Phoenix Rising (5/?)
TITLE: Phoenix Rising (5/?)
AUTHOR: Melificent811
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: Callie/Erica...
SUMMARY: A series written as a sequel to my story “I Will Be” Part 1 and Part 2. (Although this is a stand-alone story, it would make a lot more sense if you read “I Will Be” first.) On the day of their wedding, Callie and Erica look back on the journey they took after they decided to fix what they had broken.
DISCLAIMER: On my journal sidebar.
A/N: For the sake of this story, we're going to pretend that prop 8 never passed in California and same sex couples are still able to legally marry.
CHAPTER ONE, CHAPTER TWO, CHAPTER THREE, CHAPTER FOUR
******
Three months ago…
The last glimmers of amber and red from the sun setting over the Pacific ocean tumbled through the glass window wall, casting impressionistic-like streaks of shadows and color across the expanse of the living room. Stacks of brochures, bridal magazines, and loose sheets of note paper splayed across the coffee table and the floor surrounding a plush dark brown suede couch. Like with most early evenings, the house was relatively still. The only sounds the could be heard through the almost empty house were the tickings of the clock in the corner of the room and the strained voice of a blonde woman having a fervent discussion on her cell phone.
“Look, I don't care how much it is or what it's going to take but you WILL make this happen... It's my wedding for god sakes!”
Erica stood and paced in front of the couch as the wedding coordinator from the W Hotel put her on hold to speak to her boss. Just a few more months to the most important event of her and Callie's life and there were still so many details that needed to be attended to. This phone call to the hotel was only the latest in a whole afternoon of frustrating wedding related calls.
Erica was not expecting to have such an aggrivating conversation with the hotel contact, hence why she left it as the last item on her list. Who knew that adding an additional table for the reception would be such a difficult thing to ask for.
“Sorry to keep you on hold Ms. Hahn.” Erica's ears perked up as soon as she heard a voice on the other end of the line. “I just spoke with the banquets manager and we'll be able to make it happen. Naturally, we'll have to charge you for the additional table and office time for the banquets team to reassess the seating plans.”
“Of course,” Erica fell back onto the couch and inwardly sighed... add it to the list of checks to write. “Thank you for helping me make this happen. I'll call in a few days to check in with you.”
Tossing the phone atop the piles of paper on the coffee table, she reclined onto the back of the couch leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She slowly breathed in and out, attempting to melt away the stress that had consumed every part of her body. It had already been a long day at the hospital and she didn't particularly want to deal with anything that would fray her nerves even more. Nevertheless, there were a few items on the wedding to-do list that demanded immediate attention. As nerve wracking as the preparations have proven to be, Erica still couldn't wait for the big day to come.
Out of the blue, a soft pair of familiar lips placed a light, lingering kiss on the top of her forehead. The older woman let her eyes slowly flutter open, happily greeted by warm inviting pools of chocolate.
“Hey you...” The blonde woman lightly smiled. The mere sight of her lover holding two full glasses of wine was enough to let the lingering notes of stress vanish from her body. “When did you get home?”
“I walked in just as you were finishing yelling at our wedding coordinator.” Callie smiled as she sat on the couch next to her lover and handed her one of the goblets. “I figured you'd need this after all that.”
“Thank you baby.” The older woman leaned in to place a loving kiss of the other woman's lips. “Oh god... You saw all that?”
“Yeah.” Callie took a glance at the cluttered state of the coffee table and inwardly snickered. Over the last few months, she had found it amusing to discover that the normally put together and organized Erica Hahn could get so uncharacteristically frazzled over anything having to do with the wedding. “Is everything okay?”
“I just had a really long day at the hospital.” Sighing, she enjoyed a long refreshing sip of the velvety liquid. “When I got home I got caught up with making all these stupid calls. First the florist wanted me to confirm which arrangement we've decided on. Then I had to talk to the caterer... For some reason they didn't get our note to include a veggie option on our guest menu. After that the bridal gown placed called to confirm the dates for all the fittings. And of course while I was on the phone with them, I got a message from our coordinator about problems with inviting a larger amount of guests than we originally planned...”
