Avery stepped into the interrogation room holding a cloth to his nose. He had a blonde female cop with him who had her aviators perched on her head. He threw a few files down onto the table and stared at Callie.
Callie felt her insides twist and churn, a sensation of dread and grief swaddling her like a blanket. She felt helpless in the face of the tragic scene that had unfolded in front of her eyes; yet, through sheer force of will, she managed to hold back her tears and steel herself for what's about to come. Did Arizona lost their baby? There was just so much blood. God. She needed to be with Arizona right now. Her intuition told her that the situation was untenable, but she hoped against hope that somehow, something would change, offering an unexpected reprieve.
"Callie Torres….the one any only...I finally got you!. And don't worry, I fucking own this precinct. There are no cameras rolling behind those mirrors. Just you and me. Together at last."
Callie's wrists were raw from the tight handcuffs, but she refused to complain about it. First, it wouldn't do any good, and second, she wouldn't give Jackson Avery the satisfaction. She knew Avery had pulled her here to break her. There's no way he has anything substantial against her. She stared back at Jackson with a bored expression.
"So Callie, this is how we're going to do this. This is Detective Leah Murphy, and though technically she's the officer assigned to your arrest, she's such a sweetheart that she doesn't have any calms about me leading the interrogation. Believe it or not, I have an amazing proposition for you. How about you walk out of here today-no questions asked. You leave, go see your fiancé and be there for her instead. How does that sound?"
Callie didn't blink.
"Well, the powers that be don't think you're important anymore. After all, you've gone legit, so there's really no reason to harass you. Although I personally think it's fun. I've made it no secret that I despise you and everything you stand for."
Avery dabbed his nose again, to make sure there was no more blood leaking out.
"But, the way this works is...you are free to go. After all you're only one woman, and the amount of money and manpower we've put behind you...well, some don't think is justified. BUT...if we could bring in a few more people, well, then we will be doing pretty damn well."
Callie continued to stare blankly at Avery.
"So, I'll let you walk out of here today...if you roll over on a few people."
"Who?" Callie asked, finally speaking.
"Glad you asked. Derek and Amelia Shepherd , Mark Sloan, Alex Karev and Carina DeLuca. Stephanie Edwards was on that list, but her case got transferred to Chicago….I believe that also has something to do with Detective Aria Torres pulling some strings and you throwing in money," Avery said, narrowing his eyes at Callie. "But those five, and you are free to go. Clean slate."
Callie leaned back in her chair and stared at Jackson's face for a while. "Sorry about your nose," she said, her expressions still blank.
Avery shook his head incredulously. "Are fucking kidding me, don't you realize what I'm offering? The moment that prick lawyer of yours shows up, this offer is off the table, you understand."
Callie sat in silence again.
"This isn't noble Callie, this is stupid. What the hell do you owe those other people, huh? You'll be easily convicted and go to prison, my friend. Where they rape and eat women like you for breakfast. Fuck, half of them are probably your friends, now that I think about it. Maybe you would be better off in there with that scum."
Callie stayed silent.
Avery slammed his fist down on the table. "Are you really going to take a chance on going to prison and giving probably some other woman the ability to fuck your fiancé? All because you didn't want to snitch on your friends? Because, trust me...a hot little number like Arizona, she's not going to stay single forever."
Callie didn't budge.
Avery hated criminals like Callie, who got the easy way out. More than any other criminal he had ever tracked, he had spent most time on Callie only for her to walk away just when he was so close to nab her. Callie seemed to get the goods in life, while men like Avery were left with a bitchy ex-wife, two mortgages, ungrateful kids and an ulcer. Yes, he definitely hated Callie. So right now, he was going to screw her brain and hit her where it will hurt.
Avery smiled at Callie. "Too bad I didn't get a chance to put that sexy fiancé of yours in handcuffs. Women's rights and all. But hey Leah, you would have loved it right?"
