AN:1 thanks to Calzonaheart for being my beta.
Chapter 3
30 minutes later, both women had filled their bellies full of delicious hot dogs, they reclined back in their loungers.
During their dinner, Arizona had filled Callie in on the story behind her name. Callie learning how the blonde's grandfather was serving on the U.S.S. Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He saved 19 men in the process before drowning.
Callie filling Arizona in on the meaning behind her name, Calliope, meaning music or 'Beautiful Voice' after her parents avid love of music.
Looking up at the clear starry night sky, Arizona curiously asks, "So Callie, why here?", Callie gazing up at the stars, tilted her head to look down at Arizona in confusion.
Arizona continued. "Why are you here, camping, when you could be anywhere in the world? Why did you pick the river?"
Looking back up into the night sky Callie spoke "This is my favorite place to be in the world. When I was a kid, my family... we would pack up and come here and spend all summer, I grew up here."
Arizona steal a glance at Callie, 'it can't be', the blonde though, noticing Callie smile as she recollects her childhood summers, then the Latinas smile begins to falter. "My life has been so hectic for the past 12 years or so, I just needed some peace in my life. Some ME time, ya know?"
Glancing over, seeing Arizona nod, Callie continues. "Time to just figure out what it really is that I want, what I need in my life to be happy."
'Maybe I can help you find what your looking for' Arizona thought as Callie continued speaking. "I never take time for myself anymore. My job is so time consuming, I love it, don't get me wrong, that's the reason I work like I do."
'That's exactly how I feel, my life since Tim's death has been so time consuming and lonely, so lonely. I miss him. And I really, really miss my brother, my best friend. I just don't know how to make the pieces of my life fit anymore.' Arizona thought.
"but I need something more in my life now. I just feel like I'm missing something, something very important."
'I want to be that missing something', Arizona wished.
"All I ever have time for is work and sleep." Callie said.
"I know exactly what your feeling", Arizona said.
"The only friends I have are my co-workers, which are great, but that's all I have time for. We occasionally go for drinks at Joes, but again that's few and far between with our demanding jobs. I just got hired as a surgical attending and I'm finally going to have time, Time for myself again. So here I am. Setting here at my family old camping spot. It's even looks the same after all those years."
Callie thought for a minute, then said. "No matter what is going on in my life, I can come here and everything seems to just fad away".
Looking over to Arizona, she noticed the puzzled look on the blondes face. "Sorry... Sorry I'm rambling... spilling my guts to a complete stranger."
"Oh no... no. Your not rambling Calliope. I love listening to you talk." Arizona smiled.
'It has to be her', Arizona thought. "Y... you... you're?" Arizona mumbles. Callie lifting a questionable eyebrow. "You're a Torres, aren't you? The 'Torres Method' Torres", Arizona says. More of a statement than a question.
"How did you..." Callie stated. Knowing the old 'Torres Method' camp sign has been gone for years.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
'Of course she doesn't remember you, moron. You wouldn't giver her or anyone else for that matter, the time of day when you were camping. Remember you 'hated' camping'. Arizona thought to herself.
"Of course you don't, I would never come outta the camper if I had my way." Arizona laughed.
Shaking her head, Callie tried to remember. 'I would have remembered knowing someone with the name Arizona,' she thought. "I'm sorry, but no, I... I don't remember."
"No, no... Don't be sorry. There was ah.. a family that camped right where I've pitched my tent. Every summer they camped in that exact spot."
She hadn't been back since her dad was called into the line of duty. Her mother wouldn't consider coming here without her husband. Tim would come ever so often, it was always in the fall time when he would make his way down here. He said it was more relaxing without all the campers, Arizona thought back.
Callie nodded. Remembering, Timothy, the first boy she ever had a crush on. She began to smile. "Yeah, I remember.. Timothy." She stated. Arizona looked into those brown eyes as Callie continued. "That was the boys name. He had a sister, but...she would never come out to hang with all of us, the kids." Callie laughed. "We tried damn near every day to get Timothy to bring her over to make the teams even when we played ball. She always refused. That family camped there for years and you know, I don't think I've ever heard her name. Timothy would always call her..."
"Little Sis", Arizona stated. As tears began to appear in the corner of her eyes. Boy she missed being called that.
"Yea", Callie said smiling. "What?... wait...what?" Callie looked shockingly in to those watery blue eyes.
"Arizona", the blonde said.
"Arizona? That was you?" Callie asked.
