FIC: Aftershocks 19b/?
THE FOLLOWING MORNING
The smell of fried bacon permeated Callie’s senses to rouse her from her deep slumber. She opened her eyes to see Bailey snuggled close to her left side. Mildly confused, she turned her head to the right, only to be presented with Cristina curled as the little spoon to Meredith. At the foot of the bed, Lexie was curled in the fetal position on top of the blankets. Callie sat upright. Her brain tried to make sense of what it was being told. If all members of her bachelorette party were lying in bed with her, then who the hell was cooking bacon?
Callie tried to crawl over Bailey, but succeeded in falling to the floor with a loud thud. She grimaced as she stood. “Owwww.” She moaned rubbing her right hip with one hand and her left temple with the other hand. Too many parts of her body hurt. With a slow shuffle, she made her way to the kitchen. However, the sights and sounds there confused her more than what she’d seen in the bedroom.
Mark’s back was to Callie. “You know you want a bite of my sausage, Robbins. It’s the best sausage this side of the Mississippi.”
“You know I’m not a sausage-eater, Mark.” Arizona said with a light laugh.
“Come on. Just take a bite. It won’t kill you.”
“I’ll stick with bagels and eggs, thankyouverymuch.”
His voice dropped a register. “You know you want to.”
With a long-suffering sigh, Arizona faced him. “Fine.” She closed her eyes and opened her mouth slightly.
Callie’s eyes widened. She decided to make her presence known. “Oh hell no, Sloan. Step away from my girlfriend.”
Mark turned around holding a fork with a sausage link attached to it in his right hand, his left hand cupped underneath to catch anything that may fall from the utensil. “Mornin’, Torres. What crawled up your ass?”
Callie rubbed her eyes in disbelief. “You were really talking about sausage just now? Like breakfast food?”
“What did you think we were talking about? I have a guy who makes this sausage with hand-chosen ingredients by yours truly.”
Arizona made a snorting sound as she tried to stifle her laughter. “Callie’s hungover and her mind is in the gutter. Then again, after the way they were partying, I’m surprised the five of them aren’t in a gutter somewhere.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.” Callie grumbled as she moved toward the coffee maker. She paused to press a soft kiss to Arizona’s cheek. “Why are you here?”
“I live here. I worked yesterday. It makes sense that I’m here. You, however, are supposed to be at a resort somewhere in the Napa Valley area.” Arizona stated as she moved around the eggs in the skillet.
“We never made it to Oregon, much less Napa.” Callie slid onto one of the stools on the opposite side of the kitchen island. She drew her eyebrows together in contemplation. “Wait. Our bed’s full of people. Where’d you sleep?”
Mark slid a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs in front of her. “At my place.” He playfully punched Arizona’s shoulder. “Cockblock.” He jumped out of the way when she tried to hit him in return.
“Twatswatter.” She replied in jest.
Callie rubbed her left eyebrow, trying to make sense of the interactions between Mark and Arizona. The teasing, the playfullness, the inside jokes, the cooking. “So this…” She used her right index finger to wave between the two. “Whatever you’ve got going on…it’s the real deal? Not just some ploy to make me like you again?”
Mark and Arizona exchanged a knowing look. Mark broke the tense silence. “It took a lot of hard work for us to get to this point. There was a lot of painful history to get past, most of it a result of my actions, my words.”
“I didn’t exactly have much of a choice since I was bedridden for several weeks.” Arizona said playfully.
Mark clutched his chest dramatically. “You wound me, Robbins.” He turned his attention back to Callie. “But to answer your question, yeah, it’s real. I’m proud to say she’s one of my closest friends. I know you hate me…”
“I don’t hate you.” Callie interrupted softly as she toyed with her scrambled eggs.
“What?” Arizona and Mark said in unison.
