A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks once again for the wonderful reviews. They always help to inspire my writing :) I'm trying to update as quickly as I can. Some of you are mighty impatient, but I LIKE that! Don't mind the extra push once and a while. To my reader (M) - you know what I'm talking about LOL. Hope you all enjoy.


Chapter 9 - Stuck With You

A few days had passed since Callie and Arizona failed to end their partnership. Unfortunately, they were still a team and now that they knew they had feelings for one another, being professional only proved to be more difficult. Going on patrol was no picnic. The car rides to different dispatch calls were quiet and awkward. A few words would pass between them, but nothing that could lead to deep conversation.

Callie was a walking, aroused time bomb. She had not had sex for a little over a month and being around Arizona, not being able to touch her or kiss her, had her extra wound up. And the Latina knew if she attempted to have sex with a random woman again, it would only end in disappointment. All she wanted was Arizona.

The blonde was not handling the situation any better. Her body yearned to have the Latina touch her once more. She wanted to kiss those luscious, plump lips and hear Callie whisper naughty things in her ear. Having the brunette so close, yet so far was a nightmare.

They were nearing the end of their shift and Arizona was driving them back to the station. Suddenly, their dispatch radio came to life. "We have a report of an incident on 1st Ave and Pike. At the strip club."

"Seriously?" Arizona grumbled, not wanting to step foot in a jizz filled club. "Well, we're not too far from there." She glanced at Callie. "What do you say? Up for a strip club?"

Callie smiled haphazardly. "Sure."

Arizona caught the odd look on her partner's face. "Something wrong?"

The brunette shook her head, trying to mask her apprehension. "Nope, I'm good." Callie picked up the radio. "This is Sergeant Torres and Robbins. We're on it."

Minutes later, they pulled in the front of the one story building. Glowing in pink and red neon lights, the sign read, DeJavu Dumplings. Hot Nude Girls. Flashing their badges at the bouncer out front, the two of them headed inside.

The place smelled of cigarettes and cheap perfume. Taking two steps down from the entrance, they were now on the main floor. The dim bluish lighting gave a more intimate and sexy feel to the space. Immediately to the left was a bar stocked with every drink imaginable and in center of the room was a modest stage with two gold strip poles. The tables and chairs were at a lower level and any seat in the house had a good view of the action. There was no action now however, since everyone had been cleared out of the building.

They noticed three people talking together by the bar. One was a short stubby, balding man in a suit. The other two were women wearing very revealing outfits, stippers no doubt. One of the women, a brunette, was holding an icepack to her cheek. The other woman was a blonde. Callie immediately recognized her and her nervousness increased. She hoped that particular woman would not be here tonight. The man looked up and saw Callie and Arizona approaching. He patted the injured woman on the shoulder before walking over to the two officers. Callie and Arizona flashed their badges.

"Seattle P.D. I'm Sergeant Robbins, this is Sergeant Torres. We got a call about a disturbance on the property."

"Yeah, I made the call," the man began in a strong Brooklyn accent. "Louie Benetelli, I'm the owner of the club."

Arizona was surprised by the man's heavy New York accent. How he wound up in Seattle was beyond her. "Can you tell us what happened here, Mr. Benetelli?" the blonde asked.

"Sure. One the customers got a little rough with one of my girls. She was doing the spread eagle, that's our best-selling lap dance…" he winked, causing Arizona to slightly roll her eyes. "And then out of nowhere he decked her in the face. He was causing such a ruckus we had to clear out the joint."

"Who was this man?" Callie asked.

Louie shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't see him. He split out of here before the bouncers could catch 'em. Those big lugs. I pay them to protect my girls and they're so bulged up with muscles they can't run after one guy!"

"Do you know why he would hit one of your dancers?" Callie asked.

"Not a clue. But those two gals can tell you more," he stated, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

They glanced over the man's shoulder at the two women near the bar. The blonde one gave a cheeky smile towards Callie and the brunette lowered her eyes, shifting her weight uncomfortably. Arizona noticed this but decided to ignore for now.

"Monique and Julie…" Louie went on. "Monique's the one who got slugged."

Arizona looked up at the ceiling and noticed security cameras set up in different areas of the room. "We'll need a copy of your security footage."

"Don't you need a warrant for something like that?" Louie asked, smartly.

"We can get one if we have to," Callie replied. "Unless you have something else to hide, Mr. Benetilli?"

The man looked between the two women defiantly before reluctantly caving in. "I can get that footage for you."

"Thank you," Arizona nodded, before the man headed to the back of the club.

Callie glanced at the two women by the bar. "Uh, I'll question the victim and you take the witness," Callie quickly stated, before walking towards the women.