"A hot piece like Arizona Robbins? Oh yeah, I would have done more than just loved it!" Leah smirked
"And who knows, I would have let Detective Murphy even move in on Arizona. Make her promises that she's doing all she can to get you out. When they are vulnerable like that, you never know what they might do. I can definitely think of a few things Leah would do with her. Leah, why don't you elaborate…" Jackson said as he and Leah bumped fists
"Oh I would have been the shoulder she cries on. I would have promised her your return in exchange of few passionate nights where I would have fucked her in all the ways possible. I have heard Arizona Robbins is really good with exchange deals."
Callie knew what Avery and Murphy were trying to do. Anything to get a rise out of her...to make her crack. But he had forgotten just how much of a calculating woman Callie could be. She would let Avery have his fun for now...because she needs to stay calm and silent until Burke arrives.
"You know, you shocked our whole department when you got engaged with her. I mean, come on man...not many women marry their charity case whore...who does that?" Avery laughed out loud. He pretended to wipe a tear away. "Fuck her? Absolutely! Marry her? Absolutely not! Murphy, would you have thought about marrying her?"
"Ew. No." Leah said as she made an nauseated face.
"Didn't your old man taught you any better Torres" Jackson continued
Callie's face never changed, but inside she was boiling. She squeezed her hands together, trying to concentrate on the pain of the handcuffs. Anything to distract herself.
"Oh, that's right...your old man passed away years ago. And your loser brother. What was his name, Bobby?"
Callie kept digging the handcuffs further and further into her skin. She knew they were probably bleeding by now.
"Yeah, I saw the pictures of what they did to him. Fuck, they made a mess, didn't they? But, you know what I say...serves the fucker right. He was nothing but a drug addict anyway, so who gives a shit if you only had half of his body to bury," Avery laughed.
Callie continued to stare, but gave nothing away.
Avery sighed. "I'm trying to help you, Callie. Trust me, I don't like giving you this offer, but it can save your sorry ass. Just take it. Give me some info on those five and we'll call it a day, okay?"
Suddenly the door flew open and Burkes rushed through. "My client doesn't have to say a word to you, and anything you've said, either show me the tapes, and if they weren't rolling, then that will be brought up if this goes to trial." He walked over to Callie, and sat his briefcase on the table.
Jackson slammed his fists on the desk in anger as he looked at Leah with disappointment.
They both stood up. "She's all yours, counselor," Jackson said before they walked out and slammed the door.
Arizona was lying on Mark and Lexie's bed. Lucia had been pacing back and forth in front of the bedroom door, asking her every few minutes if she was okay. She had called Mark on the way to the hospital and had directed him to act swiftly on Callie's case first and then meet her at the hospital. Mark being Mark had called Lucia over and had sent Lexie over to hospital, while he and Burkes got themselves started on Callie's case.
That was 2 hours ago, and now she is back from the hospital. Since her pregnancy was not even 10 weeks along, the doctor had just prescribed her some meds for pain and cramps and sent her home. The doctor had told her that the pain may continue as she loses the pregnancy tissues but a D&C was not required. But that pain was nothing compared to the hollowness she was feeling. She lost the baby. And she's probably losing Callie too.
The lingering devastation of a broken dream ached in her heart, and it seemed almost unbearable that this joyous moment had been plucked from them so cruelly. As she wept, memories of what could have been her & Callie's future, washed over her like a tidal wave. It's all gone now.
When Arizona and Mark had first arrived at his house, she had screamed at him for not taking her to the police station. She wanted to see Callie, and see if she was okay. Lexie and Mark had to physically hold her, to keep her from walking to the nearest bus station. Finally, Mark saying that she needed to rest and Callie would be pissed at her for putting her life in jeopardy, worked. Arizona eased up and finally agreed to go into their house.
"Look Robbins, he's my best friend. Do you think I would let anything happen to her? Hell No. I'll handle this, I swear," Mark had told her before he left. Arizona had never seen Mark so agitated. He wasn't showing it but Arizona knew he was freaking out too.