“I don’t hate you.” Callie repeated her voice stronger. “I’m just…I’m so mad at you. I need time to be mad. Ok?” Her mind drifted to a time when she was on the receiving end of those words. She watched Arizona’s head drop as her lover turned back towards the stove.
Mark looked back and forth between the two women. “It looks like you need some couple-y time. I’m gonna get outta here. See ya at work, Robbins. Bye, Torres.” He quickly left their apartment.
Callie watched in shock as he let himself out of their home. “Did that just happen? Did Mark Sloan really just give us privacy to have an adult conversation?” She stared at the door in wonder. She turned on her stool to face Arizona, who still had her back to Callie. “I never gave you time to be mad.”
Arizona stiffened, but said nothing.
“That morning, I demanded you be all in and you said you were but you needed time to be mad but then I freaked out and camped out in Lucy’s exam room all day. I didn’t give you a chance to be mad about it all. Then I let Mark take over our relationship and turn it into a weird…thing.”
Arizona turned off the burner and shoved the skillet to one of the cold, rear burners. “Stop it.”
“And the…”
“Calliope!” Arizona raised her voice sharply. “I don’t need a play-by-play of the past year.”
“I’m trying to apologize, Arizona. I put you through hell and you’re still with me.” She slid off her stool and rounded the island to stand next to her fiancée. She turned Arizona to face her. “I love you. Ok? I love you for putting up with so much over the past year and for not giving up on me, on us.”
Arizona grinned widely. “I love you, too.” She leaned forward to press a hungry kiss to Callie’s lips and proceeded to back Callie into the closest wall.
“Ugh. No one needs to see your sapphicness on full display this early in the morning, Torres.” Cristina muttered as she stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes later.
“God, not the cutesy crap.” Bailey growled behind Cristina.
Meredith tilted her head to the side. “Is Arizona’s hand…?” Three pairs of eyes widened. “Ok. That’s our cue to get the hell out of here.”
“Agreed.” Chorused Bailey and Yang as the trio ran for the door.
Ten minutes later, Lexie trudged into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Mmmm, something smells ama…OH MY GOD!” She slapped a hand over her eyes. Arizona tore her mouth away from Callie’s neck to look over her shoulder at Lexie in disbelief. “I-I-I…I’ll see myself out.” She stammered running from the apartment.
Arizona turned her head back toward Callie. “Did Lexie just walk in on us? AGAIN?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Less talking, more kissing.” Callie ordered. Who was Arizona to argue?
THAT NIGHT
Arizona lay in bed watching Callie go through her nightly routine. Something about Callie’s bachelorette party didn’t sit right with her. “Sweetie?”
“Hmmm?”
“Why didn’t you guys make it to Napa?”
“I thought I told you.”
Arizona shook her head. “No. You said you didn’t even make it to Oregon.”
“Oh.” Callie slid under the covers next to her girlfriend. “It’s silly. Stupid really.”
“Calliope.” She whispered.
Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona and nuzzled her face against her pale shoulder. “Bailey hit the brakes to avoid hitting a deer and I had a panic attack. I flashed back to the accident and flipped out.”
Arizona pressed a soft kiss to Callie’s temple. “It’s ok. You’re safe.”
“All I wanted was to see you or hear your voice but no one had cell service, so it was decided that we come back to Seattle.”
“Ok. Quick question. Why did everyone raid my closet?”
THURSDAY EVENING
Arizona stepped out of the bedroom adjusting her earrings. She stopped abruptly when she noticed Alex sitting on the couch holding a beer. “I thought you were getting dressed.”
“I did.”
She waved a hand up and down to indicate his jeans and sweatshirt. “That’s not ready for dinner.”
“It is for where we’re going.”
She squinted at him. “What do you know?”
“I know you’re going to be miserable if you insist on wearing that dress and those heels.” He said pointing at her knee length black and blue flower print dress with two inch black stilettos.
“Karev.”
