted for his sister.
And now he's gone, and there is nothing Arizona can do to bring him back. That hurts most of all. She can get over her parents, millions of children learn their parents are divorcing and they survive. She can accept that Rachel left, she's been dumped before. She can even get over the fact that she failed her boards because… she can retest if she ever chooses to do so. But Timothy Robbins? There was only one of him, and now he's gone. So blue eyes, the same blue eyes that will never see the light of day again, stare up at the moonlight as Arizona remembers what an amazing man her brother was and she allows herself a minute to miss him.
An hour of hanging out in the common area of Olympic Village has given Callie a headache. The loud music and even louder people, everyone packed in tight and trying to impress one another. …It was too much like college for the Latina's taste. So she bid her teammates a goodnight and excused herself. She had given Arizona the space she wanted, and now Torres thought her pitcher might be up for a little company. After all… Callie could sure use some company.
On her way back up, the catcher stops by the small shop in the lobby and picks up some junk food for them, even grabbing the last bag of gummy bears on the rack. But when she pushes the door to their apartment open, she finds it empty. Poking her head into her newest roommate's room, she finds the blonde's shoes and jacket gone. The captain checks her phone for any missed texts, but comes up blank. There is still about an hour left before curfew so Callie isn't too worried.
Dumping the treats on the tiny kitchenette bar, the catcher retreats to her room and entertains herself. It's not long before the Latina gets some music playing from her laptop, head bobbing along as she attempts to study the game tapes of the teams they're facing tomorrow. But soon enough, the Latina's hips need to move with the beat and she's up, dancing along to the song. Tiny pink shorts barely cover her hips and the tight tank top leaving very little to the imagination. Add with that her stunna shades and Callie Torres is tearing up the dance floor. The catcher is so in the zone that she doesn't hear the front door open and close, nor the shuffling of feet that are drawn to the music.
Arizona stands at the threshold, blue eyes watching as her captain sways with the beat. Hips move in a way that should be illegal and strong thighs flexing beautifully in the dim light. Everything about Callie is perfection, the caramel skin, raven hair, soulful eyes, a voice that makes angels cry, and hips that would make a blind man drool.
The Latina is unaware of her audience until the faintest of giggles catch her attention, the catcher spinning around and finding her pitcher watching her from the door of her bedroom. Arizona's dimples are on full display and blue eyes are twinkling in the low light. Normally Callie wouldn't think twice about being caught shaking her groove thang in… basically, her underwear. But everything is different when it comes to Arizona.
Pulling off her sunglasses, brown eyes meet blue and Callie notices how flushed Arizona looks. "H-how… how long have you been there?" She asks, trying to judge how long she had humiliated herself.
"Long enough." Arizona replies smugly, her arms crossed tightly over her hest because she's not sure if she could keep her hands off the woman in front of her if they weren't pinned down.
Feeling bolder, Torres waves the blonde inside and says "Let's see what moves you got, Battleship."
"No." Robbins replies softly, "No no. I… No. Me and dancing don't really… I'm not built to move like you do, Calliope." The quick beat still fills the air, and the empty floor of the bedroom is just waiting to be danced on, but Arizona is not about to subject herself to that kind of embarrassment.
The captain studies Arizona, a smile slowly pulling at the Latina's lips. Callie crosses the distance separating them and grabs one of the pitchers arms, yanking it free from the vice grip across her body. "I doubt that." Torres purrs, sending a shiver down Arizona's back. Pulling the smaller woman into the room, dark eyes roam up and down Robbins body as her own hips start to move with the beat again. "It's just a little more Latina than you're used to, chica." She adds, turning the blonde so Arizona's back is to Callie's front.
The next second, a gasp falls from pink lips as Arizona feels the heat of Torres's front against her back. Strong hands rest on her hips as the Latina's own hips start to move and guide the blonde. "Just relax and follow my lead." Callie whispers into the pitcher's ear.
The slow and steady beat pumps through their veins as body moves against body. Tanned arms wrap around the smaller woman's torso, pulling Arizona in closer. The two move as one, the Latina's hips guiding the blonde's as the beat pulses and dips. When the song fades out, another, more upbeat and lively, song quickly follows. The catcher's hands return to the trim waist in front of her, and Callie smiles as she feels Arizona finally letting loose. The pitcher places her hands on top of her catcher's, a spark igniting at the contact. Suddenly, the easy and lighthearted atmosphere turns to anything but. Callie's fingers dig into the soft flesh of Arizona's waist, teasing just above that boundary of her sweats while plump lips ghost over the exposed skin of the blonde's neck.
