"Coming Home" by aussirayne
Title: "Coming Home"
Author: aussirayne
Recipient: ahkna
Pairing(s)/Gen Partipants: Addison/Callie
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: What if Callie had been the one to cheat?
Disclaimer: Grey's and its characters belong to Shonda and some other people who have way more money than I do.
Additional notes: Fic will eventually be archived at my fic journal aussirayne_fics.
Addison stormed into the hotel room tossing her bag and kicking off her shoes. She threw her coat on the floor and pulled the clip out of her hair. Her red hair spilled across her face and stuck to her lip gloss before she finally noticed the figure sitting on the bed.
“Callie?”
Callie raised her head and smiled weakly.
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t know where else to go. I still had my key, and I didn’t want to go back to my place. He might be there.”
“He? He who? George?”
“Yes. I just can’t take seeing him right now.”
“What happened now?”
“I told him.”
“You told him what? About this? About us? How could you?”
“No. I told him that I couldn’t see him anymore. I told him there was someone else.”
“What did he say?”
“He knew. Somehow he knew. He just looked at me. There was this look in his eyes. Half sad, half hating me.”
Addison sat next to Callie on the bed and took her hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“He looked so hurt, Addie. How did we get here?”
Addison shrugged.
“You still love him don’t you?”
“I think on some level I always will.”
“I understand. I sometimes wonder if I’d have been better off just staying in New York. Coming out here screwed up two lives in addition to my own.”
“You screwed up my life? I was already fucked before you came along. But if you hadn’t come out here, we’d never have met.”
“Going soft on me, Torres?”
“Of course not.”
Callie shrugged and looked at the floor. Addison knew she did this when she was trying to lie.
“Look at me.”
Addison tilted Callie’s face and looked into her eyes.
“You know I love you, right?”
Callie nodded.
“I was just joking.”
“I know, Addie. I’ve just never been good at the relationship thing.”
“Oh, we’re in a relationship now?”
“Well, there was only one thing standing in our way, and that’s not an issue anymore.”
“So, you really want to do this? Us? You and me?”
“Yes. I really do.”
Addison pulled Callie closer and put her arms around the younger woman.
“Now, why were you throwing things when you came in?”
“It was just a bad day.”
“How bad?”
“I lost the Anderson baby today. I had to take her in for her third operation. She’s only five days old. They hadn’t even named her yet. She perfed, and I couldn’t save her.”
“Addie, it’s not your fault. You know that. What was her nickname?”
“How did you know?”
“I know you. I know that you nickname every baby that you have to put in the NICU.”
Addison smiled, amazed that Callie knew something that she’d always kept a secret.
“Athena.”
“Goddess of wisdom?”
“Yeah, this tiny baby came out with her forehead wrinkled. She looked like she was trying to figure out why exactly I was pulling her from her warm, comfortable tummy.”
Callie half stifled her laugh.
“You’re adorable. I see you with these babies, and I wonder how you do it.”
“I love working with babies.”
“Why didn’t you and Derek ever have kids?”
“Timing. There was med school then residency, and by the end of that, we had drifted apart. I wanted kids, but Derek and I were barely speaking, let alone having sex.”
“What about now? Have you thought about having one now?”
“I’m 39. I think I missed the baby boat.”
“Anything’s possible.”
“You still have plenty of time left for babies. I’ve pretty much resigned myself to never being a mother.”
“Addie.”
Callie wanted to say more. She wanted to say something that would get rid of that pained look on Addison’s face. She wanted to know the magic words to make everything alright. She was a surgeon, and surgeons were supposed to fix people. A surgeon could fix any problem as long as the right equipment was available. But tonight she wasn’t a surgeon. Tonight she was a woman whose girlfriend needed her support. No scalpel was going to make this better. So, instead of trying to figure out how to change things, she was simply going to hold Addison.
Addison kissed Callie’s cheek and eased off the bed. She stripped off her clothes that smelled like the hospital and threw them in the hamper. She watched as Callie followed suit, and soon the two were standing face to face, naked beside the bed. It shouldn’t feel this awkward. It wasn’t like it was the first time they’d been together. It was, however, the first time they’d been together post-McSteamy, post-George. Neither woman had been completely single when they’d slept together before. This was new, and they were nervous. Making the decision to actually try a relationship put expectations on everything. This wasn’t just sex; it had been the lifeblood of their relationship until now. Now sex meant more than just orgasms and bite marks and carpet burns (this one especially turned Callie on though she couldn’t really explain it). Sex with love and commitment is intense and life-altering…especially if it’s bad. And that’s what was running through Addison’s head. What if it was only good because it was supposed to be wrong? What if she and Callie had no chemistry? What if this was actually a huge mistake? Addison shook her head and smiled, holding out her hand.
“Come here.”
Addison pulled Callie into her arms and held her tight.
“Addie?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just tired, and it’s been a very long day.”
“Let’s just sleep then. Hold me?”
“Always.”
Addison watched as Callie climbed into bed and settled right in the middle. She always did this. Curled up right next to Addison’s pillow knowing that even while they were sleeping Addison would be so close Callie could feel her deep, even breathing.
“Coming?”
Addison nodded and plopped onto the bed. She turned off the lamp and rolled to face Callie. Sighing, she closed her eyes.
“I love you.”
Addison barely heard the whispered words and smiled.
“I know.”
“Seriously?”
Addison laughed at Callie’s incredulous tone.
“You know I love you.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear.”
With mumbled goodnights, the pair meshed into a tangle of arms and legs and willed themselves to sleep.
