Arizona couldn't stop replaying it in her head. All of it.
It made so much sense now, the way Callie seemed so small and so sad when she had first seen her in the examination room all those months ago. The way she had been so unhappy about being pregnant when Arizona knew damn well she used to dream of being a mother when they were young.
Every time Callie had gone weird or awkward or quiet when Arizona tried to push the topic of the future.
The fucking bruises. Every time she closed her eyes she saw those bruises.
Luke's speech from the gender reveal kept echoing in her ears. I just knew I had to tame that wild horse. And I did. So smug, so proud of himself for breaking down the most spirited person he would ever be lucky enough to meet.
Arizona wanted to hit something.
Not something. Someone. Him. She wanted to tear Luke apart until he was all bone and muscle and looked like the cadavers she had dissected in med school.
Arizona bunched her long blue dress up in her hands as she hurried from room to room of the wedding venue. She could hear the party in the main dance hall still hammering on, the sound of music and laughter only amplified by the liquor from the open bar.
Callie. Where was Callie? She couldn't find her anywhere and a panicked feeling was starting to form at the base of her throat.
She slipped outside to the garden, and the sound of the party was replaced by chirping crickets. She sucked in a sharp breath of cool February air and the slight frigidity of it comforted her a bit, helped her remember to breathe.
It was beautiful out here. Romantic. A small white gazebo ornamented with twinkling lights sat surrounded by a beautiful garden, benches of cold stone lining the pathways. But there was no one out here. Arizona rubbed her eyes, disappointed and taking a moment to steady herself before she headed back inside to keep searching, when a voice startled her.
"You look kinda like Cinderella."
She spun on her heels to look at her. "Calliope," she exhaled her name, relief flooding her as Callie slipped outside to join her.
"Running around with the blue dress and the blonde hair, I mean. Sorry. I know you told me not to talk to you again."
Arizona had so much she wanted to say that it made it kind of impossible to say anything at all. She was shaking from the adrenaline of the mixed emotions. "I don't hate you. I didn't mean that earlier."
Callie's brows raised in surprise, but Arizona continued on as she crossed the garden to get to her. "I don't hate you, Callie." Gone was the expressionless look on her face from earlier, now replaced by something so complicated Arizona herself couldn't even name it. Something frantic and desperate and primal. Arizona cupped the taller woman's cheeks in her hands once she reached her and tugged her down and kissed her, needing to drive home her point, needing to feel the woman she loved safe in her hands.
She was grateful when Callie didn't fight her on it, instead sliding a hand into blonde hair and melting into it. She was so soft and so warm and how the fuck could anyone ever hurt her?
Arizona was near tears when she rocked back onto her heels, breaking their kiss. "I don't hate you but I am so mad at you."
"I know. I know, Arizona, I know. I'm so sorry. I have screwed you over so much in all this and you have been so patient and—" Callie's voice cracked. "I haven't been completely honest with you. There's some things I need to tell you abou—"
"Why the fuck didn't you tell me? I could have helped you, Callie! My god! You didn't have to leave me in the dark about it. I would have done—no, I will do anything for you because I love you and if that includes moving Heaven and Earth for you, if that's what it takes to keep you safe, I'd do it. I. Would. Do. It. How can you possibly not know this about me by now?" The blonde's voice was high pitched and a little raspy, the way it got when she was passionate about something, and her eyes were ablaze.
Callie blinked at her as she carried on, stunned and a little confused, as the realization slowly hit her. Arizona knew. She knew and Callie didn't even have the chance to tell her herself. She was going to kill Addison. She opened her mouth to calm her down, but Arizona's tangent wasn't finished yet.
"I mean, honestly, do you know me at all? Because if you did you'd know that it really fucking hurts my feelings that you couldn't trust me with this. I could have helped you! My dad is a fucking marine, Callie, he's friends with the entire police department. And he has guns! Big scary ones! And I'm a doctor now, if you haven't noticed. I actually have money now. I can take care of you! Jesus Christ. Do you know how shitty I feel now for how I've been acting? I could have been helping and, and, and taking care of you this whole time and instead I've been sulking and trying to hate you because you left me so confused with the hot and cold and Addison's riddles and—"
"I was scared."
Something about the soft honesty in her voice finally snapped Arizona out of it and her argument died in her throat, the sharp anger dissipating with it. Her face crumpled empathetically and she brought a hand to Callie's jaw, stroking her face gently with the pad of her thumb, before she gently pulled her head down to rest against her chest. She wrapped her arms around her, pressed kisses into her black hair. Her voice was soft. "Are you okay?"
