Five days later, Arizona had cleaned her apartment top to bottom no less than three different times.
The two bedroom apartment was just about a seven minute walk from the hospital. It was a cute basement unit in an apartment complex that had been renovated a few years ago. Once you entered the apartment, the living room, kitchen and a small dining room were in front of you. A utility room was to the right with the washer and dryer. To the left were two bedrooms, the smaller was current Arizona's office, with a bathroom between them.
She had taken the blackout curtains she kept on the windows off to let in some later afternoon light. While the sun wouldn't harm it directly it left her nearly mortal. Never a comfortable place for a vampire to live.
She stood in the middle of the living room and ran her eyes around the apartment. The table was set for two with a candle right to be lit. She had a bottle of blood wine for herself and a second bottle of red wine for Callie. The kitchen was ready for Callie to create whatever she wanted. She even had soft music playing in the background.
After making sure that she had everything around the apartment settled, she once again checked her outfit. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a blue top that she always thought brought the blue in her eyes out even more. Her hair was down and curled just slightly. Her makeup was fairly natural. She was nervous, but the kind of excited nervous that she hadn't felt often in recent years.
She heard footsteps down the steps outside her front door before she heard the knock. If she had a heartbeat, she would imagine she'd hear it in her ears as she crossed the living room to answer the door.
Standing there with two grocery bags in her hands with a pair of dark jeans that drew Arizona's attention and a red top that showed off just enough to make her mouth water. Her hair was back in a simple ponytail. Arizona was amazed at just how beautiful Callie looked.
"Right on time," Arizona managed to say as she stepped back to invite Callie inside.
"You look great," Callie said before she leaned in to kiss Arizona's cheek.
"Thank you," Arizona smiled. "You do too."
Callie walked into the apartment and brought the bags over to the kitchen island. She set the bags down before she started to unload everything.
"I did find out something I didn't know this week," Arizona said as she stood near the door while Callie moved deeper into the apartment.
"Oh yeah?" Callie turned around with a slightly nervous expression on her face. There were things she just wasn't ready to share with Arizona yet.
"Your name is Calliope," Arizona said with a small smile. "It's a beautiful name."
"The only person I usually let call me that is my dad," Callie said with an eye roll. "Though the way you just said it, I don't hate it."
"Good," Arizona said. "Because I plan to use it. Now, what are you planning to make us for dinner?"
"I wasn't sure what to make," Callie admitted as she unpacked. "I decided to get some steaks to do with mushrooms and onions and then mashed potatoes." She looked up to Arizona to hope that the meal was up to her taste.
"That sounds awesome," Arizona said with a dimpled smile.
Once everything was out of the bags and laid out so Callie could start preparing, she looked up at Arizona. "Living in Seattle I know some things about vampires, but I do have some questions if you are up for it?"
"Anything, I'll tell you anything," Arizona said. As Callie was prepping for dinner, she poured them each some wine and took a seat at the island to watch. "I'm private. Most vampires are. But anything you want to know I'll tell you."
"Well," Callie said as she seasoned the steaks to set them aside to come up to temperature. "You have to feed on blood, right? What do I need to know there?"
Arizona licked her lips as she thought about what to tell Callie. "I keep myself on a very regular feeding schedule. It keeps the carvings down and it keeps any of my less human urges away. And I know it seems silly, but I always feel less like myself after I feed. It's an inhuman act and reminds me of what I am now. So, maybe after I feed if we're both at the hospital and you're not in surgery you could give me a hug after? Just for a second?"
"You can hug me whenever you need it." Callie smiled across the island at her. "After you feed, find me and I'll wrap you up. Might even give you a kiss or two."
Arizona chuckled before sipping her wine. "I shouldn't feed off you. It'll be too hard to use blood bags if I have something fresh. And I wouldn't without you offering. Which I want to stress how much you are under no obligation to do."
"You fed off me before," Callie pointed out. "That night in the alley. At least a few mouthfuls while we were …"
"I shouldn't have," Arizona admitted. "I haven't fed off a human since that night."
"Really?" Callie asked in surprise.
"Legally we're allowed if the human is willing, but a drunken hookup in an alley isn't the picture of consent," Arizona said.
"I wasn't drunk. I had two shots of tequila and then danced for two hours with you before we went outside," Callie reassured her. "And I turned my head and told you to let me feel you."
Arizona felt a shiver run through her at the memory. "You did."
Callie paused in her preparation to look Arizona in the eyes. "I remember that night fondly. I've done things I'm not proud of, but that night isn't one of them. Though maybe we don't tell the whole story of how we met when people ask."
Arizona chuckled at that. "I can smell things. When I breathe. Vampires have a highly sophisticated sense of smell. So, if you're hugging me and feel me breathing in, just know that it's alright. I don't breathe in much, because it can be overwhelming. But it's a thing I do sometimes."
"That's kind of adorable," Callie said with a smile.