Lexie tried to get her to eat, but Arizona didn't want any food. She only wanted Callie. She asked Lexie if she would call her mother and explain what happened. Arizona would have done it, but she quickly became weary because of the pain meds and eventually exhaustion took over.
A few hours later, she awoke to the touch of Lucia feeling her forehead. But then she closed her eyes again. She later heard her mother's voice as she and Lucia were talking in the hallway. She tried to eavesdrop to see if they had any new information on Callie.
As she was trying to listen, the bedroom door opened wider and in walked Sofia, Mark and Lexie's youngest daughter. She was four years old and had wavy dark hair like her mother, but a round face like her father. She crawled onto the bed beside Arizona.
"You hurt?" she asked in a tiny voice, as she looked at Arizona's face.
Arizona was too tired to answer, but she nodded as a tear slid down the side of her face and into her hair.
"Where you hurt?"
"My heart," Arizona croaked out. But when Sofia's little brow furrowed as if she didn't understand, Arizona quickly said, "And my head hurts."
"My mommy always kisses my boo boo's to make it better," Sofia said, as she snuggled closer to Arizona. She leaned over and kissed her head. "Now you feel better?"
Arizona smiled. "Yes. Thank you."
Sofia smiled back at her, hopped off the bed and quickly sprinted out of the room. Arizona felt empty again. She rubbed her stomach and drifted back to her drug-induced slumber.
It was dark before Mark showed back up, and he brought with him Alex and Carina. Arizona didn't know why, but just seeing the three of them made her feel ten times better. At one point, she had been so frightened of them...well, not Carina, but the other two...and now the sight of them was the only thing making her happy. They were like family. She hugged Alex so tightly, she felt as though she couldn't let go.
"I got you Robbins!" Alex said as he tried to control his emotions. He was a silent spectator of her & Callie's life and probably the only one besides Mark who had actually seen them fall in love and try to grow as a family. He looked as hurt as Arizona.
Mark & Alex walked her to a back room and closed the door. "Robbins, it doesn't look good." Arizona immediately felt nauseated. Mark hugged her and sat her down on the bed. A few silent moments passed between all of them and Arizona steeled herself for what was coming next. She needs to be stronger now.
"Listen, Brukes is doing all that he can. Basically, inside sources told me that someone snitched on Callie, and will testify in court that they saw Callie murder a guy name Donald Jenkins three years ago. Which is pure bullshit, because the Russians killed him. But the cops have video footage placing Callie and Donald at the same place, almost at the same time, a few hours before Donald was killed."
"I know for sure Callie didn't kill anyone, Mark," Arizona said, looking up at Mark with conviction.
"She didn't. But they have a witness who says that they saw her murder this guy. And that's all they need. That...and a jury to be convinced, which depending on the credibility of this witness and Callie's old occupation...it might not be good."
Arizona just kept squeezing her hands together as she continued to listen to Mark.
"A credible witness? They can't just believe anyone who hasn't had a history of being close to Callie. And Callie had sent Edwards to Chicago a long time ago. So who's this credible witness? And where the hell is Aria?….Alex, check with Callie's pilot, how long will it take them to reach here" Arizona asked as she whisked through the set of papers on Callie's case that Mark had just provided her with.
"I just did. They are down slow owing to stormy weathers in Windy City. Aria was saying she would come via train or car, but time is a constraint and it would be no good." Alex added
"That Avery was trying everything he can to get Callie to crack. He even offered her a deal to let her go if she snitched." Mark said
Arizona's ears perked up. Finally, something good could come out of this. "On who?"
"Me, Alex and Carina. Derek and Amelia's names were thrown in the deal too."
Arizona knew the thought crossing her mind was selfish, especially since Mark had three little adorable girls, but she couldn't help but think about it. Her mind raced wondering what Callie would do, until Mark broke her out of her train of thought.
"Robbins...she's not going to turn me in. She would never do that, just like I would never do that to her. That's not even an option, you know? And Avery is untrustworthy. Chances are he still might go with the case even if Callie breaks." Mark quietly said.