She felt Callie nod against her chest, relaxing into her arms. Her hands started rubbing soothing circles into Arizona's lower back. "Yes. Well, mostly." The brunette sighed listlessly. "I'm mostly just tired of being scared." She pulled back a bit from the embrace so she could look in Arizona's eyes. "I am so sorry. For dragging you into this, for the awful communication, for—"
"I forgive you." Arizona didn't hesitate. She pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her lips. "I forgive you and we can work through it more later. But right now I just really need you to know that I'm here. From this moment on, okay? It's you and me. Anything you go through, I go through too. It's you and me and your baby."
Callie nodded, blinking rapidly to keep herself from crying. "I have—I have evidence."
"I'll go with you. To the police station. We can bring my dad. Whatever you need." She cocked her head at her, playing with her hair gently in a way she knew kept Callie grounded. "How long…?"
"It…started after we got married. It wasn't always this bad. It started with controlling my friends and then he was controlling my money and then he was calling me names and then next thing I knew he was choking me sometimes." She paused when she felt Arizona tighten in her arms, felt her biceps go a little rigid. "Arizona?"
"I want to kill him."
Callie squeezed her hips a little. "Well, none of that. I think that would break the oath you took when you became a doctor. And it's kinda hot having a girlfriend that's a doctor, so I'd hate for you to lose your license."
"It's not funny, Callie. At all. I want him dead and I want to be the one to do it." She blinked, finally processing what she said. "Girlfriend?"
"Yeah. I decided I'm not calling you my friend anymore, sorry. Call me whatever you want, but I'm calling you my girlfriend. Because I love you and I want you and I've decided it's about goddamn time I start getting what I want."
Arizona tried to bite back her smile and failed miserably. "I love you, too."
"Well?" Callie looked at her expectantly.
"Well what?"
"Do you accept? Are we…girlfriends?"
Arizona giggled. "You didn't really ask. It didn't sound like I had much choice in the matter. Very romantic, by the way."
Callie rolled her eyes. "At least we're in a pretty garden with pretty lights. I do believe you asked me under the bleachers, if you want to discuss romance."
"At least I asked!"
Brown eyes narrowed in challenge. After a mini stare off, she relented. "Fine. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Duh." Arizona giggled and kissed her then, deep and slow and full of adoration, marveling at the way their lips could melt together so seamlessly. She pulled back after a long while and ran her small hands up and down Callie's arms. "We still have a lot to discuss though."
"I know. But at least now you'll be mine while we discuss."
"I've always been yours, Calliope." She pecked her lips again. A nervous look crossed her face. "My turn to ask something."
"What?"
"Move in with me? I have a spare room we can turn into a nursery, and if you want some privacy I can always go stay with my parents for a bit, and you can have the whole place to yourself. I know it's sudden but I just—I need you out of there. I need to know you're somewhere safe where he can't touch you. Like, tonight. I can take you by the police station in the morning."
Callie swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She hated feeling like she couldn't take care of herself or like she was getting a handout. She always had, and it made asking for and accepting help so difficult. She was also so fucking scared to take this step, to put herself and everyone she loved in that much danger. She knew she probably had enough evidence—she probably had for a while now, if she was being honest—but once she crossed this threshold she knew she could never take it back.
But Richard had told her that she betrayed herself when she stopped going after what she wanted. And she wanted this.
"Okay. Fine, I'll move in with you. But you are not moving in with your parents, crazy."
They arrived back at Arizona's—their?—-apartment late that night. They took a shower together, a surprisingly innocent one, in which Arizona washed Callie's hair and touched and kissed her so softly, like she was priceless and worthy of tenderness. They didn't have sex. Arizona didn't point out any of the fading bruises, all in different stages of healing.
Afterwards, Arizona gave her a spare set of clothes to sleep in, and they each ate a bowl of kid's cereal for dinner because Arizona hadn't gotten groceries in almost a month.
"I'll get more food soon. Tomorrow, maybe. Promise." She blushed and curled up on her couch, taking a bite of Fruity Pebbles. "And I can get you stuff to bake with, if you want, but you'll have to send me with a list because I don't think I even know where the flour aisle is. Is there flour in pies?"
Callie laughed through her bite of cereal. "You don't have to do that." She felt so calm here, so safe, and she was trying to let herself relax into it. But a not so distant part of her mind knew that Luke would be expecting her home by now. He was probably raging, close to burning the house to the ground.
"Of course I do. Anything you want or need, just say the word, okay? This is your home now too."
"But it's your money."
Arizona's face fell a bit. "Please don't think about it like that." When Callie stayed silent, Arizona set her bowl down on the coffee table and squinted her eyes at her. "Calliope. Come on. It's me. You saw how I grew up. My mom cut coupons, I wore Tim's hand-me-downs, I took the bus. You know I don't care about money."
