Phoenix Rising (2/?)
TITLE: Phoenix Rising (2/?)
AUTHOR: Melificent811
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: Callie/Erica... only THE BEST lesbian couple to hit the tv screen.
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: 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.
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
******
Present day…
It was your typical late summer morning in sunny southern California. Even at just past eight the sun was already blazing brightly amidst the crystal clear sky. Remnants of the week’s late summer heat wave lingered and radiated off the asphalt and the walls of the beach bungalows that lined the residential streets of Venice. People from all walks of life had already abandoned the confines of their homes in favor of roaming the streets of the beach city, eager to enjoy yet another beautiful day.
Callie casually drove down the street in her black SUV, thankful that the latest heat wave had started to subside. Eager to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze, every window as well as the sunroof had been rolled wide open. Though it was still a bit early, the latin woman didn’t hesitate to blast her music and sing every lyric to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” as it blared across her car’s sound system.
Catching a whiff of the refreshingly salty air, Callie smiled. There were a few perks to living in a city where the skies were clear blue and the sun shined brightly in the sky almost year round. Even though she had been living here for nearly a year, the novelty of the city’s legendary weather had refused to wear off. This was such a welcome change to the dreary gloominess of Seattle.
Who knew that eighty degrees at eight in the morning could feel so good?
After spending no more than a few minutes on the road, she turned off the street to park in Addison’s driveway. The front of the home seemed relatively peaceful. Turning off the music in the car, Callie could instantly hear the rhythmic crashing of the ocean waves. The wind chime that hung from the awning whispered a tune as the ocean breeze lightly blew its metal pieces together. Even the well manicured front lawn enjoyed a moment of serenity as the sprinklers popped on, lightly bathing it in a mist of cool water.
Suddenly, a barely clothed form leaped like a gazelle from the front door heading the direction of the street. Callie laughed, realizing it was Addison dressed in nothing but a pair of black boy shorts and a baby pink tank running across the front lawn. Her best friend was already up, seemingly awake, and bent over at the waist to quickly retrieve the morning newspaper from the sidewalk before the sprinklers could damage it.
“Woo! I’d love me a piece of that ass.” Callie leaned out the open driver’s side window and teased causing Addison to quickly look up to meet her best friend with a playful scowl.
“Callie, for heavens sake,” Walking up to the driver’s side window, she held the newspaper and used it to lightly swat her best friend on the top of her head. “You live down the street…. You could’ve just walked down the boardwalk. What the hell did you drive here for?”
“Okay, I think all of your maid of honor duties have finally driven you insane.” Opening the car door, she jumped out of the driver’s seat and quickly opened the trunk indicating the meticulously packaged dress and other belongings. “You expect me to carry this dress AND the rest of my crap down the street? Do you know how many oblivious rollerbladers and bike riders I would have had to dodge?”
“Hmmm, good point…” Addison turned to the other woman and opened her arms, embracing her. “So, sexy mama, you ready for your big day?”
“I’m SO ready to do this.” Callie returned the embrace, inwardly laughing knowing that her best friend was still slightly lacking in the clothing department. “You know, personally I don’t care that you’re halfway naked and hugging me in the middle of your driveway but your neighbors might start thinking that you’ve switched teams. Frankly, I’m about to believe it too considering what happened at the bachlorette party.”
“Dammit, Callie.” Addison playfully pulled away from their embrace, “I really don't know how Erica plans on handling you for the rest of your lives together. Your are an absolute handful!”
“Admit it, you enjoy it.” Callie smiled as she reached into the trunk to retrieve a few of her items. “So... you gonna just stand and watch or are you going to help me get all of this crap inside?”
“You know,” The red head reached into the trunk to grab the rest of Callie's belongings. “I should really make you do this all yourself as a punishment for what you just said.”
Arms overflowing with clothing and bags filled with essential items, the pair made their way into the beach front home. Callie always loved stepping into her best friend's place. Besides the home she shared with Erica, this was really the only other place in LA that Callie felt she could relax and just be.
The pair dumped the precariously balanced bags next to the couch in the living room and continued up the stairs to the spare bedroom where the bride would spend the rest of her morning getting ready. Walking up to the rack that already held Addison's dress, Callie gingerly hooked the hanger to her dress on letting the folds of white fabric covered in plastic drape down to the floor.
“You want some coffee before you start getting ready?”
The raven haired woman nodded and felt her best friend's presence leave the room as she went downstairs to retrieve a mug of the steaming liquid. Her eyes remained fixated on the beautiful garment that gracefully drape before her eyes. In an instant, her body flushed with mixed emotion.