Arizona's heart starts to pound, all of her nerve endings firing at the same time. Her head tips to the side without her permission, allowing the woman behind her even more access to the area, and a gasp falls from her lips. Torres is so far beyond playing fair anymore, and she decides to test the limits of their rules. One hand snakes up under Arizona's shirt, running over a taunt stomach and coming to rest between perky breasts while the other trails south.
Arizona is lost in the feeling of Callie around her, strong and skilled hands working at her flesh as if she were an instrument and Callie was the maestro. Only when a hand dips below her sweats, playing at the top of her panties, does she realize how close they are to crossing a big line.
Turning in the embrace, blue eyes stare up and find, once brown, now black eyes looking back. Somewhere during the exchange they have stopped moving to the music, and Arizona isn't sure if it's still playing or not because the only thing she hears is the racing of her own heart. Callie looks for some sort of sign, something that tells her to stop but all she sees is want.
Grasping the nape of the Latina's neck, Arizona leans in and hungrily takes Callie's lips with her own. It's a kiss she has been craving all day, as well as fighting all day. There is still that voice inside her screaming to stop, to run, to get away from this intoxicating woman while she still has the power. But Arizona doesn't want to. She doesn't. She's addicted. So she gives up the fight.
Torres senses something different from the blonde in her arms, the way Arizona is kissing her so fiercely is different from the previous encounters they've had. While the blonde was more than a willing participant, it always felt like Arizona was holding something back. Like she was trying to protect a part of herself. But now that barrier is gone.
Pulling away from hungry pink lips, Callie manages to say "We're breaking our rules."
"I don't care." Arizona replies in a breath before reclaiming the captain's lips in another kiss. She pushes the two of them further back into the room, needy hands tugging at the bottom of Torres's tank top. Callie willingly lifts her arms, the garment not lasting a second longer on her body, quickly followed by Arizona's shirt.
"We don't have to do this, Arizona." The catcher adds before she's silenced by another, just as hungry, kiss. They stumble back towards the Latina's bed, Arizona kicking off her shoes and Torres forcing her sweats down around the blonde's ankles, leaving her clad in only a pair of bra and panties.
Callie can't get enough of her pitcher's flesh and is thankful when the mattress hits the back of her legs, Torres falling back on the bed while pulling Arizona down with her. Hands roam aggressively, both trying to feel the other while at the same time disrobe themselves.
Even in the haze, Callie knows that this is a big step. When Arizona let's them up for air, the Latina pants "You know… maybe we should-"
"Shut up, Calliope." Arizona growls, her teeth sinking into the flesh of Callie's neck, making the woman under her gasp and moan. Pushing up enough to stare down into the flushed face below, the blonde says "I want this."
"I don't want to push you." Callie replies, a hand reaching up and tucking a stand of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear before cupping her cheek. "I meant what I said before. I'll wait until you're ready." In that moment, the frenzied need dissipates and all either of them are left with are much more… complicated feelings.
Taking Callie's right hand in her left, Arizona kisses it before laying it flat against her stomach and guiding it south. Torres doesn't dare look away from the dark blue orbs hovering above her, but flinches when she feels her hand being taken below that barrier of cotton.
Dipping below her panties, Arizona guides Callie to her center where tanned fingers finds a pool of moisture. The Latina gasps at the sensation, and Arizona purrs "I'm ready. So ready." before reclaiming plump lips with hers. The few articles of clothing still left on the women are quickly lost until two completely bare bodies are intertwined.
Fingers and lips and tongues take their time exploring the expanse of flesh now exposed. There are no worries, no cares as Arizona and Callie get lost in one another. Few words are said because none need to be said. The way Callie's hands dip between Arizona's legs, strong fingers working the blonde's body, speaks more than could ever be said with words. The pitcher's tongue, making tracks down tanned skin, draws invisible patterns and tastes the Latina in the most intimate of ways. It's not frantic, or hurried, but slow and passionate. There is no rush to the end, but a need to enjoy the journey.
Hushed pants and moans are the only sounds that now fill the room, along with the sounds of flesh meeting flesh. The smell of their arousal dampens the air, and the sweet, slightly salty, tang of sweat collecting over their bodies only adds to the complexity of their encounter. And as Arizona tumbles over the edge, Callie holds her tight and marvels in the sensation of her pitcher's last wall crumbling around her fingers.
