Ho Ho Hopefully
Title: Ho Ho Hopefully 1/2
Author: elise50
Pairing: Mark/Callie, mention of others
Rating: NC-17 (in some parts), PG-13 for this part though
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
For: devylish who wanted some dirty Mallie (along with a couple of other things).
Summary: On their way to an attending retreat Callie’s Mustang breaks down, leaving her and Mark stranded in the woods.
A/N: I decided to break it up into two parts so I didn’t keep you waiting forever. This is so probably nothing like you expected, but this is what came into my mind for some reason. It’s totally out of left field but I hope you like it anyway. Also I did very little research (and I am no where near Washington state to probably even come close to accuracy) so I apologize for any crappy portrayals or references.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ho ho hopefully
This holiday will make us believe that
We're exactly where we're supposed to be
-The Maine
~*~*~*~*~*~
“All of us here are one big family.”
“One big incestuous family,” Mark smirked, whispering quietly into Callie’s ear.
“How many people have you slept with in this room?” She whispered back.
“Two…three.”
Looking around the room Callie glanced at each woman, trying to distinguish whether or not Mark had mentioned sleeping with any of them. Only able to count Teddy and herself under the list of known Sloan bedmates, she turned to him in confusion.
Catching on to her coming question, Mark smiled and leaned over again, “Me and Robbins have technically done the deed via that gorgeous body of yours Torres.”
“You’re disgusting,” Callie scoffed, rolling her eyes as she faced away from him.
“You love me that way baby.”
Clearing his throat loudly, Chief Webber eyed the disruptive pair with annoyance. When they both finally quieted and gave him their full attention, he continued, “as I was saying, I think of us as a family and families need to be strong, united.” Holding up a closed fist to emphasize his point, Richard smiled, “That’s why this Christmas we’re all going on a retreat.”
The room quickly erupted in groans and protests.
“On Christmas? What about our families?” Miranda spoke up, voicing the concern most others shared.
“Before everyone starts jumping to conclusions let me finish explaining. I’ve already booked us at the Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop from the 23rd to the 26th and I’ve made sure to get enough rooms to allow each of you to bring husbands, wives, significant others, children.”
“How exactly will this work as a hospital retreat?” Derek leaned forward curiously, amused by Richard‘s enthusiasm.
“We’ll all be together, bonding; it’s going to be packed with fun and excitement.” Nodding, pleased with his answer as he scanned the room. Taking in the still apathetic expressions on the faces of his attendings, Richard met their scowls with one of his own. “It’s also mandatory; be there by the 24th, I’ll give everyone complete details as we get closer, so clear your calendars. Now,” he straightened and stood from his seat, “we’ve got lives to save people, get back to work.”
As the room began to clear, Callie slumped her shoulders and sunk into the back of her chair. Standing near the door, Mark crossed his arms and watched her wallow; staying back, he waited until the last of their colleagues left before moving around the table to take the seat beside her.
“A Christmas weekend with a bunch of happy families, non-single people and my ex and her new ‘perfect’ girlfriend; I can‘t wait.”
Unable to think up a soothing enough response, Mark reached around and wrapped his arm over her shoulders, forcing her body to lay against his. Showing no resistance, Callie rested her head comfortably on the edge of Mark’s chest, sighing as she stared at the empty wall across them.
“Look on the bright side Torres,” Mark spoke up, rubbing her arm gently as she turned in his direction. “We get to be roommates on this little adventure.”
“You’re supposed to be making me feel better about this whole bonding thing.”
“Ouch,” Mark chuckled lightly, scratching his chin while his eyes scanned her face. “Come on Callie it won’t be that excruciating. Even if it is, I‘ll be around to make you happy whenever you need me.”
Callie‘s heart pattered lightly at the earnestness in his words. Touched by his offer, she cracked a small smile. “What if making me happy involves stripping naked…”
“I could get started on that now,” Mark interrupted with a salacious grin and a wink.
“…and rolling through the snow.”