Staring fixated on the dress, Callie realized that she had never worn anything so beautifully elegant. When she and George chose to elope in Vegas, she hadn't even given a single thought to the outfit that would state 'I am yours forever'. Now here she was, staring at the dress that really truly meant those words. Erica was her do-over... her second chance. This time, she wasn't going to let her life history repeat itself.
“It really is a beautiful dress, Cal.” Addison smiled, admiring the choice in outfit that her best friend had made. It really was THE perfect dress for Callie to be married in.
“Yeah... I can't wait till Erica sees it.” Callie's sparkling eyes remained locked on the gown. Through the folds of shimmering white fabric, Callie could see the rest of her life unfolding in front of her eyes. As excited and anxious as she was, she couldn't wait for the roller coaster ride to begin.
“Here's that coffee you wanted.” Addison reached out, offering the mug to her best friend.
“Oh my god, Thank you!” Callie finally broke her gaze from the gown in favor of the steaming cup of liquid energy. “Erica woke me up SO early. I'm probably going need a few of these to get through the rest of the day.”
“Can you blame her? She must be so excited that the day has finally come.”
“Please,” the darker woman laughed. “Erica doesn't know how to sleep in. Did you know she tried to get me to wake up with her at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise the morning after the bachlorette party?”
“Oh god...” Addison closed her eyes for a second, remembering the sordid details of the gratuitous event. “That was really one hell of a party.”
“Yeah, it was....” Callie smiled, also calling to mind vivid images of the evening of debauchery. “I’m telling you, Addy… Those girls at Truck Stop were SO totally into you. Especially that cute little blonde one.”
“What's this thing you have for blondes anyway? From what I can remember, there was a certain blonde back in Seattle who had her eye on YOU.”
Callie sighed, memories of a not so happy time beginning to creep back into her consciousness. “Yeah, Arizona...”
“Whatever happened to butterfly scrubcap girl anyway?”
******
A little over a year ago...
One could never get too comfortable driving around in the near freezing temperatures of an early Seattle January morning. In a near miraculous feat of nature, the sun had decided to make a cameo appearance in the mid-winter sky. Despite the fact that the sun's rays peeked over the haze that hovered over the eastern landscape, the crisp ocean air remained biting cold.
Callie cringed as she turned off the main drag into Seattle Grace Hospital's turnaround. Even though she and Christina lived a short walking distance away from the hospital, the latina opted for the comfort of a heater blasted car as her form of transportation into work. Having arrived to the parking garage, the prospect of having to walk in the near freezing weather into the lobby felt like cruel and unusual punishment.
In truth, Callie's cruel and unusual punishment was the fact that Erica had boarded a plane and flown back to LA no more than ten hours ago. She had driven the love of her life to the airport, kissed her goodbye, and reluctantly let her hand go as she walked in the direction of the security checkpoint. Tears threatened to form in the back of her eyes, realizing that the woman who had her heart was now a three hour plane flight away instead of a thirty minute car drive.
The weekend they had spent together physically and emotionally reconnecting had been the happiest two days Callie had experienced in the past few months. Feelings of resentment and fear quickly went the way of the dumpster as the pair easily settled back into comfort of a familiar friendship and the excitement of a rekindled romantic relationship.
Callie slowly took in a deep breath and let it go, attempting to settle the anxiety that settled into her chest. Grabbing her purse, she hastily made her way out of the car and walked briskly towards the warmth of the hospital lobby. At this point, the only thing she could do was take it one day at a time.
Just a few more months...
As the latina walked her way through the hospital grounds, she couldn't help but notice the places where she and Erica held so many memories. To any other person passing by it was just another bench... a random hospital counter... an elevator that looked like every other elevator in the world. To Callie, these were the placed that had witnessed the birth of something so uniquely special in her life.
Stepping out of the elevator into the surgical wing, Callie made a beeline towards the resident's locker room. The only way she would be able to get through the day was to quickly throw on her scrubs and completely immerse herself in every surgery and case she could get her hands on.
“Calliope...”
Halfway to the locker room door,Callie reluctantly turned and hoped it wasn't who she thought it was. “Hey... Um... Arizona, right?”
“Yeah...” The Peds surgeon smiled as she fell in step with Callie who continued on her way to the locker room. “Um... I just wanted to make sure everything was okay... You kinda ran out of the bar the other night.”
