Lines - Grey's Anatomy fic - Mark/Callie - 2/3
Callie walked down the halls of Seattle Grace. It had been two days since the night of shopping and holiday sex. Two days since Callie had realized she may be falling for Mark, and two days since she had promptly denied that same fact. After checking on her patient in the ICU, she made off to get some coffee - she had been up late with Mark the night before in his apartment. They’d had meaningless sex, as usual. Callie wanted to use it to clear her head. As it turns out, trying to clear your head of the guy you’re falling for doesn’t work when your method is to sleep with him.
As Callie turned a corner, she saw a flash of vibrant red hair in the distance. She blinked slowly. It couldn’t be…
The woman turned around toward her from across the hall, and Callie beamed.
It was Addison.
Callie had to restrain herself from running across the hallway. When she finally got to Addison, she pulled her friend into a big, long hug. After several moments, she squeezed and released her.
Callie grinned. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I have a patient. Richard called me last night, and I took the red eye. It was all very last minute. I just left the consult.”
“How long will you be here?”
“If all goes well, I’ll be gone Saturday morning.”
“In that case,” Callie said slowly, “you should come to the hospital holiday party on Friday.”
“Since when does Seattle Grace have holiday parties? Or any holiday spirit at all?”
“Since Webber decided we need more camaraderie around here. Things have been pretty tense since the merger.”
“Hey,” Addison remarked, “At least you got something out of it.” She gestured to Callie’s navy scrubs.
“True,” Callie smilied.
“How’s your girlfriend?” Addison asked. “It’s Arizona, right?”
“We broke up,” Callie said shortly.
“Oh…” Addison cringed apologetically. “Sorry.”
Callie sighed. “It’s okay. I’m over it. Arizona is the least of my worries at this point.”
“Really now? What’s her name?”
“His name,” Callie corrected.
“No more vagina monologues?”
“I’m not against the vagina monologues. I enjoy the vagina monologues. This individual just doesn’t happen to have one.”
“Damn,” said Addison, “I was really hoping for my chance with you.”
“I always wondered about you, Addie,” Callie raised an eyebrow suggestively.
“I finished my experimenting in college,” she admitted to Callie’s glee, “but Callie, my dear, if I decide to switch teams you will be the first to know. Who is this guy that’s got you so interested?”
Callie opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted when Mark approached the pair.
“Addison!” he exclaimed. “I hadn’t heard you were coming to town.”
“It wasn’t pre-planned,” she explained. “Richard called, and I answered, as usual.”
“My two favorite women back together in one room,” Mark smiled brilliantly. “Life is good.” He accented each word.
Callie rolled her eyes.
Mark began, “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Torres.” He added in an undertone, “You left your panties at my place last night.”
“Bite me, Sloan.”
“Feisty today, are we?” He leaned in close to Callie and whispered. “Makes for better sex.”
Callie shifted uncomfortably.
Mark continued, “Ladies, as much as I’d love to stick around, I have patients to see.” He turned to Callie, “Lunch?”
“Always,” she replied. Mark left.
Callie turned back to Addison and sighed.
Addison gave her a very calculating look. “So the man you’re into is Mark?”
“It’s just sex,” Callie replied unconvincingly.
“Sex with your best friend is never just sex. And doesn’t he have a girlfriend?”
“Dumped him,” Callie explained.
“Ah. Can I join the pair of you for lunch?”
“You better,” Callie smiled. “So how about that holiday party?”
Addison bit her lip. “Fine. Will you be my date?”
“Will there be dirty dancing?” Callie inquired.
Addison laughed. “Yep. But only if you buy me a drink.”
“Open bar,” Callie responded.
“I’m in!” Addison exclaimed. “See you at lunch?”
“Definitely.”
The girls crossed paths and headed in opposite directions.
* * *
The next few days with Addison gave Callie the perfect opportunity to avoid Mark. She’d given into in a couple quickies in on-call rooms but had successfully avoided him completely in the evenings.
Callie and Addison had found plenty to do in their spare time. Addison had to purchase a dress for the party, and with a new dress had to come new shoes. And Callie always got a little crazy when it came to shoe shopping. It was difficult for her now that she was on a budget for the first time in a long time, but she managed. Especially now that she was an attending. That came with quite a hefty salary increase.
It was finally the night of the party, and while she doubted it would be a big ordeal, Callie was still relatively nervous for the event. Mostly, she didn’t want to see her best friend. It would be nearly impossible to avoid him during the party. She hated avoiding Mark, but she also hated the feelings stirred within her when she was near him. So Callie opted for flight and managed to stay away from him for the most part. She knew she’d need to spend some time with him tonight - he was her best friend, after all, and Addison would probably do some mingling.
