Title: Just Because

Author: iheartcallietorres (laurenxx3 on LJ)

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13

Summary: AU - What if Callie had already had a child when Arizona had kissed her in the bathroom at Joe's? Knowing what we know now, how will Arizona react when she finds out that not only is Callie a 'newborn,' she has a newborn?

Disclaimer: You know the drill. All characters belong to Shonda Rhimes/ABC. I don't own anything. Any similarities to real life situations/persons are purely coincidental. Not for profit; for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: I have absolutely NO medical knowledge beyond what I see/hear on Grey's Anatomy, so forgive me of any medical-related errors. Also, this is un-betad, so all mistakes are mine. Please let me know if you come across any. As always, comments are much appreciated (and will encourage me to write more fics in the future - *hint, hint*).

Back Story:

Okay, so this is an AU fic, the first one I've written, and I'm a little nervous about it. All the characters are present and are still doctors at SGMW. The only thing different is that Callie and George have a daughter. The timeline is a bit sketchy on this, but so is the timeline on Grey's in general, so I figured it was alright. A little back-story is needed, I guess. So, Callie and George divorced and Callie and Erica became friends. A few weeks later, Callie discovers that she's pregnant. Erica helps her through it as their relationship turns romantic, but Callie still questions her sexuality and Erica leaves before the baby is born. George steps up and is a good father, and he and Callie share custody. Okay? Okay. So this starts shortly before the kiss in the bathroom scene, so… enjoy. : ) And please, please, PLEASE let me know what you think of this. If this idea sucks, be honest. Thanks!

[Callie's POV]

"Hey Callie," a voice said from behind me where I stood in the lobby of the hospital. I turned to see my former husband walking up to me as I held the precious cargo in my arms. It was Friday evening and George's weekend with Liliana, our six month old daughter.

"Hey," I said, reluctantly handing my-our-daughter to him. As much as I was grateful he was involved in her life, I still hated letting her go, even if it was only for the weekend. "She's been especially fussy today," I told him, handing over her diaper bag full of diapers, formula and clothing. "I think she may be cutting a tooth, so I put in a few teething rings. Just-"

"Put them in the freezer for a few hours, I know Callie." He held the infant, who recognized her father and smiled, showing off her gums.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. I said my goodbyes, kissing Liliana's tiny head full of curly black peach fuzz before waving sadly as they walked off out into the drizzle. I was about to yell at George to cover her up from the rain when he beat me to it, pulling out a large umbrella. I had to give him credit, he really was a good father, even if he had been a horrible husband.

I sighed heavily and made my way out of the hospital, deciding to drop by Joe's for a well-deserved drink. I never drank alcohol when I was caring for Liliana, but she was with George tonight and I needed something to take my mind off the hellish year I've had. Other than Liliana, nothing had gone right. George had cheated on me with the blonde supermodel, Erica had run off without even saying goodbye and now, I was a single mother with no prospect of ever finding someone to spend my life with.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my Liliana. I can't imagine my life without her, but being a single mother was tough, especially for a fifth year resident.

I sat at the bar in Joe's, nursing my drink as depressing feelings overcame me. I was usually fine when I had Liliana. I could forget about all the negative, harsh realities of my life. But she was with George until Monday, so I was able to focus on the ugly.

I sighed heavily and downed the rest of my drink, indicating to Joe that I wanted another. He set the glass in front of me and gave me a knowing look. "The little angel with her daddy tonight?"

I nodded. "Yep. Keep 'em coming."

Soon after, Lexie Grey walked up to the stool next to me. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked, already sitting.

"No, no," I said, picking up my glass to take another sip. "I'm just… over thinking."

The young intern looked contemplative for a second before turning to me. "You think he'll tell him?"

I knew instantly what she was talking about-Mark and Derek. From our earlier conversation in the OR, I knew Mark was having second thoughts about his relationship with Lexie. I really hoped he didn't so something stupid because he was afraid of telling Derek. It was obvious he cared a great deal about the promising young intern. "If he's not an idiot," I said, my voice a little shaky.

Lexie's brow knit. "Are you okay?" she asked carefully.

I glanced at her. "Um.. Uh… I don't…" I gave up and started to stand. "I'm fine," I said as I made my way to the bathroom to compose myself. I hated breaking down in front of prying eyes and just needed a moment to myself.