Moving as slowly as possible, Addison pulls the bedroom door to, the mechanism clicking shut sounding like a gunshot. She and her partner in crime hold their breaths, waiting to see if it was heard by the couple in the other room. But when there is no break in the moaning or panting, they know that their friends are too engaged in their own activity to realize that for a second they had an audience.
Tiptoeing away from her bedroom, Addison turns to look at her newest roommate and smiles. Holding out an open palm, she says "That'll be twenty pounds, bitch. Pay up."
Teddy rolls her eyes and pulls out an English bill, slapping it into the redhead's hand. "Damn it. Why couldn't they hold out til tomorrow?" Addison just shrugs her shoulders, thankful that she chose the 'less than 24 hrs' bid for when the two finally cracked. She knew that this last piece coming together, that when Teddy and Arizona switched with Hahn and Naomi, was all that was needed to push the simmering sexual tension over the line.
"You're just mad you underestimated Callie's powers." The redhead replies with a smirk. Pushing past the first baseman, Addison enters Teddy's bedroom and takes a seat on, what would be, Arizona's bed. "Guess you got a new roomie, Altman." She muses, then kicks off her shoes. "Think I could bum some pajama's?"
Teddy pulls out a shirt and a pair of shorts, tossing them to the redhead, and plops down on her bed. The moaning from the other room can just barely be heard, but neither woman seem to mind. When Addison get's changed, the two crawl under the covers of their beds and flick off the bedside lamps, sending the room into darkness.
After a loud "Oh yes, Arizona" comes from the other room, Teddy turns her head and asks "You don't snore, do you?"
Something tickling her cheek is what brings Arizona out of her sleep. Blue eyes crack open and find the morning sun streaming in through the blinds of the bedroom. Her body is sore, a different kind of sore from the days following a hard practice. But it's a good kind of sore, content.
The tickling returns and Arizona tries to brush whatever it is away, but as she goes to move her arm she finds she has grown a third. A third arm with an amazing tan. Then the pieces click, and Robbins' feels the other body pressed tightly to her back. Callie lets out another deep breath, brushing a stray blonde hair across fair skin, cluing Arizona in on what woke her up. Images from last night replay in her mind and the first reaction the blonde has is to run. But the feeling of being in Callie's arms, being held and anchored to another person makes the pitcher push that thought away. Instead, Robbins closes her eyes again and tugs the arms around her tighter, her body squirming in closer to the one behind her.
The movement in her arms stirs Callie from her sleep, the smell of vanilla and coconut immediately filling her nose. Opening her eyes, the first thing she sees is gold. Her vision sharpens and she makes out the individual strands of blonde hair, her mind registers the warmth of another body in her bed. She can sense that Arizona is either awake, or on the cusp of alertness, so Torres places the softest of kisses in that crook just below the blonde's ear.
"Sorry I woke you up." Arizona whispers, trying to find a comfortable position but finding it difficult when two full grown adults are sharing a single twin bed.
"You weren't this squirmy before." Callie teases as the woman keeps moving about and laughing when the blonde growls in annoyance. Finally Arizona gives up the idea of falling back to sleep, then pushes herself into the upright position. Dark eyes trail the expanse of naked flesh, a tanned hand running from the base of her pitcher's neck and sweeping all the way down to the dimple of Arizona's tailbone. "Come back to bed." The captain says, not wanting their moment to end.
Blue eyes peek over her shoulder, the sight of a thin sheet draping over the Latina's gorgeous, and very naked, body making Arizona bite at her lower lip. But instead she listens to her mind and tries to shy away from the contact. Callie ignores the pain in her chest that comes from her pitcher pulling away from her, and sits up, holding a sheet over her chest.
"Arizona…" She tries again, placing a hand on the blonde's ink stained shoulder.
"I uhh… I'm kind of sore. I think I need to go work out some knots." Arizona says as a way to get away. She quickly finds her clothes and covers herself, suddenly feeling very exposed around Torres. Once fully dressed, her messy blonde locks pulled up into an even messier ponytail, Robbins turns and finds her catcher watching her. "Calliope, I… I…"
"Don't." Callie whispers, her shoulders deflating and her hands coming up to hide her face. "I knew we shouldn't have done this. God, I'm so stupid…"
Arizona watches as her… Callie… starts blaming herself for the blonde's faults, and it tears at the walls the pitcher is slowly rebuilding. Crossing the room again, she sits on the edge of the bed and pulls the Latina's hands away from her face. "No. No… It's not that, Callie." She says, dipping her head to find watery brown eyes. "I'm not… I don't regret it. Not a second of it. Believe me. …I had an awesome time. It's just… I need some time to process it. Ok?" She offers the other woman a soft smile, one that Callie tries to return. "Please, don't blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. I wanted last night as much as you did. And it was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing."