Hearing about the long and tedious day her lover had, Callie knew it would take more than a delicious glass of wine to make her release all the tension in her body. As a pair of inquisitive eyes watched, she grasped the glass of wine from Erica's hand and started to walk towards the staircase.
“Hey... I wasn't done with that.”
Callie stopped a few feet away from the stairs and turned to face the older woman. “I did three back to back hip replacements today so my body's really sore. I was going to hop into the jacuzzi tub....” She smiled, sporting that special twinkle in her eyes. “Care to join me?”
Erica would never admit to anyone but herself that all it took was the special twinkle in Callie's eyes to drive her utterly insane. Without hesitation, she rose from the couch to take her lover by the hand and lead her to the master bathroom. Sharing a long soak in a hot whirlpool bath with the most beautiful woman in the world would be the perfect end to a super stressful day.
******
Present Day
Erica breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled her BMW into the valet driveway at the W Hotel. Stepping out of the car, she could feel the rejuvenating warmth of the noontime sun hitting her face. After taking a moment to just breathe and calm her slowly building nerves, she turned to the bellhop with instructions to unload the contents of her car and have them delivered to the room where she would eventually prepare for the ceremony.
A short gust of cool conditioned air blew blonde locks away as she made her way into the lobby of the swanky Hollywood hotel. Looking around, she couldn't help but allow her inner teenager to let out a small giggle. Just walking through the doors made Erica feel like a mere peasant waking into a royal mansion. The rich colored paint on the walls and trendy furniture pieces were meticulously styled to please the contemporary artistic eye. The lobby was dimly lit, letting the eye wander to the few tables and art pieces along the wall that were specifically lit to draw attention.
This had never been the way she imagined her special day to be. Before Callie had convinced her that this was THE location for their day, Erica would have been satisfied with a simply traditional outdoor wedding amongst their small circle of friends. Callie had tried on multiple occasions to convince her otherwise, presenting a long list of invited guests and dragging Erica from location to even more upscale location.
Even after their first visit to the W, the older woman remained a little hesitant about her lover's first choice in location. As much as she wanted to keep this day to a small family affair, Callie was relentless. She refused to give up on her vision of a glamorous Hollywood production of a wedding, constantly citing the spontaneous Vegas wedding that only led to a complete disaster of a marriage. Somehow all it took was that sad puppy look and the word 'please' from her lover and Erica was instantly persuaded to concede.
Callie really knew how to use that lethal weapon of hers...
“Erica!”
Erica turned from the front desk, holding the room keys she had just been handed. Looking towards the front entrance, she could see the familiar form of a certain red head quickly heading in her direction. “Hey! Aren't you supposed to be back at your place helping Callie out?”
“I am. Your wife to be sent me to check up on you...”
“She what?...”
Addison meekly smiled, hoping that the blonde's legendary wrath wouldn't choose to leap out bearing it's claws. “She asked me... well, pretty much DEMANDED me.... to run over here to make sure you weren't stressing out over anything. I've almost forgotten that she could have quite the temper...”
Erica shook her head and smiled. She loved how Callie could get so 'passionate' about the things that mattered to her. It was one of her most endearing qualities.
Slightly confused by the blonde's reaction, Addison asked, “You ARE okay... right?”
Erica lightly laughed, feeling a bit silly that Callie felt the need to send her best friend over to check up on her. “Yeah... you can tell Callie that every thing's okay.”
“That's good to hear.” Addison breathed a small sigh of relief, glad that nothing had frazzled the cardio surgeon's nerves. “Well... I better get back to the house. If I know Callie well enough, she's going to need some help getting into that damn wedding dress of hers.”
Erica watched in silent amusement as the red head quickly turned to make her way back to the car which she left unattended in the valet driveway. “Addison...”
“Hmmm?” Already a few feet away, she quickly turned to see if the other woman forgot about something that she needed.