“Whatever gets you going Torres,” he smirked, releasing his hold on her as she leaned away and rolled her eyes. “Have I ever let you down?”
Biting her lip, Callie shook her head and smiled at him affectionately. “Never.”
He hadn’t really been expecting an answer, but his pulse thumped at her confident response. He took an insurmountable sense of pride in being able to take care of this woman, both in her physical and emotional areas. It meant the world to him that she at least recognized his attempts, even if she still didn’t fully understand why he tried so hard to keep her happy.
Almost inaudibly clearing his throat, Mark chuckled and grinned at her, pulling away from letting quiet tension build between them for too long. Wiggling his brows, he dropped his voice and leaned close to her again, “Besides Torres, even if this thing turns out to be worse than we expect, you and I could always get lost in the woods together.”
“In your dreams Sloan.”
“Only the dirty ones.”
Biting her lip, Callie shook her head and laughed. Standing from the chair, she unwrinkled her scrub pants and looked over her shoulder. “Lunch?”
“Are you treating?” Mark smirked devilishly, staring at patch of revealed caramel skin that managed to slip into his sight as Callie stretched her arms.
“No,” Callie scoffed, offering a hand and lifting Mark from his seat. Chuckling he curled an arm around her waist and led her into the hall.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“I told you we should have taken my car,” Mark griped, rubbing his hands together as he watched Callie take another attempt at starting up her recently purchased, restored 1968 Mustang GT 390 Fastback.
“Come on baby, please start. Please,” Callie begged, teeth chattering as she slid her fingers gently over the dashboard and turned the key in the ignition.
“Nothing’s going to start this hunk of junk Torres.”
Turning her head sharply Callie glared at Mark, pursing her lips and finally sighing in defeat as she dropped her forehead against the cold steering wheel. “We’re going to die, we’re going to freeze and die.”
Chuckling, Mark reached over and brushed the hair that had fallen over her face back behind her ears. “Stop being so dramatic Torres. We’ll call up a tow truck and get someo--”
“We’re in the woods Mark, the woods with trees and snow. My cell phone doesn’t work here and I’m going to bet that yours doesn’t either. The last anything I saw was at least five miles back and it’s freezing, so neither of us is going out there.”
Forced into silence by Callie’s small rant, Mark quietly reviewed every fact she’d thrown out at him. Groaning as he realized how valid each point was, he dropped his head back and let out a string of curses.
“My thoughts exactly,” Callie replied, letting her eyes close and her head drop against the steering wheel again, shivering slightly as the wind outside her vehicle picked up and sent a small wave of cool air through its cracks. Seconds later, she shot her eyes open again and turned in obvious panic. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?”
Shaking his head, Mark shrugged nonchalantly and tapped his fingers against the door handle, looking out the fogging window as he thought of ways they might be able to deal with the unexpected circumstances. “The sun’s going down, we’ll have to ride out the night. Tomorrow we’ll walk back down the road and hope we run into something. They‘ve got to have one of those phone boxes somewhere around here.” As he spoke, his eyes caught the bundle of sheets folded in the backseat of the car. Reaching over his shoulder, he silently thanked whatever higher power had given Callie the inability to sleep in hotel beds without being wrapped in her own blankets. Settling it over his body, he opened his arms to her.
“I’m not crawling into your lap to get warm Sloan,” Callie retorted, shoving her hands between her tightly closed thighs. “I’m not that desperate.”
Smirking, he covered himself with the blanket, leaned against the small leather seat of her Mustang and closed his eyes. “Can’t say I didn’t offer.”
Not two seconds later, Callie shifted in her seat and narrowed her eyes at him. “That‘s my blanket.”
“It’s also your car that got us stuck out here,” Mark mumbled, eyes still shut.
Scowling, she lifted her hands from their resting place and crossed her arms defensively over her chest. Tapping her heeled boot against the floor mat below her foot, she bit her lip and turned, slugging Mark in the shoulder as she swung a leg over the middle divide.