I took several deep breaths once I was alone in the bathroom. I ripped a paper towel out of the dispenser and wiped my eyes, careful not to smear my makeup too much. I tossed the paper towel into the trashcan and made one last swipe under my eyes with my fingers as the door to the bathroom opened and I noticed in the reflection of the mirror that a small blond woman had entered the small space.

"Hey," the woman said cheerfully.

"Hey," I replied. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place her face.

"Ortho, right?" the blond asked, stepping forward.

"Yeah, right, hi," I stammered.

"I'm Arizona. Robbins. Peds surgery. I've seen you at the hospital."

I should have known that that's where I'd seen her before. We'd never spoken, but I remembered seeing her in the halls of the hospital.

The blond knit her brow and tilted her head slightly to the side. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine," I said, turning to face her.

"People talk," she said matter-of-factly. "Where we work. They talk. A lot." I gave her a questioning look as she continued. "So, for the sake of being honest, I think I should tell you that I know things about you. Because people talk." She smiled, showing off her dimples.

I felt my heart sink. There was no telling what she'd heard from the gossip mill of the hospital. "Oh," I said in defeat. "You mean…" The blond nodded slightly. "Terrific," I breathed out.

"It is, actually," she insisted. I sat back against the sink, not looking forward to this conversation and crossing my arms. "The talk. People really like you over there. They respect you and they're concerned and interested. They really like you." She paused momentarily. "Some of them really like you," she said with slight laugh that was like music to my ears. I nodded slightly, not really believing a word she said. "I just… You look upset and I thought that you should know that the talk is good. And, when you're not upset, when you're over being upset, there will be people lining up for you."

I considered her words for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "You wanna give me some names?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.

The blond woman that I had just met surprised me when she stepped forward and reached up to cup my cheek as her lips covered my own. I was barely able to register the brief kiss before she stepped back.

"I think you'll know," was all she said before flashing me a broad smile and backing out of the bathroom.

The door closed softly behind the woman and I couldn't keep the stupid grin off my face. Had that really just happened? Had a woman I've never spoken to before five minutes ago, a really beautiful woman, just kiss me out of no where? In a dirty bar bathroom?

I took another moment to compose myself before walking out into the crowded bar. I immediately looked around for a blond head of curls, but didn't see her anywhere. Maybe I had just imagined it all. My brain was just trying to cheer me up by making me hallucinate a gorgeous blonde woman coming on to me. Great.

Somewhat disappointed and now fully convinced my mind was playing tricks on me, I returned to the bar to pay my tab before I left. I pulled out a twenty, more than enough to cover the cost, but Joe shook his head when I tried to give it to him. "Your tab's already been paid," he said.

I gave him a questioning look. "By who?"

He shrugged. "Blond woman. Attractive, average height, piercing blue eyes and killer dimples. Gave a hefty tip, too." He turned to take a patron's order and I felt my heart skip a beat. So I hadn't imagined the whole thing. Arizona Robbins, Peds Surgery, had kissed me in a dirty bar bathroom then taken care of my tab.

What a woman.

[Arizona's POV]

I'll never forget the first time I laid eyes on the curvy Latina. I'd been at Seattle Grace all of three days working on Jackson Prescott's case with the formidable Dr. Bailey when I'd noticed the gorgeous brunette chatting with the short doctor at the nurses' station. I'd only gotten a quick look before the tall woman had looked at her beeping pager and left. I may have been staring after her as she quickly walked away.

"Hear anything from UNOS?" Dr. Bailey had interrupted my thoughts.

I had turned to face her and shook my head. "I'll have Stevens try calling them again," I had said, placing the chart in my hand on the high countertop in front of me. "Who was that woman you were talking to?"

"Huh? Oh, Callie Torres, Ortho resident. Why?" She had eyed me carefully.

I had felt my cheeks flush slightly and shook my head. "No reason. I just thought I recognized her." It was a lie and Bailey had shot me a look that said she had known that. So I quickly changed the subject to Jackson Prescott.