“I just...”The blonde paused as she walked towards the other woman, not quite sure how to express what she needed to say. “Thanks for all your help... For everything really. For helping her realize that she had feelings for me. For helping us out when she first moved down here. For helping me give her the proposal of her dreams. I don't think Callie and I would be where we are today if you haven't done everything you did.”
“You know, seeing you two together all happily ever after really gives me hope that love actually exists out there. She really loves you Erica. If all it took was me planting that seed in Callie's head to nudge her in your direction, then I'm glad I could do my part.”
******
Nine Months Ago…
“I'm not really sure if I liked the way the movie ended. I mean, the premise was good. But why did they have to separate the two women who had such great chemistry together? Their characters were obviously so in love with each other!”
“Really, Cal. I think you might be taking this storyline a little too much to heart.” Addison glanced at her best friend who was sitting in the passenger seat. They were in the process of driving home from a full day of wandering around the 3rd Street Promenade Area of Santa Monica, heading to lunch at the pier, and then driving to West Hollywood to watch a screening of the latest LGBT film that Callie had enthusiastically shown interest in.
“Seriously Addy... I can't believe they had the audacity to replace that one blonde chick with that other woman who might as well be her younger, prettier, perkier clone.” Callie turned in her seat as best she could to face the woman in the driver's seat. “I don't understand why the producers felt the need to make the lesbian relationship more palatable. It was more powerful and had more meaning when the main character was with the older woman.”
“Well, even if you didn't particularly like the movie at least you have a strong opinion about it.” Finally turning onto their street, Addison pulled her two seater to the curb in front of Callie and Erica's home. “Today was fun... We should have girls' day out more often. We live so close to each other now yet we somehow see each other less.”
“We definitely have to plan something soon.” Callie stuck her long limbs out the open passenger door and not so gracefully pushed herself up from the low riding sports car. “I'll give you call tomorrow, okay?”
The red head watched as the latin woman made her way up the pathway to the front door, only momentarily stopping to fish her keys from her purse so she could open the door. Seeing her best friend walk into the home, she smiled. Callie had no idea what she was coming home to. Erica had asked her to keep Callie away from the house all day so that she could prepare the house for a special romantic evening.
Shifting the car into drive, Addison pulled away and drove the few blocks down the street to her home. Callie had no idea that she was coming home to her very own blockbuster movie ending.
Back at the house, Callie wandered into the quiet home and headed towards the kitchen to throw her purse and keys onto their usual place on the counter. Completely oblivious to the rose petals that had been lightly sprinkled into a trail from the front door towards the stairs, she headed towards the staircase to see if her lover was working in the office upstairs.
“Baby? You home?”
Callie walked to the stairs and froze in disbelief when she saw lit tea lights meticulously placed on every wooden step. Gazing around the living room and down the hallway, she finally noticed the trail of deep red rose petals that started at the front door and then continued all the way up the stairs. Realizing that something was up, but not quite knowing what it was, she slowly followed the trail of petals up the stairs, down the hallway, and into their bedroom where they abruptly ended at the balcony's doorway.
Almost afraid (yet extremely curious) to see what lay beyond the closed double doors, Callie slowly reached forward to turn the doorknob. She let the doors slowly fall open, revealing a small table with two full place settings, two empty goblets sitting next to a bottle of their favorite wine, and lit crème colored tapered candles on brushed pewter candlesticks. Then there was Erica... Sitting in one of the chairs lit solely by the candles and moonlight.
The blonde goddess never looked so beautiful.
“Hey you.” Callie smiled and leaned forward to place a loving kiss on The other woman's lips. “What's all this?”
Erica rose from her seat and gently snaked her arms around the younger woman's waist. “Just a little dinner I put together for us. It's such a nice night out. I wanted us to enjoy the full moon together.”
“It IS a gorgeous night out. I love that it can get so warm down here in the middle of January.” Callie smiled, leaning into her lover's embrace. “I had fun with Addy all day but I missed you.”