"Really?" The Latina asks in a whisper, searching blue eyes for the truth.
This time dimples make an appearance as Arizona smiles, and she replies "Really." Instead of trying to convince Callie with words, Robbins leans in and kisses the woman soundly. A kiss that makes both bodies tingle again and crave more. But Arizona pulls away, not wanting to get too carried away, and leans her forehead against Torres's. "It was amazing. …I just need some time to think, and get ready for today. Do you understand?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I understand." The catcher says, nodding her head and watching the blonde move for the doorway. Just as Arizona is grabbing the handle and opening the door, Callie calls "Hey, Arizona…" The pitcher stops and turns, blue eyes falling upon the naked Latina who made her feel so complete just five minutes ago. "We're ok, right?"
"Right." With a wink and one last smile, Arizona exits the bedroom and leaves a very confused Callie Torres. She doesn't know what just happened. Last night she and Arizona had some of the best sex in recorded history... on a twin mattress no less! She doesn't even want to think about what it might be like if they have actual elbow room. But now… Arizona is running away again. And it hurts more than Callie was prepared for.
"Damn it…" She growls as she searches for her missing sock. There are not many places it could be but she can't seem to find it. Tiptoeing around the room, the woman kneels down and looks under one bed, then the other. But still, no sock. A hand runs through tousled blonde hair and blue eyes survey the room, hoping it will just jump out at her. Movement from the one occupied bed makes her freeze, dark hair splayed over the rumbled pillow and tanned limbs reaching out to grasp a body that is no longer there.
Deciding to sacrifice the sock, she slowly and stealthily heads of the bedroom door and slips out. But even in the living room, she's not home free. There, on the tiny loveseat, is the ousted roommate of the dark haired woman. The blonde silently chastises herself for getting into this position, and continues to stalk through the foreign apartment until reaching the front door. Images of last night race through the blue eyed woman's mind, clothes flying off bodies and lips fighting for dominance. It wasn't soft, or loving. It was frenzied and all consuming. All the while, blue eyes were closed as the blonde was picturing a different dark haired beauty.
Only when she is on the opposite side of the door does the blonde take a breath. Relief floods her body as she thinks about how she successfully avoided something very awkward. Her one night stand will wake up alone and probably feeling bad, but the blonde didn't think she could handle 'the morning after' and needed to leave before it got weird.
But that relief quickly leaves when someone runs into her, making both jump. "Oh sorry." She mumbles.
"No, my fault. It's-" Blue eyes stare into blue and a dimpled smile emerges. "Erica… what uhh…" Arizona looks up and down the hallway, this part of the complex a good ways away from where she and the rest of the team are rooming. "What you doing here?" Robbins asks, taking in the appearance of the senior player in front of her. Ruffled hair, shoes in her hands, and looking like she got dressed in about 3 seconds.
"Nothing. None of your business." Erica snaps back, trying to tame her hair while at the same time take on an imposing stance. "What are you doing here?"
"Woke up a little sore." Arizona answers with a smile, this time for a whole different reason, and gestures further on down the hall towards the workout room. "Was going to go loosen up with some yoga. Care to join me? Looks like you had a… less than restful night." When the only response she gets from Hahn is a bright blush, Arizona peeks over the taller woman's shoulder and sees the flag hung on the door. "Who is that? Brazil, right?" She plays. "You're not jumping curfew to converse with the enemy now, are you Hahn?" Arizona knows she's playing with fire, but it's just too sweet to pass up.
"Why don't you go stun gun yourself, alright?" Erica growls, shoving past the smaller woman and heading back in the direction of her new apartment. The pitcher just watches as her ex-captain, and ex-catcher, walk away, biting her tongue only long enough for Hahn to move out of earshot.
"Well well well…" Arizona drawls, shaking her head and smiling. "Guess I'm not the only one who got lucky last night."
"Ladies… listen up." Webber says to his team, everyone circled up in the dugout. "I know yesterday wasn't our best performance but we can't let that get to us. We still have two teams to play today in order to make it into the next round. It's all about seeding. We beat Canada and the Netherlands, and then it's a clean slate. I want clean plays, and lots of hustle. If a play doesn't go our way, you let me handle it. Yelling at the ump, calling him a ball-less imp, and getting throw out of the game doesn't help." All eyes turn to Cristina Yang, the first softball player in the Olympics to get booted. Thankfully, it was just for the remainder of the game and not for the rest of competition.