"I really like touch," Arizona said. "I can feel your warmth spreading through me when you touch me for longer than a few seconds. It's comforting. I'm not huge on PDA, but when we can, it's nice."
Callie smiled at how simple Arizona's needs were but it was clear how much she craved someone to just hold her. "I am happy to hold your hand when I can. Rub your back. Let you nuzzle my neck."
Arizona licked her lips as she thought of being so close to Callie's neck. "If we get there … well you know sex works more or less the same." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "So, no worries there."
Callie laughed at the way Arizona acted shy now when she knew how she was when the mood struck her. "I remember."
"Let's see, what else?" Arizona tried to think of what to say about herself and her affliction to stop from thinking about what it felt to have Callie pressed against her. "Silver can burn me if I hold it for too long and it's pure enough. The sun just makes me effectively mortal again which is why vampires avoid it."
Callie raised an eyebrow at that fact but didn't say anything so Arizona might go on.
"I can't turn into a wolf or a bat," Arizona laughed. "I am faster, stronger, have more stamina, and better senses than when I was human. I don't need to breathe. I don't have a heartbeat. No, I can't go to church with you, because while I won't burst into flames it would be painfully itchy. I have enhanced stealth so I can sneak up on just about anyone," she said as she ran through the rest of the basics.
"Vampires are known to be possessive, aren't they?" Callie asked as she put the potatoes on to boil.
"We are protective, not possessive," Arizona corrected. "And if we're dating, even casually, it wouldn't feel right to date others. But you should if you want." She offered even if the thought of smelling someone else on Callie made her stomach give a roll.
"I tried dating more than one person before, even if things are casual. Not really for me anymore," Callie said.
Arizona relaxed her shoulders at the news. "I have to sleep every couple or so weeks. It's not really sleeping. It's more of a state of rest that looks like sleep. Once I'm under, it's about ten hours before I can be roused. I will tell the hospital about it a few days before so they won't m try to page me. I'll let you know so you know."
Callie nodded at the information. "Can you sleep? Like if you were staying over, and we were laying in bed? Would you sleep?"
"I can," Arizona nodded. "It's a light sleep, but I can. It can be restful to do, but when I don't have a reason to do it, I just don't."
"Is that why you clock so much overtime at the hospital?" Callie asked.
Arizona nodded. "I'm not tied to the eighth hour week. Though the hospital makes me stop at a hundred each week, so I don't have too much overtime pay."
"The thing with you needing to be invited in somewhere, is that real?" Callie asked.
"Yeah," Arizona said. "Private places like people's homes. Things like schools and hospitals are public spaces and don't really require it."
"That is a lot of very good information on the vampire part, but what about information about you?" Callie asked.
"Like what?" Arizona asked.
"Let me go first," Callie said. She figured she should start sharing about herself, so she didn't feel this was so one sided. "I'm Cuban and a mix of European. I grew up speaking Spanish at home and English with friends and at school. Sometimes I slip into Spanish when I'm upset or excited. Sometimes I realize it and sometimes I don't."
Arizona smiled at the tidbit of information.
"I hate raw onions, but I love them when they are cooked," Callie went on. "Pizza is my favorite easy meal. I grew up in Miami, went to college there before going to Botswana for two years with the Peace Corps. I went to medical school at the University of Washington before doing my internship and residency at Seattle Grace. I had surgery on my left ankle after breaking it during a charity softball game about three years ago and every time there is going to be a thunderstorm I can tell about two days before."
"I was born at Camp Pendleton in California," Arizona said as she looked into Callie's eyes. "My dad was stationed there when both my brother and I were born. I grew up on bases, always being the new kid, having the funny name, and being a tomboy. I knew I was gay before I knew the word for it.
Callie couldn't help but smile as she thought of little Arizona playing with the boys and learning about herself with rough and tough Marines all around.
"I had a brother that I adored and a best friend who joined the Army with Tim when they were eighteen. Nick is a photographer now and goes all over the world. My brother didn't make it back from war, and it's something I don't talk about," Arizona's voice became very quite. "I was at Johns Hopkins University from undergrad to my fellowship. It was the first time in my life I had a home that wasn't just for eighteen or twenty-four months. I came out here after I was turned, because it was a safe place to figure out this new me. I still like coffee as much as when I was human. I still eat at work because it relaxes people like I told you before. I like old black and white movies. And I really like that I don't scare you."
"You don't scare me," Callie promised. She could see mentioning her brother took something from Arizona so she switched topics. "Do you drink wine often?" She gestured to the glass that Arizona had been drinking from.
"Sometimes. It's not the same as human wine, but it's relaxing. They have red corks, so you will know the difference if you're ever looking for a bottle," Arizona explained.
"Is blood wine blood with alcohol or…?" Callie asked as she uncorked the wine.
"The grapes are soaked in blood for two weeks before they are turned into wine. I don't know the full process, but it's about the only way to get a vampire drunk," Arizona explained. "Normal wine relaxes us, but the alcohol percentage isn't high enough without the blood."
