Shock (1/1)
Title: Shock (1/1)
Author: Nora C. Parker
Pairing: Callie/Arizona
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine but the words and the mistakes. Comments are always welcome.
Summary: An imagined "what happened after" the elevator scene in 7x12 "Start Me Up". Spoilers through that episode.
Shock (1/1)
by Nora C. Parker
The words sunk in slowly. Pregnant. Mark's baby.
Arizona Robbins tried to retain the lightness, the bravado with which she'd faced Calliope Torres since an impromptu move back from Africa.
At that point the plan was so simple. Come back. Explain to Calliope that she loved her and that they needed to be together. And, because she knew Calliope loved her, they'd be together.
Instead of open arms, though, Arizona had found anger. She thought the anger was because of how much Calliope was still hurting.
But now, this reality. A baby. Mark's baby. Did that mean that Calliope and Mark were together in some weird baby-making pact? Or worse? Together in some romantic relationship?
Calliope should have known better. She should have known to trust her, trust their love. Instead, there was this.
The elevators doors opened again, and Callie Torres marched out. Silent.
It took until the doors had almost closed that Arizona realized that the elevator was empty. She'd been so lost in her thoughts, the meaning of Calliope's words. And now, she was alone. Truly alone. The outcome of Calliope's words.
The doors opened again on the surgical floor. Arizona wandered out. Away. She needed to go somewhere. Do something. Breathe. Something. Things weren't making sense.
From behind her she heard laughter. A sound she was quickly growing to hate.
Robbins turned and rushed at Mark Sloan. "How could you," she growled. Her hands balled up tightly, and it was all she could do to keep them at her side. "How could you?" At least his laughter had stopped.
"Robbins? I... What?"
"You know what this is about." Arizona hissed her words through clenched teeth. "You are her friend and you took advantage of her."
"What?"
A crowd was gathering around the pair. Mark slipped a hand under Arizona's arm. "C'mon. Let's go talk in private."
She took a small step, then realized that he was touching her. "No. No!" And the tears started.
"C'mon Robbins," Mark whispered. He put an arm over her shoulder and led her to a lounge where the tears continued. He sat next to her on a couch, an arm over her shoulder, as she cried. Lost in her grief.
Finally she stopped and wrenched herself away from his grasp, standing and pacing through the room. "You know her. You know how vulnerable she can be."
"Excuse me?"
"You know her. And you took advantage."
"And you know that's not true."
"But it is," Arizona pressed. "It is true. It must be true."
"And why's that? What great insight did you get from half a world away? What great words did you exchange after you dumped her in an airport?"
"No." Arizona shook her head. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to speak about my relationship with Calliope."
"And you don't get to pretend there was a relationship after you dumped her in the airport." Whatever had gotten into Robbins thoughts, yet again painting him the bad guy, was not something Mark was going to accept. Not this time. "I'm not going to tell secrets about her and I don't owe you anything. So if you don't mind, I'm going now."
"Bastard."
"Maybe I am. Maybe I can be. But I've been there for her."
"Taking advantage of her."
It was possible Callie had told Robbins that they'd slept together; neither of them were prone to withhold the truth. But it was what Callie had wanted at the time, something he could do for his friend. The way Torres had cried afterward, though, made him wish that they'd just stayed apart. That was the only time she'd asked, and he was grateful that they'd both moved past trying again. "Look, I'll take a certain amount of your crap because I know you care about Torres. But there comes a point where it's not your business."
"Not my business? You're sleeping with my girlfriend and that's not my business."
"She's not your girlfriend."
The words were cold, but they were true. Arizona knew that now matter how much she wished for them to be a lie, that they were, indeed, true.
"So I suppose she's your girlfriend now."
Mark fought the urge to give a laugh at that thought. Even if he wasn't in love with Lexie Grey, he knew that Callie Torres was never going to be with him other than as a friend. Perhaps an occasional friend with benefits, but most definitely only as a friend. "No. She's not. And she won't be."
It was over. Mark had won. Despite what he had said. Despite what he wasn't telling her about the baby. It was done. "Go." She was too exhausted to fight now. Too many thoughts.
Mark hesitated for a moment before leaving the room, leaving her alone.
Alone.
Calliope's parting words hinted that there was still a chance for her, for them. With Mark and a baby.
None of this was going as she had planned. Calliope had been pushing her away. Angry. Making it easy for her to bail.
Now she needed to choose. Did she take what she wanted, in a form that she did not want? Would leaving mean she was bailing? She wanted Calliope. But her Calliope. In the form that she wanted.
The tears were starting again. She loved Calliope, she knew that. But now she also knew about the baby. And Sloan. Was that love enough?