"We're starting off strong, so Robbins and Torres, you're in. Everyone good to go?" Richard gets an enthusiastic chorus of agreement, then he says "Alright Torres, send them off."
"Hands in, ladies!" Callie says, and the rest of her team joins the circle. "Let's take care of business. Our game, ladies. Our game. Alright, teamwork on three. One, two, three!"
"Teamwork!" Everyone follows. With that, their sixth game starts off. The entire US Team is still hot after their loss to Japan, and now they want revenge on whoever is unlucky enough to face them… first up, being Canada. Drawing the lucky card again, USA is the home team and gets to take the field first.
Arizona is already out on the mound when Callie get's her last piece of equipment on, and the Latina takes a small detour on her way to behind the plate. She hasn't had a chance to speak with her pitcher since this morning, and Torres is fearing that whatever happened to them is about to affect their chemistry on the field.
Robbins tenses as she watches the catcher approach and is grateful that the shining sun has given her an excuse to wear her sunglasses because no matter how hard she tries, Arizona can't fight the power those deep, soulful brown eyes have when staring directly into her blue.
"So…" Callie sighs, trying to find some sort of connection with the blonde but not able to because of those blasted blue tinted shades Arizona wears.
"So…" Arizona repeats, smoothing out her pitchers circle with her foot.
"We good?" Torres asks, keeping her words vague as to not piss her pitcher off right now if Arizona really doesn't want to talk about it.
"Locked and loaded." Robbins replies with a forced smile. The captain studies her teammate for another second and decides that that is the best she is going to get from the blonde right now. Tossing the ball to the smaller woman, Callie starts back towards her plate. Guilt tugs at the surgeon's stomach and before she can stop herself, Arizona calls "Hey Boss," making Torres turn stop and turn halfway to home plate. "We're good." She says. So with a smile, the game begins.
"I'm not going to ask you again, Teddy. Stop it." Arizona growls from her place against the fence as Lexie Grey steps up to bat.
"I'm not doing anything." The first baseman replies.
"I can feel your eyes burning a hole in the side of my face." The surgeon counters, turning to catch her friend staring at her. "Seriously, stop."
Altman purses her lips and the duo's attention turns back to the game unfolding in front of them but Teddy doesn't leave it alone for long. Leaning in, she lowers her voice as says "We really aren't going to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Robbins asks, her patience quickly running thin.
"Look… I don't care. Really, I don't. But come on! You cost me 20 pounds." The taller blonde whines, adding a childish stomp just for good measure.
"What the hell are you talking about?" The pitcher asks again, her eyes skimming over the rest of her team to make sure no one else is listening in to their conversation.
"24 hours! That's all you had to wait. A measly 24 hours and I would have been 20 pounds richer. But nooooo. You had to get your rocks off as soon as Torres batted her 'come hither' eyes, didn't you?" Altman presses. "I mean… I expected some sort of willpower from a Marine's daughter. I thought you said you two had rules."
"We did." Arizona replies, and it's no wonder that a headache is slowly creeping across her brain. "We just… I don't know. It just happened."
"Yeah… just happened." Teddy sneers, shaking her head and spitting out a sunflower seed shell. "Sex always 'just happens' to me too. I hate it."
"Teddy, please just… just leave it alone ok?" Robbins asks, turning to talk directly to her friend. "I don't know what it means and… and now isn't really the best time to have a girl talk. So just drop it." Blue eyes stare up into greenish grey and Teddy finally nods, dropping the issue. But the first baseman promises herself that it won't be dropped for long.
Bottom of the sixth inning brings Callie Torres up to bat. Her team has been solid and the Canadians aren't fairing the storm well. USA is up 8 runs, but it's not enough. Normally they have a sense of sportsmanship and would start subbing players out when the score started to tip in one direction too much. But USA is out for blood now. They lost to Japan and they want everyone to know it was just a fluke, a onetime thing. So now the Canadians are on the receiving end of a strong ass whooping.
Dark eyes scan the field in front of her, quickly taking in the two outs and a runner on third, along with the placement of the Canadian fielders. Arizona watches from her perch on third base, where she has been stranded for the past two outs. The blonde has been itching to force a play but the Canadian pitcher and catcher are playing tight and giving the surgeon no room to run.
"Alright, Torres. Bring me home, baby!" Arizona calls as her captain steps up to the plate.