The blonde raised her eyebrows, still wondering why her partner appeared so flustered. "Guess I don't have a choice…" she murmured to herself.

Callie purposely avoided eye contact with Julie as she pulled Monique aside to talk. Thankfully, before Julie could say anything, Arizona walked up to her.

Talking to Monique, the Latina found out that the man that hit her had asked her to do a sexual favor for him. When Monique refused to, he got angry and punched her.

"Do you want to press charges?" Callie asked.

The woman violently shook her head, fear reflecting in the depths of her eyes. "No. No, I don't."

Callie furrowed her brows, clearly confused. A man assaulted this woman while she was on the job and she was willing to let him get away with it? A red flag went up, and the Latina was immediately concerned. "Is there a particular reason you don't want to?"

"I just don't okay," the young woman spat back. "It's no big deal… I'm fine." Monique folded her arms and lowered her eyes. "It's just a bruise… I'm not dying or anything."

The brunette sensed there was something that Monique was hiding, but she could tell by the woman's guarded stance, she was not going to talk. "Alright…" Callie calmly replied, not wanting to upset the woman. The Latina took a closer look at Monique's injury. Her left cheek was puffy and red. Callie could already tell it was going to be a mean bruise tomorrow.

"How are you feeling in general?" Callie softly asked. "Do you have any dizziness? Trouble focusing?"

Monique looked into kind brown eyes and slightly shook her head. "No, I'm fine…" she warily replied.

Just then, Arizona came over to them. The blonde caught Callie's eye and the brunette nodded. She turned to Monique. "Um, okay Monique… I think I have all I need. Thank you answering my questions."

The woman nodded and joined Julie on the other side of the room. Once they were out of earshot, the two cops spoke. "We need to find out who this guy is. Monique isn't pressing charges because she's scared to death. I saw it in her eyes."

Arizona held up a bagged DVD. "Louie gave me a copy of the camera footage. Maybe modern technology and face recognition could help us out."

"I hope so. I want to know why this girl was so freaked out about this guy. I think she knows who he is, but she's not talking." Callie glanced at Julie across the room. "Anything from the witness?"

"Well, she knows he's a member of the Blue Demon gang. That's one of the most dangerous gangs in Seattle. That's probably why our victim won't talk."

"That might explain why Monique is afraid. We should get back to the station."

Arizona nodded and the two women headed towards the exit.

"Callie!" Julie called out.

The brunette cringed. She thought she was home free. Callie turned around, as did Arizona. The blonde wondered how Julie knew her partner's name. The dancer sauntered up to Callie and leaned forward, trying to be discreet with her words. "You never called," she whispered.

"Uh…" Callie muttered, her eyes nervously shifted to Arizona.

The blonde felt the stirrings of jealously begin, but knew she had no right to go there. With a slight roll of her eyes, Arizona met Callie's worried brown gaze. The blonde tightened the muscles in her jaw and tried her best to keep her expression indifferent. "I'll meet you outside," she curtly stated, before turning and leaving.

"Arizona…" Callie began, but the blonde kept walking. The Latina sighed heavily and lowered her head. She hated that Arizona knew she had a sexual encounter with this dancer.

"So?" the young blonde asked.

Callie looked at the woman in front of her. The very same woman she had withering against an apartment door just months ago. It was a fun fling that night, but Callie knew the fast life of spontaneous sex with stranger was not for her anymore.

"Yeah, Julie," the brunette began. "The reason I haven't called is because… I've met someone."

"Oh," the blonde nodded, finding it hard to believe this sex machine was monogamous. "Is it serious?"

Callie looked towards the exit where Arizona had just disappeared and then turned to Julie. "Yes, it is," the Latina stated.

Arizona had made it back to the car and sank herself in the driver's seat. She had no right to be angry or jealous, but that's exactly how she felt. The thought of another woman touching Callie made her sick to her stomach. Somewhere deep in the contours of her mind, Arizona had now thought of the Latina as... hers… and hers alone. It was silly of course, but after that night in her apartment with Callie, she felt an even stronger connection with the Latina than ever before.

After a few moments, Callie was climbing into the car beside her. Arizona started the engine without saying a word and began to pull out of the parking lot. Callie could already feel the awkward tension coming off the blonde in waves. The brunette bit her bottom lip and sheepishly glanced at Arizona. The blonde had her eyes strictly on the road.

After Arizona had hastily walked out of the club, Callie was afraid of what the blonde may be thinking of her. This silence was unnerving.

"It didn't mean anything," Callie confessed, before she could stop herself.

Arizona frowned, not catching on to what the Latina was referring to. "What?"

