Heaven's Gate 1
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.
Rated NC-17.
Summary: After a tragic accident, both Callie and Arizona’s lives hang in the balance while they wait for said lives to be assessed as to whether or not they are ready to be let in to Heaven.
A/N: So it's a new year and I'm venturing into new territory. This is a departure from my normal genre.....so we'll just see how it goes. I mean no offense toward any religious belief....I grew up Catholic, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become much less religious and much more spiritual. So this intended, lighthearted, blend of beliefs, is the basis for this fic. As always comments and constructive criticism welcome.
A/N 2: Special thanks to Walking_Weapon and 803Baxley for their help in getting this fic started.
Chapter One:
"Skiing?.....really?.....you want us to go skiing?" Callie asked in disbelief.
"Yeah ....you know....floating down a mountain on two thin pieces of fiberglass...... the wind in your hair. We do live in Seattle and Mount Rainier is practically in our back yard." Arizona stated as if the questions were just plain silly in nature.
"But I don’t ski" Callie said flatly
"What?.....What do you mean you don’t ski?......you live in Seattle. What the hell else is there to do during the winter?
Callie pouted just a little "But I grew up in Miami.....there aren’t any mountains and there has never been snow. I never learned to ski and I hate being cold."
"But you’re an Orthopedic surgeon......I just figured you were all connected to sports medicine and therefore would be athletic. I’m sure you could learn.....we’ll take lessons. The instructors can teach you to snow plow on the bunny slope like the little kids and........" Seeing the pissed off look in Callie’s eye made Arizona stop mid sentence. "Or I could teach you?"
Callie glared at the blond "You’re a Lesbian who sucks at softball......do you still want to throw around some more cliché’s? Besides, I grew up in Miami, so I water ski....not snow ski.....and I’m damn good at it. Can you say that?"
"Oh God no.......the first time I got a thirty mile an hour enema.......that was the last time I went water skiing." Arizona shuddered at the memory of skidding, spread eagle across the top of the water.
Callie’s face showed that the thought of such an event might just deter her as well "You’re supposed to stay on your feet....not your ass"
"Yeah well, I can say the same thing about snow skiing. Please Calliope" Arizona whined "Mark has agreed to take Sofia for the weekend. We can leave after work on Friday, ski all day Saturday and come home on Sunday. And it will give us a chance to spend some quality time together." Arizona shot Callie a sexy smirk with a raised eyebrow.
Callie sighed with defeat "Fine......but if anything on this body gets broken.....I’m going to kill you."
"Deal" Arizona squealed.
*********************
They arrived at the lodge late on Friday night due to heavy, wet snow falling almost the entire way up the mountain. By the time they had made it to their room, both women were ready to crash.....and so they did. In the morning, Arizona woke to the resounding purr of her wife’s snoring. After making coffee and sneaking down to the lobby to get breakfast, she returned to the room hoping Callie was awake. A most pleasant surprise awaited her arrival. Not only was Callie awake but she was freshly showered and back in bed.....naked. "Are you sure you want to eat that for breakfast when you could have this?"
Arizona playfully looked between the bagels and fruit that she had procured and her luscious, bare wife and then excitedly tossed the food on the table heading straight to her woman. "I should shower" she said after planting a searing kiss to the full awaiting lips.
"Mmmmm.....no need. You’re perfect just the way you are" Callie pulled the blonde further into the bed and for the next hour they sated one another in passion.
When they once again woke from their lustfully deserved slumber, Arizona was chomping at the bit to hit the slopes. They got themselves dressed albeit Callie took her sweet time in doing so, not at all excited at the prospect of what they were about to do.
********************
Arizona gave Callie a quick lesson at the bottom of the slope, but decided that until they got to the top, she really couldn’t get the feel of it. They headed to the chair lift and waited their turn. "O
kay....now when I say, we need to move over in front of the upcoming chair and it will just pick us up and carry us to the top."
Callie watched nervously as the other skiers boarded the lift. Once they were secured in the chair, she started to relax some until she pondered how they were going to exit off. "Um....Arizona? I haven’t seen them stop this thing to let anyone off."
"That’s because it doesn’t stop. Once we get to the top, we scoot to the edge and slide off before the chair makes it’s turn back down the hill." Arizona nodded as if it were just that simple.
However, when the time came Callie froze and Arizona had to pull her off just in time. This ended up in Callie doing a face plant just beyond the lift while several other exiting skiers were forced to maneuver around her in order to avoid a major pile up. Every time Callie attempted to get up, another one would slip by her and cause her to fall. Arizona tried desperately to hold back the laughter but the sight was just too comical. Unfortunately, Callie didn’t see it that way "Arizona! Dammit!.......quit laughing and help me!"