Callie looks down the third base line and finds her pitcher before glancing to Derek Shepherd in the coaches box. Catching the signal to swing away, the Latina steps up and gets set. First pitch is a strike off the outside corner, a spot Callie has been having Arizona abuse all day against the Canadians. The next pitch is in the dirt, making the blonde at third take a jump but Torres calls her off. A third pitch and the captain takes a big chop at it, the ball sailing up and back into the safety net.
"Way to fight, Cal. Way to fight!" Her teammates shout from the dugout.
Torres steps back in and senses that the pitcher she is facing is starting to crumble. Her grip on the bat relaxes and her senses hone in. When the next pitch comes sailing towards her, her strong hips and perfect contact send it flying back the way it came.
Arizona hops off third, taking a big lead but stopping halfway down the base line as Callie watches her hit sail… right over the fence. The US bench explodes and the Canadian pitcher throws her glove down as Callie Torres starts her jog around the bases.
Blue eyes watch as the woman rounds second, a dimpled smile on her face as she cheers on her teammate. Turning third, Callie looks up to find Arizona waiting for her, the two exchanging a big smile before the Latina touches home plate.
"You like that?" Callie asks in a low, gravelly tone that sends a shiver down the blonde's back.
"Very sexy." The pitcher answers, the two sharing a high five before turning back to their dugout, the rest of the team waiting to congratulate their captain.
After a round of high fives all around, the team settles down and turn their attention back to the field and Callie steps up behind Robbins, a hand on the smaller woman's hip. "That was for you." The Latina emphasis's her words with a firm smack on the blonde's firm ass. After all… it is a ball game, and it's what ball players do.
Riding high off their win against Canada, USA quickly storms the team from the Netherlands. It's a blood bath, only saved when Webber pulls Hahn and Fields off the mound and puts in USA's fourth string. There is a fine line between beating a team thoroughly and then humiliating them. And USA has more respect for their fellow teams to do that to them. So most of the A listers sit the bench for the back half of the last game.
And when Meredith Grey easily nabs a pop up to left field, the game is called. It doesn't take a genius to know that their 6-1 record is more than enough to make it into the next round and USA celebrates by dumping the cooler full of Gatorade all over their head coach. Congratulations are given, as well as the cursory high fives with the other team, and then USA lets loose.
Because of the length of the Games, the softball competition has a break between rounds, meaning Team USA has tomorrow off. So with another warning to not do anything stupid, Webber sends his team off into the night to celebrate their victories in whatever way they wish. …Except for three players who are sent to the press room to give an interview, leading Arizona, Teddy and Callie to be sitting in front of the bright lights and multiple cameras they find themselves at now.
Torres didn't have time to freak out after Webber told her she was going, but once seated in her chair, a blonde on either side of her, the Latina's stage fright starts to make a comeback. Blue eyes don't miss the way her catcher's knee bounces beside her, and if it wasn't for the numerous camera's all trained on them and rolling film, Arizona wouldn't think twice about reaching over and laying a comforting hand on Callie's leg. But there are people watching, so she doesn't. Instead, Arizona offers Callie a smile, hoping that it will be enough to quell the nerves racking the Latina's body.
Finally, after what seems like hours to Torres, the interviewer takes his seat across from the trio. "Welcome, ladies. And thank you for joining me today." He says with a smile, all three players smiling back and nodding. "First off, I think I speak for all of America when I say congratulations to you and your team for making it to the next round."
"So… where do you go from here?" The man asks, putting the question out for any to answer.
Teddy and Arizona naturally look to the woman seated between them, waiting for their captain to answer, but when they see that Callie has closed down, Teddy steps up. "Well… I think we just keep chugging along. Today… today was a good day. I felt that chemistry on the field and we were making good plays so… I think we just have to keep that going."
"The other teams that have moved on are the British, the Russians and the Japanese. What comes to mind when you hear this field?" He asks.
"That we have our work cut out for us, definitely. I mean, we're all here because we're the best of the best so… no team is an 'easy' win." Teddy replies. "We just need to face one opponent at a time and not worry about anything else. You know? We let our bull pen work, let the fielders work, let out bats work and we'll be in very good shape."
"Speaking of the bullpen…" The interview drawls, turning his attention to the two that have remained silent up to this point. "What changes need to be made when it comes to pitching against Japan? I know I'm not the only one who was very… shocked at yesterday's game. Could you tell us what happened?"