"What I did with that dancer, Julie…"

Arizona's mood immediately plummeted even more at the mention of that other woman. "Callie…"

"It was months ago when I first moved out here," the brunette calmly continued.

The blonde quizzically furrowed her eyebrows and barely looked at the Latina. "Why are you telling me this, Callie? It's none of my business."

"Because I…" Callie took a second to think about that. Why did she feel the need to tell Arizona this? To make sure the blonde was at ease, perhaps? "I don't know," the brunette spoke honestly. Callie looked down at the fidgeting hands in her lap. "But I do know you heard what she said to me. I saw your face before you walked out and I can only imagine what you must think of me."

"Since when do you care what I think of you, Callie?" Arizona questioned.

The Latina let out a nervous chuckle and scratched behind one of her ears. "Um… I think… maybe after we admitted we like each other."

The blonde felt her heart flutter and was immediately touched by Callie's pure insecurity. She tried not to let it show. However, she could not hide her feelings about it in her voice. "Really?" Arizona spoke with hope.

"Yeah…probably sooner..." The brunette confessed, shyly looking down.

Arizona could hear her heart beating in her ears. It was amazing how she went from upset and hurt to absolutely flattered. The blonde came to a stoplight but kept her eyes forward, afraid what Callie would see in her eyes.

"Arizona… I just want you should know that… the person I was two months ago… I'm not that person anymore. I haven't been since I realized…" Callie's words faltered as she thought of how she should continue. She stared at the blonde's profile in a dreamy gaze, enjoying the reflections of street lights casting on Arizona's face. God, this woman was beautiful.

Arizona felt the brunette's stare and shyly glanced the Latina's way. When the brunette did not finish her sentence, Arizona finally met Callie's eyes with her own. Brown eyes with an expression she could not quite place made her heart pitter patter. "You realized what, Callie?" the blonde softly asked.

They stared into each other's eyes. Each silently willing the other to say something."That… that I…" I love you, Arizona. The Latina could not bring herself to say the words.

Suddenly, a horn blared behind them. Arizona looked ahead and saw the stoplight was green. She quickly put the car into motion, still waiting for Callie's answer. The brunette shook her head as their trance was broken.

"I realized how irresponsible and careless I was," the Latina finally said, not voicing her true feelings. "That I needed to grow up."

"Oh…" The blonde replied. She was hoping to hear a different answer.

"Yeah, I… just wanted you to know… that's all. For what it's worth…"

The blonde silently nodded. Callie was no longer bed hopping and made her somewhat happy. "It's worth a lot," Arizona sincerely spoke.

They did not say anything else for the rest of the ride, but both of them felt a weight lifted off their chest after their conversation.


Callie could not eat because whatever food she attempted to swallow would come right back up in seconds. She was a nervous wreck. Public speaking was one of her greatest weaknesses. The Latina was sitting in the guest dressing room of Seattle's number one news station. She and Arizona's interview was in fifteen minutes and the blonde was yet to arrive.

"Right this way, Sergeant Robbins," the female producer said, opening the door to the dressing room. Arizona stepped inside the space, giving Callie a subtle nod as she entered.

"I'll come back in a few to bring you to the studio when we're ready for you," the producer said.

"Thank you," Arizona replied with a polite smile.

The producer smiled as well and left the room, closing the door behind her. Callie slowly stood from her seat, never taking her eyes off of the blonde beauty before her. Arizona was wearing a blue long-sleeved, button down blouse with a smart gray business skirt, and matching blue heels. Her hair was down in shiny curls and her makeup was done perfectly. Callie thought she looked like an angel.

"You… you look… really nice," Callie nervously got out.

"Thanks," the blonde blushed, glancing down at her outfit.

Arizona took in Callie's ensemble as well. The Latina was wearing a sharp looking black blazer and pants with a white undershirt. Her hair was down, full of thick curls that shined and Arizona thought the red lipstick Callie wore made her lips look even more luscious.

"You look really nice too," the blonde complimented.

Callie gave a sheepish smile. "Thanks."

Arizona stepped further into the small room and caught her own reflection in the mirror on the wall to her right. "So, are you nervous?"

"A little, but you know. It should go fine," Callie nonchalantly replied. She did not want the blonde to know just thirty minutes ago she had finally been able to stop puking.

"I'm nervous," Arizona admitted with a small smile. "I've never been on TV before."

Callie smiled lightly. "You'll do fine," the brunette reassured. "Plus, we'll be doing this together, right?"

"Right," the blonde grinned, already feeling some of the anxiety leave her.