As Callie entered the party with Addison, she was startlingly reminded of the ‘prom’ that had taken place on a fateful night a few years earlier. The cafeteria was decked out as it had been then. She glanced at Addison, wondering if she was thinking the same thing. Callie could tell she was by her hardened expression.
The night of the prom had been the night Derek cheated on her with Meredith. Callie had caught the adulterous pair in the aftermath and covered for Meredith before she and Addison had really become friends.
Addison turned to Callie. “I’m going to need a drink.”
Callie nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
They grabbed their drinks from the make-shift, sipping greedily. Mark approached them.
“Wanna dance, Torres?”
Callie glanced fleetingly at Addison and responded, “Rain check. Addison and I were actually about to dance.”
“Really now?” Mark asked suggestively.
“Yep,” Addison cut in. “I promised her at least one dirty dance. It was an attendance requirement.”
Mark laughed. “It would be with her. I’ll find you later, Cal. Don’t think I’m going to forget about that rain check.”
Addison lived up to her promises and danced with Callie for several songs before she was pulled away by Adele to chat. Callie went back to her drink and was approached by Mark a few minutes later.
“How about that dance?”
Callie smiled hesitantly and threw caution to the wind. She put her drink down and said, “You know how I love to dance.”
The pair headed out to the dance floor and moved their hips from side to side. Callie was a natural when it came to rhythm, but Mark was quicker to catch on than he had been in the past.
“You know,” Mark drawled, “I believe we’ve only danced together like this once before, nearing on two years ago at Joe’s. Then I took you took me home with you.”
Callie smiled. “Yes, the second time I slept with you. I remember it well.”
“I’m not sure I can count how many times we’ve done the deed since then.”
“We’re sexual beings,” she laughed. “Nothing wrong with that!”
Mark grinned. “Want to be a sexual being with me tonight?”
Callie sighed and considered her options. Her instinct was to say yes. Of course she wanted to sleep with Mark. She always wanted to sleep with Mark. But the fact that she found herself falling for him was concerning. Sex with him wouldn’t help matters. In the end, Callie opted for indecisiveness.
She smiled alluringly, “Maybe.”
“I’ll accept that for now,” Mark decided, “But I will convince you, Torres. Why the hesitation tonight?”
Callie shrugged. “I’m tired,” she lied.
“I’ll wake you up,” Mark smirked. “Trust me.”
The pair finished dancing after a few songs, Callie claiming she was thirsty. Really, she just couldn’t handle the feeling of her body on his any longer. The urge was too strong.
Callie set down the bottle of water she’d just finished off and glanced up to find Mark grinning roguishly at her.
“What?” Callie asked of the look her was giving her.
Mark’s grin got a little bigger. “Look up.”
Callie did so with dread. Her suspicions were confirmed - they were standing under mistletoe. The only mistletoe in the whole damn room. It would figure.
“You going to kiss me or what, Torres?”
Callie couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. She looked at him through hooded eyes and leaned it. She pressed her lips against his, gently at first, and then with more force. Callie parted her lips and slid her tongue into Mark’s mouth, kissing him deeply and fully. Callie heard a cat call or two in the background as Mark’s hands fisted in her hair. There was something in the kiss that Callie couldn’t deny. There was real, genuine emotion driving it, she knew. It wasn’t just lust as she’d been trying to convince herself. She just hoped it wasn’t one-sided.
Callie pulled away slowly with a lazy smile on her face. Mark was staring at her with something she didn’t quite recognize in his eyes.
“Um…I was supposed to meet Addison,” Callie grappled for an excuse, still smiling languidly.
“See you later?” Mark asked.
Callie nodded in response.
* * *
“That was quite some kiss,” Addison began the conversation. She and Callie snuck off to an exam room to talk a few minutes after the mistletoe incident.
“Yeah,” Callie murmured.
“Are you doing okay?” Addison inquired.
“Not really,” Callie replied bluntly. “I don’t know. I’ve been spending all this time trying to deny that we’re anything other than fuck buddies, but I can’t keep up the façade any more. I…” Callie sighed. “I want more. And I’m sure he doesn’t.”
“Cal,” Addison spoke in a chastising voice, “He does want more. The way he looked at you after that kiss…It wasn’t just lust.”
“Addie,” Callie complained, “This is so messed up. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Tears had pooled in Callie’s eyes, and she tried desperately to keep them at bay. One, however, slipped past her defenses and made a track down her cheek.
“Dammit,” she whispered and wiped it away.