Arizona's heart sank, but she tried to ignore the bile rising in her throat. "So, she is going to prison," Arizona whispered, still unable to believe it.
"Well, tomorrow will be her bail hearing...but Brukes said it's more than likely the judge will deny her bail, because she has lots of money and is a flight risk. And being accused of having ties with the mafia, they don't take that lightly." Mark said as Arizona nodded in understanding
"Mark, please make sure no one tells Callie about the miscarriage. She's already going through a lot. Let her just come out and I'll tell her everything" Arizona pleaded as she held Mark's hand. Mark agreed.
"When can I see her?" Arizona asked next
"I'm not sure. I'll ask Brukes tomorrow, okay? But you need rest. You look tired. Have you eaten today?"
"I've had plenty of rest, and I'm not hungry."
Mark grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.
When they walked back into the main room, all eyes were on her and they all looked concerned. She plopped down on the sofa. Carina came to sit beside her. She wrapped her arm around Arizona's shoulder and she leaned into her.
"It will be okay, Arizona," Carina whispered to her.
The next morning, Arizona was awakened by Lucia bringing her in a large plate of food.
"Good morning, Arizona. You are eating today. Every bite," she demanded, as she sat at the edge of the bed, watching Arizona like a hawk.
Arizona didn't feel like eating, but she started stuffing the food in her mouth just to please Lucia.
"How are you able to stay so calm?" Arizona asked, pausing in between bites.
Lucia thought about it for a moment. "Because I can't help my daughter right now. All I can do is pray for her, but there's nothing I can do to help Brukes or Mark with. What I can do for Callie is watch over you. That's the thing I can do, and I'm going to do it, because I love her and I love you. Now eat."
Arizona ate in silence as she took in Lucia's words.
"Arizona?"
"Hm?"
"Please don't give up on her."
Arizona's mouth stopped mid bite, as she looked at Lucia's worried face. She swallowed the lump of the food to respond but Lucia continued,
"I know it's hard. Losing a child…I have been there. And I understand your pain. But Callie is finally doing the right thing. And if you give up on her now…I'm not sure she'll stick with the right life, she will go back to old ways and I'll live in constant fear of losing her like I lost my son and my husband. I know I might sound selfish but—"
Arizona put a reassuring hand on Lucia's and squeezed it gently, "It's not just me who lost a child Lucia, Callie lost it too. It's not her fault that this happened. And she's in jail right now. She's going through the worst moments of her life. And if she's going through her worse. I want to go through it with her. I'm not going anywhere. She was always there to protect me. And it's my turn to show up for her."
Lucia let out a shaky breath as her eyes silently thanked Arizona for her trust and love.
Her own mother couldn't stay, because she had work, and her new job didn't have much holiday. But Barbara had said that she would stop by afterward. And Arizona still felt content because Lucia was now like her own mom now.
Callie sat in her cell, staring at the wall. She wanted to know how Arizona was doing. She had thought about Arizona during her bail hearing earlier that morning. She wasn't paying close attention, because Brukes had already said she would be denied...which she was.
She hated that her fiancé was having to go through this. Mark and Brukes were keeping mum about Arizona's condition and it was setting a feeling of dread in Callie's heart. She wanted so badly to talk to Arizona.
Callie was deep in thought when Avery walked up to her cell. Callie decided she would just ignore his presence. The detective had been on edge because he was still unable to get a reaction out of her.
"Well, well, bad news doesn't come alone now do they? One of my officers who was watching your fiancé, confirmed that she had a miscarriage. My deepest condolences"
Callie's head snapped toward Avery as she narrowed her eyes at him. Was he lying?
"Don't believe me? Here are some pics he took of them going to the hospital, after your arrest yesterday," Avery said, sliding photographs underneath the bars. "Too bad you weren't there for Ms. Robbins. You are such a horrible partner, that your fiancé had to lose her baby because of you and you couldn't even be there for her," Avery smiled in a smug voice, as he turned to walk away.
