AN: You guys are awesome, I'll say it again and again. I'm thrilled there's this much interest in this story. I'd love to hear what you all think.
On the promotion side, sadly I didn't get it :( I'm bummed of course, but some very good friends of mine who have worked there way longer than me got it, so they'll be great!
To the guest reviewer who questioned the originality of the story since I had Callie sleep with Mark, I appreciate the comment, but until she meets/is dating Arizona, Callie is basically canon Callie from season 5, so of course I'll have her sleep with Mark, it's totally true to her character. I hope you continue to read anyway :)
Ok, I'll shut up now. It's date time.
Previously:
Arizona had apologized profusely, but Callie had stopped her. Surgeons understood better than anyone never to make concrete plans, so they would just have to wait a little longer.
Callie was ok with that.
Arizona Robbins had never been so happy for her workday to be over. After a quick debrief of her crew, the blonde quickly made her way to the parking lot, sending Callie a text before getting into her car.
Landed. Still on track to meet you in the hospital lobby at 8. What kind of place is this bar? Fancy? A x
By the time she arrived back at her apartment she'd received a reply.
Pretty casual. I'll see you at 8 :) They do food if you're hungry. C x
Arizona smiled as she read the message before tossing her bags and her phone onto her bed. She changed out of her uniform, hanging it neatly in her closet before making her way to the shower. She wished that Teddy were home. They would always talk before dates; calm each other down and offer clothing advice. Teddy, however, was half way to Bordeaux, France, so Arizona was left to fend for herself.
Deciding that she would eat at Joe's, the flight attendant devoted the rest of her evening to getting ready. She dried her hair, leaving it in soft waves that fell almost to her chest. After much deliberation she chose her favorite pair of jeans and a pair of wedged heels, a white silk blouse and a black blazer.
As Arizona was applying the final touches to her light makeup, her phone buzzed.
Mer and I are going for drinks tonight, so on the off chance that your date isn't as awesome as she sounds, call us and come hang out. Good luck and have fun! :) Lexie x
The blonde chuckled, popping her cell into her bag. She highly doubted that she'd need to take the Grey sisters up on their offer, but it was nice to know it was there all the same.
Callie Torres was practically buzzing with excitement. She couldn't remember ever being so excited for a date before, and she hoped that was a good sign. Stepping into one of the shower cubicles, the resident let the stress of the day wash away. She had scrubbed in on a surgery with the chief and had really been afforded an opportunity to remind him of her talent. All she could do now was hope he took it into consideration.
When she stepped back into the lounge she was met by Cristina.
"Hey, getting ready for your mile high hookup?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
Callie shook her head as she ran her fingers through her damp hair.
"I'm pretty sure you can only call it that if it happens at 38,000feet. And besides I've just met her, we're going for drinks."
"At Joe's?" Yang clarified.
"Like I'd tell you." Torres retorted, aware that Cristina might embarrass her if she knew where they were going.
"Just no lesbo sex on the couch. Or on the counter tops." Yang smirked before grabbing her coat.
"Good luck."
Callie grinned as Cristina disappeared. For all her faults, she was a pretty great friend. She probably wouldn't be interested in hearing how her date had gone, but the fact that she'd wished her luck alone made Callie smile. As she reached into her locker, she removed the clothes she chose to wear tonight. Slipping on her tight black jeans and her flats, she'd chosen a deep emerald green blouse with a plunging neckline. She checked her reflection in the mirror before applying a little more eyeliner and tousling her damp hair with some mousse to make it curl slightly. She took a deep breath as she pulled on her leather jacket. She was ready.
Hospitals were not a place that Arizona Robbins was overly fond of. From time to time she'd had passengers take ill on a flight and that was nerve-wracking enough without actually being responsible for saving their lives. As she waited for Callie, she watched doctors shoot past her. She briefly wondered how many lives they had saved that day; how many they had lost. No, hospitals were not a place Arizona was fond of.
Soon, a familiar face appeared through the sea of surgeons and nurses and it made Arizona's stomach flutter nervously. Callie was even more beautiful than the blonde had remembered.