Arizona nodded. "Yep." Callie began to smile. "In the flesh. Kinda ironic isn't it, here I am, doing the one thing I always said I despised." Arizona chuckled.
"Wow, I can't believe it. How's Timothy? Ohh, your parents? how are they? They were always so sweet." Callie said smiling.
"Uh... my parents are great." Arizona said with a slight smile. "They are good, dad finally retired from the marines, uh.. they are currently flipping Tim's business for me. I'm getting ready to take over his place. They always had a knack for those things, so right now, their busy with that."
"What's Timothy doing now? God, I haven't thought about him in forever!" Callie said.
Arizona stood, beginning to feel the tears behind her eyes, she walked over to the waters edge. Looking into the reflection of the moon, rippling in the flowing water. Her heart was breaking.
'How do I tell her. He's dead. That I got my brother killed?' Arizona thought.
Callie heard a sniff. Is she crying? Callie came to stand a few feet behind Arizona. Not knowing for sure what to do. She just stood there. "Are you okay?" Nothing... "Arizona. You can talk to me. What's wrong?"
"It's my fault." Arizona said with a whimper.
"What's your fault?" Callie asked.
"I... I shouldn't have been there. I knew better. But I just needed to get away. Ya know? JoAnn she uh..." Shaking her head. She felt anger building up at the thought.
"I uhh... I came home from work one day, a lot earlier than normal. I found JoAnn fucking one of my friends, my coworker for god sakes, on MY couch, in MY apartment. I was so angry. I thought she loved me."
Shaking her head, Arizona felt so foolish looking back on that time in her life. Not because JoAnn broke her heart, but because she put up with the mistreatings of her ex-girlfriend for so long. JoAnn never did nice things for Arizona, she took advantage of her all the time. She never bought her flowers just because. Never told her she was pretty or beautiful like she treated JoAnn. Arizona was blinded by love, or what she thought was love.
Tears streamed down Arizona's face, Callie stepped up beside her and placed a hand on the small of her back.
Callie's heart was breaking for this women. She couldn't describe it. She was feeling something, something she'd never in her life felt before. She just couldn't get enough of this blonde.
"She didn't love me...I think maybe she just didn't want to be alone..." Arizona's voice broke. Callie began to slowly stroke her back. "or.. or maybe, maybe I was good for her ego. Or maybe I made her feel better about her, her miserable life, but she didn't love me, " Arizona was shaking her head. "because you don't destroy the person that you love!"
Callie spoke lightly. "I'm so sorry Arizona." Stroking the blondes back.
"Don't be. I'm so much better off. Even if I am all alone now."
"Your not alone Arizona...your not alone honey." Callie continued rubbing small circles on the blondes back. "I'm here!" Callie said smiling, trying to lighten the mood. "...and I've been told I'm kinda of an amazing friend."
Wiping her tears away with a small grin, she looked toward Callie, relishing in the comfort of having the women so close, she continued. "So, I told her to have her shit out of my apartment before morning and I stormed out of there."
Looking up to the sky to try to keep her tears at bay, stilling herself, for what she was yet to say.
"I drove around for a few hours. Just trying to clear my head. I eventually called Tim. We were best friends, we told each other everything," Callie saw a small smile cross Arizona's face as she mentioned how close the two siblings were. "I told him what I came home to. I asked him to meet me at our spot. A bench in a nearby park overlooking Seattle. We used to go there to talk about what we wanted in life, our dreams.
It was getting late, it was dark out. I saw the lights around the bench were out. Next thing I know I was being pushed to the ground. With a hand on my mouth, the man told me that if I didn't keep quiet, he'd will kill me. I tried to fight him off...I really did. He uh... he punched me in the face, I guess to keep me from identifying him later on."
Callie stepped closer to the tearful blonde, wrapping an arm around her shoulder tightly, trying to give her more comfort. "The man began unzipping my pants, sliding his hands in my jeans. The next thing I know, he was gone. I got up and saw Tim trying to pin the man to the ground. What I didn't know is that Tim had already called the police. As soon as we heard the sirens, Tim's body went limp and the man pushed him off to the side and vanished. I ran to Tim...there was jus…" Shaking her head at the memory. "it was just too much… too much blood. His…" by now Arizona was sobbing. "...his throat was slashed. I tr… I tried to save him, I mean... I am... uh.. a doctor. A DOCTOR Callie, for god sakes, a doctor that couldn't save her own brother. A doctor that couldn't put her brothers murderer behind bars. He's still out there, preying on his next victim."
