Mark sat patiently on the couch in Callie's office as Callie dialed Arizona again. The first time she didn't pick up. Mark tossed another pecan in his mouth and wiped his hands. He and his wife were supposed to be going to a late night party with the new couple as soon as Arizona got off her dinner with Deluca. He glanced back over at Callie and waited.
"There you are. What time do you think you'll be here?" Callie asked.
Mark watched as Callie's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean, you don't know? I thought you were going for dinner with Carina?" she questioned.
Callie slowly sat down, and Mark saw a blank expression come across her features. Her glowing caramel face was draining of colour. Something Callie was hearing was obviously a problem of some kind. "Arizona...what happened?" Callie asked.
Then Callie's face turned white. Pale white. Mark rose and walked over to the desk. What the hell was going on? Callie leaned over the desk and covered her face with her hand as she listened to whatever Arizona was saying.
"Are you okay?" Callie asked Arizona, as she glanced up at Mark, who mouthed 'What's wrong?', but Callie didn't answer. She just told Arizona she would be there in a few minutes and hung up the phone. But now that pasty tint that had covered her features was slowly fading away...or actually turning into a bright red color, while her breath quickened.
"Callie, what happened?" Mark asked, staring at the unreadable expression on Callie's face. It wasn't often that Mark couldn't read her best friend. "Is Arizona okay?"
"Someone shot at her," Callie quietly said, as she grabbed her keys from the desktop. "Someone shot at..." He heard Callie whisper again, but more to herself.
Mark watched closely, as Callie stood there for a moment, bracing her knuckles on the desk so hard that all the color was draining from them.
"Callie?" Mark softly said, before everything on Callie's desk went flying off to the floor in a loud crash.
"Mother—fuckers!" Callie yelled, as she rushed around her desk and out of the office. Mark ran after her trying to keep up, as Callie took the steps four at a time.
"Alex! We have to go!" Mark hollered over his shoulder, as Callie tore out of the front door.
Alex quickly dropped his plate of food and ran out of the kitchen, no questions asked.
Callie couldn't breathe. They shot at Arizona?! Someone actually fucking shot at her?! Tried to kill her?! She was trying her best to keep cool. Half of her brain was telling her to remain calm, get to the restaurant, assess the situation and go from there. The other side of her mind was racking up anyone who had ever crossed her so she could kill them. Painfully.
Alex had slipped behind the driver's wheel of the Escalade, while Callie was in the passenger's seat and Mark in the back. When they pulled out onto the road, heading toward Oysters, Mark asked, "What are you thinking, Callie?"
Callie didn't answer. Her mind was still racing. She wiped furiously at her face to wipe away any stains of emotions or tears….She had to gain control and get her mind focused.
"Callie, you do realize that place is going to be swarming with cops, right?" Mark asked. He sighed when Callie didn't answer. Callie just continued to stare ahead through the windshield.
Alex slowed down as they pulled up on the opposite side of Oysters, to an onslaught of black and white police cars. "Callie, I'll go. There's no point in facing them, you know how they feel about you…," Mark suggested, as he opened up his door.
"No. I'm going," Callie stated, looking around for Arizona.
"Callie, I know you're upset, but—," Mark started, before Callie interrupted.
"Upset, huh?" Callie said, as she continued to stare out of her window looking for the object of her affection. The front side of the restaurant was completely destroyed, all the glass walls were broken with multiple gunshots, and the sidewalk was filled with broken shards of glass. "I don't think upset covers what I'm feeling right now, Mark." When she finally spotted Arizona, she got out of the car and slammed the door.
"I told you, I'm not sure. I didn't see the car. I dropped my phone and was looking down when I first heard the shots," Arizona recounted for the third time to a different cop. She was exhausted, shaken and just wanted to be with Callie.
"I understand you're tired ma'am, but we need to get this information while it's fresh on your mind. Now can you tell me again what time you were walking out of the restaurant," the police officer asked, while looking down at his notepad.
Arizona sighed. "I think it was—"
"Are you okay?" Callie asked, as she spun Arizona around and glanced over her body as if she needed medical attention. Arizona immediately latched onto her, wrapping her arms around Callie's waist and burying her head into her chest. Her whole body began to shake and she started sobbing. Callie pulled her jacket open, and encased Arizona inside with her as she kissed the top of Arizona's head several times. Arizona knew her tears and makeup were probably ruining Callie's expensive t-shirt, but she just couldn't let go.
"Oh Miss Callie Torres...long time, no see," Callie heard a familiar voice say. Fuck. She turned around to see her suspicions confirmed. Detective Avery was staring at her with that damn smug smile and intriguing green eyes that Callie always wanted to knock right off his face. Detective Jackson Avery had been promoted the day Callie's father died. She remembered seeing him standing in the distance at his father's private funeral. She knew Jackson had been following her closely throughout the years and just never seemed to really go away. She knew Detective Avery was waiting for her to just make one slip, so he could nab her.