Sensing the need to speak up, Callie clears her throat and answers "The pitching was solid. …They just outplayed us." It's straight and to the point, and the man gestures for the Latina to explain. "Japan plays small ball, it's their MO. They force the defense to make a play. Instead of swinging for distance, they bunt and slap and hit grounders. They are a completely different team as opposed to, say… Poland. They just operate differently. And that's something we didn't really adjust to quickly enough. We made some errors, three I believe it was, which that in itself was a problem. But… they outplayed us. Plain and simple."
"There are very little doubts, at least from what I've heard around the water cooler, that it will be you and Japan in the final heat. What kind of chances does your team need to make in order to face them and bring home the gold?" The man asks, turning his attention to Arizona.
Running a hand through blonde hair, Robbins straightens up and says "We just need to play our game. Like Calliope was saying, the Japanese play differently and I think we kind of fell into their game instead of forcing them to play ours. They play fast, they push for mistakes. But, when it comes to them in the batter's box, they are surprisingly patient. It's a very strange mixture of fast and slow, something that I, admittedly, wasn't really prepared for going into yesterday's game."
"But now…" The interviewer drawls.
"Now I'm ready." Arizona replies with a dimpled smile.
Turning back to the Latina, the man asks "How is the impact of Amelia Shepherd's absence affecting the team? Would her presence have affected the outcome of yesterday's game?"
Torres takes a deep breath and tries to sort out her thoughts. She has to remember that the public doesn't know the true reason behind Amelia's absence, only that she had to step down for personal reasons. "Naturally, Amelia is missed. She was a team mate and a friend, so her absence affects us all. In regards to the bull pen, it's hard to say. We lost a veteran player but then the last few days of our US tour, we picked up Lucy Fields, an ace pitcher from Alabama. She has been doing outstanding. She and Erica Hahn are a force to be reckoned with."
"As is Arizona and Callie." Teddy adds, making the four laugh. "Truthfully? I wouldn't want to be a base runner rounding third and seeing Torres standing there guarding the plate. I think I'd just give up."
"You and me both!" Arizona jumps in, her dimples popping with draws dark eyes to her pitcher. "I'd end up running back down the third base line, all the way to the fence." Callie pulls out a look of shock, feigning hurt at her teammate's comments. "What?" Arizona asks, shoving the Latina next to her playfully. "You're scary when you go all 'Eye of the Tiger'."
"Gee, thanks. I'll remember that." Callie growls, snarling a little at the giggling blonde next to her.
The interviewer looks on and smiles, this scenario leading perfectly into his next line of questioning he has written out. "What about off the field? How is the chemistry between you two?" He asks, already knowing the answer.
This question quickly sobers Callie and Arizona up, and Teddy has a bad feeling growing in her stomach. "Excuse me?" Arizona asks, feigning ignorance.
"Between you and Callie. You two seem to have great chemistry on the field. What about off the field? Is there a romance budding?" Robbins and Torres exchange a quick glance, neither knowing what to do.
The catcher finally finds her words and starts "I, I don't… No, there is nothing-" but she's stops as her eyes take in the picture that has just popped up on the screen next to them. Throughout the interview, the screen was showing clips of USA's performances, but now it shows Arizona and Callie, from a distance, standing very close together. They both have big smiles on their faces and flushed cheeks, almost like they were just laughing their asses off. Then the next picture flips, and Torres has a fistful of Arizona's shirt, pulling the blonde in closer. Finally, the last picture appears and it is a full on view of the players locked in a passionate kiss.
"Shit…" Arizona whispers low enough for only Callie to hear. Blue eyes lock with brown and in that instant their worlds come tumbling down.
Callie, Arizona, Teddy and Addison all sit in their apartment living room, silent and despondent. Webber stands in the center of the room, Hunt pacing back and forth while Mark stares down at the floor and Derek inspects the bottle of water gripped between his hands. The interview ended only a half hour ago, but already the fire is out of control. They don't know who took that photo, but Arizona and Callie have been officially outed. And their coaches are livid.
Richard takes a deep breath, his gaze turning to four of his best players. "Altman, Montgomery." He states. "Give us some privacy, please." Teddy and Addison had been hanging around in hopes of being some sort of support system for their friends, but they don't dare question the word of Webber. With a quick 'good luck' the two leave the apartment in search of safety.
That leaves just the blonde and the Latina to take on the wrath of four angry men. Arizona doesn't like their chances.
"What are we going to do about this?" Webber asks, taking one of the seats the other two just vacated. When all he gets is silence, he adds "We have rules on this team for a reason." This draws blue eyes up from the floor and Arizona stares at her head coach.