"That's not your fault, You hear me? That's not your fault Ari. That's on that man. Not you honey."
Trembling with sobs, Callie hugged Arizona closer, tears slipping from her own eyes. Running her left hand up and down the Arizona's side. "I'm sorry baby, so sorry... Its okay... Its okay, Arizona. Let it out honey, I got you...you're safe...just relax...shh… I got you sweetie… I got you." Callie whispered into the blondes ear, kissing her temple, and resting her forehead on the side of Arizona's head, cupping the other side of her cheek, she continued to whisper soothing words to her.
The sobs finally trickled into quiet tears. They Stood in the embrace for minutes...hours... Arizona wasn't even sure. All she knew is that she has never felt so comfortable with someone, ever, maybe.
She couldn't believe that knowing Callie for only a few hours, she would tell her, something she had never told anyone outside of her parents and the law enforcement. But she did. There was just something about Callie. She couldn't put her finger on it, but boy, did she want to. In those few short hours of knowing her, she already couldn't get enough of the Latina. Her smell, her touch, her arms, her consoling words, that kiss...so soft and gentle. 'I want to feel those lips. I will fill those lips.'
Sweeping her thumbs across Arizona's tear stained cheeks, Callie guided them to sit on the bench of the picnic table. With her hand still rubbing up and down the blondes arm. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a buzz kill." Arizona quietly spoke.
"No, no.. don't ever apologize for what your feeling. I'm the one that asked about Timothy. I'm so sorry Arizona. I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault. You hear me?" Arizona nodded.
They set there for several minutes looking out into the moon light river, just thinking about what just transpired between them.
"I've never done that before." Arizona whispered looking over to Callie. "I've never told anyone about Tim. Ever." Arizona's didn't talked to anyone about Tim's death or him in general since that night. Its just too hard. "Its just that, there is something about you Calliope...I don't know what it is...there is something about you that, I just want to tell everything to… like I feel so affixed to you."
Callie sat, still stroking the back of the blonde. This was a brand new feeling for her. She's never felt like this towards someone before, let alone the same sex. Its strange. But there is something about Arizona. When she kissed her temple, there was this tingling on her lips right down to her core. It felt like coming home.
"I feel it too." Callie said. Looking into those blue eyes of Arizona's.
"You do?" Arizona asked.
"I do." Callie smiled.
They continued to set on the bench for another 30 minutes. Arizona was resting up against Callie's side, Callie's arm draped on the blondes shoulder. Reveling at each others touch. They listened to the constant flow of the water, crickets chirping, frogs crocking and a hoot owl making its presence known ever so often. Arizona felt more at peace than she's felt in a long time.
Watching the lightening bugs shimmer above the water. Callie quietly whispered. "Arizona?"
The blonde nearly missed Callie's quiet word.
"Hmm?" Arizona hummed. Looking deep into the Latina's chocolate eyes that she has beginning to crave.
Licking her lips, Callie looking into those clear blue eyes of the blonde. Her eyes straying down to those pink lips. Her breathing catches. She had to do it. She had to taste those luscious pink lips. Slowly moving her lips closer to the blondes. Their eyes met, as if asking for permission.
Arizona leaned her head forward towards the red lips, looking Callie right in the eyes. Their face inches apart. Arizona looked at those plump lips, nudging her nose against Callie's, lightly brushing their lips together. Arizona could taste the Remnants of Callie's Hawaiian Tropics original lip balm. The touch was so light Callie barely felt it. Pulling back slightly, Arizona looked back into the Latinas eyes.
When Callie felt the light graze of Arizona's lips on hers, her head whirled. It was like the stars aligned. It was all consuming. Man, she couldn't imagine what a real kiss from Arizona would feel like if she was already feeling these emotions with just a light touch. She needs more, so much more. Callie leaned back into Arizona, capturing the blondes lips in hers, in a more demanding kiss.
Pulling back, both women had matching smiles. "I'm really starting to like my 'Me Time'", Callie said, giggling.
"Me too...Me too." Arizona smiled. Pulling Callie in for another kiss.
AN2: I spelled JoAnn this way because it was my grandmas name, and that's how she spelled it. Most people don't spell it that was but I think is unique, like my mamaw!
Anyone thing their moving way too fast?
Or when you know. You know. And just go balls to the wall?
Let's hear your thoughts or opinions?
Good place to end this story?
Reviews gets me going!