Callie's heart started beating rapidly. Avery had to be lying. She slowly got up and walked over to pick up the photos. She flipped through them. Her hands started to shake when she saw a picture of Arizona being put in the backseat of Mark's car with a pale look on her face and pictures of them exiting the hospital and her mom escorting Arizona. Her mom wouldn't be here if it wasn't something bad. Callie suddenly couldn't breathe. She dropped the photos to the ground as if they electrocuted her.
Callie staggered backwards until her calves touched his cot, and then she slowly sat down. She had lost her baby. She had seen the blood pooling around Arizona's leg and was afraid that this is what might have happened. But now it all became all too real. She was not there with Arizona during one of the worst moments of her life, because of her past lifestyle and Avery's obsession with her case.
Callie considered herself a sane and rational woman. And under any other circumstances, she would have found a cool place in her mind...some place she could go to make the rational next step. It was that process that usually allowed her to win. It was one of the reasons she was so successful. But at this moment...no such place existed. All she felt was an intense firestorm coursing through her skin, her blood...her entire body.
She finally lost it.
"GODDAMNIT !" Callie yelled, as she picked up her cot and slammed it into anything that could break over and over again. Everything was a blur, but she refused to stop until the flames inside her quelled. She lost her child. And all she was seeing right now was red.
Callie never heard anyone behind her and she never heard her cell opening up. All she heard was Avery's words running over and over in her head, torturing her since there wasn't anything she could do inside here.
"I'm gonna fucking KILL you! You're a fucking dead man!" Callie shouted, as several female guards rushed in and tackled her to the ground. She struggled, pushing two of them off of her but they eventually pinned her down. By the time they had the cuffs on her, she was completely spent. Physically, mentally, but most of all emotionally-wondering when this hell would end. As reality set in, a deep sadness pervaded her, sapping away all hope and joy that had once filled her.
Her baby was gone.
Just like her dad.
Just like Bobby.
Later that night, Arizona was pacing in the room wildly. She was wearing Callie's leather jacket to draw comfort and strength from and was looking at Callie's tab for any kind of information on people who have, in the past, worked closest with Callie. But Callie had done an hell of a job in wiping off any history of her association with the underworld or the Russians. She was about to call Mark when he entered the room.
"Tell me you have something," Arizona asked.
"No. Robbins. I have got nothing. I looked everywhere in her office. She has literally not kept a single piece of paper that would tell us anything." Mark replied in a defeated tone.
Arizona's pace grew as she walked around the room more rapidly. Her palms were sweaty, she wiped them over her jeans and then looked at Mark. She kept on staring at Mark, until she could focus her thoughts on just him.
"You."
"What?" Mark asked
"You. You are Callie's brain. You know everything about her dealings. I need you to think Mark and think hard. Think of people you guys have worked with in the past year who could cause trouble for Callie" Arizona said as she stared at him with a new found hope.
Mark pondered over Arizona's statement for a moment and then sat down. The wheels of his brain were running at a rampant speed now.
Carina had met Mark at the police station earlier, and was now waiting on any new information regarding Callie's case. But Carina had to get out of there. Cops made her paranoid. She wasn't sure if it's because she smoked, or not, but they made her nervous.
She quickly stepped out and walked around to the back of the station. She pulled out her pack of cigarettes and lit one. She closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet smoke which seemed to calm her nerves. Carina was about to take another drag, when she heard a woman's voice. She glanced to the side and saw a red-head stalking out. But this wasn't just any red-head. This was Callie's red-head. Callie's ex-girlfriend, Penny Blake. And she was talking to that cop, Avery. What the fuck?!
Carina almost choked, as she coughed and sputtered. The two turned their attention toward her, but not before she made it back around the corner just in time. Oh, this was all so fucked up! So she was the snitch?!