"Hey, how are you?" Callie greeted, embracing Arizona.
"Good. Great, now. How was your day?" The blonde asked, smiling nervously as she watched Callie's eyes roam her body.
"Pretty good. How was your flight?"
"Pretty good." Arizona repeated. "I was waiting for the day to be over the whole time though."
Callie grinned.
"Me too. Joe's is right across the street. Have you eaten? They do the best chicken basket."
"That sounds awesome, I've not eaten since I landed."
"Alright. Shared chicken basket it is." Callie nodded, reaching her hand and linking it with Arizona's, smiling widely as the blonde squeezed her hand in return.
As they entered Joe's bar, the bartender smiled.
"Hey Callie. Is this her?"
Callie nodded.
"Arizona, this is Joe. He owns this place. Joe, we're going to take a booth, a chicken basket and lots and lots of fries." She smiled, glancing at Arizona.
"What would you like to drink?"
"A white wine spritzer please."
"And I'll take a rum and coke."
Joe nodded, jotting down their order.
"I'll bring it over when it's ready."
Callie blushed as Joe winked, leading Arizona over to one of the bar's booths.
"If it's possible you look even prettier out of your uniform." She told the blonde as they sat with their drinks. A soft blush colored Arizona's cheeks.
"Thank you."
Callie frowned.
"Sorry, that sounded vaguely dirty."
Arizona laughed.
"Well I'd love to see you in your scrubs. I have a feeling you look cute."
Callie rolled her eyes, handing Arizona her hospital ID.
"You do look cute." She scrunched her nose adorably as she read her full name.
"Calliope. Is that how you say it?"
Callie shook her head quickly.
"No. I mean yes, that's how it's said, but no one says it. It's awful!"
"I think it's beautiful. Like you." Arizona replied shyly, handing Callie her ID back. The brunette smiled gratefully, tossing her ID back into her bag.
"So…Arizona…? State or battleship?"
Callie watched as Arizona's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
"Ok you've got to be the first person that's ever asked me that. Battleship." The flight attendant smiled proudly.
"My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He saved nineteen men before he drowned."
The surgeon smiled softly as she listened to Arizona explain the origin of her name. It was clear that she was not only proud of her name, but also exceedingly proud of her grandfather.
"Sounds like he was a pretty incredible man."
Arizona nodded, taking a sip of her wine.
"That's what my Dad always told us. What about Calliope? Where did that come from?"
"It's Greek. It means 'beautiful voice', which is ironic because I cannot sing." She giggled.
"My older sister is called Aria, which is an operatic solo. I think my parents were maybe hoping to have singing stars on their hands…"
Arizona chuckled, running her fingers down the neck of her wine glass.
"What about you?" Callie asked, taking a sip of her drink.
"Do you have any siblings?"
Arizona's fingers stilled on her glass as a familiar tightness welled in her chest. Before either of them could speak, the shrill and unwelcomed sound of Callie's pager beeped.
"Oh, seriously?!" She growled, reaching into her purse to retrieve it. This allowed Arizona time to collect herself.
"What is it?"
"911. Multiple MVC. They need all hands on deck…" the surgeon trailed off, sighing apologetically.
"This sucks, I'm so sorry."
Arizona smiled softly, waving her hand.
"No, don't be silly. Go save lives. We'll…pause this. Indefinitely, since I'm guessing this'll take the rest of your night?"
Callie nodded sadly, gathering her things.
"Paused date sounds good. We'll un-pause tomorrow night?"
Arizona thought momentarily before nodding.
"Tomorrow night."
Callie reached over the table and squeezed Arizona's hand before leaving. The blonde cursed their hectic and often clashing schedules. As soon as the brunette was out of sight, Joe arrived with their food.
"She got paged huh? All the more for you I guess."
Arizona chuckled softly, thanking Joe before taking a handful of fries. She decided to take the Grey sisters up on their offer of a relaxing night out, texting them the address of the bar and letting them know there was plenty of food available.
Maybe the night could be salvaged after all.