But Callie wasn't so sure. They were sitting in the middle of Arizona's luxury apartment that they had driven to in Arizona's new luxury car. She wore nice clothes now, kept her nails manicured, had the newest model iPhone. Lucy had certainly screamed old money. It was hard for Callie to not feel a bit out of place or like some sad charity case.
As if reading her mind, Arizona sighed. "Okay. Fine. I have been enjoying having nicer things because I never got to have them growing up. Sue me. But this stuff," she gestured around the room, "doesn't matter to me. It doesn't bring any valuable meaning to my life. It's just…stuff. But you matter to me. You and your daughter matter to me. I'd trade it all in a second. Anything I can give to you, I will. So suck it up and get used to it." She picked up her bowl again and took another bite, talking as she chewed her Fruity Pebbles. "And make me a shopping list."
Arguing with Arizona was pointless when she had her mind made up. Callie sighed, sank back into the couch and continued to eat. "Fine."
"Thank you." Arizona's dimples popped. "I am going to spoil you and you are going to learn to love it."
Callie rolled her eyes. "Don't push it—Jesus! What the hell is that?!" Callie nearly screamed when a gray creature jumped on the couch between the two women, and it took several seconds for her eyes to accept the fact that it was a cat she was looking at. A very odd looking cat that had to be older than she was.
Arizona looked genuinely offended and moved to cover its ears. "It's Squeak. I told you I got a cat."
Squeak settled onto Arizona's lap, then looked at Callie and hissed. "Squeak seems mean."
"He just does that. He'll love you soon." Arizona smiled and petted the poor thing and Callie had to try very, very hard not to laugh.
"Why is he winking at me?"
"He only has one eye, Callie. Don't be ableist."
"I would have never pegged you as a cat lady."
"Me either. But I kind of love him. Just another lesbian stereotype I had to fill, I guess." Her nose crinkled, and she suddenly laughed. "We kind of majorly U-Hauled today too. We might have set a record."
"I don't know what that means."
Arizona clicked her tongue against her teeth in mock disappointment. "God. I have so much to teach you."
Callie watched the way Arizona scratched behind Squeak's ear, making him purr. Her eyes lit up at the sudden reminder. "Oh my god. Oh my god. I can't believe I forgot to tell you. You'll never guess."
Arizona grinned, interest piqued. "Tell me."
"I found out who Monday is and why it's his Place."
Blue eyes widened. "No way."
"That's what I said!"
"Tell me right now." She was on the edge of her seat.
"I don't think you're ready for this."
"I'm ready!" Arizona whined.
"Okay." Callie took a deep breath as if she were about to deliver life-altering news, mimicking Richard's dramatics. "Monday was a cat."
They stayed up late, talking about everything and nothing and laughing until their stomachs hurt. Callie ended up falling asleep on the couch mid-sentence, which made Arizona giggle and press a sleepy kiss to her forehead.
She slipped into the other room to call her parents. She felt bad calling so late, but it was important and she knew they would answer. They would always answer her. She had explained everything going on and, after spending several minutes convincing her dad to put his gun away and listen, arranged for him to meet them at the police station in the morning.
She cleaned up the living room and kitchen quietly, tiptoeing around Callie as she slept on the couch. She looked so angelic while she slept, so innocent that it made Arizona's eyes burn to think about anyone ever hurting her. Her baby bump was peeking out a bit from the t-shirt she was borrowing and it made Arizona smile.
She got lost in thought as she brushed her teeth, reeling from the day. This morning she hadn't spoken to Callie in 2 months, and now Callie was living with her. It was scary, terrifying actually, how quickly it had all happened, quicker than she could process it. But now Callie was safe and with her and that was enough.
Callie was her girlfriend. What the hell. She accidentally smiled as she brushed her teeth, toothpaste dribbling out of her mouth and onto her pajama shirt.
They had a lot to talk about and a lot to figure out. Arizona knew that. The list was so long she didn't even want to think about it, but she could focus on one thing at a time. First up was Luke. She would not be satisfied until he was 6 feet under or locked in a jail cell.
She knelt on the floor in front of the couch where Callie slept, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to shake her softly. She spoke in a whisper to keep from startling her. "Come on, baby. It's time to come to bed."
Callie grumbled something cranky and incoherent but followed her anyway, and Arizona bit back her grin. She loved sleepy Callie. She loved all sides of Callie, really.
She loved Callie.
They slept in each other's arms for the entire night, limbs entangled, faces buried into warm skin.
They had a big day in the morning.
A/N: thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed this chapter! :) Please consider leaving me a review (I heard a rumor that only hot and cool people leave reviews)
Appreciate y'all so much for sticking with this story!