“I missed you too baby.” Gently unwrapping her arms from her lover, the older woman led Callie to her seat and pulled the cover off the plate in front of her revealing a wonderfully delicious home cooked plate of savory pink salmon, steamed asparagus, and wild rice. “I hope you're hungry.”
“Starving! Addy wouldn't let me eat before we caught the movie.” Callie stared wide-eyed at the mouth watering plate sitting in front of her. Without hesitation, she reached for her silverware and dug in. “This is delicious, baby.”
“I'm glad you like it.” Erica sat at the chair across from her and started cutting into her own meal. A wave of relief washed over her when she heard that Addison had done everything she had requested.
The pair spent the next half hour enjoying the delicious meal that Erica had spent the afternoon preparing. It always amazed Callie how talented her lover could be in the kitchen when she put her mind to it. Every piece of the meal was cooked to the point of utter perfection. Realizing that it had been a while since they had shared a real meal together, each woman took the time to savor every last bite of the flavorful meal.
“That was a wonderful dinner, baby.” Callie smiled that special loving smile that she shared with Erica when they went out on their first date. “Thank you.”
“We're not quite done... I have desert in the fridge downstairs.” Erica rose from her chair and started to head towards the kitchen downstairs. “Wait here... I'll be back in a minute.”
The raven haired beauty sat in the moonlight and waited in anticipation for her lover to return with some form of sugary goodness. Between spending quality time with her best friend and sharing a romantic dinner under a moonlit sky, today had been one of the best days she's had in a long while.
No more than a minute later, Erica reappeared at the doorway to to balcony holding a silver platter covered in a matching silver dome. She placed it on the table next to Callie and slowly lifted the cover, revealing a small circle of plump chocolate covered strawberries surrounding a small black velvet box.
Callie gasped and stared in awe as her eyes wandered straight past her favorite desert and fixated on the small box in the middle of the platter. Before she could peep out a single word, Erica slowly reached towards the box and took it into her hands. She knelt in front of the dark haired woman and gently flipped open the box revealing a platinum band that held a sparkling princess cut diamond.
“Callie, I can't even begin to tell you how much you mean to me. You're my sun, my moon, my stars... You're my entire universe. You've changed my life in more ways than I can think and it was all for the better. I love that you're not just my lover... You're my best friend. I love that you can look at me for just one second and I instantly feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. I love you with all of my heart, Callie. I would love nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of my life with you by my side... Will you marry me?”
Callie instantly smiled, tears of love and joy slowly streaming down her face. She slowly breathed in, willing her voice to find its way to her throat. “Yes, baby. Of course I'll marry you!”
Erica slowly took the precious ring out of its secure seat in the box and gingerly took Callie's hand to place the ring on her finger. Both women's hands trembled with love and excitement as the older woman glided the ring past the darker woman's knuckle onto it's place at the base of her ring finger... A perfect fit.
Instantly, the couple stood and met in a fiercely passionate kiss. Time seemed to stand still as hands grazed every inch of reachable flesh. Their heads spun in ecstasy as their lips parted and tongues met to slowly dance together. Finally parting from their intense kiss, the pair gently rested their foreheads together. Their eyes hooded over as they slowly breathed in and out trying to bring themselves back into reality.
Suddenly Callie burst out in laugher, slightly pulling her head away from the other woman. “I should have known something was up when Addy voluntarily went with me to see a lesbian movie.”
“Did you two at least enjoy it?”
“I'm pretty sure Addy did. But I really didn't like the way it ended.” Wanting to feel nothing but the closeness of her partner, she tightened her arms around her lover's waist. “But that's okay, it's just a movie. I got my own happy ending right here.”
******
A/N: Awwww!!!! I love happy Callica stories. There were SO many details I wanted to get in. I hope that it all made sense... lol. Spent the last two days babysitting a lightboard for an event at work so I've been writing pretty solidly. I'll be continuing that gig for two more days so lets see if I can pump another chapter out! I hope you enjoyed this one. I really wanted to make this so disgustingly mushy. Did I succeed? =-)
AUTHOR: Melificent811
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: Callie/Erica...