Carina ran straight to her car, she needed to reach Arizona and Mark at the earliest possible and tell them all about Penny's involvement in the case. That will surely guide them on how to approach Callie's case. She was about to pull out from the station when her hands flattered on the steering wheel…Maybe if she stays silent then Arizona won't be able to go back to Callie as Callie would be out of the picture.
For a moment, Carina wasn't sure what she should be doing.
Later that night, Penny was leaving one of her favorite little hot spots. She was drunk off her ass, but refused to catch a cab home. So, she drove, crossing a few lines here and there, but she managed to make it back to her apartment just fine, stumbling out of the car.
When she entered her swanky apartment, she didn't bother turning on the lights, as she started removing her boots and walking very unsteadily toward her bedroom. Fuck, it was already three in the morning, and that annoying man, Detective Avery wanted her to come back down to the station again in the morning.
Although this was the perfect revenge, it was taking a lot out of her. She was depending on Avery to keep her identity hidden, until the day she had to testify. Then she would turn on the tears and recite her script to the jury and judge. "Your honor, for the three years when we were together, I was scared all of the time that Callie would turn back into a monster. She hurt people. Good innocent people, and all I could do was stand back and watch, too afraid that if I told, she would hurt me too. But I'm tired of living a lie!"
Her mind drifted to Callie. She would never admit it out loud, but she missed her. And not in a romantic way, but more of a sexual kind of way because Callie had on multiple occasions made her lose her mind in bed. Although the sex...she really did miss that, but she missed walking into a room knowing Callie was usually the most dangerous person in there and she belonged with Callie. Callie's dangerous persona had really turned her on the first night she met her. She had been dancing her ass off at Callie's club. She had heard of Callie and her reputation, but Penny had never had the chance to meet her. And that night her friend had pointed Callie out as she talked to the DJ. Callie had two guys beside her, who looked more like bodyguards. It took her off guard how gorgeous Callie was.
So, she and her friend devised a plan. They snuck up to the VIP section, and she bribed the guard into letting her in. Once she was up there, she saw Callie sitting in a dark corner, talking to a few people. She knew her short dress and long legs would catch Callie's attention. She hiked up her skirt even more and walked right past Callie, pretending to ignore the group. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw them all looking...including Callie. And from that night, her plan fell into place. She had to cut several women down to size, who were Callie's regular...well, 'other women', but Penny put them in their place. Penny knew Callie still messed around on her, she herself messed around a lot, but as long as they all knew Penny was the top, and they were just for Callie's quick amusement, then she didn't mind. The houses, cars, clothes, jewelry and vacations were more than enough to squelch any feelings of jealousy.
Even after they had separated, Penny still knew that she was the main woman in Callie's life. The only woman she ever called 'girlfriend'! Until that girl. Arizona Robbins. Penny didn't know how, or why she was in Callie's life. At first, she thought Arizona was like the others who would do anything for Callie, just to have her acknowledge them. But Arizona seemed different. She actually seemed like she didn't like Callie, and that is the part that Penny didn't understand. But that was a long time ago and Penny hadn't thought that they would actually 'settle down'. She still thought that Callie would come back to her.
Penny had trashed her bedroom when she had found out Callie had proposed and they were expecting a baby and were planning to move out of town. A baby?! Callie Torres? A baby? And Callie had agreed? She had herself tried on so many occasions to trap Callie with a baby but Callie was always careful. Then what the hell did that Arizona do to her? It just wasn't right. What did she have that Penny didn't? It would never work. Callie wasn't the domestic type.
Penny knew of the detective who had been giving Callie a hard time for years. She had also thought he was annoying, but when he called to tell her that Callie's new fiancé...oh, those words burned in her mind. New fiancé... Anyway, she and Callie were expecting, and if she snitched on Callie, and agreed to testify in an open court, then Avery could for sure put Callie away for a long time.
Revenge is definitely a sweet game.
AN - Thoughts? Penny has her claws out, Carina is probably having a lapse in judgement? And Murphy & Avery are seeking blood. The odds are really against our girls.