"So, if you drank wine and added blood to it?" Callie questioned.
Arizona laughed as she shook her head. "No dice. But good thinking."
"Nice knife skills," Arizona said as she watched Callie with the mushrooms.
"Thanks," Callie looked up and winked at her. "A few hundred surgeries really helps."
"I bet," Arizona said. She sipped the wine as she watched Callie's knife move. "I have a case. I could use your help tomorrow afternoon, if you have time for a consultation."
"Anything good?" Callie asked.
"A eighteen month old with one of the worst cases of clubfoot I've seen. The parents didn't have insurance, so they didn't start any corrective treatments. They have assistance now, so they are hoping we can help," Arizona explained.
"I'll be happy to take a look." Callie said as Callie swiped the garlic into a small dish her thumb brushed against the sharpened edge of the knife.
Arizona's fangs dropped as soon as little bits of blood bubbled up on Callie's thumb. She couldn't stop herself from breathing in and taking in the scent of blood that filled the room for her.
"Shit," Callie grabbed a cloth to press to her thumb.
Arizona slid out of her chair and came around the island to Callie. "Let me see." Her voice was low as she held her hand out.
Callie saw how dark Arizona's eyes were and the fangs were hard to miss. But she hadn't been lying when she told Arizona she wasn't scared of her. She held her hand out, noticing how carefully Arizona opened her hand until blood welled up on her thumb again.
"Can I?" Arizona asked as she looked at Callie's face. She wouldn't do anything Callie didn't want her to do. "I can clean and seal it for you. No band-aid required."
"Alright," Callie whispered.
Arizona bent her head to kiss over the cut. She used one of her fangs to cut into Callie's thumb slightly before her tongue ran over the slightly deeper cut she made. Callie's blood tasted just as good as she remembered. She leaned back with Callie's thumb as good as new. She closed her eyes as she let the taste take her back to the night in the alley for a moment.
"Thank you," Callie said in a slightly shaky voice. The feeling of Arizona's fang against her thumb and then her tongue didn't scare her. If anything, it was something of a turn on.
"Welcome," Arizona said. She licked her lips to get the blood off before letting go of Callie's hand.
"Are you alright?" Callie asked when she noticed that Arizona was breathing in and out in a way that she had never seen before.
"I'm just trying to remember the taste and scent," Arizona whispered with a little shame in her voice.
Callie reached out for her, pulling her back in her arms. "Nothing wrong with that, Arizona." She pressed a kiss to what would have been Arizona's pulse point. "Nothing about what just happens scares me."
"Why not?" Arizona asked as her arms wrapped around Callie's waist. "I'm standing here with your blood on my tongue, and you are just alright with that?"
"I am alright with that," Callie nipped softly against Arizona's neck.
"I don't know what I did to deserve any of this," Arizona admitted as she tilted her head to give Callie more space to kiss her neck.
"You're showing me who you are. And I like who you are. That's all you ever have to do," Callie said against her skin.
Arizona held a little tighter as she bit back a moan at the way Callie's teeth scraped against her skin. "You might want to stop that if you expect me to sit back down."
Callie didn't want Arizona to sit back down, but she needed to finish dinner. "Go sit back down and let me finish," she said before pulling back.
Arizona moved to take her seat again. She downed the rest of her wine to try and get another taste in her mouth before she lost all sense of control.
Callie checked to make sure no blood made it in with the mushrooms before putting the knife she had been using in the sink and grabbing another. She felt herself being watched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Something about Arizona's eyes on her made her feel a tingle up the back of her neck.
After dinner, the two refilled their wine glasses and moved to the couch to cuddle together. There was an old black and white movie playing on the TV above the fireplace but with the amount of times either woman was looking at the other as they tried not to let on, the movie was rarely the focus of attention.
"I'm having a really good time," Callie whispered about halfway through the movie.
"I am too," Arizona whispered back.
"Can I ask you something," Callie asked.
"Of course," Arizona said.
"How do you do it in the OR?" Callie asked.
"I don't breathe in," Arizona said as she turned her head to look at Callie. "I am so focused on helping the tiny humans that I am able to push the hunger away. I don't feed from children, so maybe it would be different if I worked on adults but I don't think so." She paused a moment before she went on. "It's personal with you. It's professional with them."
"Personal, eh?" Callie asked as she reached her hand over to cover Arizona's.
"Very," Arizona nodded.
"I like being personal with you," Callie whispered.
Arizona leaned in and gave Callie a very soft kiss. "It's because I'm awesome, isn't it?"
Callie tilted her head back in laughter at the comment and the dimpled grin that Arizona gave after it. "Yes, that's it. It's because of how awesome you are."
Arizona smiled brightly as she cuddled back against Callie. Her eyes on a movie she couldn't tell you the first thing about and Callie's warmth surrounding her.