SUMMARY: A series written as a sequel to my story “I Will Be” Part 1 and Part 2. (Although this is a stand-alone story, it would make a lot more sense if you read “I Will Be” first.) On the day of their wedding, Callie and Erica look back on the journey they took after they decided to fix what they had broken.
DISCLAIMER: On my journal sidebar.
A/N: For the sake of this story, we're going to pretend that prop 8 never passed in California and same sex couples are still able to legally marry.
CHAPTER ONE, CHAPTER TWO, CHAPTER THREE, CHAPTER FOUR
******
Three months ago…
The last glimmers of amber and red from the sun setting over the Pacific ocean tumbled through the glass window wall, casting impressionistic-like streaks of shadows and color across the expanse of the living room. Stacks of brochures, bridal magazines, and loose sheets of note paper splayed across the coffee table and the floor surrounding a plush dark brown suede couch. Like with most early evenings, the house was relatively still. The only sounds the could be heard through the almost empty house were the tickings of the clock in the corner of the room and the strained voice of a blonde woman having a fervent discussion on her cell phone.
“Look, I don't care how much it is or what it's going to take but you WILL make this happen... It's my wedding for god sakes!”
Erica stood and paced in front of the couch as the wedding coordinator from the W Hotel put her on hold to speak to her boss. Just a few more months to the most important event of her and Callie's life and there were still so many details that needed to be attended to. This phone call to the hotel was only the latest in a whole afternoon of frustrating wedding related calls.
Erica was not expecting to have such an aggrivating conversation with the hotel contact, hence why she left it as the last item on her list. Who knew that adding an additional table for the reception would be such a difficult thing to ask for.
“Sorry to keep you on hold Ms. Hahn.” Erica's ears perked up as soon as she heard a voice on the other end of the line. “I just spoke with the banquets manager and we'll be able to make it happen. Naturally, we'll have to charge you for the additional table and office time for the banquets team to reassess the seating plans.”
“Of course,” Erica fell back onto the couch and inwardly sighed... add it to the list of checks to write. “Thank you for helping me make this happen. I'll call in a few days to check in with you.”
Tossing the phone atop the piles of paper on the coffee table, she reclined onto the back of the couch leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She slowly breathed in and out, attempting to melt away the stress that had consumed every part of her body. It had already been a long day at the hospital and she didn't particularly want to deal with anything that would fray her nerves even more. Nevertheless, there were a few items on the wedding to-do list that demanded immediate attention. As nerve wracking as the preparations have proven to be, Erica still couldn't wait for the big day to come.
Out of the blue, a soft pair of familiar lips placed a light, lingering kiss on the top of her forehead. The older woman let her eyes slowly flutter open, happily greeted by warm inviting pools of chocolate.
“Hey you...” The blonde woman lightly smiled. The mere sight of her lover holding two full glasses of wine was enough to let the lingering notes of stress vanish from her body. “When did you get home?”
“I walked in just as you were finishing yelling at our wedding coordinator.” Callie smiled as she sat on the couch next to her lover and handed her one of the goblets. “I figured you'd need this after all that.”
“Thank you baby.” The older woman leaned in to place a loving kiss of the other woman's lips. “Oh god... You saw all that?”
“Yeah.” Callie took a glance at the cluttered state of the coffee table and inwardly snickered. Over the last few months, she had found it amusing to discover that the normally put together and organized Erica Hahn could get so uncharacteristically frazzled over anything having to do with the wedding. “Is everything okay?”
“I just had a really long day at the hospital.” Sighing, she enjoyed a long refreshing sip of the velvety liquid. “When I got home I got caught up with making all these stupid calls. First the florist wanted me to confirm which arrangement we've decided on. Then I had to talk to the caterer... For some reason they didn't get our note to include a veggie option on our guest menu. After that the bridal gown placed called to confirm the dates for all the fittings. And of course while I was on the phone with them, I got a message from our coordinator about problems with inviting a larger amount of guests than we originally planned...”