"Avery," Callie stated dryly.
Arizona sniffled and peeked her head out from under Callie's jacket. She wanted to see who this Avery guy was. He was a dark skinned man who had stubble of hair and beard and piercing green eyes. He looked too young to be a detective already.
"Hi miss...?"
"Her name is Arizona Robbins , sir," the police officer who had been questioning her said.
"Miss Robbins. How do you know my good friend, Callie?" Avery asked, smiling down at her.
Arizona didn't know much about what Callie did, but she wasn't about to open her mouth and tell this man anything. But luckily she didn't have to. Callie started guiding her towards her car.
"Hold up a second Torres, we weren't done questioning her," Avery said.
"Yes you were," Callie said over her shoulder.
"Don't forget who you're talking to, Torres. Wanna take a trip downtown?" Avery warned.
Callie stopped and turned toward Avery. "You want to try?" Callie countered, staring the man down.
Arizona wasn't sure what to do. She sure as hell didn't want to get on any cops shit-list, but Callie appeared to be done with the conversation. She glanced back and forth between the two of them, while trying to wipe her eyes and nose.
Detective Avery's smug smile reappeared. "Well, I guess there's no reason to-if you haven't done anything wrong, now is there?" he said.
"You know I never do anything wrong Jackson…!"
Callie turned back around and ushered Arizona across the street, towards the Escalade.
"Don't go too far Miss Robbins. I'd still like to ask you a few questions regarding the incident today," Arizona heard Detective Avery ask in the distance.
Mark had transferred to the front seat, while Callie opened the door and guided Arizona into the backseat. She held Arizona close to her body, with her arms wrapped protectively around her. But no one said a word. Alex rarely ever said much of anything. Mark wasn't sure what to say. Arizona was too tired to utter another word and Callie was too busy thinking about what her next step was to talk to anyone. So they traveled in silence all the way back to Callie's house.
Arizona winced in pain from trying to pry her puffy eyes open. She sat up in Callie's bed and pushed her wild blonde curls from her face. She glanced at the night stand for the time. 10 pm. She sighed. All the images from earlier that day came flashing back. The loud noise, screams and shattering glass. She was praying that it was just a nightmare, but she knew that wishful thinking was all in vain. But just as suddenly as those visions had come, Arizona couldn't breathe. She quickly grabbed her chest and forced herself to take deep gulps of air to calm her breathing.
She finally composed herself, walked out of the room and down the long hallway. When she reached Callie's office door she was about to knock when she heard Callie's voice, more animated than she had ever heard before. She cracked the door open and saw Mark and Callie arguing.
"Callie, all I'm saying is you don't know for sure that Amelia Shepherd did this. It could have been a number of people," Mark said.
"No. I know it was her," Callie declared, with her hands locked behind her head as she paced back and forth.
Arizona observed Callie. She too, looked exhausted.
"But what if it wasn't, I mean-,"
"It was," Callie contradicted.
"But-,"
"They shot at her, Mark! They fucking mowed down the front of her workplace to get to her. If you think I'm going to let them have a second chance, then fuck you," Callie said, walking around to her desk. She sat down and laid her forehead against the cool, flat wood.
'Shot at her?' Arizona thought. What the hell? It was a drive-by shooting, they weren't targeting her. Why would someone want to kill her? Arizona remained silent, listening outside the door.
"You see, that's what I mean. You said 'they'...who's 'they', Callie? You have to be certain before you go accusing Derek Shepherd's sister of something like that. Just use your head."
Arizona pushed the door open and walked in.
Callie glanced up at the door when Arizona entered. Arizona's eyes seemed weak and still glassy from her crying herself to sleep.
"Callie, Mark's right. Those people could have been aiming at anyone. I mean, they shot at the entire restaurant," Arizona said, glancing back and forth between both of them.
Callie sighed and smiled up at her. "How did you sleep?"
"Alright. Are you okay?"
"Not really," Callie answered honestly. "How about you go grab yourself something to eat and let Mark and I finish up here. I'll join you in a moment."
"But Callie, I probably should call that guy back, the police officer that was asking all those questions," Arizona suggested. She watched as Callie just shook her head.
"No, I'll take care of this. You gave your statement and you're done. You don't remember anything else as far as they're concerned, okay?"
Arizona placed a hand on her hip. "What do you mean you'll take care of it? I'm sure the police will find the people in no time."
"I don't want the police to find the people. I want to find them so I can question them myself. Ask who hired them."
"What? Callie, leave this to the cops. Let them do their jobs."
"Arizona—go eat. I'll join you later," Callie commanded.
"Callie, I—"
"Arizona! End of discussion," Callie said, narrowing her eyes at her. Arizona just didn't understand that Callie didn't want her involved in this any more than she already was.
"No, don't start that with me. It's NOT the end of the discussion! What are you planning to do?" Arizona asked.