“You should talk to him, Callie. It will help.”
“Will it?” Callie questioned. “What if it just ruins everything? We’ve been precariously balancing like this for a few months now.”
“It needs to be out there. And he wants it. I can tell. Trust me.”
Callie let out a short laugh. “You would know better than anyone else, I suppose. You really think I should talk to him?”
“Yes,” Addison affirmed. “You should talk to him. I know that look he gave, and it’s even stronger with you.”
Callie chewed on her lip in thought for a moment, then stood up and gave Addison a hug, knowing she may not see her again before her flight left in the morning.
“You’re a good friend, Addie.”
Addison smiled. “Right back at you, Cal.”
* * *
Callie took Mark home with her that night, telling him she wanted to talk. However, when she got there, she lost all confidence. Instead, she pulled out a bottle of bourbon in hopes maybe it would help her do the talking. Liquid courage was as good an option as any. Mark had a few shots, as well, though he preferred the Jack Daniel’s he’d nicked from her cabinet. Callie, knowing what she was planning on telling Mark, had quite a bit more than him. The alcohol flooded her system. She was not drunk, but the liquor certainly was having its desired effect.
“Mark…” Callie whispered after another pull from her bottle. “Mark, we need to talk.”
He looked at her seriously and waited for her to speak.
“You’re my best friend,” Callie said painstakingly, “and we’re just supposed to be sleeping together, you know? Nothing more, nothing less. Good sex. And the sex is good. You know that. I know that. The sex is always good. But the line…the line between fuck buddies and something more is getting blurred. It’s getting blurred, Mark, and I’m getting scared. I don’t know what to do.” She paused and took a breath. “Because…I want more.”
After her pronouncement was silence. Callie was filled with immense dread. Another moment passed, and then suddenly Mark’s lips were on hers. They were everywhere - her lips, her face, her neck. Their clothes were on the ground in a matter of moments, and they stumbled into Callie’s bedroom.
The sex was different this time. There was something different in the air. A change. A sense of intimacy that Callie had never felt with him before. It was passionate and sensual and even romantic. It was different and so much better. It was as though they’d stopped fucking and started using sex as a real expression of feelings. It was a first for the pair.
Callie and Mark fell asleep together that night for the first time since they’d started up again as friends with benefits. Mark did not go back to his place, and Callie did not ask him to. Instead, she spent the night curled up against him, her head on his bare, warm chest. They slept, and even more lines blurred.
Callie did not know what the morning would bring, but she felt relief that she had finally expressed what she’d needed to.
Even if every rule was broken, and every line was blurred.
As Callie turned a corner, she saw a flash of vibrant red hair in the distance. She blinked slowly. It couldn’t be…
The woman turned around toward her from across the hall, and Callie beamed.
It was Addison.
Callie had to restrain herself from running across the hallway. When she finally got to Addison, she pulled her friend into a big, long hug. After several moments, she squeezed and released her.
Callie grinned. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I have a patient. Richard called me last night, and I took the red eye. It was all very last minute. I just left the consult.”
“How long will you be here?”
“If all goes well, I’ll be gone Saturday morning.”
“In that case,” Callie said slowly, “you should come to the hospital holiday party on Friday.”
“Since when does Seattle Grace have holiday parties? Or any holiday spirit at all?”
“Since Webber decided we need more camaraderie around here. Things have been pretty tense since the merger.”
“Hey,” Addison remarked, “At least you got something out of it.” She gestured to Callie’s navy scrubs.
“True,” Callie smilied.
“How’s your girlfriend?” Addison asked. “It’s Arizona, right?”
“We broke up,” Callie said shortly.
“Oh…” Addison cringed apologetically. “Sorry.”
Callie sighed. “It’s okay. I’m over it. Arizona is the least of my worries at this point.”
“Really now? What’s her name?”
“His name,” Callie corrected.
“No more vagina monologues?”
“I’m not against the vagina monologues. I enjoy the vagina monologues. This individual just doesn’t happen to have one.”
“Damn,” said Addison, “I was really hoping for my chance with you.”
“I always wondered about you, Addie,” Callie raised an eyebrow suggestively.
“I finished my experimenting in college,” she admitted to Callie’s glee, “but Callie, my dear, if I decide to switch teams you will be the first to know. Who is this guy that’s got you so interested?”
Callie opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted when Mark approached the pair.
“Addison!” he exclaimed. “I hadn’t heard you were coming to town.”
“It wasn’t pre-planned,” she explained. “Richard called, and I answered, as usual.”
“My two favorite women back together in one room,” Mark smiled brilliantly. “Life is good.” He accented each word.