Hearing about the long and tedious day her lover had, Callie knew it would take more than a delicious glass of wine to make her release all the tension in her body. As a pair of inquisitive eyes watched, she grasped the glass of wine from Erica's hand and started to walk towards the staircase.
“Hey... I wasn't done with that.”
Callie stopped a few feet away from the stairs and turned to face the older woman. “I did three back to back hip replacements today so my body's really sore. I was going to hop into the jacuzzi tub....” She smiled, sporting that special twinkle in her eyes. “Care to join me?”
Erica would never admit to anyone but herself that all it took was the special twinkle in Callie's eyes to drive her utterly insane. Without hesitation, she rose from the couch to take her lover by the hand and lead her to the master bathroom. Sharing a long soak in a hot whirlpool bath with the most beautiful woman in the world would be the perfect end to a super stressful day.
******
Present Day
Erica breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled her BMW into the valet driveway at the W Hotel. Stepping out of the car, she could feel the rejuvenating warmth of the noontime sun hitting her face. After taking a moment to just breathe and calm her slowly building nerves, she turned to the bellhop with instructions to unload the contents of her car and have them delivered to the room where she would eventually prepare for the ceremony.
A short gust of cool conditioned air blew blonde locks away as she made her way into the lobby of the swanky Hollywood hotel. Looking around, she couldn't help but allow her inner teenager to let out a small giggle. Just walking through the doors made Erica feel like a mere peasant waking into a royal mansion. The rich colored paint on the walls and trendy furniture pieces were meticulously styled to please the contemporary artistic eye. The lobby was dimly lit, letting the eye wander to the few tables and art pieces along the wall that were specifically lit to draw attention.
This had never been the way she imagined her special day to be. Before Callie had convinced her that this was THE location for their day, Erica would have been satisfied with a simply traditional outdoor wedding amongst their small circle of friends. Callie had tried on multiple occasions to convince her otherwise, presenting a long list of invited guests and dragging Erica from location to even more upscale location.
Even after their first visit to the W, the older woman remained a little hesitant about her lover's first choice in location. As much as she wanted to keep this day to a small family affair, Callie was relentless. She refused to give up on her vision of a glamorous Hollywood production of a wedding, constantly citing the spontaneous Vegas wedding that only led to a complete disaster of a marriage. Somehow all it took was that sad puppy look and the word 'please' from her lover and Erica was instantly persuaded to concede.
Callie really knew how to use that lethal weapon of hers...
“Erica!”
Erica turned from the front desk, holding the room keys she had just been handed. Looking towards the front entrance, she could see the familiar form of a certain red head quickly heading in her direction. “Hey! Aren't you supposed to be back at your place helping Callie out?”
“I am. Your wife to be sent me to check up on you...”
“She what?...”
Addison meekly smiled, hoping that the blonde's legendary wrath wouldn't choose to leap out bearing it's claws. “She asked me... well, pretty much DEMANDED me.... to run over here to make sure you weren't stressing out over anything. I've almost forgotten that she could have quite the temper...”
Erica shook her head and smiled. She loved how Callie could get so 'passionate' about the things that mattered to her. It was one of her most endearing qualities.
Slightly confused by the blonde's reaction, Addison asked, “You ARE okay... right?”
Erica lightly laughed, feeling a bit silly that Callie felt the need to send her best friend over to check up on her. “Yeah... you can tell Callie that every thing's okay.”
“That's good to hear.” Addison breathed a small sigh of relief, glad that nothing had frazzled the cardio surgeon's nerves. “Well... I better get back to the house. If I know Callie well enough, she's going to need some help getting into that damn wedding dress of hers.”
Erica watched in silent amusement as the red head quickly turned to make her way back to the car which she left unattended in the valet driveway. “Addison...”
“Hmmm?” Already a few feet away, she quickly turned to see if the other woman forgot about something that she needed.