“I'm good...” Callie continued on her way, doing her best to avoid any eye contact. The last thing she wanted was to provide any indication that she was interested in being more than coworkers. “I... uh... just had a long day and I needed to get home...”
“Oh... Well,” Arizona continued, trying to feel out what to say next. As they reached the doorway to the resident's locker room, Callie turned to face her hoping that the conversation would end before she walked in. “You know... if you need anyone to talk to, I'm a good listener. Maybe we could have lunch together today if you're free.”
“Lunch!... Um...” Callie cracked open the door to the room and took a step in, praying that the door way would be enough to keep the other woman at bay. “I've got a lot of surgeries on my schedule today... Probably won't have time for lunch... But, um... thank you anyway...”
Without waiting for a response Callie stepped into the locker room and let the door click shut behind her. Thankfully, the other woman had chosen to not follow her inside. Eager to get the day started, she placed her purse in her locker, retrieved her scrubs, and swiftly put them on. Hopefully the events at the beginning of her shift would not be any indication to how the rest of her day at the hospital would go.
Before heading out to do rounds, Callie reached into her purse to check her cell phone. Instantly, her day brightened as she saw a new text message alert come across her screen.
Good morning baby. Just got in to work. Wanted to say hi before we both started our days. Miss you terribly and can't wait to see you next week. XOXO
Halfway hiding behind the open door of her locker, Callie broke into an uncontrollably huge smile. There were very few things in the world that could brighten her day like a simple message from the woman who held her heart. Without hesitation, she typed in a message that would hopefully do the same for her blonde goddess.
Good morning... Hope your day goes well. Got a few surgeries this morning but I'll call you as soon as I go to lunch. I love you and miss you with all of my heart. XOXO
Satisfied with her message, she hit the send button. Today was going to be hard to get through but at least she had a phone call at lunch to look forward to. Eager for the day to finally begin, Callie finally stepped out of the locker room to begin rounds. Only a few hours to get through before lunch...
******
To be continued...
A/N: I know it's kind of an odd place to stop but I really wanted to publish this for you guys as soon as I could. I've got a whole lot of ideas for the next chapter that I hope to get onto paper soon. I really enjoyed writing the beginning of this chapter with the playful banter between Callie and Addison. I know I really didn't put a lot of Erica into this particular chapter but I promise she'll be back soon. Hope you enjoyed reading it!
AUTHOR: Melificent811
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: Callie/Erica... only THE BEST lesbian couple to hit the tv screen.
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: 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.
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
******
Present day…
It was your typical late summer morning in sunny southern California. Even at just past eight the sun was already blazing brightly amidst the crystal clear sky. Remnants of the week’s late summer heat wave lingered and radiated off the asphalt and the walls of the beach bungalows that lined the residential streets of Venice. People from all walks of life had already abandoned the confines of their homes in favor of roaming the streets of the beach city, eager to enjoy yet another beautiful day.
Callie casually drove down the street in her black SUV, thankful that the latest heat wave had started to subside. Eager to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze, every window as well as the sunroof had been rolled wide open. Though it was still a bit early, the latin woman didn’t hesitate to blast her music and sing every lyric to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” as it blared across her car’s sound system.
Catching a whiff of the refreshingly salty air, Callie smiled. There were a few perks to living in a city where the skies were clear blue and the sun shined brightly in the sky almost year round. Even though she had been living here for nearly a year, the novelty of the city’s legendary weather had refused to wear off. This was such a welcome change to the dreary gloominess of Seattle.
Who knew that eighty degrees at eight in the morning could feel so good?
After spending no more than a few minutes on the road, she turned off the street to park in Addison’s driveway. The front of the home seemed relatively peaceful. Turning off the music in the car, Callie could instantly hear the rhythmic crashing of the ocean waves. The wind chime that hung from the awning whispered a tune as the ocean breeze lightly blew its metal pieces together. Even the well manicured front lawn enjoyed a moment of serenity as the sprinklers popped on, lightly bathing it in a mist of cool water.
Suddenly, a barely clothed form leaped like a gazelle from the front door heading the direction of the street. Callie laughed, realizing it was Addison dressed in nothing but a pair of black boy shorts and a baby pink tank running across the front lawn. Her best friend was already up, seemingly awake, and bent over at the waist to quickly retrieve the morning newspaper from the sidewalk before the sprinklers could damage it.
“Woo! I’d love me a piece of that ass.” Callie leaned out the open driver’s side window and teased causing Addison to quickly look up to meet her best friend with a playful scowl.