There was a soft knock and the door to the dressing room opened. The producer from earlier popped her head inside. "We're ready for you Sergeants. Please follow me."

The producer led the two nervous women down a corridor and into the studio. They were told to take a seat in the chairs that were side by side on the set. One empty chair was across from them, for the reporter. Three large studio cameras were pointed in their direction and the bright lights hanging above them were nearly blinding. Within minutes, the reporter, a mid-thirties, clean-cut looking man, came onto the set and introduced himself.

They spoke for about ten minutes, each woman talking about their backgrounds and the reporter gave them his undivided attention. As the interview went on, they became more comfortable. They both sat with one leg crossing over the other in typical lady-like fashion. And of course, Arizona's amazing legs did not go unnoticed by the Latina. She shook out of her thoughts as she listened to the reporters next question.

"The both of you attended the same Police Academy. Is that correct?" he asked.

Callie and Arizona glanced at each other with wry smiles on their faces before nodding.

"Yeah, that's right," Arizona replied.

"Were you friends back then?"

"Uh…" Arizona began, then glanced at Callie.

Callie grinned at the blonde and then turned to the reporter. "Not necessarily," the brunette chuckled, making Arizona do the same.

"Really…" the reporter said with intrigue.

"Yeah, actually we were sworn enemies," Arizona smiled.

"She thought I was annoying,... I thought she was annoying. That's pretty much all we agreed on," Callie added.

"So, wow, what a turn around. I mean now, Sgt. Robbins, I'm sure you can't imagine having a better partner then Sgt. Torres here, huh?"

The blonde looked at the Latina and Callie raised an expectant eyebrow. Arizona smiled lightly at the brunette.

"Truthfully… no, I can't. Sgt. Torres is the greatest partner I could have asked for. And if it wasn't for her… I wouldn't be sitting here right now."

Callie felt her chest expand a bit, hearing Arizona butter her up.

"Which brings us to the heart of this story," the reporter began. "Now, there was a big bust that happened last month that the two of you were involved in. It was to arrest the arms dealer, Vladimir Petrov. However, without any warning, it turned into a life or death situation. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Well…" "It…" Both women began simultaneously. They looked at each other and smiled lightly.

"Go ahead," Callie conceded.

"Thanks," Arizona replied in kind. "I had run after Petrov, but lost him in the cargo yard. I had no idea where he had gone. That's when he blindsided me. Then out of nowhere I hear Sgt. Torres shout to me," the blonde continued, gesturing towards Callie. "So, I turned around as fast as I could, but it was too late." The blonde shrugged. "The last thing I remember seeing was Petrov pointing his gun at me and pulling the trigger." Arizona shivered slightly, remembering the image. "Then…" the blonde did a small wave in front of her face. "Darkness..." she said in a whisper.

"That must have been terrifying for you."

The blonde nodded. "It was…"

Callie tightened and untightened the muscles in her jaw. She too still struggled with the memories of that day. That moment when she should have pulled her trigger a little faster.

"Sgt. Torres, can you share with us your perspective? What happened next?"

"Sure," the brunette cleared her throat. "I had gotten behind Petrov and saw him aiming his weapon at Sgt. Robbins. That's when I shouted to her. Petrov fired his weapon and so did I, hitting him in the leg. At the same time, Sgt. Robbins was hit in the head by Petrov's bullet and then she…" Callie paused, remembering the exact sequence of that frightening event. The brunette had never really revisited this moment in her mind before. Rehashing this story was suddenly pretty painful.

Arizona looked over at the Latina and saw Callie take a deep breath. The brunette truly looked disturbed and all Arizona wanted to do in that moment was comfort her partner. To hold her.

The reporter respectfully remained silent, waiting for Callie to continue.

Callie cleared her throat, trying to keep her emotions in check. "From the force of the bullet, Sgt. Robbins fell off the pier and into the water. That's when I dove in after her."

"The bullet had luckily only grazed my head," Arizona added. "But it knocked me out. I was lucky."

"That's incredibly lucky," the reporter agreed. "Sgt. Torres, what were you thinking in that moment when you dove in the water?"

"Um, nothing really. My mind kind of went blank. I was just hoping and praying that I would get to her in time… that I'd find her."

"And you did thank goodness. So, when finally pulled Sgt. Robbins from the water was she conscious at all?"

"No, she wasn't. So, that's when I proceeded with CPR."

While Callie spoke, every once and awhile Arizona would look at the Latina and then lower her eyes. Hearing these details again was making Arizona's pulse race. It was scary to think all of that happened and she could not remember a thing.

"I understand it took a while to revive Sgt. Robbins. Can you tell us what was going through your mind?"