Author: aussirayne
Recipient: ahkna
Pairing(s)/Gen Partipants: Addison/Callie
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: What if Callie had been the one to cheat?
Disclaimer: Grey's and its characters belong to Shonda and some other people who have way more money than I do.
Additional notes: Fic will eventually be archived at my fic journal aussirayne_fics.
Addison stormed into the hotel room tossing her bag and kicking off her shoes. She threw her coat on the floor and pulled the clip out of her hair. Her red hair spilled across her face and stuck to her lip gloss before she finally noticed the figure sitting on the bed.
“Callie?”
Callie raised her head and smiled weakly.
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t know where else to go. I still had my key, and I didn’t want to go back to my place. He might be there.”
“He? He who? George?”
“Yes. I just can’t take seeing him right now.”
“What happened now?”
“I told him.”
“You told him what? About this? About us? How could you?”
“No. I told him that I couldn’t see him anymore. I told him there was someone else.”
“What did he say?”
“He knew. Somehow he knew. He just looked at me. There was this look in his eyes. Half sad, half hating me.”
Addison sat next to Callie on the bed and took her hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“He looked so hurt, Addie. How did we get here?”
Addison shrugged.
“You still love him don’t you?”
“I think on some level I always will.”
“I understand. I sometimes wonder if I’d have been better off just staying in New York. Coming out here screwed up two lives in addition to my own.”
“You screwed up my life? I was already fucked before you came along. But if you hadn’t come out here, we’d never have met.”
“Going soft on me, Torres?”
“Of course not.”
Callie shrugged and looked at the floor. Addison knew she did this when she was trying to lie.
“Look at me.”
Addison tilted Callie’s face and looked into her eyes.
“You know I love you, right?”
Callie nodded.
“I was just joking.”
“I know, Addie. I’ve just never been good at the relationship thing.”
“Oh, we’re in a relationship now?”
“Well, there was only one thing standing in our way, and that’s not an issue anymore.”
“So, you really want to do this? Us? You and me?”
“Yes. I really do.”
Addison pulled Callie closer and put her arms around the younger woman.
“Now, why were you throwing things when you came in?”
“It was just a bad day.”
“How bad?”
“I lost the Anderson baby today. I had to take her in for her third operation. She’s only five days old. They hadn’t even named her yet. She perfed, and I couldn’t save her.”
“Addie, it’s not your fault. You know that. What was her nickname?”
“How did you know?”
“I know you. I know that you nickname every baby that you have to put in the NICU.”
Addison smiled, amazed that Callie knew something that she’d always kept a secret.
“Athena.”
“Goddess of wisdom?”
“Yeah, this tiny baby came out with her forehead wrinkled. She looked like she was trying to figure out why exactly I was pulling her from her warm, comfortable tummy.”
Callie half stifled her laugh.
“You’re adorable. I see you with these babies, and I wonder how you do it.”
“I love working with babies.”
“Why didn’t you and Derek ever have kids?”
“Timing. There was med school then residency, and by the end of that, we had drifted apart. I wanted kids, but Derek and I were barely speaking, let alone having sex.”
“What about now? Have you thought about having one now?”
“I’m 39. I think I missed the baby boat.”
“Anything’s possible.”
“You still have plenty of time left for babies. I’ve pretty much resigned myself to never being a mother.”
“Addie.”
Callie wanted to say more. She wanted to say something that would get rid of that pained look on Addison’s face. She wanted to know the magic words to make everything alright. She was a surgeon, and surgeons were supposed to fix people. A surgeon could fix any problem as long as the right equipment was available. But tonight she wasn’t a surgeon. Tonight she was a woman whose girlfriend needed her support. No scalpel was going to make this better. So, instead of trying to figure out how to change things, she was simply going to hold Addison.
Addison kissed Callie’s cheek and eased off the bed. She stripped off her clothes that smelled like the hospital and threw them in the hamper. She watched as Callie followed suit, and soon the two were standing face to face, naked beside the bed. It shouldn’t feel this awkward. It wasn’t like it was the first time they’d been together. It was, however, the first time they’d been together post-McSteamy, post-George. Neither woman had been completely single when they’d slept together before. This was new, and they were nervous. Making the decision to actually try a relationship put expectations on everything. This wasn’t just sex; it had been the lifeblood of their relationship until now. Now sex meant more than just orgasms and bite marks and carpet burns (this one especially turned Callie on though she couldn’t really explain it). Sex with love and commitment is intense and life-altering…especially if it’s bad. And that’s what was running through Addison’s head. What if it was only good because it was supposed to be wrong? What if she and Callie had no chemistry? What if this was actually a huge mistake? Addison shook her head and smiled, holding out her hand.
“Come here.”
Addison pulled Callie into her arms and held her tight.
“Addie?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just tired, and it’s been a very long day.”
“Let’s just sleep then. Hold me?”
“Always.”
Addison watched as Callie climbed into bed and settled right in the middle. She always did this. Curled up right next to Addison’s pillow knowing that even while they were sleeping Addison would be so close Callie could feel her deep, even breathing.
“Coming?”
Addison nodded and plopped onto the bed. She turned off the lamp and rolled to face Callie. Sighing, she closed her eyes.
“I love you.”
Addison barely heard the whispered words and smiled.
“I know.”
“Seriously?”
Addison laughed at Callie’s incredulous tone.
“You know I love you.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear.”
With mumbled goodnights, the pair meshed into a tangle of arms and legs and willed themselves to sleep.