Callie sighed. "Arizona, the less you know about me and what I do, the better for you. You can't give anyone any information if you don't know it, now can you? And that's the way I want to keep it. I don't want you getting in trouble or having to lie for me."
"Do you really think it was Amelia?"
"Yes," Callie answered. She heard Mark exhale noisily.
Callie got up from her desk and walked over to Arizona. Arizona was standing there staring at the ground and shaking her head.
"I don't understand," she whispered to Callie, before Callie leaned down to capture her lips.
"I need you to do something for me," Callie said, sliding her hand through Arizona's hair. Arizona looked up at her, her eyes already starting to glass over again.
"I need you to go away for a little while. Just a short time until I can get all of this handled."
"No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"Arizona, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you."
"I don't want to leave you. Plus, I have a job. The insurance company will be fixing the windows and the damaged interiors soon, so we are returning to work in a week."
"No, you're not. I'll talk to Derek and-," Callie tried to say, while Arizona shook her head back and forth like a child.
"No, I'm not going to let someone scare me into-," Arizona started, until Callie grabbed her head with both of her hands and forced Arizona to look up at her.
"This isn't a game, Arizona. This is real. This is serious. This hit was set up to look like gang violence. But trust me, this wasn't some gangbanger with a grudge. And I can't think straight if I'm worried about your safety every second. Your bags should be arriving here in a few more minutes, then you leave."
"What? My bags?"
"Yes. I didn't want you going back to your apartment to do it, so I had Cristina and Alex pack you some clothes. Mark will escort you to another location," Callie said.
Arizona pushed herself from Callie's grasp and back toward the door. "When did you do all this? And what made you think I was going to go?"
"While you were sleeping and I knew you would be going because it was never going to be a negotiation," Callie stated matter-of-fact.
Arizona scoffed. Perhaps Callie had a point, but this was all happening too sudden. Her life was being uprooted for what could possibly be nothing at all. Maybe she could play the emotional card. "But I love you and I don't want to go."
"I love you too, and that's the only reason I'm sending you away. Trust me, it will make sense when you get there," Callie said. She quickly glanced down at her cell phone and then back at Arizona. "Alex's here with the bags. You leave tomorrow morning."
Arizona didn't said anything, she shook her head in disdain and ran straight back to Callie's bedroom.
When Callie entered her room, it was pitch black except for the soft glow of the moon enlightening the silhouette of Arizona on her bed. She quickly discarded her jacket and boots and slipped into the bed, spooning Arizona from behind. It was past midnight but she could tell by the tensed shoulders and closed off body posture that Arizona was awake.
She brushed the hair on Arizona's shoulder aside and pressed her cool lips to the exposed shoulder, inhaling deeply. She still can't believe that someone had just tried to take Arizona away from her.
"How do you live like this? In constant fear…scared that something horrible may happen to someone you love?" Arizona's voice was a mere whisper.
"You don't have to fear anything. I'm here and that's how it works" Callie tightened her grip at Arizona's waist and buried her face in the soft blonde locks in front of her.
"How are we even gonna think of building a life together, having a family together, having kids…if just dating has landed us in so much trouble?"
"Can we just stop thinking about hypothetical kids and family for a second and focus what we have right now?" Callie exhaled sharply, she turned Arizona around and climbed atop her, pressing their bodies from head to toe "I….something horrible happened today Arizona. I won't let it happen again. But I almost los—-", she shook her head at the mere thought of it, "Please….let me feel you!".
Arizona didn't know what to say, she could sense the tremor in Callie's voice but she was still too shocked to say anything. She kept looking at the moon, outside the glass wall, as she felt Callie's wandering lips on her pulse point, sucking, nibbling, making sure that she's alive. Callie has always been a confident and powerful lover but, there was a fear and shakiness in Callie's touches tonight that jarred Arizona, she moved her hands to hold Callie's face and lifted it upwards as she turned her own face to meet it. She could see the tears in Callie's eyes…."Oh Calliope…" Arizona breathed out as she felt Callie's lips crashing down on hers.
The kiss was hungry, desperate and full of desire and want. Arizona's hands quickly went to lift Callie's sweater above her head, as Callie's hands worked meticulously to slip Arizona out of her silk slip-on, in a move they have perfected together. Arizona was bare underneath and as she moved her hands to unclasp Callie's bra, she felt Callie, lowering the zipper of her jeans and entering her in one swift motion. This wasn't about foreplay, this was about need. A desperate need to feel.
Callie pinned Arizona's hands to the side of her head and lowered her head to engulf an engorged nipple in her mouth, as her hips started out a delirious rhythm. She felt Arizona's legs wrap around her jean clad thighs, and her back arch into her mouth. Callie sucked the soft breast harder and used her tongue to press the nipple into the roof of her mouth, sending a shiver through Arizona's body, whose hands came down to hold Callie's hungry mouth against her chest. Callie nibbled a path between the ivory globes and moved her attention to the other breast, sucking on it deeply, as her hips picked up a faster pace.