“Sloan said he’d put me on his service if I told what Teddy has planned for tonight. I’ve been on his service. It’s nothing but getting lattes and dry cleaning and staying on hold for an entire afternoon with the DMV. I am NOT doing that again.” He shook his head at the memory.
Arizona shook her head and returned to her bedroom.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Arizona glared at Mark and Teddy as they pulled up to Derek’s trailer. “I thought I made it clear I didn’t want a bachelorette party.” She grumbled as they exited Teddy’s Buick.
“This isn’t a bachelorette party.” Derek said as he emerged from the trailer holding a bottle of Scotch and a long rectangular box.
“There’s booze and cigars. I assume the strippers are inside.”
Derek grinned. “No strippers, Arizona. This is what the chief likes to call a ‘gentleman’s evening’. Right, Mark?”
Mark released a loud guffaw as he clapped Arizona on the shoulder. “Welcome to the tamest party you’ve ever been to, Blondie.”
Teddy and Alex grabbed enough beers for everyone and placed them on the table next to the Monopoly box. “Oooo, Monopoly. I am super awesome at Monopoly.” Arizona said with pride as she sat between Alex and Derek.
Derek took the role of banker and chose the moneybag as his token. Alex chose the dog, Mark the racecar, Arizona the boat, and Teddy the top hat. “Ok, ladies and gentlemen. Ground rules. Regular Monopoly rules apply but with a slight twist.” He poured three fingers worth of Scotch into a tumbler and placed it in the middle of the board. “Free parking. All taxes or moneys to the bank from landing somewhere on the board or being drawn from the cards goes under this glass. If you land on Free Parking, to get the money, you have to drink this glass. Other minor rule adjustments. You all have a beer in front of you. Your beverage must remain alcoholic throughout the game. If you land on visiting jail, you must take a drink. IN jail, two drinks. Doubles, drink once. Land on GO, three drinks plus double GO money. Any questions?”
“Dude, who knew Monopoly could actually be fun?” Alex laughed.
Derek glared at him. “Why are you here?”
“Shepherd, behave. Karev was in the bridal party before you.” Teddy admonished.
Arizona clapped her hands together. “I’ve sooooo got this.”
THREE HOURS LATER
“I sooooo don’t got this.” Arizona muttered as she knocked back the tumbler of Scotch for the Free Parking money.
“Whatsa matter, Robbabumkins?” Teddy slurred.
“I don’ feels so good, Teddymabear.” Arizona turned to look for Karev, but found he had disappeared. “Oh no! Some bear ated Alex.”
Mark’s eyes widened. “Maybe it was Shepepep…Shepepep…Derek.” He started to laugh maniacally. “Derek ate Alex. Hey, why not? Ever’one eats someone at dis place. Arzoney eats Callie O’Malley, Lexexexie eats Jacksmyman.”
“Kepoppyner isn’t eatin’ nobody.” Arizona slurred.
Derek fell into his chair. “What’re we talkin’ ‘bout?”
Arizona focused on the man’s messy hair, completely fascinated by it. “Your hair…it’s messsssy.” She reached out to run her fingers through it, but kept missing his head and hitting him roughly on the shoulder instead. “Hey! Why’re you so pisssssed at Marrydeath? Ya had ta know she was gonna fuck it up evenchully.”
“Thought der had ta be a limit. More pissededed at mysssself.” He replied.
Teddy tried to point her finger at him but was pointing three feet to the left. “Jusssst forgive her. Be mad, but forgive her. Workeded for Calzona. Get(hic) gettin’ married.” Those at the table agreed.
At that moment, Alex came stumbling from the woods. “Got a ride coming fer us.”
“Tell me it’ssss not Callie.”
Alex propped himself against the trailer. “Sorry.”
Teddy went to place her hand on Arizona’s shoulder in a comforting manner. Instead, she fell out of her chair, which caused everyone to laugh raucously. When Callie arrived twenty minutes later, everyone was still laughing about how Teddy fell out of her chair.