Callie rolled her eyes.
Mark began, “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Torres.” He added in an undertone, “You left your panties at my place last night.”
“Bite me, Sloan.”
“Feisty today, are we?” He leaned in close to Callie and whispered. “Makes for better sex.”
Callie shifted uncomfortably.
Mark continued, “Ladies, as much as I’d love to stick around, I have patients to see.” He turned to Callie, “Lunch?”
“Always,” she replied. Mark left.
Callie turned back to Addison and sighed.
Addison gave her a very calculating look. “So the man you’re into is Mark?”
“It’s just sex,” Callie replied unconvincingly.
“Sex with your best friend is never just sex. And doesn’t he have a girlfriend?”
“Dumped him,” Callie explained.
“Ah. Can I join the pair of you for lunch?”
“You better,” Callie smiled. “So how about that holiday party?”
Addison bit her lip. “Fine. Will you be my date?”
“Will there be dirty dancing?” Callie inquired.
Addison laughed. “Yep. But only if you buy me a drink.”
“Open bar,” Callie responded.
“I’m in!” Addison exclaimed. “See you at lunch?”
“Definitely.”
The girls crossed paths and headed in opposite directions.
* * *
The next few days with Addison gave Callie the perfect opportunity to avoid Mark. She’d given into in a couple quickies in on-call rooms but had successfully avoided him completely in the evenings.
Callie and Addison had found plenty to do in their spare time. Addison had to purchase a dress for the party, and with a new dress had to come new shoes. And Callie always got a little crazy when it came to shoe shopping. It was difficult for her now that she was on a budget for the first time in a long time, but she managed. Especially now that she was an attending. That came with quite a hefty salary increase.
It was finally the night of the party, and while she doubted it would be a big ordeal, Callie was still relatively nervous for the event. Mostly, she didn’t want to see her best friend. It would be nearly impossible to avoid him during the party. She hated avoiding Mark, but she also hated the feelings stirred within her when she was near him. So Callie opted for flight and managed to stay away from him for the most part. She knew she’d need to spend some time with him tonight - he was her best friend, after all, and Addison would probably do some mingling.
As Callie entered the party with Addison, she was startlingly reminded of the ‘prom’ that had taken place on a fateful night a few years earlier. The cafeteria was decked out as it had been then. She glanced at Addison, wondering if she was thinking the same thing. Callie could tell she was by her hardened expression.
The night of the prom had been the night Derek cheated on her with Meredith. Callie had caught the adulterous pair in the aftermath and covered for Meredith before she and Addison had really become friends.
Addison turned to Callie. “I’m going to need a drink.”
Callie nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
They grabbed their drinks from the make-shift, sipping greedily. Mark approached them.
“Wanna dance, Torres?”
Callie glanced fleetingly at Addison and responded, “Rain check. Addison and I were actually about to dance.”
“Really now?” Mark asked suggestively.
“Yep,” Addison cut in. “I promised her at least one dirty dance. It was an attendance requirement.”
Mark laughed. “It would be with her. I’ll find you later, Cal. Don’t think I’m going to forget about that rain check.”
Addison lived up to her promises and danced with Callie for several songs before she was pulled away by Adele to chat. Callie went back to her drink and was approached by Mark a few minutes later.
“How about that dance?”
Callie smiled hesitantly and threw caution to the wind. She put her drink down and said, “You know how I love to dance.”
The pair headed out to the dance floor and moved their hips from side to side. Callie was a natural when it came to rhythm, but Mark was quicker to catch on than he had been in the past.
“You know,” Mark drawled, “I believe we’ve only danced together like this once before, nearing on two years ago at Joe’s. Then I took you took me home with you.”
Callie smiled. “Yes, the second time I slept with you. I remember it well.”
“I’m not sure I can count how many times we’ve done the deed since then.”
“We’re sexual beings,” she laughed. “Nothing wrong with that!”
Mark grinned. “Want to be a sexual being with me tonight?”
Callie sighed and considered her options. Her instinct was to say yes. Of course she wanted to sleep with Mark. She always wanted to sleep with Mark. But the fact that she found herself falling for him was concerning. Sex with him wouldn’t help matters. In the end, Callie opted for indecisiveness.
She smiled alluringly, “Maybe.”
“I’ll accept that for now,” Mark decided, “But I will convince you, Torres. Why the hesitation tonight?”
Callie shrugged. “I’m tired,” she lied.
“I’ll wake you up,” Mark smirked. “Trust me.”
The pair finished dancing after a few songs, Callie claiming she was thirsty. Really, she just couldn’t handle the feeling of her body on his any longer. The urge was too strong.