The rhythm of hips meeting hips turned faster and as Arizona felt Callie expanding within her, her mouth came clamping down on Callie's neck, biting it, marking it as her own.
Callie flopped down beside Arizona, panting. Their bodies were glistening in sweat and sex. The sun was just about to rise and the room was bathed in a yellow glow. Arizona will have to leave soon. And all Callie wanted was a few more moments with the love of her life.
In the car ride on the way to...well, wherever she was going, Arizona thought of yesterday morning. She had woken up, had a big bowl of cereal and then went into work. Never in a million years would she have thought her day would turn out this way. One minute she's separating the marshmallows from the other bits of cereal in her bowl, the next she's caught in the middle of some mob war. Life was indeed strange. Mark had told her to go to sleep if she could, because they had a long way ahead of them. She hadn't slept much last night and her eyelids were heavy, and although she protested, she was asleep in no time.
Mark glanced in his rearview mirror at Arizona. She had her head resting against the window and her eyes were shut. She was definitely a beautiful girl. And one of the sweetest people he had ever met. He really hated that she was going through this and he couldn't imagine what Callie must be feeling. No one had ever tried to hurt Mark's family. Ever. He hoped that Amelia wasn't involved. Because if she was, that would mean Derek would have to get involved, and this would be the beginning of something truly ugly.
After several more hours of driving and one gas stop, Mark turned onto the familiar street that led to an iron gate. He punched in the code and drove down the long driveway.
Arizona's head bobbled against the glass, waking her up. She quickly wiped her eyes as she stared out of the window. Everything was pitch black except for a faint light above the door of a two-story house.
Mark parked the car and hopped out to open Arizona's door.
"Where are we?" she asked, right as the front door opened.
Out stepped a thin, beautiful woman with a nice tan. She had long wavy black hair and a wide smile. Arizona turned to look at Mark, but he was getting her bags from the trunk. She tried to go help him, but he pushed her toward this beautiful stranger. Arizona sighed and cautiously walked closer, when she noticed similar soulful brown eyes. Eyes she'd seen a million times. 'Oh my God,' Arizona thought. This was Callie's mother. No doubt about it. Arizona immediately became nervous. She quickly smoothed her shirt down, trying to look somewhat presentable after hours of being asleep in a car.
"Oh my God, Mark, look at her! She's beautiful!" the smiling woman said, while staring in Arizona's direction. 'Well, that's a promising start,' Arizona told herself, as she moved closer to the house.
"Hi Arizona, I'm Callie's mother, Lucia Torres," she said.
"Hi Mrs. Torres, Nice to-," Arizona said, before she was ambushed with a huge hug.
"Oh, don't you dare start with the Mrs. Torres crap. It's Lucia, you hear!" she said, squeezing Arizona tightly. When she finally released her hold, she scooted Arizona into the house, almost closing the door on Mark.
"Jeez, Lucia. What am I, chopped liver?" Mark joked, as he placed the bags on the floor and quickly hugged her.
"Oh, you know I love you. I'm just so excited to finally meet her. I mean, I hate it's under these circumstances," Lucia admitted, shaking her head. "But even still, I'm so glad you're here," she said looking in Arizona's direction.
Arizona wasn't quite sure what to do, but she was making a mental note to herself to curse Callie out for not warning her that she'd be meeting her mom.
"Well, I guess I'm glad to be here—I mean I'm glad to meet you," Arizona said, nervously looking around.
"And you must be hungry. How could you not be? Come," Lucia said, winking her eye, as she quickly marched down the hallway.
Arizona followed Lucia to the kitchen. "Can I help you with anything?" Arizona asked, looking around the large designer kitchen that looked as though it belonged on some fancy cooking show.
"Absolutely not! Sit down and rest yourself. My Callie says you're a restaurateur. That means you spend all day serving people...well let me serve you. Mark, get in here!" Lucia yelled in a slightly Spanish tinged Mexican accent, while opening the fridge and removing several dishes.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Mark yelled, bursting through the kitchen doors. "Now you see where Callie gets it from," Mark whispered to Arizona. She covered her mouth and tried not to laugh.
"Lexie and the children are well, yes?" Lucia asked, as she warmed up two plates packed full of food.
"They're good. I have her staying at her mother's until all of this blows over," Mark answered.
Arizona looked at Mark. His wife and kids were hiding out too...all because of her? And now Callie's mom was having to take her in. Arizona felt like shit. She tried to stop the first two tears that dropped, but then she couldn't quite herself. She felt Mark squeeze her hand. "It's okay, Arizona."
"Why are you crying, dear?" Lucia asked, rushing to Arizona's side, placing her arm around her.
"I'm sorry—I just—I didn't mean for this to happen. I feel like I'm imposing on you, and Mark had to send his family away—all because of me. I feel awful," Arizona admitted, trying to wipe away her tears.