"Well… that rule is stupid." Callie growls, crossing her arms across her chest.
"No, it's not." Sloan replies in his authoritative voice.
"Right. So… you're totally not shoving Little Sloan up Little Grey?" Torres asks.
"Excuse me?" Webber jumps in, now turning a serious glare to his fellow coach.
"You messed with the chemistry!" Mark shouts over Richard, making everyone in the room jump. "You know how fragile that is, Callie. And you screwed it, literally in this sense." Sloan is livid and his hands are shaking, then suddenly it clicks in his mind. "That's what was going on, wasn't it? Before? When you and Robbins we're sucking on the field during those scrimmages. It was because this…" He gestures between the blonde and the Latina, "…was happening. And you were fighting." Neither Callie or Arizona reply because that man is right. Their off-field relationship was the reason they couldn't work together on the field.
"So, what?" Arizona snaps, having had enough of it all. "What do you want? What's our punishment?" Angry blue eyes dart between her four coaches, looking for someone to speak up. "What? No one willing to make the first move?" When none of the other's say anything, Robbins looks down at Webber and says "Here's a new flash, your three coaches? They've been screwing their players. Hunt and Teddy have been going at it…well, daily. At least from what I can smell off Teddy. I doubt her body wash of choice is Old Spice. And Shepherd? Well, him and Addison are all screwed up. You should really think about putting a lock on the equipment shed back home because they've been using it as their own little love nest. Not to mention the constant flirting going on between him and Meredith. It's… well, it's disgusting, really. And as far as Mark and Lexie? I don't know, but going off of Sloan's reputation it's only a matter of time before his sliver of a headboard gets another notch taken out of it."
The room falls silent as Webber takes in this information, Callie not believing that the blonde just exploded like that. That was the last thing she thought Arizona would do. And apparently the blonde isn't done because she winds up again. "So what? What's it going to be? Is having two lesbians on the team sleeping with each other crossing the line? Fine. I'll pack my bags and leave."
Dark eyes go wide as the captain watches Arizona head for her room. "Arizona!" She calls, bolting to her feet.
"What, Calliope? What?" Robbins snaps back. "I told you that this, us, was a bad idea. But you said to trust you, and I did. Well… guess it didn't turn out so well, did it?" The four coaches fade from their vision and now it's only the two of them in the room, Callie fighting to keep her pitcher from doing something stupid. "Look… since I joined this team, I've caused nothing but trouble. Hahn and Amelia and… and you. So, maybe I should just go. You guys were fine before I showed up, and you'll be fine after I leave."
"No! No, we won't. We need you. I- You can't leave." Callie pleads, closing the distance between them.
"I can't stay either." The blonde replies, her gaze falling to the floor. "I'm… I get it. I'm a surgeon, so I get it. Sometimes you have to cut to heal. Maybe I'm the tumor. It's… it seems pretty fitting, actually, considering how messed up the rest of my life has been lately." Torres can see those walls quickly forming around Arizona's heart and she doesn't know what to do or what to say. The surgeon takes her silence the wrong way and laughs callously. "Yeah… I thought so."
As she turns to collect her things, Callie says "You're bailing." Arizona stops in her tracks, not believing the Latina just threw that in her face. Robbins opened up about her past, about how she bailed when her life got hard, and now the catcher is using it against her.
"You're bailing, Arizona." Torres states again. "I thought you wanted this, I thought you were going to fight for this. For our team. We were going to win gold, but you're bailing. I thought you were stronger than this. I thought you were a bigger person than this."
A knocking on the front door stirs everyone in the room, the coaches having been sucked into their player's conversation, and Owen opens it. There, standing in a top of the line suit, is a very polish looking older gentleman. Arizona can barely see him from behind Callie, but he looks familiar. Torres turns, a look of shock being hidden from her pitchers gaze as her back is to the blonde.
Dark eyes, almost exact copies of those Callie possesses, look between the four coaches in the apartment before landing on those of the two women. The same women whose picture of them kissing was taking up the front page of the Sports section in USA Today, prompting this unplanned visit from the older man.
"Calliope…" He states in a deep, fatherly tone. "Collect your things. You're coming home with me."
AN2: Dun dun dunnnn…. Lots going on in this chapter. I'll let you all digest it for yourselves. Lots more to come. Let me know what you think!
AN3: Just got hooked to this Tumblr craze. Come follow me at bowlingstar11 and I'll follow you back!