“Callie, for heavens sake,” Walking up to the driver’s side window, she held the newspaper and used it to lightly swat her best friend on the top of her head. “You live down the street…. You could’ve just walked down the boardwalk. What the hell did you drive here for?”
“Okay, I think all of your maid of honor duties have finally driven you insane.” Opening the car door, she jumped out of the driver’s seat and quickly opened the trunk indicating the meticulously packaged dress and other belongings. “You expect me to carry this dress AND the rest of my crap down the street? Do you know how many oblivious rollerbladers and bike riders I would have had to dodge?”
“Hmmm, good point…” Addison turned to the other woman and opened her arms, embracing her. “So, sexy mama, you ready for your big day?”
“I’m SO ready to do this.” Callie returned the embrace, inwardly laughing knowing that her best friend was still slightly lacking in the clothing department. “You know, personally I don’t care that you’re halfway naked and hugging me in the middle of your driveway but your neighbors might start thinking that you’ve switched teams. Frankly, I’m about to believe it too considering what happened at the bachlorette party.”
“Dammit, Callie.” Addison playfully pulled away from their embrace, “I really don't know how Erica plans on handling you for the rest of your lives together. Your are an absolute handful!”
“Admit it, you enjoy it.” Callie smiled as she reached into the trunk to retrieve a few of her items. “So... you gonna just stand and watch or are you going to help me get all of this crap inside?”
“You know,” The red head reached into the trunk to grab the rest of Callie's belongings. “I should really make you do this all yourself as a punishment for what you just said.”
Arms overflowing with clothing and bags filled with essential items, the pair made their way into the beach front home. Callie always loved stepping into her best friend's place. Besides the home she shared with Erica, this was really the only other place in LA that Callie felt she could relax and just be.
The pair dumped the precariously balanced bags next to the couch in the living room and continued up the stairs to the spare bedroom where the bride would spend the rest of her morning getting ready. Walking up to the rack that already held Addison's dress, Callie gingerly hooked the hanger to her dress on letting the folds of white fabric covered in plastic drape down to the floor.
“You want some coffee before you start getting ready?”
The raven haired woman nodded and felt her best friend's presence leave the room as she went downstairs to retrieve a mug of the steaming liquid. Her eyes remained fixated on the beautiful garment that gracefully drape before her eyes. In an instant, her body flushed with mixed emotion.
Staring fixated on the dress, Callie realized that she had never worn anything so beautifully elegant. When she and George chose to elope in Vegas, she hadn't even given a single thought to the outfit that would state 'I am yours forever'. Now here she was, staring at the dress that really truly meant those words. Erica was her do-over... her second chance. This time, she wasn't going to let her life history repeat itself.
“It really is a beautiful dress, Cal.” Addison smiled, admiring the choice in outfit that her best friend had made. It really was THE perfect dress for Callie to be married in.
“Yeah... I can't wait till Erica sees it.” Callie's sparkling eyes remained locked on the gown. Through the folds of shimmering white fabric, Callie could see the rest of her life unfolding in front of her eyes. As excited and anxious as she was, she couldn't wait for the roller coaster ride to begin.
“Here's that coffee you wanted.” Addison reached out, offering the mug to her best friend.
“Oh my god, Thank you!” Callie finally broke her gaze from the gown in favor of the steaming cup of liquid energy. “Erica woke me up SO early. I'm probably going need a few of these to get through the rest of the day.”
“Can you blame her? She must be so excited that the day has finally come.”
“Please,” the darker woman laughed. “Erica doesn't know how to sleep in. Did you know she tried to get me to wake up with her at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise the morning after the bachlorette party?”
“Oh god...” Addison closed her eyes for a second, remembering the sordid details of the gratuitous event. “That was really one hell of a party.”
“Yeah, it was....” Callie smiled, also calling to mind vivid images of the evening of debauchery. “I’m telling you, Addy… Those girls at Truck Stop were SO totally into you. Especially that cute little blonde one.”
“What's this thing you have for blondes anyway? From what I can remember, there was a certain blonde back in Seattle who had her eye on YOU.”
Callie sighed, memories of a not so happy time beginning to creep back into her consciousness. “Yeah, Arizona...”
“Whatever happened to butterfly scrubcap girl anyway?”
******
A little over a year ago...
One could never get too comfortable driving around in the near freezing temperatures of an early Seattle January morning. In a near miraculous feat of nature, the sun had decided to make a cameo appearance in the mid-winter sky. Despite the fact that the sun's rays peeked over the haze that hovered over the eastern landscape, the crisp ocean air remained biting cold.