"Don't you dare feel that way! This is not your fault. Not at all. You can't help the fact that there are crazy people in this world," Lucia said, grasping her tighter.
"It's not your fault, Robbins. And no one is blaming you," Mark added. He glanced down at his vibrating cell phone. "Oh shit."
"What happened?" Lucia asked, walking back to the kitchen to retrieve their food.
"I forgot to call Callie to tell her we had arrived," he exhaled. He swiped on the phone. "Hey-yeah, we're here, I forg—I know, I know, I'm sorry. But we're here now-yeah, hold on," he said as he passed the phone to Arizona. Arizona had to leave her phone at Callie's place so as no one could track her.
"Hello?" Arizona said, wiping at her face.
"Are you okay? Why are you crying?" Callie rushed out.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just feel bad that everyone is having to do things because of me."
"That's not your fault," she heard Callie say.
"I know, your mother already said that."
"I love you, get some rest and pass the phone to my mom," Callie said.
"I love you too," Arizona whispered, before she passed the phone to Lucia. "She wants to speak with you."
"Calliope!" Arizona heard Lucia say, as she walked back into the kitchen, and proceeded to talk to Callie in Spanish. So much for eavesdropping.
"How long do you think I'll have to be here, Mark?" Arizona whispered.
"I'm not sure. Hopefully no more than a few days. Why, is Lucia already getting on your nerves?" Mark smiled.
"No! No, I mean, she's great as far as I can tell. She's so friendly. It's just that I miss Callie already. And I'm sure you miss your family."
Mark patted her on the back. "It should only take a few days to get everything sorted out, and then it should all go back to normal."
"Mark! Get in here…!" Lucia yelled from the kitchen. "Callie wants to speak with you again."
Mark laughed. "I love that woman," he said, before he hopped up and walked further into the kitchen.
After dinner Arizona could hardly keep her eyes open. She felt like she had already slept most of the day away, but her eyes just couldn't stay open any longer. Lucia showed her to the room she'd be staying in, and Mark brought up her bags. Lucia gave her another hug, said goodnight and walked out of the room. As if on cue, Arizona fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. After a few minutes of reflection, Arizona closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.
Callie didn't sleep at all. She sat at her desk sketching, trying to calm her nerves. She knew she couldn't make a move until she got a few more answers, but her gut along with years of experience knew that maybe it was Amelia behind this shooting. She never trusted her, even when they were kids. She glanced at the clock. It was already five in the morning. She wanted so badly to call Arizona, and just hear her voice, but she didn't want to wake her up.
Callie was about to start on a new sketch when she heard her stomach rumble. She couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten. She walked down to the kitchen and poured herself a large bowl of Arizona's sugary cereal. She normally didn't eat things like this, but in some weird, childish way she felt she was closer to Arizona by doing so. She took a big bite and surprisingly, it was pretty good. She stared down at her bowl as she thought about what steps she had to take next. She needed to call favors in on some people around town who always had their eyes and ears open.
"Callie, mind if I join you?" she heard Carina ask from the kitchen door.
Callie kicked out the chair beside her as her answer.
Carina walked in and grabbed a bowl of cereal for herself as well. She sat down in the chair that Callie had offered and took a few bites of cereal as the two of them sat in silence.
"This whole thing is crazy, huh?" Carina asked, not being able to stand the quiet.
"Thank you…you know, for saving her. She would have been hurt, if you weren't there, protecting her." Callie quietly added. She sat there staring straight ahead while taking another big bite of cereal.
Carina simply nodded. She remembered how fear stricken Arizona's face was. All she wanted in that moment was to hold Arizona tightly and never let go.
"I remember the first time I met her. She was at your party—in that red dress. She seemed so out of place," Carina laughed. She turned to Callie and noticed her expression hadn't changed.
"I mean in a good way. Well, I mean, not that your guests are bad, but—well, she just seemed different," Carina tried to quickly correct. When Callie didn't respond, Carina exhaled and continued to eat her food. She was slowly learning what Callie did and didn't like. And apparently her talking about Arizona was one of those things Callie didn't like.
Carina swallowed another bite and was about to take her food elsewhere, when she heard Callie speak.
"She really pissed me off that night she left with you."
Carina looked at Callie. "I know, I'm sorry about—"
"I think that was the first time I realized I felt—that my feelings were crossing over the 'business' line. I had asked her to leave that night," Callie continued.
Carina sat back down, not really knowing if she should say something or not.
"But of course she had to run her mouth, and I just couldn't let her go after that," Callie admitted with a smile, remembering that night vividly.
Carina gave a nervous laugh also. "Well, hopefully after all of this blows over, everything can go back to normal. She's had a very crazy year. She deserves the world. Someone who can give her a normal life." She stressed further. After a brief uncomfortable pause, she quickly changed the subject…
"And can you believe her dad? What an asshole, huh?"