“I just...”The blonde paused as she walked towards the other woman, not quite sure how to express what she needed to say. “Thanks for all your help... For everything really. For helping her realize that she had feelings for me. For helping us out when she first moved down here. For helping me give her the proposal of her dreams. I don't think Callie and I would be where we are today if you haven't done everything you did.”
“You know, seeing you two together all happily ever after really gives me hope that love actually exists out there. She really loves you Erica. If all it took was me planting that seed in Callie's head to nudge her in your direction, then I'm glad I could do my part.”
******
Nine Months Ago…
“I'm not really sure if I liked the way the movie ended. I mean, the premise was good. But why did they have to separate the two women who had such great chemistry together? Their characters were obviously so in love with each other!”
“Really, Cal. I think you might be taking this storyline a little too much to heart.” Addison glanced at her best friend who was sitting in the passenger seat. They were in the process of driving home from a full day of wandering around the 3rd Street Promenade Area of Santa Monica, heading to lunch at the pier, and then driving to West Hollywood to watch a screening of the latest LGBT film that Callie had enthusiastically shown interest in.
“Seriously Addy... I can't believe they had the audacity to replace that one blonde chick with that other woman who might as well be her younger, prettier, perkier clone.” Callie turned in her seat as best she could to face the woman in the driver's seat. “I don't understand why the producers felt the need to make the lesbian relationship more palatable. It was more powerful and had more meaning when the main character was with the older woman.”
“Well, even if you didn't particularly like the movie at least you have a strong opinion about it.” Finally turning onto their street, Addison pulled her two seater to the curb in front of Callie and Erica's home. “Today was fun... We should have girls' day out more often. We live so close to each other now yet we somehow see each other less.”
“We definitely have to plan something soon.” Callie stuck her long limbs out the open passenger door and not so gracefully pushed herself up from the low riding sports car. “I'll give you call tomorrow, okay?”
The red head watched as the latin woman made her way up the pathway to the front door, only momentarily stopping to fish her keys from her purse so she could open the door. Seeing her best friend walk into the home, she smiled. Callie had no idea what she was coming home to. Erica had asked her to keep Callie away from the house all day so that she could prepare the house for a special romantic evening.
Shifting the car into drive, Addison pulled away and drove the few blocks down the street to her home. Callie had no idea that she was coming home to her very own blockbuster movie ending.
Back at the house, Callie wandered into the quiet home and headed towards the kitchen to throw her purse and keys onto their usual place on the counter. Completely oblivious to the rose petals that had been lightly sprinkled into a trail from the front door towards the stairs, she headed towards the staircase to see if her lover was working in the office upstairs.
“Baby? You home?”
Callie walked to the stairs and froze in disbelief when she saw lit tea lights meticulously placed on every wooden step. Gazing around the living room and down the hallway, she finally noticed the trail of deep red rose petals that started at the front door and then continued all the way up the stairs. Realizing that something was up, but not quite knowing what it was, she slowly followed the trail of petals up the stairs, down the hallway, and into their bedroom where they abruptly ended at the balcony's doorway.
Almost afraid (yet extremely curious) to see what lay beyond the closed double doors, Callie slowly reached forward to turn the doorknob. She let the doors slowly fall open, revealing a small table with two full place settings, two empty goblets sitting next to a bottle of their favorite wine, and lit crème colored tapered candles on brushed pewter candlesticks. Then there was Erica... Sitting in one of the chairs lit solely by the candles and moonlight.
The blonde goddess never looked so beautiful.
“Hey you.” Callie smiled and leaned forward to place a loving kiss on The other woman's lips. “What's all this?”
Erica rose from her seat and gently snaked her arms around the younger woman's waist. “Just a little dinner I put together for us. It's such a nice night out. I wanted us to enjoy the full moon together.”
“It IS a gorgeous night out. I love that it can get so warm down here in the middle of January.” Callie smiled, leaning into her lover's embrace. “I had fun with Addy all day but I missed you.”