The brunette blew out a shaky breath. "Honestly? I was scared. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. When I saw Ari… Sergeant Robbins just lying there, I was scared. I was thinking... what if I never see her again? Never get to talk to her again…" Callie shifted her eyes to the woman beside her. Arizona raised her blue eyes and stared into vulnerable brown ones. "Or see her smile again…"

A small smile played on Callie's lips and Arizona felt her insides turn to mush.

"I just had to save her," Callie softly spoke.

The remainder of the interview went smoothly and the reporter thanked both Sergeants for their time. They were led back to the dressing room to get their purses and or other belongings and were left in the small room alone.

Arizona stood in the corner of the room with her back to the Latina. Callie stood near the door, carefully watching the blonde. There was silence in the room. That interview had been a whirlwind of memories neither one of them had wanted to relive. They had agreed with the Captain that this was good for Seattle P.D. and good for the community to hear, but did not expect the consequences that their feelings would encounter.

"Did you really mean all that? What you said back there?" Arizona finally asked in a small voice.

"Every word…" Callie replied, without hesitation.

Arizona let out a quick breath and then slowly turned around. That was when Callie saw the tears streaking down the blonde's cheeks. Those blue eyes were so sad and vulnerable, the sight crushed Callie.

"Arizona…" she whispered, stepping closer.

The blonde shook her head slightly, feeling foolish for letting her emotion break free. "I…" the blonde's voice cracked. "I had no idea you felt that way about me… when that happened…"

Callie took a few more careful steps forward. Her eyes never leaving Arizona's. "You have no idea how much you mean to me, do you?" Callie softly whispered.

Arizona felt more tears filling the brink of her eyes at the brunette's words and she slowly shook her head, no. Her heart pounded at a rapid pace as Callie stepped in her personal space.

The brunette softly looked into Arizona's tearful eyes before reaching up and cupping the side of the blonde's face. Arizona closed her eyes at the contact as Callie brushed away the tear running down the blonde's cheek with her thumb.

"You're everything…" Callie spoke in a strained whispered, unable to hide the emotion in her voice.

Arizona felt her heart open up in that moment and she let out a shuddering breath. Slowly, she opened her eyes and was met with the most intense expression of care and love she had ever seen.

Callie knew there was no turning back now. She had lowered the walls around her heart and was ready to take the leap again.

The blonde could feel Callie's breath tickle against her lips and she suddenly felt desire course through her veins. Her eyes shifted down to the Latina's pouting red lips and she was slowly being reeled in. Callie's eyes flickered down to the pink lips before her and she too felt the compulsion to give in. With her hand still on Arizona's cheek, she slowly leaned in.

With anticipated breath and hearts pounding in their ears, their lips shyly brushed together in a ghost of a kiss. That alone was just enough fuel to ignite the fire burning inside of them. Arizona gasped at the feel of Callie's lips against hers. The brunette slowly pressed forward, so their lips met more firmly. The kiss was so tender and soft; Callie felt fresh tears forming in her own eyes. She had waited so long to have the blonde's lips against hers once more.

The feelings racing through Arizona was overwhelming. Callie was the only one in the world who could make her feel this way. Just as she was reaching hesitant hands towards the brunette's hips… KNOCK, KNOCK.

The two women quickly separated from each other just seconds before the producer caught sight of them. The woman gave them a friendly smile, unaware of what had just occurred. "If you're ready Sergeants, I'll walk you out."

Still recovering from the most emotionally driven kiss in the world, Arizona gave a forced smile and nodded her head. "Thank you, that's very nice."

She glanced over at Callie who was staring pointedly at her before shaking from her thoughts and looking at the producer. "Sure, thanks."

As the three of them walked down the hall, a voice made them turn. "Oh, Sgt. Torres!"

It was the reporter from the interview. Arizona saw this as an opportunity to escape and she took it. The moment she had just shared with Callie was so intense, she needed time to get her mind together. Basically, she was freaking out inside. She kept walking.

"I'm glad I caught you," the reporter began. "Do you have a second to answer one last question I have?"

"Uh…" Callie looked after Arizona and the producer who continued walking down the corridor. The brunette was not quite ready to part company with Arizona but she could not be rude and blow off the reporter. Her eyes kept glancing down the hallway at the blonde curls bouncing as Arizona walked away. "Um…" Callie mumbled. Soon Arizona turned the corner and was out of sight. The brunette finally made eye contact with the reporter. "Sure, what do you need?"

As the reporter rambled on, Callie looked down the corridor once more. You can run but you can't hide, Arizona. The brunette wickedly thought. Professionalism be damned. It was so on now.


No more teasing. Thoughts?