Normally, I tuned out nurse gossip, but my ears perked up every time they'd heard "Dr. Torres." By the end of that day, I'd learned a lot about the brunette; about her recent relationship struggles and her rockstar surgeon skills, but what had struck me most was how much most of the nurses and staff seemed to respect her and care for her. Once, I'd heard a particularly moody nurse that no one really liked bad mouth the well-loved surgeon, using some discriminatory and homophobic language that had made me, a gay woman, cringe inwardly. Immediately, the woman's colleagues had jumped to defend the surgeon and admonished the nurse's comments, making me grin.

Yes, Dr. Callie Torres (who I also learned her first name was actually Calliope) had made an impression on me before I had even spoken to her.

I'm not usually so forward when it comes to women. Not that I'm shy, but kissing a woman I've never spoken to before in the bathroom in a bar was a bit out there, even for me. I hadn't planned on kissing Calliope; it just happened. She'd looked so upset, and I just wanted her to see that there are people out there that really care for her. Kissing her had been a spur of the moment thing, but I didn't regret it.

Now, I hope that I didn't scared her away. Because with just one kiss, I already knew that I could fall for the gorgeous Latina.

[Callie's POV]

It's been a week since Arizona Robbins, Peds Surgery, had kissed me out of nowhere in the bathroom at Joe's. Three days I've been trying to work up the nerve to approach her and ask her out. But every time I saw her and was about to go for it, I chickened out. I don't know why. I mean, she kissed me, right?

"Just do it," an agitated voice said from behind me as I stood trying to work up the nerve to go over and talk to her.

I turned and glared at Mark. "Do what?"

"Go over and ask her out. You've been tiptoeing around it for three days. Just go!" He pushed me forward gently, giving me the nudge I needed.

Determined, I walked towards the blond Peds surgeon that stood at the nurses station filling out charts. "Hey," I said from behind her, placing my hand on the countertop.

She turned and smiled when she saw me. "Calliope," she said, using my full name which, coming from anyone else, would have me glaring. "I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, well, I've been avoiding you," I said with a small laugh. "I know it's so weird. You, uh, share a kiss with a woman you've never seen before… Honestly this is… a new adventure, one I'm so ready to take. For the second time and…" I realized that I was rambling, a nervous habit, so I paused to take a deep breath. "Anyway, do you wanna go on a date with me?"

She gave an awkward smile. "Wait, ah, Erica and you… She was your first?"

"Yeah," I said while looking over my shoulder. What did Erica have to do with anything?

"Okay, so I guess my answer is no. I'm sorry."

She turned to walk away, but I quickly reached out and gripped her elbow, bringing her back to face me. "Wait, wait, wait. What?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Uh, um, you kissed me. Out of nowhere. In a bathroom…" I shot her a questioning look.

"Okay, see this is what I try to avoid. You're all exploring and experimenting and… yay! This is a really exciting time for you. But, I work in Peds. I spend my entire day around newborns, so I try not to in my personal life. Thanks for asking, though. I'm super flattered. Super!"

This time I let her walk away. I stared after her, my mind reeling. Seriously? A newborn? Really? She wouldn't date me just because I've only been with one other woman?

Anger quickly replaced my shock and I stalked away, intent on finding an intern to yell at. Instead, I found Bailey standing at another nurses' station, staring blankly at a piece of paper.

"Newborn," I scoffed "I'm not a newborn. I'm a senior resident, I'm a great surgeon! I'm a divorcee and a single mother for God's sake, right? I'm… I'm uh, looking for your to agree with me here, Bailey," I said, glancing over at the shorter doctor, noticing her own confused expression on her face. "Bailey?"

"The Chief… He wrote me a form letter of recommendation," she said, handing me the piece of paper.

"What?" I said incredulously. "He's the Chief and you're Bailey." I began reading over the letter. "Pleasant in the OR. And enjoyed by the nurses. She has completed a serviceable amount of research…" my voice began to trail. "A fine addition to any program."

"Fine! He used the word 'fine'!" She grabbed the letter from my hand. "A blank page would be more… I pulled off a twelve person domino surgery, I took out and put back six of a dying girls organs. I am Dr. Bailey. I am better than fine!" With that, the angry Dr. Bailey stalked off and I for one was glad that it wasn't me she was angry with.

"At lease he didn't call you a baby," I said to no one and rolled my eyes.

"Who called who a baby?" a voice said from beside me. I looked over, surprised to see Addison.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving this morning," I said.

"Derek needed me," she said. "For a consult," she clarified. "So, who's a baby?"