Arizona quickly lost her smirk and when she saw a break in the line of skiers, she jumped in and pulled Callie out of the way "I’m sorry......I’m sorry for laughing, but it was pretty funny."
"Funny!? Could those people not see me?.......Am I invisible?.....My God they could have killed me." Callie was pouting.
"Come on Calliope......stand up.....no one has ever died getting off the chair lift" Arizona was trying to be supportive but really thought her wife was being overly dramatic.
Callie looked at her sheepishly "Yeah well, if I did this bad at the beginning, what’s going to happen later......on the way down there?" she pointed to the side of the mountain that they were headed for.
"This is one of the easiest slopes. It’s gradual and not too fast. You’ll be able to stay in control and I’ll be here to help you." Arizona gave Callie a quick lesson in propulsion, steering and most importantly.....stopping. They moved forward at a painstakingly slow pace with several balance wobbles and bobbles. Arizona attempted to encourage Callie to loosen up a bit and allow herself to gain a little speed, but she refused.
"Look Arizona....this is good enough. I’m in control.....and I’m good." Callie was concentrating hard on maintaining her snow plow stance.
Arizona let out a sigh...a little louder than she intended....at least the weather was nice and the sun was out. "Well can we at least attempt a direction change?" She was getting bored with the pace of things.
Callie looked annoyed but did try to steer herself to the left, but got a little too much to the side and ended up turning herself backwards and was steadily gaining speed "Air....z.o.na!"
In a flash Arizona sped past her wife and came to a perfect stop bracing herself for impact. Callie crashed into her with a thud and both women toppled over in the snow "Thanks" Callie said apologetically. "Listen....if you want to go ahead and ski down, I’ll meet you at the bottom. I know that this isn’t how you imagined yourself spending the day."
"Really?....You’ll be okay?" Arizona asked happily
Callie smiled at the childish gleem in her wife’s eyes "Yeah sure.....go on....I’ll be fine." Arizona kissed her wife sweetly on the nose and pushed her way down the hill with all of the grace of a downhill champion. Callie let herself take in the svelte form of the blonde as she skied away. She let out a big sigh and decided to try to make it the rest of the way down the mountain. She eased her way forward inch by inch in a constant snow plow position. In what seemed like little time, she heard her name being called from above. Looking up toward the voice, she found that not only had Arizona made it down the mountain in record time, she was now on her way back up on the chair lift. Callie decided to just give her a thumbs up sign so that she would go on and have a good time. Continuing slowly down the snowy slope, she started to gain some confidence and pick up just a bit of speed. "I might be getting the hang of this" she thought to herself. Allowing herself to pick up a little speed "I think I’m going to......ahhh!....umph!" Before she realized what had happened, Callie found herself face down in the cold, wet, blanket of white. A 10 yr old on a snow board had whizzed by her, sending her realing off balance, down the hill "Uhh.....I think I’m going to the bar."
After an exhausting trip the rest of the way down, Callie finally ended up at the bottom of the hill.....minus 1 ski and a pole....she was hoping they would both be waiting for her at the end, but sadly this was not the case. Tired and cold, she made her way to the lounge where a giant fireplace roared, sending a yellow glow throughout the space. The heat was so intense that she immediately shed her coat and sweater. She bellied up to the bar next to a dude named Sam, and ordered a hot buttered rum, to warm her insides. They struck up an easy conversation and time seemed to disappear. Before she knew it, she had consumed several drinks and had a nice buzz on.
A few hours and several drinks later, Arizona came rushing into the lounge "Calliope!.....there you are!.... I was so worried.....I couldn’t find you anywhere....I even went to the Medic to see if you had been hurt."
"Nope....I’m fine baby ......really.....just a bruised ego" Callie slurred. After seeing Arizona breathe a sigh of relief Callie added "See what I mean Sam......my wife looks super hot in those ski pants." The Latina allowed her eyes to trail up and down the blondes form with a wicked grin. Sam just nodded his approval.
Stunned by Callie’s forwardness, Arizona just stared, mouth agape for a few seconds "How many of those have you had?
"Uh...Just a few.....but they’re really good" Callie grinned
Arizona threw her wife a sexy smile "Well how about you finish that one and meet me up in our room?" she turned quickly on her heels and headed the opposite direction.
Callie called out after her "Are you gonna be wearing those ski pants?"
Turning back around and flashing her famous dimples "Maybe.....but it might just get a little too hot to keep them on for long."
With that Callie downed her drink and followed after her wife "See ya Sam.....I’m gonna get lucky."