Callie set down the bottle of water she’d just finished off and glanced up to find Mark grinning roguishly at her.
“What?” Callie asked of the look her was giving her.
Mark’s grin got a little bigger. “Look up.”
Callie did so with dread. Her suspicions were confirmed - they were standing under mistletoe. The only mistletoe in the whole damn room. It would figure.
“You going to kiss me or what, Torres?”
Callie couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. She looked at him through hooded eyes and leaned it. She pressed her lips against his, gently at first, and then with more force. Callie parted her lips and slid her tongue into Mark’s mouth, kissing him deeply and fully. Callie heard a cat call or two in the background as Mark’s hands fisted in her hair. There was something in the kiss that Callie couldn’t deny. There was real, genuine emotion driving it, she knew. It wasn’t just lust as she’d been trying to convince herself. She just hoped it wasn’t one-sided.
Callie pulled away slowly with a lazy smile on her face. Mark was staring at her with something she didn’t quite recognize in his eyes.
“Um…I was supposed to meet Addison,” Callie grappled for an excuse, still smiling languidly.
“See you later?” Mark asked.
Callie nodded in response.
* * *
“That was quite some kiss,” Addison began the conversation. She and Callie snuck off to an exam room to talk a few minutes after the mistletoe incident.
“Yeah,” Callie murmured.
“Are you doing okay?” Addison inquired.
“Not really,” Callie replied bluntly. “I don’t know. I’ve been spending all this time trying to deny that we’re anything other than fuck buddies, but I can’t keep up the façade any more. I…” Callie sighed. “I want more. And I’m sure he doesn’t.”
“Cal,” Addison spoke in a chastising voice, “He does want more. The way he looked at you after that kiss…It wasn’t just lust.”
“Addie,” Callie complained, “This is so messed up. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Tears had pooled in Callie’s eyes, and she tried desperately to keep them at bay. One, however, slipped past her defenses and made a track down her cheek.
“Dammit,” she whispered and wiped it away.
“You should talk to him, Callie. It will help.”
“Will it?” Callie questioned. “What if it just ruins everything? We’ve been precariously balancing like this for a few months now.”
“It needs to be out there. And he wants it. I can tell. Trust me.”
Callie let out a short laugh. “You would know better than anyone else, I suppose. You really think I should talk to him?”
“Yes,” Addison affirmed. “You should talk to him. I know that look he gave, and it’s even stronger with you.”
Callie chewed on her lip in thought for a moment, then stood up and gave Addison a hug, knowing she may not see her again before her flight left in the morning.
“You’re a good friend, Addie.”
Addison smiled. “Right back at you, Cal.”
* * *
Callie took Mark home with her that night, telling him she wanted to talk. However, when she got there, she lost all confidence. Instead, she pulled out a bottle of bourbon in hopes maybe it would help her do the talking. Liquid courage was as good an option as any. Mark had a few shots, as well, though he preferred the Jack Daniel’s he’d nicked from her cabinet. Callie, knowing what she was planning on telling Mark, had quite a bit more than him. The alcohol flooded her system. She was not drunk, but the liquor certainly was having its desired effect.
“Mark…” Callie whispered after another pull from her bottle. “Mark, we need to talk.”
He looked at her seriously and waited for her to speak.
“You’re my best friend,” Callie said painstakingly, “and we’re just supposed to be sleeping together, you know? Nothing more, nothing less. Good sex. And the sex is good. You know that. I know that. The sex is always good. But the line…the line between fuck buddies and something more is getting blurred. It’s getting blurred, Mark, and I’m getting scared. I don’t know what to do.” She paused and took a breath. “Because…I want more.”
After her pronouncement was silence. Callie was filled with immense dread. Another moment passed, and then suddenly Mark’s lips were on hers. They were everywhere - her lips, her face, her neck. Their clothes were on the ground in a matter of moments, and they stumbled into Callie’s bedroom.
The sex was different this time. There was something different in the air. A change. A sense of intimacy that Callie had never felt with him before. It was passionate and sensual and even romantic. It was different and so much better. It was as though they’d stopped fucking and started using sex as a real expression of feelings. It was a first for the pair.
Callie and Mark fell asleep together that night for the first time since they’d started up again as friends with benefits. Mark did not go back to his place, and Callie did not ask him to. Instead, she spent the night curled up against him, her head on his bare, warm chest. They slept, and even more lines blurred.
Callie did not know what the morning would bring, but she felt relief that she had finally expressed what she’d needed to.
Even if every rule was broken, and every line was blurred.