"Me," I said, rolling my eyes.

Addison raised an elegant red eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

I sighed. "You know the Peds surgeon I told you about? The one with the butterflies on her scrub cap?" Addison nodded. "I asked her out and happened to mention that I've only been with one other woman. She proceeded to turn me down and call me a newborn."

"So, basically, you're not slutty enough for her?" Addison offered.

I had to chuckle at that. "Apparently. I should have gone to Denver with Sadie," I said more to myself than to Addison.

"Denver? Why would you go to Denver?"

I shook my head. "Never mind," I said. "Want to grab lunch?"

Addison nodded and looped her arm through mine as we made our way to the cafeteria. It was nice to have her back, even if it was for only a little while. We grabbed our lunch and sat at an empty table.

"Still like LA?" I asked, biting into a strawberry.

"It's good," Addison replied unconvincingly.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "There's still an opening here for a neonatal attending, you know."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not coming back, Callie."

I shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying. I miss you Addie. I miss having a woman to talk to. I mean, Mark is a good friend and all, but… he gives crappy relationship advice."

She softened at that. "You know you can call me any time you need to."

"I know," I said, pushing the fruit around in the bowl. "It's just not the same." I sat up straighter when I noticed a head of unruly blond hair pulled back into a ponytail enter the cafeteria. "Newborn," I muttered.

"What?"

I looked up at Addison. "See the blond standing at the cashier?" I asked, using my plastic fork to point. Addison nodded. "That's the Peds surgeon."

"The one who called you a baby?"

I nodded and she raised an elegant eyebrow. She started to get up, but I grabbed her arm. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked, slightly panicked.

"I'm just going to go over there and-"

"No you are not!" I insisted. "I'm a big girl, I don't need you fighting my battles for me, Addison Montgomery."

She sighed, but remained seated. "Well, you should do something," she said.

"Like what? Prove I'm not a newborn?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "That's exactly what you should do. Go talk to her and show her that you know what you want. I'm guessing she's afraid she'll just be an experiment, right?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"So tell her that you aren't just experimenting."

"Addison, I don't know…"

"You like her, right?" Addison asked, serious.

"I guess. I mean, I barely know her."

"Talk to her," Addison insisted.

"Addie-"

"Talk to her!" She stood and pulled me up with her, dragging me towards the blond.

"Addison! Really, I don't know what-" The shrill sound of my pager going off had never been more welcome. I smiled triumphantly at Addison's glare before rushing off to the pit.

[Arizona's POV]

I didn't want to turn Calliope down and my heart kept telling me not to, but my head was screaming at me to stay away from the woman still new to dating women. I've been burned one too many times by women that said they wanted to be with me, only to change their mind and decide that they'd rather be with a man.

I tried not to think about the look on Calliope's face when I turned her down, but it was burned into my mind. I hate that I had put it there. She was so beautiful when she smiled.

I sighed as I entered the cafeteria to grab lunch. I paid for my salad and looked around for a familiar face to join for lunch. I haven't been here all that long, so I still felt like the new kid struggling to find a group to eat lunch with.

That's when I saw Calliope sitting with a stunning redhead across the room and I felt my jealousy begin to grow before I checked myself. She's not mine and I'd just turned her down. I had no claim over her. The redhead started to stand before Calliope pulled her back.

I sighed and sat at a table by myself as I discreetly studied the two women, wondering if they were just friends or something more. I watched them exchange words before the redhead stood again, this time pulling Calliope up with her as she took several steps in my general direction.

Suddenly, Calliope stopped the woman and checked her pager before quickly exiting the cafeteria and I found myself wondering what that had all been about.

In a split second, I knew. The redhead planted her hands on her hips as she looked me square in the eye, sending me a glare.

Yep. That had been about me. Perfect.

[Callie's POV]

I left the bar, utterly mortified. Damn Addison and her 'brilliant' plan. Just talk to her, she'd insisted. I laughed bitterly as I walked back towards my apartment. George had Liliana again and Cristina was on call at the hospital tonight, so I knew the apartment would be lonely.

"Callie!" a voice called out from behind me. I turned to see Addison running toward me. I was impressed that she was able to move that fast and that gracefully in those killer heels she always wore.

"I so don't like you right now," I said when she'd caught up to me.