“I missed you too baby.” Gently unwrapping her arms from her lover, the older woman led Callie to her seat and pulled the cover off the plate in front of her revealing a wonderfully delicious home cooked plate of savory pink salmon, steamed asparagus, and wild rice. “I hope you're hungry.”
“Starving! Addy wouldn't let me eat before we caught the movie.” Callie stared wide-eyed at the mouth watering plate sitting in front of her. Without hesitation, she reached for her silverware and dug in. “This is delicious, baby.”
“I'm glad you like it.” Erica sat at the chair across from her and started cutting into her own meal. A wave of relief washed over her when she heard that Addison had done everything she had requested.
The pair spent the next half hour enjoying the delicious meal that Erica had spent the afternoon preparing. It always amazed Callie how talented her lover could be in the kitchen when she put her mind to it. Every piece of the meal was cooked to the point of utter perfection. Realizing that it had been a while since they had shared a real meal together, each woman took the time to savor every last bite of the flavorful meal.
“That was a wonderful dinner, baby.” Callie smiled that special loving smile that she shared with Erica when they went out on their first date. “Thank you.”
“We're not quite done... I have desert in the fridge downstairs.” Erica rose from her chair and started to head towards the kitchen downstairs. “Wait here... I'll be back in a minute.”
The raven haired beauty sat in the moonlight and waited in anticipation for her lover to return with some form of sugary goodness. Between spending quality time with her best friend and sharing a romantic dinner under a moonlit sky, today had been one of the best days she's had in a long while.
No more than a minute later, Erica reappeared at the doorway to to balcony holding a silver platter covered in a matching silver dome. She placed it on the table next to Callie and slowly lifted the cover, revealing a small circle of plump chocolate covered strawberries surrounding a small black velvet box.
Callie gasped and stared in awe as her eyes wandered straight past her favorite desert and fixated on the small box in the middle of the platter. Before she could peep out a single word, Erica slowly reached towards the box and took it into her hands. She knelt in front of the dark haired woman and gently flipped open the box revealing a platinum band that held a sparkling princess cut diamond.
“Callie, I can't even begin to tell you how much you mean to me. You're my sun, my moon, my stars... You're my entire universe. You've changed my life in more ways than I can think and it was all for the better. I love that you're not just my lover... You're my best friend. I love that you can look at me for just one second and I instantly feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. I love you with all of my heart, Callie. I would love nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of my life with you by my side... Will you marry me?”
Callie instantly smiled, tears of love and joy slowly streaming down her face. She slowly breathed in, willing her voice to find its way to her throat. “Yes, baby. Of course I'll marry you!”
Erica slowly took the precious ring out of its secure seat in the box and gingerly took Callie's hand to place the ring on her finger. Both women's hands trembled with love and excitement as the older woman glided the ring past the darker woman's knuckle onto it's place at the base of her ring finger... A perfect fit.
Instantly, the couple stood and met in a fiercely passionate kiss. Time seemed to stand still as hands grazed every inch of reachable flesh. Their heads spun in ecstasy as their lips parted and tongues met to slowly dance together. Finally parting from their intense kiss, the pair gently rested their foreheads together. Their eyes hooded over as they slowly breathed in and out trying to bring themselves back into reality.
Suddenly Callie burst out in laugher, slightly pulling her head away from the other woman. “I should have known something was up when Addy voluntarily went with me to see a lesbian movie.”
“Did you two at least enjoy it?”
“I'm pretty sure Addy did. But I really didn't like the way it ended.” Wanting to feel nothing but the closeness of her partner, she tightened her arms around her lover's waist. “But that's okay, it's just a movie. I got my own happy ending right here.”
******
A/N: Awwww!!!! I love happy Callica stories. There were SO many details I wanted to get in. I hope that it all made sense... lol. Spent the last two days babysitting a lightboard for an event at work so I've been writing pretty solidly. I'll be continuing that gig for two more days so lets see if I can pump another chapter out! I hope you enjoyed this one. I really wanted to make this so disgustingly mushy. Did I succeed? =-)