"What do you mean?" Callie asked, placing her spoon back in the bowl.
"You know, with the way he treated her and everything," Carina said, taking another large bite. She looked over at Callie and stopped mid chew. Crap! She quickly swallowed. "Oh man, I thought she told you... .I mean I thought you guys share everything? You probably don't want to hear about all that stuff now."
"Told me what? What did her father do?" Callie asked, sliding her bowl away and sitting straight up.
Carina shook her head. She just HAD to open her big mouth. "Callie, Arizona should probably be the one to tell you this," she said, trying her best to back her way out of this admission.
"I'm asking you. What did her father say?"
Carina knew she had no option now. Shit. "He...um, he called her some names and then kicked her out of their apartment."
"Like what?" Callie continued.
Carina really didn't want to tell Callie. Arizona was going to kill her for even bringing this up. What a big fucking mouth she had.
Carina exhaled. "Well basically he called her out for her 'arrangement' with you and a few harsh names and said he didn't want her staying in their apartment because she had...um, well slept with you to clear their debt. And then he kicked her out," Carina answered, lowering her head. This was all a personal matter, and really none of her business.
"So then she went to your house," Callie said, staring at the side of Carina's face. Callie wasn't sure if it was the fact that her girlfriend's life had been threatened and now she was separated from her, and hearing Carina tell that story on top of it all, but she was furious. She wanted to fucking break something...or shoot something. After all this blew over, she was definitely paying Arizona's father a visit.
Callie stood up and stretched. Her body hurt, even up to her teeth. She walked out of the kitchen without another word to Carina. She had to get rid of this energy. It wasn't a nervous energy, but more of an adrenaline rush she kept feeling. Anticipating when the shit was going to hit the fan. She walked up to her bedroom and changed into a loose shirt and workout slacks. She had to run...anything to keep from getting in her car and beating up Amelia Shepherd.
The next morning, Arizona awoke with sunlight streaming down on her. She wiped her eyes and walked to the window and peered through. Her mouth dropped wide open. All she could see was plush green land, a creek and several horses. She saw a stable in the distance and a few other animals. This was a ranch. She had never been to a ranch before. She ran into the bathroom to take a quick shower.
When she was done, she finally opened her suitcase. 'Damn Cristina,' Arizona thought, as she rummaged through all of the short, tight designer clothes Cristina had picked out for her. Nothing in her bag even remotely looked comfortable. But at least she had packed her Converse for her. She put on a cute white shirt and black skirt, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
Arizona walked downstairs, to find Mark and Lucia sitting at the kitchen table laughing and sipping coffee.
"Good morning!" Lucia said in a cheery tone, getting up to give Arizona another bone crushing hug and kiss. "Did you sleep well? Tell me the truth? If you were not comfortable, I can get another mattress."
'Another thing Callie gets from her mother,' Arizona thought with a smile. "No, I slept wonderfully. I guess too well, since you guys were up way before me," Arizona said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
"Nonsense! You had a very difficult day yesterday. You deserved your rest. Did you miss Callie?"
"Um, yes, I did."
"You are so in love with her, aw?" Lucia asked, with a huge smile on her face, as she pinched Arizona's cheek.
Arizona looked over at Mark, who was trying to hide his smile behind his coffee cup raised to his lips.
"Yes. I am." Arizona simply stated, as she grabbed a cup of coffee. "Lucia, do you mind if I look at some of the photos you have in the living room?"
"Go ahead. I have a beautiful family," Lucia said, filling Mark's plate with what was easily two pounds of food.
Arizona smiled as she grabbed her cup and walked into the living room. Modesty didn't run in the Torres family. She walked over to a stand where she saw some black and white pictures of Lucia when she was younger. She was absolutely stunning, like Callie, just shorter. Her hair was pinned back in a prim and proper way and she was wearing a floral dress with what now would be considered vintage high heels. She had a huge smile on her face as she stood holding a man's hand. Arizona could only assume that this was Callie's father, Carlos Torrres. He was definitely handsome. Actually, other than Callie's eye color, which she took from her mother, Callie looked just like her dad, including the cold stare and lack of expression.
"That's my late husband," Lucia said behind Arizona. "Good business man. Not the best husband and father, but he tried. Some men are good family men, some aren't. But he always made sure we were provided for."
"And you have five kids?" Arizona asked, turning around to look at Lucia.
"Yes, 3 boys and two girls. Callie's the baby," Lucia said, as she grabbed a picture of her children when they were all young. She handed it to Arizona. She spotted three different young men and two young girls. They all had jet black hair. Only Callie and the younger girl shared the same eye color as Lucia. The other boys had darker, hazel eyes. In the picture three of the boys were standing on steps in front of a house, and the two girls, one being Callie, were sitting on the steps. Arizona stared intently at the girl who had an uncanny similarity to Callie.