"What happened? One minute you were talking to the Peds surgeon while I was giving Bailey her letter of recommendation and the next thing I know, you're practically running out of the bar."

"She was on a date," I replied miserably. I started walking towards my building again, Addison following me.

"A date? Really?" She started to laugh, but she instantly quieted when I shot her a glare. "Sorry, not funny," she said, holding up both hands in front of her in an 'I surrender' gesture.

"I'm mortified!" I practically screamed as we trudged up the stairs to the third floor apartment I shared with Cristina. After Liliana had been born, I'd assumed Cristina wouldn't want to live in the same apartment with a child and would either move out or ask me to move out, but she'd surprised me. She actually liked Liliana and seemed to have a natural bond with my daughter, thought she'd never willingly admit it. Instead, we'd leased a different apartment down the hall that had three bedrooms. Cristina swore it was because she loved living in this building that was so close to the hospital and couldn't afford rent if she lived alone, but I knew that was a lie. I let her pretend, though. She is Cristina, after all.

"And it's all your fault," I muttered, jamming my key into the lock.

"Me?" Addison called after me. "What did I do?"

"'Just talk to her, Callie. Prove you're not a newborn.'" I unlocked my apartment door and stepped inside, allowing Addison to enter before closing the door behind us. I took a deep breath. "Sorry," I said. "I'm just frustrated."

"I know," Addison said. "Apparently Mark isn't the only one to give bad relationship advice."

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"And really, why are you listening to me about relationships?" Addison continued.

I shook my head. "I honestly don't know," I said with a grin. If there was ever anyone who I could count on to cheer me up, it was Addison. "When are you going back to LA?" I asked.

Addison checked her watch. "Actually, I need get to the airport. My flight leaves in a little over an hour. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

I sighed. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Go catch your plane." We hugged before she walked to the door.

"You know you can visit me in LA anytime, right? Both you and Liliana."

I smiled. "I may take you up on that."

"Give that precious baby a kiss for me, alright?"

"Thanks, Addie. For everything."

[Arizona's POV]

Once again I was responsible for taking away Calliope's beautiful smile and I felt horrible. I'd only agreed to go on a date with Julie to humor my friend that was trying desperately to set me up with someone. I probably wouldn't have agreed if I hadn't been trying, unsuccessfully, to keep my mind off the curvy Latina.

After Calliope left, I turned back to Julie and attempted to make conversation with her. She was a nice enough girl but we didn't have much in common other than the fact that we worked with children. She was a kindergarten teacher at a local elementary school.

I found my mind wandering to Calliope as I stood there. I tried to focus on Julie, I really did, but I just couldn't concentration on what she was saying.

"So, are you going to tell me who that was?" Julie asked as she sipped her drink.

"I, what?" I asked, having not fully heard the question.

"The gorgeous brunette that came over here a few minutes ago. She seemed eager to talk to you, then when you introduced me as your date, she just walked away. Who is she?"

Julie's questions were filled with humor rather than jealousy, which made me relax a little. "It's a long story," I murmured, not really wanting to discuss this topic with the woman I was supposed to be on a date with.

"I'm not busy," she said with a smile. "And I think we both know that we'll only ever be friends."

She was right about that. I sighed and placed my now empty glass on the bar. "Long story short, she's a surgeon at Seattle Grace as well and I kissed her one evening, then she asked me out but I had to turn her down."

"Why?" Julie asked, a confused look on her face.

I sighed again. "She happened to mention that she's only been with one woman and I've had bad experiences with women who say they want to be with me, only to leave me for a man."

"You don't want to be an experiment," Julie said.

I nodded.

"But you obviously like her," she hedged.

I shrugged.

"And she did approach you earlier and give you all these reasons as to how she's not as inexperienced as you think she is. I mean, the Peace Corps? That's hot."

I had to chuckle at her last statement. And I agreed. That was pretty hot.

Our "date" didn't last much longer. We said our goodbyes and I left the bar, her words echoing in my head. I wanted to believe that Calliope was actually interested in me and not the thrill of being with a woman, but I had to protect my heart. I refused to be a victim once again.

A/N: I know that this first part just recapped a lot of what actually happened on the show, but I needed to include all of it to build the story up. Once Arizona finds out that Callie is a mother, the story will be much different than what we've seen on Grey's. I hope you enjoyed this so far. : )