Callie cringed as she turned off the main drag into Seattle Grace Hospital's turnaround. Even though she and Christina lived a short walking distance away from the hospital, the latina opted for the comfort of a heater blasted car as her form of transportation into work. Having arrived to the parking garage, the prospect of having to walk in the near freezing weather into the lobby felt like cruel and unusual punishment.
In truth, Callie's cruel and unusual punishment was the fact that Erica had boarded a plane and flown back to LA no more than ten hours ago. She had driven the love of her life to the airport, kissed her goodbye, and reluctantly let her hand go as she walked in the direction of the security checkpoint. Tears threatened to form in the back of her eyes, realizing that the woman who had her heart was now a three hour plane flight away instead of a thirty minute car drive.
The weekend they had spent together physically and emotionally reconnecting had been the happiest two days Callie had experienced in the past few months. Feelings of resentment and fear quickly went the way of the dumpster as the pair easily settled back into comfort of a familiar friendship and the excitement of a rekindled romantic relationship.
Callie slowly took in a deep breath and let it go, attempting to settle the anxiety that settled into her chest. Grabbing her purse, she hastily made her way out of the car and walked briskly towards the warmth of the hospital lobby. At this point, the only thing she could do was take it one day at a time.
Just a few more months...
As the latina walked her way through the hospital grounds, she couldn't help but notice the places where she and Erica held so many memories. To any other person passing by it was just another bench... a random hospital counter... an elevator that looked like every other elevator in the world. To Callie, these were the placed that had witnessed the birth of something so uniquely special in her life.
Stepping out of the elevator into the surgical wing, Callie made a beeline towards the resident's locker room. The only way she would be able to get through the day was to quickly throw on her scrubs and completely immerse herself in every surgery and case she could get her hands on.
“Calliope...”
Halfway to the locker room door,Callie reluctantly turned and hoped it wasn't who she thought it was. “Hey... Um... Arizona, right?”
“Yeah...” The Peds surgeon smiled as she fell in step with Callie who continued on her way to the locker room. “Um... I just wanted to make sure everything was okay... You kinda ran out of the bar the other night.”
“I'm good...” Callie continued on her way, doing her best to avoid any eye contact. The last thing she wanted was to provide any indication that she was interested in being more than coworkers. “I... uh... just had a long day and I needed to get home...”
“Oh... Well,” Arizona continued, trying to feel out what to say next. As they reached the doorway to the resident's locker room, Callie turned to face her hoping that the conversation would end before she walked in. “You know... if you need anyone to talk to, I'm a good listener. Maybe we could have lunch together today if you're free.”
“Lunch!... Um...” Callie cracked open the door to the room and took a step in, praying that the door way would be enough to keep the other woman at bay. “I've got a lot of surgeries on my schedule today... Probably won't have time for lunch... But, um... thank you anyway...”
Without waiting for a response Callie stepped into the locker room and let the door click shut behind her. Thankfully, the other woman had chosen to not follow her inside. Eager to get the day started, she placed her purse in her locker, retrieved her scrubs, and swiftly put them on. Hopefully the events at the beginning of her shift would not be any indication to how the rest of her day at the hospital would go.
Before heading out to do rounds, Callie reached into her purse to check her cell phone. Instantly, her day brightened as she saw a new text message alert come across her screen.
Good morning baby. Just got in to work. Wanted to say hi before we both started our days. Miss you terribly and can't wait to see you next week. XOXO
Halfway hiding behind the open door of her locker, Callie broke into an uncontrollably huge smile. There were very few things in the world that could brighten her day like a simple message from the woman who held her heart. Without hesitation, she typed in a message that would hopefully do the same for her blonde goddess.
Good morning... Hope your day goes well. Got a few surgeries this morning but I'll call you as soon as I go to lunch. I love you and miss you with all of my heart. XOXO
Satisfied with her message, she hit the send button. Today was going to be hard to get through but at least she had a phone call at lunch to look forward to. Eager for the day to finally begin, Callie finally stepped out of the locker room to begin rounds. Only a few hours to get through before lunch...
******
To be continued...
A/N: I know it's kind of an odd place to stop but I really wanted to publish this for you guys as soon as I could. I've got a whole lot of ideas for the next chapter that I hope to get onto paper soon. I really enjoyed writing the beginning of this chapter with the playful banter between Callie and Addison. I know I really didn't put a lot of Erica into this particular chapter but I promise she'll be back soon. Hope you enjoyed reading it!