"This one is Aria, she's a year older to Calliope ," Lucia said. Arizona stared at the young woman that Lucia had pointed at. She was as beautiful as Callie was, her smile, broad and delightful, but her eyes lacked depth.
"She's a police officer in Chicago. She divorced a few years back, and is now married to her job."
"She's a cop? How does that work with, well-Callie and her ... .business?" Arizona asked, trying to tiptoe around the sensitive subject.
Lucia laughed. "It doesn't, that's the problem. Those two barely have a civil word to say to each other. They used to be inseparable once….but…Anyways, this is Vincent, he's two years older than Callie. He's a principal at a high school and married. He's the only child of mine that's given me grandchildren. Two girls, seven and four. I don't get to see them much," Lucia said with a sigh. "They live so far away and don't make it up here to see me, but I get pictures all the time." Vincent was much shorter in height than her sisters, and had a nice smile.
"Two grandchildren, that must be nice," Arizona added.
Lucia elbowed Arizona. "You and Callie could give me more," she said, staring at the next child in her photo. Arizona started to say something, but then decided against it. Lucia was definitely more forward than she was used to. Callie never opened up about anything, yet her mother couldn't stop talking. But she enjoyed someone who could finally give her some more insight into Callie's personality.
"Um, how old was Callie in this picture?" Arizona asked, looking at Callie and the other young girl who was sitting on the steps with her.
"Hmm, I think she was seventeen or eighteen in that picture. I think that was the last time I had all of my children in the same place. Now I can barely get two of them in the same room together."
Callie was an extremely beautiful teenager. Not as physically overpowering as she was now, but the same gorgeous face and long limbs. She was the only one in the picture not smiling, but the young girl beside her was grinning brightly and had her arm resting on Callie's shoulder. There was another boy standing beside Callie. He was handsome. Probably the second best looking of the boys, Arizona thought, secretly rating her woman next to her siblings. Callie being first, of course.
"And who's the one standing beside Callie?"
"That is Bobby," Lucia said, with a sadness laced in her voice. "He was killed shortly after his twenty-first birthday."
Arizona sucked in a gasp. "What? Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"It was hard on all of us. Bobby was so charming and friendly to everyone. He, Aria and Callie were really close since they were all only a year apart. I guess it was the whole, opposites attract. Callie and Bobby's personalities were nothing alike, but they got along the best."
"Do you mind if I ask what happened?" Arizona asked.
"Bobby had a gambling problem. He would borrow money, gamble it away and then try to talk his way out of it. He borrowed from the wrong people one day, and...well, he went missing."
"Oh my God, I know that must have been torture," Arizona said, as they both walked over the couch and sat down.
"It was. He was missing for two months. I remember my Callie saying, 'Don't worry mama, I'll find him'. You see, we didn't know if something had happened to him, or if it was the drugs. He had gotten hooked on some bad things and would disappear. He didn't want us to see him like that. But he'd always come back clean and sober with a big smile on his face. I miss that smile," Lucia said, staring at Bobby's picture. "But then I got a call from my husband saying that his body had been found. Actually, his head had been found, but the rest of his body didn't wash ashore until weeks later."
Arizona thought she was going to be sick. She had heard of several missing people's stories that ended in tragedy like this. Even the ones that made national TV, but to know of someone who actually went through it-a mother who had to know her child's body was dismembered, is something quite different. She didn't even know what to say. She felt tears rush to the corners of her eyes.
"Callie went with my husband to identify what was left of the body. Neither one would talk about it. But I was a complete mess after that."
"God, I can't even imagine," Arizona whispered.
"It was after this incident that Callie and Aria drifted apart. About a month after we buried Bobby, the guy that Bobby had borrowed the money from went missing. And that's when the police came snooping around our house in New York. But in my husband and daughter's business, I don't ask questions. I still don't know whether it was Callie or Aria behind the guy going missing. I guess a part of me was just relieved that some justice had come from my son's death. I know it's not right, but when you lose a child, you don't think rationally."
Arizona thought about the fact that Callie could make people disappear. It sent a shiver up her spine. And not because of what she could do, but the fact that she could be caught. And that was a new line of thinking for her.
"And this is James, my baby boy. He's a spunky one," Lucia said with a smile. "He travels a lot. He never spends more than a few months to a year in any place. Right now he's backpacking through Europe for the third time with his new girlfriend. And from there he said they plan to settle down for a year somewhere in Australia," Lucia said, rolling her eyes. "I love him to death, but I told him to settle down and find a wife. I'm not getting any younger...and speaking of that, do you want babies?" Lucia asked.
Arizona almost choked on her coffee. "Um, I would like to have children some day. I'm not sure-"
"—how many do you want?" Lucia interrupted.
"Oh, well I'm an only child, so I guess one."
"What?! One! No, Callie's Mexican...she's not going to do just 'one'. Nope. You need four or five to have a good size family, you know," Lucia said.