**************
After a couple hours of marathon, hot, sweaty sex. the women decided to come up for air and get ready to go out and eat. While Arizona was in the shower, Callie flipped on the weather channel. It seems a storm was brewing which got her attention.
Emerging from the bathroom, dressed and starving, Arizona tried to pry Callie’s eyes away from the TV "Okay, so I realize that "The Weather Today" is a captivating program, but I’m really hungry....can we go?"
"Yeah okay.....but we might want to think about heading home tonight instead of waiting. This storm looks like it could be bad." Callie suggested as she tore her eyes away.
With a disappointed pout on her face Arizona protested "Oh....but we haven’t had a chance to get in the hot tub yet and I was hoping to ravish you at least one more time before we have to go back to our real life with heavy work schedules, baby schedules and lack of sleep......Please Calliope" she whined "Besides, traveling in the daytime will be much easier."
Callie let out a deep sigh "How can I say no to you....... naked in a hot tub. Okay we’ll stay but we need to leave early tomorrow."
"Deal" Arizona squealed.
**************
After the long weekend away.....semi skiing, drinking hot toddies at the lodge, soaking their aching bodies in the hot tub and making each other cry out the other’s name in ecstasy, Callie and Arizona start their journey back home in the morning albeit reluctantly on Arizona’s part.
"My God Arizona.....can you move any slower? You know the weather is only going to get worse....we need to get off this damn mountain ASAP" Callie was getting more impatient as Arizona slowly got herself dressed, sipping hot coffee and enjoying the sight of the snow falling on the balcony of their hotel room.
"Oh Callie relax....it’s not like we don’t live in Seattle where it snows all of the time. We’ll be fine" Arizona reassured.
Callie huffed "You agreed that we would leave early today.....so come on....let’s go.’
"Fine....whatever.....I can’t help if just want to stay in fantasy land a little while longer." Arizona conceded and gathered her things as they both headed out of the room.
The weather was treacherous and the roads were covered in ice. The wind howled around them and blew the fallen snow into drifts. Callie could barely see two feet in front of her "I told you we should have left last night".
"I didn’t hear you complaining last night when I was blowing your mind and you came hard enough to almost pass out" Arizona quipped with a self satisfied look on her face.
"Well if this weather gets any worse, it may be the last time you ever get to do that." Callie stated smugly.
Arizona leaned over and turned the radio on only to have Callie immediately turn it off. "What are you doing? I wanted to listen to Adele."
"I need it quiet so I can hear.....and concentrate on the road." Callie wasn’t used to being nervous while driving, but ever since the accident where she and Sofia almost died, she’s become a little squeamish.
"You don’t drive with your ears Calliope....what does it matter if you can hear the wind howling around us?......I’d prefer to not hear it...thank you." Arizona once again reached over and turned the radio back on.
Callie was getting more irritated at Arizona’s childish behavior "Arizona please!.....Can I just have some peace and quiet until we get off this God forsaken mountain? I really don’t want to die today."
Arizona, realizing that Callie wasn’t handling this well, turned the radio off and tried to calm her wife down "Don’t say things like that Calliope.....it’s going to be okay. We’ll just go really slow and if you want to pull over and wait it out we can."
"Oh sure.....freezing on the side of the road is a much better option" Callie said sarcastically. "I’ll keep going.....thank you"
Arizona didn’t like the tone she was just thrown "All right.....fine....just say it.....this is all my fault.....I wanted to go skiing and I wanted to stay last night! I’m sorry that I have inconvenienced you so much."
"Arizona please......I’m not blaming you......this is just really scary.....so please, I just need a little peace and quiet until we are in the clear." Callie tried to soothe her wife’s ruffled feathers.
Finally making it to the bottom of the mountain, Callie let out the breath she wasn’t aware that she was holding. "Okay.....see we made it off the mountain. Your overly cautious and awesome wife has delivered you safely down the hill" she said smugly.
However, basking in her pride, she mistakenly thought that they were in the clear and allowed herself to travel at a faster speed. Unfortunately, she hit a patch of ice which sent the car swirling off the road, tumbling down an embankment and landing at the base of a very large tree. The vehicle was severely damaged and it took the rescue crew more than an hour to cut them both free.
*****************
The women were transported to Seattle Grace/ Mercy West where they were currently under the care of Dr. Derek Shepard. "I don’t know Richard...it’s touch and go for both of them. We’ll just have to see how it goes over the next twenty four hours" he explained to the Chief.
Their friends and family sat vigil praying to anyone that would listen, to spare their lives. Little did they know that those prayers had not only been heard, but were the cause of Callie and Arizona’s lives to come under great scrutiny.