Hissing, he opened his eyes just as Callie’s knee came to rest between his legs. Speechless for a moment he tried to ignore the slight brush of her breasts against his chest and the warmth of her breath hitting his chin as she maneuvered around the tight space, successfully lowering herself onto his lap and snuggling her hips between his legs. Drawing back, she let her back fall against him and covered them again with the blanket.
His arm snaked around her front, sliding around her waist as he rested his chin over the top of her head.
“This is…uncomfortable.”
Laughing, Mark kissed her temple and sunk them further into the leather.
~*~
Half an hour later found them reminiscing, relaxing, sharing things they had kept from everyone else.
“I would have hated you in high school.”
Chuckling, Mark buried his nose in Callie’s loose hair and gripped her waist tighter as he breathed against her neck. He felt her shiver slightly; chalking it up to the cold air, Mark moved his hands up over her arms, rubbing heat to them. Leaning his chin at the edge of her shoulder, he turned his head so that he was able to see Callie’s face.
“So you don’t hate me now?” He asked, teasing her as his movements began to slow.
Swiveling her head, Callie unintentionally settled her mouth inches from his. Aware of the closeness, she shivered again, her breath resolving to a mild shake as she watched his eyes zone onto her lips and come back up to her own gaze, locking it with fierce determination.
“No.”
And there it was again, the ever lingering tension that had managed to live between them for years.
Tilting her head slightly, Callie was milliseconds from crashing her lips to his when a sudden loud rumbling came wafting to their ears from the darkness outside.
Pulled from her trance, she turned and allowed herself to calm, letting the flush run through her body completely as she glanced behind them.
“Are those…”
Blinking rapidly, Callie lifted herself up against Mark allowing for a better view of the two dim lights coming slowly up the road. Smacking Mark’s chest, she pulled up and reached for the handle at her left, shoving the door open. “It’s a truck.”
Before he was able to stop her, Callie eagerly stepped through the door and moved around the Mustang, putting herself in the line of the driver’s vision.
His own breath steadied as he watched her leave him all too quickly, not exactly sure whether it was to flag down help or to get away from him. Kicking out of the car, Mark’s legs stretched as he walked up beside Callie and leaned his backside against the freezing, red outer layer of the car.
Seconds later a light blue, paint chipped Ford pick-up came toward them.
“You kids having some car trouble?” An elderly man asked, leaning across his seat after manually rolling down his window.
Scrunching her nose at his words, Callie glanced at Mark before approaching the man’s truck. “Our car broke down about an hour ago and our phones don’t work so we can’t call anybody. We were wondering if you’d be able to drive us somewhere, a repair shop, a restaurant, a motel…something.”
“You’re not going to find anything for another 20 miles and when you do most of it’ll be closed. I can hook you up with the closest mechanic, but he probably won’t be able to get out here until Saturday morning.”
“Christmas?”
“Oh yeah, a lot of people are closing up shop tonight because they’re expecting a blizzard.”
The old man watched as Callie stuffed her hands into her jacket.
“I’ll tell you what, you folks can come at stay with me and the missus. We’ve got a spare bedroom.”
Smiling, Callie shook her head, rejecting his offer. “We can’t do that.”
“Oh now, what kind of human being would I be if I let a young couple freeze in their car?”
Ignoring bits of his argument Callie turned to Mark, who’d stayed back against the car, quietly observing the conversation. Walking close to him, she heard him begin to whisper.
“This is the way all horror movies begin.”
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Callie tilted her head. “Mark, he called us kids and nothing about him looks dangerous.”
“He lives miles from civilization.”
“So.”
“Have you ever seen Deliverance?”
“You’re an idiot,” she hissed back at him, hugging herself as she turned back to the truck. “Can you give us a few minutes to get our stuff?”
“Sure thing.”
Mark groaned as he watched Callie sidle around the car and pop open the trunk to retrieve their bags.
“This’ll be interesting,” he whispered to himself, pushing off the car before grabbing the bags from Callie’s hands and sliding into the noisy pick-up truck.