"Well, I don't think Callie wants kids in her line of work," Arizona said.
"Oh, tush, she'll want babies. They all do in the end—to pass on their genes or seed or whatever. I can just imagine! You two will have beautiful children! I can't wait," Lucia said, hopping up and walking to the kitchen. Arizona just smiled and shook her head. She continued looking at the photos around the house. She spotted several of Mark, Callie, Aria and Bobby when they were young. The three of them together looked so devilish. Mark was handsome as well and about fifty pounds lighter. Lexie's cooking must have gotten to him right after they married.
Arizona walked back into the kitchen and almost dropped her cup when she saw Mark cleaning his gun on the kitchen table. Callie had told her that Alex & Mark carried guns with them all the time. She just haven't ever seen one.
"Hey, Robbins. I'm going to run into town for a few things, I'll be back in about thirty minutes, okay?" He asked, spinning the cylinder and then locking it.
"Uh, su-sure.," Arizona stuttered. Mark smiled, placed the gun behind his back and walked out of the kitchen.
"Okay, I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Arizona admitted to Lucia.
"Unfortunately it's a necessary evil in their business. So-are you opposed to having a traditional Catholic wedding? Oh, are you Catholic?" Lucia asked, sitting down at the table.
"Um, no. I'm...uh, my folks didn't attend church regularly, but I think we were Methodist."
"I told my children that when I become a grandmother, I want only two things. One, I'd like for my grandchildren to be Catholic. And two, I'd like for my grandchildren to learn Spanish. Are you opposed to either of those things when you and Callie have children?" Lucia asked hopefully.
Arizona quickly shook her head. It didn't matter to her, just as long as they were healthy.
"Good! You are amazing, you know that? I'm so glad she got rid of Penelope. I never met her but I know she made Callie's life hell. But I see she has came to her senses now."
Arizona laughed. Lucia was just too much. How was she so open and playful when Callie was so serious all the time? She must have taken after her father in that respect. But Arizona didn't want to disappoint Lucia. She obviously thought her relationship with Callie was at the level of marriage and kids, but Callie had made it obvious last night that she wasn't ready for either of those things. Heck Callie probably didn't want kids. So Arizona changed the subject.
"You have beautiful horses, Lucia," Arizona said, walking to the sliding glass doors that led to the back yard from the kitchen.
"Thank you. Want to meet them?" Lucia asked, wiping her hands off.
"Sure. I'd love to," Arizona said. She had never actually touched a horse before...or seen one up close. She was definitely experiencing a lot of new things with the Torres family.
They walked outside to the stables and Lucia pointed out each horse, giving her their name and a brief history. When they came to the last stall, a huge white horse came to the door and stuck its head out.
Lucia reached out to touch it. "And this beautiful horse is Arizona."
Arizona giggled at the fact that they shared the same name. But the horse was absolutely beautiful. She may not have known much about horses, but this one seemed special. Unique among the others.
"You can touch her, she's very kind," Lucia said.
Arizona reached out to rub the side of the horse's face. She was incredibly soft, and had long eyelashes that lined dark, soulful eyes.
"She's stunning," Arizona whispered, almost in a trance. "When did you get her?"
"Callie bought her for me a few months ago. And she's named after you."
Arizona glanced over at Lucia, who was beaming from ear to ear. "What?"
"A few months ago, she bought her for me, and I just thought she was the most beautiful horse I had ever seen. But she made me promise that I would name her Arizona. I didn't ask any questions, but I knew something was different."
"Callie can be—very surprising at times," Arizona said, shaking her head. She thought Callie had hated her months ago.
"Yes she can be. You know...she told me how you two met," Lucia said, feeding the horse pieces of carrot from the nearby bin.
Arizona's head jerked up. What?! No...she didn't. Damnit. "She told you what?"
"I know the whole story. The arrangement...everything," Lucia said, glancing over at Arizona.
Arizona outwardly groaned and dropped her gaze to the ground. "Oh God, you must think the absolute worst of me. Oh my God, how embarrassing," Arizona whispered. She covered her face and cursed.
Lucia turned and stood in front of Arizona and gently pulled her hands away from her face. "Don't you dare cover your face in shame. If anyone should be ashamed it's my Calliope...and believe me, I told her so."
Arizona stared at Lucia's kind eyes. "I didn't do it just because of the money. A lot of it was because I didn't want my mother hurt. She's a good person who was just dealt a raw hand...the hand being my father. I just didn't want her hurt, and I wanted a new start for her," Arizona admitted.
AN 1 - Thoughts? Let me know what you guys feel about meeting Lucia? You know the evil Lucia Torres trope is so overdone that I thought of giving it a different spin. My Lucia is the sweetest. Ha.
AN 2 - Hm who's the shooter? Do we have any guesses?
AN 3 - Next chapter is the anti-climax! So I hope you guys are ready for things to fly!
Tumblr- Calopiens